Gear box is used in automobiles and industries for power transmission under different working conditions and applications. Failure in a gear box at unexpected time leads to increase in machine downtime and maintenance cost. In order to overcome these losses, the most effective condition monitoring technique has to be used for early detection of faults. Vibration and sound signal analysis have been used for monitoring the condition of rotating machineries. Motor Current Signature Analysis (MCSA) has rarely been used in gearbox condition monitoring. This work presents a methodology based on vibration, sound and motor current signal analysis for diagnosis of gearbox faults under various simulated gear and bearing fault conditions. Statistical features were extracted from the raw data of these three transducer signals and the best features were selected from the extracted features. Then the selected features were given as an input to Artificial Neural Network (ANN) and Support Vector Machine (SVM) classifiers and their performances were compared. In recent years, Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEV) are gaining more interest for their advances and this work had a scope in monitoring the power loss in hybrid electric vehicle gearbox using MCSA.


Pension regulators stress the need for plan members to receive information allowing them to monitor their future pension wealth and the investment risk they bear. This paper proposes a simple method for projecting DC pension benefits at retirement on a yearly basis, which may be a building block towards an industry reporting standard. Projections highlight how the current choice of asset allocation impacts retirement outcomes, and the results are compared with a money-back benchmark to clarify the trade-off between risk and return. Projections are also connected with ex post performance, in that the pension fund reports its yearly-realized performance relative to previous projections. The fund also revises its current forecasts of benefits at retirement as a function of its own realized returns. We discuss two reporting formats, one based on accumulated capital at retirement and the other on monthly pension wage.


Portrait "Mao" was selected for publication in "Portrait of Britain".

'Portrait of Britain', 336pp, hardback, cloth spine, uncoated paper, 199mm x 151mm

Introduced by Will Self

200 photographs that capture the face of a changing nation.

Portrait of Britain is an annual photography exhibition showcasing the best portraits taken by people throughout the country. The winning photographs, selected from BJP's open-call competition, are displayed on digital billboard screens nationwide – in train stations, airports, shopping centres and on high streets – and are seen by over 10 million people.

Now in its third year, the exhibition will re-launch on 1 September 2018 for one month but for the first time with this book. Portrait of Britain is a small, chunky hardback featuring 200 shortlisted portraits alongside information about each image and selected quotes from the photographers. Together these photographs celebrate the richness and diversity of a vibrant nation at a time of pivotal change.


We present a novel method for high-performance GPU-based rendering of Catmull-Clark subdivision surfaces. Unlike previous methods, our algorithm computes the true limit surface up to machine precision, and is capable of rendering surfaces that conform to the full RenderMan specification for Catmull-Clark surfaces. Specifically, our algorithm can accommodate base meshes consisting of arbitrary valence vertices and faces, and the surface can contain any number and arrangement of semisharp creases and hierarchically defined detail. We also present a variant of the algorithm which guarantees watertight positions and normals, meaning that even displaced surfaces can be rendered in a crack-free manner. Finally, we describe a view-dependent level-of-detail scheme which adapts to both the depth of subdivision and the patch tessellation density. Though considerably more general, the performance of our algorithm is comparable to the best approximating method, and is considerably faster than Stam's exact method.


With the increasing global burden of skin cancer, the role of surgery in the armamentarium of the clinical dermatologist has never been so important. This chapter introduces the reader to the fundamentals of dermatological surgery. For the novice, the chapter outlines the basics of skin surgery including relevant anatomy, biopsy techniques and the simple elliptical excision. A comprehensive review and guide to common suturing techniques used during skin surgery is also provided. For the more experienced dermatologist, in addition to Mohs micrographic surgery, advanced cutaneous reconstructive techniques including full- and split-thickness skin grafts, and one- and two-stage flaps are also discussed. Important safety aspects and complications associated with skin surgery are dealt with. The chapter also provides a comprehensive guide to the essential equipment necessary prior to embarking upon cutaneous surgery.

Keywords:

dermatological surgery;
skin surgery;
cutaneous surgery;
ellipse;
excision;
skin biopsy;
safety;
sutures;
suturing techniques;
skin graft;
split-thickness graft;
full-thickness graft;
skin flap;
rhombic flap;
advancement flap;
transposition flap;
complications;
anatomy;
equipment;
Mohs micrographic surgery


Over the last several years, there has been a great deal of progress in characterizing the role of dendritic cells (DCs) in the activation and modulation of B cells. DC-secreted chemokines can induce B cell trafficking to the lymph nodes. DC-produced survival factors such as B cell-activating factor of the TNF family and a proliferation-inducing ligand have been shown to be essential for B cell maturation, but have also been implicated in class-switch recombination and B cell lymphoma survival. Recently added to this list of DC-derived factors effecting B cells is IgA-inducing protein (IGIP). In this study, we characterize production of IGIP by human DCs, and examine its capacity to induce IgA class switching and differentiation of naive B cells in vitro. Monocyte-derived DCs were cultured in vitro with TLR agonists (TLR3, 4, 5, and 9) and other factors, including CD40 ligand, GM-CSF, and IL-4 as well as the neuropeptide vasoactive intestinal peptide. Under in vitro stimulation with vasoactive intestinal peptide and CD40L, IGIP mRNA expression could be up-regulated as much as 35-fold above nonstimulated samples within 12–48 h. Naive B cells cultured with exogenous recombinant human IGIP produced IgA in greater quantities than nonstimulated controls. Finally, we demonstrate that IGIP stimulation drives the production of μ-α switch circles from IgM+IgD+ naive human B cells, indicating its role as an IgA switch factor.


Multiple sclerosis is a chronic, inflammatory and degenerative disease of the central nervous system of unknown aetiology although well-defined evidence supports an autoimmune pathogenesis. So far, the exact mechanisms leading to autoimmune diseases are still only partially understood. We know that genetic, epigenetic, molecular, and cellular factors resulting in pathogenic inflammatory responses are certainly involved. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are non-protein coding transcripts longer than 200 nucleotides that play an important role in both innate and acquired immunity, so there is great interest in lncRNAs involved in autoimmune diseases. The research on multiple sclerosis has been enriched with many studies on the molecular role of lncRNAs in the pathogenesis of the disease and their potential application as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers. In particular, many multiple sclerosis fields of research are based on the identification of lncRNAs as possible biomarkers able to predict the onset of the disease, its activity degree, its progression phase and the response to disease-modifying drugs. Last but not least, studies on lncRNAs can provide a new molecular target for new therapies, missing, so far, a cure for multiple sclerosis. While our knowledge on the role of lncRNA in multiple sclerosis has recently improved, further studies are required to better understand the specific role of lncRNAs in this neurological disease. In this review, we present the most recent studies on molecular characterization of lncRNAs in multiple sclerosis disorder discussing their clinical relevance as biomarkers for diagnosis and treatments.


Filter banks find many applications in signal processing. This thesis deals with four different problems in filter banks.

First we find a new application of filter banks: Filter bank convolver. We prove two filter bank convolution theorems which tell us how to do the convolution in the subbands. Applying the multirate technique to the problem of convolution, we obtain a significant improvement in the accuracy of the convolutional result when the computation is done with finite precision. The derivation also leads to a low sensitivity robust structure for FIR filters.

In the second part, a new class of two-channel biorthogonal filter banks is proposed. We successfully design IIR filter banks which achieve the following desired properties simultaneously: (i) Perfect reconstruction (PR); (ii) causality and stability; (iii) near linear-phase; (iv) frequency selectivity. Two classes of causal stable maximally flat IIR wavelets are derived and closed form formulas are given. We also provide a novel mapping of the proposed 1D framework into 2D. The mapping preserves: (i) PR; (ii) stability in the IIR case and linear phase in the FIR case; (iii) frequency selectivity; (iv) low complexity.

In the third part, the theory of paraunitary (PU) filter banks is extended to the case of GF(q) with prime q. We show that finite field PU filter banks are very different from real or complex PU filter banks. Despite all the differences, we are able to prove a number of factorization theorems. All unitary matrices in GF(q) are factorizable in terms of Householder-like matrices. The class of first-order PU matrices, the lapped orthogonal transform in finite fields, can always be expressed as a product of degree-one or degree-two building blocks.

Finally the theory of conventional LTI filter banks is extended to the time-varying case. We develop a polyphase representation method for time-varying filter bank (TVFB). Using the proposed polyphase approach, we are able to show some unusual properties which are not exhibited by the conventional LTI filter banks. For example, we can show that for a PR TVFB, the losslessness of analysis bank does not always imply that of the synthesis bank, and a PR TVFB in general will only generate a discrete-time frame, rather than a basis, for the class of finite energy signals. The class of lossless TVFB is studied in detail. We show that all lossless linear time-varying systems are invertible and provide explicit construction of the inverse. The interplay between invertibility, uniqueness and losslessness of the inverse is investigated. The factorizability of lossless TVFB is addressed and we show that there are factorizable and unfactorizable examples.


Despite the fact that vertical integration has been a key question of management studies for more than fifty years, we still do not have a unified, coherent view of outsourcing. In particular, multiple theoretical perspectives such as transaction cost economics, industrial organization, and strategy, could explain the outsourcing decision, but the implications of these different streams have neither been theoretically integrated, nor tested simultaneously. In an attempt to disentangle the various causes of outsourcing, we suggest three different rationales for outsourcing: cost reduction, focusing on core capabilities and importing knowledge into the firm. We develop several hypotheses, which we then test on secondary data on French smalland medium-sized enterprises. Results indicate that the learning rationale appears to be the strongest factor influencing the outsourcing decision. Some performance implications of this rationale are also suggested and tested.


PATZ1 (MAZR) is a transcription factor composed of an N-terminal BTB protein-protein interaction domain and a C-terminal zinc finger and AT-hook DNA binding domain. Recent findings indicate that PATZ1 has a crucial role in the p53 pathway and during tumorigenesis. PATZ1 interacts with p53, is upregulated in various cancers and its absence favors lymphomagenesis. We identified a role for PATZ1 as a regulator of the p53 tumor suppressor protein. We found that upon doxorubicin induced DNA damage, the protein level of PATZ1 decreases, as the p53 protein accumulates. This inverse correlation between PATZ1 and p53 protein levels led us to investigate the biological relevance of these two proteins. We found that PATZ1 loss resulted in decreased proliferation rates in various cell types; while its overexpression accelerated proliferation. We demonstrate that PATZ1 inhibits the transcription activation function of p53 by luciferase reporter assays. While p53 is responsible for inducing the expression of the target genes p21 and Puma, we show that PATZ1 overexpressing cells cannot induce the expression of these genes as effectively as wild type cells. Finally, we performed genome scale RNA-Seq and microarray analysis on doxorubicin treated mouse embryo fibroblasts sufficient or deficient for PATZ1 and found that the absence of PATZ1 results in an alteration of the expression of p53 target genes. These results demonstrate that PATZ1 modulates p53-dependent cellular stress and DNA damage pathways.


A patent's claims define the scope of a patent-holder's right to exclude others. Because patent infringement actions often hinge on how a court construes claim terms, the interpretative approach that a court uses has a significant effect on the scope ofpatent rights. This article examines claim construction through the lens of contract law. In theory, the Federal Circuit has explicitly rejected the application of contract interpretation principles to claim construction, despite historical acceptance of the patent-contract analogy. In practice, however, the Federal Circuit applies the theory of contract interpretation espoused by Samuel Williston, a theory that focuses on the text of the document itself Unfortunately, this approach has resulted in a claim construction jurisprudence that lacks certainty and divides the judiciary. Accordingly, this article argues that courts should construe patent claims by following the theory of contract interpretation outlined by Williston's rival, Arthur Corbin-a theory that values substance over form. If applied in the patent context, this theory would expand the quality of sources used to interpret a claim and mitigate the problems spawned by the use of a Willistonian approach. In light of these advantages, Corbinized claim construction offers a doctrinal solution to the problems plaguing the Federal Circuit's current claim construction jurisprudence.


Background: Vibrio cholerae is a significant human pathogen worldwide and annually causes some cases of deaths. Contaminated water plays an important role in transmission of this pathogen, which indicates the importance of early diagnosis. Objectives: The current study aimed to perform Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) on water and wastewater samples to determine the detection limit for Vibrio cholerae. Materials and Methods: PCR was performed on the DNA extracted from Vibrio cholerae of the contaminated water and wastewater using ctxA gene specific primers. The accuracy of PCR method to detect these bacteria was also assessed. Results: The result of PCR performed on the extracted DNA showed a specific 241 base pair band. The limit of bacterial detection for water and wastewater were 40 cfu/mL and 81 cfu/mL, respectively. Conclusions: In the current study, PCR performance using the ctxA gene specific primers to detect Vibrio cholerae was found highly accurate and specific.


One of two emotional valence (positive or negative) images and two arousal (high or low) images was presented for 500 ms to participants. After the image vanished from the screen, a letter was presented in the central visual field, while a number was also presented in one of the peripheral visual fields (upper right, upper left, bottom right, and bottom left). There were four conditions of degree of eccentricity of the presented number. The participants identified both the letter and number simultaneously. By calculating the correct performance rate of the peripheral identification task, the range of the useful field of view (UFOV) was speculated. Results showed that performance rates of the central and peripheral tasks were worse for the high arousal, negative emotion stimuli compared with the other three conditions. Moreover, performance rates of the peripheral task were better for the positive emotion conditions than those for the negative emotion conditions when the stimulus eccentricities were 3 or 12 degrees. We concluded that the range of the UFOV could be affected by the interaction between the emotional valence and arousal level of visual stimuli. This study was the first report that emotional valence and arousal level interacted each other and did affect our human visual cognition.


Applications of Statistical Modeling in Iterative CT Image Reconstruction David Simon Perlmutter Chair of the Supervisory Committee: Associate Professor Adam Alessio Radiology Traditionally, x-ray CT images are produced by an algorithm called filtered back projection, or FBP. FBP is an analytical solution to the idealized CT image reconstruction problem, the inverse problem of turning raw x-ray measurements into a full 3-dimensional (3D) image, and is derived assuming a continuous set of noiseless measurements. However real CT data are noisy and biased, especially so if the scans are performed at low x-ray dose, and advanced statistical estimation techniques have been shown to produce higher quality images than FBP. This work presents two applications of statistical modeling in CT image reconstruction. The first application discusses the statistics of CT data noise, and compares the performance of several common models for estimation in a simplified 1D experiment. The second application concerns modeling temporal CT data, in which the measured data typically contain redundancies. It proposes an estimation method that exploits these redundancies to address two key challenges in CT image reconstruction: reducing noise and lowering computation time. We demonstrate this noise reduction analytically and through experimental simulations. In addition, a third study validates the use of the statistical models used in this work by comparing them to measured data from a clinical CT scanner. Overall, these methods contribute to the methodology of statistical CT image reconstruction to enable ultra-low dose x-ray CT imaging.


Approximate inference in high-dimensional, discrete probabilistic models is a central problem in computational statistics and machine learning. This paper describes discrete particle variational inference (DPVI), a new approach that combines key strengths of Monte Carlo, variational and search-based techniques. DPVI is based on a novel family of particle-based variational approximations that can be fit using simple, fast, deterministic search techniques. Like Monte Carlo, DPVI can handle multiple modes, and yields exact results in a well-defined limit. Like unstructured mean-field, DPVI is based on optimizing a lower bound on the partition function; when this quantity is not of intrinsic interest, it facilitates convergence assessment and debugging. Like both Monte Carlo and combinatorial search, DPVI can take advantage of factorization, sequential structure, and custom search operators. This paper defines DPVI particle-based approximation family and partition function lower bounds, along with the sequential DPVI and local DPVI algorithm templates for optimizing them. DPVI is illustrated and evaluated via experiments on lattice Markov Random Fields, nonparametric Bayesian mixtures and block-models, and parametric as well as non-parametric hidden Markov models. Results include applications to real-world spike-sorting and relational modeling problems, and show that DPVI can offer appealing time/accuracy trade-offs as compared to multiple alternatives.


Introduction:

Telemedicine is the delivery of health care and/or health information in nephrology using electronic systems. There is no previous experience in Telenephrology from developing countries with limited resources like India.

Aim:

This single centre prospective study to assess the feasibility, acceptability and effectiveness of Telenephrology services for regular follow up as well as for triaging patients for admission in setting of a countrywide lockdown.

Methods:

The study period was the lockdown period in the country from 23rd March to 31st May. The patients were informed about the availability of Telenephrology services through text messages sent form our patients data base as well through Social Media like Facebook and whatsapp. The patient data was stored in Electronic Medical records (EMR) using the Healthplix platform. A combination of Whatsapp and EMR database was used to provide telemedicine services during the lockdown period. On receiving the request, a formatted message was sent requesting for information seeking current concerns by the patient , weight, vital signs including blood pressure records as well as current and previous investigations. The data was entered in EMR and electronic prescription generated. This was emailed or whatsapped as per patient preference. At the end of the econsult the patient was asked to rate his experience on a scale of 0 to 10.

Results:

During the study period a total of 477 econsults were given. The study group comprised of 277 patients and there were 184 males and 93 females . The mean age of the patients in was 41.74 years years ( range 0.17 – 94 yrs ). There were 61 children and 216 adults. Of the 477 econsults that were advised, 476 (99.8%) opted in. In only 1 econsult, the patient opted out and decided to come for clinic visit as he was not comfortable with either whatsapp or email prescription and did not have any family support for the same. Of these 277 patients that were provided teleconsultation, 256 were follow-up patients previously being followed up in our clinics and rest 20 were new consultations being evaluated for the first time. Of the 476 econsults given, 459 (96.4%) were advised follow up econsults, 17 (10.2%) were advised admission and 1 patient advised to come for clinic opd evaluation . Of the 459 econsults that were advised followup , only 1 patient who was advised followup econsult , opted to come for admission and observation. Rest of the 458 econsults were managed by telemedicine followup. The patient satisfaction score for econsults was 8.7.

Conclusion:

So based on this pilot study, we conclude that Telenephrology offered a viable modality for delivery of Nephrology services during lockdown period when access to healthcare was restricted. It also provides a model which can be replicated by physicians as well as organizations to expand and improve the practice of Telenephrology


Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a multifactorial condition with principal symptoms of pain and altered bowel function. The kappa-opioid agonist asimadoline is being evaluated in Phase III as a potential treatment for IBS. Asimadoline, to date, has shown a good safety profile and the target Phase III population – diarrhea-predominant IBS patients with at least moderate pain – was iteratively determined in a prospective manner from a Phase II dose-ranging study. The clinical data in support of this population are reviewed in this article. Furthermore, the scientific rationale for the use of asimadoline in the treatment of IBS is reviewed. Considering the high patient and societal burdens of IBS, new treatments for IBS represent therapeutic advances.


One of many theories explaining obesity proposes that weight gain is caused by dysfunction of the hypothalamic neurons that regulate energy homeostasis. A possible cause of neuronal dysfunction is inflammation. Obesity is associated with adipose-tissue inflammation; whether the brain is also affected has been unclear. Based on previous observations, Yi et al. examined the brains of mice that had been fed a high-fat diet (HFD) for ~16 weeks for signs of inflammation. In addition to activated migroglia (the immune cells of the brain), they found an accumulation of IgG specifically in the arcuate nucleus (ARC) of the hypothalamus. This was caused by diet and not obesity per se, because signs of hypothalamic inflammation were not observed in ob/ob mice on a standard diet. The effects of diet on the ARC were rapid, and began to appear as early as 2 weeks after exposure to a HFD. These results provide support that hypothalamic neuropathy promotes diet-induced obesity and suggest that targeting inflammation in the brain might be a promising avenue for therapy. Page 686


The recent series of corporate scandals has heated up the executive compensation debate. Those who warn of problems with the current system marshal evidence of structural pressures on directors to comply with executives' desires. They also point to common elements in compensation packages that seem poorly designed to induce managers to run the corporation efficiently. Defenders of the status quo point to apparent correlations between pay and performance, as well as to the increasing number of independent directors. The evidence on both sides is indirect and therefore vulnerable to alternative explanations. The absence of conclusive data in the executive compensation debate is understandable. Direct evidence of boards' cooption would require the unlikeliest of confessions; directors are not apt to admit breaching their fiduciary duties in giving in to their chief executive's pay demands. On the other side of the debate, it is very difficult to prove a negative, that directors do not bend to their CEOs' will in setting managers' pay. This article attempts to fill this evidentiary gap with an empirical test. The article employs a classroom model of the pay-setting process, making it possible to isolate a single variable - here, managerial power - and measure its impact. In this study, executive power had a dramatic impact on compensation, producing salaries that were not only much higher than those under a pure market regime but, in fact, demonstrably excessive. The results support critics of the existing regime and argue for legal changes to reduce chief executives' power over directors.


One day, quite some time ago, I happened on a photograph of Napoleon's youngest brother, Jerome, taken in 1852. And I realized then, with an amazement I have not been able to lessen since: "I am looking at eyes that looked at the Emperor." Sometimes I would mention this amazement, but since no one seemed to share it, nor even to understand it (life consists of these little touches of solitude), I forgot about it.


Estimation of available bandwidth for ad hoc networks has always been open and active challenge for the researchers. A lot of literature is proposed in the last 20 years to evaluate the residual bandwidth. The main objective of the work being admission of new flow in the network with the constraint that any existing current transmission is not affected. One of the prime factors affecting the estimation process is the collision among packets. These collisions trigger the backoff algorithm that leads to wastage of the usable bandwidth. Although a lot of state of art solutions were proposed, but they suffer from various flaws and shortcoming. Other factor contributing to the inaccuracy in existing solution is the mobility of nodes. Node mobility leads to instability of links leading to data losses and delay which impact the bandwidth. The current paper proposes an analytical approach named Analytical Available Bandwidth Estimation Including Mobility (AABWM) to estimate ABW on a link. The major contributions of the proposed work are: i) it uses mathematical models based on renewal theory to calculate the collision probability of data packets which makes the process simple and accurate, ii) consideration of mobility under 3-D space to predict the link failure and provides an accurate admission control. Extensive simulations in NS-2 are carried out to compare the performance of the proposed model against the existing solutions.


RNA interference is a post-transcriptional gene regulatory mechanism to downregulate the gene expression either by mRNA degradation or by mRNA translation inhibition. The mechanism involves a small partially complementary RNA against the target gene. To perform the action, it also requires a class of dedicated proteins to process these primary RNAs into mature microRNAs. The guide sequence determines the specificity of the miRNA. Therefore, the knowledge of guide sequence is crucial for predicting its targets and also exploiting the sequence to create a new regulatory circuit. In this short review, we will briefly discuss the role and challenges in miRNA research for unveiling the target prediction by bioinformatics and to foster our understanding and applications of RNA interference. OPEN ACCESS


Actomyosin contractility originating from interactions between F-actin and myosin facilitates various structural reorganizations of the actin cytoskeleton. Cross-linked actomyosin networks show a tendency to contract to single or multiple foci, which has been investigated extensively in numerous studies. Recently, it was suggested that suppression of F-actin buckling via an increase in bending rigidity significantly reduces network contraction. In this study, we demonstrate that networks may show the largest contraction at intermediate bending rigidity, not at the lowest rigidity, if filaments are severed by buckling arising from myosin activity as demonstrated in recent experiments; if filaments are very flexible, frequent severing events can severely deteriorate network connectivity, leading to the formation of multiple small foci and low network contraction. By contrast, if filaments are too stiff, the networks exhibit minimal contraction due to the inhibition of filament buckling. This study reveals that buckling-induced filament severing can modulate the contraction of active cytoskeletal networks, which has been neglected to date.


This article examines the choice of pricing policy (posted pricing or negotiation) toward end customers in a supply chain. Many retailers actively decide whether or not to encourage negotiation on the shop floor. Of course, the retailer's pricing policy influences not only the retailer's profit, but also the profits of the manufacturers who sell through the retailer. However, little is known about the forces that shape the pricing policy when two self-interested parties interact in a supply chain. We consider two alternative models depending on who has the power to decide the pricing policy: the manufacturer or the retailer. We find that an increase in the wholesale price weakens the retailer's ability to price discriminate through negotiation. Therefore, the retailer prefers negotiation at lower wholesale prices and posted pricing at higher wholesale prices. We also find that whenever the retailer prefers negotiation, the manufacturer does too. Therefore, the retailer's discretion over the pricing policy causes friction only when the retailer wants to use posted pricing, while the manufacturer wishes the retailer to use negotiation. We show that such friction arises only when product availability or the cost of negotiation is moderate. In this case, we show that the manufacturer may offer a substantial discount to persuade the retailer to negotiate. Surprisingly, in this region of friction, a decrease in the supply chain's capacity or an increase in negotiation costs (both of which are typically considered as worsening the retailer's business environment) translates into higher profit for the retailer.


The flawed transformation of many old cities in response to contemporary emerging conditions has created incongruities which have drastically reduced their initial sustainable performance. There are examples however, where the inevitable and necessary transitions have adopted the promising qualities of traditional typologies and urban morphologies. From the very beginning, Mashhad – Iran's second most populous metropolis – has developed a unique character. Not confined to Islamic, semi-medieval urban morphology neither to axial or purely gridded configuration, it has sustained a symbiotic equilibrium between two opposing systems. Purported to be a religious city, the other aspect has never been clearly discussed. Indeed, while the hegemony of religious ideology has never allowed the annunciation of the city's liberal interests, its overall configuration and civic character has been the expression of tension between two contrasting themes. A sacred event established a thriving center. The locus of all religious views generated a complex centripetal and radial configuration. The contest to remain as close as possible to the center, has resulted in a congested and irregular fabric. The axis, on the contrary, disassociated from the former theme, provides movements outward and evokes a mental and physical freedom which yields to linear and gridded patterns. The inclination toward a liberated expansion has been conducive to the formation of ample open and green spaces, scattered throughout the city. Hence, the dichotomy of two doctrines has been reflected into their urban manifestations. Their correspondence and simultaneity in time and space have been the underlying principle for the city's fascinating status. By analysing the key historical moments in the evolution of the city, this paper will describe how urban morphology, its corresponding socio-cultural structure and their mutual influence on the city's ecology, have collectively contributed to the formation of a sustainable metropolis.


HINDFOOT AND FOREFOOT KINEMATIC DIFFERENCES AMONG INDIVIDUALS WITH AND WITHOUT FUNCTIONAL ANKLE INSTABILITY By Cynthia J. Wright, M.Ed. A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Virginia Commonwealth University. Virginia Commonwealth University, 2011. Major Director: Dr. Brent L. Arnold, Associate Professor, Department of Health and Human Performance Introduction: Following lateral ankle sprain, many individuals experience recurrent injury and symptoms of giving-way, known as Functional Ankle Instability (FAI). It has been proposed that altered joint kinematics during activity may contribute to instability in these individuals, however research findings have been inconsistent. Objective: To capture foot and ankle kinematic data during two common tasks (walking gait and jump landing) among three groups: individuals with FAI, healthy controls and copers. Design: 3-group observational cross-sectional study. Participants: Participants included 23 individuals with a history of ≥ 1 ankle sprain and at least 2 episodes of giving-way in the past year (FAI: M±SD; age=23.30±3.84years; height=1.71±0.11m, weight=68.66±14.60kg; Cumberland Ankle Instability Tool [CAIT]=20.52±2.94, episodes of giving-way=5.81±8.42 per month), 23 subjects with no history of ankle sprain or instability in their lifetime (Controls: age=23.17±4.01years, height=1.72±0.08m, weight=68.78± 13.26kg, CAIT: 28.78±1.78), and 23 individuals with a history of a single ankle sprain and no subsequent episodes of instability (Copers: age=23.52±3.68years, height=1.72±0.07m, weight=69.57±13.94kg; CAIT: 27.74 ± 1.69). Interventions: Ten trials of natural walking gait and 10 single leg drop jumps were recorded using a ViconMX motion monitoring system (OMG, Oxford, UK) and two imbedded force plates (Bertec, Columbus, Ohio, USA). Main Outcome Measures: Forefoot and hindfoot sagittal and frontal plane angles were calculated at initial contact (IC) and toe-off (TO) of walking gait, and IC and maximal vertical ground reaction force of jump landing. Results: At walking IC, there was a significant group difference in forefoot inversion (F2,66=4.68, p=0.013). Post hoc testing revealed that individuals with FAI were significantly more inverted than controls, but copers were not significantly different from the FAI or control groups. At jump landing IC, there were significant group differences in hindfoot motion (F2,66=6.12, p=0.004). Specifically, individuals with FAI were significantly more dorsiflexed than the control or coper groups. There were no other significant group differences (all p>0.05). Conclusions: Kinematic differences exist between healthy controls, copers and individuals with FAI. Copers and individuals with FAI have both experienced ankle sprain injury, yet copers do not experience subsequent instability. Analysis of coper movement patterns compared to control and FAI groups may provide insight into coping mechanisms.


Objective To design and evaluate an intervention targeting urban indigenous Australian children in order to increase their self-efficacy, knowledge and attitudes towards safety. Methods The Safe Koori Kids intervention was developed and delivered to 790 children primary school aged children (13% indigenous) in 24 middle and upper primary classes across five schools in Sydney, Australia. The intervention, consisting of five safety modules, was evaluated using a mixed-methods approach. A pre-test post-test research design was applied to evaluate changes in key outcomes namely child self-efficacy, knowledge and attitudes towards safety. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected from teachers. Findings There was a significant increase (p<0.05) in self-efficacy among children from pre- to post-intervention for both Indigenous (6%) and non-Indigenous children (2%). Safety knowledge among Indigenous children increased from pre- to post intervention by 17% (p<0.01) and non-Indigenous children by 15%, (p<0.01). However, there were no significant improvements in attitudes towards safety (indigenous children 2%, p=0.288, non-Indigenous children 1%, p=0.0721). Overall, Indigenous children scored lower than non-Indigenous children post intervention on self-efficacy (75%:77%), knowledge (56%:63%) and attitudes towards safety (79%:84%). Teacher focus groups provided further evidence of the programs impact on children's safety knowledge and attitudes. Conclusions The study contributes to our limited knowledge about effective child injury prevention for disadvantaged Indigenous minorities in high income countries. This is the first intervention of its type in an urban indigenous setting in Australia which has positively contributed to the resilience of indigenous children and families with respect to safety and their environment.


Introduction: Pneumonia is world's leading killer of children in developing countries particularly in sub Saharan Africa and Asia. It accounts for the death of one out of five children despite presence of tremendous prevention mechanisms. Despite the sever effects of pneumonia, there were no studies done on determinants of pneumonia so far in Gamo Gofa Zone. Therefore the aim of this study was to assess determinants of pneumonia among under two children. Methods: Facility based unmatched case control study was used on randomly selected 558 mothers with under two children from 30thJanuary to 20th March 2016. Cases were children with pneumonia, while controls were non-pneumonic children of the same age. A pretested &structured questionnaire was used. Multivariable logistic regression was employed to determine predictors of the outcome variable using SPSS version 20.0 statistical software. P-value<0.05 at 95% confidence interval was considered as significant. Results: A total of 558 mothers with under two children were participated. Ninety seven (17.4%), 245 (43.9%) and 119 (21.3%) of children were underweight, wasted and stunted respectively. Being married, completing secondary school and above, children without young siblings breastfeeding within an hour of delivery, being vaccinated, and exclusive breastfeeding were protective against pneumonia as statistically evidenced by (AOR: 0.053, 95% CI: [0.005, 0.559], (AOR: 0.253, 95% CI: [0.093, 0.688]), (AOR: 0.225, 95%CI: [0.067, 0.760]), (AOR: 0. 311, 95% CI: [0.135, 0.718]), (AOR: 0.317, 95% CI: [0.185, 0.542) and (AOR: 0.635, 95% CI: (0.356, 0.934]) respectively. Conclusion: Being married, completing secondary school and above, children with young siblings, breastfeeding within one hour of delivery, children with history of vaccination and exclusive breastfeeding were protective of pneumonia. Hence, study concludes that many factors were interwoven to affect the occurrence of pneumonia. Therefore, information communication education has to be disseminated to alleviate modifiable factors of pneumonia.


Contemporary media constitute an increasingly global, digital environment of communication, but audiences remain geographically and culturally situated. Research documenting and comparing audience practices around the world has been limited beyond commercial and cultural statistics not only because of the sheer cost of the necessary empirical infrastructure but also due to methodological difficulties of how to study the same medium in the context of different social structures and cultural practices. This special issue presents empirical findings and methodological implications from a nine-country comparative study of media use in Europe and outlines potentials and perspectives for further comparative and cross-continental research.


This project increased awareness about issues of violence to youth, their communities, and policy makers through the technique of photovoice and its translation into photo exhibitions and other community events. Youth participants learned photography skills, engaged in critical communal discussions about important issues affecting their health, wrote reflective stories about their photos, and engaged in policy change efforts. Their photos depict the need to address economic devastation and built environment degradation to prevent violence in their communities. Youth presented policy makers and community leaders with an "insider's perspective" of the issues facing their communities, with the hope of promoting policy change.


Teams are ubiquitous, woven into the fabric of engineering and design. Often, it is assumed that teams are better at solving problems than individuals working independently. Recent work in engineering, design, and psychology has indicated that teams may not be the problem-solving panacea that they were once thought to be. Crowdsourcing has seen increased interest in engineering design recently, and platforms often encourage teamwork between participants. This work undertakes an analysis of the performance of different team styles and sizes in crowdsourced competitions. This work demonstrates that groups of individuals working independently may outperform interacting teams on average, but that small interacting teams are more likely to win competitions. These results are discussed in the context of motivation for crowdsourcing participants.


We study the sample complexity of multiclass prediction in several learning settings. For the PAC setting our analysis reveals a surprising phenomenon: In sharp contrast to binary classification, we show that there exist multiclass hypothesis classes for which some Empirical Risk Minimizers (ERM learners) have lower sample complexity than others. Furthermore, there are classes that are learnable by some ERM learners, while other ERM learners will fail to learn them. We propose a principle for designing good ERM learners, and use this principle to prove tight bounds on the sample complexity of learning symmetric multiclass hypothesis classes--classes that are invariant under permutations of label names. We further provide a characterization of mistake and regret bounds for multiclass learning in the online setting and the bandit setting, using new generalizations of Littlestone's dimension.


Andersen's Behavioural Model of Health Care Utilization was used to examine New Zealand women's use of six health care services. The model conceptualises health care utilization as a function of predisposing, enabling and need variables. Predisposing variables encompass the individual' s characteristics which are present prior to the onset of illness that represents their propensity to use health services, for example, age. Enabling variables represent features affecting the means to obtain services, for example, income. Need variables represent the presence of illness, either self perceived or professionally diagnosed. Of the six services investigated in the present study, two were non-medical (use of disability and bed days) and four were medical (use of General Practitioners (GPs), health professionals, hospitals and prescription items). The study examined a geographically stratified sample of 964 women between the ages of 19 and 90 drawn from a range of New Zealand households. Five hypotheses were tested for each of the six health services. Incorporating new measures to capture the model' s components, the first two hypotheses replicated the model by examining use of health services in terms of 'contact' and 'volume'. Contact focused on whether or not a service had been accessed, while volume focused on the amount of consumption that occurred over a defined catchment period. Predisposing and enabling characteristics were important predictors of contact; but need became more important when predicting ongoing service use. The last three hypotheses expanded the model by examining the effects of trauma and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) on health care utilization. Traumatic events were associated with ongoing use of bed days and hospitals . PTSD was associated with use of bed days, hospitals, and GPs. Suggestions are made regarding future research in terms of overcoming research limitations and expanding the field. These included improving measures to capture needs for women of all ages as opposed to focusing on measures capturing chronic conditions best suited for the elderly, examination of service use in terms of episode events and suggested developments for the model incorporating reciprocal and feedback loops to account for traumatic events, PTSD, personal health habits and satisfaction with use of health services.


When I was nine years old, I made my first visit to a mental institution, the afternoon visit, the guest pass variety, not the "where is your suitcase" and the "this bed will be yours" kind of stopping off. With my father at the wheel of our Ford Fairlane, my sisters and I arrived with him at Norristown State Hospital to see my mother (who had brought her suitcase weeks earlier) after a thirty-five-minute drive on tree-lined eastern Pennsylvania roads. It was my first visit to the site but not my last, for my mother's brief but thrice-repeated stay was echoed tragically in my older sister's long-term residency, a life time, really, a life sentence, one that began soon after she reached adulthood.


Legumes incorporated into established switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) could provide symbiotic N, improve herbage quality, and extend the grazing season. Almost no information exists for legume renovation of switchgrass by frost-seeding. The objective of this study was to identify cool-season legumes that can be established into switchgrass by frost-seeding, yet not provide excessive competition to the associated grass. Six legumes [biennial 'Polara' white-flowered sweetclover (Melilolus alba Medik.), biennial 'Madrid' yellow-flowered sweetclover (Melilotus officinalis Lam.), 'Norcen' birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus L.), 'Redland II' medium red clover (Trifolium pratense L.), 'Apollo Supreme' alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.), and a 50 :50 mixture of Redland II red clover and Norcen birdsfoot trefoil] were inoculated with rhizobia and frost-seeded into established 'Cave-in-Rock' switchgrass in mid-March of 1991 and 1992. These mixtures were compared with switchgrass fertilized at four N levels (0, 60, 120, and 240 kg ha -1 ). Successful legume establishment was observed, with an average of 24 and 25% of viable seed producing seedlings by June for 1991 and 1992 seedings, respectively. Mean legume density was 160 and 170 plants m -2 by June of the seeding year (YR 1) and 95 and 55 plants m -2 by June of the second year (YR 2) for 1991 and 1992 seedings, respectively. Legume renovation of switchgrass stands did not affect grass stem density by July YR 1. Mean forage stand composition (based on stem counts) was 87, 67, and 45% legume in June, July, and August YR 2, respectively, for 1991 seedings, and 54, 29, and 23% legume during the same time periods for 1992 seedings. Legumes did not seriously reduce switchgrass stem density, although red clover, birdsfoot trefoil, and their mixture were more competitive than others. Legumes can be successfully introduced into established Cave-in-Rock switchgrass by frost-seeding and they will persist for at least 2 yr with favorable weather.


Slurries are widely used in important chemical and pharmaceutical manufacturing processes. In this presentation we report chemical monitoring and modeling of batch slurry reactions using optical and calorimetric measurement where key analytes are present in both the solid and liquid phases. Experimental studies were performed to: (1) Generate supersaturated solutions for the development of kinetic models of seeded crystallization, crystal growth, and dissolution; (2) Generate unseeded crystallization from homogeneous reaction mixtures for the development of kinetic models of reacting systems, including crystal growth as well as measurement of crystallization driven by cooling of reaction mixtures including the necessary corresponding solubility curves as a function of temperature; (3) Reproduce at laboratory scale, a commercially relevant slurry reaction starting with heterogeneous reaction mixture, producing a product slurry. Simultaneous UV/visible attenuated total reflectance (ATR) and NIR reflectance measurements enabled reliable characterization of reaction mixtures and detection of the onset of crystallization. Kinetic models for dissolution, seeded crystallization, unseeded crystallization, homogeneous reaction and crystallization driven by cooling were successfully developed relating the mass of substance in the solution phase and solid phase to UV/Vis ATR and NIR reflectance measurements. Reactive crystallization experiments with kinetic modeling demonstrated that simultaneous measurements of slurries with UV/Vis ATR and NIR reflectance is an effective means of characterizing the dissolved fraction and the onset of nucleation and crystallization. Work with research partner DuPont Crop Protection Science included development of a 4 L glass reactor with a recirculation loop and sampling system for off-line HPLC analysis. Several different sampling strategies were tested to develop a robust, reproducible method for off-line HPLC analysis. NIR reflectance measurements of slurry reactions at DuPont were demonstrated to be relevant to the property of interest. Kinetic models were obtained for product and reactant from NIR reflectance measurements. Reaction progression was followed by depletion of triazine heterocycle, as indicated by N-H overtone band dissipation. Spectroscopic evidence of a precipitation event was also observed and confirmed by focused beam reflectance measurements (FBRM). Kinetic models of reaction measurements provided clear resolution of two components, the solid phase reactant and solid phase product. Initial product appearance in the kinetic model concentration profile estimates corresponded temporally with the spectroscopic evidence of precipitation. Estimation of spectral profiles from kinetic models include an N-H overtone band observed around 2010nm.


Many studies have investigated social networks. So far little work has been done to explore the virtual identity construction in social network communities. The virtual identity that an individual constructed in the social network community may not be exactly same as his/her identity in the physical world. Using self-discrepancy theory and social capital theory as theoretical foundations, this paper reports a qualitative study by interviewing members of communities (or large groups) on one of the largest social network platforms in the world: QQ. The results of this study suggest that some people do indeed construct a virtual identity different from their identity in the physical world. Findings from this study reveal the complexity of virtual identity re-construction and people's motivations to do so in social network communities. Theoretical contributions and implications for practice are described.


Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA) has already been used as a qualitative measure for identifying failure modes and causes, in order to mitigate the effects of failure in different sectors of power systems. This paper presents a quantitative approach called Risk-Based-FMEA, based on the failure probabilities and incurred failure costs instead of rating scales. As a case study, this approach has been applied to a direct drive wind turbine. The results show that the definition of failure modes priorities based on their contribution to the total failure cost of the wind turbine is more realistic and practical than the common FMEA approach. Using MS Excel spreadsheet platform, the proposed method can be generalized for different types of wind turbines. In addition, the effective failure cost factors are investigated through sensitivity analysis, by which the wind turbine owner can determine the suitable approach to reduce the total failure cost.


Milk can deteriorate fast since milk contains high nutrient contents such as lactose, fat, protein and pH of milk is close to neutral pH which very suitable for the growth of microorganisms. Pasteurization is used to kill all pathogen and mostly spoilage bacteria, and degradate enzymes. "Natural Probiotic" is a home industry in field milk production in Malang region, it still using conventional methods in milk pasteurization, heating process using fire from stove. "Natural Probiotic" have problem on pasteuritaion process, this problem influence milk pasteurized as raw material for milk product, which produce low quality of yoghurt and kefir. It can identified how to design a milk pasteurizer machine that simple and user friendly. The purpose of this program was to solve the UMKM "Natural Probiotic" problem on the quality of milk product using Wave Pasteurization Control (WPC) which is a simple machine, user friendly and efficient in pathogen and spoilage bacteria killing, enzyme inactivation, minimize protein denaturation. WPC developed continuously operating heat treatment, capable of controlling milk flow during heat treatment in spiral glass. The Mechanism of WPC used HTST system with temperature 72°C collecting with spiral glass as milk low in microwave, it is make even heating. Milk heating by microwave results from the conversion of microwave energy into heat by friction of water vibrating due to rapid fluctuation in the electromagnetic field. Experiment result showed that pasteurization milk using WPC gave TPC content 104cfu/ml, negative E. coli. WPC be able to increase profit Rp 8.676.450,00 with R/C Ratio 1,31. It concluded that WPC effectife for killing pathogen and spoilage bacteria, minimize denaturation of protein and gave improvement on milk product quality, productivity of yoghurt and kefir and profit of UMKM "Natural Probiotic Keywords:microwave, milk pasteurized, spiral glass


On both sides of the stage improv-comedy's popularity has increased exponentially throughout the 1980s and '90s and into the new millennium. Presto! An original song is created out of thin air. With nothing but a suggestion from the audience, daring young improvisers working without a net or a script create hilarious characters, sketches, and songs. Thrilled by the danger, the immediacy, and the virtuosity of improv-comedy, spectators laugh and cheer. American improv-comedy burst onto the scene in the 1950s with Chicago's the Compass Players (best known for the brilliant comedy duo Mike Nichols and Elaine May) and the Second City, which launched the careers of many popular comedians, including Gilda Radner, John Belushi, and Mike Myers. Chicago continues to be a mecca for young performers who travel from faraway places to study improv. At the same time, the techniques of Chicago improv have infiltrated classrooms, workshops, rehearsals, and comedy clubs across North and South America, Europe, Australia, and Japan. Improv's influence is increasingly evident in contemporary films and in interactive entertainment on the internet. Drawing on the experiences of working improvisers, Whose Improv Is It Anyway? provides a never-before-published account of developments beyond Second City's mainstream approach to the genre. This fascinating history chronicles the origins of "the Harold," a sophisticated new "long-form" style of improv developed in the '80s at ImprovOlympic, and details the importance and pitfalls of ComedySports. Here also is a backstage glimpse at the Annoyance Theatre, best known on the national scene for its production of The Real Live Brady Bunch. Readers will get the scoop on the recent work of players who, feeling excluded by early improv's "white guys in ties," created such independent groups as the Free Associates and the African American troupe Oui Be Negroes. There is far more to the art of improv than may be suggested by the sketches on Saturday Night Live or the games on Whose Line Is It Anyway? This history, an insider's look at the evolution of improv-comedy in Chicago, reveals the struggles, the laughter, and the ideals of mutual support, freedom, and openness that have inspired many performers. It explores the power games, the gender inequities, and the racial tensions that can emerge in improvised performance, and it shares the techniques and strategies veteran players use to combat these problems. Improv art is revealed to be an art of compromise, a fragile negotiation between the poles of process and product. The result, as shown here, can be exciting, shimmering, magical, and not exclusively the property of any troupe or actor.


Max-product (max-sum) message passing algorithms are widely used for MAP inference in MRFs. It has many variants sharing a common flavor of passing "messages" over some graph-object. Recent advances revealed that its convergent versions (such as MPLP, MSD, TRW-S) can be viewed as performing block coordinate descent (BCD) in a dual objective. That is, each BCD step achieves dual-optimal w.r.t. a block of dual variables (messages), thereby decreases the dual objective monotonically. However, most existing algorithms are limited to updating blocks selected in rather restricted ways. In this paper, we show a "unified" message passing algorithm that: (a) subsumes MPLP, MSD, and TRW-S as special cases when applied to their respective choices of dual objective and blocks, and (b) is able to perform BCD under much more flexible choices of blocks (including very large blocks) as well as the dual objective itself (that arise from an arbitrary dual decomposition).


This article operates at the intersection of privacy law, Fourth Amendment doctrine, and public health realities triggered by the United States drug overdose epidemic. Reputable reporting sources, public health scholars, and pundits frequently frame the ongoing American overdose crisis as a prescription drug overdose problem attributable to the overprescribing of opioid analgesics. The problem with this narrative is that it runs counter to the current epidemiological data, which indicate that the majority of American overdose deaths are now a result of illicit drug use and not prescription drug abuse. The prescription-centric frame has nonetheless sparked the rapid rise of law enforcement and regulatory surveillance of prescribers and patients in the form of state prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP) databases. State PDMPs, which maintain and analyze significant data concerning every dispensed prescription, collect a stunning amount of patient protected health information (PHI). To put things in context, Americans filled 4,063,166,658 prescriptions at retail pharmacies in 2017 alone. PDMPs are largely criminal and regulatory law enforcement tools dressed up in public health promoting rhetoric. Under the guise of rogue prescriber, pill mill, and doctor shopper crack downs, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has made it a routine practice to self-issue administrative subpoenas to conduct warrantless, dragnet-style sweeps of the swarms of sensitive protected health data stored in state PDMP databases. This widespread law enforcement prescribing surveillance tactic, which reveals highly personal health information, including, among other things, patients' contraceptive histories, gender transition decisions, and HIV diagnoses, raises serious constitutional privacy concerns. The Supreme Court's recent Fourth Amendment decision, Carpenter v. United States, however, may limit law enforcement's ability to continue to access droves of electronically-stored patient prescribing-related PHI in the custody of a state regulatory agency without a court order supported by probable cause. The Court's decision in Carpenter already has been heralded as "a landmark privacy case," which this article uniquely applies to prescription drug monitoring and law enforcement surveillance tactics provoked by the U.S. overdose crisis and its dominant narrative. Carpenter and the Fourth Amendment doctrines central to its holding motivate this article and animate its two core contentions. First, this article maintains that pertinent pre-Carpenter precedent requires the DEA to obtain a Fourth Amendment warrant in order to conduct sweeps of state PDMP databases searching patient protected health information. It then posits that courts are even more likely to rule that warrantless DEA searches of sensitive and frequently revealing health care data run afoul of the Fourth Amendment in the post-Carpenter world. Simply stated, PDMP protected health information is entitled to Fourth Amendment warrant protection.


Earl Lovelace's fiction can be said to, ultimately, work as a force to give validity to the Creole culture created out of the coming together of many worlds in the Caribbean. As in his novel The Dragon Can't Dance, which celebrated those Creole art forms around Carnival, in his next novel, The Wine of Astonishment (1982), i Lovelace celebrates yet another Creole institution, the Trinidadian African-derived church of the Spiritual Baptists. In the novel the Spiritual Baptist church, made to be seen as the darkness from which natives needed to be weaned by colonial authorities, is celebrated and acknowledged as one of the basis that allowed for the creation of a new society away from the colonial narrowness. In The Wine of Astonishment, the resistance put up by Spiritual Baptist practitioners, in spite of the prohibition and violence endured, is acknowledged, celebrated and recognised as one of the milestones in Caribbean history. This article will trace, as reflected in the novel, the evolution of the Spiritual Baptist church, and will analyse its symbolical relation to another art form created in the New World: the steel pan movement. All in all, this article will examine the survival of this Trinidadian African-derived church together with the emergence of the steelpan as two of the most salient testimonies of cultural survival and creolisation of the nation.


Background. To study group B streptococcus (GBS) colonisation in parturients and infants in relation to obstetric outcome and to define serotypes and antibiotic resistance in GBS isolates acquired. Methods. A population‐based, national cohort of parturients and their infants was investigated. During 1 calendar week in 2005 all women giving birth (n = 1,754) were requested to participate in the study. Results. A total of 1,569 mother/infant pairs with obstetric and bacteriological data were obtained. Maternal carriage rate was 25.4% (95% confidence interval (CI): 23.3–27.6). In GBS‐positive mothers with vaginal delivery and no intrapartum antibiotics, the infant colonisation rate was 68%. Some 30% of infants were colonised after acute caesarean section, and 0% were colonised after an elective procedure. Duration of transport of maternal recto/vaginal swabs of more than 1 day impeded culture sensitivity. Infant mMales were more frequently colonised than females (76.9 versus 59.8%, odds ratio (OR): 2.16; 95% CI: 1.27–3.70), as were infants born after rupture of membranes ≥24 h (p =0.039). Gestational age, birth weight and duration of labor did not significantly influence infant colonisation. Some 30% of parturients with at least one risk factor for neonatal disease received intrapartum antibiotics. The most common GBS serotypes were type III and V. Some 5% of the isolates were resistant to clindamycin and erythromycin, respectively. Conclusions. Maternal GBS prevalence and infant transfer rate were high in Sweden. Males were more frequently colonised than females. The sensitivity of maternal cultures decreased with the duration of sample transport. Clindamycin resistance was scarce. The use of intrapartum antibiotics was limited in parturients with obstetric risk factors for early onset group B streptococcal disease.


The ostracod fauna of a thin unit of shelly mudstones encountered directly beneath the Great Oolite Group in a recently drilled borehole in north Lincolnshire confirms the presence of the Scarborough Formation, formerly thought of as being confined to the Cleveland Basin. Sandstones and coals separating the Scarborough Formation from typical upper Lincolnshire Limestone calcarenites were probably deposited by delta progradation and are correlated with the regressive Yons Nab Beds and lower Gristhorpe Member of the Cleveland Basin. Discovery of the Gristhorpe Member and the Scarborough Formation beneath the basal Great Oolite unconformity on the East Midlands Shelf suggests that the youngest limestone facies of the Lincolnshire Limestone can be no younger than earliest sauzei Zone, and that the erosional event which preceded deposition of the Great Oolite is of late humphriesianum Zone or younger age. A revised palaeogeography for Scarborough Formation times envisages that following initial westward marine transgression along the axis of the Cleveland Basin, the sea broadened and at its maximum extent covered much of the Market Weighton Block.


Our purpose with this thesis was to find biometric methods that can be used in access control of mobile access. The access control has two parts. Firstly, to validate the identity of the caller and, secondly, to ensure the validated user is not changed during the session that follows. Any solution to the access control problem is not available today, which means that anyone can get access to the mobile phone and the Internet. Therefore we have researched after a solution that can solve this problem but also on how to secure that no one else can take over an already validated session. We began to search for biometric methods that are available today to find them that would be best suited together with a mobile phone. After we had read information about them we did choose three methods for further investigation. These methods were Fingerprint Recognition, Iris Scan and Speaker Verification. Iris Scan is the method that is best suited to solve the authentication problem. The reasons for this are many. One of them is the uniqueness and stability of the iris, not even identical twins or the pair of the same individual has the same iris minutiae. The iris is also very protected behind eyelids, cornea and the aqueous humor and therefore difficult to damage. When it comes to the method itself, is it one of the most secure methods available today. One of the reasons for this is that the equal error rate is better than one in a million. However, this rate can be even better. It all depends on the Hamming Distance, which is a value that show how different the saved and temporarily template are, and what it is set to. To solve our session authentication, which was to make sure that no one else could take over a connected mobile phone, a sensor plate is the answer. This sensor will be able to sense for touch, heat and pulse. These three sensor measurements will together secure a validated session since the mobile phone will disconnect if the sensor looses its sensor data. There are, however, technological and other challenges to be solved before our proposed solutions will become viable. We address some of these issues in our thesis.


Background It is known that lumbar disc degeneration (DD) might be associated with low back pain (LBP). Moreover, the DD rate is higher in swimmers than in other sports athletes.We have experienced several Japanese Olympic swimmers who could not show their best performance due to LBP. Objective To investigate if the intervention by a LBP prevention program is effective for Japanese elite swimmer's performance. Design Prospective longitudinal study. Setting Japanese swimmers for the Beijing and London Olympics and elite national swimmers from 2009 to 2011. Participants 57 swimmers (29 males and 28 females). Risk factor assessment T2-weighted sagittal MR images of lumber spine were taken once a year. The degree of DD was categorized into 5 grades using the Pfirrmann's classification. Change in the grade by MR images was evaluated. The prevention program consists of 2 components. One is control of axial load training for the lumbar spine depending on their grade. The other is the implement of stability training for the lumbar spine by physical trainers to all swimmers at competitions and training camps. Main outcome measurements Severe LBP affected the swimmer's performance in the competition during follow-up periods. Results The DD rate of the all swimmers was 54.4%. The DD rates of Beijing and London Olympians were 51.6% and 59.3%, respectively. Severe LBP was found in 3 of 5 swimmers with aggravation of the DD grades. However, there was no swimmer who did not withdraw from the London Olympics due to LBP after the implementation of 4 years prevention program. Conclusions Our results suggest that the swimmer's aggravation of DD grade was associated with LBP. However, although the DD rate of London Olympians was higher than that of Beijing Olympians, there was no London Olympian who could not perform due to LBP. Our study shows that the LBP prevention program may be effective in elite swimmers in terms of performance.


In the Central
Desert of northern Baja California, blue fan palm populations (Brahea armata) are found as isolated oases on mountaintops and along canyons
with ephemeral flow conditions. Here, the effect of the interaction between the
larva of an endemic moth, Litoprosopus bajaensis, and this endemic blue fan palm
was documented for the first time. We registered the phenology of palms by counting
the number of shoots with flowers or fruits, assessing their damage and calculating
the reproductive success per individual palm within three populations: San Pedro
Martir, Catavi?a, and La
 Libertad. Palm populations were severely impacted by this larva,
causing high damage to the inflorescences. No differences were found in the number
of inflorescence stems produced and damaged among study sites; but the reproductive
success of palms was significantly higher in Catavi?a than in the other sites during
the entire sampling period, and consequently an important proportion of stems escaped
from the herbivore predation. We suggest that differences among sites may be explained
by the fact that Catavi?a is the only alluvial canyon and can be considered an area
of high nutrient uptake, resource availability, and rooting depths. In contrast
the other two are bedrock canyons, where water runs intensely, sweeping away great
portions of the nearby vegetation. Catavi?a received the highest precipitation during
the winter season of 2010 allowing a continuous production of inflorescence stems
and fruits. This preliminary study reveals a new endemic interaction, it occurrence
at population and regional levels, and highlights the role of desert oases as resource
patches and connectivity pathways for mobile insects. Finally, it also highlights
the effects of different water flow dynamics and water pulses in providing an opportunity
window of escape from predation for host plant species living in desert environments.


This research shows that culinary tourism has the potential as a tourist attraction in Simalungung Regency as one of the districts on the edge of the Lake Toba super priority area. The community as culinary business actors and the local government play a role in culinary potential and what obstacles culinary entrepreneurs face. This study uses a mixed method or mixed method, which is a method that combines quantitative and qualitative approaches so that it gets accountable results. The final results of this study can be interpreted that there is a significant linear relationship between the potential for culinary tourism as a tourist attraction, the results are proven from the reliability test results showing that the Cronbach's alpha value of all variables is> than 0.6. The results of the normality test above show that the significance value is 0.999> 0.05, it can be concluded that the residual value is normally distributed


Investigations into the determination of < ppb levels of Fe, Pb and Si0 2 in high purity water and Fe and Pb in buffer reagent solution, employed in chemical detector systems, have been carried out by employing the technique of electrothermal atomization - atomic absorption spectrometry (ETA-AAS). Various experimental parameters have been optimized and procedures developed for the relevant determinations. These procedures have been compared and evaluated statistically using F-test and t-test criteria. The preconcentration of Fe and Pb from high purity water using various adsorptive bubble (flotation) techniques (co-precipitation, ion-flotation and solvent sublation) has been studied and various experimental parameters for each technique investigated. The techniques have been compared with the relevant ETA-AAS procedures and the possible use of the flotation techniques for pre-concentration of trace metal ions discussed. Direct-slurry, direct current plasma (DCP) spectrometry, has been studied for possible determination of Cu, Cr and Ag chemical impregnants on activated, granular, carbons used in chemical defence protection systems. Analytical parameters have been investigated and optimized using both aqueous element and carbon slurry solutions. The DCP parameters for the determinations have
been optimized using both Simplex and Univariate search procedures. Results indicated that requisite plasma optima were similar for both aqueous and carbon slurry solutions which showed it to be possible to use aqueous element solutions for calibration of the DCP for carbon slurry analyses. Procedures have been developed and compared statistically with a standard dry ashing/fusion procedure and with a wet oxidation method employing a high pressure asher. Results showed there to be no significant differences between the direct slurry method and the comparison procedures.


In their recent book, Objectivity, Lorraine Daston and Peter Galison oppose the image of the scientist as a rational, objective, an dispassionate investigator of nature with that of the intuitively guided and emotionally volatile artistic genius. The authors argue that the emergence of objectivity as an epistemic virtue in nineteenth-century scienti?c practices was intimately tied to a newly perceived threat to knowledge: that of the subjective self. In their discussion, Daston and Galison cite the artist's creative imposition of ideas on the world as quintessentially subjective and opposed to science.


The aim of the present work was to investigate the abundance and seasonal dynamics of wolf spiders in different plant communities. During the study, 529 individuals of wolf spiders were collected. A statistical analysis of the results indicated that, compared with clover, the number of wolf spiders was significantly lower on rape, wheat and fallow during the whole period of the experiment. It appeared that wolf spiders preferred habitats where plant cover was greater and older. In comparison with rape, the number of wolf spiders was significantly greater in the fallow variant. Both on rape and wheat the number of spiders was lower throughout the experiment, and a comparison of these variants showed no statistical significance. A comparison of wheat with fallow revealed no reliable differences in the number of spiders, although there existed a slight tendency in favour of fallow. On rape and wheat the number of spiders was lower during the whole experimental period, and a comparison of these variants with clover and fallow showed no statistical significance. The seasonal occurrence of spiders in the rape and wheat variants was different in comparison with the clover and fallow plots. In spring the activity of wolf spiders was low in the rape and wheat variants. The activity of wolf spiders significantly depended on the pest spraying times in the experimental fields. After treatments with Fastac (in May and June) in the rape variant and with a herbicide (in June) in the wheat variant, the number of spiders started to increase, however, this was only a small population peak and decreased very quickly. In the rape and wheat variants, the seasonal dynamics of the spiders showed one population peak in July, regardless of the treatments applied in May and June. A large number of juveniles was caught in pitfall traps of all test variants during the midsummer time. In May the number of spiders was low in the clover and fallow variants but started to increase quickly at the beginning of June. The seasonal occurrence of spiders shows a smaller population peak in June (on clover and fallow) and a large peak in July (only on clover). The peak was lower but broader in the clover variant. After the population peak, the number of spiders decreased again, because hay was made in the clover and fallow variants at the beginning of July. Spiders left those variants in one week (clover variant), or by the end of the vegetation period (fallow variant).


For every survivor of a crime, there is a criminal who forces his way into the victim's thoughts long after the act has been committed. Reporters weren't allowed into Kosovo during the war without the permission of the Yugoslavian government but Matthew McAllester went anyway. In Beyond the Mountains of the Damned he tells the story of Pec, Kosovo's most destroyed city and the site of the earliest and worst atrocities of the war, through the lives of two men - one Serb and one Kosovar. They had known each other, and been neighbors for years before one visited tragedy on the other. With a journalist's eye for detail McAllester asks the great question of war: What kind of men could devastate an entire city, killing whole families, and feel no sense of guilt? The answer lies in the culture of gangsterism and ethnic hatred that began with the collapse of Yugoslavia. In March of 1999, the world watched thousands of Albanian refugees pour out of Kosovo, carrying stories of the terror that drove them from their homes. To Isa Bala and his family, Albanian Muslims who stayed in Pec during the NATO bombardment, the war in Kosovo was not about cruise missiles and geopolitics. It was about tiptoeing between survival and death in the town that saw the fiercest destruction, the most thorough eviction of the Albanian population and killings whose brutality demands explanation. To Nebojsa Minic and other Serb militiamen who ruled with murder, the conflict was about the exercise of power. Today they are alive and well in the new Yugoslavia. So unconcerned are they over the prospect of ever being held accountable for their crimes that they were willing to sit down over coffee after the war and discuss in detail their brief, brutal reign.


In this paper we report our work on multiobjective optimization (MOO) based feature selection approach for event extraction in biomedical texts. Event extraction deals with the detection and classification of expressions that represent complex biological phenomenon involving genes and proteins. We perform feature selection within the framework of a robust machine learning algorithm, namely Conditional Random Field (CRF). We implement a set of diverse features that exploit lexical, shallow syntactic and contextual information. At first we develop a single objective optimization (SOO) based feature selection technique where we optimize F-measure function. Thereafter we develop two different models of MOO based feature selection by optimizing different pairs of objective functions, i.e. recall and precision; and feature count and F-measure. We carried out experiments on the benchmark setup of BioNLP-2013 shared task. We obtain the best performance with the overall average recall, precision and F-measure values of 57.04%, 75.08% and 64.77%, respectively. Evaluation shows that the classifier can achieve good performance level when trained with an effective feature set. We also observe that MOO can indeed performs better than the SOO based approach.


Prior research has drawn attention to numerous problems with ICTs designed for philanthropic contexts. Yet, little is known about how to support philanthropic work in its own right, especially as it transcends formal engagements with nonprofit organizations and suffuses everyday life. In this research, we draw on data from a 33-day mobile diary study augmented by follow-up interviews to examine the work of everyday philanthropy. By taking individuals' philanthropic work-rather than a specific technology or its users-as our unit of analysis, we establish an empirical foundation for a new design space for philanthropic informatics. Our research shows that philanthropic work is not just about transactions of money, goods, or services. Instead, we argue that a lens of care work is a more useful framing of everyday philanthropy. We also draw renewed attention to the myriad roles of institutions beyond that of a resource intermediary.


A premixed H2/O2/Ar flat flame operated in a low pressure reactor was used to investigate the influence of variation of experimental parameters on GeO/GeO2 nanoparticle formation. GeO as well as GeO2 are thermodynamically stable, and their appearance and disappearance respectively provides valuable information on oxidizing and reducing conditions in the flame. The reactor was fed with different concentrations of tetramethyl germanium [Ge(CH3)4], and operated for H2/O2 ratios between 0.6 – 1.3. The Pressure was varied between 25 – 55 mbar, while the gas velocity was also varied between 0.69 – 1.95 m/s. Furthermore, increasing pressure results in a corresponding reduction in mean particle diameter (particle size). An increase in oxygen concentration accelerates particle growth, for H2/O2 < 1, the colour of the GeOx powders is white indicating the preferential formation of GeO2. If the oxygen concentration decreases, the stoichiometry shifts to GeO represented by a colour transformation starting from white over grey to black. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and particle mass spectrometry (PMS) indicate the formation of particles with spherical morphology and mean diameters of 1.5 nm ? particle size ? 10 nm.


An optimization program was written to determine a set of channel responses for measuring object-color spectra. The program incorporated the Complex method of optimization to search the feasible space. The optimum set was determined based upon minimization of the number of channels, the average color difference (AE*ab) over a set of 1 16 colors and three illuminants, and the average reflectance factor difference between the actual and estimated spectra. It was expected that itwould be possible to identify a system which would fall between current spectrophotometers and the ideal but unrealizable system whose responses are the three CIE standard color-matching functions weighted by the three illuminants. It was found that even with as few as six channels, each a gaussian with specific mean and bandwidth, reasonable performance could be attained.


Word order variation in Romance and Bantu has been related to information structure portrayed in the different discourse functions of the sentential elements involved. Based on the distribution of new information focus in Romance and Bantu, this paper argues that discourse functions need not be directly encoded in syntax. The position defended here is that syntax generates all possible structures which are filtered out at the interface with the phonological component. The prosodic phrasing of these structures is what indicates focused constituents occurring in positions of prominence. The paramount significance of prosody for the determination of focus is particularly illustrated in those cases both in Romance and Bantu where, for syntactic reasons, change in word order is restricted but prosodic effects still accompany focus. The proposed interface approach to focus accounts for the variation in focus strategies and the intimate relation of focus to prosody which is attested in Romance and Bantu. Crucially, the evidence from Romance and Bantu is complementary. The Romance data provide the necessary syntactic evidence for not positing a designated focus position in the syntactic hierarchy for focus, whereas the Bantu data show that prosodic effects may emerge in varying ways, providing evidence for not linking a single syntactic position to a given prosodic effect. The paper in this respect highlights the similarities and differences of the role of prosody in indicating focus in stress versus tone languages.


Individual host immune responses to infectious agents drive epidemic behavior and are therefore central to understanding and controlling infectious diseases. However, important features of individual immune responses, such as the strength and longevity of immunity, can be challenging to characterize, particularly if they cannot be replicated or controlled in captive environments. Our research on bighorn sheep pneumonia elucidates how individual bighorn sheep respond to infection with pneumonia pathogens by examining the relationship between exposure history and survival in situ. Pneumonia is a poorly understood disease that has impeded the recovery of bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) following their widespread extirpation in the 1900s. We analyzed the effects of pneumonia-exposure history on survival of 388 radio-collared adults and 753 ewe-lamb pairs. Results from Cox proportional hazards models suggested that surviving ewes develop protective immunity after exposure, but previous exposure in ewes does not protect their lambs during pneumonia outbreaks. Paradoxically, multiple exposures of ewes to pneumonia were associated with diminished survival of their offspring during pneumonia outbreaks. Although there was support for waning and boosting immunity in ewes, models with consistent immunizing exposure were similarly supported. Translocated animals that had not previously been exposed were more likely to die of pneumonia than residents. These results suggest that pneumonia in bighorn sheep can lead to aging populations of immune adults with limited recruitment. Recovery is unlikely to be enhanced by translocating naïve healthy animals into or near populations infected with pneumonia pathogens.


Innovative technologies are changing the way research is performed, preserved, and communicated. Managing Scientific Information and Research Data explores how these technologies are used and provides detailed analysis of the approaches and tools developed to manage scientific information and data. Following an introduction, the book is then divided into 15 chapters discussing the changes in scientific communication; new models of publishing and peer review; ethics in scientific communication; preservation of data; discovery tools; discipline-specific practices of researchers for gathering and using scientific information; academic social networks; bibliographic management tools; information literacy and the information needs of students and researchers; the involvement of academic libraries in eScience and the new opportunities it presents to librarians; and interviews with experts in scientific information and publishing. * Promotes innovative technologies for creating, sharing and managing scientific content* Presents new models of scientific publishing, peer review, and dissemination of information * Serves as a practical guide for researchers, students, and librarians on how to discover, filter, and manage scientific information* Advocates for the adoption of unique author identifiers such as ORCID and ResearcherID * Looks into new tools that make scientific information easy to discover and manage* Shows what eScience is and why it is becoming a priority for academic libraries * Demonstrates how Electronic Laboratory Notebooks can be used to record, store, share, and manage research data* Shows how social media and the new area of Altmetrics increase researchers' visibility and measure attention to their research* Directs to sources for datasets* Provides directions on choosing and using bibliographic management tools * Critically examines the metrics used to evaluate research impact


[in]visible belfast was a research-driven indie alternate reality game (ARG) that ran for 6 weeks during the spring of 2011 in Belfast and was subsequently adapted, 5 years later into a fictional documentary for BBC Radio 4. The ARG is a participatory and dispersed narrative, which the audience play through. The text expands outward across both physical and digital platforms to create a mystery for the players using everyday platforms. The ARG is a product of media convergence and at its heart transmedial, defined by its complexity and modes of participation. The fictional radio documentary which remediated the ARG into a more simple linear structure, but possibly a more complex narrative form, retells parts of the story for new audiences. The premise of [in]visible belfast – the game and later the documentary – is itself an adaptation of writer Ciaran Carson's novel The Star Factory (1997): a postmodern adventure through the complex psychogeography of Belfast. A trail through the labyrinthine text, which paints the history of Belfast in poetic prose. This article will map the concept's journey from novel to game to radio, contextualising its development within its political and urban landscape and charting the remediation of the narratives as they fold out across multiple media and complex story arches. The article will draw together ideas from previous publications on ARG, transmediality and complex textualities from the authors and reflect on the textual trajectories that the remediation of the narrative has taken from the original book, through the ARG, into the radio documentary. Building upon recent approaches from environmental philosopher Tim Morton and games theorist Ian Bogost, the authors argue that Belfast's history propels medial adaptations of a particular kind, characterised by a 'flat' ontology of space and time and a sort of diffuse and dark urban experience for designers/producers and players/listeners.


As demonstrated by GPT-3 and T5, transformers grow in capability as parameter spaces become larger and larger. However, for tasks that require a large amount of knowledge, non-parametric memory allows models to grow dramatically with a sub-linear increase in computational cost and GPU memory requirements. Recent models such as RAG and REALM have introduced retrieval into conditional generation. These models incorporate neural initial retrieval from a corpus of passages. We build on this line of research, proposing Re2G, which combines both neural initial retrieval and reranking into a BART-based sequence-to-sequence generation. Our reranking approach also permits merging retrieval results from sources with incomparable scores, enabling an ensemble of BM25 and neural initial retrieval. To train our system end-to-end, we introduce a novel variation of knowledge distillation to train the initial retrieval, reranker and generation using only ground truth on the target sequence output. We find large gains in four diverse tasks: zero-shot slot filling, question answering, fact checking and dialog, with relative gains of 9% to 34% over the previous state-of-the-art on the KILT leaderboard. We make our code available as open source.


This research aims to develop a classification model based on untargeted elaboration of volatile fraction fingerprints of virgin olive oils (n = 331) analyzed by flash gas chromatography to predict the commercial category of samples (extra virgin olive oil, EVOO; virgin olive oil, VOO; lampante olive oil, LOO). The raw data related to volatile profiles were considered as independent variables, while the quality grades provided by sensory assessment were defined as a reference parameter. This data matrix was elaborated using the linear technique partial least squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA), applying, in sequence, two sequential classification models with two categories (EVOO vs. no-EVOO followed by VOO vs. LOO and LOO vs. no-LOO followed by VOO vs. EVOO). The results from this large set of samples provide satisfactory percentages of correctly classified samples, ranging from 72% to 85%, in external validation. This confirms the reliability of this approach in rapid screening of quality grades and that it represents a valid solution for supporting sensory panels, increasing the efficiency of the controls, and also applicable to the industrial sector.


The objectives of this paper is to investigate, demonstrate, and compare the mechanism of action of phytocannabinoids as antidiabetic and anti‐obesity agents in preadipocytes and adipocytes, relative to rosiglitazone and metformin. Briefly, cannabis extract, Δ9‐tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabidiol (in very low dosages) were shown to promote glucose uptake higher or to equivalent levels, reduce fat accumulation, and reverse the insulin‐resistant state of 3T3‐L1 cells more effectively, relative to rosiglitazone and metformin. The phytocannabinoids had a more pronounced effect in preadipocytes undifferentiated model rather than the differentiated model. They induced a protective effect at the mitochondrial level by preventing overactivity of the succinate dehydrogenase pathway (p < .01), unlike rosiglitazone, through activation of the glycerol‐3‐phosphate dehydrogenase shuttling system. An increase in oxygen consumption and an increased expression of beta to alpha adrenoceptors (p < .05) in treated cells were noted. These findings contribute toward understanding the mechanism of action of phytocannabinoids in fat cells and highlight the antidiabetic and anti‐obesity properties of various phytocannabinoids that could potentially support the treatment of obesity‐related insulin resistance.