1. Activated cell populations can be prepared from in vivo-stimulated tissues or from in vitro-stimulated cultures (e.g., antigen-specific activation or mitogen-induced). For cytokine and chemokine detection, it is critical to include a protein transport inhibitor such as brefeldin A (BioLegend Cat. No.420601) or monensin (BioLegend Cat. No.420701) in the last 4-6 hours of cell culture activation. The cells can be suspended and distributed to 12 x 75 mm plastic tubes or microwell plates for immunofluorescent staining. For details on stimulation methods, please see our stimulation guide for cytokines/chemokines: (www.biolegend.com/media_assets/support_protocol/BioLegend_StimulationGuide_101711.pdf) 2. Different cytokines/chemokines have different production peaks. In order to obtain optimal staining signals, the stimulation conditions for each stimulant need to be optimized. 3. Some antibodies recognizing native cell surface markers may not bind to fixed/denatured antigens. For this reason, it is recommended that staining of cell surface antigens be done with live, unfixed cells PRIOR to fixation/permeabilization and staining of intracellular targets. Altering the procedure such that cells are fixed prior to staining of cell surface antigens requires that paraformaldehyde-denatured antigen reactive antibody clones be empirically identified. You can also take a look at our Fixation Webpage (www.biolegend.com/fixation) to get an idea of how epitopes stain after fixation with 4% PFA. Please note that the ability to stain post-fixation depends on the fluor, antigen expression, and several other factors. To confirm specific anti-cytokine staining, a blocking experiment is recommended in which cells are fixed/permeabilized then preincubated with an excess amount of unlabeled anti-cytokine antibody and/or the recombinant cytokine of interest is preincubated with fluorophore-conjugated anti-cytokine antibody before its addition to the cells.


IZA DP No. 15323 MAY 2022 Grads on the Go: Measuring College-Specific Labor Markets for Graduates* This paper introduces a new measure of the labor markets served by colleges and universities across the United States. About 50 percent of recent college graduates are living and working in the metro area nearest the institution they attended, with this figure climbing to 67 percent in-state. The geographic dispersion of alumni is more than twice as great for highly selective 4-year institutions as for 2-year institutions. However, more than onequarter of 2-year institutions disperse alumni more diversely than the average public 4-year institution. In one application of these data, we find that the average strength of the labor market to which a college sends its graduates predicts college-specific intergenerational economic mobility. In a second application, we quantify the extent of "brain drain" across areas and illustrate the importance of considering migration patterns of college graduates when estimating the social return on public investment in higher education. JEL Classification: I23, I25, J21, J40, J61


The problem of illegal amber mining in the forest areas of Ukrainian Polissya has been in existence for more than 15 years. Primitive mining technologies are causing degradation of large areas of forest lands, destruction of the earth's surface and changes in the water-chemical balance of damaged territory. As a consequence, local communities losing significant forest areas triggering serious economic losses to landowners. Disturbed biotopes require a large-scale reclamation measures. However, local authorities do not have appropriate methods for assessing the losses incurred and suitable measures for planning the scale of remediation operations. The purpose of the study is developing a methodology for detecting measures of the land damage caused by amber mining and providing recommendations on remedial operations to local authorities. Sentinel-2 space images with atmospheric correction class 2A were used to determine the affected area. Numerical data processing was performed using SNAP and ArcGis programs. The proposed methodology is based on the applied vegetation index GEMI, the water index NDWI2 and the composite of short-wave infrared radiation (SWIR2), close infrared (NIR) and green (GREEN) channels. Recommendations for the planning of restoration activities are provided on the basis of research on forest land reclamation methods and existing peer review reports.


Objective
Patients use online consumer ratings to identify high-performing physicians, but it is unclear if ratings are valid measures of clinical performance. We sought to determine whether online ratings of specialist physicians from 5 platforms predict quality of care, value of care, and peer-assessed physician performance.

Materials and Methods
We conducted an observational study of 78 physicians representing 8 medical and surgical specialties. We assessed the association of consumer ratings with specialty-specific performance scores (metrics including adherence to Choosing Wisely measures, 30-day readmissions, length of stay, and adjusted cost of care), primary care physician peer-review scores, and administrator peer-review scores.

Results
Across ratings platforms, multivariable models showed no significant association between mean consumer ratings and specialty-specific performance scores (β-coefficient range, -0.04, 0.04), primary care physician scores (β-coefficient range, -0.01, 0.3), and administrator scores (β-coefficient range, -0.2, 0.1). There was no association between ratings and score subdomains addressing quality or value-based care. Among physicians in the lowest quartile of specialty-specific performance scores, only 5%-32% had consumer ratings in the lowest quartile across platforms. Ratings were consistent across platforms; a physician's score on one platform significantly predicted his/her score on another in 5 of 10 comparisons.

Discussion
Online ratings of specialist physicians do not predict objective measures of quality of care or peer assessment of clinical performance. Scores are consistent across platforms, suggesting that they jointly measure a latent construct that is unrelated to performance.

Conclusion
Online consumer ratings should not be used in isolation to select physicians, given their poor association with clinical performance.


Voluntary intake and apparent digestibility of an artificially dried tropical grass, Cynodon nlemfuensis variety nlemfuensis. was evaluated utilizing Holstein bull calves. Two regrowth ages of grass hays, 30 and 45 days, were fed to two groups of four calves each: 16 and 24 weeks old. The grass hays were analyzed for dry matter and crude protein and for fiber fractions according to Goering and Van Soest. There were no significant differences between means for voluntary intake (g/kg body weight (BW)/day) of the chemical constituents for the four calf-hay groups. However, the trend was for higher intake by the 24-week old calves fed the 30-day hay than by the other three groups. Among the 16- week old calves, there was a higher voluntary intake by those consuming the 45-day hay despite the slightly higher nutritive value of the 30-day hay. When the data were pooled across calf ages, voluntary intake of 30-day hays was greater than for the 45-day ones, although only differences in crude protein intake were significant (P < .05). Pooled across hay ages, voluntary intake by the 24-week old calves was significantly greater (P < .05) than by the 16-week old calves for dry matter and neutral-detergent fiber only, indicating that hay intake was related to reticulo-ruminal capacity. Differences in apparent digestibility were significant (P < .05) only for crude protein with the 24-week old calves fed the 30-day hay, having a greater coefficient of digestibility than the 16- and 24-week old calves fed the 45-day hay. Crude protein digestibility of the 30-day hays (pooled across calf ages) was significantly greater (P < .05) than that of the 45-day hays. Although not significant for all constituents, the values were higher for the 30-day hay than for the 45-day hay (pooled across calf ages) and for the 24- week old calves than for the 16-week old calves (pooled across hay ages).


Larvae of the anurans Rana berlandieri and Xenopus laevis have lungs and can breathe air as well as irrigate buccal and pharyngeal surfaces for aquatic respiration. Larvae of Bufo americanus lack lungs until just before metamorphosis and are obligately aquatic. We examined the relationship between the locomotor stamina (time to fatigue), aquatic oxygen concentration, body size, and respiratory behaviour of swimming larvae of these species, with the following results: Stamina is size-dependent in all three species. Aquatic hypoxia reduces stamina in larvae of all three species, but most conspicuously in Bufo. Breathing air increases stamina in Rana larvae, especially in large animals and under aquatic hypoxia. In contrast to Rana larvae, Xenopus larvae swimming in normoxic water undergo a reduction in stamina when allowed to breathe air. In hypoxic water, aerial respiration moderates the reduction in stamina seen in Xenopus larvae. Branchial irrigation is associated with increased stamina in Xenopus, and is increased under hypoxia and at high swimming velocities. Respiratory demand, buoyancy and the drag associated with branchial irrigation all affect respiratory behaviour in Xenopus larvae. The great amount of interspecific variation in the relationship between respiratory behaviour and stamina reveals the importance of measuring performance directly when attempting to interpret the functional significance of respiratory structures and behaviour.


Due to the discrete nature of words, language GANs require to be optimized from rewards provided by discriminator networks, via reinforcement learning methods. This is a much harder setting than for continuous tasks, which enjoy gradient flows from discriminators to generators, usually leading to dramatic learning instabilities. However, we claim that this can be solved by making discriminator and generator networks cooperate to produce output sequences during training. These cooperative outputs, inherently built to obtain higher discrimination scores, not only provide denser rewards for training, but also form a more compact artificial set for discriminator training, hence improving its accuracy and stability. In this paper, we show that our SelfGAN framework, built on this cooperative principle, outperforms Teacher Forcing and obtains state-of-the-art results on two challenging tasks, Summarization and Question Generation.


Droplets with predefined sizes have been controllably produced at the tip of a micro-capillary immersed in an external fluid while tracking the high Q-factor whispering gallery modes (WGM). The modes were fitted to a model to give precise real-time size measurement, which was used as a feedback to control the pressure in the capillary and the release of the droplet from the capillary when it reached the target size. In this way a dispersion of highly monodisperse droplets anywhere in the size range from 5 μm to 50 μm were produced. To fabricate solid beads, the droplets were made from a liquid photopolymer and were later polymerized with UV light. The polymerized beads showed long term stability. The diameter of the generated oil droplets and polymerized microbeads could be reproduced with a standard deviation of 1.1 nm and 20 nm, respectively. Overall, the demonstrated method improves the size precision by three and two orders of magnitude for microdroplets and microbeads, respectively, compared to standard production methods such as reported in microfluidics. Encoding of short words and numbers has been demonstrated by producing three beads with predefined sizes. The stored information has been read from the emitted spectrum.


The divergence of the theory and practice of vocal tract length normalization (VTLN) is addressed, with particular emphasis on the role of the Jacobian determinant. VTLN is placed in a Bayesian setting, which brings in the concept of a prior on the warping factor. The form of the prior, together with acoustic scaling and numerical conditioning are then discussed and evaluated. It is concluded that the Jacobian determinant is important in VTLN, especially for the high dimensional features used in HMM based speech synthesis, and difficulties normally associated with the Jacobian determinant can be attributed to prior and scaling.


These works were made for the exhibition titled Chemins Croises, an invitational exhibition of 35 international applied artists who represent the period of directorship of Anne Leclercq at the World Crafts Council. The artists are sleeted as those who have influenced craft as a filed of practice over this period and who have shaped the nature of their medium. These works therefore reflect both the puzzlement of time and the progress as a mapping of human endeavour. The works assemble as narrative tableau aspects of individual practice which comment on the composite whole. they locate human endeavour in the hands of the maker and tied to material.


The timing of initiation of continent-continent collision between Asia and India is controversial, but this major tectonic event is generally thought to have occurred in the Early Eocene, ca. 50 Ma. New and independent data from strontium isotopes, stable carbon isotopes, microfossil biostratigraphy, and mammal fossils from an Early Eocene marginal marine sequence (Cambay Shale) at the Vastan Lignite Mine of western India indicate that terrestrial faunal exchanges, and therefore continental collision, between Asia and the Indian subcontinent took place before 53.7 Ma. This age coincides with the second Eocene Thermal Maximum (ETM2), a short-lived warming episode that followed the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) ca. 55.5 Ma. Our data also document, for the first time, a clear record of the ETM2 in terrestrial organic material from a low-latitude site, which is represented by a 3‰−4‰ carbon isotope excursion (CIE) in lignite and dispersed organic carbon δ13C values. The magnitude of the CIE at this location closely matches that observed in marine cores from the Arctic Ocean, which supports an interpretation that this hyperthermal event, though of lower magnitude, was similar in character to that of the PETM, being a global phenomenon that affected both terrestrial and marine ecosystems.


The Mondrian process (MP) produces hierarchical partitions on a product space as a kd-tree, which can be served as a flexible yet parsimonious partition prior for relational modeling. Due to the recursive generation of partitions and varying dimensionality of the partition state space, the inference procedure for the MP relational modeling is extremely difficult. The prevalent inference method reversible-jump MCMC for this problem requires a number of unnecessary retrospective steps to transit from one partition state to a very similar one and it is prone to fall into a local optimum. In this paper, we attempt to circumvent these drawbacks by proposing an alternative method for inferring the MP partition structure. Based on the observation that similar cutting rate measures on the partition space lead to similar partition layouts, we propose to impose a nonhomogeneous cutting rate measure on the partition space to control the layouts of the generated partitions - the original MCMC sampling problem is thus transformed into a Bayesian global optimization problem. The empirical tests demonstrate that Bayesian optimization is able to find better partition structures than MCMC sampling with the same number of partition structure proposals.


Understanding the distribution patterns of antibiotics at the site of infection is paramount to selecting adequate drug regimens and developing new antibiotics. Tuberculosis (TB) lung lesions are made of various immune cell types, some of which harbor persistent forms of the pathogen, Mycobacterium tuberculosis. By combining high resolution MALDI MSI with histology staining and quantitative image analysis in rabbits with active TB, we have mapped the distribution of a fluoroquinolone at high resolution, and identified the immune-pathological factors driving its heterogeneous penetration within TB lesions, in relation to where bacteria reside. We find that macrophage content, distance from lesion border and extent of necrosis drive the uneven fluoroquinolone penetration. Preferential uptake in macrophages and foamy macrophages, where persistent bacilli reside, compared to other immune cells present in TB granulomas, was recapitulated in vitro using primary human cells. A nonlinear modeling approach was developed to help predict the observed drug behavior in TB lesions. This work constitutes a methodological advance for the co-localization of drugs and infectious agents at high spatial resolution in diseased tissues, which can be applied to other diseases with complex immunopathology.


The reactivity of perfluoroarenes and hetarenes towards SNAr reactions was studied as part of a synthetic programme to form an assembly of novel heterocyclic aromatic compounds for material and pharmaceutical applications. In chapter 1 the chemistry of perfluoroarenes is reviewed together with the use of conjugated compounds in organo-electronic applications. In chapter 2 the successful replacement of the remaining fluorine atoms in 6,12-difluorobenzo[1,2-b:4,5-b']bis[b]benzothiophene through SNAr reaction with long chain alkoxy and alkylthio nucleophiles is reported. An X-ray crystallographic investigation into their solid state packing was undertaken which would provide useful information for organoelectronic applications. Reactions with nitrogen and carbon based nucleophiles were also studied but met with little success. In chapter 3, alternative methods for the reductive cyclization of aryl and 2-bromoaryl perfluoroethers and sulfides to replace the currently used lithium-bromine exchange were explored, namely the use of radical cyclizations, palladium, magnesium, copper and Rieke metals. Some success was found using magnesium as a reagent although yields were low. Attempts to effect cyclisation reactions by ortho-lithiation and Ullmann coupling reaction with fluoroarenes is also reported. In chapter 4 attempts to generate alternative ring fusion in annulation reactions to form fused benzothiophenes by a dianion strategy are described. Development of methods to synthesise helicene or curved polycyclic structures from dibenzothiophene precursors is reported. In chapter 5 the synthesis of nitrogen containing fluorinated compounds with potential bioactivity is described. A series of novel amino substituted fluoroaromatics were successfully synthesised by adding different nitrogen based nucleophiles to pentafluoropyridine. Smiles rearrangement of a tetrafluoropyridyl sulphonamide was found to occur. A number of fluoropyridyl aniline derivatives were successfully synthesised some of which were submitted for biological screening. Substitution reactions of bis-nucleophiles bearing two heteroatom groups to form fused six membered rings were also studied. A Smiles rearrangement was identified in the reaction with an aminobenzenethiolate and confirmed by X-ray crystallography. Experimental procedures are given in chapter 6 as well as characterisation and crystallographic data of molecules synthesised during the research.


We propose a global optimization framework for 3D shape reconstruction from sparse noisy 3D measurements frequently encountered in range scanning, sparse feature-based stereo, and shape-from-X. In contrast to earlier local or banded optimization methods for shape fitting, we compute global optimum in the whole volume removing dependence on initial guess and sensitivity to numerous local minima. Our global method is based on two main ideas. First, we suggest a new regularization functional with a data alignment term that maximizes the number of (weakly-oriented) data points contained by a surface while allowing for some measurement errors. Second, we propose a touch-expand algorithm for finding a minimum cut on a huge 3D grid using an automatically adjusted band. This overcomes prohibitively high memory cost of graph cuts when computing globally optimal surfaces at high-resolution. Our results for sparse or incomplete 3D data from laser scanning and passive multi-view stereo are robust to noise, outliers, missing parts, and varying sampling density.


This study aims to determine the effect of learning center of natural materials/science on  creativity development of groub B children in RA Salafiyah Syafi'iyah Klinterejo Sooko Mojokerto. In this study data obtained in the form of ordinal data and not normally distributed, So statistical analysis used is non-parametic statistic. Non parametic statistical test used is wilcoxon pairs test. Based on data analysis, it is known that the value of Zhitung  obtained is 4,24 (price (-) is not taken into account because the price is absolute). The next step, giving interpretation to Zhitung  by first looking for Ztabel price by consulting with the level of sigtifikansi equal to 0,025 so that obtained by Ztabel price equal to 1,96. If Zhitung > Ztabel then the null hypothesis is rijected, otherwise if Zhitung Ztabel (4,24 > 1,96) then null hypothesis (H0) is rejected. This means that the application of learning centers of nature/science has an influence on creativity in children.


Avalanche danger levels are described in qualitative terms that mostly are not amenable to measurements or observations. However, estimating and improving forecast consistency and accuracy require descriptors that can be observed or measured. Therefore, we aim to characterize the avalanche danger levels based on expert field observations of snow instability. We analyzed 589 field observations by experienced researchers and forecasters recorded mostly in the region of Davos (Switzerland) during 18 winter seasons (2001–2002 to 2018–2019). The data include a snow profile with a stability test (rutschblock, RB) and observations on snow surface quality, drifting snow, signs of instability and avalanche activity. In addition, observers provided their estimate of the local avalanche danger level. A snow stability class (very poor, poor, fair, good, very good) was assigned to each profile based on RB score, RB release type and snowpack characteristics. First, we describe some of the key snowpack characteristics of the data set. In most cases, the failure layer included persistent grain types even after a recent snowfall. We then related snow instability data to the local avalanche danger level. For the danger levels 1–Low to 4–High, we derived typical stability distributions. The proportions of profiles rated poor and very poor clearly increased with increasing danger level. For our data set, the proportions were 5 %, 13 %, 49 % and 63 % for the danger levels 1–Low to 4–High, respectively. Furthermore, we related the local avalanche danger level to the occurrence of signs of instability such as whumpfs, shooting cracks and recent avalanches. The absence of signs of instability was most closely related to 1–Low and the presence of them to 3–Considerable. Adding the snow stability class and the 3 d sum of new snow depth improved the discrimination between the lower three danger levels. Still, 2–Moderate was not well described. Nevertheless, we propose some typical situations that approximately characterize each of the danger levels. Obviously, there is no single easily observable set of parameters that would allow us to fully characterize the avalanche danger levels. One reason for this shortcoming is the fact that the snow instability data we analyzed usually lack information on spatial frequency, which is needed to reliably assess the danger level.


In Honored by the Glory of Islam Marc David Baer proposes a novel approach to the historical record of Islamic conversions during the Ottoman age and gathers fresh insights concerning the nature of religious conversion itself. Rejecting any attempt to explain Ottoman Islamization in terms of the converts' motives, Baer instead concentrates on the proselytizers - in this case, none other than the sultan himself. Mehmed IV (1648-87) is remembered as an aloof ruler whose ineffectual governing led to the disastrous siege of Vienna. Through an integrated reading of previously unexamined Ottoman archival and literary texts, Baer reexamines Mehmed IV's failings as a ruler by underscoring the sultan's zeal for bringing converts to Islam. As an expression of his rededication to Islam, Mehmed IV actively sought to establish his reputation as a convert-maker, convincing or coercing Christian and Jewish subjects to be "honored by the glory of Islam," and Muslim subjects to turn to Islamic piety. Revising the conventional portrayal of a ruler so distracted by his passion for hunting that he neglected affairs of state, Baer shows that Mehmed IV saw his religious involvement as central to his role as sultan. He traces an ever-widening range of reform, conversion, and conquest expanding outward from the heart of Mehmed IV's empire. This account is the first to correlate the conversion of people and space in the mature Ottoman Empire, to investigate conversion from the perspective of changing Ottoman ideology, and to depict the sultan as an interventionist convert maker. The resulting insights promise to rework our understandings of the reign of a forgotten ruler, a largely neglected period in Ottoman history, the changing nature of Islam and its history in Europe, relations between Muslims, Christians, and Jews in Europe, the practice of Jihad, and religious architecture in urban history.


The endpoint stiffness, i.e., stiffness displayed by the wrist amid perturbations to the arm, has been used to assess the mechanical stability of the arm posture. The aim of this study is to develop an algorithm to optimally realize a desired end-point stiffness by minimizing muscle forces. The neuro-muscular behavior of the human arm during posture maintenance tasks is approximated by a two-link eight-muscle arm model. The model parameters reflect physiological data taken from published literature. The endpoint stiffness is shown to be a linear function of muscle activations. It is shown that the problem to minimize muscle activations while satisfying torque constraint at the joints can be solved by using non-negative least-squares method. Alternatively, linear programming can be used for this purpose. The biomechanical model is used to demonstrate how endpoint stiffness of desired magnitude, orientation, and eccentricity can be synthesized by activating arm muscles with minimal energy expenditure. Our simulation results suggest that bi-articular muscles play a major role in developing the desired endpoint stiffness. The model can be scaled up to three-dimensions by adding muscle groups.


We explored whether 15N concentration could be predicted from reflectance spectra of fresh leaves, and, if so, whether the spectral features were related to the 15N concentration on a canopy scale. Leaf scale reflectance (R) measurements were conducted in Ghanzi, Botswana using a spectrophotometer in March 2005 and canopy scale leaf R was measured in a series of successional fields in Northern Virginia, USA using the same instrument in September 2005. Results showed that there was a strong correlation between foliar 15N concentration and spectral data in both visible and near‐infrared wavelength regions. Stepwise regressions showed that the first‐difference of the log1/R [(log 1/R)′] could explain 76 to 92% of the variation in foliar δ15N, providing the most reliable correlations with foliar 15N at bands near 600 and 700 nm. The present study indicates the possibility of estimating fresh leaf 15N abundance from high‐resolution reflectance at leaf and canopy levels.


In this study, we developed a prototype system that helps students practice speaking English. When students speak English, they may have difficulty expressing their intentions in real time, even when they know the correct words and phrases. To think of the correct English terms smoothly, it is important that students use the language knowledge they have acquired. By using probable linguistic situations, our system attempts to check and provide information about the words and phrases learners can use. We conducted an experiment with 105 first-year Japanese university students to investigate the following research questions: (1) Does the prototype system run properly, provide questions, and save the log data as expected?; (2) When we check the learners' answers in real time, how many evaluation items and evaluation levels are appropriate?; and (3) How should we display the results of the evaluation to ensure visual comprehension? Concerning the first question, the results of the experiment show that the system runs properly and saves the log data. For the second question, the results suggest that a few evaluation items and a few evaluation levels are preferable for checking the learners' answers in real time. Results for the third question suggest that a color-coded table could help visually interpret the learners' results. In this table, English sentences grouping probable linguistic situations are classified according to the percentage of the correct answers, such as less than 50%, 50–80%, and more than 80%.


In Japan, the 'earthquake-resistant pipe ratio' and the 'amount of stored water for emergency' have been used to evaluate the anti-earthquake performance of water supply facilities. In the past, however, those evaluations were made mainly from the viewpoint of the supplier, and evaluations from the customer9s (citizen9s) viewpoint have been insufficient. For simpler explanations to customers, the evaluation model based on 'living conditions,' related to emergency water use in the restoration period, has been established and a verification study has been conducted using an analysis model for evaluating the effect of various seismic upgrade measures adopted in Kobe City. Verification results show that the seismic improvement measures would produce a shorter restoration period compared with the time for the 1995 Great Hanshin–Awaji earthquake and that a greater amount of water would be available in the restoration period, leading to wider and more frequent use of water by citizens.


Experimental one-dimensional intensity and phase images of thick (>200 nm) oxide lines on silicon are presented together with profiles predicted from the waveguide model. Experimental results were obtained with a purpose-built Linnik interference microscope that makes use of phase-shifting interferometry for interferogram analysis. Profiles have been obtained for both TE and TM polarizations for a wide range of focal positions and in both bright-field [type 1(a)] scanning and confocal modes of microscope operation. The results show extremely good agreement despite several simplifying assumptions incorporated into the theoretical model to reduce computing times.


Conventional approaches to radiologic response assessment are inadequate for early therapy response assessment (ETRA) of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), as they rely on slowly changing measures of therapeutic effect, e.g., changes in tumor size or in contrast enhancement on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Positron emission tomography (PET) imaging of GBM glucose metabolism using 2-[18F]fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose ([18F]FDG) has exhibited some success in diagnostic imaging of GBM; however, false-positive uptake caused by inflammation at the tumor site as well as high background uptake in uninvolved brain tissue limits its use for ETRA.

2-(5-[18F]fluoro-pentyl)-2-methylmalonic acid ([18F]ML-10) has recently been proposed as a PET radiotracer for imaging apoptosis. Molecular imaging of apoptosis is an attractive approach to ETRA of GBM, as it would provide a direct measure of therapeutic effect and a framework within which to interpret and compare efficacies of competing therapies. Previous studies have demonstrated the safety and bioavailability of [18F]ML-10 in healthy humans. However, the pharmacokinetic (PK) properties of [18F]ML-10 have not been evaluated.

This dissertation examines the PK properties of [18F]ML-10 in a cohort of human subjects receiving treatment for GBM. [18F]ML-10 time-course in GBM was studied on a whole tumor and voxelwise level. [18F]ML-10 uptake was modeled as the response of a linear system using the radiotracer concentration in blood (measured from the PET image) as the input function (IF). In the whole tumor analysis, candidate models for the IF and GBM impulse response function (IRF) were fit simultaneously using a maximum likelihood approach. The relative merits of the joint IF/IRF models were compared using the Akaike information criterion and model parameter estimability considerations. Spectral analysis was performed to support model selection and provide alternative estimates of standard PK uptake measures. The selected IF/IRF models were further interpreted through tissue compartmental modeling. Standard PK measures of radiotracer uptake derived from models were evaluated for their utility in ETRA for a limited number of subjects. Finally, GBM heterogeneity in response to therapy was evaluated through a voxelwise analysis of [18F]ML-10 uptake. Comparison was made between [18F]ML-10 uptake at an ETRA time-point and later change in tumor cellularity measured using diffusion weighted MRI.


In disordered porous media, two-phase flow of immiscible fluids (biphasic flow) is organized in patterns that sometimes exhibit fractal geometries over a range of length scales, depending on the capillary, gravitational and viscous forces at play. These forces, as well as the boundary conditions, also determine whether the flow leads to the appearance of fingering pathways, i.e., unstable flow, or not. We present here a short review of these aspects, focusing on drainage and summarizing when these flows are expected to be stable or not, what fractal dimensions can be expected, and in which range of scales. We base our review on experimental studies performed in two-dimensional Hele-Shaw cells, or addressing three dimensional porous media by use of several imaging techniques. We first present configurations in which solely capillary forces and gravity play a role. Next, we review configurations in which capillarity and viscosity are the main forces at play. Eventually, we examine how the microscopic geometry of the fluid clusters affects the macroscopic transport properties. An example of such an upscaling is illustrated in detail: For air invasion in a mono-layer glass-bead cell, the fractal dimension of the flow structures and the associated scale-ranges, are shown to depend on the displacement velocity. This controls the relationship between saturation and the pressure difference between the two phases at the macroscopic scale. We provide in this case expressions for dynamic capillary pressure and residual fluid phase saturations.


Basalt fiber is one of the best reinforcing materials and satisfies all the needs of a composite material. Flax is predominately used natural fiber which has better mechanical and sudden load shock-absorbing properties. The general-purpose polyester resin in one an excellent binding agent which equally distributes the load along the direction of applications. To understand the mechanical properties of the natural and synthetic fiber of these flax/basalt fiber combinations is essential to reduce the usage of synthetic fibers. In this paper, the maximum tensile strength was found on the combination of pure 10 layers of basalt and it was about 185MPa. The maximum flexural strength absorption was seen in the combination of 10 layers of basalt fiber composite about 190MPa. The maximum impact energy was absorbed by composite D, the alternative layers of basalt and flax fiber composite. SEM analysis shows with matrix cracking, and fiber twist was seen, this is because of the improper mixing of the fiber and matrix shows this type of internal failure, the fiber pulls out and blow holes in between the fiber and matrix also seen in the composites.


Using the optical coherence tomography (OCT) images, the optical attenuation
 coefficients (μt) of human Laogong acupoint and non-acupoint tissues are measured
 after empty irradiation and 808-nm 100-mW irradiation for 10 min in vivo
 non-invasively. The results show that there is no significant difference of μt of
 Laogong acupoint and non-acupoint tissues after empty irradiation. However, there
 are significant differences of μt between Laogong acupoint and non-acupoint tissues
 after laser irradiation at the power of 100 mW (statistical definition of
 probability p < 0.01). The results of the pilot study indicate that the OCT
 could distinguish the acupoint from the surrounding tissues after irradiation with
 laser in vivo non-invasively.


Although a fairly large body of literature generally exists on the subject of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), there is observably scant empirical evidence emanating from countries in sub-Saharan Africa, like Nigeria, that have become most vulnerable to ecological degradation problems as a result of increased environment-related business activities. This study seeks to contribute to closure of this gap with its examination of the effect of corporate social responsibility activities on the financial performance of firms operating in some of the industries that have the greatest impact on the environment in Nigeria. Using an inferential research design, a cross-sectional study was carried out to test the effect of CSR, represented by the cost of Corporate Social Performance variables of waste management, pollution abatement, social action and fines and penalties on the financial performance of firms, measured by Return on Capital Employed. It was found that waste management and pollution abatement are both significantly and positively associated with firm performance, while social action and fines and penalties are strongly, but negatively related. Based on these mixed results, we recommend that firms should actively invest in proper waste management and pollution abatement, while social action should be approached with caution, and effective disclosure policies and practices put in place in order to avoid or eliminate liabilities of fines and penalties for environmental infractions. The study indicates scope for a wider coverage of firms and use of longitudinal data for measuring the CSR effects over an extended period of time.


P2P data management systems provide a scalable alternative to centralized architectures. Their adoption, however, is limited by the lack of possibility to control the access on the resources stored in the system. We address the problem of access control for structured P2P systems and introduce various techniques to realize controlled access to the resources. We focus mainly on the case of non-mutable data objects, and however, some of the techniques introduced can handle the case of mutable objects straight away. In particular, we are interested to realize access control when the P2P data management system is used in a collaborative use case scenario. We explore the solution space elaborately and present solution approaches which realize the planned systems by either constructing independent networks or enforcing the access control at querying time or at replying time.


Hands-on guidance to creating great test-driven development practiceTest-driven development (TDD) practice helps developers recognize a well-designed application, and encourages writing a test before writing the functionality that needs to be implemented. This hands-on guide provides invaluable insight for creating successful test-driven development processes. With source code and examples featured in both C# and .NET, the book walks you through the TDD methodology and shows how it is applied to a real-world application. Youll witness the application built from scratch and details each step that is involved in the development, as well as any problems that were encountered and the solutions that were applied.Clarifies the motivation behind test-driven development (TDD), what it is, and how it worksReviews the various steps involved in developing an application and the testing that is involved prior to implementing the functionalityDiscusses unit testing and refactoringProfessional Test-Driven Development with C# shows you how to create great TDD processes right away.


Learn to take full advantage of search and social media for B2B marketingBusiness-to-business marketers have been slow to enter the online marketing arena, but now that the impact of search and social media marketing in the consumer marketplace is clearly documented, B2B marketers are ready for a complete guide to making the most of the medium. Written by experts with first-hand knowledge of the field, this book clearly explains how to leverage today's search engine marketing and social media technologies to get, nurture, and convert leads. Topics include strategy, branding, monitoring, resource allocation, and much more.B2B marketers need detailed, practical guidelines and strategies for how best to gain, nurture, and convert leads using today's Internet technologies and strategiesThis ultimate how-to guide examines strategic and branding considerations, search engine optimization techniques, and how to maximize the impact of banner ads and landing pagesExplains how to use social media listening and monitoring tools, how to engage visitors, and how to allocate resources to ensure successCovers measuring results, improving web site usability, using metrics, and nurturing leadsSkilled B2B marketers who are ready to take advantage of all that online marketing has to offer will find this guide provides exactly the know-how they need.


Syria's Quest for Independence, 1939-1945, by Salma Mardam Bey. Reading, UK Ithaca Press, 1994. xxxii + 227 pages. Append. to p. 232. Bibl. to p. 235. Index to p. 242. $55. Reviewed by Philip S. Khoury Scholarship on Syria during the Second World War has focused principally on Anglo-French wartime relations and rivalries.(1) It has paid some attention to the activities of the Syrian and Lebanese independence movements, but only as secondary phenomena or an afterthought. There is no satisfying history, told from the Syrian perspective, of how Syria achieved independence during World War II.(2) Salma Mardam Bey has attempted to fill this void. Her history is idiosyncratic because it is based in large measure on the unpublished correspondence and memoranda of her father, the late Jamil Mardam Bey, a leading Syrian nationalist politician of the French mandate era. Although she also uses British and French archival material and the published memoirs of some of the main British and French political actors, her narrative stresses the role her father played in the events of that period. Jamil Mardam Bey was a major actor in Syrian politics during the first half of the 20th century. He was the Syrian nationalist most engaged in daily diplomacy with Free French officials--including General Charles de Gaulle and General Georges Catroux (Commander-in-Chief of the Free French in the Levant)--and the nationalist the French most respected. This was because he was fundamentally moderate in his views and spoke excellent French. In many ways, Mardam Bey was the model Syrian politician of the period. He hailed from a prominent Damascene family of absentee landlords and was educated in Paris. During World War I he joined the secret Arab nationalist society, al-Fatat. He participated in the Syrian Revolt of 1925-27, and was a founder of the most important inter-war Syrian nationalist organization (the National Bloc). In the late 1930s he served as Syria's first nationalist prime minister, and when Syria became independent at the end of World War II he became its first foreign minister. Although he continued to be politically active in the years after independence, he earned his reputation in the pre-independence era. Syria's Quest for Independence begins with an article Jamil Mardam Bey wrote in 1939, just after the French High Commissioner had suspended the Syrian constitution and dismissed parliament. Mardam Bey himself had resigned as prime minister a few months earlier. He had been roundly criticized by other nationalists for making unfavorable concessions to the French in an attempt to get them to sign the independence treaty he had helped to negotiate in 1936. Mardam Bey's article is a subtle defense of his own actions cast in the light of French equivocation over the rights of Syria to national self-determination. The rest of the book is mainly about Mardam Bey's wartime efforts, in and out of government, to negotiate Syria's independence from France without first having to sign a treaty. The author reveals much interesting information about Syrian, or at least about Mardam Bey's, perceptions of Britain's military and diplomatic presence in Syria during the war, and, in particular, about the controversial role of Edward Spears, who was Winston Churchill's representative in the Levant. …


Imagine a group of prehistoric hunters armed with stone-tipped spears. Their primitive weapons made hunting large animals, such as mammoths, dangerous work. Over time, however, a new breed of hunters developed. They would stretch the skin of a previously killed mammoth on the wall and throw their spears, while observing which spear, thrown from which angle and distance, penetrated the skin the best. The data gathered helped them make better spears and develop better hunting strategies. Quality data is the key to any advancement, whether it is from the Stone Age to the Bronze Age. Or from the Information Age to whatever Age comes next. The success of corporations and government institutions largely depends on the efficiency with which they can collect, organize, and utilize data about products, customers, competitors, and employees. Fortunately, improving your data quality does not have to be such a mammoth task. DATA QUALITY ASSESSMENT is a must read for anyone who needs to understand, correct, or prevent data quality issues in their organization. Skipping theory and focusing purely on what is practical and what works, this text contains a proven approach to identifying, warehousing, and analyzing data errors. Master techniques in data profiling and gathering metadata, designing data quality rules, organizing rule and error catalogues, and constructing the dimensional data quality scorecard. David Wells, Director of Education of the Data Warehousing Institute, says "This is one of those books that marks a milestone in the evolution of a discipline. Arkady's insights and techniques fuel the transition of data quality management from art to science -- from crafting to engineering. From deep experience, with thoughtful structure, and with engaging style Arkady brings the discipline of data quality to practitioners."


Under constant attack from an ever-evolving array of pathogens, the multilayered plant immune system provides a broad-spectrum resistance that is the result of millions of years of coevolution of plants and microorganisms. Driving the arms race for survival is the continual diversification of defence and attack mechanisms. This process can be rapidly and efficiently achieved by posttranslational modifications (PTMs). Phosphorylation and ubiquitination are important PTMs involved in plant immune signalling that are exploited by pathogens and plants alike. Identified connections between the two PTMs have been shown to either positively or negatively regulate each other, affecting the activity of a growing number of immune proteins. In various instances, this crosstalk has been shown to link the two alleged levels of innate plant immunity: PAMP-triggered immunity (PTI) and effector-triggered immunity (ETI). Understanding how this occurs will lead us to unravel the web that is the plant immune signalling interactome.

Key Concepts

Natural selection drives the diversification of pathogen virulence and plant resistance mechanisms.
Posttranslational modifications are essential for providing rapid and efficient diversification of defence and attack proteins.
Phosphorylation and ubiquitination are important posttranslational modifications involved in plant immune signalling.
Crosstalk between ubiquitination and phosphorylation regulates plant immune signalling.
Crosstalk between ubiquitination and phosphorylation can link different levels of the plant immune system.

Keywords:

plant innate immunity;
posttranslational modification;
phosphorylation;
ubiquitination;
crosstalk;
signalling;
plant pathology


Soil maps are essential resources to soil scientists and researchers in any fields related to soil, land use, species conservation, hunger reduction, social development, etc. However, creating detailed soil maps is an expensive and time consuming task that most developing nations cannot afford. In recent years, there has been a significant shift towards digital representation of soil maps and environmental variables that has created the field of predictive soil mapping (PSM), where statistical analysis is used to create predictive models of soil properties. PSM requires less human intervention than traditional soil mapping techniques, and relies more on computers to create models and predict properties. However, because most of the funds for soil research come from developed nations, the research in this field has mostly focused in temperate zones where these nations are located. The areas of the world with more needs in terms of hunger and poverty are mostly located in the tropics, and require different statistical models because of the unique characteristics of their weather and environment. This paper reports on collaborative work with a group of soil scientists from the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) and a group of computer scientists from Carnegie Mellon University to develop statistical soil models for Honduras. The reported work leverages the knowledge of the soil science and computer science communities, and creates a model that contributes to the state of the art for PSM. social


Abstract Background This ongoing trial is investigating the safety and efficacy of combining the therapeutic cancer vaccine UV1 with the anti-PD-1 mAb pembrolizumab. UV1 is a peptide-based vaccine directed against telomerase, an essential enzyme for unlimited cell-division and a hallmark of cancer. Due to its selective expression, telomerase serves as a unique cancer antigen. UV1 consists of 3 long peptides (15-30 aa) representing fragments of the reverse transcriptase subunit of telomerase (hTERT). The peptides contain both CD4 and CD8 epitopes and are shown to be immunogenic in 78% of HLA unselected patients across different cancer types. UV1 induces hTERT-specific tumor-reactive T cells, and has the potential to induce epitope spreading. UV1 can increase the efficacy of checkpoint inhibitors in patients with insufficient numbers of T cells spontaneously primed by tumor antigens. Reciprocally, the efficacy of UV1 may be enhanced by checkpoint inhibitors, since the effector activity of UV1-induced T cells will be restricted by intrinsic and tumor-induced suppressor mechanisms. UV1 and pembrolizumab thus have the potential to produce synergistic immunological activity which may provide increased clinical benefit as compared to pembrolizumab alone. Trial design The ongoing phase I, open-label, multicenter study is planned to include 20 patients with untreated unresectable or metastatic melanoma. UV1 (300 μg) with GM-CSF (37,5 μg) as adjuvant is administered intradermally for a total of 8 doses, 3 doses during week 1, and one dose during week 2, 3, 8, 11 and 14. Pembrolizumab is administered every third week starting week 2 for up to two years or until progressive disease. Patients are followed for up to 2 years after the first UV1 dose. The primary objective of the study is to evaluate the safety and tolerability of the UV1 and pembrolizumab therapy. Secondary objectives are UV1 vaccine-specific immune responses and evaluation of tumor response (RECIST). Samples of blood, feces, and tumor tissue are collected for translational research purposes. Clinical trial identification NCT03538314. Legal entity responsible for the study Ultimovacs AS. Funding Ultimovacs AS. Disclosure Y. Zakharia: Advisory / Consultancy: Amegen; Advisory / Consultancy: Roche Diagnostics; Advisory / Consultancy: Novartis; Advisory / Consultancy: JNJ; Advisory / Consultancy: Eisai; Advisory / Consultancy: Exelixis; Advisory / Consultancy: Castle Bioscience; Advisory / Consultancy: Pfizer; Advisory / Consultancy: Bayer; Advisory / Consultancy: Array. All other authors have declared no conflicts of interest.


Contrary to the suggestion that swarming can be used as an antipredation defense in zooplankton, the individual risk of a planktonic prey (Daphnia) increased rather than decreased with prey density up to 20–30 individuals L−1, suggesting that planktivorous fish (roach [Rutilus rutilus L.]) preferentially feed where prey is more abundant, and confirming that planktonic prey may use both high‐ and low‐density antipredation refuges at densities greater than 30 and lower than 20 individuals L−1, respectively. This was revealed in experiments conducted in a system of interconnected 1 m3 tanks with patchy Daphnia distribution, where fish were allowed to feed from dusk to dawn. The decline in Daphnia density was most dramatic in the tank with the highest prey abundance (reduction of up to 90%) as a result of a sigmoidal functional response (in capture rate of individual fish) combined with the rapid relocation of fish to where Daphnia were most plentiful. Adult Daphnia were depleted more rapidly than juveniles, this being most apparent in tanks with a low prey density, where the fish cruising speed doubled, hence the energy gain from small‐bodied prey was probably insufficient to cover the cost of post‐capture accelerations. A compartmental size‐structured population model, which accounts for a predator's numerical response in space and optimization of foraging strategy, predicts less‐selective low‐speed harvesting at higher prey abundance, and high‐speed searching at lower prey abundance, where the predator moves more rapidly in search of aggregations, but the increased cost of post‐capture accelerations leads to lower value juveniles being ignored.


Introducing the Boost libraries: the next breakthrough in C++ programmingBoost takes you far beyond the C++ Standard Library, making C++ programming more elegant, robust, and productive. Now, for the first time, a leading Boost expert systematically introduces the broad set of Boost libraries and teaches best practices for their use.Writing for intermediate-to-advanced C++ developers, Bjorn Karlsson briefly outlines all 58 Boost libraries, and then presents comprehensive coverage of 12 libraries you're likely to find especially useful. Karlsson's topics range from smart pointers and conversions to containers and data structures, explaining exactly how using each library can improve your code. He offers detailed coverage of higher-order function objects that enable you to write code that is more concise, expressive, and readable. He even takes you "behind the scenes" with Boost, revealing tools and techniques for creating your own generic libraries.Coverage includes Smart pointers that provide automatic lifetime management of objects and simplify resource sharing Consistent, best-practice solutions for performing type conversions and lexical conversions Utility classes that make programming simpler and clearer Flexible container libraries that solve common problems not covered by the C++ Standard Library Powerful support for regular expressions with Boost.Regex Function objects defined at the call site with Boost.Bind and Boost.Lambda More flexible callbacks with Boost.Function Managed signals and slots (a.k.a. the Observer pattern) with Boost.SignalsThe Boost libraries are proving so useful that many of them are planned for inclusion in the next version of the C++ Standard Library. Get your head start now, with Beyond the C++ Standard Library.© Copyright Pearson Education. All rights reserved.


This study explores the internationalisation of higher education institutions in the UK. First, the varying meanings and interpretations of internationalisation are examined, along with its relationship to terms such as globalisation and internationalism. The concept of "integrated internationalism" is introduced. Variations in institutional rationales for internationalisation, and the influence of national attitudes, are explored. The empirical research project then offers a snapshot of institutional internationalisation in the UK in 2005. It explores, via a predominantly qualitative, mixed methods approach, variations in interpretation and focus among UK HEIs. Institutional motivations are probed via a national survey, revealing that economic and prestigeorientated rationales tend to dominate, with social and academic rationales playing a lesser role. A subsequent comparison across three institutional case studies yields insights into the ways in which the ethos of internationalism is integrated with institutional mission and how the latter affects an institution's international priorities. Through interviews and documentary analysis, both public and private faces of the institutions are illuminated, resulting in three distinctly different profiles. Common and contrasting themes are drawn out, reflecting some of the nuances of mission and values. From these are derived some recommendations and questions for consideration by leaders, policymakers and practitioners in institutions which are serious about internationalisation. A practical tool is proposed, which has the potential to help institutions interrogate their motivations for internationalisation as a prelude to strategy development. In light of the research, a revised interpretation of "integrated internationalism" is also suggested. The thesis concludes with a summary of my own personal development during the course of the DBA, which prefaces an update on recent, significant national developments related to internationalisation and a justification of the continued validity and relevance of the findings of this study.


Direct growth of hierarchical micro/nanostructured metal arrays on a 3D substrate is a powerful tool to enhance the catalytic efficiency of metal particles towards a wide range of substrates. In this contribution, we demonstrate a novel and versatile method for growing anisotropic microstructures directly onto a 3D carbon paper electrode, using Au, Pd and Pt nanoparticles as elementary building blocks. It was determined that halides play a crucial role in the morphology of synthesized Au particles, leading to either complex flower-like rough surfaces (exhibiting high catalytic activity) or featureless smooth surfaces (exhibiting low catalytic activity). Of the three metal materials studied, the Pt decorated carbon paper (Pt@carbon) material exhibits a high electrocatalytic activity toward the oxygen reduction reaction in an alkaline medium. We demonstrate that this new Pt material can operate as a cathode in an alkaline glucose fuel cell exhibiting outstanding peak power density of 2–3 mW cm−2 (using an anode of Au@carbon or Pt@carbon at room temperature and low metal loading without any fuel circulation). This newly described fabrication approach allows for the rational control of metallic particle growth, paving a new way towards materials with regulated surface roughness allowing for tuneable physical, optical and catalytic properties.


Sentiment and emotional analysis on online collaborative software development forums can be very useful to gain important insights into the behaviors and personalities of the developers. Such information can later on be used to increase productivity of developers by making recommendations on how to behave best in order to get a task accomplished. However, due to the highly technical nature of the data present in online collaborative software development forums, mining sentiments and emotions becomes a very challenging task. In this work we present a new approach for mining sentiments and emotions from software development datasets using Interaction Process Analysis(IPA) labels and machine learning. We also apply distance metric learning as a preprocessing step before training a feed forward neural network and report the precision, recall, F1 and accuracy.


Myriad policy measures aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the electricity sector, promote generation from renewable sources, and encourage energy conservation. To what extent do innovation and energy efficiency (EE) market failures justify additional interventions when a carbon price is in place? We extend the model of Fischer and Newell (2008) with advanced and conventional renewable energy technologies and short and long-run EE investments. We incorporate both knowledge spillovers and imperfections in the demand for energy efficiency. We conclude that some technology policies, particularly correcting R&D market failures, can be useful complements to emissions pricing, but ambitious renewable targets or subsidies seem unlikely to enhance welfare when placed alongside sufficient emissions pricing. The desirability of stringent EE policies is highly sensitive to the degree of undervaluation of EE by consumers, which also has implications for policies that tend to lower electricity prices Even with multiple market failures, emissions pricing remains the single most cost-effective option for reducing emissions.


Boosted IC engine development, both diesel and gasoline, is driving the need for better charge air temperature control. Charge air temperature directly and indirectly influences engine performance, fuel economy & emissions. To date charge air temperature control has, in the main, been passive; aiming only to reduce temperatures towards, but still above, ambient temperature. Driven by increasing specific output, the opportunities for sub-ambient charge cooling need to be investigated. For some real world driving conditions it is also desirable to raise the charge temperature. Air Cycle Technology ltd (ACT), working with the University of Huddersfield (UoH) are developing a controllable charge air cooling system, which will deliver charge air at sub-ambient temperature over a wide engine operating range. The system uses a turbo-expander to deliver air-cycle cooling in a simple and practical way. The system can be enhanced by combination with a charge air heating process. Accurate charge temperature control over as wide an engine operating range as possible is also addressed. The system is fully compatible with the operational, packaging and cost needs of vehicle OEMs. The paper presents the principle, process and application of a controllable charge air cooling/heating system. It covers the design and operation of the turboexpander which delivers sub-ambient charge temperatures, the option of charge air heating and possible control methods. Examples of specific engine applications are presented to clearly indicate the opportunities for improvements in engine performance and fuel economy.


This paper studies the design and real-time implementation of an event-triggered controller for a nonlinear 3D tower crane where the communication between the controller and the actuators is performed over a low-power wireless network. A flexible Event-Generation Circuit (EGC) is proposed in order to implement event-driven controllers for Networked Control Systems. Furthermore, a detailed experimental analysis on the performance of the event-triggered controller and the influence of packet losses on the transmitted actuation messages are presented. The results show that the event-triggered controllers in networked control systems are able to maintain the same level of performance as compared to periodic controllers, while increasing the sensors/actuators lifetime by reducing network bandwidth utilization.


Aim. Today we have the need to develop more effective teaching methods, where thestudent is no longer just a user, but becomes an integral part of the training process by creating,selecting and processing experiences in a personal way. Digital teaching has become/isbecoming part of the school scenario along with the wealth of digital technologies and toolsthat have spread over the past decades. Today's society has changed and even the schoolmust be able to exploit all resources that social networks make available for capturing theattention of "digital natives".Methods. The student becomes an active constructor of knowledge, integrating it in apersonal way. We talk about "didactics 2.0", i.e. the study and improvement of teachingactivity achievable with the use of ICT tools. To create a learning environment, we musttake into account the collaboration of several parties (teachers, experts in the fi eld, students,parents), not forgetting the complexity and multiplicity of the surrounding reality. Thislearning environment can profi tably use social networks; students show to learn better ifthey fi nd meaningful the subjects they are studying.Results. The paper illustrates tools and forms of collaboration achievable with thedigital educational school environment. Social networks are used by students to thepoint of becoming a real language for "digital natives". When we talk about digitalculture, we want to highlight the participation and digitalisation of traditional culturalprocesses, from which the educational environment does not escape. In the "school2.0" approach there are some peculiarities leading the school system towards the newgenerations.Conclusions. The need to "digitise" the school is a current hot topic, also if in everydayreality the work to do is still a lot: non-existent or obsolete computer labs, teachers who donot consider computers as a resource. Digitised teaching can be realised according to multiplechannels that have different characteristics and purposes.


This paper presents a probabilistic analysis for evaluating the creep crack growth rate (CCGR) of type 316LN stainless steel. The CCGR data was obtained from the creep crack growth tests, which are conducted under various applied loads at 600°C. The crack growth rate was characterized as a function of the C* fracture parameter. In order to logically obtain the B and q values in the CCGR equation of a=B(C*)q, three methods of the least square fitting method (LSFM), a mean value method (MVM), and a probabilistic distribution method (PDM) were adopted. Also, using the Monte Carlo simulation, a number of random variables was generated, and the CCGR lines were predicted probabilistically. The three methods did not show a large difference in the CCGR lines, but the PDM was most useful because the CCGR line can be evaluated with a probabilistic reliability. Both the B and q coefficients followed a lognormal distribution, even though the B ones were a little scattered for the points of the data. In the case of a standard deviation of 1 σ for the probability variables, P (B,q), the results of the MCS and the PDM for the distribution ranges of the CCGR lines were compared and discussed.


This paper presents analysis from a 6-week prospective product evaluation of the Trezzo range of mattresses, compared to standard foam mattresses, in use on two clinical areas within Pennine Acute NHS Trust. Data were collected via distribution of three questionnaires. A patient experience questionnaire was completed by patients after using their mattress. This questionnaire elicited responses relating to patient comfort, temperature and sleep quality while using the mattress (and cushion if appropriate). The Trezzo mattress was found to be comparable to the standard NHS mattress in these domains. A staff clinical evaluation (patient) questionnaire was completed by nursing staff on behalf of patients in their care at patient admission and discharge. This questionnaire elicited responses relating to patient skin condition, and incidences of pressure ulceration. The Trezzo mattress was found to be comparable to the standard NHS mattress with respect to changes in patient skin condition during hospital stay. A second staff clinical evaluation (mattress) questionnaire was completed by nursing staff, in which the Trezzo mattress was compared against standard mattresses in the domains of aesthetics, ease of use, ergonomics and temperature control; patient moving and handling and mattress stability; and cleaning and sodium hypochlorite use. The Trezzo mattress scored substantively higher than the standard mattress on all of these domains; with differences being statistically significant in all cases.


The recent global financial crisis has put the spotlight on macro-prudential policies to protect firms and households from problems emanating from the financial sector. This paper proposes an analytical framework that combines exogenous and endogenous risks, the latter seen as stemming from frictions in financial markets. Arguing that endogenous risks may be systemic and costly, the paper employs a database of emerging market corporate bond spreads and finds evidence that endogenous risks are present and have amplified the effects of financial crises. Larger financial systems are found to exacerbate the impact of crises, and weaker financial systems are found to exacerbate particularly the impact of banking crises. The results suggest that policymakers should monitor time-varying systemic risks using both price and quantity signals and take actions in good times to mitigate potential amplifying effects at times of stress.


Enzymatic synthesis of betulinic acid ester (3-β-hydroxyl-oley-lup-20(29)-en-
28-oic acid) from betulinic acid and oleic acid in chloroform were investigated. Five
commercial lipases (Candida rugosa. Aspergillus niger. Penicillium roquerti.
Novozyme 435 and Lipozyme) were tested for their suitability for the reaction. Among
the lipase tested, Novozyme 435 and Lipozyme were chosen for optimization studies
because of their higher specific activity. The effect of various reaction parameters such
as time course, temperature, organic s01vent, amount of enzyme, mole ratio of
substrates, initial water activity (aw) and continuous water activity (a,,) were studied to
detennine optimal condition ofbetulinic acid ester. The optimal condition for betulinic acid ester synthesis using Novozyme 435
were obtained at incubation period of 13 h; temperature, 40˚C; mole ratio of substrates,
6.0; amount of lipase, 120 mg; organic solvent, chloroform, initial water activity (aw),
0.12 and continuous water activity (aw), 0.59. Optimal condition using Lipozyme were
obtained at incubation period of 13 h; temperature, 50GC; mole ratio of substrates, 5.0;
amount of lipase, 80 mg; organic solvent, chloroform; initial water activity (aw), 0.75 and
continuous water activity (aw), 0.59. The maximum conversion for Novozyme 435 and
Lipozyme at optimal condition were 95.15% and 64.55% respectively without removal of
water in the reaction medium. This result clearly demonstrated that Novozyme 435 was
well suited for the preparation of betulinic acid ester in organic media (chloroform).
For scale up reaction, betulinic acid ester was easily isolated and purified using
column chromatography with solvent system; anhydrous ether: hexane (20:8.0, v/v). The
percentage conversion obtained was 75.68% when the reaction was scale up to thirteen
folds. This study indicated that enzymatic reaction might be easily scaled up while
maintaining the process selectivity as well as produced high yield of betulinic acid ester.


Abstract This article studies the expansion of large-scale wind energy projects on the Isthmus of Tehuantepec (Mexico) and local socio-environmental conflicts that have emerged in response. It explores how the neoliberal agenda in Mexico is shaping a specific way of implementing wind energy projects, and how this is leading to local resistance and the production of alternatives. The article is based on a historical analysis reconstructing the main features of wind power development, and pathways of struggle. By following a political ecology perspective, wind energy is seen as embedded in a wider frame of power relations and the uneven patterns of the Mexican economy. The struggles of indigenous groups are thus analyzed as the expression of peripheral communities against the enclosure of communal lands, the private appropriation of benefits, and the lack of democratic procedures involved in these projects. The discussion emphasizes the role of communal identities and institutions in building successful networks, while introducing new concepts (energy sovereignty) and alternative schemes in wind power production (cooperatives). The overall approach of the article is that any move towards a different energy system should be politically encouraged by social and cultural means, rather than be largely economically motivated. Keywords: wind energy, neoliberalism, socio-environmental conflicts, energy sovereignty, cooperatives, Tehuantepec


Pioneering neuroimaging studies on insight have revealed neural correlates of the emotional "Aha!" component of the insight process, but neural substrates of the cognitive component, such as problem restructuring (a key to transformative reasoning), remain a mystery. Here, multivariate electroencephalogram signals were recorded from human participants while they solved verbal puzzles that could create a small-scale experience of cognitive insight. Individuals responded as soon as they reached a solution and provided a rating of subjective insight. For unsolved puzzles, hints were provided after 60 to 90 sec. Spatio-temporal signatures of brain oscillations were analyzed using Morlet wavelet transform followed by exploratory parallel-factor analysis. A consistent reduction in beta power (15–25 Hz) was found over the parieto-occipital and centro-temporal electrode regions on all four conditions—(a) correct (vs. incorrect) solutions, (b) solutions without (vs. with) external hint, (c) successful (vs. unsuccessful) utilization of the external hint, and d) self-reported high (vs. low) insight. Gamma band (30–70 Hz) power was increased in right fronto-central and frontal electrode regions for conditions (a) and (c). The effects occurred several (up to 8) seconds before the behavioral response. Our findings indicate that insight is represented by distinct spectral, spatial, and temporal patterns of neural activity related to presolution cognitive processes that are intrinsic to the problem itself but not exclusively to one's subjective assessment of insight.


This study compared the robustness of two analysis strategies designed to detect Aptitude-Treatment Interactions to two of their similarly-held assumptions, normality and residual variance homogeneity. The analysis strategies were the test of slope differences in analysis of covariance and the test of the Block-byTreatment interaction in randomized block analysis of variance. With equal sample sizes in the treatment groups the results showed that residual variance heterogeneity has little effect on either strategy but nonnormality makes the test of slope differences liberal and the test of the Block-by-Treatment interaction conservative. With unequal sample sizes in the treatment groups the often-reported sample size-variance heterogeneity pairing is problematic for both strategies. The findings suggest that the randomized block strategy can be characterized as an overly-conservative alternative to the test of slope differences with respect to robustness.


ABSTRACT:Using weekly administrative payroll data from the largest US payroll processing company, we measure the evolution of the US labor market during the first four months of the global COVID-19 pandemic. After aggregate employment fell by 21 percent through late April, employment rebounded somewhat through late June. The reopening of temporarily shuttered businesses contributed significantly to the employment rebound, particularly for smaller businesses. We show that worker recall has been an important component of recent employment gains for both reopening and continuing businesses. Employment losses have been concentrated disproportionately among lower wage workers; as of late June employment for workers in the lowest wage quintile was still 20 percent lower relative to mid-February levels. As a result, average base wages increased between February and June, though this increase arose entirely through a composition effect. Finally, we document that businesses have cut nominal wages for almost 7 million workers while forgoing regularly scheduled wage increases for many others.


The diverse effects of retinoids on the development, growth, and homeostasis of vertebrate organisms are mediated in part by three distinct isoforms of retinoic acid receptors (RARs). These proteins, which are structurally and functionally closely related to thyroid hormone receptors and the oncogene product v-ErbA, regulate patterns of gene expression in target tissues. One approach to study the distinct effects of retinoic acid in cells is to subvert this activity of endogenous receptors by expression of dominant negative receptor derivatives. We demonstrate here that RARa, RARf8, and RARy can be converted into potent negative transcriptional regulators that block wild-type RAR function. Further-more, these mutant RARs, but not the wild-type receptors, actively repress the basal transcription level of target promoters. When expressed in transgenic mice, the most potent of these inhibitory receptor mutants is apparently able to disturb developmental processes by inducing a cleft palate in transgenic offspring.


Payment for Ecosystem Service schemes have become widely discussed in the academic literature and in policy circles over the past 10 years, and indeed an increasing number of schemes have been put in place across the world. This paper has four objectives. First, to explain the idea of a Payment for Ecosystem Service scheme to those not working in this area. Second, to set out a formal model which shows the effects of incomplete information in terms of deviations from a first-best outcome, and which allows the relative merits of outcome- and actionsbased schemes to be compared. Third, to explain why measuring the actual performance of any Payment for Ecosystem Service scheme is difficult. Finally, to set out what we see as the main research needs to inform policy development in the near future.


THE INFLUENCE OF A SINGLE NUCLEOTIDE POLYMORPHISM IN THE MATRIX METALLOPROTEINASE-1 PROMOTER ON GLIOMA BIOLOGY Jessica McCready A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for ,the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Virginia Commonwealth University Virginia Commonwealth University, 2006 Director: Helen L. Fillmore, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Department of Neurosurgery, Adjunct Assistant Professor Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology Glioblastomas are an incurable type of brain tumor with a mean survival time of 9-12 months following diagnosis. One of the reasons for this poor prognosis is the ability of tumor cells to invade the surrounding normal brain tissue. Enzymes responsible for this invasive nature include the matrix metalloproteinase family. MMP1 is a member of this family which has been well studied in many types of invasive ,tumors, with gliomas being an exception. We studied a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the MMP-1 promoter that may influence glioma biology. This SNP consists of the presence (2G) or absence (1G) of a guanine nucleotide at position -1607. The additional guanine nucleotide creates a binding site for ETS transcription factors and combined with the AP-1 binding site at position -1602 creates a Ras Responsive Element. We determined that the distribution of the MMP-1 genotype differed significantly between the healthy population and the glioblastoma patient population, with the 2G/2G genotype more prevalent in the glioblastoma patients. In addition, MMP-1 mRNA and protein examined in a select group of patient tissue had significantly higher levels when compared to normal brain controls, however, there was no correlation with genotype. Promoter reporter assays indicated that the 2G promoter was approximately three times more active than the 1G promoter in three different glioma cell lines. We investigated potential signaling mechanisms responsible for increases in MMP-1 transcription due to the presence of the RAS responsive element. Treatment of glioma cell lines with hepatocyte growth factorlscatter factor (HGFISF) led to significant increases in MMP-1 transcription, via the MAP kinase ERK pathway. AP-1 transcription factor proteins, cJun and cFos were increased in response to HGF treatment but not Ets-1 and ETV-1. HGFISF treatment of glioma cell lines differing in their MMP-1 genotype affected binding of ETS and AP-1 proteins to the endogenous MMP-1 distal promoter. Using chromatin immunoprecipitation assays, we identified these differentially DNA-bound AP-1 and ETS proteins. The data presented indicate that the MMP-1 SNP (-1607) is important in glioma biology and may contribute to tumor function and future investigations into its role in glioma biology is warranted. Chapter


In some developing economies the costs of meeting informal taxes (corruption of various sorts) have been put as high as 30 percent of the market value of output in some industries. Current political reform in Indonesia raises the prospect of a substantial fall in such costs. To assess the consequences for Indonesia's international competitiveness and national welfare requires the development and use of an applied general equilibrium model which explicitly recognises the existence of non-official imposts and the substantial (but socially wasteful) economic activity expended in attempting to reduce them. ORANI-RSA is such a model, recently developed for this purpose. In short- and long-run simulations the nominal rate at which informal taxes are levied is halved and the response of the economy determined. Not unexpectedly, competitiveness and the trade account improve substantially (with a 2 percent short-run fall in the real foreign-currency cost of the Rupiah). Indonesian welfare also improves. The only industry to decline is the service providing sector (corresponding roughly to the bureaucrats who supply intermediation between legitimate producers and the corrupt members of the power elite). The reform causes a fall in income from corruption, while redistributive effects via differential consumption patterns reinforce the improvement in the trade balance.


In Catholic theology, sin is a rebellion against God and against our created nature. It is an alienation of the person from his own nature whose symptoms are rebellious passions and weakened reason. This alienation is not addressed by most economic analyses of choice, even analyses that address 'sinful' choices, although behavioral models of choice do offer real insight into the internal conflicts to which sin gives rise. The primary difference between economic and Catholic accounts of sin is the normative implications of each. In the economic account the societal problem is scarcity, and the solution is institutions and regulations which efficiently mitigate internal conflict and external coordination problems. In the Catholic account, the societal problem is disorder in the human soul, caused by sin, and the solution is reconciliation with God, restoring order in the soul.


Abstract Academicians, researchers, and practitioners agree that computer technology has an important role to play in the classroom, with the main ingredient for successful technology integration being pedagogy. The more recent trend receiving attention is mobile learning, particularly with the hype that the iPad is getting and its strong push to access educational systems as the 21st century tool for learning. The current poster will report preliminary results assessing the success of two project-based interdisciplinary collaborative activities that were implemented with 41 undergraduate education students at Zayed University in the United Arab Emirates. The design made use of various theoretical frameworks including constructivist learning theories, student-centered principles (APA, 1997; Laurillard, 2002; McCombs & Vakili, 2005), motivational theories (Greeno, Collins, & Resnick, 1996; Hickey & Zuiker, 2005), project-based learning (Blumenfeld et al., 1991), and cooperative and collaborative learning theories (Bruffee, 1993; Johnson & Johnson, 2008). The project was employed in two courses, namely Early Childhood Mathematics and Science and Literature for Children and Adolescents. In addition to course specific assignments, students completed the following two collaborative iPad-based assignments across both courses: - Arabic Scientist/Mathematician Biography: students had to make use of the basic principals of writing biographies to design and develop a media product to teach young children about an Arab scientist/mathematician. For this assignment, the students were given full freedom to decide on what form of media product they want to present their biography with. - E-book fairy/folk tale: students had to create e-book for a fairy/folk tale for young children that teaches or addresses mathematical concepts such as numeracy, shapes, patterns, and measurement. The poster presentation will offer preliminary findings based on the data collected from interviews conducted with the students after the completion of the courses. Interviews probed students� perceptions about lessons learned, successes, challenges, and suggestions for future iterations of the courses. Moreover, a number of the projects will be actually showcased during the poster presentation by some of the students. In their presentation, students will discuss their own experience with the iPads, the applications they used, the challenges they faced and how they overcame them.


Abstract An image processing technique using the proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) of infrared thermal data was developed to improve the speed of assessment of 2D heat source fields accompanying mechanical transformation. This method involved the generation of a reduced orthonormal basis to approximate thermal fields prior to heat source estimation. The robustness of the method was first assessed using a penalising benchmark test. This test involved artificially setting several tricky situations that arise in practice (high diffusivity, low signal-to-noise ratio, complex heat source distribution, etc.). Application of the method to several experimental temperature fields obtained by an infrared focal plane array camera is then presented. The error between the POD approximated solution in terms of heat sources and a reference solution, computed via a local least squares fitting method, was found to be negligible, thus confirming the efficiency and advantages of the POD preprocessing technique – the method enabled us to obtain a reliable estimate of heat sources while drastically reducing the computation cost in terms of CPU time.


The government is proclaiming the electrical energy saving campaign in order to raise the people's awareness of its importance. The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM Ministry) of the Republic of Indonesia stated that a year of energy saving equals to the amount of saving Rp43.000.000.000.000,00 (forty three trillion rupiah) of money, which is also equal to a construction of electric steam power plant with the capacity of 3.500 megawatts (MW). One of the programs that has been encouraged by the government is the 'turn off the light' campaign. Turning off lights is a simple but often neglected thing. Apart from the limited awareness to save the energy for a better future, people are often too busy to do it. In 2015, Taruna built an Arduino Micro-controller based light control system using Android smartphone to provide ease, specifically for physically disabled and elderly. The shortcomings of this system are that the lights cannot be turned on and off automatically (smart) with timer and it can only be controlled at close range (bluetooth). Development of technology with the internet guide can easily help human, and thus, this research aims to improve the system with the time control (timer) and close range control (bluetooth) as well as the long range using SMS and internet. The system is built with the prototype model that incude the communication, fast planning, fast prototype designing and building, system submission and feedback. The result of this system building is that the light can be controlled using bluetooth and also provide a faster response time; less than a second (as well as the timer). The light can also be controlled from a long range using the internet connection, giving a response time between 14 to 17 seconds. When a light control command occurs, the SMS notification is sent to the cell phone of the user. Using this system, the light can be controlled correctly in order to conveniently give the user effectivity and efficiency in electrical energy usage.


Introduction The task of intelligence analysts is to derive information useful for law enforcement or security from diverse and heterogeneous data sources. Two assumptions support the position that mixed-initiative agent interfaces are desirable for automated systems to assist analysts. The first is that intelligent systems are most beneficial when they help analysts to do their jobs better, rather than to replacing analysts or supplanting their expert judgment. The second idea is that the relationship between analysts and intelligent systems should be governed by the metaphor of a collaborator who works with the analyst, rather than of an idiot savant who slavishly carries out calculations without any idea of whether they make any sense given the analyst's goals and the current problem-solving context. This distinction has been termed interface-as-agent as opposed to interface-as-tool (Chi98). Collaborative interfaces for analysis have sometimes been referred to as analyst's assistants.1 The objective of this paper is to identify opportunities to apply mixed-initiative interface design techniques to improve intelligence analysis. The focus is not on technical solutions, but rather on potential applications in which successful mixed-initiative techniques might lead to significant benefits. This paper sets forth several important factors that contribute to the difficulty of intelligence analysis and proposes a range of automation options addressing these factors.


Background: Contraception is of immense relevance in reproductive health. It is also one of the effective strategies towards improving maternal health. This study was designed to determine the awareness and use of contraceptives among women attending antenatal care at Federal Teaching Hospital Abakaliki, Nigeria.Method: A descriptive cross sectional study design was used. Systematic random sampling technique was used to select 415 women receiving antenatal care at the facility. Information was obtained using a pre-tested, interviewer- administered questionnaire. Data analysis was done using Statistical Package for Social Sciences statistical software version 22 and level of statistical significance was determined by a p-value <0.05.Results: The mean age of the respondents was 29.3±4.5 years. Majority of respondents, (288) 69.4% had attained tertiary education. Majority, (350)84.3% were aware of contraception and the male condom, (292)70.4% and the pill, (244) 58.8% were the most known methods. Source of information on contraception were mostly from television, (201)48.4% and health workers, (186)44.8%. Use of contraceptives was low among the respondents, (99)23.9% and the male condom, (52) 52.5% and natural method, (28)28.3% were the common methods used. Contraceptives were obtained mainly from pharmacy shops/patent medicine vendors, (50)50.5% and public health facilities, (21) 21.2%. Majority of those who used contraceptives had the support of their husbands, (94) 94.9% and majority also (83)83.8% were satisfied with the methods used. Predictors of contraceptive use among the respondents included being unmarried, (AOR=3.6; 95% CI: 1.3- 10.5), Nullipara, (AOR=0.09; 95% CI: 0.02-0.3) and having 1-4 children, (AOR=0.1; 95% CI: 0.05-0.4).Conclusion: Awareness of contraception was high, however utilization was low among the respondents in the study area. There may be the need for increased public enlightenment on the use of contraceptives. Health workers will have a role to play through counselling of clients. Changing the preference of the people for large family sizes may increase the use of contraceptives in Nigeria and there should be greater emphasis on female education.Keywords: Determinants, contraceptive, antenatal care, tertiary hospital, Nigeria


Here, we present a new microwave-solvothermal method for the preparation of iron oxide nanostructures using deep eutectic solvents as a more sustainable reaction medium. By varying the synthesis temperature and solvent water fraction, the methodology offers control over iron oxide phase, size, and morphology, using efficient, rapid (10 minute) microwave heating. Synthesis with pure DES gives small (<5 nm) superparamagnetic samples of γ-Fe2O3 or α-Fe2O3, whereas hydrated DES yielded either nanoshards or large rhombohedral nanoparticles without the superparamagnetic response. Nanostructures were solution-cast onto F : SnO2 films. The photoelectrochemical response of the prepared photoanodes was assessed, with a maximum measured photocurrent response of 0.7 mA cm−2 at 1.23 V vs. RHE. We measured the solvent structure using synchrotron WAXS, demonstrating the differences between the dry and hydrated solvent before and after heat-treatment, and showing that the hydrated solvent is remarkably resilient to extensive degradation.


This work is undertaken considering the significance of functional phenotyping (primarily measured from continuous profiles of plant-water relations) for crop selection purposes. High-Throughput Plant Phenotyping (HTPP) platforms which largely employ state-of-the-art sensor technologies for acquisition of vast amount of field data, often fail to efficiently translate sensor information into knowledge due to the major challenges of data handling and processing. Hence, it is imperative to concurrently find a way for dissociating noise from useful data. Additionally, another important aspect is understanding how frequent should be the data collection, so that information is maximized. This paper presents a novel approach for identifying the optimal frequency for phenotyping evapotranspiration (ET) by assimilating results from both time series forecast as well as classification models. Thus, at the optimal frequency, plant-water relations can not only be desirably predicted but genotypes can also be classified based on the characteristics of their ET profiles. Consequently, this will aid better crop selection, besides minimizing noise, redundancy, cost and effort in HTPP data collection. High frequency (15 min) ET time series data of 48 chickpea varieties (with considerable genotypic diversity) collected at the LeasyScan HTPP platform, ICRISAT is used for this study. Time series forecast and classification is performed by varying frequency up to 180 min. Multiple performance measures of time series forecast and classification are combined, followed by implementation of entropy theory for sampling frequency optimization. The results demonstrate that ET time series with a frequency of 60 min per day potentially yield the optimum information.


Extracting useful information from cardiac signals for the diagnosis of diseases and judgement of heart functioning is of special interest to medical personnel. However, exploiting such signals is subject to the availability of the signals themselves and to possible measurement errors. We thus argue that modelling such signals offers several advantages as compared to relying on measured data only. By using a formalized representation, the parameters of the signal model can be manipulated and/or modified, thus providing mechanisms that allow researchers to reproduce and control such signals by means of e.g. simulators. To guide both the signal modelling and simulator development phases, we propose a new generic framework. We then illustrate how it can be used to guide the modelling of the impedance cardiography and impedance respirography signals. We also show how the proposed framework has been used to guide the development of the corresponding Bio-Impedance Signal Simulator (BISS). As a result, the implemented BISS generates simulated Electrical Bio-Impedance (EBI) signals and gives freedom to the end-user to control the essential properties of the generated EBI signals depending on their needs. Predefined states of human conditions/ activities are also included for ease of use.