Background Women in their middle-age enjoy abilities that affect their health promotion and improvement. Throughout their entire lifetime, women strive to maintain and improve their health through benefiting from behaviors that come from experience. Objective This study was carried out with the aim of identifying self-care behaviors that middle-aged women consider as far as maintaining and promoting their health are concerned. Methods The study was conducted using a qualitative approach in conventional content analysis. Participants comprised of 20 middle-aged women from Zahedan, Iran in 2016 that were invited to enter the study using purposive sampling, and were given semi-structured interviews. After data collection, all interviews were transcribed, reviewed and then the subcategories were extracted. Results The findings of this study include a main category "preventive self-care behaviors" and three subcategories of "understanding health and disease", "health knowledge" and "awareness of the health threats". Conclusion The findings suggest that preventive self-care behaviors of women are associated with features such as understanding health and disease, health knowledge and awareness of the associated health risks. As a matter of fact, preventive behaviors encompass strategies that women apply to improve their physical and mental health.


. Good teachers in university education embody combinations of continuity and change. In the first part here, university teaching is considered in Western philosophies and educational discourse to suggest teacher characteristics and meta-functions, but this article proposes wider internationalised dialogues within humanities which crucially take student views into account. In the second part, we analyse a database of 863 metaphors about teachers given by 439 university students in Malaysia, adopting a socio-cultural approach based on cognitive linguistics. This elicited metaphor analysis explores student views of "good" teachers expressed in such metaphors as "a good teacher is a burning candle" or "a piece of chalk". Our analysis of metaphor entailments reveals meta-functions and virtues of good teachers which though absent in some official discourses, cohere with the educational philosophy of part one: they include cognitive, social/cultural, affective, moral/ spiritual and aesthetic meta-functions. These emphasise the purposes of what teachers "do" and the character of what teachers "are", as models for what students "do" and what they "become". This gives challenging insights for teachers (and students) to self-cultivate virtues if these participant visions are taken seriously for learner-centred approaches to humanities in new balances of continuity and change.


What is morality? And to what extent does it vary around the world? The theory of "morality-as-cooperation" argues that morality consists of a collection of biological and cultural solutions to the problems of cooperation recurrent in human social life. Morality-as-cooperation draws on the theory of non-zero-sum games to identify distinct problems of cooperation and their solutions, and it predicts that specific forms of cooperative behavior—including helping kin, helping your group, reciprocating, being brave, deferring to superiors, dividing disputed resources, and respecting prior possession—will be considered morally good wherever they arise, in all cultures. To test these predictions, we investigate the moral valence of these seven cooperative behaviors in the ethnographic records of 60 societies. We find that the moral valence of these behaviors is uniformly positive, and the majority of these cooperative morals are observed in the majority of cultures, with equal frequency across all regions of the world. We conclude that these seven cooperative behaviors are plausible candidates for universal moral rules, and that morality-as-cooperation could provide the unified theory of morality that anthropology has hitherto lacked.


An innovative course in parallel computing is described in this paper. Traditional parallel computing courses use either low-level message passing interfaces or high level language directives, but not both, due to limited time. In our course, we use both high-level and low-level language constructs. In this paper, we briefly introduce several language interface standards and discuss why we have chosen to use OpenMP (a high-level language interface) and MPI (a low-level message language interface) in our parallel computing class. Some of the drawbacks of using OpenMP in teaching are identified and we show how these drawbacks are being addressed in the course. Several programming projects and a research/survey project given in our class are also described in detail. Through careful design of the course, we show that students can learn many basic concepts through low-level parallel language interfaces and parallelize real (long) scientific codes in high-level parallel language directives within a short period. This would be impossible to accomplish if only one language had
been taught in the course. Index terms: MPI, OpenMP, parallel computing, parallel language, teaching.


Cooperation is beneficial but may be hard to achieve in situations where the selfish interests of individuals conflict with their common goal, such as in sharing of goods, help, knowledge or information, in trade and pollution negotiations, and in exploitation of common resources. The standard models of such social dilemmas assume that the individuals are obliged to participate in the dilemma. These models fail to capture an important element of human interaction: that people are in general free to select their interaction partners. In this book, a social dilemma with partner selection is introduced and studied with the methods of formal game theory, experimental economics and computer simulations. It allows exploration of simultaneous dynamics of the network structure and cooperative behavior on this structure. The results of this study show that partner choice strongly facilitates cooperation and leads to networks where free-riders are likely to be excluded.


Saturation of the pump-band absorption in Ti:sapphire has been observed by using 10-nsec, pi-polarized pulses of 532 nm with fluences up to 4 J/cm(2). A Frantz-Nodvik method was used for fitting the data and determining the saturation fluence (7.6 J/cm(2)) and the absorption cross section (4.9 x 10(-20)cm(2)) at 532 nm. The peak absorption cross section was calculated to be 6.4 x 10(-20) cm(2) at 490 nm. This value is in reasonably good agreement with other determination methods.


The paper addresses eighteenth-century occasional poetry of Lithuania written in parallel Latin and Polish. The research seeks to draw attention to bilingual creation as a literary phenomenon that reflects the linguistic priorities and cultural needs of the time, and to reveal the most distinct semantic and artistic peculiarities of bilingual occasional poetry. As a phenomenon of Lithuanian neo-Latin literature, bilingualism has not yet been addressed in detail in scholarly historiography. Only an article by Eugenija Ulcinaitė, in which she introduces linguistic expression, semantics and stylistics of sixteenth to seventeenth-century Lithuanian bilingual texts is devoted to this thematic. Research in eighteenth-century occasional poetry of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania has shown that parallel texts occur in nearly all poetry genres, but they were most popular among epigrams. Language variants of the works can be written both by the same and by different authors. Comparative analysis of texts has shown that when the primary – Latin – content is conveyed in Polish, it can be modified or complemented with information relevant to the dedicatee. Such alteration causes semantic and stylistic differences and creates a shift in the emotional tone of a work. Despite the fact that both – Latin and Polish – versions of a work are officially dedicated to the same dedicatee, the group of recipients seems expanded. It is quite possible that the Latin version is addressed to the individual named in the title, while the Polish version is meant for the general public or people lacking in education necessary to understand the Latin text. The need to convey the same content in Polish points to the vitality of occasional literature and its universally perceived purpose.


We monitored flowering, fruiting and leafing of Vitellaria paradoxa (shea tree) along the north–south gradient in Mali (West Africa), using three study sites for a period of three years. In each site, adult shea trees were marked and monitored in permanent plots of both field and fallow stands. The chronology of phenophases and their mean length as well as flowering and fruiting were assessed. Our data revealed significant variation according to site and stand. The onset of events starts earlier in the south than in the centre or north, but the period covered by events was almost the same for all sites (3 to 6 months for flowering; 5 to 6 months for fruiting; and 2 to 4 months before full leafing).Flowering and fruiting were more regular in the south, but often as high in the north, with an almost similar trend in both fields and fallows. In the centre, flowering was also high in fields as well as in fallows, while the fruiting was medium to high. We also observed variations in the mean length of phenological events in study sites and stands. Sites in the south showed the highest average length of flowering and leafing (76 days and 44 days, respectively), while the central site showed the greatest length of mean fruiting (110 days). We observed a significant site*stand interaction and noticeable variation over the years. Our study indicates that phenological events of shea tree could be influenced by several interacting biotic and abiotic factors. A future research challenge in shea phenology would be to discriminate these factors and thus help sustainable management of shea tree parklands.


T ako-Tsubo (TT) cardiomyopathy is a rare clinical entity, initially described in Japan, characterized by a transient apical dyskinesia of unknown origin. 1,2 Patients present with signs and symptoms typical of myocardial infarction, but the epicardial coronary arteries are normal and left ventricular wall motion abnormalities spontaneously resolve during fol-low-up. 1–2 Although different etiologies have been proposed to explain the pathophysiology of TT, its cause remains unknown. Here we describe optical coherence tomography findings of a patient presenting with TT.


ABSTRACT CD1-restricted presentation of lipid or glycolipid antigens derived from Mycobacterium tuberculosis has been demonstrated by in vitro experiments using cultured T-cell lines. In the present work, the frequency of T-cell responses to natural mycobacterial lipids was analyzed in ex vivo studies of peripheral blood lymphocytes from human patients with pulmonary tuberculosis, from asymptomatic individuals with known contact with M. tuberculosis documented by conversion of their tuberculin skin tests, and from healthy tuberculin skin test-negative individuals or individuals vaccinated with Mycobacterium bovis BCG. Proliferation and gamma interferon enzyme-linked immunospot assays using peripheral blood lymphocytes and autologous CD1+ immature dendritic cells revealed that T cells from asymptomatic M. tuberculosis-infected donors responded with significantly greater magnitude and frequency to mycobacterial lipid antigen preparations than lymphocytes from uninfected healthy donors. By use of these methods, lipid-antigen-specific proliferative responses were minimally detectable or absent in blood samples from patients with active tuberculosis prior to chemotherapy but became detectable in blood samples drawn 2 weeks after the start of treatment. Lipid antigen-reactive T cells were detected predominantly in the CD4-enriched T-cell fractions of circulating lymphocytes, and anti-CD1 antibody blocking experiments confirmed the CD1 restriction of these T-cell responses. Our results provide further support for the hypothesis that lipid antigens serve as targets of the recall response to M. tuberculosis, and they indicate that CD1-restricted T cells responding to these antigens comprise a significant portion of the circulating pool of M. tuberculosis-reactive T cells in healthy individuals with previous exposure to M. tuberculosis.


We examined the impact of a pedagogical strategy, ecological asset mapping, on 19 pre-service teachers' self-exploration, development of respect for others, and critical examination of social injustice. Data were analyzed from participants' ecological asset maps and essays describing the experience of completing and sharing the maps. The analysis of the maps generated two themes, transitions over time and multiple identities whereas four themes emerged from the essays such as navigating support systems, self consciousness, process as pedagogy, and consciousness raising. Findings suggest ecological asset mapping can be a powerful pedagogical tool in supporting pre-service teachers' self-awareness, respect for others, exploration of cultural assets, and development of critical consciousness.


The phenolic compound profiles in the skins of white grapes, containing ten wine grape and six table grape cultivars grown in the National Grape Germplasm Resource Nursery at the Zhengzhou Fruit Research Institute of China, were investigated using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS). The objective of this study was to evaluate if phenolic compound profiles can be used as indictors to differentiate the quality of wine and table grape cultivars. Significant differences in phenolic compound profiles were observed among these grape cultivar skins. The highest content of total hydroxybenzoic acids, total hydroxycinnamic acids, total flavan-3-ols, total flavones and flavonols and total stilbenes was observed in the skin of the Canada Muscat, Rommel, Kadin parmac, Bacchus and Silvaner cultivars respectively. A great compositional difference was observed among these grape cultivars regarding the individual hydroxycinnamic acids and flavonols. Cluster analysis showed that three table grape cultivars, namely Canada Muscat, Rommel and Kadin parmac, possessed significantly different phenolic compound profiles compared to the other grape cultivars. These results suggested that phenolic compound patterns and contents played important roles in evaluating the quality of table and wine grapes and might provide useful information on grape breeding and winemaking in China.


This essay is an extended commentary on the recently-published (2014) essay collection entitled Re-Interpreting Blackstone's Commentaries: A Seminal Text in National and International Contexts, edited by Wilfrid Prest. The collection is an important element in an ongoing multi-year project of engagement with Blackstone based at the University of Adelaide. It has staked out an ambitious interpretive terrain. In matters of interpretation, essayists move beyond legal analysis and legal history to literary criticism and art history. In assessing the Commentaries' dissemination and impact, they pursue Blackstone beyond the usual concentration on the British Atlantic world into new, less familiar climes – the French Atlantic (Louisiana and Quebec) and Australasia. In charting the Commentaries' influence, finally, they move beyond the history of common law adjudication to the distinctly contemporary subject of American constitutional originalism and its genealogy. The essay finds that *Re-Interpreting Blackstone's Commentaries* is both enjoyable and instructive. Given the challenge of circumstance – an exceptionally familiar work written by a 'conventionally dull' man – this is no small achievement. The essay concludes with commentary on the place of Blackstone in the history of Australian settler-colonialism, with particular reference to the leading "native title" (indigenous land rights) cases of the past half century. It reflects on the place of history in native title litigation, and also on the meaning of resort to Blackstone by indigenous activists and their allies.


This article investigates what factors explain the wide differences in human welfare among nations. Applying the theory of human need developed by Doyal and Gough, the authors construct a series of indicators of need satisfaction and use these to map contemporary national levels of welfare. They criticize past cross-national studies of welfare outcomes for using a single index of welfare, usually the Physical Quality of Life Index. A comprehensive model of national differences in need satisfaction is then developed. Seven theories are deployed and are tested against the evidence using path analysis, which permits different causal patterns to be simultaneously considered. The authors conclude that per capita incomes are only one of several factors explaining cross-national variations in need satisfaction: the degree of economic and political independence, the extent of democracy and human rights, the capacity and dispositions of the state, and relative gender equality all positively and independently affect a nation's level of welfare. Economic development alone cannot guarantee social development.


A specialized population of B lymphocytes is important for controlling bacterial infections and preventing sepsis. A classic paradigm in immunology holds that the immune response occurs in two waves: Rapidly responding cells of the innate immune system help to contain the invading pathogen and alert lymphocytes. These cells of the adaptive immune system then help to clear the infection and go on to form long-lasting memory. However, some specialized populations of lymphocytes can also respond quickly to an infection and carry out functions that overlap with the innate immune system. Now, Rauch et al. describe one such cell type—innate response activator (IRA) B cells. IRA B cells recognize bacterial liposaccharide through Toll-like receptor 4 and, in response, produce the cytokine GM-CSF (granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor), which activates other innate immune cells. Deletion of IRA B cells in mice impaired their ability to clear a bacterial infection and promoted septic shock. P. J. Rauch, A. Chudnovskiy, C. S. Robbins, G. F. Weber, M. Etzrodt, I. Hilgendorf, E. Tiglao, J.-L. Figueiredo, Y. Iwamoto, I. Theurl, R. Gorbatov, M. T. Waring, A. T. Chicoine, M. Mouded, M. J. Pittet, M. Nahrendorf, R. Weissleder, F. K. Swirski, Innate response activator B cells protect against microbial sepsis. Science 335, 597–601 (2012). [Abstract] [Full Text]


Eosinophils are leukocytes that participate in innate immune responses, the body's first line of defense against infection. These cells are on call, ready to secrete cytokines that enhance the immune response. These cytokines are stored in cytoplasmic granules. These granules store a mixture of cytokines, but eosinophils have a remarkable ability to secrete specific cytokines in response to a particular stimulus. Spencer et al. present evidence that the cells use inactive cytokine receptors to sort and mobilize particular cytokines to the cell surface for secretion. Eosinophils respond to the cytokine eotaxin (also called CCL11) by secreting interleukin-4 (IL-4), but not IL-12 or interferon-γ. Spencer et al. showed that IL-4 was present in cytoplasmic granules and found that a previously unrecognized pool of the IL-4 receptor protein IL-4Rα was also present in the granules. When cells were stimulated with eotaxin, immunoelectron microscopy showed that IL-4Rα, the ligand-binding subunit of the IL-4 receptor, moved along with IL-4 to vesicles that appeared to bud off of the cytoplasmic granules. The IL-4 receptor subunit known as γc, which is required for receptor signaling, was not transported with the IL-4Rα chain. Thus, eosinophils appear to use the cytokine-binding receptor subunit to selectively mobilize IL-4 while keeping the receptor subunits separated to avoid unwanted signaling through the receptor. L. A. Spencer, R. C. N. Melo, S. A. C. Perez, S. P. Bafford, A. M. Dvorak, P. F. Weller, Cytokine receptor-mediated trafficking of preformed IL-4 in eosinophils identifies an innate immune mechanism of cytokine secretion. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 103, 3333-3338 (2006). [Abstract] [Full Text]


Objectives. To assess the influence of light-curing unit tip distance on the microtensile bond strength (mTBS) and nanoleakage of self-etching adhesives to enamel and dentin. Materials and methods. Flat buccal surfaces were prepared on 198 bovine incisors. The teeth were randomly assigned into nine groups for mTBS (n = 8) and nanoleakage (n = 3) testing according to the adhesive system (Clearfil Protect Bond, Clearfil Tri-S Bond or One Up Bond F Plus) and distance from the light-curing tip (0, 3 or 6 mm). The bonded samples were tested in tension (0.5 mm/min) and nanoleakage was analyzed using SEM. Results. Clearfil Protect Bond exhibited the highest tensile strength on both enamel and dentin. Leakage was higher in samples exposed at a distance of 6 mm on enamel and 0 mm on dentin. One Up Bond F Plus experienced the greatest amount of nanoleakage on both substrates. Conclusions. Light-curing unit distance did not influence the mTBS of the adhesives, but nanoleakage increased on enamel samples when photoactivation occurred at a distance of 6 mm.


ABSTRACT Oligomeric proteins have been created as an evolutionary solution to fulfill specific cellular tasks, trading off functional and molecular requirements such as domain organization, molecular economy, minimization of the size of structural genes, reducing the costs for elimination of misfolded polypeptide chains, cooperativity, tight control, etc. Oligomers are also a challenging experimental object to test our concepts of the sequence-structure-energy-function relationships in proteins. In this paper, we briefly discuss the evolutionary aspects of the appearance of oligomers, and present with a few selected examples the current state of affairs in understanding the folding of small oligomeric proteins.


We revisit the problem of linear regression under a differential privacy constraint. By consolidating existing pieces in the literature, we clarify the correct dependence of the feature, label and coefficient domains in the optimization error and estimation error, hence revealing the delicate price of differential privacy in statistical estimation and statistical learning. Moreover, we propose simple modifications of two existing DP algorithms: (a) posterior sampling, (b) sufficient statistics perturbation, and show that they can be upgraded into **adaptive** algorithms that are able to exploit data-dependent quantities and behave nearly optimally **for every instance**. Extensive experiments are conducted on both simulated data and real data, which conclude that both AdaOPS and AdaSSP outperform the existing techniques on nearly all 36 data sets that we test on.


An analysis of Starbucks' failed venture in Israel provides a cautionary tale of emotionally driven decisions gone wrong. For its joint venture, Starbucks worked with Delek Israel Fuel Company (DIFC), an operator of gas stations and convenience stores, among other ventures. While both firms were successful in their own spheres, their competitive advantages and corporate cultures did not mesh in attempting to operate a joint venture—particularly when business went sour. A consideration of why these two firms went forward with their venture, even though it was clear that they were not well matched, provides strong implications for managers. Three factors pushed the deal, once it began: (1) emotional commitment, (2) escalating commitment, and (3) overconfidence. First, Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz wanted his firm to open shops in Israel, but the company did not appear to conduct serious market research. Second, once it became known that Starbucks and DIFC were negotiating a deal, it became increasingly difficult for either one to back off. Third, because both firms were successful—and because Starbucks had successfully opened a chain of stores in Arab Middle Eastern nations—the two firms exhibited overconfidence and anticipated that their joint venture would necessarily be successful. The key lessons from the case are for companies to (1) choose their partners carefully, (2) be willing to exit agreements rather than to proceed with partnerships that appear problematic, and (3) avoid substituting emotion for market analysis.


Prior to his service in the Civil War, Ulysses S. Grant exhibited few characteristics indicating that he would be an extraordinary leader. His performance as a cadet was mediocre, and he finished in the bottom half of his class at West Point. However, during his early service in the Civil War, most notably at the battles of Shiloh and Vicksburg, Grant proved that he possessed an uncommon drive. When it was most crucial, Grant demonstrated his integrity, determination and tactical skill by taking control of the Union troops and leading his forces to victory. A General Who Will Fight is a detailed study of leadership that explores Grant's rise from undisciplined cadet to commanding general of the United States Army. Some experts have attributed Grant's success to superior manpower and technology, to the help he received from other Union armies, or even to a ruthless willingness to sacrifice his own men. Harry S. Laver, however, refutes these arguments and reveals that the only viable explanation for Grant's success lies in his leadership skill, professional competence and unshakable resolve. Much more than a book on military strategy, this innovative volume examines the decision-making process that enabled Grant both to excel as an unquestioned commander and to win.


This paper scrutinizes the concept of accountability in light of free and open source software. On the view that increasing accountability grants value to society by motivating those most likely and able to prevent risk and harm to do so, I argue that while developing software collaboratively, licensing it openly, and distributing its source code freely are promising first steps in the long journey to rehabilitate accountability in our highly computerized society, our very understanding of what accountability is changes too. This paper analyzes the concept of accountability in an open environment and explores the implications in two mission–critical application fields in which software plays a significant role — electronic voting, and electronic medical records. It further considers the potential remedies to accountability's erosion that free and open source software offer, and the ways in which accountability can be generalized to collective action if we understand it less as punishability and more as a culture that encourages the prevention of risk and harm. With such reconceptualized accountability in mind, I find that code visibility, a self–imposed standard of care and sensible licensing arrangements, are a potent, practical, and effective alternative to the strict liability standards offered as a solution to the accountability problem by earlier scholars.


PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES
To generate a detailed description of how adolescents with cancer manage their daily lives and the way in which fatigue affects this.

DESIGN
Phenomenologic.

SETTING
A pediatric oncology unit at a regional cancer center in the United Kingdom.

SAMPLE
A convenience sample of adolescents (N = 8), aged 16-19 years and with hematologic or solid tumors, who currently were undergoing primary treatment.

METHODS
Semistructured interviews were conducted using 11 open-ended questions.

MAIN RESEARCH VARIABLES
Adolescents' perceptions of fatigue, well-being, and ability to maintain normal activities.

FINDINGS
Adolescents reported fatigue as overwhelming and embedded in a syndrome of symptoms and emotions associated with the illness itself and with treatment. Fatigue had a significant effect on physical, psychological, and social well-being, placing an extra burden on adolescents who were striving for normality.

CONCLUSIONS
Equipped with a rich description of fatigue, clinicians will be better prepared to initiate strategies congruent with their own work settings and particular patients.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING
The findings should enable healthcare professionals to construct a more accurate and perceptive picture of the needs of particular individuals, highlighting those that may be amenable to intervention.


Using data from seven specialist domestic violence courts (SDVCs) in England and
Wales, it is argued that these relatively new institutions need to re-orient themselves
away from typical criminal justice performance measures (such as arrests,
prosecutions and convictions) and towards measuring what matters to the service
users themselves (in this case, victims of domestic violence). Analysis of 438 cases
revealed substantial variability in the case progression practices across the seven
SDVCs. Sentencing outcomes also were significantly different by court location,
despite hearing similar types of cases. Together with victim interview data, these
findings suggest that traditional performance indicators cannot tell us much about the
performance of SDVCs, in part because 'success' in a domestic violence case is
difficult to define using criminal justice terms alone. An alternative approach
involving the measurement of 'quality prosecution' and 'quality sentencing' is offered
which could not only provide a more meaningful assessment of a court's
performance, but also could more accurately represent 'what matters' to victims of
domestic violence.


Abstract. Budapest platform for Aerosol Research and Training (BpART) was created for advancing long-term on-line atmospheric measurements and intensive aerosol sample collection campaigns in Budapest. A joint study including atmospheric chemistry or physics, meteorology, and fluid dynamics on several-year-long data sets obtained at the platform confirmed that the location represents a well-mixed, average atmospheric environment for the city centre. The air streamlines indicated that the host and neighbouring buildings together with the natural orography play an important role in the near-field dispersion processes. Details and features of the airflow structure were derived, and they can be readily utilised for further interpretations. An experimental method to determine particle diffusion losses in the differential mobility particle sizer (DMPS) system of the BpART facility was proposed. It is based on CPC–CPC (condensation particle counter) and DMPS–CPC comparisons. Growth types of nucleated particles observed in 4 years of measurements were presented and discussed specifically for cities. Arch-shaped size distribution surface plots consisting of a growth phase followed by a shrinkage phase were characterised separately since they supply information on nucleated particles. They were observed in 4.5 % of quantifiable nucleation events. The shrinkage phase took 1 h 34 min in general, and the mean shrinkage rate with standard deviation was −3.8 ± 1.0 nm h−1. The shrinkage of particles was mostly linked to changes in local atmospheric conditions, especially in global radiation and the gas-phase H2SO4 concentration through its proxy, or to atmospheric mixing in few cases. Some indirect results indicate that variations in the formation and growth rates of nucleated particles during their atmospheric transport could be a driving force of shrinkage for particles of very small sizes and on specific occasions.


In the 'Big Data' era, many real-world applications like search involve the ranking problem for a large number of items. It is important to obtain effective ranking results and at the same time obtain the results efficiently in a timely manner for providing good user experience and saving computational costs. Valuable prior research has been conducted for learning to efficiently rank like the cascade ranking (learning) model, which uses a sequence of ranking functions to progressively filter some items and rank the remaining items. However, most existing research of learning to efficiently rank in search is studied in a relatively small computing environments with simulated user queries. This paper presents novel research and thorough study of designing and deploying a Cascade model in a Large-scale Operational E-commerce Search application (CLOES), which deals with hundreds of millions of user queries per day with hundreds of servers. The challenge of the real-world application provides new insights for research: 1). Real-world search applications often involve multiple factors of preferences or constraints with respect to user experience and computational costs such as search accuracy, search latency, size of search results and total CPU cost, while most existing search solutions only address one or two factors; 2). Effectiveness of e-commerce search involves multiple types of user behaviors such as click and purchase, while most existing cascade ranking in search only models the click behavior. Based on these observations, a novel cascade ranking model is designed and deployed in an operational e-commerce search application. An extensive set of experiments demonstrate the advantage of the proposed work to address multiple factors of effectiveness, efficiency and user experience in the real-world application.


1] This essay explores how the imagination creates dynamic aesthetic experiences by negotiating the intersection of opposites. The goal is to enrich our thinking about the relation of nature and art within a more comprehensive environmental aesthetics. I focus on a single example, the intersections created by the particular experience of space and time in the paintings of Hiroshi Senju, at the Shofuso Japanese House in Philadelphia. First, I provide a brief introduction to Senju and the work at Shofuso. Next, building on perspectives from within environmental aesthetics and Senju's own writings, I sketch out a framework for thinking about the imagination. Finally, I examine how this creates meaningful intersections in the experience of space and time at Shofuso, drawing on the work of the philosopher Watsuji Tetsurō.


A. J. Abosede, B. A. Hassan and R. O. Oko-Oza Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State, Nigeria E-mail:email@example.com, +234-815-7711-895 Abstract The main aim of this study is to examine the impact of finance on the performance of small and medium enterprises in Lagos State. The research design adopted for this study is survey research design. Data analysis and hypotheses test from 250 SME owners and operators using Pearson correlation and regression analysis indicate that, there is a relationship between SME finance and business performance. Limited information on loan qualification criteria and high interest rate mostly pose challenge to SMEs in their quest to access finance. Results also show there is significant relationship between financial management practices and the performance of SMEs. Sequel to findings of the study, it is recommended that government Flexible arrangements should be put in place for SMEs in Lagos State to enable them access fund. Government should find way to encourage financial institution to lend to SMEs by providing guarantees, interest rate subsidies and other incentives.


In the absence of innovation in the field of conservation finance, a daunting funding gap faces conservationists aiming to protect America's system of landscapes that provide sustainable resources, water, wildlife habitat, and recreational amenities. Experts estimate that the average annual funding gap will be between $1.9 billion and $7.7 billion over the next forty years. Can the conservation community come up with new methods for financing that will fill this enormous gap? Which human and financial resources will allow us to fund critical land conservation needs? "From Walden to Wall Street" brings together the experience of more than a dozen pioneering conservation finance practitioners to address these crucial issues. Contributors present groundbreaking ideas such as government ballot measures for land conservation, convertible tax-exempt financing, and private equity markets. The creativity and insight of "From Walden to Wall Street" offers considerable hope that, even in this era of widespread financial constraints, the American conservation community's financial resources may potentially grow dramatically in both quantity and quality in the decades to come.


Most additive manufacturing methods such as fused-deposition modelling, selective laser melting or stereolithography create objects sequentially one layer at a time. This type of process imposes limitations on the shapes and the materials that can be printed. For example, overhanging structures need additional supports during printing, and soft or elastic materials are difficult to print since they deform as new layers are added. While casting can be used instead to create certain elastic parts, design freedom is limited because cavities or tubes are difficult to unmold. Here we use a volumetric 3D printing method based on tomography, where the entire volume of a photopolymerizable resin is solidified at the same time. We demonstrate very rapid (<30s) printing of a variety of complex structures with acrylates and silicones.


Background: Patients may develop dual-loop re-entrant atrial arrhythmias late after open-heart surgery, and mapping and catheter ablation remain challenging despite computer-assisted mapping techniques. Objectives: The purpose of the study was to demonstrate the prevalence and characteristics of dual-loop re-entrant arrhythmias, and to define the optimal mapping and ablation strategy. Methods: 40 consecutive patients (mean (SD) age 52 (12) years) with intra-atrial re-entrant tachycardia (IART) after open-heart surgery (with an incision of the right atrial free wall) were studied. Dual-loop IART was defined as the presence of two simultaneous atrial circuits. After an abrupt tachycardia change during radiofrequency ablation, electrical disconnection of the targeted re-entry isthmus from the remaining circuit was demonstrated by entrainment mapping. Furthermore, the second circuit loop was localised using electroanatomical mapping and/or entrainment mapping. Results: Dual-loop IART was demonstrated in eight (20%, 5 patients with congenital heart disease, 3 with acquired heart disease) patients. Dual-loop IART included an isthmus-dependant atrial flutter combined with a re-entry related to the atriotomy scar. The diagnosis of dual-loop IART required the comparison of entrainment mapping before and after tachycardia modification. Overall, 35 patients had successful radiofrequency ablation (88%). Success rates were lower in patients with dual-loop IART than in patients without dual-loop IART. Ablation failures in three patients with dual-loop IART were related to the inability to properly transect the second tachycardia isthmus in the right atrial free wall. Conclusions: Dual-loop IART is relatively common after heart surgery involving a right atriotomy. Abrupt tachycardia change and specific entrainment mapping manoeuvres demonstrate these circuits. Electroanatomical mapping appears to be important to assist catheter ablation of periatriotomy circuits.


Corel Paint Shop Proi¾ X Digital Darkroom is an easy-to-follow, tutorial approach to using Paint Shop Pro in exactly the way home users want to use it - to manipulate your own images in ways that a local photo lab often does to create both practical and comical projects. As you read, you will actually use the program to complete a variety of projects. You'll learn about key Paint Shop Pro tools almost without trying through both traditional and contemporary projects.Indulge in shrinking the kids, performing digital plastic surgery, modifying vehicles, creating creatures the tabloids would love to profile, altering pets, creating trading cards and calendars, and combining images to create once-in-a-lifetime shots. Drop people into places they've never been and challenge Mother Nature with unique perspectives. Createi¾ holiday magic, photo montages, and eveni¾ do some traditional photo manipulation. Author T. Michael Clark provides careful instruction that will allow you, whether you are a novice or experienced Paint Shop Pro user, to complete projects and enjoy your experience with Paint Shop Proi¾ X.


The antioxidant capability of beverage blends made from cocoa, zobo and ginger with standard antioxidant assay procedures was investigated. The DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1picrylhydrazyl) scavenging capacity ranged from 21.2-25.8% in comparison with GSH of 37.1%. The ferric reducing ability was highest in the zobo drink and lowest in ginger. The superoxide scavenging capacity was also highest in the zobo drink followed by the drink with alkalized cocoa. The metal chelating power decreased as the level of zobo in the blends decreases. The chelating power of zobo and ginger were significantly lower than the natural and alkalized cocoa. The 100% zobo drink inhibited linoleic acid till the fifth day while natural and alkalized cocoa as well as the blend with 50% alkalized cocoa inhibited linoleic acid greatly till the sixth day. The finding describes the potential health benefit of the phytochemical antioxidants of cocoa:zobo:ginger beverage blends. Keywords—antioxidant; cocoa; ginger; health benefit; zobo blend


For ordinary circuits with a xed upper bound on the maximal fanin of gates it has been shown that logarithmic redundancy is necessary and suucient to overcome random hardware faults. Here, we consider the same question for unbounded fanin circuits that in the noiseless case can compute Boolean functions in sublogarithmic depth. In this case the details of the fault model become more important. One may assume that only gates, resp. only wires may deliver wrong values, or that both gates and wires may behave faulty due to random noise. The fault tolerance depends on the types of gates that are used, and whether the error probabilities are known exactly or only an upper bound for them. Concerning the rst distinction the two most important models are circuits consisting of and-and or-gates with arbitrarily many inputs, and circuits built from the more general type of threshold gates. We will show that reliable computation is basically impossible for and/or{circuits and threshold circuits with unknown error probabilities. Gates with large fanin are of no use in this case. Circuits of arbitrary size, but xed depth can compute only a tiny subset of all Boolean functions reliably. Only in case of threshold circuits and exactly known error probabilities redundancy is able to compensate faults. We describe a transformation from fault-free to fault-tolerant circuits that is optimal with respect to depth keeping the circuit size polynomial.


Transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) is a cytokine that promotes extracellular matrix accumulation and inhibits matrix degradation. Although the natural course of sarcoidosis is usually favourable, granuloma healing in the lung may result in pulmonary fibrosis and respiratory impairment in some patients. In this study TGF-beta1 was evaluated in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid and culture supernatants of alveolar macrophages (AM) from 73 patients with biopsy-proven sarcoidosis. Disease activity was defined when patients recently developed or increased symptoms (cough, dyspnoea, systemic symptoms) and/or demonstrated increasing opacities on chest radiography. Pulmonary function tests were performed in all patients including forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC), total lung capacity (TLC) and the diffusing capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide (DL,CO). Fourteen patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and 14 healthy subjects were investigated as a control group. Immunohistochemistry was used to evaluate the cell distribution of TGF-beta1 on lung specimens. TGF-beta1 levels in BAL and in AM supernatants were not different between sarcoidosis and healthy subjects, whereas they were markedly increased in IPF. However, the TGF-beta1 level was significantly increased in BAL fluid but not in AM supernatants from sarcoidosis with altered lung function, compared with patients with normal lung function. The TGF-beta1 level in BAL was increased in active sarcoidosis but this increased level was mainly related to the higher level observed in patients with altered lung function. TGF-beta1 levels in BAL correlated significantly with the lymphocyte percentage. TGF-beta1 staining assessed by immunohistochemistry was intense in epithelioid histiocytes comprising non-necrotizing granuloma and in bronchiolar epithelial cells, in hyperplastic type II pneumocytes and occasionally in AM. This study supports the hypothesis that overproduction of transforming growth factor-beta1 is associated with functional impairment in patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis.


The thesis of this book is threefold: (1) that the Church in Africa continues to affirm the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ; (2) that the Church in Africa learns afresh to indigenize itself to the point that Christianity truly becomes an African religion; and (3) that preaching in Africa needs to increasingly use African historical, cultural, traditional-religious concepts, imagery, and idiom (rather than missionary-given Western forms) in order to communicate the gospel more effectively in the new millennium. Kurewa invites the African Church to take a closer look at African culture as God-given, rather than continuing to preach, worship, sing, and counsel as if imitating Western missionaries. Kurewa urges the African Church to claim its own culture with pride and integrity. He gives examples on how specific customs can be integrated into Christian life, worship, and preaching.


A solid desiccant dehumidifier equipped with adsorbent coated heat exchangers has been developed and investigated experimentally. The main component of the solid desiccant dehumidifier included two heat exchangers that were coated with silica gel regular density (RD) type powder in order to increase water adsorption uptake by improving its heat transfer. A series of experiment were conducted to evaluate two key performance indices, namely, moisture removal capacity and thermal performance, under various operating conditions. Results revealed that the reduction of dehumidification process time by 50% can lead to significant improvement of the mean humidity ratio at outlet up to 9.3 g/kg. The maximum moisture removal was found to decrease from 14.8 to 13.2 g/kg with higher airflow rates arising from the reduced residence time of the process air. It was further observed that the water moisture removal was highly affected by inlet humidity ratio. In addition, marked improvement in thermal performance can be achieved by a lowered hot water regeneration temperature.


This thesis examines the possible implications of international cross-listings for the wealth of shareholders, for stock liquidity and volatility, and for the distribution of trading volumes across both the domestic and foreign stock markets where the shares are traded. For the purpose of clarity, these three issues are analysed in three empirical chapters in the thesis.

The first empirical issue examined in this thesis is the effects of international cross-listings on shareholders' wealth. This is discussed in chapter 2. The chapter compares the gains in shareholders' wealth that result from cross-listing in the American, British, and European stock exchanges and then evaluates their determinants by applying various theories on the wealth effects of cross-listing. Moreover, it evaluates how the wealth effect of cross-listing has changed over time reflecting the implications of the significant developments in capital markets that have taken place in recent years. In particular, the effects of the introduction of the Euro in Europe and the adoption of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act in the US are analysed. The findings suggest that, on average, cross-listing of stocks enhances shareholders' wealth but the gains are dependent on the destination market. In addition, the regulatory and economic changes in the listing environment not only alter the wealth effects of cross-listings, but also affect the sources of value creation. Overall, this chapter provides in-depth insights into the motivations for, and the benefits of, cross-listings across different host markets in changing market conditions.

The second empirical issue examined is the impact of cross-listing and multimarket trading on stock liquidity and volatility (chapter 3). Cross-listing leads to additional mandatory disclosure in order to comply with the requirements of the host market. Such requirements are expected to reduce information asymmetry among various market participants (corporate managers, stock dealers, and investors). An enhanced information environment, in turn, should increase stock liquidity and reduce stock return volatility. The findings of this study suggest that the stock liquidity and volatility improves after cross-listing on a foreign stock exchange. Moreover, this study distinguishes between cross-listing and cross-trading. The distinction is important because cross-trading, unlike cross-listing, does not require the disclosing of additional information. Although such a distinction means there is a variation in the information environment of cross-listed and cross-traded stocks, the results do not reveal any significant difference in the liquidity and volatility of the stocks that are cross-listed and cross-traded. This evidence suggests that the improvement in the liquidity and volatility of cross-listed/traded stocks comes primarily from the intensified competition among traders rather than from mandatory disclosure requirements.

The final empirical issue investigated in this thesis (chapter 4) is the identification of the determinants of the distribution of equity trading volume from both stock exchange and firm specific perspectives. From a stock exchange perspective, exchange level analysis focuses on the stock exchange characteristics that determine the ability of a stock exchange to attract trading of foreign stocks. While from a firm perspective, firm level analysis focuses on firm specific characteristics that affect the distribution of foreign trading. The results show that a stock exchange's ability to attract trading volumes of foreign equity is positively associated with a stock exchange's organizational efficiency, market liquidity, and also the quality of investor protection and insider trading regulations. Analysis also reveals the superior ability of American stock exchanges to attract trading of European stocks. Moreover, there is strong evidence suggesting that regulated stock exchanges are more successful in attracting trading of foreign stocks than non-regulated markets, such as OTC and alternative markets and trading platforms. From a firm perspective, the proportion of trading on a foreign exchange is higher for smaller and riskier companies, and for companies that exhibit lower correlation of returns with market index returns in the host market. Also this proportion is higher when foreign trading takes place in the same currency as trading in the firm's home market and increases with the duration of a listing. Finally, the study provides separate evidence on the expected levels of trading activity on various stock exchanges for a stock with particular characteristics.

Overall, the findings of this thesis suggest that international cross-listing is beneficial for both firms and their shareholders but the findings also suggest that there are significant variations in the implications of cross-listings for different firms and from listing in different destination foreign markets. Finally, these implications are not static and respond to changes and reforms in listing and trading conditions.


Increased demand of energy efficiency for the components used in aerospace and energy industries requires high efficiency and low cost in the production of component made of nickel-based superalloy, such as aged Inconel 718. With use of whisker reinforced ceramic cutting tool in finishing machining process, higher cutting speed and higher production efficiency can be reached accordingly. However, surface integrity of the part produced by this process still needs to be studied due to the high demand of surface quality. The paper analyses the effects of tool wear on subsurface deformation of nickel-based super-alloy in finishing turning. The objective is to understand the nature of subsurface deformation under the influence of tool wear for prediction of the surface integrity in machined components based upon the machining conditions and material behaviours that give rise to them. Machined samples were studied under a Backscattered electron microscope to distinguish the subsurface features produced by the machining. The electron back scatter diffraction (EBSD) was also used to quantify the depth of deformation zones in the subsurface after the machining.


The nitrogen (N) content of material selected by cattle, Boer goats, Dorper and Merino sheep on natural Karoo pasture was investigated. A pronounced seasonal variation in the N content of selected material was found. No correspondence was recorded between the N content of oesophageal extrusa and hand-sampled material. Cattle selected material with a lower (P < 0,01) N content (1,28 ± 0,28%) than Boer goats and sheep, with Boer goats (1,60 ± 0,35%) lower (P < 0,05) than sheep. The difference between Dorper (1,88 ± 0,35%) and Merino sheep (1,87 ± 0,37%) was not significant. Close correlations between the small stock species (r = 0,81-0,89) indicates a similarity in the seasonal N selection pattern of small stock on Karoo veld. Lower correlations between cattle and small stock (r = 0,43-0,61) shows that the N selection pattern of cattle deviates from that of small stock. A small but significant (P < 0,01) difference in extrusa N content between dry female (1,72 ± 0,44) and castrated male (1,65 ± 0,43) animals was recorded. Notwithstanding, high correlations (r = 0,87-0,95) suggest that N selection of dry females can be predicted from castrated males and vice versa. A highly significant difference (P < 0,01) in the N content of selected material was determined between years. An intraclass (animal species) correlation of r = 0,95 between years indicated a correspondence in the seasonal N selection pattern. A difference (P < 0,01) was recorded in N content of extrusa pooled for the first and last 2 days of the 4-day sampling period. This difference (4,2% units or 0,07% N) was however small. The N content of selected material is discussed together with its digestibility. It is concluded that small stock selected material with a higher nutritive value than cattle on Karoo veld. S. Atr. J. Anim. Sci. 1984, 14: 169-172


This study presents an improved under-frequency load shedding (UFLS) scheme that can detect power deficit during the shedding process and accordingly adjust the amount of load shedding. This is achieved by continuous monitoring of the overshooting signal of the second frequency derivative of the centre of inertia. Once detected, an equivalent system inertia constant is estimated in order to quantify the new power deficit. The scheme is also equipped with an optimisation algorithm to determine the best combination of loads that is close to the amount of power deficit, which minimises frequency overshoot/undershoot. The optimisation technique selected for this work is based on particle swarm optimisation. The performance of the proposed UFLS scheme was validated using a modified IEEE 33 bus with two mini-hydro generators and one full converter wind turbine. The system and the proposed UFLS was modelled and simulated in PSCAD/EMTDC software. The results confirmed that the proposed scheme is capable of shedding loads with minimum undershoot/overshoot, and detect and estimate a new power deficit during load shedding. The results reported by the proposed scheme proved to be significantly better than those reported by conventional and adaptive load shedding schemes.


Previous studies of the first direct elections to the Hong Kong Legislative Council (LegCo) in 1991 were largely focused on the effect of the Tiananmen Incident on voters' choice, neglecting the domestic dimension of social conflict evolving within Hong Kong from the 1970s. Adopting the social cleavage approach, the present thesis argues that two electoral cleavages, centre-periphery and collective consumption, were important by 1991. It, therefore, explores the international, social and political contexts within which the 1991 LegCo direct elections took place in order to explain the political alignments and electoral cleavages during the period 1982-1991. First, the study examines the Sino-British attitudes towards political reforms in Hong Kong and the development of the centre-periphery cleavage in the 1980s as the two countries negotiated the transfer of sovereignty. Second, the expansion of the Hong Kong Government's activities and its privatisation programmes are analyzed in order to describe the increasingly intimate relations between government and society and to show that, as a result, conflicts evolved over issues of collective consumption. Third, the emerging competition at the time of the 1991 elections is discussed with reference to political mobilisation and alignments during the previous decade. Fourth, the electoral market of 1991 is examined to explain voters' choice. Finally, the election results are analyzed to demonstrate that two electoral cleavages, centre-periphery and collective consumption, played a significant role. The data used in this study were collected from: official documents, such as the Hong Kong Government Gazette, the Sino-British Joint Declaration, the Basic Law, the Hong Kong Census and By-census reports, the annual reports of various government departments; opinion polls and one exit poll of the 1991 LegCo direct elections; personal interviews with leading political leaders; campaign materials and election debates on television; and newspaper cuttings.


Fluorescence measurements were performed at different temperatures to increase the resolving capabilities of time-resolved laser-induced fluorescence for uranium speciation. This spectroscopic technique was used to determine the fluorescence lifetimes of the uranyl ion and the species UO2OH+, (UO2)2(OH)2+2, and (UO2)3 (OH)5+ in 0.5 M NaClO4 solutions at different pH and total uranium concentration and in the temperature range from 10 to 60 °C. The temperature dependence of the lifetimes was found to follow the Arrhenius law, and the activation energy of the process was determined for each species. The influence of temperature on the equilibrium constants of the uranium hydroxo-complexes was also considered.


Abstract. In a previous study of Quaas et al. (2008) the radiative forcing by anthropogenic aerosol due to aerosol–cloud interactions, RFaci, was obtained by a statistical analysis of satellite retrievals using a multilinear regression. Here we employ a new statistical approach to obtain the fitting parameters, determined using a nonlinear least square statistical approach for the relationship between planetary albedo and cloud properties and, further, for the relationship between cloud properties and aerosol optical depth. In order to verify the performance, the results from both statistical approaches (previous and present) were compared to the results from radiative transfer simulations over three regions for different seasons. We find that the results of the new statistical approach agree well with the simulated results both over land and ocean. The new statistical approach increases the correlation by 21–23 % and reduces the error compared to the previous approach.


In this paper, we address language teachers' continuing professional development (CPD) and engagement with research by demonstrating how research on English as a foreign language (EFL) speaking tests can be applied in professional training workshops on oral test interaction and assessment. Data were drawn from an ongoing research project targeting 9 th -grade national English speaking tests in Sweden. Authentic test recordings analysed in a previous study (Author 1 and Author 2 2013) formed the basis for workshops designed to initiate discussions on testing and assessing EFL oral proficiency. The two-fold aim of the study is to implement a research-based workshop model for increasing teachers' awareness of interaction in speaking tests, and to analyse teachers' self-reported insights from workshop participation with regard to conducting speaking tests and assessing oral proficiency. Workshop experiences were followed up with questionnaires. Findings reveal some noteworthy pedagogical implications of collaborative work with test recordings and assessment.


Liquidity constraints imposed to shareholders of investment funds, also known as lock-up periods, represent an alternative that managers can use to implement and maintain long-term strategies. The academic literature suggests that, as a result of liquidity constraints, funds should deliver a premium to their shareholders, and previous studies have documented this effect. Based on this context, in this paper we analyze the effect of lock-up periods on the profitability of Brazilian multimarket funds. We used a sample composed by 4,662 multimarket funds in the period from January 2009 to February 2016. The results showed a positive effect of lock-up periods on the average profitability of the funds, as well as on their risk-adjusted return. Our discussion highlights arguments that some measures taken by fund managers to protect their strategies against impulsive behaviors of funds' investors can present a positive effect on the performance of their funds.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate the effect of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) on clinical recovery in the management of patients with complex regional pain syndrome Type I (CRPS Type I).

MATERIAL AND METHOD
The study included 30 patients with stage 1 and 2 CRPS Type I in the upper extremities. The patients were randomly assigned into 2 groups, group 1 (n= 15) received conventional TENS therapy for 20 minutes, and group 2 (n= 15) received sham TENS therapy. The standard physical therapy program, which included contrast bath for 20 minutes; whirlpool bath for 15 minutes; assisted active and passive range of motion, and static stretching exercises up to the pain threshold, was also conducted in both groups. Therapy was scheduled for 15 sessions. A visual analogue scale (VAS) was used to assess spontaneous pain. The Leeds Assessment of Neuropathic Signs and Symptoms (LANSS) scale and the Douleur Neuropathique en 4 Questions (DN-4) were used to assess neuropathic pain. In addition, range of motion (ROM) was measured using a goniometer and volumetric measurements were taken to assess edema. Functional capacity was assessed using a hand dynamometer and the Duruöz Hand Index (DHI). All measurements were performed at baseline and after therapy.

RESULTS
Significant improvements were achieved in spontaneous and neuropathic pain scores, edema, ROM, and functional capacity in both groups (p< 0.05). However, improvement was found to be significantly greater in group 1 regarding pain intensity, neuropathic pain assessed using LANNS, edema, and in the 2nd-3rd finger ROM measurements (p< 0.05). No significant difference was detected between groups regarding improvements in 4th-5th finger and wrist ROM measurements, grip strength, and DN4 and DHI scores (p> 0.05).

CONCLUSION
The addition of TENS to the physical therapy program was seen to make a significant contribution to clinical recovery in CRPS Type 1.


We present optical R-band images of 100 BL Lacertae objects in the ROSAT-Green Bank (RGB) sample obtained at the Nordic Optical Telescope (NOT). For 62 objects we could not find any previously published images in the literature, of these 35 are new BL Lacs discovered during the RGB BL Lac survey. We were able to resolve the host galaxy in 62% of the objects. We analyze the host galaxies using a two-dimensional fitting procedure and tabulate the best-fit core magnitude and host galaxy parameters (magnitude, effective radius, ellipticity, position angle and shape parameter β) for each object. With two exceptions, all objects are better fit by a model representing an elliptical galaxy (β = 0.25) than by a disk galaxy model (β = 1.0). In the two exceptions the disk host fit is only marginally better than the elliptical host fit, however, and we do not find a single clear example of a disk-dominated host galaxy. The host galaxies have an average brightness MR = −23.9 ± 0.8 and average effective radius reff = 13.2 ± 0.8 kpc. Their bulk properties are indistinguishable from normal elliptical and radio galaxies. The median β is 0.18, well below the value 0.25 that is normally used to describe ellipticals. However, the difference may be caused by as election effect due to the dependence of β on host galaxy luminosity.


Background: World Health Organization (WHO) recommends the use of Xpert MTB/RIF assay for rapid diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB) and detection of rifampicin resistance. This systematic review was done to know about the diagnostic accuracy and cost-effectiveness of the Xpert MTB/RIF assay. Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted in following databases: Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, MEDLINE, PUBMED, Scopus, Science Direct and Google Scholar for relevant studies for studies published between 2010 and December 2014. Studies given in the systematic reviews were accessed separately and used for analysis. Selection of studies, data extraction and assessment of quality of included studies was performed independently by two reviewers. Studies evaluating the diagnostic accuracy of Xpert MTB/RIF assay among adult or predominantly adult patients (≥14 years), presumed to have pulmonary TB with or without HIV infection were included in the review. Also, studies that had assessed the diagnostic accuracy of Xpert MTB/RIF assay using sputum and other respiratory specimens were included. Results: The included studies had a low risk of any form of bias, showing that findings are of high scientific validity and credibility. Quantitative analysis of 37 included studies shows that Xpert MTB/RIF is an accurate diagnostic test for TB and detection of rifampicin resistance. Conclusion: Xpert MTB/RIF assay is a robust, sensitive and specific test for accurate diagnosis of tuberculosis as compared to conventional tests like culture and microscopic examination.


ABSTRACT The identification of essential genetic elements in pathways governing the maintenance of fully established tumors is critical to the development of effective antioncologic agents. Previous studies revealed an essential role for H-RASV12G in melanoma maintenance in an inducible transgenic model. Here, we sought to define the molecular basis for RAS-dependent tumor maintenance through determination of the H-RASV12G-directed transcriptional program and subsequent functional validation of potential signaling surrogates. The extinction of H-RASV12G expression in established tumors was associated with alterations in the expression of proliferative, antiapoptotic, and angiogenic genes, a profile consistent with the observed phenotype of tumor cell proliferative arrest and death and endothelial cell apoptosis during tumor regression. In particular, these melanomas displayed a prominent RAS-dependent regulation of the epidermal growth factor (EGF) family, leading to establishment of an EGF receptor signaling loop. Genetic complementation and interference studies demonstrated that this signaling loop is essential to H-RASV12G-directed tumorigenesis. Thus, this inducible tumor model system permits the identification and validation of alternative points of therapeutic intervention without neutralization of the primary genetic lesion.


A factorial experimental design (5×3×2) was used to investigate the effects of non-starch polysaccharide binding agents on physical properties of single-screw extrusion. Extrusion cooking trials were performed with an ingredient blend for yellow perch, fortified with five non-starch polysaccharide binding agents including three plant-origin gums (guar, wheat gluten, carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC)) and two microbial-origin exopolysaccharide gums (xanthan and pullulan), with three levels of gum inclusion (3, 6, and 10%), and two levels of screw speed (100 and 150 rpm). Effects of the independent variables on extrudate characteristics were extensively analyzed and included density, expansion ratio, water absorption and solubility indices, pellet durability, and color. Increasing gum level from 3 to 10% led to a considerable increase in unit density of extrudates for xanthan, guar, wheat gluten, CMC, and pullulan by 39.6%, 21%, 11.4%, 30%, and 19.7%, respectively. The minimum (357 kg m-3) and maximum (607 kg m-3) bulk densities were observed for the diets produced with 6% guar at 150 rpm and 10% xanthan at 100 rpm, respectively. The mean values of expansion ratio for the diets containing exopolysaccharide gums were slightly smaller than those of the other diets. Increasing gum inclusion level increased the expansion ratio of the extrudates using xanthan, wheat gluten and pullulan but reduced the expandability of diets used guar gum; increased levels did not change the expansion ratio of extrudates containing CMC. At the highest levels of gum inclusion and screw speed, both pullulan and wheat gluten gums provided better expandability of the feed extrudate. Exopolysaccharide gums resulted in extrudates with significantly higher pellet durability and water solubility indices. Overall, the addition of 6 to 10% non-starch exopolysaccharides could improve the pellet durability of aqua feed extrudates. A future study investigating the effects of feed composition and additional extrusion processing conditions on the physical parameters of these products in aquafeeds would be appropriate.


New Zealand's Defence White Paper 2010 acknowledges that shifting power relativities in Asia are undermining the regional order that has kept New Zealand secure for many decades. This raises questions about whether New Zealand can continue to assume that the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) need not prepare for major conflict. The White Paper provides little analysis of what this possibility means for the kinds of tasks the NZDF might be called upon to perform and what capabilities it might therefore need in future. This article explores these questions by looking at the kinds of broad strategic posture New Zealand might adopt in a more contested Asia, what demands those postures might make on its forces, and the capability implications.


Few-shot learning is a nascent research topic, motivated by the fact that traditional deep learning methods require tremendous amounts of data. The scarcity of annotated data becomes even more challenging in semantic segmentation since pixellevel annotation in segmentation task is more labor-intensive to acquire. To tackle this issue, we propose an Attentionbased Multi-Context Guiding (A-MCG) network, which consists of three branches: the support branch, the query branch, the feature fusion branch. A key differentiator of A-MCG is the integration of multi-scale context features between support and query branches, enforcing a better guidance from the support set. In addition, we also adopt a spatial attention along the fusion branch to highlight context information from several scales, enhancing self-supervision in one-shot learning. To address the fusion problem in multi-shot learning, Conv-LSTM is adopted to collaboratively integrate the sequential support features to elevate the final accuracy. Our architecture obtains state-of-the-art on unseen classes in a variant of PASCAL VOC12 dataset and performs favorably against previous work with large gains of 1.1%, 1.4% measured in mIoU in the 1-shot and 5-shot setting.


Background/Objective: Sleep hygiene is considered to be an effective method to treat sleep disturbances, especially among adolescents and young adults. This study aimed to find out the relationship of sleep hygiene awareness and its importance in overall sleep quality among medical students and to assess the prevalence of sleep disturbance among them. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted in the College of Medicine, King Saud University during the period between April and July 2016. A total of 225 students participated in this study and were recruited by a convenience sampling method. Two validated questionnaires were used, Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index (PSQI); to assess sleep quality and the Sleep Beliefs Scale (SBS); to assess the awareness of students about sleep hygiene. Data were entered into, and analyzed by SPSS Version 20. Results: Overall, more than half of the participants 113(56.5%) had a poor sleep quality. Sixty one (30.5%) students got excellent score in sleep hygiene awareness and the rest of the participants (n = 139; 69.5%) scored poor/intermediate. Thirty five (57.4%) poor sleepers and 42.6% of good sleepers scored excellent in sleep hygiene awareness. Conclusion: This study showed a higher prevalence of sleep disturbance among medical students and no significant correlation between sleep hygiene awareness and good sleep quality which means that sleep hygiene awareness may not necessarily ensure a good sleep quality.


The paper examines the poverty-reducing and distributional characteristics of Djibouti's economic growth, and discusses policies that might help make growth more inclusive. It covers the period between 2002 and 2013, for which comparable household surveys are available. The main findings are that while in the past decade the overall level of poverty in Djibouti declined, there have been no clear signs of improvements in either equality or growth inclusiveness. Growth has not been inclusive and benefitted mainly those in the upper part of the income distribution. These conclusions should be treated as indicative. Progress in poverty reduction and inclusiveness would require not only sustained high growth but also the creation of opportunities in sectors with high earning potential for the poor. Better targeted social policies and more attention to the regional distribution of spending would also help reduce poverty and improve inclusiveness.


Maintenance of T cell tolerance is likely regulated by epigenetic mechanisms. In the immune system, loss of tolerance to self can have devastating consequences, such as the development of autoimmune diseases. In some cases, however, we may wish to be able to break tolerance—for example, to activate immune cells to fight tumors. Schietinger et al. (see the Perspective by Lee and Jameson) used a combination of genetic mouse models and adoptive immune cell transfers to better understand the mechanisms regulating tolerance in T lymphocytes. In contrast to the prevailing paradigm, the maintenance of T lymphocyte tolerance did not require the continuous presence of antigen. Tolerance was able to be broken when previously tolerized cells were placed in an environment depleted of immune cells. However, when lymphocyte numbers were restored, cells were once again tolerized, even in the absence of antigen. These data, together with gene expression profiling, suggest that tolerance is associated with a specific gene expression program that, although possible to override temporarily, is reimposed by epigenetic mechanisms. A. Schietinger, J. J. Delrow, R. S. Basom, J. N. Blattman, P. D. Greenberg, Rescued tolerant CD8 T cells are preprogrammed to reestablish the tolerant state. Science 335, 723–727 (2012). [Abstract] [Full Text] J.-Y. Lee, S. C. Jameson, Remembering to be tolerant. Science 335, 667–668 (2012). [Abstract] [Full Text]