Support Vector Machines (SVMs) have achieved very good performance on different learning problems. However, the success of SVMs depends on the adequate choice of a number of parameters, including for instance the kernel and the regularization parameters. In the current work, we propose the combination of Meta-Learning and search techniques to the problem of SVM parameter selection. Given an input problem, Meta-Learning is used to recommend SVM parameters based on well-succeeded parameters adopted in previous similar problems. The parameters returned by Meta-Learning are then used as initial search points to a search technique which will perform a further exploration of the parameter space. In this combination, we envisioned that the initial solutions provided by Meta-Learning are located in good regions in the search space (i.e. they are closer to the optimum solutions). Hence, the search technique would need to evaluate a lower number of candidate search points in order to find an adequate solution. In our work, we implemented a prototype in which Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) was used to select the values of two SVM parameters for regression problems. In the performed experiments, the proposed solution was compared to a PSO with random initialization, obtaining better average results on a set of 40 regression problems.


In predator-prey interactions, prey species have complex defensive behaviors to protect themselves from predators. Chemical defenses are one tool that is employed to protect against predators, especially for slow-moving or otherwise susceptible prey. Many of these chemical defenses have been studied and the effective compounds identified, but few studies were performed on their mechanisms of detection. In my research, I used the sea hare, Aplysia californica, as chemically defended prey. This slow moving mollusk is soft-bodied with no external shell, but it has adapted a number of defenses including chemical defenses. Ink is a sticky mixture of the products of the ink gland and the opaline gland which are mixed in the mantle cavity and released toward an attacker. I show that this ink secretion protects the sea hare from predation by a fish predator. Because many deterrent compounds taste bitter, bitter taste receptors are thought to protect predators from ingesting harmful compounds in prey. Studies of deterrent taste detection have commonly utilized bitter compounds from human hedonics to study the responses in animals, such as fruit flies, fishes, rats, and monkeys. In my dissertation, I argue that the study of chemical defenses allows us to ask more questions about detection of relevant deterrents and interactions between predators and prey at the individual and population levels. My results show that diet-derived pigments in Aplysia ink, aplysioviolin and phycoerythrobilin, are strongly deterrent to fish predators. Electrophysiological analyses of the gustatory system show that these compounds are equipotent and cross-adapt each others' responses completely. Aplysioviolin and phycoerythrobilin produced incomplete reciprocal cross-adaptation with amino acids and adapted bile salt responses but were not significantly adapted by these latter stimuli. These results showed multiple pathways that are sensitive to aplysioviolin and phycoerythrobilin, which may have different effects on the physiology and behavior of the predatory fish. My findings demonstrate the value to the fields of chemical ecology and chemosensory biology of studying sensory processing of relevant deterrent compounds. This work lays the foundation for how a diet-derived photopigment is adapted by a species to protect itself from predators by stimulating their chemosensory systems. INDEX WORDS: Aplysia californica, Aplysioviolin, Ariopsis felis, Catfish, Chemoreception, Deterrence, Electrophysiology, Fish, Gustation, Ink, Phycoerythrobilin, Predator-Prey, Sea hare, Thalassoma bifasciatum, Wrasse CHEMICAL DEFENSES OF APLYSIA CALIFORNICA AND SENSORY PROCESSING BY PREDATORY FISHES


Bifacial solar module technology is a quickly growing market in the photovoltaics (PV) sector. By utilising light impinging on both, front and back sides of the module, actual limitations of conventional monofacial solar modules can be overcome at almost no additional costs. Optimising large-scale bifacial solar power plants with regard to minimum levelised cost of electricity (LCOE), however, is challenging due to the vast amount of free parameters such as module inclination angle and distance, module and land costs, character of the surroundings, weather conditions and geographic position. We present a detailed illumination model for bifacial PV modules in a large PV field and calculate the annual energy yield exemplary for two locations with different climates. By applying the Bayesian optimisation algorithm we determine the global minimum of the LCOE for bifacial and monofacial PV fields at these two exemplary locations considering land costs in the model. We find that currently established design guidelines for monoand bifacial solar farms often do not yield the minimum LCOE. Our algorithm finds solar panel configurations yielding up to 23 % lower LCOE compared to the established configuration with the module tilt angle equal to the latitude and the module distance chosen such that no mutual shading of neighboring solar panels occurs at winter solstice. Our algorithm enables the user to extract clear design guidelines for monoand bifacial large-scale solar power plants for most regions on Earth and further accelerates the development of competitively viable photovoltaic systems.


In this study the distributional pattern of the macro- and megafauna of a small (ca. 300 m 2 ) Lophelia pertusa (L., 1758) reef was studied with a ROV (remotely operated vehicle). The reef is situated in a shallow fjord off the Swedish west coast. The number of taxa and their abundance in transects from the reef itself and from 3 zones (Zone 1 = 50 m, Zone 2 = 100 m and Zone 3 = 200 m) around the reef were compared. Both the number of taxa (from 30 to 33 transect -1 ) and the abun- dance of individuals (from 21 to 7 m -2 ) decreased with increasing distance from the reef. Divided into ecological guilds, predators and filter-feeders decreased with distance from the reef (predators from 7 to 0.3 ind. m -2 , and filter-feeders from 13 to 6 ind. m -2 from Zone 0 to Zone 3), while deposit-feed- ers increased with increasing distance from 0.04 to 0.4 ind. m -2 from Zone 0 to Zone 3. Sessile species decreased more with increasing distance than mobile species, from 19 to 7 ind. m -2 and from 1 to 0.7 ind. m -2 , respectively. Our results also show that small deep-water coral reefs enhance local bio- diversity, but the advantage to individual species depends on their mode of feeding and mobility.


In order to give the best care to patients and families, paediatricians need to integrate the highest quality scientific evidence with clinical expertise and the opinions of the family. Archimedes seeks to assist practising clinicians by providing "evidence based" answers to common questions which are not at the forefront of research but are at the core of practice. In doing this, we are adapting a format which has been successfully developed by Kevin Macaway-Jones and the group at the Emergency Medicine Journal—"BestBets". A word of warning. The topic summaries are not systematic reviews, through they are as exhaustive as a practising clinician can produce. They make no attempt to statistically aggregate the data, nor search the grey, unpublished literature. What Archimedes offers are practical, best evidence based answers to practical, clinical questions. The format of Archimedes may be familiar. A description of the clinical setting is followed by a structured clinical question. (These aid in focusing the mind, assisting searching, and gaining answers.) A brief report of the search used follows—this has been performed in a hierarchical way, to search for the best quality evidence to answer the question. A table provides a summary of the evidence and key points of the critical appraisal. For further information on critical appraisal, and the measures of effect (such as number needed to treat, NNT) books by Sackett and Moyer may help. To pull the information together, a commentary is provided. But to make it all much more accessible, a box provides the clinical bottom lines. The electronic edition of this journal contains extra information to each of the published Archimedes topics. The papers summarised in tables are linked, by an interactive table, to more detailed appraisals of the studies. Updates to previously published topics will be available soon from the same site, with links to the original article. Readers wishing to submit their own questions—with best evidence answers—are encouraged to review those already proposed at www.bestbets.org. If your question still hasn't been answered, feel free to submit your summary according to the Instructions for Authors at www.archdischild.com. Three topics are covered in this issue of the journal. • Are routine chest x ray and ECG examinations helpful in the evaluation of asymptomatic heart murmurs? • Does intravenous mannitol improve outcome in cerebral malaria? • Do antipyretics prevent febrile convulsions?


The colour reproduction of images viewed across the Internet is an area of significant importance due to the recent increase in the levels of on-line shopping and the number of digital imaging libraries accessible over the Internet. The quality of images viewed on-line can be affected by variables such as the display and viewing conditions. This thesis describes a programme of work that investigates existing methods for controlling the colour and tone reproduction of images accessed over the Internet.
The reproduced colour of images viewed across the Internet may be affected by transformations applied to provide consistent colour reproduction among different web browsers and operating systems for 8-bit depth graphics card adapter display systems. In this work objective measures (?E*ab) are used to determine the range of colours that can be reproduced with perceptible colour differences. It is shown that a 24-bit depth image displayed under the 8-bit depth setting of a graphics card adapter results in lower colour differences than the 216 colour image displayed under the same bit depth setting.
The standard RGB colour space (sRGB) has been proposed as a means for obtaining accurate reproduction of colour and tone for images displayed across the Internet provided that they are viewed under the reference display and viewing conditions defined in the standard. A survey has indicated that the typical display and viewing conditions of a sample of Internet users frequently deviate from the reference sRGB standard. Psychophysical experiments to determine the perceptibility and acceptability of differences in CRT monitor gamma under controlled and uncontrolled display and viewing conditions are reported. The point of subjective equality (PSE) and the just noticeable difference values of gamma for the imperceptibility and acceptability of gamma differences in images are estimated. A survey of the gamma settings of a sample of computer monitors is reported. It is shown that, due to deviations in the gamma settings, an sRGB image displayed on 50% of the monitors surveyed will be judged as perceptibly different from a monitor complying with the sRGB standard, while 40% of monitors will be judged as acceptably similar, although observers may detect a difference.


Facial performance capture is the primary method for generating facial animation in video games, feature films and virtual environments, and recent advances have produced very compelling results. Still, one of the most challenging regions is the mouth, which often contains systematic errors due to the complex appearance and occlusion/dis‐occlusion of the lips. We present a novel user‐guided approach to correcting these common lip shape errors present in traditional capture systems. Our approach is to allow a user to manually correct a small number of problematic frames, and then our system learns the types of corrections desired and automatically corrects the entire performance. As correcting even a single frame using traditional 3D sculpting tools can be time consuming and require great skill, we also propose a simple and fast 2D sketch‐based method for generating plausible lip corrections for the problematic key frames. We demonstrate our results on captured performances of three different subjects, and validate our method with an additional sequence that contains ground truth lip reconstructions.


ABSTRACT CD8+ T lymphocytes often play a primary role in adaptive immunity to cytosolic microbial pathogens. Surprisingly, CD8+ T cells are not required for protective immunity to the enteric pathogen Shigella flexneri, despite the ability of Shigella to actively secrete proteins into the host cytoplasm, a location from which antigenic peptides are processed for presentation to CD8+ T cells. To determine why CD8+ T cells fail to play a role in adaptive immunity to S. flexneri, we investigated whether antigen-specific CD8+ T cells are primed during infection but are unable to confer protection or, alternatively, whether T cells fail to be primed. To test whether Shigella is capable of stimulating an antigen-specific CD8+ T-cell response, we created an S. flexneri strain that constitutively secretes a viral CD8+ T-cell epitope via the Shigella type III secretion system and characterized the CD8+ T-cell response to this strain both in mice and in cultured cells. Surprisingly, no T cells specific for the viral epitope were stimulated in mice infected with this strain, and cells infected with the recombinant strain were not targeted by epitope-specific T cells. Additionally, we found that the usually robust T-cell response to antigens artificially introduced into the cytoplasm of cultured cells was significantly reduced when the antigen-presenting cell was infected with Shigella. Collectively, these results suggest that antigen-specific CD8+ T cells are not primed during S. flexneri infection and, as a result, afford little protection to the host during primary or subsequent infection.


Surveys of visitors to National Forests in Colorado were conducted to determine whether different fire ages and presence of crown fires have different effects on hiking and mountain biking recreation visits and benefits. Actual and intended behavior data were combined using a count-data travel cost model. The intended behavior trip questions asked about changes in number of trips due to the presence of a high-intensity crown fire, prescribed fire, and a 20-year-old high-intensity fire at the area respondents were visiting. Using the estimated recreation demand function, years since a non-crown fire had statistically significant positive effect on the trip demand of hikers. In contrast, presence of crown fires had no statistically significant effect on the quantity of hiker trips, but had a significant and negative effect on mountain biking trips. Crown fires also had a large effect on the value per trip, with crown fires increasing the value per hiking trip but lowering the value per mountain biking trip.


Menstrual blood loss (MBL) was evaluated in 74 nulliporous Kenyan women aged between 20 and 27 years. The hemoglobin levels were all in normal range with the mean of 13.65 +or- 0.8, 13.84 +or- 1.2 and 13.04 +or- 1.2 g/100 ml respectively in 3 populations. The MBL was comparable in the 3 populations with the mean of 35.1 +or- 12.6, 30.6 +or- 8.7 and 32.2 +or- 9.4 ml respectively. There was no difference of statistical significance between the 2 periods studied per each individual. This study objectively assesses the menstrual blood loss in 3 population groups--2 urban and 1 rural. The data can be used to evaluate menstrual blood loss before and after initiation of various contraceptives used in Kenya. Subjects were volunteers who were not on any contraception except barrier or natural rhythm methods, not under psychological stress and who exhibited normal physical female characteristics on examination. Those who wished to drop out, became pregnant or desired contraception, were excluded. The study confirms the individual constancy of the menstrual blood loss in this population. This has important practical implications since a single determination of the menstrual blood loss may be a fairly good expression for the average blood loss in a woman. The immediate effect of various treatments such as IUD insertion or oral contraceptives on the MBL may easily be evaluated quantitatively by measurements in consecutive periods using only 1 period as a control. The quick method can be easily used in evaluating pathological conditions e.g. iron-deficiency due to heavy bleeding, IUD-associated hemorrhage, menorrhagia and uterine fibroid.


Terminology on Accessible Communication has primarily evolved and been published within the borders of a given country with no or only little exchange across these borders. Since English can be regarded as the "lingua franca" of science, this first German–English dictionary of Accessible Communication will help to promote international exchange and an international discourse on this topic by attempting to define concepts that go beyond the scope of a single-country centered approach. The terminological work for this dictionary is based on the German Handbook of Accessible Communication. Most of the handbook's contents are language-independent and applicable to other recipient communities. On the basis of the German terminology, the English equivalents, definitions and explanations were researched. The dictionary contributes to the development of a standardised terminology across languages and cultures.


Our national and international food system has implications for a wide range of issues that are important across the political spectrum and include improving health outcomes, reducing environmental impacts, increasing social justice, fostering economic development, and even improving homeland security. This article focuses on healthy-food access, one of the most urgent food policy issues because of its social and economic effects, as well as its public health impacts. In 2010, thirty-six percent of Americans were obese and another thirty-three percent were overweight, while eight percent of Americans were diabetic and thirty-five percent suffered from pre-diabetes. Though food access is not perfectly correlated with public health outcomes, those with limited access to healthy foods often suffer most acutely, as people living in areas with access to a supermarket exhibit a twenty-four percent lower prevalence of obesity than those living in areas without supermarkets. Increased food access has been linked to results as diverse as improved educational outcomes and crime reduction.Local governments have been particularly attentive to food policy concerns. Thirteen cities in North America now have a paid local food policy director or coordinator, and more than 130 cities and counties in the United States and Canada have local food policy councils, comprised of diverse stakeholders interested in improving the way food is produced and consumed. Municipalities have enacted a range of food policy reforms, such as increasing governmental procurement of local or healthy foods, improving access to food in schools,15 and incentivizing consumers to purchase healthy foods. Many recent local actions focus explicitly on increasing healthy-food access, including amending zoning codes to increase urban agriculture, creating new mobile vending outlets, and enhancing transportation routes to healthy-food retailers. In January 2012, the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) convened its first ever Food Policy Taskforce, which immediately identified increasing access to healthy foods as one of its primary areas of concern. Local governments are also beginning to acknowledge that each locality faces its own food-system challenges with differing policy solutions, meaning that local responses to local issues can be more successful than federal or state approaches.This article aims to encourage those localities not yet active in food policy to join the field. The discussion focuses on methods of fostering access to healthy foods, such as fruits, vegetables, and other unprocessed, fresh products. Local governments are particularly well suited to increase food access because they have the unique ability to identify areas of need and then work with local constituents to craft targeted responses. Part II explains the concept of "food deserts," or areas that lack healthy-food access, and provides historical context about their development. As described in Part II.A, the federal government has attempted to respond to the problem, but its efforts have suffered as a result of its narrow food-desert definition and limited ability to work directly with affected communities. Instead, as explained in Part II.B, local government is better suited to address food access because food is such a cultural and community-based issue, and local input is vital to successfully expand food access. This section identifies steps that local governments should take to engage the community and identify appropriate solutions. Part III highlights policy responses taken by localities around the country and across the food system, illustrating that despite the similarities in the problem of limited food access, local governments have a variety of tools to address this issue and can and should tailor responses to their specific needs in order to achieve success.


Introduction T need to compare two or more documents arises in a variety of situations. Some instances include detection of plagiarism in academic settings and comparing versions of computer programs. Extensive research has been performed on comparing documents based on their content (Si et al., 1997; Brin et al., 1995) and there also exist several tools such as windiff to visually compare a pair of documents. However, little work has been done on providing an effective visual interface to facilitate the comparison of more than two documents simultaneously. The Versioning Machine (Schreibman et al., 2003) is a web-based interface that provides the facility to view multiple versions of a document, along with the changes across versions. Motivated by the Versioning Machine (VM), we build a tool MultiVersioner that facilitates viewing multiple versions of multiple documents at once, and provides the user with a rich set of information regarding their comparison. The primary user during the development of MultiVersioner was Tanya Clement, a doctoral candidate in English at the University of Maryland, who researches the works of experimental poets.


This paper compares the compensation regime under the EU Price-Anderson Act with the regime installed by international conventions for the compensation of damage caused by nuclear accidents. Economic analysis of law is used for a critical comparison. The paper shows some similarities in the regimes, for example that in both regimes the nuclear operator's liability is strict and the operator must provide a financial guarantee for the first layer of strict liability. It is argued that both strict liability, given the unilateral character of nuclear accidents, and compulsory insurance, given the insolvency risk, can be supported by economic analysis. Economics, though, was always critical of both the financial limit on nuclear operator's liability and the legal channelling of the liability to the operator. The total amounts of compensation in the American regime are substantially higher, equalling the costs of a nuclear accident in a optimistic scenario. Moreover, the costs are financed by the liable operator in combination with the collectivity of operator, thus leading to a better internalisation of the risk. In the international regime, not only is the liability of the operator limited, but the victim compensation is also subsided through public funding. Both may have negative consequences. The low limits, combined with still low compensation in the international regime, may lead to many victims remaining uncompensated and potentially to underdeterrence. We argue that the US example gives an important lesson for the international regime. Through a mutual risk sharing by the nuclear industry, inherent in the US regime, on the one hand higher amounts of compensation for victims can be generated and on the other hand public funding can be eliminated as a result of which a better internalisation of the costs of a nuclear accident will take place.


This article discusses the forceful transformation of the female body in Brazilian Pentecostalism in urban Mozambique and argues for an understanding of Pentecostal conversion as embodying spiritual warfare. Presenting the case of avenging spirits, such as the spirit spouse, it explores how spirits interfere in women's new socio-economic positions and intimate relationships. Pentecostal women learn to stay in control of their body under guidance of the Holy Spirit and a 'violent' war against the spirit spouse unfolds. The prevalence of 'violence' implies that we should critically question a perception of conversion as bringing healing and harmony.


A typical elementary classroom in the United States consists of anywhere between 20 and 30 students of varying abilities and learning styles with the teacher responsible for providing educational opportunities for students in all major subject areas. This is problematic for many teachers who also face national, state, and local demands for increased student performance on various mandated tests. The research reported here grew out of one author's 15 years of elementary teaching experience, as she struggled to comply with numerous school district mandates and accommodate varying students by utilizing several different instructional strategies. Her goal was to help all students develop a love of learning, especially mathematics; yet each attempt to introduce multiple teaching strategies resulted in increased planning, more focus on organizational aspects of the classroom, and less time spent in actual student intellectual / academic growth. The major problem with overtly attending to different learning styles was an over emphasis and dependency on the teacher's responsibility for organizing and instructing, accentuating her capabilities rather than those of the students. Specifically focusing on mathematics education, some scholars and practitioners argue that an alternative exists in a problem centered approach where, during a typical day: the children first attempt ... to solve the educational activities in pairs or, occasionally, groups of three. The teacher move[s] ... from group to group, observing and interacting with the children as they engage... in mathematical activity. The teacher... [might then] call-the class together and orchestrate ... a discussion of the children's solutions. During this phase of the lesson the teacher [does] ... not explicitly evaluate the children's solutions or attempt to steer them to an official solution that she has] ... in mind. Instead, she ask[s] ... questions to clarify an explanation or to help a child reconstruct his or her solution. If, as frequently happen[s] .... the children ma[ke] ... conflicting interpretations or propose ... conflicting answers, she frame[s] ... this as a problem for the children and guide[s] ... their attempts to resolve the conflict. In general, one of her primary responsibilities [is] ... to facilitate mathematical dialogue among children. (Cobb, Wood, Yackel, 1991, p. 26) Kathleen, the second-grade teacher whose mathematics class is our study's focus, heartily endorses problem-centered education, intuitively asserting: There have been many gimmicks to try to engage children in mathematical activities, but they do not allow for the child to construct knowledge nor do they encourage sense making. I think if the child finds the importance of their thinking and they are constructing knowledge from within, then learning will take place. Thus, throughout the 1999-2000 school year, we examined Kathleen's mathematical lessons to determine whether her students grasped the concepts without directly addressing their individual learning styles. Theoretical Orientation Learning Styles The concept of learning styles has its roots in Howard Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences (Gardner, 1983, 1997), which challenges educators to broaden their conception of children's capabilities and how they might be stimulated. Dealing specifically with how youngsters learn, Dunn (1999), further identifies five categories of learning styles: reaction to classroom environment, children's own emotionality, sociological, preferences for learning, physiological characteristics, and global versus analytical processing. Each category contains several subcategories while assessment exercises and instruments exist to identify individual students' particular style. Flexible scheduling and rotation of classes is necessary to allow for subjects to be taught during individual students' peak energy levels. Research further shows that educators tend to teach in their own learning styles; therefore students should be matched with teachers who have similar learning styles because when educators force children to re ceive information in a style which is not their own, stress, frustration, loss of motivation, and lowered performance results (Dunn, 1999; Dunn & Griggs, 1989). …


At first some general considerations about specificity and characteristics of SSF, their advantages and disadvantages as compared to LSF, are presented. Microorganisms involved in solid substrate fermentations are identified, considering the better performances of filamentous fungi. The solid substrates and their basic macromolecular compounds are detailed in relation to this complex and heterogeneous system. Biomass measurement is examined in detail, as well as environmental factors, both essential for studying and optimising solid substrate fermentations.


This article is based on an ongoing organisational ethnography of antiquarian bookshops. It argues that studying the exchange of antiquarian books offers new insight on the phenomenon of gift-giving. First, the general tendency in the literature on gifts (i.e. Bourdieu and Derrida) is how gifts are commoditized, while in the antiquarian bookshop it makes more sense to consider how commodities are transformed into gifts. Second, the literature on gifts argues that actual gifts are either impossible or at least undecidable since they cause the receiver to be indebted to the giver, and a separation in time is necessary either to evaluate the gift or to make it possible. However, in the antiquarian bookshop this situation is different since such a debt is directed towards the book rather than the giver. The receiver is indeed indebted but the debt takes the form of a responsibility to care for the book. In analysing our material, we argue that every meeting between antiquarian and bookshop visitor results in liminal ceremonies that produce a space (what we, adopted from Lefebvre, call a representational space) for their interaction. Such analysis suggests that the interactions are taking place somewhere on a continuum of spaces stretching from commodity to gift. The role of the antiquarian thus stretches from seller to giver, the visitor, from buyer to receiver, and the bookshop, from shop to collection.


In spite of much candid protest and overt criticism against the service delivery record and corruption of the South African government, the governing party, the African National Congress (ANC), once again secured a persuasive victory in the 2014 national elections. This situation begs the question whether the ballot box is really the only efficient instrument for disgruntled voters to influence government policy and behaviour. This article examines the possibilities that the mobilisation of civil society offers in this regard. The central theoretical argument is that civil society can be an important instrument through which the citizenry can exercise their critical function with regard to the government in an effort to address poor service delivery and corruption and to influence government policy. Christian organisations can play a crucial role in this process. Two examples of past efficient action by civil society serve to illustrate this argument. With the assistance of churches and Christian organisations,these organisations profoundly influenced government policy and are consequently presented as models for action today. The first example is the 'United Democratic Front' (UDF) that forced the pre-1994 South African apartheid government to a negotiated settlement despite the strict security laws that the state utilised to keep the UDF in check. The second example is the 'Treatment Action Campaign' (TAC) that forced the post-1994 Thabo Mbeki government to adopt a policy of free provision of antiretroviral drugs to HIV-positive patients. These two influential civil organisations offer models of how civil society can act as critical watchdog. In future, these models can be used to mobilise civil society, including churches and Christian organisations, to act correctively in defining and enacting government policy, despite the ANC's strong position in government and the large majority that the governing party can secure at the voting polls.


Purpose Strip meniscometry (SM) is a new technique for evaluating tear film volume. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy of SM in detecting lacrimal obstructive diseases (LODs) in patients with epiphora retrospectively. Methods One-hundred sixty-six patients (53 men, 113 women; mean age: 72.4 ± 8.0 years) who were referred to Saitama Medical University Hospital with epiphora as their chief complaint were enrolled; finally, 72 patients with and 89 patients without LOD were examined. We assessed tear volume using SM, tear meniscus height (TMH), tear meniscus area (TMA), and Schirmer-1 test values. Patients with LOD underwent lacrimal intubation surgery to treat their epiphora; their SM scores were assessed before and 8 weeks after surgery. Results SM, TMH, TMA, and Schirmer-1 values were significantly higher in the LOD group (10.80 ± 3.63 mm, 0.49 ± 0.24 mm, 0.06 ± 0.06 mm2, 18.46 ± 8.00 mm, respectively) than in the non-LOD group (5.44 ± 3.20 mm, 0.30 ± 0.18 mm, 0.03 ± 0.04 mm2, 11.84 ± 7.16 mm). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) for SM was 0.88, the sensitivity and specificity were 82% and 84%. The AUC was significantly larger for SM than for the Schirmer-1 test and TMA. The SM scores significantly improved after surgery (5.30 ± 2.20 mm) compared with those before (10.69 ± 3.20 mm). Conclusions SM was significantly better than the Schirmer-1 test, TMH, and TMA for detecting LOD and evaluating the effect of lacrimal surgery. Translational Relevance SM, widely used for dry eye, is also useful for using epiphora.


Background. Diabetes mellitus (DM) is associated with an increased risk of tuberculosis (TB). There is growing evidence that this comorbidity might affect TB-disease presentation and treatment response. Aims and objectives. We investigated the level of impact of diabetes mellitus on drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) treatment outcomes in condition of adequate management of both diseases. Methods. Cohort study was provided among 1154 drug-resistant tuberculosis patients integrated in DOTS+ programme in 2009-2010 years in Georgia. Every patient was routinely investigated for DM. To compare the treatment outcomes of patients with and those without diabetes comorbidity dispersive analysis using Kruskal-Wallis - H criteria was provided. Results. Among 1154 DR-TB patients only 69 (5, 98%) had diabetes mellitus. All of them developed pulmonary form of TB and were HIV-negative. 61 (88, 4%) patient was male, mean age was 46, 8 (Standard deviation-12,67), mean BMI-23,44 (St.dev.- 3,78). In 3 (4,3%) patient was revealed extensively-DR-TB, in 58 (84,1%) - multi-DR-TB, and in 7 (10, 1%) - poly-DR-TB. 91,3% patients had II type of DM and 86,9% received insulin therapy. Definition: "successful treatment" received 55% diabetic patient vs 56 % non-diabetic, "Default"-36,2% vs 27,6%; "Failure" – 5,8 % vs 4,7 %; "Death" – 4,3% vs 9,6 % (p>0,05). Conclusions. We found no significant difference in proportion of successful treatment outcomes, though default rate was rather higher in patients with diabetes than non-diabetes in the setting of adequate treatment options and management in Georgia.


Many Americans are having difficulty saving money. But baby boomers, who are often perceived as being self-centered, self-seeking, self-interested, self-absorbed, and self-indulgent, may actually have been too generous to their families at the expense of ignoring their own retirement interests.
Personal savings increased through the mid-1980s but began to decline in the era of the great bull market in U.S. equities and soaring housing values. As savings decreased, housing values have increased. Some conclude that the home has become the piggy bank of the future. Home ownership as a form of personal savings provides solvency only when the home equity remains.
While older retired adults may find home ownership a reassuring component of their retirement portfolio, many individuals who are not yet retired have been using home equity to make ends meet. Lines of credit based on home equity are being used to pay for healthcare or children's college expenses. The result for many is a decline not only in personal and retirement savings but also in home equity.


As the technical assistance consultant to the Council of Independent Colleges' Implementing Urban Missions project, the author explores different models of advisory boards and their relationship to the urban mission of the colleges. Four models are presented, based on conceptual frameworks derived from two key articles on empowerment and citizen participation, and on grantee experiences. In cases where the urban mission seeks to encourage collaborative decision-making and to enhance community empowerment, it was found that the Hybrid Model (all partners/stakeholders) advisory board led to an optimum implementation of the urban mission goals: open governance, community and institutional empowerment, and substantive change in the higher education institution and the local community.


ABSTRACT The localization of cell division protein FtsQ in Escherichia coli wild-type cells was studied by immunofluorescence microscopy with specific monoclonal antibodies. FtsQ could be localized to the division site in constricting cells. FtsQ could also localize to the division site in ftsQ1(Ts) cells grown at the permissive temperature. A hybrid protein in which the cytoplasmic domain and the transmembrane domain were derived from the γ form of penicillin-binding protein 1B and the periplasmic domain was derived from FtsQ was also able to localize to the division site. This result indicates that the periplasmic domain of FtsQ determines the localization of FtsQ, as has also been concluded by others for the periplasmic domain of FtsN. Noncentral FtsQ foci were found in the area of the cell where the nucleoid resides and were therefore assumed to represent sites where the FtsQ protein is synthesized and simultaneously inserted into the cytoplasmic membrane.


This research analyses the social and political forces underlying the 1aws of abortion in Britain and the United States. It sets out to explain the apparent paradox that the United States now has an abortion law which is more liberal than Britain despite the fact that in many ways it is a more conservative society. Furthemore it aims to set this recent situation in a historical context and to examine recent and likely future developments.
It analyses the major social forces on either side of the debate and considers these over four separate periods. The first section analyses the early debate. It explains the reasons for the growth in 'Victorian' attitudes to sexual morality and the fact these were more pervasive in America. It then looks at the relationship between the general climate of opinion and the debate on birth control and abortion and shows a fairly close relationship in that the slight liberalisation of attitudes towards birth control in Britain reflected the fact that
attitudes were less conservative and that there was a pressure group available to push for reforms. Between the wars there was a strong liberalization of attitudes towards sex. The so called 'roaring; twenties' did reflect the growth in a commercial youth culture and an environment in which birth control information could spread. In Britain the fact that the birth control battle was won more convincingly enabled some to begin to put pressure for an extension of abortion rights. In post war year both Britain and the United States greatly liberalised their abortion law. But a key difference is that the law in America was comprehensibly overthrown and women were given the right to choose in the early months of pregnancy. The reasons for this contrast are explained. In the final section the reasons for the continuance of abortion as an issue in both countries are analysed and some suggestions as to future possibilities are made. In the conclusion the implications of the research for deviancy theory are drawn out.


Multicomponent seismology is a useful tool for enhanced reservoir characterization of heavy-oil fields. As shown by Watson et al. (2002) and Lines et al. (2005), multicomponent data can provide maps of the P-wave to S-wave velocities (VP/VS), and these VP/VS maps provide important information about lithology and reservoir changes. In this discussion, we show that VP/VS mapping, as derived from traveltime measurements on vertical and radial component data, is a robust procedure. We explore two aspects of this type of VP/VS mapping. First, we explore the spectral differences of PP and PS seismic volumes and design band-pass filters that can significantly improve the quality of VP/VS maps. Second, we perform an error analysis of this mapping and show that the derivation of VP/VS maps from reflection traveltime picks is not overly sensitive to the choice of reflecting horizons above and below the reservoir.


Abstract. Dimethyl sulfide and volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
are important for atmospheric chemistry. The emissions of biogenically
derived organic gases, including dimethyl sulfide and especially isoprene,
are not well constrained in the Southern Ocean. Due to a paucity of
measurements, the role of the ocean in the atmospheric budgets of
atmospheric methanol, acetone, and acetaldehyde is even more poorly known. In
order to quantify the air–sea fluxes of these gases, we measured their
seawater concentrations and air mixing ratios in the Atlantic sector of the
Southern Ocean, along a ∼ 11 000 km long transect at
approximately 60∘ S in February–April 2019. Concentrations, oceanic
saturations, and estimated fluxes of five simultaneously sampled gases
(dimethyl sulfide, isoprene, methanol, acetone, and acetaldehyde) are
presented here. Campaign mean (±1σ) surface water
concentrations of dimethyl sulfide, isoprene, methanol, acetone, and
acetaldehyde were 2.60 (±3.94), 0.0133 (±0.0063), 67 (±35), 5.5 (±2.5), and 2.6 (±2.7) nmol dm−3 respectively. In
this dataset, seawater isoprene and methanol concentrations correlated
positively. Furthermore, seawater acetone, methanol, and isoprene
concentrations were found to correlate negatively with the fugacity of
carbon dioxide, possibly due to a common biological origin. Campaign mean
(±1σ) air mixing ratios of dimethyl sulfide, isoprene,
methanol, acetone, and acetaldehyde were 0.17 (±0.09), 0.053 (±0.034), 0.17 (±0.08), 0.081 (±0.031), and 0.049 (±0.040)
ppbv. We observed diel changes in averaged acetaldehyde concentrations in
seawater and ambient air (and to a lesser degree also for acetone and
isoprene), which suggest light-driven production. Campaign mean (±1σ) fluxes of 4.3 (±7.4) µmol m−2 d−1 DMS
and 0.028 (±0.021) µmol m−2 d−1 isoprene are
determined where a positive flux indicates from the ocean to the atmosphere.
Methanol was largely undersaturated in the surface ocean with a mean
(±1σ) net flux of −2.4 (±4.7) µmol m−2 d−1, but it also had a few occasional episodes of outgassing. This section
of the Southern Ocean was found to be a source and a sink for acetone and
acetaldehyde this time of the year, depending on location, resulting in a
mean net flux of −0.55 (±1.14) µmol m−2 d−1 for
acetone and −0.28 (±1.22) µmol m−2 d−1 for
acetaldehyde. The data collected here will be important for constraining the
air–sea exchange, cycling, and atmospheric impact of these gases, especially
over the Southern Ocean.


Abstract
 A new Peyssonnelia species is described from deep-water habitats in Puerto Rico as well as the U.S. Virgin Islands. Peyssonnelia incomposita is distinctive when living due its background orange coloration with highly contrasting bright yellow highlights. Internally the thallus is distinguished by abundant cell fusions that occur both laterally and longitudinally among cell rows of the perithallus as well as between cells of adjacent perithallial filaments at different tier levels. Tetrasporangia are cut off distally and possess an enlarged pedicel. They measure to 30 µm wide and 75 µm long. The crusts are closely appressed to the substratum and while variable, normally measure approximately 75 µm in thickness.


Speech is a desirable communication method between humans and computers. The major concerns of the automatic speech recognition (ASR) are determining a set of classification features and finding a suitable recognition model for these features. Hidden Markov Models (HMMs) have been demonstrated to be powerful models for representing time varying signals. Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) have also been widely used for representing time varying quasi-stationary signals. Arabic is one of the oldest living languages and one of the oldest Semitic languages in the world, it is also the fifth most generally used language and is the mother tongue for roughly 200 million people. Arabic speech recognition has been a fertile area of reasearch over the previous two decades, as attested by the various papers that have been published on this subject.
This thesis investigates phoneme and acoustic models based on Deep Neural Networks (DNN) and Deep Echo State Networks for multi-dialect Arabic Speech Recognition. Moreover, the TIMIT corpus with a wide variety of American dialects is also aimed to evaluate the proposed models.
The availability of speech data that is time-aligned and labelled at phonemic level is a fundamental requirement for building speech recognition systems. A developed Arabic phoneme database (APD) was manually timed and phonetically labelled. This dataset was constructed from the King Abdul-Aziz Arabic Phonetics Database (KAPD) database for Saudi Arabia dialect and the Centre for Spoken Language Understanding (CSLU2002) database for different Arabic dialects. This dataset covers 8148 Arabic phonemes. In addition, a corpus of 120 speakers (13 hours of Arabic speech) randomly selected from the Levantine Arabic
dialect database that is used for training and 24 speakers (2.4 hours) for testing are revised and transcription errors were manually corrected. The selected dataset is labelled automatically using the HTK Hidden Markov Model toolkit. TIMIT corpus is also used for phone recognition and acoustic modelling task. We used 462 speakers (3.14 hours) for training and 24 speakers (0.81 hours) for testing. For Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR), a Deep Neural Network (DNN) is used to evaluate its adoption in developing a framewise phoneme recognition and an acoustic modelling system for Arabic speech recognition. Restricted Boltzmann Machines (RBMs) DNN models have not been explored for any Arabic corpora previously. This allows us to claim priority for adopting this RBM DNN model for the Levantine Arabic acoustic models. A post-processing enhancement was also applied to the DNN acoustic model outputs in order to improve the recognition accuracy and to obtain the accuracy at a phoneme level instead of the frame level. This post process has significantly improved the recognition performance. An Echo State Network (ESN) is developed and evaluated for Arabic phoneme recognition with different learning algorithms. This investigated the use of the conventional ESN trained with supervised and forced learning algorithms. A novel combined supervised/forced supervised learning algorithm (unsupervised adaptation) was developed and tested on the proposed optimised Arabic phoneme recognition datasets. This new model is evaluated on the Levantine dataset and empirically compared with the results obtained from the baseline Deep Neural Networks (DNNs). A significant improvement on the recognition performance was achieved when the ESN model was implemented compared to the baseline RBM DNN model's result. The results show that the ESN model has a better ability for recognizing phonemes sequences than the DNN model for a small vocabulary size dataset. The adoption of the ESNs model for acoustic modeling is seen to be more valid than the adoption of the DNNs model for acoustic modeling speech recognition, as ESNs are recurrent models and expected to support sequence models better than the RBM DNN models even with the contextual input window. The TIMIT corpus is also used to investigate deep learning for framewise phoneme classification and acoustic modelling using Deep Neural Networks (DNNs) and Echo State Networks (ESNs) to allow us to make a direct and valid comparison between the proposed systems investigated in this thesis and the published works in equivalent projects based on framewise phoneme recognition used the TIMIT corpus. Our main finding on this corpus is that ESN network outperform time-windowed RBM DNN ones. However, our developed system ESN-based shows 10% lower performance when it was compared to the other systems recently reported in the literature that used the same corpus. This due to the hardware availability and not applying speaker and noise adaption that can improve the results in this thesis as our aim is to investigate the proposed models for speech recognition and to make a direct comparison between these models.


In this paper a method for piezoelectric stack actuator control is proposed. In addition a brief discussion about the usage of the same methods for estimation of external force acting to the actuator in contact with environment is made. The method uses sliding mode framework to design both the observer and the controller based on an electromechanical lumped model of the piezoelectric actuator. Furthermore, using a nonlinear differential equation the internal hysteresis disturbance is removed from the total disturbance in an attempt to estimate the external force acting on the actuator. It is then possible to use this external force estimate as a means of force control of the actuator. Simulation and experiments are compared for validating the disturbance and external force estimation technique. Some experiments that incorporate disturbance compensation in a closed-loop SMC control algorithm are also presented to prove the effectiveness of this method in producing high precision motion.


The rise in the number of deaths in Bangladesh owing to different female genital cancer, specifically ovarian cancer, emphasizes the need of having effective measures to aware women, specially the rural women about the prevention of ovarian cancer. Therefore, in this paper, we propose a mobile phone based application called Prottasha to provide diversified services regarding ovarian cancer for rural women of Bangladesh. Prottasha will provide a potential prediction on the risk of having ovarian cancer based on different demographic characteristics such as age, marital status, and the presence of common symptoms, exploiting efficient and effective data mining techniques. We also propose a model for low cost portable ultrasound scanner, which allows the rural women to have frequent screening at their home.


The nonparametric probabilistic method (NPM) for modeling and quantifying model-form uncertainties is a physics-based, computationally tractable, machine learning method for performing uncertainty quantification and model updating. It extracts from data information not captured by a deterministic, high-dimensional model (HDM) of dimension N and infuses it into a counterpart stochastic, hyperreduced, projection-based reduced-order model (SHPROM) of dimension n ≪ N. Here, the robustness and performance of NPM are improved using a two-pronged approach. First, the sensitivities of its stochastic loss function with respect to the hyperparameters are computed analytically, by tracking the complex web of operations underlying the construction of that function. Next, the number of hyperparameters is reduced from O (n2) to O (n), by developing a network of autoencoders that provides a nonlinear approximation of the dependence of the SHPROM on the hyperparameters. The robustness and performance of the enhanced NPM are demonstrated using two nonlinear structural dynamics applications.


Abstract A profile within the Upper Freshwater Molasse (OSM) of eastern Switzerland was sampled. Particle-size analyses, bulk chemical analyses, cation exchange capacities and Fe fractions (oxalate- and dithionite-citrate-bicarbonate-soluble Fe, total Fe) were measured. The mineralogical composition was determined by X-ray diffraction and quantified with Rietveld analysis. The layer charge of selected fine-clay samples was determined with the alkylammonium method using chain nc = 12. The profile could be divided into a lower sequence (I) and an upper sequence (II) by a hiatus. Chemical data, particle-size distributions and calcite contents indicated that soil formation was essentially restricted to wetting-drying cycles associated with redox cycles evident from Feo/Fed and Fed/Fet ratios. A significant correlation between the d060 values of the dioctahedral smectite-illite mixed-layer phases and Feo/Fed was interpreted as the influence of microbial Fe3+ reduction, which affected both the Fe oxides and Fe-rich clay minerals. This is the first evidence that the Fe dynamics of both mineral groups may be linked. The amount of illitization also correlated with Feo/Fed, but only in the upper part of the profile. This indicates that wetting-drying cycles were necessary for the illitization process.


To elucidate the expression of the atrial natriuretic polypeptide (ANP) gene in the ventricle of the human failing heart, we have measured ANP and ANP messenger RNA (ANPmRNA) levels in left ventricular aneurysm obtained at operation, biopsy specimens of left ventricles from dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) and autopsy samples of old myocardial infarction (OMI) and DCM hearts, and compared the levels with those in the normal ventricle. The ANP level (mean +/- SE) was 17.5 +/- 6.9 ng/g in the normal ventricle, and increased to 660.3 +/- 122.2 ng/g in the left ventricular aneurysm tissues and to 3,138.6 +/- 1,642.1 ng/g in the biopsy specimens of the DCM ventricle. These levels were approximately 40 and 200 times higher than in the normal ventricle. The increase of ANP levels was observed in both infarcted and noninfarcted regions of the OMI heart, and in the entire ventricle of the DCM heart. A significant positive correlation was found between the ANP level in aneurysm tissues and pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (r = 0.85). The ANPmRNA level in the left ventricular aneurysm showed about a 10-fold increase compared with that in the normal heart and reached 23% of that in the atrium of the same heart. A similar increase in the ANPmRNA level was observed in the entire ventricle of DCM. These data clearly indicate that the expression of the ANP gene in the ventricle is augmented in the failing heart in accordance with the severity of heart failure. In the atrium of the failing heart, ANP and ANPmRNA levels were only two times higher than those in the normal atrium. Thus, the augmentation in the expression of the ANP gene was more prominent in the ventricle than in the atrium. Taking tissue weight into account, the total content of ANPmRNA in the ventricle of the failing heart is much the same as that in the normal atrium. The ratio of the ANP level to the ANPmRNA level in the ventricle is much smaller than that in the atrium. These results suggest more rapid secretion of ANP after synthesis in the ventricle. These findings demonstrate that the expression of the ANP gene is augmented in the human ventricle of the failing heart and suggest that the ventricle becomes a substantial source of circulating ANP in congestive heart failure.


This article reviews important considerations for researchers who are designing adaptive clinical trials. These differ from conventional clinical trials because they allow and even enforce continual modifications to key components of trial design while data are being collected. This innovative approach has the potential to reduce resource use, decrease time to trial completion, limit allocation of participants to inferior interventions, and improve the likelihood that trial results will be scientifically or clinically relevant. Adaptive designs have mostly been used in trials evaluating drugs, but their use is spreading. The US Food and Drug Administration recently issued guidance on adaptive trial designs, which highlighted general principles and different types of adaptive clinical trials but did not provide concrete guidance about important considerations in designing such trials. Decisions to adapt a trial are not arbitrary; they are based on decision rules that have been rigorously examined via statistical simulations before the first trial participant is enrolled. The authors review important characteristics of adaptive trials and common types of study modifications and provide a practical guide, illustrated with a case study, to aid investigators who are planning an adaptive clinical trial


This is an abstract of a paper from Proceedings of the Australian Neuroscience Society 2001 published by Australian Neuroscience Society. This version is reproduced with the permission of publisher.


BACKGROUND
The CD40-CD154 receptor-ligand pair plays a critical role in allograft rejection by mediating the activation of endothelial cells, antigen-presenting cells, and T cells. Blockade of this interaction prevents acute allograft rejection and leads to prolonged allograft survival in numerous experimental models, but in most cases indefinite graft survival is not achieved due to evolving transplant arteriosclerosis. In this study, we have used a model of transplant arteriosclerosis to investigate whether CD4+ and CD8+ T cells are differentially affected by CD154 blockade.

METHODS
BALB/c (H2d) aortic grafts were transplanted into C57BL/6 (H2b) recipients treated with anti-CD154 monoclonal antibody in the presence or absence of CD8+ T-cell depletion. Histology and morphometric measurements were performed on day 30 after transplantation.

RESULTS
Only combined treatment with anti-CD154 and anti-CD8 monoclonal antibodies resulted in a significant reduction of intimal proliferation (33 +/-10% vs. 67+/-14%; untreated control). Administration of either antibody alone did not produce this effect. Thymectomy did not alter the degree of intimal proliferation observed in any of the treatment groups.

CONCLUSIONS
Our data provide direct evidence that CD8+ T cells are not targeted effectively by CD154 blockade and that the transplant arteriosclerosis seen after CD154 blockade is not due to recent thymic emigrant T cells.


The codification of international human rights law and international humanitarian law, and the accession to those treaties by a large majority of states, does not at first glance seem to have any significant effect upon states' behavior in situations of crisis. Any understanding of the prospects for such law in these situations requires an appraisal of both the motivations of states in concluding these treaties and the pressures on them to ignore them. This paper analyzes those motivations and temptations through the framework of precommitment theory, a component of rational choice theory, originally articulated by Jon Elster and Thomas Schelling. The metaphor of Ulysses offers a useful way to address three different dimensions of the purposes that states join treaties: (1) beliefs, i.e., the state's attitude toward the norms in the treaty; (2) predictions, the state's concerns about its own future behavior; and (3) interactions, i.e., the extent to which the state is trying to influence or bind other states. And it permits linking those motivations to the propensity of states to comply at a later time. The paper offers a four-part typology for why states commit to such treaties, contrasting it with notions from contemporary international relations theories. It then explores the contrasting approaches of compliance theories and international law doctrine to the temptation of states to violate treaties and elaborates the contributions of the precommitment framework. Building upon that framework, it proposes a set of strategies that those concerned with compliance might explore for making international law more relevant when governments seem most inclined to discount it.


We present Char2Wav, an end-to-end model for speech synthesis. Char2Wav has two components: a reader and a neural vocoder . The reader is an encoder-decoder model with attention. The encoder is a bidirectional recurrent neural network that accepts text or phonemes as inputs, while the decoder is a recurrent neural network (RNN) with attention that produces vocoder acoustic features. Neural vocoder refers to a conditional extension of SampleRNN which generates raw waveform samples from intermediate representations. Unlike traditional models for speech synthesis, Char2Wav learns to produce audio directly from text


The prevalence of clinically-relevant bacterial strains resistant to current antibiotic therapies is increasing and has been recognized as a major health threat. For example, multidrug-resistant tuberculosis and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus are of global concern. Novel methodologies are needed to identify new targets or novel compounds unaffected by pre-existing resistance mechanisms. Recently, water-in-oil picodroplets have been used as an alternative to conventional high-throughput methods, especially for phenotypic screening. Here we demonstrate a novel microfluidic-based picodroplet platform which enables high-throughput assessment and isolation of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in a label-free manner. As a proof-of-concept, the system was used to isolate fusidic acid-resistant mutants and estimate the frequency of resistance among a population of Escherichia coli (strain HS151). This approach can be used for rapid screening of rare antibiotic-resistant mutants to help identify novel compound/target pairs.


This article is about the approach to achieve of design decisions modifiability on the level of assembly units. The main feature of this approach is design parameters manipulation as the semantic attributes. This is achieved by the assembly process representation of consistent implementation design procedures. They are treated as basic operations set, united by object orientation with a strictly defined semantic content.


This paper concerns power control in lognormal fading wireless channels with correlated interference. We consider an outage-based quality of service (QoS) specification, which requires the uptime probability, i.e., the probability that no transmitter/receiver pair experiences any outage due to fading, is kept above a given level. The problem of finding an optimal power allocation to achieve this QoS goal over lognormal fading wireless channels can be posed as a stochastic geometric program (GP) with joint probabilistic constraints. This stochastic geometric program is extremely hard to solve in general, compared with the stochastic GP associated with Rayleigh fading channels. In this paper, we describe a suboptimal approach based on recently proposed robust geometric programming. With a good compromise between computational efficiency and accuracy, this robust GP relaxation approach finds a power allocation which meets the QoS requirement on the uptime probability. A numerical example is given to demonstrate the method.


Several limitations associated with the conventional diagnostic approach, demands newer methods of evaluation of complicated nasal physiology and prediction of surgical interventions, made necessary on account of defects and diseases associated with the nasal cavity. This book presents the use of a technique based on functional imaging and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modeling in generating useful data that can be used to determine and diagnose the upper airways condition. This study has the potential to revolutionize the field of medical diagnosis and can provide deeper insight and understanding of nasal anomalies. CFD along with conventional objective measurement devices can be effectively utilized to study the occurrence of revision surgeries. Such a step can be considered as a milestone and the beneficiaries would be the human subjects who would not be subjected to intuition based surgeries any more. This field of 'virtual surgery' can be deemed as the future of medical science in days to come. This book explores the possibility of regularizing the use of CFD as a diagnostic and decision making tool in treatment planning and decision making.


This thesis examines a process in which mild steel strip is
coated with aluminium to produce a cheap, strong, corrosion-resistant
material. The steel strip is initially wetted and sprinkled
with a thin layer of aluminium powder. After subsequent drying
the strip is passed through a set of two high rolls to compact the
coating and provisionally bond it to the steel. The product can
be coiled and finally sintered.
A survey of the existing literature reveals that one of the
main problems with the process is that air is expelled from the
powder as it compacts. At higher roll speeds this tends to
fluidise the powder entering the roll nip and cause uneven coating.
Several methods of preventing this have been suggested but previous
workers have tended to concentrate on adding binders to the powder.
This work therefore confines itself to the actual mechanical
behaviour of powder and substrate in the roll nip.
A technique is presented in which the results from an unusual
item of powder compaction equipment can be used to predict pressure
profiles and final coating densities for this type of two-component
system. Experimental evidence indicates that the analysis is not
valid at higher roll speeds even if allowance is made for the
additional pore pressure caused by entrained air. However, if more
information could be obtained on the behaviour of powders at high
strain rates then the technique could be a valuable design tool at
all roll speeds for any powder–solid system.


Tennis's dispersed power relations have made its semiorganized response to COVID-19 "constellational" rather than hierarchical. The author uses the term "constellational" in two senses. First, what might appear to be a disorganized set of stars in the night sky can, with a bit of orientation, be tracked into discernible and more meaningful patterns. In tennis, constellations are clusters of tour events that are linked through geography, court surface, governing bodies, key sponsors, and other forms of patronage. Second, the author invoked the language of "constellations" to draw upon the popular connotation of "stars": iconic figures on- and off-court who speak and act in ways that carry outsize importance to the game's audience. This constellational set of power relations has led to conflicted messaging—only sometimes valuing public health. Both prestigious tournaments and star players have emerged as important stakeholders, as tennis assesses its future—and organizational structure—postpandemic.


Despite the ongoing drawdown of strategic forces under the terms of START, both the United States and Russia maintain large arsenals of nuclear weapons poised for immediate launch. Under the most optimistic current scenarios, these arsenals will remain very large and launch-ready for more than a decade. This book, by a distinguished group of coauthors, critically evaluates the current policy of retaining and operating large nuclear arsenals. It reviews U.S. nuclear doctrine and strategy, and the role of nuclear weapons in deterring aggression by former Cold War adversaries and other countries with weapons of mass destruction. The risks of inadvertent as well as deliberate nuclear attack are assessed. The authors argue that small arsenals (low hundreds) on low alert satisfy all justifiable requirements for nuclear weapons. They present a blueprint for making deep cuts in U.S. and Russian deployments, and for lowering their alert level. They explain the implications of shifting to small arsenals for further constraining anti-ballistic missile defenses, strengthening verification, and capping or reducing the nuclear arsenals of China, France, and Britain as well as the threshold nuclear states. The political challenges and opportunities, both domestic and international, for achieving deep reductions in the size and readiness of nuclear forces are analyzed by the authors and by distinguished experts from other countries. The coauthors are Bruce Blair, Jonathan Dean, James Goodby, Steve Fetter, Hal Feiveson, George Lewis, Janne Nolan, Theodore Postol, and Frank von Hippel. An appendix with international perspectives by Li Bin (China), Alexei Arbatov (Russia), Therese Delpech (France), Pervez Hoodbhoy (Pakistan), Shai Feldman (Israel), Harald Mueller (Germany), and Zia Mian and M.V. Ramana (South Asia).


Branch testing a program involves generating a set of paths that will cover every arc in the program flowgraph, called a path cover, and finding a set of program inputs that will execute every path in the path cover. This paper presents a generalized algorithm that finds a path cover for a given program flowgraph. The analysis is conducted on a reduced flowgraph, called a ddgraph, and uses graph theoretic principles differently than previous approaches. In particular, the relations of dominance and implication which form two trees of the arcs of the ddgraph are exploited. These relations make it possible to identify a subset of ddgraph arcs, called unconstrained arcs, having the property that a set of paths exercising all the unconstrained arcs also cover all the arcs in the ddgraph. In fact, the algorithm has been designed to cover all the unconstrained arcs of a given ddgraph: the paths are derived one at a time, each path covering at least one as yet uncovered unconstrained arc. The greatest merits of the algorithm are its simplicity and its flexibility. It consists in just visiting recursively in combination the dominator and the implied trees, and is flexible in the sense that it can derive a path cover to satisfy different requirements, according to the strategy adopted for the selection of the unconstrained arc to be covered at each recursive iteration. This feature of the algorithm can be employed to address the problem of infeasible paths, by adopting the most suitable selection strategy for the problem at hand. Embedding of the algorithm into a software analysis and testing tool is recommended. >


Why are some global financial crises more difficult to recover from and overcome than others? What steps are necessary in ensuring that financial stability and recovery is facilitated? What kind of environment has the previous financial environment evolved to and what kind of financial products have also contributed to greater vulnerability in the triggering of systemic risks? These are amongst some of the questions which this book attempts to address. In highlighting the role and importance of various actors in post crises reforms and the huge impacts certain factors and products have contributed in exacerbating the magnitude and speed of transmission of financial contagion, it also provides an insight into why global financial crises have become more complicated to address than was previously the case. As well as considering and highlighting why matters related to pro cyclicality and capital measures should not constitute the sole focus of attention of the G20's initiatives, the book is aimed at identifying other important issues such as liquidity risks and requirements which have constituted, to a large extent, the focus of international standard setters and regulators. It also aims to direct regulators, central bank officials and supervisors, academics, business and legal professionals and other relevant interested parties in the field to current and previously ignored issues such as the "cartelisation" of capital markets. The need and concern for increased regulation of bond, equity markets, as well as other complex financial instruments which can be traded in OTC (Over-the-Counter) derivatives markets is evidenced by Basel III's focus. "Cartelisation" and organised activities relating to rate rigging in global capital markets have been evidenced recently by sophisticated EURIBOR and LIBOR rate rigging practices and occurences. The aims and objectives of the book would not be complete by merely identifying and highlighting the general root causes of global financial crises, and current issues to be focussed on. Hence each chapter will also recommend (as well as highlight) measures which should be (and have been) put forward in order to address the issues and factors which contribute to the magnitude and severity of global financial crises.


University teaching hospitals usually provide tertiary care and are subject to early adoption of new technologies, which may compromise healthcare systems when uncritically adopted. Knowledge on the decision‐making process – drug selection by drug selection committees or DTCs – is crucial to improve the quality of care. There are no models for studying the selection of drugs in Brazilian healthcare services. This study aims to discuss DTC structure and the processes regarding adoption of medicines in tertiary university hospitals in Brazil and to propose an analytical structure for providing direction for the future. State of the art content regarding drug selection processes and DTC procedures was reviewed in three databases. Information on the medicine selection process in a Brazilian gold standard teaching hospital was collected through observations and a review of existing procedures. A structured discussion on medicine selection and DTC procedures in tertiary hospitals ensued. This discussion resulted in findings that were organized in three dimensions, composing an analytical framework for the application in tertiary Brazilian hospitals (i) motivations for the adoption of drugs; (ii) necessary structural and organizational aspects for decision‐making; and (iii) criteria and methods employed by the decision‐making process. We believe that the suggested framework is compatible with tertiary Brazilian hospitals, because a gold standard in the country was able to conduct all its procedures in the light of WHO and international recommendations. We hope to contribute in producing knowledge which may hopefully be adopted in tertiary hospitals across Brazil.


The energy policies of today focus mainly on sustainable energy systems and renewable energy resources. Chemistry is closely related to energy recycling, energy types, renewable energy, and nature-energy interaction; therefore, it is now an obligation to enrich chemistry classes with renewable energy concepts and related awareness. Before creating renewable energy awareness, the factors thought to affect such awareness should be determined. Knowing these factors would facilitate finding out what to take into account in creating renewable energy awareness. In this study, certain factors thought to affect the development of renewable energy awareness were investigated. The awareness was created through a technologyassisted renewable energy module and assessed using a renewable energy assessment tool. The effects of the students' self-directed learning readiness with Guglielmino (1977), inner-individual orientation, and anxiety orientation on the awareness were examined. These three factors were found to have significant effects on renewable energy, which was developed through technology utilization. In addition, based on the finding that delivering the subject of renewable energy in technology assisted environments is more effective, the criteria that should be taken into consideration in transforming this subject into a design model that is more suitable for distance education were identified.


A virtual mesocosm is a software framework simulating a controlled oceanic environment. Artificial salps and their food are introduced into the mesocosm where their development can be watched on the computer screen. The artihcial salps are software entities mimicking closely the lifehistory and behavior of their real counterparts (the tunicate Salpa fusifom's): they swim in the artificial space, where each individual feeds on the local resources; they metabolize, accumulate reserves, and grow; their reproduction alternates between asexual and sexual generations. Plausible values are given to 21 parameters characterizing their life-cycle and metabolism. A virtual mesocosm is m fact a model, focused upon individuals and their spatial interactions. The relationships present in the conceptual model are more completely and more precisely stated in a software design than in a mathematical model. Many computer experiments are possible with the artificial salps, without the difficult problems associated with the sampling and laboratory maintenance of the real, fragile, planktonic organisms. An example is given showing the effect of different spacing between food patches.


ABSTRACT Stratified, precision or personalised medicine (PM) is emerging as one of the most important areas of clinical innovation in cancer care. Yet, implementing policies to translate these innovations to practice entails deep changes, including in how patient information is treated, how funding is allocated, how diagnostic tests are validated and carried out, how care is organised, how clinical trials are conducted and how new drugs are approved. National Cancer Control Programmes (NCCPs), for their part, have emerged as the primary instrument to coordinate the range of cancer control policies within individual countries, and virtually all European countries have adopted one. This means that for PM to be integrated into cancer care at a national scale, they should ideally be contemplated first within the broad framework of an NCCP. Before deciding how to integrate PM concepts within an NCCP, it is important to understand two facts about PM in cancer. First, although currently PM is in a relatively early stage of development, it is clearly an active area of interest for researchers and clinicians, so— sooner or later—PM will objectively and widely be considered an integral part of cancer control. In other words, it is in the best interests of health systems to start preparing now for the future. Secondly, PM will not be limited to the spheres of diagnosis and care. From regulatory structures, data exchange and technological infrastructures, to professional training, clinical trials, health services research and patient education and engagement, PM concepts must eventually be integrated into all areas of cancer control, and indeed of healthcare. While it is still somewhat premature to implement definitive, large-scale changes to cancer care policy, it is not too early to develop strategic PM approaches to professional training, biobanks, clinical trials and patient education. These actions, properly set within the solid foundation of an evidence-based NCCP, will set the groundwork for the organised and coherent uptake of future innovations in PM, ensuring that a personalised approach is implemented—equitably, rationally and with sufficient evidence—at a population level. Disclosure: The author has declared no conflicts of interest.


Immunosuppression observed in chronic alcohol users is caused by multiple factors including the amount of alcohol consumed and alcohol-induced nutritional deficiencies. Investigators of the immunotoxic effects of ethanol (ETOH) frequently concentrate on the effects of ETOH and neglect nutrition as a confounding variable. This study investigated the immunotoxic effects of ETOH under variable dietary nutritional conditions. Mice were fed diets containing various levels of nutrients and ethanol for 7 weeks. Spleen cell number, and interleukin-2 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) secretion were independent of the diet consumed, but were affected by consumption of ETOH. Body and spleen weights, and interferon-gamma secretion were modulated by ETOH as well as by diet. The results indicate that the nutritional composition of the diet consumed during concurrent administration of ETOH modulates the immunotoxic effects of chronic ETOH ingestion. We conclude that the levels of various nutrients in animal diets have to be planned and controlled carefully in order to identify directly the immunotoxic effects of ETOH.


Aerospace structures are subjected to various flight loads throughout their service life. In certain anticipated missions, significant thermal stresses will be generated through atmospheric exit and re-entry. It is the purpose of this study to develop a method to assess the reliability of the structural components of these aircraft. Due to the loss of strength of the aerospace materials under high temperature, the structural response of some flight maneuvers may be nonlinear. Thus it becomes necessary to include the analysis of a non-linear structural response process. In this study, a preliminary selection of stochastic models for the thermal and flight loads is noted. Nonlinear load exceedance processes will then be modified to analyze the load model developed and a reliability analysis will be conducted.


In 1932, the Rockefeller family commissioned Diego Rivera to paint an enormous mural as the centerpiece of the RCA Building lobby in Rockefeller Center in New York City. The colorful mural that Rivera painted, titled Man at the Crossroads, included images of social, political, industrial, and scientific visions of contemporary society. One night in February of 1934, the Rockefellers hired workers to chisel the mural off the wall without any warning or notice. The mural was broken into pieces before being carted away and dumped. The destruction of his mural shocked Rivera. More importantly, however, the destruction of Rivera's mural permanently deprived the public of a significant work of public art and heritage. The public was stunned at the destruction of the mural; protesters called the Rockefellers' act "art murder" and "cultural vandalism." Nevertheless, the mural was the Rockefeller's property and, despite public support for the mural, they had the legal right to destroy it. More than eight decades later, communities still face this type of loss of heritage through the destruction of public art. For instance, public outrage followed the 2014 demolition of 5 Pointz in New York, when the owner of 5 Pointz whitewashed and destroyed the 20-plus-year-old "graffiti Mecca" to make way for two new $400 million luxury high-rise apartment towers. On the opposite coast, just last year, Piedmont Avenue neighbors in Oakland were shocked when the owner of Kronnerburger Restaurant demolished a beloved community mural in connection with its construction of a new trendy burger restaurant.
Property owners generally have the right to destroy their own property. This Article argues, however, that certain property is so connected to a community's identity that the community's right to preserve its heritage may trump a property owner's right to destroy. This Article explores existing, yet underutilized, legal solutions a community may use or adapt to preserve public art when that art has become a part of its cultural heritage. Finally, recognizing that preservation has its limits, and that without destruction there will be no space for creation, this Article ultimately sets forth questions communities will need to grapple with as they weigh whether and how to protect works of public art as cultural heritage.


By interrogating America's promise of a home for Jews as citizens of the liberal state, Jews and Feminism questions the very terms of this social "contract". Maintaining that Jews, women, and Jewish women are not necessarily secure within this construction of the state, Laura Levitt links this contractual construction of belonging and acceptance to legacies of marriage as a contractual home for Jewish women. Exploring the immigration of Jews from Eastern Europe for America, as well as their desire to make this country their permanent home, Levitt raises questions about the search for stability in specific Jewish religious and cultural traditions which is linked to the liberal academy as well as feminist study, thus offering an account of an ambivalent Jewish feminist embrace of America as home.


Millions of tons of fungal spores are dispersed in the atmosphere every year. These living cells, along with plant spores and pollen grains, may act as nuclei for condensation of water in clouds. Basidiospores released by mushrooms form a significant proportion of these aerosols, particularly above tropical forests. Mushroom spores are discharged from gills by the rapid displacement of a droplet of fluid on the cell surface. This droplet is formed by the condensation of water on the spore surface stimulated by the secretion of mannitol and other hygroscopic sugars. This fluid is carried with the spore during discharge, but evaporates once the spore is airborne. Using environmental electron microscopy, we have demonstrated that droplets reform on spores in humid air. The kinetics of this process suggest that basidiospores are especially effective as nuclei for the formation of large water drops in clouds. Through this mechanism, mushroom spores may promote rainfall in ecosystems that support large populations of ectomycorrhizal and saprotrophic basidiomycetes. Our research heightens interest in the global significance of the fungi and raises additional concerns about the sustainability of forests that depend on heavy precipitation.


Background: In the US, manufacturers seeking approval to market a generic drug product must submit data demonstrating that the generic formulation provides the same rate and extent of absorption as (ie, is bioequivalent to) the innovator drug product. Thus, most orally administered generic drug products in the US are approved based on results of one or more clinical bioequivalence studies. Objective: To evaluate how well the bioequivalence measures of generic drugs approved in the US over a 12-year period compare with those of their corresponding innovator counterparts. Methods: This retrospective analysis compared the generic and innovator bioequivalence measures from 2070 single-dose clinical bioequivalence studies of orally administered generic drug products approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) from 1996 to 2007 (12 y). Bioequivalence measures evaluated were drug peak plasma concentration (Cmax) and area under the plasma drug concentration versus time curve (AUC), representing drug rate and extent of absorption, respectively. The generic/innovator Cmax and AUC geometric mean ratios (GMRs) were determined from each of the bioequivalence studies, which used from 12 to 170 subjects. The GMRs from the 2070 studies were averaged. In addition, the distribution of differences between generic means and innovator means was determined for both Cmax and AUC. Results: The mean ± SD of the GMRs from the 2070 studies was 1.00 ± 0.06 for Cmax and 1.00 ± 0.04 for AUC. The average difference in Cmax and AUC between generic and innovator products was 4.35% and 3.56%, respectively. In addition, in nearly 98% of the bioequivalence studies conducted during this period, the generic product AUC differed from that of the innovator product by less than 10%. Conclusions: The criteria used to evaluate generic drug bioequivalence studies support the FDA's objective of approving generic drug formulations that are therapeutically equivalent to their innovator counterparts.


Evaluation is a modern term for a practice that dates back to antiquity. It has an international, transnational and global dimension. The elasticity of evaluation implies that evaluation is carried out by governments in different countries covering a wide range of activities. The diversity of evaluands, approaches, influences and practices hold important lessons for countries contemplating to adopt the evaluation technique. This article sketches the state of evaluation in 21 countries across four continents, tabulating various characteristics for comparison purposes. It locates each within a decade called first-, second- and third-wave, referring to when evaluation was first adopted in that country. Some key features are discussed, including globalisation of evaluation; factors that influenced its adoption; location of evaluation jurisdiction - push-pull mechanisms; education, training, professionalisation and supply of expertise; approaches to adoption; utilisation; and prospects. The role of the African Evaluation Association and factors militating against establishing more effective evaluation systems in developing countries, particularly in Africa, are briefly examined.


The chemokine (C-X-C) receptor type 4 (CXCR4) is an early marker of primordial germ cells (PGCs) essential for their migration and colonization of the gonads. In spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs), the expression of CXCR4 is promoted by the self-renewal factor, glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF). Here, we demonstrate an important role of CXCR4 during donor mouse SSCs reoccupation of the endogenous niche in recipient testis. Silencing of CXCR4 expression in mouse SSCs dramatically reduced the number of donor stem cell-derived colonies, whereas colony morphology and spermatogenesis were comparable to controls. Inhibition of CXCR4 signaling using a small molecule inhibitor (AMD3100) during the critical window of homing also significantly lowered the efficiency of donor-derived SSCs to establish spermatogenic colonies in recipient mice; however, the self-renewal of SSCs was not affected by exposure to AMD3100. Rather, in vitro migration assays demonstrate the influence of CXCR4-CXCL12 signaling in promoting germ cell migration. Together, these studies suggest that CXCR4-CXCL12 signaling functions to promote homing of SSCs towards the stem cell niche and plays a critical role in reestablishing spermatogenesis.


BACKGROUND
The bile acid-activated receptors, including the membrane G protein-coupled receptor TGR5 and nuclear farnesoid X receptor (FXR), have roles in kidney diseases. In this study, we investigated the role of TGR5 in renal water handling and the underlying molecular mechanisms.

METHODS
We used tubule suspensions of inner medullary collecting duct (IMCD) cells from rat kidneys to investigate the effect of TGR5 signaling on aquaporin-2 (AQP2) expression, and examined the in vivo effects of TGR5 in mice with lithium-induced nephrogenic diabetes insipidus (NDI) and Tgr5 knockout (Tgr5 -/-) mice.

RESULTS
Activation of TGR5 by lithocholic acid (LCA), an endogenous TGR5 ligand, or INT-777, a synthetic TGR5-specific agonist, induced AQP2 expression and intracellular trafficking in rat IMCD cells via a cAMP-protein kinase A signaling pathway. In mice with NDI, dietary supplementation with LCA markedly decreased urine output and increased urine osmolality, which was associated with significantly upregulated AQP2 expression in the kidney inner medulla. Supplementation with endogenous FXR agonist had no effect. In primary IMCD suspensions from lithium-treated rats, treatment with INT-767 (FXR and TGR5 dual agonist) or INT-777, but not INT-747 (FXR agonist), increased AQP2 expression. Tgr5 -/- mice exhibited an attenuated ability to concentrate urine in response to dehydration, which was associated with decreased AQP2 expression in the kidney inner medulla. In lithium-treated Tgr5 -/- mice, LCA treatment failed to prevent reduction of AQP2 expression.

CONCLUSIONS
TGR5 stimulation increases renal AQP2 expression and improves impaired urinary concentration in lithium-induced NDI. TGR5 is thus involved in regulating water metabolism in the kidney.


Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are ubiquitous in the environment and found in drinking water distribution systems and household plumbing. They are opportunistic pathogens of humans, causing lung disease. Their ability to adhere and form biofilm is attributed to a waxy, lipid-rich, cell envelope. This highly hydrophobic envelope also contributes to the characteristic antibiotic-, chlorine-, and disinfectantresistance of NTM. NTM in household plumbing reside primarily in biofilms and the ability to form biofilm has been linked to virulence. Shedding of cells from biofilm and the subsequent aerosolization of microorganisms through showerheads presents a significant public health risk, particularly to those individuals with associated risk factors. Three species of NTM, Mycobacterium avium, Mycobacterium intracellulare, and Mycobacterium abscessus, were examined for adherence and biofilm formation on surfaces common to household plumbing systems, including glass, copper, stainless steel, polyvinyl chloride, and galvanized steel. All experiments were conducted with sterile, Blacksburg tap water in a CDC Biofilm Reactor. Highest adherence was observed by M. avium on galvanized steel surfaces, reaching 15,100 CFU/cm surface at 6 hours incubation at room temperature. After 3 weeks incubation at room temperature, biofilm formation of M. avium was also highest on galvanized steel surfaces, reaching 14,000,000 CFU/cm surface. Lowest adherence was observed by M. abscessus on polyvinyl chloride (PVC) surfaces, reaching 40 CFU/cm. Lowest biofilm formation was observed by M. intracellulare on glass surfaces, reaching 5,900 CFU/cm. Surfaces, such as galvanized (zinc), on which high adherence and biofilm formation was observed, should be avoided in household plumbing systems of NTM patients and individuals at risk for developing NTM disease. Additionally, surfaces such as copper, harbor fewer NTM and may provide a safer alternative for household plumbing of NTM patients.


The influence of carbon concentration on the electronic and magnetic properties of C-implanted ZnO thin films has been studied using synchrotron radiation based X-ray absorption spectroscopic techniques and vibrating sample magnetometer measurements. 20 keV carbon ions were implanted in ZnO films with different fluences (2 × 1016, 4 × 1016 and 6 × 1016 ions per cm2). The pristine ZnO film shows diamagnetic behaviour while the C-implanted films exhibit room temperature ferromagnetism. Our first-principles calculations based on density functional theory show an appreciable magnetic moment only when the implanted C atom sits either in the O-site (2 μB) or in the interstitial position (1.88 μB), whereas the C atom in the Zn substitutional position does not possess any magnetic moment. X-ray absorption near edge structure analysis at the O K-edge reveals that the charge transfer from O-2p to the C-defect site causes the ferromagnetism in the C-implanted ZnO film at low fluence. However at high fluence, the implanted C replaces the lattice and produces more Zn vacancies, as evidenced by extended X-ray absorption fine structure studies at the Zn K-edge, which favors the ferromagnetism. The persistence of the implanted carbon and ferromagnetism of the C-implanted ZnO film has also been studied by isothermal annealing at 500 °C and discussed in detail.


Even though rare, tuberculous peritonitis (TBP) in patients on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) is a perilous condition. Physicians worry about continuing treatment of their patients, whether to continue this modality of dialysis or switch to hemodialysis. A retrospective cohort study of 89 patients undergoing CAPD over a 12-year period was carried out for any episode of peritonitis with the objectives to find out the incidence of TBP in these patients, evaluation of patients' 3-year survival, possibility of retention of Tenckhoff catheter, and modality of dialysis post-infection. One hundred and three episodes of peritonitis occurred in our patients. Most of them were bacterial and occasionally fungal. We identified four cases of TBP, with one patient having concurrent bacterial infection in the peritoneal fluid. The clinical presentation was insidious with cloudy fluid in all cases. The diagnosis was established by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique in one case, by positive peritoneal fluid culture for Mycobacterium tuberculosis in two cases, and clinically in the fourth one that responded well to anti-tuberculous therapy. All four patients survived their mycobacterial infection. Removal of catheter was necessary in all four patients and all were converted to hemodialysis. Three patients remained on hemodialysis thereafter, and one patient had to be re-implanted with a new catheter and was restarted on CAPD. TBP in patients undergoing CAPD in Jeddah remains a real concern, especially with the evidence of high prevalence of tuberculosis and with the emergence of drug-resistant tuberculosis. We recommend early initiation of anti-tuberculous therapy and removal of the Tenckhoff catheter for better survival. Most of these patients probably will require conversion to hemodialysis, but in a selected few CAPD can be restarted.


The wish to use new technology as it becomes available is normal. The changes that flow as a result are mostly, but not all, for the better; negative consequences run parallel to positive ones, and it is so with the use of laser scanning for surveying. Here we report and comment on a research project at the University of Bath which involves the 3-D scanning of ten Ionic capitals belonging to the archaic Greek period. The scans obtained represent a digital means of recording these objects in their present state, while also providing the basis for creating 3-dimensional virtual reconstructions of them in their original state. The disadvantages and advantages became obvious during the course of the project, as the point-cloud obtained cannot replace all of the traditional virtues of observation, of hand-drawing and of graphic representation (plan, section, elevation). But if the two different techniques are combined together, fascinating results can be achieved.