Where would we be without conversation? Throughout history, conversations have allowed us to see different perspectives, build ideas, and solve problems. Conversations, particularly those referred to in this book as academic conversations, push students to think and learn in lasting ways. Academic conversations are back-and-forth dialogues in which students focus on a topic and explore it by building, challenging, and negotiating relevant ideas. Unfortunately, academic conversations are rare in many classrooms. Talk is often dominated by the teacher and a few students, or it does not advance beyond short responses to the teacher's questions. Even certain teaching approaches and curriculum programs neglect to train students how to maintain a focused, respectful, and thoughtful conversation. To address these challenges, authors Jeff Zwiers and Marie Crawford have identified five core communication skills to help students hold productive academic conversations across content areas. These skills include: elaborating and clarifying, supporting ideas with evidence, building on and/or challenging ideas, paraphrasing, and synthesizing. This book shows teachers how to weave the cultivation of academic conversation skills and conversations into current teaching approaches. More specifically, it describes how to use conversations to build the following: Academic vocabulary and grammar Critical thinking skills such as persuasion, interpretation, consideration of multiple perspectives, evaluation, and application Literacy skills such as questioning, predicting, connecting to prior knowledge, and summarizing Complex and abstract essential understandings in content areas such as adaptation, human nature, bias, conservation of mass, energy, gravity, irony, democracy, greed, and more An academic classroom environment brimming with respect for others' ideas, equity of voice, engagement, and mutual support The ideas in this book stem from many hours of classroom practice, research, and video analysis across grade levels and content areas. Readers will find numerous practical activities for working on each conversation skill, crafting conversation-worthy tasks, and using conversations to teach and assess. Academic Conversations offers an in-depth approach to helping students develop into the future parents, teachers, and leaders who will collaborate to build a better world.


The furan Diels – Alder (DA) cycloaddition reaction has become an important tool in green chemistry, being central to the sustainable synthesis of many chemical building blocks. The restriction to electron-rich furans is a signi fi cant limitation of the scope of suitable dienes, in particular hampering the use of the furans most readily obtained from biomass, furfurals and their oxidized variants, furoic acids. Herein, it is shown that despite their electron-withdrawing substituents, 2-furoic acids and derivatives (esters, amides) are in fact reactive dienes in Diels – Alder couplings with maleimide dienophiles. The reactions bene fi t from a substantial rate-enhancement when water is used as solvent, and from activation of the 2-furoic acids by conversion to the corresponding carboxylate salts. This approach enables Diels – Alder reactions to be performed under very mild conditions, even with highly unreactive dienes such as 2,5-furandicar-boxylic acid. The obtained DA adducts of furoic acids are shown to be versatile synthons in the conversion to various saturated and aromatic carbocyclic products.


Gazprom, like its Russian state owners, has pursued an effective, long term strategy of ingratiating and integrating its interests with those of its downstream customers. It may have struck a coup though in moving closer to RWE Germany's second largest electricity producer. The field of maneuver for a Gazprom ownership stake in RWE has been made perceptively easier with the Merkel government's decision to discontinue nuclear power as an entire class of power generating technology available to German industrial and residential consumers. As a partial result of this decision, RWE has lost a reported 20% of its market value and is eager for the new investment that Gazprom can provide. Vertically integrating Gazprom as a key player in Europe's largest industrial economy is really what is at stake in the short term. Integrating Russian influence as a base-load factor in Germany's future is of longer term concern.


The reactions of 3-chloro-3-(chlorosulfanyl)-2,2,4,4-tetramethylcyclobutan-1-one (2) with N, O, S, and P nucleophiles occur by substitution of Cl at the S-atom. Whereas, in the cases of secondary amines, alkanols, phenols, thiols, thiophenols, and di- and trialkyl phosphates, the initially formed substitution
products were obtained, the corresponding products with allyl and propargyl alcohols undergo a [2,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement to give allyl and allenyl sulfoxides, respectively. Analogous substitution reactions were observed when 3-chloro-3-(chlorodisulfanyl)-2,2,4,4-tetramethylcyclobutan-1-one (3) was treated with N, O, and S nucleophiles. The reaction of 3 with Et3P led to an unexpected product via cleavage of the S S bond (cf. Scheme 13). In the reactions of 2 with primary amines and H2O, the substitution products react further via elimination of HCl to yield the corresponding thiocarbonyl S-imides and the thiocarbonyl S-oxide, respectively. Whereas the latter could be isolated, the former were not stable but could be intercepted by MeOH (Scheme 4) or adamantanethione (Scheme 5). The structures of some of the substitution products were established by X-ray crystallography.


This book provides a summary of the manifold audio- and web-based approaches to music information retrieval (MIR) research. In contrast to other books dealing solely with music signal processing, it addresses additional cultural and listener-centric aspects and thus provides a more holistic view. Consequently, the text includes methods operating on features extracted directly from the audio signal, as well as methods operating on features extracted from contextual information, either the cultural context of music as represented on the web or the user and usage context of music. Following the prevalent document-centered paradigm of information retrieval, the book addresses models of music similarity that extract computational features to describe an entity that represents music on any level (e.g., song, album, or artist), and methods to calculate the similarity between them. While this perspective and the representations discussed cannot describe all musical dimensions, they enable us to effectively find music of similar qualities by providing abstract summarizations of musical artifacts from different modalities. The text at hand provides a comprehensive and accessible introduction to the topics of music search, retrieval, and recommendation from an academic perspective. It will not only allow those new to the field to quickly access MIR from an information retrieval point of view but also raise awareness for the developments of the music domain within the greater IR community. In this regard, Part I deals with content-based MIR, in particular the extraction of features from the music signal and similarity calculation for content-based retrieval. Part II subsequently addresses MIR methods that make use of the digitally accessible cultural context of music. Part III addresses methods of collaborative filtering and user-aware and multi-modal retrieval, while Part IV explores current and future applications of music retrieval and recommendation.


In therapeutic protein production, the protein purification with chromatographic processes is of high importance in separating the qualified proteins from the impurities for consistent product quality. Therefore, to aid real‐time monitoring of the protein purification processes, various kinds of methodologies have been proposed until now. However, the majority of them still rely on the use of a single ultraviolet (UV) absorbance or the utilization of expensive and time‐consuming instruments, thus requiring a simple, fast, and cost‐effective methodology for protein quantification. In this study, the feasibility of using multiwavelength UV spectroscopy was investigated as an alternative tool for the real‐time monitoring of the protein mixtures in protein purification. To this end, three different proteins were selected as a model system for the protein mixture, and the multivariate UV spectra were analyzed to construct the reliable quantification models for different proteins of interest. By using various chemometrics tools, such as partial least squares (PLS), the validity of estimating the protein concentration from the UV spectra of the mixture samples was rigorously analyzed with their prediction performance, and the results indicated that the multiwavelength UV spectra had sufficient sensitivity and accuracy to estimate the protein concentrations in mixture, demonstrating its usefulness for the rapid quantification of the protein mixtures in protein purification. © 2013 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 29:664–671, 2013


Structural and petrological study of the Oman ophiolite shows that normal faults at oceanic spreading centers can root in incompletely crystallized cumulates and form at the same time as melt is being supplied to the magma chamber. In the vicinity (≤200 m) of a ridge-facing normal fault located a couple of kilometers off a former axial mantle diapir, blocks of layered cumulates were tilted at high angles relative to the Moho. Block rotation was accommodated by a swarm of anastomosed fault planes connected to the main fault. These planes are underlain by screens of gabbroic micropegmatites (former melt layers) and by ptygmatic folds, pointing to viscous deformation of a compacting crystal mush. Flat-lying, undeformed cumulate layers from the same parent melts as the deformed ones settled directly over the tilted blocks. Water introduction into the melt is evidenced by the crystallization of anomalously high anorthite (An 90%–95%) cumulus plagioclase, regardless of the degree of evolution of the magma. Shearing continued at subsolidus temperatures along some, but not all, fault planes, attested to by the local development of plastic deformation structures. The subsolidus development of amphibole-spinel coronas around olivine grains points to pervasive percolation of high-temperature hydrothermal fluids through the cumulates. As the crust cooled further, water penetration progressively focused within the main fault zone, where the crust was fractured and eventually altered in greenschist facies conditions.


PURPOSE
Given the high incidence of colorectal cancer (CRC), and the availability of procedures that can detect disease and remove precancerous lesions, there is a need for a model that estimates the probability of developing CRC across various age intervals and risk factor profiles.

METHODS
The development of separate CRC absolute risk models for men and women included estimating relative risks and attributable risk parameters from population-based case-control data separately for proximal, distal, and rectal cancer and combining these estimates with baseline age-specific cancer hazard rates based on Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) incidence rates and competing mortality risks.

RESULTS
For men, the model included a cancer-negative sigmoidoscopy/colonoscopy in the last 10 years, polyp history in the last 10 years, history of CRC in first-degree relatives, aspirin and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) use, cigarette smoking, body mass index (BMI), current leisure-time vigorous activity, and vegetable consumption. For women, the model included sigmoidoscopy/colonoscopy, polyp history, history of CRC in first-degree relatives, aspirin and NSAID use, BMI, leisure-time vigorous activity, vegetable consumption, hormone-replacement therapy (HRT), and estrogen exposure on the basis of menopausal status. For men and women, relative risks differed slightly by tumor site. A validation study in independent data indicates that the models for men and women are well calibrated.

CONCLUSION
We developed absolute risk prediction models for CRC from population-based data, and a simple questionnaire suitable for self-administration. This model is potentially useful for counseling, for designing research intervention studies, and for other applications.


ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to examine the relations between primary school students' conceptions of, approaches to, and self-efficacy in learning science in Mainland China. A total of 1049 primary school students from Mainland China participated in this study. Three instruments were adapted to measure students' conceptions of learning science, approaches to learning science, and self-efficacy. The exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis were adopted to validate three instruments. The path analysis was employed to understand the relationships between conceptions of learning science, approaches to learning science, and self-efficacy. The findings indicated that students' lower level conceptions of learning science positively influenced their surface approaches in learning science. Higher level conceptions of learning science had a positive influence on deep approaches and a negative influence on surface approaches to learning science. Furthermore, self-efficacy was also a hierarchical construct and can be divided into the lower level and higher level. Only students' deep approaches to learning science had a positive influence on their lower and higher level of self-efficacy in learning science. The results were discussed in the context of the implications for teachers and future studies.


AIM
To examine the practices used by New Zealand's 20 district health boards (DHBs) to protect patient privacy when patient information is used for research, and particularly practices for de-identifying information.

METHOD
An e-mailed questionnaire survey, using New Zealand's Official Information Act to request information on the policies and practices of each DHB.

RESULTS
19/20 DHBs (95%) responded to the survey, one of which reported that it did not provide patient information for research. 18/18 (100%) of the DHBs that reported providing patient information for research required the project to have ethics approval. 18/18 (100%) of the DHBs that offered patient data for research also required individual patient consent and/or de-identification of the information before it was used for research. 14/18 DHBs (78%) deidentified data before releasing it for research, 8/18 DHBs (48%) sought individual patient consent before releasing data for research, and 5/18 (28%) used both methods. Other measures to protect privacy included confidentiality agreements, encryption and cybersecurity procedures.

CONCLUSION
Our findings show DHBs self-report that they have sufficient measures in place to protect privacy when patient information is used for research. However, these measures need to be continuously evaluated against rapidly evolving international practices and technological developments.


Abstract Lumbar pseudomeningocele is an uncommon complication of lumbar spine surgeries. This occurred due to extradural encapsulated cerebrospinal fluid collection after accidental durotomy or un-repairable dural tear. On review of literature only 58 cases have been reported so far. Magnetic resonance imaging is the investigation of choice for diagnosis of pseudomeningocele. Herein author has described a case of iatrogenic pseudomeningocele after lumbar spine surgery and its management.


The official handbook for B-school culture and customs, The MBA Jungle B-School Survival Guide is filled with insights on the MBA experience. It also offers practical advice with a flair and sophistication that will appeal to current and would-be MBA students. Far from your same-old sawdust-dry business-school guide, The MBA Jungle B-School Survival Guide is smart and witty, yet still manages to take business seriously. It covers a full array of topics-from determining if an MBA track is appropriate for you, to decoding curriculum needs, to parlaying classroom relationships and knowledge into job offers. It also outlines the intangibles-such as status and confidence-one can assemble by knowing B-school protocol. Drawing from interviews and focus groups with professors, recruiters, and CEOs, this is a one-stop guide for getting the most out of your MBA and getting ahead in the business world.


Umbrellium comissioned us to build one of the technical components of their innovative virtual cat that lives in a school in Cambridge. The cat is featured on a large augmented reality screen in the lobby which could be interacted with during breaks as well as on students' chromebooks throughout the day. The cat's mood and behaviour is influenced by data collected from the building.

When nobody is near the cat, it wanders about the room resting, walking and running around in a natural way. When people approach it the cat becomes more playful and may play with the nearby person or run away depending on its mood. The cat can also receive instructions to go through portals to other parts of the building, for example a student's chromebook.

We worked closely with the team at Umbrellium to create a precise specification and write clean, maintainable code with documentation to be integrated with the ongoing development.

Our role was to design and build the realistic simulation of the behaviour and movement of the cat making use of a series of 2D animations. We built this system from the ground up using C++ and openFrameworks. Under the hood it uses a behaviour tree to make intelligent decisions about where to move to, how to get from place to place and what to do next.


MORE THAN TWO THIRDS OF people with addiction see a primary care or urgent care physician every 6 months, and many others are regularly seen by other medical specialists. These physicians are therefore in a prime position to help patients who may have drug abuse problems by recognizing and diagnosing the addiction, helping to direct patients to a program that can meet their treatment needs, and helping to monitor progress after specialty treatment and during recovery. Many physicians, however, find the domain of drug abuse particularly daunting and often avoid the issue with their patients. This is understandable given the relatively short shrift drug abuse is given in formal medical education. There is a widespread misperception that drug abuse treatment is not effective, which may account for the reluctance of physicians to even broach the subject of drug abuse or treatment with their patients. On the other hand, over the past 15 to 20 years, advances in science have revolutionized our fundamental understanding of the nature of drug abuse and addiction and what to do about it. In addition, there are now extensive data showing that addiction is eminently treatable if the treatment is welldelivered and tailored to the needs of the particular patient. There is an array of both behavioral and pharmacological treatments that can effectively reduce drug use, help manage drug cravings and prevent relapses, and restore people to productive functioning in society. Of course, not all drug abuse treatments are equally effective, and there is no single treatment appropriate for all patients. Fortunately, recent scientific advances have provided insights both into the nature of drug abuse and addiction and into the principles that characterize the most effective treatment approaches and programs. These treatment principles should make the primary care or nonaddiction specialty care physician's tasks of screening and referral much easier.


This article articulates the philosophical foundations of adoption as a human right with cosmopolitan reach. This view is contrasted to the heretofore predominant conception of adoption in the consequentialism-cum-charity paradigm. Five principal distinctions emerge between the new and the traditional conceptions of adoption. First, adoption as a human right acknowledges the fact that both proportionally and in absolute numbers biological parents commit more negligence and abuse against the young than adoptive parents do. Second, the human rights approach to adoption does not believe that mass prohibition or moratorium of biological and adoptive parenting is the solution to the problem of neglect and abuse of the young. Third, the human rights approach to adoption sees human rights violations through the veil of charitable rhetoric. In fact, the rhetoric of charity hides prejudice against adoption under precautionary rationales. The human rights paradigm of adoption understands the long established instrumentalization of adoption by country, politics, ethnicity, race, religion, and economic interests as well as by reductionist conceptions of child well-being. Fourth, and contrary to what the consequentialism-cum-charity preaches, the human rights paradigm of adoption favors only legal solutions to problems of neglect and abuse in the context of adoption that do not lead to systematic violations of fundamental human rights. Finally, the human rights paradigm of adoption connects the right to grow as son or daughter with the duty of states and international organizations, including their agents, to promote access of the unparented to adoption without the restrictions of borders, ethnicity, race, tribe or religion. After the Introduction, Part II analyzes the consequentialist-cum-charity understanding of adoption. Part III expounds on what I call the value theory of rights. Part IV articulates the jurisprudential foundations of deontological adoption and the human right to be adopted. The reader will probably find that this article operates at a high level of theorization. This is by design, for high theory is needed in order to dispel the confusion and contradictions that plague first order analyses and opinions on the matter. And while the decision to take the theoretical path indicates my ambitions in the article, it also demarcates the limited attention the article is able to give to important details. Hopefully, others will rectify, supplement, and detail the foundations laid out in this work.


As a common practice in portfolio management based on the mean-variance model, the daily means and variances of stock returns are usually estimated using daily historical data and then converted to longer periods of time depending on needs. However, since means and variances may show different behaviors over non-trading days, this paper shows the necessity of employing different time scale conversion formulas for means and variances. In particular, we examine the issues arising from the conversion of 1-day returns into estimates of longer period means and investigate the impact of this conversion on capital allocation decisions and portfolio performance evaluations.


This paper presents a general framework for planning the quasi-static motion of climbing robots. The framework is instantiated to compute climbing motions of a three-limbed robot in vertical natural terrain. An example resulting path through a large simulated environment is presented. The planning problem is one of five fundamental challenges to the development of real robotic systems able to climb real natural terrain. Each of the four other areas—hardware design, control, sensing, and grasping—is also discussed.


We address the problem of identifying key domain concepts automatically from an unannotated corpus of goal-oriented human-human conversations. We examine two clustering algorithms, one based on mutual information and another one based on Kullback-Liebler distance. In order to compare the results from both techniques quantitatively, we evaluate the outcome clusters against reference concept labels using precision and recall metrics adopted from the evaluation of topic identification task. However, since our system allows more than one cluster to associate with each concept an additional metric, a singularity score, is added to better capture cluster quality. Based on the proposed quality metrics, the results show that Kullback-Liebler-based clustering outperforms mutual information-based clustering for both the optimal quality and the quality achieved using an automatic stopping criterion.


Background & objectives: To study effects of drugs against rheumatoid arthritis (RA) synoviocytes or fibroblast like synoviocytes (FLS) are used. To overcome the drawbacks of using FLS, this study was conducted to show the validity of SW982 synovial cell line in RA study. Methods: 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, Annexin V propidium iodide (PI) staining, mitochondrial membrane potential assay, Triton X-114 Phase partitioning, and immunolot for apoptosis signaling in SW982 human synovial cell line were performed. Results: Fluvastatin induced apoptosis in a dose- and time-dependent manner in TNFα -stimulated SW982 human synovial cells. A geranylgeranylpyrophosphate (GGPP) inhibitor, but not a farnesylpyrophosphate (FPP) inhibitor, induced apoptosis, and fluvastatin-induced apoptosis was associated with the translocation of isoprenylated RhoA and Rac1 proteins from the cell membrane to the cytosol. Fluvastatin-induced downstream apoptotic signals were associated with inhibition of the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt pathway. Accordingly, 89 kDa apoptotic cleavage fragment of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) was detected. Interpretation & conclusions: Collectively, our data indicate that fluvastatin induces apoptotic cell death in TNFα-stimulated SW982 human synovial cells through the inactivation of the geranylgerenylated membrane fraction of RhoA and Rac1 proteins and the subsequent inhibition of the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. This finding shows the validity of SW982 cell line for RA study.


The Administrative Procedure Act's provisions on formal adjudication give individuals charged in administrative enforcement actions the right to an in-person oral hearing. But not always. Agency prosecutors can circumvent formal hearing procedures without the consent of the defendant by resolving cases on "administrative summary judgment." A 1971 Harvard Law Review Article endorsed this procedure as a way for agency prosecutors to avoid "futile" hearings, and courts have upheld it based on the same technocratic approach. Yet administrative procedure is not merely an instrument to be expertly calibrated by administrators; it is a mechanism of political control. When Congress assigns enforcement of a given program to a formal adjudication regime, it is exercising its authority to "stack the deck," giving defendants access to elaborate procedural protections and limiting or channeling the enforcement program. Administrative summary judgment "unstacks the deck" – it unwinds Congress's procedural controls and allows an agency to recalibrate its enforcement priorities.At the Securities and Exchange Commission, many administrative proceedings are now resolved on "summary disposition" without any in-person hearing. The recent expansion of summary dispositions has facilitated a broad shift in the agency's enforcement priorities towards easy-to-prosecute offenses, enabling the agency to show Congress a "record number of enforcement actions" year after year. That figure has (apparently) significant political value, but does not indicate anything about the effectiveness of the SEC's enforcement program.Setting enforcement priorities is a critical function for agencies like the SEC that are charged with enforcing a vast and complex array of legal obligations but which have resources to pursue only a relatively small number of possible violations. Securities scholars have long debated the SEC's enforcement priorities, but have overlooked the role administrative adjudication procedure plays in shaping those priorities – as both a vehicle for Congressional control and administrative rebellion.


Soil-inhabiting streptomycetes are Nature's medicine makers, producing over half of all known antibiotics and many other bioactive natural products. However, these bacteria also produce many volatile compounds, and research into these molecules and their role in soil ecology is rapidly gaining momentum. Here we show that streptomycetes have the ability to kill bacteria over long distances via air-borne antibiosis. Our research shows that streptomycetes do so by producing surprisingly high amounts of the low-cost volatile antimicrobial ammonia, which travels over long distances and antagonises both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Glycine is required as precursor to produce ammonia, and inactivation of the glycine cleavage system annihilated air-borne antibiosis. As a resistance strategy, E. coli cells acquired mutations resulting in reduced expression of the porin master regulator OmpR and its cognate kinase EnvZ, which was just enough to allow them to survive. We further show that ammonia enhances the activity of the more costly canonical antibiotics, suggesting that streptomycetes adopt a low-cost strategy to sensitize competitors for antibiosis over longer distances.


Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) applications are being employed increasingly in museums and cultural heritage sites to enhance visitors' experience and interactively convey information. Consequently, researchers and museum professionals have shown great interest in designing user interfaces which are effective in terms of learning, usability and economic outcomes. Usability evaluations are often conducted to assess the effectiveness of applications already deployed, instead of being used in the early development stages. This paper illustrates a user-centered design approach to develop an interactive multimedia application for the Chesterholm Museum at Vindolanda, Northumberland, UK. This approach is based on conducting evaluation during the design
process to asses the usability and effectiveness of the future application. This paper presents the research background upon which the evaluation has been based; the preliminary analysis of the visitors' profiles that has driven the first stage of development; the methodology deployed to conduct the usability evaluations and their outcomes, which fed the second stage of the design process. During this process, interactivity, high levels of engagement and technical usability were identified as the main priorities which were later reflected in the effective design of the application. Finally, this paper seeks to highlight the potential and importance of early usability testing in ensuring the effectiveness of the resulting application.


Conflict scholars and practitionsers have devoted much effort to understanding why differences sometimes escalate into full-blown conflicts. But not enough attention has been paid to the psychological and physiological process of "reality formation and identity formation" inherent in the nature of individual human consciousness. The author shows how the functions of identity and reality formation pervade human activity, and how they are particularly connected to conflict. This theoretical construct has a variety of implications for mediators and dispute resolution in general, which the author illustrates with a series of brief case examples.


Unlike many studies which simply generate least-cost paths, this paper develops a geospatial methodology for amalgamating many geo-environmental factors in order to determine the costs of construction for predefined or existing roads. The geo-environmental factors used were elevation, presence of watercourses, soil characteristics and land cover type. They were reclassified to cost values/attribute weights based upon their impact on road construction, and they were then combined, using the weighted overlay tool in ArcMap, to generate a thematic cost layer. The total construction cost for each road was then extracted from this layer using the Extract by Mask tool. Although the cheapest road was longer, it was less costly by 3.2%, mainly because of its higher elevation, avoidance of major valleys, suitable soils and less problematic land cover, all of which reduced the need for cut-and-fill and culverts. It is suggested, therefore, that government agencies adopt this powerful technique for reliable and well integrated road planning and assessment. Nevertheless, the method could be improved by including additional factors such as proneness to floods and access to people and socioeconomic activities.


This paper investigates the use of metaphor as a valuable tool in encountering contemporary challenges in marketing strategy development. A review of the literature indicates how traditional approaches pay insufficient attention to the fact that marketing strategy development rests largely on the processes of intuitive and symbolic thinking. The first part of the paper establishes creative strategic thinking, which includes these processes as a key imperative in marketing strategy development. To show how metaphors can serve as a tool in encountering some of the challenges identified the second part examines the functions of metaphors. The final part of the paper presents a practical example of use of the military metaphor in the process of marketing sense-making and strategy development, followed by proposal of an extended and universal framework for metaphorical transfer and a discussion of the principles of such use.


Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) is the most common cause of diarrhea in hospitalized patients and results in substantial morbidity, mortality, and costs. Its clinical management, primarily with antibiotics, is often complicated by recurrent episodes. These recurrent CDI episodes are thought to be caused by antibiotic disruption of colonic microbiota and usually occur within 4 weeks of completing antibiotic therapy. The risk of recurrent CDI increases after the first episode, creating a need for management strategies to diagnose, treat, and prevent these complications.


This week's gem is the fifth chapter of John Barnes' new booklet: Safe and Secure Software: An Introduction to Ada 2005.
 Over the coming months, we will be publishing all thirteen chapters of the booklet. In the attachment at the bottom of Gem #30 you can access the contents and bibliography for the entire booklet. We hope you will enjoy the read!


Purpose: The aim of this study is to propose and discuss a theoretical framework of a testing environment for verification of household risk tolerance assessment methods, based on a financial plan optimization model. It is intended to be suited to the specificity of life-long financial planning for households. Design/Methodology/Approach: The assumption of the proposed testing environment is that a risk tolerance measure should be used as part of the input to a household life-long financial plan optimization procedure. The risk of the received plan should therefore be consistent with the risk tolerance estimated at the beginning. Findings: After the analysis of the structure of the existing financial plan optimization model (developed by the Authors as part of some former research project) it has been concluded that, after some modifications, it is possible to use it as a test environment for verification of household risk tolerance assessment methods. Practical Implications: The possibility of verification of a risk tolerance assessment method for a household life-long financial plan is necessary to be able to construct plans that are really suited to household needs. So far, there do not exist proper household risk aversion measures, nor methods of household risk aversion estimation, that would consider the nature of risk that is present in the household life-long financial planning. But as soon as such methods are developed, it will be necessary to be able to verify whether the risk tolerance estimates obtained from them are at all reliable and if they are in line with how households understand their risk tolerance. Originality/Value: This study is a step towards verifying household risk tolerance models for lifetime financial plans, which is a new research area, not yet undertaken in the literature. It is very important both from the point of view of the further development of the theory of personal finance and for the practice of financial planning.


Given the ubiquity of social media platforms, the online harassment of women is deservedly drawing significant attention from the media, academics, and the platforms themselves. This study uses data from in-depth interviews with 23 women university students, who were harassed/cyberbullied, to explore how young women respond to negative experiences online. Findings suggest women deploy various defensive strategies while navigating online spaces, from normalizing harassment—and taking it for granted—to self-censorship and withdrawal. Interpreting these responses through a feminist lens clarifies the implications for women's willingness and ability to participate in public spaces and highlights an increased urgency for social media platforms to address and mitigate harassment.


The study of the photophysiology of intertidal microphytobenthos biofilms has been hampered by the confounding effects of vertical migration by motile microalgae. The present work introduces a methodology to obtain undisturbed nonmigratory biofilms, based on the diatom motility inhibitor latrunculin A (Lat A). Application of Lat A to intact sediments prevented light‐induced vertical migration while not affecting the biofilm photosynthetic activity or disrupting the photic zone microenvironment. The inhibition of microalgal migration maintained the surface microalgae biomass despite exposure to stimuli that induced large migratory responses in noninhibited samples, including supersaturating irradiances or darkness. The characterization of the photophysiological responses of undisturbed biofilms without the interference of changes in surface biomass was illustrated by addressing two questions that are not possible to study on migratory biofilms with the existing methods: (i) the construction of light‐response curves of steady‐state photosynthetic activity, commonly used to characterize the photoacclimation status of photoautotrophs, and (ii) the characterization of the induction and relaxation kinetics of nonphotochemical quenching of in vivo fluorescence, required for the study of photoprotective processes or photoinhibition.


The 2016 US Presidential Election was hallmarked by significant policy differences between the Democratic and Republican parties. Healthcare reform was one of the most significant and highly debated issues between the candidates; Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) and Donald J. Trump (R-NY). The Republican platform of repeal and replace was in direct opposition to the expansionary viewpoints of the Democratic Party which was to promote increased regulations on the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries. The media narrative in the months preceding the election assumed a Democratic victory as a sure thing. The New York Times gave Hillary Clinton a 98.5% chance of victory at the beginning of election night, making the landslide victory of Donald Trump over Hillary Clinton one of the greatest political upsets of the modern political era. In order to determine if market indicators were predicting a Republican victory in the election; we analyze financial performance of securities in the healthcare sector through standard event study techniques. In particular I use multivariate regression to calculate cumulative abnormal returns centered around varying time windows surrounding the Presidential Election. Financial data from 402 relevant healthcare firms is used in the analysis. Significant cumulative abnormal returns are observed for pharmaceutical/drug companies and healthcare companies in the event windows leading up to the election date. While negative in longer pre-event windows, returns become sharply positive on the days prior to the election. This is particularly true for pharmaceutical firms and healthcare stocks. Despite the prediction of Democrat victory in both the polls and in prediction markets, it is possible to show that the stock market accurately predicted a Republican victory in the General Election despite overwhelming odds indicating a Democrat victory.


I read the editorial titled "The detection of plagiarism" with great interest. It is noted that "Faced with this challenge, the editorial board of our journal has decided to introduce CrossCheck. Similar to the case of the Croatian Medical Journal, the plagiarism detection procedure consists of automatic scanning of manuscripts using the software (CrossCheck) and manual verification of manuscripts suspected of having been plagiarized (more than 10% text similarity)." In fact, plagiarism is a major ethical issue in academic writing, and the problem is very common worldwide. The role of a journal in screening and managing plagiarism in the submitted articles is very important. However, the main method used to identify plagiarism in text utilizes an electronic tool. This involves the identification of verbatim repetitions of text. Nevertheless, plagiarism can be more complex than such simple text repetitions. Such forms of plagiarism include picture/figure, translation, and conceptual plagiarisms, which cannot be detected by simple computational plagiarism screening tools. As noted by Lykkesfeldt, "plagiarism software offers a unique opportunity to screen for plagiarism easily but also that it has to be employed with caution as automated or uncritical use is far too unreliable to allow a fair basis for judging the degree of plagiarism in a manuscript." Sometimes, complex, combined types of plagiarism can also be seen in publications, and it is very difficult to detect such types, for example, a combination of translational and figure plagiarisms with modifications. The next concern is regarding the percentage of similarity. It is quite possible that the same idea may occur to more than one authors. However, in this case, the interesting consideration is the level of similarity in ideas that is acceptable in academic writing. Although some practitioners use the rule of '5% or 10%' or '100 words,' it remains a topic of debate. It is argued that a good article should have 0% or no plagiarism, but this might be an ideal case. It is the duty of the journal to verify and judge the 'intention' of an accused plagiarism. To fulfill the criteria of plagiarism, the 'intention to steal and no disclosure' is the main action of the plagiarist.


Architecture in Iran has a continuous history from at least 5000 BC to the present, and numerous Iranian pre-Islamic elements have contributed significantly to the formation of Islamic art. At first, decoration was limited to small objects and containers and then progressed in the art of plaster and brickwork. They later applied in architecture as well. The art of gypsum and brickwork, which was prevalent in the form of motifs (animals and plants) in pre-Islam, was used in the aftermath of Islam with the art of calligraphy in decorations. The splendor and beauty of Iranian architecture, especially during the Islamic era, are related to decoration and design. After the invasion of Iran by the Arabs and the introduction of Islam to Iran, the arrival of the Iranian classical architecture significantly changed, and we saw the Arabic calligraphy decoration of the mosques in Iran. The principles of aesthetics in the art of calligraphy in Iran are based precisely on the principles of the beauty of ancient Iranian and Islamic art. On the other hand, after Islam, calligraphy was one of the most important sources of Islamic art in Islam and one of the important features of Islamic culture. First, the calligraphy had no cultural meaning and was only for decoration and beautification, it had the same meaning only in the inscriptions; however, over time, it became meaningful. This article provides a summary of the history of calligraphy in the mosques (from the entrance to Islam until the Safavid period), which cannot ignore the role of the calligraphy in their decorative ideas; and also, the important role that decorative elements play in creating a public space in terms of social and aesthetic performance. This study was conducted using library studies and field studies. The purpose of this study is to show the characteristics of architecture and art of decorations in Iran, especially in the mosque's architecture, which reaches the pinnacle of progress. We will see that religious beliefs and artistic practices are merging and trying to bring a single concept. Keywords—Islamic art, Islamic architecture, decorations in Iranian mosques, calligraphy.


LGBTQ foster youth are twice as likely to report poor treatment and more likely to live in group homes and to have more foster care placements. Approximately 1 in 5, or 1,400 foster youth in Los Angeles County, home to the nation's largest population of foster youth, identify as LGBTQ. The finding is twice the estimated percentage of youth not in foster care who are LGBTQ. Generally, LGBTQ foster youth mirror the racial/ethnic demographic of all foster youth in Los Angeles County. The majority are people of color, over 86% are Latino, Black, or API. More than 18% of all respondents reported experiencing discrimination related to their perceived sexual orientation or gender identity/expression, some of whom don't identify as LGBTQ. The percentage of LGBTQ youth who were hospitalized for emotional reasons (13.5%) was nearly triple the percentage of similar hospitalizations for non-LGBTQ youth (4.2%).


Fundamental to eukaryotic cell function, trafficking into and out of the nucleus is conventionally mediated by the Importin (Imp) and Exportin (Exp) transporters respectively, of which there are multiple Impα, Impβ and Exp forms expressed in humans. Nuclear transport can be regulated at many levels, including through modulation of the Imp/Exp nuclear transport machinery itself. Interestingly, altered Imp/Exp levels are associated with cellular malignancy and tumour disease progression in terms of tumour grade, stage, aggressiveness and patient prognosis, but the functional relevance with respect to changes in Imp/Exp activity and nuclear transport has not been investigated. Through rigorous quantitative live cell imaging of a variety of isogenic non-transformed/transformed cell systems from various origins, including the MCF10A human breast tumour progression series, this thesis shows that nuclear accumulation of Impα/β1-recognised nuclear localisation signal (NLS)-containing proteins, but not their NLS-mutated derivatives, is up to 7-fold increased in malignant compared to non-transformed cell types. This is associated with a significantly faster rate of nuclear import in transformed cells, as revealed by analysis of an Impα/β1-recognised cargo using fluorescence recovery after photobleaching. Nuclear accumulation of NLS/nuclear export signal-containing (shuttling) proteins was also enhanced in transformed cell types, experiments using the nuclear export inhibitor leptomycin B demonstrating that efficient Exp-1-mediated nuclear export is not impaired in transformed compared to non-transformed cells. Enhanced nuclear import and export efficiencies were found to correlate with 2- to-4-fold higher expression of Impα1, β1 and Exp-1 in the various transformed cell types, as indicated by quantitative Western analysis. Trafficking dependent on Impα/β1 was found to be selectively enhanced during the benign to malignant switch in the MCF10 model of human breast tumour progression (basal triple negative type, invasive ductal carcinoma), with the degree of enhancement correlating to advancing tumour disease state of the cells. In contrast, the nuclear accumulation of Impβ1-recognised cargoes was c. 2-fold decreased in malignant breast cells. Quantitative RT-qPCR and/or Western analysis indicate this is specifically associated with progressively increased expression of Impα1, α3, β1 and the Impα re-exporter CAS (Exp-2) in malignant compared to benign/non-transformed breast cell types, with RNAi/overexpression approaches establishing Impα1 levels to be the primary basis of elevated Impα/β1-dependent nuclear import efficiency and decreased Impβ1-dependent nuclear import efficiency. Underlining the physiological relevance of these observations, the degree of Imp alpha 1 expression was found to correlate with increasing tumour grade in clinical ductal carcinoma samples. Excitingly, the studies in this thesis show that targeting Impβ1 activity through RNAi is up to 33-fold more efficient in decreasing the viability of transformed/ductal carcinoma cell types compared to isogenic non-transformed counterparts, and is highly potent with tumour selective activity shown at subnanomolar siRNA concentrations. Flow cytometric analysis in malignant cells treated with Impβ1 siRNAs implied this effect was due to increased cell death. Importantly, the tumour selective killing activity was found to be specific to Impβ1 siRNA, and was not observed for siRNAs targeting other Imps such as Impα1, α3, CAS or Exp-1 that were also found to be overexpressed in malignant cell types. The results here established for the first time that enhanced Impα/β1-dependent nuclear import efficiency at a global scale is associated with malignant transformation and that transformed/tumour cell types display hypersensitivity to inhibition of Impβ1 through siRNA-mediated knockdown. The findings raise the exciting possibility that the enhanced Impα/β1-dependent nuclear import of transformed cells may be exploited to facilitate tumour cell-specific drug delivery, and have implications for development of tumour-selective anti cancer strategies through RNAi/drugs targeted specifically at Impβ1.


Governments and institutions, perhaps even more than markets, determine who gets what in our society. They make the crucial choices about who pays the taxes, who gets into college, who gets medical care, who gets drafted, where the hazardous waste dump is sited, and how much we pay for public services. Debate about these issues inevitably centres on the question of whether the solution is "fair". In "Equity: In Theory and Practice", H. Peyton Young offers a systematic explanation of what we mean by fairness in distributing public resources and burdens, and applies the theory to actual cases. Young begins by reviewing some of the major theories of social justice, showing that none of them explains how societies resolve distributive problems in practice. He then suggests an alternative approach to analyzing fairness in concrete situations: equity, he argues, does not boil down to a single formula, but represents a balance between competing principles of need, desert, and social utility. The studies Young uses to illustrate his approach include the design of income tax schedules, priority schemes for allocating scarce medical resources, formulas for distributing political representation, and criteria for setting fees for public services. Each represents a unique blend of historical perspective, rigorous analysis, and an emphasis on practical solutions.


A re-appraisal of published knowledge of the birds recorded in Katanga (Democratic Republic of Congo) focussed on the status of 56 taxa, to reveal a high endemism (14 species of a total of at least 642). In addition, 33 taxa were also revealed as possible south-central African endemics but need thorough taxonomic appraisal. All are geographically isolated populations, with ranges restricted within, or centred on, Katanga. These taxonomic enigmas await thorough re-appraisal. The majority of these newly-recognised Katanga endemics were traditionally lumped into polytypic species in classifications based on the Biological Species Concept (BSC). These synonymised taxa have therefore been ignored repeatedly in recent conservation assessments of African birds. This failure illustrates how the BSC can obfuscate patterns of species diversity in its classifications, which lump evolutionarily-distinct lineages into imprecisely-diagnosed taxa. An unfortunate historical legacy is to forget that a distinct population exists, after it has been classified as a subspecies, synonym or race in a polytypic species. These discoveries exemplify the research opportunities that Katanga's birds present for avian systematists. The assessment of any taxon of Afrotropical birds is hamstrung by the fragmented state of taxonomic information in the literature. This constraint impinges on any taxonomic study of any African avifauna and will be removed if an accessible database summarises all published taxonomic information in an exhaustive classification, accounting for synonomy, authority and context of each described taxon. Availability of such a complete taxonomic catalogue is quintessential if phylogeographic and systematic research is to determine precisely which populations have been named, and where these occur. This is critical to compile refined biogeographical knowledge for scientifically-sound conservation plans and actions. Objective evaluation of the endemism of the Katanga avifauna requires complementary datasets for other regional avifaunas across Africa. Their unavailability exemplifies the gravity of this taxonomic impediment, given the immense effort involved in compiling and comparing such fine-grained taxonomic data. Deficiencies aside, the data compiled in this review point to a recent suite of speciation events (most likely late Cenozoic) centred on Katanga. The strident biogeographical signal in these data emphasises the hitherto poorly-appreciated significance of Katanga's unique and rich biodiversity, which ranks alongside better-known sites in Africa of global conservation importance.


Let me begin with one sentence that Justice Harry A. Blackmun uttered in 1987: "Roe against Wade was not such a revolutionary opinion at the time" that it was handed down in January 1973, and in that statement Justice Blackmun was indisputably correct.In early May 1971, the Supreme Court agreed to hear Roe v. Wade from Texas and Doe v. Bolton from Georgia. Both had been filed in early 1970 and had then come before special three-judge district courts from which direct appeal to the Supreme Court was possible following the panels' denials of injunctive relief. Both panels had nonetheless ruled against the existing Texas and Georgia abortion statutes, and with a plethora of other abortion cases already docketed before the High Court — including ones from Louisiana, Missouri, and Illinois — and others known to be looming, it was unsurprising that five Justices — Douglas, Harlan, Brennan, White, and Marshall — voted to accept both Roe and Doe for argument on the merits come October Term 1971.It is ironic that Harry Blackmun, who has gone down in history first and overwhelmingly foremost as the author of Roe v. Wade, privately opposed making the case's holding anywhere near as extensive as his final opinion actually came to be. Equally notable, a strong and poignant counterfactual argument can be made that an actual majority of the Roe Court — Blackmun, William O. Douglas, the reluctant Warren Burger and the two actual dissenters, Byron White and William Rehnquist — would have preferred a holding that reached only to the end of the first trimester. But, instead, the more strongly articulated preferences of Lewis Powell, William Brennan, Thurgood Marshall's chambers, and Potter Stewart decisively prevailed as Blackmun, encouraged also by his clerk Randall Bezanson, moved to adopt U.S. District Judge Jon O. Newman's influential emphasis in a just-decided Connecticut abortion case, Abele v. Markle, concerning the decisiveness of fetal viability. That a supposedly conservative, southern appointee of Republican President Richard M. Nixon, in tandem with a Roman Catholic justice named to the Court by Republican President Dwight D. Eisenhower, made Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton dramatically more far-reaching than they would have been had Harry Blackmun adhered to the view of pregnancy he brought to those 1972 discussions further underscores how ironic indeed it is that Roe and Doe came to be what they were on January 22, 1973.


Backscatter radio systems, including high frequency radio frequency identification (RFID), operate in the dyadic backscatter channel - a two-way pinhole channel that has deeper small-scale fades than that of a conventional one-way channel. This paper shows that pinhole diversity is available in a rich scattering environment caused by modulating backscatter with multiple RF tag antennas - no diversity combining at the reader, channel knowledge, or signaling scheme change is required. Pinhole diversity, along with increased RF tag scattering aperture, can cause up to a 10 dB reduction in the power required to maintain a constant bit-error-rate for an RF tag with two antennas. Through examples, it is shown that this gain results in increased backscatter radio system communication reliability and up to a 78% increase in RF tag operating range.


statistical controlled clinical informed our multicenter comparison of the local rate with a controlled group. healing and comfort; low ease of management, application, and removal.


ABSTRACT Factor associated procalcitonin test results in sepsis Case studi in RSUP dr. Kariadi Semarang Background: Sepsis if not promptly diagnosed and treated will lead to failure of organ function that eventually causes death. Procalcitonin is the earliest biomarker of sepsis was detected in the blood. The diagnosis of sepsis is closely related tho blood culture as gold standart. This study aims to determine the factors that affect procalcitonin test in sepsis with positive culture. Material and methods: observational analytic study with cross sectional design. Samples were taken with consecutive sampling from patient suspected sepsis' medical records in dr. Kariadi hospital May – December 2011. Inclusion criteria are data were procalcitonin test. Exclusion criteria are data were not blood culture. Cut-off criteria based procalcitonin used in dr. Kariadi hospital and proHOSP criteria. Data analysis used Chi-Square test. Resuts: The results of blood cultures do not have a significant association with outcome in sepsis procalcitonin test according to the criteria used in dr. Kariadi hospital and proHOSP criteria. Clinical stage of sepsis and sepsis underlying diseases by type of infection had a significant association with outcome in sepsis procalcitonin test according to the criteria used in dr. Kariadi hospital and proHOSP criteria. Conclusion: According to the criteria used in dr. Kariadi hospital, the underlying disease sepsis have the greatest relationship with procalcitonin test results. Need for research with a sample of more, prospective methods, and more specific criteria. Key words: factors affecting, procalcitonin, culture, sepsis.


Protein trafficking plays a vital role in understanding many biological processes and disease. Automated tracking of protein vesicles is challenging due to their erratic behaviour, changing appearance, and visual clutter. In this paper we present a novel tracking approach which utilizes a two-step linking process exploiting a probabilistic graphical model to predict tracklet linkage. The vesicles are initially detected with help of a candidate selection process, where the candidates are identified by a multi-scale spot enhancing filter. Subsequently, these candidates are pruned and selected by a light weight convolutional neural network. At the linking stage, the tracklets are formed based on the distance and the detection assignment which is implemented via combinatorial optimization algorithm. A probabilistic model, realised through a Bayesian network, is used to infer which tracklets should be linked. Tracking results are presented for confocal fluorescence microscopy data of protein trafficking in epithelial cells. The proposed method achieves a root mean square error (RMSE) of 1.39 for the vesicle localisation and α of 0.7 representing the degree of track matching with ground truth. The presented method is also evaluated against the state-of-the-art "Trackmate" framework.


The main objective of this study was to investigate whether the
 intra-industrial trade structure of the Turkish fisheries sector has been
 affected by global climate change. Therefore, the surface temperatures of
 the Black Sea, Marmara, Mediteranean and Aegean seas and the Grubel-Lloyd
 index values related to the sector for the period 1985-2017 were used as
 variables in the study. The Auto-Regressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) bounds
 test was used to determine the cointegration relationship between variables
 and to predict long-term coefficients. The Error Correction Model (ECM)
 method was used to determine the short-term coefficients. According to the
 results of the analyses; i) There is a long-term relationship between the
 variables. ii) Increases in the surface temperature of the Aegean,
 Mediterranean and Marmara seas have reduced intra-industrial trade in the
 long term. iii) The increase in the Black Sea surface temperature has
 increased intra-industry trade in the long term. iv) The increase in sea
 surface temperatures has shown a tendency to increase intra-industry trade
 from the southern seas towards the northern seas in Turkey. Consequently,
 global climate change can be considered as a change in intra-industry trade
 for both the country and the industry.


A carcinogenesis bioassay of zearalenone, an estrogenic mycotoxin, was conducted by feeding diets containing 25 or 50 ppm zearalenone to groups of 50 F344/N rats of each sex and 50 or 100 ppm to groups of 50 B6C3F1 mice of each sex for 103 weeks. Groups of 50 rats and 50 mice of each sex served as controls. Estimates based on food consumption data indicate that the low-and high-dose rats received daily doses of about 1 and 2 mg, respectively, of zearalenone per kg of body weight. Low-dose and high-dose mice received estimated daily doses of about 7-10 and 14-20 mg, respectively, of zearalenone per kg of body weight. Survival of dosed and control rats of each sex was comparable. Mean body weight gains of dosed rats of each sex were lower than those of the corresponding controls; depression in mean body weight gain was dose related. Final body weights of dosed rats were <9% lower than those of control rats. The average daily feed consumption of dosed rats of each sex was 91%-102% that of controls. Inflammation of the prostate, testicular atrophy, and hepatocellular cytoplasmic vacuolization (male rats), and nephrosis (male and female rats) were compound-related. Retinopathy and cataracts occurred in low-and high-dose male rats and in low-dose female rats, and were associated with the closeness to fluorescent light. No compound-related, increased tumor incidences were observed in rats in the chronic study. Survival of dosed and control mice of each sex was comparable. Mean body weight gains of high-dose male and low-dose female mice were lower than those of the controls. Terminal body weights of dosed mice were <8% below those of control mice. The average daily feed consumption by dosed mice of each sex was 97-99% that of the controls. Myelofibrosis in the bone marrow, uterine fibrosis, and cystic ducts in the mammary gland were related to the administration of zearalenone in female mice. The incidence of hepatocellular adenomas in female mice was dose related (P</=0.003), and the incidence of these tumors in high-dose female mice was significantly higher (P</=0.006) than those in the controls (control, 0/50; low-dose, 2/49; high-dose, 7/49). Pituitary adenomas occurred with statistically significant positive trends (P</=0.022 for males and P</=0.001 for females). The incidences of these tumors in high-dose mice were significantly increased relative to controls (P</=0.032 for males: 0/40, 4/45, 6/44; and P</=0.003 for females: 3/46, 2/43, 13/42). Under the conditions of this bioassay, zearalenone was not carcinogenic for F344/N rats of either sex. Zearalenone should be considered carcinogenic in B6C3F1 mice, as evidenced by the increased proportion of male and female mice with pituitary adenomas and by the increased proportion of female mice with hepatocellular adenomas. Levels of Evidence of Carcinogenicity: Male Rats: Negative Female Rats: Negative Male Mice: Positive Female Mice: Positive Synonym: trans-zearalenone


Therapeutic ultrasound is a promising treatment method for many common cancers, including prostate cancer. Magnetic resonance image (MRI) guidance of therapeutic ultrasound permits targeting and monitoring of therapy. In this thesis a prototype MRI compatible positioning device for the treatment of prostate cancer using therapeutic ultrasound is presented. The accuracy, MRI compatibility and functionality of the positioning device was evaluated in in vitro experiments (using gel phantoms and in vitro). The MRI was used as the imaging guidance technique. The proposed device incorporates a portable electronic system and operates in two PC controlled stages, linear and angular (X - Θ) and one manual driven stage Z (height of the probe). The device is small and portable and can be placed on the patient's table to any commercial MRI scanner. The proposed device was tested on two clinical MRI scanners of different manufacturers. Additionally, in this thesis a software that controls an MRI guided focus ultrasound system is presented. The software was written in C sharp and consists of the following options: a) connection with DAQ device, b) tab that controls 2D device, c) tab that controls 3D device, d) tab that controls ultrasound protocol and e) operation command history list, g) MRI compatible camera, h) open and control the DICOM images captured from the MRI scanner during the therapy, i) temperature reading of the HIFU focal point.

The proposed positioning device offers approximately 20μm accuracy on linear and angular stages. It incorporates MRI compatible optical encoders as mechanical motion feedback. The accuracy measurements were taken using a digital calibre. The positioning device has range of 111mm in linear stage, ±90o on angular stage and 50mm on Z stage. The design was based on measurements that were taken by a 100 patients. The MRI compatibility and motion accuracy images were taken by scanning gel phantoms using T2W FSE on 1.5T and 3T MRI scanner.


The X-ray Baldwin effect is the inverse correlation between the equivalent width (EW) of the narrow component of the iron Kalpha line and the X-ray luminosity of active galactic nuclei (AGN). A similar trend has also been observed between Fe Kalpha EW and the Eddington ratio (lambda_Edd). Using Chandra/HEG results of Shu et al. (2010) and bolometric corrections we study the relation between EW and the lambda_Edd, and find that log EW = (-0.13+/-0.03)log(lambda_Edd) + 1.47. We explore the role of the known positive correlation between the photon index of the primary X-ray continuum (Gamma) and lambda_Edd on the X-ray Baldwin effect. We simulate the iron Kalpha line emitted by populations of unabsorbed AGN considering 3 different geometries of the reflecting material: toroidal, spherical-toroidal and slab. We find that the Gamma-lambda_Edd correlation cannot account for the whole X-ray Baldwin effect, unless a strong dependence of Gamma on lambda_Edd, such as the one recently found by Risaliti et al. (2009) and Jin et al. (2012), is assumed. No clear correlation is found between EW and Gamma. We conclude that a good understanding of the slope of the Gamma-lambda_Edd relation is critical to assess whether the trend plays a leading or rather a marginal role in the X-ray Baldwin effect.


Abstract With a focus on a large set of natural birnessites collected from terrestrial, freshwater systems, we applied and compared the capabilities of X‑ray diffraction (XRD), extended X‑ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and X‑ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) to characterize crystal structure and chemistry. Using XRD, we successfully identified 3 of the 11 natural birnessite samples as hexagonal ranciéite-like phases, but the remaining samples yielded less interpretable "3-line" diffraction patterns with broad, asymmetrical peaks at d-spacings of ~7.2, ~2.4, and ~1.4 Å. EXAFS analysis suggested that many of these samples had characteristics of both triclinic and hexagonal birnessite. However, application of EXAFS to the ranciéite-like phases yielded unreasonably high concentrations of triclinic birnessite as an intergrowth, calling into question the use of synthetic hexagonal H-birnessite as an appropriate standard in the linear combination fitting of EXAFS data for natural birnessites. FTIR spectroscopy of the "3-line" birnessite samples successfully distinguished triclinic and hexagonal constituents, and analyses of peak positions suggested that natural birnessites occur as a full spectrum of triclinic and hexagonal intergrowths. XPS analysis of these samples revealed that higher Mn3+ concentrations relative to Mn2+ and Mn4+ are correlated to increased proportions of triclinic birnessite.


Several events on university campuses in recent years have raised awareness about the importance of effective mass emergencies notification systems (MNS). These systems are developed to deliver critical information during life threatening events. Congress created a grant program specific for purchasing mass notification technology. When a mass notification system is in place an individual or group of individuals can send out prerecorded messages or customized messages to any or all of the system's various group lists. Message delivery can be sent using text messaging, e-mail, PDAs, sirens, flashing strobes, intercoms, outdoor emergency phones, computer screen displays, cell and landline phones, and live or recorded voice announcements. Schools, universities, medical buildings, cities, law enforcement, and military have embraced such systems. Any organization can use mass notification to better their emergency management. These systems can also be used to distribute non-emergency messages such as breaking news that is of interest to students or employees. Legislation has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives to require colleges to immediately notify their students and employees when an emergency happens on campus. As recent incidents have demonstrated, minutes can mean the difference between life and death. Mass notification technology helps ensure that information is communicated, empowering students and employees so that they can take steps to protect themselves during a crisis. Students, parents, teachers, and college instructors have already embraced these systems. Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T) installed an MNS to notify the campus community of emergency information via phone, email, SMS Text, and instant messaging. The Missouri S&T expanded its emergency notification system in September 2007 through a partnership between the University of Missouri and 3n (National Notification Network), the leading mass notification system provider after the incident in February 2007 at Missouri S&T. The university has since tested the system twice. This paper presents the results of the tests, issues that have been identified that affect the system's effectiveness, and recommendations for other organizations wishing to implement such systems. This paper also reviews these notification systems including a discussion and analysis of many features common in emergency notification systems. To address the issues that affect the system's effectiveness the results of two system tests conducted by Missouri S&T are analyzed. Both system test results indicate low confirmation rates although there is a slight improvement in the second test. The reasons behind this ineffectiveness are examined with an on campus survey. The survey results illustrated that even though the mass emergency notification system features are mostly recognized by students, the lack of awareness and belief in the mass emergency notification systems may be the reasons behind the low confirmation rates. Therefore, organizations should pay significant attention to both implementing the right mass emergency notification system and creating the awareness and emphasizing the importance for it.


Clinically portal vein embolization (PVE) is presently preferred to extended hepatectomy. Nevertheless, its effect on hepatic adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and energy charge levels, which are essential for organ viability, has been little studied in humans. Fourteen patients with (n = 7) and without (n = 7) preoperative right PVE participated in this study. Changes in hepatic lobar volume and serum liver function tests were examined before and after percutaneous transhepatic right PVE. Liver volume (cm3) was calculated on computed tomograms before and 20 ± 3 days after PVE. At the time of surgery (mean of 25 days after PVE), small liver specimens were obtained from portal vein (PV) nonembolized left lobes immediately after laparotomy without any ischemic procedures. Concentrations of adenine nucleotides were measured by high performance liquid chromatography, and hepatic energy charge levels were calculated. These values were compared with those in control patients who had not undergone preoperative PVE. Serum liver function tests including the indocyanine green retention rate did not differ significantly before and after PVE. The volume of the PV-nonembolized left lobe significantly increased after right PVE (from 473 ± 32 to 624 ± 66 cm3), with a significant increase in the percentage of the left lobe to total liver volume. The concentrations of AMP, ADP, and ATP, and hepatic energy charge levels in the PV-nonembolized left lobe were similar to those of the control liver. These results suggest that preoperative right PVE increases the volume of the nonembolized left lobe, keeping the hepatic engery charge and ATP levels similar to the control liver, thereby increasing the total amount of ATP and hepatic energy reserve of the PV-nonembolized lobe in proportion to its volume increase at the time of surgery.


The aim of the present study was to investigate the impact of Guided Imagery on the vigilance and emotionality of the college students as well as well being of them. The sample comprised of 100 students conveniently selected from Dayalbagh Educational Institute (DEI), Agra. Their age ranged in between 20 – 29 yrs and they belonged to urban areas. The Bourdon-Wiersma vigilance test and Eysenck Personality Profile (EPP) was used to generate data. Mann – Whiteny U test was used to statistically analyze the difference in between the groups i.e. high and low emotionality. Results for Part 'A' indicate that there is a significant difference (z- values = -1.961, -1965, p<0.05)between vigilance [Total Responses (TR), Correct Responses (CR)] only but this difference is not significant (z= -0.838, p > 0.05) for the Error Responses(ER)] of high and low emotionality groups. In Part 'B', ten willing subjects with high emotionality were purposely selected from the Part 'A' of the study for the sample. They were given 20 days intervention of meditative stimulus with guided imagery. Wilcoxon-T test was used for data analysis. Results indicate that there is no significant difference in the pre and post test scores of emotionality (z – values = 0.284, p > 0.05) of the subjects. Impact of Guided Imagery on vigilance (TR, CR and ER) of subjects also show that there is no significant difference in pre and post test scores (z- values = 0.566, 0.285, 0.437, p > 0.05) respectively. Although the impact of Guided Imagery intervention is reflected in the mean scores of pre and post measure of vigilance but the difference is not significant enough to generalize the results.


Introduction: Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic follicular inflammation that presents varied clinical features, from isolated small nodules to several abscessed lesions, with formation of fistulas and scars. The axillary region is one of the most frequently affected areas. The objective is to evaluate a series of patients with HS in the axillary region who underwent extensive surgical excision and reconstruction with a lateral thoracic fasciocutaneous flap. Methods: A retrospective analysis of the medical records of patients who underwent treatment between 2010 and 2012 was conducted. Results: Ten patients were operated, of whom two had bilateral involvement, totaling 12 procedures. The mean progression time before the surgical indication was 38 months. The mean defect size after the resection was 10 x 9 cm. The mean size of the flaps was 15 x 10 cm. With regard to early complications, two cases of dehiscence (axillary region) and one case of partial epitheliolysis (distal segment of the flap) were observed. Conclusion: We observed that dissection of lateral thoracic fasciocutaneous flaps is not technically difficult and does not present significant functional or aesthetic sequelae in the donor area, making it a reliable and versatile option for reconstruction of larger axillary defects. ■ ABSTRACT


The researcher has undertaken this study on comparative evaluation of swine production with other domestic livestock in Mbaitolu Local Government Council of Imo State, Nigeria to proffer some solution to the problems hindering the rearing of swine in the study areas (Mbieri, Ogwa, Orodo, Ogbaku, Eziama –Obiato, Umunoha, Ifakala, Ubomiri and Afara). The researcher used descriptive survey design to carry out the study. The population for the study was 10,450 respondents drawn from nine towns of Mbaitolu Local Government Council. 600 respondents were proportionally and randomly selected as sample size for the study. General objective was formulated from which five specific objectives were formulated. Among these – is to compare swine prolificacy over the prolificacy of other domestic livestock. Five research questions were formulated to guide this study, among these is – what importance has the prolificacy of swine over other domestic livestocks like goats, sheep, horse and cattle? Five null hypotheses were formulated for the study among these is – there is no significant relationship between the prolificacy of swine over the prolificacy of other domestic livestock in Imo State. Pilot study was conducted at Umuagwo community using 20 respondents that reared domestic livestocks. This area was not part of the study location. Questionnaires were used as a medium for data collection. One sample T-test was used to test five null hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance and all the null hypotheses were rejected meaning that there were significant differences between pig productions over the production of other domestic livestock. The analysis yielded the following results: swine production was accepted to be more prolific than other domestic livestocks like goats, sheep, horse and cattle. It was also agreed that swine were more adapted to wide varieties of feeds which made them to grow more quickly than other domestic livestocks. It was concluded that swine production was more economically important than the rearing of other domestic livestock. It was recommended that National Poverty Eradication Programme (NAPEP) in Imo State should enlighten the respondents on the economic importance of swine production over the rearing of other domestic livestock. Piglets should be made available to farmers who wish to embark on swine production at affordable price by Anambra – Imo  River Basin Development Authority (AMRBDA). Keywords: Swine Production, Domestic Livestock, Mbaitolu Local Government Council.


The Supreme Court's recent decision in United States v. Windsor, invalidating part of the federal Defense of Marriage Act, presents a significant interpretive challenge. Early commentators have criticized the majority opinion's lack of analytical rigor, and expressed doubt that Windsor can serve as a meaningful precedent with respect to constitutional questions outside the area of same-sex marriage. This short Article offers a more rehabilitative reading of Windsor, and shows how the decision can be used to analyze a significant constitutional question concerning the use of state criminal procedure to regulate immigration. From Windsor's holding, the Article distills two concrete doctrinal propositions concerning the Due Process Clause's application in cases that have significant equality dimensions. It then shows how these propositions can be used to evaluate the constitutionality of state laws that categorically deny bail to undocumented immigrants. The Article thereby makes a practical contribution to the burgeoning constitutional "dignity" literature. Furthermore, it offers an interpretation of Windsor that will be welcomed by those who applaud the recent triumphs of gay-rights advocates in the Supreme Court, but lament the stagnation and regression of constitutional protections for other groups.


This paper presents new data that describe employment protection legislation (EPL) and other labor market institutions and policies preva iling in seven Southeast European (SEE) countries in the late 1990s and the early 2000s. The main contribution has been the construction of EPL indices for the SEE countries. The paper finds that, despite significant liberalization efforts, the SEE countries still stand out for having relatively strict EPL. However, this rigidity mainly stems from their strict legislation on temporary employment and collective dismissals, while the SEE legislation on regular employment is quite flexible. Preliminary empirical results indicate that stricter temporary employment legislation is associated with higher unemployment for women and youths as well as with lower employment and labor force participation rates.


This paper argues that modern, end-of-pipe sanitation systems are not the pinnacle of centuries of wastewater technology development, and may actually prove to be a technological dead-end: expensive to build, operate and maintain, and out of step with traditional wastewater management philosophy. A brief examination of a series of excreta and wastewater management systems from around the world and throughout history clearly shows that viewing faeces, urine and grey water as a worthless waste to be disposed of is only a modern concept, which ignores the realities of limited resource availability, and the obvious benefits to be had from closed-loop systems – as was clearly recognised in the past. While currently, expensive, technically complicated end-of-pipe sanitation systems dominate, several modern systems have been developed specifically to ensure an efficient resource recovery and reuse. Reconsidering and researching historical approaches to wastewater management and applying modern technologies to improve their functionality may contribute to the solution of many of today's sanitation and environmental problems.


Abstract The PArticle STress Analysis (PASTA) code was written to evaluate stresses in coated particle fuel embedded in graphite of high-temperature reactors (HTRs). Existing models for predicting stresses in coated particle fuels were extended with a treatment of stresses induced by dimensional change of the matrix graphite and stresses caused by neighboring particles. PASTA was applied to two practical cases in order to evaluate the significance of this model extension. Thermal hydraulics, neutronics, and fuel depletion calculation tools were used to calculate the fuel conditions in these cases. Stresses in the first fuel loading of the High-Temperature Engineering Test Reactor (HTTR) and in the fuel of a 400-MW(thermal) pebble bed reactor were analyzed. It is found that the presence of the matrix material plays a significant role in the determination of the stresses that apply to a single isolated TRISO particle as well as in the transmittal of the stresses between particles in actual pebble designs.


Transport play a central role to reach global greenhouse gas emission targets. Reducing emissions from privately owned cars is of high priority, and the sustainable transition of road transport by electrification is one strategy launched to meet this end. Norway has been a forerunner when it comes to this and is today the country with the highest proportion of privately owned electric vehicles in Europe. Summarizing and publishing Norwegian experiences with electric mobility will therefore be useful for those working with transport electrification in other countries. In this paper, we study user perceptions of different models of EVs. The paper focuses on how different models of EVs have been domesticated into Norwegian households. The importance of the incentives and policies related to the adoption of EVs are particularly highlighted and discussed in relation to other perceived properties related to EV driving, such as comfort and environmental concerns. The paper is based on qualitative interviews with different segments of EV drivers from 2013-2015, as well as a quantitative analysis of 3654 EV drivers in Norway from 2016. The paper aims to strengthen the understanding of individuals' perceptions of EV policies and the possible consequences for policy makers. Also, it seeks to investigate how changing patterns of acting at the individual level may create normality and reconfigure the architecture of choice for others. The study shows that economic and technical aspects of EVs were important for Norway's successful introduction of the technology, in addition to symbolic aspects related to EVs, such as feeling more environmentally friendly. Hence, we argue that the combination of strong economic incentives, environmental awareness and a comfortable driving experience fostered the successful introduction of the electric car.


Brimming with inspiration and ideas, this book is a basic how-to guide for new primary teachers and education students. The author provides a complete first-day plan, parent interaction strategies, and ideas for setting up learning centers and integrating seasonal activities. Written in a conversational style, the text is punctuated with amusing and poignant stories from the author's 32 years in primary classrooms. A multitude of tips for preparation and success equip users for their first year of teaching. In addition, veteran teachers will find refreshing ideas to lift them out of the classroom doldrums and nourish their love of teaching. A must read for new teachers, this book is an invaluable addition to the professional library and a handy resource for principals and supervisors who guide and encourage teachers. Grades 1-3.


Southern literature is often celebrated for its "told," rather than "written," qualities. Drawing on her own experiences of front-porch storytelling among family, friends, and neighbors, Trudier Harris looks across the generations of twentieth-century southern writers to focus on three African Americans who possess the "power of the porch."In ways that are highly individual, says Harris, yet still within a shared oral tradition, Zora Neale Hurston, Gloria Naylor, and Randall Kenan skillfully use storytelling techniques to define their audiences, reach out and draw them in, and fill them with anticipation. Considering how such dynamics come into play in Hurston's "Mules and Men," Naylor's "Mama Day," and Kenan's "Let the Dead Bury Their Dead," Harris shows how the "power of the porch" resides in readers as well, who, in giving themselves over to a story, confer it on the writer. Against this background of give and take, anticipation and fulfillment, Harris considers Zora Neale Hurston's special challenges as a black woman writer in the thirties, and how her various roles as an anthropologist, folklorist, and novelist intermingle in her work. In Gloria Naylor's writing, Harris finds particularly satisfying themes and characters. A New York native, Naylor came to a knowledge of the South through her parents and during her stay on the Sea Islands while she wrote "Mama Day." A southerner by birth, Randall Kenan is particularly adept in getting his readers to accept aspects of African American culture that their rational minds might have wanted to reject. Although Kenan is set apart from Hurston and Naylor by his alliances with a new generation of writers intent upon broaching certain taboo subjects (in his case gay life in small southern towns), Kenan's Time Creek is as rife with the otherworldly and the fantastic as Hurston's New Orleans and Naylor's Willow Springs. The back and forth, the presentation and response of porch sitters and porch watchers, says Harris, is a power wielded skillfully by the best black storytellers of the South. Through tales of Brer Rabbit, John and Ole Marster, dog ghosts and other revenants, they have established and perpetuated an oral tradition that in turn shapes both the creation and enjoyment of the written word.


The functional consolidation induced by the cost reduction trends in embedded systems can force tasks of different criticality (e.g. ABS Brakes with DVD) to share a processor and interfere with each other. These systems are known as mixed criticality systems. While traditional temporal isolation techniques prevent all inter-task interference, they waste utilization because they need to reserve for the absolute worst-case execution time (WCET) for all tasks. In many mixed-criticality systems the WCET is not only rare, but at times difficult to calculate, such as the time to localize all possible objects in an obstacle avoidance algorithm. In this situation it is more appropriate to allow the execution time to grow by stealing cycles from lower-criticality tasks. Even more crucial is the fact that temporal isolation techniques can stop a high-criticality task (that was overrunning its nomimal WCET) to allow a low-criticality task to run, making the former miss its deadline. We identify this as the criticality inversion problem. In this paper, we characterize the criticality inversion problem and present a new scheduling scheme called zero-slack scheduling that implements an alternative protection scheme we refer to as asymmetric protection. This protection only prevents interference from lower-criticality to higher-criticality tasks and improves the schedulable utilization. We use an offline algorithm with two parts: a zero-slack calculation algorithm, and a slack analysis algorithm. The zero-slack calculation algorithm minimizes the utilization needed by a task set by reducing the time low-criticality tasks are preempted by high-criticality ones. This algorithm can be used with priority-based preemptive schedulers (e.g. RMS, EDF). The slack analysis algorithm is specific for each priority-based preemptive scheduler and we develop and evaluated the one for RMS. We prove that this algorithm provides the same level of protection against criticality inversion as the best known priority assignment for this purpose, criticality as priority assignment (CAPA). We also prove that zero-slack RM provides the same level of schedulable utilization as RMS when all tasks have equal criticality levels. Finally, we present our implementation of the runtime enforcement mechanisms in Linux/RK to demonstrate its practicality.


The 11-year cycle represents a simultaneous parallel change in both the activity level and the total irradiance of the Sun. So, in case of variations of the amplitude of the activity level - a power of a cycle - the amplitude of solar irradiance variations is expected to change correspondingly. The identical correlated course of the long-term variations of activity and luminosity of the Sun on the secular timescale has been observed earlier by Eddy (1976), and Borisenkov (1988). Moreover, according to the data of Borisenkov (1988), in each of 18 deep Maunder-type minima of solar activity, revealed over the span of the last 7500 years, the cooling of climate had been observed, while warming occurred during the periods of high maxima. Thus, the integral radiation has always been essentially higher at the maximum, and it had noticeably decreased at the minima. Therefore, quasi-periodic variations of the solar activity during both the 11-year cycle and 80- and 200-year cycles are accompanied by proportional variations of the integral flux of solar radiation, which result in geophysical effects. The main cause of climate change during the last millennia is the corresponding cyclic variation of the 80- and 200-year component of irradiance correlated with activity. That is why, the contemporary is not anomalous but is ordinary secular global warming (Aguilar 2003; Reid 2000), as well as previous similar cases of warming during the periods of secular activity growth is still mainly connected with an increase of the secular component of solar irradiance variation.To search for other articles by the author(s) go to: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html


IntInternational reserves are liquid foreign assets readily available to the central bank for mitigating the effects of possible balance of payments imbalances. When monetary policy is based on maintaining the stability of the domestic currency, as it is the case of the Croatian National Bank (CNB), the role of international reserves is even larger; international reserves as foreign exchange assets usually account for most of the central bank's assets, while liabilities are denominated in the domestic currency, so that a currency mismatch between the assets and the liabilities tends to arise. Any change in the exchange rate of the domestic currency against world reserve currencies will lead to the calculation of unrealised exchange rate differences. This also was why in 2017 and 2018 the CNB recorded the first negative result since 2003. In 2017, it was mostly due to the strengthening of the euro against the dollar in the global foreign exchange market, while in 2018, it was due to the strengthening of the kuna against the euro. As a result of both circumstances, international reserves in kuna terms were reduced, while, excluding the exchange rate differences, the CNB's revenues exceeded expenditures, as they had in all the previous years. The large amount of exchange rate differences was also a consequence of the considerable increase of international reserves in the recent period, exchange rate differences thus being much larger for the same change in the exchange rate. Some central banks, indeed, lost their entire capital because of the large foreign exchange losses. The CNB's capital was never in jeopardy, because losses were easily covered from general reserves created in the previous years. For the CNB, accession to the euro area will require the application of ECB accounting guidelines, which are more appropriate for the central bank's operation. Then, because of a different accounting treatment, exchange rate differences will no longer impact the financial result in the same way as it does today. This will increase the stability and predictability of the financial result, as well as the probability of the allocation of profits to the state budget.


Building consumer trust is important for new or unknown Internet businesses seeking to extend their customer reach globally. This study explores the question: Should website designers take into account the cultural characteristics of prospective customers to increase trust, given that different trust-building web strategies have different cost implications? In this study, we focused on two theoretically grounded practical web strategies of customer endorsement, which evokes unit grouping, and portal affiliation, which evokes reputation categorization, and compared them across two research sites: Australia (individualistic culture) and Hong Kong (collectivistic culture). The results of the laboratory experiment we conducted, on the website of an online bookstore, revealed that the impact of peer customer endorsements on trust perceptions was stronger for subjects in Hong Kong than Australia and that portal (Yahoo) affiliation was effective only in the Australian site. A follow-up study was conducted as a conceptual replication, and provided additional insights on the effects of customer endorsement versus firm affiliation on trust-building. Together, these findings highlight the need to consider cultural differences when identifying the mix of web strategies to employ in Internet store websites.


Karen Aplin and Giles Harrison examine international records of the 1859 Carrington flare and consider what they mean for our understanding of space weather today.

Space weather is increasingly recognized as a hazard to modern societies, and one way to assess the extent of its possible impact is through analysis of historic space weather events. One such event was the massive solar storm of late August and early September 1859. This is now widely known as the "Carrington flare" or "Carrington event" after the visual solar emissions on 1 September first reported by the Victorian astronomer Richard Carrington from his observatory in Redhill, Surrey (Carrington 1859). The related aurorae and subsequent effects on telegraph networks are well documented (e.g. Clark 2007, Boteler 2006), but use of modern techniques, such as analysis of nitrates produced by solar protons in ice cores to retrospectively assess the nature of the solar flare, has proved problematic (Wolff et al. 2012). This means that there is still very little quantitative information about the flare beyond magnetic observations (e.g. Viljanen et al. 2014).


Given that the success of an interaction task depends on the capability of the robot system to handle physical contact with its environment, pure motion control is often insufficient. This is especially true in the context of medical freehand ultrasound where the human body is a deformable surface and an unstructured environment, representing both a safety concern and a challenge for trajectory planning and control. The systematic tuning of practical high degree-of-freedom physical human-robot interaction (pHRI) tasks is not trivial and there are many parameters to be tuned. While traditional tuning is generally performed ad hoc and requires knowledge of the robot and environment dynamics, we propose a simple and effective online tuning framework using differential evolution (DE) to optimize the motion parameters for parallel force/impedance control in a pHRI and medical ultrasound motion application. Through real-world experiments with a KUKA LBR iiwa 7 R800 collaborative robot, the DE framework tuned motion control for optimal and safe trajectories along a human leg phantom. The optimization process was able to successfully reduce the mean absolute error of the motion contact force to 0.537 N through the evolution of eight motion control parameters.