At this time there is no ERP applications specifically tailored to the needs of distribution companies. System in ERP applications that exist today only answers the needs of the company in general. It is important to address the needs of the company's sales distribution module. Distribution companies studied are distributors of crops, fruit distributor, motorcycle dealers, distributors of electronic goods and components distributor panel. From the background of these problems, designed a structured sales module for five companies distributors and dealers. The application is made by using the CodeIgniter PHP programming language and MySQL for the database. Results obtained from these applications include the recording of the master, sales transactions, transaction settlement of debt, transaction delivery, transaction sales returns, reports sales returns, sales reports, report card stock, the report claims, the report card receivables and income statement for five company. This thesis can accommodate the process of selling five companies distributors and dealers who have been determined.


Petrofabric study of a specimen of quartzite from a shear zone in the Ajibik formation of the Marquette district, Michigan, contributes the following to the quartz lamellae problem:
 Excellent orientation relations of the deformation lamellae and crystal axes indicate the control of the quartz orientation by the lamellae rather than by the axes. A translation hypothesis is considered to explain the relations best. A fixed glide line [ m : r ] and variable glide planes containing [ m : r ] satisfy best the irrational lamellae planes and the restricted orientation of the axes associated with them. The character of the lamellae orientation leads to the tentative conclusion that the strain was nonrotational. The possibility is mentioned that some of the quartz maxima in recrystallized tectonites may be remnants of axis concentrations related to lamellae which have since been obliterated by the recrystallization.


This research centers around two subjects. First queues used in a producer/consumer paradigm and implemented using a database must be made selfscalable. Secondly a self-scalable system for the queue consumers and h-workers (programs that perform tasks like data preparation) must be developed. Two solutions were suggested. The rst solution creates a container from a xed set of processors or h-workers, when required a queue is also added. A container is then run on a node, eectively creating a consumer side queue. Containers only hold h-workers or processors that perform the same task, to scale capacity for a task more containers are created. The de-centralized nature of the solution only allows for gradual scaling. This is a very ill t for the h-workers, because they run in intervals and have a very abrupt need for resources. The second solution separates the queues from the consumers on a conceptual level. This allows dierent systems for the queues and the consumers/hworkers.
Each queue is segmented into a minimum of two segments and divided
over a set of nodes. A weight associated with each queue segment determines
how the incoming events are distributed over the available segments.
Queues are typed and dierent types can coexist on the same node. Incoming
events are routed to appropriately typed queue-segments. Scaling takes
place by changing the routing of events to be better spread over the available
nodes. Consumers and h-workers are implemented in a master/worker model
(further called manager/worker) which runs on top of a batch system, thereby
allowing the manager to request the necessary resources on demand. As long
as there are enough resources avail-able these requests are met. This results in
a system in which both continuous and abrupt resource demands can be met.
Several reasons, including the lack of performance data per queue (consumers)
or task (h-workers) and ill t scaling possibilities of the rst solution,
make solution two stand out. It is subsequently developed into a proof of concept.
Data retrieved from the proof of concept indicates a partial success. The
queue system is in its current state unusable, mostly due to the lack of performance
statistics per queue segment. It is therefore unknown what weight
should be redistributed, making it a guess game. The manager/worker implementation
works well for consumers. The setup is able to adjust its resource
consumption to the demands while timely processing all incoming events. Due
to facilities provided by the batch system, the manager/worker paradigm is
robust and quite resistant to failure. The h-workers have not been tested, but
provided there are enough resources available in the batch system a manager
can request the required resources and receive them after a small delay.


Background: Myofascial trigger points (MTrPs) in the head and neck muscles are frequently found in people with tension type headache (TTH). Recent findings suggest that MTrPs are implicated in the etiology of tension type headache and constitute a peripheral source of nociception that can induce central sensitization. Referred pain from MTrPs can be spontaneous or elicited by palpation and can contribute to the clinical manifestation of tension type headache. Nevertheless, specific refereed pain maps from MTrP in people with TTH are not available.
Purpose: To describe the referred pain pattern of MTrPs in persons with TTH. Furthermore, the mean extent of referred pain from each MTrPs was compared with pain complains of these patients.
Methods: One hundred and thirteen persons with TTH were enrolled in the study. Pain drawings of their usual pain and referred pain elicited by palpation of MTrPs were completed using four different paper body charts of the head and neck region (i.e. frontal view, dorsal view, right view, left view). The following muscles were examined to identify MTrPs: Masseter, Sternocleidomastoid, Suboccipitalis, Splenius Capitis, Temporalis, Upper Trapezius. Participants were instructed to color, using a pencil, every part of the body chart where they perceived pain, independently from the type and the severity of pain. The body charts were presented to the patients on A4 sheets. Subsequently, all pain drawings on the paper body charts were copied onto a digital body chart by two trained operators using an image analysis software. Pain extent for each patient was reported as the sum of the pixels in each view of the head and expressed as the percentage of the total chart area. Pain frequency maps were also generated for the four different body charts of the head to illustrate where pain was most frequently perceived by the participants by superimposing all the pain drawings produced on the same body chart.
Results: The mean pain extent for usual pain was 12.4% of the total head and neck area, with a slight but not significant prevalence of pain in the posterior aspect of the head. The prevalence of MTrPs was 31% for Masseter, 48% for Sternocleidomastoid, 50% for Suboccipitalis, 46% for Splenius capitis, 77% for Temporalis, and 44% for Upper Trapezius. The mean extent of referred pain was 2.9%, 4.0%, 6.9%, 5.7%, 4.9% and 5.4% respectively for the aforementioned MTrPs, ranging from 22% to 54% of the extent of the usual pain. The generated pain frequency maps of MTrP showed a common referral zone for each muscle.
Conclusion(s): Pain frequency maps of the pain elicited from MTrPs showed that referred pain was localized in specific areas of the neck and head region in people with TTH. The identified pain pattern was similar to the one originally reported by Travell and Simons in (1983). Referred pain from MTrPs appears to contribute to pain symptoms of patients with TTH.
Implications: Clinicians can use the pain frequency maps of MTrPs generated in this study for the evaluation of patients with head and neck complains.


Ectromelia virus strain NIH-79 was suspended in fetal bovine serum (FBS), minimum essential medium, Hanks' base plus 10% FBS (MEMH + FBS), phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) or PBS plus 50% glycerol (PBS + G). Suspensions were held as liquids or as dry spots at various temperatures. Virus was most stable in FBS and least stable in PBS + G at 4 degrees C, room temperature (23-25 degrees C) or 37 degrees C. Virus held at 4 degrees C was more stable than virus held at higher temperatures, irrespective of supporting medium. Dried spots of blood or serum from ectromelia virus-infected mice remained infectious at room temperature for 11 days and 4 days, respectively. Dried spots of FBS that contained virus were infectious for 5 days, whereas virus retained infectivity for 1 day after drying in other media. Virus was inactivated completely in 10% serum in PBS exposed to 60 degrees C for 30 minutes. Virus was inactivated completely in slices of infected liver and spleen immersed in 10% neutral buffered formalin for 20 hours. These results show that the stability of ectromelia virus strain NIH-79 is medium and temperature dependent and that rapid inactivation occurs after treatments routinely used in diagnostic and research procedures.


In the recent years the greenhouse effect in the atmosphere has become much stronger because of emissions of greenhouse gases on the earth. One of these gases is CO2. This may come from combustion of fossil fuel. The international shipping fleet emitted 1046 million tons of CO2 in 2007, which corresponds to 3.3% of all CO2 emission in the world. The increase intensity of the greenhouse effect leads to global warming, which can affect the human life heavily. Ice melts, sea level increase, lands will disappear in the water, lead to heat waves, starving people, more widespread of infections, and etc. Because of this there have to be a reduction of these greenhouse gases soon. The ship fleet is expected to grow in the coming years, so the only way to reduce the emissions is to manage a strong reduction for each vessel. There have been many ideas around this, and one up and coming is Slow Steaming. This is that the vessel is reducing the velocity, which corresponds to reduced necessary break power, which may reduce the emissions. One ship operator which have tried out the slow steaming concept is The A.P. Moller Marsk group. They have slowed down the speed on some of their container vessels from 25 knots to 20 knots (slow steaming) and also tried out 12 knots(super slow steaming). They have by reduced the speed to the half, reduced the fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions by 30%. But to compensate for reduced service frequency there are two options: Increase cargo capacity of the vessels or put in additional vessels on the route. Both options are reducing the profit, both environmental and economical. In this master thesis there has been performed a case study to look closer to the power prediction when reducing the velocity. Three vessels have been analyzed: a VLCC, a chemical tanker and a container vessel. These have been analyzed in the hydrodynamic workbench ShipX. A route from Le-Havre in Europe to Charleston in America has been applied in ShipX. Since waves are important in break power predictions due to added resistance, both summer season and winter season have been analyzed. The resistance was predicted by the empirical methods Holtrop 84, while the added resistance was calculated by using Gerritsma & Beukelman's method. For each velocity and each vessel was it calculated an optimal propeller (Wageningen B-series). As expected the break power increased exponential for increasing speed for all three vessels in calm water condition, summer season and winter season. But when I looked closer to an added factor, which is the proportion between break power respectively in summer/winter season over calm water, this was largest for low speeds and decreased when the speed was increased. This means relatively the wave contribution of necessary break power is largest for low speeds. An example of this is that for four to six knots with the container vessel, the break power in calm water had to be multiplied by 2.2 (120% increase) to get real break power in summer waves. The added factor for 24 knots was only 1.21 (21% increase). When it comes to optimum speed for a vessel, realistic weather conditions have a strong influence here. In realistic weather both size of waves and direction of waves are varying. If the ship is traveling in small waves, the optimum speed will be much higher than if it's going in rough sea states. There is also big difference if there is head sea, beam sea or following sea. Other factor for finding an optimum speed for a vessel is economic (profit versus costs), value and durability of cargo, demand of transportation, engine performance and etc.


An interactive evolutionary computation (EC) fitting method is proposed that applies interactive EC to hearing aid fitting and the method is evaluated using a hearing aid simulator with human subjects. The advantages of the method are that it can optimize a hearing aid based on how a user hears and that it realizes whatever+whenever+wherever (W3) fitting. Conventional fitting methods are based on the user's partially measured auditory characteristics, the fitting engineer's experience, and the user's linguistic explanation of his or her hearing. These conventional methods, therefore, suffer from the fundamental problem that no one can experience another person's hearing. However, as interactive EC fitting uses EC to optimize a hearing aid based on the user's evaluation of his or her hearing, this problem is addressed. Moreover, whereas conventional fitting methods must use pure tones and bandpass noise for measuring hearing characteristics, our proposed method has no such restrictions. Evaluating the proposed method using speech sources, we demonstrate that it shows significantly better results than either the conventional method or the unprocessed case in terms of both speech intelligibility and speech quality. We also evaluate our method using musical sources, unusable for evaluation by conventional methods, and demonstrate that its sound quality is preferable to the unprocessed case


Previous reports about the close association of development of hematopoietic (HCs) and endothelial cells (ECs) have suggested the presence of the hemangioblast, a putative common precursor of both lineage cells in mouse. The presence of putative ancestors is suggested by the fact that both HCs and ECs share common markers such as vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR)-2, CD34, and CD31. The precise analysis about the relationship of HCs and ECs in human embryogenesis, however, remains unclear because of obstacle including the ethical restrictions on experiments using their embryo. To further understand the mechanisms that regulate the differentiation of HCs and ECs in humans, it is currently necessary to employ primate (human and monkey) ES cells. In this study, we identified the intermediate-stage cells with HC and EC differentiation potentials from nonhuman primate ES cells by coculture with OP9 stromal cells. Sequential FACS analysis demonstrated that during in vitro HC and EC differentiation, the expression of common surface markers such as CD34 and CD31 could first be detected, followed by the expression of lineage-specific markers (CD45, CD41 and VE-cadherin) in order. Sequential FACS and immunostaining analyses showed that both lineage developments concomitantly occurred, which were preceded by emergence of two hemoangiogenic progenitors, VEGFR-2high CD34− and VEGFR-2high CD34+ cells. While both VEGFR-2 high cells could differentiate into primitive and definitive HCs as well as ECs, VEGFR-2high CD34+ cells possessed higher hemoangiogenic potential than VEGFR-2high CD34− cells. In contrast, HC and EC production cluster was rare in the VEGFR-2low or − fractions. During HC and EC differentiation, most of VEGFR-2high cells first expressed CD34, and then diverged into both lineage cells at the VEGFR-2high CD34+ stage. We found that the VEGFR-2high cells can generate both HCs and ECs at the single cell level, which strongly supports the existence of hemangioblasts in primates. To our knowledge, this is the first time that hemangioblasts have been shown to be present during primate ES cell differentiation. Furthermore, differentiation pathway into HC and EC lineages can be defined by surface markers, which facilitates further investigations in vitro and in vivo.


AIMS
The VIVALL study investigates the technical feasibility, safety and performance of ALLEGRA transcatheter heart valve (THV) for treatment of failing surgical aortic valves (SAV).

METHODS AND RESULTS
Thirty patients with failing SAV were investigated. An independent combined Data Safety Monitoring-Clinical Events Committee (DSM-CEC) and corelab adjudicated adverse events, patient safety and echocardiograms, respectively. Primary endpoints were invasive post-procedure mean pressure gradient (performance) and 30-day survival (safety). Of the treated patients (78.6±6.0 years, 50% female, STS score 4.5±2.1% and EuroSCORE II 9.2±4.3%) the majority (90%) had a small SAV (true inner diameter ≤ 22mm). Implantation was successful in all but one patient (96.7%). Overall, the invasively assessed pre-operative mean pressure gradient was significantly reduced from 37.1±13.3 mmHg to 11.6±3.7 mmHg. At 30 days, all-cause mortality and new pacemaker implantation were both 0% and the effective orifice area increased from 1.18±0.58 cm2 at baseline to 1.4±0.52 cm2. Paravalvular regurgitation was "none or trace" in 100% of the cases.

CONCLUSIONS
Transfemoral implantation of the ALLEGRA THV is feasible and safe in patients with failing SAV. Haemodynamic outcomes and a 100% survival rate after 30 days suggest that the ALLEGRA THV might be a valid option for valve-in-valve treatment.


The breast and ovarian cancer specific tumor suppressor BRCA1, bound to BARD1, has multiple functions aimed at maintaining genomic stability in the cell. We have shown earlier that the BRCA1/BARD1 E3 ubiquitin ligase activity regulates centrosome-dependent microtubule nucleation. In this study, we tested which domains of BRCA1 and BARD1 were required to control the centrosome function. In the present study, (a) we confirmed that the ubiquitination activity of BRCA1 regulates centrosome number and function in Hs578T breast cancer cells; (b) we observed that both the amino and carboxyl termini of BRCA1 are required for regulation of centrosome function in vitro; (c) an internal domain (770-1,290) is dispensable for centrosome regulation; (d) BARD1 is required for regulation of centrosome function and protein sequences within the terminal 485 amino acids are necessary for activity; and (e) BARD1 is localized at the centrosome throughout the cell cycle. We conclude that the BRCA1-dependent E3 ubiquitin ligase functions to restrain centrosomes in mammary cells, and loss of BRCA1 in the precancerous breast cell leads to centrosomal hypertrophy, a phenotype commonly observed in incipient breast cancer.


A professor at the Naval Postgraduate School drew a standing-room only crowd for his talk on issues regarding the Shia revival in the Middle East. Professor Vali Nasr, an acknowledged expert who recently briefed the president, gave the talk to a capacity crowd of approximately 500 people at the Monterey Convention Center in Monterey, Calif. Nasr is an internationally-renowned Middle East expert and author of the recent book "The Shia Revival: how conflicts within Islam will shape the future". The focus of his speech dealt with issues that were covered in the new book.


Pulmonary sarcoidosis may progress to fibrosis in some patients, so that close monitoring of its activity is essential for recommending clinical strategy. Examination of airway inflammatory markers in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) is one of the methods applied to assess the disease severity. Recently, the expired breath condensate (EBC) has become another source of cytokines and mediators. In sarcoidosis, except for NO and oxidative stress markers, no other mediators have yet been estimated in the exhaled air. In the present study we attempted to answer the question of whether airway inflammatory markers in pulmonary sarcoidosis patients might be assessable in EBC and to what extend these markers might reflect the disease activity in the lungs IL-6, TNF-alpha, PAI-1, and IGF-1 were measured by Elisa method in EBC and BALF samples from 9 patients with newly-diagnosed pulmonary sarcoidosis. TNF-alpha, IGF-1, and PAI-1 levels in EBC and BAL samples were comparable and closely positively correlated [TNF-alpha (r=0.79, P<0.001), IGF-1 (r=0.94, P<0.001), and PAI-1 (r=0.81, P<0.001)]. In contrast, IL-6 concentration in EBC was significantly lower compared with that in BALF, while the correlation between both materials was negative (r=-0.47, P<0.05). An important distinction in IL-6 performance, which might explain this inconsistency, is its tendency to form more complex molecular forms of a higher weight than that of other cytokines. Our study shows that EBC reflects cytokine production in the lung as effectively as BALF, providing that the characteristics of proteins evaluated allow their easy transfer into the exhaled air. Further studies are required before accepting EBC samples as an equivalent to BALF.


This thesis presents numerical and experimental investigations into Electrochemical Machining (ECM). The aim is to develop a computer program to predict the shape of a workpiece machined by the ECM process. The program is able to simulate various applications of EC machining which are drilling, milling, turning and shaped tube electrochemical drilling (STED). The program has been developed in a MATLAB environment. In this present work, EC-drilling, EC-milling and EC-turning are analysed as three-dimensional problems whereas STED is simulated in two-dimensions. Experiments have been carried out to verify the accuracy of the predicted results in the cases of EC-milling and EC-turning. The ECM modeller is based on the boundary element method (BEM) and uses Laplace?s equation to determine the current distribution at nodes on the workpiece surface. In 3D, the surfaces of the tool and the workpiece are discretised into continuous linear triangular element types whereas in 2D, the boundaries of the tool and workpiece are discretised into linear elements. The ECM modeller is completely self-contained, i.e. it does not rely on any other commercial package. The program contains modules to automatically discretize the surfaces/boundaries of the tool and workpiece. Since the simulation of the ECM process is a temporal problem, several time steps are required to obtain the final workpiece shape. At the end of each time step, the shape of the workpiece is calculated using Faraday?s laws. However, the workpiece?s shape changes with progressing time steps causing the elements to become stretched and distorted. Mesh refinement techniques are built in the ECM modeller, and these subdivide the mesh automatically when necessary.The effect of time step on the predicted 3D shape of a hole in EC-drilling is investigated. The effect of discontinuity in the slope between neighbouring elements is also studied. Results obtained from the ECM modeller are compared with 2D analytical results to verify the accuracy that can be obtained from the ECM modeller. Milling features ranging from a simple slot to a pocket with a complex protrusion were machined in order to determine the feasibility of the EC milling process. These features were machined on a 3-axes CNC machine converted to permit EC milling. The effect of tool geometry, tool feed rate, applied voltage and step-over distances on the dimensions, shape and surface finish of the machined features were investigated. A pocket with a human shape protrusion was machined using two different types of tool paths, namely contour-parallel and zig-zag. Both types resulted in the base surface of the pocket being concave and the final dimensions of the pockets are compared with the design drawing to determine the effect of tool path type on the accuracy of machining. The ECM modeller was used to simulate the machining of a thin-walled turned component. The machining parameters, i.e. initial gap, rotational speed, and applied voltage, were specified by the collaborating company. Since only a small amount of material had to be removed from the thin-walled component, the tool was held stationary i.e. a feed in the radial or longitudinal direction was not required. By taking advantage of the axi-symmetric nature of a turned component, only a sector of the component was analysed thereby reducing the computing time considerably. The accuracy of the modeller was verified by comparing the predicted time to machine the thin-walled component with the actual machining time. The initial investigations in STED were both experimental and numerical in nature and they studied the effect of applied voltage, tool feed rate and electrolyte pressure on the dimensions of the holes. Later investigations were numerical and an iterative methodology has been developed to calculate a set of feed rates which could machine a specified turbulator shape.


It is the year 2051 and Britain is a divided country, deliberately divided by economic and education strategies. Half the population shelters in fortified suburbs (Newtown); the other half resentfully smoulders in sealed-off ghettoes. This is the story of privileged Zoe and Daz, the semi-literate ghetto dweller, whose brother was executed for raiding with the underground resistance movement. When Zoe and her friends go slumming one day, she meets Daz - and it's Romeo and Juliet all over again. But their impossible relationship has far-reaching consequences ...


Work Internship Placements (WIP) is a transversal programme of enterprise internships for the engineering students of UdG which is focused on quality improvement, academic control and satisfaction of collaborating enterprises. The fundamental WIP infrastructure is a web-based intranet platform that provides a complete set of WIP tools, procedures and tasks involved in all internships stages for every participating agent: enterprises, students, coaching professors and administrative staff. Our new programme is centered on a broader, more holistic internship placement procedure than the traditional "career and academic goals" approach. The WIP programme has been found to be a valuable asset in addressing enterprise and student needs in the experiential project.


This present paper aims to present a historical evolution of the tourism industry, focusing on the reflexes of the industrial management paradigms as well as those of some technological innovations on it, show its features emphasizing its differences in relation to other industry forms and reflect on its trends in Brazil, considering the participation of the rural segment. Through the historical evolution, one verifies that the movements of other forms of industry, as far as growth is concerned, technological innovations and changes in management patterns have reflected directly on tourism industry. There is a trend in formation of networks, as a managerial alternative to small and medium size companies, and it happens to adapt to the tourism industry's features. In Brazil one also verifies that its trajectory follows the same path as former Europe's and the trend is also the countryside's tranquility for similar reasons. As for the reflections, they focus basically on the managerial challenge that rural producers will face ahead due to the tourism industry's features, to the features of the product and its production, such as being responsible for avoiding its occurring in the rural environment, which is where he makes his living, and which still features such valuable natural resources, so as to avoid undergoing consequences of negative experiences similar to those from the past, and keeping it from being destroyed even further than it has been so far.


(N) is of most restricted nutrient for plant growth in the dryland ecosystems; it is still the mechanisms of plants nutrients absorption from the dry soil. The N isotope ratio (δ 15 N) of organic and inorganic N reflects N cycle and it also used for estimation of plant N by comparison with 15 N plants. To better understand the N cycle and plant N uptake in the dryland ecosystem, we analyzed N content and δ 15 N value of soils and plant foliage in the Mongolian Gobi steppe. We established four typical vegetation plots based on the dominant plant species and topographical conditions; river bottom with halophyte species, riverbank with a large perennial grass community, the upper slope with an isolate grass communities and flat plain with annual forbs. We sampled soil from five depth of the vertical soil layer from the vegetation plots and measured extracted dissolved organic and inorganic N content and δ 15 N values. We also measured above- and belowground length, N content (N%) and δ 15 N values. The plants root mostly distributed in the 10-15 cm depth soil layer. The soil inorganic N concentration was extremely limited expect under the large grass communities. The δ 15 N values of soil nitrate were corresponded with the perennial grass species, while in the other species often had higher δ 15 N values than soil nitrogen source. From these results, indicated that N cycle in the dryland ecosystems significantly varied with aboveground vegetation and nitrate was one of N source of perennial grass species. For the other plant species dissolved organic N which had higher δ 15 N values may have some role for N source in the dryland ecosystem.


Author(s): Rovira, Alexander Raymond | Advisor(s): Tor, Yitzhak | Abstract: Given that the molecules composing RNA and DNA are naturally nonemissive, we make use of fluorescent nucleoside analogues engaged in the same biological processes as their native counterparts to probe the mechanisms involved in such biological processes. I developed a synthesis to create a family of isothiazolo-pyrimidine nucleoside analogues. A necessity for these analogues was proposed out of the loss of key hydrogen-bond acceptor, nitrogen-7, found in the native purine scaffolds, missing in a previously synthesized family of fluorescent nucleoside analogues composed of a thiopheno-pyrimidine framework. Ultimately I pursued a route involving a Thorpe-Ziegler reaction to construct the isothiazole ring on an alkylated ribofuranose unit and synthesized each canonical RNA purine-based nucleoside analogue, adenosine (tzA) and guanosine (tzG). Cytosine (tzC), and uridine (tzU) analogues were synthesized as well using traditional nucleoside synthetic methods. Each final product was extensively studied to determine the photophysical properties, and found to be emissive as well as responsive to changes in pH and polarity. I compared the activity of our analogues in enzymatic systems through the use of adenosine deaminase (ADA), an enzyme found in many purine metabolic pathways. The deamination of our fluorescent analogue, tzA, can be followed by both emission and absorption. When subjecting tzA to adenosine deaminase, I found effective deamination to isothiazolo-inosine (tzI) at the same rate as the native adenosine, and significantly faster than our previously synthesized thiophene-based adenosine analogue. The initial publication of these fluorescent analogues has given way to several ongoing collaborations and is finding utility in the fluorescent nucleoside community.The set of aforementioned synthesized RNA analogues was expanded to include several "non-canonical" RNA nucleosides such as xanthosine (tzX), isoguanosine (tzisoG), and diaminopurine (tz2-AA). Alongside these newly introduced nucleosides, my endeavors to synthesize this set of molecules with a unique heterocyclic scaffold were discussed in great detail, as non-traditional synthetic methods were required to synthesize each nucleoside. We conducted extensive studies on the photophysical properties of each molecule, identifying pKa values in both the ground and excited states, and identifying tautomeric species existing in the excited state of several molecules. I further explored the adenosine deaminase assay previously developed in our lab by looking at the effects of several of my synthesized molecules as direct inhibitors of this enzymatic process. These studies gave interesting results as the synthesized nucleoside analogues seemed to react with adenosine deaminase faster than their native counterparts. To further exemplify the power and utility of these fluorescent probes, we sought to develop fluorescent nucleoside-containing secondary metabolites in an effort to better understand relevant biological processes. Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) is a coenzyme found in all living cells. In addition to its metabolic roles, it also serves as a substrate to enzymes involved in posttranslational modifications of proteins (e.g., ribosylation), thus rendering these enzymes important targets for drug discovery. An NAD+ analogue, which contains a fluorescent adenosine surrogate, has the potential to find broad utility in sensitive fluorescent assays. I incorporated our fluorescent adenosine analogue, tzA, into a fully functional NAD+ surrogate through chemical synthesis. This molecule, named NtzAD+, was found to be emissive and function exactly as the naturally occurring NAD+ in several systems that I employed, including alcohol dehydrogenase, an enzyme which oxidizes ethanol to acetaldehyde through the conversion of NAD+ to NADH, followed by treatment with lactate dehydrogenase, an enzyme which reduces pyruvic acid to lactic acid through the conversion of NADH to NAD+, and arginine-specific mono ADP ribosyl transferases, enzymes that play a crucial role in post-translational modifications. To our knowledge, this is the first fluorescent NAD+ analogue known to exhibit changes between oxidized and reduced forms, lending itself to have great potential for biophysical assays.


Today there is an enormous amount of work related to new models and styles of learning and
instruction in the field of engineering. In the case of the engineering degree in computing that is
taught in the Mexico National Polytechnic Institute (IPN), there is a working group led by an expert of
international waisted whose success and work thereon, processes are reflected in this text through
experiences gained in the last 8 years with students and teachers, thus generatingthe requirements
and tools for the globalised world and the knowledge society in which we find ourselves. Lessons
learned are in subjects as the theory of automata (TA), compilers (Cs), analysis of algorithms (AA),
(R), Artificial Intelligence (AI), computer programming (P) networks, degree project (PT) and
strategic planning (PE) mainly, among others to facilitate the understanding of concepts and
applications by the student and believe that through the teaching strategy using concept maps
developed by j. Novak results have been favorable in dynamism, understanding and generating
meaningful learning in the long term, providing well, solid elements for your professional practice.
Listed proposals obtained by teachers and exercises developed by teachers and students


: Experience is reported of treatment of patients presenting with reflex lumbar osteochondrosis syndromes (n = 136) by manual therapy and acupuncture. The majority of patients derived apparent benefit from the treatment (n = 102), twenty-six in this patient population showed improvement, 8--no effect. Manual and acupuncture treatments allowed to shorten the time during which patients presenting with the above pathologies are incapacitated from working. Methods of sum and stimulant electroneuromyography constitute a useful addition to clinical findings permitting an objective assessment to be provided of the effectiveness of treatment of patients presenting with reflex syndromes of lumbar osteochondrosis.


In this article, we propose a fault-tolerant strategy to recover the full performance of a modular multilevel converter (MMC) under submodule (SM) fault condition for regenerative medium-voltage drive applications. The proposed method has the feature to retrieve line voltage amplitude during the postfault condition back to its nominal value. In this method, the missing capacity of the converter due to the fault condition is compensated by all remaining healthy SMs. The main advantage of the proposed method in comparison with previous works is that it imposes a lower voltage stress on switches in postfault conditions without severe circulating current. Remaining healthy SMs also operate at a similar condition, which leads to the feature of homogeneous distribution of loss and temperature in all parts of the converter. The proposed method is applicable for the regenerative MMC-based drives as well as the back-to-back configuration of MMC without adding cost or complexity to the whole system. A generalized approach is presented and its result is compared with other methods. The simulation and experimental results are provided to validate the performance and feasibility of the proposed method that can effectively enhance the fault-tolerant capability of this converter.


To produce sound nugget, it is necessary to select the most suitable conditions, such as the squeezing force, the welding current, the welding speed, the electrode shape and the mode of current. To determine them, large numbers of experiments, which require significant cost and time, have to be conducted. One of the effective solutions for this problem is computer simulation. Thus, a finite element method for the seam welding is developed and the appropriate conditions are studied through numerical simulation. In this research, the effects of the mode and the value of the welding current and the welding speed on the formation of the nugget are examined by using newly developed method. In case of the continuous current mode, periodic instability appears in the process and continuous and uniform nugget is not produced. This periodicity is closely related to the contact area between the electrode and the work. It is also found that a current with discontinuous mode is preferable to achieve a good nugget because the contact state is stabilized by the cooling effect of the electrodes.


Hardware–in-loop (HIL) simulation is a technique which allows the development and testing of Electronic Control Module (ECM) virtually in the real time domain in order to analyse or overlook the behaviour & performance of various sensors and actuators/loads present inside the Doser. Testing done by using the HIL approach reduces the overall cost, manual efforts and overall testing time as compared to manual testing to a greater extent. This paper describes the case study to automate the Failure Mode Effects Tests (FMET) and Regression Tests of Doser System where a HIL technique is invoked for the authentication and affirmation of the performance of the Doser. The system is developed by using Load-Box User Interface System (LUIS) hardware and Digital FMET box which auto-simulate fault conditions for various sensors like Pump Unit Temperature Sensor, Mixed Air Pressure Sensor, NOx sensor, Selective Catalyst Reduction Inlet (SCR) Temperature Sensor and actuators like Internal Metering Valve (IMV), Bypass Valve (BPV), Air Shutoff Valve (ASOV). The conventional manual FMET testing is time-consuming and prone to various manual errors. Thus to reduce the time and manual errors and to increase the overall efficiency the fully automated test bench is developed. The test bench uses National Instruments (NI) Test stand for writing test sequence scripts to fully automate the manual FMET and regression tests. The developed automated test bench deliver faster test results with reduced manual errors, reduced man power and improved cost saving.


Production of biomass for bioenergy can alter biogeochemical and biogeophysical mechanisms, thus affecting local and global climate. Recent scientific developments have mainly embraced impacts from land use changes resulting from area-expanded biomass production, with several extensive insights available. Comparably less attention, however, has been given to the assessment of direct land surface–atmosphere climate impacts of bioenergy systems under rotation such as in plantations and forested ecosystems, whereby land use disturbances are only temporary. Here, following IPCC climate metrics, we assess bioenergy systems in light of two important dynamic land use climate factors, namely, the perturbation in atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration caused by the timing of biogenic CO2 fluxes, and temporary perturbations to surface reflectivity (albedo). Existing radiative forcing-based metrics can be adapted to include such dynamic mechanisms, but high spatial and temporal modeling resolution is required. Results show the importance of specifically addressing the climate forcings from biogenic CO2 fluxes and changes in albedo, especially when biomass is sourced from forested areas affected by seasonal snow cover. The climate performance of bioenergy systems is highly dependent on biomass species, local climate variables, time horizons, and the climate metric considered. Bioenergy climate impact studies and accounting mechanisms should rapidly adapt to cover both biogeochemical and biogeophysical impacts, so that policy makers can rely on scientifically robust analyses and promote the most effective global climate mitigation options.


Background and objectives . Still, there is almost no information about the role of biomarkers in the pathological processes of the brain in those patients, which die immediately after the injury, and those, which die several hours after the trauma. Design and Settings . A retrospective study. The human brain tissue material from the archive of the Institute of Anatomy and Anthropology in Riga Stradins University (RSU). Methods . We used the brain tissue material from the trauma and counterstroke spots of 28 patients. Brain tissue specimens were routinely fixed, embedded into paraffin, cut in 5 μm thick slides. For immunohistochemistry we used monoclonal antibodies against NF proteins to detect axonal injury and monoclonal antibodies against GFAP to detect astrocytes. Results . Statistical correlation was seen between the lethal cases and survived in the brain tissue in the areas of counterstroke between lethal cases and survived for NF and GFAP presence (p=0.017). The data was compared, by dividing patients into groups of children and adults. Each of these groups was divided into 2 sub-groups. Statistically significant differences were noted between the lethal and the survived cases in the group of children for GFAP (Mann-Whitney U Test, p=0.015) and in the group of adults for NF in the area of the counterstroke (Mann-Whitney U Test, p=0.019). Conclusions . Higher quantities of intermediated filaments such as GFAP and NF are characteristic in the patients who survived after a head trauma in comparison to those, who died on the spot of the accident. Children under 2 years of age with severe head trauma have more dynamic glial cell reaction than other patients.


This pilot study evaluated the validity of a new quantitative, closed-response instrument for assessing student conceptual change regarding the theory of evolution. The instrument has two distinguishing design features. First, it is designed not only to gauge student mastery of the scientific model of evolution, but also to elicit a trio of deeply intuitive tendencies that are known to compromise many students' understanding: the projection of intentional agency, teleological directionality, and immutable essences onto biological phenomena. Second, in addition to a section of conventional multiple choice questions, the instrument contains a series of items where students may simultaneously endorse both scientifically normative propositions and intuitively appealing yet unscientific propositions, without having to choose between them. These features allow for the hypothesized possibility that the three intuitions are partly innate, themselves products of cognitive evolution in our hominin ancestors, and thus may continue to inform students' thinking even after instruction and conceptual change. The test was piloted with 340 high school students from diverse schools and communities. Confirmatory factor analysis and other statistical methods provided evidence that the instrument already has strong potential for validly distinguishing students who hold a correct scientific understanding from those who do not, but that revision and retesting are needed to render it valid for gauging students' adherence to intuitive misconceptions.


Abstract. It is well known that displacement components estimated using digital image correlation are affected by a systematic error due to the polynomial interpolation required by the numerical algorithm. The magnitude of bias depends on the characteristics of the speckle pattern (i.e., the frequency content of the image), on the fractional part of displacements and on the type of polynomial used for intensity interpolation. In literature, B-Spline polynomials are pointed out as being able to introduce the smaller errors, whereas bilinear and cubic interpolants generally give the worst results. However, the small bias of B-Spline polynomials is partially counterbalanced by a somewhat larger execution time. We will try to improve the accuracy of lower order polynomials by a posteriori correcting their results so as to obtain a faster and more accurate analysis.


This article originally was prepared for presentation at the 1988 Texas Health Law Conference, Nov 4, 1988, in Austin. It appears this month in Texas Medicine to emphasize the importance of state and federal laws that require reporting of certain peer review actions by hospitals, medical societies, and other organizations to the Texas State Board of Medical Examiners (TSBME). The author, Michael G. Young, is staff counsel for the TSBME. He formerly was staff attorney and director, Office of Medical Ethics, at Texas Medical Association.


The findings this article is marketing strategy especially marketing of the savings that implemented by PT. Bank Mandiri including a several strategy which is take a ball strategy, develop a networking, excellent service and satisfy facility that increasing the customer trusting and satisfaction so that customers did not run from the bank. The result of SWOT analysis found PT Bank Mandiri have a courages to compete in competitive market. SO (strenght opportunities) including market share, strenghten the cooperation with cooperative , increaseing the relation between muslim scholar, government and entrepreneur. WO (weakness opportunity) is do the take a ball strategy, increasing a loyal customer, and increasing a product quality. ST (streght treaths) take a cooperation with another banks to set a marketing target and increasing a service quality. WT (weakness treaths) is increasing the promotion with a several media and set an effectiveness and efficiency marketing strategy. Keywords: SWOT, Marketing Strategy, Mandiri Business Savings


Before a body can be cremated doctors must complete a series of lengthy forms better known as 'crem forms'. One doctor first completes a medical certificate (Cremation Form 4, previously known as 'Part B') while a second must complete a confirmatory medical certificate (Cremation Form 5, previously 'Part C').


We examined racial differences in gout incidence among black and white participants in a longitudinal, population-based cohort and tested whether racial differences were explained by higher levels of serum urate. The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study is a prospective, US population-based cohort study of middle-aged adults enrolled between 1987 and 1989 with ongoing annual follow-up through 2012. We estimated the adjusted hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals of incident gout by race among 11,963 men and women using adjusted Cox proportional hazards models. The cohort was 23.6% black. The incidence rate of gout was 8.4 per 10,000 person-years (15.5/10,000 person-years for black men, 12.0/10,000 person-years for black women, 9.4/10,000 person-years for white men, and 5.0/10,000 person-years for white women; P < 0.001). Black participants had an increased risk of incident gout (for women, adjusted hazard ratio (HR) = 1.69, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.29, 2.22; for men, adjusted HR = 1.92, 95% CI: 1.44, 2.56). Upon further adjustment for uric acid levels, there was modest attenuation of the association of race with incident gout (for women, adjusted HR = 1.62, 95% CI: 1.24, 2.22; for men, adjusted HR = 1.49, 95% CI: 1.11, 2.00) compared with white participants. In this US population-based cohort, black women and black men were at increased risk of developing gout during middle and older ages compared with whites, which appears, particularly in men, to be partly related to higher urate levels in middle-aged blacks.


The first example of an enzyme that undergoes phosphorylation and dephosphorylation was phosphorylase, which catalyzes the initial step in the breakdown of tissue glycogen, a process that occurs when cells are stimulated by certain hormones. The phosphorylation reaction that activates phosphorylase is catalyzed by an enzyme designated "phosphorylase kinase," whereas the dephosphorylation reaction is catalyzed by an enzyme called "phosphorylase phosphatase." Phosphorylase kinase, like phosphorylase itself, is regulated by phosphorylation-dephosphorylation. In this instance the enzyme is phosphorylated and activated by a protein kinase that is the intracellular target of adenosine 3′,5′-cyclic phosphate, the second messenger of hormone action that was discovered by the late Earl Sutherland. Knowledge of these steps led to the establishment of the glycogenolytic cascade in which adenosine 3′,5′-cyclic phosphate, formed as a result of hormone action, first activates the adenosine 3′,5′-cyclic phosphate—dependent protein kinase, which in turn activates phosphorylase kinase, which then converts inactive phosphorylase to its active form. This is followed by the breakdown of glycogen. ( JAMA . 1989;262:1815-1818)


© 2014 by IGI Global. All rights reserved.Due to rapid advances in hardware and software technologies, network infrastructure and data have become increasingly complex, requiring efforts to more effectively comprehend and analyze network topologies and information systems. Innovative Approaches of Data Visualization and Visual Analytics evaluates the latest trends and developments in force-based data visualization techniques, addressing issues in the design, development, evaluation, and application of algorithms and network topologies. This book will assist professionals and researchers working in the fields of data analysis and information science, as well as students in computer science and computer engineering, in developing increasingly effective methods of knowledge creation, management, and preservation.


The problem of low income farms in Australia is examined in a dynamic context of overall farm adjustment. It is suggested that the pace of agricultural adjustment has been and is too slow, in the light of current and prospective market and cost trends. Consideration is given to both the case for, and the possibilities of, government action and the relationship of on•-farm adjustment to the adjustment needs of the economic and the social infrastructure on the agricultural sector.


Although most of the ideas behind networking are relatively straightforward, several interesting technical and business decisions must be made as an ongoing part of the process. In this first installment of what I hope turns into a discussion about more advanced applications, the focus is on revealing the secrets in a typical home router/switch. (Here, a router has both switching and routing functions).


Fossilized flowers of ericalean affinity are reported from the Turonian (ca. 90 MYBP, million years before present) of New Jersey. The fossils are remarkably well preserved and three-dimensional, and are the oldest known floral remains of Ericales. The series of fossil flower buds, floral fragments, and fruits are not identical to any modern genus of Ericales. The inverted U-shaped anthers with pseudoterminal awns, and the fluted syncarpous ovary of the fossils suggest affinities with basal Ericaceae, probably near extant Enkianthus, a taxon that also shares monadinous pollen with the fossil. Pollen grains were observed clumped on a stigma in one of the fossil flowers. Fossilized acid-resistant strands having characteristics, including similar diameter and sculpture pattern, in common with the muri connect pollen grains and, with scanning electron microscopy, appear continuous with the tectum, supporting the interpretation that they are viscin threads. These are the oldest reported fossilized viscin threads, and the only fossilized viscin threads found in situ in flowers. In modern Ericales and Onagraceae, the presence of viscin threads is associated with highly specific plant-pollinator relationships, raising the possibility that such specific pollinator-plant relationships had developed by the mid-Cretaceous. This is consistent with floral characters in these ericalean fossils, the presence of advanced meliponine bees in slightly younger sediments from the same region, and with the morphology and affinities of other fossil flowers from the same sediments.


This guidance note is about a recent mining boom in Odisha, that accelerated and diversified economic growth in the Indian state. However, the boom did not reduce poverty in the mining region. Meanwhile, unsustainable mining practices have severely affected the region's air and water quality. Efforts to improve mining practices will require greater capacity for planning; reliable and timely data; and modernization of the institutional and regulatory framework surrounding the mining sector. A pilot project funded by the World Bank has suggested the way forward in the Keonjhar-Jajpur Resource Corridor. The resource-corridor focus makes it possible to articulate a sequence of extractive-industry investments in infrastructure, goods, and services and to integrate those investments with other actions to be taken by the private and public sectors so as to produce sustainable economic development and diversification within a defined geographic area. A better spatial understanding of the mining sector can underpin coordinated regional planning to reduce the negative effects of mining operations and to share benefits more equitably. Finally, a responsible mining sector free from conflict, irregularities, and illegalities can ensure that India's resource-rich regions are developed in a holistic manner.


This study compares the response of Amaranthus candatus vegetable to root-to-shoot signals of soil drying and assesses applicability of the use of partial root zone drying (PRD) technique in increasing water-use efficiency. From a completely block randomized design, seeds were grown on three plots with each having three replicates. Three treatments were compared: half of the root system watered and half droughted by delivering 50% less crop water requirement (CWR) per irrigation depicted as 50%PRD; both halves of the root system received water application of 50% less crop water requirement per irrigation (50%CWR); while in the control treatment, both halves received 100% crop water requirement (100%CWR). The wetted and dried sides of the root system of 50%PRD were alternated on a 7-day cycle throughout experimental period. Effects of the differences in water-use on growth parameters, such as plant height, stem girth; number of leaves and leaf area were examined. Weights at harvest and root-to-shoot ratios were also compared. Drying half of the root system caused marked declines in all growth parameters in 50%CWR but only slight declines in 50%PRD. Since the main effect of water stress on Amaranthus is yield reduction, achieving better yields requires an optimum water supply from planting until ripening. Average edible wet weights (yields) of the 50%PRD and 50%CWR water applications when compared with the control were 81% and 25% respectively. The higher yield in 50%PRD may be attributed to high stomata sensitivity to drought signaling, as indicated by relatively low root to shoot ratio of 0.33. This lower ratio for 50%PRD treatment, compared to 50%CWR and 100%CWR with 0.40 and 0.66 values, was an indication of healthier and more profitable plants in 50%PRD because the decrease came from a greater shoot size.


This article makes a contribution to the sparse literature on the ethnography of fear. Using observation and focus groups, we compare men and women's perceptions of danger in relation to a specific civic space—public toilets. Here, it is men, rather than women, who express a marked concern about the threat of physical assault. We attempt to understand the nature and social origin of this fear, and its relationship to the arrangement of space. In so doing, we help sketch out what Tuan (1979) called 'landscapes of fear'. Places that take us outside of, or lie at the margins of, regular social space can be particularly fear-inducing. Civil inattention is a core means of dealing with this problem and we analyse its functions in allaying fear. We also suggest that spaces in which private behaviour can be surreptitiously surveyed or where there is an indeterminate relationship between private and public space can prompt a pernicious sense of worry. Indeed, being watched and being mistakenly perceived to be watching emerge from our data as really important correlates of fear of violence. We employ Sartre, Berger and Mulveys's ideas about the gaze to analyse the psychosocial effects of this. Finally, we stress the importance of seeing the experience of fear—including its relationship to spatial arrangement—as socially contingent. The discussion section of this paper suggests that we understand men's fear of violence in public toilets as a reaction to what Turner calls an 'inter-structural' social situation, namely the temporary suspension of the usual gender hierarchy.


Single ventricle is a rare and complex congenital heart disease. Neonates with single ventricle have a high mortality. Survival into adulthood is rare without surgical intervention. A case of single ventricle with double inlet and double outlet combined with severe valvular pulmonary stenosis and mitral regurgitation (Grade II) is being reported here. A 36 years old man was admitted for bluish discoloration of lips, tongue and fingers; shortness of breath and recurrent palpitation. His ECG showed atrial fibrillation with fast ventricular rate. Chest X-Ray depicted an enlarged cardiac shadow and right sided pleural effusion. Final diagnosis was made by echocardiogram which demonstrated single ventricle with double inlet and double outlet, severe valvular pulmonary stenosis and mitral regurgitation (Grade II) with good ventricular systolic function.


Hyperlocal media has repeatedly been framed as a potential saviour of local journalism, but the democratic and civic role that often is ascribed to hyperlocals is not obvious or uncomplicated. The hyperlocals' vulnerable economic situation makes them dependent on free content, for example material produced by local councils or organizations. This paper investigates the role of hyperlocal media entrepreneurs and their interaction with local councils and other stakeholders. We examine how the hyperlocal media entrepreneurs supply their communities with news in places of a media void, and how they perceive their role in their communities. Findings from this qualitative study show that the media entrepreneurs view their news production as an important part of the local community. They provide a forum for debate and information for citizens, local governments and organizations. Their service also includes a channel for local events relevant for the community. The interactions with the local governments vary, as well as the hyperlocal entrepreneurs' evaluation of how the information provided by the councils can or should be handled. The relation between hyperlocal media entrepreneurs and local governments is a complex process, including both interrelated and contradictory goals.


The purpose of this thesis was to analyse the relationship between being an employee of a family firm and transition to self-employment. It was ascertained empirically whether being employees of family firms have a positive influence on the phenomenon of spin-offs in Sweden. Using a data set of individuals as well as firms for the whole of Sweden, the thesis applied a logistic regression model to analyse the influence of family firms on spin-off processes. Specifically I examined how employees of firms as at 2007 transitioned to self-employment in 2008. I also examined the characteristics of employees who spin-off and the choice of industry of operation of spin-offs. Disagreements between owners of family firms and employees about the strategic focus of the business arise as a result of the long-term horizon of family firms, coupled with agency issues as well as organisational culture that encourages the direct involvement of owners of family firms in the routines. Employees who discover innovative and risky ideas are likely to exploit them outside the company due to the reluctance of the family firm to implement them, due to its long-term orientation. The paper established a nexus between family firms and spin-off processes. The results suggest that being an employee of a family firm has a positive and significant influence on the decision to transition to self-employment. The results also indicate that employees in relatively higher occupational categories are less likely to spin-off as compared to employees in relatively lower occupational classifications. In terms of the choice of industries of operation, it is found that spin-offs are less likely to be established in the same industry as their parent firms. Increasingly, spin-offs are carving their own images in their respective new industries. Last but not least, contrary to evidence that employees of smaller firms are more likely to spin-off, our results show otherwise.


BACKGROUND AIMS
Cytotherapy is a promising option for neurodegenerative disease treatment. Because of the fatal prognosis and imperative need for effective treatment, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients request this therapy before its effectiveness has been verified. The increase in clinics offering cytotherapies but providing little scientific information has prompted considerable medical tourism. We present an observational study of Spanish ALS patients receiving cytotherapy, analyzing the experiences arising from the treatment (TX) and considering two progression markers, FVC and ALSFRS-R.

METHODS
Twelve ALS patients with a mean age of 48.6 years (SD 12.8) received cytotherapy 26.9 months (SD 15.8) after clinical onset. ALSFRS-R and FVC at TX were 32.3 (SD 6.8) and 63.4% (SD 15.3), respectively. TX involved transplants of olfactory ensheathing cells in three patients, and autologous mesenchymal stromal cells in the remainder.

RESULTS
One patient died 33 months post-TX after surviving for 49 months. Five required mechanical non-invasive home ventilation 7.4 months post-TX. Two required invasive ventilation 13 months post-TX. Five patients needed gastrostomy feeding 23.3 months post-TX. Survival between clinical onset and the study end date was 50 months (SD 17.2). No significant adverse events or changes in the decline of FVC and ALSFRS-R compared with the disease's natural history were observed.

CONCLUSIONS
Our observations suggest that these therapies do not halt the course of the disease. Cytotherapy cannot yet be considered a curative treatment for ALS.


A system that combines real-time face tracking as well as the localization of facial landmarks in order to improve the authenticity of fingerprint recognition is introduced. The intended purpose of this application is to assist in securing public areas and individuals, in addition to enforce that the collected sensor data in a multi modal person authentication system originate from present persons, i.e. the system is not under a so called play back attack. Facial features are extracted with the help of Gabor filters and classified by SVM experts. For real-time performance, selected points from a retinotopic grid are used to form regional face models. Additionally only a subset of the Gabor decomposition is used for different face regions. The second modality presented is texture-based fingerprint recognition, exploiting linear symmetry. Experimental results on the proposed system are presented.


Muscle glycogen depletion and replenishment rates have been associated with sport performance, biomechanical movement and immune system alterations. PURPOSE: the purpose of this study is to determine, through a meta-analytic review, the mechanisms of muscle glycogen depletion and replenishment. METHODS: A systematic literature review and meta-analysis research design was utilized. Inclusion-exclusion criteria were the following: Glycogen depletionreplenishment studies; subjects in studies had no pathologies; human and animal studies were accepted; Studies with diet manipulation were accepted; articles accepted for coding were peer reviewed, original publications. Coded studies were summarized and statistically analyzed. Coded variables were presented as means and standard deviations (SD). Rates of muscle glycogen depletion and replenishment were analyzed through the Cohen's d effect size (ES) calculation: = (M2 M1) ⁄ SDpooled where SDpooled = √((SD12 + SD22) ⁄ 2). RESULTS: Eighteen (18) studies were coded allowing for a total sample size of n=149. Subject demographics were: age, 29.0 (2.9) y; height, 180.4 (5) cm; weight, 74.7 (3.6) kg; maximal oxygen consumption (MVO2), 61.2 (4) ml*kg-1*min.-1. Pre-Post depletion rate ES was 10.29, considered large. PrePost replenishment rate ES was 4.39, considered large. Mechanisms of muscle glycogen depletion in rank order from high to low were: high intensity intervals, endurance-run followed by sprints, low intensity cycling to exhaustion, 90 min. intermittent work, cycling for 2 hours at 60% MVO2, 30 min. run at 70% MVO2. Mechanisms of glycogen replenishment within a 24-hour period in rank order from high to low were: high carbohydrate (CHO) diet through two high kcal meals, high CHO with 7 low kcal meals, mixed diet (CHO, protein, fat) with two high kcal meals, and low CHO with two high kcal meals. CONCLUSION: High intensity work led to the greatest depletion rates. High CHO, with high kcal per meal showed the greatest replenishment rates. Consumption of kcal within the first two hours post exercise facilitated replenishment. Variations in simple vs. complex sugars eaten over a 24-hour period influenced total muscle glycogen replenishment. Lastly, high MVO2 significantly associated with glycogen replenishment.


Children and young people in residential care are some of the most vulnerable in our society. They may have experienced violence and physical, sexual or emotional abuse. They may be involved in offending or the misuse of drugs and alcohol. They are separated from their families and have to cope with living in a group situation with other young people and staff members. Children and young people in residential care also possess strengths, competencies and resilience. We have much to learn from their experiences and perspectives, both generally and surrounding their time in care. This paper will address the ethical issues which arise from gaining the views of children and young people in residential care, drawing on the experience of carrying out three studies in particular (Kendrick et al. 2004, The development of a residential unit working with sexually aggressive young men. In: H.G. Eriksson and T. Tjelflaat, eds. Residential care: horizons for the new century. Aldershot: Ashgate, 38–55; Docherty et al. 2006, Designing with care: interior design and residential child care. Farm7 and SIRCC. http://www.sircc.strath.ac.uk/publications/Designing_with_Care.pdf; Steckley, L. and Kendrick, A., 2005. Physical restraint in residential child care: the experiences of young people and residential workers. Childhoods 2005: Children and Youth in Emerging and Transforming Societies, University of Oslo, Norway, 29 June–3 July 2005, Steckley and Kendrick 2007, Young people's experiences of physical restraint in residential care: subtlety and complexity in policy and practice. In: M. Nunno, L. Bullard and D. Day, eds. For our own safety: examining the safety of high-risk interventions for children and young people. Washington, DC: Child Welfare League of America, forthcoming). The paper will discuss: information, consent and choice about involvement in the research; confidentiality, privacy and safety. It will also explore some of the more complex issues of ethical good practice which arise from researching children in their own living space. The negotiation of children's time and space must be approached carefully, with consideration of their rights and wishes. Sensitivity to children and young people's priorities and preoccupations must be paramount.


Tests are updated and revised periodically in order to remain current, valid and reliable in a competitive psychological testing industry. Despite the prevalence of test revisions, especially in recent years, a number of authors have commented on the lack of comprehensive guidelines for test revision. Whilst some guideline documents from test associations have mentioned test revision, these guidelines tend to be focussed on test user responsibility, with limited guidance for practitioners embarking on a test revision project. Test revision is expensive and time consuming, leaving little scope for experimentation or trial-and-error. Test revision deserves a comprehensive document that addresses aspects such as what the different types of revision are, when to embark on a revision, what process to follow and how test users should use revised tests. The current study developed a comprehensive and practical set of 23 guidelines across ten phases of a revision project to assist revision teams, test users and publishers. These guidelines were peer-reviewed and refined.


Introduction HelpMeDoIt! will test the feasibility of an innovative weight loss intervention using a smartphone app and website. Goal setting, self-monitoring and social support are three key facilitators of behaviour change. HelpMeDoIt! incorporates these features and encourages participants to invite 'helpers' from their social circle to help them achieve their goal(s). Aim To test the feasibility of the intervention in supporting adults with obesity to achieve weight loss goals. Methods and analysis 12-month feasibility randomised controlled trial and accompanying process evaluation. Participants (n=120) will be adults interested in losing weight, body mass index (BMI)> 30 kg/m2 and smartphone users. The intervention group will use the app/website for 12 months. Participants will nominate one or more helpers to support them. Helpers have access to the app/website. The control group will receive a leaflet on healthy lifestyle and will have access to HelpMeDoIt! after follow-up. The key outcome of the study is whether prespecified progression criteria have been met in order to progress to a larger randomised controlled effectiveness trial. Data will be collected at baseline, 6 and 12 months. Outcomes focus on exploring the feasibility of delivering the intervention and include: (i) assessing three primary outcomes (BMI, physical activity and diet); (ii) secondary outcomes of waist/hip circumference, health-related quality of life, social support, self-efficacy, motivation and mental health; (iii) recruitment and retention; (iv) National Health Service (NHS) resource use and participant borne costs; (v) usability and acceptability of the app/website; and (vi) qualitative interviews with up to 50 participants and 20 helpers on their experiences of the intervention. Statistical analyses will focus on feasibility outcomes and provide initial estimates of intervention effects. Thematic analysis of qualitative interviews will assess implementation, acceptability, mechanisms of effect and contextual factors influencing the intervention. Ethics and dissemination The protocol has been approved by the West of Scotland NHS Research Ethics Committee (Ref: 15/WS/0288) and the University of Glasgow MVLS College Ethics Committee (Ref: 200140108). Findings will be disseminated widely through peer-reviewed publication and conference presentations. Trial registration number ISRCTN85615983.


A nanocrystalline PbS1−xSex (where 0 ≤ x ≤ 1) solid solution has been synthesized over the entire range of composition using bis(N,N-diethyl-N′-naphthoyl thio- (1) and seleno- (2) ureato) complexes of lead, via the hot injection route. The p-XRD analysis of the PbS1−xSex series shows that the diffraction peaks of the alloy system is intermediate between pure PbS and PbSe. The alloyed nanoparticles displayed cubic morphologies similar to the parent materials. The absorption band gap for the alloyed system showed a linear shift from PbS to PbSe as a function of composition and is related to the change in the lattice parameters.


The paper examines predominant subversive discourses employed in Mildred Taylor's Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry (1976) and Beverley Naidoo's The Other Side of Truth (2000). This peculiar quality of the narrative is well accentuated in the foregrounding of marginalized people, especially children, as the central characters in the two novels .The stories in the two novels are told from the point of view of children. Seeing events in the two novels through the eyes of oppressed young children offers a fresh vision of the social and psychological reality for children as they struggle against the structures of different types of authority that dominate the social, political, and cultural world they live in. Characteristically, children in the two novels are presented as both victimized by the dominant power structure and as capable of interrogating and resisting that power structure. The subversive agency given to children in the two novels will be viewed as part of a wider context of disruption of traditional structures of power and authority in the time and place in which the action in each of the two novels is set. In The Other Side of Truth, the action is substantially set in England in the late 1990s. The main bulk of action in this novel revolves around the injustices, racial discrimination and oppression inflicted on two Nigerian young children (Sade and Femi) who are smuggled to England to escape punishment in their country on account of their father's radical political views. This state of affairs in The Other Side of Truth invites comparison with the moral plight of several children in Roll of Thunder. The action of this novel, which is set in America during the years 1933-41, deals mainly with the injustices a white, racist, and lawless society inflicts on African American family in rural Mississippi. The children's remarkable resistance as a means of counteracting practices of power figures as a pivotal issue in the two novels. The narrative's peculiar gravitation towards promoting subversive ideologies that undermine the prevailing power structures presented in the two novels reflects the two novelists' commitment to radical political agendas, agendas which give the two novels their ideological and political structures.


The importance of science education cannot be overemphasized in today's world. Nonetheless, the absence of women in scientific fields reflects serious gender inequities, which has been argued largely emanate from science teachers' classroom practices. Many factors influence teachers' classroom practices, key among them teacher training. This paper presents findings from a qualitative case study that investigated how teachers on an in-service program for mathematics and science in secondary schools address gender issues in the classrooms following gender training. The study employed multiple data collection methods: document analysis, observation, and individual and focus group interviews. It engaged two male science teachers, and students in two final year secondary classrooms from one public co-educational school. Study findings showed that gender issues formed a very small component of the teacher in-service training, yet the aim was to bring about an attitudinal change among mathematics and science teachers. Additionally, the training was itself gendered because it mainly focused on the learning of science by girls only. Consequently, teachers were not adequately prepared to address gender issues, particularly those related to the boy child, and their classroom practices showed minimal gender sensitivity. The article argues that there is need to not only equip teachers with knowledge on gender issues but also the skills of addressing such issues so as to encourage both boys and girls to learn science. It further advocates for inclusion of a gender component in teacher preparation and development programs in order to raise their consciousness and capabilities of dealing with the effects of a dominantly patriarchal society.


From the Publisher:
Create a PC-based center that delivers endless excitement and entertainment to your home. Choose the appropriate case, motherboard, processor, and memory to make your entertainment system sing, then select the operating system and additional software that will best enhance your PC performance. Inside, you'll find fully illustrated instructions on putting everything together, including operating and troubleshooting tips. From TV tuner and video card options to amplification recommendations, Build Your Own PC Home Entertainment System delivers a complete guide to the parts and accessories you'll need to build your dream home entertainment system.


Recently, disaster risk reduction and management was adopted by the national and local governments in the Philippines to prevent or mitigate the impacts of hazards. As a consequence, the Local Government Units of the coastal municipalities of Guimbal and Tigbauan, Iloilo Province, initiated disaster risk reduction and management activities. It is contended in this article that the condition of coastal and marine resources is fundamental in fostering community resilience to hazards, as exemplified by activities in Guimbal and Tigbauan. However, five major issues that remain to be addressed by the Local Government Units were identified through Key Informant Interviews and Focus Group Discussions. These include the overlapping roles of personnel, poor data management, weak coordination between Local Government Units and communities, lack of comprehensive plans, and a failure to understand the connection between disasters and the management of coastal and marine resources. Policy recommendations are made for amending the disaster risk reduction and management and coastal and marine resources programmes of municipalities.


"Desire of Rails" is a film to demonstrate a concept of the conceptual art idea and the look of the art pieces in real world. In this movie, I set the pieces of art in the gallery space I designed. The handrails are awakened and have the desire to pass the limitation which is given to them to just existence for practical purpose. Through the AR devices, viewers can experience their childish dreams. First Dream - Roller Coaster Second Dream - Playing inside of a blanket in bedtime Third Dream - Revenge to the steps by jailing them Fourth Dream - Playing underwater Junho Kim added a feeling of dreamy liveliness to this film with his amazing sound work. Produced at Giantstep


The rapidly reducing cost of bacterial genome sequencing has lead to its routine use in large scale microbial analysis. Though mapping approaches can be used to find differences relative to the reference, many bacteria are subject to constant evolutionary pressures resulting in events such as the loss and gain of mobile genetic elements, horizontal gene transfer through recombination and genomic rearrangements. De novo assembly is the reconstruction of the underlying genome sequence, an essential step to understanding bacterial genome diversity. Here we present a high throughput bacterial assembly and improvement pipeline that has been used to generate nearly 20,000 draft genome assemblies in public databases. We demonstrate its performance on a public data set of 9,404 genomes. We find all the genes used in MLST schema present in 99.6% of assembled genomes. When tested on low, neutral and high GC organisms, more than 94% of genes were present and completely intact. The pipeline has proven to be scalable and robust with a wide variety of datasets without requiring human intervention. All of the software is available on GitHub under the GNU GPL open source license. DATA SUMMARY The assembly pipeline software is available from Github under the GNU GPL open source license; (url - https://github.com/sanger-pathogens/vr-codebase) The assembly improvement software is available from Github under the GNU GPL open source license; (url - https://github.com/sanger-pathogens/assembly_improvement) Accession numbers for 9,404 assemblies are provided in the supplementary material. The Bordetella pertussis sample has sample accession ERS1058649, sequencing reads accession ERR1274624 and assembly accessions FJMX01000001-FJMX01000249. The Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Pullorum sample has sample accession ERS1058652, sequencing reads accession ERR1274625 and assembly accession FJMV01000001-FJMV01000026. The Staphylococcus aureus sample has sample accession ERS1058648, sequencing reads accession ERR1274626 and assembly accessions FJMW01000001-FJMW01000040. I/We confirm all supporting data, code and protocols have been provided within the article or through supplementary data files.☑ IMPACT STATEMENT The pipeline described in this paper has been used to assemble and annotate 30% of all bacterial genome assemblies in GenBank (18,080 out of 59,536, accessed 16/2/16). The automated generation of de novo assemblies is a critical step to explore bacterial genome diversity. MLST genes are found in 99.6% of cases, making it at least as good as existing typing methods. In the test genomes we present, more than 94% of genes are correctly assembled into intact reading frames.


Osmotic dehydration is the partial dehydration of food by immersion in a concentrated solution. Osmotic dehydration as a pre-treatment to freezing can improve the quality of frozen cucumber significantly. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of the osmotic pre-treatment using different concentrations of sucrose solution on the sensory quality of frozen cucumber. In the first part of the study, the samples were subjected to osmotic dehydration in 40, 50 and 60 % (w/w) sucrose solutions at 35°C, for 180 min. Then, the water content and total solids content in the samples were examined after osmotic dehydration. The results showed that the rates of water reduction and solid uptake were high at the beginning of the process, decreasing gradually as the process proceeded and remaining approximately constant at the end of the process. Based on these results, the time-temperature combination of 60 min-35°C was selected for the following study. In the second part of the study, osmotically pre-treated samples, as well as untreated samples, were rapidly frozen in a quick freezer at - 40°C, until the center of the samples reached - 18 0c. After that, colour, texture and sensory characteristics of the frozen samples were studied during storage at - 18°C, for 8 weeks. The results indicated that better green colour retention and improved firmness in osmotically pre-treated samples, compared to the untreated samples. Furthermore, the results of the sensory evaluation were also in agreement to the respective analytical measurement. However, there was no any significant difference between samples osmotically pre-treated with different concentrations of sucrose solution.


Claims to civilizational exceptionalism have long been part of how states manoeuvre international affairs. While scholarly attention has started to move beyond the civilizational claims of western powers by engaging with those of states beyond the West, few accounts provide in-depth examinations of specific cases or bring these into dialogue with one another. This article offers a comparative analysis of how and why India and Turkey are positioning themselves as civilizational forces in global forums and international cooperation initiatives. Under the Narendra Modi regime, civilizational framings in India have found expression in the seemingly benign discourse of Hindu internationalism. In Turkey, successive governments under Recep Tayyip Erdoğan have linked their engagement abroad to the legacies of the Ottoman Empire. While there are clear differences in their respective civilizational antecedents, both countries draw on a combination of moral superiority and responsibility—India as vishwaguru (the world's guru) and Turkey as dünyanın vicdanı (the world's conscience)—as the legitimizing base for their assumed (normative) exceptionalism on the international stage. Overall, we argue that Indian and Turkish claims to civilizational exceptionalism serve two distinct but interrelated political projects: attempts to overcome centuries-long international marginalization, and efforts to buttress competitive authoritarianism domestically.


This work focuses on the molecular level understanding of interaction between FTY720 (Fingolimod hydrochloride) and dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) multilamellar vesicles (MLVs) as a drug molecule carrier by investigating the structural changes, solubilisation effect and thermotropic phase behaviour. Three different techniques like dynamic light scattering (DLS), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and fluorescent molecular probe based techniques were used to study the effect of FTY720 on DMPC MLVs. DLS studies showed that FTY720 induces a marked change in the DMPC MLVs' structure and solubilises the lipid membrane with the increase in concentration of FTY720. DSC and temperature dependent fluorescence intensity studies of 1-naphthol showed that FTY720 broadens and shifts the phase transition temperature of the DMPC MLVs to a lower temperature. This is in contrast to the effect of the sphingosine which is a structural analogous to FTY720. Fluorescence anisotropy study of 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene (DPH) also revealed the above phenomena. Fluorescence lifetime decay analysis of 1-naphthol suggested that incorporation of FTY720 causes a redistribution of 1-naphthol molecules between the core and interfacial regions of the membrane.


Publication Date 5-2012 Comments ISBN: 9781742861043 (pbk) Abstract In PISA 2009, the assessment of digital reading literacy was offered as an international option for the first time. The digital reading literacy assessment assessed 15-year-old students' ability to read, understand and apply digital texts. Australia and eighteen other countries or economies participated in this assessment. This report presents the results of the PISA digital reading literacy assessment for Australia. It presents the results for Australia as a whole, and where relevant makes comparisons to the other participants in the study. Results are also reported for the Australian states and territories and for different social groups within Australia. Overall, Australian students performed very well in digital reading literacy and had high levels of access to computers and the Internet at home and school. However, this report has identified two major areas for policy attention: The gender gap found in print reading literacy is also evident in digital reading literacy. On average, Australian males performed at a significantly lower level than females. At the same time, male students have stronger skills in digital navigation than female students, which will have negative repercussions in a digital age. Significant differences in digital reading literacy performance have been found in different social groups: those attending government schools; those in remote areas; Indigenous students and students from low socioeconomic backgrounds. These are generally the same groups that are disadvantaged in print reading and other literacy areas, so strategies that are applied to increase students' understanding more generally need also be applied in this area. Recommended Citation Thomson, S., & De Bortoli, L. (2012). Preparing Australian students for the digital world : results from the PISA 2009 Digital Reading Literacy Assessment. https://research.acer.edu.au/ozpisa/10  Download


This article contributes to the need for imagining forms of sociological thinking and doing beyond the univocity of disciplinary knowledge. In order to do so, we demonstrate how connections between different 'sensory worlds' involve equivocal understandings about what the 'social' entails. We begin by considering current anthropological reflections on the equivocal character of social relations as well as the equivocal ways in which western sociology has conceptualized the 'social'. In order to visualize how 'equivocal connections' between different sensory worlds emerge, we build on Mapuche indigenous understandings about how different practices open up different sensory worlds. Through the examination of one of the hunger strikes that has taken place in the conflict between Mapuche people and the Chilean state, we show how such equivocal connections entail ontological, rather than epistemological, differences. Both as ethical and epistemological imperative, these differences must be actively demonstrated in order to reinvigorate the sociological imagination.


In this article, we provide examples of how historical and sociopolitical events have shaped the development of psychology and psychological services in Iceland, South Africa, Thailand, and Turkey. These examples are offered to (a) enhance international competencies related to the countries' cultures, ecological system, and subsystems, and (b) inspire counseling psychologists to collaborate with colleagues around the world on efforts to indigenize psychology paradigms and promote accessible service delivery systems. Common themes across these countries indicated that (a) provision of psychological services is highly influenced by the biomedical model of mental health, (b) access to mental health care is influenced by cost and stigma, and (c) a limited connection exists between traditional healing practices and Western-based diagnostic and mental health services. In all countries there was a struggle for greater recognition of psychological services; in Iceland, Thailand, and Turkey, counseling psychology is not recognized as a legally sanctioned profession. Suggestions are offered for internationally competent counseling psychologists who intend to promote the provision of culturally responsive psychological services worldwide.


In the present work, the resistances to corrosion of heat treated soft magnetic alloy Fe81Cr17Si1.5TiBRe and untreated one have been comparatively studied, which were tested in neutral salt spaying tester, in 50%vol. hydrochloric acid (HCl) at 100 , in humidity thermal oxidation tester, specially in simulating oilfield waters containing sulfide ion (S2-) and without S2-. Heat treatment was carried out at 1150 for 4 hours under the protection of hydrogen gas. The results show that heat-treatment affect the magnitude of grain of Fe-base soft magnetic alloy and distribution of inclusions in grain and in grain boundaries. Heat treatment enhances anti-corrosion properties, i.e. resistance to chlorine ion (Cl-) corrosion of the alloys, resistance to humidity thermal oxidation corrosion, oilfield water corrosion. The electrochemical corrosion mechanisms of the alloy in oilfield waters are not affected by heat treatment. In simulating oilfield water, the passivity property of the alloy is affected by S2- or HCO3-.


AIMS
To test an educational programme with telephone follow-up to improve self-care in Brazilian patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention.

BACKGROUND
Percutaneous coronary intervention has been established as a treatment for coronary disease. However, additional intervention is needed to improve self-care for individuals who undergo this procedure to reduce further disease. Telephone follow-up is one strategy that has been used to improve chronic disease self-care.

DESIGN
Randomized controlled trial.

TRIAL REGISTRATION
ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01341093.

METHODS
Sixty patients who were preparing for their first percutaneous coronary intervention between 2011-2012 were randomly allocated to an educational programme with telephone follow-up (N = 30) or a control group (N = 30). Perceived health status was assessed with the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short Form. Self-efficacy, symptoms of anxiety and depression and medication adherence were also assessed. Measures were collected before intervention (baseline) and 6 months later.

RESULTS
Both groups improved from baseline to 6 months in the 'Physical Component Summary' and in the domains of 'Physical Functioning', 'Role-Emotional' and 'Role-Physical'. The educational programme group showed a reduction in anxiety from baseline to 6-month follow-up, while the control group showed a slight increase. No differences in symptoms in depression and self-efficacy were found and both groups reported high levels of medication adherence.

CONCLUSION
The educational programme with telephone follow-up is a promising intervention as it led to reduction in anxiety for those receiving the educational programme. Further improvements in timing and focus of the educational programme, such as targeting emotional and social lifestyle changes, might be warranted.


Stepfamilies experience unique dynamics, with implications for family functioning and youth well-being. Emerging research is incorporating a holistic perspective whereby stepfamily dynamics are viewed more comprehensively, and constellations of stepfamily relationship quality are identified. In the current study, we examined short-term and long-term associations between latent patterns of stepfamily relationships (including the quality of mother–child, stepfather–child, nonresident father–child, and stepcouple dyads) and youth adjustment (i.e., depression, delinquency, self-esteem) across three stages of youth development: adolescence, emerging adulthood, and young adulthood. Using a representative sample of adolescents from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Harris et al., 2009), results from longitudinal structural equation models and latent-growth curve models indicated that youth adjustment over time is optimized among youth in a residence-centered (i.e., high-quality relationships among mother–child, stepfather–child, and stepcouple dyads) or inclusive (i.e., high-quality relationships across all dyads, including the nonresident father) pattern, as compared with youth in an unhappy-couple (i.e., low-quality stepcouple relationship) or parent–child disconnection (i.e., low-quality relationships between youth and each parental figure) pattern. The results point to many similarities between male and female youth in terms of adjustment responses to patterns of stepfamily relationships, although some differences became apparent. In the context of stepfamily relationships marked by low-quality relationships, male youth might exhibit greater initial levels of externalizing problems than female youth, whereas female youth might exhibit greater initial levels of internalizing problems than male youth. Implications for future research and intervention and prevention efforts are discussed.


Neural networks are powerful tools for medical image classification and segmentation. However, existing network structures and training procedures assume that the output classes are mutually exclusive and equally important. Many datasets of medical images do not satisfy these conditions. For example, some skin disease datasets have images labelled as coarse-grained class (such as Benign) in addition to images with fine-grained labels (such as a Benign subclass called Blue Nevus), and conventional neural network can not leverage such additional data for training. Also, in the clinical decision making, some classes (such as skin cancer or Melanoma) often carry more importance than other lesion types. We propose a novel Tree-Loss function for training and fine-tuning a neural network classifier using all available labelled images. The key step is the definition of the class taxonomy tree, which is used to describe the relations between labels. The tree can be also adjusted to reflect the desired importance of each class. These steps can be performed by a domain expert without detailed knowledge of machine learning techniques. The experiments demonstrate the improved performance compared with the conventional approach even without using additional data.


Analytical techniques for performance evaluation of synchronous random access packet switching in code division multiple access (CDMA) systems are presented. Steady-state throughput characteristics using several packet generation models are obtained. A number of example random access CDMA systems are compared in terms of their throughput versus offered traffic and utilization-delay characteristics. Numerical results indicate that appropriate use of multiaccess coding can provide utilization-delay characteristics superior to that of ALOHA. System stability is evaluated using a general finite user model, and the dynamic behavior of some example random access CDMA schemes is investigated.