A high-density, VLSI-oriented cellular associative memory for real-time numeric and nonnumeric computation is presented. Three kinds of basic search operations, which are parallel by word and serial by digit slice, are considered. A search word and memory words are encoded to several discrete values so that the number of digits to perform comparisons while searching can be greatly reduced. A multiple-valued down literal circuit of two variables, which is the basic building block for a compact content-addressable memory (CAM), can be implemented using a floating-gate MOS transistor whose threshold voltage is controllable by the external input signal. It is demonstrated that the number of transistors, cells, and interconnections between cells in an r-valued CAM are reduced to less than 1/log/sub 2/r in comparison with the corresponding binary implementation.<<ETX>>


ABSTRACT A traditional understanding of voluntary organizations with a social mission is that they are offering social services. In this article, this understanding is argued to be misleading. In a study of 59 social voluntary organizations (SVOs) an alternative view is proposed. Instead of offering social services, these organizations co-create sociality, and this is realized in collaboration with clients and in the contexts of social networks. This shift in understanding regarding what these organizations provide is mirrored in their marketing approach and managerial practice. The study is based on theory of organizational identity and service-dominant logic (S-D logic) and the findings advances our understanding of marketing approaches of SVOs, identifying the dialectical relation between organizational identity and managerial action, an organizational action embedded in integrative and excluding forces in the local society. The study also adds to research of transformative service research unfolding how service organizations create up-lifting services.


The benefits of mathemateics and science courses in high school were studied using information from the High School and Beyond data set, a study that began with more than 30,000 high school sophomores in 1980. The analysis focuses on approximately 7,000 students who finished their schooling by 1988 and for whom there were valid test scores, transcripts, and data from the 12-year followup survey. Findings provide no direct evidence that taking mathematics and science courses affects earnings. Analysis results do show some indirect effects, in that there is evidence that taking relevant courses improves later skills as measured by test scores. Recent evidence from other sources suggests that skills are an increasingly important determinant of earnings. Mathmatics skills do have an effect on learning, and high school courses do have an effect on mathematics skills. (Virginia Journal of Social Policy and the Law 6(1), November 1998.)


The waveguide sensitivity of silicon slot microring sensors and single- and double-slot microrings is analyzed using a combination of the effective index and the Airy-functions-based mode matching methods. The sensing properties of these two cases are investigated under a variety of geometries. The trends of the waveguide sensitivity on each geometrical parameter are obtained. In addition, the influence of asymmetry on the waveguide sensitivity is also investigated. Calculation also illustrates that double-slot microrings offer wider fabrication tolerance than single-slot ones. These results provide a guideline and insights for designing microring geometry to satisfy the desired sensing requirements and performance.


Case law and commentators sometimes speak as if all income-producing activities are taxed similarly. However, that simply is not true for individuals. Although the expenses and losses of business activities generally are deductible from income of any source and net losses can be carried to other tax years, individuals' investment expenses and losses generally are deductible only from investment income. Although many of the provisions restricting investment-related deductions were enacted at different times, and each one has its own rationale, the combined effect of these provisions on individual investors is a systematic preference for business losses over investment losses.Economists have shown that a tax system that allows full deduction of the losses from an activity effectively shifts part of the risk of that activity to the government. This, in turn, allows the investor to increase investment in that activity without increasing his risk. In other words, the deductibility of a net loss from an activity provides a subsidy for that activity. Federal income tax law therefore implicitly subsidizes entrepreneurship by individuals.The implicit subsidy for entrepreneurship is strongest for high-income individuals, for a number of reasons, including the progressivity of the federal income tax. That is, given progressive marginal income tax rates, taxpayers with significant income from other sources benefit most from the deduction of losses. In addition, as the article shows, despite progressive taxation, high-income individuals are not disproportionately taxed if the business is successful. In fact, high-income individuals obtain the largest benefit from techniques, such as incorporating the business, that lower the effective tax rate applied to a successful business. These insights highlight the importance of considering tax changes in a larger context. For example, as discussed in the article, lowering individual income tax rates may actually decrease entrepreneurship by individuals.


Historically power to govern public schools has been delegated to local school boards. However, this arrangement of power has been shifting over the past half century and increasingly, local school boards are targeted as ineffective and antiquated. Teach For America (TFA), typically examined for its placement of teachers, also seeks to develop educational leaders and TFA now encourages and supports its alumni to run for local school boards. The involvement of a national organization, like TFA, with its own national education agenda in local school board elections may reflect the next step in the demise of local control. To investigate whether TFA's involvement in local elections represents the spreading of a national agenda at the expense of attention to local issues, this research examines campaign messages for both TFA alumni candidates and their opponents. Results indicate that TFA alumni candidates incorporate significantly more messages aligned with TFA than their opponents (35 vs. 11), but they also maintain a focus on local issues as measured by the number of local issue messages they also incorporate into their campaign literature. Rather than debating whether school boards have lost power, this research points to the need to better understand how local politics is changing and expanding as new voices enter the arena.


Aims and objectives: The aim of this cross-country Scandinavian study was to explore how residents in nursing homes experience that their dignity is promoted and attended to. This is one part of the Scandinavian project in which we interviewed residents, relatives and staff members. Background: The main subject concerns the dignity of residents of nursing homes for older people. This article brings forward results from interviews of relatives on how they experience that the dignity is met, promoted and attended to for their next of kin. Design: The study was qualitative with a hermeneutic approach. Methods: Qualitative research interviews of 28 relatives of residents at six participating nursing homes in Scandinavia. The results derive from analysis of the interviews using Kvale's three levels of interpretation; self-understanding, common sense and a theoretical understanding. Results: The following themes emerged, from the perspective of the relatives, concerning what was deemed important to the resident according his existential needs and concerns: a). To have a comfortable, homely and practical room. b). To have close contact with family, friends and with the staff. c).To have aesthetic needs and concerns attended to. d). To have ethical needs and intrinsic values attended to. e). To have cultural and spiritual needs and concerns attended to. Conclusion: The results provide more substance to the theme and are all important in terms of the residents' feeling of worthiness and dignity. In general it seemed that the relatives experienced a positive encounter with the staff, but it was also mentioned that staff members were not confronted about episodes that were undignified and disgraceful. This could be a sign or expression that they were worried that negative responses or complaints could lead to a kind of reprisal against the resident and to indignity.


Flexural and direct tensile tests have been carried out on cement mortar sheets reinforced with continuous polyolefin films. This new type of composite, developed at the University of Surrey and called netcem, has potential applications as combined permanent shuttering and surface reinforcement to simplify construction and to improve the durability of concrete bridge decks. The techniques used for fabricating and testing three forms of netcem are described. Most of the tests were on composites containing polypropylene film, but a few tests were made using high modulus polyethylene. The principal findings were: (I) composites based on open network polypropylene film were nearly twice as strong as those based on a woven mesh. In both cases failure strains were about 7 per cent. Tensile strengths of at least 20 mn/m2 were achievable. (II) neither prolonged immersion in water nor exposure to ultra-violet radiation caused any deterioration in properties. Limited tests on a composite containing a high modulus polyethylene film indicated an increased load-carrying capacity at a given strain but the strain at failure was slightly less than for the polypropylene composites. Closely spaced fine cracks developed in the cement matrix under load, typical crack spacings being about 1 mm and 3 mm for composites containing 9 per cent by volume of open network film and woven mesh respectively. Preliminary tensile tests on axially reinforced concrete prisms incorporating side panels of netcem suggest that this type of composite material shows considerable promise for the control of surface cracking in concrete structures.(a) (TRRL)


Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT), formerly known as bone marrow transplantation, is an integral part of treatment for many hematological malignancies. HCT is associated with several complications and comorbidities with differential effects on a wide spectrum of organs and tissues. We present an update on HCT-associated complications such as graft versus host disease (GVHD) and infection, with focus on the surgical pathology of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, liver, and lung. Although the grading system for GI tract acute GVHD was proposed 40 years ago, recent studies have shed light on minimal histologic criteria for diagnosis of GVHD, as well as its differential diagnosis, including histologic effects of various medications. GI dysfunction in autologous transplant recipients is increasingly appreciated and patients are often biopsied. Acute liver injury in HCT is often due to sinusoidal obstruction syndrome (previously known as venoocclusive disease), or acute GVHD. Liver dysfunction at later time posttransplantation may be associated with acute or chronic GVHD, iron overload, or other causes of hepatitis. Lung injury in HCT is multifactorial, and it remains crucially important to diagnose and treat pulmonary infections. The pulmonary biopsy yields clinically unsuspected diagnoses in the majority of cases and its utilization is likely to increase. The pathology of the skin and kidney in HCT patients are detailed in accompanying articles.


What can the religious objects used by nineteenth- and twentieth-century Americans tell us about American Christianity? What is the relationship between the beliefs of the faithful and the landscapes they build? This lavishly illustrated book investigates the history and meaning of Christian material culture in America over the last 150 years. Drawing on a rich array of historical sources and on in-depth interviews with Protestants, Catholics, and Mormons, Colleen McDannell examines the relationship between religion and mass consumption. McDannell claims that previous studies of American Christianity have overemphasized the written, cognitive, and ethical dimensions of religion, presenting faith as a disembodied system of beliefs. She shifts attention from the church and the theological seminary to the workplace, home, cemetery, and Sunday school. Thus McDannell highlights a different Christianity - one in which average Christians experience the divine, the nature of death, the power of healing, and the meaning of community through interacting with a created world of devotional images, environments, and objects.


This thesis examines the order in which attributive adjectives are placed when appearing in a string modifying the same head noun. Noun phrases featuring more than one adjective are examined in six languages, all of which have modification patterns which exhibit distinctive patterns of syntax and morphology. Northern Sotho is a Bantu language with postnominal adjectives, agglutinative morphology and qualificative particles which link modifier and head; Welsh also has predominantly postnominal adjectives but less complex adjectival morphology. Polish and English adjectives typically appear before the noun, and the order in which they are sequenced is compared with Chinese, in which all modification appears before the noun, including relative clauses. I also examine the syntax of adjective strings in Tagalog, an Austronesian language in which adjectives can appear both before and after the noun, and in which the nature of lexical categories is particularly complex. The universality of the adjective class has generated considerable debate among linguists, with much discussion in the last decade with regard to whether adjectives constitute a independent lexical category across all languages. Chinese, Tagalog and Northern Sotho are all languages in which the nature of the adjectival category has been questioned, and this comparative analysis of a syntactic phenomenon which is an essential characteristic of adjectives adds a new dimension to the debate surrounding the universality of the adjective class. Based on a combination of corpus data and field-based methods, I analyse the patterns which appear across the languages in my sample. I evaluate the various explanations of the different factors which affect the order in which English adjectives are placed ahead of a noun, and relate my findings to equivalent structures in each of my focus languages, before proposing some conventions which appear to be consistent across a representative sample of languages.


Background: P-glycoprotein is an ATP-dependent drug efflux pump expressed in the apical membrane of epithelial cells in the liver, small intestines and kidney. Digoxin is a substrate for p-glycoprotein. Drugs associated with increased digoxin plasma levels (itraconazole, quinidine, clarithromycin, and verapamil) may decrease renal or intestinal digoxin excretion by inhibiting p-glycoprotein mediated transport. Recent work suggests that ritonavir inhibits p-glycoprotein mediated transport in renal proximal tubules.

Case: We describe the case of a 61-year-old woman on digoxin (0.250 mg po daily) for several years who presented with digoxin toxicity 3 days following the addition of ritonavir 200 mg bid po. Antiretrovirals included indinavir 800 mg tid, lamivudine 150 mg bid and stavudine 40 mg bid since 1998. Other medications were coumadin and aerosolized pentamidine. Ritonavir 200 mg bid po was added to her original regimen June 14, 2000 because of an increasing viral load. She presented to the emergency department the evening of June 17, 2000 with complaints of nausea and vomiting increasing over the last day. On clinical assessment she was mildly dehydrated. Digoxin level approximately 5 hours after her last dose was 7.2 nmol/L (N 1 to 2.6 nmol/L). EKG showed a paced rhythm. All drugs except coumadin were stopped. Repeat levels approximately 11, 15 and 27 h after the last dose were 5.5 nmol/L (Behr immunoassay), 4.5 nmol/L and 2.7 nmol/L respectively. Digoxin was permanently discontinued without consequence. She subsequently restarted and continues to tolerate indinavir, ritonavir, lamivudine and stavudine.

Conclusions: To our knowledge there have been no published cases illustrating a potential drug interaction between digoxin and ritonavir. We postulate that ritonavir could decrease renal or intestinal digoxin excretion by inhibiting p-glycoprotein mediated transport. Further pharmacokinetic and in vitro studies are in progress to confirm the extent and mechanism of this interaction.


Do members of the House of Representatives have a constitutional right to resign their seats? This Article uses that question as a window onto broader issues about the relationship between legislators and citizens and the respective roles of liberalism and republicanism in the American constitutional order. The Constitution explicitly provides for the resignation of senators, presidents, and vice presidents, but, curiously, it does not say anything about resigning from the House of Representatives. Should we allow the expressio unius interpretive canon to govern and conclude that the inclusion of some resignation provisions implies the impermissibility of resignation when there is no such clause? Or should we consider this a meaningless variation?This Article examines how members left (or were prevented from leaving) the House of Commons, the colonial American legislatures, the early state legislatures, and the Continental Congress and concludes that the background assumption at the Founding was that legislative seats could not be resigned. Moreover, the available evidence from the Constitution's drafting shows that the Founders understood there to be a difference between the House and Senate with regard to resignation. The Article presents several reasons, based on the different institutional designs and functions of the two houses, why this might have been the case, including different term lengths and methods of appointment and the early Senate's role as a quasi-ambassadorial body. From this historical evidence, the Article suggests that the House has the power to prevent its members from resigning.However, the House of Representatives has never exercised this power. After surveying the debates over resignation in the early Congresses, the Article concludes by considering policy reasons for requiring members to get the House's permission to quit their seats. Specifically, the Article offers two paradigm cases for returning to the original understanding: the first case deals with members who wish to resign while they stand accused of ethical transgressions; the second case deals with members who wish to leave because legislative service has ceased to be convenient for them. The Article argues that both cases point toward the need for a return to a previous, more republican, understanding of resignations.


Visual data exploration involves presenting data in some graphical form and allowing the human to interactively gain insight into the data. Visual data exploration techniques have proven to be very useful for exploratory data analysis, especially for mining large databases. However, the lack of explicit content semantics within the framework of the visualization tool makes interpretation of the visualizations difficult at times. The aim of our research is the development of a comprehensive framework for integrating semantics of data into an existing visualization tool in a flexible yet minimally intrusive manner. The first stage of the framework involves a transformation process that enables the mapping between a wide range of data types to a form the visualization system can process. This stage exploits the strengths of XML for handling semantics extraction, flexible data modelling of domains and managing the data mapping rules to conform the data to the requirements of the visualization tool. The second stage of the framework enables the visualization tool to access and present the semantic information separate from the data display. We demonstrate and validate this framework by illustrating the extension of XmdvTool, a multivariate data visualization system, to handle varied data types such as categorical fields and unstructured text files. We believe the framework is sufficiently powerful to incorporate other forms of data, as well as to be used to extend other visualization tools, such as OpenDX.


After the vigorous engagement of the international community, which resulted in the Dayton Accord, Royamont Initiative, the EU's Regional Approach, the SECI and, finally, the Stability Pact, it seems that the likeliness of new challenges to the security has been eliminated from Southeastern Europe. The involvement of a number of significant international factors, plus the presence of military forces in the Balkans – whether through SFOR, KFOR or NATO – should all lead us to the conclusion that a possible outbreak of larger conflicts is impossible; moreover, even some other forms of insecurity are almost totally under control. If the security of this region is to be compared to the situation in other parts of Europe, it can be said with certainty that the challenges to security will continue to have their local, as well as their universal foundations. This will make the demands of the international community and local forces – on condition they truly aspire towards Europe – much more dynamic and committed. Only by such systematic efforts will it be possible to overcome the existing situation and create the necessary pre-conditions for the integration of Southeast Europe into Europe proper.


Due to the ability to perform simultaneous, multi-element and real-time analysis without pretreatment and doing from a distance, laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) in standoff mode is now considered a cutting-edge analytical technology. All these features have allowed its application in various fields such as security, environment, cultural heritage protection and space exploration, among the more outstanding. Nonetheless, the fact of working to long distances involves greater difficulties than in a lab-scale. Thus, in a first part of this memory, the behavior of the analytical signal has been assessed. On the other hand, a second part demonstrates the applicability of the technique in standoff mode for solving real-life problems. • Fundamental studies 1. Main causes affecting the uncertainty of the analytical signal in standoff LIBS. One of the most sensitive issues in standoff LIBS is maybe the large variability observed in the analytical response of distant targets. Therefore, in this work, a standoff LIBS sensor has been used to assessment of the laser beam delivering up to a distant target as well as the properties of the light emitted from the plasma induced gathered by the sensor. • Applications standoff LIBS 1. Evaluation of the Cultural Heritage: Malaga Cathedral. Cultural heritage is a valuable source of history and a unique and irreplaceable legacy of our past. While sometimes an artwork can be transported to the laboratory for its analysis, in other cases this option is not feasible. The ease compaction in mobile platforms of LIBS instrumentation for in situ analysis, allows for moving the system sensor to the location of the sample. For first time a standoff LIBS system has been used to characterize and analyze the composition of building materials as well as potential sources of contamination in a historic building on difficult to access areas, since this technology only requires a clear line of sight to the target. I. Location and identification of explosive-contaminated fingerprint. Nowadays, it is clear that the detection of explosives due to numerous terrorist attacks requires a special attention. LIBS is an attractive technology to anticipating this type of threats. In the present work, the ability of a mobile LIBS sensor to locate and identify fingerprints of explosives residues (DNT, TNT, RDX, PETN and chloratite ) on different surfaces (aluminum and glass) from a minimum distance of 30m has been demonstrated. Chemical distribution maps of the different residues with 100% effectiveness were developed. However, despite the effectiveness of the technique in the localization and detection of explosives residues, one of the main problems is the identification of products that share a similar elemental composition, and thus a similarity in the analytical response. In this memory have been developed and implemented chemometric algorithms, which are capable of adapting to different working ranges, to distinguish residues of organic explosives of traces of dairy products, such as olive oil, motor oil, hand cream, gasoline, fuel oil, etc. on a metal surface (aluminum). This strategy allows categorize the residues assessed with a 100% accuracy and error rates below 5 %. II. Forensic studies for the determination of radiological material. Although radioactivity has numerous applications in everyday life, the danger of a radiological dispersal event, either by natural causes or malicious (dirty bombs) is more than evident. Therefore, the detection and identification of explosives as well as their monitoring and quantification from a safe location is demanded. The potential of standoff LIBS to scan, analyze and quickly characterize the radiological contamination in various objects of street furniture has been here evaluated. The results have demonstrated the selectivity and sensitivity of the technology to detect radioactive surrogates such as Co, Ba, Sr, Cs, Ir and U on substrates of aluminum, clay, concrete and glass. It have been also demonstrated the capabilities of the technique for simultaneous and in situ analysis of explosive and radiological evidence in a post-detonation scenario.


Agriculture, mining and related rural industries have been central to the development of Australia's economy. This book details the role that the Australian Government has played in the making of rural and regionalAustralia, particularly since World War II. The book reviews these policies and evaluates them with regards the commitments undertaken by the Government to contribute towards vibrant, rural communities. Policy areas addressed include agriculture, water, education, welfare and population, natural resource management, resource extraction, Indigenous and affairs, localism, rural research and regional innovation, Youth Affairs and the devolution of regional governance. Overall two distinct policy strategies can be observed: one wherein the government saw its role as part of the entrepreneurial state and a sector wherein government has increasingly taken itself out of industry development, leaving this role to the market. Having considered these strategies and their impacts, the book concludes that policy over the past 40 years has not in fact contributed to a more vibrant, prosperous rural and regional Australia. Rural and Regional Futures concludes with several chapters looking to the future. One chapter explores what the role of the state can be within a social market economy while the final chapter gives consideration to the initial steps rural communities will need to take to begin the process of revitalisation. While these materials present as a case study of developments in Australia, the policy shift from the Government as entrepreneur to a focus on markets is an international one and as such, the insights offered by this book will have wide appeal [Book Synopsis]


Background and Objective: Delirium in critically ill patients is common and distressing.1 The incidence of delirium in intensive care units (ICU) has been reported to range from 45-87%.2,3 Arguably, delirium is a well-recognized cause of morbidity and mortality among ICU patients. It can lead to longer hospital stays, lower six-month survival, and cognitive impairment persisting even years after discharge.3 It has therefore been recommended that all ICU patients are assessed for delirium using a validated tool.3 To date, limited data is available on the prevalence of delirium in surgical patients. In a study published in 2008, the observed risk was 73% in surgical and trauma patients.4 This study aimed to evaluate the incidence and modifiable risk factors of delirium in the surgical intensive care unit (SICU) of a tertiary care hospital in a developing country. Methods: We conducted a prospective observational study in patients over 18 years of age who were admitted to the SICU for more than 24 hours in Aga Khan University Hospital, Pakistan, from January 2016 to December 2016. The SICU has 9 beds and is run by trained intensivists with 24/7 coverage. Nurse to bed ratio is 1:1. Admissions are received from the emergency department, operating room, and surgical wards. After approval from the University's ethical review committee, written informed consent was taken from the patient's next of kin. Patients who had a preexisting cognitive dysfunction, signed a Do-Not-Resuscitate order, or stayed in the SICU for less than 24 hours were excluded from the study. Delirium was assessed by the Intensive Care Delirium Screening Checklist (ICDSC).5 The incidence of delirium was computed and univariate and multivariable analyses were performed to observe the relationship between outcome and associated factors. Results: The average patient age was 43.29 ± 17.38 years and BMI was 26.25 ± 3.57 kg/m2 (Table 1). Delirium was observed in 19 of 87 patients with an incidence rate of 21.8%. In univariate analysis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), fever, pain score >4/10, agitation, sedation, hypernatremia, length of ICU stay ≥ 7 days, and mortality were significantly higher in patients who developed delirium (Table 2). Patients on midazolam and propofol were four times more likely to develop delirium. Patients on pethedine were also more likely to develop delirium. Multivariable analysis showed that COPD, pain score >4, and hypernatremia were strong predictors of delirium (Table 3). Midazolam [aOR = 7.37; 95% CI: 2.04-26.61] and propofol exposure [aOR = 7.02; 95% CI: 1.92-25.76] were the strongest independent delirium predictors while analgesic exposures was not statistically significant to predict delirium on multivariable analysis. Conclusion: Delirium assessment is taken seriously and has been done for a long period of time in our unit. Our lower indicence rate of delirium concerns only the surgical patient population and reflects different assessment modalities used as well as pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapeutic options in comparison to the traditional approaches. In addition, we use different strategies such as bundles, sedation and pain protocol, and appropriate family interactions with the patients to minimize delirium. Delirium is a significant risk factor of poor outcome in SICU. This study showed an independent association between inadequate pain control, sedative medication, COPD, hypernatremia, and fever in developing delirium.


Atmospheric particulate matter in two size fractions 2.5-10 μm and ≤2.5 μm were collected on nuclepore polycarbonate filter papers and were analyzed for elements using NAA and EDXRF. Varimax rotated factor analysis identified five major sources contributing to coarse and fine particulate mass. FA-MLR technique is applied to apportion the sources. Source apportionment studies showed maximum contribution of the coarse fraction was from sea salt (35%) and crustal (25%) sources. A considerable amount of the mass was also contributed from industrial (14%), vehicular (10%) and fugitive emissions (7%). These results also showed the percentage contribution of soil, two-stroke emission with fugitive dust, industrial emission, motor vehicles and sea salt to the average fine mass concentration was 3%, 18%, 23%, 29% and 9%, respectively. The contribution of each source to their constituent elements also has been determined using the same technique.


Transient stability assessment is a critical tool for power system design and operation. With the emerging advanced synchrophasor measurement techniques, machine learning methods are playing an increasingly important role in power system stability assessment. However, most existing research makes a strong assumption that the measurement data transmission delay is negligible. In this paper, we focus on investigating the influence of communication delay on synchrophasor-based transient stability assessment. In particular, we develop a delay aware intelligent system to address this issue. By utilizing an ensemble of multiple long short-term memory networks, the proposed system can make early assessments to achieve a much shorter response time by utilizing incomplete system variable measurements. Compared with existing work, our system is able to make accurate assessments with a significantly improved efficiency. We perform numerous case studies to demonstrate the superiority of the proposed intelligent system, in which accurate assessments can be developed with time one third less than state-of-the-art methodologies. Moreover, the simulations indicate that noise in the measurements has trivial impact on the assessment performance, demonstrating the robustness of the proposed system.


Based on extensive clinical questionnaire data, this paper explores the relation between research subjects' self-assessed understanding and actual knowledge of a large-scale predictive screening study, and its implications for the proper handling of information and consent routines in longitudinal studies. The intitial data show that low self-assessed understanding among participants was correlated with limited knowledge, concern over participation and collected samples, less satisfaction with information, and feeling passive or negative towards the study. Among those reporting high understanding, a non-negligible number displayed a lack of knowledge regarding central aspects of the study. Regarding high assessed understanding, the multivariate analysis identified the main predictor variables to be knowledge, having a positive attitude towards participation and the study itself, being satisfied with information, having a stable psychosocial background and feeling calm regarding the handling of samples. These findings indicate that to evaluate participants' understanding through self-assessment may not be reliable method. Self-assessed understanding may rather be a good indicator of general attitudes than a tool for analysing content. The data also show that actual understanding varies considerably among participants, suggesting that more effort needs to be put into adjusting the information to the needs of different subgroups. It is argued that when doing this, researchers in longitudinal studies must be careful not to exhaust participants with excessive information that they do not want and that may cause them to drop out. The ethical relevance of obtaining repeated consents in longitudinal research is discussed.


Abstract. The International Surface Temperature Initiative (ISTI) is striving towards substantively improving our ability to robustly understand historical land surface air temperature change at all scales. A key recently completed first step has been collating all available records into a comprehensive open access, traceable and version-controlled databank. The crucial next step is to maximise the value of the collated data through a robust international framework of benchmarking and assessment for product intercomparison and uncertainty estimation. We focus on uncertainties arising from the presence of inhomogeneities in monthly mean land surface temperature data and the varied methodological choices made by various groups in building homogeneous temperature products. The central facet of the benchmarking process is the creation of global-scale synthetic analogues to the real-world database where both the "true" series and inhomogeneities are known (a luxury the real-world data do not afford us). Hence, algorithmic strengths and weaknesses can be meaningfully quantified and conditional inferences made about the real-world climate system. Here we discuss the necessary framework for developing an international homogenisation benchmarking system on the global scale for monthly mean temperatures. The value of this framework is critically dependent upon the number of groups taking part and so we strongly advocate involvement in the benchmarking exercise from as many data analyst groups as possible to make the best use of this substantial effort.


Objectives: The population history of European Romani is characterized by extensive bottleneck and admixture events, but the impact of this unique demographic history on the genetic risk for disease remains unresolved. Methods: Genome-wide SNP data on Romani, non-Romani Europeans and Indians were analyzed. The excess of homozygous variants in Romani genomes was assessed according to their potential functional effect. We also explored the frequencies of risk variants associated with five common diseases which are present at an increased prevalence in Romani compared to other Europeans. Results: Slightly deleterious variants are present at increased frequencies in European Romani, likely a result of relaxed purifying selection due to bottlenecks in their population history. The frequencies of SNPs associated with common metabolic and cardiovascular diseases are also increased compared to their European hosts. Conclusions: As observed in other founder populations, we confirm the impact of bottlenecks on the abundance of slightly deleterious variants in Romani groups, probably including metabolic and cardiovascular risk variants.


Tsunami risk assessment was conducted for Niigata City, one of the largest cities facing Japan Sea. Niigata City is known as historical port town developed on a low land formed as the delta by the Shinano River and the Agano River. The city is therefore vulnerable for soil liquefaction. In 1964, the city was devastated by a large earthquake in which soil liquefaction and tsunami worsened the damage. In addition, because of the heavy snowfall in winter, like many coastal cities on the Japan Sea side, the water level rise in the Shinano River in the snow-melt season appears to increase the flooding risk of the harbor area. The harbor is protected by a 4 km long breakwater. This study aims to investigate the tsunami risk of the Niigata City considering the collapse of the infrastructures, the soil liquefaction and the tsunami invasion to rivers in the snow-melt period.Recorded Presentation from the vICCE (YouTube Link): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hiBabxOE1Nc


Arthritis is a chronic inflammatory disease that causes severe joint pain. Interleukin 17F (IL17F) is considered as a candidate gene functionally; it mediates pro-inflammatory responses, depending on the type and site of inflammation. The present study examined the polymorphism of IL17F (rs763780 and rs2397084) among the families affected by arthritis. Demographic data and blood samples were collected from the families with at least one affected offspring with arthritis. Analysis of the IL17F gene polymorphism was performed by the digestion of DNA with NlaIII and AvaII. The results showed that IL17F rs763780 (AA, AG and GG genotypes) and rs2397084 (AA, AG and GG genotypes) were associated with arthritis (OA & RA). It was evaluated that about 65 and 21 percent of the individuals mutated with homozygous mutation for wild type allele A, heterozygous mutation A/G against selected SNPs respectively. But homozygous polymorphic allele for allele G was only found against rs2397084. Mutation in rs2397084 resulted to change Lysine into Arginine, whereas mutation in rs763780 changed Histidine into Arginine. Maternal history was found as a stronger factor in transferring arthritis. The results of this study revealed an association of arthritis with IL17F among Pakistani population.


The meridionally arranged rugosity, which is restricted to the Cretaceous globigerines, is given a superfamily taxonomic status. The globigerines displaying this type of ornamentation are placed in the Rugoglobigerinacea which is subdivided into two families the Rugoglobigerinidae and the Abathomphalidae. The Rugoglobigerinidae includes the forms having an umbilical primary aperture with a tegillum (Rugoglobigerina Brönnimann, Trinitella Brönnimann, and Plummerita Brönnimann). The Abathomphalidae includes the genera which have an umbilical–extraumbilical to spiro-umbilical primary aperture with a tegillum (Abathomphalus Bolli, Loeblich & Tappan, and Kassabella El-Nakhal), or a porticus (Meridionalla El-Nakhal, and Badriella n. gen.). Badriella is introduced as a new genus with B. mouradi n. sp. (= hypotype of Praeglobotruncana loeblichae Douglas) as a type species, to accommodate the meridionally costellate species with compressed chambers and umbilical–extraumbilical primary aperture, which were previously assigned to Praeglobotruncana Bermudez. The Rugoglobigerinacea may have evolved from a hedbergelline ancestor during the latest Albian via the development of the meridinally arranged rugosity.


The law of universal attraction has been used widely. However, how two objects attract each other is still a riddle. Hypotheses, such as gravitons, universal repulsion, sub-photon seas, etc., all have flaws, and do not deal with the basic reason why there is such a law. In this paper, suppose: (1) microparticles at a certain speed, moving like thermal motion of molecules, are distributed in space; (2) the objects are not continuous in microstructure, but there are gaps between the particles comprising the objects, allowing some microparticles to pass through; (3) momentum transferred from microparticles to the objects is proportional to mass of the objects. This theory of momentum exchange between objects and microparticles may interpret the source of universal attraction more reasonably as well as providing a formula to be used as a basis for calculation. Universal attraction is an equivalent expression for momentum exchange between objects and microparticles. This generates the force acting along the line of centers of the two objects which are close to each other. The universal attraction constant G is accurate only for astronomical bodies near the earth. Universal attraction between two objects is related to an intermediary between them. There is no graviton.

 Key words: Universal attraction, graviton, universal repulsion, photon, microparticle, momentum.


Five supersonic inlets having conical center bodies were investigated in a 16-inch ram jet engine with and without combustion at Mach numbers of 1.7, 1.9, and 2.0 and angles of attack from 0 degrees to 10 degrees. Four of the inlets were of the low-mass-flow-ratio type whereas the fifth inlet was of the high-mass-flow-ratio type. The stable operating range of the four low-nass-flow-ratio inlets decreased considerably as the angle of attack was increased despite an increase of the cone angle or the use of boundary-layer bleed. The stable range of the high-mass-flow-ratio inlet increased considerably both at 0 degrees and at greater angles of attack as the free-stream Mach number was decreased. Free-stream Mach number, angle of attack, and inlet type had negligible effects on combustion efficiency, temperature ratio, or combustion-chamber inlet Mach number in the supercritical region.


THERE is still considerable variation in gay sexual behaviour and evidence of continued high risk sex. A sample of 369 homosexually active men from differ ent areas of England were assessed on two oc casions, nine months apart, in 1988 and 1989, to examine the extent to which a number of social- psychological factors predicted high risk sexual be haviour over time. None of the variables were signifi cantly related to unprotected receptive anal sex. However, whether or not men were involved in a regular relationship with a partner was strongly as sociated with high risk behaviour. The implications of these results are that health education interven tions should focus on alerting all men to the circum stances in which high risk sex is more likely to happen.


This paper reframes the security and development debate through fresh theoretical lenses, which view security as highly contested both in the realm of politics and in the realm of ideas. 1 For some analysts security concerns political power, including the use of organised force to establish and maintain social orders and to protect them from external and internal threats. For others it is about how individuals and communities are protected (or protect themselves) from violence, abuse of power and other existential risks. We integrate both approaches whilst placing our focus on the deep tensions between them. Combining them is especially apposite in the hybrid political orders of conflict-torn regions in the developing world – where the state and its monopoly of violence are contested and diverse state and non-state security actors coexist, collaborate or compete. We ask what security in these hybrid contexts looks like from below, that is from the perspective of "end users", be these citizens of states, members of local communities or those who are marginalised and insecure. What are their own vernacular understandings of security, and how do these understandings link to wider conceptions of citizen and of human security? Even when security and insecurity are experienced and decided locally, they are at the same time determined nationally and globally. It is at the interfaces between local agency, state power and global order that the most politically salient and analytically challenging issues tend to arise. To analyse these interfaces we focus on three interconnecting political spaces, each characterised by their own forms of hybridity, in which security is negotiated with end-users: (i) "unsecured borderlands" where state authority is suspended or violently challenged by alternative claimants to power or providers of security, including nonstate armed groups; (ii) "contested Leviathans", that is state security structures whose authority and capacity to deliver security are weak, disputed or compromised by special interests; and (iii) "securitised policy spaces" in which international actors collaborate to ensure peace and fulfil their responsibility to protect vulnerable end-users in unse cured regions. In making these distinctions we argue that similar analytical lenses can be turned upon international actors in securitised policy spaces as well as upon state and non-state security actors. The concluding section argues that such a reframing of the security and development debate demands not just new modes of analysis but also fresh approaches to


One of the striking differences between massive open online courses ( MOOCs) and previous innovations in the education technology field is the unprecedented interest and involvement of the general public. As MOOCs address pressing problems in higher education and the broader educational practice, awareness of the general public debate around MOOCs is essential. Understanding the public discourse around MOOCs can provide insights into important social and public problems, thus enabling the MOOC research community to better focus their research endeavors. While there have been some reports looking at the state of the MOOC-related research, the analysis of the public debate surrounding MOOCs is still largely missing. In this paper, we present the results of a study that looked at the content of the public discourse related to MOOCs. We identified the most important themes and topics in MOOC-related mainstream JOUR reports. Our results indicate that coverage of MOOCs in public media is rapidly decreasing: by the middle of 2014, it decreased by almost 50% from the highest activity during 2013. In addition, the focus of those discussions is also changing. While the majority of discussions during 2012 and 2013 were focused on MOOC providers, the announcements of their partnerships, and million dollar investments, the current focus of MOOC discourse seems to be moving toward more productive topics focused on the overall position of MOOCs in the global educational landscape. Among different topics that this study discovered, government-related issues and the use of data and analytics are some of the topics that seem to be growing in popularity during the first half of 2014. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]


The first computer simulation book for anyone designing or building a gameAnswering the growing demand for a book catered for those who design, develop, or use simulations and games this book teaches you exactly what you need to know in order to understand the simulations you build or use all without having to earn another degree. Organized into three parts, this informative book first defines computer simulations and describes how they are different from live-action and paper-based simulations.The second section builds upon the previous, with coverage of the technical details of simulations, a detailed description of how models are built, and an explanation of how those models are translated into simulations. Finally, the last section develops four examples that walk you through the process from model to finished and functional simulation, all of which are created using freely available software and all of which can be downloaded.Targets anyone interested in learning about the inner workings of a simulation or game, but may not necessarily be a programmer or scientistOffers technical details on what simulations are and how they are built without overwhelming you with intricate jargonBreaks down simulation vs. modeling and traditional vs. computer simulationsExamines verification and validation and discusses simulation toolsWhether you need to learn how simulations work or it's something you've always been curious about but couldn't find the right resource, look no further. The Guide to Computer Simulations and Games is the ideal book for getting a solid understanding of this fascinating subject.


Due to inherent nature of standing wave patterns of microwaves inside a cavity and dielectric properties of different components in a food, microwave heating leaves non-uniform distribution of energy inside the food volumetrically. Achieving heating uniformity plays critical role in improving the safety of microwave heated products. In this paper, we present a method for assessing heating uniformity within domestic microwave ovens. A custom designed container was used to assess heating uniformity of a range of microwave ovens using IR camera. The study suggested that the best place to place food in a microwave oven is not at center but near the edge of turntable.


Steve Neale and Frank Krutnik take as their starting point the remarkable diversity of comedy's forms and modes - feature-length narratives, sketches and shorts, sit-com and variety, slapstick and romance. Relating this diversity to the variety of comedy's basic conventions - from happy endings to the presence of gags and the involvement of humour and laughter - they seek both to explain the nature of these forms and conventions and to relate them to their institutional contexts. They propose that all forms and modes of the comic involve deviations from aesthetic and cultural conventions and norms, and, to demonstrate this, they discuss a wide range of programmes and films, from Blackadder to Bringing up Baby, from City Limits to Blind Date, from the Roadrunner cartoons to Bless this House and The Two Ronnies. Comedies looked at in particular detail include: the classic slapstick films of Keaton, Lloyd, and Chaplin; Hollywood's 'screwball' comedies of the 1930s and 1940s; Monty Python, Hancock, and Steptoe and Son. The authors also relate their discussion to radio comedy.


The swing of the pendulum between centralization and decentralization of the higher education (HE) system has generally been towards the former in the Iranian context in the past decade. This has prompted some academics, particularly those who find their disciplines left out to react by highlighting intrinsic differences in teaching and studying methods across the HE spectrum. Built Environment disciplines are no exceptions in this regard as their interdisciplinary nature has always made it difficult to classify them as science, art or engineering, and hence to expect research and study methods associated with either. The present research initially started not to highlight the differences between Built Environment and other libraries, but to scrutinize the ways in which this particular library is used. Further examinations cast light on managerial and cultural issues behind what authors believe to be the underuse of the library. However, the research also highlighted possible discipline-specific reasons for such underuse. Authors are convinced, however, that not only what is considered as norms in library usage standards should be applied to this library cautiously, but also that there is a need to rethink the role of a library in research and teaching excellence in this particular context.


BACKGROUND
Lower limb malperfusion (LLM) syndrome occurs in up to 40% of complicated type B aortic dissections (TBAD) and in up to 71% of TBAD with malperfusion syndrome. This syndrome is associated with higher 30-day mortality. The aim of this systematic review was to provide clinical and procedural data of patients with LLM syndrome secondary to TBAD.

METHODS
The PubMed database was systematically searched from January 2000 to June 2014 for English-language publications reporting on demographic data of patients with LLM secondary to TBAD.

RESULTS
A total of 29 papers were included (10 original articles and 19 case reports), reporting on a total of 138 patients (mean age =58±12 years; male =87%). Lower limb complications developed in acute and chronic TBAD in 134 (97%) and 4 (3%) cases, respectively. LLM presented with acute limb ischemia in 120 (87%) patients. Bilateral clinical presentation occurred in 56% (40/72) of cases. LLM was the only clinically detected malperfusion in 52% of cases (44/84). In 40% (35/84) and 25% (21/84) of cases, LLM was clinically associated with renal and visceral malperfusion, respectively. Radiological imaging showed renal, celiac trunk and superior mesenteric artery involvement in 53% (47/88), 31% (27/88) and 34% (30/88) of cases, respectively. Medical, surgical and endovascular treatments were performed in 22 (16%), 51 (37%) and 65 (47%) patients, respectively. Thirty-day morbidity was 31% (13/42) and 46% (6/13) following surgical and endovascular treatment, respectively. Thirty-day mortality was 14% (5/36) and 8% (2/26) following surgical and endovascular treatment, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS
LLM syndrome secondary to TBAD usually developed during the acute phase and, in most cases, presented with acute limb ischemia. Bilateral clinical presentation occurred in more than half of cases. Renal and visceral malperfusion were frequently associated with lower limb flow reduction but LLM was the only clinically detected malperfusion in more than half of patients. Surgical fenestration was burdened with significant complication rates and 30-day mortality. Endovascular procedures showed lower mortality but complication rates remained high.


In this paper we describe a system that leverages accelerometers to recognize a particular involuntary gesture in babies that have been born preterm. These gestures, known as cramped-synchronized general movements are highly correlated with a diagnosis of Cerebral Palsy. In order to test our system we recorded data from 10 babies admitted to the newborn intensive care unit at the UCI Medical Center. We applied machine learning techniques to features based on their data and were able to obtain accuracies between 70% and 90% depending on the relative cost of false positives and false negatives. Validated video observation annotations were utilized as ground truth. Finally, we conducted an analysis to understand the basis of the algorithmic predictions. 1


Plot studies were conducted on a jack pine forest with sandy soil and aspen forests with sandy and loam soils to examine the controls of slope aspect, soil texture and fall soil moisture content on near-surface snowmelt runoff and infiltration. It was hypothesized that near-surface runoff would be greater from north-facing slopes on loam soils with increased fall soil moisture content. Fall soil moisture had no measurable effect on spring snowmelt runoff. Infiltration of snowmelt dominated (drainage coefficients 53–100%, median 87%) over near-surface runoff (runoff coefficients 1–65%, median 7%) for most plots. Runoff was related to concrete frost at the mineral soil surface. In contrast to the processes hypothesized, south-facing hillslopes with sandy soils generated greater runoff than north-facing slopes or sites with finer-textured soils. These results were due to greater concrete frost development resulting from periodic spring snowmelt and re-freezing in the upper soil. South-facing hillslopes with sandy soils featured lower canopy cover, allowing greater solar radiation to reach the snow surface which led to the formation of concrete frost and faster melt rates resulting in near-surface runoff. Where hillslopes are connected to receiving surface waters by continuous concrete frost, snowmelt runoff at the watershed scale may be enhanced.


Abstract. Carrying out monitoring surveys in seismic regions is good practice both for the assessment of land deformation and the evaluation of building structures standing on it. In this work, topographic levelling and DInSAR techniques have been used for displacement measurement. These geomatic techniques are rarely applied in the same context and attempts are made to combine the results obtained for having a complete analysis of the site. The proposed work analyses, compares and discusses topographic levelling and advanced multi-temporal DInSAR techniques used to detect and measure ground deformation when the occurrence of seismic events might have played a role in the displacement. The area of interest had already been under observation through ground-based monitoring surveys, by means of metal bolts attached to façades of buildings detected by topographic level, from 1998 to 2021. The DInSAR analysis was carried out exploiting Sentinel-1A/B data acquired during the period 2014–2021. The goal of the DInSAR processing stage of the procedure is to derive the deformation map of the area of interest from SAR data. A zero date has been set for both survey methods in order to define similar time series for comparison analysis. The results showed that ground displacements measured by levelling and DInSAR have similar trends. On the geomorphological aspect, the same distribution map of terrain subsidence is found in both techniques.


Only a decade ago, the notion that museums, galleries and heritage organisations might engage in activist practice, with explicit intent to act upon inequalities, injustices and environmental crises, was met with scepticism and often derision. Seeking to purposefully bring about social change was viewed by many within and beyond the museum community as inappropriately political and antithetical to fundamental professional values. Today, although the idea remains controversial, the way we think about the roles and responsibilities of museums as knowledge based, social institutions is changing. Museum Activism examines the increasing significance of this activist trend in thinking and practice.
At this crucial time in the evolution of museum thinking and practice, this ground-breaking volume brings together more than fifty contributors working across six continents to explore, analyse and critically reflect upon the museum's relationship to activism. Including contributions from practitioners, artists, activists and researchers, this wide-ranging examination of new and divergent expressions of the inherent power of museums as forces for good, and as activists in civil society, aims to encourage further experimentation and enrich the debate in this nascent and uncertain field of museum practice.
Museum Activism elucidates the largely untapped potential for museums as key intellectual and civic resources to address inequalities, injustice and environmental challenges. This makes the book essential reading for scholars and students of museum and heritage studies, gallery studies, arts and heritage management, and politics. It will be a source of inspiration to museum practitioners and museum leaders around the globe.


This article examines some post-admissions issues related to collegiate affirmative action. Specifically, it focuses on the experiences and interactions of students of color with their White peers on predominantly White college campuses. Focus group interviews with African American, Latino/a, Asian American, and Native American students were conducted to explore and analyze student intergroup relations. The data reveal White student behaviors that often have a negative impact on students of color, especially patterns of White "colorblindness" and color consciousness, along with racial or ethnic stereotyping. They suggest that problematic intergroup peer relations on college campuses can be best understood by placing them within the larger organizational and social contexts that frame and support them. INTRODUCTION In recent years, race relations on U.S. college campuses have received renewed theoretical, programmatic, and public attention. Sustained inequality and racial harassment in higher education settings resurfaced in the late 1980s and early 1990s bringing with them fresh student protests in response. In the early to mid-1990s, greater attention was devoted to planning for and debating the merits of diversity and multiculturalism. The latter period also saw the emergence of a generation of anti-affirmative action movements and legal suits. On a theoretical level, these trends have led to a reconsideration of the meaning and measure of prejudice in the United States, analyses of the relationship between institutional power and racism, renewed investigations of identity politics, examinations of the nature of Whiteness, and reviews of traditional assumptions about the influence of social support and/or isolation and alienation in the academic performance and social behavior of students of color. Much of the recent literature on higher education agrees that racial problems exist on the nation's college campuses. Some articulate these problems as indicative of a racial crisis (Altbach & Lomotey, 1991; Chesler & Crowfoot, 1991), while others imply that the problems, though present and important, are not quite at a critical level (Allen, 1985; Allen, Epps, & Haniff, 1991; Allen & Niss, 1990; Hurtado, 1992; Nettles, Thoeny, & Gosman, 1986). At the very least, researchers have pointed to a significant gap between White students assessments of their schools' racial climate and those of students of color. Many point out that, at least for Black students, the question is not whether racial tension exists on their campuses but to what degree and with what impact. As McClelland and Auster (1990) note, Racial tensions have been documented at integrated institutions at least since the 1960s. Stereotyping by their white faculty and peers as "special admits," a perceived lack of support by faculty and staff, and a largely segregated social life have made Blacks at white schools feel quite aware of their marginal status and have contributed to feelings of sociocultural alienation. From their perspective, the racial climate at our nation's colleges and universities has never been good. (pp. 612-613) Though the literature highlights the main patterns of race relations on U.S. campuses, several important gaps remain. High levels of alienation on the part of students of color have been identified, but no research has yet analyzed how that alienation is generated. Specifically, much of this work is based on survey data that neither include students' voices nor consider their daily experiences. Moreover, the literature primarily focuses only on the campus experiences of Black students (and occasionally Chicanos) and does not include other racial/ethnic groups in their analyses. Too little research has examined either the relationship of the institutional context to patterns of relations on campus or the links between what takes place in colleges and universities and what goes on in the larger social context. …


At the 2015 United Nations International Climate Change Conference in Paris (COP21), 197 national parties committed to limit global warming to well below 2°C. But current plans and pace of progress are still far from sufficient to achieve this objective. Here we review the role that geoscience and the subsurface could play in decarbonizing electricity production, industry, transport and heating to meet UK and international climate change targets, based on contributions to the 2019 Bryan Lovell meeting held at the Geological Society of London. Technologies discussed at the meeting involved decarbonization of electricity production via renewable sources of power generation, substitution of domestic heating using geothermal energy, use of carbon capture and storage (CCS), and more ambitious technologies such as bioenergy and carbon capture and storage (BECCS) that target negative emissions. It was noted also that growth in renewable energy supply will lead to increased demand for geological materials to sustain the electrification of the vehicle fleet and other low-carbon technologies. The overall conclusion reached at the 2019 Bryan Lovell meeting was that geoscience is critical to decarbonization, but that the geoscience community must influence decision-makers so that the value of the subsurface to decarbonization is understood.


Background Obesity remains a serious issue in many countries. Web-based programs offer good potential for delivery of weight loss programs. Yet, many Internet-delivered weight loss studies include support from medical or nutritional experts, and relatively little is known about purely web-based weight loss programs. Objective To determine whether supportive features and personalization in a 12-week web-based lifestyle intervention with no in-person professional contact affect retention and weight loss. Methods We assessed the effect of different features of a web-based weight loss intervention using a 12-week repeated-measures randomized parallel design. We developed 7 sites representing 3 functional groups. A national mass media promotion was used to attract overweight/obese Australian adults (based on body mass index [BMI] calculated from self-reported heights and weights). Eligible respondents (n = 8112) were randomly allocated to one of 3 functional groups: information-based (n = 183), supportive (n = 3994), or personalized-supportive (n = 3935). Both supportive sites included tools, such as a weight tracker, meal planner, and social networking platform. The personalized-supportive site included a meal planner that offered recommendations that were personalized using an algorithm based on a user's preferences for certain foods. Dietary and activity information were constant across sites, based on an existing and tested 12-week weight loss program (the Total Wellbeing Diet). Before and/or after the intervention, participants completed demographic (including self-reported weight), behavioral, and evaluation questionnaires online. Usage of the website and features was objectively recorded. All screening and data collection procedures were performed online with no face-to-face contact. Results Across all 3 groups, attrition was high at around 40% in the first week and 20% of the remaining participants each week. Retention was higher for the supportive sites compared to the information-based site only at week 12 (P = .01). The average number of days that each site was used varied significantly (P = .02) and was higher for the supportive site at 5.96 (SD 11.36) and personalized-supportive site at 5.50 (SD 10.35), relative to the information-based site at 3.43 (SD 4.28). In total, 435 participants provided a valid final weight at the 12-week follow-up. Intention-to-treat analyses (using multiple imputations) revealed that there were no statistically significant differences in weight loss between sites (P = .42). On average, participants lost 2.76% (SE 0.32%) of their initial body weight, with 23.7% (SE 3.7%) losing 5% or more of their initial weight. Within supportive conditions, the level of use of the online weight tracker was predictive of weight loss (model estimate = 0.34, P < .001). Age (model estimate = 0.04, P < .001) and initial BMI (model estimate = -0.03, P < .002) were associated with frequency of use of the weight tracker. Conclusions Relative to a static control, inclusion of social networking features and personalized meal planning recommendations in a web-based weight loss program did not demonstrate additive effects for user weight loss or retention. These features did, however, increase the average number of days that a user engaged with the system. For users of the supportive websites, greater use of the weight tracker tool was associated with greater weight loss.


Standard compressive sensing results state that to exactly recover an s sparse signal in R^p, one requires O(s. log(p)) measurements. While this bound is extremely useful in practice, often real world signals are not only sparse, but also exhibit structure in the sparsity pattern. We focus on group-structured patterns in this paper. Under this model, groups of signal coefficients are active (or inactive) together. The groups are predefined, but the particular set of groups that are active (i.e., in the signal support) must be learned from measurements. We show that exploiting knowledge of groups can further reduce the number of measurements required for exact signal recovery, and derive universal bounds for the number of measurements needed. The bound is universal in the sense that it only depends on the number of groups under consideration, and not the particulars of the groups (e.g., compositions, sizes, extents, overlaps, etc.). Experiments show that our result holds for a variety of overlapping group configurations.


Loss of heterozygosity and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) studies have shown that deletions of 1p and 19q are highly prevalent in oligodendroglioma. However, these tumors have not been comprehensively screened for other alterations in chromosomal dosage. In this study, we used array‐based comparative genomic hybridization (CGHa) of mapped BAC DNA to screen for such alterations in 31 oligodendrogliomas (20 grade II, 9 grade III, and 2 grade IV) and 4 mixed oligoastrocytomas (1 grade I, 1 grade II, and 2 grade IV). The most frequent aberrations were loss of 1p (17 cases; 49%) and 19q (15 cases; 43%) and combined loss of 1p/19q (13 cases; 37%). In addition, deletion of 4q, 5p, 9p, 10q, 11p, and 13q was observed in 10, 4, 8, 4, 4, and 13 cases, respectively; loss of whole chromosomes 4, 9, and 13 in 4, 1, and 7 cases, respectively; gain of 7p, 8q, 10p, and 11q in 6, 6, 5, and 10 cases, respectively, and gain of whole chromosomes 7 and 11 in 2 patients each. Minimally altered regions detected by CGHa involved chromosome bands 1p36.32, 4q33, 5p15, 8q24, 11p15, and 19q13.3. Univariate analysis of all 35 cases suggested that combined deletion of 1p and 19q is associated with better survival (P = 0.03). In addition, 8q gain in the oligodendrogliomas was strongly associated with poor outcome (P = 0.002). Also associated with poor disease outcome were alterations that had low prevalence in the pure oligodendrogliomas, including loss of 3q, 9q, and 12q and gain of 1p, 8p, and 10q. In summary, in oligodendrogliomas, CGHa was able to detect novel small alterations in chromosomal dosage that had not been previously detected by other methods. In addition, our findings support the hypotheses that oligodendroglioma can be classified into several groups by CGHa analysis and that specific alterations in genetic dosage may have biologic or clinical significance. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


Objective To gain detailed understanding of influences on smoking behaviour in Bangladeshi and Pakistani communities in the United Kingdom to inform the development of effective and culturally acceptable smoking cessation interventions. Design Qualitative study using community participatory methods, purposeful sampling, one to one interviews, focus groups, and a grounded approach to data generation and analysis. 2000-2. Participants 87 men and 54 women aged 18-80 years, smokers and non-smokers, from the Bangladeshi and Pakistani communities. Results Four dominant, highly inter-related themes had an important influence on smoking attitudes and behaviour: gender, age, religion, and tradition. Smoking was a widely accepted practice in Pakistani, and particularly Bangladeshi, men and was associated with socialising, sharing, and male identity. Among women, smoking was associated with stigma and shame. Smoking in women is often hidden from family members. Peer pressure was an important influence on smoking behaviour in younger people, who tended to hide their smoking from elders. There were varied and conflicting interpretations of how acceptable smoking is within the Muslim religion. Tradition, culture, and the family played an important role in nurturing and cultivating norms and values around smoking. Conclusion Although there are some culturally specific contexts for smoking behaviour in Bangladeshi and Pakistani adults—notably the influence of gender and religion—there are also strong similarities with white people, particularly among younger adults. Themes identified should help to inform the development and appropriate targeting of smoking cessation interventions. aged


The chemical senses (olfaction, gustation, and chemical irritation or pain) were likely the first to evolve. Their functions are among the most basic-to attract and to repel. Attracting compounds often signal food or sex; repelling compounds presumably signal danger. Among the chemical senses, only olfaction appears to have several functional roles, two of which are modulation of social behaviors and identification of food. Whether an odor attracts or repels often depends to a large degree on learning. Consequently, dissociated olfactory stimuli may be relatively poor candidates for repellents since, after repeated exposure, pest animals are likely to ignore them. Taste, in contrast, is primarily related to the identification of food and the avoidance of poisons. Learning, here, appears to be less important although still a significant factor. Therefore, dissociated bitter tastes are good candidates for repellents. The development of effective, specific, bitter repellents, however, is complicated by the fact that herbivores tend to be relatively insensitive to many bitter compounds. Chemical irritants warn of danger; painful stimuli, almost by definition, are to be avoided. Although irritants may be the most potent of repellents, the extent to which a compound is irritating varies for many different species, pest and nonpest alike, which makes them difficult to use in certain situations. Finally, it is likely that the most effective strategy in the formulation of effective repellents will employ stimuli that activate a combination of the chemical (and other) senses. Research should focus in this area.


Although the American artist and conceptual photographer Sherrie Levine (b. 1947) has been the subject of much critical discourse for the past thirty years, she has not been the subject of a comprehensive survey-until now. This handsome volume, created in close collaboration with the artist, contains 100 color images that cover the full range of Levine's practice, from classic photographic works and sculptures to lesser-known drawings, paintings, and objects. A selection of writings by the artist and several essays by distinguished art historians augment the artworks. While much of Levine's art has a historical basis-drawing on existing imagery from both high and low culture-her early and continued engagement with digital technology places her firmly within a contemporary context, in which the borrowing, reframing, and reproduction of imagery have become second nature. This book acknowledges the central role Levine has played in the history of appropriation, and also draws attention to her practice of using repetition, serial images, and the pairing of objects, thereby highlighting conceptual threads that run through her work. Above all, however, the publication focuses on the materiality of Levine's art, emphasizing its powerfully seductive nature.


By now it is widely accepted wisdom that the Internet has vast potential as a learning tool for students of almost all ages and levels. But it is less clear how to harness this potential most effectively. What indeed should the "online classroom" mean to teachers? Will the rush to get "wired" mean little more than enhanced visuals or automated lecture delivery-or can it result in innovative pedagogies for improving literacy into the twenty-first century? In this collection of essays, some of the most progressive voices in literacy studies reconsider what it means to be literate in the information age, and offer practical advice not only for getting networked computers into the classroom but also for instructing students and other teachers how to tap into their boundless potential. Essays range in subject from the story of a radical, communal writers' group working together in a networked environment; to an exploration of how utopian notions of the networked classroom don't always hold true, on the basis of the authors' classroom experience of hostile, dysfunctional chat room exercises; to an applied and totally attainable model for gathering support and preparing teachers for new technologies. Together the contributions provide a provocative and much-needed introduction to the constantly shifting subject of literacy theory, paving the way for continued dialogue on a subject that teachers, students, and all writers and readers can no longer afford to ignore.


Among critically ill patients, acute kidney injury (AKI) is a relatively common complication that is associated with an increased risk for death and other complications. To date, no treatment has been developed to prevent or attenuate established AKI. Dialysis often is required, but the optimal timing of initiation of dialysis is unknown. Data from the Program to Improve Care in Acute Renal Disease (PICARD), a multicenter observational study of AKI, were analyzed. Among 243 patients who did not have chronic kidney disease and who required dialysis for severe AKI, we examined the risk for death within 60 d from the diagnosis of AKI by the blood urea nitrogen (BUN) concentration at the start of dialysis (BUN < or = 76 mg/dl in the low degree of azotemia group [n = 122] versus BUN > 76 mg/dl in the high degree of azotemia group [n = 121]). Standard Kaplan-Meier product limit estimates, proportional hazards (Cox) regression methods, and a propensity score approach were used to account for selection effects. Crude survival rates were slightly lower for patients who started dialysis at higher BUN concentrations, despite a lesser burden of organ system failure. Adjusted for age, hepatic failure, sepsis, thrombocytopenia, and serum creatinine and stratified by site and initial dialysis modality, the relative risk for death that was associated with initiation of dialysis at a higher BUN was 1.85 (95% confidence interval 1.16 to 2.96). Further adjustment for the propensity score did not materially alter the association (relative risk 1.97; 95% confidence interval 1.21 to 3.20). Among critically ill patients with AKI, initiation of dialysis at higher BUN concentrations was associated with an increased risk for death. Although the results could reflect residual confounding by severity of illness, they provide a rationale for prospective testing of alternative dialysis initiation strategies in critically ill patients with severe AKI.


We demonstrate that micromachining lattice-matched InGaAs quantum wells grown with harriers under tensile strain produces laterally patterned modifications to the semiconductor bandstructure and a large surface-normal optical anisotropy. The technique enables novel applications ranging from polarization modulators to quasi-phase matching to new piezoelectric materials.


This article presents a brief historical review of the appearance of mobile libraries and then continues to define the phenomenon on the basis of two of its distinct features: library services and mobility, which both concern institutional Mobile Libraries and non-institutional mobile libraries. In addition, special reference is made to the significant presence of non-institutional mobile libraries in the world of books. The text closes with a short reference to the social contribution of mobile (and mobile) libraries (education and lifelong learning, entertainment, communication - connection - meeting) to everyone and, more particularly, to people with special physical and/or social needs and the necessity to support the continuation of their operation.

 Key words: Mobile libraries, non-institutional mobile libraries, library services, library mobility, social contribution of mobile libraries.


The three-dimensional reconstruction of a microscopic specimen has been obtained by applying the tomographic algorithm to a set of images acquired in a Scanning Electron Microscope. This result was achieved starting from a series of projections obtained by stepwise rotating the sample under the beam raster. The Scanning Electron Microscope was operated in the scanning-transmission imaging mode, where the intensity of the transmitted electron beam is a monotonic function of the local mass-density and thickness of the specimen. The detection strategy has been implemented and tailored in order to maintain the projection requirement over the large tilt range, as required by the tomographic workflow. A Si-based electron detector and an eucentric-rotation specimen holder have been specifically developed for the purpose.


Objective: The study is to evaluate Yemeni medical and pharmacy students' knowledge and attitude regarding generic medicines. Method: A cross-sectional survey was used to collect data from final-year medical and pharmacy students at six public and private universities in Yemen. The questionnaire was distributed among the students through their course coordinators. Students were clearly informed about the objective of the study and their written consents were taken before the survey. The responses were entered in SPSS, and descriptive and inferential analyses were carried out. Results: The response rate was 60.1%. Overall the half of participants' perception regarding generic medicine was positive. Perceptions of pharmacy students' regarding generic medicines were better than those of the medical students. Conclusion: The present study concluded that both studied groups had insufficient knowledge about quality, safety and bioequivalence of generic medicines. The medical students showed poorer knowledge than pharmacy students which need to give more attention from educators regarding the use of generic medicines. Key words: Generic drugs, Medical students, Perception, Pharmacy students, Yemen.


Background: Two systems exist for evaluating the abilities of trauma centers: the American College of Surgeons' (ACS) verification and the State's designation. Given criteria variations between the two systems, we studied clinical outcome variations of the same. Methods: The National Trauma Databank was queried from 2002 - 2009, 2013 & 2014 for all patients admitted to a State designated (SI) or ACS verified (AI) trauma facility. Centers that were exclusively state or ACS designated were used for analysis. Patient demographics, facility information and physiological variables were obtained. Outcome variables included length of stay, no of patients with complications and mortality. Multivariate logistic or linear regression analyses were employed for assessing outcome variations. Results: Of the 12,581,375 trauma admissions, 1,504,848 (12%) met the inclusion criteria with 15 AI and 94 SI exclusive facilities identified. Patient demographics were 66% male, 62 - 63% white and 81% blunt injury. Higher length of stay, mortality, and complications were noted in SI vs. AI centers. Conclusions: Our results indicate ACS verified level I trauma centers have better clinical outcomes than State designated level I trauma centers. This study warrants future prospective studies to determine the impact of level of designation on clinical outcomes.


PURPOSE
To evaluate and compare the deliverability, positioning, stability, and effectiveness of aneurysm occlusion and the incidence of parent-artery thrombosis of two different types of platinum coils, using a canine carotid aneurysm model.

METHODS
29 experimental canine carotid aneurysms (19 lateral, 6 bifurcation, and 4 terminal) were constructed and treated with complex-shaped fibered platinum coils and simple curved nonfibered platinum Guglielmi detachable coils (GDCs).

RESULTS
Fibered complex coils were stable, producing 38% complete aneurysm occlusion and 61% average reduction in aneurysm lumen size but resulting in 19% parent artery occlusions. GDC coils were stable, producing 31% complete aneurysm occlusion and 95% average reduction in aneurysm lumen size with no parent-artery occlusions.

CONCLUSIONS
GDC coils produced an average reduction in aneurysm lumen size of 95% without any associated parent-artery occlusions. There were no delayed migrations of GDC coils. The ability to remove, reposition, and detach a coil was the most significant feature of the GDC coil.


Animal production is one of the largest contributors to ammonia emissions. A project, "Ammonia Trapping", was designed to recover gaseous ammonia from animal barns in Spain. Laboratory experiments were conducted to select a type of membrane most suitable for gaseous ammonia trapping. Three types of gas-permeable membranes (GPM), all made of expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE), but with different diameter (3.0 to 8.6 mm), polymer density (0.45 to 1.09), air permeability (2 to 40 L·min−1·cm2), and porosity (5.6 to 21.8%) were evaluated for their effectiveness to recover gas phase ammonia. The ammonia evolved from a synthetic solution (NH4Cl + NaHCO3 + allylthiourea), and an acidic solution (1 N H2SO4) was used as the ammonia trapping solution. Replicated tests were performed simultaneously during a period of 7 days with a constant flow of acidic solution circulating through the lumen of the tubular membrane. The ammonia recovery yields were higher with the use of membranes of greater diameter and corresponding surface area, but they were not affected by the large differences in material density, porosity, air permeability, and wall thickness in the range evaluated. A higher fluid velocity of the acidic solution significantly increased—approximately 3 times—the mass NH3–N recovered per unit of membrane surface area and time (N-flux), from 1.7 to 5.8 mg N·cm−2·d−1. Therefore, to optimize the effectiveness of GPM system to capture gaseous ammonia, the appropriate velocity of the circulating acidic solution should be an important design consideration.


Uncertainties in climate observations are revealed when alternate observationally based data sets are compared. General circulation model-based ''reanalyses'' of meteorological observations will yield different results from different models, even if identical sets of raw unanalyzed data form their starting points. We have examined 25 longitude-latitude fields (including selected levels for three-dimensional quantities) encompassing atmospheric climate variables for which the PCMDI observational data base contains two or more high-quality sources. For the most part we compare ECMWF with NCEP reanalysis. In some cases, we compare in situ and/or satellite-derived data with reanalysis. To obtain an overview of the differences for all 25 fields, we use a graphical technique developed for climate model diagnosis: a ''portrait diagram'' displaying root-mean-square differences between the alternate data sources. With a few exceptions (arising from the requirement that RMS differences be normalized to accommodate different units of variables) the portrait diagrams indicate areas of agreement and disagreement that can be confirmed by examining traditional graphics such as zonal mean plots. In accord with conventional wisdom, the greatest agreement between alternate data sets--hence the smallest implied observational uncertainty--occurs for upper tropospheric zonal wind. We also find fairly good agreement between reanalysis and more direct measures of precipitation,more » suggesting that modern observational systems are resolving some long-standing problems with its measurement.« less


The spectrum of radially excited hadrons provides much information about the confinement forces in QCD. The confinement is realized most naturally in terms of the QCD string whose quantization gives rise to the radially excited modes. We propose an alternative framework for the description of the excited spectrum. Namely we put forward some effective field models in which the hadrons acquire masses due to interaction with a scalar field modeling the non-perturbative gluon vacuum. The effective potential for this field is periodic with an infinite number of non-equivalent vacua. The radially excited hadrons emerge as elementary excitations over different vacua. We construct explicit examples for such effective theories in the meson sector. An interesting byproduct of the considered models is the existence of a classical field configuration in each vacuum. Depending on the model, it can represent a domain wall, Nielsen-Olesen vortex or 't Hooft– Polyakov monopole. In the pure scalar sector, it is shown that the first quantum correction leads to splitting of the radially excited modes into two nearly degenerate states. Such a phenomenon has some phenomenological support. The presented approach may be also viewed as an alternative framework to the bottom-up AdS/QCD models where the radial excitations appear on the classical level as well.


New developments in the areas of narrowband tunable excimer lasers, high-resolution high-rejection optical filters, and wavelength measurement devices are considered for application to the remote sensing of atmospheric hydroxyl radicals. The conclusion is that an increase in the SNR of 104 could readily be gained through the use of these new devices. Also, considerable reductions in size and electrical energy consumption could be realized.


The European stone fruit yellows (ESFY) phytoplasma disease caused by pathogen 'Ca. Phytoplasma prunorum' induces serious damages in cherry, sour cherry, peach, and apricot orchards mostly in Europe. Its known vector is the plum psyllid (Cacopsylla pruni). Many articles report on the biology (morphology, taxonomy, life cycle etc.) and the method of transmission of the pathogen by the vector, and the possibilities of their control. This paper reviews our knowledge about the vector, and summarises the results of an inland research carried out in a northeastern Hungarian apricot orchards. Our goal was to show some important data for the farmers or anyone who is interested in this disease and its vector. And give some known method that we can protect our orchards against them to prevent the appearance of the disease. As the psyllid that became infected with the pathogen can hold its infectionous capacity during their lifetime, it is very important to have enough knowledge about their lifecycle, that we can determine the right time and method to control them. We also have to know how to identify them; therefore, this paper lists several important data which can be helpful. The most important keys of identification are their wing color, which dark borwn in the apex and brown is in the remaining part of the forewing. The length of the antennae is also an important factor, since other genuse's species have longer antennae than twice the width of the head. C. pruni has as long antennae as twice the width of the head. They return to Prunus species in early spring and we have to protect our orhards in this period against them. We have to use preparations with a knock down effect on them to prevent the inoculation of the pathogen into the trees in our orchards.


In this work, we present a deep convolutional pyramid person matching network (PPMN) with specially designed Pyramid Matching Module to address the problem of person re-identification. The architecture takes a pair of RGB images as input, and outputs a similiarity value indicating whether the two input images represent the same person or not. Based on deep convolutional neural networks, our approach first learns the discriminative semantic representation with the semantic-component-aware features for persons and then employs the Pyramid Matching Module to match the common semantic-components of persons, which is robust to the variation of spatial scales and misalignment of locations posed by viewpoint changes. The above two processes are jointly optimized via a unified end-to-end deep learning scheme. Extensive experiments on several benchmark datasets demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach against the state-of-the-art approaches, especially on the rank-1 recognition rate.


In the emerging hydrogen economy, one of the major objectives is the production of electricity using fuel cells, particularly proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC). In this perspective, high purity hydrogen is needed. Hydrogen is currently mainly produced from fossil fuels (natural gas, oil, and coal) by energy‐consuming and environmentally unfriendly industrial processes that also involve complicated clean up steps for the removal of carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide. Water electrolysis (particularly the proton exchange membrane electrolysis technology, which allows higher efficiency than alkaline technology) appears to be a good candidate for the production of clean hydrogen. The use of renewable primary energy sources, such as wind, solar, tidal, etc., makes this technology greener. However, the low kinetics of water oxidation, which implies high cell voltage (i.e. high energy consumption) even when using noble metal‐based catalysts (Pt, Ru, Ir), makes this technology expensive. Biosourced alcohols can be interesting alternatives as hydrogen carriers in an electrolysis cell; their reversible oxidation potentials are much lower than that of water, ca 0.1 V versus SHE (standard hydrogen electrode) against 1.23 V versus SHE, so that the cell voltages for hydrogen production are lower (and so is the energy consumption). However, the low kinetics of alcohol oxidation in acidic media requires high Pt‐based catalyst loadings at the anode. Direct alcohol alkaline electrolysis cells can be operated with low Pt loading and even non‐noble metals. In the case of glycerol, generation of hydrogen at the cathode can be performed simultaneously with the formation of value‐added products at the anode for a more profit‐making process. WIREs Energy Environ 2016, 5:388–400. doi: 10.1002/wene.193


This valuable text offers a range of practical, person centred and evidence based approaches to tackling challenges faced by professionals working with people with learning disabilities. It helps the reader to analyze issues relating to person centred practice and citizenship and considers the implications of this key government initiative for health and social care professionals. The authors aim to support professionals in working through this changing agenda, whilst identifying the interface between their own professional practice and person centred approaches to working with people who have a learning disability. The book includes well referenced practical approaches to the subject area, alongside creative and innovative thinking.In addition, the book also: explores the historical context of learning disability services and how this has contributed to the development of person centred services; introduces a range of practical person centred thinking tools that can be readily used within professional practice; contains a model to inform the delivery and integration of person centred practice within professional practice; considers the contribution of a range of different professional roles to the person centred and self directed support approach; and, evaluates the relevance of person centred thinking and planning to people from different cultural backgrounds and those undergoing the transition from adolescence to adulthood. "Person Centred Practice for Professionals" is key reading for students, academics and professionals working or training to work with people with learning disabilities.


Chinee apple (Ziziphus mauritiana Lam.) is a thorny tree that is invading tropical woodlands of northern Australia. The present study reports three experiments related to the seed dynamics of chinee apple. Experiment 1 and 2 investigated persistence of seed lots under different soil types (clay and river loam), levels of pasture cover (present or absent) and burial depths (0, 2.5, 10 and 20 cm). Experiment 3 determined the germination response of chinee apple seeds to a range of alternating day/night temperatures (11/6°C up to 52/40°C). In the longevity experiments (Expts 1 and 2), burial depth, soil type and burial duration significantly affected viability. Burial depth had the greatest influence, with surface located seeds generally persisting for longer than those buried below ground. Even so, no viable seeds remained after 18 and 24 months in the first and second experiment, respectively. In Expt 3 seeds of chinee apple germinated under a wide range of alternating day/night temperatures ranging from 16/12°C to 47 /36°C. Optimal germination (77%) occurred at 33/27°C and no seeds germinated at either of the lowest (11/6°C) or highest (52/40°C) temperature regimes tested. These findings indicated that chinee apple has the potential to expand its current distribution to cooler areas of Australia. Control practices need to be undertaken for at least two years to exhaust the seed bank.