The angiogenic growth of blood vessels and lymphatic vessels plays important roles during embryonic development as well as in disease conditions such as
cancer. Previous work has shown that ephrin-B2, a transmembrane protein and ligand for Eph family receptor tyrosin kinases, regulates the growth of these
endothelial networks. In mice, inactivation of ephrin-B2 in endothelial cells
(ECs) results in similar vascular defects and embryonic lethality as in global
Efnb2 knockouts, indicating that the main function of ephrin-B2 is in the
endothelium. Despite its importance, the functional roles of ephrin-B2 in
vascular endothelium are incompletely understood.
To gain further insight into the function of ephrin-B2 in ECs in mice, I have used
EC-specific and temporally controlled loss-of-function and gain-of-function
genetic approaches, and analysed the function of ephrin-B2 in different vascular
beds. My data show that ephrin-B2 has two distinct functional roles in the blood
vasculature. In arteries, the domain with the highest expression of ephrin-B2,
the ligand is critical for arterial remodelling. Outside arteries, in the microvessels
of capillary beds, ephrin-B2 is essential for endothelial motility and invasiveness
during angiogenic sprouting. Furthermore, ephrin-B2 is an important regulator
of angiogenic lymphatic endothelial cell (LEC) behaviour, which may be
associated with VEGFR3-mediated signalling. In addition, ephrin-B2 is essential
for the maintenance of LEC differentiation and, at least during embryonic
development, normal Prox1 expression. Moreover, my data indicates that
ephrin-B2 is critical for the postnatal remodeling of the primary dermal lymphatic
plexus, which appears to be mainly mediated through ephrin-B2 reverse
signalling.
The sum of my findings demonstrates that ephrin-B2 is a key regulator of EC
motility during the angiogenic growth of blood vessels and lymphatic vessels.
Ephrin-B2 plays multiple indispensable and vascular domain-specific roles in
the angiogenic growth of endothelial networks.


The COVID-19 outbreak has triggered unusually fast outflows of dollar funding from emerging market economies (EMEs). These outflows are known as "sudden stop" episodes, and they are typically followed by economic contractions. In this post, we assess the macroeconomic effects of the COVID-induced sudden stop of capital flows to EMEs, using our open-economy DSGE model. Unlike existing frameworks, such as the Federal Reserve Board's SIGMA model, our model features both domestic and international financial constraints, making it well-suited to capture the effects of an outflow of dollar funding. The model predicts output losses in EMEs due in part to the adverse effect of local currency depreciation on private-sector balance sheets with dollar debts. The financial stresses in EMEs, in turn, spill back to the U.S. economy, through both trade and financial channels. The model-predicted output losses are persistent (consistent with previous sudden stop episodes), with financial effects being a significant drag on the recovery. We stress that we are only tracing out the effects of one particular channel (the stop of capital flows and its associated effect on funding costs) and not the totality of COVID-related effects.


We face today a set of policy choices that will define the landscape of the connected world and America's place within it. The popularity of smartphones, tablets, and other mobile devices has caused demand for wireless connectivity to skyrocket. Technical improvements and network upgrades alone will not satisfy this accelerating demand; any sustainable solution will involve expanding access to spectrum for mobile data. Otherwise, limited wireless capacity could become a major drag on U.S. job creation, competitiveness, innovation, community development, and important advances in education, healthcare, and public safety.Efforts to free up new capacity have run into headwinds. The problem is not a lack of resolve but the cold reality that clearing existing licensees off the spectrum, moving them and their users somewhere else, and auctioning the frequencies to new licensees is increasingly costly, contentious, and uncertain. An approach based entirely on taking frequencies from someone and transferring them to someone else will not maximize capacity over the long term.What is needed is a change in orientation. Policy-makers should acknowledge what engineers already recognize and businesses are already implementing: The future of spectrum is about various forms of sharing. Exclusive rights are still desirable, even essential, in some contexts. However, they will exist within a larger matrix of sharing arrangements to maximize available capacity. Such a policy approach allows the most users and devices to benefit from the airwaves, rather than simply picking winners. At the same time, it will extend the long tradition of wireless communication as a mechanism for innovation and free expression.


A replication-defective adenovirus vector (Ad-ISF35), which encodes a membrane-stabilized, chimeric human-mouse CD40 binding protein (CD40 ligand; CD40L; CD154), with potential immunomodulatory and antineoplastic activities. Upon intratumoral administration, Ad-ISF135 preferentially transduces tumor cells and immunoregulatory cells in the tumor microenvironment. This increases the expression of CD154 in tumor cells, activates CD40 and stimulates signaling and immunoactivation, which are both mediated by CD40. This increases the expression of co-stimulatory molecules on these cells, which enhances their ability to function as antigen presenting cells (APCs) and increases their apoptotic potential. This leads to an increase in the infiltration of macrophages and neutrophils, which promote direct cytotoxicity, enhances the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines in the tumor microenvironment, and induces a specific cytotoxic T-lymphocyte (CTL) response against the tumor cells. In addition, transduction with Ad-ISF35 induces direct tumor cell death, probably through an anti-viral immune response. Ad-ISF35 also exerts a strong bystander effect in non-transduced cells thereby further inducing tumor cell death. Altogether, this will eradicate tumor cells. CD154, the main ligand for CD40, plays a key role in the activation of APCs, promotes immunoactivation, and increases apoptotic potential. The protein encoded by Ad-ISF35 does not contain the mouse antibody binding domains and does not induce human neutralizing antibodies. The metalloprotease cleavage site is deleted in this chimeric CD154 and thus it resists cleavage; the encoded protein also contains amino acid substitutions within the carboxy-terminal. Both sets of engineered mutations promote cell surface expression.


In this study, we assessed the role of annexin V, a Ca2+-dependent phospholipid-binding protein, as a regulator of protein kinase C (PKC) and characterized its mechanism of inhibition. Several mutants obtained by oligonucleotide site-directed mutagenesis were tested in vitro on PKC activity in cytosolic fractions from Jurkat cells and on purified PKCalpha. Annexin V inhibited phosphorylation of annexin II by endogenous PKC and phosphorylation of myelin basic protein by PKCalpha. In both systems, the use of single Ca2+-binding-site mutants of annexin V led to a partial reversal of inhibition, and the Ca2+-binding site located in the first domain of annexin V was found to have the most important role. An increase in the number of mutated Ca2+-binding sites led to a greater loss of inhibition. These results corroborated those showing the progressive loss of binding of these mutants to phospholipid liposomes. In conclusion, we show that PKC inhibition by annexin V is the consequence of a mechanism involving phospholipid sequestration by annexin V, and that the Ca2+-binding site located in domain 1 of annexin V plays a predominant role in this process. In addition, we show that the R122AIK site, which may act analogously to a PKC-inhibitory pseudosubstrate site, is not involved in PKC inhibition, and that a peptide corresponding to the C-terminal tail of annexin V inhibits PKC activity but to a lesser extent than annexin V itself.


The image of America in Hebrew language novels serves as a compelling barometer of trends in Zionist culture and Israeli society. For decades after Israel's establishment, a caustically negative approach to American Jews and American life colored novels authored by Hebrew writers who helped fashion the image of a new Israeli personality, the pioneering sabra. This article argues that these "negation of the American Diaspora" novels constitute just one phase of Hebrew fiction's encounter with America. It analyzes the roots, implications and content of forms of positive engagement (albeit not full endorsement) of American Jewish milieus that are appreciable in Hebrew novels written before Israel's establishment, and in the last ten or fifteen years.


The large-scale wall relief entitled Insignificance began as an exploration of the relationship between mankind and nature and the structure of the bodies was inspired by dynamic rock structures off the coast of Maine where the sense of vulnerability in the face of nature's impassivity is strongly felt. A further connection through both form and content made reference to the 15th century transi tombs as seen in the Louvre museum where the finely carved reclining statue of the aristocrat gives way to the carved stone cadaver below as a reminder of mortality. The fragmented nature of the bodies connects to the artist's interest in the overlap between archaeology and psychoanalysis where layers are carefully removed to find some hidden knowledge or some scrap of narrative. The layout of the figures represented an archaeological dig but could also be read as a map of a landscape. Both the scale of the work and its content develops debates within the ceramic discipline about the need for presentation in wider context to illustrate serious meaning. The exhibition in Cardiff was commissioned with reference to the themes that were being discussed in the parallel conference, also called The Fragmented Figure. The artists had all been filmed making the work and this study formed part of the debate. The conference ran for 2 days and featured many speakers from aboard. Although the exhibition focussed on the ceramic medium the general tone of the conference was not media specific and it encouraged a multi-disciplinary approach. The artist gave a presentation paper "Embodying Transformation" developing themes around the embodiment of rituals within objects and the importance of archaeology as a central theme in the work and this will be published in July 2006 in Interpreting Ceramics, an online refereed journal.

An earlier opportunity to show the work at the well-established Rufford Craft Centre in Nottinghamshire, with several other internationally know ceramic artists, allowed the work a first broader showing but the central issues behind it were brought to the foreground within the context of UWIC since the approach of even well known applied arts venues remains relatively narrow.


Abstract. At the beginning of the Archean eon (ca. 3.8 billion years ago), the Earth's climate state was significantly different from today due to the lower solar luminosity, smaller continental fraction, higher rotation rate and, presumably, significantly larger greenhouse gas concentrations. All these aspects play a role in solutions to the "faint young Sun paradox" which must explain why the ocean surface was not fully frozen at that time. Here, we present 3-D model simulations of climate states that are consistent with early Archean boundary conditions and have different CO2 concentrations, aiming at an understanding of the fundamental characteristics of the early Archean climate system. In order to do so, we have appropriately modified an intermediate complexity climate model that couples a statistical-dynamical atmosphere model (involving parameterizations of the dynamics) to an ocean general circulation model and a thermodynamic-dynamic sea-ice model. We focus on three states: one of them is ice-free, one has the same mean surface air temperature of 288 K as today's Earth and the third one is the coldest stable state in which there is still an area with liquid surface water (i.e. the critical state at the transition to a "snowball Earth"). We find a reduction in meridional heat transport compared to today, which leads to a steeper latitudinal temperature profile and has atmospheric as well as oceanic contributions. Ocean surface velocities are largely zonal, and the strength of the atmospheric meridional circulation is significantly reduced in all three states. These aspects contribute to the observed relation between global mean temperature and albedo, which we suggest as a parameterization of the ice-albedo feedback for 1-D model simulations of the early Archean and thus the faint young Sun problem.


The need for ever lighter and more efficient aerospace structures and components has led to continuous optimization pushing the limits of structural performance. In order to ensure continued safe operation during long term service it is desirable to develop a structural health monitoring (SHM) system. Acoustic emission (AE) offers great potential for real time global monitoring of aerospace structures, however currently available commercial sensors have limitations in size, weight and adaptability to complex structures. This work investigates the potential use of macro-fibre composite (MFC) film transducers as AE sensors. Due to the inhomogeneous make-up of MFC transducers their directional dependency was examined and found to have limited effect on signal feature data. However, signal cross-correlations revealed a strong directional dependency. The sensitivity and signal attenuation with distance of MFC sensors were compared with those of commercially available sensors. Although noticeably less sensitive than the commercial sensors, the MFC sensors still had an acceptable operating range. Furthermore, a series of compressive carbon fiber coupon tests were monitored in parallel using both an MFC sensor and a commercially available sensor for comparison. The results showed good agreement of AE trends recorded by both sensors.


This article investigates the importance of Knowledge Management (KM) and trust in disaster response. In KM, a lack of trust and non-reciprocity of information can hinder the process of knowledge transfer. Similarly, a lack of KM coinciding with a disaster can lead to public distrust of those in positions of authority. In the Exxon Valdez oil spill disaster, many people were impacted by issues of trust related to the transfer of knowledge and improper KM. However, mistrust due to poor KM is not unique to the Exxon Valdez spill. This article also discusses other disaster scenarios, such as the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and the Central Natural Gas Corporation?s business disaster, which were both exacerbated by poor KM and breaks in the knowledge transfer process.


A frame of reference is established for evaluating the various philosophies or approaches to the microprogramming of control logic. Three new measures for analyzing microprogramming philosophies are introduced: "monophase" versus "polyphase," "parallel" versus "serial," and "encode" versus "little encode." The terms monophase, polyphase refer to how long the microinstruction is valid. Parallel, serial refer to the method used to determine the next instruction to be executed. Encode, little encode refor to the degree of encoding in the microinstruction word. The relative merits of the extremes of these new measures are discussed. Then an example of the use of microprogramming for control logic is explored; specifically Univac's C/SP Processor is microprogrammed. It is then shown that this processor would have a cost and performance comparable with the actual C/SP version now being tested which uses conventional control logic. Moreover, it would have the flexibility and simplicity inherent in microprogramming.


Stars form in dense cores of molecular clouds that are observed to be significantly magnetized. A dynamically important magnetic field presents a significant obstacle to the formation of protostellar disks. Recent studies have shown that magnetic braking is strong enough to suppress the formation of rotationally supported disks in the ideal MHD limit. Whether non-ideal MHD effects can enable disk formation remains unsettled. We carry out a first study on how disk formation in magnetic clouds is modified by the Hall effect, the least explored of the three non-ideal MHD effects in star formation (the other two being ambipolar diffusion and Ohmic dissipation). For illustrative purposes, we consider a simplified problem of a non-self-gravitating, magnetized envelope collapsing onto a central protostar of fixed mass. We find that the Hall effect can spin up the inner part of the collapsing flow to Keplerian speed, producing a rotationally supported disk. The disk is generated through a Hall-induced magnetic torque. Disk formation occurs even when the envelope is initially non-rotating, provided that the Hall coefficient is large enough. When the magnetic field orientation is flipped, the direction of disk rotation is reversed as well. The implication is that the Hall effect can in principle produce both regularly rotating and counter-rotating disks around protostars. The Hall coefficient expected in dense cores is about one order of magnitude smaller than that needed for efficient spin-up in these models. We conclude that the Hall effect is an important factor to consider in studying the angular momentum evolution of magnetized star formation in general and disk formation in particular.


Graves' disease (GD) is a complex autoimmune disorder characterized by hyperthyroidism and diffuse goitre. 25-50% of the patients with GD develop eye symptoms, Graves' ophthalmopathy (GO). The overall aim of this thesis was to explore the molecular etiology of GD and GO. By studying gene expression in Studies I, III, and IV, we demonstrated that adipocyte-related immediate early genes (IEGs) including CYR61, COX2, BTG2, and ZFP36 were overexpressed in active GO and to a lesser degree in chronic GO, but not in chronic lymphedema. CYR61-responsive genes were also upregulated in active GO. In Study V, associations were found between SNPs in CYR61, BTG2, and ZFP36 and GD and/or GO. These findings support a role for the IEGs in the pathogenesis of GO. Inflammation and adipogenesis decreased with decreased disease activity in GO, as demonstrated in Studies I and III by the expression pattern of COX2 and SCD in active and chronic GO. In Study III, we showed that the anti-inflammatory drug diclofenac could inhibit adipogenesis in differentiating 3T3-L1 preadipocytes, decreasing the number of mature adipocytes by approximately 50%.These results suggest that diclofenac may be a therapeutic alternative for GO. In Study II, we investigated a potential role of the recently discovered hormone thyrostimulin, in GD and GO. We were not able to detect the expression of the beta subunit of thyrostimulin in human healthy and diseased orbital or thyroid tissues. These findings argue against the role of thyrostimulin in human thyroid physiology or disease. In Study IV, we compared gene expression in chronic arm lymphedema and chronic GO. The expression pattern in lymphedema involved upregulation of genes with roles in wound healing, formation of extracellular matrix and fibrosis, but not upregulation of genes with functions in early adipogenesis. This finding was in contrast to GO, where genes related to adipogenesis, but not fibrosis, were upregulated. To summarize, more differences than similarities exist between chronic arm lymphedema and chronic GO. In Study V, we investigated whether genetic variation in genes with high expression in GO is associated with GD and/or GO in a Swedish and Polish case/control material. The results of the Swedish study showed associations of SNPs in BTG2, CYR61, ZFP36, and SCD with GD and/or GO; however, rs12136280 in BTG2 and rs3753793 in CYR61 were not associated with GD or GO in the Polish material and the meta-analysis was not significant. The shown associations have to be replicated before they can be considered to be true. (Less)


Combinational logic synthesis is a very important phase of VLSI system design. But the logic synthesis process requires large computing times if near optimal quality of the logic network is desired. Parallel processing is fast becoming an attractive solution to reduce the computational time. Recently, researchers have started to investigate parallel algorithms for problems in logic synthesis and verification. Much of the work in parallel algorithms for CAD reported to date, however, suffers from a major limitation. The parallel algorithms proposed for the CAD applications are designed with a specific underlying parallel architecture in mind. Moreover, incompatibilities in programming environments also make it difficult to port these programs across different parallel machines. As a result, a parallel algorithm needs to be developed afresh for every target parallel architecture. The ongoing project of ProperCAD offers an attractive solution to that problem. It allows the development and implementation of a parallel algorithm on the CHARM runtime system such that it can be executed in all the parallel machines without any change in the program. In this paper, we describe a portable parallel algorithm for logic synthesis based on the Transduction method, called ProperSYN. This algorithm uses an asynchronous message driven data-flow model of computation, with no explicit synchronizing barriers separating different phases of parallel computation as used in many previously developed parallel algorithms. Our algorithm is therefore more scalable to large numbers of processors. The algorithm has been implemented and it runs on a variety of parallel machines. We present results on several benchmark circuits for shared memory MIMD machines like Sequent Symmetry and Encore Multimax, distributed memory MIMD machine like the Intel/860 hypercube and distributed processing systems like networks of SUN workstations. >


Exploring the powerful resonances between recent video art and popular music, the exhibition Musical Thinking: New Video Art and Sonic Strategies features ten leading contemporary artists and the work. Organized by the Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM), the exhibition pairs recently acquired video works by ADÁL, Raven Chacon, Mariam Ghani, Martine Gutierrez, Arthur Jafa, Erin Ellen Kelly, Christine Sun Kim, Liz Magic Laser, Simone Leigh, and Cauleen Smith with related photographs, sculptures, prints, and immersive installations by the same creators. In this accompanying catalogue, time-based media curator Saisha Grayson explores how these artists employ the strategies of musical creation, as well as its styles, structures, and lyrics to speak to personal as well as shared aspects of American life. A closing essay connects this current generation of video artists to a century of musically-informed moving image artwork, illustrated through key works from SAAM's historically expansive time-based media collection. In addition to illustrating exhibition artwork, the screen-reader accessible digital publication links to select media excerpts and current artist biographies on SAAM's website.


Data driven conclusion is mostly accepted approach in any medical research problem. In case of limited knowledge of deep idea about supportive data on the problem, automatic digging of the variable plays important role for insight view of the study. Bayesian model averaging can be considered for automatics variable selection. It can be used as an alternative of stepwise regression method. The aim of this paper is to show the application of Bayesian modeling averaging in medical research particularly in cancer trial. Method is illustrated on Bone marrow transplant data. It can be recommended that BMA can be used frequently in data selection and as a tool of exploratory data analysis method. It is very handy method of choice for data analysis.


This paper discusses and strengthens a result by Fliess (1988) about input-output equations for polynomial systems with time delays. The proof given is more detailed and it opens the way for constructive methods for determining the input-output behavior. A method based on Grobner's approach is described in detail. Furthermore, some connections with observability are exploited.<<ETX>>


Abstract Given finite sample availability in epidemiologic studies, minimizing assay volumes is an important consideration in studies of biomarker-disease relationships. Consequently, there is great interest in multiplex assays that use less volume than standard assays and provide data on multiple markers in one assay. This is particularly true for markers of inflammation, a key factor in cancer and other age-related diseases. Therefore, we conducted pilot studies of three bead-based, multiplex, inflammatory marker panels at three laboratories. The first pilot evaluated assay reproducibility by calculating the coefficient of variation (CV) using 12 blinded replicate samples, and the second evaluated the role of delayed processing using samples from 12 participants who had one-third of their sample processed immediately after blood draw, and one-third each processed 24 and 48 hours later. Minimum criteria for an analyte to pass the pilots were: (1) >50% of samples had levels above the limit of detection (LOD), (2) a CV ≤20%, and (3) an intraclass correlation across processing times >0.80. For Panel 1, 200uL of plasma was used to assess 10 biomarkers in 2007. For Panel 2, 50uL of plasma was used to assess 17 markers in 2011. For Panel 3, 250uL of plasma was used to assess 12 markers in 2012. More than half of the biomarkers in two of the panels (1 and 3) had >50% of samples with levels less than the LOD; in Panel 2 29% of biomarkers had >50% of samples below the LOD. Of the biomarkers with more than half the samples above the LOD, all had CVs <20%. Overall, 3 (30%) of markers passed the LOD and CV criteria in Panel 1, 12 (71%) passed in Panel 2, and 4 (33%) passed in Panel 3. Among these, none of the markers in Panels 1 and 3 and 7 markers in Panel 2 were stable with delayed processing, resulting in an overall pass rate of 0% in Panels 1 and 3 and 41% in Panel 2. Further, for Panel 2, we observed that the correlation between the multiplex and the standard ELISA for IL-6 was only 0.25. Our results suggest that assessing inflammatory markers on bead-based multiplex platforms may not be appropriate for epidemiologic studies, possibly reflecting poor assay optimization for specific biomarkers and thus lowered overall assay sensitivity and specificity. Citation Format: Elizabeth M. Poole, Mary K. Townsend, A Heather Eliassen, Janine Neville-Golden, Shelley S. Tworoger. Evaluation of bead-based assays of inflammation markers for epidemiologic studies. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Post-GWAS Horizons in Molecular Epidemiology: Digging Deeper into the Environment; 2012 Nov 11-14; Hollywood, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2012;21(11 Suppl):Abstract nr 73.


Marine protected areas (MPAs) have been established along the East African coast to protect coral communities from human and natural disturbance. Their success is dependent on the degree to which resource populations are self-seeding or otherwise connected. Estimates of contemporary gene flow on or between south-east African reefs are thus required to reveal the interdependence of the South African coral communities and those to the north. Accordingly, the ecologically relevant (1 or 2 generations) connectivity of two broadcast-spawning corals, Acropora austera and Platygyra daedalea, was assessed on reefs in the region, from the Chagos Archipelago to Bazaruto Island in Mozambique and Sodwana Bay in South Africa, using hyper-variable genetic markers. Analysis of genetic diversity and differentiation provided evidence for the existence of four discrete genetic populations of A. austera and five of P. daedalea in the sampled area. Higher genetic diversity was found on northern South African reefs (Nine-mile Reef and Rabbit Rock) and migration patterns inferred from assignment tests suggested that, at ecological time scales, South African reefs are disconnected from those in Mozambique and might originate from a source of gene flow that was not sampled. The analysis of fine-scale genetic connectivity conducted on Twomile Reef (TMR) demonstrated the existence of significant spatial genetic structure at the reefal scale that might be related to the non-random dispersal of coral larvae, putatively explaining the genetic discontinuity observed in the region. Altogether, the results are consistent with the isolation observed in other studies using less variable markers, and support the hypothesis that there is demographic discontinuity between the coral populations along the south-east African coast. More importantly, Acropora austera and P. daedalea represent different life strategies in the South African reef communities yet manifested similar genetic patterns, suggesting that these corals are responding similarly to forces that are driving genetic connectivity in the region. For management purposes, the genetically distinct populations identified at each of the spatial scales analysed in this study may correspond to management units, or evolutionarily significant units. Furthermore, since some reefs appear to act as "landing-sites" for migrants (Nine-mile Reef) and there is evidence of significant within-reef genetic structure (TMR), an adaptive management framework would be the best option for the MPA in the region.


This exploratory research focuses on awareness among techno-disadvantaged citizens in the United States. Specifically, we address whether awareness is associated with visitation and whether there are differences between those who are aware and those who are not aware. Following up on on a theory-based community initiative designed to improve computer literacy and access to information and communication technologies (ICT) for members of an underserved public housing community, a survey was undertaken. The results indicate that awareness is associated with visitation. Differences in demographic characterisitics, perceived ease of use (PEOU), and perceived access barriers between those who are aware of egovernment websites, and those who are not, were found. While nearly half of the respondents are neither aware of nor have visited e-government websites, a slight majority is partaking of egovernment services. We identify directions for future research and conclude by emphasizing the value of a theory-based community initiative to improve computer literacy, provide access to ICT, and advance e-government inclusion.


Improvement in manufacturing technology has provided machines of higher ratings with better tolerances and controlled behaviour. These machines give rise to considerably higher dynamic forces and thereby higher stresses and, in return, demand improved performance and safety leaving no room for failures. This paper highlights need for a better interaction between foundation designer and machine manufacturer to ensure improved machine performance. The paper also describes the design aids/methodologies for foundation design. Various issues related to mathematical modeling and interpretations of results are discussed at length. Intricacies of designing vibration isolation system for heavyduty machines are also discussed. Influences of dynamic characteristics of foundation elements, viz., beams, columns, and pedestals etc. on the response of machine, along with some case studies, are also presented. The paper also touches upon the effects of earthquakes on machines as well as on their foundations. Use of commercially available finite element packages, for analysis and design of the foundation, is strongly recommended, but with caution.


Mercury (Hg) depuration into growing feathers is a well‐studied phenomenon in waterbirds. Although the kinetics of Hg excretion in relation to molt and diet has been studied extensively, the relationship between the individual nutritional condition of nestlings and dietary Hg accumulation has not been investigated. In the present study, a body‐condition index (BCI) and nutritional condition index (NCI) for nestlings of two waterbird species occupying different trophic positions on the aquatic food web were determined and used to predict Hg accumulation through diet. Candidate models consisting of these indices and nestling age were compared using Akaike's information criterion corrected for small sample sizes. For both species, the top‐performing model contained the sole parameter of nutritional condition index (NCI). The relationship between Hg and NCI was stronger in the species foraging higher on the trophic web, which experienced higher rates of Hg depuration into feathers. Models containing BCI could not be discounted (AICc < 2) for one of the species and the utility of this index is discussed. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 2012; 31: 1143–1148. © 2012 SETAC


Objective: The purpose of this study was to find out the occurrence of depressive disorders in patients with freshly detected diabetes mellitus (DM) and its relationship with the sociodemographic status of the subjects, severity of the disease, and insulin resistance (IR) factor in the subjects suffering from depression and DM. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 100 patients aged between 30 and 60 years who fulfilled the criteria for diagnosis as per the World Health Organization criteria of DM were selected randomly from endocrinology outpatient department (OPD) of Sir Sunderlal Hospital, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi. All patients who attended the OPD services from November 2014 to July 2015 were screened for participation in the study. The patients were assessed for depressive disorder as per the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision criteria and IR by blood chemistry measure of fasting insulin (by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay KIT) and fasting glucose (GOD-POD method) using homeostasis model assessment method (HOMA-IR scale). Results: In the study group of 100 patients, 34% of the patients were found to be suffering from depressive illness and they were not on any treatment. Out of the 34% patients who had insulin resistance; most common psychiatric disorder was major depressive disorder found in 21%,mild to moderate depressive disorder in 7% and 4% were found to have depression mixed anxiety symptoms. The estimated IR by HOMA-IR scale was found higher in 25 patients (74%) with psychiatric illness. Conclusions: This study highlights the high comorbidity of depressions in newly detected diabetes and also emphasizes the need of psychiatric evaluation in subjects who are vulnerable at the time of being diagnosed as a case of DM.


Sanitizable signatures, introduced by Ateniese et al. (ESORICS '05), allow the signer to delegate the sanitization right of signed messages. The sanitizer can modify the message and update the signature accordingly, so that the sanitized part of the message is kept private. For a stronger protection of sensitive information, it is desirable that no one can link sanitized messagesignature pairs of the same document. This idea was formalized by Brzuska et al. (PKC '10) as unlinkability, which was followed up recently by Fleischhacker et al. (PKC '16). Unfortunately, the existing generic constructions of sanitizable signatures, unlinkable or not, are based on building blocks with specially crafted features of which efficient (standard model) instantiations are absent. Basing on existing primitives or a conceptually simple primitive is more desirable. In this work, we present two such generic constructions, leading to efficient instantiations in the standard model. The first one is based on rerandomizable tagging, a new primitive which may find independent interests. It captures the core accountability mechanism of sanitizable signatures. The second one is based on accountable ring signatures (CARDIS '04, ESORICS '15). As an intermediate result, we propose the first accountable ring signature scheme in the standard model.


In Video Analytics Pipelines (VAP), Analytics Units (AUs) such as object detection and face recognition running on remote servers critically rely on surveillance cameras to capture high-quality video streams in order to achieve high accuracy. Modern IP cameras come with a large number of camera parameters that directly affect the quality of the video stream capture. While a few of such parameters, e.g., exposure, focus, white balance are automatically adjusted by the camera internally, the remaining ones are not. We denote such camera parameters as non-automated (NAUTO) parameters. In this paper, we first show that environmental condition changes can have significant adverse effect on the accuracy of insights from the AUs, but such adverse impact can potentially be mitigated by dynamically adjusting NAUTO camera parameters in response to changes in environmental conditions. We then present CamTuner, to our knowledge, the first framework that dynamically adapts NAUTO camera parameters to optimize the accuracy of AUs in a VAP in response to adverse changes in environmental conditions. CamTuner is based on SARSA reinforcement learning and it incorporates two novel components: a light-weight analytics quality estimator and a virtual camera that drastically speed up offline RL training. Our controlled experiments and real-world VAP deployment show that compared to a VAP using the default camera setting, CamTuner enhances VAP accuracy by detecting 15.9% additional persons and 2.6%--4.2% additional cars (without any false positives) in a large enterprise parking lot and 9.7% additional cars in a 5G smart traffic intersection scenario, which enables a new usecase of accurate and reliable automatic vehicle collision prediction (AVCP). CamTuner opens doors for new ways to significantly enhance video analytics accuracy beyond incremental improvements from refining deep-learning models.


The provenance of a piece of data is of utility to a wide range of applications. Its availability can be drastically increased by automatically collecting lineage information during filesystem operations. However, when data is processed by multiple users in independent administrative domains, the resulting filesystem metadata can be trusted only if it has been cryptographically certified. This has three ramifications: it slows down filesystem operations, it requires more storage for metadata, and verification depends on attestations from remote nodes. We show that current schemes do not scale in a distributed environment. In particular, as data is processed, the latency of filesystem operations will degrade exponentially. Further, the amount of storage needed for the lineage metadata will grow at a similar rate. Next, we examine a completely decentralized scheme that has fast filesystem operations with minimal storage overhead. We demonstrate that its verification operation will fail with an exponentially increasing likelihood as more nodes are unreachable (because of being powered off or disconnected from the network). Finally, we present a new scheme, Bonsai, where the verification failure is significantly reduced by tolerating a small increase in filesystem latency and storage overhead for certification compared to file systems without lineage certification.


A statistical approach to the dynamics of the selection of the desired output hologram in the photorefractive crystal is presented. The hologram is formed in the process of the four wave mixing of the signal image and the reference image with their fannings on the background of the previous expositions with different signal images and reference beams. Desired output is detected as the phase conjugated wave propagating in the direction of the reference beam which was used to write the hologram which is to be selected in the photorefractive crystal. Result of this approach is a system of the coupled waves equations for the time evolution of the amplitudes of the conjugated waves, noise, signal waves and the correlations of the refraction index variations and phase distributions of the waves. Comparison of the numerical modelling results and physical experiments in the geometries of double phase conjugate mirror and semilinear generator with BTO and BSO crystals shows good qualitative concordance.


Abstract We describe the first direct measurements of Ar diffusion and solubility in plagioclases using ultra-violet (UV) laser ablation depth-profiling and noble gas mass spectrometer analyses of experimentally treated (599–1000 °C, 50–200 MPa of Ar) crystal fragments of labradorite and oligoclase. Labradorite 40Ar gain diffusion profiles were measured, yielding an activation energy of 26.72±4.58 kcal mol−1 (118.0±19.16 kJ mol−1) and a frequency factor of 9.77×10−9 (+8.79×10−8, −8.79×10−9) cm2 s−1 (95% confidence). The Ar solubility in labradorite was measured yielding a value of <0.2 ppb bar−1, which is similar to or lower than many rock forming minerals. The labradorite diffusion parameters indicate Ar closure temperatures of 211 °C for a spherical diffusion geometry, and 243 °C for a planar diffusion geometry (for 100 µm-diameter grains, with cooling rates of 10 °C Ma−1). The data indicate that labradorite is less Ar retentive than K-feldspar at low temperatures, but more Ar retentive than K-feldspar at high temperatures, corroborating previous work on plagioclase. The relatively slow Ar diffusion rates in labradorite at magmatic temperatures may explain the common observation of older ages in large plagioclase grains in acidic volcanic systems. Supplementary material: Details of the UV laser depth profiles obtained from the labradorite and oligoclase samples used in this study are available at www.geolsoc.org.uk/SUP18608.


Yearbook for Stephen F. Austin High School in Port Arthur, Texas includes photographs of and information about the school, student body, teachers, and organizations.


Human parechoviruses (HPeVs), members of the family Picornaviridae, are classified into six types. To investigate the dynamics and likelihood of recombination among HPeVs, we compared phylogenies of two distant regions (VP1 and 3Dpol) of 37 HPeV isolates (types 1 and 3-5) and prototype sequences (types 1-6). Evidence for frequent recombination between HPeV1, 4, 5 and 6 was found. The likelihood of recombination was correlated with the degree of VP1 divergence and differences in isolation dates, both indicative of evolutionary times of divergence. These temporal dynamics were found to be most similar to those of human enterovirus species B variants. In contrast, HPeV3 remained phylogenetically distinct from other types throughout the genome. As HPeV3 is equally divergent in nucleotide sequence from the other HPeV types, its genetic isolation may reflect different biology and changed cellular tropisms, arising from the deletion of the RGD motif, and likely use of a non-integrin receptor.


The effect of demineralization on Indian bituminous coal by filamentous fungus Aspergillus niger has been investigated. X-ray diffraction profile reveals the presence of inorganic components in the sample. Biosolubilised products were characterized by FT-IR, SEM-EDS and XRD. The study reveals that coal consist of a semi-crystalline turbostratic structure. The broad diffraction peak at 20~25.5 o attributed to the crystalline carbon in the sample. Leaching process removed. Silicate, pyrite minerals and aluminates were removed considerably. The absence of morphological features corresponding to inorganic mineral grains confirms demineralization. The FTIR spectrum reveals the presence of aliphatic and aromatic stretching bands. During bio- solubilization the fungus produced acids like gluconic acid, oxalic acid and citric acid along with oxalates which are responsible for the demineralization in coal by the formation of mineral salts. EDS analysis reveals high percentage of carbon in bituminous coal than high volatile bituminous coal. The peak at 230-270 nm confirms the benzene-oxygen charge transfer in the sample.


Non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and other eicosanoid pathway modifiers are among the most ubiquitously used medications in the general population. Their broad anti‐inflammatory, antipyretic, and analgesic effects are applied against symptoms of respiratory infections, including SARS‐CoV‐2, as well as in other acute and chronic inflammatory diseases that often coexist with allergy and asthma. However, the current pandemic of COVID‐19 also revealed the gaps in our understanding of their mechanism of action, selectivity, and interactions not only during viral infections and inflammation, but also in asthma exacerbations, uncontrolled allergic inflammation, and NSAIDs‐exacerbated respiratory disease (NERD). In this context, the consensus report summarizes currently available knowledge, novel discoveries, and controversies regarding the use of NSAIDs in COVID‐19, and the role of NSAIDs in asthma and viral asthma exacerbations. We also describe here novel mechanisms of action of leukotriene receptor antagonists (LTRAs), outline how to predict responses to LTRA therapy and discuss a potential role of LTRA therapy in COVID‐19 treatment. Moreover, we discuss interactions of novel T2 biologicals and other eicosanoid pathway modifiers on the horizon, such as prostaglandin D2 antagonists and cannabinoids, with eicosanoid pathways, in context of viral infections and exacerbations of asthma and allergic diseases. Finally, we identify and summarize the major knowledge gaps and unmet needs in current eicosanoid research.


Summary In the evolution of decapod crustaceans, interspecific variation in egg size is considered as an important life-history trait that is linked with the duration of embryonic and larval development, the number and type of larval stages, and with juvenile size. Aiming to provide a quantitative characterization of reproductive traits in related decapod taxa differing in lifestyle (freshwater, estuarine, marine) and geographic-climatic distribution (tropical-temperate), we compared size, biomass, and elemental composition of eggs of caridean shrimps from three families: seven species of Palaemonidae (three congeners of Macrobrachium: M. olfersii, M. carcinus, M. acanthurus; four species of Palaemon: P. northropi, P. pandaliformis, P. elegans, P. adspersus), two Atyidae (Potimirim potimirim, Atya scabra), and one Pandalid (Pandalus montagui). Egg size was measured as larger and smaller diameter (D1 D2), volume was calculated from D1 and D2, and biomass was measured as dry mass (W), carbon (C), nitrogen (N), hydrogen (H), and energy (E, estimated from C) contents. The smallest size and lowest biomass were found in the eggs of two freshwater atyids (both originating from Brazil); the largest size occurred in a marine species, P. montagui (from the North Sea); and intermediate values in freshwater, estuarine, and marine palaemonid species (from Brazil and the Baltic Sea, respectively). Among the Palaemon species, the most limnic (P. pandaliformis) showed a significantly larger egg size and volume (P<0.001) than the estuarine and marine congeners, P. elegans, P. adspersus and P. northropi. This suggests that the generally postulated relationship between egg size and lifestyle (freshwater vs. estuarine or marine) may appear at a generic but not at the family level. On the other hand, individual biomass (in μg or Joules per egg) of early eggs was significantly higher in P. elegans and P. adspersus, indicating interspecific variability in biomass and energy concentration (in μg or Joules per unit volume, mm3). Generally lower biomass concentrations in early eggs of freshwater shrimps may be caused by a higher average water content. Eggs in late embryonic stages were generally larger than earlier eggs of the same species, reflecting an increase in the water content, while an increasing D1:D2 quotient indicated an increasingly elongated egg shape. The biomass per egg decreased during embryonic development due to metabolic degradation of organic reserves. As a consequence of inverse ontogenetic changes in size and organic biomass of developing eggs, the mass-specific biomass values (C, N, H in percent of W; E in Joules per mg W) and volume-specific concentrations (μg or Joules per unit volume) decreased. This change was consistently stronger in the C, H, and E contents than in other measures of biomass (W, N). In consequence, the C:N mass ratio also decreased, suggesting that lipid degradation rather than protein utilization was the principal fuel for embryonic development. Our results indicate high intra- (mainly developmental) and interspecific variation in reproductive traits of closely related species. While volume-specific biomass and energy concentrations of early eggs appear to be associated with variation in habitat salinity (freshwater, brackish, marine), individual egg size and biomass may be related more with the climatic-geographic distribution (temperate, tropical) of different taxa.


The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) asked the Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies to provide a scientific statement on the safety of glucosamine for patients receiving coumarin anticoagulants. More than 40 case reports have been collected by drug-monitoring agencies that showed in some patients being prescribed coumarin anticoagulants, especially warfarin, that the International Normalised Ratio (INR) increased after they began taking glucosamine, which indicated an increase in the coagulation time. In most cases the increased INR values were symptomless but in some cases haemorrhage occurred in a variety of organs, and in one case this resulted in a persistent vegetative state. The evidence for an interaction between glucosamine and coumarin anticoagulants is strengthened by the observation that in the majority of cases the INR began to fall to normal values when glucosamine intake was discontinued. There is insufficient information to conclude on a mechanism for an interaction between glucosamine and coumarin anticoagulants. There are also insufficient data in the case reports to derive a dose-response relationship for glucosamine and to assess the level of risk. The Panel concludes that there is evidence for a risk of interaction between glucosamine and coumarin anticoagulants in some individuals that could lead to an increased INR, and, that this could further lead to haemorrhage. The level of risk cannot be ascertained because of insufficient data.


We developed a novel highly efficient blue-light-emitting polymer (P0) containing the alternating electron-deficient diphenylsulfone and the electron-rich 4-octyloxy-aniline moieties, which was synthesized by a palladium catalyzed C–N coupling reaction. Photophysical and light-emitting device characterization confirmed the delayed fluorescence mechanism of this copolymer. A polymer light-emitting diode based on P0 exhibited pure blue emission with CIE coordinates of (0.16, 0.10), which has a maximum external quantum efficiency of 5.3%. In addition, a series of color-tunable polymers that exhibit delayed fluorescence with light emission ranging from sky blue to bluish green and improved efficiency were developed by incorporating a ditriphenylamine-functionalized triazine unit. Our strategy represents a novel approach for the construction of polymers with delayed fluorescence and high efficiency.


Violence against women and girls (VAW) is a global epidemic: according to UN estimates, one in three women worldwide has experienced physical or sexual violence because she is a woman. Oxfam views VAW as human-rights violation and as a major obstacle to women's and girls' development. Through its advocacy and programmes, Oxfam envisions a safe and just world where women and girls are in control of their lives and live free from violence. VAW may manifest itself in a variety of ways, including: domestic violence, sexual assault and harassment, forced and child marriage, sex trafficking, and female genital cutting/mutilation (FGC/M). Its affects are felt not just by women, but also by communities and societies as a whole. This practical guide invites development practitioners to consider: What is VAW? Why does it happen? What does it have to do with development? What does Oxfam do to end VAW? And what does it mean to do that work with a transformative approach?


Oligodendrocytes, which produce the myelin that insulates axons in the central nervous system (CNS), are highly sensitive to conditions that disrupt protein synthesis, and some human demyelinating diseases are associated with mutations in genes encoding components responsible for protein synthesis. Lin et al. provide evidence that exposure of oligodendrocytes to interferon-γ (IFN-γ)--produced by T cells and natural killer cells and implicated in immune-mediated demyelinating diseases such as multiple sclerosis--activates the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress response and that this may contribute to cell death. Cultured oligodendrocytes underwent apoptosis upon exposure to IFN-γ. The ER stress response was detected as an increase in the abundance of CHOP (a transcription factor) and BiP (an ER chaperone), increased phosphorylation of eukaryotic initiation factor 2α (eIF-2α), and activation of caspase-12. The authors used a transgenic mouse designed for inducible expression of IFN-γ in astrocytes of the CNS and showed that when expression of INF-γ was induced during embryogenesis, 14-day-old mice contained axons that were hypomyelinated and oligodendrocytes that exhibited characteristics of activation of the ER stress response. These IFN-γ-engineered mice were crossed with mice deficient for pancreatic ER kinase (PERK), which is activated in response to ER stress and phosphorylates eIF-2α, thus attenuating protein synthesis. PERK+/– mice expressing CNS IFN-γ exhibited tremor, ataxia, and seizures and had axons that were more severely hypomyelinated than those of wild-type mice expressing IFN-γ in the CNS. In addition, the abundance of apoptotic oligodendrocytes was higher in the PERK+/– mice expressing CNS IFN-γ, and the overall number of oligodendrocytes was fewer. Oligodendrocytes of adult mice in which expression of IFN-γ was induced did not show any decrease in myelination and only had evidence of a modest activation of the ER stress response. This is likely due to the decreased protein and lipid synthesis required to maintain myelin in the adult compared with the more demanding requirements for synthesis of myelin during development. W. Lin, H. P. Harding, D. Ron, B. Popko, Endoplasmic reticulum stress modulates the response of myelinating oligodendrocytes to the immune cytokine interferon-γ. J. Cell Biol. 169, 603-612 (2005). [Abstract] [Full Text]


The nonlinear oscillations of an electron plasma described by the collisionless Vlasov equation are studied using a perturbation technique previously applied by Simon and Rosenbluth [Phys. Fluids 19, 1567 (1976)]. It is proved by a characteristic argument that the plasma is globally stable, so that Bogoliuboff's method of ''secular regularization'' is applicable. Assuming the plasma is confined in a box, and that only the lowest mode is unstable, it is shown that the ''eigenmode dominance'' approximation of Simon and Rosenbluth fails to conserve energy, but that energy and momentum conservation can be regained by considering interaction between the discrete and continuum modes. A formula is derived for the amplitude and phase of the saturated nonlinear oscillations. In a subsidiary result, it is shown that nonlinear effects damp the steady‐state oscillations predicted by linearized theory for some stable plasmas.


The production of new rose cultivars by sexual crossing is problematic and time consuming due to sexual incompatibility. the failure of seeds to genninate. and to a limited gene pool. Biotechnology provides an obvious alternative for the creation of genetic novelty in rose. This thesis focuses on the development of novel approaches, based on embryo rescue, pollen cryopreservation, protoplast and transformation technologies.
A reproducible embryo rescue technique was developed in which embryos were excised and genninated on agar solidified medium containing a basic salt mixture and carbohydrate. The choice of carbohydrate and the growth conditions employed were demonstrated to markedly affect the percentage germination and subsequent plantlet development. This technique was used to greatly increase the production of F, hybrid progeny when compared to conventional germination methods.
The failure of sexual crosses between several English rose cultivars was shown to be due to a combination of low pollen viability and to the operation of a pollen-style incompatibility mechanism (probably of the gametophytic self-incompatibility type). Degree of flower opening and method of pollen dehiscence were shown to significantly affect pollen viability.
A technique was developed for the effective cryopreservation of English rose pollen. Using this technique it was possible to store pollen at ultra-low temperatures without any significant loss in viability. Such a technique compared favourably with conventional techniques (refrigeration and freezing) in which a loss in viability over time was demonstrated to occur.
In vitro shoot cultures of English rose were established on MS-based media containing BAP. GA3 and NAA following the treatment of explants with an antioxidant solution to negate the effects of phenolic oxidation. The production of callus was shown to be genotype dependant and lacked regeneration potential. Rhizogenic responses were observed in leaf discs of two cultivars however shoot regeneration was not observed. Using a variety of enzyme mixtures it was possible to isolate protoplasts from both In vitro leaf material and from cell suspensions. Both mesophyll and cell suspension derived protoplasts were cultured to a microcallus stage. Plating density, growth regulator concentration and the use of antioxidants were all demonstrated to have a significant effect on the protoplast plating efficiency. Rhizogenesis was achieved from mesophyll protoplast-derived calli.
Protoplasts, sometimes labelled with a fluorescent marker, were subjected to both chemical and electrofusion. Using micromanipulation, heterokaryons, formed during electrofusion, were recovered. Such heterokaryons, when cultured. underwent division and formed microcalli which subsequently developed into calli. The hybrid nature of such calli were conftrmed by isozyme analysis, determination of ploidy level and RAPD analysis.
The introduction of a plasmid containing a gus marker gene into zygotic embryos of English rose was shown to be possible. This was achieved by microprojectile-mediated DNA delivery using a laboratory built electrical discharge device. The efficiency of this technique was influenced by the concentration of microprojectiles and DNA used. And by firing distance and choice of DNA construct.
The relevance of this study and its applications, in the context of rose breeding are discussed.


The aim of this study was to identify the level of Mathematics anxiety and its relationship with form four students' achievement in Klang district. The study involved a sample of 182 male and 160 female students (n = 342) from ten daily schools in the Klang district.
The Students Mathematics Anxiety Scale (SKMP) was used to measure mathematics anxiety level. This exploratory research used design method of descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation, frequency and percentage) and inferential statistics (t-test, one way ANOVA, correlation Pearson r, Spearman's rho multiple regressions) to analyze the data. Findings showed that the level of students mathematics anxiety were on moderate level (mean = 2.37; SD = 0.74). In details, all the underlying dimensions of mathematics anxiety, that are class climate (mean = 2.03; SP = 0.78), incapability (mean = 2.41; SP = 0.76), abstraction of mathematics (mean = 2.33; SP = 0.86), and mathematics achievement test (mean = 2.65; SP = 0.97) on moderate level.
The findings showed that 52.9% of respondents had experienced the physical symptoms during the mathematical situations in moderate level. Analyses on perceptions of mathematics showed value of mathematics (mean = 1.74; SD = 0.79), self confidence (mean = 3.42; SD = 1.05) and enjoyment of mathematics (mean = 3.17; SD = 1.04) in mathematical situations were low. Study also showed there was a significant relationship between students' perception and their mathematics anxiety (r = 0.50). In detail enjoyment of mathematics (r = 0.43), self confidence in mathematical situations (r = 0.40) and value of mathematics (r = 0.21) showed a moderate relationship with mathematics anxiety. The findings have shown there was a significant relationship between mathematics anxiety and the occurring of physical symptoms during the mathematical situations (r = 0.61).
An analysis of variance among groups of pure science (n = 117), technical science (n = 111) and humanities science (n = 114), revealed that these groups differed significantly (F (2,339) = 8.38, p < 0.05). The findings of a one-way ANOVA indicated a significant difference between science humanities group with pure science group and the science technical group respectively. Yet a no significant difference was found between the According to the findings several suggestions were suggested to school, Education Ministry and future research. As a outcomes, the study can be used as a resource in planning and implementing quality teaching and learning of mathematics. This aspect should be instilled in the teaching approach in order to enhance the quality of teaching and learning in secondary school especially the schools in rural area.


Are premarital agreements categorically unfair? Critics of premarital agreements cling to the (unfounded) belief that premarital agreements are categorically one-sided, coercive, and designed to benefit the wealthier spouse — usually the man. Courts, legislators, and scholars have too often relied on assumptions about premarital agreements without delving in to the facts. They have looked almost everywhere to support their views, except for the one place that really matters: the actual agreements. The result, predictably, is a paternalistic system predicated on a near religious belief that women who sign premarital agreements are uneducated, unsophisticated, economically dependent actors who need the state to protect them from the overreaching of their husbands and their own stupidity. For the few women this paternalistic system might protect, it harms a great many more by reinforcing negative stereotypes and eroding individual autonomy.

This paper builds on my previous work and offers something that has been sorely lacking in the field — empirical data. This paper presents my initial findings of a study involving all of the premarital agreements between opposite-sex couples recorded in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana between January 1, 2013 and December 31, 2016 — a total of 474 premarital agreements. My findings cast considerable doubt upon many of the stereotypes about the parties that enter into premarital agreements. The quintessential stereotype of a couple with a premarital agreement is the rich businessman and his (much) younger "trophy" bride. For the couples in this study, however, large age discrepancies are the exception rather than the rule. We have long assumed that premarital agreements are most common in second marriages. Although that is generally true for the couples in this study, the reality is a good deal more nuanced. Nearly a quarter of the agreements in this study were entered into by two spouses with no prior marriages. Longstanding assumptions about substance and procedure are also challenged by my study. We have been suspicious of premarital agreements that are signed shortly before the wedding out of fear that they result from duress or coercion. Yet, the vast majority of the couples in this study signed their agreements shortly before their weddings. Isn't it more likely that these couples procrastinated rather than coerced? We have long assumed that premarital agreements involve the waiver of property rights and spousal support by the poorer spouse for the benefit of the richer spouse. Again, the data paint a more complex and interesting picture.


It is well accepted that access to entrepreneurial finance encourages entrepreneurship and growth. Empirical studies on topic, however, segregate the effect of entrepreneurial finance on entrepreneurship by the source of capital. In this paper, we compare the effect of two main sources of entrepreneurial finance on small firm formation and growth: banks versus venture capital (VC). Based on U.S. data spanning 1995–2011, and regardless of controls for endogeneity, we find the effect of VC to be both economically and statistically significant in stimulating new firms, new establishments, new employment, and new payroll. We do not find similar evidence for banks.


The overall objectives with this compound thesis, focusing on informal investors as financiers of entrepreneurial ventures, can be summarized in the following way:- To reveal the existence of, and describe the characteristics, investment activities, and preferences of Norwegian informal investors.- To refine the informal investor concept by developing a robust categorization of Norwegian informal investors.- To uncover how relational aspects influence the investment process of experienced informal investors.The core of the present thesis consists of four academic papers, employing data from two separate empirical studies. Paper 1, "The informal venture capital market in Norway – investor characteristics, behaviour and investment preferences", is to a large extent a replication of previous studies in other geographical contexts. This paper suggests that Norwegian informal investors are quite similar to investors in the UK and Sweden, but there are differences, most notably the fact that Norwegian informal investors to a lesser degree are actively involved in their portfolio firms. Paper 2, "Informal investors – a categorization, with policy implications", provides a categorization that is more robust, and hopefully more useful than categorizations in previous research; it has revealed the assumed heterogeneity among informal investors with four basic categories of investors: i) "Lotto Investors", ii) "Traders", iii) "Analytical Investors", and iv) "Business Angels". This categorization refines the informal investor concept and enhances the understanding of different categories of investors. This insight should then be used when introducing private and public means in order to stimulate the informal venture capital market. Paper 3, "The pre-investment behaviour of business angels – a social capital approach", addresses why and how experienced informal investors can deal with the fragmented market place per se. As a result of this study I propose that very experienced investors find it less difficult to identify and evaluate investment proposals. This finding relates to the relational nature of the market, as it is the previous regional or industry specific track record that defines how informal investors handle the fragmented marketplace. Paper 4, "Business angels as facilitators for further finance – an exploratory study", deals with how these investors can add value to their portfolio firm by acting as facilitators for further finance. The empirical findings from this study indicate that experienced informal investors play a key role as facilitators for further finance; usually not as we would expect, by involving venture capital firms, but more often by facilitating the involvement of other informal investors, strategic partners, and banks. Paper 3 and 4 employ theoretical insight from social capital theory, adapted in order to study the informal investors' investment processes. In paper 3, I argue that an integrative social capital approach (including both a bridging and a bonding view of social capital) is very useful in order to explain how informal investors actually deal with the fragmented marketplace. Paper 4 also employs central elements from social capital theory, but to a larger extent it employs a bridging view of social capital when studying how informal investors can act as facilitators for further finance. Overall, insights from social capital theory seem to be relevant in order to uncover the social/relational aspects of informal investors investment process.


This paper introduces a novel architecture of Wave Energy Converter (WEC) provided with a Dielectric Elastomer (DE) Power Take–Off (PTO) system. The device, named Poly–Buoy, includes a heaving buoy as primary interface, that captures the mechanical energy from waves, and a DE Generator (DEG), made by stacked layers of silicone elastomer, that converts mechanical energy into electricity.A mathematical model of the Poly–Buoy is proposed, which includes analytical electro–hyperlastic equations for the DEG and a linear model for wave-buoy hydrodynamics.Procedures for the design and optimization of different layouts and control strategies for the DE–PTO are introduced that specifically consider single–DEG and dual–DEG architectures. A numerical case study is also reported for specific geometrical dimensions of the buoy and specific wave climate data.© 2014 ASME


Abstract This article presents a Brazilian experience in training teachers to educate for purpose. Understanding that purpose is a value to be constructed through real-world and contextualised experiences, the authors discuss some psychological processes that underlie purpose development. Then the authors show how these processes are used in a purpose development programme they have conducted for in-service and pre-service teachers over the past six years. Using innovative pedagogies, such as Problem-Based Learning, Project-Based Learning, and Design Thinking, the authors describe the steps that teachers have to follow in project development, examples of the results accomplished with this kind of programme, and research findings that are being conducted to analyse the principles and results of this approach for training teachers in how to educate youth for purpose.


BOUNDED BEAM WAVE PULSE PROPAGATION AND SCATTERING IN RANDOM MEDIA BASED ON THE RADIATIVE TRANSFER THEORY USING 2-D GAUSS QUADRATURE FORMULA by Sheng-Kai Hu The scalar time-dependent equation of radiative transfer is used to develop a theory of bounded beam wave narrow band pulse propagation and scattering in a medium characterized by many random discrete scatters, which scatters energy strongly in the forward scattering direction. Applications include the scattering of highly collimated millimeter waves in vegetation and optical beams in the atmosphere. The specific problem analyzed is that of a periodic sequence of Gaussian shaped pulses normally incident from free space onto the planar boundary surface of a random medium halfspace, such as a forest, that possesses a scatter (phase) function consisting of a strong, narrow forward lobe superimposed over an isotropic background. After splitting the specific intensity into the reduced incident and diffused intensities, the solution of the transport equation expressed in cylindrical coordinates in the random medium half-space is obtained by using the Fourier-Bessel transform along with the two-dimensional Gauss quadrature formula and an eigenvalue-eigenvector technique, following the procedure developed by Chang and Ishimaru for CW propagation. Curves of received power are obtained for different penetration depths, different incident beamwidths, and different scatter directions. At large penetration depths, as well as for scatter directions different from the incident radiation, the power is shown to attenuate significantly and the pulse widths are shown to broaden, which resulted in considerable pulse distortion. Results for different beam widths are also obtained. BOUNDED BEAM WAVE PULSE PROPAGATION AND SCATTERING IN RANDOM MEDIA BASED ON THE RADIATIVE TRANSFER THEORY USING 2-D GAUSS QUADRATURE FORMULA


Estimates of anticipated sea level rise as a consequence of 'greenhouse' warming depend both on the increased global temperatures, and on the way in which this heat and the water formed from melting ice are absorbed in the global ocean (Church et a/, 2001). Various numerical models of ocean responses have shown that the increase in sea level will not be uniform worldwide; the validity of these
models can be confirmed if these regional differences are consistent with direct observations. For this, measurements of actual mean sea level changes over long periods are needed. Unfortunately, very few early sea level measurements have survived, especially in the Southern Hemisphere.
A unique series of sea level measurements, made at Port Arthur, Tasmania, between 1837 and 1842, and linked to a benchmark which still exists, has been used to estimate sea
level changes in the region over the past 160 years. The estimated rise (0.13 +/- 0.03 metres) gives an average rate of increase of 0.8 +/- 0.2 mm/year. Correction for local vertical land movement, based on best available models and observations, increases this value by about 0.0 to 0.2 mm/year. This rate of increase is significantly less than the observed globally averaged mean sea level rise over the same period (Church et al, 2001). However, it is broadly consistent with the reduced rate of rise at high southern
latitudes shown by numerical models (Gregory et al, 2001). A major uncertainty arises in the estimate of recent vertical land movement, which will be resolved only when our geocentric measurements of the benchmark coordinates are repeated after a sufficiently long interval.


Aspergillus fumigatus is one of the most common fungi in the human environment, both in-doors and out-doors. It is the main causative agent of invasive aspergillosis, a life-threatening mycosis among immunocompromised patients. The genome, has been sequenced by an international consortium, including the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute (U.K.) and The Institute for Genomic Research (TIGR, U.S.A.), and a ten times whole genome shotgun sequence assembly has been made publicly available. In this study, we identified tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle enzymes of A. fumigatus by comparative analysis with four other fungal species. The open reading frames showed high amino acid sequence similarity with the other fungal citric acid enzymes and well-conserved functional domains. All genes present in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Schizosaccharomyces pombe, Candida albicans, and Neurospora crassa were also found in A. fumigatus. In addition, we identified four A. fumigatus genes coding for enzymes in the glyoxylate shunt, which may be required for fungal virulence. The architecture of multi-gene encoded enzymes, such as isocitrate dehydrogenase, 2-ketoglutarate, succinyl-CoA synthetase, and succinate dehydrogenase was well conserved in A. fumigatus. Furthermore, our results show that genes of A. fumigatus can be detected reliably using GlimmerM.


Abstract The purpose of this study is to investigate the influences of a six-stage story structure (4S) approach on elementary students' story production. To this end, the 4S approach was developed and realized in the form of paper-based and digital storybooks based on scaffolding theory. Specifically, the students learned the six-stage story structure (i.e. setting, theme, attempt, consequence, climax, and resolution) from a number of stories in the dual tasks (i.e. the use of digital storybook after the use of paper-based storybook) and then applied this structure to create their own stories. To address the influence of the 4S approach, forty-nine fifth-grade students participated in a quasi-experimental study for seven 40-minute sessions over 2 weeks. The students in the Experimental Group using the 4S approach were compared with those in the Control Group without the 4S approach. The findings revealed that the 4S approach helps students' story quality, interests, and attitudes. Some implications and limitations are also discussed in this paper.


The GPS system is the most extended satellite-based navigation system nowadays, it is increasingly
being used for a wide range of applications and by a huge number of users worldwide.
The aim of this project is develop a set of graphical user interfaces to track the GPS
satellite constellation, also called GPS Space Segment. The information of the GPS satellites
is acquired, processed and stored at the IT Monitoring Station, which becomes the starting
point of this project.
First of all, to a better comprehension of the work realized, it is described the essentials
concepts of the GPS system. Also a study of the the characteristics of the IT Monitoring
Station and its functionalities has been done. To complete this theoretical approach, a look
to the state of the art of the navigation systems is done.
Four applications have been developed in the context of this project, an application consists
on both, a server and client side. In each application it is monitored a di erent concept related
with the GPS satellites: elevation and azimuth, ephemeris data and the satellites position into
2D and 3D views. In this report it is described in detail the monitored data, the applications
functionalities and its internal structure. The servers have been written in C and are running,
as independent processes, in the IT Monitoring Station computer. The clients have been
developed with Matlab, an environment that ful lls all the GUIs needs. They are standalone
applications that can run in Windows OS.
Furthermore, some tests have been done to check that the performance of the applications
was correct. Also this report includes some applications manuals that explain everything that
an user should know in order to run and use the applications. The result of this project is
four tracking applications of the GPS Space Segment.


The following chapters have sent in officer slates for 2012-2013. Officers are listed in the order of President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Historian, and Faculty Advisor unless otherwise noted. The chapters are listed alphabetically by Greek name. Please submit new slates, changes and corrections to firstname.lastname@example.com.


Information systems (IS) security breaches cause significant losses to organizations worldwide. Many approaches have been introduced in order to improve employees' security behavior. Earlier research shows that only seven out of 59 approaches are based on sound theoretical background, and the research in the area of IS security awareness and security behavior has neglected the use of relevant theories of psychology, pedagogy and management. The lack of utilizing theories may have a negative impact on the effectiveness of IS security training and on understanding how to change and improve employees' security behavior towards compliance to organizational information security policies. In this paper we describe a theoretically grounded approach to IS security training based on constructivism. The approach is empirically validated in a telecommunications company. The results show that the approach has a positive impact on employees' security behavior.


Cities are increasingly organised according to socio-spatial divisions in which groups with similar characteristics live in the same areas. This social polarisation is associated with differences in living conditions, health, morbidity and mortality. Traditionally, 'areas of disadvantage' have also been associated with increased risk of harmful substance use. However, some recent studies suggest that 'areas of affluence' may socialise adolescents into high levels of alcohol consumption. Using a combination of city district-level socio-economic data and surveys of adolescents, we investigated patterns of substance use in different city districts of Oslo, Norway, with the aim to shed more light on these conflicting previous findings. We found that adolescents in the affluent parts of Oslo West reported the highest levels of recreational smoking, snus use and alcohol use. Those in the poorer Oslo Central East reported the highest levels of daily smoking, alcohol problems and cannabis use. After controlling for individual- and family-based risk factors, significant area differences remained, except with regard to alcohol problems and cannabis use. We conclude that adolescents living in affluent areas report the highest use of several psychoactive substances, but in a manner that is usually compatible with a rather health-oriented lifestyle. By contrast, those from socio-economically disadvantaged districts near the city centre use substances in a manner that may have greater potential for social marginalisation, morbidity and mortality.


An increase in the size (scale) of an economy increases the total quantity of rents that can be captured by successful innovators, which, in equilibrium, should lead to a rise in innovative activity. Conventional wisdom and the theoretical predictions of models of endogenous innovation suggest that this increased research effort should lead to more rapid growth. As noted by Charles Jones, this prediction is at odds with the postwar experience of the OECD, where the growth of the market has indeed led to an increased R & D effort that, however, has been translated into stagnat or declining growth rates. Drawing on the remarkable insights of the museum curator Seabury C. Gilfillan, this paper modifies models of endogenous innovation to allow for the possibility that a rise in the profitability of innovative activity could lead to an increased variety of differentiated solutions to similar problems. An increased variety of technologies (e.g., an increase in the number and types of contraceptives) will increase the level of utility of the average consumer. If, however, continued improvement of this increased variety of technologies requires increased research input, a rise in the scale of the market could raise the equilibrium quantity of R & D without increasing the economy's growth rate.


Vicent Martı́nez Guzmán is a Spanish born philosopher, educationalist, and activist of the international peace research movement. For more than 20 years his philosophical and educational views have been an unavoidable reference in the debates on the normative and epistemological foundations of what he calls "the task of making peace(s)." Since the early 1990s, he has played a significant part in the development of interdisciplinary programs in Peace Studies in Spain. In 1999, he founded the UNESCO Chair of Philosophy for Peace at the University Jaume I, Castellón. His work in the fields of communication, linguistics, and education in the phenomenological tradition have contributed to our understanding of "conflict transformation," while promoting a renovation in human and social sciences. Vicent built up a life that encompasses research, publishing, education, university management, and activism for peace. His advocacy for peace values based on "communicative solidarity" has had an extensive influence in academia, community life, and educational debates.


An organism's ability to adapt to its environment depends on its ability to regulate and maintain tissue specific, temporal patterns of gene transcription in response to specific environmental cues. Epigenetic mechanisms are responsible for many of the intricacies of a gene's regulation that alter expression patterns without affecting the genetic sequence. In particular, DNA methylation has been shown to have an important role in regulating early development and in some human diseases. Within these domains, DNA methylation has been extensively characterized over the past 60 years, but the discovery of its role in regulating behavioral outcomes has led to renewed interest in its potential roles in animal behavior and phenotypic plasticity. The conservation of DNA methylation across the animal kingdom suggests a possible role in the plasticity of genomic responses to environmental cues in natural environments. Here, we review the historical context for the study of DNA methylation, its function and mechanisms, and provide examples of gene/environment interactions in response to social and seasonal cues. Finally, we discuss useful tools to interrogate and dissect the function of DNA methylation in non-model organisms.


Discussions regarding the delivery of rehabilitation services today frequently include some mention of consumer empowerment. Federal legislation such as the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1992 mandated a continued growth in consumer involvement. Service delivery models that subscribe to a consumer empowerment model attempt to "...facilitate and maximize opportunities for individuals with disabilities to have control and authority over their own lives" (Emener, 1991, p. 8). The traditional service delivery model, often called the medical model, encourages a passive role for the consumer with the ultimate decision making performed by the rehabilitation professional. A professional operating from this system would tend to dictate a solution to the consumer (e.g., "You need this training program"). Conversely, the consumer driven model expects the active support and participation of the person with a disability. A professional operating from this service delivery model would try to educate the consumer as to various options and facilitate decision making by the individual (e.g., "Here are some options that might work; which one is best for you?"). Anticipated benefits of following a more participatory model include increased service quality and consumer satisfaction (Patterson & Marks, 1992). In addition to this trend toward consumer involvement in the rehabilitation process, an increased role in the use of technology in the lives of people with disabilities has occurred. Typically referred to as assistive technology (or rehabilitation technology), it has been defined as items and services that increase the functional capacities of people with disabilities (Institute on Rehabilitation Issues, 1986; Langton, 1991). Assistive items can range from "low-tech" devices (e.g., blocks of wood to raise the level of a desk) to "high-tech" equipment (e.g., laser activated communication boards) with many points in between. Assistive technology services might include evaluation, design, construction, repair, and training. Assistive technology can impact any sphere of a person's life including education, social, recreation, mobility, work, daily living, transportation, etc. (Reed, 1993). This use of technology can be seen as an empowering tool as it can greatly increase an individual's functioning. The use of independent living aids such as a "grabber" (a device that assists a person in reaching and grasping items), for example, might reduce or even eliminate the need for home visits. Likewise, computer technology might assist a person to successfully complete a training or educational program not accessible without computer assistance. Technology can, therefore, greatly increase a person's options. Recognizing the potential of assistive technology, Congress passed the Technology-Related Assistance for Individuals with Disabilities Act of 1988 (P.L. 100-407). By making federal monies available to individual states, Congress helped expand the role and public visibility of this technology. As of June 1992 forty-two states had been awarded a demonstration grant of a least $500,000 (RESNA, 1992). States receiving this federal support were required to promote assistive technology. Demonstration centers, training and support services for potential users and service providers as well as information and referral networks were some of the primary services required of grant recipients (National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research, 1993). In addition to direct services, this legislation had a stated purpose of encouraging the development and initiation of assistive technology service delivery systems (Parette & VanBiervliet, 1991). This article presents an overview of common service delivery models for the provision of assistive technology. With a continued trend toward increased consumer involvement and empowerment within the field of rehabilitation, the need for service delivery systems that encourage consumer empowerment is vital. …


This thesis presents a national survey of the Late Anglo-Saxon and Viking-age strap-end, one
of the commonest manifestations of ornamental metalwork from the period. This survey is
based on approximately 1,400 strap-ends, enabling, for the first time, a detailed investigation of
various themes concerning their manufacture, circulation, and use.
The introduction (1) describes the organisation and contents of the thesis in light of past work
on the subject. A background chapter (2) sets out a methodological framework for the study
and then introduces some relevant theoretical considerations. A classification of Late Saxon
and Viking-age strap-ends (3) presents the defining characteristics of morphology and
decoration relating to a sub-division of the corpus into typological groups. Chapter (4)
discusses the variety of contexts in which Late Saxon strap-ends are discovered - highlighting
the limitations and implications of each for subsequent interpretation. Evidence of their
manufacture and associated technology is evaluated in Chapter (5).
Extended analysis and interpretation then proceeds in the following three chapters. The
chronology and distribution of Late Saxon strap-ends are discussed in (6) and (7) respectively.
Chapter (8) is primarily contextual, exploring the possible function/s of these artefacts, and the
production systems involved in their manufacture.
Chapter (9) offers general conclusions and suggestions for refining the present study and
strategies for future research.
Appendices include a comprehensive checklist of individual strap-ends recorded in the survey
(1), a preliminary checklist of examples recorded outside the survey area (2), and contextual
information relating to strap-ends discovered in stratified, archaeological contexts (3). These
are intended to provide the principle source of reference for the classificatory and thematic
discussions which form the main text.


ABSTRACT The expression of the phase 2 detoxification enzymes and antioxidant proteins is induced at the transcriptional level by Nrf2 and negatively regulated at the posttranslational level by Keap1 through protein-protein interactions with and subsequent proteolysis of Nrf2. We found that the Neh2 domain of Nrf2 is an intrinsically disordered but biologically active regulatory domain containing a 33-residue central α-helix followed by a mini antiparallel β-sheet. Isothermal calorimetry analysis indicated that one Neh2 molecule interacts with two molecules of Keap1 via two binding sites, the stronger binding ETGE motif and the weaker binding DLG motif. Nuclear magnetic resonance titration study showed that these two motifs of the Neh2 domain bind to an overlapping site on the bottom surface of the β-propeller structure of Keap1. In contrast, the central α-helix of the Neh2 domain does not have any observable affinity to Keap1, suggesting that this region may serve as a bridge connecting the two motifs for the association with the two β-propeller structures of a dimer of Keap1. Based on these observations, we propose that Keap1 recruits Nrf2 by the ETGE motif and that the DLG motif of the Neh2 domain locks its lysine-rich central α-helix in a correct position to benefit ubiquitin signaling.


We employ the minimal geometric deformation approach to gravitational decoupling (MGD-decoupling) in order to generate an exact anisotropic and non-uniform version of the ultracompact Schwarzschild star, or 'gravastar', proposed by Mazur and Mottola. This new system represents an ultracompact configuration of radius whose interior metric can be matched smoothly to a conformally deformed Schwarzschild exterior. Remarkably, the model satisfies some of the basic requirements to describe a physically acceptable stellar model, such as a positive density everywhere and decreasing monotonously from the centre, as well as a non-uniform and monotonic pressure.