This report provides data analyses and initial interpretation of hedgerow data arising from Countryside Survey 2000. Data are presented from hedgerow diversity plots, D-plots; these are 30 m lengths of hedge, ten recorded at random positions within those 1 km sample squares where hedgerows were present. Woody species and gaps were recorded to estimate their contribution to the total length of hedge in each plot. Width and height of the hedge canopy base were also recorded to supplement other variables recorded as part of the standard Countryside Survey procedure. Data are also presented on hedgerow trees, observed in each square in 1990 and 1998 as either individual trees or lines of trees.

A total of 2,393 D-plots were recorded on 520 squares across GB. Of these, 0.2 % contained 10 or more native woody species, while at the other extreme 14 % contained only a single woody species. Species-rich hedgerows are defined by the BAP as containing five or more species in a 30 m length, except in the north of England, upland Wales and Scotland where the number is four. We interpret this as a minimum of five species in Environmental Zones 1 & 2 (the lowlands of England and Wales) and four species elsewhere. By this interpretation, 28 % of hedgerows are species-rich in Environmental Zones 1 & 2 and 38 % in Environmental Zone 3. A total of 26% of all D-plots sampled had five or more woody species.

Gaps constitute only small proportions of hedgerow length, very rarely exceeding 10 % (5 % of all D-plots had gaps accounting for up 10 % of the total length). These figures exclude the vast majority of plots that had no gaps recorded at all. Around 68 % of hedgerows were between 1 - 2m wide and in 69 %, the base of the hedge canopy was less than 0.5 m high. These figures differ little between Environmental Zones, except that Scottish hedgerows tended to be taller than those in England (although based on a much smaller sample).

Around 90 % of hedgerows contained hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna), which was nearly twice as frequent as the species ranked second at the GB level (blackthorn - Prunus spinosa. The rankings of frequency differed between countries and regions; thus while blackthorn was the second most frequent species in England, it was ranked third in Wales and sixth in Scotland. 11 species occurred in 10 % or more D-plots in England, compared with 10 in Wales and only 5 in Scotland.

In 1998 there was an estimated 1.8 million individual (isolated) hedgerow trees in GB, 98 % found in England and Wales, reflecting the distribution of hedgerow lengths. This figure is around 3 % less than in 1990, within the margins of sampling error. The decline of 8 % in tree number in Environmental Zone 1 (the eastern lowlands of England) is, however, statistically significant (p=<0.01). Elm (Ulmus spp.) trees seem to have been lost the most (26 % since 1990), with gains of hawthorn. Oak (Quercus spp.) and ash (Fraxinus excelsior) were the most common species overall.

The majority of trees were recorded as appearing to be over 20 years old. The number of trees in the 1 - 4 year category declined significantly by around 40 %.

By contrast with declines in numbers of individual trees, there were significant increases in the lengths of lines of trees, by 55 % at the GB level. This increase appears too large to be a simple consequence of individual trees growing into lines (i.e. their canopies touching). Further research into the database is needed to clarify the flows between hedgerows, relict hedgerows, lines of trees and individual trees.


PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES
To describe symptoms associated with radiation therapy necessary to develop preparatory concrete, objective information for women with cervical or uterine cancer.

DESIGN
Prospective, descriptive.

SETTING
University-affiliated radiation oncology department in the mid-south.

SAMPLE
49 of 52 women undergoing external beam radiation and low-dose rate brachytherapy for cervical or uterine cancer. Stage of disease ranged from I-IIIA. Mean age of subjects was 54 years; mean years of education was 11.

METHODS
Investigator-developed symptom checklist based on prior research.

MAIN RESEARCH VARIABLES
Symptom reports.

FINDINGS
At least 40% of the women reported difficulty sleeping, fatigue, diarrhea, anorexia, nausea, urinary frequency, dysuria, vaginal discharge, and perineal irritation. Incidence and timing of symptoms varied by operative status and brachytherapy timing.

CONCLUSIONS
Findings confirm and clarify the symptoms women associate with radiation treatment for cervical or uterine cancer.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE
Assessing research findings for relevance to the care of patients in specific settings is necessary. These findings are appropriate for developing preparatory information for women undergoing external beam radiation and low-dose rate brachytherapy.


Background: Children cite needlesticks and invasive procedures as anxiety-provoking, which can have a negative impact on coping. This distress can lead to increased fear of medical settings and avoidance of care. Providing children with care that reduces the fear of pain associated with medical procedures can support positive experiences that can reduce anxiety. Thus, this will allow the child to better cope with and cooperate during medical procedures. Methods: The available literature and the authors' professional experiences highlight the implementation and effectiveness of these approaches. Results: Four main practices highlight a child-friendly approach: language, information, procedural support, and comfort positioning. Child-friendly language includes using a clear, concise, directed language. It avoids using confusing terms and focuses on the sensory experience of the child. Information is provided both in timing and content to children based on their developmental level and allows for the safe exploration of the equipment being used to promote mastery. Procedural support includes distraction, oral sucrose use, and encouraging positive coping skills such as breathing and imagery. Comfort positioning maintains access and safety for the healthcare professional while meeting the needs of the child to stay in proximity to its caregiver and not to lie on its back. Conclusions: Child-friendly practices raise the standard of care for children in emergency settings. These practices can reduce procedural challenges for staff and improve the patient's experience. Implementation can be done across the provider spectrum and can be enhanced through the use of a child life specialist, a pediatric healthcare professional trained in supporting patients, families, and staff in the medical environment.


The traditional work relationship performed on a full-time basis with a single employer is tending to lose its hegemony. Polivka and Nardone (1989) defined these new work arrangements as contingent in opposition to permanent work positions. According to these researchers, contingent work includes "any job in which an individual does not have an explicit or implicit contract for long-term employment and one in which the minimum hours can vary in a non-systematic way" (1989: 11). Traditionally, contingent work includes part-time work, temporary work, "in-house" temporary arrangements and independent work. Today, these forms of employment represent a significant and growing proportion of the workforce in western countries. This research is dedicated to "in-house" temporary workers in the French context. Indeed, little research has dealt with this subject (Connely and Gallagher, 2004). The behaviours of this type of workers are quite unknown. Moreover, Conway and Briner (2002) point out that research which focuses on contingent work does not often use an explicit theoretical framework which may be helpful in understanding the organizational behaviours of contingent workers. In line with their recommendations, this study aims to identify the role of organizational justice on contingent workers' organizational commitment and to show if established relationships are similar according to employment status (i.e., contingent or permanent). On the one hand, organizational justice perceptions have significant effects on several attitudes and behaviours (Colquitt, 2001) but this effect has rarely been tested on contingent workers. On the other hand, the employment status is likely to have an influence upon the relationships between organizational justice and organizational attitudes and behaviours. Moreover, according to the fairness heuristic theory (Lind, 2001) which describes the shaping of justice judgments and their use, it seems that a fixed-term relationship with the organization may lead contingent workers to focus primarily on the interactional aspects of their organizational treatment. This research is based on an empirical study carried out with a sample of 181 permanent employees and 71 contingent employees in French private clinics. The moderator effect of work status was tested with hierarchical regression analysis. The results partially support the predictions. However, they show the significant effects of justice perceptions on commitment, in the case of permanent workers, as had been already demonstrated in previous research, but also in the case of contingent workers, which has been less shown, especially for "in-house" temporary workers and in the French context. Nevertheless, the results show a moderator effect for work status on the relationship between informational justice and commitment. Several observations are drawn from these results. First of all, the results demonstrate that contingent workers are sensitive to the treatment they experience within their organization and that it influences their commitment as well as is the case for permanent workers. Therefore, organizational commitment of the permanent and contingent workers is significantly and positively influenced by their distributive, procedural and interactional justice perceptions. Secondly, the effects of informational justice are different according to job status. Indeed, the effect of informational justice is weaker in the case of contingent workers than in the case of permanent workers. These results present theoretical and practical interest. Firstly, they support and extend the predictive power of organizational justice upon commitment, mainly established in the context of traditional work. Thus, the organizational justice framework seems to be useful for the analysis of a non standard employment relationship. Moreover, this kind of employment arrangement may not be seen as an economic one as long as contingent workers seem to value the social aspects of their relationships with their organization. Secondly, our results show that according to the type of employment relation, the effects of justice perceptions may be different, even if this difference is marginal. For this reason, organizations could have an interest in implementing differentiated management of their workforce according to work status. We believe that the nature of the detected moderator effect does not decrease the importance of informational justice perceptions. It rather underlines the inappropriateness of the information given to contingent workers. Trombetta and Rogers (1998) have put the emphasis on this information and its appropriateness upon the organizational commitment of nurses and nursing auxiliaries. Thus, it seems of great importance to make sure that the explanations and information delivered to contingent workers are accurate and relevant. We also believe that our results reinforce the role of the direct supervisor. Because the direct supervisor is in charge of the integration of contingent workers within the service or the team, these supervisors have a key role. It could be necessary to make them aware of this. Therefore, the organizations which use contingent work arrangements should implement a specific human resource management approach in order to reap the benefits of quantitative work flexibility.


Life Cycle Assessment has been used to compare the environmental performance of landfilling of the zinc used for galvanising steel with recycling by a number processes. Hypothetical process routes were composed involving three different EAF dust treatment processes, Waelz kiln, DC-furnace, and EZINEX, as well as scrap dezincing. The study shows that recycling of zinc used for galvanising steel clearly has environmental benefits in that it saves zinc resources. However, zinc recovery does not necessarily decrease the potential impact on global warming and acidification. The magnitude of these two impact categories is tightly correlated with the amount and type of primary energy consumed in a process. Due to the high electricity consumption in the dezincing process, this route has the highest impact on Global Warming Potential as well as Acidification Potential. The major part of the energy requirement for the production of zinc from primary and secondary sources is consumed in the reduction of ZnO to Zn. The consequence is that the theoretically possible saving in primary energy by recycling zinc-containing materials is relatively small. The impact categories land use and waste generation are not considered in this study, but most likely the evaluation of such impacts would further increase the potential environmental impact of the landfill alternative. The results also show that the location of an electricity-intensive process highly affects the potential environmental impact. Comparing process and material alternatives in LCA studies where branch average data is used is therefore considerably more complex than when LCA is used within a company.


Crowdsensing leverages the pervasiveness and power of mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets, to enable ordinary citizens to collect, transport and verify data. Application domains range from environment monitoring, to infrastructure management and social computing. Crowdsensing services' effectiveness is a direct result of their coverage, which is driven by the recruitment and mobility patterns of participants. Due to the typically uneven population distributions of most areas, and the regular mobility patterns of participants, less popular or populated areas suffer from poor coverage. In this paper, we present Crowd Soft Control (CSC), an approach to exert limited control over the actions of participants by leveraging the built-in incentives of location-based gaming and social applications. By pairing crowdsensing with location-based applications, CSC allows sensing services to reuse the incentives of location-based apps to steer the actions of participating users and increase the effectiveness of sensing campaigns. While there are several domains where this intentional movement is useful such as data muling, this paper presents the design, implementation and evaluation of CSC applied to crowdsensing. We built a prototype of CSC and integrated it with two location-based applications, and crowdsensing services. Our experimental results demonstrate the low-cost of integration and minimal overhead of CSC.


John M. Ganim presents a revised theory of late medieval literary history based on the relationship of the poet to the reader. His work shows how the increasingly compromised exemplary intent of later medieval poets led them to dramatize the reader as a character in the text and to develop complex forms of narrative characterized by discontinuity, distortion, and disorientation.Originally published in 1983.The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These paperback editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.


Recently, interest has been shown in cognitive radio (CR) systems since they can opportunistically access unused spectrum bands thereby increasing usable communication capacity. Spectrum sensing has been identified as a key function to ensure that CR can detect spectrum holes. In a CR network, a fast and accurate spectrum sensing scheme is important. Spectrum sensing can be viewed as a signal detection problem. Most of the existing spectrum sensing schemes are based on fixed sample size detectors which means that their sensing time is preset and fixed. However, the work of Wald [27] showed that a detector based on sequential detection requires less average sensing time than a fixed sample size detector. In this thesis, we have applied the method of sequential detection to reduce the average sensing time. Simulation results have shown that, compared to the fixed sample size energy detector, a sequential detector can reduce sensing time by up to 85% in the AWGN channel for the same detection performance. In order to limit sensing time, especially in a fading environment, a truncated sequential detector is developed. The simulation results show that the truncated sequential detector requires less sensing time than the sequential detector, but the performance degrades due to truncation. Finally, a cooperative spectrum sensing scheme is used where each individual sensor uses a sequential detector. The combining rule used at the fusion center is a selection combining rule. Simulation results show that the proposed cooperative spectrum sensing scheme can reduce the sensing time compared to the individual spectrum sensing scheme.


Most nonexperimental studies of voter turnout rely on survey data. However, surveys overestimate turnout because of (1) nonresponse bias and (2) overreporting. We investigate this possibility using a rich dataset of Danish voters, which includes validated turnout indicators from administrative data for both respondents and nonrespondents, as well as respondents' self-reported voting from the Danish National Election Studies. We show that both nonresponse bias and overreporting contribute significantly to overestimations of turnout. Further, we use covariates from the administrative data available for both respondents and nonrespondents to demonstrate that both factors also significantly bias the predictors of turnout. In our case, we find that nonresponse bias and overreporting masks a gender gap of two and a half percentage points in women's favor as well as a gap of 25 percentage points in ethnic Danes' favor compared with Danes of immigrant heritage.


We report on the demonstration of Terahertz (THz) broadband detectors based on field effect transistors exploiting tapered semiconductor nanowires. The intrinsic asymmetry provided by the nanowires geometry allows to achieve responsivity values as high as 55 V/W (2.5 mA/W) and a noise-equivalent-power of 3 × 10−10 W/Hz1/2 independent of the specific gate voltage applied. The possibility to reduce the number of terminals required to the source and drain contacts only and the technological feasibility of multi-pixel arrays are promising for the realization of compact and integrated THz matrix array detection systems.


Thin films of molybdenum nitride (MoNx with 0≤x≤0.35) were deposited on Si(100) at room temperature using reactive DC magnetron sputtering. The residual stress of films was measured as a function of sputtering pressure, nitrogen incorporation, and annealing temperature by wafer curvature-based technique. It was found that the stress of the films was strongly related to their microstructure, which depended mainly on the incorporation of nitrogen in the films. The film stresses without nitrogen addition strongly depended on the argon pressure and changed from highly compressive to highly tensile in a relatively narrow pressure range of 0.8-1.6 Pa. For pressures exceeding ~5.3 Pa, the stress in the film was nearly zero. Cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy indicated that the compressively stressed films contained a dense microstructure without any columns, while the films having tensile stress had a very columnar microstructure. High sputtering-gas pressure conditions yielded dendritic-like film growth, resulting in complete relaxation of the residual tensile stresses. It was also found that the asdeposited film was poorly ordered in structure. When the film was heated at ~775 K, crystallization occurred and the stress of the film drastically changed from –0.75 to 1.65 GPa. The stress development mechanism may be due to volumetric shrinkage of the film during crystallization.


The efficiency of Xylella fastidiosa transmission by sharpshooters on citrus plants is low and varies with the vector species. The feeding behavior of the sharpshooter vector related to X. fastidiosa acquisition and inoculation is one of the probable conditioning factors in transmission efficiency. The objective of this study was to assess the behavior of two sharpshooter species, Dilobopterus costalimai Young and Oncometopia facialis (Signoret), in selection of citrus nursery trees and feeding places and to ascertain the influence of sprouting on plant attractiveness to the vectors. Free choice tests were performed with the two species in observation chambers (63 x 63 x 120 cm), releasing 40 individuals per chamber. The number of dead insects were assessed as well as those that chose, or not, one of the treatments, at 3, 15, 21, 24, 39, 45 and 48h after the release. For D. costalimai the leaves were important at the start of host selection, and were substituted over time by the secondary branch. D. costalimai preferred to stay on the secondary leaf nervures followed by the secondary branch. O. facialis showed no difference in preference for staying on the leaves (central and secondary nervures) and secondary branch on citrus plants, and this varied with the time of day. The presence of sprouting in the nursery trees increased the attractiveness of the plant to the two sharpshooter species raising the chances of X. fastidiosa acquisition or inoculation. So, control measures should be adopted against these insects in periods of greater vegetation in orange orchards.


1. The virus of psittacosis is present in the nasal secretions, feces, blood, spleen, and liver of an infected parrot. 2. Parrots are susceptible to intraoral, intranasal, or intramuscular inoculations of the virus. 3. The most constant pathological changes produced by psittacosis in parrots occur in the spleen and liver. The lesions exhibited in the latter organ consist of areas of necrotic liver cells and damage to bile ducts. In no instance, in our experience, were lesions observed in a parrot's lungs comparable to those found in the lungs of men. 4. "Minute bodies" similar to those described by Levinthal and others were found in many, but not in all of the infected birds. 5. Parrots that have recovered from one attack of psittacosis exhibit an active immunity against reinfection.


Introduction: Work-related musculoskeletal disorders are considered as one of the most important occupational diseases. These disorders among nurses can affect the quality of patients' care. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders among X-ray radiographers and nurses working in emergency departments of hospitals affiliated to AJA University of Medical Sciences in 2016. Materials and Methods: This controlled cross-sectional study was conducted on 144 X-ray radiographers (case) and nurses (control) with at least one-year work experience employed in hospitals affiliated to the AJA University of Medical Sciences in 2016. To evaluate disorders of the body, the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ) and to assess the risk of musculoskeletal disorders, the QEC method was used. The data were analyzed using independent t-test and Pearson by the SPSS 16 software. Results: The results showed that in the past year, the prevalence rates of musculoskeletal disorders among X-ray radiographers were respectively reported in the leg (80.5%), neck (50%), shoulder (41.6%) and knee (41.6%)Also, the prevalence rates in nurses were reported in neck (48.6%), femur (47.2%), leg (47.2%) and back (44.4%), respectively, more than other parts of the body. there was a significant relationship between occupational hazard awareness, shifts in a month and work experience with the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders but no significant relationship was seen between these factors in the other group. More occupational awareness was found in X-ray radiographers. Discussion and Conclusion: Considering the high prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders and poor posture at work and hazardous work conditions, ergonomic interventions to reduce the speed of work and working hours are


Geosynthetics may be subjected to multi-axial stress states from plane strain loading, such as dragdown along lined slopes and from out-of-plane loading conditions imposed by localized subsidence beneath waste containment cover and liner systems. The multiaxial tension test is useful in evaluating the performance of geosynthetics subjected to multi-axial stress states. However, widespread acceptance and use of this test has been slow due to the perceived requirement of a large-diameter test apparatus with its corresponding high cost. The development of a fully automated axisymmetric tension test apparatus and the results from laboratory testing of two geomembranes (HDPE and PVC) are presented in this paper. With this test apparatus, any one of four clamping rings of different diameters may be used to restrain the geomembrane during a particular test. Critical aspects of the test equipment and test procedures are described. The laboratory results indicate that use of a clamping ring with a significantly smaller diameter than currently required will provide comparable results provided that guidelines concerning the ratio of the clamping ring diameter to the material thickness are adopted and that stress-strain-time compatibility is maintained. This finding is supported by relevant membrane theory.


Ann Carlson's Picture Jasper Ridge was a performance hike in nature: spectators walked through tableaux vivants based on archival photographs. Carlson's investigation of the apparatuses of archive, performance, natural preserve, and photography fostered meditative thinking about the phenomenology of performance that unfolded through the experience of performing still.


Consumers decide when, where and how they dispose of their textiles and therefore determine their lifespan, destination and potential of textiles. An extended Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) that includes personal norm regarding textile recycling; industry awareness regarding the negative issues surrounding the textile industry; and knowledge of textile recycling has been used to explore the drivers of four consumer textile disposal intention categories: incentive and non-incentive-based textile disposal, extending the lifespan of textiles and binning unwanted textiles between household waste. The online survey (n = 491) showed that there is a gap between knowledge on the disposal method, previous behaviour and intention. In addition, it showed that subjective norm, personal norm and industry awareness all have a positive influence on the intention to dispose without incentive, while personal norm and industry awareness have a negative influence on the intention to bin unwanted textiles between household waste. The variables are insignificant predictors of the intention to dispose of textiles in exchange for an incentive and the intention to extend the lifespan of textiles. Besides, the incentive-based textile disposal has the lowest intention score, indicating that current incentives, such as a 10% discount on a subsequent purchase, do not sufficiently stimulate consumers to bring back their unwanted textiles. Based on the findings, some suggestions are made to the textile industry, government organizations and policymakers to strengthen their promotional campaigns and textile disposal methods. Contrary to previous research results, knowledge of textile recycling is not a significant predictor of consumer textile disposal intention. In addition, the results show that perceived behavioral control, one of the original TPB variables, is not a significant predictor of any of the behavioral intentions. This suggests that perceived behavioral control could be excluded from the TPB model in research on textile disposal behaviour.


Although the popular MNIST dataset [LeCun et al., 1994] is derived from the NIST database [Grother and Hanaoka, 1995], the precise processing steps for this derivation have been lost to time. We propose a reconstruction that is accurate enough to serve as a replacement for the MNIST dataset, with insignificant changes in accuracy. We trace each MNIST digit to its NIST source and its rich metadata such as writer identifier, partition identifier, etc. We also reconstruct the complete MNIST test set with 60,000 samples instead of the usual 10,000. Since the balance 50,000 were never distributed, they enable us to investigate the impact of twenty-five years of MNIST experiments on the reported testing performances. Our results unambiguously confirm the trends observed by Recht et al. [2018, 2019]: although the misclassification rates are slightly off, classifier ordering and model selection remain broadly reliable. We attribute this phenomenon to the pairing benefits of comparing classifiers on the same digits.


Jamie Boyd walks into the kitchen. He has the same intensely blue eyes as his father. He has the same gentle expression. His hospitality is ingrained. He immediately offers:
Coffee? Cake? Tea? Bread?
He has the same stammering, hesitant sentence patterns as his father, all commas, dots and dashes, the odd full point offering a rare conclusion. But when I say, "I would have liked to have known your father", his reply is swift and succinct. "There are the paintings."
Arthur wrote a clutch of personal letters in his lifetime. He kept no diary. Loathed speech making. Avoided interviews. Mistrusted words. He revealed so little of himself that his youngest daughter, Lucy, confessed, "I'm not sure how well I really knew him". Jamie believed his father was "... a bit of a mystery ... reclusive by nature ... partly hiding something in himself'. Polly, his first born, labelled him "an enigma, probably one of the most secret people on earth". And his wife, Yvonne, admitted her husband would never tell her "how, or what, he felt".
In the most revealing letters Arthur Boyd ever wrote, love letters to Yvonne in his early twenties, he warned her (and no doubt any future biographers) that his letters were "only a shadow of me, I'd hate any person to judge me by them, they are a weak shadow".l Vincent van Gogh's letters to his brother, Theo, filled a book. But in Vincent's undelivered dispatch, found on his body after his suicide, he told Theo he had reached the conclusion, " ... the truth is, we can only make our pictures speak". Many would agree, believing that a painting tells us all we need to know about the artist. However, when we look at the wide-open, light-filled, last landscapes that Vincent painted from the window of his room in the sanatorium at Saint-Remy, it changes our perspective to discover that he deleted the bars.
Biography, too, is based on distortion; the most brilliantly shining facts always clouded by perception, time and place. Peter Porter, in his 2004 National Biography Award lecture.' said he believed all appearance to be a mystery, all stories partial, and any biography, in the end, no more than a biopsy.
A brush stroke transforms, a memory transforms, as a word transforms. Yet, despite the inadequacy of the words' jet down in the following pages, they are driven by a need to make connection. Just as we attempt to understand the land, sea and sky and make maps to find our way, we search for tracings in other lives to help us navigate our own.


Introduction: The association of subclinical hypothyroidism and metabolic syndrome is debatable. We aimed to find out whether there was a correlation between subclinical hypothyroidism and or its components. Materials and Methods: Using the stratified, multistage probability cluster sampling method, with a probability in proportion to size procedure we randomly selected 1200 women, aged 18-45 years, from among reproductive aged women, living in urban areas of four randomly selected provinces of different geographic regions of Iran,. Each woman underwent an evaluation that included standardized history, physical exam, biochemical and hormonal assessment. Metabolic syndrome was defined according to the ATPΙΙΙ definition and subclinical hypothyroidism was diagnosed, based on serum concentration of more than the upper normal limit of TSH (mIU/l 4.5). Results: The prevalence of metabolic syndrome in women with subclinical hypothyroidism was not significantly different in comparison to normal ones (19% vs. 16.8%), however the prevalence of two metabolic syndrome components (low HDL and high TG) was significantly more in those women. There was a negative significant association between serum concentration of TSH and HDL-C, after adjusting for age, BMI and HOMA-IR. Conclusion: Although this study did not find the relationship between subclinical hypothyroidism and metabolic syndrome, because of its correlation with some components of this syndrome, thyroid dysfunction can be considered as a risk factor for metabolic syndrome, and further investigations to confirm this are recommended.


Most biological traits are regulated by both genetic and environmental factors. Individual loci contributing to the phenotypic diversity in a population are generally identified by their contributions to the trait mean. Genome-wide association (GWA) analyses can also detect loci based on variance differences between genotypes and several hypotheses have been proposed regarding the possible genetic mechanisms leading to such signals. Little is, however, known about what causes them and whether this genetic variance-heterogeneity reflects mechanisms of importance in natural populations. Previously, we identified a variance-heterogeneity GWA (vGWA) signal for leaf molybdenum concentrations in Arabidopsis thaliana. Here, fine-mapping of this association to a ∼78 kb Linkage Disequilibrium (LD)-block reveals that it emerges from the independent effects of three genetic polymorphisms on the high-variance associated version of this LD-block. By revealing the genetic architecture underlying this vGWA signal, we uncovered the molecular source of a significant amount of hidden additive genetic variation ("missing heritability"). Two of the three polymorphisms on the high-variance LD-block are promoter variants for Molybdate transporter 1 (MOT1), and the third a variant located ∼25 kb downstream of this gene. A fourth independent association was also detected ∼600 kb upstream of the LD-block. Testing of T-DNA knockout alleles for genes in the associated regions suggest AT2G25660 (unknown function) and AT2G26975 (Copper Transporter 6; COPT6) as the strongest candidates for the associations outside MOT1. Our results show that multi-allelic genetic architectures within a single LD-block can lead to a variance-heterogeneity between genotypes in natural populations. Further they provide novel insights into the genetic regulation of ion homeostasis in A. thaliana, and empirically confirm that variance-heterogeneity based GWA methods are a valuable tool to detect novel associations of biological importance in natural populations.


Locally caching contents at the network edge constitutes one of the most disruptive approaches in 5G wireless networks. Reaping the benefits of edge caching hinges on solving a myriad of challenges such as how, what and when to strategically cache contents subject to storage constraints, traffic load, unknown spatio-temporal traffic demands and data sparsity. Motivated by this, we propose a novel transfer learning-based caching procedure carried out at each small cell base station. This is done by exploiting the rich contextual information (i.e., users' content viewing history, social ties, etc.) extracted from device-to-device (D2D) interactions, referred to as source domain. This prior information is incorporated in the so-called target domain where the goal is to optimally cache strategic contents at the small cells as a function of storage, estimated content popularity, traffic load and backhaul capacity. It is shown that the proposed approach overcomes the notorious data sparsity and cold-start problems, yielding significant gains in terms of users' quality-of-experience (QoE) and backhaul offloading, with gains reaching up to 22% in a setting consisting of four small cell base stations.


Social media profile images are one of many visual components of users. Moreover, user activities such as posting or chatting are regarded as self-expression behaviors. In this study, we examine Japanese Twitter users to explore the relationship between user activities and profile images. Logistic regression analysis is used to statistically identify and quantify relationships, leading us to conclude that several profile image categories significantly correlate with user activities. Furthermore, we use machine learning techniques (logistic regression, random forest, and support vector machine) to predict whether or not a user belongs to a specific profile image category. Each model's performance is evaluated and compared for all profile image categories. Primary results show that users whose profile image includes others' faces are more likely to use a replying function but less likely to add url links to their tweets, and that it is the easiest for machine learning models to find their category from their user activities. In short, our findings indicate that visual expression correlates with social media user behavior.


Background Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) is found to have occurred to a substantial minority of women with bulimia nervosa. Its clinical significance is unclear. Method We studied 87 bulimic women in a clinical trial. Structured interviews determined the presence of CSA, DSM–III–R disorders, global functioning, and depressive and bulimic symptoms. Results Forty-four per cent reported a history of CSA. Bulimic women with CSA reported earlier onset of bulimia, greater depressive symptoms, worse global functioning and more suicide attempts, and were more likely to meet criteria for bipolar II disorder, alcohol and drug dependence, conduct disorder and avoidant personality disorder. Conclusions Although those with CSA had greater comorbidity, it was not an important modifier of bulimic symptoms.


PURPOSE
Neratinib is an oral, irreversible pan-ErbB receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor. The efficacy and safety of neratinib were evaluated in two cohorts of patients with advanced ErbB2-positive breast cancer-those with and those without prior trastuzumab treatment-in an open-label, multicenter, phase II trial.

PATIENTS AND METHODS
Patients in the two cohorts (prior trastuzumab, n = 66; no prior trastuzumab, n = 70) received oral neratinib 240 mg once daily. The primary end point was the 16-week progression-free survival (PFS) rate for the evaluable population (prior trastuzumab, n = 63; no prior trastuzumab, n = 64), as assessed by independent review.

RESULTS
The 16-week PFS rates were 59% for patients with prior trastuzumab treatment and 78% for patients with no prior trastuzumab treatment. Median PFS was 22.3 and 39.6 weeks, respectively. Objective response rates were 24% among patients with prior trastuzumab treatment and 56% in the trastuzumab-naïve cohort. The most common adverse events were diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and fatigue. Diarrhea was the most frequent grades 3 to 4 adverse event, occurring in 30% of patients with prior trastuzumab treatment and in 13% of patients with no prior trastuzumab treatment, which prompted dose reductions in 29% and 4% of patients, respectively, but treatment discontinuation in only one patient. No neratinib-related, grades 3 or 4 cardiotoxicity was reported.

CONCLUSION
Oral neratinib showed substantial clinical activity and was reasonably well tolerated among both heavily pretreated and trastuzumab-naïve patients who had advanced, ErbB2-positive breast cancer. Diarrhea was the most common adverse effect but was manageable with antidiarrheal agents and dose modification.


In 1923, Fritz Bernstein, a German Jew in his thirties, completed a book about the psychological and sociological roots of anti-Semitism. At the time Bernstein was working as a coffee trader in the Netherlands. He specifically wanted to find a German publisher for his book, but he struggled to find one. As a businessman, he had few connections with the world of academics, and he found that most publishers of that time believed that the topic of anti-Semitism would not attract a wide German readership. The book was eventually published in 1926 by Judischer Verlag under the title of Der Antisemitismus als eine Grouppenerscheinung (literally 'Anti-Semitism as a Group Phenomenon')....


This PhD thesis presents a study of active galaxies carried out from cm- to mm-wavelengths with high angular resolution. The mechanism of the activity in these objects is supposed to be strongly correlated with the accretion of matter onto a super-massive black hole in their centres. One approach to increase the understanding of these highly interesting sources is to observe and analyse the molecular gas. The characteristics of its distribution and dynamics are indispensible diagnostic tools to investigate the accretion processes at different angular scales. A second approach is the study of emission originating in the direct vicinity of the black hole, such as non-thermal radio emission. To account for different activity levels, five objects were chosen ranging from nearby, Low Luminosity Active Galaxies (LLAGs; NGC3718 at z=0.003 and NGC1068 at z=0.004) to higher redshifted, High LAGs (HLAGs; HE1029-1831 at z=0.039, 3C48 at z=0.367, and Q0957+561 at z=1.414). The first two sources are part of the NU(clei of)-GA(laxy) project, that aims at analysing the distribution and kinematics of the molecular gas at high angular resolution/sensitivity in a sample of 30 nearby LLAGs. HE1029-1831 is part of a complementary sample of nearby HLAGs with similar aims. All sources were observed in carbon-monoxide (CO), known to be a good molecular gas tracer, with the IRAM Plateau de Bure Interferometer (PdBI) providing high sensitivity and high angular resolution. CO emission was detected in all five galaxies. In NGC3718, the molecular gas disk, having roughly two hundred million solar masses, is highly warped. The distribution of the gas reveals large scale asymmetries witnessing a possible tidal tail interaction with a close companion, and as well small scale asymmetries most likely tracing accretion onto the nucleus. The appearance of the molecular gas in NGC1068 is quite complex, too. Besides two spiral arms at a radius of 1kpc and a nuclear bar with a length of roughly 2kpc, a nuclear ring becomes visible. Indications for a strongly rotating and compact nuclear gas component are found in the maps, supporting previous findings. As a byproduct, new information on the mm continuum was gained indicating a turnover in the Spectral Energy Distribution similar to what is detected for the central source of our own galaxy. HE1029-1831 appears to be a gas rich host galaxy with a barred gas distribution and gas mass of 8 Giga sun masses. The striking velocity gradient across the bar indicates a bar-driven gas inflow in this system. The CO emission in 3C48 gives further evidence for a merger hypothesis that was strongly debated in the past. The IRAM PdBI maps show two distinct dynamical systems of which one is centered almost on the nucleus itself and the second one closer to a second bright component that was recently also detected in the Near-Infrared and can be likely associated with a second nucleus. Finally, also in the highest redshifted object of this study, Q0957+561, CO emission was detected towards both lensed images. This is the second system at the redshift range of 1-2 in which CO emission was found. The CO emission is associated with a rotating gas disk of 50 Giga sun masses. As a further gas tracer, HCN was observed in a subsample of the NUGA survey. CO, although being a good gas tracer, preferentially measures low to moderate gas densities and is thus not well suited for comparisons with stellar characteristics such as star formation. HCN, however, is supposed to trace denser parts of the gas. To obtain hence a more complete picture, IRAM 30m observations were carried out to detect HCN in the NUGA galaxies which are regarded as a first step for follow-up interferometric observations. A strong correlation between the Far-Infrared luminosities, being a diagnostic tool for star formation, and HCN luminosities is found in this sample consistent with other studies. To investigate the emission of the central most parts in LLAGN at radio wavelengths and their differences or similarities to HLAGs, snap-shot observations of seven NUGA galaxies with local and very long baseline interferometers were conducted at two different wavelengths. The results for the LLAGs are similar to what is usually found for HLAGs supporting the idea that LLAGs might only be scaled down HLAGs in terms of activity, i.e. the responsible physical processes are similar. Besides compact radio emission, also extended and diffuse emission, including jets, were detected. Furthermore, a strong correlation between radio and X-ray luminosities was found indicating connected emission processes. The radio emission is mainly produced by synchrotron radiation which can be Compton-scattered towards higher energies, thus explaining the observed correlation. This set of radio observations is so far the most sensitive study with the highest angular resolution of such weak radio LLAGs.


1. Studies have shown that differences in height growth rates are characteristic of tree species that differ in understory tolerance and relative successional status. Less-tolerant species have greater juvenile height growth rates than more-tolerant species and thus, in a mixed-species forest, the former gain an early competitive advantage after a stand-initiating disturbance. Species-level height stratification is the predicted outcome under this model. 2. Silvicultural evidence suggests that a species-level differential growth rate model is idealistic because height stratification among species differing in understory tolerance is not consistently expressed within an even-aged forest. Stratification may fail to develop if individuals of a relatively tolerant species are competitively uninhibited, establish earlier than less-tolerant species, or are of vegetative-origin. 3. The establishment and height growth histories of three species differing in understory tolerance were examined within two forests in northern Michigan,USA. Objectives of the study included: (i) determining if species height stratification paralleling understory tolerance was a characteristic of these forests; (ii) assessing the degree of height variation within species populations; and (iii) determining if species age distributions, changes in individual competitive environments, or regenerative origin influenced population height structures. 4. In both forests, Populus grandidentata, an intolerant, early successional species was typically taller than Quercus rubra, a mid-tolerant, later successional species, which in turn was taller than Acer rubrum, a tolerant, later successional species. However within Quercus and Acer populations, heights were often highly variable, with some individuals equalling the heights of Populus. Age differences had no influence on height patterns 5. Growth rate differences among surviving stems determined species stratification patterns and height variation within populations. Populus typically outgrew both Quercus and Acer, although some individuals of the latter two species had height growth rates equivalent to Populus. Most Quercus and Acer appeared to be of vegetative origin, as were all Populus ramets. For individuals of the former two species, potential juvenile height growth rates were likely greater than that of true seedlings, thus allowing some individuals to match growth rates of Populus. 6. Populus numerically dominated the forests because a large proportion of growing space was occupied by its root systems and ramets, relative to Quercus and Acer. Vertical domination by Populus was apparently the result of competitive inhibition of most, but not all, Quercus and Acer, not because of inherent, speciesspecific differences in juvenile height growth rates.


Dark teas are prepared by a microbial fermentation process. Flavan-3-ol B-ring fission analogues (FBRFAs) are some of the key bioactive constituents that characterise dark teas. The precursors and the synthetic mechanism involved in the formation of FBRFAs are not known. Using a unique solid-state fermentation system with β-cyclodextrin inclusion complexation, as well as targeted chromatographic isolation, spectroscopic identification, and Feature-based Molecular Networking (FBMN) on the Global Natural Products Social Molecular Networking (GNPS) web-platform, we reveal that dihydromyricetin and the FBRFAs, including teadenol A and fuzhuanin A, are derived from epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) upon exposure to fungal strains isolated from Fuzhuan brick tea. In particular the strains from subphylum Pezizomycotina were key drivers for these B-/C-ring oxidation transformations. These are the same transformations seen during the fermentation process of dark teas. These discoveries set the stage to enrich dark teas and other food products for these health promoting constituents.


Hemp (Cannabis sp.) has been a fundamental plant for the development of human societies. Its fibers have long been used for textiles and rope making, which requires prior stem retting. This process is essential for extracting fibers from the stem of the plant, but can adversely affect the quality of surface waters. The history of human activities related to hemp (its domestication, spread, and processing) is frequently reconstructed from seeds and pollen detected in archaeological sites or in sedimentary archives, but this method does not always make it possible to ascertain whether retting took place. Hemp is also known to contain phytocannabinoids, a type of chemicals that is specific to the plant. Here we report on the detection of one of these chemicals, cannabinol (CBN), preserved in a sediment record from a lake in the French Massif Central covering the past 1800 yr. The presence of this molecule in the sedimentary record is related to retting. Analysis of the evolution of CBN concentrations shows that hemp retting was a significant activity in the area until ca. A.D. 1850. These findings, supported by pollen analyses and historical data, show that this novel sedimentary tracer can help to better constrain past impacts of human activities on the environment.


In the present work, composite sandwich components, that perfectly match the challenging demands of lightweight and more customized structures, have been characterized and designed as a roof panels of a railway vehicle.
The most critical issue related to the design and assessment of composite sandwich structures are discussed and analyzed in a multiscale procedure.
A multiscale procedure has been developed using knowledge-based procedure for the optimal stiffness design of composite sandwich structures under some classified design rules. Recent developments of multifunctional design tools, integrating structural and functional features, enables a next step toward the exploitation of the composite sandwich benefits in a wide range of applications
In particular new phenolic impregnated composite skins have been characterized and involved in sandwich configuration for load carrying components. The selected composite materials have been analyzed with different core configuration and the use of both numerical and analytical tools have been assessed with particular attentions to various failure mode that can be expected..
However, the use of fiber reinforced composite materials presents a significant challenge with respect to the methods of joining to be used in body fabrication. At this aim the project provides the characterization of potential joining techniques available to the railway industry involving both composite and aluminum components. Problems related to strength and durability of the joints have been experimentally characterized.
The durability of composites, in addition to being dependent on loading conditions, is strongly dependent on the environmental conditions, in terms of the specific combinations of temperature, relative humidity, exposure to electro-magnetic radiation, to solvents, acid and alkaline conditions and of their (cyclic) evolution during time. Since the degradation process of a composite sandwich structure depends on the environmental conditions, type of skins and core material, and production process, mechanical properties through accelerated ageing tests have been performed in order to predict long-term performances of sandwich composites and to determine the correlation between mechanical damage and aging due to different environmental factors..
In addition to the aforementioned issues, in order to reliably predict the structural safety of composite sandwich structures, understanding the adverse effect of in-service impact events (e.g. impact and penetration damage) has become important in the transportation industry. Both quasi static and dynamic impact have been experimentally analyzed in the present study and the damage mechanism have been related to the type of impact events.
Finally optimization and validation of the designed sandwich structures have been performed by means of finite element simulation.


We study the performance of three CFD applications of interest to NASA— Cart3D, OVERFLOW, and USM3D—on three Xeon-based SGI Altix ICE supercomputers and one Itanium-based SGI Altix 4700. The three ICE machines use different generations of Intel quad-core processors: Clovertown, Harpertown and the recently released Nehalem. We find that the Altix 4700 system does better than the Clovertown and Harpertown quad-core systems due to issues of cache size and memory bandwidth. However these challenges seem to have been addressed in the Nehalem. Also, when we compare performance in a way that attempts to compensate for large differences in cost, even the earlier quad-core systems can be more costeffective than the Altix 4700.


Although many species of bacteria have been evaluated and marketed as probiotics, little work has examined the dose‐response effects of probiotics on microbiota and host. A probiotic formulation, containing Lactobacillus helveticus R0052, Lactobacillus rhamnosus R0011, Lactobacillus casei R0215, Pediococcus acidilactici R1001, Bifidobacterium breve R0070, Bifidobacterium longum BB536, Lactobacillus plantarum R1012 and Lactobacillus lactis ssp. lactis R1058, is currently marketed in the U.S. at 5 billion colony forming units (CFU)/capsule and 25 billion CFU/capsule doses. To determine the effects of the two doses of the multi‐strain probiotic supplements on gastrointestinal function and general wellbeing, a six‐week, randomized, double‐blind, dose‐response study was conducted with 69 healthy adults (18–50 years old). Participants were randomly assigned to receive the probiotic mix at 5 billion CFU, 25 billion CFU, or placebo for four weeks. Daily questionnaires were used to assess gastrointestinal symptoms and general wellness, specifically gastrointestinal distress symptoms, ear‐nose‐throat symptoms, epidermal symptoms, psychological health, cephalic symptoms, emetic symptoms, diarrhea, constipation, fatigue, and hunger. Bristol Stool Form Scale (BSFS) was used as a proxy of transit time. In addition, the Gastrointestinal Symptoms Rating Scale (GSRS) was administered weekly to further evaluate gastrointestinal symptoms. General wellness and gastrointestinal symptoms were not affected by the consumption of the multi‐strain probiotic at doses of 5 or 25 billion CFU. In addition, BSFS analysis showed no significant change in relative transit time among treatments. No serious adverse events were reported. Therefore, the multi‐strain probiotic formulation is well tolerated by healthy adults at 5 billion and 25 billion CFU per day.


Background In Brazil, there are few epidemiological studies available about the demographic and clinical aspects of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The aim of this study was to identify epidemiological and clinical characteristics of patients with IBD treated at the University Hospital (HU) of the Sergipe Federal University (UFS). Methods A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in HU/UFS from October 2011 to January 2014. The sample consisted of 87 patients with IBD, who registered in the coloproctology clinic. We applied a questionnaire with sociodemographic and clinical variables. Results Of the 87 patients, 40 (46%) had Crohn's disease (CD) and 47 (54%) had ulcerative colitis (UC). Women had a higher prevalence of IBD. Data obtained were significant (P < 0.05) in the variables: age, origin and level of education. CD patients were younger (< 25 years old), had higher prevalence of smoking habits and were associated with urban origin, conjunctivitis, palpable mass, appendectomy and intestinal complications. UC was more prevalent in older individuals (> 25 years old), with rural origin, bloody diarrhea and rectal bleeding. Location and initial behavior of CD were ileum-colic (L3), inflammatory behavior and penetrating form of the disease. There is higher prevalence of proctitis and mild and severe forms of the UC among women. Osteoarticular and systemic manifestations predominated in both diseases. Conclusions IBD affected more women than men. The age, origin and level of education can interfere with early diagnosis. Demographic and clinical aspects were similar to the literature. Data differ in the time interval between the onset of symptoms and diagnosis, smoking habit, appendectomy and severity of UC for age and gender.


Evolution of chronic liver disease towards cirrhosis adversely affects nutritional status and development, especially in childhood, when the growth rate is maximal. The consequences of nutritional disorders in liver cirrhosis in children have a systemic response: low stature and weight, impaired growth and development, increased susceptibility to infections. All of those have a great impact in the evolution of the disease and often determine long-term prognosis.


A new paradigm in recovery strategies for gas sensors is presented in this work. Resistive gas sensors based on carbon nanotubes (CNT) are well-known and show high sensitivity to different gas species but they require external recovery (i.e. heating) to offer a fast and stable response. In order to avoid this external element and reduce power demand, we demonstrate the possibility of recovering this kind of sensor by only applying a DC voltage. In particular, three different metals have been tested (Au, Ag and Al) to define interdigitated electrodes on a polyimide substrate. On top of them, CNT layers have been sprayed as a sensitive layer. The performance of these devices in terms of gas sensitivity, power consumption and stability is described and compared with external heating recovery. In particular, Au electrodes show a response to 2500 ppm CO2 of 2.6% with a recovery voltage of 5 V, presenting almost the same sensitivity as in the case of the external recovery at 80 °C but decreasing the power demand by more than 35 times.


OBJECTIVES
Significant debate exists on whether early onset bipolar disorder is mistakenly attributed to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or conduct disorder (CD), or whether ADHD and CD are frequently misdiagnosed as mania. We review the literature on the extent to which these disorders can be reliably differentiated, and describe the diagnostic confusion that may be the result of features common to both classes of disorders.

METHODS
The review focuses on research studies that have examined whether overlapping symptoms of bipolar disorder, ADHD, and CD contribute to misdiagnosis of the two classes of disorders, the prevalence of early onset bipolar disorder with comorbid ADHD or CD, and theories regarding the origins of this comorbidity.

RESULTS
Reliable and accurate diagnoses can be made despite the symptom overlap of bipolar disorder with ADHD and CD. Children with bipolar disorder and ADHD may have a distinct familial subtype of bipolar disorder. Some findings suggest that manic symptoms may represent 'noise' that indicates the general severity of psychopathology in a child or adolescent.

CONCLUSIONS
Further prospective studies may confirm whether early onset bipolarity can be successfully differentiated from ADHD or CD, whether all three types of disorders can be recognized in comorbid cases, or whether comorbid cases represent a distinct subtype of bipolar disorder.


Abstract Objectives: The objectives of this study were 1) to determine the proportion of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) at risk of developing malnutrition, 2) to determine the prevalence of malnutrition (BMI < 18.5 kg/m2), and 3) to describe the dietary intake and other nutrition parameters of PLWHA with membership in support groups. Design: Descriptive cross-sectional study. Setting: Six support groups in Gaborone and neighbouring locations. Subjects: Consenting, free-living HIV-positive adults 20 to 50 years of age with membership in support groups for PLWHA. Outcome measures: The subjects' risk of developing malnutrition was established using a modified subjective global assessment (SGA) screening tool. Subjects with an SGA score ≥ 4 were classified as being at high risk of developing malnutrition. Results: From 145 PLWHA screened, 47.5% (n = 69) were found to be at high risk of developing malnutrition (SGA score ≥ 4) and 28.5% (n = 41) were malnourished (BMI < 18.5 kg/m2). In the sample with SGA scores ≥ 4, 52.2% (n = 35) presented with a BMI < 18.5 kg/ m2. These two groups also reported more unintentional weight loss, gastrointestinal symptoms, and other conditions commonly associated with a high risk of developing malnutrition. PLWHA with membership in support groups also had low educational attainment and high unemployment rates. A total of 47% of subjects with an SGA score ≥ 4 needed food assistance. Conclusions: Almost 50% of PLWHA with membership in support groups for PLWHA are at risk of developing malnutrition, while about 30% have a BMI < 18.5kg/m2. Nutrition screening can also help to identify those PLWHA with a BMI > 18.5 kg/m2 who are still at high risk of developing malnutrition. Timely nutrition interventions can therefore be instituted in order to prevent deterioration in nutritional status.


Bacterial biofilms are associated with secondary gold grains from two sites in Australia. 16S ribosomal DNA clones of the genus Ralstonia that bear 99% similarity to the bacterium Ralstonia metallidurans—shown to precipitate gold from aqueous gold(III) tetrachloride—were present on all DNA-positive gold grains but were not detected in the surrounding soils. These results provide evidence for the bacterial contribution to the authigenic formation of secondary bacterioform gold grains and nuggets.


This study was conducted to evaluate the productive performance of three strains. Nile tilapia ( Oreochromis niloticus ), hybrid of Spring ( O. niloticus x O. mossambicus ) and Pargum-UNAM from 25% hybrid Rocky Mountain ( Oreochromis aureus x Oreochromis niloticus ), 25% pink O. niloticus and 50% of red hybrid Florida Red Tilapia ( O. urolepis hornorum x O. mossambicus ), reared in a recirculating aquaculture system (RAS). The study lasting 75 days was carried out in polyethylene tanks with an individual capacity of 3.146,6 L. Each tank was divided in three compartments. Fry were previously masculinized with 17-α-methyltestosterone (MT) hormone, counted individually, weighed and randomly distributed into three equal groups of 60 each. The first group Nile tilapia, had an average initial weight of 1,43 g ± 0,38 the second, hybrid of Spring, recorded a weight of 1.20 ± 0.23 g and the third red Pargum-UNAM, weighed 1.28 ± 0.24 g. The variables measured were: daily weight gain, feed conversion and survival rate for each of the strains. At the end of the trial, the strains of Nile tilapia and hybridizes of Spring, showed a better performance (growth and conversion factor) with significant differences ( P ≤ 0.05) compared with Pargum-UNAM, which showed a lower weight and conversion factor. There were not significant differences among the strains in survival ( P ≥ 0.05).


In this report we use a recently-developed spreadsheet model to predict the overwinter food requirements of two shorebird species, oystercatcher (Haematopus ostralegus) and red knot (Calidris canutus), within the Solway Firth. The model is based on the energy requirements of the birds together with the energy value of their shellfish food. The model predicts the quantity of shellfish required to maintain high survival rates, and hence avoid significant mortality events within the oystercatcher and knot populations. Knot were assumed to consume 5-14mm cockles (Cerastoderma edule L.), 5-24mm mussels (Mytilus edulis L.) and 8-16 mm tellin (Macoma balthica L.). Oystercatcher were assumed to consume >15mm cockles, 30-60mm mussels and >12mm tellin. The biomasses of invertebrate prey were derived from intertidal surveys of the site. The population sizes of the bird species were derived from Wetland Bird Survey (WeBS) core counts. Predictions were for the winter of 2013-2014. Shellfishing was assumed to exploit >28mm cockles. The food requirements of oystercatcher and knot were predicted for different combinations of food supply. All scenarios assumed that the birds could consume cockles, mussels and tellin. Alternative scenarios assumed that knot and oystercatcher could consume other food from upshore areas, or that oystercatcher could consume food from terrestrial habitats. Cockle and tellin biomasses were estimated within Solway Firth, and at Wigtown Bay, a site outside the area in which bird population sizes were estimated. Further scenarios therefore assumed that birds either could, or could not, consume food from Wigtown Bay. In each scenario the model initially predicted the amount of shellfish biomass not required by the birds. This was then converted into the biomass potentially available for fishing, accounting for the fact that the size range exploited by fishing did not overlap completely with that consumed by the birds. In the case of knot there was no overlap, and so the amount available to fishing was only calculated from the biomass of shellfish not required by oystercatcher. The model predicted that approximately 700 tonnes of >28mm cockles could potentially be exploited by shellfishing during the winter of 2013-2014, after taking into account the food requirements of the birds, excluding cockle and tellin biomass in Wigtown Bay, and assuming that oystercatcher consumed cockles, mussels, tellin and prey from upshore areas and terrestrial habitats. This was considered to be the most realistic scenario given that oystercatcher can potentially feed on terrestrial and upshore habitats, and given the distance between Wigtown and the area in which oystercatcher population size was estimated. The cockle, mussel and tellin surveys did not cover the entire extent of the Solway Firth, not recording cockles or tellin in English waters or mussels or the Scottish side, and so it is likely that a higher biomass of shellfish food is available to the birds in reality. However, without a more extensive survey it is not possible to quantify this. The spreadsheet model's predictions for the winter of 2007-2008 were also compared with those of a more complex individual-based model that was developed for oystercatcher and knot in the Solway Firth based on shellfish biomass during 2005 to 2007. The individual-based model predicted that knot survival was 100% in all simulations for the winter of 2007-2008, consistent with the prediction of the spreadsheet model that 18038 tonnes of shellfish were not required by the birds during this winter. The spreadsheet model predicted that the oystercatcher population required all of the shellfish food available during the winter of 2007-2008. Similarly, the individual-based model predicted that oystercatcher were relatively sensitive to the amount of biomass removed by fishing during this winter. With a shellfishing Total Allowable Catch (TAC) set at 1000 tonnes there was a predicted reduction in survival and TACs set at 500, 750 and 1000 tonnes were predicted to reduce body mass. The spreadsheet model predicted that birds required all of the food during 2007-2008 and hence that any TAC would reduce survival. This demonstrates that the spreadsheet model is capable of producing broadly similar predictions to the more complex individual model, although the latter is more sensitive when stock levels are more critical.


Building on newly discovered genetic threads in the rich tapestry of biochemical signals that cause cancer, a Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center team has dramatically killed brain cancer cells by blocking those signals with a statin and an experimental antitumor drug.The unlikely pairing of cholesterol-lowering lovastatin and cyclopamine killed 63% of medulloblastoma cells grown in the laboratory. By contrast, using either agent alone wiped out fewer than 20% of cells. The Hopkins researchers published their findings in the January, 2007 issue of the American Journal of Pathology.The researchers caution that the cyclopamine-lovastatin combination has yet to be tested in animals, much less people, but they conclude that the tumor cell-killing by the combo is tantalizing. Cyclopamine works by blocking the so-called "hedgehog" pathway, long known to promote and guide cell and organ growth. Excessive growth is the chief characteristic of cancer. The investigators believe that blocking hedgehog with cyclopamine makes cancer cells more susceptible to lovastatin.Along with its cholesterol-clogging effects, lovastatin, sold under the trade name Mevacor, is known to curb destruction of proteins that put the brakes on cell growth, causing cancer cells to self-destruct through a process called apoptosis. The effects of the statin already is being studied in people athigh risk for the deadly skin cancer, melanoma.First extracted from corn lilies in the 1950s, cyclopamine is a powerful toxin known to stunt fetal development and cause birth defects in humans and animals. Its connection to anti-cancer efforts grew out of later insights into its blockage of hedgehog, which gets its name from spiky hairs that develop on fruit flies lacking the signal."We already knew from earlier research that hedgehog controls brain cell survival and growth, and that blocking signals in this pathway may stop uncontrolled growth of cancer cells," says Charles Eberhart, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of pathology, ophthalmology and oncology. "But the newwork shows the hedgehog blockade may halt another powerful cell-survival signal, and lovastatin could provide the added boost necessary to kill more cancer cells."Specifically, Eberhart found links between the expression of key hedgehog-related genes in medulloblastoma cells and another cell signal already tied to cancer, Bcl-2. Eberhart and his team believed that combination of a hedgehog blockade and a pro-apoptosis drug like lovastatin would kill more cancer cells."Our experiments suggest that hedgehog's action is woven together with Bcl-2, best known for its role in causing B-cell lymphomas," he says. "Cancer cells thwart suicide by overproducing Bcl-2, assuring them a long life."When the Hopkins researchers noticed that Bcl-2 and hedgehog expression increased in tandem in medulloblastoma cells, they tried adding hedgehog-blocking cyclopamine to the cells and found that Bcl-2 production dwindled and tumor cells died off. Lead author and pathology fellow Eli E. Bar, Ph.D., said he was "surprised by the degree to which the drug combination was so effective."According to Eberhart, only half of children with medulloblastoma survive. "And those that do survive can suffer debilitating side effects caused by current toxic therapies."The study was supported by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Coauthors were Aneeka Chaudhry and Mohamed H. Farah. For more information, please contact: Vanessa Wasta; Tel.: 410.955.1287; Email: firstname.lastname@example.com


The fruit fly Drosophila's olfactory circuit has inspired a new locality sensitive hashing (LSH) algorithm, FlyHash. In contrast with classical LSH algorithms that produce low dimensional hash codes, FlyHash produces sparse high-dimensional hash codes and has also been shown to have superior empirical performance compared to classical LSH algorithms in similarity search. However, FlyHash uses random projections and cannot learn from data. Building on inspiration from FlyHash and the ubiquity of sparse expansive representations in neurobiology, our work proposes a novel hashing algorithm BioHash that produces sparse high dimensional hash codes in a data-driven manner. We show that BioHash outperforms previously published benchmarks for various hashing methods. Since our learning algorithm is based on a local and biologically plausible synaptic plasticity rule, our work provides evidence for the proposal that LSH might be a computational reason for the abundance of sparse expansive motifs in a variety of biological systems. We also propose a convolutional variant BioConvHash that further improves performance. From the perspective of computer science, BioHash and BioConvHash are fast, scalable and yield compressed binary representations that are useful for similarity search.


A key ingredient of successful parenting is parental knowledge of their children's whereabouts. The availability of, and easy access to, modern technology such as mobile phone location disclosure (MPLD) services has made it even easier for parents to locate their children by tracking their whereabouts. This study explored parental factors and children's receptiveness towards MPLD services and found that children's trust in their parents, optimal parental bonding, monitoring and solicitation, and children's general disclosure patterns are positively correlated to children's receptiveness towards MPLD, but parental invasiveness was found to be negatively correlated. The study found that in predicting children's MPLD attitudes: (1) general disclosure habit of children is the best predictor; and, (2) children's perception of parental factors are better indicators than parents' perception.


Using a series of questions babies might ask if only they could talk, and providing answers that only an expert would know, the text takes readers on a fascinating journey through the world of an infant. Babies have extraordinary skills and capabilities that largely go unnoticed because we adults don't know what to look for; they also have anxieties and fears that we can soothe. Many parents worry about whether they are meeting all their baby's needs and desires correctly. After all, how many of us can remember what it was like to be a toddler, let alone a baby? In order to help parents understand their newborn children, this enterprising work looks at the world through the eyes of babies at every stage of his or her growth. Using the unique format of having a series of questions "asked" by a baby, the first two chapters examine the experiences of babies in uteri, what it is like being born and how they make the transition to the outside world. Each of the following chapters investigates a different aspect of development such as locomotion and speech. Everything your Baby would Ask...uncovers and communicates the joys, preoccupations, challenges, and worries that make up a baby's world, enabling us to be the best possible parents to our children. - Ground-breaking concept: looks at life from a baby's point of view - Helps parents understand and care for their baby with more confidence - Packed with fascinating scientific facts about babies' development - Authoritative text written by pioneering researchers in child development - Packed with fascinating studies for parents to perform themselves - Unique insights into the secret life inside the uterus


While workload collocation is a necessity to increase energy efficiency of contemporary multi-core hardware, it also increases the risk of performance anomalies due to workload interference. Pinning certain workloads to a subset of CPUs is a simple approach to increasing workload isolation, but its effect depends on workload type and system architecture. Apart from common sense guidelines, the effect of pinning has not been extensively studied so far. In this paper we study the impact of CPU pinning on performance interference and energy efficiency for pairs of collocated workloads. Besides various combinations of workloads, virtualization and resource isolation, we explore the effects of pinning depending on the level of background load. The presented results are based on more than 1000 experiments carried out on an Intel-based NUMA system, with all power management features enabled to reflect real-world settings. We find that less common CPU pinning configurations improve energy efficiency at partial background loads, indicating that systems hosting collocated workloads could benefit from dynamic CPU pinning based on CPU load and workload type.


ABSTRACT MCMs are a family of proteins related to ATP-dependent helicases that bind to origin recognition complexes and are required for initiation of DNA replication. We report that antibodies against MCM2(BM28) specifically inhibited transcription by RNA polymerase II (Pol II) in microinjected Xenopus oocytes. Consistent with this observation, MCM2 and other MCMs copurified with Pol II and general transcription factors (GTFs) in high-molecular-weight holoenzyme complexes isolated from Xenopus oocytes and HeLa cells. Pol II and GTFs also copurified with MCMs isolated by anti-MCM3 immunoaffinity chromatography. MCMs were specifically displaced from the holoenzyme complex by antibody against the C-terminal domain (CTD) of Pol II. In addition, MCMs bound to a CTD affinity column, suggesting that their association with holoenzyme depends in part on this domain of Pol II. These results suggest a new function for MCM proteins as components of the Pol II transcriptional apparatus.


An earlier overview of systematic reviews and a subsequent editorial on single-component versus multifaceted interventions to promote knowledge translation (KT) highlight complex issues in implementation science. In this supplemented commentary, further aspects are in focus; we propose examples from (KT) studies probing the issue of single interventions. A main point is that defining what is a single and what is a multifaceted intervention can be ambiguous, depending on how the intervention is conceived. Further, we suggest additional perspectives in terms of strategies to facilitate implementation. More specifically, we argue for a need to depict not only what activities are done in implementation interventions, but to unpack functions in particular contexts, in order to support the progress of implementation science.


To arrive at their final evaluation of a manuscript or grant proposal, reviewers must convert a submission's strengths and weaknesses for heterogeneous peer review criteria into a single metric of quality or merit. I identify this process of commensuration as the locus for a new kind of peer review bias. Commensuration bias illuminates how the systematic prioritization of some peer review criteria over others permits and facilitates problematic patterns of publication and funding in science. Commensuration bias also foregrounds a range of structural strategies for realigning peer review practices and institutions with the aims of science.


The economic reforms imposed by Augusto Pinochet's regime (1973-1990) are often credited with transforming Chile into a global economy and setting the stage for a peaceful transition to democracy, individual liberty, and the recognition of cultural diversity. The famed economist Milton Friedman would later describe the transition as the "Miracle of Chile." Yet, as Patricia Richards reveals, beneath this veneer of progress lies a reality of social conflict and inequity that has been perpetuated by many of the same neoliberal programmes. In Race and the Chilean Miracle , Richards examines conflicts between Mapuche indigenous people and state and private actors over natural resources, territorial claims, and collective rights in the Araucania region. Through ground-level fieldwork, extensive interviews with local Mapuche and Chileans, and analysis of contemporary race and governance theory, Richards exposes the ways that local, regional, and transnational realities are shaped by systemic racism in the context of neoliberal multiculturalism. Richards demonstrates how state programs and policies run counter to Mapuche claims for autonomy and cultural recognition. The Mapuche, whose ancestral lands have been appropriated for timber and farming, have been branded as terrorists for their activism and sometimes-violent responses to state and private sector interventions. Through their interviews, many Mapuche cite the perpetuation of colonialism under the guise of development projects, multicultural policies, and assimilationist narratives. Many Chilean locals and political elites see the continued defiance of the Mapuche in their tenacious connection to the land, resistance to integration, and insistence on their rights as a people. These diametrically opposed worldviews form the basis of the racial dichotomy that continues to pervade Chilean society. In her study, Richards traces systemic racism that follows both a top-down path (global, state, and regional) as well as a bottom-up one (local agencies and actors), detailing their historic roots. Richards also describes potential positive outcomes in the form of intercultural coalitions or indigenous autonomy. Her compelling analysis offers new perspectives on indigenous rights, race, and neoliberal multiculturalism in Latin America and globally.


The financial concept of real options has important consequences in areas of environmental and natural resources law where irreversible decisions are made in the face of uncertainty. This article argues that consideration of real options is necessary to maximize economic return from non-renewable natural resource extraction, using offshore oil drilling as a case study. Because decisions over drilling are often framed as a now-or-never choice, the option to wait (or "real option" value) is improperly treated in administrative processes that determine whether, when, and how offshore oil resources will be tapped. The value associated with the option to delay can be large, especially when there is a high degree of uncertainty about price, extraction costs, and/or the social costs imposed by drilling. The value of the information generated during a period of delay can outweigh the value of immediate extraction. Failure to consider option value leads to over-early exploitation of non-renewable resources, and socially undesirable environmental damage. In the case of offshore drilling, the governing statute requires the Department of the Interior, the administrative agency charged with overseeing the leasing of offshore lands, to consider the economic consequences of its choices, a charge it has implemented through detailed cost-benefit analysis of its planning decisions and through a sophisticated bidding system for lease auctions. But because both the cost-benefit analysis and the bidding system fail to account for real option value, they are fundamentally incomplete, leaving leasing decisions open to litigation risks and failing to maximize the net benefits generated by this public resource.


Some conditions - such as obesity, depression and functional odor disorders - come with a social stigma. Understanding the etiology of these conditions helps to avoid stereotypes and find remedies. One of the major obstacles facing researchers, especially for those studying socially distressing metabolic malodor, is the difficulty in assembling biologically homogenous study cohorts.The aim of this study was to examine phenotypic variance, self-reported data and laboratory tests for the purpose of identifying clinically relevant and etiologically meaningful subtypes of idiopathic body odor and the "People are Allergic To Me" (PATM) syndrome.Participants with undiagnosed body odor conditions enrolled to participate in this research study initiated by a healthcare charity MEBO Research and sponsored by Wishart Research group at the Metabolomics Innovation Centre, University of Alberta, Canada. Primary outcomes were differences in metabolite concentrations measured in urine, blood and breath of test and control groups. Principal component analyses and other statistical tests were carried out for these measurements.While neither of existing laboratory tests could reliably predict chronic malodor symptoms, several measurements distinguished phenotypes at a significance level less than 5%. Types of malodor can be differentiated by self-reported consumption of (or sensitivity to) added sugars (p<0.01), blood alcohols after glucose challenge (especially ethanol: p<0.0005), urinary excretion of phenylalanine, putrescine, and combinations of blood or urine metabolites.Our preliminary results suggest that malodor heterogeneity can be addressed by analyses of phenotypes based on patients' dietary and olfactory observations. Our studies highlight the need for more trials. Future research focused on comprehensive metabolomics and microbiome sequencing will play an important role in the diagnosis and treatment of malodor.The study discussed in the manuscript was registered as NCT02692495 at clinicaltrials.gov. The results were compared with our earlier study registered as NCT02683876.


The numbers of Black-browed Albatrosses Diomedea melanophrys and Grey-headed Albatrosses D. chrysostoma at Campbell Island, New Zealand, have declined dramatically since the 1940s. Black-browed Albatross numbers went into a steep decline in the 1970s and, since at least 1984, have been increasing slightly at average rates of 1.1% and 2.1% per annum at two colonies. The long-term downward trend in numbers of the Grey-headed Albatross has continued into the 1990s, averaging annually between 3.0% and 4.8% per annum at different colonies. A demographic study carried out between 1984 and 1996 indicates that Black-browed and Grey-headed Albatrosses have similarly high annual adult survival rates (0.945 and 0.953, respectively). Black-browed Albatrosses breed for the first time at a younger average age than do Grey-headed Albatrosses (10 years and 13.5 years, respectively), have a higher average breeding success (0.663 compared with 0.397 for the latter species) and are annual breeders whereas Greyheaded Albatross show a typical biennial pattern of breeding. Both show low survival from fledging to first breeding; averaging 0.186 and 0.162 for Black-browed and Grey-headed Albatrosses, respectively. Both species are accidentally killed in the Japanese long-line fishery for tuna Thunnus sp. in the Australasian region. The steep decline of Black-browed Albatross numbers in the 1970s was concomitant with the development of this fishery in the foraging region of the Campbell Island birds. Currently, the slight increase in numbers is due to high adult survival rates and breeding success, and is coincident with a great reduction in long-line fishing. With stable and high adult survival rates, it is expected that future population trends will be mainly influenced by the recruitment rates. The continuous decline in Grey-headed Albatross numbers since the 1940s, before long-line fishing developed in this region, indicates that natural environmental processes contributed to the downward trend in breeding numbers. Modelling indicates that Grey-headed Albatross numbers will continue to decrease with the present demographic parameters. A comparison between the species breeding at different sites shows that differing environmental conditions influence demographic characteristics.


The founder (team)'s human capital is a vital determinant of future firm performance. This is a stylized fact. Less is known about the effect of the human capital of the initial workforce hired by the founder(s). We study the performance consequences of a founder's choice of the initial workforce's human capital (quantity and quality), besides the human capital of the founder(s). The analysis is based on matched employer-employee data and covers about 5,300 startups in manufacturing industries founded by individuals coming from employment between 1992 and 2007. We acknowledge that initial hiring decisions are endogenous and correlated with the human capital of the founders and the ownership structure of startups (single founder versus team of founders). Given the stickiness of initial choices, human capital decisions at entry turn out to be a close to irreversible matter with significant implications for post-entry survival and growth of the firm.


Hydrothermal systems hosted by submarine arc volcanoes commonly include a large component of magmatic fluid. The high Cu-Au contents and strongly acidic fluids in these systems are similar to those that formed in the shallow parts of some porphyry copper and epithermal gold deposits mined today on land. Two main types of hydrothermal systems occur along the submarine portion of the Kermadec arc (offshore New Zealand): magmatically influenced and seawater-dominated systems. Brothers volcano hosts both types. Here, we report results from a series of drill holes cored by the International Ocean Discovery Program into these two types of hydrothermal systems. We show that the extent of hydrothermal alteration of the host dacitic volcaniclastics and lavas reflects primary lithological porosity and contrasting spatial and temporal contributions of magmatic fluid, hydrothermal fluid, and seawater. We present a two-step model that links the changes in hydrothermal fluid regime to the evolution of the volcano caldera. Initial hydrothermal activity, prior to caldera formation, was dominated by magmatic gases and hypersaline brines. The former mixed with seawater as they ascended toward the seafloor, and the latter remained sequestered in the subsurface. Following caldera collapse, seawater infiltrated the volcano through fault-controlled permeability, interacted with wall rock and the segregated brines, and transported associated metals toward the seafloor and formed Cu-Zn-Au–rich chimneys on the caldera walls and rim, a process continuing to the present day. This two-step process may be common in submarine arc caldera volcanoes that host volcanogenic massive sulfide deposits, and it is particularly efficient at focusing mineralization at, or near, the seafloor.


We explored the potential of the Feldenkrais Method of somatic education as a tool for enhancing mindfulness, body awareness, and perceptions of transformational leadership capacities among college students. The intervention consisted of thirty-two, 1.25-hour long group sessions taught by a certified Feldenkrais instructor twice weekly to 21 undergraduates in the School of Film, Dance and Theatre of a southwestern state university. Students also were required to keep a journal in which they reflected on how they felt prior to and after each class, and then recorded three additional entries during the week with observations about their experiences with thinking, sensing, feeling, and moving. Repeated measures analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was conducted to assess changes in levels of mindfulness, body awareness, and perceived leadership capacities using standardized scales administered at study baseline, midterm, and end of term. Over the semester, students evidenced significantly greater mindfulness, body awareness, and a domain of transformational leadership measuring empathy, controlling for their level of stress at the time of final exams. To meet the needs of today's Journal of Leadership Education   DOI: 1012806/V15/I3/R4 Volume 15 Issue 3 Research


Abstract:  This article evaluates drought scenarios of the Upper Colorado River basin (UCRB) considering multiple drought variables for the past 500 years and positions the current drought in terms of the magnitude and frequency. Drought characteristics were developed considering water‐year data of UCRB's streamflow, and basin‐wide averages of the Palmer Hydrological Drought Index (PHDI) and the Palmer Z Index. Streamflow and drought indices were reconstructed for the last 500 years using a principal component regression model based on tree‐ring data. The reconstructed streamflow showed higher variability as compared with reconstructed PHDI and reconstructed Palmer Z Index. The magnitude and severity of all droughts were obtained for the last 500 years for historical and reconstructed drought variables and ranked accordingly. The frequency of the current drought was obtained by considering two different drought frequency statistical approaches and three different methods of determining the beginning and end of the drought period (annual, 5‐year moving, and ten year moving average). It was concluded that the current drought is the worst in the observed record period (1923‐2004), but 6th to 14th largest in terms of magnitude and 1st to 12th considering severity in the past 500 years. Similarly, the current drought has a return period ranging from 37 to 103 years based on how the drought period was determined. It was concluded that if the 10‐year moving average is used for defining the drought period, the current drought appears less severe in terms of magnitude and severity in the last 500 years compared with the results using 1‐ and 5‐year averages.


PURPOSE: to check the occurrence of repair strategies for the phonemes /b/, /d/, /k/ e /g/ and their relation to the severity of phonological disorder. METHOD: 54 subjects were selected with a diagnosis of phonological disorder who had repair strategies for the stops / b /, / d /, / k / and / g / in the onset positions (initial and / or medial), with 40% of employment in their phonological systems. Data were statistically analyzed using the Statistical Analysis System program, version 8.02, and using the Fisher Test. The level of significance was 5% (p< 0.05). RESULTS: there was a significant difference for / b / with greater frequency of devoicing in children from moderate-severe and severe degrees, and backing and use of two or more strategies in the severe degree. Statistically significant difference for /d/ with greater frequency of backing in the subjects with mild degree, of devoicing and use of two or more strategies in patients with moderate-severe degree, and devoicing in those with severe degree. CONCLUSION: the more complex in terms of acquisition and production are the stops, most repair strategies are used. And yet, the greater is the degree of phonological disorder, the greater is the number of times where these strategies are used, showing that the child has less phonological knowledge.


Using two nationally representative datasets, we find large differences between black and white children in teacher-reported measures of non-cognitive skills. We show that these differences likely understate true black-white skill gaps because of systematic variation across schools in what teacher reports measure. We pursue several approaches to addressing these reference biases, and in nearly all cases, the estimated gaps grow to roughly the same magnitude as analogous gaps in achievement test scores. Our results suggest that non-cognitive skills may play substantial roles in producing black-white disparities in adult outcomes, including earnings, educational attainment, and criminal conviction rates.


In order to provide an accurate and rapid target recognition method for some military affairs, public security, finance and otherdepartments, this paper studied firstly a variety of fuzzy signal, analyzed the uncertainties classification and their influence,eliminated fuzziness processing, presents some methods and algorithms for fuzzy signal processing, and compared with othermethods on image processing. Where, the fuzzy signal processing is that a blurred signal is dealt with by eliminating fuzziness.Moreover, this paper used the wavelet packet analysis to carry out feature extraction of target for the first time, extractedthe coefficient feature and energy feature of wavelet transformation, gave the matching and recognition methods, comparedwith the existing target recognition methods by experiment, and presented the hierarchical recognition method. In target featureextraction process, the more detailed and rich texture feature of target can be obtained by wavelet packet to image decompositionto compare with the wavelet decomposition. In the process of matching and recognition, the hierarchical recognition methodis presented to improve the recognition speed and accuracy. The wavelet packet transformation is used to carry out the imagedecomposition. Through experiment results, the proposed recognition method has the high precision, fast speed, and its correctrecognition rate is improved by an average 6.13% than that of existing recognition methods. These researches development inthis paper can provide an important theoretical reference and practical significance to improve the real-time and accuracy onfuzzy target recognition.