The first chapter "Investment Patterns in Singapore's Central Provident Fund System" investigates how plan participants in a national defined contribution system invest their pension accumulations. I find that only a small fraction of participants elects to invest in outside investment products like professionally-managed mutual funds. Simulation results using cost data from over 200 funds demonstrate that the minimum hurdle rate of return a fund must generate is about five percent a year. Accordingly, more policy attention can be devoted to lowering fund commission charges and rationalizing the investment menu offered to participants. In the second chapter "Longevity Risk Management in Singapore's National Pension System", I evaluate the money's worth of life annuities and discuss the implications of the government entering the insurance market as a public-sector provider for annuities. I find that commercial insurers offer competitively-priced annuities with money's worth ratios averaging 0.95, which are on par with those in other developed countries. On the other hand, the new annuities launched by government under an annuitization mandate are estimated to provide money's worth ratios exceeding unity. This will benefit annuitants on average but implies that the annuity mandate will be expensive for the government if current pricing continues. The third chapter "Beyond Age and Sex: Enhancing Annuity Pricing" assesses how adopting more detailed pricing schemes may help reduce adverse selection in annuity markets. Prices of standard annuity products in the United States do not currently reflect buyers' personal characteristics other than age and sex. I show that several readily-measurable risk factors can significantly increase explained variability in mortality outcomes in a proportional hazards framework and use them to construct alternative pricing schemes. Simulation results show that more detailed pricing may help reduce adverse selection in annuity markets because shorter-lived groups are made much better off (and thus enter the market) while longer-lived groups are made only slightly worse off (and thus remain in the market). Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Graduate Group Insurance & Risk Management First Advisor Olivia S. Mitchell


Human Interactive Proofs (HIPs) are automatic inverse Turing tests, which are intended to differentiate between people and malicious computer programs. The mission of making good HIP system is a challenging issue, since the resultant HIP must be secure against attacks and in the same time it must be practical for humans. Text-based HIPs is one of the most popular HIPs types. It exploits the capability of humans to recite text images more than Optical Character Recognition (OCR), but the current text-based HIPs are not well-matched with rapid development of computer vision techniques, since they are either vey simply passed or very hard to resolve, thus this motivate that continuous efforts are required to improve the development of HIPs base text. In this paper, a new proposed scheme is designed for animated text-based HIP; this scheme exploits the gap between the usual perception of human and the ability of computer to mimic this perception and to achieve more secured and more human usable HIP. This scheme could prevent attacks since it's hard for the machine to distinguish characters with animation environment displayed by digital video, but it's certainly still easy and practical to be used by humans because humans are attuned to perceiving motion easily. The proposed scheme has been tested by many Optical Character Recognition applications, and it overtakes all these tests successfully and it achieves a high usability rate of 95%.


The present paper is a selective overview, very considerably based on work in which the author himself has been involved, of the difficulties which can arise in the measurement of poverty and inequality when one compares populations of differing size. The paper begins with certain problems attending the measurement of poverty when the overall population size is fixed but the numbers of the poor are permitted to vary: one discovers a certain commonality of outcomes between Derek Parfit's quest for a satisfactory theory of wellbeing and the economist's quest for a satisfactory measure of poverty. Complications arising from both the poverty and inequality rankings of distributions when the aggregate size of the population is allowed to vary are also investigated. It is suggested in the paper that, from the perspectives of both logical consistency and ethical appeal, there are problems involved in variable population comparisons of poverty and inequality which deserve to be taken note of and enquired into.


Introduction and purpose: In schools not performing OSCE method, faculty members' lack of time, human resources and managing the complexity of such exam are the most common obstacles. In this study, we utilized different methods to evaluate the the validity and reliability of a simple diversified OSCE as part of final exam for ambulatory care clerkship along with the theoretical exam. Methods: We analyzed the correlation and difference between students' achievements in the written exam and their achievements in OSCE. We also compared between students' achievements according to each OSCE station they enrolled in. As students' feedback is an important indicator of the success of the learning process, students' feedback about OSCE was also measured. Results: A moderate correlation was observed between students' overall marks in OSCE and that in written exam (r2 = 0.36 p= 0.001). Prescription station showed a moderate correlation with the written exam (r2 = 0.30, p < 0.001) and the counseling station showed a weak correlation (r2= 0.125, p < 0.001). Whereas no significant correlation (p= 0.3) was observed on comparison of the written exam with the online station nor with the communication station. Highest students scores were observed in prescription-based station 16.7/20 (± 3.2) whereas the lowest scores were detected in online resourcesbased station 13.4/20 (± 5.8). The majority of students were satisfied about the validity and reliability of OSCE. Discussion: A carefully designed development process based on a well-structured blueprint is needed to implement a sophisticated OSCE. The validation and evaluation of an OSCE should performed both quantitatively and qualitatively. A simple diversified OSCE, can serve as a reliable, valid and economically feasible assessment tool of student performance. Together, the traditional written exam and OSCE provide a broad assessment of pharmacy student's skills and knowledge.


The study investigated knowledge and attitude of secondary school teachers towards continuous assessment (CA) practices in Edo Central Senatorial District, Nigeria. The study was undertaken to determine the influence of gender, age, years of experience and area of educational specialization on teachers' attitude towards CA practices in secondary schools in the district. 543 teachers were drawn from the population of 1084 teachers across the district. However, 512 questionnaires were recovered and used for analysis. Mean ( 15X"> ) and standard deviations (S.D) were used to analyze the research questions while the t-test statistics was used to test the hypotheses. Findings showed that majority of the teachers, perceived CA practices as a systematic and comprehensive system of evaluation but have inadequate knowledge of its cumulative and guidance oriented characteristic. Results also showed that teachers' attitude towards CA practices was negatively skewed. Result of hypotheses showed that years of experience and teachers' area of specialization are the only significant predictors of teachers' attitude towards CA practices among other variables (gender and age). It was recommended that guidance counsellors need in schools to sensitize teachers on the relevance of CAs as a road map for appropriate guidance and decision making among students. Keywords: Knowledge, Attitude, Gender, Continuous Assessment, Area of Specialization


The purpose of this study was to describe factors attributing to the college choice of African-American students admitted to the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (CAFNR) at the University of Missouri Columbia (MU). The population for this study consisted of 22 African-American students admitted to CAFNR at the University of Missouri – Columbia during the fall 2005. The response rate for matriculants was 58% and non-matriculants was 20%. The data revealed little difference in admission criteria between matriculants and non-matriculants. African-American non-Missouri residents were less likely to attend MU. The most used and most useful source of information for matriculants was a visit to campus. The most influential institutional characteristic for matriculants was availability of scholarships. Relatives who attended MU were the most influential on the matriculants college decision. Campus residential halls were most influential on social interactions for matriculants and seventy percent of these students began their college choice in the tenth grade.


Deep Learning has recently been introduced as a new alternative to perform Side-Channel analysis [MPP16]. Until now, studies have been focused on applying Deep Learning techniques to perform Profiled Side-Channel attacks where an attacker has a full control of a profiling device and is able to collect a large amount of traces for different key values in order to characterize the device leakage prior to the attack. In this paper we introduce a new method to apply Deep Learning techniques in a Non-Profiled context, where an attacker can only collect a limited number of side-channel traces for a fixed unknown key value from a closed device. We show that by combining key guesses with observations of Deep Learning metrics, it is possible to recover information about the secret key. The main interest of this method is that it is possible to use the power of Deep Learning and Neural Networks in a Non-Profiled scenario. We show that it is possible to exploit the translation-invariance property of Convolutional Neural Networks [CDP17] against de-synchronized traces also during Non-Profiled side-channel attacks. In this case, we show that this method can outperform classic Non-Profiled attacks such as Correlation Power Analysis. We also highlight that it is possible to break masked implementations in black-box, without leakages combination pre-preprocessing and with no assumptions nor knowledge about the masking implementation. To carry the attack, we introduce metrics based on Sensitivity Analysis that can reveal both the secret key value as well as points of interest, such as leakages and masks locations in the traces. The results of our experiments demonstrate the interests of this new method and show that this attack can be performed in practice.


The main objective of this study is to investigate how multinationals manage their innovative activities across physically distant facilities. It has been found that research efforts are organized differently according to the technology profile of the company.
Companies focusing on the development of specific techno1ogies are more likely to organize their innovative activities through a more dispersed structure. Both facts and literature have extensively proven that multinationals go abroad in order to acquire specific local resources.
On the other hand, if a company engages in the development of different technologies, it tends to concentrate its innovation process in narrow geographical area. Indeed, the necessity to use large amount of both human and financial resources does require the achievement of a critical mass, in order to gain/efficiency. In this case, spatial proximity favors the communication and interaction between resources, reducing inefficiencies. It is probably for these reasons that, despite the degree of internationalization of business activities, companies tend to concentrate their innovative activities in some strategic areas.
Several studies have confirmed that the tendency to concentrate innovations in the home country of the parent company is a cross industry trend. It has been shown here, that the European semiconductor industry does not escape from it, despite the increasing internationalization
of its value chain and the necessity to adapt technologies to the local markets needs.
This study add, indirectly, evidence on the importance of knowledge assets in determining a multinationals' competitive advantage. What can be inferred, finally, is that multinational corporations need to find a balance in the management of their innovative activities between concentrated and dispersed structures, within an even more internationalized network.


This study details seasonal characteristics in the annual surface energy balance of upland and lowland tundra during the 1998‐99 water year (Y2). It contrasts the results with the 1997‐98 water year (Y1) and relates the findings to the climatic normals for the lower Mackenzie River basin region. Both years were much warmer than the long-term average, with Y1 being both warmer and wetter than Y2. Six seasons are defined as early winter, midwinter, late winter, spring, summer, and fall. The most rapid changes in the surface energy balance occur in spring, fall, and late winter. Of these, spring is the most dynamic, and there is distinct asymmetry between rates of change in spring and those in fall. Rates of change of potential insolation (extraterrestrial solar radiation) in late winter, spring, and fall are within 10% of one another, being highest in late winter and smallest in spring. Rates of change in air temperature and ground temperature are twice as large in spring as in fall and late winter, when they are about the same. Rates of change in components of the energy balance in spring are twice and 4 times as large as in fall and late winter, respectively. The timing of snowpack ripening and snowmelt is the major agent determining the magnitude of asymmetry between fall and spring. This timing is a result of interaction between the solar cycle, air temperature, and snowpack longevity. Based on evidence from this study, potential surface responses to a 18C increase in air temperature are small to moderate in most seasons, but are large in spring when increases range from 7% to 10% of average surface energy fluxes.


Peak ground acceleration (PGA) can be used to estimate the seismic intensity. However, using P-wave features to estimate PGA is a challenging task. One of the reasons for that is that a seismic wave commonly undergoes modification due to various site effects, consequently leading to uncertainty in the predicted PGA. In order to accommodate site effects using site parameters together with P-wave parameters, this paper takes advantage of machine learning to consider multiple parameters simultaneously. Several artificial neural network (ANN) models considering different site effect parameters are constructed. The performances of these ANN models were investigated and compared. In total, 53531 ground motion data obtained from the Taiwan Strong Motion Instrumentation Program were utilized to develop the proposed approach. It was found that the proposed ANN model with horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratio parameters effectively reduces the error of the estimated PGA when compared with either the ANN model without site parameters or the ANN model with other site parameters. Article history: Received 22 March 2019


1. Intracutaneous injection of guinea pigs with an alkaline extract of pneumococcus produces in about two-thirds of the animals an allergy with a skin reaction similar to the allergic skin response of tuberculosis. 2. Continuance of the intracutaneous injections after the appearance of allergy results in its disappearance. The skin ceases to react. 3. Neither the animals manifesting skin allergy nor those which fail to develop it show any significant alteration in susceptibility to pneumococcus infection by intraperitoneal inoculation. Similarly, animals desensitized by continuing the intracutaneous injections after the appearance of allergy show an unaltered susceptibility.


Medical assistance in dying (MAiD) has received considerable attention from many in the field of bioethics. Philosophers, theologians, lawyers, and clinicians of all sorts have engaged with many challenging aspects of this issue. Public debate, public policy, and the law have been enhanced by the varied disciplinary analyses. With the legalization of MAiD in Canada, some attention is now being turned to issues that have historically been overshadowed by the debate about whether to permit MAiD. One such issue is voluntary stopping eating and drinking (VSED) as an alternative to MAiD. In this paper, I will apply a legal lens to the issue. An understanding of whether VSED is legal provides a foundation for ethical reflection on whether it ought to be permitted. Is it permitted for those who prefer VSED to MAiD? Is it permitted for those who do not qualify for MAiD under our current legislation – for those who do not have a grievous and irremediable medical condition, for mature minors, for individuals whose sole underlying medical condition is a mental disorder and who do not otherwise meet the eligibility criteria, and for individuals who have lost capacity but had completed an advance directive?


Meat is a major source of proteins, essential amino-acids, complex-B vitamins, minerals, and other bioactive compounds. Recommended by nutritionists over other meats, rabbit meat is valued for its nutritional properties because is lean, rich in proteins of high biological value, low in cholesterol content and high in linolenic acid. In the present study, meat samples, collected from rabbit, chicken, beef and pork, were subjected to chemical analysis for moisture, protein, fat, ash, calcium, phosphorus, sodium and cholesterol, to identify differences in nutrient content among these animal species. Rabbit meat was richer in calcium (21.4 mg/100 g) and phosphorus (347 mg/100 g) than other types of meat and lower in fat (9.2 g/100 g) and cholesterol (56.4 mg/100 g). Beef had the highest cholesterol content (114.5 mg/100 g), almost double than rabbit meat, while pork was rich in fat (28.2 g/100 g). It can be concluded that rabbit meat is healthier over other meats frequently used in human nutrition, high in protein and low in fat.


If $T_{n}(x,y)$ is the Tutte polynomial of the complete graph $K_n$, we have the equality $T_{n+1}(1,0)=T_{n}(2,0)$. This has an almost trivial proof with the right combinatorial interpretation of $T_{n}(1,0)$ and $T_{n}(2,0)$. We present an algebraic proof of a result with the same flavour as the latter: $T_{n+2}(1,-1)=T_n(2,-1)$, where $T_{n}(1,-1)$ has the combinatorial interpretation of being the number of 0–1–2 increasing trees on $n$ vertices.


BmpA is an immunodominant protein of Borrelia burgdorferi as well as an arthritogenic factor. Rabbit antirecombinant BmpA (rBmpA) antibodies were raised, characterized by assaying their cross reactivity with rBmpB, rBmpC and rBmpD, and then rendered monospecific by absorption with rBmpB. This monospecific reagent reacted only with rBmpA in dot immunobinding and detected a single 39 kDa, pI 5.0, spot on two-dimensional immunoblots. It was used to assess the BmpA cellular location. BmpA was present in both detergent-soluble and -insoluble fractions of Triton X-114 phase-partitioned borrelial cells, suggesting that it was a membrane lipoprotein. Immunoblots of proteinase K-treated intact and Triton X-100 permeabilized cells showed digestion of BmpA in intact cells, consistent with surface exposure. This exposure was confirmed by dual-label immunofluorescence microscopy of intact and permeabilized borrelial cells. Conservation and surface localization of BmpA in all B. burgdorferi sensu lato genospecies could point to its playing a key role in this organism's biology and pathobiology.


This paper is an exploration in the relative performance and sources of productivity growth of U.S. private businesses across industries and legal structure. In order to assemble the disparate data from various sources to develop a coherent productivity database, we developed a general system to manage data. The paper describes this system and then applies it by building such a database. The paper presents updated estimates of gross output, intermediate input use, and value added using the BEA's GPO data set. It supplements these data with estimates of missing data on intermediate input use and prices for the 1977-1986 period, and it concords these data, which are organized on a 1972 SIC basis, to the 1987 SIC in order to have consistent time series covering the last twenty-four years. It further refines these data by disaggregating them by legal form of organization. The paper also presents estimates of labor hours, labor quality, investment, capital services and, consequently, multifactor productivity disaggregated by industry and legal form of organization, and it analyzes the contribution of various industries and business organizations to aggregate productivity. The paper also reconsiders these estimates in light of the surge in spending in advance of the century-date change.


An investigation using group trajectory analysis of care environment and other factors affecting the educational progress of looked-after children in England. BACKGROUND: Looked-after children in local authority care are among the most disadvantaged, and measures of their well-being, including educational outcomes, are poorer than other children's. METHODS: The study sample consisted of all children in England born in academic years 1993 to 1994 through 1997 to 1998 who were in local authority care at any point during the academic years 2005 to 2006 through 2012 to 2013 and for whom results of national tests in literacy and numeracy were available at ages 7, 11, and 16 (N = 47 500). RESULTS: Group trajectory analysis of children's educational progress identified 5 trajectory groups: low achievement, late improvement, late decline, predominant, and high achievement. Being looked after earlier was associated with a higher probability of following a high achievement trajectory and a lower probability of following a late decline trajectory. For children first looked after between ages 7 and 16, having a longer total time looked after by age 16 was associated with a higher probability of following a high achievement trajectory. For children with poor outcomes at ages 7 and 11, being looked after by age 16 was associated with an increased chance of educational improvement by age 16. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides evidence that early entry into care can reduce the risk of poor educational outcomes. It also establishes group trajectory analysis as an effective method for analyzing the educational progress of looked-after children, with the particular strength that it allows factors associated with a late decline or improvement in educational progress to be identified.


Li metal batteries can store at least ten times more energy than currently existing Li-ion batteries. However, during routine charging and discharging, Li dendrites grow on the Li metal electrode, which can lead to capacity loss by the consumption of Li salt at the surface of the Li dendrites, and be a safety hazard resulting from the potential for short-circuits. Although past efforts have provided useful information about the morphology and surface area of Li dendrite formation at the microscale, a nanoscale understanding of nucleation and growth of Li nanoparticle electrodeposition is still elusive. In this study, using a new electrochemical cell for transmission mode grazing incidence small angle X-ray scattering, we obtained, for the first time, the primary nucleus size of Li nanoparticles, their size evolution and their fractal structures at various current densities and in real-time. The measured average radius of gyration, Rg, at current densities of 0.1, 0.5, and 2.0 mA cm−2 is 5.4 ± 0.4, 4.5 ± 0.3, and 3.5 ± 0.3 nm, respectively. This variation in size with current density is noteworthy when recognizing that the surface area-to-volume ratio of the Li nanoparticles is 3.7 times higher at 2.0 mA cm−2 than at 0.1 mA cm−2. We also compared a hierarchical fractal structure of Li particles from the nanometer to micrometer scale. Our findings illuminate the role of overpotential in the reactive surface area of Li dendrites at the nanoscale, and provide a novel research platform for suppressing Li dendrite formation in Li metal battery systems.


In order to examine the influence of the degree of convergence for converging geometry on lag time, a comparison of surface water lag times for converging and plane surfaces is made using the Overton lag time concept. Assuming that four physical characteristics, watershed length, slope, roughness and rainfall excess are the same, an expression of the ratio of the lag time for converging surface to the lag time for plane surface is derived. The expression is solved numerically, and evaluated graphically for practical purposes. And the findings are compared with those of a previous study.


Climate change is a pressing issue requiring an international response. The UK has pledged to reduce its emissions by 80% in 2050 from 1990 levels. The overarching framework to achieve this is the Climate Change and Energy Acts, which tackle the intertwining issues of climate change, emissions, and energy.

The domestic property sector is responsible for around a quarter of the UK's emissions. The government's response in this sector to reduce the carbon impact include primary policy instruments such as: the Green Deal, Energy Company Obligation, Renewable Heat Incentive, Feed-in Tariff, and Energy Performance Certificates (EPC). The primary objective of this dissertation was to determine if a challenging property in the private rented sector could achieve a hypothetical energy efficiency A-rating utilising the government's current policy instruments and finance mechanisms. And whether the improvement measures necessary to achieve this level are feasible to implement, and the owners of the property would allow tenants to implement these measures.

To investigate improving the energy efficiency of housing from a practical perspective, particularly within the private rented sector (PRS), a case study is explored: St Mary's Cottage, is a privately rented, pre-1900, heritage listed property. Using the policy instruments currently available to householders in the UK, hypothetical energy efficiency ratings were measured via the EPC to determine the ideal improvement measures for this property.

The current EPC rating for St Mary's Cottage is D57 (ranked from 1 to 100), which is around the UK average. It was proven that it could hypothetically achieve an A-rating, utilising the government's current policy instruments. However, weighing up all factors – including financial mechanisms, capital costs of improvement measures, and listing status limitations – the best feasible EPC increase is to B88, which would save around 4 tonnes of emissions annually. Consulting the owners of the property to determine which improvements they would allow a tenant to implement, limited the EPC increase to C75.

This more challenging case study demonstrated the possibilities to decrease the carbon impact within the existing UK housing stock. If homeowners nationwide implemented a range of measures to increase the energy efficiency of their properties to a similar level, this could potentially reduce the overall UK carbon impact by 15%.


Abstract It is not only growth and development that is of value to local, regional and central governments, but also the ability to absorb negative phenomena and the ability to continuously transform socio-economic systems. Resilience strategies thus serve as a response to the more and more frequent and intense natural, social and economic challenges. In some approaches to urban resilience, special attention is paid to activities undertaken by cities to become inclusive, integrated, robust, resourceful, reflective, redundant and flexible. In regional strategies the emphasis is on diversity, dispersion, mutuality and modularity. The aim of the paper is to synthesise selected qualities of resilient cities and regions into a new model of resilience strategy. It assumes that goals at each level of strategy are formulated according to adaptive interpretation of the resilience concept. Development of such model would enable the use of the concept by practitioners responsible for creating development strategies.


From the Publisher:
Working mostly alone, almost single-handedly writing 250,000 lines of computer code, Steve Grand produced Creatures, a revolutionary computer game that allowed players to create living beings complete with brains, genes, and hormonal systems--creatures that would live and breathe and breed in real time on an ordinary desktop computer. Enormously successful, the game inevitably raises the question: What is artificial life? And in this book--a chance for the devoted fan and the simply curious onlooker to see the world from the perspective of an original philosopher-engineer and intellectual maverick--Steve Grand proposes an answer.
From the composition of the brains and bodies of artificial life forms to the philosophical guidelines and computational frameworks that define them, Creation plumbs the practical, social, and ethical aspects and implications of the state of the art. But more than that, the book gives readers access to the insights Grand acquired in writing Creatures--insights that yield a view of the world that is surprisingly antireductionist, antimaterialist, and (to a degree) antimechanistic, a view that sees matter, life, mind, and society as simply different levels of the same thing. Such a hierarchy, Grand suggests, can be mirrored by an equivalent one that exists inside a parallel universe called cyberspace.


An example is provided of how technology from a seemingly far-removed field of science has found its way into seismic surveying equipment. In order to achieve affordable dense sampling to remove adverse seismic-noise effects from gravitational-wave measurements, autonomous, integrated seismic nodes were developed for flexible deployment around the gravitational-wave detector's key components. The required sensitivity is achieved by utilizing a high-sensitivity, 5 Hz geophone in combination with a low noise recording channel, resulting in a self noise of < 1 ng/√Hz at 1 Hz. This specification is also promising for low-frequency single-sensor passive and active seismic acquisition. Ninety-six nodes were deployed during a field trial to demonstrate various novel passive seismic techniques for subsurface and microearthquake characterization using dense surface arrays. This showed the value of an affordable and practical dense surface array in extracting useful subsurface information from seismic noise and characterizing small earthquakes. The nodes were shown to have the long battery life required to be practical in their intended surveys, showing only 50% battery consumption after a 21-day survey at high-gain setting.


is published by the American Chemical Society. 1155 Sixteenth Street N.W., Washington, DC 20036 Published by American Chemical Society. Copyright © American Chemical Society. However, no copyright claim is made to original U.S. Government works, or works produced by employees of any Commonwealth realm Crown government in the course of their duties. Contaminants in Aquatic and Terrestrial Environments


Abstract. The atmospheric concentrations of 17 trace elements (Al, Ca, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Li, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, P, Pb, S, Ti and Zn) were measured by means of the "lichen-bag" technique in the Agri Valley (southern Italy). The lichen samples were collected from an unpolluted site located in Rifreddo forest (southern Italy), about 30 km away from the study area along the north direction. The bags were exposed to ambient air for 6 and 12 months. The exposed-to-control (EC) ratio values highlighted that the used lichen species were suitable for biomonitoring investigations. The results showed that the concentrations of almost all the examined trace elements increased with respect to the control after 6–12-month exposures. Furthermore, Ca, Al, Fe, K, Mg and S were the most abundant trace elements both in the 6-month and 12-month-exposed samples. Moreover, principal component analysis (PCA) results highlighted that the major sources of the measured atmospheric trace elements were related both to anthropogenic contributions due to traffic, combustion processes agricultural practices, construction and quarrying activities, and to natural contributions mainly represented by the re-suspension of local soil and road dusts. In addition, the contribution both of secondary atmospheric reactions involving Centro Olio Val d'Agri (COVA) plant emissions and the African dust long-range transport were also identified.


The pediatrician makes a judgment of the degree of illness (toxicity) of a febrile child based on observation prior to history and physical examination. In order to define valid and reliable observation data for that judgment, data from two previous studies were used to construct three-point scales of 14 observation items correlated with serious illness in those reports. Between Nov 1, 1980 and March 1, 1981, these 14 scaled items were scored simultaneously by attending physicians, residents, and nurses prior to history and physical examination on 312 febrile children aged ≤24 months seen consecutively in our Primary Care Center-Emergency Room and in one private practice. Of these 312 children, 37 had serious illness. Multiple regression analysis based on patients seen by at least one attending physician in the Primary Care Center revealed six items (quality of cry, reaction to parents, state variation, color, state of hydration, and response to social overtures) that were significant and independent predictors of serious illness (multiple R = 0.63). The observed agreement for scoring these six items between two attending physicians who saw one third of the patients ranged from 88% to 97%. The chance corrected agreement levels (κw) for these six items were, with one exception, clinically significant (κw = .47 to .73). A discriminant function analysis revealed that these six items when used together had a specificity of 88% and a sensitivity of 77% for serious illness. Individual scores for each of the six key items were added to yield a total score for each patient. Only 2.7% of patients with a score ≤10 had a serious illness; 92.3% with a score ≥l6 had a serious illness. The sensitivity of the six-item model for serious illness when combined with history and physical examination was 92%. In the population studied, this predictive model, when used prior to history and physical examination, was reliable, predictive, specific, and sensitive for serious illness in febnile children. It was most sensitive when combined with history and physical examination. The model wifi need to be validated on a new population of patients.


ABSTRACT This paper reports on part of a wider study concerned with the collaborative efforts of an inquirer and six people with an intellectual disability, to develop a grounded theory explaining the processes by which these informants manage the relationships within their personal communities. The study was conducted through a series of in-depth interviews with each informant; a process characterised by information sharing, tentative theory development and elaboration, and informants' checking the accuracy of the emerging theory. This inductive approach allowed not only an insight into the lives of each informant, but recognised the informants' expertise in matters concerning their own lives and thus facilitated the emergence of theoretical elements of relevance to the informants themselves. The focus of the paper is on the collaborative or partnership approach adopted. The outcomes of the research partnership are detailed and implications drawn for the role of research in the lifestyles of people with an intellectual disability.


Abstract The geochemistry and petrology of the type section of the Caradoc Series in the Onny valley indicate that it was deposited on a marginal basin continental shelf similar to the western side of the present Sea of Japan. The lower beds form a transgressive–regressive sequence in which the rocks become less mature upwards. All the coarser sediments above the basal quartzites and conglomerates are greywackes in which the apparent muddy and ferrous matrix is due to the breakdown of unstable minerals and particles. Higher values of Na2O and Na/K ratios are found in the coarser shallow-water sandstones of the Horderley Sandstone Formation and decrease markedly in the succeeding beds, accompanied by an increase in K2O. Higher values of carbonate-corrected (and hence related) other major and minor elements like SiO2, CaO, P2O5, MnO and most trace elements correlate with the transgressive systems and maximum flooding surfaces of the three sequences recognized where they are related to condensation at those horizons. Chemical Indices of Alteration (CIA) suggest that the Horderley Sandstone Formation underwent greater predepositional physical weathering than lower and higher beds, which is compatible with the petrography, and were deposited during a cool phase within overall warm Sandbian–Katian times. Trace element ratios suggest an oxic to suboxic depositional environment.


Satisfiability of word equations is an important problem in the intersection of formal languages and algebra: Given two sequences consisting of letters and variables we are to decide whether there is a substitution for the variables that turns this equation into true equality of strings. The computational complexity of this problem remains unknown, with the best lower and upper bounds being, respectively, NP and PSPACE. Recently, the novel technique of recompression was applied to this problem, simplifying the known proofs and lowering the space complexity to (nondeterministic) O(n log n). In this paper we show that satisfiability of word equations is in nondeterministic linear space, thus the language of satisfiable word equations is context-sensitive. We use the known recompression-based algorithm and additionally employ Huffman coding for letters. The proof, however, uses analysis of how the fragments of the equation depend on each other as well as a new strategy for nondeterministic choices of the algorithm, which uses several new ideas to limit the space occupied by the letters.


Good romantic love is what every college student expects, but do they really know love at this stage? In today's rapid development of the productive forces, science and technology changes with each passing day, the social material wealth increase, especially in this age of college students, their infection by today's society on one hand, have affected by the consciousness of scholarly campus academic atmosphere. They yearn for a romantic love that is imagined, on the other hand, from the society, the reality of the family and the development of their love on the other hand. Airy, Fromm's, 20th century western famous sociologist, philosopher and psychoanalyst, through analyzing the western capitalist society's love with the human situation are studied, and on the basis of inheritance of Marxist ethics love, with the development of Freud's theory of love, on the basis of social critical theory of Frankfurt thoughts formed a unique love education idea. He believes that love has nothing to do with the maturity of the individual, but to put aside the feelings of mind and body. If you don't try to develop your own personality and tend to create a tendency to create, then every attempt to love will fail. If you are not able to love others, if you are not brave enough to love others sincerely, then your life will never be satisfied. Fromm further believes that love is an art that requires those who want to master art, master knowledge and work hard. Here, love is not only about the narrow love of men and women, but also through certain skills. Love is the overall expression of individuality and the ability to develop love. It is necessary to strive to develop and perfect one's personality and move towards a good goal. We focus on college students' love view and love development theory, further explore the study of contemporary college students' love, and enter the world of contemporary college students' love. focusing on college students' love view and love development theory, further exploring the study of contemporary college students' love, thus entering the world of contemporary college students' love. In this paper, the author points out the true meaning of love: love is a positive concern, giving is a positive love, respect is the core of love, and needs to know love in practice.


Distance learning modules (particularly low-cost introductory and enrichment modules) may show poor retention compared to traditional campus courses. The perceived difficulty of exams and end-of-module assessments (EMA) appears to deter some students from submitting. In contrast, interactive computer-marked assignments (iCMA) are typically attempted by most students.

Can retention therefore be improved by changing the format of part of the final assessment to an iCMA?

'Robotics and the meaning of life' is a 10-point, 10-week general-interest Open University module. The assessment comprised a mid-module iCMA and a final written EMA. The iCMA (a Moodle quiz) provided detailed feedback only after the submission deadline. The EMA included short-answer questions, a programming question and an essay. The EMA was script-marked and feedback limited to overall score and performance profile provided well after the end of the course.

The intervention simply replaced the script-marked short-answer questions by a second iCMA covering the same content with similar questions. The programming and essay questions were retained unchanged as a written, script-marked EMA.

The hypothesis to be tested was that retention would increase: students would be more likely to submit the final iCMA, their confidence would increase, and they would be motivated to submit the written EMA.

Quantitative data were gathered for patterns of submission, course completion and pass rates for two presentations (124 and 220 students); data were also available for thirteen previous presentations (1814 students). Structured interviews were carried out to probe student preferences, confidence and engagement.

More students submitted the iCMA (86%) than the EMA (81%). Although they had the same deadline, 91% of students submitted the iCMA before the EMA. They submitted the iCMA well in advance of the deadline (median 4 days 15 hrs) but kept the EMA open as long as possible (median 18 hrs before deadline; 11% submitted in the final hour). These patterns strongly suggest that students were more confident with the iCMA than the EMA. Completion rates were the highest recorded: 88% and 89% compared to 79% for pre-intervention presentations. Overall pass rates were also improved (83% and 85% c.f. 76%). This can be ascribed to improved submission rates alone: the pass rate and mean scores among those who submit were unchanged giving confidence that the assessment difficulty was unaltered.

Student interviews suggested that students did attempt the final iCMA before the EMA and had greater confidence in obtaining a good mark for the iCMA than the EMA. Students valued the mix of assessment methods and felt it produced a robust result; although some expressed concern over the correctness of computer marking, they appreciated the detailed feedback it provided.

This intervention suggests that a change of assessment format can improve student engagement and pass rates without compromising rigour.


An organization's success in e-business is significantly affected by the quality of its website. However, many websites are unable to retain the attention of their customers, arguably because they only cater to some of the needs of their customers. This study adopts a design science approach to develop a new methodology for designing websites that addresses the psychological, sociological, and cognitive needs of individual users. The methodology is based on multidisciplinary principles drawn from the field of design, as they provide a framework for structuring the various concerns of users. This study contributes by developing a website design methodology anchored in users' needs, so that the websites it produces are successful in achieving their goals.


Consistent with the well-established tradition of cognitive pragmatics, this work hinges on the idea that human communication has to be considered inferential in nature. Starting from the empirically-based insights of Relevance Theory, I will focus on the role of pragmatic inference processes in real language use, specifically in conversation. In order to address this question, I pursue a twofold goal. On the one hand, I intend to characterize the nature of conversational exchanges, by identifying the main features that underlie their elaboration. On the other hand, my goal is to provide some indications about the cognitive underpinnings of such conversational properties. Relevance account states that language in context can be described as a matter of expressing and recognizing intentions and that this procedure is driven by the expectations of relevance automatically processed. In accordance with the claim that the core of conversations lies in conveying and catching each other's intentions, I will take into account the strategies employed by interlocutors and the cognitive mechanisms involved in this kind of process. Although Relevance theorists account for some important features of language in use, my hypothesis is that they falter in explaining some non-marginal aspects of real-time conversation because of two problematic issues: a) the propensity to emphasize the comprehension process omitting to account for the production process; b) the idea that it all comes down to processing relevance by means of a modular automatic device. Against these claims, I will argue that: a) conversation is a joint activity performed in coordination and requires complex abilities as on the side of the hearer as on the side of the speaker; b) automatic mechanisms cannot underlie some essential aspects inherent in conversation which are better explained by the role of conscious processes. Although the relation between language and consciousness has been traditionally neglected, the idea of putting consciousness back into the reflection on language in context has important theoretical and empirical implications.


The U.S. National Telecommunications and Information Administration
(NTIA) solicited a request from the Internet Corporation for Assigned
Names and Numbers (ICANN) to propose how the NTIA should end its
oversight of the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) functions.
After broad consultations, ICANN in turn created the IANA Stewardship
Transition Coordination Group. That group solicited proposals for the
three major IANA functions: names, numbers, and protocol parameters.
This document contains the IETF response to that solicitation for
protocol parameters. It was included in an aggregate response to the
NTIA alongside those for names and numbering resources that are being
developed by their respective operational communities. A reference to
that response may be found in the introduction, and additional
correspondence is included in the Appendix.


The economic changes taking place in the world and in Turkey, have led to changes in people's
employment demand. Before 2000 government jobs had been considerably less attractive in
Turkey, after 2000, w
hen the economic crisis occurred in Turkey public employment demands
started to increase. One of the reasons for this that a growing number of people have started to
face the unemployment situation that made the formerly less desired public employment more
alluring. Beyond employment security there have been also reasons Turkish people choosing
to work for government. The goal of this paper how employment demand of Turkish people is
changing. Based on last few decade's employment data the paper, will try to
shed some light on
the reasons behind the related new labor market tendencies.


Rather than the age-old debate regarding overall protein and amino acid needs of athletes, this paper focuses on the importance of timing and type of protein and amino acid ingestion relative to both muscle growth and exercise performance. Evidence discussed comes from definitive measurement techniques including net protein balance determinations (for acute studies) or quantification of muscle size or strength (for chronic studies) First, recent data indicate that consuming a small meal of mixed macronutrient composition (or perhaps even a very small quantity of a few indispensable amino acids) immediately before or following strength exercise bouts can alter significantly net protein balance, resulting in greater gains in both muscle mass and strength than observed with training alone. With aerobic exercise, some evidence suggests immediate postexercise (but perhaps not pre-exercise) supplementation is also beneficial. Second, protein type may also be important owing to variable speeds of absorption and availability, differences in amino acid and peptide profiles, unique hormonal response, or positive effects on antioxidant defense. In addition to athletes, many others who desire to regain, maintain, or enhance muscle mass or function, including those with muscle-wasting diseases, astronauts, and all of us as we age, need to ensure that nutrient availability is sufficient during the apparently critical anabolic window of time associated with exercise training sessions. Future studies are needed to fine tune these recommendations.


In the past year or so, an exciting progress has led to throughput optimal design of CSMA-based algorithms for wireless networks. However, such an algorithm suffers from very poor delay performance. A recent work suggests that it is impossible to design a CSMA-like simple algorithm that is throughput optimal and induces low delay for any wireless network. However, wireless networks arising in practice are formed by nodes placed, possibly arbitrarily, in some geographic area.
 In this paper, we propose a CSMA algorithm with per-node average-delay bounded by a constant, independent of the network size, when the network has geometry (precisely, polynomial growth structure) that is present in any practical wireless network. Two novel features of our algorithm, crucial for its performance, are (a) choice of access probabilities as an appropriate function of queue-sizes, and (b) use of local network topological structures. Essentially, our algorithm is a queue-based CSMA with a minor difference that at each time instance a very small fraction of frozen nodes do not execute CSMA. Somewhat surprisingly, appropriate selection of such frozen nodes, in a distributed manner, lead to the delay optimal performance.


This report explores the optoelectronics expectations for green photonics technology, and forecasts the associated markets through 2020. The cultural impact for a green, clean, and energy efficient lifestyle is just beginning. Over the next decade, many innovative new products will emerge in a variety of industries that will better define and demonstrate green photonics technology. It is clear to many that a broad range of products and services that the economy will utilize over the next decade will contain optoelectronics (interchangeable with the term photonics), either as key components or as components that enable better and more efficient systems.


Governments are making it a priority to upgrade information and communication technologies (ICT) with the aim to increase available internet connection speeds. This paper presents a new strategy to estimate the causal effects of these policies, and applies it to the questions of whether and how ICT upgrades affect educational attainment. We draw on a rich collection of microdata that allows us to link administrative test score records for the population of English primary and secondary school students to the available ICT at their home addresses. To base estimations on exogenous variation in ICT, we notice that the boundaries of usually invisible telephone exchange station catchment areas give rise to substantial and essentially randomly placed jumps in the available ICT across neighboring residences. Using this design across more than 20,000 boundaries in England, we find that even very large changes in available internet speeds have a precisely estimated zero effect on educational attainment. Guided by a simple model we then bring to bear additional microdata on student time and internet use to quantify the potentially opposing mechanisms underlying the zero reduced form effect. We find that jumps in the available ICT have no significant effect on student time spent studying online or offline, or on their productivity. Finally, while faster connections appear to increase student consumption of online content, we find that the elasticity of student demand for online content with respect to its time cost is negative but bounded by -1.


Numerical modeling of superconductors is widely recognized as a powerful tool for interpreting experimental results, understanding physical mechanisms, and predicting the performance of high-temperature-superconductor (HTS) tapes, wires, and devices. This is particularly true for ac loss calculation since a sufficiently low ac loss value is imperative to make these materials attractive for commercialization. In recent years, a large variety of numerical models, which are based on different techniques and implementations, has been proposed by researchers around the world, with the purpose of being able to estimate ac losses in HTSs quickly and accurately. This paper presents a literature review of the methods for computing ac losses in HTS tapes, wires, and devices. Technical superconductors have a relatively complex geometry (filaments, which might be twisted or transposed, or layers) and consist of different materials. As a result, different loss contributions exist. In this paper, we describe the ways of computing such loss contributions, which include hysteresis losses, eddy-current losses, coupling losses, and losses in ferromagnetic materials. We also provide an estimation of the losses occurring in a variety of power applications.


Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract can be fatal. However, very few studies have provided comprehensive analyses and specified the differences in symptoms observed in different parts of the GI tract. This study aimed to comprehensively analyze clinical manifestations and management of GI CMV disease. This retrospective cohort study enrolled the patients who had CMV diseases of the GI tract proved by CMV immunohistochemistry stain from the pathology database in a 4000-bed tertiary medical center between January 2000 and May 2021. The patient characteristics, clinical manifestations, endoscopic features, treatments, outcomes, and prognostic factors were analyzed. A total of 356 patients were enrolled, including 46 infected in the esophagus, 76 in the stomach, 30 in the small intestine, and 204 in the colon. In total, 49.4% patients were immunocompromised. The overall in-hospital mortality rate was 20.8%: CMV enteritis had the highest rate (23.3%). Sixty percent of patients received antiviral treatment and 16% were administered both intravenous and oral anti-viral drugs (Combo therapy, minimal and mean treatment duration were 14 and 39.9 ± 25 days). Prognostic factors of in-hospital mortality included age, immune status, albumin level, platelet count, GI bleeding, time-to-diagnosis, and Combo therapy. In the survival analysis, immunocompetent patients receiving Combo therapy had the best survival curve, and immunocompromised patients receiving non-Combo therapy had the worst survival curve. Combo therapy ≥14 days resulted in a better outcome for both immunocompromised and immunocompetent patients. In conclusion, CMV GI diseases affect both immunocompromised and immunocompetent hosts, and a complete treatment course should be considered for patients with poor prognostic factors.


Abstract Purpose: The RENEB accident exercise was carried out in order to train the RENEB participants in coordinating and managing potentially large data sets that would be generated in case of a major radiological event. Materials and methods: Each participant was offered the possibility to activate the network by sending an alerting email about a simulated radiation emergency. The same participant had to collect, compile and report capacity, triage categorization and exposure scenario results obtained from all other participants. The exercise was performed over 27 weeks and involved the network consisting of 28 institutes: 21 RENEB members, four candidates and three non-RENEB partners. Results: The duration of a single exercise never exceeded 10 days, while the response from the assisting laboratories never came later than within half a day. During each week of the exercise, around 4500 samples were reported by all service laboratories (SL) to be examined and 54 scenarios were coherently estimated by all laboratories (the standard deviation from the mean of all SL answers for a given scenario category and a set of data was not larger than 3 patient codes). Conclusions: Each participant received training in both the role of a reference laboratory (activating the network) and of a service laboratory (responding to an activation request). The procedures in the case of radiological event were successfully established and tested.


Gorkha Earthquake in 2015 has impacted considerably in the design and construction of buildings in Nepal. Strength and Safety of life and constructions have become the prime concerns of the government and the public. Regulation is required to achieve the strength and safety in the constructions. Hence, a need for revision of building codes has been felt and Nepal Building Code, NBC105 has been revised. This paper presents the impact of the revised code on seismic load estimation for low rise reinforced concrete buildings. For the assessment of the impact linear and nonlinear static and linear dynamic analysis of reinforced concrete residential buildings of two storey and four Storey has been taken subjected to Indian Standard Codes IS 1893: 2002, IS 1893: 2016, Nepal Building Codes NBC 105: 1994 and NBC 105: 2020. The buildings were modeled and analyzed in SAP2000. The response of the buildings such as time period, base shear, drifts, and storey forces from the application of the four codes was compared. The comparison of the results shows that the structural response of the building under the revised NBC105:2020 is 60% to 65% higher compared to the previous code NBC105:1994


Regenerating codes are a class of codes for distributed storage networks that provide reliability and availability of data, and also perform efficient node repair. Another important aspect of a distributed storage network is its security. In this paper, we consider a threat model where an eavesdropper may gain access to the data stored in a subset of the storage nodes, and possibly also, to the data downloaded during repair of some nodes. We provide explicit constructions of regenerating codes that achieve information-theoretic secrecy capacity in this setting.


Psychosocial factors have been shown to be indicative of health recovery in cancer populations. However, less is known about Blood and Marrow Transplant (BMT) patients. This paper explores pre-transplant psychosocial factors that may predict poorer health outcomes following autologous transplant (AuBMTs) in patients with hematological malignancies. Participants included 130 cancer patients (51.5% male) who completed a pre-AuBMT evaluation (M = 58.39, SD = 11.71, range = 21 – 80). Data extracted include information regarding measures for distress (DT), problems in daily life (PPL), depressive symptoms (CES-D) and physical and mental health quality of life (PCS-12 and MCS-12). Health outcomes including cancer-related hospital re-admittance, survival rates, and number of medications prescribed within 12 months post-transplant were also extracted. Results indicated that medications were positively correlated to PPL score, r(128) = 0.179, p < 0.05, and to CES-D scores, r(128) = 0.220, p < 0.05, and inversely related to PCS-12 scores, r(128) = -0.293, p < 0.01. ANOVA and Welch ANOVAs indicated insurance status has a significant effect on mortality rate, depression, and physical and health-related quality of life (p<.05). A stepwise multiple linear regression model indicated that approximately 7.9% of the variance of the number of medications used was accounted for by PCS-12. Results suggest that individuals with greater overall problems and depressive symptoms and a poorer physical health quality of life (QOL) were prescribed more medications. Additionally, physical health QOL proved to be a significant predictor for medication use. The impact of insurance status on these outcomes is an area for further exploration. This research supports a relationship between psychosocial variables and health outcomes for BMT patients with a hematological malignancy and may help inform appropriate psychosocial screening and intervention practices for this population.


Abstract Quality assurance and online delivery are hot topics in universities, yet until recently discussions of each have had little to do with each other. These spheres of activity in universities may not have interacted very closely in the past. This paper describes current debates within quality assurance and online delivery policies within universities and proposes four themes as ways to consider these debates and their relationships with each other. Arising from this discussion are possible research agendas that are likely to increase in importance as universities' use and reliance upon online technologies increases and as the stakes for ensuring quality are raised. Introduction Universities are investing huge resources in online education. They sec these investments as strategic responses to the competitive environment in which they find themselves. Arising from these institutional strategies are a number of questions that are at present unanswered in any complete sense, ranging from definitions of quality in online education to the ways of identifying and valuing quality in institutional policy. The use of online technologies in higher education is a relatively recent, yet a rapidly growing and ubiquitous phenomenon. Despite the importance of online technologies to universities, the rationales and justifications for their use are largely either unstated or taken-for-granted by university managers (Ehrmann, 1999). David A Longanecker, former Assistant Secretary for postsecondary education at the U.S. Department of Education, also indicates uncertainty and draws the link between notions of quality and the impact of delivery technology: ... new educational delivery models are "leading us to a very different concept of quality assurance than we've traditionally had --but I'm not sure what that is" (Pond 2002, p. 186) This uncertainty brought about by the use of online technologies and their concomitant impact on concepts of quality in universities indicates that there is a need to investigate the forces that bring about these substantial changes in university teaching and learning. In recent times universities have been increasingly called upon to have demonstrable accountability measures in the form of quality assurance systems and processes. While accountability is not a new phenomenon for universities (Bergquist & Armstrong, 1986; Carnegie Commission on Higher Education, 1970; Goedegebuure, Maassen, & Westerheijden, 1990; Sheldrake & Linke, 1979), it is taking on new meanings in the current climate of the so-called 'information age' where universities are expanding their teaching environments into the online realm. This paper considers current literature in the areas of quality and online education policy, focusing on online education in universities, and synthesises a number of themes for future research. Quality online education This paper considers two discourses, which until recently have had little to do with each other. The first is the discourse of online delivery in universities, which I will call the online discourse. This involves the changes in universities brought about by the use of online technologies in teaching and learning. The second discourse is that of quality in university education, which I will call the quality discourse. This second discourse involves policies and processes for quality assurance in teaching and learning. These two discourses will now be briefly delineated and related to each other. The online discourse Attempts to harness online technologies for educational aims have tended to focus on so-called 'instructional design' (Leshin, Pollock, & Reigeluth, 1992) whereby various instructional techniques are proposed to fit the 'learning styles' (Kirby, 1979) of students. These approaches have focussed on project-based innovations, but have not borne significant educational fruits (Alexander & McKenzie, 1998). …


This immunohistochemical study describes the infiltration pattern of monocytes-macrophages and dendritic cells during the development of insulitis and diabetes in the NOD mouse. A panel of monoclonal antibodies (MoAbs) was used to analyze pancreases of nondiabetic (glucosuria negative) male and female NOD mice at 3, 7, 10, and 17 weeks of age. BALB/c female mice 17-weeks-old, diabetic NOD female mice 20- to 30-weeks-old, and nondiabetic NOD male mice 22-weeks-old were used as controls. Three MoAbs (viz., ER-MP23, MOMA1, and BM8) were special and appeared to identify macrophage/dendritic cell subsets that either had a characteristic infiltration pattern in the initial phases of the autoimmune reaction before T-cell infiltration or were typical for the later β-cell destructive insulitis process. 1) Raised numbers of ER-MP23+ and MOMA-1+ dendritic cells/macrophages were characteristic for the initial phases of the NOD insulitis in 3-week-old mice. The cells were found in and near swollen para-insular vessels. In 7-week-old mice, these ER-MP23+ and MOMA-1+ cells had accumulated around the islets and were the first hematopoietic cells detectable at these spots. 2) From 7 weeks of age onward, BM8+ macrophages could be found in the para- and peri-insulitis processes. However, only in females were these BM8+ macrophages found to infiltrate into the islets. In lymphoid tissues, ER-MP23 predominantly reacts with macrophages/dendritic cells present in the subcapsular and interfollicular sinuses of lymph nodes and the T-cell zones of these lymph nodes. ER-MP23 also reacts with tissue macrophages/dendritic cells. MOMA-1 reacts with the marginal metallophilic macrophages of the spleen and with sinus macrophages of the lymph node. Both populations of cells are likely to be involved in antigen presentation in lymphoid tissues as well as in the NOD peri-insulitis. BM8 in lymphoid tissues predominantly reacts with the phagocytosing macrophages present in the red pulp of the spleen. Because β-cell destruction and glucosuria almost exclusively take place in NOD females, our findings suggest that BM8+ macrophage infiltration into the female islets is linked to a β-cell destructive process, either as a destructive type of infiltration or as an infiltration meant to remove the β-cell debris caused by another immune assault.


grep Pocket Reference is the first guide devoted to grep, the powerful Unix content-location utility. This handy book is ideal for system administrators, security professionals, developers, and others who want to learn more about grep and take new approaches with it -- for everything from mail filtering and system log management to malware analysis. With grep Pocket Reference, you will: Learn methods for filtering large files for specific content Acquire information not included in the current grep documentation Get several tricks for using variants such as egrep Keep key information about grep right at your fingertips Find the answers you need about grep quickly and easily. If you're familiar with this utility, grep Pocket Reference will help you refresh your basic knowledge, understand rare situations, and work more efficiently. If you're new to grep, this book is the best way to get started.


In this paper, we discuss several aspects that users are typically not fully aware of when using model-based Collaborative Filtering systems. For instance, the methods prevalently used in conventional recommenders infer abstract models that are opaque to users, making it difficult to understand the learned profile, and consequently, why certain items are recommended. Further, users are not able to keep an overview of the item space, and thus the alternatives that in principle could also be suggested. By summarizing our experiences on exploiting latent factor models for increasing control and transparency, we show that the respective techniques may also contribute to make users more aware of their preferences' representation, the rationale behind the results, and further items of potential interest.


It has been shown by Di Federico and Neuman [1997, 1998a, b] that observed multiscale behaviors of subsurface fluid flow and transport variables can be explained within the context of a unified stochastic framework, which views hydraulic conductivity as a random fractal characterized by a power variogram. Such a random field is statistically nonhomogeneous but possesses homogeneous spatial increments. Di Federico and Neuman [1997] have demonstrated that the power variogram and associated spectra of a statistically isotropic fractal field can be constructed as a weighted integral from zero to infinity (an infinite hierarchy) of exponential or Gaussian variograms and spectra of mutually uncorrelated fields (modes) that are homogeneous and isotropic. We show in this paper that the same holds true when the field and its constituent modes are statistically anisotropic, provided the ratios between principal integral (spatial correlation) scales are the same for all modes. We then analyze the effect of filtering out (truncating) modes of low, high, and intermediate spatial frequency from this infinite hierarchy in the real and spectral domains. A low‐frequency cutoff renders the truncated hierarchy homogeneous. The integral scales of the lowest‐ and highest‐frequency cutoff modes are related to length scales of the sampling window (domain) and data support (sample volume), respectively. Taking the former to be proportional to the latter renders expressions for the integral scale and variance of the truncated field dependent on window and support scale (in a manner previously shown to be consistent with observations in the isotropic case). It also allows (in principle) bridging across scales at a specific locale, as well as among locales, by adopting either site‐specific or generalized variogram parameters. The introduction of intermediate cutoffs allows us to account, in a straightforward manner, for lacunarity due to gaps in the multiscale hierarchy created by the absence of modes associated with discrete ranges of scales (for example, where textural and structural features are associated with distinct ranges of scale, such as fractures having discrete ranges of trace length and density, which dissect the rock into matrix blocks having corresponding ranges of sizes). We explore mathematically and graphically the effects that anisotropy and lacunarity have on the integral scale, variance, covariance, and spectra of a truncated fractal field. We then develop an expression for the equivalent hydraulic conductivity of a box‐shaped porous block, embedded within a multiscale log hydraulic conductivity field, under mean‐uniform flow. The block is larger than the support scale of the field but is smaller than a surrounding sampling window. Consequently, its equivalent hydraulic conductivity is a random variable whose variance and spatial autocorrelation function, conditioned on a known mean value of support‐scale conductivity across the window, are given explicitly by our multiscale theory.


Permafrost plays a significant role in the land surface energy and moisture balance, and thus in the climate and hydrologic system. The goal of our group is to establish spatial and temporal linkages between water and energy fluxes at the plot and landscape scales at different permafrost affected ecosystems. We chose typical Arctic ecosystems spanning contrasting bioclimatic zones with different climate and landcover conditions: (i) warm, maritime conditions with low above ground biomass (Spitsbergen) and (ii) cold, continental conditions with medium biomass (Lena River Delta, Siberia) and (iii) cold, continental conditions with high biomass (upper Lena-Viluiy catchment). At these sites, weather stations have been operated for at least 10 years. Spitsbergen has a mild, maritime winter climate due to the influence of the Atlantic currents and is underlain by warm permafrost (mean annual ground temp. (MAGT: -2.9 °C); mean annual air temp. (MAAT: -6.3°C). Warming is observed in permafrost temperatures, due to recently warmer winter air temperature and an increase of snow depth.The Lena River Delta is characterized by wetland polygonal tundra, thermokarst lakes and cold permafrost (MAGT: -9.2 °C, MAAT:-13.6°C). Latent heat fluxes, such as sublimation of snow during spring and evapotranspiration during the summer are important components of the energy balance. Overall, the water balance is more or less equilibrated, i.e. the precipitation (rain and snow) input equals loss through evapotranspiration. Only during years of extreme dryness, where summer evapotranspiration exceeds precipitation, the pond water level falls below the ground surface.The study site in Central Yakutia shows a 30 yr warming trend with an increase of about 0.1 °C/year. Summer and winter precipitation shows a large spatial and temporal variability, with an increase at most stations. The analysis of satellite images using Landsat and Soyus data shows distinct changes in the land surface cover between 1976 and 2002. The aerial coverage of lake bodies increased by about 100 % which is due to the infilling of previous dry/drier thermokarst basins. From 2002 to 2009, an aerial increase of only 2% is observed.


Structural change in a language are considered nearly inevitable consequences of language death (Campbell and Muntzel 1989; Wolfram 2002). The literature on sound change in endangered languages has focused on whether the changes are internally or externally motivated, and, therefore, the difference between categorical sound shifts and gradient phonetic effects has been overlooked (cf. Campbell and Muntzel 1989; Woolard 1989; Dorian 1993). In addition, this research has been largely impressionistic in nature, leaving subtle variation that is beyond the scope of narrow transcription out of the discussion (Schmidt 1985; Goodfellow 2005) This paper discusses sound change in Mono Lake Northern Paiute – an American Indian language spoken in California – through two instrumental experiments that investigate the difference between categorical changes in the phonological inventory and subphonemic variation within a category. The first experiment examines the maintenance of a three-way oral stop contrast in laryngeal setting across three generations of speakers. The results suggest that while the youngest generation of speakers generally patterns like the elder generations, there is an increase in the amount of variability in consonant production. Static palatography was employed for the second experiment to investigate a shift in place of articulation for the sibilant across two generations of speakers. The findings illustrate that the traditional palatalized retroflexed sibilant has been replaced by a fricative identical to American English /s/, causing interesting changes to a phonetically motivated allophonic pattern in the traditional form of the language. After considering the sound changes described in languages experiencing attrition, this paper concludes by arguing that sound change in obsolescing languages takes one of two predictable paths: approximation or transfer (terms originally applied to patterns of vowel mergers in Trudgill and Foxcroft (1978). Approximation, a type of change being experienced by the sounds examined in the first experiment, involves the expansion of phonological categories within the moribund language. Transfer, a type of substitution (e.g. Weinreich 1953; Thomason and Kaufman 1988), is exemplified by the second experiment where a dominant language phoneme replaces a similar sound in the obsolescing language. These types of changes, at least in their current state in Mono Lake Northern Paiute, do not cause neutralizations in the phonological system. This contradicts claims made by Andersen (1982), who argues that ultimate speakers of moribund languages fail to make phonological distinctions in the endangered language that are not supported by identical distinctions in the dominant language.


Predicting the future to anticipate the outcome of events and actions is a critical attribute of autonomous agents. In this work, we address the task of predicting future frame segmentation from a stream of monocular video by leveraging the 3D structure of the scene. Our framework is based on learnable sub-modules capable of predicting pixelwise scene semantic labels, depth, and camera ego-motion of adjacent frames. Ultimately, we observe that leveraging 3D structure in the model facilitates successful positioning of objects in the 3D scene, achieving state of the art accuracy in future semantic segmentation.


Purpose: The incidence rates of colorectal cancer (CRC) in Korea have been increasing during the past decade. Therefore, it is important to understand the characteristics, including survival, of Korean CRC patients. The aim of this study was to use the nationwide cancer registry to evaluate the characteristics of Korean CRC, focusing on the survival, according to tumor location, sex, and specific age groups. Methods: Using the Korea Central Cancer Registry (KCCR), we analyzed a total of 226,352 CRC cases diagnosed from 1993 to 2010. The five-year relative survivals were compared for the proximal colon, the distal colon, and the rectum. Survival rates were compared between men and women and between patients of young age (less than 40 years old) and patients of advanced age (70 years old or older). Results: The 5-year survival rates were improved in all subsites between 1993 and 2010. Distal colon cancer showed favorable survival compared to proximal colon or rectal cancer. Females demonstrated worse survival for local or regional cancers, and this difference was significant in for patients in their seventies. Young patients (<40 years old) showed better survival rates for overall and proximal colon cancer comparable to those for older patients (≥40 years old), but advanced age patients (≥70 years old) had worse survivals for all tumor subsites compared to their younger counterparts (<70 years old). These trends were similar in distant CRC. Conclusion: Korean CRC has certain distinct characteristics of survival according to tumor location, sex, and age. Despite the limitations of available data, this study contributes to a better understanding of survival differences in Korean CRC.


In the material below I have tried to explain how can be used Fibonacci Retracement as an important tool to predict forex market. In this article I have included some graphic formats such as Fibonacci arcs, fan, channel, expansion, wich are created also with Fibonacci retracement and also rules to perfect chart plotting. I have analyzed some examples of Fibonacci retracements pattern in a downtrend and in an uptrend. In this article I have used and combine material from different sources trying to create a start point for those one of you that are interested.


The purpose of the study was to determine (via meta-analysis) whether team-oriented attributions in sport are team-serving. Analyses were carried out with 21 studies containing 99 effect sizes. The results indicated (a) the presence of a team-serving bias, (b) no temporal change in the pattern of results from studies using operational definitions based on Weiner's theoretical model, and (c) significant differences (p < .05) between the internal composite dimension (i.e., ability/effort versus task difficulty/luck) advanced by Weiner (1985) and the internal dimensions developed by Greenlees et al. (2005; Causal Dimension Scale for Teams). This study documents the continued presence of the team-serving bias.


This article outlines a study protocol, detailing the proposed methodology and findings of our preliminary literature review, for co-design of future NZ public and environmental health education for the South Auckland campus of AUT University.  This research project aims to contribute to healthy communities and city, embrace emerging technologies, maximize youth employability, and develop an outstanding 21st Century tertiary environment. The proposed project will contribute to a significant re-conceptualization of curriculum; student learning and voice; and partnerships with communities and a fast-changing industry. Using a design based research approach to curriculum development, the research practitioners in this project will immerse themselves in the context of the project, be guided by emerging theory in developing design principles, construct features of an intervention and evaluate the impact on teaching and learning.   Situated in Kaupapa Māori and Pacific epistemologies and utilising collaborative design principles, the study will explore the diverse and complex context in which public and environmental health will be provided at AUT South. Of particular relevance will be an examination of the following drivers of tertiary, and public and environmental health, education in the 21st century: the unique South Auckland context, the need to embrace evolving concepts of public health, rapid technological change, and changing education paradigms.  Our ultimate goal is to develop co-designed interventions that accommodate the unique cultural and ethnic makeup of the South Auckland context with the opportunity for transferability across the tertiary sector, situated within a social constructivist philosophy appropriate for our new digital economy and environmental challenges.


One of the ways of haploid production is a cross between wheat and maize. Recently success has been achieved in this method, leading to the production of zygotes; these zygotes generally undergo elimination of maize chromosomes and thus lead to production of wheat haploid plant. The purpose of this study was to develop an efficient method of haploid production via maize pollination in short duration bread and durum wheat cultivars grown in Iran and India. Pollination of agronomically superior varieties of six hexaploid wheat (2n=2x=42): Golestan, Mahdavi MACS-2496, HD-2189, NIAW-34, NI-5439 and four tetraploid wheat (2n=2x=28): MACS-9, MACS-2846, MACS-1967, Raj-1555 with pollen from maize cultivar resulted in haploid embryos by post pollination treatment with four concentration of dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) and silver nitrate (AgNO3). Treatment with 3 mgL −1 2,4-D plus (120-180 mgL −1 AgNO3) gave highest frequency of haploid embryos and haploid plants. In this study haploid embryos and haploid plants were produced from all of the ten genotypes, but frequency of haploid embryos (7.45%) and haploid plants (1.06%) in hexaploid wheat was more than haploid embryos (6.16%) and haploid plants (0.83%) in tetraploid wheat. We produced a total of 368 mature haploid plants.


To the Editor: Approximately 40% of the world's population is at risk for dengue (1). Epidemiologic characteristics of dengue differ by region, and disease incidence varies by patient age. In Southeast Asia, incidence of dengue fever (DF) and dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) is highest among children (2,3); in the Western Hemisphere, incidence of these diseases is higher among adults.

In Brazil, which has ≈80% of dengue cases in the Western Hemisphere, adults are at risk for dengue virus (DENV) infection (3,4). However, in 2007, a total of 53% of persons in Brazil hospitalized with DHF were children <15 years of age; this proportion was highest (65.4%) in children in northeastern Brazil (5).

In Ceara, a state in northeastern Brazil, DENV-1 epidemics have occurred since 1987. DHF cases have been reported since 1994 when DENV-2 was identified. In 2003, a severe DENV-3 epidemic occurred, and DHF incidence was high among adults (6). However, since 2007, incidence of DENV infection has been highest among children (7). To better understand factors that could affect this change in risk by age group, we studied the temporal progression of age distribution of persons with dengue during 1998–2008 in Ceara.

We used data for Ceara from the National System of Notifiable Diseases (DF and DHF cases), the Hospital Admission Data System (dengue hospitalizations) (8), and the Central Public Health Laboratory (virus isolation). For each age group ( 60 years), we calculated incidence of DF and hospitalization rate for DHF. We also calculated proportions of dengue serotypes per year (2001–2008). Medians for continuous variables were compared by using the Kruskal-Wallis test. Analyses were performed by using Epi Info version 6.0 software (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA).

From 1998 (10.8 cases/100,000 persons) through 2007 (236.7 cases/100,000 persons), DF incidence was lowest among persons 60 years of age (305.6, 331.5, and 249.9 cases/100,000 persons, respectively).

Since 2007, the incidence of DHF among children was already higher (4,884 cases/100,000 persons) than among the other age groups (3,261, 3,387 and 2,789 cases/100,000 persons, respectively). In 2008, incidence of DHF among children was 8,992 cases/100,000 persons, which was 2× that among persons 10–19 and 20–59 years of age and >3× that among persons >60 years of age. Median age of persons with DHF decreased from 38 years in 2001 to 18 years in 2008 (p<0.0001). Children <10 years age, who in 2001 accounted for 5% of all cases, accounted for 33% of cases in 2008.

The hospitalization rate for dengue among children in Ceara followed a pattern similar to that for DHF and increased for children 40% of isolations. At this time, DENV-2 and DENV-1 represented 7.4% and 48.5% of isolations, respectively. DENV-3 then predominated in Ceara until 2006 when DENV-2 reemerged (1.4%). DENV-2 became the predominant serotype in 2007 (84%) and 2008 (76.1%) (Table).

The increase in DHF incidence among children in Ceara during 2007–2008 was greater than the overall increase in Brazil (4,5). Because the predominant serotype in Ceara in 2007–2008 was DENV-2, two hypotheses may explain this phenomenon.

First, a more virulent DENV-2 may have been introduced. Genetic sequencing of DENV-2 circulating in another state in Brazil during the 2008 epidemic, compared with the 1990 and 1998 epidemics, showed that all isolates had the same genotype (American/Asiatic); only a 2% had a phylogenetic change (9). Such a small difference cannot explain this change in the age group affected by dengue.

Second, the time when 3 serotypes circulated in Ceara may not have favored development of antibodies against DENV-3 in children <10 years of age, although they were susceptible to DENV-2. DENV-1 and DENV-2 were circulating in Ceara before 2002 and caused DF epidemics and a few DHF cases. However, these diseases occurred predominantly in adults. Conversely, children had little likelihood of being infected with DENV-2 because the incidence of dengue before 2002 was low and the 2000 birth cohort had little contact with DENV-2, which was no longer circulating. Thus, most persons susceptible to DENV-2 were children.

DENV-3 was circulating during 2003–2006 and affected persons of all ages. Thus, when DENV-2 reemerged in 2006, many adults in Ceara already had antibodies against it. However, children had no antibodies against DENV-2, although some had antibodies against DENV-3. This immunologic difference may have caused the higher incidence of dengue among children in Ceara during 2007–2008, particularly in view of severity of the 2 epidemics, increased risk for DHF (10), and number of hospitalizations for dengue during this period.

Table

Confirmed cases of dengue fever and dengue hemorrhagic fever, Ceara, Brazil, 1998–2008*


Nowadays, the use of orthophoto in urban areas has become common. It is known that in most parts of urban areas there are a great number of tall buildings which can cause occlusion regions during image acquisition. These occlusions appear both in aerial images and in the orthophotos generated from these images. It happens due to perspective projection of the imaging sensor, and also if digital models that represent only relief is used in the orthorectification process, instead of the Digital Surface Model (DSM) that takes into account the relief and all objects on the surface. Considering this context, the aim of this article is to introduce an alternative procedure for occlusion detection in aerial images, using LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) data, aiming at the generation of true orthophotos. The presented method for occlusion detection is based on height gradient computation applied to a DSM of the region, instead of the building model that is considered in some approaches. These height gradients computed in radial directions are important for the identification of the beginning of the occlusions in these directions. The final limits of the occlusions are obtained from the projection of these initial points in the DSM. To evaluate the proposed method, both simulated and real data were considered. The simulated data correspond to an ideal urban area, without noise, and this experiment was only used to validate the implementation method. The real data set is composite by digital aerial images and LiDAR data. The LiDAR data available has the average density of 8 points/m 2 . As preliminary results, the occlusion areas were detected and highlighted in the orthorectified images. To accomplish the evaluation of the proposed method, besides a visual analysis, a numerical evaluation based on index of completeness was computed, using as reference a manual detection of occlusion. It is possible to observe the potential of the proposed occlusion detection method, although improvements are necessary in the proposed method.


1882 | Introductory Lecture on the Study of Logic | W 4:378 "Dyalectica," says the logical text-book of the middle ages, "est ars artium et scientia scientiarum, ad omnium aliarum scientiarum methodorum principia viam habens," and although the logic of our day must naturally be utterly different from that of the Plantagenet epoch, yet this general conception that it is the art of devising methods of research, —the method of methods, — is the true and worthy idea of the science. Logic will not undertake to inform you what kind of experiments you ought to make in order best to determine the acceleration of gravity, or the value of the Ohm; but it will tell you how to proceed to form a plan of experimentation.


The introduction of polarizable heteroatom, such as O, and S, attached peripheral side chains of conjugated moieties such as polyacenes has not been systematically investigated. To study such effects, and to explore semiconductors with both high charge mobility and luminescence properties, we present a comparative systematic study of heteroatom effects on the conduction of organic semiconductors in a representative series of new organic semiconductors based on the blue phenyl-anthracene molecule core. Elucidated by the single-crystal X-ray analysis, thin film XRD and AFM measurements, a correlation between the molecular structure variation, film ordering, and charge mobility has been established. Quantum chemistry calculations combined with the Marcus–Hush electron transfer theory interpret the transport parameters. The anisotropic transport properties of these compounds were suggested by the DFT predictions and the high hole mobility in BEPAnt and BOPAnt is contributed mainly by the parallel packing of these compounds with the highest ∥μh; these results are in good agreement with the experimental observations. Heteroatoms are demonstrated to influence the charge mobility dramatically. Our systematic investigation will provide valuable guidance for a judicious material design of semiconductors for OTFT applications.


This paper shows that there are deeper symmetries within physics than are currently recognised. The use of SI units in their existing form hides that gravity is not the weakest force. The paper shows through symmetry arguments that Planck's constant h and the Gravitational constant G are both dimensionless ratios when dimensional analysis is used at property levels deeper than mass, length and time. The resultant adjustments shown to be needed for SI units produce much simpler sets of units which also solve the issue of why magnetic field H and magnetic inductance B have not previously had the same units. The result shows that gravitational and charge fields have the same strengths when considered in fractional adjusted-Planck values. By showing that h and G are dimensionless, they can be understood to be unit-dependent ratios which can be eliminated from all equations by merging them within new adjusted SI units. The implications are that mass and charge sizes, and distance, are not the properties which separate quantum and classical gravitational systems. The equivalence of gravitational and inertial mass is also shown. The new type of dimensional analysis shows how to uncover any law of nature or universal constant and that the current set of properties of nature is missing two from the set, whose dimensions and units can be inferred.


The study sought to determine if Pentecostals in Uganda were qualified to maintain their status quo as tax exempt organizations considering their vast financial resources. The study also investigated the impact of such exempt status on the principle of equality. Purposive sampling technique was used to draw a sample of 250 and they were categorized into membership structure in four districts (Kampala, Kira, Luwero and Mukono). Descriptive survey design was employed for the study. Also, descriptive and inferential analyses were used. The findings revealed two distinct opinions with regard to taxation of Pentecostals. First, the Pentecostal members indicated that Pentecostals should not be taxed. Second, non-members of Pentecostals opined that they should be taxed. With regard to the principle of equity, the findings also identified two different considerations. First, maintaining the status quo of Pentecostals tax wise was considered as tax inequality between Pentecostals and business organizations in the country. Second, taxation of Pentecostals without taxation of other faith based institutions in the country was also considered as tax inequality. Recommendations were made that the revenue authority should screen all environmental variables in their tax planning process before the derivation of tax policy with regard to taxation of Pentecostals in the country. Also, numbers of other recommendations have been made based on the findings.

 Key words:  Business, pentecostals, public character, taxation, tax equality.


Immunohistochemistry has revolutionized the field of diagnostic pathology in the past fifteen years. Since then, it has been increasingly used as an adjunct to morphological diagnosis. The purpose of this retrospective analysis is to examine the value of this technique in the diagnosis of pediatric neoplasias in our laboratory. Forty eight pediatric cases, collected from January 1998 until May 1999, were reviewed, and classified in one of four categories: confirmed the morphological diagnosis, provided the definite diagnosis from a list of probable diagnoses, contributed by excluding other entities, and non-contributory. Immunohistochemistry confirmed the morphological diagnosis in 29 cases (60.4%), provided the definite diagnosis from a list of probable diagnoses in 13 cases (27.1%), was contributory by exclusion of other entities in 2 cases (4.2%), and was non-contributory in 4 cases (8.3%). In this preliminary study, we conclude that immunohistochemistry is being used in our laboratory mostly as a confirmatory tool for the definitive diagnosis of the lesions and once more exalts the utility of this technology in the field of diagnostic pathology.


This chapter will introduce some of the legal issues affecting women as subjects of law and the legal process. It will explore how 'feminity', 'gender' and 'sexuality' are constructed by law. These concepts are both social and legal cobstructs. There are two consequences of this; the first is that as constructs, they are not fixed and immuntable. Social and legal concepts of what is feminine for example, are not static; they differ from generation to generation, from culture to culture, and within these confines they change and evolve. The second consequence is that, despite these rather obvious statements, English legal culture appears insistent in its belief that there is something fixed and immutable about these concepts. In this respect, legal culture is essentialist in its approach to women as legal subjects. In other words, law seeks the fundamental 'essence'of woman, the 'perfect' woman against whom all other women must be compared to and measured.