The focus of this special issue is to highlight the role of autophagy in cellular homeodynamics, cell differentiation, and development with an outlook to diseases. Autophagy is an evolutionarily conserved catabolic process where cytoplasmic components are sequestered into double-membrane vesicles called autophagosomes, which then fuse with lysosomes and their content is degraded. Despite the significant progress observed over recent years in our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of autophagy, the elucidation of its role in developmental processes still remains a challenge for the scientific community. Given the role of autophagy in pathophysiology and diseases, it is essential to uncover how the mechanisms of autophagy function during developmental processes in the context of tissue and organismal physiology.

This special issue contains a collection of four original research papers, four review articles, and one methodology report, covering a broad range of topics.

A. P. Sagona et al. in their paper entitled "Association of CHMP4B and autophagy with micronuclei: implications for cataract formation" report that the ESCRT-III subunit CHMP4B localizes to chromosome bridges and micronuclei in lens epithelial cell cultures. These structures are subject to autophagy as evidenced by the close proximity of autophagosomes and lysosomes. Moreover, based on the observation that CHMP4B can be coimmunoprecipitated with chromatin, the authors propose that CHMP4B contributes to selective autophagy, here leading to the degradation of micronuclei and other extranuclear chromatin. As a CHMP4B mutation associated with an autosomal dominant form of cataract abolishes the ability of CHMP4B to localize to micronuclei, the autophagic degradation of DNA is implicated in the protection of lens cells from cataract development.

K. Zielniok et al. in their paper entitled "Functional interactions between 17β-estradiol and progesterone regulate autophagy during acini formation by bovine mammary epithelial cells in 3D cultures" use a 3D culture model of developing mammary epithelial cell acini to elucidate the mechanisms of autophagy regulation by 17β-estradiol and progesterone. They investigate the genomic effect of both sex steroids on the expression of chosen autophagy-related genes and proteins (ATGs). They show that both hormones induce ATG3, ATG5, BECN1, LC3B, and their protein products during the formation of alveoli-like structures by bovine BME-UV1 mammary epithelial cells. Moreover, the treatment with both hormones slightly increased the level of phosphorylated AMPK but diminished phosphorylated Akt and mTOR on day 9 of 3D culture. These results also suggest that the synergistic actions of the two steroid hormones studied accelerate the development of bovine mammary acini, which may be connected in part with the regulation of the molecular machinery involved in autophagy.

K. Hegedűs et al. in their paper entitled "The putative HORMA domain protein Atg101 dimerizes and is required for starvation-induced and selective autophagy in Drosophila" study the Atg1-family kinase complex in Drosophila and identify Atg101 as a member of this complex. They show that loss of Drosophila Atg101 impairs both starvation-induced and basal autophagy. They also show that Atg101 dimerizes and is predicted to fold into a HORMA domain. In addition Atg101 interacts with Atg1, Atg13, and Ref(2)P. These results suggest an important role of Drosophila Atg101 in autophagy and highlight that the Atg1 kinase complex is conserved among the metazoans.

P. Lőrincz et al. in their paper entitled "Atg6/UVRAG/Vps34-containing lipid kinase complex is required for receptor downregulation through endolysosomal degradation and epithelial polarity during Drosophila wing development" analyse the role of class III phosphatidyl-inositol 3-kinase (PI3K) complexes during wing development in Drosophila. The core complex consists of the lipid kinase Vps34 and its regulatory subunit Vps15, plus Atg6/Beclin1. Distinct PI3K complexes are specified by the two mutually exclusive subunits Atg14 and UVRAG. It is shown that both Atg6 and Atg14, but not UVRAG, are required for autophagy in the wing, whereas both Atg6 and UVRAG, but not Atg14, are involved in the endolysosomal degradation of receptors, such as Notch, and also in the establishment of proper epithelial polarity. There is some controversy regarding the role of UVRAG in autophagy in the published literature. This study supports a series of papers showing the existence of an autophagy-specific Atg14 complex, while the UVRAG-containing complex is found to be necessary for endolysosomal degradation and cell polarity.

The review by N. C. Mulakkal et al. entitled "Autophagy in Drosophila: from historical studies to current knowledge" comprehensively summarises the role and regulation of autophagy in the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, an established model system for in vivo analysis of autophagy in the context of a developing organism. Autophagy genes and their regulators are conserved in Drosophila, and autophagy is induced in response to nutrient starvation and hormones during development. Application of sophisticated genetic tools allows investigation of autophagy in Drosophila models of disease. The power of the Drosophila model means it has made important contributions to the identification of novel developmental and physiological roles of autophagy.

The review by D. Romanelli et al. entitled "A molecular view of autophagy in Lepidoptera" focuses on Lepidopteran insects including the silkmoth Bombyx mori, which are classical subjects of autophagy research. Enormous induction of autophagy is seen in the polyploid larval tissues of these animals in response to starvation or during metamorphosis, similar to Drosophila. A key advantage of studying Lepidopteran models is their direct economic impact. For example, insects belonging to this order can produce silk or decrease crop yields as pests. Recent advances in developing tools for molecular studies hold the promise that the analysis of autophagy and programmed cell death in Lepidopteran larvae (caterpillars) may shed light onto the role and regulation of these processes in a developmental context.

The review by J. M. I. Barth and K. Kohler entitled "How to take autophagy and endocytosis up a Notch" summarizes the interplay and published links between two catabolic pathways: endocytosis and autophagy, both of which culminate in lysosomal degradation. The established role of endocytosis in regulating Notch receptor activity and the availability of its ligands Delta, Serrate, and Lag-2 is also discussed, together with emerging data on autophagy as a modulator of Notch signaling. Vice versa, loss of Notch leads to the activation of autophagy in certain contexts. Considered together these data indicate a complex network of interactions between autophagy, endocytosis, and Notch signaling, which is only beginning to be understood.

The review by M. Lippai and P. Lőw entitled "The role of the selective adaptor p62 and ubiquitin-like proteins in autophagy" provides a brief overview of autophagy and the ubiquitin-proteasome system and how these degradation systems coordinate their functions. They highlight the presence of ubiquitin and ubiquitin-like proteins in both systems and discuss the basic mechanisms of their function. Moreover, the authors underscore the selectivity of degradation in both systems and focus extensively on selective autophagy and its associated adaptor proteins including p62/SQSTM1, NBR1, NDP52, and Optineurin. The involvement of ubiquitin and ubiquitin-like proteins of Atg8 family in selective autophagy is also discussed.

A. L. Kovacs in his paper entitled "A simple method to estimate the number of autophagic elements by electron microscopic morphometry in real cellular dimensions" describes a morphometric method (Ssp method) for calculation of surface values and estimation of average diameter and number of autophagic elements in real cellular dimensions using data from electron micrographs. The method is based on morphometric determination of relative surface (surface density) and volume (volume density). Since electron microscopy is still indispensable for autophagy research, the Ssp method will be very useful for providing quantitative analysis of electron microscopy data.

In conclusion, the papers presented in this special issue underscore a prominent role of autophagy during cell differentiation and development and highlight its emerging association with diseases. A deeper understanding of the mechanisms of autophagy in the context of developmental processes thus emerges as a critical factor for the development of novel therapeutic approaches.

Ioannis P. Nezis

Maria I. Vaccaro

Rodney J. Devenish

Gabor Juhasz


Remotely sensed datasets are increasingly being used to model habitat suitability for a variety of taxa. We review habitat suitability models (HSMs) developed for both plants and animals that include remote sensing predictor variables to determine how these variables could affect model projections. For models focused on plant species habitat, we find several instances of unintentional bias in HSMs of vegetation due to the inclusion of remote sensing variables. Notably, studies that include continuous remote sensing variables could be inadvertently mapping actual species distribution instead of potential habitat due to unique spectral or temporal characteristics of the target species. Additionally, HSMs including categorical classifications are rarely explicit about assumptions of habitat suitability related to land cover, which could lead to unintended exclusion of potential habitat due to current land use. Although we support the broader application of remote sensing in general, we caution developers of HSMs to be aware of introduced model bias. These biases are more likely to arise when remote sensing variables are added to models simply because they improve accuracy, rather than considering how they affect the model results and interpretation. When including land cover classifications as predictors, we recommend that modellers provide more explicit descriptions of how habitat is defined (e.g., is deforested land considered suitable for trees?). Further, we suggest that continuous remote sensing variables should only be included in habitat models if authors can demonstrate that their inclusion characterizes potential habitat rather than actual species distribution. Use of the term 'habitat suitability model' rather than 'species distribution model' could reduce confusion about modelling goals and improve communication between the remote sensing and ecological modelling communities. © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.


The lactate anion is currently emerging as an oncometabolite. Lactate, produced and exported by glycolytic and glutaminolytic cells in tumors, can be recycled as an oxidative fuel by oxidative tumors cells. Independently of hypoxia, it can also activate transcription factor hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1) in tumor and endothelial cells, promoting angiogenesis. These protumoral activities of lactate depend on lactate uptake, a process primarily facilitated by the inward, passive lactate-proton symporter monocarboxylate transporter 1 (MCT1); the conversion of lactate and NAD+ to pyruvate, NADH and H+ by lactate dehydrogenase-1 (LDH-1); and a competition between pyruvate and α-ketoglutarate that inhibits prolylhydroxylases (PHDs). Endothelial cells do not primarily use lactate as an oxidative fuel but, rather, as a signaling agent. In addition to HIF-1, lactate can indeed activate transcription factor nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) in these cells, through a mechanism not only depending on PHD inhibition but also on NADH alimenting NAD(P)H oxidases to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS). While NF-κB activity in endothelial cells promotes angiogenesis, NF-κB activation in tumor cells is known to stimulate tumor progression by conferring resistance to apoptosis, stemness, pro-angiogenic and metastatic capabilities. In this study, we therefore tested whether exogenous lactate could activate NF-κB in oxidative tumor cells equipped for lactate signaling. We report that, precisely because they are oxidative, HeLa and SiHa human tumor cells do not activate NF-κB in response to lactate. Indeed, while lactate-derived pyruvate is well-known to inhibit PHDs in these cells, we found that NADH aliments oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) in mitochondria rather than NAD(P)H oxidases in the cytosol. These data were confirmed using oxidative human Cal27 and MCF7 tumor cells. This new information positions the malate-aspartate shuttle as a key player in the oxidative metabolism of lactate: similar to glycolysis that aliments OXPHOS with pyruvate produced by pyruvate kinase and NADH produced by glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), oxidative lactate metabolism aliments OXPHOS in oxidative tumor cells with pyruvate and NADH produced by LDH1.


We report selective excitations of higher-order Hermite-Gaussian and Ince-Gaussian (IG) modes in a laser-diode-pumped microchip solidstate laser and controlled generation of corresponding higher-order and multiple optical vortex beams of different shapes using an astigmatic mode converter (AMC). Simply changing the pump-beam diameter, shape, and lateral off-axis position of the tight pump beam focus on the laser crystal within a microchip semispherical cavity can produce the desired optical vortex beams in a well controlled manner. Pattern changes featuring different IG and HG modes obtained by rotating the AMC are also demonstrated. Numerical simulation shows that the vortex structure is changed by controlled off-axis laser diode pumping, which could lead toward precise optical manipulation of small particles.


In this paper, we propose a joint source-channel region-based rate control algorithm for real-time video transmissions over wireless systems. During the video transmission, the channel throughput available to the video encoder in the wireless systems is inherently variable, due to the retransmission of the error packets using the automatic repeat request (ARQ) error control. The variable data rate of the wireless system is characterized by the packet-level Gilbert two-state Markov Model, the parameters of which are extracted from the statistical properties of the channel information obtained from the wireless channel simulator. The proposed algorithm adopts a fast but effective block-based segmentation method to extract the regions of interest. Unlike traditional bit allocation methods used in the region/content-based rate control, the algorithm exploits the most effective criteria "coding qualities" as quantitative factors to directly control bit allocation among different regions so as to achieve better visual quality in the regions of interest. The computational complexity of the algorithm is low making it suitable for real-time applications. Compared with the MPEG-4 rate control algorithm, our algorithm can effectively enhance the perceptual quality for the regions of interest and significantly reduce the number of frame skipping; thereby, improve the smoothness of the video.


This paper examined the determinants of foreign direct investment in Ethiopia. Five variables including market size, level of trade openness, inflation rate, infrastructure, and human capital were used. Time-series data covering a 21-year period (1990-2011) were obtained from the World Bank and analyzed using multivariate ordinary least square regression. The findings show that level of trade openness and inflation rate of Ethiopia have had a significant impact on the flow of foreign direct investments to Ethiopia. No clear relationship was obtained for market size, infrastructure, and human capital. Keyword s: FDI, inflation rate, trade openness, human capital


Noninvasively mapping the layout of cortical areas in humans is a continuing challenge for neuroscience. We present a new method of mapping cortical areas based on myelin content as revealed by T1-weighted (T1w) and T2-weighted (T2w) MRI. The method is generalizable across different 3T scanners and pulse sequences. We use the ratio of T1w/T2w image intensities to eliminate the MR-related image intensity bias and enhance the contrast to noise ratio for myelin. Data from each subject were mapped to the cortical surface and aligned across individuals using surface-based registration. The spatial gradient of the group average myelin map provides an observer-independent measure of sharp transitions in myelin content across the surface—i.e., putative cortical areal borders. We found excellent agreement between the gradients of the myelin maps and the gradients of published probabilistic cytoarchitectonically defined cortical areas that were registered to the same surface-based atlas. For other cortical regions, we used published anatomical and functional information to make putative identifications of dozens of cortical areas or candidate areas. In general, primary and early unimodal association cortices are heavily myelinated and higher, multimodal, association cortices are more lightly myelinated, but there are notable exceptions in the literature that are confirmed by our results. The overall pattern in the myelin maps also has important correlations with the developmental onset of subcortical white matter myelination, evolutionary cortical areal expansion in humans compared with macaques, postnatal cortical expansion in humans, and maps of neuronal density in non-human primates.


This paper presents a rate-distortion analysis for a simple horizon edge image model. A quadtree with anisotropy and rotation is performed in this kind of image, giving a toy model for a non-linear adaptive coding technique, and its rate-distortion behavior is studied. The effect of refining the quadtree decomposition in the Rate-Distortion decay is also studied.


Introduction: It is a noted fact that dermatologic diseases have varied oral manifestations. By far, there have been inordinately few studies focusing on the prevalence of a wide spectrum of oral mucosal lesions (OML) in patients with dermatologic diseases. This is significant as oral lesions may be the only or the primary feature of the skin disease, which could be neglected by dentists. This study aimed to estimate the frequency and sociobehavioral correlates of OML in skin disease patients attending outpatient's facility of Subharti Hospital, Dermatology Clinic, Meerut, India. Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional hospital-based study conducted in Meerut during the period from August 2013 to October 2013. A total of 500 patients (mean age 37.2 ± 14.11 years, 41.4% females) completed an oral examination and a personal interview. OML were recorded using the World Health Organization criteria. Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Science (version 15.0.1). Cross tabulation and Chi-square with Fisher's exact test were used. Results: At least one kind of OML was registered in 11.8%, males (58.6%): 60.0% versus females (40.0%): 45.6%, P < 0.01) skin disease patients. Thus, a certain number of patients had more than one type of OML. Aphthae were the most frequently diagnosed OML (3.4%), followed in descending order by oral lichen planus (1.8%) and geographic tongue (1.6%). Conclusion: OML were frequently diagnosed in skin disease patients (11.80%) and varied systematically with the dermatologic disease, age, and gender. The substantial prevalence rates of OML emphasize the importance of routine examination of the oral mucosa in a dermatology clinic.


Ceasefires are often seen as a simple measure to end violence and allow more substantive negotiations to begin. Contemporary conflict resolution models thus posit the ceasefire as a basic step in the peacebuilding trajectory. Offering an in-depth analysis of Naga militancy in Northeast India, this article argues that ceasefires should rather be understood as a part of the dynamics of conflict. Northeast India is a site of protracted conflict involving multiple contestants, where Naga militant organizations play a key role. A string of ceasefires since 1997 between the Indian government and the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCN) has contained fighting between security forces and militants, while violence has continued unabated between NSCN factions and among an array of other armed groups in the area claimed as 'Nagalim', with serious consequences for local communities. This study suggests that ceasefires may impact on conflict dynamics in at least three ways, all interrelated: (1) by affecting the internal cohesion of belligerent groups, (2) by affecting the operational space of armed groups, and (3) by affecting the relations between multiple stakeholders and parties to a conflict, including but not limited to the challenger(s) and the state. The study concludes that the terms of ceasefire agreements, the strategic use of ceasefires by conflict actors, and the opportunities created by a lack of effective monitoring of ceasefire ground rules has facilitated the operations of militants vying for territory, revenues from illegal 'taxation' and political stakes. Ceasefires have also paved the way for an escalation of factional and intergroup fighting and violent politics in Northeast India, by empowering signatory groups versus contenders as well as nonviolent actors.


In many practical problems—from tracking aircraft based on radar data to building a bibliographic database based on citation lists—we want to reason about an unbounded number of unseen objects with unknown relations among them. Bayesian networks, which define a fixed dependency structure on a finite set of variables, are not the ideal representation language for this task. This paper introduces contingent Bayesian networks (CBNs), which represent uncertainty about dependencies by labeling each edge with a condition under which it is active. A CBN may contain cycles and have infinitely many variables. Nevertheless, we give general conditions under which such a CBN defines a unique joint distribution over its variables. We also present a likelihood weighting algorithm that performs approximate inference in finite time per sampling step on any CBN that satisfies these conditions.


Recently, the European Union has adopted a new regulation on
Real-Driving-Emissions (RDE) and also China is considering RDE
implementation into new China 6 legislation. The new RDE
regulation is focused on measuring nitrogen oxides (NOx) and
particulate number (PN) emissions of both light-duty gasoline and
diesel vehicles under real world conditions. A supplemental RDE test
procedure was developed for European type approval, which includes
on-road testing with cars equipped with portable emission
measurement systems (PEMS). This new regulation will significantly
affect the engine calibrations and the exhaust gas aftertreatment. In
this study the impact of the new RDE regulation on two recent EU 6b
certified turbocharged direct injected gasoline vehicles has been
investigated. A comparison of several chassis dyno drive cycles with
two new defined on-road RDE cycles was performed. Moreover,
different exhaust aftertreatment systems including state of the art
three-way catalyst (TWC) and catalyzed gasoline particulate filter
(cGPF) technologies were investigated under real world conditions.
The results demonstrate that combined systems of TWC plus cGPF
are robust aftertreatment solutions for both NOx and PN emissions
under RDE requirements.


This paper deals with the very different attitudes that Descartes and Pascal had to the cycloidthe curve traced by the motion of a point on the periphery of a circle as the circle rolls across a right line. Descartes insisted that such a curve was merely mechanical and not truly geometric, and so was of no real mathematical interest. He nevertheless responded to enquiries from Mersenne, who posed the problems of determining its area and constructing its tangent. Pascal, in contrast, saw the cycloid as a paradigm of geometric intelligibility, and he made it the focus of a series of challenge problems he posed to the mathematical world in 1658. After dealing with some of the history of the cycloid (including the work of Galileo, Mersenne, and Torricelli), I trace this difference in attitude to an underlying difference in the mathematical epistemologies of Descartes and Pascal. For Descartes, the truly geometric is that which can be expressed in terms of finite ratios between right lines, which in turn are expressible as closed polynomial equations. As Descartes pointed out, this means that ratios between straight and curved lines are not geometrically admissible, and curves (such as the cycloid) that require them must be banished from geometry. Pascal, in contrast, thought that the scope of geometry included curves such as the cycloid, which are to be studied by employing infinitesimal methods and ratios between curved and straight lines.


Introduction: Holmium laser enucleation of the prostate (HoLEP) is becoming the new standard procedure for treating benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), a common condition in aging men. Most studies have focused on proving its efficacy in treating large prostates. In this study, we compared its efficacy in treating small (< 80 mL) and large (> 80 mL) prostates. Methods: This prospective study included 119 patients with BPH who underwent HoLEP by the same surgeon between June 2015 and December 2017. They were divided into 2 groups according to their prostate volumes (≤80 mL: Group 1; > 80 mL: Group 2). Various pre- and postoperative parameters were compared within and between the groups. Results: International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), postvoid residual (PVR) volume, and voiding time (VT) significantly decreased, and the peak urinary flow rate (Qmax), average urinary flow rate (Qave), and quality of life (QoL) score significantly increased postoperatively in both groups. The postoperative changes in IPSS, QoL score, Qmax, Qave, VT, PVR volume, and hemoglobin levels were not significantly different between the groups. In addition, no significant difference was observed in postoperative complications between the groups. Conclusions: Our results indicate that HoLEP is an effective procedure for treating both small and large prostates.


Iodine, silicon, and selenium are considered elements not essential for the metabolism of plants. However, these elements are vital for humans, and their presence as traces in food is beneficial. The use of I, Si, and Se in the fertilization programs of the plants allows, on the one hand, the mineral biofortification of the crops and, on the other hand, through mechanisms not yet fully understood, the production and accumulation of more antioxidants in the edible organs. This chapter provides an overview about the use of I, Si, and Se both for mineral biofortification and for the increase in the concentration of antioxidants in plants, with an emphasis on redox metabolism adjustments and antioxidant chemical species studied. The scope of the chapter is on horticultural species in the open field and under greenhouse or tunnels.


The aim of this work was to study the effect of the prenylflavonoids xanthohumol, isoxanthohumol, and 8-prenylnaringenin on the activity and expression of the enzyme aromatase (estrogen synthase). The effect of different kinds of beer containing these prenylflavonoids was also tested. Aromatase activity was determined by measuring the release of tritiated water during the conversion of [(3)H]androstenedione to estrone. Aromatase expression was determined by RT-PCR. This assay was carried out in choriocarcinoma-derived JAR cells. The tested prenylflavonoids were able to inhibit estrogen formation, and their IC(50) values were determined, although no effect on aromatase expression was found. Lager beer, alcohol-free beer, stout beer, and xanthohumol-rich stout beer (200 microL/mL) significantly decreased aromatase activity. In conclusion, prenylflavonoids are able to modulate aromatase activity, decreasing estrogen synthesis, with relevance for the prevention and treatment of estrogen-dependent disorders such as breast cancer.


Wildland fire is a critical process in forests of the western United States (US). Variation in fire behavior, which is heavily influenced by fuel loading, terrain, weather, and vegetation type, leads to heterogeneity in fire severity across landscapes. The relative influence of these factors in driving fire severity, however, is poorly understood. Here, we explore the drivers of high-severity fire for forested ecoregions in the western US over the period 2002–2015. Fire severity was quantified using a satellite-inferred index of severity, the relativized burn ratio. For each ecoregion, we used boosted regression trees to model high-severity fire as a function of live fuel, topography, climate, and fire weather. We found that live fuel, on average, was the most important factor driving high-severity fire among ecoregions (average relative influence = 53.1%) and was the most important factor in 14 of 19 ecoregions. Fire weather was the second most important factor among ecoregions (average relative influence = 22.9%) and was the most important factor in five ecoregions. Climate (13.7%) and topography (10.3%) were less influential. We also predicted the probability of high-severity fire, were a fire to occur, using recent (2016) satellite imagery to characterize live fuel for a subset of ecoregions in which the model skill was deemed acceptable (n = 13). These 'wall-to-wall' gridded ecoregional maps provide relevant and up-to-date information for scientists and managers who are tasked with managing fuel and wildland fire. Lastly, we provide an example of the predicted likelihood of high-severity fire under moderate and extreme fire weather before and after fuel reduction treatments, thereby demonstrating how our framework and model predictions can potentially serve as a performance metric for land management agencies tasked with reducing hazardous fuel across large landscapes.


Differential absorption lidar (Light Detection and Ranging) technique (DIAL) offers ways to perform measurements for the retrieval of ozone vertical profiles (concentration ppbv) up to 12 km during the nighttime and up to 8 km during the daytime. The system used for this type of retrievals is a DIAL lidar based on a Nd:YAG laser source and Raman shifting techniques to generate several wavelengths in the ultraviolet for the differential absorption technique. This paper presents the methods used in the ozone retrievals and the first profiles over the city of Bucharest.


The Acari granitoid is a type example of the Brazilian magmatism in Serido, NE Brazil. Its country rocks are supracrustals and orthogneisses of early proterozoic age. The oldest unit in the massif is a suite differentiated from gabbro to granodiorite, with dominant quartz diorites and tonalites enclosed as small bodies in younger granites, specially coarse porphyritic ones, and succeeded by fined grained porphyritic and equigranular leucrogranites. The vast majority of these rocks is syntectonic with the F 3  regional deforrnation; some leucogranites are slightly latter, while the diorites are somewhat earlier. A balooning fabric or flow structures are sometimes folder or crenulated by the F 3  event. The geometry (trajectories and tripple points of the S 3  foliation points to a process of diapirism coeval with a regime of normal folds and subhorizontal extension. Micachists surrounding the granites display parageneses such as cordierite + andaluzite or cordierite + silllmanite. The diorite suite is akin to an expanded calc-alkaline (or type I) series, while the porphyritic granites are closer to restrict, potassic calc-alkaline affinities, intermediate between types I and S, and the leucogranites are of S type. The diorites are thought to be derived from mantle magmas or melting of amphibolite (consumed oceanic crust?) followed by variable crustal contamination and magma mixing. The granites appear to represent crustal anatexis in progressively shallower levels. These rocks are regarded as a distal manifestation of an aclive plate margin or Tibetan type plateau.


Following are new in this second edition: MPLAB X support and MPLAB C for the PIC24F v3 and later libraries; I2CT interface; 100 per cent assembly free solutions; Improved video, PAL/NTSC; Improved audio, RIFF files decoding; and, PIC24F GA1, GA2, GB1 and GB2 support. Most readers will associate Microchip's name with the ubiquitous 8-bit PIC microcontrollers but it is the new 16-bit PIC24F family that is truly stealing the scene. Orders of magnitude increases of performance, memory size and the rich peripheral set make programming these devices in C a must. This new guide by Microchip insider Lucio Di Jasio teaches readers everything they need to know about the architecture of these new chips: how to program them, how to test them, and how to debug them. Di Jasio's common-sense, practical, hands-on approach starts out with basic functions and guides the reader step-by-step through even the most sophisticated programming scenarios. Experienced PIC users, including embedded engineers, programmers, designers, and SW and HW engineers, and new comers alike will benefit from the text's many thorough examples, which demonstrate how to nimbly sidestep common obstacles and take full advantage of the many new features. In this title, a Microchip insider introduces you to 16-bit PIC programming the easy way! It condenses typical introductory "fluff" focusing instead on examples and exercises that show how to solve common, real-world design problems quickly. It includes handy checklists to help readers perform the most common programming and debugging tasks.


Associations between home literacy environment and children's reading ability are often assumed to reflect a direct influence. However, heritability could account for the association between parent and child literacy-related measures. We used data from 101 mother/father/child triads to consider the extent to which associations between home literacy and children's reading fluency could be accounted for by parental reading fluency. Although home literacy correlated significantly with children's reading, no variable predicted significant variance after allowing for parental reading, except the number of books in the home. By incorporating measures of heritable parental traits into studies investigating home environment effects, we can start to identify which variables are correlates of parental traits and which might play a causal role in fostering children's development.


We are interested in the mathematical modeling of the deformation of the human lung tissue, called the lung parenchyma, during the respiration process. The parenchyma is a foam-like elastic material containing millions of air-filled alveoli connected by a tree-shaped network of airways. In this study, the parenchyma is governed by the linearized elasticity equations and the air movement in the tree by the Poiseuille law in each airway. The geometric arrangement of the alveoli is assumed to be periodic with a small period epsilon > 0. We use the two-scale convergence theory to study the asymptotic behavior as epsilon goes to zero. The effect of the network of airways is described by a nonlocal operator and we propose a simple geometrical setting for which we show that this operator converges as e goes to zero. We identify in the limit the equations modeling the homogenized behavior under an abstract convergence condition on this nonlocal operator. We derive some mechanical properties of the limit material by studying the homogenized equations: the limit model is nonlocal both in space and time if the parenchyma material is considered compressible, but only in space if it is incompressible. Finally, we propose a numerical method to solve the homogenized equations and we study numerically a few properties of the homogenized parenchyma model.


We propose a simple information-theoretic approach to soft clustering based on maximizing the mutual information I(x,y) between the unknown cluster labels y and the training patterns x with respect to parameters of specifically constrained encoding distributions. The constraints are chosen such that patterns are likely to be clustered similarly if they lie close to specific unknown vectors in the feature space. The method may be conveniently applied to learning the optimal affinity matrix, which corresponds to learning parameters of the kernelized encoder. The procedure does not require computations of eigenvalues of the Gram matrices, which makes it potentially attractive for clustering large data sets.


Well designed experiments can dramatically improve the statistical accuracy of simula tion output data and facilitate the statistical analysis. In this paper we propose an experimental design strategy for designing robust systems using discrete-event simulation. The proposed strategy is motivated by Genichi Taguchi's strategy for improving product and process quality in manufacturing. Robust systems are systems that not only satisfy performance criteria, but also are not sensitive to uncontrollable environmental conditions or noise in the system's environment. We demonstrate the proposed experimental design strategy with a jobshop example and discuss the potential benefits of employing such a strategy for designing robust systems in general.


Escherichia coli sequence type O25b-ST131 has emerged in recent years around the world in combination with CTX-M-15 among extra-intestinal infections and it has caused considerable morbidity and mortality. Management of infections can be done by controlling the source of infections or contamination. In India there are not many studies on O25b-ST131 clone, This study was done to investigate ST131's prevalence in different phylogenetic groups among isolates from different extra-intestinal infections. Hundred E. coli isolates were isolated from different clinical samples including urine, blood, sputum and exudates from Krishna Rajendra (K.R) Hospital, Mysore. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method was used to determine the Phylogenetic groups and O25b-ST131 clone. Out of 100 E. coli strains 55%, 30%, 8% and 7% were isolated from urine, exudates, sputum, and blood respectively. Phylogenetically, B2 group was the dominant group (34%) followed by D, B1 and A groups (28, 26, and12) respectively, 87% E. coli samples belonged to O25b-ST131 clone which were distributed among groups; B2, D, B1 and (32, 25, 22 and 8 isolates respectively). Diversity of Phylogenetic groups among O25b-ST131 E. coli strains may refer to the source of infections. Further studies are needed to highlight the source of infection which may help to control the dissemination of E. coli clone.


The desorption of lithium borohydride and lithium borohyride composites was examined using both conventional heating techniques and microwave irradiation. LiBH4 was milled with TiH2 in various molar ratios in an argon atmosphere using both roller and planetary mill techniques. Thermo-gravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry determined the desorption characteristics of the as received and milled materials. Scanning electron microscopy was used to examine the particle size of the materials before heating. A temperature programmed desorption (TPD) rig and a custom built microwave rig were both connected to the same gas aborption system which was pressurised with hydrogen and could be operated with each system independently. A comparison in desorption characteristics was made between conventional TPD heating techniques and microwave irradiation for the as received and milled materials; mass flow controllers were able to measure the amount of hydrogen desorbed in both cases. X-ray diffraction was conducted on the samples before and after heating in the TPD rig. TiH2 was found to kinetically destabilise the desorption of LiBH4 in all techniques. Microwave induced desorption produced faster heating rates than were exhibited with conventional heating techniques using less energy, with similar amounts of hydrogen gas being desorbed in a much shorter time period.


Water, food and energy are strongly interconnected. In this study we address this issue taking the lens of financial concerns to investigate the WFE relationship. Specifically, the aim of our paper is to analyze the volatility spillovres between indexes representing the financial component of WFE nexus. We use a multivariate GARCH model with daily data from November 2001 to May 2013. Water is proxy by equity index that represents the performance of the industry involved in water business both at global and local level. For the food and energy sectors we use two sub-indexes of S&P GF-Commodity Index. Our results highlight the existences of a financial nexus between WFE that is particular exacerbated during 2008 crisis. Evidence therefore suggests the need to better investigate the policy options that can be used to reduce price volatility in a framework of a rising relevance of water issues within the nexus.


J. Stephen Russell examines the impact that Chaucer's education had on his greatest work, the "Canterbury Tales", and demonstrates that understanding the nature of education in the Middle Ages, especially linguistic education, provides important insights into Chaucer's poem. Specifically, he shows that the mediaeval trivium (a curriculum of logic, grammar and rhetoric) conveyed attitudes about expression, communication and personality subtly but powerfully different from modern attitudes and that a recognition of these differences completely changes the nature of poems such as the general prologue and the tales of the knight, man of law, and clerk. Russell begins with an account of the mediaeval trivium, synthesizing a variety of sources in an engaging explanation of such potentially dry subjects as grammar and conceptual hierarchies. He then examines four parts of the "Canterbury Tales", providing insight into Chaucer's method of presenting information about the pilgrims in the "General Prologue", the role of language in the "Man of Law's Tale", the definition of "man" in the "Knight's Tale", and the "Artes" in the "Clerk's Tale". Finally, he extends his discussion to the "Tale of Melibee" and the tales of the wife of Bath, franklin, and nun's priest and suggests avenues for further research based on the trivium. For the modern reader, this work re-creates the mental parameters of a mediaeval education and provides a view of Chaucer's conception of the way the world is organized, the foundation of his intellectual and artistic development.


One of the reasons that necessitated the establishment of Women-in-Agriculture (WIA) Programme in 1989 was the perception that women farmers were not having adequate access to extension services compared to their male counterparts. Feminists argued that the inadequate access to extension services resulted in women farmers having poor farm yields, income, and decision-making power on what to produce. With the institutionalization of WIA programme since 1989, the study was conducted to evaluate the impact of the programme on women farmers' yield, income and decision-making power. Multi-stage sampling technique was adopted for sample selection while semi-structured questionnaires were used for data collection. Data collected from 225 contact women farmers were analyzed using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and tested at 5% level. Mean separation was equally done with Fisher Least Significant Difference (FLSD). Generally, the grand mean perceptional value (4.21) indicated that women farmers perceived positive changes in their farm yields, income and decision-making power because of the influence of WIA Programme. Analysis of Variance on pooled data indicated that women farmers perceived significant differences (P < 0 .05) in the changes in yield, income and decision-making power. The result, as well, showed that women farmers in the different State's agricultural zones in Southeastern Nigeria perceived significant differences (P < 0.05) in the changes in yield, income and decision-making power. Mean separation results showed that women farmers perceived the impact more on yield with perceptual mean value of 4.38a. It also revealed that women farmers in Oji agricultural zone in Enugu State had the highest impact in the Southeastern Nigeria with mean perceptional value of 4.61a. Based on the results, the paper strongly recommended that the implementers of the programme should be highly motivated in order to guarantee the sustainability of the programme for agricultural development.

Key words: contact women farmers, income, yield, decision-making power, WIA ,


Natural language is hierarchically structured: smaller units (e.g., phrases) are nested within larger units (e.g., clauses). When a larger constituent ends, all of the smaller constituents that are nested within it must also be closed. While the standard LSTM architecture allows different neurons to track information at different time scales, it does not have an explicit bias towards modeling a hierarchy of constituents. This paper proposes to add such an inductive bias by ordering the neurons; a vector of master input and forget gates ensures that when a given neuron is updated, all the neurons that follow it in the ordering are also updated. Our novel recurrent architecture, ordered neurons LSTM (ON-LSTM), achieves good performance on four different tasks: language modeling, unsupervised parsing, targeted syntactic evaluation, and logical inference.


The paper is premised on the assumption of a radical gradualism in the emergence of language in opposition to catastrophe theories advocating its sudden birth. On this hypothesis, the paper argues against the view that the evolution of language has meant a loss of iconicity. Instead, I claim that while iconicity has been eliminated from the arbitrary signifier it has been retained and refined at the level of the motivated signified. In support of this claim I place imaginability at the hub of language, as the human capacity for the mental variation of perception and an indispensable component of the linguistic sign. The main vehicles of iconicity are shown to be aboutness and voice, with protosyntax functioning as a forerunner to linguistic syntax. Only once we acknowledge that language is not a symbolic system but rather a heterosemiotic hybrid, with a capacity to accommodate symbolicity, the paper concludes, will we be in a position to do justice to the emergence of language from its nonverbal precursors. © 2016, Linguistic and Philosophical Investigations.


Previous research at the University of Ulster has shown that many students have a set of false expectations about what their university experience will be like. In general they are more fearful of both their potential academic and social experiences than turns out to be the case. As a result of these findings the School of Biomedical Sciences improved the communication with applicants prior to entry by introducing applicant visit days etc.and enhanced induction procedures.Surveys conducted before biomedical science students started their course have been compared with similar surveys after students have had a few months experience of the university. Most students still underestimate the requirement for private study but they are much more realistic about the study time required than hitherto. Comparisons of opinions at the two times have shown that most students have had most of their expectations met. Some statistically significant disparities however continue. These relate to student expectations of their social environment (disappointed in their use of sporting clubs and student societies) and of the attitudes of some staff (clarity of assessment tasks and feedback, staff sympathy with non-academic problems, etc.). Student expectations however have been exceeded in their engagement with the course and the quality of the teaching. These changes in student expectation have been accompanied by a substantial improvement in student retention.It is concluded that pre-entry interventions and a more extensive induction has had a positive effect on the expectations of new students but that the relationship between staff and students still requires to be improved as regards non-academic support and the management of assessment.


The mucosal immune system functions as the first line of defence against pathogen invasion by preventing microbes adhering to mucosal surfaces and interrupting pathogen replication during transcytosis through epithelial cells. An important part of this defence mechanism is the secretion of antimicrobial proteins (AMPs) that have a broad range of activities against microorganisms including the direct inactivation of viruses. Some AMPs including lysozyme, lactoferrin, cathelicidin and defensins are produced by epithelial cells, neutrophils and macrophages in the lungs and are secreted into the biofilm covering the inner surface of the airways, thereby creating a barrier that is chemically lethal to microbes. Other proteins, including immunoglobulin (Ig)A, IgG and IgM are produced by lymphocytes and pass through the epithelial cells to enter the biofilm. In most human exercise studies, saliva has been used to examine the impact of acute or chronic exercise on mucosal immunity as it contains a similar cocktail of AMPs and may itself play a role in protection against pathogens that cause symptoms of upper respiratory tract infection. Short bouts of high intensity exercise result in reduced saliva flow rate but increased concentrations and/or secretion rates of AMPs. The changes in saliva IgA with strenuous acute exercise may reflect altered mobilisation of the polymeric Ig receptor due to increased sympathetic nervous system activation. Decreases in saliva volume reflect withdrawal of the inhibitory effects of the parasympathetic nervous system. Very prolonged bouts of continuous exercise commonly result in unchanged saliva flow rate and reduced concentrations and secretion rates of some AMPs (notably IgA). Periods of intensified training by athletes can also result in reduced concentrations and secretion rates of some AMPs including IgA and lactoferrin. The mechanisms underlying the chronic effect of exercise are unclear but may reflect modified IgA synthesis from local plasma cells and/or depletion of the available pool of the polymeric Ig receptor. An inhibitory effect of cortisol may be involved. In contrast, regular moderate physical activity is associated with elevated levels of IgA. Some, but not all, studies have reported negative associations between salivary IgA secretion and risk of respiratory illness. Thus, monitoring saliva IgA levels (and possibly other AMPs), with interpretation based on changes from the usual profile for the individual, can be a useful tool for athletes and coaches to highlight individuals who may be at risk of respiratory illness. Nutritional interventions that may influence AMP levels include probiotics, colostrum and vitamin D.


This essay brings environmental and diplomatic history into conversation in order to examine the Trudeau government's response to the 1969–70 voyages of the oil tanker Manhattan through the Northwest Passage. By passing the Arctic Waters Pollution Prevention Act and extending Canada's territorial sea to 12 miles, Ottawa successfully instrumentalized the heightened environmental concern of the period in order to press Canadian claims to sovereignty in the Arctic. The essay demonstrates that this custodial approach was consistent with the functionalist tradition in Canadian liberal internationalism. More broadly, it reveals the promise of re-examining Canadian international history through the prism of environmental history.


This computationally oriented book describes and explains the mathematical relationships among matrices, moments, orthogonal polynomials, quadrature rules, and the Lanczos and conjugate gradient algorithms. The book bridges different mathematical areas to obtain algorithms to estimate bilinear forms involving two vectors and a function of the matrix. The first part of the book provides the necessary mathematical background and explains the theory. The second part describes the applications and gives numerical examples of the algorithms and techniques developed in the first part.Applications addressed in the book include computing elements of functions of matrices; obtaining estimates of the error norm in iterative methods for solving linear systems and computing parameters in least squares and total least squares; and solving ill-posed problems using Tikhonov regularization.This book will interest researchers in numerical linear algebra and matrix computations, as well as scientists and engineers working on problems involving computation of bilinear forms.


This study examines direct-to-consumer genetic testing (DTCGT) in the UK using the Social Construction of Technology framework to draw conclusions about how commercial genotyping is being shaped by principal groups involved with the technology. Different tests are available including single nucleotide polymorphism genotyping for ancestry and health information, the latter being the focus of this study. I conducted interviews with DTCGT users, and genetics clinicians who had either been consulted about DTCGT or who were willing to discuss their views. This paper is about one of the study's three themes, the NHS. DTCGT seemed to provide a point of focus for conflict between personalized and collective medicine in the UK, rather than being its cause. This suggests that DTCGT is more likely to achieve stability by virtue of being superseded by new technologies, rather than by achieving closure.

https://radar.brookes.ac.uk/radar/file/9c3a3dd1-460c-4f76-9517-c3c68928db16/1/Testing the NHS - 2017 - Finlay.pdf


This software allows for the visualization and control of a network of sensors through a Web browser interface. It is currently being deployed for a network of sensors monitoring Mt. Saint Helen s volcano; however, this innovation is generic enough that it can be deployed for any type of sensor Web. From this interface, the user is able to fully control and monitor the sensor Web. This includes, but is not limited to, sending "test" commands to individual sensors in the network, monitoring for real-world events, and reacting to those events


Web-based training, known as e-learning, has experienced a great evolution and growth in recent years, as the capacity for education is no longer limited by physical and time constraints. The emergence of such a prized learning tool mandates a comprehensive evaluation of the effectiveness and implications of e-learning. Advances in E-Learning: Experiences and Methodologies explores the technical, pedagogical, methodological, tutorial, legal, and emotional aspects of e-learning, considering and analyzing its different application contexts, and providing researchers and practitioners with an innovative view of e-learning as a lifelong learning tool for scholars in both academic and professional spheres.


We present a theoretical study of the modifications of the radiative and nonradiative decay rates of an optical emitter in close proximity to a noble-metal nanosphere, based on exact electrodynamical theory. We show that the optimal nanosphere diameter for luminescence quantum efficiency enhancement associated with resonant coupling to plasmon modes is in the range of $30--110\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{nm}$, depending on the material properties. The optimal diameter is found to be a trade-off between (1) emitter-plasmon coupling, which is most effective for small spheres, and (2) the outcoupling of plasmons into radiation, which is most efficient for large spheres. In addition, we show that the well-known Gersten and Nitzan model does not describe the existence of a finite optimal diameter unless the model is extended with the correction factor for radiation damping. With this correction and a correction for dynamic depolarization, the mathematically simpler Gersten and Nitzan model provides a reasonably accurate approximation of the decay rate modifications associated with coupling to the dipole plasmon mode. We anticipate that the Gersten and Nitzan model in the form that we validate in this paper for spheres will allow the analytical investigation of the influence of shape anisotropy on plasmon-enhanced luminescence.


We report on the steady-state and optical modulation characteristics of a luminescence down-converting colloidal quantum dot/polyimide nanocomposite system suitable for integration with gallium nitride optoelectronics. The approach provides solution-processable and environmentally stable composite materials whose optical conversion and intrinsic modulation properties were evaluated at wavelengths from 535 to 624 nm. A nanocomposite for white-light generation upon excitation and mixing with 450-nm light was also obtained by blending colloidal quantum dots of different sizes in the same matrix. The forward external quantum efficiencies of the resulting nanocomposites were found to depend on the wavelength and can be as high as 33%. Optical modulation bandwidth above 25 MHz, which is an order of magnitude higher than for typical phosphor-based color-converters for GaN LEDs, and wavelength-converted data with an open-eye diagram at 25 Mb/s are demonstrated under external gallium nitride light-emitting diode excitation. These modulation characteristics are correlated with carrier lifetimes. This work provides guideline parameters and creates a possible path to integrated hybrid visible light sources for scientific and communications applications.


[INLINE:1] Uwe Spetzger, MD, is the Chairman of Department of Neurosurgery, Klinikum Karlsruhe, and Institute for Anthropomatics, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Karlsruhe, Germany. Uwe Spetzger received his medical degree in 1989 at the Medical Faculty, University of Heidelberg, Germany. He passed the US American medical exam (ECFMG) in 1990. He has started his neurosurgical training in 1990 at the Department of Neurosurgery, Technical University (RWTH) Aachen and got his board certification of neurosurgeon in 1996. The Grant of the Wilhelm-Tonnis-Foundation of the German Society of Neurosurgery (DGNC) enables his scientific internship in 1999 at Department of Neurosurgery, University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). In June 1999, he passed the European Examination in Neurosurgery (EANS). From 1999 - 2002 he was vice-chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery at the University of Freiburg and the director of the interdisciplinary centre for skull base surgery at Freiburg University. Since 2002 he is Chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery, Klinikum Karlsruhe and in 2003 he became an active member of the Faculty of Computer Science, Humanoids and Intelligence Systems Lab - Institute for Anthropomatics at KIT. Prof. Spetzger became the president of the international Society of Medical Innovation and Technology iSMIT in 2013 and the congress president of the 66th Annual Meeting of German Society of Neurosurgery DGNC in 2015 and the Vice-President of the International Society of Digital Medicine in 2016. He is member of several national and international neurosurgical and medical technological societies. His main surgical and research interests are cerebrovascular surgery, skull base surgery, computer-assisted and robotic surgery, neuronavigation and spinal microsurgery.


A dynamic view of the endoplasmic reticulum The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is a complex membranous structure that extends from the nuclear envelope to the cell periphery. It has important roles in many cellular processes, and numerous proteins are involved in maintaining its structure. Nixon-Abell et al. used superresolution approaches to look at the ER at the periphery of the cell, where the ER contacts many other cellular organelles (see the Perspective by Terasaki). This peripheral ER has been thought to comprise tubules and sheets; however, the higher-resolution view revealed that most of the "sheets" consist of a dense clustering of tubules. This dynamic meshwork may allow the ER to change its conformation rapidly in response to cellular needs. Science, this issue p. 433; see also p. 415 Superresolution imaging shows that presumed sheets of endoplasmic reticulum comprise tightly packed, constantly changing tubules. INTRODUCTION The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is a continuous, membrane-bound organelle, spanning from the nuclear envelope to the outer cell periphery, that contacts and influences nearly every other cellular organelle. In the peripheral ER, prevailing models propose a system of interconnected tubules and flattened sheets maintained by distinct proteins. Because mutations in these proteins and resultant ER irregularities coincide with various neurologic disorders, characterizing ER morphology is critical in understanding its roles in the basic biology of cells in both health and disease. Given limitations in imaging technologies, determining the dynamic rearrangements and fine ultrastructure of the peripheral ER has proven challenging. RATIONALE Previous work characterizing peripheral ER structure has relied extensively on diffraction-limited optical microscopy to describe gross morphology and dynamics, and electron microscopy (EM) for ultrastructural details. Regrettably, the respective spatial and temporal limitations of these techniques can obscure underlying cell processes where intricate morphology and/or rapid dynamism are important. Additionally, efforts to characterize protein distribution in the peripheral ER have presented confounding evidence regarding the localization of tubular junction-forming atlastin guanosine triphosphatases to sheets, and concerning the induction of sheet proliferation after atlastin overexpression. We exploited a variety of emerging superresolution (SR) microscopy techniques to collectively provide unprecedented spatiotemporal resolution that challenges prevailing models regarding peripheral ER morphology, dynamics, and protein distribution. RESULTS We used a combination of five SR technologies, with complementary strengths and weaknesses in the spatial and temporal domains, to image the peripheral ER in live and fixed cells. Using novel analytical approaches to study both protein and lipid components, we found that many structures previously proposed to be flat membrane sheets are instead densely packed tubular arrays—a previously undescribed structure we term an ER matrix. These matrices can become astoundingly compact, with spaces between the tubules far beneath the resolvable power of even most SR technologies. We observed dynamic oscillations of ER tubules and junctions, with matrices rapidly interconverting from tight to loose arrays, giving rise to different apparent morphologies dependent upon how closely their three-way junctions are clustered. We demonstrate how these ER matrices have been misinterpreted as a result of the spatiotemporal limitations of earlier imaging technologies. Finally, we account for the distribution of atlastin and other ER-shaping proteins within these structures. CONCLUSION The application of cutting-edge SR technologies to the peripheral ER has established a precedent for studying its dynamics and structural properties in living cells. The specific finding of dense tubular matrices in areas previously thought of as flat sheets provides a new model for maintaining and generating ER structure. Reorganization from tight to loose tubular network arrays may allow the ER to rapidly reach outward to the cell periphery during migration or other cell shape changes. Moreover, tight clusters of junctions may function as sites for sequestering excess membrane proteins and lipids or for contacting other organelles. Improved spatiotemporal resolution of ER structure and dynamics, as shown here, should help to address these and other key issues regarding ER function in healthy cells and during disease pathogenesis. Dense tubular matrices in the peripheral ER. New superresolution imaging modalities reveal that peripheral ER sheets are actually densely clustered tubules and interconnecting junctions. Shown is the distribution of an ER protein marker (3D-SIM) (upper right), internal cellular lipids (LLS-PAINT) (lower left), and an EM reconstruction (FIB-SEM) (upper left) demonstrating tubular matrices in the peripheral ER at high resolution. The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is an expansive, membrane-enclosed organelle that plays crucial roles in numerous cellular functions. We used emerging superresolution imaging technologies to clarify the morphology and dynamics of the peripheral ER, which contacts and modulates most other intracellular organelles. Peripheral components of the ER have classically been described as comprising both tubules and flat sheets. We show that this system consists almost exclusively of tubules at varying densities, including structures that we term ER matrices. Conventional optical imaging technologies had led to misidentification of these structures as sheets because of the dense clustering of tubular junctions and a previously uncharacterized rapid form of ER motion. The existence of ER matrices explains previous confounding evidence that had indicated the occurrence of ER "sheet" proliferation after overexpression of tubular junction–forming proteins.


Abstract Globally, the Series 2 – Series 3 boundary of the Cambrian System coincides with a major carbon isotope excursion, sea-level changes and trilobite extinctions. Here we examine the sedimentology, sequence stratigraphy and carbon isotope record of this interval in the Cambrian strata (Durness Group) of NW Scotland. Carbonate carbon isotope data from the lower part of the Durness Group (Ghrudaidh Formation) show that the shallow-marine, Laurentian margin carbonates record two linked sea-level and carbon isotopic events. Whilst the carbon isotope excursions are not as pronounced as those expressed elsewhere, correlation with global records (Sauk I – Sauk II boundary and Olenellus biostratigraphic constraint) identifies them as representing the local expression of the ROECE and DICE. The upper part of the ROECE is recorded in the basal Ghrudaidh Formation whilst the DICE is seen around 30m above the base of this unit. Both carbon isotope excursions co-occur with surfaces interpreted to record regressive–transgressive events that produced amalgamated sequence boundaries and ravinement/flooding surfaces overlain by conglomerates of reworked intraclasts. The ROECE has been linked with redlichiid and olenellid trilobite extinctions, but in NW Scotland, Olenellus is found after the negative peak of the carbon isotope excursion but before sequence boundary formation.


This paper presents a new timing analysis algorithm for efficient state space exploration during the synthesis of timed circuits or the verification of timed systems. The source of the computational complexity in the synthesis or verification of a timed system is in finding the reachable timed state space. We introduce a new algorithm which utilizes geometric regions to represent the timed state space and partially ordered sets (POSET's) to minimize the number of regions necessary. This algorithm operates on specifications sufficiently general to describe practical circuits, as well as other timed systems. The algorithm is applied to several examples showing significant improvement in runtime and memory usage.


Recent advances in machine learning demonstrated its potential in accessibility applications. However, recognition models and their application scenarios are often defined by machine learning (ML) experts and cannot fully capture users' diverse demands with disabilities. In order to open up the full potential of ML for accessibility applications, we have to bridge the gap for non-expert people doubly caused by the technological understanding and their disabilities. In this work, we investigate how non-expert deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) people understand ML technologies and design ML-based sound recognition systems. We conduct a workshop study consisting of an ML lecture and an interactive learning session using a sound recognition system. Through observations during the workshop and semi-structured interviews, we clarify that non-expert DHH people start to overcome the knowledge gap. They could obtain a more detailed understanding of ML technology and how to use sounds to train ML models.


Over the past 20 years reflective practice has maintained a firm presence in health professional education and practice. The notion that reflection enhances learning and professional practice is widely reported in the literature. With the continuing changes in health care, it is vital that midwives, like other professionals, develop the skills to critically evaluate care provision. Reflection is considered to be deliberate, complex processes for enhancing professional development, linking theory and practice, learning from experience, and for .promoting critical thinking and lifelong learning skills. Drawing on the work of leading theorists in the field, theoretical concepts relating to professional knowledge, learning, professionalisation and reflection were utilised to inform the empirical study.
Reflective journal writing is one learning strategy used in professional education to develop reflective practice. Extensive review of literature about its use revealed limited investigation specifically relating to midwifery. The aim of this study was, therefore, to establish the perceived influence of reflective journal writing in pre registration midwifery students' experiential learning in a singularity.
An ethnomethodological approach was adopted as it entailed investigating individuals interacting in an ordinary setting, and in a holistic way. Phenomenological ideas about conducting research supported the methods used to construct and give meaning to participants' actions within this social context. Multiple research methods were used to ascertain students', midwives' and lecturers' perception of how critical reflection was facilitated. Qualitative data were gathered through, for example, structured group discussions, semi-structured interviews, the analysis of journal entries and secondary data sources. A purposive sample of students (n 105), midwives (n 25) and lecturers (n 12) were chosen on the basis of convenience and accessibility within the research timeframe.
The study revealed that both midwives and students had a superficial understanding of reflection. A key finding was that although students experienced some difficulty with journal writing they identified many benefits, particularly in relation to acquiring midwifery knowledge. Both mentors and lecturers played a pivotal role in students' development as reflective practitioners. However, the research identified some inconsistency in the approach to facilitating reflective practice and concluded that the quality of students' reflective writing would improve with better preparation and ongoing support. Having engaged in reflective journal writing during the course, newly qualified midwives viewed reflection as a necessary part of their day-to-day practice, assisting them with structured, thinking about practice issues.
Overall, the implications for midwifery practice raised by the findings relate to how a culture of reflective practice could be better promoted, the conditions required for students to utilise reflective journal writing effectively, and the importance of consistency in approach when implementing this learning strategy.


Objective: We report the results of a prospective, single center clinical study in which anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) was performed using a porous PEEK implant and plate at intervertebral disc spaces in patients who had symptomatic, degenerative cervical disc disease at levels adjacent to a previous ACDF. Methods: Twenty-eight consecutive patients (15 females, 13 males; average age, 54 years) with degenerative cervical disc disease at levels adjacent to a previous fusion underwent anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) using a porous PEEK interbody fusion cage and plate. There were 22 single-level and 6 two-level adjacent level fusions between C3 and C7. Patients were assessed at 1.5, 3, 6, 12 and 24 months. Standardized clinical outcome measures were used to evaluate the patient's condition before and after surgery. Plain radiographs were used to assess fusion, bony ingrowth, sagittal plane angulation, subsidence, and migration of the implant. Results: No patients were lost to follow up; all patients were followed for a minimum of 12 months. Six patients were followed for more than 24 months. At the last follow up, NDI and neck and pain scores showed improvement in all patients. All had previous anterior cervical fusions and 22 had at least 1 additional co-morbidly for an adverse event (diabetes, osteoporosis, smoking, obesity). Following revision surgery, all patients showed radiographic fusion with no motion across the instrumented interspaces on dynamic flexion-extension lateral radiographs. Segmental lordosis at the surgical site improved to an average of 5° (2° to 9°) with no evidence of implant migration or subsidence. Average disc space height increased 4 mm. No patient showed radiographic evidence of a pseudarthrosis. No patient developed any radiolucency at the implant interface with the host bone. Conclusion: This prospective, nonrandomized study shows that porous-surface PEEK is a clinically viable alternative for improving the osseointegration and fusion rates of interbody implants in patients undergoing revision fusion surgery at 1 to 2 levels adjacent to previous surgical fusions.


'Trace Tritium Experiments' (TTE) were successfully performed on JET in 2003. The Campaign marked the first use of tritium in JET plasmas since the Deuterium-Tritium Experiment (DTE1) Campaign in 1997, and was the first use of tritium in experiments under the EFDA organisation with the UKAEA as JET Operator. The safety and regulatory preparations for the experiment were extensive. Since JET has been operated by the UKAEA the operations have followed the model of a licensed nuclear site. The safe operation of the JET torus is demonstrated in a safety case. Key Safety Management Requirement (KSMR) and Key Safety Related Equipment (KSRE) are identified in the Safety Case for DT operation. The safe operation of the torus is within the bounds of, and under the control of, an Authority to Operate (ATO). New technical challenges were presented by the need to inject and account for small quantities of tritium in very short pulses (~80ms), with an accurate time stamp. The safety and operational management of the campaign are described. Valuable lessons were learned which would help in running future experiments. It is concluded that JET is in a strong position to run future trace tritium and full DT discharges.


INTRODUCTION On January 31, 1990, Justice Hans Linde retired from the Oregon Supreme Court.(1) Already a nationally recognized leader in state constitutional adjudication when first appointed to the court,(2) Linde achieved a level of notoriety as a jurist unrivaled by all but a handful of his contemporaries.(3) A tenacious arguer, prolific writer, and brilliant theorist, Linde left an indelible mark upon the Oregon Supreme Court during his thirteen years on the bench, particularly with regard to free speech jurisprudence.(4) Justice Linde's jurisprudential approach to analyzing questions of free speech has been accurately described as having two "central commitments."(5) First, Linde sought to emphasize that in fashioning legislation implicating constitutional protections of free speech, legislators should focus on "the harms they seek to prevent rather than simply attempting to prohibit certain kinds of speech."(6) He reasoned that if lawmakers are "allowed to strike against `words' as well as `actions,' they may use subsequent judicial determination of infringement of individual rights to outlaw not only disfavored actions, but also the advocacy of disfavored actions."(7) By concentrating on the effects of speech, not speech itself, the possibility of infringing upon constitutionally protected rights would be minimized.(8) Second, Justice Linde advocated an "absolutist" position, theorizing that constitutional freedom of speech guarantees are so sacred, legislative bodies should be prohibited from enacting laws abridging them.(9) He maintained that free speech protections run "against the government," effectively precluding not only legislative prohibitions on free speech, but judicial attempts to reconcile such efforts by "balancing" the interests of the government against the rights of its citizens.(10) Opposed to the balancing approach of constitutional adjudication, Justice Linde proposed an alternative methodology that provides a "logical sequence to be followed in analyzing whether state or local governmental action is lawful."(11) Justice Linde's proposed method of analysis was essentially adopted by the court in its landmark 1982 decision, State v. Robertson.(12) Further developed and refined throughout the decade,(13) the Robertson "framework" provides the methodology by which the court assesses questions implicating article I, section 8 of the Oregon Constitution, the state's free speech clause.(14) Under the framework's maxims, the Oregon Supreme Court dramatically expanded the scope of the freedom of speech under the state constitution.(15) The court's success in this regard was well recognized by the legal community.(16) By the close of the decade, one commentator went so far as to state: "The Oregon Supreme Court has come closer to putting into practice the ... absolutist view of the First Amendment [free speech protections] than any other institution in American life."(17) Such praise was directly attributable to Justice Linde. This High Court Study(18) will explore trends in the Oregon Supreme Court's free speech jurisprudence in the decade since Justice Linde retired from the bench. Accordingly, only case law between 1990 and 1999 will be substantively analyzed. Part I discusses the structure of the Oregon Supreme Court and offers insight into the individual justices, including terms served, political affiliations, and philosophical views.(19) Part II examines case law regarding the two principal sections of the Oregon Constitution implicating freedom of speech--article I: section 8, which generally guarantees free speech,(20) and article IV, section 1, which extends additional constitutional speech protections to those engaged in voter initiative activities.(21) Only divided cases with separate opinions are analyzed, as these decisions best reflect and reveal an individual justice's philosophy.(22) Finally, this Study concludes that while the Oregon Supreme Court has not expressly retreated from Justice Linde's "absolutist" view of constitutional free speech protections, a majority of the justices appear to favor a more restrictive jurisprudential approach. …


Knowledge of the distribution of vegetation on the landscape can be used to investigate ecosystem functioning. The sizes and movements of animal populations can be linked to resources provided by different plant species. This paper demonstrates the application of imaging spectroscopy to the study of vegetation in Yellowstone National Park (Yellowstone) using spectral feature analysis of data from the Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS). AVIRIS data, acquired on August 7, 1996, were calibrated to surface reflectance using a radiative transfer model and field reflectance measurements of a ground calibration site. A spectral library of canopy reflectance signatures was created by averaging pixels of the calibrated AVIRIS data over areas of known forest and nonforest vegetation cover types in Yellowstone. Using continuum removal and least squares fitting algorithms in the US Geological Survey's Tetracorder expert system, the distributions of these vegetation types were determined by comparing the absorption features of vegetation in the spectral library with the spectra from the AVIRIS data. The 0.68 A m chlorophyll absorption feature and leaf water absorption features, centered near 0.98 and 1.20 A m, were analyzed. Nonforest cover types of sagebrush, grasslands, willows, sedges, and other wetland vegetation were mapped in the Lamar Valley of Yellowstone. Conifer cover types of lodgepole pine, whitebark pine, Douglas fir, and mixed Engelmann spruce/subalpine fir forests were spectrally discriminated and their distributions mapped in the AVIRIS images. In the Mount Washburn area of Yellowstone, a comparison of the AVIRIS map of forest cover types to a map derived from air photos resulted in an overall agreement of 74.1% (kappa statistic = 0.62).


This paper puts forward some targeted countermeasures through exploring the coupling relationship between the low carbon economy and promotion of the core competitiveness of manufacturing industry. Especially, it lays stress on analyzing from the coupling relationship, the cultivation of the core competitiveness of manufacturing industry and the influencing factors (such as four factors involving resources, technology, environment and management) in the context of the low carbon economy. Meanwhile, it proposes that it is necessary to take great pains to carry forward in three levels of government, industry and enterprise, in addition to cultivating the favorable external support environment and perfecting the relevant policies in the context of the low carbon economy. It not only plays an important role in solving the global warming, enhancing the resource use efficiency and improving the ecological environment, but also is conducive to promoting the core competitiveness of manufacturing industry.


Of several thousand peptides presented by the major histocompatibility molecule HLA-A2.1, at least nine are recognized by melanoma-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs). Tandem mass spectrometry was used to identify and to sequence one of these peptide epitopes. Melanoma-specific CTLs had an exceptionally high affinity for this nine-residue peptide, which reconstituted an epitope for CTL lines from each of five different melanoma patients tested. Recognition by multiple CTL lines suggests that this may be a promising candidate for use in peptide-based melanoma vaccines.


This new book builds on the original classic textbook entitled: An Introduction to Computational Fluid Mechanics by C. Y. Chow which was originally published in 1979. In the decades that have passed since this book was published the field of computational fluid dynamics has seen a number of changes in both the sophistication of the algorithms used but also advances in the computer hardware and software available. This new book incorporates the latest algorithms in the solution techniques and supports this by using numerous examples of applications to a broad range of industries from mechanical and aerospace disciplines to civil and the biosciences. The computer programs are developed and available in MATLAB. In addition the core text provides up-to-date solution methods for the Navier-Stokes equations, including fractional step time-advancement, and pseudo-spectral methods. The computer codes at the following website: www.wiley.com/go/biringen


Partially observable Markov decision processes (POMDPs) provide an elegant mathematical framework for modeling complex decision and planning problems in stochastic domains in which states of the system are observable only indirectly, via a set of imperfect or noisy observations. The modeling advantage of POMDPs, however, comes at a price -- exact methods for solving them are computationally very expensive and thus applicable in practice only to very simple problems. We focus on efficient approximation (heuristic) methods that attempt to alleviate the computational problem and trade off accuracy for speed. We have two objectives here. First, we survey various approximation methods, analyze their properties and relations and provide some new insights into their differences. Second, we present a number of new approximation methods and novel refinements of existing techniques. The theoretical results are supported by experiments on a problem from the agent navigation domain.


In the recent years due to rapid increase in the high-bandwidth applications there is a need for developing the energy efficient routing in the WDM optical Networks. Many researchers have addressed this problems in different ways by putting the network components into sleep mode or switching off the network components in low utilization periods. In this thesis our proposed method uses the principle of anycast routing, where it is possible to select any one of the possible destinations from the set of available destination nodes to complete the work. A novel genetic algorithm is used for solving this problem for scheduled lightpath demands (SLD), where the start and end times of the demands are known in advance.The fitness function used in the genetic algorithm not only minimizes the power consumption of the network but also minimizes the overall(transceiver) cost of the network by minimizing the total number of lightpaths needed to implement each logical edge. The proposed method minimizes the number of lightpaths and selects a suitable route for each demand so that the power consumed by the optical grid networks can be reduced, which results in significant energy savings.


Henry "Hank" Toohey, a thirteen-year-old altar boy, is an incessant smart-ass with a deep love of life...and other four-letter words. But with his foul mouth comes a heart of gold, and he's going to need it to get through the last weekend of summer 1984. Everyone up and down St. Patrick Street, Henry's claustrophobic Irish-Catholic block in Philadelphia -- with its seventy-eight row homes, seventy-eight skinny mile-high lawns, seventy-eight statues of saints, and seventy-eight Mondale-Ferraro signs -- knows that the Toohey family is falling apart. Henry's mailman father is having an affair with a neighbor lady right under his mother's nose. His big brother has been a drunken mess since his girlfriend died. And his little sister is counting on him to keep her laughing through it all. But Henry has a plan to pull the family back together: He'll propose to his chain-smoking fourteen-year-old girlfriend, Grace McClain, at a neighborhood wedding. To prepare, he and his ragtag group of friends pinball around the streets, making elaborate plans for his proposal, riding bikes, rating breasts, bothering the local merchants, talking trash about Mike Schmidt and Bob Seger, and kissing behind the seafood-store dumpster. Gritty, giddy, and bursting with Henry's boundless energy, "Green Grass Grace" is a heart-thumping rocket ride back to adolescence that is riotously funny and tragic at the same time.


Octopuses function as important prey and predators in many continental-shelf marine ecosystems. Understanding activity cycles of octopuses should help define their mode of foraging and potential resource utilization and, therefore, their niche within the marine community. Unfortunately, little is known concerning activity cycles of octopuses, especially during their juvenile life-history stages. Here, I present observations on juvenile activity in Octopus bimaculoides Pickford and McConnaughey, 1949 over three observational weeks in a semi-natural laboratory setting. Octopuses on average were nocturnal, but some individuals were active during daylight hours in all three observational weeks. Nocturnal activity cycles may decrease the risk of predation on juveniles by visual fish predators hunting during daylight hours. However, inter-and intraspecific competition with other octopuses in different life history stages, including adult O. bimaculoides and adult and juvenile Octopus bimaculatus Verrill, 1883 is also likely during nighttime hours. Further studies are needed on the relative influence of predation and competition on octopus activity cycles and the resulting consequences for octopus populations.


Abstract Building structures are extremely sensitive at influence of outdoor conditions. Most often these are the influence of wind, sunshine, temperature changes of the surrounding and at least the influence of the own or other loading. According to resonance of the structure with the surrounding is coming to vibration and oscillation in relative high frequency interval (0.1 Hz - 100.0 Hz). These phenomena significantly affect the static and dynamic characteristics of structures, their safety and functionality. The paper brings example of monitoring these phenomena. The object of monitoring is the Danube Bridge Apollo in Bratislava, which main steel structure was measured by acceleration sensors with frequency up to10 Hz. The main topic of the paper is the analysis of dynamic behavior of structure using spectral analysis method. The usage of Fourier Transform is described, own frequencies and amplitudes of structure oscillation are calculated.


Super-resolution localization microscopy (SRLM) is a new imaging modality that is capable of resolving cellular structures at nanometer resolution, providing unprecedented insight into biological processes. Each SRLM image is reconstructed from a time series of images of randomly activated fluorophores that are localized at nanometer resolution and represented by clusters of particles of varying spatial densities. SRLM images differ significantly from conventional fluorescence microscopy images because of fundamental differences in image formation. Currently, however, quantitative image analysis techniques developed or optimized specifically for SRLM images are lacking, which significantly limit accurate and reliable image analysis. This is especially the case for image segmentation, an essential operation for image analysis and understanding. In this study, we propose a simple SRLM image segmentation technique based on estimating and smoothing spatial densities of fluorophores using adaptive anisotropic kernels. Experimental results showed that the proposed method provided robust and accurate segmentation of SRLM images and significantly outperformed conventional segmentation approaches such as active contour methods in segmentation accuracy.


The South African public sector is faced with many challenges and one of the major challenges is service delivery. This is linked with skills shortage resulting in public service having too many people to train in a short period of time. Training these many employees face-to-face has its challenges, as employees have to be away from their day-to-day duties to attend training and this not only has an impact on productivity, but also maximizes costs. To deal with and to minimize these challenges, the South African government has chosen to introduce e-Learning in public sector. This is aimed at ensuring that larger numbers of government officials are trained at minimum costs and ensuring that training reaches people with different responsibilities such as top management and people with families who cannot afford to be away from home or office for training for long periods of time. This study examined the advantages and disadvantages of the introduction of e-Learning in the public sector, the importance of strategic planning for e-Learning, the challenges faced by the public sector when it comes to training, how other organizations internationally have conceptualized e-Learning and what the public sector is hoping to achieve by introducing e-Learning. The gaps in the conceptualization of e-Learning in the South African public sector were identified and possible solutions including a paradigm shift from a reductionist way of thinking to a systems way of thinking and doing things was recommended.


We consider the model of a dual-core spatial-domain coupler with χ(2) and χ(3) nonlinearities acting in two parallel cores. We construct families of symmetric and asymmetric solitons in the system with self-defocusing χ(3) terms and test their stability. The transition from symmetric to asymmetric soliton branches and back to the symmetric ones proceeds via a bifurcation loop. Namely, a pair of stable asymmetric branches emerges from the symmetric family via a supercritical bifurcation; eventually, the asymmetric branches merge back into the symmetric one through a reverse bifurcation. The existence of the loop is explained by means of an extended version of the cascading approximation for the χ(2) interaction, which takes into regard the cross-phase modulation part of the χ(3) interaction. When the intercore coupling is weak, the bifurcation loop features a concave shape, with the asymmetric branches losing their stability at the turning points. In addition to the two-color solitons, which are built of the fundamental-frequency (FF) and second-harmonic (SH) components, in the case of the self-focusing χ(3) nonlinearity we also consider single-color solitons, which contain only the SH component but may be subject to the instability against FF perturbations. Asymmetric single-color solitons are always unstable, whereas the symmetric ones are stable, provided that they do not coexist with two-color counterparts. Collisions between tilted solitons are studied, too.


Procedures for synthesizing and meshing digital polycrystalline microstructures are demonstrated. The meshing operation relies on a metric field, yielding a nonuniform mesh size and a nonuniform mesh aspect ratio. Isotropic meshing is done in the grains interior, while anisotropic meshing is used close to the grain boundaries. Digital mechanical testing can then take place using crystal plasticity finite element simulations, which provides an estimate of the spatial distribution of strain energy within the polycrystalline aggregate. The latter quantity is used as an input for modelling subsequent static recrystallization, grain boundary motion being described with a level set framework. The kinetic law for interface motion uses the stored strain energy as an input to define local interface velocities. The possibility to include nucleation events within the level set framework is discussed, as well as the evolving topology of the grain boundary network.


The objectives of this research were to 1). Know the function, channel and marketing agencies onion. 2). Analyze costs, margins,  profibality, efficiency and the share of the farmer. 3). Knowing the marketing problems of onion at Sungai Geringging Kampar Kiri districk in Kampar regency. This study usues survey, sampling was done by purposive sampling of 30 samples onion farmers at Sungai Geringging Kampar Kiri districk in Kampar regency. Taking sample of trader used snowball sampling by following marketing channel. The outcome of this research indicated the function-function of onion marketing at Sungai Geringging such as buy function, sale function, clean function, storage function, transportation function, standardization function, risk tackling function, market information function, financial capital function.There are 2 marketing channel 1). Farmer–trader of collector–trade of retailer–consumen. 2). Farmer–trader of collector–bigtrader–trader of retailer–consumen. The total cost of marketing collector is Rp 416,67/kg, retailers channel I is Rp 153,02/kg. Marketing costs of bigtrader channel II is Rp 275/kg and retailers channel II is Rp 176,03/kg. Marketing margins of channel I is Rp 3.166,67/kg and channel II is Rp 4.100/kg. Total profit of channel I is Rp 2.596,98/kg and channel II is Rp 3.232,30/kg. The efficiency of channel I is 2,46% and channel II is 3,60%. Problems faced by farmer is the weather and the price, while the problems faced by traders is the price. Keywords : Marketing, Function, Channel, Margins, Eficiency.


Sampling can enhance processing of large training example databases, but without knowing all of the data, or the example producing process, it is impossible to know in advance what size of a sample to choose in order to guarantee good performance. Progressive sampling has been suggested to circumvent this problem. The idea in it is to increase the sample size according to some schedule until accuracy close to that which would be obtained using all of the data is reached. How to determine this stopping time efficiently and accurately is a central difficulty in progressive sampling.We study stopping time determination by approximating the generalization error of the hypothesis rather than by assuming the often observed shape for the learning curve and trying to detect whether the final plateau has been reached in the curve. We use data dependent generalization error bounds. Instead of using the common cross validation approach, we use the recently introduced Rademacher penalties, which have been observed to give good results on simple concept classes.We experiment with two-level decision trees built by the learning algorithm T2. It finds a hypothesis with the minimal error with respect to the sample. The theoretically well motivated stopping time determination based on Rademacher penalties gives results that are much closer to those attained using heuristics based on assumptions on learning curve shape than distribution independent estimates based on VC dimension do.


We study the problem where a task (or multiple unrelated tasks) must be executed, there are multiple machines/agents that can potentially perform the task, and our objective is to minimize the expected sum of the agents' processing times. Each agent does not know exactly how long it will take him to finish the task; he only knows the distribution from which this time is drawn. These times are independent across agents and the distributions fulfill the monotone hazard rate condition. Agents are selfish and will lie about their distributions if this increases their expected utility. We study different variations of the Vickrey mechanism that take as input the agents' reported distributions and the players' realized running times and that output a schedule that minimizes the expected sum of processing times, as well as payments that make it an ex-post equilibrium for the agents to both truthfully report their distributions and exert full effort to complete the task. We devise the ChPE mechanism, which is uniquely tailored to our problem, and has many desirable properties including: not rewarding agents that fail to finish the task and having non-negative payments.