This paper aims at proposing a polling system as a mobile TV interactive application that can be operated over DVB and unicast hybrid network. In general, polling system or polling model is a system where single server is designed to handle many request from clients and then decision must be taken by the server to granted i.e. the most number of request. In this work, we develop a new platform that combines digital television and unicast mobile cellular network transmission for polling system inside campus or office area. We first develop content server which can manipulate the DVB broadcasts and then the content is passed to the re-stream computer in which it connects the DVB and the Ethernet technology. This system is able to perform trans-coding work to customize the content so it can be received and played back on a smart phone. Designed DVB Server is able to broadcast content using the DVB modulator board DTA-110 and DTA-115. A re-stream computer using VLC application that is able to trans-code up to 3 channels are also successfully built. These servers can also provide interactive services in the form of polling.


Background: The dental and medical practitioners are required to continuously update their knowledge and skills with respect to new diagnostic and treatment modalities to provide the patients with optimum treatment needed. Owing to a large amount of advances, it is almost impossible for dental and medical practitioners to keep track and be aware of all the updates. Aim: The aim of this study is to assess and compare the knowledge, attitude, and perceived barriers toward evidence-based practice (EBP) among dental and medical academicians and private practitioners in Pune city. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among dental academicians (n = 150) and private practitioners (n = 150); medical academicians (n = 150) and private practitioners (n = 150) in Pune city. Data were collected using self-administered, pretested, validated, close-ended, structured questionnaire. Data were analyzed using unpaired t-test and analysis of variance using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (Version 21.0). Results: The mean knowledge score of dental academicians, dental private practitioners, medical academicians, and medical private practitioners was 4.13±1.38, 3.03 ± 1.99, 4.94 ± 1.58, and 3.033 ± 1.99, respectively. A statistically significant difference between the mean knowledge score of dental academicians was seen as compared to the other three groups (P < 0.001). The attitude of dental and medical professionals toward EBP was positive. The important barriers to its use included lack of available time and lack of application of evidence in patients. Conclusions: It was found that significant proportion of respondents had inadequate knowledge of EBP; therefore, formal training and reinforcement are required.


Abstract
Purpose
This chapter focuses on the impact of digitization on the conception, development and examination of the doctoral thesis in the contemporary university.

Methodology
The approach taken is that of reflective inquiry. The author has taken a lead role in the editing of two handbooks for Sage: one on e-learning research and the other on the digital dissertation/thesis, and this chapter reflects on the changes taking place in higher education as a result of digitization. A number of examples are used to illustrate the possibilities afforded by digitization not only at doctoral levels but also in all dissertations.

Findings
It is proposed that digitization affects not only the conception and direction of doctoral research for the student but it has implications also for supervisors, those who 'upgrade' work from MPhil to PhD levels and also for examiners and librarians. Changes in the format of the presentation of the digital thesis allow moving image and sound, as well as still images, to be incorporated into the main body of the text rather than be relegated to an appendix (e.g. in a CD-Rom). The storage of the completed thesis in digital form, via a number of different repositories, allows for greater access and use.

Research implications
One of the major implications of the digital thesis is that all universities must regularly re-visit their regulations to ensure that the parameters for doctoral research are clear, and that they are appropriate for the kind of research that is undertaken by students. Many universities are now making a digital copy of the thesis for principal submission, with print copies as optional.

Originality and significance
Consideration of the implications of the digital thesis for students and universities is essential not only in terms of knowledge creation but also in terms of validation of such knowledge and its dissemination and use.


Doped carbon-based systems have been extensively studied over the past decade as active electrocatalysts for both the two-electron (2e-) and four-electron (4e-) oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). However, the mechanisms for ORR are generally poorly understood. Here we report an extensive experimental and first-principles theoretical study of the ORR at nitrogen-doped reduced graphene oxides (NrGO). We synthesize three distinct NrGO catalysts and investigate their chemical and structural properties in detail via X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, infrared and Raman spectroscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and thin-film electrical conductivity. ORR experiments include the pH dependences of 2e- versus 4e- ORR selectivity, ORR onset potentials, Tafel slopes and H/D kinetic isotope effects. These experiments show very different ORR behavior for the three catalysts, both in terms of selectivity and the underlying mechanism which proceeds either via coupled proton-electron transfers (CPETs) or non-CPETs. Reasonable structural models developed from DFT rationalize this behavior. The key determinant between CPET vs. non-CPET mechanisms is the electron density at the Fermi level under operating ORR conditions. Regardless of the reaction mechanism or electrolyte pH, however, we identify the ORR active sites as sp2 carbons that are located next to oxide regions. This assignment highlights the importance of oxygen functional groups, while details of (modest) N-doping may still affect the overall catalytic activity, and likely also the selectivity, by modifying the general chemical environment around the active site.


A wavelet transform and linear discriminant analysis were applied to spectral traces of materials to improve material fractional abundance estimation by reducing material class sizes and increasing class separations. This approach is demonstrated using a variety of true material traces that were used to generate simulated measurements.


Purpose: High-grade serous carcinoma (HGSC) accounts for the majority of epithelial ovarian cancer deaths. Genomic and functional data suggest that approximately half of unselected HGSC have disruption of the BRCA pathway and defects in homologous recombination repair (HRR). Pathway disruption is regarded as imparting a BRCAness phenotype. We explored the molecular changes in HGSC arising in association with specific BRCA1/BRCA2 somatic or germline mutations and in those with BRCA1 DNA promoter methylation. Experimental Design: We describe gene expression and copy number analysis of two large cohorts of HGSC in which both germline and somatic inactivation of HRR has been measured. Results: BRCA1 disruptions were associated with the C2 (immunoreactive) molecular subtype of HGSC, characterized by intense intratumoral T-cell infiltration. We derived and validated a predictor of BRCA1 mutation or methylation status, but could not distinguish BRCA2 from wild-type tumors. DNA copy number analysis showed that cases with BRCA1 mutation were significantly associated with amplification both at 8q24 (frequencies: BRCA1 tumors 50%, BRCA2 tumors 32%, and wild-type tumors 9%) and regions of the X-chromosome specifically dysregulated in basal-like breast cancer (BLBC; BRCA1 62%, BRCA2 34%, and wild-type 35%). Tumors associated with BRCA1/BRCA2 mutations shared a negative association with amplification at 19p13 (BRCA1 0%, BRCA2 3%, and wild-type 20%) and 19q12 (BRCA1 6%, BRCA2 3%, and wild-type 29%). Conclusion: The molecular differences between tumors associated with BRCA1 compared with BRCA2 mutations are in accord with emerging clinical and pathologic data and support a growing appreciation of the relationship between HGSC and BLBC. Clin Cancer Res; 19(13); 3474–84. ©2013 AACR.


Effects on the chemical composition of different storage temperature of the Salmo trutta macrostigma,
 Dumeril 1858, living in our inland waters, were determined after applying hot smoking
 technologies to find out the suitability of these processing techniques for this species. Samples that
 were hot smoked and stored at 4.0 ±0.5oC were analysed 1, 7, 14, 21, 28, 36 and 51 days after the
 experiments started, while all the other samples were analysed after 1, 7, 14, 21, 28, 36, 60, 90, 120,
 150 and 180 days. At each analysis session, samples were analysed for their water, total lipid, inorganic
 matter and salt contents, total fatty acid, TBA and TBV-N contents and for their pH levels.
 Fatty acids were analysed gas chromatographically. General chemical compositions in fresh and hot
 samples were also studied. Total fatty acid levels changed irregularly in hot smoked fish samples.
 TBA and TVB-N compounds increased with increasing storage time at all groups. Results of the gas
 chromatographic analysis revealed that fresh S. trutta macrostigma contained 316.3 μg/g unsaturated
 (ΣUFA) and 127.2 μg/g saturated (ΣSFA). In general an increase in the quantity of saturated and a
 decrease in unsaturated fatty acids was observed during the storage of all the hot smoked products.
 Maximum decreases in ΣMUFA (Mono unsaturated fatty acids) content were determined in DS
 samples upto day 51 (135.3 μg/g) and in DF samples (hot smoked and stored at –18±1 °C'de) upto
 day 180 (140.2 μg/g). The maximum decrease in ΣPUFA (Poly unsaturated fatty acids) level was
 observed in DS group (150.8 μg/g). According to results of the present study it can be concluded that
in this study the hot smoked samples could be stored safely during the study period.


Severe medial temporal lobe epilepsy (mTLE) is often associated with pharmacoresistant seizures, impaired memory and mood disorders. In the hippocampus, GABAergic inhibitory interneuron dysfunction and other neural circuit abnormalities contribute to hyper- excitability, but the mechanisms are still not well understood. Experimental approaches aimed at correcting deficits in hippocampal circuits in mTLE include attempts to replace GABAergic interneurons through neural stem cell transplantation. Evidence from studies in rodent mTLE models indicates that transplanted GABAergic progenitor cells integrate into the hippocampus, form inhibitory synapses, reduce seizures and improve cognitive deficits. Here, we review current work in this field and describe potential molecular mechanisms underlying successful transplantation.


In this paper we begin by reviewing a number of previously presented approaches to control the electrical stimulation of in vitro neuronal networks for computation through the use of multi-electrode array technology. Drawing upon this research we describe how universal computation is possible with a form of three-dimensional cell culture so long as the underlying properties of the neuronal networks therein are considered. That is, we describe how it is possible to produce the Boolean logic functions NOT and OR in vitro in a simple way.


Polyelectrolyte complexes (PECs) between chitosan, a mucoadhesive, intestinal mucosal permeability-enhancing polysaccharide, and cellulose nanocrystals, rod-like cellulose nanoparticles with sulfate groups on their surface, have potential applications in oral drug delivery. The purpose of this research was to develop an understanding of the formation and properties of chitosan–cellulose nanocrystal PECs and determine their in vitro drug release properties, using caffeine and ibuprofen as model drugs. Cellulose nanocrystals were prepared by sulfuric acid hydrolysis of bleached wood pulp. Chitosans with three different molecular weights (81, 3·10, 6·10 kDa) and four different degrees of deacetylation (77, 80, 85, 89%) were used. PEC formation was studied by turbidimetric titration. PEC particles were characterized by FT-IR spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering, and laser Doppler electrophoresis. The formation and properties of chitosan–cellulose nanocrystal PEC particles were governed by the strong mismatch in the densities of the ionizable groups. The particles were composed primarily of cellulose nanocrystals. Particle shape and size strongly depended on the mixing ratio and pH of the surrounding medium. The ionic strength of the surrounding medium, and the molecular weight and degree of deacetylation of chitosan had a minor effect. Release of caffeine from the chitosan–cellulose nanocrystal PEC particles was rapid and uncontrolled. Ibuprofen-loaded PEC particles showed no release in simulated gastric fluid and rapid release in simulated intestinal fluid. Further evaluation studies should focus on the expected mucoadhesive and permeabilityenhancing properties of chitosan–cellulose nanocrystal PEC particles.


In this paper we critically evaluate Trenton Merricks's recent attempt to provide a "new" way of defending compatibilism about divine foreknowledge and human freedom. We take issue with Merricks's claim that his approach is fundamentally different from Ockhamism. We also seek to highlight the implausibility of Merricks's rejection of the assumption of the fixity of the past, and we also develop a critique of the Merricks's crucial notion of "dependence."


A 3-year old male presents with 3 days of fever (maximal temperature, 105°F), diffuse abdominal pain, and several episodes of nonbilious, nonbloody emesis and loose nonbilious, nonmucousy stools. On day 3 of illness, he was seen at an urgent care clinic where he was diagnosed with acute otitis media and prescribed amoxicillin and ondansetron. He could not tolerate any oral intake and developed red eyes, abdominal pain, and redness of his hands and feet. Later that same night, he presented to the pediatric emergency department and was admitted to the pediatric ward for management of his fever, abdominal pain, and dehydration.


In Central America, natural forests have been transformed into agriculture production areas, generating forest fragmentation, desertification, erosion and loss of biodiversity, among other concerns. Different tree cover compositions are kept on these agricultural landscapes, including scattered trees in pastures, live fences, fragments of secondary forests, and riparian forests. These can help in biodiversity conservation because they generate shelter, feeding and reproduction areas, among others. We studied the composition, richness and abundance of diurnal butterflies on two types of live fences in a landscape where pastures are predominant in Costa Rica's Central Pacific Region. Transects (120 x 5 m) were observed for an hour (two days/habitat) in five multi-strata fences (with several plant species, strata and canopy width) and five simple fences (with smaller and pruned trees). A total of 2,782 butterflies were observed (75 species). The most abundant species were Anartia fatima, Eurema daria, Eurema nise, Hermeuptychia hermes, Junonia evarete and Phoebis philea. Multi-strata fences had more species and can help maintain 56% of the total species observed in secondary and riparian forests. This type of live fence can play an important role in butterfly conservation in livestock areas, and its benefits are influenced by the manner in which farmers manage their land.


Haptics, as well as force and torque measurements, are increasingly gaining attention in the fields of kinesthetic learning and robot Learning from demonstration (LfD). For such learning techniques, it is essential to obtain accurate force and torque measurements in order to enable accurate control. However, force and torque measurements using a 6-axis force and torque sensor mounted at the end effector of an industrial robot are known to be corrupted due to the robots internal forces, gravity, un-modelled dynamics and nonlinear effects. This paper presents an evaluation of two techniques, SVR and Random Forests, to recover the external forces and accurately selected possible contact situations by estimating a robots internal forces. The performance of the learned models have been evaluated using different performance metrics and comparing them with respect to the features contained in the input space. Both SVR and Random Forests require low computational complexity without intensive training over the operational space under the given ssumptions. In addition, these methods do not need data to be available online. The SVR and Random Forests models are experimentally validated using Motoman SDA10D dual-arm industrial robot controlled by Robot Operating System (ROS). The experiments showed that force and torque compensation based on Random Forests has outperformed Support Vector Regression.


OBJECTIVE
Preventive measures against skin melanoma like chemotherapy are useful but suffer from chronic side effects and drug resistance. Ethanolic extract of Phytolacca decandra (PD), used in homeopathy for the treatment of various ailments like chronic rheumatism, regular conjunctivitis, psoriasis, and in some skin diseases was tested for its possible anticancer potential.

METHODS
Cytotoxicity of the drug was tested by conducting 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay on both normal (peripheral blood mononuclear cells) and A375 cells. Fluorescence microscopic study of 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole dihydrochloride-stained cells was conducted for DNA fragmentation assay, and changes in cellular morphology, if any, were also recorded. Lactate dehydrogenase activity assay was done to evaluate the percentages of apoptosis and necrosis. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation, if any, and expression study of apoptotic genes also were evaluated to pin-point the actual events of apoptosis.

RESULTS
Results showed that PD administration caused a remarkable reduction in proliferation of A375 cells, without showing much cytotoxicity on peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Generation of ROS and DNA damage, which made the cancer cells prone to apoptosis, were found to be enhanced in PD-treated cells. These results were duly supported by the analytical data on expression of different cellular and nuclear proteins, as for example, by down-regulation of Akt and Bcl-2, up-regulation of p53, Bax and caspase 3, and an increase in number of cell deaths by apoptosis in A375 cells.

CONCLUSION
Overall results demonstrate anticancer potentials of PD on A375 cells through activation of caspase-mediated signaling and ROS generation.


A two-period model in which a monopolist endeavors to learn about the permanent demand parameter of a specific repeat buyer is investigated. The buyer may strategically reject the seller's first-period offer for one of two reasons. First, in order to conceal information (i.e., to pool), a high-valuation buyer may reject high prices that would never be accepted by a low-valuation buyer. Second, in order to reveal information (i.e., to signal), a low-valuation buyer may reject low prices that would always be accepted by a high-valuation buyer. Given this, the seller often finds it optimal to post prices that reveal no useful information. Indeed, in the equilibrium where there is no signaling, the seller never charges an informative first-period price. Learning may occur in the equilibrium where there is maximal signaling, but the scope for learning is quite limited even in this case. Indeed, in order to preempt information transmission through signaling, the seller may be induced to set a first-period price strictly below the buyer's lowest possible valuation.


This paper presents the results of laboratory and performance tests for an asphalt treated base (ATB) and mixes developed in this study for perpetual asphalt pavements. Laboratory tests for the mixes included moisture susceptibility, wheel tracking and fatigue tests. The results of performance test indicated that the resistances of the high content binder ATB against moisture and fatigue damage were better than those of the lower one. It was also found from the full scale test sections that the tensile strain values at the bottom of the asphalt layer for the ATB sections were low when the asphalt layer thicknesses of the ATB sections were not thicker than those of the conventional sections. All the tensile strain values measured from the ATB sections were within the fatigue endurance limit of 70 microstrain which is the fatigue criterion of a perpetual asphalt pavement.


The department of Mechanical Engineering at the Durban University of Technology currently offers a National Diploma (ND) and a Bachelor's Degree in Technology (BTech), as well as a MEng. and a DEng. This thesis details four areas of study that were undertaken in an attempt to identify potential impediments to student success in the department, using readily available data. The universities' management information system (ITS) was the primary source of data, but limited data was also obtained from courses that the author taught, as outlined in section (4) below. A grounded action research framework was selected as the methodological framework for these studies as it allowed the freedom to refine an investigation as it progressed as well as to implement potential solutions and determine their efficacy. The four areas covered were: (1) Analysis of trends in student success rates. A number of changes were made to the National Diploma over a five year period including the introduction of supplementary examinations, the removal of elective offerings, the change in the sequence of subjects offered and a reduction in contact time. This same period also coincided with the first cohort of students entering with the new NSC matric qualification. This study examined the success rates within subjects, across four semesters of study, from 2007 until 2010 and attempts to show the effects, either positive or negative, that these changes have had. The success rates of subjects within the BTech programme were also interrogated for this same period. These results were also categorised according to whether students obtained their diploma at DUT or at another institution allowing a comparison between the two cohorts. (2) Workplace Learning (WPL). Anecdotal evidence suggested that the manner in which the WPL components were offered had a negative effect on student throughput as well as not providing substantial opportunity for the integration of experience gained in industry with the academic programme. This study, utilising WPL registrations from 2007 to 2010, examined the average time taken to complete the WPL components, the percentage of the academic component completed before and during the WPL period as well as the dropout rate. (3) Relationship between NSC results and success in Mechanical Engineering. The purpose of this study was to determine if relationships could be found between student's NSC results and success within the programme. This would inform if the departmental entrance requirements were of an appropriate level to ensure prospective students a reasonable chance of success. Results of selected NSC subjects were correlated with those of selected diploma subjects. The distributions of success in these subjects were tabulated against the NSC results allowing a better understanding of the relationship between them. (4) Investigation into causes of poor performance in Hydraulic Machines III. This study was undertaken to better understand the competencies and learning practices of the students in the author's class. This involved the interrogation of the performance of students over a number of assessments, the tracking of usage of online resources and the tracking of lecture attendance, and subsequent correlation with performance. These studies have led to a better understanding of the programmes offered and have put the department in a position to make informed decisions regarding interventions aimed at increasing student success. The work covered in this thesis was presented in two full papers (Graham and Walker, 2011, Graham and Walker, 2015) and two extended abstracts (Graham and Walker, 2013, Walker and Graham, 2013).


This book critically examines the theme of the evolution of Sufism and Sufi institutions from the realm of the mosque institution, which since its inception functioned as a community development center, to independent and self-governing bodies and establishments which catered to the needs of the ever-proliferating Sufi community. The religious, social and educational functions of such institutions are scrutinized; as is their impact on the overall development of Islamic society and culture. The relationships between Sufi institutions and other Islamic socio-political, educational and religious institutions, such as mosques and madrasahs (schools or colleges), are also explored. As they are essential for properly conceptualizing and contextualizing Sufi establishments and their societal and cultural significance, the meaning and birth of the Sufism phenomenon and its division into authentic and pseudo, or theosophical, Sufism, are scrutinized in the first segment of the book.
The study of the origins and rise of Sufism and Sufi institutions is very important as it helps us understand more than a few aspects of the identity of Islamic urbanism, art and architecture as well; such is the significance and scope of the theme at hand. Just as the Sufi movement played a prominent role in shaping the identity of Islamic culture and civilization, it likewise played a role in shaping the identity of Islamic built environment, too, in that the latter signifies the physical locus of the former.
The book is divided into four chapters. The first chapter discusses the substance of authentic Sufism and what sets it apart from both pseudo Sufism and mysticism. Several parallels between authentic Sufism and mainstream Islamic spirituality and scholarship are drawn.
The second chapter deals with the genesis and meaning of pseudo, or theosophical, Sufism, and why as a repugnant innovation it is incompatible with the main body of Islamic teachings and values. Foremost manifestations of pseudo Sufism, such as excessive asceticism and monasticism, religious laxity, and an evolution from religious innovations to heretical beliefs, are presented and repudiated.
The third chapter delves into the subject matter of the origins and rise of Sufi institutions. The discussion revolves around the impact of the mosque institution and the decentralization of its multifaceted roles and functions, which themselves evolved into independent bodies and establishments, on the emergence of first independent Sufi institutions, such as duwayrahs, ribats, khanqahs, zawiyahs and tekkes. Critical phases in the evolution of Sufi institutions and their most important features are looked at. The main aspects of the Sufi life and activities in early Sufi institutions are also examined.
Finally, in the fourth chapter, the main reasons which caused and sustained the continuous existence of Sufism and Sufi institutions are explored. Four such factors are dwelled on, namely, the Turkish factor, the Persian factor, the Shi'ah factor, and the ahl al-sunnah wa al-jama'ah factor.
There are many works on Sufism, by both Muslims and non-Muslims, which treat the subject from various cultural and religious perspectives, thus furnishing us with mixed results. Some works defend Sufism, while others condemn it. Some regard it as integral to Islam and the development of Islamic thought and society, while others deem it as alien to Islamic spirituality and scholarship and hence, as an abhorrent innovation which the Muslim mind and soul must get rid of.
It is a fact that much of Islamic history, culture and civilization is misunderstood. Indeed, this signifies one of the main hindrances on a way forward for Muslims. It is thus incumbent that the account of Islamic history, culture and civilization be set right and then be promoted and taught as such. One of the aspects of Islamic culture and civilization that is gravely misunderstood is Sufism and the evolution of its fraternities and guilds, as well as the religious, social and educational roles that they played. The impact of such misunderstanding is felt virtually everywhere in the Muslim world and at virtually every tier of the Muslim presence. It stands to reason, therefore, that clarifying the subject of Sufism and its institutions and their historical roles in developing Islamic thought and society, must be prioritised.
It follows that the principal objectives of this book are:
• To explain the meaning and significance of both authentic and pseudo Sufism;
• To critically examine the origins and rise of Sufi institutions and their impact on Islamic society;
• To clarify and remove some pervasive misconceptions and misunderstandings about Muslim society in general and the subject of Sufism and its institutions in particular.
Under its Research Endowment Grant scheme, the Research Management Centre of the International Islamic University Malaysia earnestly sponsored a research project which resulted in writing and publishing this book. My profound gratitude is therefore extended to the Centre and the University.
Finally, I welcome any constructive and academic suggestions or comments concerning the book's content, such as my methodology, arguments, inferences, and the nature of the collected data and my understanding and interpretation of them.


Over the last decade the British Labour Government has presided over unprecedented increases in levels of spending on the National Health Service (NHS). But Opposition parties now claim that this record growth in NHS expenditure has been misspent, and some commentators are already predicting that the next British general election will be fought over the productivity of public services. In anticipation of this, the Prime Minister Tony Blair has emphasised the urgency with which the NHS must deliver efficiency from its huge extra investment: between 2003/04 and 2007/08, NHS expenditure is planned to increase each year by more than 7 per cent in real terms from about £60bn in 2003/04 to £90bn in 2007/08. Hence, if NHS productivity is to increase, the average annual monetary value of growth in output over this period needs to exceed £6bn. In response to the Atkinson Review into government output and productivity, the NHS will increasingly be subject to a new way of measuring its productivity to assess whether the 'increased spending on the NHS has been justified in terms of cost-weighted activity and improvements in quality of care (including gains in health). Work so far has put a monetary value of £30k on gains in health, measured in Quality-Adjusted Life Years (QALYs). Ministers, officials and managers of strategic health authorities and primary care trusts need to understand the impacts of their policies and priorities both on the health of populations and on the new way of measuring NHS productivity. But standard approaches of setting priorities require development to provide such information.


The derandomization of MA, the probabilistic version of NP, is a long standing open question. In this work, we connect this problem to a variant of another major problem: the quantum PCP conjecture. Our connection goes through the surprising quantum characterization of MA by Bravyi and Terhal. They proved the MA-completeness of the problem of deciding whether the groundenergy of a uniform stoquastic local Hamiltonian is zero or inverse polynomial. We show that the gapped version of this problem, i.e. deciding if a given uniform stoquastic local Hamiltonian is frustration-free or has energy at least some constant ε, is in NP. Thus, if there exists a gap-amplification procedure for uniform stoquastic Local Hamiltonians (in analogy to the gap amplification procedure for constraint satisfaction problems in the original PCP theorem), then MA = NP (and vice versa). Furthermore, if this gap amplification procedure exhibits some additional (natural) properties, then P = RP. We feel this work opens up a rich set of new directions to explore, which might lead to progress on both quantum PCP and derandomization. We also provide two small side results of potential interest. First, we are able to generalize our result by showing that deciding if a uniform stoquastic Local Hamiltonian has negligible or constant frustration can be also solved in NP. Additionally, our work reveals a new MA-complete problem which we call SetCSP, stated in terms of classical constraints on strings of bits, which we define in the appendix. As far as we know this is the first (arguably) natural MA-complete problem stated in non-quantum CSP language.


Modeling is essential to characterize and explore complex societal and environmental issues in systematic and collaborative ways. Socio-environmental systems (SES) modeling integrates knowledge and perspectives into conceptual and computational tools that explicitly recognize how human decisions affect the environment. Depending on the modeling purpose, many SES modelers also realize that involvement of stakeholders and experts is fundamental to support social learning and decision-making processes for achieving improved environmental and social outcomes. The contribution of this paper lies in identifying and formulating grand challenges that need to be overcome to accelerate the development and adaptation of SES modeling. Eight challenges are delineated: bridging epistemologies across disciplines; multi-dimensional uncertainty assessment and management; scales and scaling issues; combining qualitative and quantitative methods and data; furthering the adoption and impacts of SES modeling on policy; capturing structural changes; representing human dimensions in SES; and leveraging new data types and sources. These challenges limit our ability to effectively use SES modeling to provide the knowledge and information essential for supporting decision making. Whereas some of these challenges are not unique to SES modeling and may be pervasive in other scientific fields, they still act as barriers as well as research opportunities for the SES modeling community. For each challenge, we outline basic steps that can be taken to surmount the underpinning barriers. Thus, the paper identifies priority research areas in SES modeling, chiefly related to progressing modeling products, processes and practices.


This study begins by defining epic to determine if Byron's claims, regarding Don Juan,to be writing an epic, are justified, concluding that though most epics preserve the form ofearlier epics, substituting a different "message" or heroic ethos, Byron, in defiance of thistradition, attempts to preserve the essence of Homeric epic, particularly its new heroicethos, but in a new form. This is where Byron and Vergil's imitations of Homer differ,Byron rejecting both Vergil's manner of imitation and his heroic ethos. In a series ofimitations, Byron parodies Vergil, borrowing his imagery to suggest the unnatural and thesterile. Differences are exposed in their respective treatments of war, Byron advocatingthe self-justifying act of love rather than the consolations of duty and fame offered byVergil, which rely on a perception of cosmic order lacking in Byron's view, a view whichlinks him to Homer and the Attic tragedians. The Greek view of the darkness andconfusion of the cosmos Byron finds congenial, appreciating the opportunities it affordsfor open-endedness, though aware that this open-endedness is always subsumed by largerclosure due to different levels of perspective (actors, chorus, and gods). In ChildeHarold's Pilgrimage, Byron attempts to emulate this multilevelledness as a means todistance himself from the cycles of Nature from which he is painfully excluded due to hismixed body and spirit nature, finally breaking out to channel these cycles of Natureproductively through art. In Byron's dramas, too, there are cycles of evil whose origins liein Attic tragedy. Ever present in Byron, as in classical tragedy, is the Promethean dilemmabetween submission, and defiance leading to inevitable defeat. In his later poetry, Byronis more reconciled to the cycles of life, though continuing his Promethean quest in thefields of love and literature.


As the scope of hillslope‐hydrology investigations extend deeper, there will likely be an increase in the use of backfill to facilitate sensor installations, particularly in fractured rock. Because of the disparity in hydrologic properties of backfill and the native rock being monitored, discrepancies in measured values are imminent. In this study, we assessed the impact of different types of backfill that can be used to provide hydraulic continuity between sensors and the "measured" environment. During a period of 4 yr, the hydrologic response to seasonal wetting and drying was monitored with identical time domain reflectometry (TDR) sensors embedded in native rock, fracture infill, augured native rock, and silica powder. We found that while all backfills responded to wetting and drying events, there were differences in the response to individual rainfall events and in the amount of moisture measured. Our observations show that the use of any type of backfill for monitoring fractured rock hydrology will result in distorted measurements; however, our analysis suggests that simple calibrations between native rock and backfill measurements allow moisture content changes in the native rock to be quantified using backfill measurements. Backfill that is finer textured than native rock provides the best estimate of water content during long‐term, uninterrupted drying events when the backfill measurements are calibrated to native rock conditions. Irrespective of calibration, backfill materials coarser than the native rock provide the best detection of the timing and duration of the hydrologic response to precipitation.


Plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1) is the main physiological inhibitor of tissue-type plasminogen activator. Thus PAI-1 plays an important role in decreasing the fibrinolytic activity in human blood. PAI-1 is present in high concentrations in platelets and also in low concentrations in plasma, but the source of plasma PAI-1 is not known. Previous studies have shown that the activity of PAI-1 in platelets is low and this finding is not in accordance with its observed role in clot stabilisation. The aim of this thesis was to investigate the role of platelets in inhibition of fibrinolysis, and in particular the physiological regulation of platelet-derived PAI-1; its synthesis, activity, and potential contribution to plasma levels. Investigations of mRNA levels and PAI-1 protein synthesis showed that platelets, despite their lack of nucleus, have an on-going synthesis of PAI-1. The amount of PAI-1 increased on average by 25% in 24 hours and the synthesis could be further stimulated by thrombin. Importantly, the synthesized PAI-1 was active for at least 24 hours as shown by a functional assay. There were large inter-individual variations of the synthesis rate and we therefore studied if the common 4G/5G promoter polymorphism was the cause of the variations. However, the polymorphism did not influence the expression as showed by analysis of platelet PAI-1 mRNA and protein levels in 38 men homozygous for either allele. Previous studies reporting low platelet PAI-1 activities have been performed using different preanalytical preparatory procedures potentially causing an inactivation of PAI-1 before the activity analysis. We reinvestigated the activity of platelet PAI-1 by lysis of platelets in the presence of tPA and subsequent detection of tPA-PAI-1 complex. Our results show that the choice of lysis method and preparatory procedures is critical for the result and the activity was found to be approximately 70%. This result is in better agreement with the observed role of platelet PAI-1 in clot stabilisation. The amount of PAI-1 synthesized in 24 hours in our in vitro experiments suggests that a release of as little as 3% of newly synthesized PAI-1 from platelets would be sufficient to maintain normal plasma levels. We therefore wanted to elucidate if the platelets could be the source of plasma PAI-1. Investigations of the glycosylation patterns of PAI-1 synthesized by different tissues were performed to elucidate if differences in this pattern could reveal the source of plasma PAI-1. The results suggest that platelets are the source since no glycans were found on PAI-1 from neither plasma nor platelets. Conversely, PAI-1 from the other tissues studied expressed heterogeneous glycosylation patterns. Interestingly, we also found that the raised plasma PAI-1 levels found in obese subjects is due to a contribution of PAI-1 from the adipose tissue. Obese subjects had highly glycosylated plasma PAI-1 and several of the identified glycans were found on PAI-1 from adipose tissue. In conclusion, these findings may clarify the previous irreconcilable findings of the role of platelet PAI-1 in clot stabilization. The high levels of active PAI-1 and the continuous production of large amounts of active PAI-1 in platelets could be a mechanism by which platelets contribute to stabilization of blood clots. The results also suggest that platelets may contribute to the PAI-1 plasma levels.


The objective of this study was to provide a simple and accurate method for mapping long-term averages of monthly snowpack (from 1986 to 2003) over large regions at a resolution suit- able for management purposes (cell size 100 m 2 ). The proposed method requires few data and over- comes the problem of the limited availability of meteorological information in mountainous areas. In a case study, the proposed method is applied to the Aragon region, NE Spain. Distributed layers of monthly temperature (maximum and minimum) and precipitation are combined to compile maps of the potential magnitude of snowpack at a monthly timescale over the entire study region. Tempera- ture and precipitation grids were obtained using interpolation techniques and data from several weather stations. Maps of snowpack magnitude were obtained for January, March, and April. For these months, it was possible to verify the results in the north of the study area using in situ snow- depth measurements for the Central Pyrenees. The results demonstrate that the maps of potential snowpack magnitude provide a reliable estimate of the observed snow-depth distribution over the study region. Calibration between the observed and predicted values enabled us to convert the potential snowpack magnitude (in dimensionless units) into real snowpack values in absolute units (snow depth, cm). The addition of a model of incoming solar radiation in the calculation procedure provided better results in terms of the final predictions because it captured local variations in snow- pack related to variable relief.


In this paper the impact of pure base-stock replenishment policies on performance of multi-echelon supply chain networks is being examined. Specifically, we try to evaluate cycle inventory, service level, fill rate, work in process, given the replenishment policy. Serial supply chain systems are being studied; such inventory systems receive inventories from only one source and send inventories only to one receiver. The demand and the replenishment process are stochastic. The replenishment processes follow the Erlang distribution. The external demand is distributed by pure Poisson process which means that the amount that each customer asks is one unit. The supply network is modeled as continuous Markov processes with discrete states. The structures of the transition matrices of those systems are explored and computational algorithms are developed to generate them for different values of systems parameters. Mat lab software is used for any computation.


Growth of the male rhinoceros beetle's horn is more sensitive to insulin signaling than are other body parts. This Podcast features an interview with Douglas Emlen, author of a paper that was released in Science Express on 26 July 2012 and will appear in the 17 August 2012 issue of Science. Emlen discusses his group's discovery that insulin signaling is involved in regulating the growth of the male rhinoceros beetle's horn. Male rhinoceros beetles use their horns to fight for access to females, and males with larger horns generally win more fights and produce more offspring. In this study, Emlen and colleagues found that insulin signaling, which couples nutrition to growth and metabolism in many contexts, is important for determining the size of the horn. They found that the horn is more sensitive to insulin signaling than are other body parts, and they hypothesize that similarly heightened sensitivity to insulin signaling might also be important for regulating the growth of sexually selected male ornaments and weapons in other species.


Tax revenue in many low-income countries is inadequate for funding investments in public goods and human capital. While tax systems have been adopting new technologies to improve tax collection for many years, limitations to in-person interactions due to COVID-19 have further highlighted the role of information technology in tax mobilisation. This paper examines the potential of technology to transform tax administration by helping to identify the tax base, facilitate compliance, and monitor compliance. It also identifies possible limitations to the use of technology arising from inadequate infrastructure and connectivity, lack of adoption (or resistance) by taxpayers and tax collectors, lack of institutional mainstreaming, and an unsupportive regulatory environment.


OBJECTIVES
During 2009, pandemic influenza A (H1N1) affected France and several patients developed influenza A (H1N1)-associated acute respiratory distress syndrome. The use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) could be advocated as therapeutic solution. We present our experience with ECMO utilized in patients with influenza A (H1N1)-associated respiratory failure.

METHODS
We conducted a retrospective observational analysis of our experience with veno-venous ECMO for 2009 influenza A (H1N1)-associated respiratory failure. We have excluded from our study all not confirmed cases of influenza A (H1N1). Veno-venous ECMO was always instituted using a percutaneous cannulation technique. Mechanical circulatory support was maintained until respiratory function recovery.

RESULTS
Between October 2009 and February 2010, we performed veno-venous ECMO support in 12 patients with influenza A (H1N1)-associated respiratory failure. Mean age was 33 ± 12 years (14-63 years) and there was a prevalence of female sex. Median time from influenza A (H1N1) onset to mechanical ventilation (MV) initiation was 6 days (1-17 days); median time from MV to veno-venous ECMO support was 3 days (1-20 days). Six patients (50%) suffered ventilator-associated pneumonia during ECMO support. Eight patients (66.6%) suffered significant haemorrhage requiring transfusion of more than 2 packed red cells. In two patients (16.6%), there was a thrombosis of the inferior vena cava and one of them experienced pulmonary embolism. Mean duration of ECMO support was 23 ± 14 days (3-47 days); mean duration of mechanical ventilatory support was 24 ± 21 days (6-70 days). ECMO was weaned in 10 patients (83.3%) and all these patients are still alive after a period of follow-up of 13.8 ± 1.12 months (11.03-14.83 months). Two patients (in-hospital mortality of 16.6%) died under ECMO support for refractory septic shock.

CONCLUSIONS
Veno-venous ECMO for 2009 H1N1-associated respiratory failure gives good results with a very low mortality rate. The use of a mobile unit is a safe procedure and may improve survival of patients who might not be otherwise eligible for transfer to our institution. Larger studies are however required in order to optimize and refine the best treatment strategy in this subgroup of patients.


The first aim of this thesis was to test the hypothesis that the spatial and food resources in the nearshore waters of a subtropical embayment in Western Australia (Shark Bay) will be partitioned within and amongst the main elasmobranch species that occur in that large water body. The size and age compositions, growth rates and reproductive biology of females and males of the nervous shark Carcharhinus cautus in Shark Bay were then determined to better understand the mode of life of this abundant species in this embayment. The second aim was to determine the species and size compositions of chondrichthyans landed by fisheries employing different methods in south-eastern Indonesia. The implications of these data for management were next determined and aspects of the reproductive biology of the most abundant of those species were explored, in a very preliminary manner.

The nearshore, shallow waters of Shark Bay are used as a nursery area by several shark species and the different habitats in those waters are partitioned, to a certain degree, amongst those species. Ten species of shark (5 families), five species of ray (4 families) and twelve species of teleost (10 families) were caught in those waters. Carcharhinus cautus was the most abundant species, contributing 59.9% to the total number of elasmobranchs and 42.3% to all fish caught. This species and Negaprion acutidens were collected mainly or entirely from unvegetated sites, whereas Rhizoprionodon acutus, Carcharhinus brevipinna and Chiloscyllium punctatum were caught largely or exclusively at the seagrass site. The number of elasmobranch species and number of individuals of elasmobranchs were greatest in the seagrass site and least in the unvegetated site where no vegetation was present nearby, and they were significantly less in the latter site than in the one where dense mangroves were present nearby. These two biotic variables were also significantly greater in summer and autumn than in winter when temperatures were lowest. The species composition of elasmobranchs in each habitat type almost invariably differed significantly from that in each of the other habitat types and there was evidence that the species composition of elasmobranchs varied in a similar seasonal manner at the three unvegetated sites. Carcharhinus cautus, and probably also Hemigaleus microstoma and Chiloscyllium punctatum, were the only species that completed their life cycles in the nearshore, shallow waters of Herald Bight. However, the capture of the juveniles of a further four species with umbilical scars emphasises the importance of these waters as a nursery habitat for shark species.

The dietary compositions of one ray species (Rhinobatus typus) and three shark species (Carcharhinus cautus, Negaprion acutidens, Rhizoprionodon acutus) undergo size-related changes and differ among these species, thereby reducing the potential for competition for food within and among these four species. Rhinobatus typus fed almost exclusively on penaeid prawns and portunid crabs, which is reflected in its narrow dietary breadth, whereas different species of teleosts constituted a major component of the diets of each size class of the three shark species. The relative contributions of the different species of teleost to the diets of the three shark species varied. The variations in dietary composition among the four species reflect differences in behaviour, modes of feeding and relative mouth sizes.

Carcharhinus cautus copulates in late October-early November, shortly followed by ovulation (and thus conception) and parturition occurs about 11 months later. The reproductive cycle of C. cautus is biennial. Female and male C. cautus reached ca 28 and 32% of their lengths at their maximum observed ages, respectively, at the time of parturition. Females and males of C. cautus attained maximum total lengths of 1330 and 1110 mm, respectively, and maximum ages after parturition of 16 and 12 years, respectively. Maturity was attained at about 1010 mm by females and 910 mm by males and at least 50% of females and males had become mature by the end of their sixth and fourth years of life, respectively. The three-parameter von Bertalanffy growth curves provided reasonably good fits to the lengths at age of females and males of C. cautus during just postnatal life and throughout the whole of pre- and postnatal life. However, the four-parameter Schnute growth curve significantly improved the fit to these data for both females and males from conception and for females from birth. The question of when, from a biological view point, it might be appropriate to switch from using a von Bertalanffy growth curve to the more complex Schnute growth curve are discussed.

A total of 139 chondrichthyan species, comprising 77 species of shark representing 17 families, 61 species of ray representing 11 families and a single species of holocephalan, were recorded at the ten landing sites surveyed in south-eastern Indonesia. However, it should be recognised that up to 49 of the 139 chondrichthyan species recorded have apparently not yet been described and thus assigned a species name. The most speciose and commonly recorded families were the Dasyatidae and Carcharhinidae, which collectively contributed 84.8%, respectively, to the total number of individuals of all species. The use of MDS ordination demonstrated that the species compositions at the eight main landing sites reflected to a greater extent the fishing methods used rather than the geographical location of those sites. Data on the reproductive biology of males demonstrated that a number of elasmobranch species were fished prior to the time that they attained maturity.

The three most abundant chondrichthyan species that were caught both as juveniles and adults were Dasyatis kuhlii, Dasyatis zugei and Himantura walga. Since the reproductive cycle of each of these species did not follow a seasonal pattern, the timing of conception and parturition and the duration of gestation of these species could not be determined. The fecundity of these three species was very low, i.e. maximum of two but usually only a single embryo. The size at maturity of the three species, using data on the prevalence of mature fish, ranged from minima of 163 mm for females and males of H. walga to maxima of 237 mm for females and 239 mm for males of D. kuhlii. The translucent zones on the vertebral centra of D. kuhlii were apparently deposited annually and were thus used to estimate the ages of the individuals of this species. The maximum estimated ages of female and male D. kuhlii were 15 and 10 years, respectively.


Low-relief surfaces in northern Norway are mapped and analysed to explore (1) whether surfaces were once continuous and possibly correlative, recording an ancient, relict landscape, (2) whether the distribution of (now disrupted) surfaces reveals a tectonic history related to rifting of the North Atlantic and (3) how topography changes across the transition between the North Atlantic and Barents Sea margins. Elevation contours on surfaces, a smoothed fit to mean elevations and histograms of elevation show three distinct, coast-parallel zones onshore northern Norway, and a different pattern in coastal Lofoten–Vesterålen. A sharp transition from continuous surfaces to lower, discretely stepped, discontinuous surfaces is located where the crust thins rapidly to the NW from >39 to <25 km. In margin-parallel transects, elevations remain high for >100 km north of the Senja Fracture Zone and then decrease gradually further NE. The spatial pattern suggests that a continuous, low-relief, relatively low-elevation surface formed in late Mesozoic time and was preserved despite modification by Cenozoic faulting, uplift and slow erosion. Scandinavia's present-day topographic envelope reflects a crustal strength profile set up during earlier hyperextension and maintained by slow Neogene erosion rather than resulting from opening of the North Atlantic or caused by glacial erosion. Supplementary material: A map of polygons of all surface heights within the study area and data on the location of median centres of polygons, assigned attributes and selected zonal statistics are available at https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.3312960


OBJECTIVE: To compare the reported prevalence and acceptance of bans on smoking in the workplaces of a representative sample of adults in South Australia between 1989 and 1994. DESIGN: Independent cross-sectional representative population surveys. SETTING: South Australian population. PARTICIPANTS: Adults who indicated they were employed mainly indoors, for the years 1989 (875 respondents), 1991 (1472), 1992 (1288) and 1994 (1273). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Percentage reporting total bans on smoking at work; percentage reporting compliance with bans all or nearly all the time; percentage reporting preference for total bans at work. RESULTS: The percentage of indoor workers subject to a total ban on smoking at work increased from 32% in 1989 to 62% in 1994 and preference for a total ban increased during the same period from 26% to 52%. Reported compliance with restrictions and bans was very high. In 1994, 16% of workers still had no restrictions on smoking at work, but only 3% preferred this arrangement. CONCLUSION: The data suggest that smoking bans are now the norm for indoor workers and that further gains in promoting and supporting workplace bans will be made by directing efforts at smaller workplaces, where unrestricted smoking is most prevalent.


A methodology was defined and developed for designing theory-based behaviour change systems for health promotion that can be tailored to the individual. Theories from two research fields were combined with a participatory action research methodology. Two case studies applying the methodology were conducted. During and between group sessions the participants created material and designs following the behaviour change strategy themes, which were discussed, analysed and transformed into a design of a behaviour change system. Theories in behavioural change and persuasive technology guided the data collection, data analyses, and the design of a behaviour change system. The methodology has strong emphasis on the target group's participation in the design process. The different aspects brought forward related to behaviour change strategies defined in literature on persuasive technology, and the dynamics of these are associated to needs and motivation defined in literature on behaviour change. It was concluded that the methodology aids the integration of theories into a participatory action research design process, and aids the analyses and motivations of design choices.


CD45, a transmembrane protein tyrosine phosphatase expressed in immune cells, regulates antigen receptor-mediated signal transduction by controlling the phosphorylation state (and activation) of several kinases. Irie-Sasaki et al. now provide evidence that suggests CD45 involvement in cytokine signaling by regulating Janus kinase (JAK) activity. CD45-deficient interleukin 3 (IL-3)-treated bone marrow-derived mast cells (BMMCs) exhibited greater proliferation, which correlated with increased levels of phosphorylated JAK2 and JAK2 kinase activity. Similarly, CD45-deficient BMMCs exhibited greater phosphorylation of STAT (signal transducer and transactivator) proteins. In vitro, CD45 dephosphorylated JAKs, as well as a catalytically inactive CD45 mutant associated with JAK2. Overexpression of CD45 in interferon-α (IFN-α)-treated COS cells led to decreased phosphorylation of JAK1. In vivo, CD45 knockout mice survived infection with Coxsackie B3 virus, which implies that a lack of CD45 function resulted in greater immune response, presumably mediated by greater sustained activation of JAK and STAT activity. J. Irie-Sasaki, T. Sasaki, W. Matsumoto, A. Opavsky, M. Cheng, G. Welstead, E. Griffiths, C. Krawczyk, C. D. Richardson, K. Aitken, N. Iscove, G. Koretzky, P. Johnson, P. Liu, D. M. Rothstein, J. M. Penninger, CD45 is a JAK phosphatase and negatively regulates cytokine receptor signaling. Nature 409, 349-354 (2001). [Online Journal]


This thesis examines the political career of Marie de Guise in Scotland during the period 1548-1560. Challenging the conventional interpretation of Guise as the defender of Catholicism whose regime climaxed with the Reformation Rebellion, this study shows that she was, on the contraty, a shrewd and effective politique, whose own dynastic interests and those of her daughter took precedence over her personal and religious convictions. Dynasticism, not Catholicism, was the prime motivational force behind her policy and it is from this perspective that her regime is considered. The eight chapters of the thesis focus on two main themes. Firstly, that Marie de Guise's dynasticism, and political career as a whole, were inextricably associated with those of Mary, Queen of Scots, whose Scottish sovereignty, Catholic claim to the English throne and betrothal to the Dauphin of France carried with it notions of FrancoBritish Imperialism. And secondly, that Marie de Guise's policy in Scotland was dictated by European dynastic politics and, specifically, by the Franco-Scottish alliance of 1548-1560. Significantly more than a betrothal contract, the treaty of Haddington established a 'protectoral' relationship between the 'auld allies' whereby Henri II was able to assume control over Scottish militaty affairs, diplomacy and foreign policy as the 'protector' of Scotland. Guise's assumption of the regency in 1554 completed the process of establishing French power in Scotland, which was later consolidated, albeit briefly, by the marriage of Mary Stewart to Franyois Valois in 1558. The overall success of Guise's dynastic and domestic policies, however, was limited. International considerations undermined her policies and weakened her administration. Yet the collapse of her regime came not with the outbreak of the Reformation Rebellion or her alleged defeat at the hands of the Congregation. Only with her death, did Marie de Guise's regime and French power in Scotland truly collapse.


The temporal and spatial structure of 332 404 daily fire-start records from the western United States for the period 1986 through 1996 is illustrated using several complimentary visualisation techniques. We supplement maps and time series plots with Hovmoller diagrams that reduce the spatial dimensionality of the daily data in order to reveal the underlying space–time structure. The mapped distributions of all lightning- and human-started fires during the 11-year interval show similar first-order patterns that reflect the broad-scale distribution of vegetation across the West and the annual cycle of climate. Lightning-started fires are concentrated in the summer half-year and occur in widespread outbreaks that last a few days and reflect coherent weather-related controls. In contrast, fires started by humans occur throughout the year and tend to be concentrated in regions surrounding large-population centres or intensive-agricultural areas. Although the primary controls of human-started fires are their location relative to burnable fuel and the level of human activity, spatially coherent, weather-related variations in their incidence can also be noted.


AIM
This paper is a report of an investigation into the factors associated with laxative-taking by older people in care homes.

BACKGROUND
Constipation is a common source of discomfort, pain and morbidity for care home residents, and laxative-taking is prevalent. Differences in the extent to which older people suffer from constipation may result from care routines rather than demographic or clinical factors.

DATA SOURCES
Primary data were gathered from care records as part of a larger study in seven care homes (without on-site nursing) in London, England in 2003-2004.

METHODS
Backward stepwise logistic regression modelling was used to investigate factors (age, sex, level of dependency [Barthel]), number of comorbidities, number of medications, constipating medications, length of stay in care home, diagnosis of dementia/Alzheimer disease) associated with regular laxative-taking.

RESULTS
Of 168 residents, 99 (58.9%) were routinely given laxatives. Taking more medicines (moving up one category: 0, 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, > or = 7) increased the likelihood of taking laxatives more than threefold, after controlling for all other factors. Women were 2.9 times more likely to take laxatives than men. Having dementia/Alzheimer disease increased the likelihood of taking laxatives by 2.6 times. Laxative-taking was statistically significantly lower in two of the care homes.

CONCLUSION
Laxative use amongst older people in care homes varies and may not be based on rational criteria. Nurses working in care homes and with care staff can help to implement appropriate bowel care for older people.


The CAP reform process has been a central issue for agricultural economics research in recent years, and is gaining further attention in view of the post-2013 perspectives (Viaggi et al., 2010; Bartolini et al., 2011). Today the CAP is in the middle of a new reform process. Through the debate generated by the official proposals, published in October 2011 (COM(2011)625/3), the European Union (EU) engaged in a revision of the CAP ended on 26 June 2013 when a political agreement has been reached (IP/13/613, MEMO-13-621 and IP/13/864). In particular, in Italy the switch of the payment regime from historical to regional bases will take place. The underlying assumption is that the shift to regionalized payments changes the remuneration of inputs and has an impact on farmers' allocation of fixed resources. In this context, farmers are expected to adjust their plans to the new policy environment as the regionalization of support is meant to create a change in incentives faced by farmers. The objective of this thesis is to provide an ex-ante analysis of the potential impact of the introduction of regionalized payments, within the post-2013 CAP reform, on the land market. Regionalized payments seem to produce differentiated effects and contribute to a general (slight) increase of land exchanges. The individual reaction to the new payments introduction would be different depending on location and specialization. These effects seem to be also strongly influenced by the difference in historical payments endowment and value, i.e. by the previous historical system of distribution of payments.


Infectious diseases have had a great impact on human lives and civilizations
since time immemorial. Success in controlling and eradicating these diseases,
on the other hand, has not only overcome human misery but expedited human
progress, both individually and collectively. The eradication of smallpox and
the successful control of poliomyelitis and hepatitis B can even be measured in
terms of the improvement in the world's GDP. However, new and re-emerging
infections, including those connected to livestock such as the Nipah virus,
SARS and avian influenza, remind us to be ever vigilant and responsive to new
threats. The Newcastle disease virus (NDV) causes a highly contagious and fatal
respiratory disease in chickens and other types of birds and affects the poultry
industry worldwide. Although this virus is effectively controlled by vaccination,
it is still endemic in Malaysia and outbreaks of the disease have contributed to
major losses for the poultry industry in the country in terms of mortality and
loss in egg and meat production. By delineating the genome of this enveloped
negative single-stranded RNA virus, various genes have been sequenced,
cloned and expressed in plasmid vectors in various organisms. Knowledge of
the structural and biological characterization of NDV has provided insights into
various applications of this virus in the prevention and treatment of NDV and
other diseases as well. Although the virus replicates poorly in normal human
cells, causing mild respiratory disease and conjunctivitis, it replicates very well in
human cancer cells. This provides a potential for its use in oncology. Cancer is
an omnipresent threat to human lives, especially with, but not limited to, ageing,
a worldwide modern phenomenon. Its control and eradication remain largely
elusive, requiring considerable concerted efforts from everyone. The oncolytic
activities of the virus against human malignancies lead to tumor apoptosis and
cell death. In this respect, work is in progress to leverage NDV as a viral vector
to express and deliver foreign genes for vaccination and gene therapy purposes
for specific malignancies in humans. This of course opens up a whole new vista in research and industry, stretching imaginations and human potentials farther,
with the cherished hope of improving the lives of human beings further.


Summary
This report reviews the distribution and prevalence of clinical filariasis and of microfilaremia in the Pacific, in Africa and in Asia; discusses the disabling effects of filariasis and outlines a control program that is working satisfactorily in the Society Islands, French Oceania.
In collecting epidemiologic data for the maps, a lack of standardization in clinical, blood and mosquito surveys was apparent, and comparison had to be limited to prevalence rates for elephantiasis and microfilaremia. Even here, representative numbers in standard age groups and from all segments of the population were seldom available and suitable correction factors had to be employed to adjust the figures to represent the population as a whole.
Procedures for performing and reporting standardized clinical, blood and mosquito surveys are recommended and tables are presented which show summaries of certain of these results from the Society Islands before the filariasis control program began. Seven per cent of the population demonstrated elephantiasis 7% of the males had hydrocele and 12% experienced attacks of lymphangitis. A total of 26% of the whole population showed clinical signs of filariasis, and 32% demonstrated microfilaremia.
The disabling aspects of filariasis are difficult to evaluate exactly in terms of man-days of work lost annually in a community, but it is concluded that the social and economic aspects of filariasis are such as to constitute a major public health problem in many parts of the tropics.
A correlation between prevalence of elephantiasis and microfilaremia in a population as a whole could not always be shown in the south Pacific. A low prevalence of microfilaremia was associated with a low prevalence of elephantiasis but areas with high microfilaremia rates did not always show high elephantiasis rates. However, when the density of microfilariae per unit of blood was calculated, it was found that a definite correlation existed. It is suggested, for at least that part of the Pacific where non-periodic filariasis occurs, that the density of microfilariae in an area may be used as an index to estimate the amount of elephantiasis in that same area.
A filariasis control program now in progress in the Society Islands, which combines mosquito control with parasite control by mass treatment with diethylcarbamazine, shows that when practiced thoroughly, these measures reduce microfilaremia, microfilarial density, the mosquito population and larval density in mosquitoes to a minimum. Primary acute filariasis is rare; new cases of elephantiasis together with other forms of chronic filariasis fail to develop; and transmission is reduced to a low point, in some instances to zero.


This study aimed to examine the effects of the Helping Babies Breathe (HBB) training interventions program on the knowledge, psychomotor skills, and competency of health workers in managing birth asphyxia and reducing mortality of newborns experiencing asphyxia within 24 hours. This study used pre- and post-test design (quasi experimental study). Purposive sampling was employed, and a computer-generated number was used to select the participants. Health workers from Juba Teaching Hospital comprised the intervention group. They were evaluated before and after the training from February to June 2017. A post training skill and competency evaluation was performed using a NeoNatalie newborn simulator and was repeated after three months of implementation for intervention and control group. Seventy health workers were enrolled; 40 were in the intervention group and 30 in the control group. Early newborn mortality due to asphyxia within 24 hours in intervention and control measure at pre and post implementation showed a significant reduction within the intervention than the control. Knowledge, psychomotor and competency of health care workers improved immediately after training and early newborn mortality reduced by half at the end of three months. It is recommended that training of health workers on HBB should be scaled up in most of the health facilities in South Sudan.


I normally meet Warren on Monday nights, on the seventeenth floor of a nondescript office building in midtown Manhattan, where he and his wife, Rose, teach tarot classes for anywhere between three and ten students every week. Classes cost thirty dollars for a three-hour session that typically consists of Warren's impromptu but passionate lectures on a tarot card or set of cards as well as a full hour of tarot-reading practice among the students. For the handful of regulars who attend the classes, the school is their community, what some call their therapy, as well as site of pleasure and authority. It is a place where for a few hours, as seasoned tarot students and readers, they are, as Warren likes to say, "masters of their own ships," capable of guiding the discussion or giving pointers to a newcomer. For other students who come and go, the school is a break from the workaday world - it's a place where tarot cards, psychic ability, and magical practice are uninhibitedly discussed as meaningful sites of personal power. Given the school's warm community, it's easy to see why Warren and Rose drive in each from week from Queens, rain or shine, and on most holidays. Creating this space has been their labor of love, and, socially, it rewards them with a revolving cast of friends, students, and interlocutors who share an interest in learning more about a deck of cards that has existed since the fifteenth century and that evolved into a text that now counts astrology, neoPlatonism, Hermeticism, Kabbalah, Rosicrucianism, ceremonial magic, Goddess worship, Wicca, and neopaganism, as well as dash of contemporary quantum theory and geometry, as its bibliography.1Still, for Warren and Rose, the Tarot School is their sole source of income, and over the course of the past year, the general economic downturn in the city has started to affect their business. Tonight, when I see Warren, the joy of class is decidedly missing. Sitting on the couch in their apartment cluttered with books, tarot decks, and tchotchkes, Warren and I are talking about the future. "Everything decays, Karen," he tells me in his characteristic slow and intentional speech. "Everything falls away. It is the nature of things. We are in a period of decay like all things it [the school] too will pass away. My struggle is try to find the energy to get up in the morning every day and keep on going .... You know, when the Titanic is sinking you have two choices: you can sink or you can get in the rowboat. The only problem is when you start rowing, you're out there on your own."I know that there is considerable metaphysical study behind his words, and I realize Warren is speaking two languages at once. On the one hand, he is speaking the language of tarot and its fourfold system of elements, in which the element of Earth (or matter) represents the world of earthly, human, and material concerns.2 This element, which is associated with the suit of pentacles in the tarot deck, has a natural or essential tendency toward inertia, stillness, and decay. While such a toward-death ontology may sound morbid, even a nascent tarot student will suggest that it points toward a larger cosmic balance, or a fourfold dance of elemental particles, with each element moving in accord with its nature and tendencies. In tarot, to say that all is in decline is also to suggest that other elements are at work and that transformation and rebirth will follow. However, Warren is also speaking a more ordinary language of financial crisis, which looms as a more "real" or immediate reality. Despite a metaphysics that can make room for the existence of multiple elemental worlds, Warren is not inured against the tendencies of global capital. On the contrary, he and his wife are skilled readers of the ebbs and flows of the city's money, as they consider themselves members of the service economy, and their business depends on their intuitive ability to glean the excess. When times are tight for others, there is less to glean, and bills accrue. …


Sex-associated hormones were evidenced to modulate immune responses and consequently directly influence the outcome of infection. Testosterone is known to influence both protein metabolism and the level of cortisol which is the hormone of stress. This work was conducted to explore the influence of the degree of parasitemia in Plasmodium falciparum malaria on the male sex hormone testosterone, plasma proteins and the stress hormone cortisol in male patients. The study targeted male subjects whose ages ranged between 20 and 40 years old. The subjects were divided into three groups: lightlyinfected patients (Infected with P. falciparum density 1 - 10 asexual form of the parasite per 100 fields), heavily-infected patients (Infected with P. falciparum density 11 - 99 asexual form of the parasite per 100 fields) and a group of malaria-free individuals who were used as a control group. Blood samples were taken from the median cephalic vein to investigate for malaria parasite, plasma proteins and hormones. The effect of the degree of parasitemia was considered for all parameters studied. The study revealed that low parasitemia in malaria-infected patients resulted in significantly (p < 0.05) higher level of plasma total proteins and it was found to be due to a significant (P < 0.05) increase in the total globulins fraction which reached 5.85 ± 1.03 g/dl compared to 3.44 ± 0.4 g/dl in the control group. The opposite was true for the heavily-infected group as it reported significantly (P < 0.05) lower total plasma proteins value which was found to be due to a significant (p < 0.05) reduction of the total globulins fraction reported only 2.96 ± 0.20 g/dl. The albumin fraction maintained levels similar to that of the control group in both infected groups. The levels of the hormones tested also showed significant changes, manifested as significantly (p < 0.05) lower values in both groups of patients compared to the control group for the testosterone hormone, with significant (p < 0.05) difference between the two groups. Thus, high parasitemia resulted in the least testosterone level in the heavily-infected group of 2.64 ± 0.28 ng/ml, compared to 6.03 ± 0.86 ng/ml in the control group. In contrast, the stress hormone, the cortisol, showed the highest level in the heavily-infected patients of 191.03 ± 18.17 ng/ml, with significant (p < 0.05) difference compared to 166.28 ± 10.63 ng/ml in the control group.


Sir, Sea-urchins are found along the coastline, including in many tourism sites. Their spines consist of calcium carbonate crystals covered by a layer of epithelium. Injuries from seaurchins result from penetration of the spines into the dermis or subcutis, leading to pain of several days' duration. Complications include local inflammation and infection or a delayed granulomatous foreign-body reaction that can develop weeks or months later. The latter may often be followed by long-lasting pain and even by loss of function. To prevent these sequelae, most authors favour the excision of spines rather than waiting for spontaneous recovery as recommended by others. At present, no uniformly accepted successful treatment method is available. We found the erbium:YAG laser to be a suitable tool for effective removal of the spines. Four patients presented to our outpatient department about 1 week after a sea-urchin spinous injury during a vacation. They all suffered from severe pain and loss of function of the injured extremities. Previous attempts to remove the spines mechanically had not been successful. Inspection disclosed multiple black spines (. 50) up to 1 mm in diameter in the soles of the feet (Fig. 1A) in three of the patients. Mobility at the distal interphalangeal joints was reduced due to an accompanying erythematous oedema. The fourth patient had spines in the left index finger, with swelling and reduced flexibility. We decided to use the erbium:YAG laser (Medilas E, Dornier, Munich, Germany; spot size 2 ́5 mm, 300 mJ, fluence 6 J cm, repetition rate 5±10 Hz) to remove the foreign material. Three of the patients were treated under local infiltration anaesthesia (1% lidocaine without epinephrine), and one under general anaesthesia. The foreign bodies were destroyed leaving circumscribed crater lesions with tiny pinpoint areas of bleeding (Fig. 1B). Postoperatively, an antiseptic wound dressing was applied. In two of the patients we took a 2-mm skin biopsy; histological examination revealed penetration of the spines into the deep dermis and even subcutis. Two treatment sessions were necessary to remove all the widespread spines in two patients. The wounds re-epithelialized at the latest within 2 weeks after treatment; in some locations we saw focal hyperkeratosis but there were no signs of scarring. Figure 1(C) shows the typical appearance 4 weeks after treatment. Mobility and function of the distal phalanges were restored completely. During 1 year of follow-up no delayed granulomatous foreign-body reactions or other complications have been observed. Sea-urchins are relatively sedentary creatures often attached to rocks or corals. The porous spines penetrate the skin when stepped on. Mechanical extraction is almost ineffective because the spines fragment easily; surgical excision has been recommended, even though this is difficult with widespread injuries. Leaving spines in place leads to acute pain, local inflammation or infections and a risk of delayed granulomatous foreign-body reactions. There are reports of granulomatous inflammation in the dermis and subcutaneous tissues, with severe involvement of bone and cartilaginous surfaces followed by chronic pain and even loss of function.


In 2002, the Bosphorus outlet was mapped using an EM 300 multibeam echo-sounder together with a Chirp sonar system. This survey, carried out on board the Ifremer RV 'Le Suroit' in the frame of the BlaSON project, completes the data previously acquired directly at the mouth of the Bosphorus by Di Iorio et al. (1999) in the frame of a NATO SACLANT Undersea Research project using jointly the NATO RV Alliance, and the Turkish Navy Survey ship 'Cubuklu'. This acoustic imaging has identified a canyon system at the slope and a shallow marine fan, which contains shelf incisions extending the Istanbul Strait incision. Multibeam bathymetry, ultra-high resolution seismic profiling and coring correlations on this subaqueous fan area allowed reconstruction of morphology and patterns of sediment distribution indicative of high energy sediment transport processes. The discovery of a shallow water/shelf type fan directly offshore from the Bosphorus and connected to its outlet is consistent with the theories of sudden discharges of large volumes of water. Age dating obtained at the bottom of this subaqueous shelf fan yielded an age of 6700 yr C14 BP (uncorrected age) for the first marine mollusc encountered at the base. This is in accordance with a last and abrupt reconnection of the Marmara Sea to the Black Sea. A detailed morphological map of the shelf and slope along with seismic profile interpretation and core correlation is presented here. A synthesis is proposed to explain the formation of this subaqueous fan and its relationship with the last connection between Black and Marmara seas after the Last Glacial Maximum. This interpretation can be summarized as follows: stage A corresponds to the first erosion surface seen on the shelf related to the Last Glacial Maximum low stand; stage B is the ravine surface onlapping to ca. -30, -40 m; stage C is a second erosional surface related to a sea level fall and eroding most of underlying Unit 1B; and stage D corresponds to the onset of the fan deposit during a period of high water run-off from the Black Sea entering from the Bosphorus. Avulsion branches show that this fan has been active for a long time.


About half of U.S. farm workers are not authorized to work in the United States. Pending immigration reforms aim to prevent the entry and employment of more unauthorized foreigners, but they differ on what to do about unauthorized workers already in the United States. These unauthorized workers are not likely to disappear overnight, and agricultural adjustments to a legal work force are likely to be determined by enforcement patterns, the structure of new guest worker programs, and the speed at which current farm workers find nonfarm jobs.


Membrane less microbial fuel cell (ML-MFC) is one of the attractive approaches for the simultaneous electricity generation and wastewater treatment. In this present paper, electricity generation by ML-MFC has been studied in continuous mode. Several experiments such as effect of aeration in cathode compartment, sludge concentration, initial substrate concentration and the COD removing capability of the ML-MFC were investigated to maximise the performance. A maximum power density of 8.98mW/m2 was observed at the current density of 34.02 mA/m2. COD removal was detailed from 44% to 54% in all experiments.


The methodology can be used more generally for positively identifying and quantifying small isolated pores in additively manufactured metals. In this case the focus was on analysis of a 4 mm region near the eventual fracture surface, to identify all pores in the vicinity of the "killer pore" the one causing failure by fatigue tests. This protocol was developed for Ti6Al4V with 99.99% density (only small amount of porosity, very small pores only), tensile fatigue specimen round dogbone geometry with 5 mm gauge width.


Writing, according to Panayotis Tournikiotis, has always exerted a powerful influence on architecture. Indeed, the study of modern architecture cannot be separated from a fascination with the texts that have tried to explain the idea of a new architecture in a new society. During the last forty years, the question of the relationship of architecture to its history -- of buildings to books -- has been one of the most important themes in debates about the course of modern architecture.Tournikiotis argues that the history of modern architecture tends to be written from the present, projecting back onto the past our current concerns, so that the "beginning" of the story really functions as a "representation" of its end. In this book the buildings are the quotations, while the texts are the structure.Tournikiotis focuses on a group of books by major historians of the twentieth century: Nikolaus Pevsner, Emil Kaufmann, Sigfried Giedion, Bruno Zevi, Leonardo Benevolo, Henry-Russell Hitchcock, Reyner Banham, Peter Collins, and Manfredo Tafuri. In examining these writers' thoughts, he draws on concepts from critical theory, relating architecture to broader historical models.


Abstract We describe an examination of two lines of evidence, tectono-structural evolution and hydrocarbon geochemistry, of asymmetric opening of the Atlantic Equatorial Margin. Our structural mapping used compilations of geophysical data and a review of both published literature and oil company public presentations. Geochemically, we accessed regional non-exclusive oil studies of the conjugate margins of Africa and South America, plus considerable published material. A group of non-exclusive oils was refined to 286, which clustered into five families, all represented along the NE Brazil margin but only one along the West African Transform (WAT) margin. Multiple lacustrine-sourced oils were seen around the South Atlantic, including NE Brazil, but a rich, oil-prone lacustrine source was not indicated offshore Ivory Coast and Ghana. Despite minor evidence of mixed source, possibly lacustrine stringers within an alluvial to marine setting, the predominant source is marine Cretaceous (Cenomanian–Turonian and possibly Albian). We find that opening asymmetry (a) biased the location of lacustrine (Early to mid-Cretaceous prerift to early synrift) source rocks to the NE Brazil margin and (b) locally narrowed the width of the optimal marine (Mid-Late Cretaceous postrift) WAT Margin source kitchens. Burial of the latter has aggravated the risk of late charge from light (condensate and gas) hydrocarbons.


This paper assesses farmers' perception and adaptation to climate change to enhance policy towards tackling the challenges climate change poses to the farmers in Ghana. With regards to farmers' perception and methods of adaptation, majority of the farmers perceived increase in temperature and decrease in rainfall pattern. Farmers' level of adaptation was found to be relatively high with majority of the farmers using changing planting dates, different crop varieties, soil conservation and water harvesting as the major adaptation measures to climate change impacts. However, access to water, high cost of adaptation, lack of information, lack of knowledge on adaptation, insecure property rights, insufficient access to inputs and lack of credits were identified as the major barriers to adaptation. The probit regression estimation results indicated that the probability of willingness to pay for climate change mitigation policies increases with age, years of education and ownership of farm land.


BACKGROUND
Severe acute respiratory coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) caused coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has become a pandemic. This study addressed the clinical and immunopathological characteristics of severe COVID-19.

METHODS
Sixty-nine COVID-19 patients were classified into as severe and non-severe groups to analyze their clinical and laboratory characteristics. A panel of blood cytokines was quantified over time. Biopsy specimens from two deceased cases were obtained for immunopathological, ultrastructural, and in situ hybridization examinations.

RESULTS
Circulating cytokines, including IL8, IL6, TNFα, IP10, MCP1, and RANTES, were significantly elevated in severe COVID-19 patients. Dynamic IL6 and IL8 were associated with disease progression. SARS-CoV-2 was demonstrated to infect type II, type I pneumocytes and endothelial cells, leading to severe lung damage through cell pyroptosis and apoptosis. In severe cases, lymphopenia, neutrophilia, depletion of CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes, and massive macrophage and neutrophil infiltrates were observed in both blood and lung tissues.

CONCLUSIONS
A panel of circulating cytokines could be used to predict disease deterioration and inform clinical interventions. Severe pulmonary damage was predominantly attributed to both SARS-CoV-2 caused cytopathy and immunopathologic damage. Strategies that encourage pulmonary recruitment and overactivation of inflammatory cells by suppressing cytokine storm might improve the outcomes of severe COVID-19 patients.


New perspectives on the misinformation ecosystem that is the production and circulation of fake news. What is fake news? Is it an item on Breitbart, an article in The Onion, an outright falsehood disseminated via Russian bot, or a catchphrase used by a politician to discredit a story he doesn't like? This book examines the real fake news: the constant flow of purposefully crafted, sensational, emotionally charged, misleading or totally fabricated information that mimics the form of mainstream news. Rather than viewing fake news through a single lens, the book maps the various kinds of misinformation through several different disciplinary perspectives, taking into account the overlapping contexts of politics, technology, and journalism. The contributors consider topics including fake news as "disorganized" propaganda; folkloric falsehood in the "Pizzagate" conspiracy; native advertising as counterfeit news; the limitations of regulatory reform and technological solutionism; Reddit's enabling of fake news; the psychological mechanisms by which people make sense of information; and the evolution of fake news in America. A section on media hoaxes and satire features an oral history of and an interview with prankster-activists the Yes Men, famous for parodies that reveal hidden truths. Finally, contributors consider possible solutions to the complex problem of fake news-ways to mitigate its spread, to teach students to find factually accurate information, and to go beyond fact-checking. Contributors Mark Andrejevic, Benjamin Burroughs, Nicholas Bowman, Mark Brewin, Elizabeth Cohen, Colin Doty, Dan Faltesek, Johan Farkas, Cherian George, Tarleton Gillespie, Dawn R. Gilpin, Gina Giotta, Theodore Glasser, Amanda Ann Klein, Paul Levinson, Adrienne Massanari, Sophia A. McClennen, Kembrew McLeod, Panagiotis Takis Metaxas, Paul Mihailidis, Benjamin Peters, Whitney Phillips, Victor Pickard, Danielle Polage, Stephanie Ricker Schulte, Leslie-Jean Thornton, Anita Varma, Claire Wardle, Melissa Zimdars, Sheng Zou


Abstract : Data-intensive systems are a critical building block for today's large-scale Internet services. These systems have enabled high throughput and capacity, reaching billions of requests per second for trillions of items in a single storage cluster. However many systems are surprisingly inefficient; for instance, memcached, a widely-used in-memory key-value store system, handles 1-2 million requests per second on a modern server node, whereas an optimized software system could achieve over 70 million requests per second using the same hardware. Reducing such inefficiencies can improve the cost effectiveness of the systems significantly. This dissertation shows that by leveraging modern hardware and exploiting workload characteristics, data-intensive storage systems that process a large amount of fine-grained data can achieve an order of magnitude higher performance and capacity than prior systems that are built for generic hardware and workloads. As examples we present SILT and MICA, which are resource-efficient key-value stores for flash and memory. SILT provides flash-speed query processing and 5.7X higher capacity than the previous state-of-the-art system. It employs new memory-efficient indexing schemes including ECT that requires only 2.5 bits per item in memory, and a system cost model built upon new accurate and fast analytic primitives to find workload-specific system configurations. MICA offers 4X higher throughput over the network than previous in-memory key-value store systems by performing efficient parallel request processing on multi-core processors and low-overhead request direction with modern network interface cards, and by using new key-value data structures designed for specific workload types.


The extent to which differentiated cells, while remaining in their native microenvironment, can be reprogrammed to assume a different identity will reveal fundamental insight into cellular plasticity and impact regenerative medicine. To investigate in vivo cell lineage potential, we leveraged the zebrafish as a practical vertebrate platform to determine factors and mechanisms necessary to induce differentiated cells of one germ layer to adopt the lineage of another. We discovered that ectopic co-expression of Sox32 and Oct4 in several non-endoderm lineages, including skeletal muscle, can specifically trigger an early endoderm genetic program in a cell-autonomous manner. Gene expression, live imaging, and functional studies reveal that the endoderm-induced muscle cells lose muscle gene expression and morphology, while specifically gaining endoderm organogenesis markers, such as the pancreatic specification genes, hhex and ptf1a, via a mechanism resembling normal development. Endoderm induction by a pluripotent defective form of Oct4, endoderm markers appearing prior to loss of muscle cell morphology, a lack of dependence on cell division, and a lack of mesoderm, ectoderm, dedifferentiation, and pluripotency gene activation, together, suggests that reprogramming is endoderm specific and occurs via direct lineage conversion. Our work demonstrates that within a vertebrate animal, stably differentiated cells can be induced to directly adopt the identity of a completely unrelated cell lineage, while remaining in a distinct microenvironment, suggesting that differentiated cells in vivo may be more amenable to lineage conversion than previously appreciated. This discovery of possibly unlimited lineage potential of differentiated cells in vivo challenges our understanding of cell lineage restriction and may pave the way towards a vast new in vivo supply of replacement cells for degenerative diseases such as diabetes.