In Search of Change Maestros By Pritam Singh and Asha Bhandarker Publications, New Delhi, 2011, Pages: 481, Price: ?850 ISBN: 978-81-321-0586-2 (HB)Dr. Pritam Singh and Dr. Asha Bhandarker, both are known for their scholarly and academic contributions in the discipline of leadership. In Search of Change Maestros is an attempt by these two to appreciate the seven wealth creators and institution builders of contemporary India. These change maestros have one thing in common; vision and fortitude to create world class corporations. The book is based upon the empirical research which is presented in the form of seven cases to study the leadership style and quest for excellence of some of the most recognized leaders of Indian corporations. The seven change maestros included in the book are Kumar Mangalam Birla, M Damodaran, Sajjan Jindal, Κ V Kamath, Sunil Bharti Mittal, A M Naik and Kiran Mazumdar Shaw. These business leaders are wealth creators who have a high moral authority, business acumen, high passion and zeal for the larger purpose.Authors have maintained high level of research standards by using the theory building approach of Grounded theory model to arrive at an emergent model of change maestro's profile. The uniqueness of this book lies in adopting multiple modes of data gathering-structured questionnaires; un-structured and in-depth interviews; and anthropological inquires and also from multiple sources-the change maestros themselves; their family members and top management of the corporations led them. Change maestro inventory was developed and adopted to understand the characteristics of these leaders. Interview data collected from various sources were processed using content analysis method to systematically identify properties of large amount of textual information and arrive at a meaningful reading of content.The book has been organized in ten chapters. Chapter 1 "Change Maestros Kaleidoscope" makes an attempt to map the path followed by leaders to become change maestros and also sketched the contours of research design used in the study. Based upon the existing literature the eight salient principles and action architecture which are key in the making of change maestros were identified as contextual sensitivity compelling vision and purpose, winning streak, people connect and engagement, meaningful contribution with speed, creative destruction for transformation, evolving self and culture architecture. Chapters 2-10 are detailed and independent case studies on each of the seven change maestros, highlighting profile sketch of their respective firms, action architecture and cultural landscape they have built and profile and persona of change maestros. Chapter 2 titled as, "Kumar Mangalam Birla: Looking Within, Looking Around, and Looking Beyond", describes Κ M Birla as a leader who has not only inherited greatness by virtue of being born in India's pre-eminent industrial houses but has also achieved greatness by his work. He has rightfully earned the distinction of being called one of the youngest and the most dynamic businessmen in India. Chapter 3 titled as, "M Damodaran: Renaissance Artiste", describes Damodaran as a renaissance artiste with exceptional capability of managing change with continuity, optimism and integrity, with this spirit; he reenergized the future of two giant companies-UTI and IDBI and brought back the lost glory and trust of the people in them.The case study, "Sajjan Jindal: Romancing Limitless Growth", in Chapter 4 talks about the odyssey of Sajjan Jindal, his idea of limitless growth of his company and his quest to reach higher and higher. …


The ionization current generated by two-color laser interaction with different gas atoms can produce strong terahertz (THz) emissions. The ionization potential of atoms determines the ionization rate. Thus, THz emission from different atoms varies. Particle-in-cell simulations are conducted to investigate the THz emission from He, Ne, Ar, and N. The THz emissions as a function of the laser field are different because the ionization rate and electron speed depend on the laser field and ionization potential.


Background Osteoarthritis (OA) is a leading cause of activity limitations among older adults. The knee OA population is heterogeneous and is likely to consist of subgroups with distinct trajectories of activity limitations. Objectives The aim of the present study was to identify homogeneous subgroups with distinct trajectories of activity limitations in patients with early symptomatic knee OA, and to describe characteristics of these subgroups. Methods Follow-up data over a period of five years of 697 participants with early symptomatic knee OA from the Cohort Hip and Cohort Knee (CHECK) were used. Activity limitations were measured yearly (six measurements over time) with the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index. Latent class growth analyses identified homogeneous subgroups with distinct trajectories of activity limitations. Multivariable regression analyses examined differences in characteristics between the subgroups. Results Three subgroups were identified. Participants in Subgroup 1 ('good outcome'; n=330) developed or displayed slight activity limitations over time. Participants in Subgroup 2 ('moderate outcome'; n=257) developed or displayed moderate activity limitations over time. Participants in subgroup 3 ('poor outcome'; n=110) developed or displayed severe activity limitations over time. Compared to the 'good outcome' subgroup, the ('moderate outcome' and 'poor outcome' subgroups were characterized by: younger age, higher body-mass index, greater pain, bony tenderness, reduced knee flexion, hip pain, osteophytosis, ≥3 comorbidities, lower vitality, or avoidance of activities. Conclusions Based on the 5-year course of activity limitations examined in our study, we identified homogeneous subgroups of knee OA patients with good, moderate or poor outcome. Characteristics of these subgroups were consistent with existing knowledge on prognostic factors regarding activity limitations, which supports the validity of this classification. Identification of homogeneous subgroups may contribute to the development of tailored preventive interventions in knee OA patients. Disclosure of Interest None Declared


Angola's prospects for reconstruction and development of its poor connectivity infrastructure are heavily dependent upon the export performance of its oil sector. Using an interregional input-output table for Angola, we estimate comprehensive measures of trade in value added revealing different hierarchies of interregional and international trade integration, with implications for regional inequality in the country. By encompassing the subnational perspective in the case study of an African country that shows a strong regional divide, we bring new insights to the existing literature on regional integration in the continent. The different hierarchies of interregional and international trade structures reveal a pattern of uneven integration of Angolan provinces, dominated by strong foreign linkages and weak domestic linkages. It also shows the primacy of Luanda in interregional trade, as this province is associated with the main trade flows involving provinces in the extended economic core of the country. The results shed light to a policy discussion about the role played by a wider and broader integration of the country including the interconnection with its neighboring countries as a way to development of the provinces in the borders, but also stimulating the potential of more central provinces, such as Huambo, Bié and Huíla.


Molten corium-concrete interaction (MCCI) is an important ex-vessel phenomenon that could happen during the late phase of a hypothetical severe accident in a light water reactor. When the molten corium, which is generally comprised of UO2, ZrO2 and metals such as zircalloy and stainless steel, is discharged into a dry reactor cavity, a stratified molten pool configuration with two immiscible oxidic and metallic phases can be expected to form and lead to MCCI. Compared to a homogenous oxidic molten pool configuration, the metallic phase in the stratified molten pool might influence the crust formation on the corium-concrete interface and consequently cause different concrete ablation behavior to evaluate MCCI progression concerning containment failure.
 In terms of this issue, past experimental studies, such as COMET-L, VULCANO VBS and MOCKA test series, have been carried out to investigate the influence of such oxidic and metallic stratified pool configuration on MCCI. The experimental results have shown that the metallic phase can have a significant impact on the axial and radial ablation kinetics that could influence the ablation patterns of reactor pit.
 As regards numerical studies, past numerical modeling of MCCI was generally based on Eulerian methods and simplified empirical approach to simulate solid/liquid phase change and evolving of corium/crust/concrete interface. Such modeling might be efficient but have shown deficiencies and inadequacies due to its Eulerian and empirical nature, which has suggested a necessity to seek for a more mechanistic approach for modeling of MCCI. In this sense, Moving Particle Semi-implicit (MPS) method is considered suitable for MCCI analysis for its advantages of tracking interfaces and modeling phase change accurately as a Lagrangian particle method.
 In the present study, a three-dimensional (3-D) numerical study has been performed to simulate COMET-L3 test carried out by KIT with a stratified molten pool configuration of simulant materials with improved MPS method. Solid/liquid phase change was simulated with types of solid and liquid particles with thermal and physical properties including temperature and solid fraction, which enabled tracking of the solid/liquid status of each particle to achieve accurate free surface and corium/crust/concrete interface capturing. The heat transfer between corium/crust/concrete was modeled with heat conduction between particles. Moreover, the potential influence of the siliceous aggregates was also investigated by setting up two different case studies since there was previous study indicating that siliceous aggregates in siliceous concrete might contribute to different axial and radial concrete ablation rates. The simulation results have indicated that metal melt as corium in MCCI can have completely different characteristics regarding concrete ablation pattern from that of oxidic corium, which needs to be taken into consideration when assessing the containment melt-through time in severe accident management.


The occlusion effect refers to the altered perception of one's own voice when the ear canal is fully or partially obstructed. Conventional countermeasures include the use of large vent bores or open fittings on the one hand and fittings reaching as deep as the bony part of the ear canal on the other hand. A more recent approach is the use of active control where the disturbing own-voice sounds originating from bone conduction are sensed with a microphone in the ear canal and then attenuated by means of destructive interference. This paper describes a prototype implementation of this approach along with an objective and subjective validation of the occlusion effect reduction in N = 10 normal-hearing subjects. As regards the objective evaluation, the average active occlusion reduction achieved within the two octaves from 125 Hz to 500 Hz over all subjects was Sm = -8.2 dB (+- \sigma = 2.2 dB). As regards the subjective evaluation, all subjects reported satisfaction with the naturalness of their own voice when a combination of aided sound and active control was presented. The subjective rating of this combined effect was significantly larger than the sum of the individual effects when only aided sound or only active control was presented (p<0.004). These findings indicate that active control has the potential to substantially improve the acceptance of the perception of a hearing aid user's own voice, especially when only minimal venting is applied.


Audiences' TV series entertainment experiences are increasingly shaped not only by the events on the 'first screen' but also by discussions on social media. While an extensive body of research has examined practices of 'second screening,' especially on Twitter, online discussions before and after the live broadcast and on other platforms have received less attention. On Reddit—one of the most important platforms for Social TV—discussions often take place in temporally structured threads that allow users to discuss an episode before (pre-premiere thread), during (live premiere thread), and after (post-premiere thread) it airs. In this project, we examine whether these spaces mainly indicate temporal preferences among users or are associated with different usage practices and motives. To do so, we conducted two case studies of the Reddit community r/gameofthrones: a survey about usage motives (n = 417) and an automated content analysis of approximately 1.2 million comments left on the episode discussion threads in which we examined thread use over time, interactions between users, and discussion content. The results revealed differing usage motives and practices for the three thread types, illustrating the distinct function that these communication spaces fulfil for users.


Hip fractures are common orthopedic injuries and are associated with significant morbidity/mortality. Intraoperative normothermia is recommended by national guidelines to minimize additional morbidity/mortality, but limited evidence exists regarding hypothermia's effect on orthopedic patients. The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence of intraoperative hypothermia in patients with operatively treated hip fractures and evaluate its effect on complications and outcomes. Retrospective chart review was performed on clinical records from 1541 consecutive patients who sustained a hip fracture and underwent operative fixation at the authors' institution between January 2005 and October 2013. A total of 1525 patients were included for analysis, excluding those with injuries requiring additional surgical intervention. Patient demographic data, surgery-specific data, postoperative complications, length of stay, and 30-day readmission were recorded. Patients with a mean intraoperative temperature less than 36°C were identified as hypothermic. Statistical analysis with univariate and multivariate logistic regression modeling evaluated associations with hypothermia and effect on complications/outcomes. The incidence of intraoperative hypothermia in operatively treated hip fractures was 17.0%. Hypothermia was associated with an increase in the rate of deep surgical-site infection (odds ratio, 3.30; 95% confidence interval, 1.19-9.14; P=.022). Lower body mass index and increasing age demonstrated increased association with hypothermia (P=.004 and P=.005, respectively). To the authors' knowledge, this is the first and largest study analyzing the effect of intraoperative hypothermia in orthopedic patients. In patients with hip fractures, the study's findings confirm evidence found in other surgical specialties that hypothermia may be associated with an increased risk of deep surgical-site infection and that lower body mass index and increasing age are risk factors for intraoperative hypothermia. [Orthopedics. 2016; 39(6):e1170-e1177.].


Heating and cooling energy consumption measurements are critical for operations, controls, and fault detection and diagnosis of heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. Generally water flow has to be measured in order to determine energy consumption in either chilled water systems or hot water systems. Economical and accurate water flow measurements are essential to develop energy meters. Since pump performance relates actual pump water flow to pump head and power, theoretically water flow through a pump can be determined by other pump performance characteristics, such as pump head and motor power. This paper presents the theoretical model of pump flow stations based on pump head and motor power, and the experiments and results of a cooling energy meter using a pump flow station developed on the chilled water system at a facility.© 2008 ASME


Purpose: The proteasome inhibitor bortezomib undergoes oxidative hepatic metabolism. This study (NCI-6432; NCT00091117) was conducted to evaluate bortezomib pharmacokinetics and safety in patients with varying degrees of hepatic impairment, to inform dosing recommendations in these special populations. Experimental Design: Patients received bortezomib on days 1, 4, 8, and 11 of 21-day cycles. Patients were assigned to four hepatic function groups based on the National Cancer Institute Organ Dysfunction Working Group classification. Those with normal function received bortezomib at the 1.3 mg/m2 standard dose. Patients with severe, moderate, and mild impairment received escalating doses from 0.5, 0.7, and 1.0 mg/m2, respectively, up to a 1.3 mg/m2 maximum. Serial blood samples were collected for 24 hours postdose on days 1 and 8, cycle 1, for bortezomib plasma concentration measurements. Results: Sixty-one patients were treated, including 14 with normal hepatic function and 17, 12, and 18 with mild, moderate, and severe impairment, respectively. Mild hepatic impairment did not alter dose-normalized bortezomib exposure (AUC0-tlast) or Cmax compared with patients with normal function. Mean dose-normalized AUC0-tlast was increased by approximately 60% on day 8 in patients with moderate or severe impairment. Conclusions: Patients with mild hepatic impairment do not require a starting dose adjustment of bortezomib. Patients with moderate or severe hepatic impairment should be started at a reduced dose of 0.7 mg/m2. Clin Cancer Res; 18(10); 2954–63. ©2012 AACR.


Abstract Parsimony-based analyses of a data set including 68 taxa coded for 186 morphological characters corroborate monophyly of Artiodactyla (even-toed ungulates), Suiformes (hippos, pigs, peccaries), Neoselenodontia (camels, deer, cows), and Acreodi (whales, dolphins, porpoises, mesonychids). Additional findings include a sister-group relationship between Cainotheriidae and Cameloidea (Camelidae + Oromerycidae), Elomeryx as the sister group to all other suiform artiodactyls, Protoceratidae as the basal branch of Neoselenodontia, and paraphyly of Mesonychidae. The molecule-based groups Whippomorpha (whales, dolphins, hippos), Cetruminantia (whales, deer, cows), and Artiofabula (whales, cows, pigs) are contradicted by these data and occur together in trees that are at least 25 steps longer than the most parsimonious ones. In terms of tree length, the molecule-based topology is contradicted by morphological data with and without extinct taxa, and unlike previous, morphology-based analyses, the exclusion of Cetacea from the clade of living artiodactyls is not dependent on the inclusion of extinct taxa. Artiodactyla is diagnosed in all most parsimonious trees by several characters, including a short mastoid process of the petrosal, absence of an alisphenoid canal, and presence of an entocingulum on P4. Some previously suggested artiodactyl synapomorphies, such as an enlarged facial exposure of the lacrimal and absence of contact between the frontal and alisphenoid, are shown to be synapomorphies of more exclusive clades within Artiodactyla.


The development of next-generation influenza vaccines that elicit strain-transcendent immunity against both seasonal and pandemic viruses is a key public health goal. Targeting the evolutionarily conserved epitopes on the stem of influenza's major surface molecule, hemagglutinin, is an appealing prospect, and novel vaccine formulations show promising results in animal model systems. However, studies in humans indicate that natural infection and vaccination result in limited boosting of antibodies to the stem of HA, and the level of stem-specific antibody elicited is insufficient to provide broad strain-transcendent immunity. Here, we use mathematical models of the humoral immune response to explore how pre-existing immunity affects the ability of vaccines to boost antibodies to the head and stem of HA in humans, and, in particular, how it leads to the apparent lack of boosting of broadly cross-reactive antibodies to the stem epitopes. We consider hypotheses where binding of antibody to an epitope: (i) results in more rapid clearance of the antigen; (ii) leads to the formation of antigen-antibody complexes which inhibit B cell activation through Fcγ receptor-mediated mechanism; and (iii) masks the epitope and prevents the stimulation and proliferation of specific B cells. We find that only epitope masking but not the former two mechanisms to be key in recapitulating patterns in data. We discuss the ramifications of our findings for the development of vaccines against both seasonal and pandemic influenza.


Three different experimental set-ups were employed in the investigation of the fracture strength of annealed float glass. These included four-point bending tests on three different specimen sizes, and quasi-static and dynamic pressure tests. The latter tests were conducted in a shock tube, i.e., a device that produces pressure loadings similar to that from a far-field blast event. The experimental work demonstrated that the fracture strength of glass varies largely within the same test set-up. It also revealed that the fracture strength and its scatter are dependent on the size of the specimen, the boundary conditions and the loading situation. By employing a newly proposed strength prediction model, which relies on the physical fracture behaviour of glass, the trends observed in the experiments were correctly recreated.


Abstract. Stream channels in the McMurdo Dry Valleys are characteristically wide, incised, and stable. At typical flows, streams occupy a fraction of the oversized channels, providing habitat for algal mats. In January 2012, we discovered substantial channel erosion and subsurface thermomechanical erosion undercutting banks of the Crescent Stream. We sampled stream water along the impacted reach and compared concentrations of solutes to the long-term data from this stream ( ∼  20 years of monitoring). Thermokarst-impacted stream water demonstrated higher electrical conductivity, and concentrations of chloride, sulfate, sodium, and nitrate than the long-term medians. These results suggest that this mode of lateral permafrost degradation may substantially impact stream solute loads and potentially fertilize stream and lake ecosystems. The potential for sediment to scour or bury stream algal mats is yet to be determined, though it may offset impacts of associated increased nutrient loads to streams.


This paper deals with the acoustic modeling and measurement of a needle-to-grid plasma loudspeaker using a negative Corona discharge. In the first part, we summarize the model described in previous papers, where the electrode gap is divided into a charged particle production region near the needle and a drift region which occupies most of the inter-electrode gap. In each region, interactions between charged and neutral particles in the ionized gas lead to a perturbation of the surrounding air, and thus generate an acoustic field. In each region, viewed as a separate acoustic source, an acoustical model requiring only a few parameters is proposed. In the second part of the paper, an experimental setup is presented for measuring acoustic pressures and directivities. This setup was developed and used to study the evolution of the parameters with physical properties, such as the geometrical and electrical configuration and the needle material. In the last part of this paper, a study on the electroacoustic efficiency of the plasma loudspeaker is described, and differences with respect to the design parameters are analyzed. Although this work is mainly aimed at understanding transduction phenomena, it may be found useful for the development of an audio loudspeaker.


Long-term potentiation (LTP) at hippocampal mossy fiber synapses is distinct from most other forms of LTP. Mellor et al. found that the hyperpolarization-activated mixed cation current Ih unexpectedly plays an important role. Calcium entry into the hippocampal granule cells during repetitive stimulation activates a calcium-calmodulin-sensitive adenylate cyclase. The subsequent rise in adenosine 3′,5′-monophosphate (cAMP) activates protein kinase A, which leads to increases in Ih. The resulting depolarization causes an enhancement of mossy fiber synaptic transmission. J. Mellor, R. A. Nicoll, D. Schmitz, Mediation of hippocampal mossy fiber long-term potentiation by presynaptic Ih channels. Science 295, 143-147 (2002). [Abstract] [Full Text]


Do unions really impede manufacturers' output flexibility? If so, in what ways? The authors propose a methodology for quantifying George Stigler's concept of output flexibility, and for decomposing the effects of unionization on average cost differences between union and non-union plants. Using a recently compiled data set on U.S. three-digit manufacturing industries from 1973 to 1996, they adapt this methodology to simulate the effects of unionization on flexibility and average costs for average-size plants. Simulation results indicate that higher unionization was associated with higher average costs and lower flexibility than low unionization. Higher average costs appear to have been primarily due to higher fixed costs, such as higher benefits.


A total of 336 newborn pigs (DNA 241 × 600, initially 3.83 ± 0.114 lb BW) were used in a 63-d study evaluating the effects of increasing injectable Fe dose on preweaning and subsequent nursery pig performance and blood Fe status. GleptoForte (Ceva Animal Health, LLC, Lenexa, KS) contains gleptoferron which is an Fe macro-molecule complex that is used as an injectable Fe source for preweaned piglets. A total of 28 litters were used and on the day of processing (approximately d 3 after birth) all piglets were weighed and six barrows and six gilts per litter were allotted to 1 of 6 treatments in a completely randomized design. Treatments consisted of a negative control receiving no Fe injection and increasing injectable Fe to achieve either 50, 100, 150, 200 mg; or 200 mg plus a 100-mg injection on d 11 post-farrowing. Piglets were weighed and blood samples were taken on d 3, 11, and 21 of age to determine blood Fe status and growth performance. Then pigs were weaned at approximately 21 d of age and allotted to nursery pens based on body weight (BW) and corresponding treatment in a completely randomized design with 5 or 6 pigs per pen and 10 pens per treatment. Common diets were fed throughout the nursery in 3 phases. Blood samples were taken on d 21 (weaning), 35, and 63 to determine blood Fe status. During the preweaning phase, increasing injectable Fe up to 100 mg improved (quadratic; P < 0.05) average daily gain (ADG) and d 21 BW with no further improvement thereafter. There was no evidence of differences (P > 0.10) between the 200 mg and 200 mg + 100 mg treatments for growth. For the nursery period, increasing Fe dosage improved (linear; P < 0.05) ADG, average daily feed intake (ADFI), and d 63 BW. Also, increasing injectable Fe up to 150 mg improved (quadratic; P = 0.007) feed efficiency (F/G) with no further improvement with increased dosage. There was no evidence of differences (P > 0.05) between the 200 mg and 200 mg + 100 mg treatments for growth. Significant treatment × day interactions (P = 0.001) were observed for hemoglobin (Hgb) and hematocrit (Hct). The interactions occurred because pigs that had less than 150 mg of injectable Fe had decreased values to d 21 and then increased to d 63 while pigs with 150 or 200-mg of injectable Fe had increased values to d 21 then stayed relatively constant to d 63. In summary, preweaning and nursery growth performance and blood Fe status were maximized with a 200 mg Fe injection at processing. Providing an additional 100 mg of Fe on d 11 of age increased Hgb, Hct, and serum Fe values at weaning and 14 d into the nursery but did not provide a growth performance benefit in farrowing or nursery.


Objective Despite the growing number of point-of-care (POC) tests available, little research has assessed primary care clinician need for such tests. We therefore aimed to determine which POC tests they actually use or would like to use (if not currently available in their practice). Design Cross-sectional survey. Setting Primary care in Australia, Belgium (Flanders region only), the Netherlands, the UK and the USA. Participants Primary care doctors (general practitioners, family physicians). Main measures We asked respondents to (1) identify conditions for which a POC test could help inform diagnosis, (2) from a list of tests provided: evaluate which POC tests they currently use (and how frequently) and (3) determine which tests (from that same list) they would like to use in the future (and how frequently). Results 2770 primary care clinicians across five countries responded. Respondents in all countries wanted POC tests to help them diagnose acute conditions (infections, acute cardiac disease, pulmonary embolism/deep vein thrombosis), and some chronic conditions (diabetes, anaemia). Based on the list of POC tests provided, the most common tests currently used were: urine pregnancy, urine leucocytes or nitrite and blood glucose. The most commonly reported tests respondents expressed a wish to use in the future were: D-dimer, troponin and chlamydia. The UK and the USA reported a higher actual and desired use for POC tests than Australia, Belgium and the Netherlands. Our limited data suggest (but do not confirm) representativeness. Conclusions Primary care clinicians in all five countries expressed a desire for POC tests to help them diagnose a range of acute and chronic conditions. Rates of current reported use and desired future use were generally high for a small selection of POC tests, but varied across countries. Future research is warranted to explore how specific POC tests might improve primary care.


Tracking objects of interest in a video is one of the most popular and widely applicable problems in computer vision. However, with the years, a Cambrian explosion of use cases and benchmarks has fragmented the problem in a multitude of different experimental setups. As a consequence, the literature has fragmented too, and now novel approaches proposed by the community are usually specialised to fit only one specific setup. To understand to what extent this specialisation is necessary, in this work we present UniTrack, a solution to address five different tasks within the same framework. UniTrack consists of a single and task-agnostic appearance model, which can be learned in a supervised or self-supervised fashion, and multiple ``heads'' that address individual tasks and do not require training. We show how most tracking tasks can be solved within this framework, and that the same appearance model can be successfully used to obtain results that are competitive against specialised methods for most of the tasks considered. The framework also allows us to analyse appearance models obtained with the most recent self-supervised methods, thus extending their evaluation and comparison to a larger variety of important problems.


The advent of more complicated control charting schemes has necessitated the use of Monte Carlo simulation (MCS) methods. Unfortunately, few sources exist to study effective design and validation of MCS methods related to control charting. This paper describes the design, issues, considerations and limitations for conducting normal-based control chart MCS studies, including choice of random number generator, simulation size requirements, and accuracy/error in simulation estimation. This paper also describes two design strategies for MCS for control chart evaluations and provides the programming code. As a result, this paper hopes to establish de facto MCS schemes aimed at guiding researchers and practitioners in validation and control-chart evaluation MCS design.


In 1968, the causative agent of OPP, ovine progressive pneumonia virus (PPV) or Lunger's Disease was first isolated in the United States. A serological test, agar-gel imuno-diffusion (AGID) was applied for the detection of precipitating antibodies aginst PPV in sheep sera (colostrum-whey) against PPV is indicative of infection. But, antibodies are evidently play no part in fighting infection. By the time taht antibodies are produced, the virus is residing intracellularly and is unattainable to antibodies. The article gives a description of the symptoms and effects of the disease. The objective of this study was to characterize the extent of OPP in a naturally infected sheep flock by AGID, to determine whether differences in age or breed of the sheep influences the susceptibility to OPP and to attempt to establish an OPP-free from an infected source flock. The incidence of ovine progressive pneumonia by breed and age in a naturally infected flock was determined. An ovine progressive pneumonia free flock was established five years prior.


Host defense (antimicrobial) peptides (HDPs) are produced by virtually all organisms and have an important role in protection against microbial infections. Some naturally occurring peptides such as the human cathelicidin LL-37 and the bovine peptide indolicidin have been shown to inhibit bacterial biofilm development. Rearrangement and substantial modification of the amino acid sequence of these and other HDPs has led to the identification of small synthetic peptides with increased, broad-spectrum anti-biofilm activity that is independent of activity vs. planktonic cells. Some of these peptides have also been shown to act in synergy with antibiotics commonly used in the clinic to prevent biofilm formation and eradicate pre-existing biofilms. Recently, the mechanism of action of one of these peptides (i.e., 1018) was shown to involve binding to and causing degradation of the second messenger stress response nucleotide ppGpp, which plays an important role in biofilm formation and maintenance. Here, we review recent progress in the field of anti-biofilm peptides and propose future directions to further develop these therapeutic agents.


Control of photoinduced forces allows nanoparticle manipulation, atom trapping, and fundamental studies of light-matter interactions. Scanning probe microscopy enables the local detection of photoinduced effects with nano-optical imaging and spectroscopy modalities being used for chemical analysis and the study of physical effects. Recently, the development of a novel scanning probe technique has been reported with local chemical sensitivity attributed to the localization and detection of the optical gradient force between a probe tip and sample surface via infrared vibrationally resonant coupling. However, the magnitude and spectral line shape of the observed signals disagree with theoretical predictions of optical gradient forces. Here, we clarify this controversy by resolving and analyzing the interplay of several photoinduced effects between scanning probe tips and infrared resonant materials through spectral and spatial force measurements. Force spectra obtained on IR-active vibrational modes of polymer thin films are symmetric and match the material absorption spectra in contrast to the dispersive spectral line shape expected for the optical gradient force response. Sample thickness dependence shows continuous increase in force signal beyond the thickness where the optical dipole force would saturate. Our results illustrate that photoinduced force interactions between scanning probe tips and infrared-resonant materials are dominated by short-range thermal expansion and possibly long-range thermally induced photoacoustic effects. At the same time, we provide a guideline to detect and discriminate optical gradient forces from other photoinduced effects, which opens a new perspective for the development of new scanning probe modalities exploiting ultrastrong opto-mechanical coupling effects in tip-sample cavities.


We investigated (Fe,Mn)-Mg interdiffusion along the [001] axis in single crystals of natural diopside at ambient pressure, at temperatures between 1000°C to 1200°C and at oxygen fugacities between 10 −18.5 atm to 10 −6 atm. Thin layers (~350–550 A) of ferro-johannsenite deposited by RF plasma sputtering provided iron and manganese for exchange with magnesium from the diopside substrates. Interdiffusion profiles of Fe-Mg and Mn-Mg were analysed by secondary ion mass spectrometry in depth profiling mode. We found that the (Fe,Mn)-Mg interdiffusion coefficient is strongly pO 2 sensitive. At 1100°C and between 10 −7 atm and 10 −15 atm the interdiffusion coefficient is proportional to ~(pO 2 ) m , indicative of an extrinsic point defects regime. We obtained m = 0.22 ± 0.02, indicating a vacancy mechanism. The data at 1100°C further suggest that at pO 2 × 10 −15 atm and at pO 2 > 10 −7 atm the interdiffusion coefficient is pO 2 -independent, possibly in relation with the appearance of Early Partial Melting (EPM, Jaoul & Raterron, 1994). At constant oxygen fugacity and without EPM the interdiffusion coefficient has an activation energy of 297 ± 31 kJ/mol. Our data significantly improve the constraints on the activation energy beyond the preliminary results reported earlier (Dimanov & Sautter, 2000). This work contributes towards a better understanding of the point defects chemistry and diffusion mechanisms in Fe-bearing diopside.


This publication is intended for professionals training or practicing in mental health and not for the general public. The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Editor or IACAPAP. This publication seeks to describe the best treatments and practices based on the scientific evidence available at the time of writing as evaluated by the authors and may change as a result of new research. Readers need to apply this knowledge to patients in accordance with the guidelines and laws of their country of practice. Some medications may not be available in some countries and readers should consult the specific drug information since not all dosages and unwanted effects are mentioned. Organizations, publications and websites are cited or linked to illustrate issues or as a source of further information. This does not mean that authors, the Editor or IACAPAP endorse their content or recommendations, which should be critically assessed by the reader. Websites may also change or cease to exist.©IACAPAP 2012. This is an open-access publication under the Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial License. Use, distribution and reproduction in any medium are allowed without prior permission provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. Send comments about this book or chapter to jmreyATbigpond.net.au Suggested citation: Tan Susan MK, Kamal Nor N, Loh SF, Wahab S, Marimuthu S, Chan LF. Early maltreatment and exposure to violence.. In Rey JM (ed),


Vanishing into Things" explores the concept of knowledge in Chinese thought over two millennia, from Confucius to Wang Yangming (ca. 1500 CE), and compares the different philosophical imperatives that have driven Chinese and Western thought. Challenging the hyperspecialized epistemology of modern philosophy in the West, Barry Allen urges his readers toward an ethical appreciation of why knowledge is worth pursuing.Western philosophers have long maintained that true knowledge is the best knowledge. Chinese thinkers, by contrast, have emphasized not the essence of knowing but the purpose. Ideas of truth play no part in their understanding of what the best knowledge is: knowledge is not deduced from principles or reducible to a theory. Rather, in Chinese tradition knowledge is expressed through wu wei," literally not doing a response to circumstances that is at once effortless and effective. This type of knowledge perceives the evolution of circumstances from an early point, when its course can still be changed, provided one has the wisdom to grasp the opportunity.Allen guides readers through the major Confucian and Daoist thinkers including Kongzi, Mengzi, Xunzi, Laozi, and Zhuangzi, examining their influence on medieval Neoconfucianism and Chan (Zen) Buddhism, as well as the theme of knowledge in China s art of war literature. The sophisticated and consistent concept of knowledge elucidated here will be of relevance to contemporary Western and Eastern philosophers alike."


Based on extensive original research, this book explores the technical, social, political, and economic dimensions of four Asian energy megaprojects: a regional natural gas pipeline network in Southeast Asia, a series of hydroelectric dams on the island of Borneo, an oil pipeline linking Europe with the Caspian Sea, and a very large solar energy array in the Gobi desert.

This book investigates why energy megaprojects fail to deliver their promised benefits. It offers the first comprehensive assessment of the complicated dynamics driving – and constraining – megaprojects initiated in the rapid scramble for energy resources and efforts to improve energy security. The authors approach the assessment of megaprojects from a socio-technical angle, emphasizing broad issues of political leadership, regulation, financing, interest group opposition and environmental impact, as well as conventional technological factors such as engineering design and project management.

The Governance of Energy Megaprojects will prove insightful for academics concerned about energy policy, energy security, environmental impact and technology assessment. But the book should prove equally compelling to those engaged in the practical management and implementation of large-scale energy projects anywhere in the world.


The Role of Intonation in L2 Russian Speakers' Intelligibility, Comprehensibility and Accentedness Emma Jane Top Center for Language Studies, BYU Master of Arts The present study examined the ability of 4 year students of Russian as a second language to use intonation to form intelligible questions. 25 speakers were recorded asking a question in which they were supposed to stress one word in the question using intonation, as is standard in Russian. They then received an intelligibility score based on whether the native Russian raters correctly understood that they were asking a question and what they were asking a question about. Additionally, native speakers rated the speech samples on accentedness, meaning how much the speech deviated from native norms and comprehensibility, meaning how difficult it was to understand the speaker. Both of these last two constructs, i.e., comprehensibility and accentedness were rated using a Likert scale. It was then examined whether there was correlation between intelligibility, comprehensibility and accentedness. This study found the L2 speakers of Russian were correctly understood as asking a question 89% of the time, but what the question was about was only correctly understood at a rate of 39%. Correlation was found between accentedness and comprehensibility, meaning that speakers with better accentedness also received higher comprehensibility scores. But no correlation was found between intelligibility and accentedness nor with comprehensibility. The study concludes with suggestions of why intonation is, in fact, important in communication and suggests areas for improvement in pedagogical settings as well as directions for future research which would include context-based dialogues and the use of Praat in judging statements.


BACKGROUND: Psoriasis is a chronic, immune-mediated disease that varies widely in its clinical expression. Treatment options focus on relieving symptoms, reducing inflammation, induration, and scaling, and controlling the extent of the disease. Topical corticosteroids are the mainstay of treatment, however long-term safety remains a concern, particularly with the more potent formulations. Combination therapy with a corticosteroid and tazarotene may improve psoriasis signs at a lower corticosteroid concentration providing a superior safety profile.

OBJECTIVE
To investigate the efficacy and safety of a once-daily application of a fixed combination halobetasol propionate 0.01% and tazarotene 0.045% (HP/TAZ) lotion in comparison with its monads and vehicle in subjects with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis.

METHODS
Multicenter, randomized, double-blind, vehicle-controlled Phase 2 study in moderate or severe psoriasis (N=212). Subjects randomized (2:2:2:1 ratio) to receive HP/TAZ, individual monads, or vehicle, once-daily for 8 weeks. Efficacy assessments included treatment success (defined as at least a 2-grade improvement from baseline in the IGA score and a score of 'Clear' or 'Almost Clear'), and impact on individual signs of psoriasis (erythema, plaque elevation, and scaling) at the target lesion. Safety and treatment emergent adverse events (TEAEs) were evaluated throughout.

RESULTS
HP/TAZ lotion demonstrated statistically significant superiority over vehicle as early as 2 weeks. At week 8, 52.5% of subjects had treatment success compared with 33.3%, 18.6%, and 9.7% in the HP (P=0.033), TAZ (P less than 0.001), and vehicle (P less than 0.001) groups, respectively. HP/TAZ lotion was superior to its monads and vehicle in reducing the psoriasis signs of erythema, plaque elevation, and scaling at the target lesion. At week 8, a 2-grade improvement in IGA was achieved by 54.2% of subjects for erythema, 67.8% for plaque elevation, and 64.4% for scaling. Most frequently reported TEAEs were application site reactions, and were more likely associated with the tazarotene component. Side effects such as skin atrophy were rare.

CONCLUSIONS
HP/TAZ lotion was consistently more effective than its monads or vehicle in achieving treatment success and reducing psoriasis signs of erythema, plaque elevation, and scaling at the target lesion. Safety data were consistent with the known safety profile of halobetasol propionate and tazarotene, and did not reveal any new safety concerns with the combination product. J Drugs Dermatol. 2017;16(3):197-204..


Ignition in a laminar supersonic mixing layer between two parallel streams of initially separated reactants is studied both numerically and through the use of large activation energy asymptotics. The asymptotic analysis provides a description of ignition characteristics over the entire range of system parameters. In particular, it is demonstrated that, for small values of viscous heating, the ignition distance scales approximately linearly with the freestream Mach number, whereas for large viscous heating it decreases rapidly due to the temperature-sensitive nature of the reaction rate. This indicates the potential of using local flow retardation to enhance ignition rather than relying solely on external heating. The asymptotic analysis further identifies several distinct ignition situations, yielding results that compare well with those obtained from the full numerical calculation. The effects of flow nonsimilarity are also assessed and are found to be more prominent for the mixing layer flow in comparison to the flat-plate configuration studied previously.


Green (1986) raised a number of points concerning our simulation model of competition on a divided and ephemeral resource (Atkinson and Shorrocks 1981; Shorrocks et al. 1984), its analytical counterpart (Ives and May 1985), and the review of possible mechanisms giving rise to aggregation (Atkinson and Shorrocks 1984). This model allows a competitively inferior species to survive in probability refuges, that is, in sites with no or few superior competitors that arise as a result of an aggregated istribution of individuals over breeding sites. Such refuges may occur even at equilibrium density, since aggregation i creases crowding (Lloyd 1967), and global population density is limited by strong intraspecific competition in sites with high local density while low-density sites still exist. The model developed from field studies of drosophilid flies (Atkinson and Shorrocks 1977; Shorrocks 1982; Shorrocks and Rosewell 1987). In particular, Green's criticisms make use of the suggestion by Atkinson and Shorrocks (1984) that the observed negative-binomial distributions ofdrosophilid eggs over breeding sites could arise from a Poisson distribution fegg-laying visits by females to breeding sites, where eggs are laid in clutches, the size of which has a logarithmic distribution.


Background: Plants differ in the methods used to acquire nutrients from environments with low nutrient availability, and may change the morphology of their 'root architecture' to be able to take up nutrients. Results: In the present study rye response to stress caused by high and low nitrogen-potassium treatments in mature embryos cultures was described within a population consisting of one hundred and thirty eight recombinant inbred lines of rye. Characterization of the response of recombinant inbred lines (RILs) to nutrient stress was presented as the results of analyses of morphological traits, and physiological and biochemical parameters of the seedlings grown in both treatments. A wide range of variability of individual RILs to induced stress was observed in the population of recombinant inbred lines, and was presented as the difference between the means of each of the analysed traits described at high- and low-nitrogen-potassium levels. Lines were grouped using Ward's agglomerative method on the basis of differences in coleoptyle length, with the longest root length and root number used as variables. Conclusions: Recombinant inbred lines at low nitrogen-potassium treatment developed: longer, shorter, or roots of similar length in comparison with the high nitrogen-potassium treatment. Discriminant function analysis showed that the discriminant variable able to clearly differentiate recombinant inbred lines in terms of their response to nutrient stress was the trait of the longest root length.


The aim of this systematic literature review was to describe interventions supporting pediatric health care professionals to manage emotional strain when caring for children at the end-of-life. The review included five quantitative studies. Two categories were identified within the results: 1) Supportive interventions with the subcategories of educational interventions, peer support for grief, intensive training course, peer supported storytelling, and debriefing sessions; and 2) Effects of interventions, with the subcategories of increased understanding, increased confidence, creating meaning, grief management, and sense of well-being. Interventions that combine education and dialogue seem supportive, but debriefing might have the most impact on health care professionals' emotional well-being. Future research should focus on deepening the understanding of the meaning of education and dialogue for health care professionals, further investigate the effects of debriefing, and focus on educational training around existential issues.


Requiring developing countries to adopt competition laws has become a standard element in Free Trade Agreements between those countries and developed countries, and in the 'check list' of measures sought by the World Bank and other multilateral institutions. However, there is little reason to think competition policy will increase welfare in those countries, especially as its proper implementation requires institutional capabilities that most developing countries lack. Despite this, the ASEAN countries, along with many other developing countries, have adopted competition policies that mirror all the prohibitions typically found in developed countries. It is suggested that it would be preferable were those prohibitions dropped, and competition policy refocussed on to a narrower set of instruments and objectives.


GyArgy LukAcs was a Hungarian Marxist philosopher, writer, and literary critic who shaped mainstream European Communist thought. "Soul and Form" was his first book, published in 1910, and it established his reputation, treating questions of linguistic expressivity and literary style in the works of Plato, Kierkegaard, Novalis, Sterne, and others. By isolating the formal techniques these thinkers developed, LukAcs laid the groundwork for his later work in Marxist aesthetics, a field that introduced the historical and political implications of text.For this centennial edition, John T. Sanders and Katie Terezakis add a dialogue entitled "On Poverty of Spirit," which LukAcs wrote at the time of "Soul and Form," and an introduction by Judith Butler, which compares LukAcs's key claims to his later work and subsequent movements in literary theory and criticism. In an afterword, Terezakis continues to trace the LukAcsian system within his writing and other fields. These essays explore problems of alienation and isolation and the curative quality of aesthetic form, which communicates both individuality and a shared human condition. They investigate the elements that give rise to form, the history that form implies, and the historicity that form embodies. Taken together, they showcase the breakdown, in modern times, of an objective aesthetics, and the rise of a new art born from lived experience.


Abstract Analysis of real-world crash data from the USA shows that 11.5 per cent of pedestrians struck by large sport utility vehicles (SUVs) are killed, compared with 4.5 per cent of pedestrians struck by passenger cars. The design of the vehicle front-end structure has a substantial influence on injury outcome when pedestrians are struck by vehicles. In the context of the rising population of SUVs, it is important to determine the causes of their increased hazard to pedestrians. In this paper, validated multi-body models are used to show that the shape of SUVs results in higher pedestrian injuries to the mid-body regions compared to passenger cars. Analysis shows that the mass difference between cars and SUVs is not significant for pedestrian injury causation and it is shown that an important effect of the higher front profile of SUVs is that the pedestrian is struck more centrally with respect to the body's centre of gravity, increasing the momentum transfer in the primary impact. A further important effect of the higher bonnet leading edge is that there is a direct impact to the mid-body region, which explains the significant abdomen and other internal injuries reported from real-world SUV/pedestrian impacts. By comparison, head injuries sustained from primary vehicle contact are shown to be similar or slightly lower for SUV/pedestrian impacts compared to car/pedestrian impacts. However, real-world evidence and the current models suggest that the secondary impact with the ground is more severe in SUV/pedestrian impacts compared to car/pedestrian impacts. Overall, these results show that the empirical finding that SUVs are more hazardous for pedestrians than passenger cars is primarily a function of the high bumper and bonnet for such vehicles.


In 2009, an international study of quality teaching was undertaken of 29 higher education (HE) institutions across twenty Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries. Published by the OECD Institutional Management in Higher Education, a forum focussed on challenges in HE in OECD countries, the study aimed to "highlight effective quality initiatives and mechanisms and to push forward reflection or practices that may in turn help other institutions to improve the quality of their teaching, and thereby, the quality of their graduates" (2009, p. 4). One of the main findings was that teaching matters in HE institutions, and "initiatives (actions, strategies, policies) aimed at improving the quality of teaching are spreading" (2009, p. 4). Adopting professional standards for HE teachers is one approach that is increasingly being advocated by educators and government bodies (Department for Education and Skills, 2003; Higher Education Academy [HEA], 2005). Indeed, professional standards, linked to accreditation, and as a guide to professional learning, have already been widely adopted in the school sector (Ministerial Council for Education, Early Childhood Development and Youth Affairs [MCEECDYA], 2010; National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, 2010; Training and Development Agency for Schools, 2009)...


You can drive from Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York state to Fermilab in Illinois in 14 hours, heading due west. To move a major muon experiment from Brookhaven to Fermilab, however, particle physicists decided that a key piece of equipment—the massive but fragile accelerator storage ring—should travel by barge on a 6-week voyage down the U.S. Atlantic coast, around Florida, and up the Mississippi River. The ring9s odyssey starts this weekend.


Abstract The EFSA Panel on Food Contact Materials, Enzymes and Processing Aids (CEP) assessed the safety of the recycling process Texplast (EU register number RECYC170). The input is hot caustic washed and dried poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) flakes originating from collected post‐consumer PET containers, with no more than 5% PET from non‐food consumer applications. The flakes are dried and crystallised in a reactor, then extruded into pellets which are further crystallised in a second reactor. Crystallised pellets are then preheated in a third reactor and fed to the solid‐state polycondensation (SSP) reactor. Having examined the challenge test provided, the Panel concluded that the drying and crystallisation (step 2), extrusion and crystallisation (step 3) and SSP (step 4) are the critical steps that determine the decontamination efficiency of the process. The operating parameters to control the performance of these critical steps are temperature, gas flow and residence time for the drying and crystallisation step; temperature, pressure and residence time for the extrusion and crystallisation step as well as for the SSP step. It was demonstrated that this recycling process is able to ensure that the level of migration of potential unknown contaminants into food is below the conservatively modelled migration of 0.1 μg/kg food. Therefore, the Panel concluded that the recycled PET obtained from this process is not of safety concern, when used at up to 100% for the manufacture of materials and articles for contact with all types of foodstuffs for long‐term storage at room temperature, with or without hotfill. Articles made of this recycled PET are not intended to be used in microwave and conventional ovens and such use is not covered by this evaluation.


The way one moves from the state of childhood to that of adulthood in the course of puberty has evolved very much throughout history. The body's physiological changes have most often been correlated with the subject's statutory and juridical change. One must observe that this is no longer the case and that, since its creation in the middle of the 19th century, adolescence keeps lengthening, to the detriment of the latency phase before it and of the accession to maturity after it. The difficulties this situation causes for adolescents should incite us to question it and suggest that the age of majority be lowered.


The EU's transgovernmental networks are often treated as second or even third best solutions to solve regulatory problems in the European Union, as compared to other regulatory bodies, such as EU decentralised agencies. This paper counter-argues that networks may be preferable options for the EU Commission in policies which require coordination, street-level expertise and high operational capacities in order to be implemented. In particular, the paper argues that the Commission is capable of orchestrating national regulators in the pursuit of EU goals through the formation informal networks of regulators, by creating organisational bonds with networks' participants and, especially, by steering the political agenda of the network in the Commission's preferred direction. This argument is supported by an in depth case study about the European Union Network for the Implementation and Enforcement of Environmental Law (IMPEL), a network of national environmental authorities formally independent from EU institutions, but increasingly active in the coordination of the implementation of EU environmental policies. Through semi-structured interviews and document analysis the study investigates the historical development of the IMPEL network by focusing on the changing relationships between the network and the European Commission. Findings provide empirical evidence of how IMPEL progressively gained formal autonomy from its supranational counterpart on the one hand, and increasingly pursued broader and broader EU goals on the other. The European Commission emerges as an actual orchestrator which has managed to maintain its economic and political control over the network in spite of their formal separation. Under the Commission's guidance, member states' environmental authorities have increasingly engaged in IMPEL initiatives by pooling their resources and expertise in the pursuit of EU goals. In this context, IMPEL is recognised as an important added value to the implementation of EU environmental policy.


Neuroeconomics is a research programme founded on the thesis that cognitive and neurobiological data constitute evidence for answering economic questions. I employ conđrmation theory in order to reject arguments both for and against neuroeconomics. I also emphasize that some arguments for neuroeconomics will not convince the skeptics because these arguments make a contentious assumption: economics aims for predictions and deep explanations of choices in general. I then argue for neuroeconomics by appealing to a much more restrictive (and thereby skeptic-friendly) characterization of the aims of economics.


PURPOSE
In order to inform the Athlete Biological Passport (ABP), this study determined whether the elevation in hemoglobin (Hb) following intracellular or extracellular dehydration would trigger an atypical passport finding (ATPF).

METHODS
Seven male and three female volunteers (age: 23±4y; height: 170±8cm; body mass: 78±12kg) were carefully euhydrated (EUH) to determine baseline Hb levels. Volunteers then completed both an exercise-induced sweating dehydration (SW) protocol and a diuretic-induced dehydration (DI) protocol. Dehydration was assessed via body mass changes and Hb was measured via bench-top automated hematology analyzer. Using the ABP module, the expected baseline range for each individual was determined using EUH trials, and the impact of each dehydration protocol was then assessed in comparison to these thresholds.

RESULTS
Volunteers lost on average 3.1% and 3.7% body mass in the SW and DI trials, respectively. While only one subject exceeded the upper threshold following DI dehydration, six additional subjects demonstrated highly unusual ABP profiles; this was not the case for SW.

CONCLUSION
Sweating is not a feasible explanation for elevated Hb during ABP testing; however, recent illness such as secretory diarrhea, which is mimicked by diuretic administration, may be capable of producing elevated Hb in athletes' biological passports.


Isuzu Motors Limited has recently-developed 2.5 liter and 2.8 liter diesel engines to power Isuzu "ELF" trucks (payload 1-2 tons). These two engines are high fuel economy direct injection diesels featuring a square cavity combustion chamber and Bosch VE distributor type injection pump. To reduce the D.I. diesel engine noises, the combustion chamber, fuel injection system, and cylinder block construction have been improved. In addition, a vibration damping sheet oil pan, timing belt drive, and cylinder block cover are employed. The two diesel engines are small size, light weight, highly reliable engines to be successors to the 2.0, 2.2 and 2.4 liter Isuzu "C"-series diesel engines. To date, 2 million of these engines have been produced to power the Isuzu "ELF" trucks and other vehicles as well as a wide variety of industrial and marine applications. The basic engine specifications are: 4 cylinder, OHV, bore 93mm, stroke 92mm (2499CC), 102mm (2771CC), maximum power output (DIN) 50KW/3,600rpm (2.5L) and 57KW/3,600rpm (2.8L).


Supervised hashing aims to map the original features to compact binary codes that are able to preserve label based similarity in the Hamming space. Non-linear hash functions have demonstrated their advantage over linear ones due to their powerful generalization capability. In the literature, kernel functions are typically used to achieve non-linearity in hashing, which achieve encouraging retrieval perfor- mance at the price of slow evaluation and training time. Here we propose to use boosted decision trees for achieving non-linearity in hashing, which are fast to train and evaluate, hence more suitable for hashing with high dimensional data. In our approach, we first propose sub-modular formulations for the hashing binary code inference problem and an efficient GraphCut based block search method for solving large-scale inference. Then we learn hash func- tions by training boosted decision trees to fit the binary codes. Experiments demonstrate that our proposed method significantly outperforms most state-of-the-art methods in retrieval precision and training time. Especially for high- dimensional data, our method is orders of magnitude faster than many methods in terms of training time.


Malaysian public universities have been entrusted with the responsibilities to generate first class human capital, promote the banner of lifelong learning and create new knowledge as well as innovations. This has made the learning of academia ropes even tougher for new academics. Intelligent work adjustment approaches and strategies are very much needed to set the right career bearings and job satisfaction during their early years of service. A qualitative research has been conducted to examine the work adjustment approaches and strategies adopted by new academics in three public universities. Results from in-depth
interviews on twenty three new academics showed that intelligent career navigation, which involves three ways of knowing ('why we work', 'how we work' and 'with whom we
work') play very essential role to ensure smooth, successful work adjustment of new academics. Needs-supplies fit perception, combination of active and reactive work
adjustment style and the personality of 'extraversion' have emerged as the three important sub-themes within the major theme of intelligent career navigation.


Sophisticated fault detection (FD) algorithms often include nonlinear mappings of observed data to fault decisions, and simulation studies are used to support the methods. Objective statistically supported performance analysis of FD algorithms is only possible for some special cases, including linear Gaussian models. The goal here is to derive general statistical performance bounds for any FD algorithm, given a non-linear non-Gaussian model of the system. Recent advances in numerical algorithms for nonlinear filtering indicate that such bounds in many practical cases are attainable. This paper focuses on linear non-Gaussian models. A couple of different fault detection setups based on parity space and Kalman filter approaches are considered, where the fault enters a computable residual linearly. For this class of systems, fault detection can be based on the best linear unbiased estimate (BLUE) of the fault vector. Alternatively, a nonlinear filter can potentially compute the maximum likelihood (ML) state estimate, whose performance is bounded by the Cramér-Rao lower bound (CRLB). The contribution in this paper is general expressions for the CRLB for this class of systems, interpreted in terms of fault detectability. The analysis is exemplified for a case with measurements affected by outliers.


Objective: To determine the rate and factors associated with ankylosing spondylitis in a cohort of patients with undifferentiated spondyloarthritides (SpA). Methods: 62 consecutive patients with undifferentiated SpA seen between 1998 and 1999 underwent clinical and imaging evaluations throughout follow up. The main outcome measure was a diagnosis of ankylosing spondylitis. Results: 50 patients with peripheral arthritis (n = 35) and inflammatory back pain (n = 24) (26 male; mean (SD) age at onset, 20.4 (8.8) years; disease duration 5.4 (5.7) years) were followed up for 3–5 years. At baseline, >90% of patients had axial and peripheral disease, while 38% had radiographic sacroiliitis below the cut off level for a diagnosis of ankylosing spondylitis (BASDAI 3.9, BASFI 2.9). At the most recent evaluation, 21 patients (42%) had ankylosing spondylitis. Two factors were associated with a diagnosis of ankylosing spondylitis in multivariate analysis: radiographic sacroiliitis grade <2 bilateral, or grade <3 unilateral (odds ratio (OR) = 11.18 (95% confidence interval, 2.59 to 48.16), p = 0.001), particularly grade 1 bilateral (OR = 12.58 (1.33 to 119.09), p = 0.027), and previous uveitis (OR = 19.25 (1.72 to 214.39), p = 0.001). Acute phase reactant levels, juvenile onset, and HLA-B27 showed a trend to linkage with ankylosing spondylitis (NS). Conclusions: Low grade radiographic sacroiliitis is a prognostic factor for ankylosing spondylitis in patients originally classified as having undifferentiated SpA. Low grade radiographic sacroiliitis should be regarded as indicative of early ankylosing spondylitis in patients with undifferentiated SpA.


ABSTRACT The dinoflagellate Symbiodinium sp. establishes symbiotic relationships with the anemone Exaiptasia diaphana Rapp. The process that leads to the reciprocal recognition of the two symbiotic partners is still not very well understood. We hypothesize that chemical signals are exchanged between the Exaiptasia diaphana-Symbiodinium holosymbiont and aposymbiotic anemones or between free living Symbiodinium and holo- and aposymbiotic Exaiptasia, leading to changes in organic and elemental compositions in the aposymbiotic anemones. In order to test these hypotheses, bleached anemones were exposed to the presence of either free living Symbiodinium, previously extracted from the same Exaiptasia clone, or to holobionts. The ex-hospite algae and the holobionts were included in dialyses membranes with a cut-off of 14 000 Da. In the control treatments, the experimental samples were exposed to the presence of empty dialysis tubes. The organic composition and the elemental composition of the anemones were determined by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy and Total Reflection X-Ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy/Gas Chromatography, respectively. The fact that both the organic and elemental composition of the experimental aposymbiotic anemones differed significantly from the controls, in the absence of any obvious nutritional effect, is suggestive of an exchange of chemical signals between the aposymbiotic and holosymbiotic anemones.


Phenotypic plasticity has been studied intensively in experimental settings but infrequently in nature, and therefore the relevance of experimental findings is poorly known. This is especially true for morphological plasticity in amphibian larvae induced by predators and competitors. This paper describes a seven-year survey of head and tail shape in eight species of anuran and newt larvae in northern Switzerland, involving 6824 individual larvae and 59 ponds. I tested relationships between geometric measures of size and shape and five habitat gradients: pond permanence, cover by forest canopy and aquatic vegetation, and the densities of predators and competitors. Responses to competitors and predators were often similar to those reported in experiments. High competitor density was associated with small size and a large head in newt larvae, a long or deep head/body in anuran larvae, and a short or shallow tail in newts and some tadpoles. High predator density was correlated with a deep tail fin and tail muscle in many species. In anurans, the change in shape between low- and high-predator ponds in nature closely paralleled the plastic response to nonlethal predators in mesocosm experiments. The survey revealed many previously undescribed relationships between morphology and the other habitat features. Several species had relatively large tails in ponds that were shaded or thickly vegetated. Associations between year-to-year changes in shape and habitat within ponds implicated phenotypic plasticity rather than genetic population divergence, at least in anurans. These results inspire confidence in the relevance of experiments and highlight many new patterns that will merit further study.


Nowadays, virtual prototyping is an established and increasingly important part of the development cycle of new products. Often CAVEs and Powerwalls are used as Virtual Reality (VR) systems to provide an immersive reproduction of virtual content. These VR systems are space and cost-intensive. With the advent of the recent consumer Virtual Reality Head Mounted Displays (VR HMDs), HMDs got more attention from the industry. To increase the acceptance for HMDs as VR system for virtual prototypes, color consistency has to be improved. In this paper, we present an approach to characterize and calibrate displays of consumer VR HMDs. The approach is based on a simple display model, which is commonly used for calibration of conventional displays, but has not yet been applied for VR HMDs. We implemented this approach with the HTC Vive Pro and the Pimax 5k+. In combination with our calibration approach, the Vive Pro provides a color reproduction without perceivable color differences.


In France, as in many other countries, union dissolution has become increasingly common over the last few decades. While the economic consequences of separation have generated an abundant international literature, research on this question is still rare in France, doubtless for lack of suitable data. This article analyses the labour force participation of men and women in the two years following the first separation. To obtain a sample of sufficient size, two retrospective surveys based on similar occupational history calendars ("Jeunes et Carrières" 1997 and "Familles et Employeurs" 2005) were grouped together. Propensity score matching techniques were used to compare separated men and women with those still in a union. For separated men, the risk of unemployment increases after separation. Inactive women who separate return to the labour force more frequently than other inactive women. Their return to work is strongly influenced by the age of their children at the time of separation, much more markedly so than for women who remain in a union. The effects of separation are stronger when access to the labour market is difficult; the sharpest rise in unemployment after separation is observed in the period just after 1990. Last, high-educated men and women (who have completed upper secondary education or higher) are better protected against the effects of separation than the low-educated.


This book delivers detailed analysis and in-depth comparison of the substantive law for the sale of goods in domestic and international transactions. It provides comparative analysis of three major sources of sales law: The United Nations Convention on Contracts for the Sale of Goods, the UNIDROIT Principles of International Commercial Contracts (PICC), and Article Two: Sales of the Uniform Commercial Code. Practitioners, academics, and anyone involved in the sale or purchase of goods in the international market will need this thorough analysis of both the text of the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG) and the cases that have addressed and interpreted the CISG. The new edition examines the number of American cases on the CISG decided since the last edition, and the several hundred major non-American CISG cases, concentrating on the development of specific points of law that have become important and contentious areas. It continues to provide a complete discussion of the PICC including the latest provisions on set-off, assignment, and limitation periods, and timely coverage of the new supplementary model clauses for use with the Principles. The book compares and analyses the PICC, the CISG and the Uniform Commercial Code in a detailed way. It explores instances when one may be more applicable than the other and enables further understanding of all three instruments and the options available under international and domestic US law.


The historical advantage the Roman Catholic Church held over its Anglican counterpart in the Athabasca region militated against the latter's success. Owing to the dominant position established by the Oblates a generation prior to a resolute effort by the Church Missionary Society to evangelize the native population, the Anglicans were at a distinct disadvantage. Bishop Richard Young's policies were shaped not by a master plan but rather by the necessity of having to react to the activities of the Catholics. Despite expansion, the Church of England was able to establish a firm base only in those areas which, initially, the Romanists had virtually ignored. Continuous missionary activity was brought to the Athabasca region in the 1840's with the coming of the Oblates. Upon acquiring a satisfactory degree of proficiency in the native languages and becoming knowledgeable in the customs and traditions of the Indians, the Roman Catholic priests set forth to baptize the adult natives inhabiting the vicariate of Athabasca-Mackenzie. The Indian population, for a variety of reasons, embraced the teachings of the Oblates, were converted to Catholicism, and established a certain rapport with the Oblates. The Church of England, on the other hand, did not enter this region until the late 1860's. Although the Anglican Diocese of Athabasca was established in 1874, little missionary activity was undertaken during the episcopacy of W. C. Bompas. With the elevation of Richard Young to Bishop of Athabasca in 1884, a new era dawned for Anglican missionary work in the region. The Anglican missionaries set about learning the language, customs and traditions of the native peoples. They were men who possessed what appeared to be the requisite characteristics for bringing Christianity and civilization to the Indians. And yet, despite their dedication and perseverance, they enjoyed little success in bringing the native population into the Church of England. A thorough examination of the Letterbooks of Bishop Young and the Incoming and Outgoing Correspondence of the Church Missionary Society and the Diocese of Athabasca was undertaken in order to discover a legitimate explanation for the relative failure of the Anglicans to obtain converts among the native population in the Diocese of Athabasca. Although the development of the thesis was not dependent upon as thorough an examination of Oblate sources, pertinent information on Catholic missionary activity was obtained from the works of E. J. Champagne, Fernand-Michel, E. Grouard, and A. G. Morice, and Missions de la Congregation des Missionaires Oblates de Marie Immacule'e, a periodical published by the Oblates of Mary Immaculate.


Abstract The dehydration reactions of minerals in subduction zones strongly control geological processes, such as arc volcanism, earthquakes, serpentinization, or geochemical transport of incompatible elements. In aluminum-bearing systems, chlorite is considered the most important hydrous phase at the top of the subducting plate, and significant amount of water is released after its decomposition. However, the dehydration mechanism is not fully understood, and additional hydrates are stabilized by the presence of Al beyond the stability field of chlorite. We applied here a cutting-edge analytical approach to characterize the experimental rocks synthesized at the high pressures and temperatures matching with deep subduction conditions in the upper mantle. Fast electron diffraction tomography and high-resolution synchrotron X-ray diffraction allowed the identification and the successful structure solution of two new hydrous phases formed as dehydration product of chlorite. The 11.5 Å phase, Mg6Al(OH)7(SiO4)2, is a hydrous layer structure. It presents incomplete tetrahedral sheets and face-sharing magnesium and aluminum octahedra. The structure has a higher Mg/Si ratio compared to chlorite, and a significantly higher density (ρ0 = 2.93 g/cm3) and bulk modulus [K0 = 108.3(8) GPa], and it incorporates 13 wt% of water. The HySo phase, Mg3Al(OH)3(Si2O7), is a dense layered sorosilicate, [ρ0 = 3.13 g/cm3 and K0 = 120.6(6) GPa] with an average water content of 8.5 wt%. These phases indicate that water release process is highly complex, and may proceed with multistep dehydration, involving these layer structures whose features well match the high-shear zones present at the slab-mantle wedge interface.


This is the first report from a study of outcomes for 114 children from 49 families assessed in an expert multi-disciplinary service during care proceedings. The study investigated the extent of children's adaptation following judicial decisions made in the proceedings and what factors might be involved in changes in the children's adaptation and well-being. We also aimed to investigate the reliability of the expert placement and treatment recommendations made to the court. The original assessment reports for the court were independently coded using a comprehensive child adaptation measure (Target and Fonagy, 1992). At follow-up, mean time of 26 months after their assessment, the researchers re-employed the child adaptation measure in semi-structured interviews with carers in birth, adoptive, foster and kinship placements. The data were independently coded and the results compared with the child's original score as a measure of change in adaptation post proceedings in their substitute family or birth family. Researchers also collected information about the children's placement(s) and any support or treatment received. The study found that children's well-being significantly improved by an average of +6.7 points between initial assessment (M = 68.13; SD = 9.86) and follow-up (M = 74.82; SD = 7.84), (t (67) = −5.0, p < .001, d = 0.76). Children whose global adjustment scores were clinically concerning at the time of assessment hardly improved their scores (.44), compared to children whose global adjustment scores were within the normal range at the time of assessment. Interestingly, the majority (88%) of expert placement recommendations had been accepted and implemented. However, less than 50% of the children and only 30% of parents received the support and treatment recommended in the experts' reports in the proceedings. The implications for both policy and practice in working with children and their families during and after care proceedings are explored.


Nitric oxide (NO) is believed to play an important, but as yet undefined, role in regulating hypoxia inducible gene expression. Recently, we have reported evidence suggesting that the human insulin-like growth factor-binding protein-1 (IGFBP-1) gene is directly regulated by hypoxia through the hypoxia-inducible factor-1 pathway. The goal of the current study was to investigate NO regulation of hypoxic induction of IGFBP-1 gene expression using HepG2 cells, a model system of hepatic gene expression. We report that a NO generator, sodium nitroprusside, significantly diminishes hypoxic activation of IGFBP-1 protein and messenger ribonucleic acid expression. Furthermore, these effects are independent of guanylate cyclase/ cGMP signaling, as two different inhibitors, LY 83583, a specific inhibitor of guanylate cyclase, and KT 5823, a protein kinase G inhibitor, had no effect on IGFBP-1 induction by hypoxia. Hypoxic induction of a reporter gene containing four tandemly ligated hypoxia response elements was completely blocked by sodium nitroprusside, but not by 8-bromo-cGMP, an analog ofcGMP. These results suggest that NO blocks hypoxic induction of IGFBP-1 by a guanylate cyclase/ cGMP-independent pathway, possibly at the level of oxygen sensing. The impaired hypoxia regulation of IGFBP-1 by nitric oxide may play a key role in the hyperinduction of IGFBP-1 observed in pathophysiological conditions such as fetal hypoxia and preeclampsia where dysregulation of NO has been observed.


History should prevent us from repeating the mistakes of the past. This article focuses on the analysis and interpretation of the branding and promotion events that occurred during the Great Depression (1929-1933), projected on the decision of the marketing and management specialists of our times. The economic manifestations, such as: the unemployment rate, the decrease of the purchasing power, the crediting related difficulties, etc., specific to both periods of recession, revolve around the consumer and the way he modifies his consumer behavior. This paper tries to find an answer to the following question: given the decisions made by the managers in the 30's, what brand strategies are recommended for this period? The answers to the question above are the object of the conclusions of this article. The recommendations provided herein invite us to meditate upon the depression from the previous century and to take a critical look at various marketing related attitudes, such as the disregard for rebranding or brand creation and the diminution of the promotion budgets.


This paper examines why young women in one rural region of Ethiopia make the decision to migrate as domestic workers to the Middle East. Based on survey data and in-depth interviews, it examines the forces shaping aspirations and capabilities to migrate. In particular, the paper shows this migration can be reasonable and capabilities-enhancing for young women, while at the same time, a response to a critical lack of capabilities in other domains of their lives. The paper highlights why migration aspirations arise at a particular moment in the life-course, as adolescents transition into adulthood, and how migration aspirations relate to a broader set of capabilities young women have (or lack) to realize the lives they value (Sen 1999). These insights challenge the dominant narrative of trafficking, deception and victimization around this type of migration, while highlighting the usefulness of the aspiration-capability framework to analyze precarious forms of migration.


We argue that progress in our scientific understanding of the 'social mind' is hampered by a number of unfounded assumptions. We single out the widely shared assumption that social behavior depends solely on the capacities of an individual agent. In contrast, both developmental and phenomenological studies suggest that the personal-level capacity for detached 'social cognition' (conceived as a process of theorizing about and/or simulating another mind) is a secondary achievement that is dependent on more immediate processes of embodied social interaction. We draw on the enactive approach to cognitive science to further clarify this strong notion of 'social interaction' in theoretical terms. In addition, we indicate how this interaction theory (IT) could eventually be formalized with the help of a dynamical systems perspective on the interaction process, especially by making use of evolutionary robotics modeling. We conclude that bringing together the methods and insights of developmental, phenomenological, enactive and dynamical approaches to social interaction can provide a promising framework for future research. Keywords: theory of mind; cognitive science; phenomenology; embodied cognition; dynamical systems theory; enactive approach; social cognition; interaction theory; evolutionary robotics


The spirit of culture is the spirit of freedom. Culture begins with the germination of seeds of the spirit, growing in soil open to the elements, unrestricted, growing wild. Culture is at birth an individual plant reaching for the light, wishing to grow as tall as its strength will allow. In community the plants of culture grown from the seeds of individual spirits will either flourish as part of a flowering of common aspirations, or they will be stifled and choked by the aspirations of those who would dominate, as in a forest some plants are choked by the dominance of the taller trees. Culture
begins with spiritual freedom; its development depends upon the social environment within which it grows.


How can we close the gap between animals and robots when it comes to intelligently interacting with the environment? On our quest for answers, we have investigated the problem of physically exploring complex mechanical puzzles, called lockboxes. Biologists have discovered that cockatoos are intrinsically motivated to explore and solve such problems through physical explorative behavior. In this work, we study how different strategies shape the robots' exploration, given basic perception-action skills. Our evaluation highlights the influence of different statistical priors on the performance of the exploration strategies, showing that not only a range of computational methods, but also a range of priors could explain different exploration behaviors. We carry out our study of exploration strategies both in simulation and on two robot platforms. This first step towards a fully integrated real-world system allowed us to identify and remove limitations of our prior theoretical work on cross-entropy-based exploration when applied to complex realistic scenarios. In this paper we propose novel variants of this strategy and our experiments verify that the cross-entropy method performs well on a physical lockbox analogue of the cockatoo apparatus, and can generalize to lockboxes of different properties.


The direct detection of gravitational waves by the LIGO and Virgo collaborations marked the dawn of the era of gravitational wave astronomy. The excitement that this brought to the field added more pressure to the gravity community to fuel the search for hairy black holes in alternative theories of gravity. Hairy black holes are expected to leave unique traces in the gravitational waves emitted whenever they participate in astrophysical processes and, thus, are the most promising theoretical laboratories when it comes to distinguishing between general relativity and alternative theories. In this paper, we present two new electrically-charged hairy black holes in Horndeski theory. The question of the thermodynamics, stability, and gravitational radiation from these black holes are left for future work.


Owing to the lack of literature on risk management practice in Zimbabwe, the study sought to close the gap by investigating the impact of main dimensions of the enterprise risk management on Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) performance. A quantitative research study was carried out by sending the structured questionnaire to (randomly selected) 150 SMEs located in Harare. The data was analysed by correlation and regression analyses. The study provides evidence of positive relationship between risk management dimensions and the SME performance. The findings would provide invaluable insights into SME management on how to effectively manage the risk for their sustainability.


ICFA Guest Scholar Address 2007 In her essay, "technologies of gender," teresa de lauretis theorized that gender, "both as representation and as self-representation," is not only a "product ... of institutionalized discourses" but also "of various social technologies, such as cinema" (2). In this essay, I argue that in the pulp magazines and succeeding science fiction, women writers have literalized this connection through the depiction of television as a technology of gender. I examine short stories by Clare Winger Harris, C. L. Moore, and James Tiptree, Jr. (a pseudonym for Alice Sheldon), as well as the later feminist sf film, Making Mr. Right, directed by Susan Seidelman, and Melissa Scott's novel, The Kindly Ones, placing them in the dual contexts of the historical development of television and the history of women's science fiction and its representation of gender. (1) In these science fictions by women, ideologies of gender are literalized in descriptions of television as an apparatus that constructs gender through representing it. (2) The first science fiction story by a woman in the pulp science fiction magazines, Clare Winger Harris's "The Fate of the Poseidonia," published in 1927, featured the new device. Television, "the electrical transmission and reception of transient visual images" (Abramson, "Invention" 13), dependent on the brain's fooling itself with "persistence of vision" (Burns 63), was the result of a nineteenth-century hope for a communication device such as the telegraph or telephone extended to visual representation--like today's cell phone rather than today's television. The information about this new invention may have come to Harris through the editor, Hugo Gernsback, who sponsored the contest that her story won: "In December 1923, [Charles Francis] Jenkins demonstrated his television apparatus separately to Hugo Gernsback, editor of Radio News, and Watson Davis, editor of Popular Radio" (Abramson, "Invention" 19). Newspapers across the United States reported Charles Jenkins's further success in June 1925, in transmitting an image of a windmill from Anacostia, Maryland, five miles, to Washington, DC (Abramson, "Invention" 22), and American Telephone and Telegraph Company's public demonstration on April 7, 1927, transmitting a program from Washington, DC to New York City (Abramson, "Invention" 23). Harris's story was published two months later. While Gernsback may have been influenced in choosing the story as a contest winner because of its use of television, Harris herself deploys television not to celebrate the progress of science, but rather to frame her tale and to represent the technologies of gender as her generation constructed them. Harris's prize-winning science fiction recounts a tale of a discarded boyfriend, George Gregory, who is suspicious of his ex-girlfriend's new male escort, Martell, so that eventually Gregory eavesdrops on Martell only to find that he is using a device to communicate with other aliens in a plot to steal water from Earth for Mars. The whole story is obsessed with the visual technologies of the twentieth century: it opens with a lantern-slide show of views of Mars (a parlor entertainment popularized during the 1890s). This program frames Mars as a culture inferior to Gregory's Earth: "the telescopic eye, when turned on Mars, sees a waning world" (246). Martell strikes George as utterly alien, and to us readers, the name indicates again Harris's anxiety about new communication devices: Mar-tell, a charactonym, suggests the alien's duplicitous character and his possession of dangerous communication technology. When George peers into Martell's apartment through a keyhole, he sees the alien using a weird instrument, perhaps "a newfangled radio that communicated with the spirit world" (247). The story is set in a future where television has been "in use for a generation, but," George reflects, "as yet no instrument had been invented which delivered messages from the 'unknown bourne'! …


Lymphangioma is presented as a painless mass with a soft consistency in the head and neck. The involvement of retropharyngeal space in lymphangioma is rare. Here, we presented the case of retropharyngeal lymphangioma and discussed its manifestations, imaging, and treatment. An 11-year-old female was presented with shortness of breath, stridor, fever, dysphagia and drooling. Clinical examinations revealed a retropharyngeal swelling and a hot-potato speech. MRI revealed the multicystic lesions extending from the base of the skull to the level of T4 in retropharyngeal space. The mass resection was done under general anesthesia and 5 ml dehydrated alcohol was injected as sclerotherapy. The pathological analysis yielded cystic hygroma. The six months post-surgery follow up showed no recurrence, and the patient remained symptoms free. Retropharyngeal lymphangioma should be considered as a differential diagnosis of retropharyngeal abscess. Their treatment in primary and acute conditions is the same, including drainage, intravenous antibiotics therapy, and airway care. However, diagnosis of retropharyngeal lymphangioma is important because it needs farther evaluation and treatment. Few cases of retropharyngeal lymphangioma were reported, and this was a challenging case with a wide area of involvement.


Although many industrial applications of fuzzy logic control have been reported, few of them start with an existing industrial process under conventional PID control implemented with programmable logic controllers PLCs. This article aims to illustrate to practicing engineers and academic researchers the usefulness of fuzzy logic control through the design and implementation of an industrial heat exchanger in a water-for-injection WFI system. After a basic FLC was designed and tested, this article shows how its rule base evolved to achieve superior system performance by utilizing additional low-cost sensing information in the process and its environment. A method for the implementation of FLCs into the existing PLC is also reported. The system performance of the five designed FLC rule bases is compared with that of the original PID controller. This article concludes that better performance can be achieved by using the fuzzy logic control technology. It reports the authors' experience in FLC design and implementation. Finally, this article discusses some blocking problems in widespread industrial applications of FLCs and the possible solutions to them.