Title of Thesis: CHARACTERIZATION OF 4H-SiC MOSFETs USING FIRST PRINCIPLES COULOMB SCATTERING MOBILITY MODELING AND DEVICE SIMULATION Siddharth Potbhare Master of Science, 2005 Thesis directed by: Professor Neil Goldsman Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Detailed analysis of a 4H-SiC MOSFET has been carried out by numerically solving the steady state semiconductor Drift-Diffusion equations. Mobility models for bulk phonon scattering, surface phonon scattering, surface roughness scattering, Coulomb scattering by interface traps and oxide charges, and high field effects, have been developed and implemented. A first principles Coulomb scattering mobility model has been developed specifically to model the physics of the inversion layer in 4H-SiC MOSFETs. The Coulomb scattering model takes into account, scattering of mobile charges by occupied interface traps and fixed oxide charges, distribution of mobile charges in the inversion layer, and screening. Simulated IV curves have been compared to experimental data. Density of states for the interface traps have been extracted, and seem to be in agreement with experimental measurements. Simulations indicate that occupied interface traps in 4H-SiC MOSFETs are responsible for mobility degradation, low currents and high threshold voltages. Their effect diminishes at high temperatures due to reduction in trap occupancy, and at high gate voltages due to increased screening. At high gate voltages, surface roughness scattering plays the major role in mobility degradation in 4H-SiC MOSFETs. CHARACTERIZATION OF 4H-SiC MOSFETs USING FIRST PRINCIPLES COULOMB SCATTERING MOBILITY MODELING AND DEVICE SIMULATION


In 1997 the creation of a virtual underground was somehow a bizarre idea that the author attempted to realize. First, the representation of metaphors of a metro in a multimedia format opened ideas of what could be possible to achieve on the Internet, e.g. how sound fragments uploaded by different people could run on the same navigational interface and what this mixture is telling us about our urban culture. How does it sound?

Listening was the practice selected to perceive the whole of space and time relationships within a journey, and how these resonate with each individual. First in London, and later interconnecting the experience with Mexico and Paris, the author followed a mixed ethnographic method with commuters in each city, involving them in reflective and performative listening practices.

Sounding Underground is the resulting interface that links the three cities' metros, along with their cultures, evoking social, symbolic and political perceptions for each listener. The process followed by participants, and the interaction with the environment by users on the Internet, have opened paths for the acknowledgement and transformation of this experience, as each underground sonic journey becomes potentially a metaphor of a commuter's life.


This article discusses Iceland's national information infrastructure in the year 2000. It focuses on the current information policy and legislation of the country. It looks at this policy as it is presented in government publications from the last 5 years and evaluates its effects, with particular regard to the education, culture and health sectors. It describes the foundation of a nationwide health database in Iceland, which was established by an Act of Parliament taking force on 1 January 1999. The idea for this database came from deCODE, a company that proposes to make use of the homogeneity and the vast genealogical information of the Icelandic nation to develop better drugs for common diseases. The company is a genomics research company, and is currently working with Hoffmann La-Roche. It has gained a 12-year monopoly on building such a database, the formation of which brings up many ethical questions, and also new possibilities for health management.


Many natural sounds fluctuate over time. The detectability of sounds in a sequence can be reduced by prior stimulation in a process known as forward masking. Forward masking is thought to reflect neural adaptation or neural persistence in the auditory nervous system, but it has been unclear where in the auditory pathway this processing occurs. To address this issue, the present study used a "Huggins pitch" stimulus, the perceptual effects of which depend on central auditory processing. Huggins pitch is an illusory tonal sensation produced when the same noise is presented to the two ears except for a narrow frequency band that is different (decorrelated) between the ears. The pitch sensation depends on the combination of the inputs to the two ears, a process that first occurs at the level of the superior olivary complex in the brainstem. Here it is shown that a Huggins pitch stimulus produces more forward masking in the frequency region of the decorrelation than a noise stimulus identical to the Huggins-pitch stimulus except with perfect correlation between the ears. This stimulus has a peripheral neural representation that is identical to that of the Huggins-pitch stimulus. The results show that processing in, or central to, the superior olivary complex can contribute to forward masking in human listeners.


Ritaj is the Birzeit University electronic academic and administrative portal gate for students, staff, and administration. It allows students to view the teaching material posted by instructors, communicate with their fellow colleagues and instructors, perform registration, review academic and financial files, and access the database of available books in the library. For instructors, it enables them to communicate effectively with students in all matters related to the registered courses, submit course grades, access the available university administrative resources, and reach out resources allocated for their particular departments or faculties. The university administration utilizes Ritaj to extract useful academic, administrative, and financial indicators that will assist the university in planning and development as well as in the assessment of the performance of the various university units.


Portable and cost-effective gas sensors are gaining demand for a number of environmental, biomedical and industrial applications, yet current devices are confined into specialized labs and cannot be extended to general use. Here, we demonstrate a part-per-billion-sensitive refractive index gas sensor on a photonic chip based on silicon nitride waveguides functionalized with a mesoporous silica top-cladding layer. Low-concentration chemical vapors are detected by monitoring the output spectral pattern of an integrated Mach-Zehnder interferometer having one coated arm exposed to the gas vapors. We retrieved a limit of detection of 65 ppb, 247 ppb and 1.6 ppb for acetone, isopropyl alcohol and ethanol, respectively. Our on-chip refractive index sensor provides, to the best of our knowledge, an unprecedented sensitivity for low gas concentrations based on photonic integrated circuits. As such, our results herald the implementation of compact, portable and inexpensive devices for on-site and real-time environmental monitoring and medical diagnostics.


Humans and some animals can use their two eyes in cooperation to detect and discriminate parts of the visual scene based on depth. Owing to the horizontal separation of the eyes, each eye obtains a slightly different view of the scene in front of the head. These small differences are processed by the nervous system to generate a sense of binocular depth. As humans, we experience an impression of solidity that is fully three-dimensional; this impression is called stereopsis and is what we appreciate when we watch a 3D movie or look into a stereoscopic viewer. While the basic perceptual phenomena of stereoscopic vision have been known for some time, it is mainly within the last 50 years that we have gained an understanding of how the nervous system delivers this sense of depth. This period of research began with the identification of neuronal signals for binocular depth in the primary visual cortex. Building on that finding, subsequent work has traced the signaling pathways for binocular stereoscopic depth forward into extrastriate cortex and further on into cortical areas concerning with sensorimotor integration. Within these pathways, neurons acquire sensitivity to more complex, higher order aspects of stereoscopic depth. Signals relating to the relative depth of visual features can be identified in the extrastriate cortex, which is a form of selectivity not found in the primary visual cortex. Over the same time period, knowledge of the organization of binocular vision in animals that inhabit a wide diversity of ecological niches has substantially increased. The implications of these findings for developmental and adult plasticity of the visual nervous system and onset of the clinical condition of amblyopia are explored in this article. Amblyopic vision is associated with a cluster of different visual and oculomotor symptoms, but the loss of high-quality stereoscopic depth performance is one of the consistent clinical features. Understanding where and how those losses occur in the visual brain is an important goal of current research, for both scientific and clinical reasons.


Drugs that function through covalent bond formation represent a considerable fraction of our repository of effective medicines but safety concerns and the complexity of developing covalent inhibitors has rendered covalent targeting a less attractive strategy for rational drug design. The recent approval of four covalent kinase inhibitors and the development of highly potent covalent kinase probes with exceptional selectivity has raised significant interest in industry and academic research and validated the concept of covalent kinase targeting for clinical applications. The abundance of cysteines at diverse positions in and around the kinase active site suggests that a large fraction of kinases can be targeted by covalent inhibitors. Herein, we review recent developments of this rapidly growing area in kinase drug development and highlight the unique opportunities and challenges of this strategy.


ABSTRACT This article examines national accounting standards as disclosure rules that are set endogenously within a society in concert with that society's tolerance for corruption as well as its combined corporate tax rate. Societies with different levels of corruption and taxation are expected to have different levels of detail, comprehensiveness, and comparability within their national standards. The 2004 Corruption Perception Index produced by Transparency International is related to measures of the consistency of local accounting standards and the international accounting standards (IAS) of the International Accounting Standards Board. Countries with higher levels of perceived corruption have more violations of IAS due to the lack of specific rules and fewer violations of IAS due to inconsistencies. Level of taxation had no significant relation to violations, corruption, or GDP per Capita (global competitiveness). The potential role of a culture of evaluation in harmonization efforts is discussed. Keywords: Corruption, Taxation, IAS Standards INTRODUCTION Accounting standards are one piece of the regulatory, institutional, and governmental mix that influences the transparency of financial information available within a country. Arising within separate historical and cultural contexts, accounting standards differ from country to country. Some sets of standards are detailed, some vague; some are consistent with tax rules, some legislated; some are based on more objective criteria, some rely on practitioners' judgment. These differences affect the level of accessibility of financial information within a society and can inhibit or give freer reign to corruption in that country. In particular, this article compares the perception of corruption in countries based on the Corruption Perception Index (CPI) produced by Transparency International with measures of the strength of their accounting standards based on the international accounting standards (IAS) of the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB), using the recent International Forum on Accountancy Development's (IFAD) GAAP study. Two measures of harmonization between national and international standards display a significant association with the CPI. Countries with higher levels of perceived corruption have more violations of IAS due to the lack of specific rules and fewer violations of IAS due to inconsistencies. This research provides an important link between accounting and corruption perceptions. In some areas of the world, engaging in corruption is essentially unavoidable (Getx and Volkeman 2001). Previous studies have demonstrated the effect of corruption on the economic well-being of nations (Mauro 1995), but the mechanisms by which corruption persists despite its deleterious effects are less clear. Institutional regulation such as accounting standards can act to cover up corruption if standards allow sufficient latitude and lack of comparability. An alternative to local accounting standards became readily available upon the completion of a comprehensive core set of accounting standards by the IASB in December 1998. The subsequent endorsement of these standards by the International Organization of Security Commissions in June 2000 and the European Union's (EU) commitment for its members to use IAS by 2005 have provided a catalyst for change. CORRUPTION AND ACCOUNTING Corruption is typically measured as "the misuse of public power for private benefits" (Lambsdorff 2001a, 4). In general corruption arises when government officials have a role in allocating profit opportunities such as import quotas, licenses, or government contracts. There is empirical evidence regarding the phenomenon of corruption. There is less corruption: * Where there are fewer trade restrictions * Where there are no favoritist government policies * Where national resources are more abundant * Where civil servants are better paid * Where more is spent on education * Where more is spent on public investment * Where there is higher economic growth * Where there is more political stability * Where there is less bureaucracy * Where there is strong legislative and judiciary systems. …


Excitotoxicity is a detrimental condition that accompanies acute brain damage such as stroke. Extensive studies have documented that excitotoxicity is mediated by the NMDA receptors and the excessive Ca2+ influx triggered by prolonged NMDA channel activation. However, the contribution to excitotoxicity by the two main NMDA receptor subtypes in principal neurons, NR2A and NR2B has remained enigmatic. This issue was investigated in cultured cortical neurons prepared from wild-type and gene-targeted mice expressing NR2A or NR2B with altered signalling characteristics. Excitotoxicity experiments including subtype-specific pharmacological tools and electrophysiological measurements were performed. Cultured neurons recapitulate the developmental expression profile of the two main NMDA receptor subunits NR2A and NR2B: at 14DIV neurons express NR2B and very low levels of NR2A. At 21DIV, NR2A subunit expression becomes as prominent as the NR2B subunit. In cultured neurons expressing NR2A only in its C-terminally truncated form, NMDA-mediated excitotoxicity occurred efficiently via the NR2B channels, both at 14 and 21DIV. This probably reflects the inability of truncated NR2A channels to access the "death programme". Moreover, NMDA-triggered Ca2+-influx at 21DIV was suppressed by the NR2B subunit-specific blocker ifenprodil, indicating that Ca2+-influx occurred only through NR2B channels. Thus, in the absence of fully functional NR2A channels, excitotoxicity can be triggered only by the NR2B subtype. In cultured neurons expressing NR2B only in its C-terminally truncated form, exposure to NMDA had no toxic effect and no Ca2+-influx could be measured. Extensive electrophysiological experiments indicated a strong reduction of synaptic NMDA channels, suggesting that normal NR2B signalling is required for the postsynaptic presence of the NR2A channels. Whereas in young (14DIV) wild-type cultures NMDA-mediated toxicity was mediated solely by the NR2B channels, due to the lack of NR2A expression at this young stage, in older cultures (21DIV) both subtypes were found to be responsible for excitotoxicity. Notably, blocking any of the two subtypes did not reduce toxicity, due to the ability of the other subtype to compensate with no apparent time delay. In summary, this study indicates that both NR2A and NR2B subunits are playing a critical role in excitotoxicity, and any NMDA receptor subtype specific therapeutic intervention in stroke would lead to a failure.


Abstract The seismic response of a two-dimensional sedimentary basin is studied with the indirect boundary element method (IBEM) and compared with the results of a hybrid technique that combines modal summation and the finite-difference technique. To perform this numerical experiment we used the "observed" ground motion at the edge of the basin, computed independently with the hybrid technique. This ground motion is used to estimate the apparent incoming wave field. The estimation is based on a simplified polarization analysis that led us to select time windows for various incident plane-wave types. The numerical simulations with IBEM gave results in the time and frequency domain that compare well with those of the hybrid approach. It suggests that a realistic simulation of strong ground motion is possible using two-dimensional wave propagation modeling together with an estimate of the incident wavefield. This estimate can be obtained with a polarization analysis of observed ground motion at a station located on bedrock, as long as the different wave types can be separated in time and frequency.


Subjective probabilities play an important role in marketing research, for example where individuals rate the likelihood that they will purchase a new developed product. The tau‐equivalent model can describe the joint behaviour of multiple test items measuring the same subjective probability. In this paper we stress the use of confidence intervals to assess reliability, as this allows for a more critical assessment of the items as measurement instruments. To improve the reliability one can use a weighted sum as the outcome of the test rather than an unweighted sum. In principle, the weights may be chosen so as to obtain maximal reliability. We propose two new confidence intervals for the maximal reliability in the tau‐equivalent model and we compare these two new intervals with intervals derived earlier in Yuan and Bentler (Psychometrika, 67, 2002, 251) and Raykov and Penev (Multivariate Behavioral Research, 41, 2006, 15). The comparison involves coverage curves, a methodology that is new in the field of reliability. The existing Yuan–Bentler and Raykov–Penev intervals are shown to overestimate the maximal reliability, whereas one of our proposed intervals, the stable interval, performs very well. This stable interval hardly shows any bias, and has a coverage for the true value which is approximately equal to the confidence level.


The analysis of forces, moments and pressure points has long been of great interest in orthodontics. Hence, we set out to define a method for measuring the pressure exerted by aligners on the teeth, and specifically to identify the precise points of pressure exertion. Intraoral scans were performed on a patient with optimal alignment and levelling before and after 2º vestibularisation of the upper central incisor. Pressure sensor film was placed in a dedicated housing between the aligner and teeth in order to record the pressure exerted after 15 s of aligner application. The images captured by the film were scanned, digitised, and subsequently analysed. Areas and amounts of pressure generated by the aligners were evaluated, and the net force of each was calculated, adjusted to take into consideration passive values. The method revealed the areas of contact by which the aligner transmits force on the teeth, and the pressures at which it does so. The pressure exerted by an aligner is not evenly distributed across the entire surface of the tooth during lingual tipping of an upper incisor. The areas of force concentration were not identical, as these are influenced by factors resulting from the manufacturing and casting processes.


Abstract. Chalk aquifers are an important source of drinking water in the UK. Due to their properties, they are particularly vulnerable to groundwater-related hazards like floods and droughts. Understanding and predicting groundwater levels is therefore important for effective and safe water management. Chalk is known for its high porosity and, due to its dissolvability, exposed to karstification and strong subsurface heterogeneity. To cope with the karstic heterogeneity and limited data availability, specialised modelling approaches are required that balance model complexity and data availability. In this study, we present a novel approach to evaluate simulated groundwater level frequencies derived from a semi-distributed karst model that represents subsurface heterogeneity by distribution functions. Simulated groundwater storages are transferred into groundwater levels using evidence from different observations wells. Using a percentile approach we can assess the number of days exceeding or falling below selected groundwater level percentiles. Firstly, we evaluate the performance of the model when simulating groundwater level time series using a spilt sample test and parameter identifiability analysis. Secondly, we apply a split sample test to the simulated groundwater level percentiles to explore the performance in predicting groundwater level exceedances. We show that the model provides robust simulations of discharge and groundwater levels at three observation wells at a test site in a chalk-dominated catchment in south-western England. The second split sample test also indicates that the percentile approach is able to reliably predict groundwater level exceedances across all considered timescales up to their 75th percentile. However, when looking at the 90th percentile, it only provides acceptable predictions for long time periods and it fails when the 95th percentile of groundwater exceedance levels is considered. By modifying the historic forcings of our model according to expected future climate changes, we create simple climate scenarios and we show that the projected climate changes may lead to generally lower groundwater levels and a reduction of exceedances of high groundwater level percentiles.


Tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) binds to death receptors 4/5 and selectively induces caspase-dependent apoptosis. The RNA interference screening approach has led to the discovery and characterization of several TRAIL pathway components in human cells. Here, libraries of synthetic small interfering RNA (siRNA) and microRNAs (miRNA) were used to probe the TRAIL pathway. In addition to known genes, siRNAs targeting CDK4, PTGS1, ALG2, CLCN3, IRAK4, and MAP3K8 altered TRAIL-induced caspase-3 activation responses. Introduction of the miRNAs let-7c, mir-10a, mir-144, mir-150, mir-155, and mir-193 also affected the activation of the caspase cascade. Putative targets of these endogenous miRNAs included genes encoding death receptors, caspases, and other apoptosis-related genes. Among the novel genes revealed in the screen, CDK4 was selected for further characterization. CDK4 was the only member of the cyclin-dependent kinase gene family that bore a unique function in apoptotic signal transduction.


Neonatal seizures are frequent in neonatal intensive care and the most common cause is perinatal asphyxia. Among other causes, toxin exposure is rare.We present a boy with an uneventful vaginal birth, who presented one hour after birth with apnea, hypotonia, mydriasis, tongue fasciculation, and tonic seizures. There was no hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy and brain imaging was normal. Toxicology screening revealed a toxic concentration of lidocaine in his blood. The intoxication was transplacental, as a cord blood sample confirmed the toxic level. This was probably due to maternal perineal nerve block with lidocaine.Perineal local infiltration of lidocaine is not without risk for the newborn. Toxicology screen remains an important tool in the work-up of neonatal seizures and sudden unexpected postnatal collapse.


1. The infectivity of three strains of Leishmania braziliensis
pifanoi, strain V1 and V2 from Venezuela and L 15 from Brazil
was studied in albino, hairless, "shaven" and "shaven" x albino
mice; in hamsters, rats and guinea pigs.
Rats and guinea-pigs were not susceptible, Hamsters were more
susceptible to infection than mice. Hairless and "shaven" mice were more readily infected than
albino or "shaven" x albino.
On intradermal inoculation, amastigotes were more effective
than promastigotes in establishing infection.
The size of the lesion and the extent of metastasis were
directly proportional to the dose of inoculum: the incubation period
was inversely proportional to the dose of inoculum.
Primary and secondary lesions were restricted to hairless parts
of the body.
The appearance of the primary lesion and metastasis to other
parts of the body was followed in mice and hamsters:-
Intraperitoneal inoculation led to the involvement of the scrotum
in 2 out of 6 hamsters and 11 out of 32 mice.
Intracardioc inoculation resulted in diffuso infection in 4 out of
4 "shaven" mice, and in none of the hairy mice (albino or hybrid).
Intradermal, intraperitoneal and intrasplenic inoculation with
the parasite did not lead to visceral involvement.
Age and sex were not found to play an important role in
influencing the course of infection.
2. The effect of the environmental temperature on the course of infection
in mice was studied.
In mice adapted to live at - 15oC, no lesion developed, but
when these mice were transferred to 4°C lesions developed as in the
control kept at room temperature.
Mice and hamsters inoculated with the parasite and kept at 4oC
showed a normal course of infection.
When mice with active lesions were kept at 36.5°C, the parasites
disappeared from the infected histiocytes within 26 - 39 hours and the
lesions healed within 27 - 35 days.
3. ' The histiopathological picture of the disease was studied in mice
and hamsters.
 The lesions consisted mainly of a histiocytic granuloma in the
dermis extending into the subdermis and sometimes into the epidermis
in the 'form of a micro abscess. In the secondary lesions tho
subpapillary zone of the epidermis, which normally is clearly demarkated
from the dermis, may become invaded with parasites.
The mucous membranes and cartilage of the ears usually remain
free from infection, but the regional lymph nodes were found to
become involved.
4. Attempts were made to attenuate the parasite by exposure to
gamma-irradiation in order to use it as a vaccine. However, parasites
exposed to from 6.5 to 17.5 Kilo rads retained their normal infectivity
in mice.


This article deals with advanced topics of ontological engineering to convince readers ontology is more than a rule base of terminological problems and is worth to consider a promising methodology in the next generation knowledge processing research. Needless to say, ontology in AI is tightly connected to ontology in philosophy. The first topic here is on philosophical issues which are very important to properly understand what an ontology is. After defining class, instance and is-a relation, we point out some typical inappropriate uses of is-a relation in existing ontologies and analyze the reasons why. Other topics are basic ontological distinction, part-of relation, and so on. As an advanced example of ontology, an ontology of representation is extensively discussed. To conclude this tutorial, a success story of ontological engineering is presented. It is concerned with a new kind of application of ontology, that is, knowledge systematization. An ontology-based framework for functional knowledge sharing has been deployed into a company for two years and has been a great success. Finally, future of ontological engineering is discussed followed by concluding remarks.


The Geological Survey of Ireland (G.S.I) at present has over 4 terabytes of multi-beam sonar data gathered over the last five years from the seabed within the Irish designated zone as part of the Irish National Seabed Survey (INSS) and this data-set is expected to exceed 10 terabytes upon completion. Geological interpretation is carried out by visual inspection of bathymetric patterns. Due to the size of this data set and the emergence of similar data sets, the extraction of knowledge from such a data sets by human observers has become infeasible. The focus has turned to using artificial intelligence and computational methods for assistance. The commercial and environmental sensitivity of the data means that secure data processing and transmission are of paramount importance. This has lead to the creation of the MarineGrid project within the Grid Ireland organization. New method's have been developed for statistical analysis of bathymetric information specifically for automated geological interpretation of rock types on the sea floor and feature extraction from the sea floor. In this poster we present a brief synopsis of both a classification algorithm and a feature extraction algorithm and the results obtained from within the NUI Galway MarineGrid project.


Objective: The aim of the study was to evaluate in several Northern Italy urban localities the cost-effectiveness and the public perception of an intensive Ae. albopictus control strategy by integrating accurate inspection and treatment of private areas with the standard disinfestations of catch basins in public areas.

Methods: The applied door-to-door strategy (DtoD) includes periodical inspections of private properties with larval treatment of permanent breeding sites and removal or inactivation of occasional breeding sites, together with direct information to the residents. The effectiveness of the service was assessed in the period 2013-2015 by means of ovitraps and in the period 2015-2017 by human landing collections (HLC). Public perception was evaluated by a survey questionnaire at the end of the season.

Results: In the period 2013-2017, 94.7% of the 41,827planned inspections were managed according to the program, while 5.3% were not made due to detected specific reasons. The reduction in the Ae. albopictus' density, when compared to similar urban areas managed with the standard mosquito control plan (regular larval treatment of breeding sites in public areas and community engagement), resulted in the range 36-62% when using ovitraps and 69-72% when using HLC. Simple questionnaires distributed to citizens' to evaluate their perception showed that 59.3-89.2% declared the DtoD service highly effective or effective, while 3.2-13.1% declared DtoD poorly effective or ineffective. The average cost of the DtoD package was in the range 5-9 Euro/inhabitant/year, depending on the local condition, while the average cost of the standard plan at the Emilia-Romagna regional level was calculated in 1.3 Euro/inhabitant/year.

Conclusion: The tested DtoD strategy resulted very effective in the reduction of the Ae. albopictus population in urban context and has been favorably received by the resident population. On the other hand, the strategy requires a remarkable organizational effort.


The aim of the study is to create awareness and knowledge of Hydroxychloroquine among the general public Hydroxychloroquine (CHQ) was first recognized as a potent antimalarial agent It was used for the prevention and treatment of acute attacks of malaria Hydroxychloroquine is FDA-approved to prevent and treat malaria and also to treat the autoimmune disease, rheumatoid arthritis and lupus Quine advanced forms are chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine used for antimalarial treatment Hydroxychloroquine has immunomodulatory effects and it may cause retinopathy A survey was conducted among the general public during the pandemic COVID 19 The study setting was an online setting with a varied population The sample size included 100 people and predominantly were South Indian population The sampling method was a simple randomized method Both the gender were included and the population was above 18 years From the study, we come to know that 55% of people are aware of the drug hydroxychloroquine 47% of the people were aware of the side effects of the drug hydroxychloroquine 92% of people had knowledge about India exploring drugs to foriegn nations 91% of people agreed that hydroxychloroquine along with common antibiotics can be used for the treatment of COVID 19 43% of people are aware of the contraindications of the drug Hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine can cause abnormal heart rhythms such as QT interval prolongation and rapid heart rate called ventricular tachycardia Patients with other health issues are at higher risk when receiving these medications Hence from the study we can conclude that the study population has only minimum knowledge and awareness about the drug hydroxychloroquine This study helps in improving the knowledge and creating awareness among the people


Abstract. We propose an original approach to develop rainfall thresholds to be used in civil protection warning systems for the occurrence of landslides at regional scale (i.e. tens of thousands of kilometres), and we apply it to Tuscany, Italy (23 000 km2). Purpose-developed software is used to define statistical intensity–duration rainfall thresholds by means of an automated and standardized analysis of rainfall data. The automation and standardization of the analysis brings several advantages that in turn have a positive impact on the applicability of the thresholds to operational warning systems. Moreover, the possibility of defining a threshold in very short times compared to traditional analyses allowed us to subdivide the study area into several alert zones to be analysed independently, with the aim of setting up a specific threshold for each of them. As a consequence, a mosaic of several local rainfall thresholds is set up in place of a single regional threshold. Even if pertaining to the same region, the local thresholds vary substantially and can have very different equations. We subsequently analysed how the physical features of the test area influence the parameters and the equations of the local thresholds, and found that some threshold parameters can be put in relation with the prevailing lithology. In addition, we investigated the possible relations between effectiveness of the threshold and number of landslides used for the calibration. A validation procedure and a quantitative comparison with some literature thresholds showed that the performance of a threshold can be increased if the areal extent of its test area is reduced, as long as a statistically significant landslide sample is present. In particular, we demonstrated that the effectiveness of a warning system can be significantly enhanced if a mosaic of site-specific thresholds is used instead of a single regional threshold.


Long-term consumption of pistachios could potentially improves glucose homeostasis. Impaired postprandial glucose, insulin, and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) responses have been reported in gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) patients. The objective of this study was to evaluate the acute effects of two isocaloric test meals, 42 g pistachios and 100 g whole-wheat bread (WWB) on postprandial glucose, insulin, and gut derived incretin levels in Chinese women with gestational impaired glucose tolerance (GIGT) or GDM. Expected glucose and insulin responses were observed after WWB consumption. Isocaloric pistachio intake had minimal effect on blood glucose or insulin. In both GIGT and GDM patients, significant higher GLP-1 levels were observed at 90 and 120 min after pistachio compared to WWB intake. Significant lower gastric inhibitory polypeptide (GIP) levels were observed at 30 and 60 min in GDM patients or 120 min in GIGT patients after pistachio compared to WWB intake. In summary, isocaloric pistachio intake induced significantly lower postprandial glucose, insulin and GIP but higher GLP-1 levels compared to WWB. Our data suggest pistachios are effective alternative to a low-fat, high-carbohydrate food to improve postprandial glucose, insulin, and GLP-1 response in women with GDM and GIGT.


We introduce VAST, the Valence-Assessing Semantics Test, a novel intrinsic evaluation task for contextualized word embeddings (CWEs). Despite the widespread use of contextualizing language models (LMs), researchers have no intrinsic evaluation task for understanding the semantic quality of CWEs and their unique properties as related to contextualization, the change in the vector representation of a word based on surrounding words; tokenization, the breaking of uncommon words into subcomponents; and LM-specific geometry learned during training. VAST uses valence, the association of a word with pleasantness, to measure the correspondence of word-level LM semantics with widely used human judgments, and examines the effects of contextualization, tokenization, and LM-specific geometry. Because prior research has found that CWEs from OpenAI's 2019 English-language causal LM GPT-2 perform poorly on other intrinsic evaluations, we select GPT-2 as our primary subject, and include results showing that VAST is useful for 7 other LMs, and can be used in 7 languages. GPT-2 results show that the semantics of a word are more similar to the semantics of context in layers closer to model output, such that VAST scores diverge between our contextual settings, ranging from Pearson's rho of .55 to .77 in layer 11. We also show that multiply tokenized words are not semantically encoded until layer 8, where they achieve Pearson's rho of .46, indicating the presence of an encoding process for multiply tokenized words which differs from that of singly tokenized words, for which rho is highest in layer 0. We find that a few neurons with values having greater magnitude than the rest mask word-level semantics in GPT-2's top layer, but that word-level semantics can be recovered by nullifying non-semantic principal components: Pearson's rho in the top layer improves from .32 to .76. Downstream POS tagging and sentence classification experiments indicate that the GPT-2 uses these principal components for non-semantic purposes, such as to represent sentence-level syntax relevant to next-word prediction. After isolating semantics, we show the utility of VAST for understanding LM semantics via improvements over related work on four word similarity tasks, with a score of .50 on SimLex-999, better than the previous best of .45 for GPT-2. Finally, we show that 8 of 10 WEAT bias tests, which compare differences in word embedding associations between groups of words, exhibit more stereotype-congruent biases after isolating semantics, indicating that non-semantic structures in LMs also mask social biases.


OPTIMIZATION OF FUNCTIONAL MRI METHODS FOR OLFACTORY INTERVENTIONAL STUDIES AT 3T By Vishwadeep Ahluwalia, Ph.D. A Dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Virginia Commonwealth University. Virginia Commonwealth University Thesis Advisor: Birgit Kettenmann, Ph.D. Assistant Research Professor, Division of Radiation Physics and Biology, Department of Radiology, Virginia Commonwealth University Functional MRI technique is vital in investigating the effect of an intervention on cortical activation in normal and patient population. In many such investigations, block stimulation paradigms are still the preferred method of inducing brain activation during functional imaging sessions because of the high BOLD response, ease in implementation and subject compliance especially in patient population. However, effect of an intervention can be validly interpreted only after reproducibility of a detectable BOLD response evoked by the stimulation paradigm is first verified in the absence of the intervention. Detecting a large BOLD response that is also reproducible is a difficult task particularly in olfactory Functional MRI studies due to the factors such as (a) susceptibility-induced signal loss in olfactory related brain areas and (b) desensitization to odors due to prolonged odor stimulation, which is typical when block paradigms are used. Therefore, when block paradigms are used in olfactory interventional Functional MRI studies, the effect of the intervention may not be easily interpretable due to the factors mentioned above. The first task of this thesis was to select a block stimulation paradigm that would produce a large and reproducible BOLD response. It was hypothesized that a BOLD response of this nature could be produced if within-block and across-session desensitization could be minimized and further, that desensitization could be minimized by reducing the amount of odor by pulsing the odor stimulus within a block instead of providing a continuous odor throughout the block duration. Once the best paradigm was selected, the second task of the thesis was to select the best model for use in general linear model (GLM) analysis of the functional data, so that robust activation is detected in olfactory related brain areas. Finally, the third task was to apply the paradigm and model that were selected as the best among the ones tested in this thesis, to an olfactory interventional Functional MRI study investigating the effect of food (bananas) eaten to satiety on the brain activation to the odor related to that food. The methods used in this thesis to ensure valid interpretation of an interventional effect, can serve as a template for the experimental design of future interventional Functional MRI studies.


CONTEXT
The planning status of a pregnancy may affect a woman's prenatal behaviors and the health of her newborn. However, whether this effect is independent or is attributable to socioeconomic and demographic factors has not been explored using nationally representative data.

METHODS
Data were obtained on 9,122 births reported in the 1988 National Maternal and Infant Health Survey and 2,548 births reported in the 1988 National Survey of Family Growth. Multiple logistic regression analyses were employed to examine the effects of planning status on the odds of a negative birth outcome (premature delivery, low-birth-weight infant or infant who is small for gestational age), early well-baby care and breastfeeding.

RESULTS
The proportion of infants born with a health disadvantage is significantly lower if the pregnancy was intended than if it was mistimed or not wanted; the proportions who receive well-baby care by age three months and who are ever breastfed are highest if the pregnancy was intended. In analyses controlling for the mother's background characteristics, however, a mistimed pregnancy has no significant effect on any of these outcomes. An unwanted pregnancy increases the likelihood that the infant's health will be compromised (odds ratio, 1.3), but the association is no longer significant when the mother's prenatal behaviors are also taken into account. Unwanted pregnancy has no independent effect on the likelihood of well-baby care, but it reduces the odds of breastfeeding (0.6).

CONCLUSIONS
Knowing the planning status of a pregnancy can help identify women who may need support to engage in prenatal behaviors that are associated with healthy outcomes and appropriate infant care.


How does it happen that billions of stars can cooperate to produce the beautiful spirals that characterize so many galaxies, including ours? This book reviews the history behind the discovery of spiral galaxies and the problems faced when trying to explain the existence of spiral structure within them. In the book, subjects such as galaxy morphology and structure are addressed as well as several models for spiral structure. The evidence in favor or against these models is discussed. The book ends by discussing how spiral structure can be used as a proxy for other properties of spiral galaxies, such as their dark matter content and their central supermassive black hole masses, and why this is important.


Opioid use claims many thousands of lives each year. This article considers the diffusion of prescription opioid (PO) use within family households as one potential culprit of the proliferation of these medications. In an analysis of hundreds of millions of medical claims and almost 14 million opioid prescriptions in one state between 2010 and 2015, we show that the use of POs spreads within family households. We also show that the treatment effect of exposure to a family member's PO use is driven by an increase in PO consumption for medical conditions that members of treated and untreated families experience at nearly identical rates. This pattern of results suggests household exposure causes an uptick in patient demand for prescription opioids. We use an instrumental variable estimation strategy to address the well-known challenges to estimating a causal effect of intra-household contagion, such as genotypic similarities among family members, assortative matching in partner selection, and clustering of health conditions within households. The results spotlight the salience of the most ubiquitous social structure, the family household, in accelerating opioid consumption to unprecedented levels. The findings also suggest that rather than direct social influence between physicians, the spread of prescription behavior in physician networks may be driven by shifts in patient demand that propagate through the patient sharing network.


When it comes to messaging, what worked in the past won't work today. Our noisy, digital world has undermined our ability to focus.

 For a message to grab attention and persuade, it now has to pass the SAUCE test and be: Simple, Appealing, Unexpected, Credible, and Emotional.

 Secret Sauce shows you how to transform unconvincing messages into compelling copy. It comes with a 15-question SAUCE test and a Heat Gauge which allows you to precisely measure the persuasive impact of your messages. Short, easy to read, and packed with visuals, Secret Sauce provides:

 Clear examples of what works and what doesn't

 Fascinating insights from behavioral and neurological research

 Powerful lessons from successful and failed campaigns

 Less than 10 percent of marketing messages are truly compelling?engaging the head and heart. Secret Sauce helps you weed out the clutter and craft messages that stick.


The point spread function (PSF) of single molecule emitters can be engineered in the Fourier plane to encode three-dimensional localization information, creating double-helix, saddle-point or tetra-pod PSFs. Here, we describe and assess adaptations of the phasor-based single-molecule localization microscopy (pSMLM) algorithm to localize single molecules using these PSFs with sub-pixel accuracy. For double-helix, pSMLM identifies the two individual lobes and uses their relative rotation for obtaining z-resolved localizations, while for saddle-point or tetra-pod, a novel phasor-based deconvolution approach is used. The pSMLM software package delivers similar precision and recall rates to the best-in-class software package (SMAP) at signal-to-noise ratios typical for organic fluorophores. pSMLM substantially improves the localization rate by a factor of 2 - 4x on a standard CPU, with 1-1.5·104 (double-helix) or 2.5·105 (saddle-point/tetra-pod) localizations/second.


We analyse IRAS and COBE DIRBE data at wavelengths between 2.2 and 240 of the central 500 pc of the Galaxy and derive the large-scale distribution of stars and interstellar matter in the Nuclear Bulge. Models of the Galactic Disk and Bulge are developed in order to correctly decompose the total surface brightness maps of the inner Galaxy and to apply proper extinction corrections. The Nuclear Bulge appears as a distinct, massive disk-like complex of stars and molecular clouds which is, on a large scale, symmetric with respect to the Galactic Centre. It is distinguished from the Galactic Bulge by its flat disk-like morphology, very high density of stars and molecular gas, and ongoing star formation. The Nuclear Bulge consists of an R^(-2) Nuclear Stellar Cluster at the centre, a large Nuclear Stellar Disk with radius 230 ± 20 pc and scale height 45 ± 5 pc, and the Nuclear Molecular Disk of same size. The total stellar mass and luminosity of the Nuclear Bulge are 1.4 ± 0.6 x 10^9 and 2.5 ± 1 x 10^9, respectively. About 70% of the luminosity is due to optical and UV radiation from young massive Main-Sequence stars which are most abundant in the Nuclear Stellar Cluster. For the first time, we derive a photometric mass distribution for the central 500 pc of the Galaxy which is fully consistent with the kinematic mass distribution. We find that the often cited R^(-2) distribution holds only for the central ~30 pc and that at larger radii the mass distribution is dominated by the Nuclear Stellar Disk which has a flatter density profile. The total interstellar hydrogen mass in the Nuclear Bulge is M_H = 2 ± 0.3 x 10^7, distributed in a warm inner disk with R = 110 ± 20 pc and a massive, cold outer torus which contains more than 80% of this mass. Interstellar matter in the Nuclear Bulge is very clumpy with ~90% of the mass contained in dense and massive molecular clouds with a volume filling factor of only a few per cent. This extreme clumpiness, probably caused by the tidal stability limit in the gravitational potential of the Nuclear Bulge, enables the strong interstellar radiation field to penetrate the entire Nuclear Bulge and explains the relatively low average extinction towards the Galactic Centre. In addition, we find 3 x 10^7 of cold and dense material outside the Nuclear Bulge at positive longitudes and 1 x 10^7 at negative longitudes. This material is not heated by the stars in the Nuclear Bulge and gives rise to the observed asymmetry in the distribution of interstellar matter in the Central Molecular Zone.


PURPOSE OF REVIEW
Sarcoidosis is a complex granulomatous disease of unknown cause. Corticosteroids and immune suppressants are often given long term in chronic disease, which may result in substantial toxicity. Validated strategies for selecting patients at risk for disease progression, who might benefit from early and targeted treatment, are lacking. Consequently, the unmet need for new treatment options in sarcoidosis is high. In this review, we critically discuss potential therapeutic targets and ongoing clinical trials in sarcoidosis.

RECENT FINDINGS
Despite the heterogeneous clinical manifestations and the lack of a reliable animal model, our knowledge and understanding of the pathogenesis of sarcoidosis has improved in recent years, which has resulted in the identification of several potential therapeutic strategies. They include the inhibition of cytokines involved in maturation of macrophages, activation of dendritic cells, and maturation and activation of pathogenic T-lymphocytes. The inflammasome and the autophagy are additional areas for future research. Antifibrotic therapy might also be a reasonable choice in selected patients, although the best treatment strategy in progressive fibrotic sarcoidosis remains undetermined.

SUMMARY
In this article, we review novel approaches to sarcoidosis treatment and potential therapeutic targets.


Background: Cognitive impairment is common in multiple sclerosis (MS), with cognitive processing speed being the most frequently affected domain. Objective: Examine the effects of daclizumab beta versus intramuscular (IM) interferon (IFN) beta-1a on cognitive processing speed as assessed by Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT). Methods: In DECIDE, patients with relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) (age: 18–55 years; Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score 0–5.0) were randomized to daclizumab beta (n = 919) or IM IFN beta-1a (n = 922) for 96–144 weeks. SDMT was administered at baseline and at 24-week intervals. Results: At week 96, significantly greater mean improvement from baseline in SDMT was observed with daclizumab beta versus IM IFN beta-1a (p = 0.0274). Significantly more patients treated with daclizumab beta showed clinically meaningful improvement in SDMT (increase from baseline of ⩾3 points (p = 0.0153) or ⩾4 points (p = 0.0366)), and significantly fewer patients showed clinically meaningful worsening (decrease from baseline of ⩾3 points (p = 0.0103)). Odds representing risk of worsening versus stability or improvement on SDMT were significantly smaller for daclizumab beta (p = 0.0088 (3-point threshold); p = 0.0267 (4-point threshold)). In patients completing 144 weeks of treatment, the effects of daclizumab beta were generally sustained. Conclusion: These results provide evidence for a benefit of daclizumab beta versus IM IFN beta-1a on cognitive processing speed in RRMS. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT01064401 (Efficacy and Safety of BIIB019 (Daclizumab High Yield Process) Versus Interferon β 1a in Participants With Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis (DECIDE)): https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01064401.


Quantitative measures of adiabatic lapse rate, equilibrium line altitude (ELA), and accumulation-area ratio (AAR) are important to understand the hydrological processes and conduct hydrological modeling in a highly glaciated watershed. We present a detailed analysis of temperature data from 21 climatic stations, hypsometric analyses of glacier distributions, and a method to analyze ablation gradients and runoff curves concurrently to quantify these parameters for the watersheds of Upper Indus Basin (UIB) with 15,062 km2 of glacierized area and elevation range of 361–8,611 m. We show that ELA varies considerably from one watershed to another implying highly variable upper elevation limit up to which melting of snows and glaciers takes place throughout the basin. This is in sharp contrast to the assertions made by previous researchers. We show that the ELA is as low as 4,840 m in Astore watershed and it is as high as 6,200 m in Shyok watershed. In accordance with the variation of ELA, the AAR also varies considerably from one watershed to another. It is as low as 0.10 in Gilgit and as high as 0.65 in Zanskar watersheds. We ascribe 15–20% uncertainty to these estimates of ELA and AAR in UIB.


Excessive sweating from the palms and soles, known as palmoplantar hyperhidrosis, affects both children and adults. Diagnosis of this potentially embarrassing and socially disabling condition is based on the patient's history and visible signs of sweating. The condition usually is idiopathic. Treatment remains a challenge: options include topical and systemic agents, iontophoresis, and botulinum toxin type A injections, with surgical sympathectomy as a last resort. None of the treatments is without limitations or associated complications. Topical aluminum chloride hexahydrate therapy and iontophoresis are simple, safe, and inexpensive therapies; however, continuous application is required because results are often short-lived, and they may be insufficient. Systemic agents such as anticholinergic drugs are tolerated poorly at the dosages required for efficacy and usually are not an option because of their associated toxicity. While botulinum toxin can be used in treatment-resistant cases, numerous painful injections are required, and effects are limited to a few months. Surgical sympathectomy should be reserved for the most severe cases and should be performed only after all other treatments have failed. Although the safety and reliability of treatments for palmoplantar hyperhidrosis have improved dramatically, side effects and compensatory sweating are still common, potentially severe problems.


Problem. Television is being regarded by the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Brazil as a new avenue for evangelism. Since research indicates that one of the most effective formats for TV evangelism is the TV spot, this project suggests the use of thirty-second TV spots as a viable means of evangelism in the Brazilian context. The project further recommends principles for the development of a TV-spot series to be used along with a media mix and a follow-up program conducted by youth groups. Method. An analysis of the history of God's communication with mankind reveals several principles that can be applied to even the most modern methods of communication. Perhaps the most important of these can be found in God's ultimate effort to reach humanity, Jesus Christ - the Word made flesh. In addition, Christ's own methods of touching His hearers provide a model for communicators today. His parables, in particular, had goals strikingly similar to those of today's carefully designed TV spot. Their very brevity validates the religious TV spot's attempt to communicate a stimulating religious message in thirty seconds or less. Jesus's use of simple language and symbols drawn from everyday life in His parables also illustrates valuable principles of communication. A review of literature confirms as well that the spot is an effective genre, currently popular with religious groups and station and network executives alike. The literature which deals with product-related aspects of TV spots indicates that spots are in demand as a form of advertisement because of their short segment length. THey are also one of the most economical methods of religious presentation. But it is evident that, if spots are to be accepted for airing, especially during prime time, they must be of excellent quality. A study of station/network-related aspects of TV spots reveals that leaders in television are enthusiastic about the use of spots for religious purposes because of rating pressures and time/media considerations. Finally, literature concerning audience-related aspects of TV spots contains many studies showing that audiences are most attentive to that which speaks to their felt needs and interests. It is determined, however, that the religious communicator should seek to stimulate his audience as well as meet its felt needs. Personal experience has given insights into the actual development of a TV spot series for evangelism. Since television reaches a large, heterogeneous audience, other media may be necessary in order to speak to specific segments of a population during a campaign. Each medium has various advantages and disadvantages which need to be taken into account in the development of a media mix. The impersonality of television also makes a simple spot series insufficient. A message as personal as the Gospel must be communicated also in person. A personal follow-up program is, therefore, necessary. Youth groups function very well in this activity. Not only can young people bring a vibrant message of love to the public, but - as a result of the climate of credibility established by the TV spots - they can experience new witnessing confidence and personal spiritual growth. Conclusion. The TV-spot series, in conjunction with a media mix and a follow-up program conducted by the youth of the church appears to be a valuable addition to the evangelistic program of the Brazilian Seventh-day Adventist Church. Spots are economical, well-accepted, and effective. Campaigns which use them bring forth favorable attention from the general public to the church. But most importantly, they help to meet the needs of the community - with sensitivity born of love - and to turn the eyes of a seeking world to God's message of hope.


The article analyses the German and Swedish experiences of elaborating collective capital formation as a strategy for economic democracy. It stresses how the original Swedish wage-earner funds (WEF), to a large extent were influenced by proposals for capital formation funds that had already been elaborated in Germany. The original WEFs should be considered as a socialist strategy aiming to transform the power and property relations in order to achieve economic democracy. The WEF struggle resulted in a hegemonic turning-point; up to this point Swedish social democracy had for decades strengthened its power position, but the WEF struggle meant that the bourgeois actors managed to unite as a hegemonic force which have had important consequences for the development afterwards. To understand the origin and decline of the plans for collective capital formation in Germany and Sweden, the analysis needs to take into account the transformation from a Fordist to a Post-fordist mode of production. This transformation has important implications regarding the possibilities for the labour movement to once again work out strategies of collective capital formation for economic democracy.


The signature is an infinite graded sequence of statistics known to characterise a stream of data up to a negligible equivalence class. It is a transform which has previously been treated as a fixed feature transformation, on top of which a model may be built. We propose a novel approach which combines the advantages of the signature transform with modern deep learning frameworks. By learning an augmentation of the stream prior to the signature transform, the terms of the signature may be selected in a data-dependent way. More generally, we describe how the signature transform may be used as a layer anywhere within a neural network. In this context it may be interpreted as an activation function not operating element-wise. We present the results of empirical experiments to back up the theoretical justification. Code available at github.com/patrick-kidger/Deep-Signatures.


Given the high level of skepticism from the public toward politicians, this research explores the communication styles that separate public figures who are trusted and supported from those who are not. Contrary to conventional practice, it is argued that the use of 'spin' in political communication is a large factor contributing to the public's negative perception of politicians. Political spin is defined as a communication style encompassing specific behaviours designed to appeal to the media, control information, and contain the meaning audiences derive from a message. This research operationalised spin as it is used in political communication and compared participants' responses to messages with low and high levels of spin. The present research comprised three studies. In Study One, interviews were conducted with communication professionals to define the concept and specific 'information control behaviours' associated with spin. An 'authenticity' scale was then developed to measure audience responses to low and high-spin messages. In Study Two, 50 participants were randomly assigned to view a series of low or high-spin political messages. Participants rated messages from a confederate politician as well as actual politicians, government officials, and corporate representatives using the Authenticity Scale. Study Three was conducted throughout the 5-weeks of political campaigning prior to a general election. A representative sample of 60 voters was used each week in a repeated measures design to rate the political candidates and two confederate politicians using the Authenticity Scale. It was found that participants were able to clearly discern the degree of spin used by politicians when communicating a message. Messages containing a high level of spin elicited more negative attitudes and significantly lower levels of support for politicians, than messages containing a low level of spin. Specifically, participants' perceptions of source trustworthiness and credibility were significantly higher for politicians using a low-spin style of communication. The findings are discussed in terms of the expectancy disconfirmation theory. The findings suggest that adopting a new low-spin style of communication will assist public figures to communicate more persuasively and to better engage an increasingly skeptical public.


The aim of this article is to prioritize the factors and alternatives relating to the reference conditions for the biodiesel production chain for the Brazilian Program for Biodiesel Use and Production. Multicriteria mapping of stakeholders' preferences was used to structure 20 interviews with specialists from Brazil representing three key areas (academy, industry, and regulatory bodies). The methodology started with a review of the literature on the sustainability of the biodiesel production chain based on market data, a review of 138 scientific articles indexed in the CAPES "Web of Science" database, which were searched using "biodiesel" and "sustainability" as keywords, and an analysis of the sustainability criteria used in related legislation and voluntary sustainability initiatives. Next, the reference conditions for the sustainability of the biodiesel production chain were structured, starting with the links and then the factors and their respective impacts and prioritizations given by the stakeholders. The results obtained from all the respondents indicate that the six most critical parameters are: improving the productive capacity of the land, non deforestation, production inputs, land access, engine problems, and land use for food production, which jointly accounted for 55.5% of the total priorities. © 2012 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 32: 1262–1270, 2013


Most patients with asthma can be managed with standardized, traditional therapies; however, 5–10% of patients suffer from disease that is difficult to control. Uncontrolled asthma disproportionally affects low income and racial minority patients. The disadvan - taged asthma phenotype is defined by the presence of overlapping social, economic and environmental factors. These factors, such as environmental exposures in substandard housing or suboptimal adherence to controller therapy due to impaired health literacy are challenging to address in the clinic or inpatient setting. Personalized management of the disadvantaged asthma phenotype must target these interconnected factors through a multidisciplinary approach that includes longitudinal collaboration with community- based organizations, social workers and legal aid.


Historical institutionalism is used to examine why successive British governments have had difficulties wrestling with the policy issues surrounding the promotion of nuclear power. Attention is drawn to the role of institutions and path dependency in creating the situation in which policy decisions have been taken. Analysis of documents and interviews with key participants was carried out. It is shown that nuclear power is seen by politicians as a solution to the problems of energy security and climate change. The British government faces a number of obstacles to overseeing a revival of nuclear power. These obstacles are imposed by shortages in the supply chain for key components, the operation of the electricity market itself, the complexity of the Britain's regulatory system, and critical shortages in manpower in regulatory agencies. These obstacles have all arisen from the consequences of previous political decisions.


Respiratory and diarrheal diseases generate a substantial health burden globally and domestically, causing 7.0% and 3.5%, respectively, of all deaths worldwide each year (1). Among the infectious causes of death, lower respiratory tract infections rank first, causing an estimated 3.8 million deaths each year, and diarrheal diseases rank third, responsible for nearly 2 million deaths (1). The communicability of these illnesses is often demonstrated by the clustering of cases within households or among individuals in proximity. Such clustering also highlights the importance of personal hygiene practices to prevent further spread. Several new and recurring infectious threats underscore the role of personal and community-based hygiene measures in preventing infection. Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) first appeared in late 2002 in a community setting but spread worldwide a few months later after an ill physician spent 1 night in a Hong Kong hotel and transmitted the illness to more than a dozen other guests. How this transmission occurred is unclear, but exposure probably included close person-to-person contact, coughing and sneezing, and contact with surfaces or objects contaminated with infectious virus. The global outbreak was brought under control through strict adherence to classic infection control measures. These measures are particularly relevant during respiratory disease season. The primary strategy for influenza prevention is vaccination, but respiratory and hand hygiene practices may also reduce the risk for transmission. Another notable infection is community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, which has emerged in recent years in several populations, including young children, Alaska Native and Native American populations, members of sports teams, and inmates at correctional facilities; among the latter 2 groups, poor hygiene has been implicated in transmitting the infection (2). Perhaps trying to capitalize on public apprehension regarding infectious disease, industry has provided home cleaning products that contain antibacterial ingredients. Consumers may believe that products not labeled with such ingredients are less effective. Products containing antibacterial agents are quite common. A survey of selected U.S. retail stores found agents such as triclosan in 76% of liquid soaps and in 29% of bar soaps (3). In this issue, Larson and colleagues (4) performed a well-designed, labor-intensive, randomized, double-blind trial comparing symptom rates among families with at least 1 preschool-age child who used handwashing and household-cleaning products with or without antibacterial ingredients. The intervention households received a kitchen cleaner (with a quaternary ammonium compound), laundry detergent (with oxygenated bleach), and liquid handwashing soap (with triclosan). Control households received identically packaged products without the antibacterial ingredients. Both groups received the same liquid dishwashing detergent and bar soap, without antibacterial ingredients. The households were followed for 48 weeks, with active monthly surveillance for adherence to product regimens and infectious disease symptoms (vomiting, diarrhea, fever, sore throat, cough, rhinorrhea, skin infection, and conjunctivitis). No significant differences between the 2 groups were found in reports of symptoms, which included rhinorrhea (26.8%), cough (23.2%), fever (11%), sore throat (10.2%), vomiting (2.6%), and diarrhea (2.5%). Fewer than 1% of the households reported any skin symptoms. Within most subgroups, such as young children, children attending day care, and persons working outside the home, no differences were found between the 2 groups. Interestingly, persons with chronic disease or poor health in the antibacterial product group were more likely to have fever, rhinorrhea, and cough. There are several possible reasons that no difference was detected between the 2 groups. First, there may be no difference. Second, the antibacterial ingredients may not affect the infectious agents responsible for the symptoms studied. The symptoms monitored in this study are principally attributable to viral infections. Although the antibacterial ingredients contained in the products used in this study have been found to have some antiviral properties when used with sufficient concentration over an adequate length of time (5), they may not have been used this way in the home. In addition, some of the viruses that cause the symptoms the authors tracked have putative or demonstrated airborne transmission that would circumvent even sterile conditions in the absence of sufficient distance or barriers (6). Finally, perhaps the greatest risk for exposure and transmission occurs outside of the home. Household members were not confined; some were employed, were in child care or school, and presumably left the home for other reasonsproviding multiple opportunities for exposure to infectious agents. If most transmission occurs in the community setting, then prevention efforts should be focused there. Studies of several non-home settings, such as day care centers, schools, military training camps, and correctional facilities, have found evidence that various means of improved hygiene can reduce disease transmission and its effects (for example, absenteeism and physician visits) (2, 7-10). Some of these studies included the use of products containing antibacterial ingredients. The decision to use products containing antibacterial ingredients to prevent disease transmission rests on whether there are proven benefits in a specific setting (for example, home or institution) and whether there are risks. Among the risks associated with antibacterial-containing products is the possible link between resistance to their antibacterial ingredients and the development of resistance to drugs used to treat infections. This link has been shown in in vitro studies, and shared resistance mechanisms have been found in S. aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Mycobacterium tuberculosis (11, 12). More studies examining resistance issues related to these products are needed. In March 2003, the Institute of Medicine published an update to its 1992 landmark report on emerging infections (13, 14). The new report describes how and why global microbial threats occur and proposes solutions to reduce their impact. In describing factors linked to disease emergence, the report describes antimicrobial resistance as a paramount microbial threat of the twenty-first century, (14) associated with increased risks of untreatable diseases and global spread of drug-resistant pathogens as well as increased health care and medical research costs. The threat of easily transmitted, potentially severe infections in the community requires awareness, evidence-based prevention strategies, and preparedness. Larson and colleagues show that nonmedical products that claim, directly or indirectly, to have health benefits can be evaluated similarly to drugs to provide the evidence base for public health recommendations. Health education campaigns are needed to assist clinicians in educating their patients on ways to prevent the spread of infections that are transmitted through direct and indirect contact and airborne means: covering the mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing and practicing frequent hand hygiene (15, 16). Health education efforts targeted to the general public are also needed to reinforce the importance of frequent hand hygiene in preventing illness. These measures may well reduce the risk for serious morbidity in the face of current and future outbreaks of respiratory and other infections. Perhaps the frequent admonitions we heard as children are more valid now than evercover your mouth when you cough or sneeze and wash your hands!


This study examines the role of the various mechanisms that are employed to smooth consumption in vi lage economies in less developed countries. Since intra-temporal remittances are only capable of smoothing the idiosyncratic component of risk, we include inter-temporal smoothing mechanisms into our analysis that are capable of smoothing the aggregate risk component. We develop a theoretical framework for our analysis that integrates two central strands of the village economy literature, risk sharing and buffer-stock saving. Using this framework we ask if transfers are targeted to liquidity constrained households, and we examine the relative use of the two types of mechanism by adding transaction costs in the use of intra-temporal remittances. We also analyze the relationship between remittances, household income and asset holdings using simulated data generated from the mode1.3 Our results suggest that within a risk sharing framework, remittances will be targeted to liquidity constrained households only under certain conditions; that there will be a positive relationship between asset accumulation and remittances; and that household income will be inversely related to remittances.


This study examined the influence of fermented rapeseed meal (FRSM) on the intestinal morphology and gut microflora of broiler chickens. Limited information is available on the effects of FRSM on the intestinal morphology and the gastrointestinal microbiome population of animals. First, 48 21-day Ross 308 broilers were placed in metabolic cages and randomly assigned to four experimental groups. Group I birds were negative controls and received no additive. Group II birds were positive controls and received a 3% addition of unfermented rapeseed meal. Group III birds received a 3% addition of rapeseed meal fermented with the Bacillus subtilis 67 bacterial strain. Group IV birds received a 3% addition of rapeseed meal fermented with the B. subtilis 87Y strain. After 23 days of experimental feeding, the contents of the birds' ceca were collected for microorganism determination. The histomorphology of the broilers' ceca was also determined, and beneficial changes were found in the histology of the broilers' ceca with the additives. Moreover, these materials inhibited the growth of pathogens and significantly stimulated the growth of probiotic bacteria. These results suggest that the addition of 3% FRSM has a potential probiotic effect and can be used as a material in feed for broilers.


Groundwater has long been an active area of research driven by its importance both as a societal resource and as a component in the global hydrological cycle. Key issues in groundwater research include inferring rates of transport of chemical constituents, determining the ages of groundwater, and tracing water masses using chemical fingerprints. While information on the trace elements pertinent to these topics can be obtained from aquifer tests using experimentally introduced tracers, and from laboratory experiments on aquifer materials, these studies are necessarily limited in time and space. Regional studies of aquifers can focus on greater scales and time periods, but must contend with greater complexities and variations. In this regard, the isotopic systematics of the naturally occurring radionuclides in the U- and Th- decay series have been invaluable in investigating aquifer behavior of U, Th, and Ra. These nuclides are present in all groundwaters and are each represented by several isotopes with very different half-lives, so that processes occurring over a range of time-scales can be studied (Table 1⇓). Within the host aquifer minerals, the radionuclides in each decay series are generally expected to be in secular equilibrium and so have equal activities (see Bourdon et al. 2003). In contrast, these nuclides exhibit strong relative fractionations within the surrounding groundwaters that reflect contrasting behavior during release into the water and during interaction with the surrounding host aquifer rocks. Radionuclide data can be used, within the framework of models of the processes involved, to obtain quantitative assessments of radionuclide release from aquifer rocks and groundwater migration rates. The isotopic variations that are generated also have the potential for providing fingerprints for groundwaters from specific aquifer environments, and have even been explored as a means for calculating groundwater ages.

View this table:

 Table 1.
Radionuclides important in groundwater studies.

The highly fractionated nature of the …


The article highlights how the Department of Justice and its leadership can change even long-standing prosecutorial orthodoxy and prevailing approaches when they set out a clear mission and empower and guide prosecutors in implementing it. To decrease the number of federal prisoners, the Obama administration adopted a tri-partite strategy that included prevention and re-entry, co-equal with prosecutions. Yet the collection and analysis of relevant data continued to fall short which privileged old practices that emphasized the number of convictions and prison years imposed. A substantial investment in data is needed to support and reinforce a shift away from prison terms. Perhaps most importantly, the article questions the role federal prosecutors should play at a time prisons remain overcrowded despite a historically low crime rate. The criminal justice paradigm may not be an appropriate avenue for addressing social problems.


Cardiac electrophysiological simulation and multi-modality visualization are computationally intensive and valuable in studying the structure, mechanism, and dynamics of heart. The existing multi-CPU based approaches can reduce the calculation time, but suffer from the hardware and communication cost problems and are inefficient for 3D data visualization. Compared with multi-CPU, the highly parallel and multi-core properties of GPU make it a suitable alternative for accelerating cardiac simulation and visualization. In this paper, we develop a G-Heart system where GPU-based acceleration technologies are adopted for both the simulation of cardiac electrophysiological activities and the online illustration 3D multi-modality (anatomical and electrophysiological) data. In the simulation stage, a phase-field method is employed to cope with the no-flux boundary condition. For heart geometrical structure illustration, a GPU-based ray-casting volume rendering algorithm is implemented and an improved context-preserving model with user interaction is integrated into the proposed framework. Finally, a fusion visualization method is proposed, which can provide 3D visualization results for both the simulation data and the anatomical data simultaneously.


We examine the saving decline from the perspective of microeconomic survey data on the wealth position of American households. Can the surveys provide information on the nature and causes of the saving decline that are not evident in the macroeconomic information? The analysis concentrates on data obtained from six Surveys of Consumer Finances (SCF) covering the period of 1983-2001. The SCF had a panel dimension only in the 1983-89 period. We conclude that the 1983-89 panel survey is a very valuable, but often ignored, exercise in measuring saving behavior. It is particularly instructive in demonstrating the heterogeneous nature of saving behavior and the dominant role of high-income households. Unfortunately, the panel component of the survey was discontinued after 1989. We conclude that cohort-based estimates of saving that can be derived from successive rounds of the SCF cross-section are not effective substitutes for a panel survey. The most substantial opportunity to improve our knowledge of the reasons for the decline in household saving would be to repeat the 1989 exercise by re-interviewing a portion of the households in each SCF survey.


Innovative ICT applications such as patient-present telemedicine consultation services can save lives, yet following pilot-testing few have achieved long-term viability. Partners Health Care's TeleStroke service, in full operation, is financially self-sustaining. Interviews with clinical, technical and administrative personnel at Partners and two "spoke" hospitals revealed practical lessons learned. Analysis through the lens of the Resource Based View reveals that many valuable assets and capabilities that Partners and its spoke hospitals developed are necessary for a successful TeleStroke program yet could be acquired or copied (they are not rare or inimitable). We note further that Partners' overriding goal for TeleStroke is to achieve clinical success in its catchment area, without depleting financial resources; competitive advantage is sought within the catchment area but not beyond it. Resource analysis reveals that other institutions could develop successful telemedicine services for acute stroke care, since the needed assets are readily available, most of the capabilities can be imitated, and viable substitutes are limited. We contend that the lessons learned in this case study -about the effective deployment of assets and capabilities -are broadly applicable to other settings, in health care and other industries.


Artificial Bee Colony (ABC) algorithm is considered new and widely used in searching for optimum solutions. This is due to its uniqueness in problem-solving method where the solution for a problem emerges from intelligent behaviour of honeybee swarms. This paper proposes the use of the ABC algorithm as a new tool for Data Mining particularly in classification tasks. Moreover, the proposed ABC for Data Mining were implemented and tested against six traditional classification algorithms classifiers. From the obtained results, ABC proved to be a suitable candidate for classification tasks. This can be proved in the experimental result where the performance of the proposed ABC algorithm has been tested by doing the experiments using UCI datasets. The results obtained in these experiments indicate that ABC algorithm are competitive, not only with other evolutionary techniques, but also to industry standard algorithms such as PART, SOM, Naive Bayes, Classification Tree and Nearest Neighbour (kNN), and can be successfully applied to more demanding problem domains.


This thesis studies Benjamin Disraeli's use of the form of the
"Bildungsroman" to invent and discover himself. It shows how Disraeli's own life was developing as a "Bildungsroman" while writing four of his twelve novels, Contarini Fleming, Coningsby, Sybil and Lothair, during the period 1832-1870.
As each of these four novels is studied in turn in Chapters I-IV
respectively, Disraeli's recurring hero appears in four guises, thus illustrating how the form of the "Bildungsroman" undergoes subtle changes.

In the open-ended Contarini Fleming (1832) with its emphasis on youth and ambition, Disraeli had intended to create a work similar to the classical German "Bildungsroman" portraying the development of a character. Despite its many comparisons with Goethe's paradigmatic Wilhelm Meisters Lehrjahre, Disraeli's early novel has more of an affinity with Stendhal's Le rouge et Ie noire. The eponymous hero of Coningsby has the distinguishing quality of "insipidness" and is seen from the perspective of an exemplary class representative of the aristocracy. This novel is taken as an example of the English "Bildungsroman", an English "fairy story" because Coningsby's destiny is already predetermined.
The hero of Sybil, Charles Egremont's conviction is that one's identity is not inherited but created, which returns to the classical ideal of "Bildung", and which Disraeli reformulated as "vocation". It is argued that poverty and its relief was not the theme of Sybil but was used to point to the opportunities open to a reeducated aristocracy.

In Chapter IV it is shown that it is only with Lothair, written in old age, that Disraeli discovers himself and achieves a successful classical "Bildungsroman". The narrator evaluates the represented events in a restrained and indirect manner and demonstrates a concern with analysing what is involved
in the hero's discovery of himself and the world. The "Bildungsroman's"
valorization of the existing social order prompts Lothair to look towards the past. He refuses to consider the future still open and his discontinuation of the quest for a philosophy of life is presented as a sign of his achieved maturity and his
"Bildung" is concluded. In these four self-referential works Disraeli constructed a composite character whose biography was that of the author himself.


A Thesis Submitted to the Department of Theoretical and Applied Biology in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the award of the Master of Science Degree in Environmental Science, October-2012


This paper presents a verification of CitySim, a largescale building energy simulation tool based on a simplified thermal model. First, the main assumptions behind the simplified model are presented. Then, CitySim is compared to other detailed simulation tools on case studies defined in the Building Energy Simulation Test (BESTEST) validation procedure. Finally, the predictions of CitySim regarding the annual heating load are compared with the monitored consumption of a building located on the campus of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL). Regarding the BESTEST, CitySim gives annual heating and cooling results together with peak heating and cooling loads that are within the acceptable range defined by reference simulation tools except for the annual heating load of case 960 and the peak cooling of case 610 but the differences are rather small (less than 1%). Regarding the EPFL campus building, CitySim gives an annual heating consumption within a 5% range of the monitored consumption of two reference years. The paper concludes that despite its simplified thermal model, CitySim results remain consistent with more detailed programs and the monitored heating consumption of an office building. These results reinforce the confidence in the tool to predict annual and peak load energy needs for conditioning buildings.


We give relative error coresets for training linear classifiers with a broad class of loss functions, including the logistic loss and hinge loss. Our construction achieves $(1\pm \epsilon)$ relative error with $\tilde O(d \cdot \mu_y(X)^2/\epsilon^2)$ points, where $\mu_y(X)$ is a natural complexity measure of the data matrix $X \in \mathbb{R}^{n \times d}$ and label vector $y \in \{-1,1\}^n$, introduced in by Munteanu et al. 2018. Our result is based on subsampling data points with probabilities proportional to their $\ell_1$ $Lewis$ $weights$. It significantly improves on existing theoretical bounds and performs well in practice, outperforming uniform subsampling along with other importance sampling methods. Our sampling distribution does not depend on the labels, so can be used for active learning. It also does not depend on the specific loss function, so a single coreset can be used in multiple training scenarios.


The intensity of moist convection is an important diagnostic of climate change not currently predicted by most climate models. We show that a simple estimate of the vertical velocity of convective updrafts in a global climate model reproduces observed land‐ocean differences in convective intensity. Changes in convective intensity in a doubled CO2 simulation are small because the tropical lapse rate tends to follow a moist adiabatic profile. However, updrafts strengthen by ∼1 m s−1 with warming in the lightning‐producing regions of continental convective storms, primarily due to an upward shift in the freezing level. For the western United States, drying in the warmer climate reduces the frequency of lightning‐producing storms that initiate forest fires, but the strongest storms occur 26% more often. For the central‐eastern United States, stronger updrafts combined with weaker wind shear suggest little change in severe storm occurrence with warming, but the most severe storms occur more often.


Stencil lithography is a surface patterning technique that relies on the local physical vapor deposition of material through miniaturized shadow mask membranes. It is extremely useful for the formation of patterns, mainly thin structured metal films, in situations where lithography equipment is not available or when the surfaces don't allow the chemical and thermal process steps typically involved in photolithography. Stencil lithography is scalable from mm to sub-100-nm sizes, which makes it very interesting as method for rapid-prototyping of nanostructures without the risk of contamination, and for laboratories without access to high-end nanolithography equipment. The major challenges in stencil lithography are following: i) low-cost fabrication of nanostencils, ii) optimized mechanical properties of thin membranes, iii) deposition of material on stencil membrane, iv) precise alignment of nanostencils, v) recycling of stencils. In collaboration with our project partners [1] we have recently progressed in several of the above mentioned challenges. Stencils fabrication can be based on a set of advanced silicon micro and nanomachining steps (including UV, DUV, EBL and FIB) and a combination of DRIE and wet etching. The mechanical stability of the ultra-thin low-stress silicon nitride membranes could be considerably improved by topographic reinforcement rims. Surface structures of metals (e.g. Al, Au, Bi, Cr, Ti, Cu) on various surfaces (e.g. Si, SiO2, SU-8, PDMS, PMMA, SAMs, freestanding SiN cantilevers, and curved surfaces) where systematically studied in terms of patterning accuracy. Thousands of sub-micrometer NEMS resonators were integrated in CMOS by stencil lithography and sacrificial etching. Variants of stencil methods include the local doping with ions, and local polymer etching using oxygen plasma. The talk will present the current state-of-the-art of nanostencil lithography, will highlight the strength of the method but will also discuss the current limits and challenges ahead to make it a truly reliable and scalable full-wafer nanofabrication method.


1. Variables that affect the measurement of purine synthesis de novo in human lymphocytes were studied and a reliable method of measurement of purine synthetic activity in these cells was established. 2. Purine synthesis de novo was measured as the rate of incorporation of [14C] formate into alpha-N-formylglycinamide ribonucleotide when further steps in the biosynthetic pathway had been blocked by azaserine. Incubation was carried out in a synthetic medium with a high phosphate concentration (25 mmol/l). 3. Purine synthesis de novo was measured in lymphocytes obtained on several occasions both from control subjects and from patients with gout, particularly those who tended to overproduce urate as suggested by high values of urinary urate. 4. Lymphocytes obtained from each individual on different occasions showed considerable variations in purine biosynthetic activity. This variation was such that there was no difference between the mean values obtained for the gouty subjects and the control subjects. 5. No correlation was obtained between the mean purine synthetic activity de novo in lymphocytes and either the serum urate concentration or the 24 h urinary urate excretion on a purine-free diet. 6 Apart from those with recognized enzyme mutations, no subgroup of the gouty population has been demonstrated in whom isolated lymphocytes demonstrate an intrinsic abnormality of purine synthesis de novo.


Background Early college high schools, small schools that blur the line between high school and college, have been obtaining very strong results. This paper uses the frame of student engagement to posit an explanation for the success of these schools. Purpose This paper examines the impact of early college high schools on indicators and facilitators of engagement in the ninth-grade. The paper also looks at how early college students perceive these facilitators of engagement. Participants The main sample for this study includes students who applied to an early college high school and went through a lottery process. Student who were accepted through the lottery are the treatment students and those who were not accepted form the control group. Intervention Early colleges are small schools, often located on college campuses, that aim to provide a rigorous course of study with the goal of ensuring that all students graduate with a high school diploma and two years of university transfer credit or an associate's degree. Serving students in Grades 9-12 (or 13), the schools are targeted at students who typically are under-represented in college. Data Collection and Analysis The study uses administrative data submitted to the North Carolina Department of Instruction, including suspensions and attendance data. The study team also administered an original survey to treatment and control students that included scales on indicators and facilitators of engagement. Both the administrative and survey data were analyzed using multiple regression. Finally, the study team collected qualitative data from interviews with early college students. Results Early college students had better attendance, lower suspensions, and higher levels of engagement than control students. Compared to the control students, early college students also reported higher levels of all of the facilitators of engagement examined, including better relationships with teachers, more rigorous and relevant instruction, more academic and affective support, and higher expectations. Conclusions Students in early colleges experienced overall higher levels of engagement on a variety of dimensions. The qualitative data suggest that early colleges make concerted and purposeful efforts to engage students in school. These efforts seem to almost require that students are active participants in school; in other words, early colleges can be seen as essentially "mandating engagement."