National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius, the Supreme Court's ruling on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, is a landmark decision - both for constitutional law and for health care law and policy. Others will study its implications for constitutional limits on a range of federal powers beyond health care. This article considers to what extent the decision is also about health care law, properly conceived. Under one view, health care law is the subdiscipline that inquires how courts and government actors take account of the special features of medicine that make legal or policy issues especially problematic - rather than regarding health care delivery and finance more generically, like most any other economic or social enterprise. Viewed this way, the opinions from the Court's conservative justices are mainly about general constitutional law principles. In contrast, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's dissenting opinion for the four more liberal justices is just as much about health care law as it is about constitutional law. Her opinion gives detailed attention to the unique features of health care finance and delivery in order to inform her analysis of constitutional precedents and principles. Thus, the Court's multiple opinions give a vivid depiction of the compelling contrasts between communal versus individualistic conceptions of caring for those in need, and between health care and health insurance as ordinary commodities versus ones that merit special economic, social, and legal status.


This text offers a systematic, rigorous, and unified presentation of evolutionary game theory, covering the core developments of the theory from its inception in biology in the 1970s through recent advances. Evolutionary game theory, which studies the behavior of large populations of strategically interacting agents, is used by economists to make predictions in settings where traditional assumptions about agents' rationality and knowledge may not be justified. Recently, computer scientists, transportation scientists, engineers, and control theorists have also turned to evolutionary game theory, seeking tools for modeling dynamics in multiagent systems. Population Games and Evolutionary Dynamics provides a point of entry into the field for researchers and students in all of these disciplines. The text first considers population games, which provide a simple, powerful model for studying strategic interactions among large numbers of anonymous agents. It then studies the dynamics of behavior in these games. By introducing a general model of myopic strategy revision by individual agents, the text provides foundations for two distinct approaches to aggregate behavior dynamics: the deterministic approach, based on differential equations, and the stochastic approach, based on Markov processes. Key results on local stability, global convergence, stochastic stability, and nonconvergence are developed in detail. Ten substantial appendixes present the mathematical tools needed to work in evolutionary game theory, offering a practical introduction to the methods of dynamic modeling. Accompanying the text are more than 200 color illustrations of the mathematics and theoretical results; many were created using the Dynamo software suite, which is freely available on the author's Web site. Readers are encouraged to use Dynamo to run quick numerical experiments and to create publishable figures for their own research.


Iron sulfide, frequently found on carbon steel exposed to sour conditions, is under certain conditions expected to act as a (large area) cathode thereby increasing the corrosion rate of the underlying steel through galvanic coupling. In this work electrochemical reactions taking place at mackinawite (the most common low temperature polymorph of iron sulfide) electrodes in sour aqueous solutions have been studied using electrochemical techniques and the effect of mass transport was obtained using a jet impingement setup. The main objective was to obtain current-potential relations for iron sulfides which can be taken into a modelling framework, thereby allowing the estimation of the galvanic coupling between carbon steel and iron sulfides under different environmental conditions. In order to do so a method to produce mackinawite electrodes was developed. Part of this paper is therefore devoted to describing the FeS manufacturing process and to some physical characteristics to the produced mackinawite and the electrode itself.


The diesel engine is one of the most efficient types of heat engines and is widely used as a prime mover for many applications. In recent years, with the aid of modern computers, engine combustion modeling has made great progress. However, due to the complexities of the processes involved in the practical diesel engine, there are still too many unknowns preventing computational prediction to have the accuracy level required by industry. This book examines some basic characteristics of diesel engine combustion process, and describes the commonly used tool to analyze combustion - heat release analysis. In addition, Practical Diesel-Engine Combustion Analysis describes the performance changes that might be encountered in the engine user environment, with a goal of helping the reader analyze his own practical combustion problems.


"Demons", also known as "The Possessed" or "The Devils", is a dark masterpiece that evokes a world where the lines between and good and evil long ago became blurred. This "Penguin Classics" edition of Fyodor Dostoyevsky's "Demons" is translated by Robert A. Maguire and edited by Ronald Meyer, with an introduction by Robert L. Belknap. Pyotr Verkhovensky and Nikolai Stavrogin are the leaders of a Russian revolutionary cell. Their aim is to overthrow the Tsar, destroy society and seize power for themselves. Together they train terrorists who are willing to go to any lengths to achieve their goals - even if the mission means suicide. But when it seems their motley group is about to be discovered, will their recruits be willing to kill one of their own circle in order to cover their tracks? As the ensuing investigation and trial reveal the true identity of the murderer, Dostoyevsky's and everyone's faith in humanity is tested. Partly based on the real-life case of a student murdered by his fellow revolutionaries, Dostoyevsky's sprawling novel is a powerful and prophetic, yet lively and often comic depiction of nineteenth-century Russia, and a savage indictment of the madness and nihilism of those who use violence to serve their beliefs. Robert A. Maguire's superb translation captures Dostoyevsky's vigorous prose. In his introduction, Robert L. Belknap discusses Dostoyevsky's own revolutionary activities, his narrative technique and use of different genres, and the background of Radicalism in Imperial Russia. Edited by Ronald Meyer, this volume also includes a chronology, further reading, notes and a glossary. Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky (1821-1881) was born in Moscow. From 1849-54 he lived in a convict prison, and in later years his passion for gambling led him deeply into debt. His other works available in "Penguin Classics" include "Crime & Punishment", "The Idiot and Demons". If you enjoyed "Demons", you might like Joris-Karl Huysmans' "The Damned (La-Bas)", also available in "Penguin Classics".


Boosting is a popular approach for building accurate classifiers. Despite the initial popular belief, boosting algorithms do exhibit overfitting and are sensitive to label noise. Part of the sensitivity of boosting algorithms to outliers and noise can be attributed to the unboundedness of the margin-based loss functions that they employ. In this paper we describe two leveraging algorithms that build on boosting techniques and employ a bounded loss function of the margin. The first algorithm interleaves the expectation maximization (EM) algorithm with boosting steps. The second algorithm decomposes a non-convex loss into a difference of two convex losses. We prove that both algorithms converge to a stationary point. We also analyze the generalization properties of the algorithms using the Rademacher complexity. We describe experiments with both synthetic data and natural data (OCR and text) that demonstrate the merits of our framework, in particular robustness to outliers.


This thesis investigates physical processes in Lake Erie, a large, shallow mid-latitude lake, from two perspectives: climate change impacts on the thermal structure and dissolved oxygen concentration and small-scale eddy dynamics generated by internal Kelvin wave propagation. A three-dimensional hydrodynamic and aquatic ecological coupled model ELCOM-CAEDYM, validated by the field data collected in 2008, is first used to investigate the responses of the thermal structure and dissolved oxygen concentration in Lake Erie to potential changes in air temperature and wind speed. A new method is presented to define spatially and temporally varying regions for the epilimnion, thermocline, and hypolimnion. Four metrics are selected to quantify the characteristics of the thermal structure: mean epilimnion temperature, mean hypolimnion temperature, onset and breakdown of stratification, and thermocline depth. Exploiting the power of the three dimensional model to provide a more authentic characterization of thermal structure in such large lakes, it is shown that patterns inferred from simple isotherm dynamics, as typically done with one dimensional models, are not always accurate. In the dissolved oxygen studies similar analyses are presented. Three factors related to lake hydrodynamics have strong influences on hypolimnetic hypoxia: water temperature, stratification duration, and hypolimnion thickness. In a warm and quiescent year the hypolimnetic hypoxia will likely become more severe if considering the effects of meteorological forcing changes only. The present results show the potential for complicated and interactive effects of climate forcing on important biogeochemical processes in Lake Erie as well as other large mid-latitude lakes. Taking advantage of high performance computing, the generation of eddies when a baroclinic Kelvin wave propagates past a peninsula is studied using the MITgcm. The grid resolution can be refined from 2 km to 200 m in the parallel computing environment. With the finer resolution small-scale processes which cannot be resolved in the coarse resolution applied previously are able to be explored. The eddy dynamics are studied in detail in both an idealized lake and in Lake Erie. This work presents a first attempt at simulating small-scale hydrodynamic processes in large lakes and contributes to our understanding of how energy is moved from large scales (the scale of the basins in Lake Erie) to smaller scales (the scale of the peninsula or Point Pelee).


The National Broadcasting Company's (NBC) primetime broadcast of the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics over 18 nights was analyzed to determine differences between the network's treatment of U.S. and non-U.S. Olympians. Consistent with previous findings, an American athlete was the most mentioned athlete, and Americans composed the majority of the Top 20 most mentioned athletes. In contrast to previous findings, American athletes accounted for only 38.68% of the mentions, the lowest amount recorded since studies began with the 1996 Games. In addition, a sport-by-sport analysis revealed that an American was the most mentioned athlete in 8 of the 15 winter sports, and Americans received more mentions in 4 winter sports. Regarding descriptions ascribed to the Olympians, American athletes were more likely to be portrayed as succeeding due to superior concentration, composure, and commitment, while non-Americans were more likely to be portrayed as failing due to a lack of concentration, strength, and ability. Non-Americans were also more likely to be described as modest/introverted. Contextualization of these findings is provided.


Abstract The Tinto river is one of the most polluted stream environments in the world, as a result of both acid mine drainage and natural acid rock drainage. Two representative samples from the phyllosilicate-rich rocks exposed in the drainage basin (Palaeozoic chlorite-bearing slates and Miocene smectite-rich marls) were treated with acid river water (pH = 2.2) for different times to constrain the effects of extreme hydrogeochemical conditions on clay mineral stability. Illite and kaolinite did not show appreciable variations in their crystal chemistry parameters upon treatment. Chlorite underwent an incipient chemical degradation evidenced by the progressive loss of Fe in octahedral positions coupled with a shortening of the b unit-cell parameter, although no weathering products of chlorite were observed. Smectite and calcite were rapidly and fully dissolved thus neutralizing the water acidity, and subsequently Fe and Al oxy-hydroxides and opaline silica precipitated from the aqueous solution, together with a neoformed amorphous silicate phase largely enriched in Al and Mg.


The United States requires a substantial investment in transmission capacity over the next several decades. This investment is needed to ensure system reliability, to accommodate growth in demand for electricity, and to allow the integration of significant amounts of renewable generating capacity. In this paper I survey the need for new transmission capacity and consider the financial and regulatory obstacles that stand in the way of this new investment. This paper makes three points. First, the historical pace of transmission investments will not be adequate to enhance grid reliability or to allow largescale penetration of renewable generating capacity. Second, the replacement of a vertically integrated electric utility industry in many parts of the country by a more disaggregated one composed of merchant generators has added to the challenge of transmission planning and investment. Third, the focus on federal funding for grid improvements is misplaced. There is no evidence that the private sector is incapable of raising the funds needed for critical investment, provided a rationalized regulatory structure is put into place. Making changes to our regulatory and political systems that facilitate transmission investment and siting will not be easy. But the costs of underinvesting in an improved and enlarged national transmission grid are high. Moving to a largely carbon-free economy by the middle of the century will require a transformation of the power system in this country, one that cannot be successful without a strong interstate high-voltage transmission backbone.


We argue that short sellers affect prices in a significant and systematic manner. In particular, we contend that speculative short sales contribute to the weekend effect: The inability to trade over the weekend is likely to cause these short sellers to close their speculative positions on Fridays and reestablish new short positions on Mondays causing stock prices to rise on Fridays and fall on Mondays. We find evidence in support of this hypothesis based on a comparison of high short-interest stocks and low short-interest stocks, stocks with and without actively traded options, IPOs, zero short-interest stocks, and highly volatile stocks. Copyright 2003 by the American Finance Association.


Artistry of the Everyday presents the Peabody Museum's collection of arts from the Berber-speaking regions of North Africa. The book gives an overview of Berber history and culture, focusing on the rich aesthetic traditions of Amazigh (Berber) craftsmen and women. From ancient times to the present day, working with limited materials but an extensive vocabulary of symbols and motifs, Imazighen (Berbers) across North Africa have created objects that are both beautiful and practical. Intricately woven textiles, incised metal locks and keys, painted pottery and richly embroidered leather bags are just a few examples of objects from the Peabody Museum's collections that are highlighted in the color plates. The book also tells the stories of the collectors--both world-traveling Bostonians and Harvard-trained anthropologists--who brought these objects from Morocco or Algeria to their present home in Cambridge in the early twentieth century. The generosity of these donors has resulted in a collection of Berber arts, especially from the Tuareg regions of southern Algeria, that rivals that of major European and North African museums.


In this paper, we use a numerical method involving collocation method with third B-splines as basis functions for solving a class of singular initial value problems (IVPs) of Lane–Emden type equation. The original differential equation is modified at the point of singularity. The modified problem is then treated by using B-spline approximation. In the case of non-linear problems, we first linearize the equation using quasilinearization technique and solve the resulting problem by a third degree B-spline function. Some numerical examples are included to demonstrate the feasibility and the efficiency of the proposed technique. The method is easy to implement and produces accurate results. The numerical results are also found to be in good agreement with the exact solutions.


Abstract. The endemic argan tree (Argania spinosa) populations in southern Morocco are highly degraded due to overbrowsing, illegal firewood extraction and the expansion of intensive agriculture. Bare areas between the isolated trees increase due to limited regrowth; however, it is unknown if the trees influence the soil of the intertree areas. Hypothetically, spatial differences in soil parameters of the intertree area should result from the translocation of litter or soil particles (by runoff and erosion or wind drift) from canopy-covered areas to the intertree areas. In total, 385 soil samples were taken around the tree from the trunk along the tree drip line (within and outside the tree area) and the intertree area between two trees in four directions (upslope, downslope and in both directions parallel to the slope) up to 50 m distance from the tree. They were analysed for gravimetric soil water content, pH, electrical conductivity, percolation stability, total nitrogen content (TN), content of soil organic carbon (SOC) and C/N ratio. A total of 74 tension disc infiltrometer experiments were performed near the tree drip line, within and outside the tree area, to measure the unsaturated hydraulic conductivity. We found that the tree influence on its surrounding intertree area is limited, with, e.g., SOC and TN content decreasing significantly from tree trunk (4.4 % SOC and 0.3 % TN) to tree drip line (2.0 % SOC and 0.2 % TN). However, intertree areas near the tree drip line (1.3 % SOC and 0.2 % TN) differed significantly from intertree areas between two trees (1.0 % SOC and 0.1 % TN) yet only with a small effect. Trends for spatial patterns could be found in eastern and downslope directions due to wind drift and slope wash. Soil water content was highest in the north due to shade from the midday sun; the influence extended to the intertree areas. The unsaturated hydraulic conductivity also showed significant differences between areas within and outside the tree area near the tree drip line. This was the case on sites under different land usages (silvopastoral and agricultural), slope gradients or tree densities. Although only limited influence of the tree on its intertree area was found, the spatial pattern around the tree suggests that reforestation measures should
be aimed around tree shelters in northern or eastern directions with higher soil water content or TN or SOC content to ensure seedling survival, along with measures to prevent overgrazing.


Background: Child growth is an important health indicator in human's lifespan. Evaluating growth variations in infants and children is highly important. This study was conducted to evaluate the risk factors of child growth retardation and determine childhood growth velocity in Zanjan province, Iran. Methods: This longitudinal study was conducted on 7892 children aged 0 to 2 years in Zanjan province in 2013. The sampling method was multi-stage cluster sampling. To determine the growth velocity, 2- pointed model was used. We applied the marginal models of generalized equation estimators (GEE). The related curves were obtained using LOWESS method, and data were analyzed using R Version 2.14.1. Results: In this study, 3879 (49%) of the participants were female, and the mean age of mothers was 27.1±5.4 years. Growth velocity had a significant association with gender, mother's residency, multiple pregnancies, gestational age, and exclusive breastfeeding (p<0.001). A significant association was observed between gender and weight growth velocity (p<0.001). Moreover, exclusive breastfeeding had a significant association with weight growth velocity (p<0.001). Conclusion: Growth velocity in girls was slightly higher than in boys, however, no considerable difference was found between height growth velocity of girls and boys. The findings of this study also indicated that each month increase in exclusive breastfeeding leads to less growth velocity in children. So, exclusive breastfeeding is strongly recommended to prevent childhood obesity.


Education is at the heart of sustainable development and is the key to the professional success of young people. In modern living conditions, the student needs a wide range of key competences to adapt successfully to the rapidly changing environment, and the rapid pace of development necessitates innovative approaches to teaching in the university environment.


Recent educational research has underscored the criticality and centrality of teacher quality as a decisive and prominent influence on students' academic growth and success. Consequently, it becomes imperative to define, understand, and study the qualities and qualifications of effective teachers so as to inform preservice and in-service teacher education practices. Therefore, the primary objective of this study was to investigate administrators' views and expectations on teacher recruitment processes and qualities of English language teaching (ELT) professionals who work as instructors in intensive English programs at institutions of higher education in Turkey and Northern Cyprus. The study focused on 19 institutions of higher education in Turkey and Northern Cyprus and utilized a qualitative approach for data collection (semistructured face-to-face interviews, Skype interviews, and written responses) and analysis consistent with the principles of grounded theory methodology. The thematic analysis of the data revealed views on language teacher recruitment processes and practices in higher education and highlighted the vitality of language proficiency, openness for professional development and self-reflection, character, and pedagogical knowledge for ideal applicants for teaching positions. Administrators' perceptions regarding teacher recruitment processes and qualities of ELT professionals offer insights that are useful for developing contextually sensitive preservice and in-service teaching practices.


Questions about urban infrastructure, resilience, and violence are central to current urban general literature since infrastructures function as locations of conflict and negotiation over the public good, inclusion and exclusion, and mobility in the city. This chapter develops a theoretical framework to analyse the emergence of new concerns for urban energy security in the cities of Amman (Jordan) and Jbeil and Zahleh (Lebanon). Supplying these cities with electricity requires creating new circuits that are both material and sociopolitical. In Amman, one of the projects proposed for coping with the projected growth of energy demand was to build a nuclear plant in the "desert" close to Amman. This project, now allegedly in the final studies stage, has experienced many episodes and delays. Analysis shows the pressure of urban energy demand and the resizing of metabolic circuits at the level of the metropolis of Amman, while the governance of these circuits remains state-driven despite popular protests. In Jbeil and Zahleh, in the face of regular and long-lasting power cuts, local capitalist actors have taken the lead to provide an alternative electricity supply that replaces both the national grid and informal generators that are in use elsewhere in the country. At first glance, both situations seem very different in scale and in the type of actors involved. But in both cases, these new circuits are heavily contested and redistribute agencies of power in ways that empower some actors but that, at the same time, erode solidarity at the city and the national levels.


This book investigates contemporary naming practices on marriage in Britain, drawing on survey data and detailed interview material in which women offer their own accounts of the reasons for which they have changed or retained their names. Exploring the ways in which names are used to create and understand family, to cement commitments and make it clear to the self and to others that subject is in 'true love', Changing Names and Gendering Identity considers the manner in which names are used to make sense of the self and narrate life changes and choices in a coherent fashion. A critique of the gender-blindness of sociological theories of individualisation, this volume offers evidence of the continued importance of traditions and the past to the functioning of contemporary society. In dissecting the everyday, taken-for-granted ritual of name changing for women on marriage, it sheds light on the nature of an enduring set of unequal gender relations which are used to organise society, behaviour and interpersonal relations. Engaging with questions of power, heteronormativity, and gender relations, this analysis of a significant ritual of contemporary heterosexual marriage will interest sociologists and scholars of gender studies with interests in the family, identity and gender relations.


Compositional variation of chromite is limited within the massive LG6 Chromitite layer, where chromite is the sole cumulus phase. Compositions vary significantly in chromitiferous orthopyroxenite and in those samples where the immediate contact between the silicate and oxide cumulates has been intersected. These greater variations are attributed to the competition between chromite and orthopyroxene for Al, Fe, and Mg during co-precipitation and subsequent subsolidus re-equilibration. The Cr/Fe ratio, using total Fe, varies between 1.52 and 1.61 in samples from the massive chromitite, but decreases sharply to values below 1.42 in the orthopyroxenitic foot- and hanging-wall. The massive chromitite layer records the highest platinum-group element content (717-945 ppb), whilst the juxtaposed chromitiferous orthopyroxenite records a lower value (304 ppb). Orthopyroxenite with accessory chromite records a value close to background. The relative proportions of the Ru group (Ru, Os, Ir) and the Pt group (Pt, Pd, Rh) remain constant in samples of the massive chromitite, varying around 57.1+ or -4.9% and 42.9+ or -4.9%, respectively. Acid-soluble Cu and Ni contents in the massive chromitite are close to background levels in six samples analysed, with Cu<30 ppm and Ni<70 ppm, while S is invariably <200 ppm. The pronounced regular nature of the platinum-group element mineralization, the low sulphur, and low Cu and Ni contents do not support a sulphide collection or a hydrothermal origin. The relationship between modal proportion of chromite and platinum-group element content strongly suggests a mineralization process triggered solely by the nucleation of chromite.


The object of research is the territory of the Altai regions of Russia, in particular, Altai Krai and the Republic of Altai. It combines cultural and natural landscapes of the zonal steppe and forest-steppe areas and mountain altitudinal belts distinguished by a variety of climatic conditions. The analysis of possible climate changes in the Altai region showed a predominant development of land aridization under the reduction of humidity under a significant regional warming. The climate change impact on the agriculture and recreation management as the most significant in the socio-economic development of the Altai regions is evaluated. It is expected that the risks of agrarian nature management as well as the probability of natural disasters and emergencies due to the spring and autumn frosts, droughts, and heavy rains will increase. The greatest negative consequences for agricultural production are expected in the lowland Altai (border with Kazakhstan) due to the further arid climate, and in the intermontane depressions of the southern part of the Altai Republic, where the increasing aridity and development of sheep breeding will result in the adverse environmental consequences (degradation of pastures). More comfort conditions are expected in the northeastern, eastern and piedmont areas of Altai Krai, where humidity is not a limiting factor for agricultural production, and the increasing heat will allow a wider range of crops grown. It is found that the increase in air temperature during the warm season has a positive effect on the duration of the tourist season and the occupancy of recreational facilities. The in-depth analysis of prospects for the development of specific types of recreational activities (TRA) revealed that out of 55 TRA, found in the Altai regions, the 11 demonstrate a tendency to a significant reduction in resources and capabilities, 7 to the development growth and 37 will remain without any changes. The climate change will exhibit a profound adverse effect on winter TRA (mountaineering, mountain skiing, etc.).


BACKGROUND
Although the hippocampus has been found to be smaller in patients with depression, prospective longitudinal in vivo studies are necessary to investigate whether depression can result in a further diminution of hippocampal volumes or whether a smaller hippocampal volume predisposes an individual to the development of depression.

METHOD
Thirty patients with DSM-IV major depressive disorder as well as 30 healthy control subjects matched for age, gender, and handedness were examined at admission to the hospital and 1 year later using a documentation of the medical history and high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for the presence of depression and to determine changes in hippocampal as well as amygdala volumes. Patients were enrolled from March 2000 to August 2002.

RESULTS
No significant hippocampal and amygdala volume changes were observed in patients or controls between baseline and 1-year follow-up investigations. However, the subgroup of patients who were nonremitted at the time of the follow-up investigation showed significantly reduced left and right hippocampal volumes at both baseline and the 1-year follow-up compared with remitted patients. Moreover, the right hippocampal volumes of nonremitted patients were significantly smaller compared with matched healthy controls.

CONCLUSION
These results do not support the hypothesis that hippocampal volumes diminish during the 1-year follow-up period. However, smaller hippocampal volumes may be related to a poor clinical outcome after 1 year.


Abstract Research carried out at the Royal Military College of Canada on the effects of mixed fields of radiation on high polymer adhesives and composite materials has shown that some polymers are quite resistant to radiation and could well serve in the fabrication of radioactive-waste disposal containers. A research program was launched to investigate the possibilities of using advanced polymers and polymer-based composites for high-level radioactive waste management on one hand and for intermediate- and low-level radioactive waste disposal on the other hand. Research was thus conducted in parallel on both fronts, and the findings for the later phase are presented. Thermoplastic polymers were studied for this application because they are superior materials, having the advantage over metals of not corroding and of displaying high resistance to chemical aggression. The experimental methods used in this research focused on determining the effects of radiation on the properties of the materials considered: polypropylene, nylon 66, polycarbonate, and polyurethane, with and without glass fiber reinforcement. The method involved submitting injection-molded tensile test bars to the mixed radiation field generated by the SLOWPOKE-2 nuclear reactor at the Royal Military College of Canada to accumulate doses ranging from 0.5 to 3.0 MGy. The physical, mechanical, and chemical effects of the various radiation doses on the materials were measured from density, tensile, differential scanning calorimetry, and scanning electron microscopy tests. For each polymer, the test results evidenced predominant cross-linking of the polymeric chains severed by radiation. This was evident from observed changes in the mechanical and chemical properties of the polymers, typical of cross-linking. The mechanical changes observed included an overall increase in density, an increase in Young's modulus, a decrease in strain at break, and only minor changes in strength. The chemical changes included differences in chemical transition temperatures characteristic of radiation damage. All the changes in these properties are characteristic of the cross-linking phenomenon. For the glass-fiber-reinforced polymers, the results of the tests evidenced minor radiation degradation at the fiber/matrix interfaces. Based on these results, any of the investigated polymers could potentially be used for disposal containers due to their abilities to adequately resist radiation. This allowed proceeding one step further into determining a potential design framework for containers for the long-term storage and disposal of low- and intermediate-level radioactive waste.


Several dietary factors have been studied in relation to prostate cancer; however, most studies have not reported on subtypes of fruit and vegetables or tumor characteristics, and results obtained so far are inconclusive. This study aimed to examine the prospective association of total and subtypes of fruit and vegetable intake with the incidence of prostate cancer overall, by grade and stage of disease, and prostate cancer death. Lifestyle information for 142,239 men participating in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition from 8 European countries was collected at baseline. Multivariable Cox regression models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). After an average follow‐up time of 13.9 years, 7,036 prostate cancer cases were identified. Compared with the lowest fifth, those in the highest fifth of total fruit intake had a significantly reduced prostate cancer risk (HR = 0.91; 95% CI = 0.83–0.99; p‐trend = 0.01). No associations between fruit subtypes and prostate cancer risk were observed, except for citrus fruits, where a significant trend was found (HR = 0.94; 95% CI = 0.86–1.02; p‐trend = 0.01). No associations between total and subtypes of vegetables and prostate cancer risk were observed. We found no evidence of heterogeneity in these associations by tumor grade and stage, with the exception of significant heterogeneity by tumor grade (pheterogeneity<0.001) for leafy vegetables. No significant associations with prostate cancer death were observed. The main finding of this prospective study was that a higher fruit intake was associated with a small reduction in prostate cancer risk. Whether this association is causal remains unclear.


Background and Purpose: Based on a holistic model of health care, human beings have biological, psychological, social and spiritual dimensions, which should be considered in the provision of comprehensive care. Given the fact that spiritual health coordinates different aspects of human life, we aimed to explore the viewpoints of nurses working in intensive care units about the concept of spiritual well-being. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on a random sample of nurses (n=62), working in the intensive care unit during 2014-2015. Data were collected, using a questionnaire consisting of demographic characteristics and statements evaluating nurses' attitudes towards spiritual health. Face and content validity of the questionnaire were confirmed, and its reliability was assessed by Cronbach's alpha. Descriptive and inferential statistics were calculated, using tests such as Chi-square, t-test and ANOVA. For data analysis, SPSS version 17 was used. P-value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The mean age and work experience of nurses were 32.5±9.21 and 12.1±1.9 years, respectively. The obtained results showed that 33 (53.2%), 17 (27.4%) and 12 (19.3%) nurses had good, moderate and poor attitudes towards spiritual well-being, respectively. According to ANOVA test results, spiritual care was significantly correlated with nurses' age and work experience (P<0.05). Conclusion: Considering the positive attitude of our participants towards spiritual well-being and the importance of spiritual dimension in nursing care, besides physical and mental aspects, continuous educational workshops on spiritual care are recommended for promoting nursing skills.


We consider the problem of learning to choose actions using contextual information when provided with limited feedback in the form of relative pairwise comparisons. We study this problem in the dueling-bandits framework of Yue et al. (2009), which we extend to incorporate context. Roughly, the learner's goal is to find the best policy, or way of behaving, in some space of policies, although "best" is not always so clearly defined. Here, we propose a new and natural solution concept, rooted in game theory, called a von Neumann winner, a randomized policy that beats or ties every other policy. We show that this notion overcomes important limitations of existing solutions, particularly the Condorcet winner which has typically been used in the past, but which requires strong and often unrealistic assumptions. We then present three efficient algorithms for online learning in our setting, and for approximating a von Neumann winner from batch-like data. The first of these algorithms achieves particularly low regret, even when data is adversarial, although its time and space requirements are linear in the size of the policy space. The other two algorithms require time and space only logarithmic in the size of the policy space when provided access to an oracle for solving classification problems on the space.


Large volumes of antisera were generated against Apis melli/era venom with which to develop a novel, platform technology for the inexpensive production of anti venoms. The ovine sera contained high levels of specific antibodies which neutralised the myotoxic, phospholipase A2 and in vivo activities of the venom. Methods of processing the antisera to provide Fab or F(ab')2 were investigated. F(ab')2 was thought to be clinically advantageous and, by determining the conditions necessary for the preferential breakdown of Fc and serum components other than F(ab')2' it was possible to avoid salt precipitation. Diafiltration was then used to remove most of the unwanted small fragments and anion-exchange chromatography to remove any remaining acidic impurities such as pepsin and large aggregates. The F(ab')2 was -97% pure and the yield 199 per L of serum. This is the first specific therapy for mass envenoming by European or Africanised bees. Spiders of the genus Latrodectus (black widows) are distributed widely and about 2,500 bites are reported annually in the USA. The neurotoxic effects of the venom were studied on the isolated phrenic nerve diaphragm preparation. Low venom concentrations (ImgIL) were stimulatory while high concentrations (IOmg/L) caused nerve blockade which was potentiated by increased calcium levels. Although effective, the Merck antivenom, which is unprocessed horse serum, causes unacceptable risks. The second purpose of this project was to prepare an improved Latrodectus spider antivenom using the new platform technology. Different immunisation schedules were studied to optimise the humoral immune response. Sheep immunised with 2mg La. hesperus venom produced the highest levels of specific antibodies as assessed by ELISA, using the isolated nerve diaphragm preparation or in vivo in mice. The new process provided a pure F(ab')2 antivenom retaining 78% of the original antisera ED so neutralising power and was twice as effective as the Merck antivenom.


University students' intentions to stand up for a female-peer victimized in a sexual harassment incident by peer and/or professor as perpetrator were explored using the planned behavior theory. The participants were 296 Greek male and female undergraduate students. Using a standard planned behavior theory questionnaire, hypothetical scenarios of sexual harassment conveyed through (a) unwanted verbal comments of sexual content, (b) unwanted physical contact, and (c) gender based taunting, were presented to participants. In all scenarios, bystander intention to stand up was predicted. Specifically, we found that it is more likely for a student-bystander to intervene when perceiving a strong social pressure as significant others would also stand up for a victim; his/her self-control beliefs are strong over the behavior to stand up; and when his/her attitude is negative and unfavorable toward the witnessed conduct. In both peer- and professors-as-perpetrator scenarios, female students, more than males, held significantly more negative attitudes towards sexual harassment and stronger intentions to intervene. Considering female students' well-being, findings are related to the characteristics of the Greek society and the lack of protective laws and policies against sexual harassment in Greek academia.


This Article provides an overview of United States consumer protection law in the growing number cases with an international dimension that arise with economic globalization, expanding transnational corporations, worldwide production chains, manufacturing outsourcing and more efficient international communication. U.S. consumer protection law remains primarily state law, including tort and product liability law, contract and warranty law, and general and product-specific consumer protection statutes. (This refers to the private law remedies for consumer goods which are the substantive laws addressed in this article.) There is little treaty-based, constitutional or federal law except for federal regulatory law that largely adopts state law standards, requires disclosure or encourages disclosure, monitoring and attention to consumer safety. Parties have extensive discretion to choose fora and governing law. Where parties do not so choose (as in noncontractual relations), plaintiffs have significant but limited discretion to select fora, and ordinary U.S. choice of law rules apply for substantive law, possibly with a greater tendency to choose U.S. law. Requirements for personal jurisdiction are similar to those in domestic litigation. Recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments depends partly on compliance with treaty obligations and application of relatively uniform state laws' procedural and substantive standards. Class action litigation and alternative dispute resolution are available. In recent years, U.S. authorities increasingly have pursued international agreements and cooperative arrangements to increase regulatory capacity, enforcement and harmonized standards. The impact of intergovernmental cooperation has been limited, and U.S. consumers face formidable hurdles in seeking remedies against foreign defendants. Defective exports from China illustrate these limits and the increasing likelihood of foreign-based dangers to U.S. consumers. U.S. litigation against U.S. (and occasionally Chinese) defendants (many of which have foreign-based manufacturing facilities) shows how U.S. consumers can create incentives to pressure foreign producers to improve safety. Increased monitoring and regulatory harmonization may follow, benefiting U.S. consumers.


After the Second World War the number of biliary diseases has abruptly risen and lithiasis has become in many regions the most frequent surgical disease of the abdomen. At present, though there are perspectives of rational conservative treat ment and though endoscopic techniques permit removing some of its complications even without laparotomy, the basic treatment method still remains, and probably shall remain for long the classical surgical intervention. On the contrary, the indications for such intervention are always widening, as its risks become always smaller and the requirements for prevention higher. Many books have been written on the surgery of biliary ducts, but recent knowledge is growing so rapidly that it forces within short periods its new integration and critical assessment. Attention is mostly paid to interventions on the biliary ducts with their wide scope of problems and to the prevention and treatment of postoperative disturbances. New and more perfect diagnostic possibilities and some more suitable technical procedures as well require comparison and verification, introduce new aspects on old problems, and even change some established rules."


Dutch humanists provided Zwingli with a symbolic concept of the Lord's Supper by which the bread and wine symbolise the body and blood of Christ on Calvary. These symbolic concepts of body and blood should be commemorated (in memoriam) and believed to receive atonement from sin. The Formulary and formula for administering the sacrament in the GKSA were inherited from the Netherlands and contain phrases originally used by Calvin. It is widely claimed and assumed that the contents of the Formulary corresponds with concepts derived from Calvin. Calvin's commentaries on relevant passages and concepts expressed in his Institutes and Tracts differ radically and entirely from the trend and content of the Formulary and formula of administration used in the GKSA. Calvin does not isolate the death of Christ from resurrection. He does not dwell upon communion with something Christ did for us in the past. He accepts the sacrifice (blood) to ratify a covenant (new testament) by which the household of God is established. The bread and cup signify Christ, and are regarded as God's spiritual nourishment for his household. The living Christ in heaven is present in the Holy Spirit at the Lord's health-giving table. The symbols of bread and cup remain what they are but through faith change to represent Christ. Calvin's concept of communion and unity is irreconcilable with the concept of a sacramental meal of commemoration (Zwingli). The concept of communion corresponds with early Christian and even Roman and Lutheran traditions. Faith in atonement belongs to commencement of salvation (viz. baptism and the Formulary of the GKSA on the Lord's Supper). Being nourished with Christ through faith belongs to the consummation of salvation (viz. communion).


The local d isplay of Jizo statues and temples, a centuries old cultural Japanese ritual in which an individual or family builds a public temple to house the deity in remembrance of a deceased child, woman, or traveler, is produced, maintained, and protected by neighborhood residents without government or design-professional oversight. Its value lies in the desire of local people for a physical object through which they make personal linkages to devotional practices. Thi s essay examines two propositions about the construction and use of the public realm as expressed through the Japanese practice of neighborhood Jizo statues and temples,: 1) do Jizo assist in making streets safer in cities; and 2) can these temples be considered part of the public realm that strengthens the neighborhood? An historical basis for the Jizo ritual is established, followed by a description of how Jizo are located in neighborhoods, who maintains them, and how they are utilized on an every day basis. Visual depictions of various Jizo installations also are presented. The a rticle concludes that Jizo is an example of community-based practice that works because it meets people's needs. Jizo statues and temples do serve as informal public realm creating agents.


OBJECTIVE: To assess the effect of a physical activity (PA) intervention on brain and behavioral indices of executive control in preadolescent children. METHODS: Two hundred twenty-one children (7–9 years) were randomly assigned to a 9-month afterschool PA program or a wait-list control. In addition to changes in fitness (maximal oxygen consumption), electrical activity in the brain (P3-ERP) and behavioral measures (accuracy, reaction time) of executive control were collected by using tasks that modulated attentional inhibition and cognitive flexibility. RESULTS: Fitness improved more among intervention participants from pretest to posttest compared with the wait-list control (1.3 mL/kg per minute, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.3 to 2.4; d = 0.34 for group difference in pre-to-post change score). Intervention participants exhibited greater improvements from pretest to posttest in inhibition (3.2%, 95% CI: 0.0 to 6.5; d = 0.27) and cognitive flexibility (4.8%, 95% CI: 1.1 to 8.4; d = 0.35 for group difference in pre-to-post change score) compared with control. Only the intervention group increased attentional resources from pretest to posttest during tasks requiring increased inhibition (1.4 µV, 95% CI: 0.3 to 2.6; d = 0.34) and cognitive flexibility (1.5 µV, 95% CI: 0.6 to 2.5; d = 0.43). Finally, improvements in brain function on the inhibition task (r = 0.22) and performance on the flexibility task correlated with intervention attendance (r = 0.24). CONCLUSIONS: The intervention enhanced cognitive performance and brain function during tasks requiring greater executive control. These findings demonstrate a causal effect of a PA program on executive control, and provide support for PA for improving childhood cognition and brain health.


Growth mixture modeling has become a prominent tool for studying the heterogeneity of developmental trajectories within a population. In this article we develop graphical diagnostics to detect misspecification in growth mixture models regarding the number of growth classes, growth trajectory means, and covariance structures. For each model misspecification, we propose a different type of empirical Bayes residual to quantify the departure. Our procedure begins by imputing multiple independent sets of growth classes for the sample. Then, from these so-called "pseudoclass" draws, we form diagnostic plots to examine the averaged empirical distributions of residuals in each such class. Our proposals draw on the property that each single set of pseudoclass adjusted residuals is asymptotically normal with known mean and (co)variance when the underlying model is correct. These methods are justified in simulation studies involving two classes of linear growth curves that also differ by their covariance structures. These are then applied to longitudinal data from a randomized field trial that tests whether children's trajectories of aggressive behavior could be modified during elementary and middle school. Our diagnostics lead to a solution involving a mixture of three growth classes. When comparing the diagnostics obtained from multiple pseudoclasses with those from multiple imputations, we show the computational advantage of the former and obtain a criterion for determining the minimum number of pseudoclass draws.


Patterns are orders embedded in randomness. They may appear as spatial arrangements or temporal series, and the elements may appear identical or with variations. Patterns exist in the physical world as well as in living systems. In the biological world, patterns can range from simple to complex, forming the basic building blocks of life. The process which generates this ordering in the biological world was termed pattern formation. Since Wolpert promoted this concept four decades ago, scientists from molecular biology, developmental biology, stem cell biology, tissue engineering, theoretical modeling and other disciplines have made remarkable progress towards understanding its mechanisms. It is time to review and re-integrate our understanding. Here, we explore the origin of pattern formation, how the genetic code is translated into biological form, and how complex phenotypes are selected over evolutionary time. We present four topics: Principles, Evolution, Development, and Stem Cells and Regeneration. We have interviewed several leaders in the field to gain insight into how their research and the field of pattern formation have shaped each other. We have learned that both molecular process and physico-chemical principles are important for biological pattern formation. New understanding will emerge through integration of the analytical approach of molecular-genetic manipulation and the systemic approach of model simulation. We regret that we could not include every major investigator in the field, but hope that this Special Issue of the Int. J. Dev. Biol. represents a sample of our knowledge of pattern formation today, which will help to stimulate more research on this fundamental process.


Faith communities create community and are important to many individuals with intellectual disability. However, relatively little is known about how intellectual disability is construed among faith leaders and the inclusion of people with intellectual disability in faith communities. To address these gaps in knowledge, we interviewed 12 Catholic priests, parochial vicars, and deacons to explore: their experiences with individuals with intellectual disability; their beliefs towards the involvement of individuals with intellectual disability within faith communities; and how religion informs their understanding of intellectual disability. We identified five religiously-anchored narratives of intellectual disability, and explore implications for individuals with intellectual disability and faith communities.


© 2017 by MARHO: The Radical Historians' Organization, Inc. From approximately April 1970 to March 1974, the United States' Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) conducted surveillance on the American radical science activist organization Science for the People (SftP). In this essay, the author reflects on his experiences teaching with documents from the FBI's SftP file. The essay also outlines possibilities for further use of declassified FBI documents on SftP in courses on science activism, 1960s-era social movements, the FBI, policing, and state surveillance.


Traditionally low coordinate and low oxidation state main group compounds are isolated utilizing hard anionic donors based on carbon and nitrogen based ligands. Conversely, employing anionic phosphines for this role has been essentially unexplored. In this context, this dissertation describes the synthesis of a number of main group complexes, ranging from group 13 to group 15, utilizing the bis(phosphino)borate ligand class in a supporting role. The remote anionic borate backbone renders the complexes zwitterionic and provides access to unique compounds that possess structures, and exhibit subsequent reactivity, that is very different to the analogous compounds stabilized with neutral phosphines. For example, chapter two describes the stabilization of formally positively charged triel ({Ga2I4}) and tetrel ({GeCl} and {SnCl}) fragments via common low oxidation state precursors. These structures have no precedent with neutral phosphines and represent a stable and isolable main group element source that is ready for subsequent chemistry. For the group 14 compounds, upon removal of the chloride substituent the reactive tetrel centre quantitatively inserts into the ligand backbone. Zwitterionic group 15 compounds were prepared in good yields exploiting known redox chemistry and possess a pnictogen atom (Pn = P, As) in the unusual +1 oxidation state (Chapter 3). The anionic backbone is shown to be critical in accessing the coordination chemistry of these compounds as there are very few examples of the traditional cationic variants being used in onwards transformations. Both pnictogen proligands form isolable coordination compounds with chromium, molybdenum, tungsten, and iron carbonyl reagents (Chapter 4) while rhodium, palladium, and mercury complexes are also isolated with the phosphorus derivative (Chapter 5). This diverse range of products represents the first such series of transition metal complexes for these types of Pn(I) compounds. The highlight of the thesis is the discovery that the phosphorus proligand acts as a 4-electron μ-type ligand to two gold, cobalt, or platinum centres simultaneously. Such coordination chemistry is unprecedented and provides the first experimental evidence for the P(I) compound to be described as a phosphanide-type bonding arrangement. These novel structures further underscore the importance of the borate backbone in synthesizing compounds that have otherwise not been observed. Throughout the thesis all of the compounds were fully characterized using a range of solution and solid-state techniques, including single crystal Xray crystallography, allowing for a detailed data comparison.


School, both the symbolical organisation of the social body and the setting up/building up of the individual, operates on the relations between power and desire. But this way of looking at the structuring of people's craving for knowledge must be combined with an analysis of School and of the relationships to the Other that are generated by the Academic Institution. Then this process will make it possible to assess the understanding of the Discontents of the French School Institution as the actor/promoter of a monistic republican Citizenship. In the French social system within which school plays the part of leaven, the Other must turn into the Same. Through this, we can understand how tense relationships at school are.


The Bayesian Infrasonic Source Localization (BISL) methodology is examined and simplified providing a generalized method of estimating the source location and time for an infrasonic event and the mathematical framework is used therein. The likelihood function describing an infrasonic detection used in BISL has been redefined to include the von Mises distribution developed in directional statistics and propagation-based, physically derived celerity-range and azimuth deviation models. Frameworks for constructing propagation-based celerity-range and azimuth deviation statistics are presented to demonstrate how stochastic propagation modelling methods can be used to improve the precision and accuracy of the posterior probability density function describing the source localization. Infrasonic signals recorded at a number of arrays in the western United States produced by rocket motor detonations at the Utah Test and Training Range are used to demonstrate the application of the new mathematical framework and to quantify the improvement obtained by using the stochastic propagation modelling methods. Moreover, using propagation-based priors, the spatial and temporal confidence bounds of the source decreased by more than 40 per cent in all cases and by as much as 80 per cent in one case. Further, the accuracy of the estimates remained high, keeping the ground truth within the 99more » per cent confidence bounds for all cases.« less


In the last decade, China and India have attracted an increasing number of private equity investments and dedicated funds because of their respective strong economic development. China and India have grown at average rates of 10% and 8%, respectively, over the past 10 years. This accounts—on a PPP basis—for 30% of global GDP growth in 2006. China's particularly impressive growth has been powered by manufacturing exports, while India's development has been driven by its current lead in IT, services and global leadership in basic industries (e.g., aluminum, steel). According to BusinessWeek, companies in both countries are experiencing increased profitability, although Indian companies have been doing better in recent years: between 2000 and 2004, ROIC increased from 9.8% to 12.6% for Chinese companies, but jumped from 6.9% to 16.5% for Indian companies. Lower labor costs and the increasing size of domestic markets have produced attractive opportunities for private equity funds, although valuations have been driven up to record-breaking levels because of the increasing number of investors jostling for business. Nonetheless, there are considerable risks to investment in both countries. There may be difficulties in conducting proper due diligence, challenges regarding government limitations on foreign ownership in some sectors, and issues relating to the rule of law. Moreover, once the investment has been made, it may be difficult to find properly qualified managers capable of improving operations, and exit routes may be limited due to the limited depth of capital markets. There also may be challenges arising from currency instability, and tax haven loopholes may be lost.


textabstractThe problem of plastic pollution in the oceans has been increasingly
evident after 1997, when the great concentrations of plastics in the
oceans were initially publicized. Still, there is a substantial lack of scientific
data and research about the sources of plastic pollution, destinations and
consequences to nature and human life. The only certainty is that the
amount of plastic that ends up in the ocean is alarming and likely will
not decrease anytime soon because of its durability and large range of use.
Estimates show that, each year, at least 8 million tons of plastics leak into
the ocean and, if no action is taken, this is expected to double by 2030, and
quadruple by 2050. As a result, by 2050 there would be more plastic than
fish in the ocean. This Article focuses on international legal pathways to
face such a problem. It constitutes the basis for further research that
aims at constructing a legal framework to adequately face the problem of
plastic pollution of the oceans. In order to do so, the first step is to unveil
the already existing international instruments—both hard and soft law.
It is indispensable to accomplish this intermediate step because a great
part of such pollution is in international waters, where the only legal regulations
and remedies applicable are those from public international law.
Solely through this state-of-the-art approach is it possible to analyze
critically its possibilities and limitations, as well as to suggest how to
proceed. Therefore, this Article first analyzes whether the international
instruments deal with the plastic soup issue, both from the ex ante and
from the ex post perspectives. After showing that the current efforts are
not compatible with the current harms and threats of plastic pollution of
the oceans, we suggest possible pathways and approaches to surpass the
obstacles and to start facing the problem of plastic pollution of the oceans.


This paper studies the important interaction between parallelization and energy consumption in a parallelizable application. Given the ratio of serial and parallel portion in an application and the number of processors, we first derive the optimal frequencies allocated to the serial and parallel regions in the application to minimize the total energy consumption, while the execution time is preserved (i.e., speedup = 1). We show that dynamic energy improvement due to parallelization has a function rising faster with the increasing number of processors than the speed improvement function given by the well-known Amdahl's Law. Furthermore, we determine the conditions under which one can obtain both energy and speed improvement, as well as the amount of improvement. The formulas we obtain capture the fundamental relationship between parallelization, speedup, and energy consumption and can be directly utilized in energy aware processor resource management. Our results form a basis for several interesting research directions in the area of power and energy aware parallel processing.


We design a polarization-sensitive resonator for use in mid-infrared photodetectors, utilizing a photonic crystal cavity and a single or double-metal plasmonic waveguide to achieve enhanced detector efficiency due to superior optical confinement within the active region. As the cavity is highly frequency and polarization-sensitive, this resonator structure could be used in chip-based infrared spectrometers and cameras that can distinguish among different materials and temperatures to a high degree of precision.


This paper 'Migration, Disillusionment and Diasperic Experiences in Segun Afolabi's Goodbye Lucille and A Life Elsewhere' centres on the issues that have defined Nigerian migrants abroad. The paper seeks to identify the various regrets that have attended Nigerians' quest for greener pastures abroad. It also focuses on the abandonment syndrome that has characterized the lives of Nigerian professionals abroad. Many Nigerian professionals have abandoned their more lucrative jobs in Nigeria only to go and take dehumanizing and degrading jobs simply because they want to live abroad. This paper also highlights the illusions that have made this move a worthless effort. The various negative tales of the migrants are discussed to validate the assertion that there is no place like home.

 Key words: Migration, diaspora, abroad, home, displacement, loneliness.


Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) has historically been a driving force behind many machine learning (ML) techniques, including the ubiquitously used hidden Markov model, discriminative learning, structured sequence learning, Bayesian learning, and adaptive learning. Moreover, ML can and occasionally does use ASR as a large-scale, realistic application to rigorously test the effectiveness of a given technique, and to inspire new problems arising from the inherently sequential and dynamic nature of speech. On the other hand, even though ASR is available commercially for some applications, it is largely an unsolved problem - for almost all applications, the performance of ASR is not on par with human performance. New insight from modern ML methodology shows great promise to advance the state-of-the-art in ASR technology. This overview article provides readers with an overview of modern ML techniques as utilized in the current and as relevant to future ASR research and systems. The intent is to foster further cross-pollination between the ML and ASR communities than has occurred in the past. The article is organized according to the major ML paradigms that are either popular already or have potential for making significant contributions to ASR technology. The paradigms presented and elaborated in this overview include: generative and discriminative learning; supervised, unsupervised, semi-supervised, and active learning; adaptive and multi-task learning; and Bayesian learning. These learning paradigms are motivated and discussed in the context of ASR technology and applications. We finally present and analyze recent developments of deep learning and learning with sparse representations, focusing on their direct relevance to advancing ASR technology.


As a key component of a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) charger system, the front-end ac-dc converter must achieve high efficiency and power density. This paper presents a topology survey evaluating topologies for use in front end ac-dc converters for PHEV battery chargers. The topology survey is focused on several boost power factor corrected converters, which offer high efficiency, high power factor, high density, and low cost. Experimental results are presented and interpreted for five prototype converters, converting universal ac input voltage to 400 V dc. The results demonstrate that the phase shifted semi-bridgeless PFC boost converter is ideally suited for automotive level I residential charging applications in North America, where the typical supply is limited to 120 V and 1.44 kVA or 1.92 kVA. For automotive level II residential charging applications in North America and Europe the bridgeless interleaved PFC boost converter is an ideal topology candidate for typical supplies of 240 V, with power levels of 3.3 kW, 5 kW, and 6.6 kW.


This work consists of two complementary documentary film monographs, commissioned by Arts Council England, which create analytical and contextual profiles of key practitioners working at the intersection between art and science.

The philosopher John Berger was a clear choice for one of the profiles because of his significant continuous engagement with art. He had previously collaborated on the 'Signatures' project through extended dialogues with scientists at CERN in Geneva. The research for the Pioneers of Science consisted creating a line of questioning and a narrative form for the documentary that allowed him to take his ideas about new scientific discoveries, and the role that artists might play in envisioning these, to a deeper level. Through liner and non-linear editing, the imaginative 'lateralness' of Berger's thinking was made apparent, underlining his importance as a pioneer of art and science. Its first public screening was in 2005 at the exhibition Marking Time at Farmleigh Gallery in Dublin.

The Gustav Metzger documentary monograph operates in a somewhat different register to the Berger, insofar as the research focuses on this artist's own engagement with physical properties and actions associated with his 'auto-destructive' practice. Metzger had also visited CERN and presented a paper at the Lisbon venue of 'Signatures'. The challenge for this research was to create the first biographical study of this artist, to place him in both his personal and the art historical contexts, and to invite him to illuminate his 'auto-destructive' techniques including his use of corrosive materials and physically unstable materials. As with the Berger profile, the objective was to progressively assemble a body of evidence about Metzger's that confirmed him as a pioneer of art and science. It was launched at the Hayward Gallery in 2004.


The spatial organization of integrin adhesions provides insight into their molecular functions. Cell adhesion to the extracellular matrix (ECM) is necessary for fundamental cellular processes such as survival, migration, and differentiation. Adhesion is mediated by integrin receptors, which recruit multiprotein adhesion complexes to sites of attachment to the ECM. Adhesion complexes provide a structural connection between the ECM and cytoskeleton, transmit mechanical force, and act as signaling hubs to control cell behavior. Recent high-resolution imaging studies of adhesion sites reveal some aspects of their spatial organization and provide insights into their function at the molecular level.


Although the number of organizational justice studies has increased rapidly in recent years, little research has focused on fairness perceptions of seafarers. Therefore, this paper intended to fill the gap by investigating the effect of organizational justice perceptions of seafarers on their job satisfaction described by three facets including procedural justice, distributive justice and interactional justice. The data obtained through face-to-face survey technique were analyzed using SPSS 22 and AMOS 22 (with PROCESS macro) statistical package programs. The findings generated from regression analysis point that justice perception of seafarers positively affects their job satisfaction level. Furthermore, the length of seafarers' sea service has a moderating role between perceived organizational justice and job satisfaction. The managerial implications of the results are discussed in light of the particular context of the maritime industry with some suggestions for enhancing justice and satisfaction perceptions of seafarers.


Measurements of sea surface temperature (SST) are an important climate record, complementing terrestrial air temperature observations, records of marine air temperature, ocean subsurface temperature, and ocean heat content. SST has been measured since the 18th century, although observations are sparse in the early period. Historically, marine observing systems relied on observations made by seafarers and necessary information on measurement methods is often not available. There are many historical descriptions of observing practice and instrumentation, some including quantification of biases between different methods. This documentation has been used, with the available observations, to develop models for the expected biases, which vary according to how the measurements were made, over time and with the environmental conditions. Adjustments have been developed for these biases and some gridded SST datasets adjust for these differences and provide uncertainty estimates, including uncertainties in the bias adjustments. The modern in situ SST‐observing system continues to evolve and now includes many observations from moored and drifting buoys, which must be characterized relative to earlier observations to provide a consistent record of multi‐decadal changes in SST. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Sahoo, Satya Sanket. Ph.D., Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Wright State University, 2010. Semantic Provenance: Modeling, Querying, and Application in Scientific Discovery Provenance metadata, describing the history or lineage of an entity, is essential for ensuring data quality, correctness of process execution, and computing trust values. Traditionally, provenance management issues have been dealt with in the context of workflow or relational database systems. However, existing provenance systems are inadequate to address the requirements of an emerging set of applications in the new eScience or Cyberinfrastructure paradigm and the Semantic Web. Provenance in these applications incorporates complex domain semantics on a large scale with a variety of uses, including accurate interpretation by software agents, trustworthy data integration, reproducibility, attribution for commercial or legal applications, and trust computation. In this dissertation, we introduce the notion of "semantic provenance" to address these requirements for eScience and Semantic Web applications. In addition, we describe a framework for management of semantic provenance by addressing the three issues of, (a) provenance representation, (b) query & analysis, and (c) scalable implementation. First, we introduce a foundational model of provenance called Provenir to serve as an upper-level reference ontology to facilitate provenance interoperability. Second, we define a classification scheme for provenance queries based on the query characteristics and use this scheme to define a set of specialized provenance query operators. Third, we describe the implementation of a highly scalable query engine to support the provenance query operators, which uses a new class of materialized views based on the Provenir ontology, called Materialized Provenance Views (MPV), for query optimization. We also define a novel provenance tracking approach called Provenance Context Entity (PaCE) for the Resource Description Framework (RDF) model used in Semantic Web applications. PaCE, defined in terms of the Provenir ontology, is an effective and scalable approach for RDF provenance tracking in comparison to the currently used RDF reification vocabulary. Finally, we describe the application of the semantic provenance framework in biomedical and oceanography research projects.


In statistical relational learning, the link prediction problem is key to automatically understand the structure of large knowledge bases. As in previous studies, we propose to solve this problem through latent factorization. However, here we make use of complex valued embeddings. The composition of complex embeddings can handle a large variety of binary relations, among them symmetric and antisymmetric relations. Compared to state-of-the-art models such as Neural Tensor Network and Holographic Embeddings, our approach based on complex embeddings is arguably simpler, as it only uses the Hermitian dot product, the complex counterpart of the standard dot product between real vectors. Our approach is scalable to large datasets as it remains linear in both space and time, while consistently outperforming alternative approaches on standard link prediction benchmarks.


This master's thesis deals with the concept of integrated urban development planning as e.g. promoted in the Leipzig Charter on Sustainable European Cities. The legally non-binding character of the EU policy document raises the question of its implementation. On the local level, the drawing up of Integrated Urban Development Concepts (ISEKs) is recommended as strategic planning tool. However, the competence of the EU in urban affairs is limited and the preparation of such planning documents is subject to local self-governance. The purpose of this thesis is therefore to analyse, how the principles of integrated and sustainable urban development planning as laid out in the Leipzig Charter are reflected in local planning documents. Due to ambiguous definitions, the dimensions of the planning concept are presented in detail within the theoretical framework of this thesis. This is backed-up with policy statements and scientific evidence. Moreover, the concept is embedded in a broader planning theoretical framework since reference to planning theory is partly missing in the current discourse. In line with methodological requirements, the analysis provides a comprehensive description of the rhetorical context on integrated urban development planning on European and national level. It is outlined that this discourse is shaped by various actors in a multi-level setting with complex interrelationships. A qualitative content analysis has been chosen in order to assess the dimensions 'integration' and 'sustainability' in selected ISEKs. Since a comprehensive national framework and long experience in the application of integrated planning exists in Germany, a case study has been conducted for the cities of Greifswald, Kiel, Lubeck and Schwerin. The empirical analysis illustrates a great variety in the reflection of the dimensions of integrated planning as well as different approaches in the application of the sustainability paradigm. Besides the varying approaches, a high level of consistency with the principles laid out in the Leipzig Charter can be observed. However, these findings cannot be traced back to the awareness about the EU policy document. In contrast, other endogenous and exogenous motives for the ISEK preparation can be identified. They include the multi-faceted challenges for urban development as well as financial incentives or requirements within national programmatic frameworks. Nevertheless, the ISEKs include a European dimension as the reference to EU Structural Funds, EU initiatives in urban policy as well as cooperation within European city-networks shows. Further findings include that differences in the ISEK preparation in East and West Germany exists. They are explained by varying initial conditions and motives as well as different programmatic frameworks in the two Federal States Schleswig-Holstein and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Even though integrated urban development planning is promoted as a prerequisite for sustainable development, no clear evidence could be found in the analysis. Obstacles for the operationalization of the sustainability paradigm as well as the focus on the content and preparation process of the ISEKs are explanations here. The thesis concludes with some personal reflections under consideration of theoretical concerns and empirical findings. They bear the potential of recommendations for those involved in the ISEK preparation process.


Based on extensive interviews with informal importers and brokers in Cameroon, this paper explains why customs reform aimed at reducing fraud and corruption may be difficult to achieve. Informal traders and brokers (without licenses) follow various business models and practices, which are product-specific. Overall, what matters first are customs brokers' practices. Information asymmetries mark transactions between brokers and importers and are accompanied by misperceptions of the costs and risks of informal brokers working among informal importers. In a low-governance environment with widespread informal practices, blanket policies should be avoided in order to discourage activities of unprofessional and systematic bribe-taker brokers. It is also essential that customs officials disrupt information asymmetries and better disseminate information to informal importers on customs processes and official costs. Finally, customs should more strongly sanction some informal brokers in order to reduce collusion with some customs officers.


The computer vision methods for stress analysis were emerged in early 1980s. Among them the method of digital speckle/image correlation (DSC) was first proposed in the year of 1983 (by Sutton et al). The latest technology advance has made possible to build affordable systems to handle applications that conventional techniques are unable to deal with. Researchers worldwide have been studying to improve the accuracy and reliability of the DSC in order to extend its applications to emerging areas of science and engineering. The study of DSC at Ryerson was initiated in early 1990s and the existing system at Ryerson, named "AutoStrain," was made available early in 2000. The recent applications have been concentrated in areas where stress analysis in the microscopic scale is needed. The applicability of the method has been studied and verified by the predecessors in many ways, mostly via comparison with the results obtained from analytical solutions, numerical modelling and experimental measurement using proven techniques. Yet new applications usually demand revelation of stress/strain for problems with no prior knowledge and under unusually subtle conditions (e.g., new material/structure of micro or sub-micro scale of geometry, multi-material interface, ultra-hassle environment and etc.). For an application facing such challenges, the accuracy and reliability of the measurements are constantly a concern. The goals of the current project are as follows: to review the recent research on the sources resulting in errors from both fundamental and technical fronts; to give a close analysis of the key factors that cause errors in the existing system; and to finally propose measures to cope with the factors and to lead to improvements. The study has covered these aspects o f the method including the image formation and the effect of light sources, the speckle patterns, the algorithms of the search schemes used and the proper interface among these schemes, the convergence criterion and the adaptive method to determine/adjust the values of the criterion to fit specific applications, etc. The project has reached the goals by having made substantial improvements as follows. First, the importance has been clarified of consistency among the different coordinate systems defined in the different parts of the software and improved the interface among these parts. Second, an adaptive method aiming at improving the convergence criterion for Newton-Raphson iterative algorithm has been proposed and implemented. The test results have demonstrated the effectiveness of these improvements.


This study evaluated the interaction between changes in fermentation period and nutrient/antinutrient composition of indigenous white cassava (IWC) gari and provitamin A biofortified yellow cassava (pVABYC) gari. For both the cassava varieties, as the fermentation time was increased from 2 to 5 days, the moisture and fat contents increased significantly whereas the ash and fibre contents reduced significantly. Phytate level decrease by 15.8% and 10% in the IWC gari and pVABYC gari respectively due to increase in fermentation period from 2 to 5 days. Tannin reduced by 3.4% and 5.1% while cyanogenic potential decreased by 10% and 27.8% in the IWC gari and pVABYC gari respectively due to increase in fermentation period from 2 to 5 days. As the fermentation time increased from 2 to 5 days, the total carotenoids, β-carotene, and provitamin A carotenoids reduced by 20.7%, 22.2%, and 23.4%, respectively, for pVABYC and by 22.6%, 21.4%, and 20.7%, respectively, for IWC. The percentage retention of the total carotenoids, β-carotene, and provitamin A carotenoids in the gari samples obtained from the two cassava varieties decreased significantly with an increase in the fermentation time. In conclusion, as the fermentation time increases, pVABYC is found to have a better nutritional retention capacity than IWC. Thus, pVABYC gari retains more nutrient in addition to providing 100% more β-carotene than IWC.


Recently, specific biomarkers in the surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectra of bacteria have been successfully exploited for rapid bacterial antibiotic susceptibility testing (AST) - dubbed SERS-AST. The biomolecules responsible for these bacterial SERS biomarkers have been identified as several purine derivative metabolites involved in bacterial purine salvage pathways (W. R. Premasiri, J. C. Lee, A. Sauer-Budge, R. Theberge, C. E. Costello and L. D. Ziegler, Anal. Bioanal. Chem., 2016, 408, 4631). Here we quantified these metabolites in the SERS spectra of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli using ultra-performance liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (UPLC/ESI-MS). The time dependences of the concentrations of these molecules were measured using 13C- or 12C-purine derivatives as internal and external standards respectively in UPLC/ESI-MS measurements. Surprisingly, a single S. aureus and an E. coli cell were found to release millions of adenine and hypoxanthine into a water environment in an hour respectively. Furthermore, simulated SERS spectra of bacterial supernatants based on the mixtures of purine derivatives with measured concentrations also show great similarity with those of the corresponding bacterial samples. Our results not only provide a quantitative foundation for the emerging SERS-AST method but also suggest the potential of exploiting SERS for in situ monitoring the changes in bacterial purine salvage processes in response to different physical and chemical challenges.

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From 1990 to 1999 the criminal justice system experienced a fifty percent increase in the inmate population, which included recidivated parolees. Critics claimed the parole process was not working and lobbied legislature to take action. The system responded by decreasing parole agency budgets, increasing prison sentences, and reducing rehabilitation services for paroled inmates. Research pertaining to parole and recidivism indicates two variables: there is or isn't a direct association. The objective of this study is to compare the data and decide if parole is a viable solution for decreasing recidivism rates.


Boundary-layer surveys were made throughout the transition region along a smooth flat plate placed in an airstream of practically zero turbulence and with an adverse pressure gradient. The boundary-layer Reynolds number at the laminar separation point was varied from 1,800 to 2,600. The test data, when considered in the light of certain theoretical deductions, indicated that transition probably began with separation of the laminar boundary layer. The extent of the transition region, defined as the distance from a calculated laminar separation point to the position of the first fully developed turbulent boundary-layer profile, could be expressed as a constant Reynolds number run of approximately 70,000. Some speculations are presented concerning the application of the foregoing concepts, after certain assumptions have been made, to the problem of the connection between transition on the upper surface of an airfoil at high angles of attack and the maximum lift.


Geriatric medicine as a speciality is just evolving in Africa. There is scanty data on the mortality and associated factors among elderly patients admitted to the hospital medical wards in Africa. The objective of this review was to identify, describe, and analyze systematically the available studies on all-cause mortality and associated factors among elderly patients admitted to the medical wards of a hospital in Africa. Online and hand-based systematic searches were conducted for literature (primary and secondary) describing the mortality in elderly patients admitted to the medical wards of a hospital in Africa. These included original research, review articles, proceedings, and transactions from 1969 to 2014. All identified studies were screened using the Population, Intervention, Comparison, and Outcomes criteria. Five studies describing 3427 hospitalized elderly patients reported 773 deaths giving an unadjusted proportion of admissions which resulted in in-hospital deaths of 22.6% (range: 6.8–44.7%). This was higher among the males (38.8–48.0%) compared with the females (29.4–40.7%). There was no significant association between the age and mortality. Mortality was high among patients who had stroke, meningitis, septicaemia, renal failure, chronic liver disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, severe asthma, and heart failure. High mortality was associated with high serum creatinine and urea, tachycardia, reduced length of stay from admission to death, and low serum protein. In conclusion, the few available data showed high unadjusted all-cause mortality among hospitalized elderly patients in Africa. More studies are needed in Africa to quantify this health burden and identify the major factors causing the high mortality in elderly patients.


A seminar on Motivic Cohomology took place at the Centro de Investigaci´on en Matem´aticas
(CIMAT), at Guanajuato (M´exico) during the month of August 2010. The aim of the seminar
was to cover the definition and main properties of motivic cohomology of smooth schemes over
a perfect field as defined by V. Voevodsky, and its relation to ´etale cohomology, Bloch's higher
Chow groups and Milnor's algebraic K-theory, based on the book [MVW]. The seminar was
addressed to an audience with a basic knowledge of algebraic geometry and classical motives.
It was not possible to cover all proofs of the different results presented along the sessions of the
seminar, but we think that it emerged a clear picture of the subject.
We thank all participants by their enthusiasm and specially Abd´o Roig, who has read a first
draft of this report and contributed with his remarks.
The seminar began on August 2 and ended on September 1. It consisted of ten sessions of one
hour and a half according to the following programme and speakers.


Sleep Disturbance, Psychiatric, and Cognitive Functioning in Veterans with Mild to Moderate Traumatic Brain Injury
Objective: For many Veterans, traumatic brain injury (TBI) can result in persistent post-concussive symptoms, of which sleep disturbances are among the most common. S disturbances have been shown to increase risk and/or exacerbate psychiatric and physical health problems in many different populations. However, few studies have examined the relationships among sleep, psychiatric, and cognitive functioning in Veterans with TBI.
Methods: Retrospective chart reviews of 137 Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF) Veterans with a history of mild to moderate TBI referred for cognitive rehabilitation at the Veteran Affairs San Diego Healthcare System.
Results: 100% of Veterans reported clinically significant sleep disturbance (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Inventory [PSQI] global scores >5). Veterans also reported clinically relevant impairments in sleep latency (50 minutes), total sleep time (5.5 hours), and sleep efficiency (77%). More severe sleep problems were related to greater endorsement of depressive, post-concussive, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptomatology. Conversely, sleep disturbance showed limited associations with objective neuropsychological assessment. Overall measures of affective functioning were significantly associated with global measures of sleep quality, though such relationships were not observed for quantitative measures of sleep.
Conclusions: Veterans with mild to moderate TBI exhibit very high rates of sleep disturbance. Sleep disturbance is associated with higher levels of comorbid psychiatric symptomatology, particularly affective complaints. The high prevalence of sleep problems in Veterans with a history of TBI underscores a need to develop both a better understanding of etiologic mechanisms relating brain injury and sleep and a better clinical appreciation of the ramifications of sleep disturbance on daily functioning and recovery in individuals who experience TBI.


We aimed to model endurance, explosive power, and muscle strength in relation to body mass index (BMI) and physical-fitness tests in Greek children aged 7-10 years old. In the present large epidemiological study, anthropometric measurements and physical-fitness tests (i.e., multistage shuttle run, vertical jump, standing long jump, small ball throw and 30-m sprint) from 141,169 children were analyzed. Age- and sex-specific normative values for physical fitness tests were expressed as tabulated percentiles using the LMS statistical method. The correlation coefficients between BMI and performances were negative and significant for both sexes (p < .01) in all physical-fitness tests. The only exception was a positive correlation between ball throw and BMI (p < .01). Only 2.9% and 4.0% of boys and girls respectively, passed the upper quartiles in all tests. The performance in speed may serve as a predictive factor explaining, at least in part, the performance in aerobic endurance and explosive power in children aged 7-10 years. The presented population-based data for physical-fitness tests revealed that only a small percentage of these children are in the upper quartiles in all tests. Furthermore, the data suggests that speed performance can be used to predict physical fitness.


Purpose: To study mental health, sleep duration, and daytime sleepiness in young athletes. Methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire study was conducted. The main outcome measures included sleep duration and daytime sleepiness. Results: Study participants included 756 athletes with a mean age of 13.5 years. A total of 39% (n = 296/756) reported not meeting current sleep recommendations for age. Athletes >12 years and with a self-reported anxiety and/or depression history were less likely to meet sleep recommendations and showed higher daytime sleepiness (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.29, 95% confidence interval [CI] [1.2, 1.4], β [SE] = 3.06 [0.74], respectively). Athletes with goal-oriented reasons for playing versus enjoyment (52% vs. 35%, aOR = 1.70, 95% CI [1.12, 2.58]) were less likely to meet sleep recommendations. Night time internet access and weeknight homework hours were negatively associated with sleep recommendations (aOR = 1.68, 95% CI [1.68, 2.47] and aOR = 3.11, 95% CI [1.82, 5.3]) and positively associated with daytime sleepiness (β [SE] = 1.44 [0.45] and 2.28 [0.59]). Conclusions: Many young athletes are not meeting sleep recommendations. Associated factors include mental health, reasons for play, internet access, and homework demand.


In this article a formulation of an anisotropic finite linear viscoelasticity model is proposed. In particular, transverse isotropy and orthotropy is considered. The aim of this work is to establish a material model, which allows the description of an anisotropic material response in the framework of the finite deformation theory. First of all, the fundamentals of finite hyperelasticity are discussed. In the next step, we consider a finite linear viscoelastic formulation which is then extended to the theory of anisotropy. After giving an introduction to the coordinate free representation of anisotropic material behaviour using isotropic tensor functions in terms of structural tensors, we derive the constitutive equations for the orthotropic linear viscoelasticity model. This model is implemented into the nonlinear finite element code LS-DYNA. Both, an explicit and an implicit implementation is carried out. To evaluate the performance of the model, representative numerical examples are discussed in detail.


Objectives Obesity and overweight are chronic disorders of multifactorial origin that are characterized by high oxidative status and by chronic activation of macrophages in peripheral tissues. Effective therapeutic approaches to lower inflammation and oxidative stress are currently of general interest. Royal jelly (RJ) is a functional food with a broad range of pharmacological activities, mainly used by healthy individuals or borderline patients to protect themselves against disease onset. The objective of this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was to investigate the effects of RJ supplementation on metabolic profile and oxidative and inflammatory parameters in asymptomatic overweight adults, considered at an early stage of developing metabolic syndrome. Material and Methods The experimental group (n=30) was given RJ and the control group (n=30) was provided with a placebo for eight weeks. Anthropometric, biochemical parameters, biomarkers of oxidative stress, and inflammation were assessed at baseline, after 4 and 8 weeks of the intervention, and after additional 2 weeks of follow up. Results and Conclusion Compared with the placebo, RJ supplementation demonstrated a statistically significant decrease in total cholesterol (6.7%; p=0.041) and inflammatory marker C-reactive protein (19%; p=0.027), whereas significant increases were observed in anti-inflammatory marker adiponectin (34%; p=0.011), endogenous antioxidants bilirubin (35%; p=0.002) and uric acid (5%; p=0.018), total antioxidant capacity in serum (54%; p=0.005), and leptin (17%; p=0.025). The present study demonstrated positive effects of RJ administration on lipid profile, satiety, inflammation, and antioxidant capacity in overweight adults. Therefore, our study supports the benefits of RJ supplementation for the improvement of human health.