What can IBSA offer to the global community? It is with this provocative question that IPC-IG reports on the policy dialogue that took place in the Fourth IBSA Academic Forum, which was held on 12-13 April 2010 in Brasilia before the meeting of the heads of state. If IBSA reflects a new power structure in which the Global South has more voice, then it also can and should contribute to the global development debate. The three countries have been successfully experimenting with innovative policies in areas such as healthcare and social protection, as well as in development cooperation through IBSA?s Fund for Alleviation of Poverty. This issue of Poverty in Focus brings together articles by speakers on the four panels organized. They address the role of non-contributory cash transfers and employment programmes, the debates on healthcare innovation, intellectual property rights and access to essential drugs, and the discussions about IBSA?s role and potential as a plurilateral arrangement. Lyal White starts by taking stock of IBSA?s progress in the seven years since it was launched in 2003. He argues that, given the economic crisis, IBSA?s role can be more relevant than ever. It has made significant progress on political coordination and development cooperation, though the substance in the working groups remains a challenge. Fabio Soares and Radhika Lal take an integrative approach to social development, linking cash transfers and employment programmes with a view to addressing vulnerability across the life cycle. The IBSA countries offer a good example of rights-based frameworks, and have a vision of moving beyond schemes to more comprehensive systems. Amita Sharma describes the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) and emphasises the legal approach whereby NREGA is seen as a service provided by the government, an entitlement that involves public scrutiny and participation at a local level. NREGA has links to other policy areas, revealing the potential for integration that has been the great challenge of social policy in India. Ingrid Woolard discusses how South Africa?s Unemployment Insurance Fund is limited. She argues for greater integration between social assistance and labour-market policies. There is still no coherent system in place, and the fiscal sustainability of these policies will be a major concern as the country confronts a tougher growth environment. Sergei Soares shows the differences between taking account of a transversal definition of income (income in a given month) and a longitudinal one (income during the next 24 months) when calculating the targets for Brazil?s Bolsa Familia. The longitudinal poverty rate is about twice the transversal poverty figure, thus explaining the mismatch between the targets and the eligible population. Radhika Lal gives an overview of the discussions on healthcare and points to problems in the field of trade-related intellectual property rights. Potential areas for collaboration between the IBSA countries include sharing information on drug prices and on sources of low-cost drugs, as well as research and development for drugs that treat neglected diseases. Biswajit Dhar and Reji Joseph express their concern for the weak legal distinction between substandard medicines and counterfeit drugs. Since laws on the matter apply to both branded and generic drugs, there is a risk of equating authorised generics with counterfeit products. This could disrupt the trade in generics and thus hamper access to crucial life-saving medicines in the Global South. Kamal Mitra Chenoy argues that plurilateralism in arrangements like IBSA can add value to multilateralism only if it can connect the excluded countries of the South to the blocs of the North. He also argues that plurilateralism is valuable if it goes beyond the interests of capital and helps create a people-centred development paradigm. Alcides Costa Vaz closes this Poverty in Focus with a discussion of the different approaches taken by each of the IBSA countries. As a flexible mechanism, however, IBSA should be able to accommodate the different perspectives. There is a follow-up to this debate. For more information, visit www.ipc-undp.org.


A 4-year-girl presented with cyanosis and altered sensorium after ingestion of paint. She was diagnosed to be having methemoglobinemia and treated appropriately with methylene blue. She responded to treatment but again deteriorated the next day for which a repeat dose of methylene blue was needed. One should be aware about rebound methemoglobinemia and the need for further monitoring and treatment.


This paper documents a new source of financial fragility and studies its interactions with common stabilization tools. Economists believe funds report stale Net Asset Values (NAVs) when they invest in illiquid assets. This staleness creates return predictability, NAV-timing risks, and fund fragility risks for open-end funds. However, because their assets are illiquid, managers limit fund flows to deter buying assets at a premium or selling them at a discount. Limiting flows has the secondary effect of protecting against the risks stale NAVs create. Interestingly, illiquidity in the underlying assets creates the opportunity for, and the friction against, exploiting buy-and-hold investors.


A field measurement campaign was conducted near a major road in southern Finland from 15 September to 30 October 1995. The concentrations of NO, NO2 and O3 were measured simultaneously at three locations, at three heights (3.5, 6 and 10 m) on both sides of the road. The relevant meteorological parameters and traffic densities were also measured on site. We have compared measured concentration data with the predictions from the road network dispersion model CAR-FMI, used in combination with a meteorological preprocessing model. According to statistical analyses used, the overall agreement of the model predictions and measured data was reasonably good. For all data (N = 587), the modelling system overpredicts NOx concentrations with a fractional bias FB = +0.13 and O3 concentrations with FB = +0.08, while for NO2 concentrations FB = -0.02. The experimental dataset is available for the evaluation of other roadside dispersion models.


Purpose
This paper aims to demonstrate a cloud-based version of the improved Monte Carlo localization algorithm with robust orientation estimation (IMCLROE). The purpose of this system is to increase the accuracy and efficiency of indoor robot localization.

Design/methodology/approach
The cloud-based IMCLROE is constructed with a cloud–client architecture that distributes computation between servers and a client robot. The system operates in two phases: in the offline phase, two maps are built under the MapReduce framework. This framework allows parallel and even distribution of map information to a cloud database in pre-described formats. In the online phase, an Apache HBase is adopted to calculate a pose in-memory and promptly send the result to the client robot. To demonstrate the efficiency of the cloud-based IMCLROE, a two-step experiment is conducted: first, a mobile robot implemented with a non-cloud IMCLROE and a UDOO single-board computer is tested for its efficiency on pose-estimation accuracy. Then, a cloud-based IMCLROE is implemented on a cloud–client architecture to demonstrate its efficiency on both pose-estimation accuracy and computation ability.

Findings
For indoor localization, the cloud-based IMCLROE is much more effective in acquiring pose-estimation accuracy and relieving computation burden than the non-cloud system.

Originality/value
The cloud-based IMCLROE achieves efficiency of indoor localization by using three innovative strategies: firstly, with the help of orientation estimation and weight calculation (OEWC), the system can sort out the best orientation. Secondly, the system reduces computation burden with map pre-caching. Thirdly, the cloud–client architecture distributes computation between the servers and client robot. Finally, the similar energy region (SER) technique provides a high-possibility region to the system, allowing the client robot to locate itself in a short time.


This study explores the indirect effects of anthro- pogenic and biomass burning aerosols on Arctic clouds by co-locating a combination of MODIS and POLDER cloud products with output from the FLEXPART tracer transport model. During the activities of the International Polar Year for the Spring and Summer of 2008, we find a high sen- sitivity of Arctic cloud radiative properties to both anthro- pogenic and biomass burning pollution plumes, particularly at air temperatures near freezing or potential temperatures near 286 K. However, the sensitivity is much lower at both colder and warmer temperatures, possibly due to increases in the wet and dry scavenging of cloud condensation nuclei: the pollution plumes remain but the component that influences Arctic clouds has been removed along transport pathways. The analysis shows that, independent of local temperature, cloud optical depth is approximately four times more sensi- tive to changes in pollution levels than is cloud effective ra- dius. This suggests that some form of feedback mechanism amplifies the radiative response of Arctic clouds to pollution through changes in cloud liquid water path.


Objective: To present a prospective case study on the increase of telomere length, improvement in nocturnal polyuria, neck and mid-back pain, autonomic nervous system adaptability, and health-related quality of life following correction of the sagittal cervico-thoracic spinal alignment and posture using chiropractic biophysics® (CBP®) technique.
Clinical features: A 35-year-old white female elementary school teacher presented with chronic neck and midback pain for 5 years following a motor vehicle collision as well as nocturnal polyuria. Examination and radiography revealed forward head posture and loss of cervical lordosis consistent with vertebral subluxation. Patient telomere length was derived from nucleated white blood cells obtained from a blood test. Quality of life measures were determined by the Short-Form 36 health survey and heart rate variability was measured.
Intervention and outcome: The patient received CBP® spinal care including Mirror Image® corrective spinal exercises, adjustments, and traction. Full spine and drop table adjustments were administered. After 36 visits, she reported improvement in her nocturnal polyuria, neck and mid-back pain, and quality of life. Cervical x-rays showed correction of cervical lordosis and forward head posture. A blood test showed significant improvement in patient telomere length and heart rate variability improved from a health risk to within normal limits.
Conclusion: Our case suggests that correction of cervical lordosis and forward head postures by CBP® Mirror Image® methods improved the sagittal spinal alignment and posture and was temporally associated with lengthened telomeres, improved nocturnal polyuria, neck and mid-back pain, quality of life, and autonomic nervous system adaptability.


Satchmo: The Louis Armstrong Encyclopedia. By Michael Meckna. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2004. [x, 432 p. ISBN: 0-313-30137-9. $65.] Illustrations, discography, chronology, filmography, bibliography, index. Though music encyclopedias are somewhat commonplace, those devoted to individual musicians are less so; rarer still is one whose subject is a single jazz musician. In this regard, Michael Meckna's Satchmo is a first, an encyclopedia devoted entirely to legendary jazz trumpeter and vocalist Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong (1901-1971). Nearly 35 years have passed since his death, but Armstrong and his legacy are still very much alive and with us. A performer and musician whose life and accomplishments left an indelible stamp on the twentieth century's musical landscape, Armstrong's influence and popularity-already the stuff of legend-show no signs of waning at the onset of the twenty-first century. For many Armstrong is revered as the quintessential jazz musician, an icon, the very embodiment of the art form itselfjazz journalist and historian Dan Morgenstern refers to him as "King Louis" (Ole Brask,/ozz People [New York: Da Capo Press, 1993]). Armstrong's life, his musicianship, and his impact on jazz and beyond continue to be the subject of numerous films, books, essays, and research. Notwithstanding this formidable canon, Meckna has now undertaken the daunting task of distilling a good portion of it into a single volume. As professor of musicology at Texas Christian University, Meckna is no stranger to his subject, having already published several articles on Armstrong, in addition to writing a brief biographical essay on the trumpeter for his previous book, TwentiethCentury Brass Soloists (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1994). In the preface to Satchmo Meckna makes plain his rationale for the encyclopedia, wherein after a survey of the literature he "concluded that there was a great need for a reference book with detailed yet user-friendly entries on topics such as Armstrong's influences, musical style, legacy, friends, family, critics, hobbies, movies, tours, writings and recordings." (p. ix) And detailed Satchmo certainly is. Meckna has done yeoman's service in gathering and arranging a trove of discographical, historical, biographical, and bibliographical material on Armstrong. The book is well organized (with entries that include names, terms, and places appearing in boldface where they first occur) and further divided into seven sections: the encyclopedia proper, four appendices ("Satchmo On CD," "Chronology," "Movies," and "On the Web" respectively), a selective bibliography, and an index. Eleven clearly reproduced black and white historic photographs of Armstrong are interspersed throughout the text. Yet for all the care taken in the book's organization, it is at the point of the individual entries where this level of care is lacking, and where there are various anomalies to be found that bear further exploration. To begin, if we take Meckna at his word (as he states in the preface above), then one would expect to find within the encyclopedia those entries initially enumerated, to wit: influences, musical style, legacy, friends, family, critics, hobbies, movies, tours, writings, and recordings. But in fact only five of the eleven entries appear in the encyclopedia as stated-style, critics, movies, writings, and recordings. And while this could be characterized as a mere oversight and nothing more, it does raise the question of what the underlying basis or criteria for inclusion (and exclusion) might be that guided the author's choices and selections. Of the 1500-plus entries that comprise the encyclopedia, fully more than half (nearly 900) are devoted to descriptions of titles of individual songs recorded by Armstrong, rendering the book a de facto discography as much as anything else. Varying considerably in their level of detail, most (but by no means all) of these song entries are cross-referenced by a compact disc number to Appendix 1: "Satchmo on CD," which lists 63 Armstrong compact disc recordings alphabetically by title. …


Wireless networks provide a realm in which cooperation among large numbers of egoists can be attained. As the non-cooperative behaviours of nodes will significantly degrade the network performance, effective cooperation incentive of nodes has become a hot issue in cooperative communication. Although a reputation system can stimulate nodes to cooperate with each other, the recommendation-based trust model may cause a decline in network performance, because of fake recommendation, convergence of iteration and node redemption. To address the above issues, a topology transform-based recommendation trust model is proposed to relieve the malicious effects on the accuracy of recommendation trust, which stem from fake recommendation. Some mathematical analysis and simulation results reveal that the global trust of this proposed trust model has convergence characteristic, and the reputation system with this model can more effectively stimulate node cooperation and performs better in terms of packet successful delivery ratio and mean number of packets dropped. Moreover, the topology transform-based recommendation trust algorithm makes this reputation system more suitable for large-scale networks.


His work presents the design and implementation of a low-cost motion tracker system including a network of wired microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) based Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs) which fits into a suit for feasible capturing of human body motions. Using miniaturized IMUs and textile cables, the system is designed to be light-weight and easy to use providing maximal movement flexibility for the user. In order to make a long-term data capturing possible a low-power micro computer is deployed and a new data acquisition approach from multiple sensors is proposed which reduces the CPU load and the wiring complexity. While the complete system including hardware, software and methods for calibration and motion estimation is described, the contribution is mainly in the development of the sensory suit and data acquisition methods providing a novel low-cost, energy-efficient and convenient capturing platform for diverse applications.


Your all-encompassing guide to learning Android app development If you're an aspiring or beginning programmer interested in creating apps for the Android marketwhich grows in size and downloads every daythis is your comprehensive, one-stop guide. Android Application Development All-in-One For Dummies covers the information you absolutely need to get started developing apps for Android. Inside, you'll quickly get up to speed on Android programming concepts and put your new knowledge to use to manage data, program cool phone features, refine your applications, navigate confidently around the Android native development kit, and add important finishing touches to your apps. Covering the latest features and enhancements to the Android Software Developer's Kit, this friendly, hands-on guide walks you through Android programming basics, shares techniques for developing great Android applications, reviews Android hardware, and much more. All programming examples, including the sample application, are available for download from the book's website Information is carefully organized and presented in an easy-to-follow format 800+ pages of content make this an invaluable resource at an unbeatable price Written by an expert Java educator, Barry Burd, who authors the bestselling Java For Dummies Go from Android newbie to master programmer in no time with the help of Android Application Development All-in-One For Dummies!


The cell's ability to distinguish invading RNA or DNA from the plethora of its own nucleic acid sequences plays a critical role in protecting the genome from potentially harmful damage, and a number of systems have evolved to sniff out unwanted alien genes and trigger cellular responses. Retinoic acid-inducible protein I (RIG-I), part of the cellular alarm system in the cytoplasm, specifically recognizes a number of RNA viruses, but what is RIG-I actually sensing? Hornung et al. and Pichlmair et al. show that RIG-I detects and binds to an unusual feature of the 5′ end of the viral RNA, specifically, a 5′-phosphate group. V. Hornung, J. Ellegast, S. Kim, K. Brzózka, A. Jung, H. Kato, H. Poeck, S. Akira, K.-K. Conzelmann, M. Schlee, S. Endres, G. Hartmann, 5′-Triphosphate RNA is the ligand for RIG-I. Science 314, 994-997 (2006). [Abstract] [Full Text] A. Pichlmair, O. Schulz, C. P. Tan, T. I. Näslund, P. Liljeström, F. Weber, C. Reis e Sousa, RIG-I-mediated antiviral responses to single-stranded RNA bearing 5′-phosphates. Science 314, 997-1001 (2006). [Abstract] [Full Text] T. Fujita, Sensing viral RNA amid your own. Science 314, 935-936 (2006). [Summary] [Full Text]


The Chinese Communist Party in Reform, edited by Kj eld Erik Brodsgaard and Zheng Yongnian. London: Routledge, 2006. ? + 268 pp. £70.00/US$125.00 (hardcover). There is a tendency among many observers of the Chinese political scene in the media, but also in academia, to forget that the People's Republic is ruled by a Communist Party. Discourse on the rule of law and inclusion of human rights and property rights in the constitution seem to have made them forget the special nature of the regime. Thus, a book which directly confronts the role of the Chinese Communist Party is more than welcome. In their various chapters, the authors show that during the process of reform, the Party has undergone considerable changes in its composition, its attributes and its role. What has appeared to most political scientist as a rigid organization unable to respond to the challenges of modernity has shown an impressive ability to evolve. The book details this evolution in various fields. Using a sociological approach which includes comparisons with the USSR and Eastern Europe, Andrew Walder explains the survival of the party by changes in the Party hierarchy, economic expansion and the slow privatization of state assets; with a profusion of figures he demonstrates that "in the post-Mao era, the political standards have declined and the educational standards have increased" (p. 25). He also shows that, despite the deep economic change, "village cadres have remained a relatively cohesive and stable elite, have not left their posts for private business at high rate" (p. 26). This might be one of the causes both of the relative stability of the regime and of the usan nong" (peasants, agriculture, countryside) problems which worry so much the Central leadership. In a challenging analysis, Walder argues that the 60 million Party members are not the leading class, but represent the social base of the regime (p. 27). He concludes that the trajectory of change during the past 20 years makes an evolutionary path for the regime possible. "This could gradually evolve into a multi-party system with relatively heated political competition (as in South Korea), but much more likely is an evolution into a stable system dominated by a single party (as in Japan or Singapore)" (p. 31). Whereas Andrew Walder concentrates on the evolution of the Party, John Burns details its relation to the State. The nomenklatura system that he analyzed decades ago continues to exist, but with results that he does not consider very impressive. Although it is undeniable that performance has become an important selection criterion (p. 39), nepotism and favoritism ("political loyalty") still play a very important role. For Burns, "widespread corruption in China is evidence that relatively large numbers of leaders selected through the nomenklatura system have failed to perform well" (p. 40). Even though he concedes that institutional restraints on China's leaders "have been stronger than ever during the past few years" (p. 53), he stresses the "striking continuities in the organization of the Party", and insists on the fact that "the party continues to exercise monopoly power in society and vigorously suppresses challenges to its authority" (p. 52) So, if we follow Burns, the apparent change often conceals a striking continuity, and in fact, Zou Keyuan shows that, despite the official discourse on the "rule of Law", China is far from having an independent judiciary: the Political-Legal Committee of the CCP "is a very powerful organization", which "usually gives instructions to the relevant courts on how to handle cases" (p. …


By focusing on two recent developments, we argue that rule of law principles can provide a general yardstick to evaluate even these norm-building processes that occur beyond the state. First, in various discourses on governance in contexts beyond the state authors suggest to integrate non-state legal structures into the rule of law concept. By illustrating this in terms of constitutional law, law and development, and global governance, we ask for the criteria under which nonstate law can be seen as functional equivalent to state law from a rule of law perspective. And second, there is an increasing tendency in contexts "beyond the state" to use experiences subsumed under the rule of law as a normative yardstick to evaluate informal processes of legal regulation. Distanced from its origin as a principle of state law, the rule of law functions here as a general standard for legitimate and effective rule-making


The question of monogenesis vs. polygenesis of human languages was essentially neglected by contemporary
 linguistics until the appearance of the research on the genetics of human populations by L. L. Cavalli-Sforza and his
 collaborators, which brought to light very exciting parallels between the distribution of human populations and that of language
 families. The present paper highlights some aspects of the history of the problem and some points of the contemporary discussion.
 We first outline the "Biblical paradigm", which persisted until the 18th century even in scientific milieus. Then, we outline some
 aspects of the 19th century debate about monogenesis vs. polygenesis of languages and about the relationships between languages
 and human populations: in particular, we will discuss the views of Darwin on the one hand and of some linguists on the other
 (Schleicher, M. Müller, Whitney and Trombetti). It will be seen that their positions only partly coincide; at any rate, it will be
 shown that Darwin was partly inspired by the problems of the genealogy of languages and that the linguists, for their part, took
 account of Darwin's views. Turning to today's debate, we first present the positions of the linguists arguing for monogenesis,
 namely J. Greenberg and M. Ruhlen, as well as the criticisms raised against their methods by the majority of linguists. Other
 scholars, such as D. Bickerton or N. Chomsky, essentially argue, from different points of view, that the problem of monogenesis
 vs. polygenesis of languages is a "pseudo-problem". We however think that, although the question cannot be reasonably solved by
 linguistic means, it cannot be discarded as meaningless: it is an anthropological rather than a linguistic problem. We present
 some reflections and suggestions, in the light of which the monogenetic hypothesis appears as more tenable than the polygenetic
 one.


Effect of Fruit Removal on Carbohydrate Concentrations of Cantaloupe (Cucumis melo L.) Roots in Naturally Infested Soil with Monosporascus cannonballus. (December 2003) Jang Hoon Lee, B.S., Chonnam National University Co-Chairs of Advisory Committee: Dr. James L. Starr Dr. Marvin E. Miller The effect of fruit removal from cantaloupe was studied under field conditions in a soil naturally infested with Monosporascus cannonballus. Fruit removal resulted in greater sugar accumulation in the cantaloupe roots compared to the roots from plants on which the fruits were allowed to develop normally. Individual, total, and combined root carbohydrate levels were greater in plants without fruit than in plants with fruit. Five major sugars (stachyose, raffinose, sucrose, glucose, and fructose) were found in the cantaloupe roots. Stachyose concentrations were higher than all the other sugars in the cantaloupe roots. Disease severity on the cantaloupe roots with fruit removed was less severe than on roots of plants with fruit, and dry weights were higher in the fruit removal treatment than those of the fruit non-removal treatment. Fruit removal results in increased root growth and carbohydrate accumulation in the cantaloupe roots. Root sugar concentrations affected infection efficiency and disease progress of Monosporascus root rot and vine decline. Therefore, the retarded development of Monosporascus root rot and vine decline is associated with a greater carbohydrate accumulation in the cantaloupe root.


Humans and other animals have a natural ability to learn skills from observation, often simply from seeing the effects of these skills: without direct knowledge of the underlying actions being taken. For example, after observing an actor doing a jumping jack, a child can copy it despite not knowing anything about what's going on inside the actor's brain and nervous system. The main focus of this thesis is extending this ability to artificial autonomous agents, an endeavor recently referred to as "imitation learning from observation." Imitation learning from observation is especially relevant today due to the accessibility of many online videos that can be used as demonstrations for robots. Meanwhile, advances in deep learning have enabled us to solve increasingly complex control tasks mapping visual input to motor commands. This thesis contributes algorithms that learn control policies from state-only demonstration trajectories. Two types of algorithms are considered. The first type begins by recovering the missing action information from demonstrations and then leverages existing imitation learning algorithms on the full state-action trajectories. Our preliminary work has shown that learning an inverse dynamics model of the agent in a self-supervised fashion and then inferring the actions performed by the demonstrator enables sufficient action recovery for this purpose. The second type of algorithm uses model-free end-to-end learning. Our preliminary results indicate that iteratively optimizing a policy based on the closeness of the imitator's and expert's state transitions leads to a policy that closely mimics the demonstrator's trajectories.


A search for dark matter is conducted in final states containing a photon and missing transverse momentum in proton$-$proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV. The data, collected during 2015$-$2018 by the ATLAS experiment at the CERN LHC, correspond to an integrated luminosity of 139 fb$^{-1}$. No deviations from the predictions of the Standard Model are observed and 95% confidence-level upper limits between 2.45 fb and 0.5 fb are set on the visible cross section for contributions from physics beyond the Standard Model, in different ranges of the missing transverse momentum. The results are interpreted as 95% confidence-level limits in models where weakly interacting dark-matter candidates are pair-produced via an s-channel axial-vector or vector mediator. Dark-matter candidates with masses up to 415 (580) GeV are excluded for axial-vector (vector) mediators, while the maximum excluded mass of the mediator is 1460 (1470) GeV. In addition, the results are expressed in terms of 95% confidence-level limits on the parameters of a model with an axion-like particle produced in association with a photon, and are used to constrain the coupling $g_{aZ\gamma}$ of an axion-like particle to the electroweak gauge bosons.


The development of neonatology and the establishment of neonatal intensive care units has led to a vast array of new medical ethical problems and dilemmas centered around discontinuing treatment or nontreatment decisions. Neonatology has become one of the fields that has made clear that medical success is only rarely nonproblematic. The new technology can be a blessing for some, but it may also become a sad experience to others, with life-long repercussions. The ethical problems of neonatology transcend national boundaries. Nevertheless, there are differences in approach among various countries. In The Netherlands, the ethical deliberations have been a matter of public debate, but most of the decision making is left to the medical profession; these decisions are considered too harsh for the general public. Recently, two developments have emerged. The Royal Dutch Medical Association (RDMA) and the Dutch Pediatrics Society have published reports with guidelines and ethical reflections. Over the same period of time, cases have been brought to court for legal analysis and the development of case precedence.


Motivation Inconsistent, analytical noise introduced either by the sequencing technology or by the choice of read-processing tools can bias bulk RNA-seq analyses by shifting the focus to the variation in expression of low-abundance transcripts; as a consequence these highly-variable genes are often included the differential expression (DE) call and impact the interpretation of results. Results To illustrate the effects of "noise", we present simulated datasets following closely the characteristics of a H.sapiens and a M.musculus dataset, respectively, highlighting the extent of technical-noise in both a high inter-individual variability (H. sapiens) and reduced variability (M. Musculus) setup. The sequencing-induced noise is assessed using correlations of distributions of expression across transcripts; analytical noise is evaluated through side-by-side comparisons of several standard choices. The proportion of genes in the noise-range differs for each tool combi-nation. Data-driven, sample-specific noise-thresholds were applied to reduce the impact of low-level variation. Noise-adjustment reduced the number of significantly DE genes and gave rise to convergent calls across tool combinations. Availability The code for determining the sequence-derived noise is available for download from: https://github.com/yry/noiseAnalysis/tree/master/noiseDetection_mRNA; the code for running the analysis is available for download from: https://github.com/sheerind/noise_detection.


Analysing negotiation communication in an electronic setting is a challenging task. During recent years, many researchers have tried to explain the differences between successful and failed negotiation applying a great variety of approaches, ranging from linguistic analyses over phase identification to psychological analyses of the discourse during a negotiation. The aim of this paper is to provide the foundation to analyse negotiation communication with a machine learning approach. To this end, a review of existing and related research is given, the applicability of machine learning techniques on electronic negotiations is discussed and, in a first step of the process, different methods of feature selection are reviewed to find the most applicable technique in the setting given.


Version 2 of the Real-time Platform Reference FOM (RPR FOM) has recently been finalized. It is the most widely used FOM for defense simulations. The original purpose of the RPR FOM was to facilitate interoperability between the DIS protocol and HLA federations. Today it is often also used as a common basis for further adaptation and extensions in US and NATO federations. One of the main goals of the final phase of the RPR FOM 2 development was to maintain buffer compatibility with the widely used draft 17 of the RPR FOM 2. This in turn carries a lot of heritage from both the DIS protocol and the HLA version 1.3, including many convoluted data buffer layouts. Today these may not be seen as striking the best balance between low bandwidth utilization, simple encoding and decoding, flexibility and extensibility. Now the time may have come to revisit the RPR FOM data representations for RPR FOM version 3. In addition to the reviewing the record data structures, a goal could be to remove the RPR FOM specific datatype encodings such as the length less array representations. Furthermore, an attempt to generate the Enumerations module from the SISO-REF010 XML source showed that some enumerations may need to be reconsidered or moved to other modules. The RPR FOM 2 work has also revealed that some new datatypes may need to be added to the HLA standard, in particular to represent unsigned integers that are used in DIS. This paper provides an analysis and recommendation for the RPR FOM 3 development and to some extent for the next version of HLA.


Species of Pleurobranchus (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Heterobranchia: Nudipleura: Pleurobranchidae) are commonly found worldwide, but there is a substantial amount of confusion regarding the ranges and identification of individual species. Difficulties in phylogenetic reconstruction and identification of pleurobranchids using morphological traits has resulted in complex classification schemes, with several species having disjunct ranges across physical and biogeographical barriers (including the tropical Indo-Pacific, the eastern Pacific, and the Atlantic). A sizeable number of species of Pleurobranchus has been described; however, many of these species are morphologically and biogeographically similar to others, and probably constitute synonyms. This paper provides a phylogenetic framework of classification for Pleurobranchus based on the mitochondrial genes cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) and 16S rDNA and the nuclear gene histone 3 (H3) using Bayesian and maximum likelihood approaches. Molecular phylogenies obtained recovered most of the well-established species of Pleurobranchus and some morphological characters were found to have taxonomic value for delimiting species in this group. Automatic barcode gap discovery (ABGD) analyses substantiated the distinctiveness of units/species recovered in the phylogenetic analyses, with some exceptions. Morphological descriptions for the 14 species recovered in the molecular phylogeny and discussions on the biogeography and colour variation are included. © 2015 The Linnean Society of London


A feeding demonstration was conducted at Thirumaniari, Tiruvaroor District, Tamil Nadu, India to compare the growth of rohu carp (Labeo rohita) grown using two different production and feeding methodologies in six 0.11-ha earthen ponds. Rohu carp of size 16 g were stocked in three ponds at 1,430 fish per pond and cultured using the ASA feed-based technology with soymaximized, extruded feed. In the other three ponds, 12-g rohu (Labeo rohita), 12-g catla (Catla catla), and 24-g mrigal (Cirrihinus mrigala) carp were stocked at 330, 132 and 198 fish per pond, respectively, and cultured using the traditional India National Package (NP) methodology. The NP methodology uses low density culture with nutrient addition through animal manure and low quality supplemental feeds. Rohu carp cultured using the feed-based ASA technology grew from 16 g to 477 g in 221 days and yielded an average of 6,721 kg/ha. Rohu carp cultured using the NP methodology grew from 12 g to 404 g in 264 days. Total combined yield for rohu, catla and mrigal carps from the NP ponds averaged 2,160 kg/ha. Fish grown with the ASA technology and feed yielded significantly better weight gain, health, production, FCR and economic return than fish cultured using the NP methodology. Taste tests found no discernable difference in the taste of fish produced using either culture method. ASA SIA FY04 INDIA COMPARATIVE DEMONSTRATION PROJECT


Psoriasis is a chronic, autoimmune cause of the inflammatory disease, affecting about 2% to 3% of the world's population 1. The disorder is characterized by abnormally infiltration and activation of T cells and various other immune cells, which cause hyperproliferation of keratinocytes and inflammatory processes. Common comorbidities of psoriasis include psoriatic arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, cardiovascular disease and metabolic syndrome 2. There is accumulating evidence suggesting a positive association between psoriasis and cancer. Although conflicting data on the risk of specific cancers in patients with psoriasis, the increased risk of some cancers in psoriasis patients has been shown. Why there's a link between psoriasis and cancers. Here are the possible explanations, the co-risk factors psoriasis and tumors, the chronic inflammatory nature of the disease, and the immune modulatory treatments.


Segregation is a spatial outcome of spatial processes that therefore needs to be measured spatially. This is the axiom from which local indices of segregation are developed and applied to the local markets within which schools compete. The indices are used to measure patterns of social segregation between London's state-funded secondary schools, education authorities, types of selecting and non-selecting schools, and, longitudinally, for cohorts of pupils entering the schools in each of the years from 2003 to 2008. The paper finds sizeable differences between apparently competing schools in the proportions of free school meal eligible pupils they recruit, with selective schools especially and also faith schools under-recruiting such pupils. Whilst there is some evidence that differences between schools have decreased over the period, the trend is considered to be an artefact of using free school meals as a measure of disadvantage, a measure that the paper ultimately questions.


MIMO, OFDMA and cooperative relaying are the key technologies in future wireless communication systems. However, under the usage of these technologies, resource allocation becomes a more crucial and challenging task. In multi-user MIMO-OFDMA relay-enhanced cellular networks, we formulate the optimal instantaneous resource allocation problem including user group selection, path selection, power allocation, and subchannel scheduling to maximize system capacity. We first propose a low-complex resource allocation algorithm named 'CP-CP' under constant uniform power allocation and then use a water-filling method named 'CP-AP' to allocate power among transmitting antennas. Moreover, we solve the original optimization problem efficiently by using the Jensen's inequality and propose a modified iterative water-filling algorithm named 'AP-CP'. Based on 'AP-CP', the 'AP-AP' algorithm is proposed to allocate power adaptively not only among subchannels but also among multiple transmitting. Finally, we compare the performance of the four schemes. Our results show that allocating power among subchannels is more effective than among transmitting antennas if the average signal-to-noise radio of users is low, and vice versa. Furthermore, the 'AP-AP' algorithm achieves the highest throughout especially for users near the cell edge.


Temporal questions with when and their counterparts in other languages display tense restrictions: they are incompatible with the present tense that is interpreted as 'currently ongoing', and English when-questions are incompatible with the present perfect. The existence of tense restrictions is one of the reasons why a theory of the semantics of questions should include an account of tense and aspect. I first propose an explanation of the tense restrictions based on the pragmatics of questions and partial answers. Then, I discuss how tense and aspectual operators can be added to Inquisitive Semantics (Ciardelli, Groenendijk & Roelofsen 2018).


We introduce a Gaussian process model of functions which are additive. An additive function is one which decomposes into a sum of low-dimensional functions, each depending on only a subset of the input variables. Additive GPs generalize both Generalized Additive Models, and the standard GP models which use squared-exponential kernels. Hyperparameter learning in this model can be seen as Bayesian Hierarchical Kernel Learning (HKL). We introduce an expressive but tractable parameterization of the kernel function, which allows efficient evaluation of all input interaction terms, whose number is exponential in the input dimension. The additional structure discoverable by this model results in increased interpretability, as well as state-of-the-art predictive power in regression tasks.


The monocarboxylate pyruvate is an important metabolite and can serve as sole carbon source for Escherichia coli. Although specific pyruvate transporters have been identified in two bacterial species, pyruvate transport is not well understood in E. coli. In the present study, pyruvate transport was investigated under different growth conditions. The transport of pyruvate shows specific activities depending on the growth substrate used as sole carbon source, suggesting the existence of at least two systems for pyruvate uptake: i) one inducible system and probably highly specific for pyruvate and ii) one system active under non-induced conditions. Using the toxic pyruvate analog 3-fluoropyruvate, a mutant was isolated unable to grow on and transport pyruvate. Further investigation revealed that a revertant selected for growth on pyruvate regained the inducible pyruvate transport activity. Characterization of pyruvate excretion showed that the pyruvate transport negative mutant accumulated pyruvate in the growth medium suggesting an additional transport system for pyruvate excretion. The here presented data give valuable insight into the pyruvate metabolism and transport of E. coli suggesting the presence of at least two uptake systems and one excretion system to balance the intracellular level of pyruvate.


Ultrafast extreme-ultraviolet pulses are spectrally selected by a time-delay-compensated grating monochromator. The intrinsic very short duration of the pulses is obtained by exploiting the high-order harmonic generation process. The temporal characterization of the harmonic pulses is obtained using a cross-correlation method: pulses as short as 8 fs are measured at the output of the monochromator in the case of the 23rd harmonic. This value is in agreement with the expected duration of such pulses, indicating that the influence of the monochromator is negligible. The photon flux has been measured with a calibrated photodiode, pointing out the good efficiency of the monochromator, derived by the exploitation for the two gratings of the conical diffraction mounting.


As an American, and a missionary of various shades among my own Native American peoples for 30 years, I have observed as much about Western (White) culture in North American missions as I have among the many Indigenous tribal cultures. This article is meant to provide an opportunity for a self-critique of Western missionary culture, particularly concerning some of the roots of colonial and neo-colonial practices of mission in the United States. In other words, I want to provide an opportunity for us to learn how those who have been the recipients of North American mission the longest may understand Western missionary culture. The most blatant contrast of Western missionary culture compared to Indigenous cultures is hierarchy as the structural norm. Hierarchical structures do not intuitively generate equality. Such structures require power to be used over the other in order to retain power and maintain homeostasis. By diminishing notions of dignity in the (subaltern) other, whether the other is such by ethnicity, gender, class, or simply by being considered a less important part of creation, we dehumanize them or desacralize them, robbing them of their dignity. Once a person, group, or another part of creation is identified as having less dignity or sacredness than ourselves we can, within a hierarchical norm, find rationalizations to use power over them. These rationalizations are then codified in societies and systemic structures to create the norm. Throughout the centuries, Christians have settled for hierarchical governance as the norm. In a very real sense, a significant root of slavery, patriarchy, racism, and classism involves accepting this hierarchical norm. Christian mission has not been immune to the same hegemonic tendencies and must be re-examined in order to resurface in a form worthy of the message of the pre-colonial Jesus.


Two experiments employing a modified version of the standard "Cavender Method" were used to evaluate the incidence patterns of myxomycete and dictyostelids associated with different soils collected across north and central America. The soils were subjected to variable culturing conditions and parameters including plant material quality, agar type and bacterial food source. Ecological variables such as geographic location and land use quality were also evaluated to determine potential differences affecting the soils. The study also aimed to document the potential for mycetozoans to serve as indicators of ecosystem quality. The results indicated that plant materials with middle hardness and moderate cellulose to lignin ratio, in conjunction with an intermediate rich culturing media favoured the growth of mycetozoans. Also, Bacillus subtilis represented a suitable alternative to Escherichia coli. Dictyostelids were more commonly recovered from tropical soils than temperate soils, while the opposite pattern was observed for myxomycetes. No differences in mycetozoan incidence were detected when landscape-scale and soil quality parameters were examined. Overall, data related to the utility of using mycetozoans as bioindicators are still limited, but the results of this study suggest that more targeted, scaledependent studies are warranted. The modified protocol used herein appears to represent a reliable method to generate consistent data for ecological studies of mycetozoans, particularly when tropical soils are used.


There are important gaps in our knowledge about children who migrate. Even in societies which employ technologically sophisticated systems for monitoring and measuring migration, data on child migrants are incomplete and focused on specific groups of vulnerable children and young people. The lack of data and research on processes underpinning child migration and on the experiences of children who migrate are rooted in hegemonic Westernised assumptions about, and constructions of, childhood, family migration, and migration in general. Migrant children are represented as passive, needy and different; their accounts of themselves and their lives are silenced through adultist discourses about migration decision-making and experiences. The papers in this special edition of JEMS challenge these constructions of migrant children by focusing on the children's experiences in a multiplicity of migratory contexts. Presented first at the international conference 'Children and Migration: Identities, Mobilities, Belonging' organised by the Marie Curie Migrant Children Project at University College Cork, Ireland, in April 2008, the papers showcase emerging research which challenges the adult-centric nature of migration research and policy.


Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is a biologically heterogeneous illness that primarily afflicts the elderly. For many decades, the initial therapy for most patients requiring treatment was limited to single-agent alkylator therapy. Within the last two decades, we have seen remarkable progress in understanding the biology of CLL and the development of more effective treatment strategies that have employed monoclonal antibodies, such as rituximab (anti-CD20). Furthermore, recognition of the synergy between fludarabine, cyclophosphamide, and rituximab (FCR) prompted investigators to explore the clinical activity of FCR in Phase II and III trials in patients with relapsed/refractory or previously untreated CLL. On the basis of these findings, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved rituximab in combination with fludarabine and cyclophosphamide for the treatment of patients with relapsed/refractory or previously untreated CD20-postive CLL. Recent data from a randomized Phase III trial has confirmed improved overall survival with FCR in patients with previously untreated CLL. However, FCR is not for everyone. More tolerable regimens using rituximab for the elderly and less fit patients are being pursued in clinical trials. Recent Phase II trials have explored potentially less myelosuppressive approaches by using lower doses of fludarabine and cyclophosphamide, replacing fludarabine with pentostatin, and combining rituximab with chlorambucil. Furthermore new biomarkers predictive of early disease progression have prompted investigators to explore the benefits of early treatment with rituximab combined with other agents. In addition to the proven utility of rituximab as a frontline agent for CLL, rituximab has a favorable toxicity profile both as a single agent and in combination with chemotherapy. The majority of adverse events are Grade 1 and 2 infusion-related reactions (fevers, chills, and rigors) and occur with the first dose of rituximab. The improved tolerability observed with second and subsequent infusions allows for shorter infusion times. Rituximab's proven activity and favorable toxicity profile has made it an ideal agent for expanding treatment options for patients with CLL, the majority of whom are elderly.


Abstract. Coverpercentage values for plant species were estimated using the line-intercept method along two belt transects starting at the lower mangrove frontier and ending at the upper height of the salt marsh. Twelve perennial species representing five growth forms were recorded with a total cover ranging between 10 and 50 %, depending on the type of substrate. Principal components analysis of the soil data indicated an array of stands, on the basis of which four vegetation zones couldbe distinguished. The procumbent growth form predominating on the salt marsh is related to high salinity levels. The procumbent vegetation shows a zonation related to the degree of waterlogging. The rhizomatous growth form is found on sites with a low bicarbonate content and saturation percentage levels, while the undershrub- and stoloniferous growth forms occupy sites of low salinity level, linked with intermediate values of the other edaphic factors.


Aim/Purpose: This study examined the relationship between critical success factors (CSFs), perceived benefits, and usage intention of Mobile Knowledge Management Systems (MKMS) via an integrated Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and Information Systems Success Model (ISSM).

Background: This study investigates the CSFs (i.e., Strategic Leadership, Employee Training, System Quality, and Information Quality) that impact the usage intention of KMS in mobile contexts which have been neglected. Since users normally consider the usefulness belief in a system before usage, this study examines the role of perceived benefits as a mediator between the CSFs and usage intention.

Methodology: A survey-based research approach in the Malaysian semiconductor industry was employed via an integrated model of TAM and ISSM. At a response rate of 59.52%, the findings of this study were based on 375 usable responses. The data collected was analyzed using the Partial Least Squares with SmartPLS 3.0.

Contribution: This study contributes to the body of knowledge in the areas of mobile technology acceptance and knowledge management. Specifically, it helps to validate the integrated model of TAM and ISSM with the CSFs from knowledge management and information system. In addition, it provides the would-be adopters of MKMS with valuable guidelines and insights to consider before embarking on the adoption stage.

Findings: The findings suggest that Employee Training and Information Quality have a positive significant relationship with Perceived MKMS Benefits. On the contrary, Strategic Leadership, System Quality, and Perceived User-friendliness showed an insignificant relationship with Perceived MKMS Benefits. Additionally, Employee Training and Information Quality have an indirect relationship with MKMS Usage Intention which is mediated by Perceived MKMS Benefits.

Recommendations for Practitioners: The findings are valuable for managers, engineers, KM practitioners, KM consultants, MKMS developers, and mobile device producers to enhance MKMS usage intention.

Recommendation for Researchers: Researchers would be able to conduct more inter-disciplinary studies to better understand the relevant issues concerning both fields – knowledge management and mobile computing disciplines. Additionally, the mediation effect of TAM via Perceived Usefulness (i.e., perceived MKMS benefits) on usage intention of MKMS should be further investigated with other CSFs.

Future Research: Future studies could perhaps include other critical factors from both KM and IS as part of the external variables. Furthermore, Perceived Ease of Use (i.e., Perceived User-friendly) should be tested as a mediator in the future, together with Perceived Usefulness (i.e., perceived MKMS Benefits) to compare which would be a more powerful predictor of usage intention. Moreover, it may prove interesting to find out how the research framework would fit into other industries to verify the findings of this study for better accuracy and generalizability.


Video streaming currently accounts for the majority of Internet traffic. One factor that enables video streaming is HTTP Adaptive Streaming (HAS), that allows the users to stream video using a bit rate that closely matches the available band-width from the server to the client. MPEG Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP (DASH) is a widely used standard, that allows the clients to select the resolution to download based on their own estimations. The algorithm for determining the next segment in a DASH stream is not part of the standard, but it is an important factor in the resulting playback quality. Nowadays vehicles are increasingly equipped with mobile communication devices, and in-vehicle multimedia entertainment systems. In this paper, we evaluate the performance of various DASH adaptation algorithms over a vehicular network. We present detailed simulation results highlighting the advantages and disadvantages of various adaptation algorithms in delivering video content to vehicular users, and we show how the different adaptation algorithms perform in terms of throughput, playback interruption time, and number of interruptions.


Qatar and the region are experiencing transformative growth over relatively very short periods of time, due primarily to hydrocarbon based energy resources. As the country pushes to meet growing global demand for its finite fossil fuel reserves, it is looking also to capitalize on renewable energy sources including solar power generation. However, the high ambient humidity, high annual average surface temperature, high atmospheric aerosols including haze, secondary organic aerosols and dust particulates, all negatively impact the efficiency of solar power generation technology. We will present over ten years of Aerosol Optical Thickness (AOT) measurements from both ground and satellite based remote sensing data from NASA's Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) and Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) instrument onboard the TERRA satellite. AOT is a measure of the atmosphere's ability to attenuate incoming solar radiation. As AOT increases, surface insolation decreases which in-turn decreases the theoretical limit for solar power generation. The data shows a net positive trend in AOT of >1% per annum over most of the Arabian Peninsula, including Qatar. The positive trend is associated with increased intensity of dust events, but not necessarily in the frequency of the events. The trend is observed over the operational spectral range of Photovoltaic (PV) cells (340-1020 nm.) The AOT trend is positive for all months of the year, except November, but exhibits a strong seasonal signature that indicates the dusty months are becoming dustier (March through July) and less productive for solar power generation. Trends in the angstrom parameter, an indicator of the size of the atmospheric aerosols, during the less dusty winter months, indicate an increase in the average size of the atmospheric aerosols, i.e. the winter months too are becoming dustier. Work continues on quantifying the net impact of the observed trend on solar power generation.


This article examines how individual differences (giftedness) interact with learning contexts (favorite versus least favorite courses) to influence learning processes and outcomes. The findings show that gifted and typically developing students differ solely in their expectancies for success and grades among a large variety of measures, including motivation (goal orientations, expectancies, and values) and self-regulated learning (self-regulated emotions, behaviors, and cognitions). These results imply that the learning context can override individual differences. Through the lens of the integrated self-regulated learning model (iSRL; Ben-Eliyahu & Bernacki, 2015), the article discusses why there are contextual differences in learning. By bridging the literature on mastery goal structure and self-determination theory, it is proposed that learning contexts focused on development and self-progress (i.e., mastery goal structured contexts) lead to adaptive achievement outcomes because competing basic needs are satisfied, competition decreases, and resources for learning are freed. Given the importance of self-regulated learning, students should be encouraged to develop learning habits and strategies based on self-regulation, which should be considered a 21st-century skill that can be scaffolded by educators in formal and informal learning settings.


This article is concerned with the dynamic behaviour of UK unemployment. However, instead of using traditional approaches based on I(0) stationary or I(1) (integrated and/or cointegrated) models, we use the fractional integration framework. In doing so, we allow for a more careful study of the low frequency dynamics underlying the series. The conclusions suggest that the UK unemployment may be explained in terms of lagged values of the real oil prices and the real interest rate, with the order of integration of unemployment ranging between 0.50 and 1. Thus, unemployment shows the characteristics of long memory but is mean reverting.


Particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm has the disadvantage that, once it gets into the local optimization it is very hard to jump out from the local optimization. For that reason, a novel improved Particle Swarm Optimization algorithm is presented in this paper. The algorithm can use statistical laws of particle fitting value to classify the particles, and take different evolution models for different kinds of particles. And for the particles evolved in full model, learning factor is adjusted dynamically, which can enhance the evolution efficiency and precision greatly. By the experiments and analysis, the optimization variation rule which evolved with the learning factor is achieved, and the function expressions of learning factor C1 and C2 are given in this paper. The simulation results showed that, compared with other PSO algorithms proposed before, it is improved virtually on both optimization precision and optimization efficiency by using the improved PSO algorithm to optimize four typical benchmark functions.


Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) of Pseudomonas morsprunorum was extracted with hot phenol and purified by repeated centrifuging followed by either block electrophoresis or gel filtration. LPS from a virulent isolate exhbited specific phage inactivation (PIso = 0.05 ,ug LPS ml-l), whereas LPS from an avirulent phageresistant mutant did not. LPS was considered pure when a single band was detected following sodium dodecyl sulphate-cellulose acetate electrophoresis (PH 7-4). It was not phytotoxic when inoculated into cherry leaves at concentrations up to I mgml-l, but produced weak chlorosis in bean and tobacco at 2 mg ml-l : no visible symptoms appeared after treatment with lower concentrations. The chemical composition of the LPS was partly determined.


A room-temperature electrocatalytic process that effects the overall chemical reaction CO2 + 2H2O yields CH4 + 2O2 has been investigated as a means of removing carbon dioxide from air and restoring oxygen to the air. The process was originally intended for use in a spacecraft life-support system, in which the methane would be vented to outer space. The process may also have potential utility in terrestrial applications in which either or both of the methane and oxygen produced might be utilized or vented to the atmosphere. A typical cell used to implement the process includes a polymer solid-electrolyte membrane, onto which are deposited cathode and anode films. The cathode film is catalytic for electrolytic reduction of CO2 at low overpotential. The anode film is typically made of platinum. When CO2 is circulated past the cathode, water is circulated past the anode, and a suitable potential is applied, the anode half-cell reaction is 4H2O yields 2O2 + 8H(+) + 8e(-). The H(+) ions travel through the membrane to the cathode, where they participate in the half-cell reaction CO2 + 8H(+) + 8e(-) yields CH4 + 2H2O.


Food habits of new lifestyle have contributed to the appearance of chronic diseases such as obesity or cardiovascular diseases, which are mainly due to bad eating habits. Solutions can be found in providing the consumers with functional foods and health capability. Such food is rich in dietary fibre, with specific physicochemical behaviour and healthy properties. Dietary fibre rich food products are associated with physiological actions in the small and large intestine, having important implications in human health. These properties include water dispersibility and solubility, viscosity effects, bulk, absorption and fermentability, and binding of other compounds. These properties may lead to various physiological actions such as reducing cholesterol and attenuating blood glucose, maintaining gastrointestinal health, and positively affecting calcium bioavailability and immune function. Moreover, based on their physiochemical properties, many of the new sources of dietary fibre can help to improve the health benefits of new generations. This review paper gives an overview of occurrence, structures and various physiological effects of dietary fibres.


Determining competitive adsorption isotherms is an open problem in liquid chromatography. Since traditional experimental trial-and-error approaches are too complex and expensive, a modern technique of obtaining adsorption isotherms is to solve the inverse problem so that the simulated batch separation coincides with actual experimental results. This is a typical ill-posed problem. Moreover, in almost all cases the observed concentration at the outlet is the total response of all components, which makes the problem more difficult. In this work, we tackle the ill-posedness with a new regularization method, which is based on the fact that the adsorption isotherms do not depend on the injection profile. The proposed method transfers the original problem to an optimization problem with a time-dependent convection–diffusion equation constraint. Iterative algorithms for solving constraint optimization problems for both the equilibrium-dispersive and the transport-dispersive models are developed. The mass transfer resistance is also estimated by the proposed inverse method. A regularization parameter selection method and the convergence property of the proposed algorithm are discussed. Finally, numerical tests for both synthetic problems and real-world problems are given to show the efficiency and feasibility of the proposed regularization method.


Nanorobotics is an emerging field based on the principle of nanotechnology. It deals with design and construction of devices so as to alter their functioning at the atomic, molecular or cellular level. Dr. Robert Freitas has designed nanorobots like clottocytes, respirocytes and microbivores. These hypothetical nanorobots are very small in size which can easily travel into human body and perform their functions. These nanorobots are designed in such a way so as to perform functions under specific conditions inside a human body. These nanorobots act as artificial substitutes to blood. The clottocytes mimics the process of haemostasis. The respirocytes mimics the function of red blood cells of transporting oxygen and carbon dioxide to various tissues and cells of the body. The microbivore mimics the function of natural phagocytes, which is carrying out phagocytosis. This review paper will discuss how the recent advancements in nanorobotics have helped in designing of these nanorobots.


Early Christians interpreted the biblical theophany narratives as manifestations of Christ, yet Augustine challenged and reconfigured this view. Developing over centuries into two major exegetical strands, the transformation of theophany interpretation reveals the critical and adaptive capacity of patristic exegesis.


AIM
Evaluation of microleakage in endodontically treated teeth that have been coronally sealed with eugenol and noneugenol containing zinc oxide cement, with and without the use of cavity varnish.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
The crowns of single rooted teeth were removed at the cementoenamel junction (CEJ) and the root canals were prepared and obturated with gutta-percha points and zinc oxide eugenol (ZOE) sealer using lateral condensation technique. The samples were randomly divided into four groups-group 1, coronal seal was obtained with ZOE cement; in group 2, three coats of cavity varnish followed with coronal seal of ZOE cement; in group 3, Litark a (noneugenol cement) was placed in the prepared cavity as in group 1; and in group 4, cavity varnish and Litark were placed instead of ZOE as in group 2. The specimens were immersed in 2% methylene blue dye and examined under traveling microscope for evidence of dye penetration of the material.

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS
In this study, Kruskal-Wallis test, Mann-Whitney U, and Wilcoxon W tests were used.

RESULTS
Kruskal-Wallis test with P=0.000 indicated that a significant difference exists between the four groups. Mann-Whitney U test and Wilcoxon W test showed a significant difference at 0.05 levels as follows: group 1 with group 3 and 4, group 2 with group 3 and 4, and group 3 with group 4. There was no significant difference at 0.05 levels between group 1 and group 2.

CONCLUSION
Group 4 showed significant less amount of dye penetration as compared with other groups.


Mixup is a popular data augmentation technique based on taking convex combinations of pairs of examples and their labels. This simple technique has been shown to substantially improve both the robustness and the generalization of the trained model. However, it is not well-understood why such improvement occurs. In this paper, we provide theoretical analysis to demonstrate how using Mixup in training helps model robustness and generalization. For robustness, we show that minimizing the Mixup loss corresponds to approximately minimizing an upper bound of the adversarial loss. This explains why models obtained by Mixup training exhibits robustness to several kinds of adversarial attacks such as Fast Gradient Sign Method (FGSM). For generalization, we prove that Mixup augmentation corresponds to a specific type of data-adaptive regularization which reduces overfitting. Our analysis provides new insights and a framework to understand Mixup.


Neuronal plasticity is a core mechanism for learning and memory. Many neurological disorders appear after abnormal neuronal plasticity has emerged. Specifically, in stroke patients it affects widespread brain regions through interhemispheric connections by influencing either motor activity or cognitives abilities.
Stroke is one of the principal causes of morbidity and mortality in adults in the developed world and the leading cause of disability. The potential of noninvasive brain stimulation (NIBS) techniques in stroke rehabilitation has been of particular interest, because of the high incidence of this pathology in all industrialized countries. Survivors can suffer several neurological deficits or impairments, such as hemiparesis, communication disorders, cognitive deficits or disorders in visuo-spatial perception.
Recent research has focused on developing rehabilitation strategies that facilitate neuroplasticity to maximize functional outcome poststroke. This review discusses the evidence for neuroplasticity (structural, synaptic or intrinsic changes that alter neuronal function) of NIBS techniques in stroke patients, such as repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) or direct current transcranial stimulation (DCTS). Long periods of cortical stimulation can produce lasting effects on brain function, paving the way for therapeutic applications of NIBS in chronic neurological disease.


Diverse pollen and spore assemblages, spanning the Late Eocene preglacial–glacial transition, have been recovered from Ocean Drilling Program cores from Prydz Bay, East Antarctica. These microfloras are mostly in situ and provide an unparalleled record of terrestrial plant communities growing in Antarctica during the earliest stages of ice-cap formation. The evidence provides a basis for assessing the phytogeographic relationships of the Antarctic floras with other high-latitude floras in the southern hemisphere, including possible migration routes for some taxa. Preliminary studies (Macphail and Truswell 2004a) suggested the Late Eocene vegetation at Prydz Bay was floristically impoverished rainforest scrub, similar to Nothofagus–gymnosperm communities found near the climatic treeline in Patagonia and Tasmania. Re-evaluation of the microfloras indicates the diversity of shrubs, especially Proteaceae, was underestimated and the Late Eocene vegetation was a mosaic of dwarfed (krumholtz) trees, scleromorphic shrubs and wetland herbs, analogous to the taiga found in the transition zone between the boreal conifer forest and tundra biomes across the Arctic Circle. Microfloras similar to although much less diverse than the Prydz Bay assemblages occur in coreholes from the Ross Sea region on the opposite side of Antarctica. Interpretation of the latter is complicated by reworking and low yields but the combined evidence points to the collapse of taller woody ecosystems during the Eocene–Oligocene transition and their replacement by tundra-like or fell-field vegetation during the Oligocene and Neogene. This temperature-forced regression seems to have been broadly synchronous across the continent. The high-palaeolatitude location (~70°S) means that the Prydz Bay flora was adapted to several months of winter darkness and short-summer growing seasons. The nearest living relatives of identifiable woody taxa suggest year-round high humidity, with an annual precipitation between ~1200 and 1500 mm. Palaeotemperatures are more difficult to quantify although the inferred humid microtherm climate is consistent with mean annual temperatures less than 12°C and freezing winters.


As latest trend in designing processors and system-on-chips (SoCs) requires more RAMs than logics, these embedded RAMs contribute to the high percentage of yields for these processors and SoCs. To ensure high percentage of yield is achieved, a builtin self-test (BIST) is utilized to test these RAMs. The memory BIST applies various test algorithms such as MARCH tests to detect various RAM faults. Numerous design objectives such as programmability, low area overhead, at-speed/full-speed test and multiple RAMs target are proposed in the BIST designs. These objectives must be achieved to provide best fault detection in these embedded RAMs. A technique called clustering which is applied to other architectures such as VLIW processor and FPGA architecture is utilized in this study to achieve low area programmable memory BIST (P-MBIST). Three experiments are performed in this study. The first experiment is performed by clustering test patterns of RAMs under test. The second experiment
deeply encodes the clusters of test patterns to improve the cluster technique to allow multiple test data types. The third experiment is performed to concurrently test an array of small embedded RAMs which is developed on a FPGA device. The simulation and synthesis tools used in these experiments are ModelSim, ALTERA's Quartus II and Synopsys Design Compiler. The FPGA implementation is performed on the Cyclone II FPGA device of ALTERA's DE2-70 board. It is justified that the cluster technique provides full-speed test and low area overhead for the
programmable memory BIST controller. The proposed clustered FSM-based and microcode-based P-MBIST achieves around 15% and 32% of area reduction respectively. This area reduction is further improved in the proposed deep-encoded FSM-based and microcode-based P-MBIST where their areas are around 25% and 44% respectively. The lower and upper nibbles looping in the address generator proves that concurrent test of multiple RAMs target can be achieved.


The central front in the battle over campaign finance laws is the definition of corruption. The Supreme Court has allowed restrictions on giving and spending money in connection with elections only when they serve to avoid corruption or its appearance. The constitutionality of such laws, therefore, depends on how the Court defines corruption. Over the years, campaign finance cases have conceived of corruption in both broad and narrow terms, with the most recent cases defining it especially narrowly. While supporters and critics of campaign finance laws have argued for and against these different formulations, both sides have missed the more foundational issue: Should the Court define corruption at all? This Article argues it should not. Corruption is a derivative concept, which means that it depends on a theory of the institution involved. In order to define corruption of an official or institution, one needs an account of the how the official ought to act, or the institution ought to function. Defining legislative corruption therefore requires a theory of the legislator's role in a well-functioning democracy. The Supreme Court's campaign finance case law has ignored the implications of this widely shared and deceptively simple idea. Drawing an analogy to apportionment and gerrymandering cases, this Article argues that there are important reasons for the Court to defer to legislative judgment about how best to conceive of a legislator's role in our democracy. Those cases counsel that where both individual rights and questions of democratic theory are at issue, the Court should be cautious and careful about whether judicial intervention is appropriate. Just as the Court is hesitant to define good government, so too it should be reluctant to define corruption.


OBJECTIVE
Proinflammatory eicosanoids and cytokines are important mediators of local inflammation in acute lung injury. We determined if enteral nutrition with anti-inflammatory fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic acid, and gamma-linolenic acid would reduce the intrapulmonary synthesis of proinflammatory eicosanoids and cytokines and pulmonary neutrophil accumulation in a rat model of acute lung injury.

DESIGN
Prospective, randomized, controlled, double-blind study.

SETTING
Research laboratory at a university medical center.

SUBJECTS
Male Long-Evans rats (250 g).

INTERVENTIONS
Rats were randomly assigned to three dietary treatment groups and fed nutritionally complete diets (300 kcal/kg/day) containing 55.2% of the total calories from fat with either 97% corn oil, 20% fish oil, or 20% fish and 20% borage oil for 21 days. On day 22, bronchoalveolar lavage was performed 2 hrs after an intravenous injection of Salmonella enteritidis endotoxin (10 mg/kg) or saline. Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid was analyzed for leukotriene B4, leukotriene C4/D4, thromboxane B2, prostaglandin E2, 6 keto-prostaglandin F1alpha, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, and macrophage inflammatory protein-2 (MIP-2). Lung myeloperoxidase activity (a marker for neutrophil accumulation) and phospholipid fatty acid composition were also determined.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS
Lung phospholipid concentrations of arachidonic acid were lower and the concentrations of eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid were higher with fish oil and fish and borage oil as compared with corn oil. Dihomo-gamma-linolenic acid, the desaturated and elongated intermediate of gamma-linolenic acid, increased with fish and borage oil as compared with fish oil and corn oil. The levels of leukotriene B4, leukotriene C4/D4, 6-keto-prostaglandin F1alpha, and thromboxane B2 with corn oil were significantly increased with endotoxin as compared with saline. In contrast to the corn oil group, endotoxin did not significantly increase bronchoalveolar lavage levels of leukotriene B4, leukotriene C4/D4, and thromboxane B2 above those of saline-treated rats with fish oil and fish and borage oil. Lung myeloperoxidase activity was significantly increased in endotoxin-treated rats compared with those rats given saline in all dietary treatment groups. However, lung myeloperoxidase activity was significantly lower with either fish oil or fish and borage oil as compared with corn oil after endotoxin. Although endotoxin increased the levels of TNF-alpha and MIP-2 with all dietary treatment groups as compared with saline-treated rats, there were no significant differences in the levels of either cytokine between the dietary treatment groups.

CONCLUSIONS
These results indicate that dietary fish oil and fish and borage oil as compared with corn oil may ameliorate endotoxin-induced acute lung injury by suppressing the levels of proinflammatory eicosanoids (but not TNF-alpha or MIP-2) in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and reducing pulmonary neutrophil accumulation.


ESSAYS ON FIRMS AND POLITICAL CONNECTIONS IN INDONESIA Akhmad Rizal Shidiq, PhD George Mason University, 2016 Dissertation Director: Dr. Garett Jones In the first chapter, I show evidence of credit-market imperfection in Indonesia: investment spending is sensitive to firm cash flow. These imperfections are stronger for firms that are not politically connected to former president Suharto. This result generally holds for a variety of controls. This result also underscores the importance of political connections in providing firms with preferential access to the external financing commonly found in developing economies. The removal of Suharto from power in 1998 did not substantially reduce the value of a Suharto connection, and may have strengthened the value of such a connection. This highlights the possible durability of political connections in the credit market. In the second chapter, I estimate the impact of political connections on creative destruction in the Indonesian manufacturing industry between 1991 and 2005. I find that a higher industrial concentration of firms connected to the former president Suharto reduces unconnected firms' ability to efficiently respond to productivity shocks. The presence of politically connected firms pushed unconnected firms against a higher production selection threshold and forced them to forego production activities that would have been feasible to initiate or maintain in a competitive industry. As a result of political-connections-induced congestion, for each ten-percentage point increase in the share of assets in a three-digitlevel industry held by connected firms, the productivity wedge between unconnected and connected firms, as measured by the firms' total factor productivity (TFP) rose by 4 percent. Moreover, the fall of the Suharto regime in 1998 reduced the productivity gap for firms the closer they had been to Suharto, suggesting productivity congestion declined and highlighting the role of political connections in jamming up creative destruction. In the third chapter, I estimate the impact of business-group membership a firm's performance in the Indonesian manufacturing industry in 1996 and 2006. I find that being a member of a business group positively affected firms' performance. It appears, however, that the business-group membership premium came from providing better access to the market, rather than by having a differential effect on production activities. The result generally holds across estimation strategies. In the main specification using the propensity-score matching, being a member of a business group increased the firms' earnings by 21 percent and labor productivity by 11 percent. Business-group memberships evidently brought firms better access to the markets for imported inputs and highly educated labor, and, to some extent, the export-product market. The effects of business-group membership on firms' production activities were more ambiguous: relative to the standalone firms, the affiliated firms spent more on wages, less on materials, and generally the same amount of investment. This finding provides more evidence for the benefit of business-group membership for firms in developing economies. Chapter 1: The Ghost of Suharto: Do Politically Connected Firms Persistently Have Fewer Financing Constraints?


Shared-memory multiprocessors offer increased computational power and the programmability of the shared-memory model. However, sharing memory between processors leads to contention which delays memory accesses. Adding a cache memory for each processor reduces the average access time, but it creates the possibility of inconsistency among cached copies. The cache coherence problem is keeping all cached copies of the same memory location identical. This dissertation explores possible solutions to the cache coherence problem and identifies cache coherence protocols--solutions implemented entirely in hardware--as an attractive alternative.
Protocols for shared-bus systems are shown to be an interesting special case. Previously proposed shared-bus protocols are described using uniform terminology, and they are shown to divide into two categories: invalidation and distributed write. In invalidation protocols all other cached copies must be invalidated before any copy can be changed; in distributed write protocols all copies must be updated each time a shared block is modified. In each category, a new protocol is presented with better performance than previous schemes, based on simulation results. The simulation model and parameters are described in detail.
Previous protocols for general interconnection networks are shown to contain flaws and to be costly to implement. A new class of protocols is presented that offers reduced implementation cost and expandability, while retaining a high level of performance, as illustrated by simulation results using a crossbar switch. All new protocols have been proven correct; one of the proofs is included.
Previous definitions of cache coherence are shown to be inadequate and a new definition is presented. Coherence is compared and contrasted with other levels of consistency, which are also identified. The consistency of shared-bus protocols is shown to be naturally stronger than that of non-bus protocols.
The first protocol of its kind is presented for a large hierarchical multiprocessor, using a bus-based protocol within each cluster and a general protocol in the network connecting the clusters to the shared main memory.


During the negotiations over raising the debt ceiling, President Obama proposed cutting the annual cost of living adjustment for Social Security by switching to an index that would show a lower measured rate of inflation. This alternative index, the chained consumer price index (CCPI-U), shows an annual rate of inflation that averages approximately 0.3 percentage points less than the consumer price index (CPI-W) that is currently used to index benefits. While this change would lead to $122 billion in savings to the government over the next decade, it also means that beneficiaries would receive lower benefits. Since the vast majority of retirees rely on Social Security for the bulk of their retirement income, this cut in the cost of living adjustment would imply a substantial reduction in the standard of living of retirees, unless they offset it by saving more during their working years or retiring later in life. While we cannot know for sure how workers in future years will adjust their behavior, this paper assesses their past response to changes in the cost of living adjustment. It finds that they were not able to raise their non-Social Security income in response to cuts in Social Security benefits.


Mitochondrial dysfunction plays important roles in Parkinson's disease (PD) and the degradation of the damaged mitochondria by the mitochondria quality control system is important for dopaminergic (DA) neuronal survival. BNIP3L/Nix is a mitochondrial outer membrane protein that is required for the selective clearance of mitochondria. Here, we found that the mitochondrial protein BNIP3L acts downstream of the PINK1/PARK2 pathway to induce mitophagy. BNIP3L is a substrate of PARK2 to drive PARK2-mediated mitophagy. The ubiquitination of BNIP3L by PARK2 recruits NBR1 to mitochondria, thereby targeting mitochondria for degradation. BNIP3L rescues mitochondrial defects in pink1 mutant Drosophila but not in park mutant Drosophila, indicating that the clearance of mitochondria induced by BNIP3L depends on the presence of PARK2. In cells intoxicated with mitochondrial complex I inhibitors rotenone, 6-OHDA or MPP(+), the disrupted mitochondria are not appropriately eliminated by mitophagy due to the improper degradation of BNIP3L. Thus, our study demonstrates that BNIP3L, as a substrate of PARK2, promotes mitophagy in the PINK1/PARK2 pathway associated with PD pathogenesis.


The scattered intensity patterns of large dielectric cylinders (ka ≅ 1000) are studied using the exact solution for the case of normal incidence. The two different polarizations of the incident electric field, parallel and normal to the axis of the cylinder, are considered. A comparison between the scattered patterns of the two polarizations is presented. The fine structure of the scattering pattern is also presented. It is shown that the scattered intensity has resonances as the wavelength is scanned. An experimental investigation is carried out to illustrate the theory, and good agreement between theory and experiment is achieved.


ABSTRACT The diversity of the floral characters in 17 species of Scrophulariaceae Juss. (belonging to 12 genera) was carried out through the tracing of their states as pictured by the organ vascularization. According to the statement of evolution (floral criteria) the character states were given evolutionary grades and the latter were "clipped" to their corresponding taxa. Trends of evolution in the floral characters were found to be gamosepaly, sympetaly, bilateral symmetry, reduction trends in the number of stamens as well as their vascularization and the occasional presence of a placental vascular cord as a fusion product of the carpellary ventral traces. None of the taxa under investigation could be considered as advanced over the other since all retained mosaic evolution expressed by variation in the vascular pattern in sepals, petals, stamens and carpels. In addition the obtained data confirmed that the line of evolution inside tribe Antirrhineae is from Antirrhinum majus L. (representing less advanced case) to Kickxia aegyptiaca (L.) Nábělek (the most advanced studied species). Russelia equisetiformis Schlecht. & Cham. occupied the lowest position vs Scrophularia xanthoglossa Boiss. (tribe Cheloneae). The ventral cord and lateral carpellary bundles pattern supported the taxonomic location of Paulownia tomentosa (Thunb.) and Torenia fournieri Linden ex E. Fourn. under family Scrophulariaceae.


Traffic sensing is a key baseline input for sustainable cities to plan and administer demand-supply management through better road networks, public transportation, urban policies etc., Humans sense the environment frugally using a combination of complementary information signals from different sensors. For example, by viewing and/or hearing traffic one could identify the state of traffic on the road. In this paper, we demonstrate a fusion based learning approach to classify the traffic states using low cost audio and image data analysis using real world dataset. Road side collected traffic acoustic signals and traffic image snapshots obtained from fixed camera are used to classify the traffic condition into three broad classes viz., Jam, Medium and Free. The classification is done on {10sec audio, image snapshot in that 10sec} data tuple. We extract traffic relevant features from audio and image data to form a composite feature vector. In particular, we extract the audio features comprising MFCC (Mel-Frequency Cepstral Coefficients) classifier based features, honk events and energy peaks. A simple heuristic based image classifier is used, where vehicular density and number of corner points within the road segment are estimated and are used as features for traffic sensing. Finally the composite vector is tested for its ability to discriminate the traffic classes using Decision tree classifier, SVM classifier, Discriminant classifier and Logistic regression based classifier. Information fusion at multiple levels (audio, image, overall) shows consistently better performance than individual level decision making. Low cost sensor fusion based on complementary weak classifiers and noisy features still generates high quality results with an overall accuracy of 93-96%.


Energy market conditions have shifted dramatically since the USA renewable fuel standards (RFS1 in 2005; RFS2 in 2007) were enacted. The USA has transitioned from an increasing dependence on oil imports to abundant domestic oil production. In addition, increases in the use of ethanol, the main biofuel currently produced in the USA, is now limited by the blend wall constraint. Given this, the current study evaluates alternative biofuel deployment scenarios in the USA, accounting for changes in market conditions. The analysis is performed with a general equilibrium model that reflects the structure of the USA biofuel market as the transition to advanced biofuels begins. Results suggest that ethanol consumption would increase, albeit slowly, if current biofuel deployment rates of about 10% are maintained as persistently lower oil prices lead to a gradual increase in the consumption of liquid transportation fuels. Without the blend wall constraint, this study finds that the overall economic impact of a full implementation of the USA RFS2 policy is largely neutral before 2022. However, the economic impacts become slightly negative under the blend wall constraint since more expensive bio-hydrocarbons are needed to meet the RFS2 mandates. Results for a scenario with reduced advanced biofuel deployment based on current policy plans show near neutral economic impacts up to 2027. This scenario is also consistent with another scenario where the volume of bio-hydrocarbons deployed is reduced to adjust for its higher cost and energy content relative to deploying the mandated RFS2 advanced biofuel volumes as ethanol. The important role of technological change is demonstrated under pioneer and accelerated technology scenarios, with the latter leading to neutral or positive economic effects up to 2023 under most blend wall scenarios. All scenarios evaluated in this study are found to have positive long-term benefits for the USA economy.


The sustainable deployment of Horizontal Axis Tidal Turbines will require effective management and maintenance func-tions. In part, these can be supported by the engineering of suitable condition monitoring systems. The development of such a system is inevitably challenging, particularly given the present limited level of operational data associated with in-stalled turbines during fault onset. To mitigate this limitation, a computational fluid dynamics model is used to simulate the operational response of a turbine under a known set of fault conditions. Turbine rotor imbalance faults were simulated by the introduction of increasing levels of pitch angle offset for a single turbine blade. The effects of these fault cases upon cyclic variations in the torque developed by the turbine rotor were then used to aid creation of a condition monitoring approach. A parametric tidal turbine rotor model was developed based on the outputs of the computational fluid dynamics models. The model was used to facilitate testing of the condition monitoring approach under a variety of more realistic conditions. The condition monitoring approach showed good performance in fault detection and diagnosis for simulations relating to turbulence intensities of up to 2 %. Finally, the condition monitoring approach was applied to simulations of 10 % turbulence intensity. Under the 10 % turbulence intensity case the rotor monitoring approach was successfully demonstrated in its use for fault detection. The paper closes with discussion of the effectiveness of using computational fluid dynamics simulations extended by parametric models to develop condition monitoring systems for horizontal axis tidal turbine applications.


Graph Neural Networks (GNNs) are increasingly important given their popularity and the diversity of applications. Yet, existing studies of their vulnerability to adversarial attacks rely on relatively small graphs. We address this gap and study how to attack and defend GNNs at scale. We propose two sparsity-aware first-order optimization attacks that maintain an efficient representation despite optimizing over a number of parameters which is quadratic in the number of nodes. We show that common surrogate losses are not well-suited for global attacks on GNNs. Our alternatives can double the attack strength. Moreover, to improve GNNs' reliability we design a robust aggregation function, Soft Median, resulting in an effective defense at all scales. We evaluate our attacks and defense with standard GNNs on graphs more than 100 times larger compared to previous work. We even scale one order of magnitude further by extending our techniques to a scalable GNN.


Politics in peasant societies is mostly the everyday, quotidian sort. Hence, if one looks only for politics in conventional places and forms, much would be missed about villagers' political thought and actions as well as relationships between political life in rural communities and the political systems in which they are located. To make this case, the paper explains the meaning of everyday politics by distinguishing it from two other realms of politics and then discusses four types of everyday politics. The paper concludes by suggesting that, in addition to better understanding peasant societies, the concept of everyday politics makes us – researchers – further aware of, and realise the importance of, our own everyday political behaviour.


Variability or instability is one of the key features of any process, including business processes of material flow internal control. Variability is a characteristic of all natural systems and technical processes. The objects which properties can be characterized via certain parameters arise at the output of any process.The article discloses the feasibility of using the statistical methods in the internal control system of business entities; in this case the focus is on the method of identifying the causes of variability using control charts of various types (Shewhart control charts) as a prime tool.The view points regarding variability of famous academic economists who researched the business process management issues are also considered. Authors' classification of business process variation on types of material flow internal control with the allocation of controlled and uncontrolled variation is taken as the basis of the proposed application.The method of using control charts in estimating the efficiency of material flow internal control business processes is described in detail.