Markov models provide a useful representation of system behavioral actions and state observations, but they do not scale well. Utilizing a hierarchy and abstraction through hierarchical hidden Markov models (HHMMs) improves scalability, but these structures are usually constructed manually using knowledge engineering techniques. We introduce a new method of automatically constructing HHMMs using the output of a sequential data-mining algorithm, Episode Discovery, and apply it to solving automation problems in the intelligent environment domain. Repetitive behavioral actions in sensor rich environments such as smart homes can be observed and categorized into periodic and frequent episodes through data-mining techniques utilizing the minimum description length principle. Utilizing this approach, we provide an architecture and a set of algorithms for a pervasive computing system showing that inhabitant interactions in home and workplace environments can be accurately automated through sensor observation and intelligent control using a data-driven approach to automatically generate hierarchical inhabitant interaction models in the form of HPOMDPs and these models may be modified using temporal-difference reinforcement learning techniques to continually adapt to changes in the inhabitant's patterns until a new model should be generated. We present our life-long learning system and apply this work in our MavPad and MavLab environments where we have been successful at automating up to 40% of the life of a real inhabitant and 76% of a virtual inhabitant as well as dynamically adapting to concept changes over time. Findings from several case studies are provided to show the feasibility of this approach.


In this study, progressive cracking of a transverse layer in a cross-ply composite laminate subjected to tensile loading is considered. Using the results of a probabilistic cracking model, approximate relations for crack density as a function of stress are derived for initiation-controlled and propagation-controlled cracking. It is shown that the crack density evolution in the transverse ply can be represented by a mastercurve in suitably normalized coordinates. The mastercurve approach is applied to progressive cracking in glass/epoxy laminates. POLYM. COMPOS., 2009. © 2008 Society of Plastics Engineers


Twitter is a relatively common platform through which libraries can connect with their user communities. However, it also represents an innovative tool for professional development by allowing library and information sciences (LIS) professionals to communicate and share information across distance and time. Using data gathered from a workshop activity, this article explores the attitudes of new and emerging professionals towards Twitter, including barriers to usage and how these can potentially be reduced. The results indicate that some librarians are still reluctant to fully utilize it as a continuing professional development tool for a variety of reasons. Promoting strategies that specifically address these concerns may help to increase the level of engagement with Twitter by the LIS community as an innovative learning and development resource.


IMPORTANCE
Palpation of the nasal tip is an essential component of the preoperative rhinoplasty examination. Measuring tip support is challenging, and the forces that correspond to ideal tip support are unknown.

OBJECTIVE
To identify the integrated reaction force and the minimum and ideal mechanical properties associated with nasal tip support.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS
Three-dimensional (3-D) printed anatomic silicone nasal models were created using a computed tomographic scan and computer-aided design software. From this model, 3-D printing and casting methods were used to create 5 anatomically correct nasal models of varying constitutive Young moduli (0.042, 0.086, 0.098, 0.252, and 0.302 MPa) from silicone. Thirty rhinoplasty surgeons who attended a regional rhinoplasty course evaluated the reaction force (nasal tip recoil) of each model by palpation and selected the model that satisfied their requirements for minimum and ideal tip support. Data were collected from May 3 to 4, 2014.

RESULTS
Of the 30 respondents, 4 surgeons had been in practice for 1 to 5 years; 9 surgeons, 6 to 15 years; 7 surgeons, 16 to 25 years; and 10 surgeons, 26 or more years. Seventeen surgeons considered themselves in the advanced to expert skill competency levels. Logistic regression estimated the minimum threshold for the Young moduli for adequate and ideal tip support to be 0.096 and 0.154 MPa, respectively. Logistic regression estimated the thresholds for the reaction force associated with the absolute minimum and ideal requirements for good tip recoil to be 0.26 to 4.74 N and 0.37 to 7.19 N during 1- to 8-mm displacement, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE
This study presents a method to estimate clinically relevant nasal tip reaction forces, which serve as a proxy for nasal tip support. This information will become increasingly important in computational modeling of nasal tip mechanics and ultimately will enhance surgical planning for rhinoplasty.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE
NA.


This paper sets up the foundations for derived algebraic geometry, Goerss–Hopkins obstruction theory, and the construction of commutative ring spectra in the abstract setting of operadic algebras in symmetric spectra in an (essentially) arbitrary model category. We show that one can do derived algebraic geometry a la Toën–Vezzosi in an abstract category of spectra. We also answer in the affirmative a question of Goerss and Hopkins by showing that the obstruction theory for operadic algebras in spectra can be done in the generality of spectra in an (essentially) arbitrary model category. We construct strictly commutative simplicial ring spectra representing a given cohomology theory and illustrate this with a strictly commutative motivic ring spectrum representing higher order products on Deligne cohomology. These results are obtained by first establishing Smith's stable positive model structure for abstract spectra and then showing that this category of spectra possesses excellent model-theoretic properties: we show that all colored symmetric operads in symmetric spectra valued in a symmetric monoidal model category are admissible, i.e., algebras over such operads carry a model structure. This generalizes the known model structures on commutative ring spectra and $\text{E}_{\infty }$ -ring spectra in simplicial sets or motivic spaces. We also show that any weak equivalence of operads in spectra gives rise to a Quillen equivalence of their categories of algebras. For example, this extends the familiar strictification of $\text{E}_{\infty }$ -rings to commutative rings in a broad class of spectra, including motivic spectra. We finally show that operadic algebras in Quillen equivalent categories of spectra are again Quillen equivalent. This paper is also available at arXiv:1410.5699v2.


Radial internal clearance (RIC) is one of the most important parameters influencing on rolling bearing exploitation in mechanical systems. Lifetime of rotary machines strongly depends on a condition of applied rolling elements, thus a study on applied clearance is very important in terms of maintenance and reliability. This paper proposes, a novel approach of studying RIC, based on a nonlinear dynamics method called recurrences. The results are confronted with standard analyses, i.e. statistical condition indicators, Fast Fourier Transform and Continuous Wavelet Transform. The application of the mentioned methods allowed us to find the optimal radial clearance for operating bearings. To ensure precise measurements of the clearance, an automated setup for RIC measurements is applied and next mounted in a plummer block and tested to finally measure vibration acceleration. The proposed methods are useful for a condition monitoring and lifetime prediction of bearings or bearing-based systems in which a proper value of radial clearance is crucial.


In our previous studies, peripheral blood lineage−CD34+CD31+ cells (CD31+ IMC) appearing in severely burned patients have been characterized as inhibitor cells for the production of β-defensins (HBDs) by human epidermal keratinocytes (NHEK). In this study, the effect of glycyrrhizin on pseudomonal skin infections was studied in a chimera model of thermal injury. Two different chimera models were utilized. Patient chimeras were created in murine antimicrobial peptide-depleted NOD-SCID IL-2rγnull mice that were grafted with unburned skin tissues of severely burned patients and inoculated with the same patient peripheral blood CD31+ IMC. Patient chimera substitutes were created in the same mice that were grafted with NHEK and inoculated with experimentally induced CD31+ IMC. In the results, both groups of chimeras treated with glycyrrhizin resisted a 20 LD50 dose of P. aeruginosa skin infection, while all chimeras in both groups treated with saline died within 3 days of the infection. Human antimicrobial peptides were detected from the grafted site tissues of both groups of chimeras treated with glycyrrhizin, while the peptides were not detected in the same area tissues of controls. HBD-1 was produced by keratinocytes in transwell-cultures performed with CD31+ IMC and glycyrrhizin. Also, inhibitors (IL-10 and CCL2) of HBD-1 production by keratinocytes were not detected in cultures of patient CD31+ IMC treated with glycyrrhizin. These results indicate that sepsis stemming from pseudomonal grafted site infections in a chimera model of burn injury is controllable by glycyrrhizin. Impaired antimicrobial peptide production at the infection site of severely burned patients may be restored after treatment with glycyrrhizin.


The movement parallax field due to the translation of an observer relative to a plane surface is studied in an infinitesimal neighborhood of a visual direction. The parallax field is decomposed into elementary transformations: a translation, a rigid rotation, a similarity, and a deformation. A topologically invariant classification based on critical-point analysis is also obtained. It is shown that the field is either that of a node or that of a saddle point. Numerical results for a general case are offered as illustration. We discuss the relevance of the local, as opposed to the global structure of the parallax field for visual perception and the visual space sense.


Feasibility analysis, a method of evaluating government regulations, has emerged as the major alternative to cost-benefit analysis. Although regulatory agencies have used feasibility analysis (in some contexts called "technology-based" analysis) longer than cost-benefit analysis, feasibility analysis has received far less attention in the scholarly literature. In recent years, however, critics of cost-benefit analysis have offered feasibility analysis as a superior alternative. We advance the debate by uncovering the analytic structure of feasibility analysis and its normative premises, and then criticizing them. Our account builds on two examples of feasibility analysis, one conducted by OSHA and the other by EPA. We find that feasibility analysis leads to both under- and overregulation, and we conclude that it lacks a normative justification and is unsuitable for government regulation.


Background Cancer stem cells (CSCs) play a critical role in tumor development, progression, metastasis and recurrence. Aim To evaluate hepatic expression of CD44 and CD133 in Egyptian patients with HCV-induced chronic liver diseases and hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs), and to assess its correlation with inflammatory activity scores, stages of fibrosis (in chronic hepatitis with or without cirrhosis) and grades of HCC. Methods This prospective case-control study was conducted on eighty subjects who attended the Tropical Diseases Department, Al-Azhar University Hospital, and in collaboration with Theodor Bilharz Research Institute (2014–2016). They were divided as follows: A) Control healthy group: Ten individuals with serologically negative HCV-Ab and HBsAg, and histopathologically normal liver, B) Seventy patients subdivided into 3 groups; Twenty subjects each, as: HCV-Ab+ non-cirrhotic, HCV-Ab+ cirrhotic and HCC. Necroinflammatory activity and fibrosis in non-neoplastic liver biopsies were scored according to the METAVIR scoring system. CD44 and CD133 immunostaining was evaluated in all groups semi-quantitatively using H score. Statistical analysis was performed by SPSS version 22, using independent-samples t-test. Results Our study showed a significant increase of mean CD44 & CD133 expression values with disease progression among the groups (p<0.05). Their expressions increased significantly with the inflammatory activity scores and stages of fibrosis, reaching the highest values in A3F4 score compared to A1F1 (p<0.05). Moreover, there was a significant increase of their expressions across HCC grades (p<0.05), however with no significant correlation with focal lesions size. Conclusion CSCs clusters exhibiting CD133+ and/or CD44+ profiles were identified in chronic hepatitis, liver cirrhosis and HCC. CD133 and CD44 expressions significantly corresponded to the increased inflammatory activity, fibrosis stages and higher tumor grades. Therefore, evaluation of CD44 and CD133 expression profiles as CSCs markers in non-neoplastic liver and HCCs can help in development of novel therapeutic agents for HCC targeting and prevention.


Abstract The achievement of 60% beta and near classical confinement in the Russian Gas Dynamic Trap (GDT) provides a basis for extrapolating to a 2 MW neutron source with 2 MW m-2 of 14 MeV neutron flux over an area of ~1 m2. Such a source is needed for fusion materials development and qualification. We consider two axisymmetric configurations: a single mirror cell Deuterium-Tritium Dynamic-Trap Neutron Source (DTNS) and a Tandem-mirror Neutron Source (TNS). Compared to earlier US neutron source concepts, neither configuration utilizes complex minimum-B magnets or thermal barriers. In this paper we describe extrapolations from GDT with the same physical size, and the same dimensionless plasma parameters, but with higher magnetic field as well as higher neutral beam energy and power.


Discrete choice models are appealing for airline revenue management (RM) because they offer a means to profitably exploit preferences for attributes such as time of day, routing, brand, and price. They are also good at modeling demand for unrestricted fare class structures, which are widespread throughout the industry. However, there is little empirical research on the practicality and effectiveness of choice-based RM models. Toward this end, we report the results of a study of choice-based RM conducted with a major U.S. airline. Our study had two main objectives: (1) to assess the extent to which choice models can be estimated well using readily available airline data, and (2) to gauge the potential impact that choice-based RM could have on a sample of test markets.

We developed a maximum likelihood estimation algorithm that uses a variation of the expectation-maximization method to account for unobservable data. The procedure was applied to data for a test market from New York City to a destination in Florida. The outputs are promising in terms of the quality of the computed estimates, although a large number of departure instances may be necessary to achieve highly accurate results. These choice model estimates were then used in a simulation study to assess the revenue performance of the EMSR-b (expected marginal seat revenue, version b) capacity control policies and the current controls used by the airline relative to controls optimized to account for choice behavior. Our simulation results show 1%--5% average revenue improvements using choice-based RM. Although such simulated results must be taken with caution, overall our study suggests that choice-based revenue management is both feasible to execute and economically significant in real-world airline environments.


Counter to the "start high, end high" effect of anchors in individual judgments and dyadic negotiations, 6 studies using a diverse set of methodologies document how and why, in the social setting of auctions, lower starting prices result in higher final prices. Three processes contribute to this effect. First, lower starting prices reduce barriers to entry, which increase traffic and generate higher final prices. Second, lower starting prices entice bidders to invest time and energy (creating sunk costs) and, consequently, escalate their commitments. Third, the traffic generated by lower starting prices can lead bidders to infer value in the item, thereby explaining previous findings that traffic begets more traffic. The authors show that barriers to entry that limit traffic (e.g., a misspelled brand name) lead to anchoring's normal assimilative effect rather than its reversal. By broadening the understanding of anchors to extended social interactions and open markets, the authors identify when and why starting prices anchor.


This paper will present a kinetoelastic model appropriate for spatial compliant manipulators that will be used for size optimization and motion control of these devices. This model will be applicable to a class of compliant manipulators based on a parallel architecture that combines the characteristics of parallel manipulators with the low-cost, small-scale capabilities resulting from a compliant structure design. The model will address both the forward and inverse kinematic analysis of such devices, as well as form a design tool for dimensional synthesis in an optimal sense based on sensitivity to joint strain limits and manufacture, parameters that are critical in the performance of compliant manipulators. The model will then be applied to a specific compliant 3-degree-of-freedom manipulator topology to demonstrate its use in size optimization of the dimensional parameters of the selected compliant manipulator. The ability of the model to accurately solve the forward and inverse kinematics will also be evaluated through testing with the prototype. The authors provide a general discussion geared to the future implementation of this model in control of positioning compliant manipulators.


The internet has served as the virtual world since the beginning of the digital era, and it has provided consumers the valuable source of information and become a fundamental basis of e-commerce by passing the limit of time and distance of offline stores. It is hard to imagine our life without the internet. Because consumers store and access their private and financial information on the internet, information security is even more important than ever. Although many studies demonstrate the importance of information security to consumers, researchers have paid little attention to consumers' inference processing underlying their perceptions of information security. We investigate how consumers infer and evaluate online information security based on consumer inference making process and metacognitive experience. We argue that consumers' perceived security could be enhanced by simply increasing complexity, even if that increased complexity is meaningless. It is because consumers have a belief that security is achieved by sacrificing convenience or increasing complexity. We demonstrated that consumers evaluated a website more secure when asked to enter redundant information in Chapter 1. Chapter 2 suggested that disfluency and difficulty of retrieval could increase perceived security because metacognitive experience makes consumers misattribute their feeling of difficulty to technical difficulty. We found that the positive effect of disfluency was held when a product was not security-related. In Chapter 3, we focused on how to improve the accuracy of security judgments. We found that perceived security enhanced by meaningless complexity would be adjusted by asking specific dimensions of security (Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability), and the positive impact of a disfluency effect could be debiased by providing participants the true source of their subjective difficulty. Furthermore, we demonstrated that consumers' interpretation about accessibility experience varied depending on what kind of naïve theory was activated. Through a series of experiments, we demonstrated our arguments were valid and these results provided useful insights and implications about consumers' inference processing and perception of information security.


Mechanism design is the study of preference aggregation protocols that work well in the face of self-interested agents. We present the first general-purpose techniques for automatically designing multistage mechanisms. These can reduce elicitation burden by only querying agents for information that is relevant given their answers to previous queries. We first show how to turn a given (e.g., automatically designed using constrained optimization techniques) single-stage mechanism into the most efficient corresponding multistage mechanism given a specified elicitation tree. We then present greedy and dynamic programming (DP) algorithms that determine the elicitation tree (optimal in the DP case). Next, we show how the query savings inherent in the multistage model can be used to design the underlying single-stage mechanism to maximally take advantage of this approach. Finally, we present negative results on the design of multistage mechanisms that do not correspond to dominant-strategy single-stage mechanisms: an optimal multistage mechanism in general has to randomize over queries to hide information from the agents.


The purpose of this chapter is to give an overview about effects of climate change on the temporal evolution of the stratospheric ozone layer. Climate change is affecting the ozone layer through changes in air mass transport, chemical composition, and temperature. In turn, changes to the ozone layer are influencing climate through radiative processes; consequential changes in temperature gradients are modifying atmospheric dynamics. Therefore, climate change and the evolution of the ozone layer are coupled. Understanding all of the processes involved is made more complex by the fact that many of the feedbacks between physical, dynamical and chemical processes in Earth's atmosphere are nonlinear. Investigations of the relationships and feedbacks between ozone depletion and climate change processes have demonstrated that it is not possible to achieve a complete understanding of long-term changes of stratospheric ozone content without the consideration of climate change.


Five easily memorized formulas of Systematic Observation help the analyst to be a more proficient observer and to make sure that nothing has been left out. They are:
I. Compare the object of observation to models or to similar cases.
II. Separate formal aspects from the contents and analyze them separately.
III. Structure the object into functional elements, and explore every one of them.
IV. Explore inconsistencies, contradictions, mistakes, or astonishing coincidences.
V. Discover the absence of signs (negative signs of evidence).
Only after going through the process of systematically registering every import detail, we are able to draw first hypotheses. Then, hypotheses must be checked for their plausibility in listing systematically every sign for and every sign against them, as well as all indeterminate signs, too, in order to get a clear view of the case, and to ensure the best use of the available intelligence. It is true that the consequent use of those formulas demands a considerable initial effort which can only be afforded in cases of some importance. But with experience and routine analysts will grasp much more signs of evidence right from the beginning, and save themselves a lot of unnecessary work that can be caused by pursuing wrong assumptions. In the long run, the assembled inventory of signs evidence does not loose its value. Undoubtedly, by applying the presented rules of systematic observation, the result of our work will be of higher analytical value.


The word dressage means training in French. Training makes a horse more balanced, supple, and responsive to his rider. But dressage is also a sport in which the accomplishments of the horse-and-rider team are judged according to certain standards. Dressage by the Letter addresses the needs of those riders who want to get started in the sport. It tells them how to select the right horse, choose an instructor, get the most out of lessons, maintain schedules, and prepare for the first show. This is a true beginner s book--one that assumes no prior knowledge of dressage. Moira C. Harris is the editor of Horse Illustrated, the largest all-breed magazine in the U.S. She lives in Huntington Beach, California, where she rides and shows lower level dressage


This research project identifies therapeutic roles that nurses and consumers believe are most helpful in the nursing care of people with serious and ongoing mental illness, including identifying the knowledge concerning, attitudes towards and usage of evidence-based psychological therapies in mental health nursing practice. A critical realist perspective utilising a mixed-methods' approach was chosen in this study. Two Delphi studies and an online questionnaire survey were the research methods selected. Three sample groups were identified, comprising consumers of mental health nursing care and expert mental health nurses (MHNs) for the two Delphi studies, and a larger sample (n = 532) of practicing MHNs in Australia for the online questionnaire survey. The findings from the Delphi studies of consumers and expert nurses informed the development of the questionnaire survey for practicing MHNs. The thesis's literature review incorporates one book chapter, four peer-reviewed and published research papers and three peer-reviewed conference papers by the author in order to provide a critical analysis of how current organisational structures, legislative frameworks, economic resources and gender influence the therapeutic role of the MHN. Four of the publications were co-authored.
Results indicate that there is substantial agreement across all three sample groups on what constitutes therapeutic mental health nursing practice. The Delphi consumer group believed the nurse's attitude is the most important therapeutic factor. They wanted MHNs to provide care in a way that empowered them, encouraged their achievements and instilled hope. They identified wellness planning, a recovery focused approach to nursing care and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) as important therapeutic strategies in maintaining client wellbeing and preventing relapse. The two nurse samples believed empowering therapeutic relationships with clients, a recovery oriented approach, communication and counselling skills and excellent mental and physical assessment skills were the most important therapeutic skills for MHNs. There was enthusiastic support amongst the nurse samples towards incorporating evidence-based psychological therapies in their current nursing practice. Indeed, 94 per cent of respondents had read articles, journals or books on psychological therapies in the previous twelve months. The nurse samples identified complex agency and structural relationships as hindering their ability to practice therapeutically. Amongst these was a conviction that the current educational preparation for mental health nursing is inadequate and concern was voiced that bio-medical and custodial practices restricted nurses' therapeutic ability. The nurses in this study believed incorporating evidence-based psychological therapies into their current nursing practice would improve the quality of mental health nursing care for people experiencing serious and ongoing mental illness. Recommendations, based on the above findings are made in relation to mental health…


Electrical treeing (ET) can irreversibly deteriorate the insulation of polymeric power cables leading to a complete failure. This paper presents the results of an experimental investigation into the effects of unipolar and polarity reversing DC voltages on electrical tree (ET) and partial discharge (PD) behavior within high voltage direct current (HVDC) cross linked polyethylene (XLPE) cable insulation. A double needle configuration was adopted to produce non-uniform electric fields within the insulation samples, potentially leading to electrical trees. The development of trees was monitored through an optical method and the associated partial discharge signals were measured through an electrical detection technique, simultaneously. The analysis of the results shows reasonable relation between the formation of ETs and the type of the applied voltages. The polarity reversing attribute of the test voltages has a pronounced effect on formation and growth of electrical trees. This implicates an interaction between the space charges that accumulate within polymeric materials and the operational polarity reversing electric fields, which causes insulation degradation. Therefore, study of influencing HVDC operational parameters on insulation degradations can contribute to improvements in cable design and advancement in insulation diagnostic strategies applicable in HVDC systems leading to more effective asset management.


We describe the operation of a two-pump parametric optical regenerator. It is shown that higher order parametric coupling provides optical regeneration with a high extinction ratio. Excessive spectral broadening is studied in a two-pump architecture and compared with that of the one-pump parametric regenerator. We show that the spectral widths of the higher order terms can be controlled in amplifiers by using counterphased optical pumps.


Normal Accidents' growing influence since 1984 on social science scholarship and across academic, business and governmental disciplines was not accidental. Author Charles Perrow intended to shake up the study of safety and bring organization theory into the fore-front. This article examines ongoing debates about the management of technological systems, reviews the book's important seeds of theory, and discusses the theoretical and practical issues related to a world growing more complex and technologically hazardous.


Dysregulation of hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) signaling can contribute to the development of diseases of the blood system. Lack of aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) has been associated with alterations in gene expression related to HSC function and the subsequent development of a myeloproliferative disorder in aging female mice. We sorted the most primitive population of HSCs with the highest stem cell potential (Long-term, or LT-HSCs) from 18-month-old AhR-null-allele (AhR-KO) and WT mice and analyzed gene expression using microarray to determine alterations in gene expression and cell signaling networks in HSCs that could potentially contribute to the aging phenotype of AhR-KO mice. Comparisons with previous array data from 8-week old mice indicated that aging alone is sufficient to alter gene expression. In addition, a significant number of gene expression differences were observed in aged LT-HSCs that are dependent on both aging and lack of AhR. Pathway analysis of these genes revealed networks related to hematopoietic stem cell activity or function. qPCR was used to confirm the differential expression of a subset of these genes, focusing on genes that may represent novel AhR targets due to the presence of a putative AhR binding site in their upstream regulatory region. We verified differential expression of PDGF-D, Smo, Wdfy1, Zbtb37 and Zfp382. Pathway analysis of this subset of genes revealed overlap between cellular functions of the novel AhR targets and AhR itself. Lentiviral-mediated knockdown of AhR in lineage-negative hematopoietic cells was sufficient to induce changes in all five of the candidate AhR targets identified. Taken together, these data suggest a role for AhR in HSC functional regulation, and identify novel HSC AhR target genes that may contribute to the phenotypes observed in AhR-KO mice.


BACKGROUND
Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) is the most common malignancy in childhood. With newer drug protocols the five-year survival rate is now close to 80%. Various factors have been reported to be important for prognosis and should be considered when planning

MATERIAL/METHODS
In a cross-sectional study, prognostic variables and the five-year survival rate were analyzed. Data regarding demographic characteristics, family and personal history, manifestations at the time of presentation, therapeutic regimens and outcome were collected from the records of 76 ALL patients in treatment five years prior to the study. Two pathologists performed the staging using the morphology method (L1, L2 and L3).

RESULTS
Fifty-five subjects (72.5%) survived until the end of the study. One subject succumbed to the rapid fatal course of the disease and 20 others passed away due to relapses or infection during follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS
Among all variables a worse prognosis was associated (p<0.05) with WBC counts greater than 50,000/ml at presentation, relapse in the CNS, and relapse in the bone marrow. When Anthracycline was included in the therapeutic regimen, the effect of chemotherapy was more favorable compared to regimens without Anthracycline (p<0.05). Other variables previously reported to have prognostic value, especially age and sex, were not significant in our study (p>0.05). Other factors which might account for a poorer prognosis included the preponderance of L-2 morphology, difficult access to medical care, decreased compliance of families due to exhausted economic and psychological reserves, and inadequate knowledge about the disease course and treatment.


Automated verification is a technique for establishing if certain properties, usually expressed in temporal logic, hold for a system model. The model can be defined using a high-level formalism or extracted directly from software using methods such as abstract interpretation. The verification proceeds through exhaustive exploration of the state-transition graph of the model and is therefore more powerful than testing. Quantitativeverification is an analogous technique for establishing quantitative properties of a system model, such as the probability of battery power dropping below minimum, the expected time for message delivery and the expected number of messages lost before protocol termination. Models analysed through this method are typically variants of Markov chains, annotated with costs and rewards that describe resources and their usage during execution. Properties are expressed in temporal logic extended with probabilistic and reward operators. Quantitative verification involves a combination of a traversal of the state-transition graph of the model and numerical computation.
 This paper gives a brief overview of current research in quantitative verification, concentrating on the potential of the method and outlining future challenges. The modelling approach is described and the usefulness of the methodology illustrated with an example of a real-world protocol standard - Bluetooth device discovery - that has been analysed using the PRISM model checker (www.prismmodelchecker.org).


PURPOSE OF STUDY: Insulin-like growth factor receptor 1 (IGF-1R) signaling has been implicated in the pathogenesis of ovarian cancer. However, IGF-1R inhibitors have had limited efficacy in clinical trials to date. ErbB3, a member of the ErbB receptor tyrosine kinase family, can activate AKT survival signaling through binding of its ligand heregulin (HRG) in a majority of IGF-1 sensitive human cancer cell lines. ErbB3 and pAKT expression are upregulated following IGF-1R blockade and thus activated ErbB3 signaling may represent a potential escape route in the development of resistance to therapy. MM-141, an IGF-1R and ErbB3 directed bispecific antibody, blocks and degrades IGF-1R and ErbB3 containing receptor complexes leading to inhibition of downstream tumor pro-survival signaling to a greater extent as compared to anti-IGF-1R and ErbB3 antibodies. Here we explore the activity of MM-141 in ovarian cancer cell lines in vitro. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES: Growth inhibitory activity of MM-141 was tested on a panel of established ovarian cancer cell lines in vitro. The ability of MM-141 to inhibit basal and IGF-1- and HRG-induced signaling was explored by ELISA and western blotting analyses. DATA SUMMARY: Inhibition of cell proliferation mediated by MM-141 varied among the ovarian cancer cell lines profiled in vitro. Furthermore, MM-141 treatment inhibited basal and ligand-activated IGF-1R, ErbB3 and downstream signaling in a selection of these ovarian cell lines. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that co-inhibition of IGF-1R and ErbB3 signaling with MM-141 has the potential to be an effective therapy for ovarian cancer patients by blocking redundant survival pathway activation. Citation Format: Michael Curley, Akos Czibere, Alexey Lugovskoy. MM-141, an IGF-1R and ErbB3 directed tetravalent bispecific antibody, inhibits ovarian cancer cell growth in vitro [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 10th Biennial Ovarian Cancer Research Symposium; Sep 8-9, 2014; Seattle, WA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Clin Cancer Res 2015;21(16 Suppl):Abstract nr POSTER-THER-1411.


Although the role of ophthalmic factors in dyslexia remains the subject of controversy, recent research has indicated that the correlates of dyslexia may include binocular dysfunction, unstable motor ocular dominance, a deficit of the transient visual subsystem, and an anomaly that can be treated with tinted lenses. These features, typically, have been studied in isolation and their inter-relationship has received little attention. The aim of the present research was to investigate ophthalmic factors in dyslexia, with a particular emphasis on the interaction between optometric variables. Further aims were to establish the most appropriate investigative techniques for optometric practice and to explore the relationship between optometric and psychometric variables. A pilot study was used to refine the experimental design for a subsequent detailed study of 39 children with a specific reading disability and 43 good readers, who were selected from 240 children. The groups were matched for age, sex, and performance IQ. The following factors emerged as correlates of dyslexia: slight impaired visual acuity; reduced vergence amplitudes; increased vergence instability; decreased accommodative amplitude; poor peformance at tests that were designed to assess the function of the transient visual system; and slightly slower performance at a non-verbal simulated reading visual search task. The `transient system deficit', as measured by reduced flicker sensitivity, was significantly associated with decreased accommodative and vergence amplitudes. This links the motor and sensory visual correlates of dyslexia. Although the binocular dysfunction was correlated with increased symptoms, the difference in the groups' simulated reading visual search task performance was largely attributable to psychometric variables. The results suggest tht optometric problems may be a contributory factor in dyslexia, but are unlikely to play a key causative role. Several optometric variables were confounded by psychometric parameters, and this interaction should be a priority for future investigation.


ABSTRACT This chapter summarizes the findings of 32 years of research from all of our longitudinal studies to date, conducted in 36 school districts in 16 U.S. states, more than 7.5 million student records analyzed, following English learners (of all language backgrounds) as far as Grades K–12. These studies are very generalizable to all regions and contexts of the United States and have been replicated in other countries, answering questions regarding program effectiveness for policymakers in education. We have shown that English-only and transitional bilingual programs of short duration only close about half of the achievement gap between English learners and native English speakers, while high-quality, long-term bilingual programs close all of the gap after 5–6 years of schooling through the students' first and second languages (L1 and L2). In addition, our studies answer the linguistic question of how long it takes student groups to reach grade-level achievement in their L2, and we have developed and refined our theoretical Prism model by collecting and analyzing program effectiveness data, basing the Prism model on our empirical findings.


Four binary charge-transfer cocrystals (Ia, Ib, II and III) were engineered by a solvent evaporation method, involving 1-phenyl-3-(1-pyrenyl)prop-2-en-1-one (PPPO, I), 3-(1-pyrenyl)-1-(4-methoxyphenyl)prop-2-en-1-one (PMPPO, II) and 3-(1-pyrenyl)-1-(4-chlorophenyl)prop-2-en-1-one (PCPPO, III) as electron donors (D) and 1,2,4,5-benzenetetracarbonitrile (TCNB) as an electron acceptor (A). The structures and optical properties of these complexes were investigated by single crystal X-ray diffraction (SCXRD), powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy and fluorescence spectroscopy. CrystalExplorer was also used to analyze the surface force of the crystals. The studies showed that the fluorescence of all of these cocrystals exhibits a significant red-shift, and this phenomenon is caused by charge-transfer (CT) interactions between the donor and acceptor. In addition, the differences in fluorescence to the pristine molecules may provide these CT cocrystals with a wide range of applications in the prospective field of opto-electronic materials.


The aim of this study was to analyse the effect of memory training on cognitive maintenance in older adults with and without cognitive decline. Method: 98 older adults participated in the study (59 in the treatment group and 39 in the control group). Subjects were evaluated at three points in time using diverse cognitive functioning tests –before training, immediately after training, and nine months after training. Subjects in the treatment group participated in a memory-training programme during 14 sessions. Results: Older adults in the treatment group improved their cognitive performance in the post-training tests, while members of the control group presented a decline. Thus, while there were no initial significant inter-group differences, these differences became apparent after the training phase. Conclusions: The results show the positive effects of this type of training when working with the older adult population.


After the Japanese occupation of the Netherlands East Indies, the Hadhramis living in the archipelago were, at least initially, treated as untrustworthy by the new colonizers. At the same time they were cut off from their homeland Hadhramaut and had to reconsider their relationships with the indigenous Indonesians. After the Japanese capitulation they were forced to side with either the new Indonesian republic or the returning Dutch administration. In both periods all kinds of new relationships came into being, both transient and lasting, and often mutually contradictory. World War II as well as the struggle for Indonesian independence led to drastic changes in the orientation and identity of the Hadhrami minority. Besides dealing with the vicissitudes, strategies, and loyalties of these inhabitants of Arabs descent, this article argues that the turbulent time they went through increased the pace of their awareness of belonging to Indonesia.


Several hypotheses have been put forward to explain the evolution of senescence. One of the leading hypotheses, the disposable soma hypothesis, predicts a trade‐off, whereby early‐life investment in reproduction leads to late‐life declines in survival (survival senescence). Testing this hypothesis in natural populations is challenging, but important for understanding the evolution of senescence. We used the long‐term data set from a contained, predator‐free population of individually marked Seychelles warblers (Acrocephalus sechellensis) to investigate how age‐related declines in survival are affected by early‐life investment in reproduction and early‐life environmental conditions. The disposable soma hypothesis predicts that higher investment in reproduction, or experiencing harsh conditions during early life, will lead to an earlier onset, and an increased rate, of senescence. We found that both sexes showed similar age‐related declines in late‐life survival consistent with senescence. Individuals that started breeding at a later age showed a delay in survival senescence, but this later onset of breeding did not result in a less rapid decline in late‐life survival. Although survival senescence was not directly related to early‐life environmental conditions, age of first breeding increased with natal food availability. Therefore, early‐life food availability may affect senescence by influencing age of first breeding. The disposable soma hypothesis of senescence is supported by delayed senescence in individuals that started breeding at a later age and therefore invested less in reproduction.


This thesis examines how children attain the linguistic knowledge they need to grammatically express basic trajectories through physical space in English, French and Japanese. In Talmy's (1991; 2000b) descriptive binary typology, 'verb-framed' languages such as Japanese and French systematically encode PATH (or 'direction') in verbs, whilst 'satellite-framed' languages such as English systematically do so in adpositions. How such phenomena might be formalized is considered in terms of two contrasting hypotheses: (i) the Path Parameter Hypothesis, which suggests binary parameterization at the whole-language level, and (іі) the Lexicalist Path Hypothesis, which suggests that all relevant aspects of PATH predication are determined at the level of individual lexical items. Two experiments with original research methodology were conducted with English, French and Japanese children and adults. In Experiment I, directional predicates were elicited using a purpose-designed picture-story, and in Experiment II, grammaticality judgements were elicited from the same test subjects. Whilst predictions of general tendencies were upheld (strongly for English and Japanese, weakly for French), several findings support a non-parameterized, lexicalist account of PATH predication. First, in all child age groups, the three languages fell into discrete response categories for directional utterances in the absence of an inherent PATH verb. Second, both lexicalization types were found in each language, again in all age groups. Third, the three languages are revealed to have a shared syntax of directional predication, involving the same set of interpretable features and the same set of basic syntactic structures, including a layered pp structure. These findings suggest that whilst the typology remains broadly descriptive, there is no language-particular grammar involved in this variation. Rather, both directional V and a fully articulated pp structure are available in all three languages, show no discernable development, and are presumably part of the machinery of Universal Grammar. Children already understand the syntactic possibilities in the predication of PATH, but must learn the particular complexities of their lexicon, the primary locus of variation in the linguistic expression of motion events.


Post-hoc explanations of machine learning models are crucial for people to understand and act on algorithmic predictions. An intriguing class of explanations is through counterfactuals, hypothetical examples that show people how to obtain a different prediction. We posit that effective counterfactual explanations should satisfy two properties: feasibility of the counterfactual actions given user context and constraints, and diversity among the counterfactuals presented. To this end, we propose a framework for generating and evaluating a diverse set of counterfactual explanations based on determinantal point processes. To evaluate the actionability of counterfactuals, we provide metrics that enable comparison of counterfactual-based methods to other local explanation methods. We further address necessary tradeoffs and point to causal implications in optimizing for counterfactuals. Our experiments on four real-world datasets show that our framework can generate a set of counterfactuals that are diverse and well approximate local decision boundaries, outperforming prior approaches to generating diverse counterfactuals. We provide an implementation of the framework at https://github.com/microsoft/DiCE.


The subject of articulating and comparing mental models of dynamic systems has been present in system dynamics since many years now. Methods have been borrowed from other disciplines and been adapted to the specific needs of system dynamics. They all focus on variables and causal links, and most recent ones include feedback loops. However, this focus has problems to deal with differences stemming from different degrees of aggregation. Here it is proposed to insert chains of causal links as level of analysis. A simple example is used to show how this can be done; first a reference model is defined with a standard length for each causal chain; then a distance matrix representation of causal diagrams is used and two new indicators - relative length difference and relative content difference - are shown to provide useful information for interpreting different levels of aggregation in the causal connection between flows and stocks.


A method for concentrating cells in blood using an acoustic radiation force generated by superposition of the higher harmonics on fundamental ultrasound has been investigated. From the theoretical estimation, the efficiency of concentration of blood cells in a chamber based on a rectangular acoustic radiation force slope calculated by integration of the higher harmonics of ultrasound was 17% better than that based on a sine wave, while the peak pressure was reduced to 82% of that in the sine wave case. Concentration of blood cells was also performed experimentally using superposition of higher harmonics on a 500kHz sine wave. At a 1.2ml/min fluid flow rate, the blood cells were concentrated on the pressure node within 9s, with a cell distribution half-width of 348 μm (i.e., 76% of blood cells concentrated within 23% of the chamber width), which is 5% narrower than that of the sine wave. Though the experimental result was insufficient for the realization of the theoretical estimation because of the incomplete synthesis of the desired waveform, these results suggest the potential usefulness of this superposition method for improving the concentration efficiency with maintenance of the width of the potential slope and reduction of peak pressure.


Purpose
For decades, psychopathy has been thought to be untreatable. Yet, conceptualisations, and indeed its assessment, have deviated away from viewing the disorder as personality pathology towards a behavioural focus where the core underlying deficits in cognition and affect have been ignored. Interventions have followed suit leading to a premature discounting of the role of therapy in adjusting psychopathic traits. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach
The review critically evaluates the conceptual and empirical evidence relevant to the treatment of psychopathy, deciphering components integral to the disorder that require intervention. Psychopathy is approached from a developmental perspective, with the review identifying several mechanisms thought to be responsible for precipitating and perpetuating its expression.

Findings
There appears some utility in targeting psychopathy from multiple angles, addressing experiences of trauma, associated schemas and the underlying cognitive-affective dysfunction noted to give rise to psychopathic traits. A new model for treatment was proposed integrating these factors to encourage the design of effective interventions that will address the origins and underlying deficits of the disorder, rather than symptomology.

Originality/value
The review encourages future research to consider the aetiology of psychopathy, with the aim of informing early intervention and containing the disorder whilst in its infancy, as well as addressing neurobiological dysfunction when most malleable.


For centuries American Indians and the Irish experienced assaults by powerful, expanding states, along with massive land loss and population collapse. In the early nineteenth century the U.S. government, acting through the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), began a systematic campaign to assimilate Indians. Initially dependent on Christian missionary societies, the BIA later built and ran its own day schools and boarding schools for Indian children. At the same time, the British government established a nationwide elementary school system in Ireland, overseen by the commissioners of national education, to assimilate the Irish. By the 1920s, as these campaigns of cultural transformation were ending, roughly similar proportions of Indian and Irish children attended state-regulated schools. In the first full comparison of American and British government attempts to assimilate "problem peoples" through mass elementary education, Michael C. Coleman presents a complex and fascinating portrait of imperialism at work in the two nations. Drawing on autobiographies, government records, elementary school curricula, and other historical documents, as well as photographs and maps, Coleman conveys a rich personal sense of what it was like to have been a pupil at a school where one's language was not spoken and one's local culture almost erased. In absolute terms the campaigns failed, yet the schools deeply changed Indian and Irish peoples in ways unpredictable both to them and to their educators. Meticulously researched and engaging, American Indians, the Irish, and Government Schooling sets the agenda for a new era of comparative analyses in global indigenous studies.


Fennoscandian mountain vegetation and its ecology has been a field of intensive research for more than a century, and the main aims of the studies have in most cases been to perform regional vegetation descriptions with subsequent phytosociological classifications. The main patterns in species distribution and vegetation composition along important ecological gradients are therefore well known, but so far no generally accepted classification of mountain vegetation has been reached. The present study is based on a compilation of 306 oligotrophic and mesotrophic communities (with data from more than 2200 stands and 4800 relevés) from the Scandinavian mountains. The sampling unit used here is the described plant communities, and an importance value (IV) is calculated for all species (taxa) based on their frequency and mean cover. The main aims were: (1) to quantify similarities and dissimilarities between earlier described mountain vegetation communities by use of numerical methods, (2) to discuss the results in relation to earlier proposed classifications of Scandinavian mountain vegetation, and (3) to interprete the main gradients in the data. DCA axis 1 (5.04 SD units long with an eigenvalue of 0.60) was interpreted to represent a complex gradient with increasing length of snow cover, soil moisture and altitude. DCA axis 2 describes a complex gradient in soil thickness, soil moisture and altitude. Eighteen groups of communities were separated by TWINSPAN, and these are discussed in relation to earlier classifications. Most of these groups have some overlap in the ordination diagram, indicating that the communities make a continuum. Along the main gradient, three community clusters could be separated: (1) communities dominated by lichens and ericaceous species; (2) fern-, graminoidand Salix herbacea-dominated communities; and (3) extreme moss-dominated snow beds.


Using magneto-infrared spectroscopy, we have explored the charge dynamics of (Bi,Sb)2Te3 thin films on InP substrates. From the magneto-transmission data we extracted three distinct cyclotron resonance (CR) energies that are all apparent in the broad band Faraday rotation (FR) spectra. This comprehensive FR-CR data set has allowed us to isolate the response of the bulk states from the intrinsic surface states associated with both the top and bottom surfaces of the film. The FR data uncovered that electron- and hole-type Dirac Fermions reside on opposite surfaces of our films, which paves the way for observing many exotic quantum phenomena in topological insulators.


Description: This volume focuses on pharmaceutical biotechnology as a key area of life sciences. The complete range of concepts, processes and technologies of biotechnology is applied in modern industrial pharmaceutical research, development and production. The results of genome sequencing and studies of biological–genetic function are combined with chemical, micro–electronic and microsystem technology to produce medical devices and diagnostic biochips. A multitude of biologically active molecules is expanded by additional novel structures created with newly arranged gene clusters and bio–catalytic chemical processes. New organisational structures in the co–operation of institutes, companies and networks enable faster knowledge and product development and immediate application of the results of research and process development. This book is the ideal source of information for scientists and engineers in research and development, for decision–makers in biotech, pharma and chemical corporations, as well as for research institutes, but also for founders of biotech companies and people working for venture capital corporations.


The purpose of this study is to understand in-service preschool teachers' thoughts about technology and technology use in early educational settings. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 18 in-service preschool teachers. These teachers were selected from public and private preschools. Convenient sampling was applied because teachers who were eager to attend the study were selected. Content analysis technique was used to analyze the data. Based on the content analysis, eleven main themes as to technology related views and practices of in-service preschool teachers emerged. Findings of the study indicated that the majority of in-service teachers had positive views about appropriate technology use in preschool education. Findings also showed that early educational settings need to be equipped with adequate technologies. Moreover, in-service preschool teachers emphasized that they expect to be supported by the preschool curriculum and several programs aiming at enhancing their technology use skills. Lastly, teachers were aware of not only the advantages of technology but also the potential disadvantages. Results of the study may help instructional designers, researchers and practitioners better integrate new technologies into preschool education.


This thesis examines the lateral guidance control of a low-speed vehicle. Several topics are studied in detail: (1) vehicle error-state model for lateral guidance based on Ackerman steering and (2) lateral guidance control of a low-speed vehicle using fuzzy logic. Independently written research papers address each topic. The first paper presents a second order "error-state" kinematic model based on Ackerman steering appropriate for studying the lateral guidance control of low-speed vehicles traversing on roads of constant curvature. Lateral guidance control of vehicles is of great interest to the Advanced Vehicle Control Systems (AVCS) Division of the Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) community. Both linear and nonlinear models are derived in detail. The error states considered are the vehicle's lateral error and heading error measured with respect to the instantaneous road centerline tangent. In addition to the derivation, both simulation and experimental results are presented with very good correspondence being achieved. The second paper investigates the performance of several different controllers used to perform lateral guidance control of a low-speed vehicle described as a linear nonminimum-phase "error-state" bicycle model based on Ackerman steering. Both a conventional type I proportional-integral (PI) controller and a fuzzy logic controller (FLC) are considered. The PI controller is designed using standard techniques and the two-level FLC / PI controller adjusts both proportional and integral feedback control gains around the baseline values based on heuristics and the current conditions as measured by the lateral error. Time-based simulations using MATLAB / SIMULINK permit a comparison between both controllers for several different simulation scenarios of interest. Primary performance metrics considered were percent overshoot and settling time in response to a step input. In general, the two-level FLC / PI controller performed better; 6 % reduction in overshoot and 21 % reduction in settling time. Vehicle Error-State Model for Lateral Guidance Based on Ackerman Steering


In today's world, security is important aspect in day to day life .So, everyone used various ways for security purpose. users use passwords for their mail security and Generally, everyone uses textual password. Textual password is combination of alphabets, characters  and numbers. users keep textual password as name of their favorite things, actors or actress, dish and meaningful word from dictionary. But the person who is very close to that person can easily guess the password. Graphical password is advanced version of password. Graphical passwords have received considerable attention lately as Potential alternatives to text-based passwords .Graphical password is composed of images, parts of images, or sketches. These passwords are very easy to use and remember.To Drawbacks of previously existing authentication techniques. We present A new improved authentication technique ,The  proposed system is about a new technique to generate password ; there are three password fields  each field is about one character and one number, when the user fill the three fields the system security generate a special algorithm which is available in the user's machine itself to convert the content of the three password's fields to a 3D graphical shape which are saved and transfer in the form of 3D shape in server side . so all the password have been stored in the form of 3D shape at the server . so anybody want to hack password he will face difficulty to guess the exact password because he can see only the shape not real password ( the three pairs of characters and numbers) . Keywords : Authentication , 3D Shape , Processing 2.0 mode P3D technique .


To meet the rapid increasing demand of the high data rate communication, millimeter wave communication system has attracted considerable attention. In this paper, a millimeter wave wideband channel measurement with mobility in urban micro-cell mobile communication scenario at 28 GHz is presented for the purpose of capturing the channel characteristics. Based on the measured data, we analyze the path number, root mean square delay spread (rms DS) and mean excess delay. It is found that the distribution of the path number is well fitted by a Normal distribution while the distribution of the rms DS and mean excess delay is fitted well by a Lognormal distribution. The statistics of these parameters are also given and are compared with the results in other measurements. Besides, the effects of the distance on the path number are discussed. These analysis results can give insight into the design of the 5G wireless communication system.


In this paper I will discuss Aristotle's controversial philosophical views on
 women. I will critically examine three main interpretations of his claim that
 women have deliberative faculty "without authority". According to the first
 line of interpretation, Aristotle has in mind that women's incapacity of
 advice-giving and decision-making in public affairs are determined by
 conventions in the political context of his time. I will attempt to point out
 the disadvantages of this kind of interpretation. Furthermore, I will put
 forward the reasons why is implausible the more recent interpretation, given
 by Marguerite Deslauriers. According to her reading, the lack of authority of
 deliberative faculty in women means nothing else than the tasks over which
 women have authority are for the purpose of the tasks put forth by men. The
 prevailing interpretation among scholars is that, in Aristotle's view, women
 are naturally inferior to men, due to the fact that they are all too
 frequently overruled by the irrational "forces" of their nature. I will argue
 that this line of interpretation elucidates what Aristotle presumably has in
 mind, although it makes his account of women and their rationality, if not
 inconclusive, then indisputably problematic. In other words, I attempt to
 prove that, if the prevailing line of interpretation is correct, such view of
 women produces some philosophically "insurmountable" problems for Aristotle.
 The aim of the last section of the paper is to point out how some of these
 problems could eventually be resolved. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike
 Srbije: History of Serbian Philosophy]


Introduction: Board certification has evolved from a "point‐in‐time" event to a process of periodic learning and reevaluation of medical competence through maintenance of certification (MOC). To better understand MOC participation, the transtheoretical model (TTM) was used to describe physicians' perceptions of MOC as a sequence of attitudinal changes. Method: Data were from a survey of internal medicine (IM) physicians' attitudes toward periodic reevaluation through MOC. An overall importance or decisional balance score was computed for each physician by summing his or her ratings across the 10 quality measures. The decisional balance score was used to classify physicians according to their acceptance of MOC, aligned with the 3 early TTM stages‐of‐change groups—precontemplation (PC), contemplation (C), and preparation (P)—where PC was least accepting and P was most accepting. Effect sizes assessed whether differences in attitudes toward reevaluation via MOC were of sufficient magnitude to support the TTM principles. Results: The difference in degree of acceptance of MOC between the P group and the PC and C groups was significant (p < 0 . 001), but the effect size was lower than predicted by the "strong" principle. Resistance to MOC for the PC and C groups was significantly greater than the P group (p < 0.001) and supported the "weak" principle. Physicians' beliefs about how often they should demonstrate performance on quality measures aligned well with the American Board of Internal Medicine's MOC requirements, with the P group believing in more frequent assessments than the PC and C groups (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Results show that physicians in the Preparation stage had overcome resistance to MOC as predicted by the "weak" principle of the TTM, but their attitude scores about the benefits of MOC were below what was expected by theory. This suggests that the structure of MOC may have made it easier for physicians to overcome barriers to MOC participation but may have lacked adequate resources to promote the benefits of participating in the process. More effort is needed to understand the specific benefits of MOC for reevaluating competencies, how to engage physicians and other stakeholders in the design of MOC, and how to communicate the rationale and evidence to those who are less accepting of MOC.


This report is based upon engine tests made at the Bureau of Standards during 1920, 1921, 1922, and 1923. The majority of these tests were of aviation engines and were made in the Altitude Laboratory. For a small portion of the work a single cylinder experimental engine was used. This, however, was operated only at sea-level pressures. The report shows that an increase in break horsepower and a decrease in the pounds of fuel used per brake horsepower hour usually results from an increase in compression ratio. This holds true at least up to the highest ratio investigated, 14 to 1, provided there is no serious preignition or detonation at any ratio. To avoid preignition and detonation when employing high-compression ratios, it is often necessary to use some fuel other than gasoline. It has been found that the consumption of some of these fuels in pounds per brake horsepower hour is so much greater than the consumption of gasoline that it offsets the decrease derived from the use of the high-compression ratio. The changes in indicated thermal efficiency with changes in compression ratio are in close agreement with what would be anticipated from a consideration of the air cycle efficiencies at the various ratios. In so far as these tests are concerned there is no evidence that a change in compression ratio produces an appreciable, consistent change in friction horsepower, volumetric efficiency, or in the range of fuel-air ratios over which the engine can operate. The ratio between the heat loss to the jacket water and the heat converted into brake horsepower or indicated horsepower decreases with increase in compression ratio. (author).


Devices with feature size on the order of one micrometer have found widespread applications in science and engineering. MEMS, is a rapidly growing technology for the fabrication of miniature devices which provides a way to integrate mechanical, fluidic, optical, and electronic functionality on very small devices, ranging from 0.1 microns to one millimeter. Recently, it has been proposed that regular patterns can be generated through the mechanical buckling of a thin film. In this thesis, we focus on the buckling mechanism. The wavy patterns are generated when the thin elastic film is subjected to an in-plane compressive stress and by the application of controlled heating. We first introduce the mechanism of developing wave patterns through buckling using beam buckling as an example and then the finite element formulation and the commercial analysis package Algor. Our study includes the "stress stiffening" component, which is not usually included in most finite element analyses. Both the 'Critical Buckling Load and the 'Natural Frequency with Load Stiffening' analyses are made use of to determine the buckling loads. Finally, the buckling load for each case is determined through the analysis and a comparison with the theoretical values is made.


Introduction: Ethnomedicine is contributed to the evolution of different systems of medicine, namely, Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani, and Naturopathy including the modern medicine. Enicostemma littorale blume [E. littorale (Mamajjaka)] is one of the traditional medicines used mainly in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan as a stomachic, tonic, carminative, and appetizer. It is generally prescribed in the form of pills (Ghanavati) for the treatment of Type 2 diabetes in Ayurveda. Recent studies based on the antidiabetic effect of E. littorale suggest its role to reduce blood glucose by increasing serum insulin level. However, standards of Mamajjaka Ghanavati are not available in the official monographs. Objective: The study was designed to develop standards for the preparation and evaluation of Mamajjaka Ghanavati. Results and Discussion: The formulation is complying with the all standards available for the pills in the Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India including hardness, friability, disintegration, and weight variation. High-performance thin-layer chromatography study revealed the presence of many phytoconstituents in the formulation.


We analysed and compared the diet of Audouin´s gulls Larus audouinii between their two largest breeding sites in the world: the Ebro Delta and the Chafarinas Islands (western Mediterranean). These two localities showed marked differences in the features of the commercial fishing fleet: in the Ebro Delta area a large fishing fleet produced large amounts of discards, while in the Chafarinas the fleet discarded smaller amounts of fish and marine invertebrates, due to the smaller number of vessels. It is also likely that the percentage of discards from total catches is also lower around the Chafarinas than at the Ebro Delta. We distinguished two types of fishing to compare diet compositions: diurnal (only trawling activity) and diurnal and nocturnal (trawling and purse-seine activity, respectively). We also differentiated regurgitates from young nestlings (up to 20 days old) and from older nestlings or adult birds. At the two localities, fish was the main food of Audouin´s gulls, with epipelagic prey (mainly clupeoids) being more important when both diurnal and nocturnal fisheries were operating. This confirms that epipelagic prey either caught actively by the gulls or linked to fisheries was particularly important in the feeding habits of Audouin´s gulls. Nevertheless, differences between the two colonies appear mainly when only trawlers operated: while at the Ebro Delta gulls showed higher consumption of benthic-mesopelagic prey (probably linked to a higher trawler discard availability), gulls from the Chafarinas Islands consumed higher biomass of epipelagic prey probably caught actively at night. When both fleets operated around the two colonies, the average biomass of prey in a regurgitate of younger chicks was significantly higher at the Ebro Delta than at Chafarinas, and the opposite trend was recorded for older nestlings and adults. Niche width was broader in Chafarinas than in the Ebro Delta for both age classes and for any fishing fleet schedule, suggesting again that the exploitation of discards was higher at the Ebro Delta than at the Chafarinas, where gulls showed a more varied diet. Despite the fact that availability of discards was probably higher at the Ebro Delta than at Chafarinas, the per capita availability was not so different at both localities due to the increasing seabird community population at the Ebro Delta, which ca. doubled that at Chafarinas in the last decade.


Immigration law has long labeled certain categories of immigrants "undesirable." One of the longest-standing of these categories is women who sell sex. Current immigration laws subject sellers of sex to an inconsistent array of harsh immigration penalties, including bars to entry to the United States as well as mandatory detention and removal. A historical review of prostitution-related immigration laws reveals troubling origins. Grounded in turn-of-the-twentieth-century morality, these laws singled out female sellers of sex as immoral and as threats to American marriages and families. Indeed, the first such law specifically targeted Asian women as threats to the moral fabric of the United States due to their perceived sexual deviance. Subsequent laws built upon these problematic foundations, largely without reexamining the initial goal of safeguarding American morality from the ostensible sexual threat of noncitizen women. This dark history casts a long shadow, and current laws remain rooted in these archaic notions of morality by continuing to focus penalties on sellers of sex (who tend to be women), without reciprocal penalties for buyers (who tend to be men). Contemporary societal views on sellers of sex have changed, however, as society has come to increasingly tolerate and accept sexual conduct outside the bounds of marriage. Although societal views surrounding prostitution remain complex, there is an increased understanding of the different motivations of sellers of sex, as well as a recognition that individuals forced into prostitution are victims who need protection. Prostitution-related immigration laws should be reformed to no longer penalize sellers of sex, both to bring immigration law in line with modern attitudes towards sellers of sex and to mitigate the discriminatory effect of the archaic and gendered moral underpinnings that initially gave rise to and continue to show in these laws.


How does the scope of review affect bureaucratic policymaking? To explore this question, I consider a policymaking environment in which an expert agency develops policy that is upheld or overturned by an overseer who may have different policy goals. The agency can affect the quality of implementation through effort investments in addition to choosing the substantive content of policy. Under procedural review the overseer only reviews the agency's effort, which allows the agency to fully utilize its expertise. Substantive review also tasks the overseer with judging agencies' substantive policy choices, which can lead the agency to disregard its superior information and obfuscate to avoid reversal. Depending on the policy environment, this dynamic can either benefit or harm the overseer. In some cases the overseer can be made better off by having less transparent review institutions; that is, institutions that direct the overseer to only review procedure and preclude judging substance.


An example-packed guide to help you successfully administer Citrix Provisioning Services Overview Install and configure Citrix Provisioning Services quickly and efficiently Master the architecture of Citrix Provisioning Services Successfully manage and operate Citrix Provisioning Services In Detail Disk streaming technology is advancing rapidly. Ardence (who were later acquired by Citrix) originally developed the disk streaming software now called Citrix Provisioning Services. Citrix Provisioning Services helps you stream a virtual disk across physical and virtual machines. It works at boot by using PXE to contact a TFTP server and pull down a small patron that registers the system. From there, it starts sending the individual blocks of virtual disk to the system that needs to boot via the network. Getting Started with Citrix Provisioning Services 7.0 is a hands-on implementation guide that helps you to learn about the installation, configuration, management, and operation of Citrix Provisioning Services in a step-by-step manner. This will help you to take advantage of the real power behind Citrix Provisioning Services. The book gives you a good grounding in operating Citrix Provisioning Services with practical implementations, which are all fully backed up with code and illustrations. His book will help you get familiar with virtualization and its implications, starting with characteristics of virtualization such as single image management, consolidation, centralized control, and on-demand streaming of virtual disks to Enterprise systems and to their customers. In order to get a broader understanding of all the available features, you start with an overview of Citrix PVS before moving on to installation, configuration, and managing the system, allowing you to develop hands-on operational and administrative experience. You will also learn how to create a Vdisk, as well as how to manage farms, sites, stores, and the Provisioning server using Citrix Provisioning Services. If you want to take advantage of disk streaming using Citrix Provisioning Services, then this is the book for you. With this book, you will learn everything you need to know about Citrix Provisioning Services from an administrator/engineer's standpoint. What you will learn from this book Install Citrix Provisioning Services Configure Citrix Provisioning Services Create and manage Vdisks Prepare a Master Target device Manage farms, stores, sites, and the Provisioning server Upgrade farms and Vdisks Approach This practical guide helps you to administer Citrix Provisioning Services. Each chapter is structured in way to help you easily understand the various features, with accompanying practical examples that help beginners to quickly understand the product. Who this book is written for This book is a useful guide for an admin/engineer who is new to the Citrix virtualization solution and provisioning service, and who is looking to get a good grounding in Citrix PVS. It's assumed that you will have some understanding of the basics of virtualization already, but that's all you need to know!


This research addresses the problem of populating Building Information Model databases with information on building construction materials using a new classification method which uses multi-spectral laser scanning intensity and geometry data. Research in multi-spectral laser scanning will open up a new era in survey and mapping; the 3D surface spectral response sensitive to the transmitted wavelengths could be derived day or night in complex environments using a single sensor. At the start of this research a commercial multi-spectral sensor did not exist, but a few prototype level instruments had been developed; this work wished to get ahead of the hardware development and assess capability and develop applications from multi-spectral laser scanning. These applications could include high density topographic surveying, seamless shallow water bathymetry, environmental modelling, urban surface mapping, or vegetative classification. This was achieved by using from multiple terrestrial laser scanners, each with a different laser wavelength. The fused data provided a spectral and geometric signature of each material which was subsequently classified using a supervised neural network. The multi-spectral data was created by precise co-positioning of the scanner optical centres and sub-centimetre registration using common sphere targets. A common point cloud, with reflected laser intensity values for each laser wavelength, was created from the data. The three intensity values for each point were then used as input to the classifier; ratios of the actual intensities were used to reduce the effect of range and incidence angle differences. Analysis of five classes of data showed that they were not linearly separable; an artificial neural network classifier was the chosen classifier has been shown to separate this type of data. The classifier training dataset was manually created from a small section of the original scan; five classes of building materials were selected for training. The performance of the classification was tested against a reference point cloud of the complete scene. The classifier was able to distinguish the chosen test classes with a mean rate of 84.9% and maximum for individual classes of 100%. The classes with the highest classification rate were brick, gravel and pavement. The success rate was found to be affected by several factors, among these the most significant, inter-scan registration, limitation on available wavelengths and the number of classes of material chosen. Additionally, a method which included a measure of texture through variations in intensity was tested successfully. This research presents a new method of classifying materials using multi-spectral laser scanning, a novel method for registering dissimilar point clouds from different scanners and an insight into the part played by laser speckle interpretation of reflected intensity.


OBJECTIVE: The goal was to investigate the association between maternal salivary cotinine levels (SCLs) and pregnancy outcomes among black smokers. METHODS: In a randomized, controlled trial conducted in 2001–2004 in Washington, DC, 714 women (126 active smokers [18%]) were tested for SCLs at the time of recruitment and later in pregnancy. Sociodemographic health risks and pregnancy outcomes were recorded. RESULTS: Birth weights were significantly lower for infants born to mothers with baseline SCLs of ≥20 ng/mL in comparison with <20 ng/mL (P = .024), ≥50 ng/mL in comparison with <50 ng/mL (P = .002), and ≥100 ng/mL in comparison with <100 ng/mL (P = .002), in bivariate analyses. In linear regression analyses adjusting for sociodemographic and medical factors, SCLs of ≥20 ng/mL were associated with a reduction in birth weight of 88 g when SCLs were measured at baseline (P = .042) and 205 g when SCLs were measured immediately before delivery (P < .001). Corresponding results were 129 g (P = .006) and 202 g (P < .001) for ≥50 ng/mL and 139 g (P = .007) and 205 g (P < .001) for ≥100 ng/mL. Gestational age was not affected significantly at any SCL, regardless of when SCLs were measured. CONCLUSIONS: Elevated SCLs early in pregnancy or before delivery were associated with reductions in birth weight. At any cutoff level, birth weight reduction was more significant for the same SCL measured in late pregnancy. Maintaining lower levels of smoking for women who are unable to quit may be beneficial.


One of the most popular audiences of museums is classroom-size groups of students, in the context of school field trips. However, students do not get adequate involvement during interactive group experiences, which might affect their impression and learning gained from the visit. In this paper, we present our findings from a recent study in middle schools, where 507 students were engaged with their class in a learning game about olive oil production. We had two players directly control the game and varied the level of involvement of the audience (the rest of the class), using iPads. We found that higher involvement in the game afforded greater retention of information after two days, while there was no difference after one day. Also, students with direct agency in the game revealed greater learning gains than the audience members. Results about the impact of socioeconomic status and social interactions on learning are reported, along with the most important design implications.


Studies of human problem solving have traditionally used deterministic tasks that require the execution of a systematic series of steps to reach a rational and optimal solution. Most real-world problems, however, are characterized by uncertainty, the need to consider an enormous number of variables and possible courses of action at each stage in solving the problem, and the need to optimize the solution subject to multiple interacting constraints. There are reliable individual differences in people's abilities to solve such realistic problems. It also seems likely that people's ability to solve these difficult problems reflects, or depends on, their intelligence. We report on a study of N = 101 adults who completed a series of visual optimization problems (Traveling Salesperson, Minimum Spanning Tree, and Generalized Steiner Tree Problems), as well as a cognitive optimization problem (a version of the Secretary Problem). We also characterized these individuals along three relevant and important cognitive abilities dimensions—fluid ability, visuo-spatial ability, and cognitive processing speed. Modeling of covariance structures indicated that performance on both types of optimization problems relies on general intelligence and raises the possibility that they can be used to assess intelligence.


Background Cluster analysis can be used to identify individuals similar in profile based on response to multiple pain sensitivity measures. There are limited investigations into how empirically derived pain sensitivity subgroups influence clinical outcomes for individuals with spine pain. Objective The purposes of this study were: (1) to investigate empirically derived subgroups based on pressure and thermal pain sensitivity in individuals with spine pain and (2) to examine subgroup influence on 2-week clinical pain intensity and disability outcomes. Design A secondary analysis of data from 2 randomized trials was conducted. Methods Baseline and 2-week outcome data from 157 participants with low back pain (n=110) and neck pain (n=47) were examined. Participants completed demographic, psychological, and clinical information and were assessed using pain sensitivity protocols, including pressure (suprathreshold pressure pain) and thermal pain sensitivity (thermal heat threshold and tolerance, suprathreshold heat pain, temporal summation). A hierarchical agglomerative cluster analysis was used to create subgroups based on pain sensitivity responses. Differences in data for baseline variables, clinical pain intensity, and disability were examined. Results Three pain sensitivity cluster groups were derived: low pain sensitivity, high thermal static sensitivity, and high pressure and thermal dynamic sensitivity. There were differences in the proportion of individuals meeting a 30% change in pain intensity, where fewer individuals within the high pressure and thermal dynamic sensitivity group (adjusted odds ratio=0.3; 95% confidence interval=0.1, 0.8) achieved successful outcomes. Limitations Only 2-week outcomes are reported. Conclusions Distinct pain sensitivity cluster groups for individuals with spine pain were identified, with the high pressure and thermal dynamic sensitivity group showing worse clinical outcome for pain intensity. Future studies should aim to confirm these findings.


This book is an introduction to digital photography through the microscope in which readers will learn about the three camera types used in photomicrography (point and shoot consumer cameras, digital single lens reflex cameras, and professional (scientific) photomicrography instruments) and the advantages and disadvantages of each. For example, the point and shoot camera has the benefit of a live, real-time preview, active histogram, potential infrared sensitivity, low cost, and video recording capability. Its disadvantages are noise at low light levels and limited dynamic range. A digital single lens reflex has, at low magnification, the advantages of an accurate and sharp focusing screen, low noise at low light levels, and good dynamic range.This camera provides the potential of equaling the quality of scientific cameras but at a fraction of the cost. Its only weakness is the ergonomic deficiencies resulting from having the camera mounted on a microscope. The scientific grade cameras provide the highest image quality with ease of operation. Unfortunately, such cameras are expensive ($6000) and are found, most commonly, in research laboratories. However, such cameras are still within the financial reach of enthusiasts who can afford a professional-level digital single lens reflex.Prices for these types of cameras are dropping and it is anticipated that cameras of this type will be available at $2000-3000 in the next year. A thorough presentation will be made of the methods of attaching the cameras to the microscope and the ergonomics of image acquisition, as well as detailed discussions on microscope illuminators and lighting systems, so that the reader understands such basic image acquisition procedures as obtaining white balance, determining resolution, and edge enhancement. There will be chapters on imaging transparent specimens using darkfield, phase contrast, differential interference contrast, oblique illumination, and Rheinberg illumination. These skills will enable the reader to obtain professional results and will be valuable to the professional photomicrographers as well as the photographic enthusiast.


The devil's staircase is a fractal structure that characterizes the ground state of one-dimensional classical lattice gases with long-range repulsive convex interactions. Its plateaus mark regions of stability for specific filling fractions which are controlled by a chemical potential. Typically, such a staircase has an explicit particle-hole symmetry; i.e., the staircase at more than half filling can be trivially extracted from the one at less than half filling by exchanging the roles of holes and particles. Here, we introduce a quantum spin chain with competing short-range attractive and long-range repulsive interactions, i.e., a nonconvex potential. In the classical limit the ground state features generalized Wigner crystals that--depending on the filling fraction--are composed of either dimer particles or dimer holes, which results in an emergent complete devil's staircase without explicit particle-hole symmetry of the underlying microscopic model. In our system the particle-hole symmetry is lifted due to the fact that the staircase is controlled through a two-body interaction rather than a one-body chemical potential. The introduction of quantum fluctuations through a transverse field melts the staircase and ultimately makes the system enter a paramagnetic phase. For intermediate transverse field strengths, however, we identify a region where the density-density correlations suggest the emergence of quasi-long-range order. We discuss how this physics can be explored with Rydberg-dressed atoms held in a lattice.


Creating realistic-looking skin is one of the holy grails of computer graphics and is still an active area of research. The problem is challenging due to the inherent complexity of skin and its variations, not only across individuals but also spatially and temporally among one. Skin appearance and reflectance vary spatially in one individual depending on its location on the human body, but also vary temporally with the aging process and the body state. Emotions, health, physical activity, and cosmetics for example can all affect the appearance of skin. The spatially varying reflectance of skin is due to many parameters, such as skin microand meso-geometry, thickness, oiliness, and pigmentation. It is therefore a daunting task to derive a model that will include all these parameters to produce realistic-looking skin. The problem is also compounded by the fact that we are very well accustomed to the appearance of skin and especially sensitive to facial appearances and expressions. Skin modelling and rendering is crucial for many applications such as games, virtual reality, films, and the beauty industry, to name a few. Realistic-looking skin improves the believability and realism of applications. The complexity of skin makes the topic of skin modelling and rendering for computer graphics a very difficult, but highly stimulating one. Skin deformations and biomechanics is a vast topic that we will not address in this dissertation. We rather focus our attention on skin optics and present a simple model for the reflectance of human skin along with a system to support skin modelling and rendering.


We propose a hybrid routing scheme that combines traditional shortest-path based OSPF mechanisms as well as a new form of explicit routing executed at the flow level. The scheme consists of finding explicit routes for real-time UDP flows, on network links that -at flow entry time- do not present more than 50% bandwidth utilisation. As for TCP packets, they will be routed on the unique least-cost path found through standard Link State algorithms. The approach improves the robustness and scalability of the network, thanks to its inherent traffic engineering mechanisms and offers better overall service for jitter and delay- sensitive real-time traffic.


Continuous Delivery (CD) enables mobile developers to release small, high quality chunks of working software in a rapid manner. However, faster delivery and a higher software quality do neither guarantee user satisfaction nor positive business outcomes. Previous work demonstrates that app reviews may contain crucial information that can guide developer's software maintenance efforts to obtain higher customer satisfaction. However, previous work also proves the difficulties encountered by developers in manually analyzing this rich source of data, namely (i) the huge amount of reviews an app may receive on a daily basis and (ii) the unstructured nature of their content. In this paper, we propose SURF (Summarizer of User Reviews Feedback), a tool able to (i) analyze and classify the information contained in app reviews and (ii) distill actionable change tasks for improving mobile applications. Specifically, SURF performs a systematic summarization of thousands of user reviews through the generation of an interactive, structured and condensed agenda of recommended software changes. An end-to-end evaluation of SURF, involving 2622 reviews related to 12 different mobile applications, demonstrates the high accuracy of SURF in summarizing user reviews content. In evaluating our approach we also involve the original developers of some apps, who confirm the practical usefulness of the software change recommendations made by SURF. Demo URL: https://youtu.be/Yf-U5ylJXvo Demo webpage: http://www.ifi.uzh.ch/en/seal/people/panichella/tools/SURFTool.html.


BACKGROUND
There is consensus that development and evaluation of a systems-oriented approach for child obesity prevention and treatment that includes both primary and secondary prevention efforts is needed. This article describes the study design and baseline data from the Texas Childhood Obesity Research Demonstration (TX CORD) project, which addresses child obesity among low-income, ethnically diverse overweight and obese children, ages 2-12 years; a two-tiered systems-oriented approach is hypothesized to reduce BMI z-scores, compared to primary prevention alone.

METHODS
Our study aims are to: (1) implement and evaluate a primary obesity prevention program; (2) implement and evaluate efficacy of a 12-month family-centered secondary obesity prevention program embedded within primary prevention; and (3) quantify the incremental cost-effectiveness of the secondary prevention program. Baseline demographic and behavioral data for the primary prevention community areas are presented.

RESULTS
Baseline data from preschool centers, elementary schools, and clinics indicate that most demographic variables are similar between intervention and comparison communities. Most families are low income (≤$25,000) and Hispanic/Latino (73.3-83.8%). The majority of parents were born outside of the United States. Child obesity rates exceed national values, ranging from 19.0% in preschool to 35.2% in fifth-grade children. Most parents report that their children consume sugary beverages, have a television in the bedroom, and do not consume adequate amounts of fruits and vegetables.

CONCLUSIONS
Interventions to address childhood obesity are warranted in low-income, ethnically diverse communities. Integrating primary and secondary approaches is anticipated to provide sufficient exposure that will lead to significant decreases in childhood obesity.