We analyze the motion of artificial magnetic microswimmers which mimic the swimming of natural organisms at low Reynolds numbers. Artificial magnetic microswimmers consist of a rigidly connected helical tail and a magnetic head. Magnetic swimmers are actuated with three orthogonal electromagnetic coil pairs. The swimmer motion is examined in the laminar flow which is introduced to channel with syringe pump. We recorded videos for forward (pusher-like swimming / in the head direction) and backward (puller-like swimming / in the tail direction) motion of swimmers. Swimmers have non-stable helical trajectories for forward motion and stable straight trajectories for backward motion. The flow effects on trajectories are observed for swimmers with different geometric parameters in the circular channels. Experiment results show that helical wavelengths of the trajectories are affected with the flow. Additionally, the flow has more pronounced effect on the trajectories of the swimmers in wide channels. Moreover, circular confinement in narrow channels leads to more stable trajectories; in wide channels swimmers follow complex trajectories. A CFD model is used to compare experiments with simulations and to analyze the effects of hydrodynamic interactions.


Christopher Talbot writes: Holdsworth et al. (1999a) are persuasive in their argument that the Loch Loyal syenites are different parts of the same syenite pluton exposed at different structural levels. However they also argue that emplacement of this pluton was relatively passive and that its boundaries assumed the architecture of pre-existing structures and fabrics. Thus the smooth NW contact parallels the Ben Blandy shear zone which has the NE-SW strike typical of the F1+F2 Caledonian grain to the west, while sheet-like apophyses in the roof strike NW-SE, parallel to axial surfaces of major F3 crossfolds in the overlying nappes to the east. I would like to learn their arguments against a simpler alternative model, which has never (to my knowledge) been suggested before, but which is equally relevant to late orogenic plutons elsewhere. At its simplest, why are those major apophyses in the roof of the syenite pluton not simply F3 cross-mullions due to thinskinned NE-SW shortening of a weaker syenite sheet and its more competent roof rocks above a decollement along the Ben Blandy shear zone? Firstly, I use the maps and account by Holdsworth et al. to modify their summary diagram (Fig. la), which shows the smooth NW boundary of the syenite pluton as a sideboundary, to Fig. lb which reinterprets the NW boundary as the smooth floor to a plutonic sheet dipping generally SE. Just beneath this smooth floor, the Ben Blandy shear zone acted as a basal decollement to overlying F3 cross-folds in both the interpretation


Background: Calcium influx (ICRAC) is important for proper cell function. Results: A novel STIM1 mutant increases ICRAC, Ca2+-dependently destabilizes Orai1, and alters clustering. A new mathematical model explains the phenotype. Conclusion: The molecular kinetics of STIM1 and Orai1 are major determinants of ICRAC. Significance: The diffusion trap model and alteration of Orai1 stability provide a tool for understanding ICRAC regulation. A drop of endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ concentration triggers its Ca2+ ssensor protein stromal interaction molecule 1 (STIM1) to oligomerize and accumulate within endoplasmic reticulum-plasma membrane junctions where it activates Orai1 channels, providing store-operated Ca2+ entry. To elucidate the functional significance of N-glycosylation sites of STIM1, we created different mutations of asparagine-131 and asparagine-171. STIM1 NN/DQ resulted in a strong gain of function. Patch clamp, Total Internal Reflection Fluorescent (TIRF) microscopy, and fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) analyses revealed that expression of STIM1 DQ mutants increases the number of active Orai1 channels and the rate of STIM1 translocation to endoplasmic reticulum-plasma membrane junctions with a decrease in current latency. Surprisingly, co-expression of STIM1 DQ decreased Orai1 protein, altering the STIM1:Orai1 stoichiometry. We describe a novel mathematical tool to delineate the effects of altered STIM1 or Orai1 diffusion parameters from stoichiometrical changes. The mutant uncovers a novel mechanism whereby "superactive" STIM1 DQ leads to altered oligomerization rate constants and to degradation of Orai1 with a change in stoichiometry of activator (STIM1) to effector (Orai1) ratio leading to altered Ca2+ homeostasis.


In order to reduce watering of wells and equalize their injectivity profiles, the prospects of introducing PPG technology in Russian fields are considered, in which preformed particles polymer gel are pumped into the injection well. These particles, being a supersorbent based on polyacrylamide, absorb water, become elastic, which allows them to shrink and tear in narrow filtration channels. When the polymer is filtered along permeable layers saturated with water, polymer particles accumulate in waterlogged intervals and thus they form a polymer plug, which redistributes the filtration flows and increases the coverage of the formation by the process of oil displacement. More than 4000 downhole operations have been carried out in the fields of China and the USA using PPG technology by now. In domestic fields in Western Siberia, there is limited experience in applying a similar technology in high-temperature formations with low mineralization of formation water. Due to the absence of hydrolytic processes in polyacrylamide, well-known domestic compositions are not applicable due to the low absorption capacity in the conditions of low-temperature deposits with increased mineralization of formation water. The authors synthesized a polymer based on polyacrylamide by block polymerization, which allows to obtain a high absorption capacity, including for low-temperature formations with high mineralization of formation water, which is typical for Perm Territory fields. Filtration experiments were carried out on core models with the composition developed by the authors, this composition focused on low formation temperatures and high mineralization of formation water. As a result of the experiments, it was found that the swollen particles of the gel are able to pass into fractures with a diameter less than their own size at least 20 times. With a significant increase in the viscosity of the dispersion medium, the stability of the suspension increases. Particles of polymer gel have the necessary strength for injection in the field conditions. The fracture permeability during polymer injection decreases by several times and becomes comparable with the permeability of pore collectors.


Trust is imperative to effective relationships between teachers and parents of children with disabilities. Communication is the foundation on which trust is established and maintained. This study employed a qualitative research design to investigate the perspectives of 16 mothers of children with varying disabilities, of varying ages, and from varying geographical regions regarding the role of communication in establishing and maintaining trust with their children's teachers. Analysis of the interview data revealed that (a) the mothers used two primary communication strategies, dialogic and problem-focused, when interacting with their children's teachers, and (b) the perceived teacher responses had a significant effect on either facilitating or inhibiting trust in mother-teacher relationships. Discussion of the findings addresses recommendations for education professionals as they forge effective and trusting home-school partnerships with parents of children with disabilities.


Student difficulties in learning Physics have been thoroughly discussed in the scientific literature. Already in 1980, Papert complained that schools teach Newtonian motion by manipulating equations rather than by manipulating the Newtonian objects themselves, what would be possible in a 'physics microworld'. On the other hand, Second Life and its scripting language have a remarkable learning curve that discourages most teachers at using it as an environment for educational computer simulations and microworlds. The objective of this work is to describe TATI, a textual interface which, through TATILogo, an accessible Logo language extension, allows the generation of various physics microworlds in Second Life, containing different types of objects that follow different physical laws, providing a learning path into Newtonian Physics.


Criminology has developed strong methodological tools over the past decades, establishing itself as a competitive and sophisticated social science. Despite and perhaps because of its emphasis on research design, methodology, and quantitative analysis, criminology has had few significant advances in theory. This is the first publication exclusively dedicated to the dissemination of original work on criminological theory. It encourages theory construction and validation in existing criminological publications, as well as furthering the free exchange of ideas, propositions, and postulates. This volume is dedicated to a pioneer in criminology, Donald Cressey, and is especially noteworthy for its comparative and international dimension. Contents: G.O.W. Mueller, "Whose Prophet Is Cesare Beccaria? An Essay on the Origins of Criminological Theory"; John Braitnwaite and Brent Fisse, "On the Plausibility of Corporate Crime Theory"; Raymond Paternoster and Charles R. Tittle, "Parental Work Control and Delinquency: A Theoretical and Empirical Critique"; J.O. Finckenauer, "Legal Socialization Theory: A Precursor to Comparative Research in the Soviet Union"; Jeanette Covington, "Theoretical Explanations of Race Differences in Heroin Use"; Hans Joachim Schneider, "The Media World of Crime: A Study of Social Learning Theory and Symbolic Interaction"; DEGREESAlexander Yakovlov, "Epistemological Problems of Criminology"; John Braithwaite and Joan McCord, "The State of Criminology: Theoretical Decay or Renaissance?"; Joan McCord, "One Perspective on the State of Criminology."


The FLACS CFD-tool for consequence prediction has been developed continuously since 1980. The initial focus was explosion safety on offshore oil platforms, in recent years the tool is also applied to study dispersion, hydrogen safety, dust explosions and more. A development project sponsored by Norsk Hydro, Statoil and Ishikawajima Heavy Industries (IHI) was carried out to improve the modelling and validation of hydrogen dispersion and explosions. In this project GexCon carried out 200 small-scale experiments on dispersion and explosion with H2 and mixtures with H2 and CO or N2. Experiments with varying confinement, congestion, concentration, and ignition location were performed. Since the main purpose of the tests was to produce good validation data, all tests were simulated with the FLACS-HYDROGEN tool. The simulations confirmed the ability to predict explosions effects for the wide range of scenarios studied. A few examples of comparisons will be shown. To build confidence in a consequence prediction model, it is important that the scales used for validation are as close as possible to reality. Since the hazard to people and facilities, and the risk, will generally increase with scale, validation against large-scale experiments is important. In the 1980s a series of large-scale explosion experiments with H2 was carried out in the Sandia FLAME facility and sponsored by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The FLAME facility is a 30.5m x 1.83m x 2.44m channel, tests were performed with H2 concentrations from 7% to 30%, with varying degree of top venting (0%, 13% and 50%) and congestion (with or without baffles blocking 33% of the channel cross-section). A wide range of flame speeds and overpressures were observed. Comparisons are made between FLACS simulations and FLAME tests. The main conclusion from this validation study is that the precision when predicting H2 explosion consequences with FLACS has been improved to a very acceptable level.


This article compares risk spreading and risk reduction approaches to climate adaptation. Because of the buildup of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere from past practices, the world is "committed" to a significant amount of global average warming. This is likely to lead to significant increases in the frequency, severity and geographic extent of drought. Adaptation to these and other problems caused by climate disruption will be essential even if steps are taken now to mitigate that disruption. Water and drought policy provide an example of the significant policy tension between compassion and risk reduction in climate adaptation, and how those tensions affect broader national economic policies. Because water is essential to lives and livelihoods, the compassionate response to drought is to provide financial and other forms of relief. Guaranteed, unconditional drought relief, however, can encourage unsustainable water uses and practices that increase vulnerability to drought in the long-term. Moreover, the agricultural sector is the largest consumptive user of water in drought-prone regions, but longstanding U.S. agricultural policy encourages excess production and water use. Effective adaptation to climate disruption will have to strike a balance between providing essential short-term relief from hardship and promoting longer-term measures to reduce vulnerability through more sustainable water use and other practices. It will also require fundamental reconsideration of laws and policies that drive key economic sectors that will be affected by climate disruption. Although water, drought and agricultural law provide one good example of this tension, the same lessons are likely to apply to other sectors of the economy vulnerable to climate disruption, such as real estate development and energy production.


College is often a period when students try to find purpose and meaning in their lives. As a result, counselors may need to help students understand their callings and how to meet these through school, work, and other life roles. This article introduces the concept of calling and reviews relevant research, offers suggestions for integrating it into career counseling with college students, and provides a case example. Keywords: calling, career development, college counseling ********** Individuals are increasingly seeking a sense of purpose and meaning in their work (e.g., Bloch, 2005). Traditionally, however, career counseling has not focused on such factors and their role in career development and satisfaction (Savickas, 1997), a considerable oversight given the recent attention on positive psychology and the growing research suggesting that a sense of purpose and meaning in life contribute to psychological health and well-being (e.g., Steger, Frazier, Oishi, & Kaler, 2006). With career counseling at a crossroads at the beginning of the 21st century (Niles, 2003), it seems imperative now more than ever that counselors foster positive human development (Savickas, 1993) and "assist clients in finding fuller meaning in life" (Kinjerski & Skrypnek, 2008, p. 319). In particular, college may be a time when many people search for meaning. For traditional-age students (i.e., 18- to 24-year-olds), young adulthood is often a period when individuals strive to establish an identity, marked by the search for a stable sense of self, meaningful adult roles, purpose, and integrity (Chickering & Reisser, 1993; Erikson, 1963). Furthermore, as young adults are "striving toward self-definition, purpose, and connectedness" (Schultheiss, 2000, p. 43), they are looking for meaning in their lives (Steger, Oishi, & Kashdan, 2009) and attempting to establish themselves in the world of work (Super, Savickas, & Super, 1996). Traditional-age students may also begin to develop prosocial life goals and values and start to reflect on how they may be productive and serve others (Erikson, 1963). In fact, researchers have suggested that successful development during young adulthood includes the formation of a sense of purpose (Damon, Mcnon, & Bronc, 2003) and skills and abilities that benefit both the self and society (Scales & Benson, 2004). For non-traditional-age and returning students, college may be a period in which they are shaping their careers on the basis of changes in self-concept (Salomone, 1996), leading them to ask questions about the meaningfulness of their work, such as what purpose their work serves and how they may contribute to the common good. Because many of these students may have started families and jobs earlier in their lives, they may not have had the opportunity to consider such issues when initially entering the world of work. Consequently, they may return to college not only for improved work and financial opportunities but also to find a greater sense of meaning in their work and other life roles. Therefore, those providing career counseling to college students may need to attend to such issues with clients. Of particular relevance is the concept of calling, a sense of purpose or meaning leading individuals toward personally fulfilling and socially significant work (Dik & Duffy, 2009). Although college may be a period when individuals are searching for their callings (Colozzi & Colozzi, 2000), little has been written in the psychological literature about the role of calling in college student development or how to apply it to career counseling with this population. In this article, I attempt to fill this gap by providing an overview of calling, discussing its relevance to college student career development, offering suggestions for integrating it into career counseling with students, and illustrating its use with a case example. Meaning and Calling Although it could be argued that the search for meaning is one of the essential tasks of human existence (Steger, 2009), meaning largely has been ignored by social scientists until recently, despite Frankl's (1959/2006) early work on the subject. …


This brief essay serves as an introduction to a volume of studies by Latin American scholars of constitutional law and theory responding to themes in my work. It outlines the jurisprudential and historical-political background against which my work developed, stressing the important roles played by American Legal Realism and the politics of the 1960s in shaping my thinking. The essay explains how my interest in populist constitutional law and dialogic forms of constitutional review emerged from the same background, but was strengthened by an interest in comparative constitutional law that I developed in the 1990s.


This paper aims at presenting an integrated framework for the study of territorial dynamics in coastal areas. The use of Geographic Information Systems made possible the association of land cover data and socio-economic data using different levels of spatial analysis. The Coastal Alentejo (Portugal) was used as case study to identify these territorial dynamics. Being land cover and land use changes one of the main issues integrating the large debate on sustainable development, its analysis demand clearly an integration of spatial/landscape data with the socio-economic data, which has been recently widely recognised. The question is how this integration is possible, and how can it best be achieved to understand the change. Moreover, the land use changes studies must be a contextualised analysis centred in the individual inside the context where he acts. This departing point assumes that the individual induces land use changes but he also reflects these changes, which were made by him or by other agents that intervene, directly or indirectly, in the land use. Thus we must consider and analyse the impact of external driving forces such as the national and international policies and regulations, being necessary, therefore, an effort to make this kind of analysis at Regional, Local and Individual Level. The coastal areas are special focus given the increasing importance that they had assumed in the global frame of the present economic development. The number and diversity of agents that are searching for space in coastal areas increases the needs for an integrated management in a way to minimise the negative impacts of the increasing number of activities conflicting in these areas. The nature and distribution of human activities on coastal areas result from the action of a range of driving forces demographic, institutional, commercial and market, cultural and technological. The impact of these forces explains the land use changes and the way in which the coastal resources are affected. Toward the identification and understanding the environmental problems of coastal areas it is important, therefore, to analyse the efficacy of the administrative structures at the level of the formulation of the legislative frame and its practice giving possible to understand the articulation, at distinct levels of the institutional dimensions. Moreover the institutional frame, given the integration of Portugal in the European Union since the middle eighties, is in part the reflection of the problems and needs, which are perceived also at the international level. In Portugal the responsibility of management of coastal resources is distributed by several administrative structures that intervene at different spatial levels (national, regional and local levels). This intervention present some contradictions caused by the different objectives of the planning tools, which frame those administrative structures. In what relates to the methodological design, this study is based in an integrated perspective that aims at understand the processes of land use change. The association of different scientific approaches and levels of analysis will accomplish this posture of integration. However, this multi-disciplinary integration cannot be faced as a superimposition or assembling of divers empirical approaches. It represents an articulation between the different scientific domains and levels of spatial or time analysis. The time analysis it is a significant element of the methodological design. If this studies aim at understand the processes of land use change, it is required to analyse different periods, besides the study of different rhythms or cycles of the phenomena. The accurate study of these different moments must contemplate the changes of the biophysical and social frames. The land use change is, therefore, the reflection of the practices of the different agents conditioned by the changes in the global frame of each period. In order to articulate these spatial and temporal levels of analysis of the georeferenced data it was implemented a GIS. How to articulate information from different sources and natures, different scales into the system of analysis is one of the main challenges of the work carried on.


Delay-tolerant networks (DTNs) have the great potential to connecting devices and regions of the world that are presently under-served by current networks. A vital challenge for Delay Tolerant Networks is to determine the routes through the network without ever having an end to end path, or knowing which routers will be connected at any given instant of time. The problem has an added constraint of limited size of buffers at each node. This situation limits the applicability of traditional routing techniques which categorize lack of path as failure of nodes and try to seek for existing end-to-end path. Approaches have been proposed which focus either on epidemic message replication or on previously known information about the connectivity schedule. The epidemic approach, which is basically a flooding technique, of replicating messages to all nodes has a very high overhead and does not perform well with increasing load. It can, however, operate without any prior information on the network configuration. On the other hand, the alternatives, i.e., having a prior knowledge about the connectivity, seems to be infeasible for a self-configuring network.

In this project we try to maximize the message delivery rate without compromising on the amount of message discarded. The amount of message discarded has a direct relation to the bandwidth used and the battery consumed. The more the message discarded more is the bandwidth used and battery consumed by every node in transmitting the message. At the same time, with the increase in the number of messages discarded, the cost for processing every message increases and this adversely affects the nodes. Therefore, we have proposed an algorithm where the messages are disseminated faster into the network with lesser number of replication of individual messages. The history of encounter of a node with other nodes gives noisy but valuable information about the network topology. Using this history, we try to route the packets from one node to another using an algorithm that depends on each node's present available neighbours/contact and the nodes which it has encountered in the recent past. We have also focused on passing the messages to those nodes which are on the move away from the source/forwarder node, as the nodes moving away have a greater probability of disseminating the messages throughout the network and hence increases chances of delivering the message to the destination.


The approaching 75th anniversary of Erie v. Tompkins permits a critical reassessment of Justice Brandeis's landmark opinion. This article joins the growing body of critical academic literature, focusing on the implausibility of the claimed reasons for overturning Swift v. Tyson. Erie's claim to safeguard a constitutional place for state law rings hollow when seen in historic perspective, especially if one looks at the underlying question of the role of common law tort claims to control railroad accidents. While the doctrinal claims of Erie may not hold up, the concern about the regulatory consequences of federal court prohibitory injunctions continues to resonate. The article tries to resuscitate this aspect of Erie, perhaps best understood as the Progressive response to the perceived excesses of the Lochner period. Read this way, the concerns of Erie continue to manifest themselves in current controversies over claims of implied preemption, despite the doctrinal distance from the actual doctrinal claims of Erie itself.


Retail structured products are financial instruments that use derivatives to deliver a range of economic payoffs to retail investors. The investor protection issues posed by the products' inherent complexity have catalysed investor protection regulatory policy in various jurisdictions since the 2008 financial crisis. Studying these initiatives can help us understand post-crisis investor protection regulation. In particular, they offer the opportunity to explore if and how changing ideas of retail investors (from rational to less-than-rational decision-maker) are driving different regulatory policy settings. This thesis contains case studies of recent regulatory policy from Hong Kong, the EU and the US on retail structured products. The cases studies consist of examinations of the identified regulatory policy problems and offered solutions of each jurisdiction. The thesis uses a novel analytical framework on investor protection policy to offer the new central finding that this recent policy appears to be influenced by a notional investor who is less-than-rational. Four supplemental findings support this central finding. o First, the problems that have driven recent policy are a broad range of previously unaddressed problems. This indicates that what authorities perceive to be a 'problem' has changed (perhaps reflecting the changing idea of the notional investor). o Second, a number of the solutions publicly announced by regulatory authorities since the crisis have focused on changing the investment environment in which investors are located, rather than simply seeking to simply give investors better information. o Third, these solutions appear relatively interventionist, with the state prescribing outcomes rather than leaving these to market forces. o Lastly, the influence of the idea of the less-than-rational investor is incomplete. There is an observable disconnect between the presentation of the policy and its substance. This suggests that regulatory authorities have difficulty in publicly signalling that they believe investors are less-than-rational.


In dividing cells, depolymerizing spindle microtubules move chromosomes by pulling at their kinetochores. While kinetochore subcomplexes have been studied extensively in vitro, little is known about their in vivo structure and interactions with microtubules or their response to spindle damage. Here we combine electron cryotomography of serial cryosections with genetic and pharmacological perturbation to study the yeast chromosome-segregation machinery at molecular resolution in vivo. Each kinetochore microtubule has one (rarely, two) Dam1C/DASH outer-kinetochore assemblies. Dam1C/DASH only contacts the flat surface of the microtubule and does so with its flexible "bridges". In metaphase, 40% of the Dam1C/DASH assemblies are complete rings; the rest are partial rings. Ring completeness and binding position along the microtubule are sensitive to kinetochore attachment and tension, respectively. Our study supports a model in which each kinetochore must undergo cycles of conformational change to couple microtubule depolymerization to chromosome movement.


The raw water from Lake Zegrzynski is difficult to treat and requires a high chemical dosing rate of coagulant for the reduction of organic matter in order to comply with EU standards. The high degree of reduction calls for an efficient coagulant, but also an optimal chemistry such as correct dosing amount and an optimal flocculation-pH. The paper describes different removal efficiencies of organic matter, particularly with respect to pH in flocculation. During the warm season, the raw water can also suffer from large amounts of plankton that are difficult to remove to a satisfactory degree. In a two-step chemical treatment concept, with Dissolved Air Flotation (DAF) and the pulsator process, the plankton content in the final outlet water is reduced to very low levels. It follows that eventual peaks of plankton in the raw water cannot be detected in the final outlet water. Ozone is added for removal of taste and odour originating from the presence of plankton. In the pre-treatment step prior to the ozonation, a great deal of the organic matter is removed, which reduces the necessary ozone dosage. The Municipal Water Company of Warsaw City has decided to consider an additional pre-treatment step to the existing water treatment plant at Wieliszew. For that purpose, and bearing in mind an integrated process design, the company has performed pilot-scale experiments with DAF installed prior to a process line identical with the existing full-scale plant. The experimental flow is about 10 m 3 /h.


Background and purpose: Fasciola hepatica and Fasciola gigantica are common liver flukes which affect both human and livestock worldwide. In this study we evaluated the loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay for detection and discrimination of Fasciola species. Materials and methods: Fifty adults of Fasciola worms were isolated from sheep and cattle liver form abattoirs in Mazandaran province. A total of 8 primer sets for LAMP was designed to amplify the 28S ribosomal RNA gene of Fasciola sp. Conventional LAMP was carried out in a 20 µI reaction mixture under isothermal condition at 60°C for 90 minutes. Amplification result was observed by monitoring the turbidity by naked-eye, using fluorescent dye and gel electrophoresis. The specificity of LAMP method for detecting Fasciola sp. was tested by amplification of Dicrocoelium dendriticum , Trichostrongylus colubriformis , and Echinococcus granulosus DNA templates. To evaluate the detection limit of LAMP assay in detecting Fasciola genus, serial dilution of the extracted DNA was used. Results: A positive LAMP reaction by the specific primers of two species produced many bands of different sizes in 60 0C after 90 min. The optimal assay conditions were established with no reaction with other parasites' DNA. The detection limit of this LAMP assay was 1 pg DNA/tube. The result of turbidity and fluorescent dye detection were consistent with agarose gel electrophoresis. Conclusion: Our results demonstrated that LAMP is a rapid, cost-effective, highly specific, easy, and reliable method for differentiation of Fasciola sp. in epidemiological and clinical researches on human and domestic animals in endemic regions of fasciolosis.


Abstract
This article argues that the social quality approach can be usefully applied to studying
"models of elderly care" that enhance the wellbeing of the elderly and empower them to
participate in social activities. Examining three cases in Japan and another three cases in
The Netherlands, the study identifies actors, institutions and processes that have provided
services for the elderly, highlighting the importance of history and culture in infl uencing
the "social" of the elderly. The article deals with a range of opportunities and possibilities
for optimizing care for the elderly, both as individuals and as a group, through promoting
their social inclusion, social cohesion, socio-economic security and social empowerment.
Grounded in community networks, as well as in social and intergenerational interaction,
these "models" demonstrate how care-givers, including nurses and family members, are also empowered in these processes. These discussions, reflecting empirical reality and conceptual insights, provide the basis of sustainable welfare policies that improve the social quality of the elderly.


In this paper, we deal with the computation of generic greatest common divisors (gcd) of a finite set of parametric univariate polynomials. We will describe a parametric version of the well-known euclidean algorithm for computing gcds of univariate polynomials. We introduce the notion of parametric greatest common divisor in order to uniformly describe the gcd of univariate polynomials depending on parameters. The main algorithm of the paper decomposes the parameters space into a finite number of constructible sets such that a gcd of the parametric univariate polynomials is given uniformly in each constructible set.


Abstract Objective To determine the difference in the nutritional status of elderly people depending on their consumption of fruits and vegetables, and to study the possible association between the consumption of these foods and different cardiovascular risk factors, especially total plasma homocysteine (t-Hcys) levels. Design, setting and subjects A cross-sectional study in 152 institutionalised older people from Madrid aged ≥ 65 years. Food and nutrient intakes were recorded over 7 days using the 'precise individual weighing' method. The weight, height, and waist and hip circumferences of all subjects were recorded, as were their α-erythrocyte glutathione reductase, serum B6, B12 and folate levels, erythrocyte folate levels, t-Hcys levels, serum lipids and blood pressure. The experimental population was then divided into tertiles depending on the serving intake of fruit and vegetables (T1, < 2.29 servings day− 1; T2, 2.29–2.79 servings day− 1; and T3, >2.79 servings day− 1). Results Compared with T1 subjects, T3 subjects showed consumptions of cereals, pulses, meat, fish and eggs closer to those recommended (P < 0.05). In addition, the contribution of their diet towards covering the recommended daily intake of vitamin B1, niacin, vitamin B6, folic acid, vitamin C, B12, vitamin A, and P, Mg, Zn and Fe was higher. The intake of fibre increased with consumption of fruit and vegetables (r = 0.6839, P < 0.001). T3 subjects also had better serum and erythrocyte folate levels than T1 and T2 subjects (P < 0.05). A positive correlation was found between the consumption of fruit and vegetables and serum folate (r = 0.2665, P < 0.01) and with erythrocyte folate levels (r = 0.2034, P < 0.05), and a negative correlation with t-Hcys (r = − 0.2493, P < 0.01). Conclusions Greater consumption of fruit and vegetables is associated with better food habits, increased vitamin and mineral intakes and lower t-Hcys levels. Considering that the fruit and vegetable intake in Spanish elderly people is very low, it is recommended that the consumption of fruits and vegetables by elderly people be increased.


We present photometric and spectroscopic observations of SN 2000ch, an unusual and extremely luminous variable star located in the galaxy NGC 3432. The object was discovered on 2000 May 3.2 during the course of the Lick Observatory Supernova Search, at an unfiltered magnitude of about 17.4. Prediscovery images obtained in 1997, 1998, and 2000 April show the object with R = 19.2–19.5 mag. Optical spectra obtained beginning on 2000 May 6 show a smooth, flat continuum and strong, broad hydrogen Balmer emission lines at wavelengths consistent with the cataloged redshift of NGC 3432, strengthening the association of the variable with the galaxy. Photometric monitoring reveals a complex and erratic light curve over a time span of ∼10 days. Subsequent optical spectra over the next ∼3 months continued to show strong Balmer emission lines with a mean full width at half‐maximum intensity ∼1550 km s−1 and a distinct red asymmetry. A spectrum obtained 9 months after the outburst is similar to the previous spectra, but the integrated flux in Hα is nearly half that observed during the outburst. The object's photometric behavior, spectrum, and luminosity suggest that it is a very massive and luminous variable star and might be related to some luminous blue variable stars such as η Carinae and SN 1997bs in NGC 3627. The brightest apparent magnitude implies an absolute magnitude of MV ≈ - 12.7 at the distance of NGC 3432, a value that is comparable to η Car during its outburst in the mid‐19th century.


Yuliy Sannikov is an extraordinary theorist who has developed methods that offer new insights in analyzing problems that had seemed well-studied and familiar: for example, decisions that might bring about cooperation and/or defection in a repeated-play prisoner's dilemma game, or that affect the balance of incentives and opportunism in a principal-agent relationship. His work has broken new ground in methodology, often through the application of stochastic calculus methods. The stochastic element means that his work naturally captures situations in which there is a random chance that monitoring, communication, or signaling between players is imperfect. Using calculus in the context of continuous-time games allows him to overcome tractability problems that had long hindered research in a number of areas. He has substantially altered the toolbox available for studying dynamic games. This essay offers an overview of Sannikov's research in several areas.


This paper focuses on the potential opportunities that disruptive innovation may bring to the healthcare sector of emerging and developing economies, and in particular to the one of the leading Sub-Saharan Africa's country, Nigeria. The author examines the possibility of using advancements in the innovation of Technology 4.0 to bridge the gap in access to what could be defined as "good enough" healthcare services for poorer regions of the world while also aiming to potentially reduce healthcare costs and making the local healthcare systems more sustainable, productive, and accessible. Nigerian health industry is used as an exploratory case study to examine the feasibility of implementing Mobile Health and Telehealth Systems, and more in general, to assess the potential benefits of disruptive innovations in the healthcare industry for the lower income patients of emerging and developing economies. This analysis on disruptive innovation, industry competitiveness, and sustainability of the healthcare models is inspired by Michael Porter's Creating Shared Value (CSV) strategic framework (Porter et al., 2011; 2018) and by Clayton Christensen's Disruptive Innovation Theory (Christensen et al., 1997; 2000; 2004; 2006; 2013; 2015, 2017). This study also aims to provide a compelling argument supporting the thesis that disruptive innovations in the healthcare system can help grant access to critical basic healthcare services in poor regions of the world while also achieving multiple goals such as, sustainability, efficiency, shared-value creation, and corporate profitability for forward-looking firms with scalable and disruptive business models. Ultimately, the paper aims to contribute to the body of knowledge in the field of disruptive innovation, sustainability, and creating shared-value strategies, assessing the feasibility of solutions that may drive to improved competitiveness, social progress, social inclusion, and sustainability of the healthcare industry in one of the developing economies. The results of this study aim to prove that, in the coming years, disruptive innovations are likely to redefine the competitive environment of the healthcare industry and improve the healthcare conditions of the poorer, underserved, and underreached population of developing and emerging economies like Nigeria, thus increasing their life expectancy rates.


Aims: Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disorder which caused by hyperglycemia. Since the serum magnesium level plays an important role in obvious diabetes side effects, the aim of this survey was to evaluate the effect of oral magnesium sulfate administration on blood glucose and serum lipids in streptozotocin-induced diabetic male rats. Methods: This experimental study was performed on 32 Wistar-Albino male rats, which were weighed between 200-250gr. One half of animals were given intra peritoneal injection of 50mg/kg streptozotocin solution which was prepared in sodium citrate buffer. Rats were divided into two healthy A and B groups and two diabetic C and D groups. A and C groups' samples were feed by rodent's diet and tap water but B and D groups' samples received normal diet and water containing 10mg/ml magnesium sulfate during the experiment. At the end of the experiment, serum glucose and lipoprotein profile of rats were measured. Obtained data were analyzed by SPSS 17 using ANOVA and Tukey tests. Results: Blood glucose, serum Triglyceride and LDL level in group D were significantly decreased compared to those of group C, but there was no significant difference in the HDL and total cholesterol level between groups C and D. Conclusion: Oral magnesium sulfate consumption cause in blood glucose decreasing and serum lipoprotein profile improvement in streptozotocin-induced diabetic male rats.


Genomics and evolutionary genetics Population genetic structure Inference of natural selection in human genomes. Bayesian methods and machine learning. Molecular epidemiology. Interactome bioinformatics. Smart pooling of protein-protein interactions. Systems biology Dynamics of genetic networks Formal methods for network modeling Cancer bioinformatics Complex systems Mathematics of interacting particle systems Gene and species tree models Computer algorithms and stochastic simulation (...)


The "Ten Years After" Brief contains summaries of research articles and central banker discussions from the "2008 Financial Crisis: A Ten-Year Review" conference that took place in November 2018 in New York City. The full versions of the articles were published by the Annual Review of Financial Economics, and actual live conference sessions can be accessed via the CFA Institute website.

The summaries in the Brief, which are short descriptions of the original articles, are intended for practitioners and investors interested in learning about the current status of academic research related to the 2008 financial crisis. An edited and annotated transcript of a conversation between central bankers Ben Bernanke, Lord Mervyn King, and Jean-Claude Trichet about the crisis makes the Brief of particular interest.

The 11 articles summarized in the Brief provide an overview of recent research that not only offers insights into the 2008 crisis but also describes lines of inquiry and findings that go beyond understanding the origins of the global financial crisis.

In "Deglobalization: The Rise of Disembedded Unilateralism," Harold James describes the growing opposition to globalization in the wake of the crisis, with an associated decline in cross-border investing and international trade. However, he notes that opposition to globalization may lead to its reform and resurgence.

Gary Gorton relates financial crises to the vulnerability of short-term debt, broadly defined. This vulnerability is inherent in market economies because maturity transformation is an essential function of banks, which in turn are necessary for market economies to exist. Therefore, financial crises have occurred repeatedly over history.

Christopher L. Foote and Paul S. Willen review research on mortgage default, which policymakers need to understand better to more effectively respond to financial crises. They note that research supports the view that payment forbearance is an effective way to reduce default. However, defaults by individual borrowers are difficult to predict because they depend on loss-of-income shocks that are unforecastable.

Manuel Adelino, Antoinette Schoar, and Felipe Severino indicate why a proper diagnosis of the reasons for the 2008 financial crisis is necessary to prevent a repeat in the future. They analyze the origins of the crisis and unveil evidence that contradicts some popular beliefs. They conclude that regulators should consider time-varying capital requirements and countercyclical loan-to-value requirements. Matthew Richardson, Kermit L. Schoenholtz, and Lawrence J. White critically discuss the following three levers of recent prudential regulation: capital requirements, liquidity requirements, and regulation of scope. They emphasize that regulators should select the most cost-effective tools to reduce systemic risk. Andrew Metrick and June Rhee provide an overview of reforms that occurred after the financial crisis, organizing their presentation into three types of reforms: preventative, emergency, and restructuring powers. They note that the main effect of the new reforms has been to shift power from emergency into preventative and restricting powers but that some of the new rules are complex and untested.

Deborah Lucas reviews the cost and beneficiaries of the bailouts that took place during the 2008 financial crisis, providing rigor and clarity to the controversy surrounding those bailouts. Tobias Adrian, John Kiff, and Hyun Song Shin review the causes of bank deleveraging following the crisis, making the case that reasons other than increased regulation have been the main cause of deleveraging. Furthermore, they organize post-2008 regulatory reforms around four objectives and conclude that further research is needed on their unintended consequences. Zhiguo He and Arvind Krishnamurthy offer an introduction to the new and growing literature on asset pricing models based on frictions incurred by financial intermediaries.

Robert Engle reviews the impact on financial crises of undercapitalization of financial firms and of the ability of the financial system to withstand the risk created by undercapitalized institutions (risk capacity). He shows evidence that systemic risk has been reduced dramatically since the financial crisis. Stephen G. Ryan reviews recent research connecting financial reporting and financial stability. Specifically, he organizes and reviews the evidence around the following three channels: capital requirement violations, banks' risk management and control systems, and the discipline of markets and regulators over banks.

In the "Central Banker Roundtable," which was moderated by Stanley Fischer, central bankers Ben Bernanke, Lord Mervyn King, and Jean-Claude Trichet provided their views and firsthand accounts of the global financial crisis. The roundtable touched on such topics as the cause and depth of the crisis, the tools available to fight it, the speed of international transmission, and the unprecedented informal coordination among central banks. Other topics covered included the need to regulate maturity transformation and moral hazard and the future of central bank independence.

The topics covered in the roundtable and in the research articles are intertwined and complementary. As a result, the Brief provides an easy-to-read, yet rigorous, assessment of the most relevant research on the global financial crisis, 10 years after it occurred.


Agriculture is one of the main economic activities for Kenyans; the wastes from agriculture are minimally used. Among the crops grown in Kenya is the banana and produces about one million tonnes of bananas yearly, mostly for local consumption, of which the banana herb produces the fruits once in a lifetime, thus the stem becomes waste afterward. The waste from the banana plant includes leaves, stems, peduncles, peels, and rejected fruits. The banana waste is organic and thus is suitable for anaerobic digestion in which the solid digestate has suitable nutrients to be used as fertilizer. Batch fermentation at the mesophilic temperature range was carried out in triple determinations, this also applied to the blank sample. After the batch test was complete, the pH of the fermentation residue was measured electrochemically using a pH meter. The COD of the residue (both Solid and liquid) was also determined. Analysis of the biogas produced by gas chromatography enabled the methane part of the gas to be calculated.


Given that cruise line companies are rushing to restart their operations with modified dining services, the aim of this research is to establish a conceptual framework that precisely outlines female passengers' behavioral intentions towards dining on cruise ships in the time of the COVID-19 crisis. It does so by extending the theory of reasoned action (TRA) by including the social servicescape of the cruise ship dining experiencescape (stimulus-organism-response (S-O-R) paradigm) and perceived health risk from COVID-19 (the prospect theory). The developed theoretical framework based on this tripartite approach has predictive power for intentions. Its effectiveness and comprehensiveness are also demonstrated. Despite the positive effect of the social servicescape on attitude and emotions and the positive attitude of female cruise travelers, the negative effect of the perceived health risk from COVID-19 appears to be the dominant factor that ultimately discourages the behavioral intentions of female cruise passengers towards dining on a cruise ship in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic. The present research provides a crucial guiding framework that helps cruise academics and operators to maximize existing and potential passengers' favorable decisions and behaviors for cruise ship dining.


This thesis deals with certain aspects in the design of wireless communications systems. It is focused on problems related to the mobile or wireless channel: synchronization, channel estimation and design of wireless orthogonal frequency division multiplex (OFDM) systems. There is a short introduction to the field of wireless systems and a deeper review of pervious work and the state of the art in each of the research fields. Throughout the thesis the goal has been to analyze the problems analytically, deriving expressions for the resulting bit error rate (BER) or synchronization performance. The work on channel estimation is focused on the influence of the pilot pattern in OFDM systems and on the possibility of compensating the signal in advance for impairments introduced by the channel. The BER is derived and compared when using different pilot patterns in an OFDM system. For the pre-compensated system the BER, maximum block length, and resulting peak-to-average power ratio are investigated when compensating the power attenuation and/or the phase rotation introduced by the channel. The work on wireless OFDM system design is directed towards preamble-based synchronization and optimization of the sub-channel bandwidth. A new synchronizer structure is introduced for time and frequency synchronization. In this synchronizer the order of correlation and multiplication has been changed compared to conventional synchronizers, which results in significantly improved detection performance. The sub-channel bandwidth is optimized based on the expected Doppler frequency and excess delay of the channel. The use of superimposed pilot sequences is introduced for time and frequency synchronization in OFDM systems, as well as for channel estimation in flat fading channels. As opposed to conventional pilot-based systems, the pilot sequence is linearly added to the data sequence and therefore transmitted simultaneously and in the same band as the data sequence. The performance when using superimposed pilot sequences for synchronization and for joint channel estimation and detection is analyzed. The scheme is also compared to other well known pilot-based and differential detection methods. (Less)


Aims Recipients of ventricular assist devices (VADR) have a higher incidence to develop antibodies (Abs) against human leukocyte antigens (HLA). Non-HLA antibodies like major histocompatibility complex class I-related chain A (MICA) and autoantibodies against angiotensin type 1 receptor (AT1R) and endothelin receptor A (ETAR) are also implicated in the pathogenesis of acute rejection and allograft vasculopathy. We monitored non-HLAand HLA-Abs in VADR up to one year after implantation.


Thirty-one sugar beet germplasm breeding lines and releases produced by the USDA-ARS sugarbeet
program at Salinas, CA, and one line from the USDA-ARS sugarbeet program at East Lansing, MI, were
evaluated for resistance to rhizomania under south-central Idaho conditions at Twin Falls, ID. The field had been
identified as having Beet necrotic yellow vein virus (BNYVV), which overcomes resistance conditioned by the
Rzl gene. Single-row plots 10 ft long with 22-in. spacing were planted on 23 May 05. Plants were thinned to 4 to
6-in. spacing in mid-Jun. The materials were predominantly multigerm; they were hand thinned to single plants
during the first week of Jul. The trial layout was a randomized complete block with eight replicates, however, the
blocks were divided into 16 sub-blocks of six rows in which single-row plots of two entries and four control lines
were randomized. The control lines were Beta443OR (Rzl gene), GO17R (Rz2 gene), Angelina (Rzl+Rz2 genes)
and Beta6600 (no resistance to rhizomania). This allowed each entry plot to have its own control (Local Control).
This was necessary given the uneven distribution in the field of resistance breaking strains of BNYVV. Naturally
occurring Curly top virus infection was found throughout the field early in the season. Many plants of the
rhizomania susceptible control were killed apparently by curly top and therefore this should be considered when
evaluating the results. Plants were scored 19 Sep for curly top using a 0-9 scale with 0 showing no symptoms and
9 being dead. Plants were topped, roots lifted then scored on 12-13 Oct. Four teams evaluated the trial for
rhizomania with each team rating two replicates. Each root was scored based on the traditional 0 to 6 scale which
was converted to a 0 to 9 scale. The categories were 0, 1, 3, 5, 6, 7 and 9 with 0-3 being resistant, 5-7 susceptible
and 9 was dead. The average disease severity was determined to create a disease index (DI) for each entry and
control. A second index (DI2) was calculated for each entry-plot to evaluate the entry relative to the mean of the
Rz2 and Rzl+Rz2 Local Controls (DI of entry/mean DI of the Rz2 and Rzl+Rz2 Local Controls). The percent
healthy roots (categories 0-3 combined) and the percent of healthy roots relative to Rz2 and Rzl+Rz2 Local
Controls were calculated (PR and PR2, respectively). The DI and DI2 were transformed with the inverse square root
and analyzed using PROC MIXED - SAS with Dunnett's test (P = 0.05) option and PROC GLM – SAS with
Fisher's protected LSD test (P = 0.05) option, respectively. PR and PR2 were analyzed with PROC GLM –SAS
using Dunnett's test (P = 0.05) and Fisher's protected LSD (P = 0.05) test, respectively. The analysis of variance
of DI2 showed that block effects were significant, therefore Spearman's partial correlation (PROC CORR
Spearman partial - SAS) was used to analyze the relationship of D1, PR, DI2, PR2, and curly top. PROC CORR
Spearman -SAS was used to analyze the relationship between DI and DI2.


Three-dimensional (3D) puzzles of heritage artefacts are typically used to engage audiences in the interpretation of archaeological objects in a museum gallery. The reason for this is that a puzzle can be seen as an enjoyable educational activity in the form of a game but also as a complex activity that archaeologists undertake when re-assembling fragments, for instance, of broken pottery. Until now the creation of this type of experiences is mostly a manual process and the artefacts used rarely reflect those in the collection due to the complex nature of the process. The contribution of this article is a novel digital worfklow for the design and fabrication of 3D puzzles that overcomes these limitations. The input to the workflow is an authentic artefact from a heritage collection, which is then digitised using technologies such as 3D scanning and 3D modelling. Thereafter, a puzzle generator system produces the puzzle pieces using a cell fracture algorithm and generates a set of puzzle pieces (female) and a single core piece (male) for fabrication. Finally, the pieces are fabricated using 3D printing technology and post-processed to facilitate the puzzle assembly. To demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed novel workflow, we deployed it to create a puzzle activity of the Saltdean urn, which is exhibited at the Archaeology Gallery of the Brighton Museum and Art Gallery. The workflow is also used with further artefacts to demonstrate its applicability to other shapes. The significance of this research is that it eases the task of creating puzzle-like activities and maintaining them in the long term within a busy public space such as a museum gallery.


In order to obtain an active ozone beam and make full use of ozone oxidation ability, we used laser ablation method. High concentration ozone from an ozone jet generator was solidified on a sapphire substrate and then pulsed KrF laser was irradiated to the solid ozone. Ablated species and their velocity distribution have been investigated using time-of-flight method through a quadrupole mass filter.Ablated species were mainly a mixture of ozone, molecular oxygen and atomic oxygen. As for their velocity distribution, ozone showed a thermal equilibrium, while molecular oxygen showed many slower components. Ablated ozone yields were strongly dependent on laser power and showed a maximal. The ratio of ozone against molecular oxygen in the mixture increased as the substrate temperature became higher, probably because of increase in the purity of the solid ozone on the substrate. Ozone velocity varied from 1500 K to 2500 K depending on the laser power and the substrate temperature, which means that we can supply an ozone beam that has controlled purity and velocity.


International Journal of Exercise Science 8(1) : 38-48, 2015. Inexpensive exercise interventions are needed to attract and retain older adults to participate in sufficient amounts of exercise to improve functional performance (FP). This study examined the addition of a program enhancing game, bingo, to a multicomponent exercise program (BingocizeTM). Older adults (18 women, M age = 75.1 (8.63) years, participated 2 days per week (4560 minute sessions) for 10 weeks. Participants sat at tables with bingo cards, balance pads, and exercise bands. Exercises were alternated with rolls of bingo until a participant won the bingo game. Pre and post body weight (BW), body mass index (BMI), and FP were measured. FP was assessed using the Senior Fitness Test battery. Using paired-sample t-tests, significant improvements were found in all FP measures, but not in BW or BMI (p ˂ .05). The low-cost, sustainability, and ease of implementation suggest BingocizeTM may be a novel and enjoyable alternative to traditional older adult group exercise interventions. Our results should be interpreted with caution due to the lack of a control group and small sample size. Future research could examine changes in activities of daily living, quality of life, and other measures of functional fitness in this and other populations.


Touch based interaction is popular in graphical user interface (GUI) systems, as it provides natural and intuitive direct manipulation. Rotation and translation are basic tasks for manipulating graphical objects and various touch based interaction techniques has been investigated for doing this [Hancock et al. 2006]. In early GUI systems, users had to perform rotation and translation independently by switching between the two manipulation modes either using a menu system or by manipulating different widgets that in many cases make the interface visually cluttered. Recently, two-finger gestures have become common in multi-touch interfaces to perform rotation, translation, and even scaling, simultaneously, without visual clutter. However, there can be ergonomic problems when the user has to rotate objects in large angle [Hoggan et al. 2013], which causes strain on user's wrist. As a result users tend to split and perform the manipulation in multiple steps, which might not be suitable for certain applications, such as puppeteering based animation tools.


From the perspective of the terror management health model (TMHM), expectancies as to whether a health behavior is likely to effectively protect one's health (i.e., response efficacy) and whether an individual is optimistic about the outcomes of his or her health risk assessment (i.e., health optimism) should have a more potent influence on health decisions when thoughts of death are conscious and the health risk domain is potentially fatal. Supporting this, health optimism and response efficacy were found to moderate skin cancer prevention intentions in response to conscious, but not nonconscious, reminders of death, whereas this same relationship was not found in the context of priming thoughts associated with uncertainty. Moreover, these effects were not observed in response to nonfatal dental care outcomes. Discussion focuses on the implications of TMHM for existing health models and health promotion.


On 16 September 2015, the M w 8.3 Illapel, Chile, earthquake broke a large area of the Coquimbo region of north‐central Chile. This area was well surveyed by more than 15 high‐rate Global Positioning System (GPS) instruments, installed starting in 2004, and by the new national seismological network deployed in Chile. Previous studies had shown that the Coquimbo region near Illapel was coupled to about 60%. After the M w 8.8 Maule megathrust earthquake of 27 February 2010, we observed a large‐scale postseismic deformation, which resulted in a strain rate increase of about 15% in the region of Illapel. This observation agrees with our modeling of viscous relaxation after the Maule earthquake. The area where upper‐plate GPS velocity increased coincides very well with the slip distribution of the Illapel earthquake inverted from GPS measurements of coseismic displacement. The mainshock started with a small‐amplitude nucleation phase that lasted 20 s. Backprojection of seismograms recorded in North America confirms the extent of the rupture, determined from local observations, and indicates a strong directivity from deeper to shallower rupture areas. The coseismic displacement shows an elliptical slip distribution of about 200  km×100  km with a localized zone where the rupture is deeper near 31.3° S. This distribution is consistent with the uplift observed in some GPS sites and inferred from field observations of bleached coralline algae in the Illapel coastal area. Most of aftershocks relocated in this study were interplate events, although some of the events deeper than 50 km occurred inside the Nazca plate and had tension (slab‐pull) mechanisms. The majority of the aftershocks were located outside the 5 m contour line of the inferred slip distribution of the mainshock.


Qualitative assessment of scientific computations is an emerging application area that applies a data-driven approach to characterize, at a high level, phenomena including conditioning of matrices, sensitivity to various types of error propagation, and algorithmic convergence behavior. This paper develops a spatial aggregation approach that formalizes such analysis in terms of model selection utilizing spatial structures extracted from matrix perturbation datasets. We focus in particular on the characterization of matrix eigenstructure, both analyzing sensitivity of computations with spectral portraits and determining eigenvalue multiplicity with Jordan portraits. Our approach employs spatial reasoning to overcome noise and sparsity by detecting mutually reinforcing interpretations, and to guide subsequent data sampling. It enables quantitative evaluation of properties of a scientific computation in terms of confidence in a model, explainable in terms of the sampled data and domain knowledge about the underlying mathematical structure. Not only is our methodology more rigorous than the common approach of visual inspection, but it also is often substantially more efficient, due to well-defined stopping criteria. Results show that the mechanism efficiently samples perturbation space and successfully uncovers high level properties of matrices.


This exhibition form a a partnership between Edge Hill University,St Helens LEA and the Heritage Lottery Fund. Pupils will enjoy exploring dances such as the Ballroom, Jive, Twist and Disco whilst considering the social culture of each period and how relationships flourished on the dance floor. In addition there will be visits to former dance halls throughout the St. Helens area such as Boundary Road Baths, Rainford Village Hall, the YMCA to assist in re-enactments so that a full interpretation of the period can be produced.

Furthermore pupils will be reminiscing with members of partner groups such as Silhouette Dance Club, Age Concern and independently with their families, neighbours and friends all of who have many memories to share. These events will assist the children in creating a film and exhibition, which will archive the work and most importantly gain an insight in our heritage in St Helens. Hopefully this can be displayed in local libraries and in the World of Glass. The dance/drama re-enactments will be performed both in schools and within the wider community for the enjoyment of all. There will be filming and displays of memorabilia from the eras listed throughout the town.
The project will explore social dance in St Helens over a forty-year period and will support many cross –curricula themes. The study will impact upon literacy (speaking and listening), dance (dances from different times and places), visual art (the culture and architecture of their chosen period), geography (shifts in population and this impacted on the North West), PHSE (social changes in dialogue, etiquette and protocol over the period) ICT (the construction of power point material, internet research, filming and photography).

The project will address, at KS2 level, in both theory and practice:

• creative teaching styles
• how learning happens

The work will then focus in more detail on a range of techniques that highlight the concept of learning through doing and the outside classroom. This content will act as a foundation for the teaching pack to be published as a result.

The following offers indicative criteria that might form the basis of the teaching:

• The social dance lesson structure
• The drama structure and bank of techniques
• Developing teaching aims and rationales appropriate for class
• Organising lesson structures to meet aims and for continuity, progression, variety, inclusiveness, differentiation and active learning
• Offering feedback that is timely, sensitive, insightful, effective, preemptory and reactive, balancing both group and individual needs
• Breaking down tasks, setting tasks for variable outcome, responding to teacher/pupil initiated tasks
• Developing technical competence – alignment, placement, range, accuracy, phrasing, use of weight, flow and musicality

The main learning and teaching format for the project will be formal and practical demonstrations, teacher and pupil led workshops, and directed independent study, though the occasional instruction format will to address examples of research, oral history and criteria for good information processing.


Objective: Youth participation in sport is reviewed to include its history, current growth patterns, reasons behind sport specialization, and the implications of sport specialization. The effects of early skill acquisition, and the sociological, psychological, and physical/physiological aspects to help develop safeguards to meet the needs of young athletes are discussed.

Study Design and Selection: A review of the research and scholarly literature related to the youth population in the United States was performed. This included accessing the Mayo Clinic Library database, MANTIS, and Index Medicus.

Results and Discussion: Specialization in a single sport, although not new to society, has become increasingly popular. Sport specialization training can begin as early as at the age of 5 or 6. The training is throughout the year and may take up to four hours every day.

Some in the sports community find sport specialization to be a reflection of a highly developed society and see the skill acquisition and enhancement as beneficial to success in a given sport; the potential for a collegiate athletic scholarship or making a varsity, elite, or even professional level team.

Regular physical activity and sport, together with a balanced diet, are essential to promote optimal growth and maturation, sufficient physical fitness and mental vigor, as well as psychological and social benefits that help in coping with stress and anxiety. However, too much or too specific involvement with a sport or activity can be potentially dangerous, involving physiological/physical, psychological, and sociological risks to youth.

Despite the importance of this topic, there is a lack of a substantial reference base pertaining specifically to sport specialization. The results were often limited to a non-specific age range within the youth population and primarily of United States youth as opposed to a worldwide population. Also, a majority of the references contained more physiological results as opposed to psychological and sociological findings. The results and conclusions drawn from this sampling cannot be generalized to all sports or athletes as a whole.

Conclusion: Sport specialization by youth is a contentious issue that needs to be fully understood by all involved in sport. The potential health, psychological, and sociological risks must be weighed against the benefits of obtaining sharper skills, which may enhance playing time, possibly bringing scholarship opportunities, or reaching to an elite level of play.


Health behaviors, such as smoking and unhealthy eating, are among the top leading preventable risk factors of non-communicable diseases; still more than 20% of the global population smokes, around 13% is obese, approximately a quarter of the adult population does not fulfill the guidelines for physical activity, and less than a quarter of the population meets the recommendations of fruit and vegetable consumption. The prevalence of unhealthy behaviors is consistently larger among individuals in lower socioeconomic groups as compared to higher socioeconomic groups.
Determinants of health behaviors cannot be fully understood in isolation of the context in which they are shaped and sustained. It is increasingly recognized that individual and environmental determinants interact with and feedback on each other, creating a complex system. Making the pathways and features of such a system explicit is important, because this may help to better identify the etiology of health behaviors and to optimize ways to promote healthy behaviors and prevent unhealthy behaviors. Systems approaches, such as agent-based modeling, are therefore needed.
This thesis aims to explore and quantify the importance of social networks as a determinant of health behaviors, and to investigate the usefulness of agent-based models (ABMs) as a tool for assessing the impact of interventions to reduce socioeconomic inequalities in health behaviors.


OBJECTIVES
To evaluate whether a web-based educational intervention improved personal protective equipment (PPE) use among oncology nurses who handle hazardous drugs.

SAMPLE & SETTING
From 2015 to 2017, the authors partnered with 12 ambulatory oncology settings in the United States to enroll 396 nurses, 257 of whom completed baseline and primary endpoint surveys.

METHODS & VARIABLES
In a cluster randomized controlled trial, 136 nurses in control settings received a one-hour educational module on PPE use with quarterly reminders, and 121 nurses in treatment settings received the control intervention plus tailored messages to address perceived barriers and quarterly data gathered on hazardous drug spills across all study settings. The primary outcome was nurse-reported PPE use.

RESULTS
Control and intervention sites had suboptimal PPE use before and after the intervention. No significant differences were observed in PPE use knowledge or perceived barriers. Participants reported high satisfaction with the study experience.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING
Hazardous drug exposure confers notable health risks to healthcare workers. To improve hazardous drug handling, occupational healthcare workers, health systems, and professional organizations should consider coordinated efforts to implement policy and practice changes.


Navigation is the ability of animals to move through their environment in a planned manner. Different from directed but reflex-driven movements, it involves the comparison of the animal's current heading with its intended heading (i.e., the goal direction). When the two angles don't match, a compensatory steering movement must be initiated. This basic scenario can be described as an elementary navigational decision. Many elementary decisions chained together in specific ways form a coherent navigational strategy. With respect to navigational goals, there are four main forms of navigation: explorative navigation (exploring the environment for food, mates, shelter, etc.); homing (returning to a nest); straight-line orientation (getting away from a central place in a straight line); and long-distance migration (seasonal long-range movements to a location such as an overwintering place). The homing behavior of ants and bees has been examined in the most detail. These insects use several strategies to return to their nest after foraging, including path integration, route following, and, potentially, even exploit internal maps. Independent of the strategy used, insects can use global sensory information (e.g., skylight cues), local cues (e.g., visual panorama), and idiothetic (i.e., internal, self-generated) cues to obtain information about their current and intended headings.How are these processes controlled by the insect brain? While many unanswered questions remain, much progress has been made in recent years in understanding the neural basis of insect navigation. Neural pathways encoding polarized light information (a global navigational cue) target a brain region called the central complex, which is also involved in movement control and steering. Being thus placed at the interface of sensory information processing and motor control, this region has received much attention recently and emerged as the navigational "heart" of the insect brain. It houses an ordered array of head-direction cells that use a wide range of sensory information to encode the current heading of the animal. At the same time, it receives information about the movement speed of the animal and thus is suited to compute the home vector for path integration. With the help of neurons following highly stereotypical projection patterns, the central complex theoretically can perform the comparison of current and intended heading that underlies most navigation processes. Examining the detailed neural circuits responsible for head-direction coding, intended heading representation, and steering initiation in this brain area will likely lead to a solid understanding of the neural basis of insect navigation in the years to come.


Regulation of the Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) by its growth factor ligands is critical in many biological processes, including development and tissue maintenance and growth. Aberrant overexpression or activation by mutation of EGFR is associated with many human tumors. In these contexts, constitutive signaling can lead to cellular transformation and oncogenesis, thereby driving the cancer. The EGFR is the target of several existing or developing cancer therapies or immunotherapies, including monoclonal antibodies that prevent its activation. Activating mutations in cytoplasmic tyrosine kinase domain have been identified in many cancers, and have been the focus of mechanistic work. In this dissertation, I focus on the mode of oncogenic dysregulation by novel extracellular mechanisms. Extracellular oncogenic variants of EGFR include point mutations and alternative splice variants of EGFR. I find through biochemical analysis of the activating missense mutations in the extracellular region of EGFR that the soluble extracelluar region of EGFR (sEGFR) harboring these mutations bind ligands with elevated affinities. The dimerization energetics of these sEGFR mutants is not measurably altered, which suggests that additional interactions from the membrane and/or the intracellular region are important to this novel mode of extracellular oncogenic dysregulation of EGFR. I present preliminary progress towards the application of hydrogen/deuterium exchange coupled to mass spectrometry to analyze such allosteric (dys)regulation of the EGFR. In a second focus, I studied mechanisms of antibody targeting of EGFR. There are several monoclonal therapeutic antibodies that are in clinical development or use that target the EGFR/ErbB/HER family of receptor tyrosine kinases, including cetuximab/ErbituxTM, panitumumab/VectibixTM, and necitumumab/ PortrazzaTM, which all target EGFR, as well as trastuzumab/HerceptinTM and pertuzumab/PerjetaTM, which target ErbB2/HER2. Unfortunately, as observed for most targeted therapies for cancer, resistance to these antibody therapies limits the duration of their effective treatment. Recent exome sequencing analyses of KRAS-WT colorectal cancer patients resistant to cetuximab treatment has identified epitope mutations as a mechanism of resistance. Whereas these mutated receptors bind cetuximab with dramatically decreased affinities, I report that they retain high affinity binding for necitumumab, a humanized IgG1 anti-EGFR antibody that shares the same epitope as cetuximab and panitumumab, and was recently FDA approved for squamous non-small cell lung carcinoma. I determined an X-ray crystal structure of the Fab fragment of necitumumab with the most commonly found resistance mutation—S492R (or S468R using the numbering scheme that starts at the beginning of the mature EGFR protein). This structure reveals a relatively hydrophobic cavity in the paratope of necitumumab that can accommodate the arginine at position S492/468 in the EGFR epitope. Further I find that other cetuximab and panitumumab resistance variants of EGFR are also permissive for necitumumab binding, suggesting significant plasticity in binding of necitumumab to EGFR. A survey of structures of therapeutic antibodies bound to their targets suggests that paratope shape may be an important property to consider in the selection of monoclonal antibodies in therapeutic strategies. Another mechanism of oncogenic dysregulation is the gene rearrangement of EGFR that results in EGFR variant III (EGFRvIII), an important target of many classes of immunotherapies for glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). I show in small angle X-ray scattering analyses of the ectodomain of EGFRvIII some evidence of structural flexibility in domain II that may be important for its documented transactivation of other receptor tyrosine kinases. I also report an X-ray crystal structure of the ectodomain of EGFRvIII in complex with the This dissertation is available at ScholarlyCommons: http://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/1596 antigen binding or VHH domain of a camelid heavy-chain only antibody (HCAb), that has ~25-fold specificity for EGFRvIII compared to wild type EGFR. The structure reveals that the VHH gains specificity for EGFRvIII by targeting an epitope on domain IV that is sterically occluded in wild type EGFR by the intramolecular 'tether'. This structure provides the direct evidence of dynamic uncoupling of the 'tether'. My work corroborates the utility of the 'tether' as a source of antibody specificity for oncogenic EGFR, and is the first structural view of specific antibody targeting of an oncogenic EGFR variant. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Graduate Group Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics First Advisor Kathryn M. Ferguson Second Advisor Gregory D. Van Duyne


This book presents a comparative study on access to public information in the context of the main legal orders worldwide. The international team of authors analyzes the Transparency- and Freedom-to-Information legislation with regard to the scope of the right to access, limitations of this right inherent in the respective national laws, the procedure, the relationship with domestic legislation on administrative procedure, as well as judicial protection. It particularly focuses on the Brazilian law of access to information, which is interpreted as a benchmark for regulations in other Latin-American states.


Heart disease is the most costly reason for hospitalization. The purpose of this research was evaluation of the influence of teaching self care behavior for heart failure patients on economy of health in hospitals in the city of Zahedan of Iran in the year 2012.This study was quasi-experimental with a control group in the CCU and Post CCU wards of the hospitals of the city of Zahedan in 2012. The patients were randomly and conveniently placed in two groups of intervention (70 individuals) and control (70). The intervention group received an educational package and three months after discharge, both groups were evaluated using interview and phone follow-up as well as coding system (HIS), frequency of admissions and clinic visits and expenditures partaken. Next using descriptive and analytic statistical tests and the SPSS software version 18, the data was analyzed. the results showed that in the intervention group the percent of attendance to the clinic for health check up on an outpatient basis (visit and EKG) was 25% in three months before intervention and reached 41/6% at three months after intervention. Percent hospitalization in the CCU three months before intervention was 33/3% and reached 13/3% at three months after intervention and the percent change was 20%. Self care teaching program for patients with Heart failureleads to decreased hospitalization and as a result decreased treatment expenditures.


This paper studies the role of the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) in the U.S. housing boom-bust cycle. I find that enhanced CRA enforcement in 1998 increased the growth rate of mortgage lending by CRA-regulated banks to CRA-eligible census tracts. I show that during the boom period house price growth was higher in the eligible census tracts because of the shift in mortgage supply of regulated banks. Consequently, these census tracts experienced a worse housing bust. I find that CRA-induced mortgages were awarded to borrowers with lower FICO scores and were more frequently delinquent.


The Corporate Boards in the Global Hotel Chains. Analysis From a Gender Perspective. The board of directors is the body in which the shareholders delegate responsibility for overseeing the management and the adoption of large strategic projects. Its mission is to enhance the value and performance of the company, ensure its viability and competitiveness and protect the interests of shareholders and be consistent with the interest groups. Traditionally, the boards of directors have been in many cases an homogeneous group formed mainly by men with similar profiles in terms of age, occupation, education and even with the same vision of the business. On the contrary, the society in which the companies are located, characterizes by lack of uniformity and performance in complex economies where the companies need people with qualities, skills and capacities to manage them properly regardless of their gender. This article analyzes the boards of directors at major hotel chains worldwide and the representation that women have in them.


Polynomial driving-force comb drives are synthesized using numerical simulation. The electrode shapes are obtained using the indirect boundary element method. Variable-gap comb drives that produce combinations of linear, quadratic, and cubic driving-force profiles are synthesized. This inverse problem is solved by an optimization procedure. Sensitivity analysis is carried out by the direct differentiation approach (DDA) in order to compute design sensitivity coefficients (DSCs) of force profiles with respect to parameters that define the shapes of the fingers of a comb drive. The DSCs are then used to drive iterative optimization procedures. Designs of variable-gap comb drives with linear, quadratic, and cubic driving force profiles are presented in this paper.


The EMIME European project is conducting research in the development of technologies for mobile, personalized speech-to-speech translation systems. The hidden Markov model (HMM) is being used as the underlying technology in both automatic speech recognition (ASR) and text-to-speech synthesis (TTS) components; thus, the investigation of unified statistical modeling approaches has become an implicit goal of our research. As one of the first steps towards this goal, we have been investigating commonalities and differences between HMM-based ASR and TTS. In this paper, we present results and analysis of a series of experiments that have been conducted on English ASR and TTS systems measuring their performance with respect to phone set and lexicon, acoustic feature type and dimensionality, HMM topology, and speaker adaptation. Our results show that, although the fundamental statistical model may be essentially the same, optimal ASR and TTS performance often demands diametrically opposed system designs. This represents a major challenge to be addressed in the investigation of such unified modeling approaches.


Context. Massive stars play a dominant role in the Universe, but one of the main drivers for their evolution, their mass loss, remains poorly understood. Aims. In this study, we test the theoretically predicted mass-loss behaviour as a function of stellar effective temperature across the so-called "bi-stability"jump. Methods. We observe OB supergiants in the spectral range 08-B3 at radio wavelengths to measure their thermal radio flux densities, and complement these measurements with data from the literature. We derive the radio mass-loss rates and wind efficiencies, and compare our results with Ha mass-loss rates and predictions based on radiation-driven wind models. Results. The wind efficiency shows the possible presence of a local maximum around an effective temperature of 21 000 K - in qualitative agreement with predictions. Furthermore, we find that the absolute values of the radio mass-loss rates show good agreement with empirical Hα rates derived assuming homogeneous winds - for the spectral range under consideration. However, the empirical mass-loss rates are larger (by a factor of a few) than the predicted rates from radiation-driven wind theory for objects above the bi-stability jump (BSJ) temperature, whilst they are smaller (by a factor of a few) for stars below the BSJ temperature. The reason for these discrepancies remains as yet unresolved. A new wind momenta-luminosity relation (WLR) for O8-B0 stars has been derived using the radio observations. The validity of the WLR as a function of the fitting parameter related to the force multipliert α cff (Kudritzki & Puls 2000) is discussed. Conclusions. Our most interesting finding is that the qualitative behaviour of the empirical wind efficiencies with effective temperature is in line with the predicted behaviour, and this presents the first hint of empirical evidence for the predicted mass-loss bi-stability jump. However, a larger sample of stars around the BSJ needs to be observed to confirm this finding.


When one thinks of the presence of Orson Welles in the 1944 film version of Jane Eyre, one thinks first of his acting in the role of Mr. Rochester, his first major credit after the series of RKO fiascoes that cost him his directing contract with that studio. Many critics have seen the performance as Welles's hid for a career as an actor instead of an auteur. Of course Welles would eventually have a long and lucrative, if uneven, career as an actor; indeed, he regularly took acting work as a way of raising money for his movies. Moreover, Welles's part in Jane Eyre was undeniably designed as a star-making role: the adaptation transforms Charlotte Bronte's gruff, hard-featured, middle-aged Rochester into a tall, dark, svelte matinee idol. At times Welles's performance seems in harmony with this design. He uses his voice, size, and baby-faced good looks to suggest Rochester's violence, sweetness, and odd vulnerability. Yet the more characteristic notes here are dissonant. Deliberately or not, as an actor Welles undermines his purported comeback in this project. Sometimes he focuses so insistently on Rochester's mordant, ironic wit that he seems to be smirking at the entire project, perhaps because of self-consciousness at his lack of physical grace. As David Thomson suggests, Welles's physical awkwardness nearly sinks the performance-the boy wonder was flatfooted, and though he could move with energy and conspicuous power, he could rarely move with ease or poise (242). Jane Eyre may have been designed to restart Welles's Hollywood career, and Welles's Rochester may often loom before us more vividly or loudly than Joan Fontaine's Jane, but one can hardly say his performance steals the show from her, or that his presence overpowers the narrative. Yet this is precisely the argument of those critics who believe this film adaptation of Jane Eyre ruthlessly excludes Jane's point of view. The Encyclopedia of Novels into Film quotes critics complaining that this Jane is completely bereft of intelligence, and that Welles's star in turn robs her character of the presence and authority she enjoys in Bronte's novel (202-03). Kate Ellis and E. Ann Kaplan's 1981 critique goes even farther in suggesting that "the limitations of film form," as well as director Robert Stevenson's "reversion . . . to patriarchal structures," lead to a "dilution of Jane's rebellious vision" in which she "is seen, for the most part, from a male point of view" (83-84). I agree that Welles's performance as an actor in this film is uneven and sometimes distracting, but I am much less certain that his Rochester or the film as a whole disempowers Jane to such a significant extent. Instead, I will argue below that Welles's presence as an uncredited producer/co-director in fact complicates an apparently simple Hollywood narrative and manages to reinscribe Jane's narrative authority in interesting and important ways. Certainly, large parts of this film adaptation of Jane Eyre are melodrama pure and simple. And one must also concede that these melodramatic elements do not necessarily empower Jane as a female character, although one might also argue that they are not so much a reversion to patriarchy as a 1940s mass-market film analogue of the blood-and-thunder Gothic strain in Bronte's novel. It would probably be more accurate to say that the melodrama in Stevenson's Jane Eyre, if it in fact reinforces patriarchal structures, does so as an afterthought. The melodrama's primary focus after Jane is grown seems to be the story of the wounded lovers, mad with love and longing, who find and keep each other against all odds. Ronald Haver observes that David O. Selznick, the originator and initial creative force behind this adaptation of Jane Eyre, was a romantic devotee of stories of l'amour fou, the madness of love, and Haver goes on to point out the essential similarities between Selznick's visions of Rebecca and Jane Eyre, both of which movies starred Joan Fontaine (7, 327). …


With many symptoms being common to multiple diseases, there is a challenge in producing an initial diagnosis or recommendation for diagnostic tests from a set of symptoms that could have been produced by a number of diseases. Often the initial choice of diagnosis or testing is based on a clinician's impression of the likelihood of that condition in a general population; however the opportunity may exist for modification of these likelihoods based on individuals' recorded medical histories. This data-driven approach utilises existing data and is thus cheap and non-invasive. A method is proposed by which an individual's likelihoods of having specified medical conditions are modified by the similarity of that individual's medical history to the medical histories of other individuals, comparing the prevalence of conditions in those other individuals' records who are similar to the individual of interest versus the prevalence of the conditions in those individuals who are dissimilar. In order to maximise the number of records available for analysis, a process was developed for the merging of data from disparate sources that used different clinical coding systems, including extensive development of a technique for semi automatically mapping clinical events coded in ICD9-CM to Clinical Terms Version 3 (CTV3), for which no existing mapping table was found. Semantically similar fields in the source code sets were identified and retained in the combined data set. 'Codelists' comprising multiple CTV3 codes for a variety of conditions were built that defined the presence of those conditions within individual records. The hierarchical structure of the CTV3 code table was utilised as a method of identifying codes that differed in structure but had clinically similar or related meaning. The optimum degree of granularity of the coded data to use in identifying similar records was investigated and used in subsequent analysis.

Two methods were used for discovering groups of similar and dissimilar individuals: the 'nearest neighbours' method and the grouping of records using a clustering process. Altered likelihoods for a range of conditions were investigated and results for the nearest-neighbours approach compared to the clustering approach. Results for adjusted condition likelihoods for 18 conditions are reported, together with a discussion of possible reasons for a change, or otherwise, in the condition likelihood, and a discussion of the clinical significance and potential use of information about such a change. logistic regressions performed on a selection of conditions KNN performed better than logistic regression when judged by F-score (or sensitivity and specificity separately), however situation more nuanced when looking at likelihood ratios: Logistic regression produced higher (better) positive likelihood ratios, but KNN produced lower (better) negative likelihood ratios. Logistic regression produced higher odds ratios.


We study the interplay between monetary policy and financial conditions shocks. Such shocks have a significant and similar impact on the real economy, though with different degrees of persistence. The systematic fed funds rate response to a financial shock contributes to bringing the economy back towards trend, but a zero lower bound on policy rates can prevent this from happening, with a significant cost in terms of output and investment. In a retrospective analysis of the U.S. economy over the past 20 years, we decompose the realization of economic variables into the contributions of financial, monetary policy, and other shocks.


Optimizing a deep neural network is a fundamental task in computer vision, yet direct training methods often suffer from over-fitting. Teacher-student optimization aims at providing complementary cues from a model trained previously, but these approaches are often considerably slow due to the pipeline of training a few generations in sequence, i.e., time complexity is increased by several times. This paper presents snapshot distillation (SD), the first framework which enables teacher-student optimization in one generation. The idea of SD is very simple: instead of borrowing supervision signals from previous generations, we extract such information from earlier epochs in the same generation, meanwhile make sure that the difference between teacher and student is sufficiently large so as to prevent under-fitting. To achieve this goal, we implement SD in a cyclic learning rate policy, in which the last snapshot of each cycle is used as the teacher for all iterations in the next cycle, and the teacher signal is smoothed to provide richer information. In standard image classification benchmarks such as CIFAR100 and ILSVRC2012, SD achieves consistent accuracy gain without heavy computational overheads. We also verify that models pre-trained with SD transfers well to object detection and semantic segmentation in the PascalVOC dataset.


Vitamin D is vital for our body as it regulates calcium homeostasis and maintains bone integrity. In this article, we will discuss how vitamin D aids in the function of neuronal and glial tissue and the many health consequences in a person with vitamin D deficiency. Some of the effects of vitamin D deficiency that will be discussed include the development of dementia caused by the increase of cerebral soluble and insoluble amyloid-β (Aβ) peptides and a decrease of its anti-inflammatory/antioxidant properties, the link to depression by a reduction of the buffering of increased calcium in the brain, and vitamin D deficiency in expecting mothers linking to the development of autism and schizophrenic-like disorders, hypoxic brain injury, and other mental illnesses. Lastly, we will discuss how vitamin D deficiency is linked to the development of diabetes mellitus, its role in neuronal development and a decrease of microglial inflammatory function leading to increased brain infections.