Summary
1. Prey species often possess defences (e.g. toxins) coupled with warning signals (i.e. aposematism). There is growing evidence that the expression of aposematic signals often varies within species and correlates with the strength of chemical defences. This has led to the speculation that such signals may be 'honest', with signal reliability ensured by the costliness of producing or maintaining aposematic traits.

2. We reared larval seven-spot ladybirds (Coccinella septempunctata) on a Low or High aphid diet and measured the effects on warning signal expression (elytral carotenoid pigmentation, conspicuousness, spot size), levels of defensive alkaloids (precoccinelline, coccinelline), and relationships between these traits.

3. High-diet individuals had greater total precoccinelline levels, and elytra carotenoid concentrations at adulthood which was detectable to a typical avian predator. However, larval diet did not significantly affect adult body mass or size, spot size or coccinelline levels.

4. Elytra carotenoid concentrations correlated positively with total precoccinelline levels in both diet groups and sexes. However, the relationship between elytra carotenoid concentrations and total levels of coccinelline depended on sex: in both diet groups, elytra carotenoids and coccinelline levels were positively correlated in females, but negatively correlated in males. Spot size and coccinelline levels correlated positively in Low-diet individuals, but negatively in High-diet individuals.

5. These results point to physiological linkages between components of aposematism, which are modulated by resource (i.e. food) availability and affect the honesty of signals. Developmental diet, but also sex, influenced the relationships between signals and toxin levels. Ladybirds are sexually size dimorphic, and thus in comparison with males, females may be more susceptible to resource limitation and more likely to be honest signallers.


FRANCE HAS DEPLOYED some 8,000 French troops around the world, and the way they interact with foreign populations and military organizations overseas is the direct result of a successful, 100-year-old marriage between ethno-anthropology and the French military experience in the 19th and 20th centuries in Africa, Asia, and Europe. The French military definition of operational culture takes note of this alliance: "Operational culture is the understanding of foreign cultural norms, beliefs and attitudes: it is an operationally relevant field guide used by general officers as well as infantry squad leaders to navigate a complex human terrain."1 Deployed French Army units learn about a foreign country's culture by studying its customs, history, economic issues, social norms, and traditions. This anthropology angle became part of the military learning process as a result of lessons learned in two centuries of counterguerrilla wars, or what we today refer to as irregular war or "hybrid war."2 The French military experience led to two counterintuitive principles: * Effective leaders of small combat arms units must think like human intelligence collectors, counterpropaganda operators, nongovernmental organization workers, and negotiators. * The combat arms battalion is the nexus of operational cultural training and education for complex military and nonmilitary tasks. French Operational Culture Concept The colonial era influenced the development of operational culture concepts throughout the 19th and 20th century. The colonial campaigns from 1862 to 1962 linked anthropological studies with strategic and tactical military courses of action. Marriage of anthropological studies and irregular war. During the colonial expansion in Africa and Indochina in the second half of the 19th century, French military officers returning from campaigns in Asia and Africa travelled to Paris to share their observations and lessons learned witii a large authence of politicians, journalists, geographers, and ethno-anthropologists.3 A common interest in unknown populations led mese military thinkers to share their cultural awareness with these groups. Colonial officers hosted anthropologists overseas who assisted them in the study of violence among nonstate groups.4 This laid the foundation for the strong influence of ethno-anthropological studies on the colonial Army throughout the 19th and 20m century. Officers compared written reports witii ethno-anthropologists' observations on lifestyle, customs, social structures, and tribal governments in the unexplored territories of Africa and Asia. In 1 885, for instance, Captain Savorgnan de Brazza returned to Paris with ethno-anthropological information gathered during his exploration of the Ogoue, Congo, and Kouilou-Nari basins in Central Africa.5 Anthropologists also became more familiar with the planning and execution of military campaigns. Two French colonial military figures enforced this process: Marshals Joseph Gallieni and Hubert Lyautey. In 1899, building on 20 years of colonial campaign experiences, they established the first principles of expeditionary operations later integrated into operational culture.6 In his The Colonial Role of the Army, Lyautey, then a colonel, called for permanently stationing a reservoir of units overseas to develop staff and small-unit leaders with expertise in foreign cultures and languages, and in mediation and negotiation techniques. Lyautey set the conditions for integrating operational culture into irregular- warfare concepts. Expeditionary campaigns in Upper Tonkin (1885-1897) and Madagascar (1896-1900) served as on-the-ground laboratories to develop this approach. Company- to platoon-sized units operated independently to gain control of wide areas of operations. Captains, lieutenants, and sergeants learned that collecting the right intelligence at the right time was the key to mission success.7 Superior in their knowledge of the terrain but inferior in their equipment, organization, and firepower, the French Army's adversaries often waged guerrilla warfare. …


The already impressive capacity of yeast to use very similar Map kinase (MAPK) signaling pathways to mediate distinct biological processes becomes even more amazing with a report from Lee and Elion. The MAPKKK/Ste11 and other downstream components were thought to be dedicated to mating and invasive growth signaling pathways and to be inactive during normal vegetative growth. The authors show that Ste11 and other components shared by the mating and invasive growth pathway also function to promote vegetative growth. Hence, yeast appear to accommodate a variety of responses by using appropriate members from a single repertoire of signaling components. Lee, B.N., and Elion, E.A. (1999) The MAPKKK Ste11 regulates vegetative growth through a kinase cascade of shared signaling components. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 96: 12679-12684. [Abstract] [Full Text]


This paper presents a study of educational materials used in Swedish language education. The aim of the study is to understand in which way multimodal resources can be used in texts, to benefit in the process of meaning making among pupils in the nine-year compulsory school. The theoretical framework used as a basis for understanding and analysing these educational materials is the social semiotic multimodal perspective and the design theoretical multimodal perspective. The study is a multimodal text analysis but it also involves analyses of the syllabi connected to the subject of Swedish language education. The extended concept of text was introduced in the year of 2000 in the syllabus and today multimodal texts are supposed to be part of the Swedish language education. In course of this study the researcher found that multimodal resources can be used in different ways to benefit in the process of meaning making. The study shows that the use of resources is connected to the different aims among texts and to the affordances of meaning making resources. The aim of texts differs among and in-between the educational materials connected to the different syllabi. The researcher also found that the texts supposed to be included in Swedish language education has increased since the extended concept of text was introduced and according to the process of time. Pupils however, aren´t introduced to strategies for dealing with these new kinds of texts, in the same extent.


The rapid growing number of patients diagnosed with a neurodegenerative disease and more particularly with Alzheimer's disease (AD) has stimulated intensive research in determining and understanding biological phenomena causing such devastating diseases and hence allowing for the elaboration of adapted therapeutic treatments. These diseases are also commonly called "conformational" diseases because they result from the misfolding of a protein leading to the formation of self-associated β-sheets, which in turn give rise to the formation of oligomers, protofibrils as well as insoluble fibrils characterizing the plaques found in the brain of affected patients. Consequently, the investigation of such proteins, in particular of Amyloid β (Aβ) in the case of AD, is a limited and difficult task to achieve, which often leads to contradictory results. To overcome these difficulties and to be able to study the key steps of conformational transitions and misfolding of such peptides and proteins, our research group has developed a new tool, called switch-peptides, enabling to block (Soff state) and trigger (Son state) peptide folding at will (Figure). The introduction of a switch element S built from Ser, Thr or Cys residues disrupts the regular polypeptide chain by the insertion of an ester and a flexible C-C bond resulting in a conformational disconnection of P1 and P2 (Figure), i.e. in an unordered (random coil), non-folded conformation. Each S element is protected by a protecting group Y (Soff state) that can be cleaved independently by adding a base, an enzyme or by light, depending on the chemical nature of Y. The cleavage of the different protecting groups Y triggers a spontaneous O to N acyl migration, re-establishing the regular amide backbone of the peptide chain, hence enabling the peptide to fold "in statu nascendi" and to adopt a well-defined secondary structure. The present thesis explores the potential of this novel concept for the example of conformational transitions relevant in amyloid β misfolding. In the first part we investigate the chemical stability of the S element in aqueous media, exposing a number of switch-peptides to various experimental conditions. Most notably, the ester bond proved to be stable at acidic as well as physiological conditions for several hours, opening a broad range of biological applications. The second part of the work is dedicated to the study of conformational transitions of switch-peptides derived from Aβ(1-42). By incorporating one or several switch elements disposing orthogonal protecting groups Y, the impact of different fragments of the peptide as nucleation site for the process of β-sheet formation, self-assembly and aggregation has been revealed as monitored by CD, TEM studies and ThT (pathway B, Figure). For the first time, the orthogonal triggering of the two switch elements, i.e. S26 and S37 allowed to delineate the important role of the C-terminal part of Aβ in the early step of misfolding. Subsequently, one of the nucleation sites for aggregation, i.e. segment Aβ(14-24) was excised from the native sequence and transformed to a switch-peptide applying the host-guest technique. Detailed CD studies were applied for investigating conformational transitions of type random-coil (Soff) to β-sheet structure (Son), serving as proof of concept for the use of Aβ-derived nucleation sites as guest sequence in combination with β-sheet promoting host peptides for the screening of potential inhibitors of fibril formation as early molecular event in the context of AD. This has been demonstrated in applying the elaborated host-guest peptides to evaluate the β-sheet breaking potential of pseudo-proline (ψPro)-containing switch-peptides derived from Aβ (pathway C, Figure). Preliminary results indicate that the in situ formation of kink-conformations may exert a β-sheet destabilizing effect, confirming previous observations from the Soto group. Finally, the use of switch-peptides as β-sheet and fibril breaking molecules by in situ α-helix nucleation (pathway A, Figure) has been explored. To this end, the potentially β-sheet forming segment Aβ(14-24) was linked via S element to a helix nucleating peptidomimetic ("N-Cap"). In the Soff state (pH ≤ 4), CD and TEM studies point to the onset of a β-sheet, fibril forming structure. In triggering O,N-acyl migration (pH ≈ 7), a so far unprecedented transition of type β-sheet to α-helix is observed, paralleled by a drastic increase in solubility and a complete disappearance of fibrils. The reversibility of β-sheet and fibril formation by α-helix nucleation in situ represents a most interesting observation and deserves further exploration as potential tool in the study of folding processes. In conclusion, the concept of "switch-peptides" has been successfully applied to biologically relevant molecular events of utmost therapeutic interest.


Objective To evaluate lacrimal duct anastomosis microscopic observation and prognostic factors. Methods Retrograde lacrimal sac incision into 68 cases of anastomosis and direct anastomosis of 60cases of intubation. Clinical observation of two methods to observe the prognostic factors. Results Retrograde Anastomosis lacrimal sac incision total effective rate 86. 76% and direct anastomosis intubation total efficiency 91.66%; two methods the total effective rate P > 0.05, no significant difference. Conclusion Microsurgical anastomosis of lacrimal canal lacrimal duct in traumatic fracture with a clear surgical field level. Operating fine,accurate, and minimal tissue damage in the process of looking for nasal surgery ends is critical, applications can use a variety of methods, to achieve the maximum recovery for wounds and reduce the failure rate of surgery, for patient rehabilitation.

Key words:
Microstructure of lacrimal canal anastomosis; Observation; Prognostic factors


Abstract. Knowledge of planetary magnetic fields provides deep insights into the structure and dynamics of planets. Due to the interaction of a planet with the solar wind plasma, a rather complex magnetic environment is generated. The situation at planet Mercury is an example of the complexities occurring as this planet's field is rather weak and the magnetosphere rather small. New methods are presented to separate interior and exterior magnetic field contributions which are based on a dynamic inversion approach using a reduced magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) model and time-varying spacecraft observations. The methods select different data such as bow shock location information or magnetosheath magnetic field data. Our investigations are carried out in preparation for the upcoming dual-spacecraft BepiColombo mission set out to precisely estimate Mercury's intrinsic magnetic field. To validate our new approaches, we use THEMIS magnetosheath observations to estimate the known terrestrial dipole moment. The terrestrial magnetosheath provides observations from a strongly disturbed magnetic environment, comparable to the situation at Mercury. Statistical and systematic errors are considered and their dependence on the selected data sets are examined. Including time-dependent upstream solar wind variations rather than averaged conditions significantly reduces the statistical error of the estimation. Taking the entire magnetosheath data along the spacecraft's trajectory instead of only the bow shock location into account further improves accuracy of the estimated dipole moment.


This paper demonstrates the second-law analysis of an irreversible Braysson cycle. The overall second law efficiency for the process at variable operating conditions are being derived and plotted. In addition, for further pinpointing and thorough quantification of the losses, the component-wise second law efficiencies are also derived. It had been concluded that, the second law efficiency can be improved by changing the operating conditions of the cycle such as pressure, temperature, etc. In addition, a clear view of the thermodynamic losses occurring in each component is obtained and they too, can be minimised by tuning the operating conditions.


Abstract Photometric recording of the variation in intensity of light transmission by the analyser of a petrological microscope whilst the polarizer is rotating at a rate sufficient to eliminate the periodic output from the photocell as the polars cross and uncross, and a thin section of a crystal aggregate is slowly rotated upon its stage, is found to yield information on the direction and degree of development of any preferred optical orientation that may be present in the section. The theory of the method is considered and an equation derived for the representation of any preferred optical orientation in terms of a direct percentage of areal extent. The direction of the preferred orientation is found to be parallel to the plane of polarization of the stationary analyser when the section is rotated to a position of minimum intensity of light transmission. It is suggested that the method has potential applications in the study of any fabric which is displayed in terms of an optical orientation.


This document defines a protocol for the transport of any SS7 ISUP-
User signalling (e.g, Call Control) over IP using the Stream Control
Transport Protocol [SCTP]. The protocol should be modular and
symmetric, to allow it to work in diverse architectures, such as a
Signalling Gateway and IP Signalling End-point architecture. Protocol
elements are added to allow seamless operation between peers in the
SS7 and IP domains.


In an effort to use oil palm empty fruit bunches (EFB) for making carbon products, EFB was ground and pelletized. The pellets were carbonized in vacuo up to 1000°C, using a heating rate of about 200°C/h. Young's modulus of the
carbon pellets was measured using the ultrasonic technique. The data shows that Young's modulus is significantly dependent on the particle size of the powder used in the preparation of the green body. Young's modulus of carbon
pellets made from smaller particles (70% powder with size ~ 50 11m plus 30% powder with 50 11m ~ size ~ 150 11m) and larger particles (100% powder with 50 11m ~ size ~ 150 pm) was 1.02 GPa and 0.78 GPa respectively. These values
appear to be about 5 to 6 times smaller than those of the carbon samples directly prepared from the endocarp of babassu coconut and about 9 times smaller than that of the carbon product from General Electric Company.


Good treewidth lower bounds can be used in branch-and-bound methods.
The better and faster the bounds, the faster the branch-and-bound algorithm.
They are also useful to estimate the running time of
a dynamic programming algorithm based on tree-decompositions.
A large treewidth lower bound indicates that the treewidth is large.
Because of the exponential influence of the treewidth on the running time of such methods,
there is only little hope to find an efficient algorithm based on tree-decompositions.
Treewidth lower bounds in connection with treewidth upper bounds can help to assess
the quality of these bounds.
A small gap between the bounds means tight bounds, and a large gap indicates room for improvements.

Communication networks are an important part of our world.
Real networks consist of elements that are not infallible.
They can be modelled by graphs,
where we associate to each vertex a rational number
that is the reliability of the corresponding network element.
We assume that the reliabilities of the elements are stochastically independent.
A very crucial issue for designing and maintaining networks is their reliability.
The notion network reliability addresses questions such as:
'What is the probability that two distinguished sites can communicate,
while parts of the network broke down?'
Computing the network reliability is in general NP-hard.

In this thesis, we develop new treewidth lower bounds.
All new lower bounds have in common that they are based on a combination of
existing (degree-based) lower bounds and edge contractions.
Contracting an edge is the operation that replaces an edge and its two endpoints
by one vertex that is made adjacent to all the neighbours of the two endpoint of the contracted edge.
A minor of a graph is a graph obtained from a subgraph by contracting edges.
The main idea to improve treewidth lower bounds
is to take an existing lower bound over all subgraphs or minors.
In this way, we obtain a number of parameters, all treewidth lower bounds,
study relations between them and their computational complexity.
For the parameters that are NP-hard to compute we develop heuristics.
In experiments, we compare the quality of the lower bounds and their running times amongst each other
and also to the best known treewidth upper bounds for a number of graphs
from various areas such as probabilistic networks or frequency assignment problems.
The results of the experiments made very clear
that combining edge contraction with existing treewidth lower bounds
is a very vital idea to improve upon treewidth lower bounds.

One treewidth lower bound parameter is the contraction degeneracy.
It is the maximum over all minors of a graph of the minimum degree of the minor.
This parameter is NP-hard to compute.
Due to its elementary character, it is an interesting study object in its own right
and not only as a treewidth lower bound.
We present a polynomial time method for computing the contraction degeneracy
based on dynamic programming for cographs.

We also present a framework for network reliability problems for graphs of bounded treewidth.
In our model we have two distinguished sets of vertices (severs and clients).
With the framework we can answer more questions, such as
'What is the probability that every client is connected to at least one server?' or
'What is the expected number of connected components with at least one server?'.
These and similar question are proven to be #P-hard.
However, using our framework they can be solved in polynomial time on graphs of bounded treewidth.


The increasing array and power of personal digital recordkeeping systems promises both to make it more difficult for established archives to acquire personal and family archives and less likely that individuals might wish to donate personal and family digital archives to archives, libraries, museums, and other institutions serving as documentary repositories. This paper provides a conceptual argument for how projects such as the Digital Curation one ought to consider developing spinoffs for archivists training private citizens how to preserve, manage, and use digital personal and family archives. Rethinking how we approach the public, which will increasingly face difficult challenges in caring for their digital archives, also brings with it substantial promise in informing them about the nature and importance of the archival mission. Can the Digital Curation project provide tools that canbe used for working with the public?


Research on voice change in males has generally fallen into two categories: music education studies of changes in the singing voice and speech studies of changes in the speaking voice. These studies rarely consider differences in the dynamic ability of male singers at different stages of vocal development. The concept of tessitura, a portion of the vocal range in which the singer sounds best, is referred to in the literature on vocal music, but the means for identifying its size and location within the range have not been consistently specified. Tessitura appears to be a portion of the range which is most controllable in terms of dynamics and agility and is optimal in tonal quality. This study used the phonetograph to investigate differences in measures of intensity control between pre-pubertal, pubertal (changing) and post-pubertal voices in 48 males aged 9 to 18 years old. These intensity measures were compared to ratings of vocal effort from a panel of 4 music educators in order to determine if tessitura could be identified from acoustic and perceptual evidence of an optimum vocal area.
Results of the study were: 1) post-pubertal voices demonstrated greater control of vocal intensity as revealed in lower mean minimum and comfortable intensity measures, higher overall maximum intensity measures and a larger minimum-to-maximum intensity range; 2) intensity measures for pubertal voices were similar to those observed in pre-pubertal voices, contrary to trends suggested in the literature on voice change; 3) the Greatest Dynamic Range (GDR) on the phonetograph, indicating the range in which singers had the most dynamic control, was smaller than the range in which the singers were judged to sound best; 4) tessitura originated in the lower portion of the vocal range, around the location of mean speaking fundamental frequency. Although registers were not specifically investigated, tessitura appeared to be primarily related to modal register in singers who had completed voice change.


Contaminant releases in or near a building can lead to significant human exposures unless prompt response is taken. U.S. Federal and local agencies are implementing programs to place air-monitoring samplers in buildings to quickly detect biological agents. We describe a probabilistic algorithm for siting samplers in order to detect accidental or intentional releases of biological material. The algorithm maximizes the probability of detecting a release from among a suite of realistic scenarios. The scenarios may differ in any unknown, for example the release size or location, weather, mode of building operation, etc. The algorithm also can optimize sampler placement in the face of modeling uncertainties, for example the airflow leakage characteristics of the building, and the detection capabilities of the samplers. In an illustrative example, we apply the algorithm to a hypothetical 24-room commercial building, finding optimal networks for a variety of assumed sampler types and performance characteristics. We also discuss extensions of this work for detecting ambient pollutants in buildings, and for understanding building-wide airflow, pollutant dispersion, and exposures.


The increased need for mobility has led to transportation problems like congestion, accidents and pollution. In order to provide safe and efficient transport systems great efforts are currently being put into developing Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) and cooperative systems. In this paper we extend proposed solutions with autonomous on-road sensors and actuators forming a wireless Road Surface Network (RSN). We present the RSN architecture and design methodology and demonstrate its applicability to queue-end detection. For the use case we discuss the requirements and technological solutions to sensor technology, data processing and communication. In particular the MAC protocol is detailed and its performance assessed through theoretical verification. The RSN architecture is shown to offer a scalable solution, where increased node density offers more precise sensing as well as increased redundancy for safety critical applications. The use-case demonstrates that RSN solutions may be deployed as standalone systems potentially integrated into current and future ITS. RSN may provide both easily deployable and cost effective alternatives to traditional ITS (with a direct impact independent of penetration rate of other ITS infrastructures — i.e., smart vehicles, safe spots etc.) as well as provide fine grain sensory information directly from the road surface to back-end and cooperative systems, thus enabling a wide range of ITS applications beyond current state of the art.


Stable isotopes of mammoths and mastodons have the potential to illuminate ecological changes in late Pleistocene landscapes and megafaunal populations as these species approached extinction. The ecological factors at play in this extinction remain unresolved, but isotopes of bone collagen ({delta}13C, {delta}15N) and tooth enamel ({delta}13C, {delta}18O, 87Sr/86Sr) from the Midwest, USA are leveraged to examine ecological and behavioral changes that occurred during the last interglacial-glacial cycle. Both species had significant C3 contributions to their diets and experienced increasing levels of niche overlap as they approached extinction. A subset of mastodons after the last glacial maximum (LGM) exhibit low {delta}15N values that may represent expansion into a novel ecological niche, perhaps densely occupied by other herbivores. Stable isotopes from serial and micro-sampled enamel show increasing seasonality and decreasing temperatures as mammoths transitioned from Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 5e to glacial conditions (MIS 4, MIS 3, MIS 2). Isotopic variability in enamel suggests mobility patterns and life histories have potentially large impacts on the interpretation of their stable isotope ecology. This study further refines the ecology of midwestern mammoths and mastodons demonstrating increasing seasonality and niche overlap as they responded to landscape changes in the final millennia before extinction.


Autonomous Vehicles (AVs) have the potential to save millions of lives by reducing traffic deaths and accidents. However, despite recent advances, AVs have not met safety standard expectations for a variety of reasons, key among them being the difficulty in certifying AV safety. The development of model-based methods is essential for achieving more explainable tools that provide better safety assurances, in contrast to popular data-dependent end-to-end learning methods. This paper introduces a model-based collision prediction method that uses discretized Gaussian processes for future vehicle position estimation. It can incorporate road layout information, statistical agent dynamics, and be coupled with any trajectory prediction module. The discretization of the space together with a single Normal random variable for each vehicle trajectory allows fast and efficient computation for real-time deployment and computational intensive applications, such as simulation and training of Deep Learning and Reinforcement Learning models. The method can be applied to various scenarios by the adjustment of the model parameters that control dynamics uncertainty. Two scenarios extracted from real data are used as case studies.


Five studies demonstrated that highly guilt-prone people may avoid forming interdependent partnerships with others whom they perceive to be more competent than themselves, as benefitting a partner less than the partner benefits one's self could trigger feelings of guilt. Highly guilt-prone people who lacked expertise in a domain were less willing than were those low in guilt proneness who lacked expertise in that domain to create outcome-interdependent relationships with people who possessed domain-specific expertise. These highly guilt-prone people were more likely than others both to opt to be paid on their performance alone (Studies 1, 3, 4, & 5) and to opt to be paid based on the average of their performance and that of others whose competence was more similar to their own (Study 2 & 5). Guilt proneness did not predict people's willingness to form outcome-interdependent relationships with potential partners who lacked domain-specific expertise (Studies 4 & 5). It also did not predict people's willingness to form relationships when poor individual performance would not negatively affect partner outcomes (Study 4). Guilt proneness therefore predicts whether, and with whom, people develop interdependent relationships. The findings also demonstrate that highly-guilt prone people sacrifice financial gain out of concern about how their actions would influence others' welfare. As such, the findings demonstrate a novel way in which guilt proneness limits free-riding and therefore reduces the incidence of potentially unethical behavior. Lastly, the findings demonstrate that people who lack competence may not always seek out competence in others when choosing partners.


While measuring the benefits from liberalisation is obviously important, from a theoretical as well as from a political point of view, one may question the validity of the presently widespread Walrassian approach. The latter does not take account of the fact that supply is just as must (and perhaps more) risk as (average) price responsive. Now, it turns out that if (contrary to the strong versions of the "rational expectation hypothesis"), producers do not take their decisions on the basis of equilibrium prices only, then the market, instead of equilibrium, can generate very harmful seemingly random fluctuations. These considerations are incorporated into a partial equilibrium model of the world sugar industry, and a GTAP style general equilibrium model of the world economy. In both cases, liberalisation, preventing price stabilisation policies, results in more instability, and a decrease in welfare. Such an outcome is specific of agriculture and other low price elasticity commodities.


Background: DDX3 is the human RNA helicase and enhanced expression of DDX3 protein was found in several cancers including leukemia. Statin family of drugs shown to inhibit the growth of acute myeloid leukemia cells. Objective: In this paper we report the molecular interaction of Rosuvastatin Calcium (RST) salt with DDX3 by Molecular docking. Molecular dynamics simulation (MDS) using Desmond further confirmed that the RST forms strong intra and inter molecular hydrogen bond network with DDX3 as similar to Ketorolac salt, a known inhibitor of DDX3. Materials and methods: To validate the biological activity, RST and KT nanoemulsions were prepared using propylene glycol monocaprylate (type II) NF, glycerol monolinoleate EP, Lauroyl macrogol-6 glycerides EP and poloxamer 188 to improve the bioavailability in rats. Solution state stability study was performed at various pH for 24 h to determine the integrity of RST and KT in nanoemulsion formulations. The prepared formulations have been evaluated for permeability across porcine buccal membrane. The RST and KT nanoemulsions were evaluated for anticancer activity using K-562 leukaemia cancer cell lines. Results: It showed both the nanoemulsions inhibited the growth of the cancer cell and also reduced the expression of DDX3 protein. Bioavailability study in rats revealed that nanoemulsion formulations have exhibited higher systemic concentrations. Conclusion: In summary, taken together, our result demonstrates, for the first time, inhibition of DDX3 expression by RST nanoemulsions indicates that this nanoformulation can be used as an ideal drug candidate to treat DDX3 associated blood cancer. Key words: Rosuvastatin, Ketorolac salt, nanoformulations, DDX3, molecular docking and anti cancer activity.


Multiple sclerosis (MS) is the leading reason of nontraumatic neurological disability in young adults. We know that genetics plays a role in its development. It has described many susceptibility genes for MS, but together they are not able to explain the development of the disease. This project is based on the genetic study of a gypsy family with a large number of individuals affected by MS and a high level of inbreeding. Therefore, the genetic study of this family has excellent conditions to detect MS susceptibility genes.
This project aims to validate genetic changes identified in an exome study realized in a small number of individuals of the total family (4 individuals affected by MS and 1 healthy individual used as control for the reference alleles). On the basis of the results of the exome study, it has been selected for validation in all individuals of the family, those genes in which the function of the resulting protein and the functional consequence of genetic change may be involved in the development of MS. Previously to the genetic study, genes sequences has been searched, the changes localized and identified the regions of interest. Then, the optimal conditions for amplification have been established. Validation of selected changes has been made by Sanger sequencing or RT-PCR with TaqMan® probes. No significant differences were observed for the genotype between healthy and affected individuals in any analyzed gene. Due to the low coverage in some regions analyzed in the exome study, it has observed low concordance between genotyping provided by exome study and the one obtained in the validation.
Because of the importance of HLA in MS susceptibility, DRB1 and DQB1 genes have been analyzed by Luminex® system. None of the studied individuals presents the genotypes DRB1*15:01 and DQB1*06: 02 considered at risk of MS. However, the DRB1*03 genotype is common in this family.
The genes studied in this project are not able to explain the presence of MS in the family


Declarations of practical, political, technical, or ideological impossibility may seem at first glance like dead-ends. However, they can subsequently act as provocations to consider the problem in question more creatively. For example, in 2012 Mo Yan stated that censorship is as necessary as airport security but argued that writing literature is about transcending politics. In performance studies, the notion of unperformability has not been adequately theorised. This is despite plays being frequently labelled unperformable by theatre professionals with regards technical constraints or a perceived lack of interest for live audiences. There has also been considerable work on the fear and repression of performance practices, from Jack Goody's seminal Representations and Contradictions (1997) to the Observatoire de la vie littéraire's ongoing project on the hatred of theatre. The concept of untranslatability, on the other hand, is old in translation studies, but continues to gather substantial interest. Barbara Cassin's Dictionary of untranslatables (2014) has become a bestseller, and there is a thriving discussion among theoreticians about the supposed impossibility of translating certain terms or even texts between languages. As for practice, it has informed, contradicted and ignored theoretical debates. For instance, Schopenhauer attempted to translate Kant despite having previously declared his work untranslatable, and for experimental groups such as the Outranspo, the notion of untranslatability constitutes a challenge to provide a translation.


This paper gives a comprehensive review about the most recent progress in synthesis, characterization, fundamental understanding, and the performance of graphene and graphene oxide sponges. Practical applications are considered including use in composite materials, as the electrode materials for electrochemical sensors, as absorbers for both gases and liquids, and as electrode materials for devices involved in electrochemical energy storage and conversion. Several advantages of both graphene and graphene oxide sponges such as three dimensional graphene networks, high surface area, high electro/ thermo conductivities, high chemical/electrochemical stability, high flexibility and elasticity, and extremely high surface hydrophobicity are emphasized. To facilitate further research and development, the technical challenges are discussed, and several future research directions are also suggested in this paper.


In 1949, Canadian anatomist Murray Barr announced the discovery of a peculiar entity in the cell nucleus that was present in females and absent in males. The identity of this entity remained uncertain for a decade even though Barr hypothesized a relationship between it and the sex chromosomes and called it the "sex chromatin." This hypothesis inspired the development of the chromatin into a technology that could indicate "chromosomal" or "genetic" sex, which supposedly established male and female sex difference as a binary and fundamental characteristic of humans and other animals at conception. Barr collaborated with other researchers and potential patients who applied the sex chromatin test, hoping that it could identify the "true" sex of intersexuals, homosexuals, and transsexuals. Ironically, the application of the test to intersexuals would lead to a revision of the identity of the sex chromatin itself. The history of the sex chromatin illuminates how the significance and essence of this laboratory object evolved with its use as a clinical and research tool. Researchers had hoped that the test would sort the intersex into just two categories, male and female. Instead, the sex chromatin helped to multiply categories of the intersex, distinguished them from inverts, underpinned psychosocial gender as a new dimension of sex difference, and in the process had its own identity refashioned. Today, we call it the Barr body and its story reminds us of the power and limit of biotechnologies to determine who we are.


Community's perception and participation is necessary to be noticed in the effort of developing food barn in rural area. The objective of this study were to: 1) analyze community's perception about food barn in Lampung Barat District, 2) inventory factors that influence community's participation in developing food barn in Lampung Barat District, 3) formulate model and strategy in developing participative food barn to reach food security in Lampung Barat District. This research was conducted by using cross sectional design and descriptive analysis approach. The location was chosen by using purposive sampling which were in Tribudi Syukur Village, Sumberjaya Subdistrict and Buay Nyerupa Village, Sukau Subdistrict. The selection was based on consideration that these villages has different implementation performance of food barn according to the assessment from Food Crops and Horticulture Office in Lampung Barat District. The result of the research shows that the community's perception category, represented by farmer as sample, based on total perception variable score between Tribudi Syukur and Buay Nyerupa, is different. The general condition of the community (like age, education level, income, etc.) do not have correlation with its perception about food barn. The community's participation in food barn category, represented by farmer as sample, based on total participation variable score between Tribudi Syukur and Buay Nyerupa, is also different. There is correlation between community's perception about food barn and its participation in developing food barn activity. The factors that influence community's participation in developing food barn are tradition to store food by the community, the existence of farmer group, community's perception about food barn, the existence of regional governmental structural institution in Food Security, regulation or guidance which support food barn developing, governmental program which support food barn development, the development of food market and trading, condition of region which potentially food insecure. The priority of strategy in developing participative food barn based on the result of SWOT analysis that possible to be conducted are 1) develop community's percepti on to not relying on market in accessing food, 2) develop perception and community participation empowerment in creating and developing food barn based on regional condition, 3) maintain and build community's tradition of storing food from self food storing to collective food storing (in group).


This present study seeks to answer three interconnected questions as pertains to Genesis 13 and the role and function of Lot: (1) Does the text necessitate a reading of Lot as being the first potential heir and/or as the unrighteous counterpart to righteous Abram? (2) If not inherently from the text, then where do these readings of Lot as the potential heir and as the unrighteous counterpart to righteous Abram originate and how can a study of the early reception of Genesis 13 aid in answering that question? (3) If these common assumptions are not derived inherently from the text, then how are Genesis 13 in general, and Lot and his purpose and function, in particular, to be understood? First, I examine the biblical text of Genesis 13 providing a close narrative reading which demonstrates that these common interpretations among modern readers are not inherently rooted in the text itself. On the contrary, the text appears to point to a different understanding of Genesis 13 in general and Lot in particular. Second, after demonstrating that these are not necessary conclusions, I propose that these readings originally developed out of concerns of ancient Jewish and Christian interpreters to safeguard Abram. Last, I provide, based both on my exegesis and reception analysis, a new reading of the place and function of Genesis 13 in general and Lot in particular both in the wider Abraham narrative and Genesis as a whole. I will demonstrate that Lot's relationship with Abram is set up, not within the context of sonship but rather in the context of brotherhood. Abram and Lot's separation not only solves the problematic issue of Lot's accompaniment but also foreshadows the subsequent tension in the patriarchal narratives about brothers being co-dwellers in the land. This tension requires separation, even if the relationship is amicable, and the necessity of the brothers to dwell in different places with only one occupying the land.


The economist Joseph Schumpeter recognized two essential facts of modern capitalism: the sudden displacement of the old by the new, a process he eloquently termed "creative destruction�?; and the significance of innovation over incremental improvements in allocative efficiency to long-run economic growth. The twin Schumpeterian insights are now well accepted. How these insights should be incorporated into laws regulating the marketplace, such as antitrust and intellectual property, is far less clear. Antitrust minimalists and skeptics tend to equate Schumpeter with laissez faire. After all, if even the most entrenched market behemoths are vulnerable to seismic shifts in technology, are not all supposed monopolies merely fleeting? We disagree. This view misreads Schumpeter and misunderstands markets and business strategy. Modern businesses are well aware of the threat of disruptive outsiders and, left unchecked, will do their utmost to prevent future waves of creative destruction from threatening the status quo. We propose thinking of creative destructive and competition policy as a two-stage process rather than a single event where the victor enjoys the spoils of innovation indefinitely without legal constraints. Instead, competition law as we currently understand it would remain in place while being somewhat more forgiving as to the acquisition of market power, yet still vigilant in policing the maintenance of such power. We focus on historical, current, and hypothetical examples from US and EU competition and intellectual property law to show how contemporary law has already incorporated many of these insights and the law can maximize consumer welfare by doing so more thoroughly. Under such a two-step approach, some areas of antitrust and IP law would expand, some would contract, but all areas of the law would more clearly promote innovation and help create real Schumpeterian antitrust.


Squatting as a housing strategy and as a tool of urban social movements accompanies the development of capitalist cities worldwide. We argue that the dynamics of squatter movements are directly connected to strategies of urban renewal in that movement conjunctures occur when urban regimes are in crisis. An analysis of the history of Berlin squatter movements, their political context and their effects on urban policies since the 1970s, clearly shows how massive mobilizations at the beginning of the 1980s and in the early 1990s developed in a context of transition in regimes of urban renewal. The crisis of Fordist city planning at the end of the 1970s provoked a movement of 'rehab squatting' (Instandbesetzung), which contributed to the institutionalization of 'cautious urban renewal' (behutsame Stadterneuerung) in an important way. The second rupture in Berlin's urban renewal became apparent in 1989 and 1990, when the necessity of restoring whole inner-city districts constituted a new, budget-straining challenge for urban policymaking. Whilst in the 1980s the squatter movement became a central condition for and a political factor of the transition to 'cautious urban renewal', in the 1990s largescale squatting - mainly in the eastern parts of the city - is better understood as an alien element in times of neoliberal urban restructuring.


Abstract.
 Understanding the significance of a river reach to a particular species is critical for informing riverine restoration and management. Generally, the relative significance of a river reach for freshwater turtles is based upon population counts. However, capture rates can be greatly influenced by the methods employed, species behavior, localized in-stream conditions, and the operator's knowledge and skill. Here, we report on abundance shifts within freshwater turtle assemblages along a river continuum using a protocol that standardized the sampling effort. Turtle capture was undertaken at 20 study sites along the Mary River (Queensland, Australia), and repeated identically every 6 mo over a 2-yr period. A large funnel trap with a 30-m wingspan was deployed at each site and turtles were captured over a 4-d period. The turtle species assemblages significantly differed between the upper, mid, and lower catchments (multivariate analysis of variance, p < 0.05), suggesting species preference for the broad geomorphological and ecological features of each reach. The observed spatial variance in species assemblage was consistent over time and unaffected by the season, demonstrating that the assessment was repeatable and unaffected by individual species' life history patterns. We argue that trends in turtle species assemblage could be used instead of absolute species count data to alert natural resource managers to shifts in conditions and provide early warning signs of habitat degradation or management success. The technique is cheaper and easier to implement than abundance counts and ensures that capture biases remain constant under different conditions and operators.


Are there advantages to states that adopt the most recent model building energy codes other than saving energy? For example, can the construction activity and energy savings associated with code-compliant housing units become significant sources of job creation for states if new building energy codes are adopted to cover residential construction? , The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Building Energy Codes Program (BECP) asked Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) to research and ascertain whether jobs would be created in individual states based on their adoption of model building energy codes. Each state in the country is dealing with high levels of unemployment, so job creation has become a top priority. Many programs have been created to combat unemployment with various degrees of failure and success. At the same time, many states still have not yet adopted the most current versions of the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) model building energy code, when doing so could be a very effective tool in creating jobs to assist states in recovering from this economic downturn.


Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α (PPAR-α) is a transcription factor and has been reported to inhibit cisplatin-mediated proximal tubule cell death. In addition, doxorubicin (Adriamycin)-induced nephrosis in rats is a commonly used experimental model for pharmacological studies of human chronic renal diseases. In this study, we investigated the protective effect of PPAR-α on doxorubicin-induced apoptosis and its detailed mechanism in NRK-52E cells and animal models. The mRNA level of PPAR-α was found to be reduced by doxorubicin treatment in NRK-52E cells. PPAR-α overexpression in NRK-52E cells significantly inhibited doxorubicin-induced apoptosis and the quantity of cleaved caspase-3. Endogenous prostacyclin (PGI2) augmentation, which has been reported to protect NRK-52E cells from doxorubicin-induced apoptosis, induced the translocation and activation of PPAR-α. The transformation of PPAR-α short interfering RNA was applied to silence the PPAR-α gene, which abolished the protective effect of PGI2 augmentation in doxorubicin-treated cells. To confirm the protective role of PPAR-α in vivo, PPAR-α activator docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) was administered to doxorubicin-treated mice, and it has been shown to significantly reduce the doxorubicin-induced apoptotic cells in renal cortex. However, this protective effect of DHA did not exist in PPAR-α-deficient mice. In NRK-52E cells, the overexpression of PPAR-α elevated the activity of catalase and superoxide dismutase and inhibited doxorubicin-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS). PPAR-α overexpression also inhibited the doxorubicin-induced activity of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB), which was associated with the interaction between PPAR-α and NF-κB p65 subunit as revealed in immunoprecipitation assays. Therefore, PPAR-α is capable of inhibiting doxorubicin-induced ROS and NF-κB activity and protecting NRK-52E cells from doxorubicin-induced apoptosis.


We have attempted to quantify the roles of physical, chemical, and biological interactions structuring the attached algal and invertebrate communities in eight boreal lakes at the Experimental Lakes Area, northwestern Ontario, varying in dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations (3–9 mg L−1). Attached benthic communities on rocky, south‐facing shores were sampled at 0.1, 0.3, 0.7, and 1.5 m depths. Multivariate redundancy analysis explained 58% of the variance in algal communities and 75% of the variance in invertebrate communities. Algal composition was determined most by photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) and ultraviolet radiation (UVR) fluxes, whereas the composition of associated invertebrates was driven by a combination of exposure to solar radiation and food quality and quantity. Communities on rock surfaces exposed to high solar fluxes in these lakes had very high concentrations of a photoprotective scytonemin‐like pigment (SLP‐A), and were dominated by filamentous green algae. Conversely, deeper, more shielded communities were dominated by diatoms and had low concentrations of SLP‐A. This suggests that previous paleolimnological evidence of SLP‐A increases might reflect changes in littoral attached algal communities rather than planktonic ones. Decreases in DOC concentrations as a result of climate warming will result in increased penetration of solar radiation in boreal lakes. As a result, in the event of decreased precipitation, we predict that the dominance of UVR‐resistant epilithic algae in littoral zones will occur in deeper waters than before, with coincident reductions in densities of many invertebrate taxa in algal biofilms increasingly exposed to high solar fluxes.


This report presents findings on the relationship between taking community college dual enrollment courses—in which high school students earn high school and college credits simultaneously—and college outcomes among Florida public high school students. It analyses dual enrollment course-taking by racial/ethnic group (Black, Hispanic, White) and course modality (face-to-face on-college-campus, face-to-face offcampus, and online). The report includes (1) a descriptive analysis of the demographic characteristics and outcomes of dual enrollment participants and (2) multivariate regression analyses of the associations between dual enrollment participation and college outcomes, controlling for a rich set of student and school characteristics. The analyses use transcript-level unit record data on two cohorts of Florida students who started public high school in 2007 and 2012 and were tracked through high school and into Florida state colleges (community colleges) and universities. We find that Florida high school students who took dual enrollment courses were more likely to be White, female, and from more affluent backgrounds than those who did not take dual enrollment courses. We also find that taking dual enrollment courses is associated with better college outcomes for all racial/ethnic groups considered, and that the effects of dual enrollment are mediated by course modality, such that taking courses online is associated with slightly smaller benefits than taking courses face-to-face.


Drawing on newly available archival materials including official documents, reports, and personal accounts, this remarkable study presents a detailed picture of the living standards of various social groups in prewar Soviet Russia, and the role of state-controlled distribution of food and goods as a tool of the Stalinist dictatorship. The study offers a new perspective not only on the period of collectivization, industrialization, and terror but also on the regime's most rudimentary method of controlling human behavior and reshaping the social order. In her conclusion the author analyzes the long-term impacts of the Stalinist "dictatorship of distribution", from bureaucratization to rural depopulation to the emergence of a distinctive type of black-market economy.


Eighteen screw plate tests were carried out using 10-in. 25.4-cm diameter plate, and three types of laboratory test were performed, namely, 18 unconfined tests, 31 unconsolidated-undrained triaxial tests, and 18 one-dimensional consolidation tests. The sampling and testing were carried out at three sites inside the campus of the Asian Institute of Technology in the soft clay layer. At each site, six screw plate tests were performed at depths of 2.50, 4.50, and 6.00 m, and three boreholes were made to take 60-cm-long Shelby tube samples at the test levels. The screw plate test results were calibrated with unconsolidated-undrained (UU) triaxial test results and the bearing capacity factor Nc was found to be 11.00 while the undrained modulus factor K was found to be 0.61. The screw plate test results were also correlated with the unconfined compression (UC) test and one-dimensional consolidation test in this study as well as with the vane shear test and pressuremeter test results from previous investigations. Furthermore, the pressuremeter-settlement-time relationship was evaluated, and it was found that the logarithm of settlement rate, log s, decreased linearly with the logarithm of time, log t, and increased linearly with the logarithm of the stress level, log P′.


Community empowerment program that aims to alleviate poverty in the countryside, in principle, has many similarities. This is seen in PUAP, Gapoktan and Demapanprogram. As for the similarities among others: village-based, implemented by community groups, obtain agriculture and non-agriculture venture, establishment of micro-finance institutions at the village, and guided by extension workers and facilitators. In the implementation, the program had experienced many problems and to overcome thesecoordination is needed by synergizing PUAP, Gapoktan, and Demapanprogram. Synergies and integrations of the programs cover several aspects, namely: (1) begins with the synergy of data, the election of program recipients village; (2) internal arrangement of institutional programs; (3) strengthening of infrastructure development with the goal ofaccelerated poverty reduction; and (4) anticipation of synergy implementation of the three programs in the field. By optimizing these four aspects, it is expected that acceleration of the development of agriculture and rural economy that lead to poverty alleviation can be realized. It is based on case studies that exist in some villages in the district of Grobogan.


The principles of microwave heating are discussed with reference to dielectric properties, heating phenomena and microwave equipment. Microwave regeneration of granular activated carbon for the carbon-in-pulp process is examined on a laboratory scale, with special attention being given to highlight the problem areas and specific considerations related to microwave heating. Results indicate that microwave regeneration of carbon with 40% moisture on a wet basis by heating to 650i?½C with steam addition regenerates the carbon to virgin carbon activity levels but with a higher abrasion resistance. A preliminary economic assessment showed that the capital cost for 120 kg/h microwave unit would be R540 000 with an annual operating cost of R 320/t carbon. These figures yield a return on investment of 12%. The aim of this paper is to provide an introduction to microwave heating and to illustrate its application to the microwave regeneration of granular activated carbon for the carbon-in-pulp (CIP) process.


Change management models proposed by Lewin (1951) and Kotter (1995) are well known in the literature. These models are also well accepted in Turkish literature as well; however they include very broad explanations. It is not clear whether these models can be used as a guide in practice. This study aims to analyze studies conducted in the field of change management in order to determine success indicators for change management practices and suggest a new change management model. For this purpose authorized dissertations and thesis in database of National Thesis Archive at the Council of Higher Education Center and articles published in journals Indexed within ULAKBİM National database were reviewed with keywords "change" and "change management". 72 relevant studies were analyzed, 31 of which are articles and 41 are thesis and dissertations, 25 of which examined a real change process within an organization. Considering these 25 studies' result, success indicators for change management are defined as follows; communication, potential resistors, human resources department, leadership, shared vision, incentive, team and culture. The proposed change management model consists of 4 main processes named evaluation of the present state, defining outline for change, monitoring and freezing.


Random projections have proven extremely useful in many signal processing and machine learning applications. However, they often require either to store a very large random matrix, or to use a different, structured matrix to reduce the computational and memory costs. Here, we overcome this difficulty by proposing an analog, optical device, that performs the random projections literally at the speed of light without having to store any matrix in memory. This is achieved using the physical properties of multiple coherent scattering of coherent light in random media. We use this device on a simple task of classification with a kernel machine, and we show that, on the MNIST database, the experimental results closely match the theoretical performance of the corresponding kernel. This framework can help make kernel methods practical for applications that have large training sets and/or require real-time prediction. We discuss possible extensions of the method in terms of a class of kernels, speed, memory consumption and different problems.


Abstract. The purpose of this study was to examine technical features of new and existing curriculum-based measures of written expression in terms of writing task, duration, and scoring procedures. Twenty-five third-, 43 fifth-, and 55 seventh- graders completed passage-copying tasks in 1.5 min and picture, narrative, and expository writing prompts in 3–7 min. Samples were scored quantitatively. Measures that yielded sufficient alternate-form reliability were examined to determine which had sufficient criterion validity, and those with sufficient criterion validity were examined to determine which detected growth from fall to spring. Different types of tasks yielded varying levels of technical adequacy at each grade, with longer durations having stronger technical adequacy for older students and more complex scoring procedures having stronger technical adequacy for all students. Narrative writing appeared most promising in terms of its technical adequacy across grades. Implications for monitoring progress within and across grades are discussed.


In this paper, the role of molecular diffusion in mobilization of waterflood residual oil is examined. A moving mesh method is applied to solve the moving interface problem of residual oil blobs swelling by Co2 diffusion through a blocking water phase. The results of this modeling are compared with experimental results of a 2D glass micromodel experiment. Although, the solution method is applied for a 1D system, a good agreement between numerical and experimental results validates the solution method. In this method a fixed time step is proposed. Furthermore, the results of this method have been compared with the results of the Grogan's finite difference method. This supposed that, the mesh network is fixed and time step increasing will be continued until the oil-swelling equal to one spatial step size.


Cryptanalysis of symmetric and asymmetric ciphers is a challenging task due to the enormous amount of involved computations. To tackle this computational complexity, usually the employment of special-purpose hardware is considered as best approach. We have built a massively parallel cluster system (COPACOBANA) based on low-cost FPGAs as a cost-efficient platform primarily targeting cryptanalytical operations with these high computational efforts but low communication and memory requirements. However, some parallel applications in the field of cryptography are too complex for low-cost FPGAs and also require the availability of at least moderate communication and memory facilities. Particularly, this holds true for arithmetic intensive application as well as ones with a highly complex data flow. In this contribution, we describe a novel architecture for a more versatile and reliable COPACOBANA capable to host advanced cryptographic applications like high-performance digital signature generation according to the elliptic curve digital signature algorithm (ECDSA) and integer factorization based on the elliptic curve method (ECM). In addition to that, the new cluster design allows even to run more supercomputing applications beyond the field of cryptography.


With the current explosion in network traffic, and mounting pressure on operators business case, Self-Organizing Networks (SON) play a crucial role. They are conceived to minimize human intervention in engineering processes and at the same time improve system performance to maximize Return-on-Investment (ROI) and secure customer loyalty.Written by leading experts in the planning and optimization of Multi-Technology and Multi-Vendor wireless networks, this book describes the architecture of Multi-Technology SON for GSM, UMTS and LTE, along with the enabling technologies for SON planning, optimization and healing. This is presented mainly from a technology point of view, but also covers some critical business aspects, such as the ROI of the proposed SON functionalities and Use Cases.Key features:Follows a truly Multi-Technology approach: covering not only LTE, but also GSM and UMTS, including architectural considerations of deploying SON in todays GSM and UMTS networksFeatures detailed discussions about the relevant trade-offs in each Use CaseIncludes field results of todays GSM and UMTS SON implementations in live networksAddresses the calculation of ROI for Multi-Technology SON, contributing to a more complete and strategic view of the SON paradigmThis book will appeal to network planners, optimization engineers, technical/strategy managers with operators and R&D/system engineers at infrastructure and software vendors. It will also be a useful resource for postgraduate students and researchers in automated wireless network planning and optimization.


Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are twice as likely to die from unintentional drowning compared to same-age children without ASD emphasizing the importance of water-safety skills and knowledge. Yet little research has been published on perceptions of water safety for this population. The objective of the study was to investigate parental perceptions of water safety amongst children with ASD. An online questionnaire focusing on parental perceptions of water safety was distributed to parents of children with ASD associated with autism support groups across Canada. Forty-nine parents completed the self-report questionnaire with items related to demographics, swimming proficiency and lessons, adult supervision, and emergency safety procedures. Most parents (70%) believed that swimming ability was more important than supervision in ensuring water safety amongst children with ASD. Results highlighted discrepancies between reported and actual knowledge of emergency resuscitation procedures amongst parents of children with ASD. Parents of children with ASD may underestimate the importance of supervision and overestimate the role of swimming proficiency in ensuring the safety of children with ASD in aquatic environments. Future studies may benefit from exploring ways to promote effective strategies for encouraging water safety in this population.


This paper describes and illustrates a new genus and a new species belonging to the family Nesticidae based on morphology and supported by molecular data. The new genus, Kryptonesticus gen. nov., groups eight species spread from Bulgaria and Turkey to Croatia, including Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Crete. As a result, seven new combinations are proposed: K. eremita (Simon, 1879) comb. nov., K. arenstorffi (Kulczynski, 1914) comb. nov., K. fagei (Kratochvil, 1933) comb. nov., K. beroni (Deltshev, 1977) comb. nov., K. beshkovi (Deltshev, 1979) comb. nov., K. henderickxi (Bosselaers, 1998) comb. nov. and K. dimensis (Lopez-Pancorbo, Kunt & Ribera, 2013) comb. nov., all ex Nesticus . Kryptonesticus deelemanae gen. et sp. nov. is described on the basis of both sexes and its phylogenetic relationships with closely related species are discussed based on morphological and molecular data (the cox1, rrn and H3 genes). In addition, the species of this new genus (except for K. eremita ) are clear candidates for protection: they have highly restricted ranges and some of them show a high degree of adaptation to the subterranean environment.


Educational data mining (EDM) extracts implicit and interesting patterns from large data collections to provide a more effective learning environment. Introducing EDM concepts and techniques, this paper aims to discover existing behavioral pattern of students in course selection and faculty evaluation as well as educators policies in grading. This study has been carried out to determine the correlation between Student Evaluation of Teachers (SET) ratings and their gained scores in University of Tehran, department of Information Technology engineering. Dividing students based on their grades, a weak direct relationship has been demonstrated among weak and good students (0.086, 0.108) meaning that the more students' grades were, the higher teacher evaluation scores were observed. Insufficient students' awareness of SET importance and the existence inappropriate questions beyond students' knowledge in the questionnaire may cause these results. Recognizing effective factors in SET ratings can reveal the strengths and weaknesses of this kind of faculty evaluation and provide the possibility for better planning and obtaining authentic results.


An economic evaluation of a radon-induced lung cancer prevention programme for schools in the United Kingdom is undertaken in this study, which presents a cost-effectiveness analysis with a generalisable model for estimating the cost-effectiveness of a radon remediation programme for schools from a societal perspective. It follows the guidelines for the methodological framework now considered appropriate in the economic evaluation of health interventions and employs best available national UK data and information from Northamptonshire on the costs and effectiveness of radon identification and remediation in schools, and the costs and health impact of lung cancer cases for all state schools in Northamptonshire between 1993 and 1997 (348 schools, including 170 adult staff and 1820 pupils). The resultant cost-effectiveness ratio was 7550 per life-year gained in 1997 UK pound sterling. Results from the sensitivity analysis show that the ratio is particularly sensitive to assumptions concerning two parameters: the average capital cost of remediation and discount rate applied to life years. This study highlights the need for the evaluation of other schools remediation-based radon-induced lung cancer prevention programmes in other countries using similar methodological techniques. Compared to other health interventions in the UK, the schools programme has a favourable ratio. When compared to other lung cancer prevention programmes available, however, the schools programme ratio is less favourable. Uncertainties remain around increased risks from childhood exposure to indoor radon.


In this paper we present the rationale and design for two systems (developed by the Integra Lab research group at Birmingham Conservatoire) implementing a common approach to interactive visualisation of the spatial position of 'sound-objects'. The first system forms part of the AHRC-funded project 'Transforming Transformation: 3D Models for Interactive Sound Design', which entails the development of a new interaction model for audio processing whereby sound can be manipulated through grasp as if it were an invisible 3D object. The second system concerns the spatial manipulation of 'beatboxer' vocal sound using handheld mobile devices through already-learned physical movement. In both cases a means to visualise the spatial position of multiple sound sources within a 3D 'stereo image' is central to the system design, so a common model for this task was therefore developed. This paper describes the ways in which sound and spatial information are implemented to meet the practical demands of these systems, whilst relating this to the wider context of extant, and potential future methods for spatial audio visualisation.


The available power generated from a fuel cell (FC) power plant may not be sufficient to meet sustained load demands, especially during peak demand or transient events encountered in stationary power plant applications. An ultracapacitor (UC) bank can supply a large burst of power, but it cannot store a significant amount of energy. The combined use of FC and UC has the potential for better energy efficiency, reducing the cost of FC technology, and improved fuel usage. In this paper, we present an FC that operates in parallel with a UC bank. A new dynamic model and design methodology for an FCand UC-based energy source for stand-alone residential applications has been developed. Simulation results are presented using MATLAB, Simulink, and SimPowerSystems environments based on the mathematical and dynamic electrical models developed for the proposed system


Contemporary biological research (particularly in systems biology and the "omic" disciplines) is factually answering some of the poignant questions associated with the information concept and the limitations of information theory. Here, rather than emphasizing and persisting on a focalized discussion about the i-concept, an ampler conception of "informational entities" will be advocated. The way living cells self-produce, interact with their environment, and collectively organize multi-cell systems becomes a paradigmatic case of what such informational entities consist of. Starting with the fundamentals of molecular recognition, and continuing with the basic cellular processes and subsystems, a new interpretation of the global organization of the living cell must be assayed, so that the equivalents of meaning, value, and intelligence will be approached along an emerging "bioinformational" perspective. Further insights on the informational processes of brains, companies, institutions and human societies at large, and even the sciences themselves, could benefit from—and cross-fertilize with—the advancements derived from the informational approach to living systems. The great advantage fuelling the expansion of the bioinformation paradigm is that, today, cellular information processes may be defined almost to completion at the molecular scale (at least in the case of prokaryotic cells). This is not the case, evidently, with nervous systems and the variety of human organizational, cultural, and social developments. Concretely, the crucial evolutionary phenomenon of protein-domain recombination—knowledge recombination—will be analyzed here as a showcase of, and even as a model for, the interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary mixing of the sciences so prevalent in contemporary societies. Scientomics will be proposed as a new


Physicians deliver about half of indicated care, and patients do about half of what it takes to stay healthy, despite the best intentions and tireless efforts of both physicians and patients. The learning healthcare system (LHS) has been proposed as a solution. As envisioned by the Institute of Medicine, an LHS would "generate and apply the best evidence for the collaborative health-care choices of each patient and provider, drive the process of discovery as a natural outgrowth of patient care, and ensure innovation, quality, safety, and value in healthcare."1(p354) But this model begs the question: Who is learning? And how? Traditional models suppose that highly trained experts—expert clinicians and expert researchers—are best suited for producing information, knowledge, and know-how. This reliance, however, on a small group of experts to improve health care and health outcomes has yielded the current system performance and impedes immediate, continuous, and trans-formative improvement. A new model of production is necessary.


We performed experiments to test the hypothesis that experimental heart failure (HF) is associated with altered nitric oxide (NO)-dependent influences on the renal microvasculature, including diminished modulation of constrictor responses to ANG II. Eight to ten weeks after inducing HF in rats by coronary artery ligation, we administered enalaprilat to suppress ANG II synthesis and studied renal arteriolar function using the in vitro blood-perfused juxtamedullary nephron technique. In kidneys from sham-operated rats, NO synthase inhibition [100 μM N ω-nitro-l-arginine (l-NNA)] reduced afferent arteriolar diameter by 4.1 ± 0.6 μm and enhanced ANG II responsiveness (10 nM ANG II decreased afferent diameter by 10.1 ± 1.4 μm before and 12.8 ± 1.6 μm duringl-NNA treatment; P < 0.05). In kidneys from HF rats,l-NNA did not alter afferent arteriolar baseline diameter or ANG II responsiveness (10 nM ANG II decreased diameter by 12.5 ± 1.5 μm before and 12.5 ± 2.3 μm during l-NNA). The effects of l-NNA on efferent arteriolar function were also abated in HF rats. In renal cortex of HF rats, NO synthase activity was decreased by 63% and superoxide dismutase activity was diminished by 39% relative to tissue from sham-operated rats. Urinary nitrate/nitrite excretion was also reduced in HF rats. Thus both diminished synthesis and augmented degradation are likely to contribute to a decreased renal microvascular impact of endogenous NO during chronic HF, the consequences of which include loss of NO-dependent modulation of ANG II-induced vasoconstriction.


Background music has been claimed to enhance people's creativity. In three experiments, we investigated the impact of background music on performance of Compound Remote Associate Tasks (CRATs), which are widely thought to tap creativity. Background music with foreign (unfamiliar) lyrics (Experiment 1), instrumental music without lyrics (Experiment 2), and music with familiar lyrics (Experiment 3) all significantly impaired CRAT performance in comparison with quiet background conditions. Furthermore, Experiment 3 demonstrated that background music impaired CRAT performance regardless of whether the music induced a positive mood or whether participants typically studied in the presence of music. The findings challenge the view that background music enhances creativity and are discussed in terms of an auditory distraction account (interference‐by‐process) and the processing disfluency account.


In vitro transcription reactions were performed with isolated ventricular nuclei of adult rats to investigate whether increased mRNA levels of the inhibitory G protein alpha-subunit Gi alpha-2 after prolonged in vivo stimulation with the beta-adrenoceptor agonist isoprenaline are caused by increased transcription. Rats were treated by a 4-day subcutaneous infusion of isoprenaline (2.4 mg/kg per day) or 0.9% NaCl as control. To avoid the influence of developmental expression patterns, adult rats were chosen for all experiments. Signals for Gi alpha-2 and the stimulatory G protein alpha-subunit Gs alpha were specific and due to hybridization of nascent mRNA transcripts. In the isoprenaline group the transcriptional activity of Gi alpha-2 gene increased to 140% of the control value, whereas gene specific hybridization for Gs alpha remained unchanged. These results show that increased Gi alpha-2 mRNA levels after stimulation with isoprenaline are at least partially caused by enhanced transcription of Gi alpha-2 mRNA.


Clinical trials often judge the efficacy of a new treatment by comparing the survival patterns of patients who are randomly assigned to undergo the new or a standard/placebo treatment. Usually, the entire groups are analyzed, although certain subgroups of patients may react differently to the new treatment than others. Some patients taking the new treatment might benefit from it (the positive responders) while others may be harmed by it (the negative responders). We applied a newly developed responder identification method (Kehl&Ulm, 2003) on the doubleblinded placebo controlled European Myocardial Infarction Amiodarone Trial (EMIAT). The method, which is based on bump hunting, proceeds to find the so called predictive factors, which describe positive and negative trends in survival in special subgroups of patients, solely due to Amiodarone. Factors found to be predictive were: age, previous infarction, beta-blocker treatment, onset, NYHA classification, and sex. Negative responders to Amiodarone, i.e. patients taking Amiodarone who survived shorter than a similar group under placebo, were patients who were older than 65 years, have had a previous infarction, and were not on beta-blockers. Positive responders to Amiodarone, (longer survival time), were male patients who were not negative responders, had NYHA classification greater than or equal to two, and onset greater than one. Further studies are needed to investigate this hypothesis.


The main challenge for all electrical, mechanical and optical sensors is to detect low molecular weight (less than 400 Da) chemical and biological analytes under extremely dilute conditions. Surface plasmon resonance sensors are the most commonly used optical sensors due to their unique ability for real-time monitoring the molecular binding events. However, their sensitivities are insufficient to detect trace amounts of small molecular weight molecules such as cancer biomarkers, hormones, antibiotics, insecticides, and explosive materials which are respectively important for early-stage disease diagnosis, food quality control, environmental monitoring, and homeland security protection. With the rapid development of nanotechnology in the past few years, nanomaterials-enhanced surface plasmon resonance sensors have been developed and used as effective tools to sense hard-to-detect molecules within the concentration range between pmol and amol. In this review article, we reviewed and discussed the latest trend and challenges in engineering and applications of nanomaterials-enhanced surface plasmon resonance sensors (e.g., metallic nanoparticles, magnetic nanoparticles, carbon-based nanomaterials, latex nanoparticles and liposome nanoparticles) for detecting "hard-to-identify" biological and chemical analytes. Such information will be viable in terms of providing a useful platform for designing future ultrasensitive plasmonic nanosensors.


Over the last two decades, conventional video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) has established itself as the preferred approach for almost all thoracic surgical procedures. The procedure provides a safe and easy approach with undisputed patient benefit at a cost acceptable to the healthcare system all over the world, in large hospitals as well as underprivileged rural areas. VATS has effectively addressed the patients' right to less scarring, trauma (both of access and intrathoracic manipulation), medication, pain, hospitalization, and early return home and work. These improvements have been further stressed by the introduction of uniportal VATS (uniVATS). Single port surgery is a very exciting new modality in the field of minimal access surgery which aims at further reducing scars of standard vats and towards an hypothetical prospective of scarless surgery.


UrbanSim is an increasingly popular integrated transportation land-use model. A particularly attractive feature of UrbanSim is its disaggregate frame of analysis. This characteristic means it requires much land-use and socio-economic data at a fine scale. This research was conceived as a feasibility study. In particular, it asked 'Is it possible to mount an UrbanSim model with relatively aggregate data (from a TRANUS application) and limited human resources in three to four months?' The conclusions are as follows. It was possible to mount an UrbanSim model with the limited resources and data available. The UrbanSim sub-models estimated were not very robust, compromising simulation results. Weaknesses of the sub-models were not due to the use of disaggregate data. The weaknesses were due to insufficient exploitation of existing data and the lack of some critical data. It was not possible to mount a travel model AND an UrbanSim model given the time and resource constraints.


If the deleterious effects of non-specific parasites are greater on vulnerable host species than on reservoir host species then exclusion of the vulnerable host through apparent competition is more likely. Evidence suggests that such a mechanism occurs in interactions between the ring-necked pheasant (Phasianus colchicus), the grey partridge (Perdix perdix), and their shared caecal nematode Heterakis gallinarum. Modelling of the system predicts that the reduced parasite impact on the pheasant compared to the partridge results in the force of infection transmitted from pheasants to partridges being sufficient to cause partridge exclusion. Since the parasite impacts are currently estimated from correlational work, controlled infections were conducted to experimentally compare the impact of H. gallinarum on the two hosts and verify cause and effect. While challenged partridges showed reduced mass gain, decreased food consumption, and impaired caecal activity, in comparison to controls, the only detectable effect of parasite challenge on the pheasant was impaired caecal activity. The impact of H. gallinarum on challenged partridges conforms with previous correlational data, supporting the prediction that parasite-mediated apparent competition with the ring-necked pheasant may result in grey partridge exclusion. However, the observed decrease in the caecal activity of challenged pheasants could imply that H. gallinarum may also have an impact on the fecundity and survival of pheasants in the wild, particularly if food is limiting. If this is the case, the associated decrease in the force of infection to which the partridge is exposed may be sufficient to change the model prediction from partridge exclusion to pheasant and partridge coexistence.


Since 1997, when the Department of Housing and Urban Development discontinued its quarterly gross mortgage flow system, there has been no systematic attempt to disaggregate the net change in outstanding home mortgage debt into its constituent gross flows. Using a different approach, we have developed a system that reconciles the change in regular home mortgage debt with mortgage flows. The latter includes home purchase and refinance originations, and mortgage purchases, sales, and repayments for five types of mortgage originators and six categories of other mortgagees. In the process, we derive the sources of equity extraction from homes financed by mortgages.


Today, the economic environment surrounding corporations becomes severe, and total
elimination of waste is required for the survival of the corporation. Therefore, wastes
generated due to the failure shutdown of facilities that have been built with huge
investment and wastes such as defective products should be absolutely eliminated.
Requirements for product quality become stringent, and not even one defective
product would be allowed. Quality assured delivery of total quantity is now taken for
granted. Thus in order for organization to remain competitive, reduce production cost,
and meeting stringent product quality requirements, Total Productive Maintenance
(TPM) was introduced and has been recognized as necessary for organization survival.The purpose of this research is to determine the effectiveness of the TPM program in
TIM. Specifically, this study aimed: •TounderstandtheTPMprogram. •To determine the effectiveness of TPM in achieving the organization operation
productivity, operation cost and product quality.
• To determine the constraints and issues during TPM fan-out plant wide in TIM.
• To discuss the managerial implications of the results.
• To provide information regarding the implementation ofTPM program that may be
useful to other research purposes regarding implementing TPM program. Based on this study, it can be concluded that, TIM has achieved the objectives through
the implementation of TPM program. With better equipment performance and
productivity, the cost of operation and costs per unit in TIM could be reduced. With
the lower cost of operation, this will improved the ability for TIM to compete in the
industry. The implementation of TPM program in TIM helped TIM achieved a lot of
tangible and intangible benefits, where this benefits increased the organization image
and status in the industry.


The number and types of international joint, double and consecutive degree programs have sky-rocketed in the last five years, demonstrating that they clearly have a role in the current landscape of higher education. For many academics and policy makers, double and joint degree programs are welcomed as a natural extension of exchange and mobility programs. For others, they are perceived as a troublesome development leading to double counting of academic work and the thin edge of academic fraud. A broad range of reactions exist due to the diversity of program models; the involvement of new (bona fide and rogue) and traditional providers; the uncertainty related to quality assurance and qualifications recognition; and finally, the ethics involved in deciding what academic workload or new competencies are required for the granting of joint, double, multiple or consecutive degrees. This article aims to clarify the confusion about the differences between a joint, a double and a consecutive degree program by providing a conceptual framework of definitions. It provides highlights from recent research surveys and studies, and looks at new developments and innovations in establishing these types of collaborative programs. Finally, it examines the factors that challenge the operationalization of the programs and explores those issues that raise doubts and dilemmas and require further debate and analysis.


This article examines antecedents and consequences of the adoption level of standardized information technology (IT) versus customized IT in self-managing teams (SMTs) in a financial services institution. Linkages between specified antecedents and the adoption levels of standardized and customized IT were investigated using data collected from bank employees and in-company databases. The authors find positive individual-level effects of tolerance of self-management, ease of use, and innovativeness on the adoption level of standardized IT and positive individual-level effects of tolerance of self-management and perceived usefulness on the adoption level of customized IT. These findings suggest that discriminating between different types of IT creates a better understanding of IT adoption in SMTs. A similar investigation of the IT adoption-service performance relationships shows that the adoption level of customized IT rather than of standardized IT has a crucial impact on service performance both in terms of customer satisfaction and productivity.


INTRODUCTION
Sepsis is one of the most frequent reasons for referral to emergency departments (EDs) worldwide. Sepsis becomes more serious when left untreated with a high mortality rate, exceeding even those of myocardial infarction and stroke. Therefore, much effort has been put in to start with appropriate therapy as early as possible. Emergency medical services (EMS) personnel have already made a significant difference in improving care for patients with acute coronary syndrome, multiple trauma and stroke. Patients with severe sepsis or septic shock could also benefit from timely prehospital care. Earlier recognition and initiation of treatment by EMS personnel may improve survival of these critically ill patients. Methods and analysis: The Prehospital Antibiotics against Sepsis (PHANTASi) trial is an investigator- initiated, multicentre, randomized controlled open-label clinical trial nested within a step wedge design. This study compares the effects of usual care to that of training EMS personnel in recognizing and initiating treatment in the prehospital setting together with early administration of antibiotics for patients suspected of (severe) sepsis and septic shock. Primary outcome is 28 day mortality. Secondary outcomes include, length of hospital stay and admission to intensive care units. Ethics and dissemination: This study has been approved by the research ethics committee of VU University Medical Centre, Amsterdam, The Netherlands (Protocol 2013.458/ NL 42001.029.13). The results of the study will be disseminated at several research conferences and international peer reviewed journals. The study will be implemented and reported in line with the CONSORT statement.


Objectives Selective participation can bias results in epidemiological surveys. The importance of health status is often suggested as a possible explanation for non-participation but few empirical studies exist. In a population-based study, explicitly focused on sickness absence, health and work, we examined whether a history of high levels of sickness absence was associated with non-participation. Design The study is based on data from official sickness absence registers from participants, non-participants and the total target population of the baseline survey of the Health Assets Project (HAP). Setting HAP is a population-based cohort study in the Västra Götaland region in South Western Sweden. Participants HAP included a random population cohort (n=7984) and 2 cohorts with recent sickness absence (employees (n=6140) and non-employees (n=990)), extracted from the same overall general working-age population. Primary outcome measures We examined differences in participation rates between cohorts (2008), and differences in previous sickness absence (2001–2008) between participants (individual-level data) and non-participants or the target population (group-level data) within cohorts. Results Participants had statistically significant less registered sickness absence in the past than non-participants and the target population for some, but not all, of the years analysed. Yet these differences were not of substantial size. Other factors than sickness absence were more important in explaining differences in participation, whereby participants were more likely to be women, older, born in Nordic countries, married and have higher incomes than non-participants. Conclusions Although specifically addressing sickness absence, having such experience did not add any substantial layer to selective participation in the present survey. Detailed measures are needed to gain a better understanding for health selection in health-related surveys such as those addressing sickness absence, for instance in order to discriminate between selection due to ability or motivation for participation.