Sound is an integral part of every user experience but a neglected medium in design disciplines. Design of an artifact's sonic qualities is often limited to the shaping of functional, representational, and signaling roles of sound. The interdisciplinary field of sonic interaction design (SID) challenges these prevalent approaches by considering sound as an active medium that can enable novel sensory and social experiences through interactive technologies. This book offers an overview of the emerging SID research, discussing theories, methods, and practices, with a focus on the multisensory aspects of sonic experience. Sonic Interaction Design gathers contributions from scholars, artists, and designers working at the intersections of fields ranging from electronic music to cognitive science. They offer both theoretical considerations of key themes and case studies of products and systems created for such contexts as mobile music, sensorimotor learning, rehabilitation, and gaming. The goal is not only to extend the existing research and pedagogical approaches to SID but also to foster domains of practice for sound designers, architects, interaction designers, media artists, product designers, and urban planners. Taken together, the chapters provide a foundation for a still-emerging field, affording a new generation of designers a fresh perspective on interactive sound as a situated and multisensory experience.Contributors: Federico Avanzini, Gerold Baier, Stephen Barrass, Olivier Bau, Karin Bijsterveld, Roberto Bresin, Stephen Brewster, Jeremy Coopersotck, Amalia De Gotzen, Stefano Delle Monache, Cumhur Erkut, George Essl, Karmen Franinovi??, Bruno L. Giordano, Antti Jylh??, Thomas Hermann, Daniel Hug, Johan Kildal, Stefan Krebs, Anatole Lecuyer, Wendy Mackay, David Merrill, Roderick Murray-Smith, Sile O'Modhrain, Pietro Polotti, Hayes Raffle, Michal Rinott, Davide Rocchesso, Antonio Rod??, Christopher Salter, Zack Settel, Stefania Serafin, Simone Spagnol, Jean Sreng, Patrick Susini, Atau Tanaka, Yon Visell, Mike Wezniewski, John Williamson


In 2010, Contracting Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity adopted the so-called 'Aichi targets' in order to achieve global biodiversity conservation. Target 11 specifically provides that 'by 2020 (…) at least 10 per cent of coastal and marine areas (…) are conserved through effectively and equitably managed, ecologically representative and well-connected systems of protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures'. This objective is currently far from being reached since less than 3% of the ocean has been designated as marine protected areas (MPAs).
In areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ) in particular, with less than 0.5% protected, there is no mechanism aimed at creating internationally-recognized MPAs and the initiatives launched by regional organizations, although promising, have limitations.
ABNJ are nevertheless facing increasing human pressures and it is therefore appropriate and pressing to designate a comprehensive and representative network of MPAs in these areas. This paper analyses the current efforts conducted to better conserve marine biodiversity in ABNJ and identifies enabling conditions for meeting the Aichi Target 11.

Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Large-scale genome-wide association results are typically obtained from a fixed-effects meta-analysis of GWAS summary statistics from multiple studies spanning different regions and/or time periods. This approach averages the estimated effects of genetic variants across studies. In case genetic effects are heterogeneous across studies, the statistical power of a GWAS and the predictive accuracy of polygenic scores are attenuated, contributing to the so-called 'missing heritability'. Here, we describe the online Meta-GWAS Accuracy and Power calculator (MetaGAP; available at www.devlaming.eu) which quantifies this attenuation based on a novel multi-study framework. By means of simulation studies, we show that under a wide range of genetic architectures, the statistical power and predictive accuracy provided by this calculator are accurate. We compare the predictions from MetaGAP with actual results obtained in the GWAS literature. Specifically, we use genomic-relatedness-matrix restricted maximum likelihood (GREML) to estimate the SNP heritability and cross-study genetic correlation of height, BMI, years of education, and self-rated health in three large samples. These estimates are used as input parameters for the MetaGAP calculator. Results from the calculator suggest that cross-study heterogeneity has led to attenuation of statistical power and predictive accuracy in recent large-scale GWAS efforts on these traits (e.g., for years of education, we estimate a relative loss of 51–62% in the number of genome-wide significant loci and a relative loss in polygenic score R2 of 36–38%). Hence, cross-study heterogeneity contributes to the missing heritability. Author Summary Large-scale genome-wide association studies are uncovering the genetic architecture of traits which are affected by many genetic variants. Such studies typically meta-analyze association results from multiple studies spanning different regions and/or time periods. GWAS results do not yet capture a large share of the total proportion of trait variation attributable to genetic variation. The origins of this so-called 'missing heritability' have been strongly debated. One factor exacerbating the missing heritability is heterogeneity in the effects of genetic variants across studies. Its influence on statistical power to detect associated genetic variants and the accuracy of polygenic predictions is poorly understood. In the current study, we derive the precise effects of heterogeneity in genetic effects across studies on both the statistical power to detect associated genetic variants as well as the accuracy of polygenic predictions. We provide an online calculator, available at www.devlaming.eu, which accounts for these effects. By means of this calculator, we show that imperfect genetic correlations between studies substantially decrease statistical power and predictive accuracy and, thereby, contribute to the missing heritability. The MetaGAP calculator helps researchers to gauge how sensitive their results will be to heterogeneity in genetic effects across studies. If strong heterogeneity is expected, random-instead of fixed-effects meta-analysis methods should be used.


Reform and improvement are imperative in the current South African education system. Monitoring of school and learner achievement is an essential for establishing praxis for school improvement. Diversity of cu lture and South Africa's 11 official l anguages m ake it difficult to develop valid monitoring systems. Limited resources, time constraints and the need to redress neglect of large portions of the education infrastructure from the apartheid era make it problematic to develop new monitoring systems for all official languages. Adaptation and translation of existing international monitoring instruments provide a lternative solutions to developing new monitoring systems. Adaptation and translation of existing instruments is a daunting process, which balances statistical analysis, translation processes and user and expert evaluations. We investigate how to balance these different processes in order to create an instrument that provides valid data for educational decisions. The processes utilised in the adaptation and translation of the vocabulary subtest of the Performance Indicators for Primary Schools (PIPS) test for the South African context are used to illustrate the complex interplay between user and expert input as well as psychometric rigour. It is hoped this paper will contribute to the development of the necessary instrument adaptation skills in South Africa.


Rapid developments of smart sensor technologies envisage a new era where information handling and knowledge sharing will play a crucial role. Traditional sensors were conceived as simple hardware transducers of physical quantities into measurable signals, eventually requiring an analogue/digital conversion to make data available for software applications. IEEE-1451 family of standards has added to mere transduction some architectural prescriptions to mainly address the issue of connection transparency, a desirable property virtually making any sensor a plug-andplay device. Our percept is that next generation smart sensorbased systems will have to face another challenge: the need to endow devices with the ability to process application-level bits of knowledge to best accomplish their informative goals. As a result, unexpected proactive and dialogue-oriented behaviors will have to be taken into account, thus reducing the gap between what we commonly refer to as smart sensors and intelligent agents. In order to support this view, a semanticdriven sensor-based system architecture is introduced and an example proof-of-concept case study is commented.


Article history: Received 12 September 2013 Received in revised form 27 October 2013 Accepted 29October 2013 Available online 18 November 2013


Digital technological innovation is taken by many to signify societal progress and the promise of equitable and sustainable societies. Others link the complex digital system to multiple and persistent inequalities and to a concern that innovations in areas such as artificial intelligence, algorithmic computation and machine learning and their applications are being introduced in a manner that suggests, at least to some, that humans may lose their authority over the future pathway of digital technologies. Research traditions including economics, the economics of technological innovation and critical studies of technology and society are discussed as is the predominant focus of digital economy policy. It is suggested that critical interdisciplinary engagements could influence digital economy policy makers to consider alternative digital technology innovation pathways and more proactive policies that could yield a better future.


At its crux, environmental law is about forcing potential polluters to act in ways they would not otherwise. To do this, environmental law attempts to make noncompliance more costly than compliance. Without doing so, potential polluters would pollute regardless of its legality, a theory known as efficient breach of public law. Academics and judges alike have increasingly accepted this theory, resulting in courts struggling to prevent efficient breaches. But that has proven a difficult task. In Pakootas v. Teck Cominco Ltd., the Ninth Circuit sought to prevent efficient breach by barring citizen suits to enforce Environmental Protection Agency penalties, thereby concentrating enforcement power in the Environmental Protection Agency. This Note argues, however, that the Ninth Circuit ruling will generally make efficient breach more likely, even if it ensured compliance in Pakootas v. Teck Cominco Ltd. The Environmental Protection Agency has repeatedly failed to protect the environment due to lack of oversight, a lack of resources, or a lack of desire. Citizen suits are powerful tools to counteract the Environmental Protection Agency's failure and should not be uniformly discarded. Contrary to the Ninth Circuit's rule, I argue for a case-by-case approach to determine whether a citizen suit for Environmental Protection Agency penalties would increase or decrease the likelihood of compliance in each particular case. Even beyond the realm of citizen suits, environmental protection powers should be broadly shared among potential enforcers, including the Environmental Protection Agency, citizens, states, and Native American tribes, so that the probability of paying for pollution and the cost of noncompliance both rise.


When the surface of a liquid has a non-uniform distribution of a surfactant that lowers surface tension, the resulting variation in surface tension drives a flow that spreads the surfactant towards a uniform distribution. We study the spreading dynamics of an insoluble and non-diffusing surfactant on an initially motionless liquid. We derive solutions for the evolution over time of sinusoidal variations in surfactant concentration with a small initial amplitude relative to the average concentration. In this limit, the coupled flow and surfactant transport equations are linear. In contrast to exponential decay when the inertia of the flow is negligible, the solution for unsteady Stokes flow exhibits oscillations when inertia is sufficient to spread the surfactant beyond a uniform distribution. This oscillatory behaviour exhibits two properties that distinguish it from that of a simple harmonic oscillator: the amplitude changes sign at most three times, and the decay at late times follows a power law with an exponent of $-3/2$ . As the surface oscillates, the structure of the subsurface flow alternates between one and two rows of counter-rotating vortices, starting with one row and ending with two during the late-time monotonic decay. We also examine numerically the evolution of the surfactant distribution when the system is nonlinear due to a large initial amplitude.


Background The extract Lycogen™ from the phototrophic bacterium Rhodobacter sphaeroides (WL-APD911) has attracted significant attention because of its promising potential as a bioactive mixture, attributed in part to its anti-inflammatory properties and anti-oxidative activity. Objective This study aims to investigate the components of Lycogen™ and its anti-inflammatory properties and anti-oxidative activity. Design and results The mutant strain R. sphaeroides (WL-APD911) whose carotenoid 1,2-hydratase gene has been altered by chemical mutagenesis was used for the production of a new carotenoid. The strain was grown at 30°C on Luria–Bertani (LB) agar plates. After a 4-day culture period, the mutant strain displayed a 3.5-fold increase in carotenoid content, relative to the wild type. In the DPPH test, Lycogen™ showed more potent anti-oxidative activity than lycopene from the wild-type strain. Primary skin irritation test with hamsters showed no irritation response in hamster skins after 30 days of treatment with 0.2% Lycogen™. Chemical investigations of Lycogen™ using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) 1H, 13C, and COSY/DQCOSY spectra have identified spheroidenone and methoxyneurosporene. Quantitative analysis of these identified compounds based on spectral intensities indicates that spheroidenone and methoxyneurosporene are major components (approximately 1:1); very small quantities of other derivatives are also present in the sample. Conclusions In this study, we identified the major carotenoid compounds contained in Lycogen™, including spheroidenone and methoxyneurosporene by high-resolution NMR spectroscopy analysis. The carotenoid content of this mutant strain of R. sphaeroides was 3.5-fold higher than that in normal strain. Furthermore, Lycogen™ from the mutant strain is more potent than lycopene from the wild-type strain and does not cause irritation in hamster skins. These findings suggest that this mutant strain has the potential to be used as an enriched carotenoid source.


The body fat reducing effect of tea catechins was previously confirmed in humans. The effects of tea catechins for reducing body fat were thus studied as basis for actual application. Three experiments on healthy male adults (n=82) were conducted to determine the effects of long-term tea catechins administration on body fat and biochemical blood parameters. First experiment: tea catechins were given as oolong tea-like beverage for 12 weeks. In 600 and 900 mg groups, visceral fat was significantly loss than in the control (600 mg group p=0.0317, 900 mg group p=0.0098). The effects were more pronounced at greater of tea catechins administration. No significant changes in biochemical blood parameters including fat-soluble vitamins were detected. Second experiment : oolong tea-like beverage containing tea catechins at nearly same amounts on in the 600 mg group was given for 20 weeks. Abdominal fat, including visceral fat, was significantly loss than in the control (total fat area p<0.0001, visceral fat area p=0.0004, subcutaneous fat area p=0.0001). Plasma PAI-1 was also significantly decreased (p=0.0080). Third experiment : green tea-like (GT group) and oolong tea-like (OT group) beverages containing approximately 540 mg tea catechins were given for 12 weeks. In the two groups, visceral fat was significantly loss than in the control (GT group p=0.0284, OT group p=0.0095) and the effects of two beverages were similar. Long-term tea catechins administration at 500 to 600 mg/day in humans would thus appear to reduce body fat without influencing fat-soluble vitamins, of which the absorption may be inhibited, and various serum and plasma indices regardless of the kind of beverages.


There is a great deal of evidence to support the examination of an interactive relationship between the medium and the viewer in the interpretation of mainstream media. The exact nature of this relationship, however, is not well understood. The current study was carried out to assess the variables that may help explain why certain people interpret media, such as music videos, differently than others. Jensen's concept of reception analysis describes the relationship between the medium and the audience, and thus remains a strong focus within this study. Differences in the interpretation of music videos were investigated as a function of Absorption, gender role, screen size, age and viewing experience. Multiple regression analyses uncovered independent predictions of sexuality and violence scores by absorption and experience, as well as an interaction between absorption and screen size in the sexuality rating of the music videos.


In this paper we identify four Gordian Knots of the global economy in the 21st century, that is 1) limits to growth: scarce energy and natural disasters, 2) aging of the developed world and the 21st century as the age of migration, 3) the rise of China and the failure of democracy, and 4) rising significance of global financial markets and emergence of new global players. We describe what policies are adopted at international and European level to deal with these Gordian knots and assess, when it can be done, what are the strengths and flaws of these polices. Finally we suggest "outside-the-box" Alexandrian solutions to some of these problems. We argue that while the natural resources constitute limits to growth in the medium run, the humanity ability to develop disruptive innovations will challenge those limits in the long run. We therefore call on the Club of Rome to broaden its discussion as what appeared as the main Gordian knot of the 21st century some 30 years ago should now be seen in a broader context. Europe has immense challenges and opportunities lying ahead. It is high time that the Club of Rome warns politicians which so diligently take Europe towards the dead end called global marginalization. Lack of strategic vision, national patriotism, protectionism, inability to see developing countries as legitimate global players. All these strategic weaknesses will strike back and will lead to weak Europe, unable to play an important global role in the 21st century. It is not to late avoid this gloomy scenario.


Cardiovascular disease has emerged in developing countries and becoming the leading cause of death recorded. Many scientific studies have been conducted in order to understand the specific mechanism on how atherosclerosis develop, searching for the real culprit that responsible in the progression of the disease and suggesting the possible prevention to overcome this problem. This piece of work examined and revealed the mechanism of action on how secondary metabolites that has been isolated from Malaysian local plants which have the properties to impede the action of cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) in order to prevent the atherosclerosis. Preliminary results of the crude plant extracts from the initial screening showed positive results. A similar trend of inhibition can be obtained for twigs and leaves extracts of Garcinia atroviridis and Garcinia parvifolia. Ethanol extracts of fruit parts of Garcinia atroviridis give IC50 of 19.28 ± 0.021 mg/ml which shows the highest inhibitory compared to the other extracts of other plant parts. The remarkable results that are obtain from fruit rinds of Garcinia atroviridis do give some hints that the secondary metabolites that are present might have the ability to inhibit CETP. Based on literature review, it is postulated hydroxycitric acid (HCA) might be responsible for inhibiting CETP activity and HCA has been selected for further studies. Kinetic studies have been employed in this piece of work in order to see the types of inhibition that HCA possess against CETP. The kinetic study has revealed that HCA is a noncompetitive inhibitor because of the Km (-0.12) that is unchanged for every substrate and the Vmax is increased when the concentration of the inhibitor increase. Further in-silico works such as molecular docking and molecular dynamic has been implemented as well in order to see the interaction and mechanism of action between HCA and CETP. The molecular docking work has revealed that HCA binds to the same side as torcetrapib does and the RMSD obtained was 2.703A. Molecular dynamics has been employed as well in order to see the extensive structural and functional analysis and also to evaluate the strengthness of the complex between HCA and CETP. The complex were found to be stable due to the existence of the hydrogen bonding to SER230 and the overall RMSD reading are between the range of 0.8A, 2.4A and 3.2A. Overall, this work are pioneering and pave the way for further studies in establishing a new chemical template form of natural products for CETP research with an objective to extend the scope of work into in-vivo studies and x-ray crystallography in order to enable us to understand the mechanism of action in protein level. The in-silico studies in this work provides a preliminary understanding on the structural basis of CETP structure and its active sites which could accommodate the exact template of chemical molecule. With this new understanding, an inhibitor drug which are effective with lesser side effect, targeting atherosclerosis could be developed.


Abstract The Toolebuc Formation (Late Albian) is a thin (<40m), very widely distributed unit marking the maximum deepening of the Cretaceous epicontinental sea recorded by the infill of the Great Artesian Basin, eastern Australia. It consists of organic-rich shale, with TOC ranging to 35%, and limestone as laminae and thin beds comprised of Inoceramus sutherlandi McCoy and, less commonly, Aucellina hughendenensis Etheridge. Finely interlayered organic-rich shale and coquina are typical of the formation, resulting in a distinctively black-and-white, thinly bedded to laminated rock. Inoceramus valves are commonly disturbed by breakage, reorientation, and imbrication, and, in many cases, have disintegrated into prism horizons. Sedimentary laminae show that the sea floor was subject to some current activity, but benthic scavengers are considered to have been active agents of shell disturbance. Although shelly substrate suitable for encrusting epibenthos or colonization by endoliths was available in abundance, other benthic elements, inclusive of trace fossils, are very poorly represented. The formation contains diverse planktonic, pelagic, and nektonic fossil remains attesting to deposition beneath a water column of normal salinity, supporting a complex food chain. It displays a negative δ13Corg excursion, considered to relate to sea floor bacterial reworking of detrital organic material derived from plankton. In the context of the Toolebuc Formation, Inoceramus sutherlandi and Aucellina hughendenensis represent ecological specialists, with shell-growth strategies designed to cope with soft substrates and physiologies that were tolerant of oxygen-poor bottom conditions. Their intimate association with organic-rich shale suggests a trophic link with sea-floor bacterial productivity, supported from the organic-rich substrate. The lateral extent of Toolebuc coquinas suggests that Inoceramus sutherlandi and Aucellina hughendenensis were filter feeders rather than dependent on chemotrophic symbionts. Fine-scale interlayering of coquina and organic-rich shale attests to frequent alternation of sea-floor conditions conducive to colonization by bivalve communities and those that were not. Alternation is attributed in part to an autocyclic mechanism, with sea-floor accumulation of shelly debris having progressively isolated bivalve communities from trophic support, causing their episodic demise.


Informally, a 'spurious correlation' is the dependence of a model on some aspect of the input data that an analyst thinks shouldn't matter. In machine learning, these have a know-it-when-you-see-it character; e.g., changing the gender of a sentence's subject changes a sentiment predictor's output. To check for spurious correlations, we can 'stress test' models by perturbing irrelevant parts of input data and seeing if model predictions change. In this paper, we study stress testing using the tools of causal inference. We introduce counterfactual invariance as a formalization of the requirement that changing irrelevant parts of the input shouldn't change model predictions. We connect counterfactual invariance to out-of-domain model performance, and provide practical schemes for learning (approximately) counterfactual invariant predictors (without access to counterfactual examples). It turns out that both the means and implications of counterfactual invariance depend fundamentally on the true underlying causal structure of the data -- in particular, whether the label causes the features or the features cause the label. Distinct causal structures require distinct regularization schemes to induce counterfactual invariance. Similarly, counterfactual invariance implies different domain shift guarantees depending on the underlying causal structure. This theory is supported by empirical results on text classification.


Chromosome 1 abnormalities namely gain of 1q21 locus is one of
the few cytogenetic factors with unfavourable prognostic impact
in patients with MM. We analysed gene expression in patients
with/without 1q21 gain. The 1q21 gain status was evaluated in
34 patients by FISH and confirmed by arrayCGH (Agilent Human
Genome CGH Microarray, 4x44k) when DNA was available. CD138+
cells were separated by MACS. Total RNA was transcribed into
cDNA (Ambion WT Sense Target assay), labeled and hybridized to
the Affymetrix GeneChip Human Gene ST 1.0 array. Acquisition of
Affymetrix array images, RMA normalization algorithm, t-test
with Benjamini-Hochberg FDR were performed using appropriate
software. The 1q21 gain was detected in 50% (17/34) cases. When
comparing expression of patients with/without 1q21 gain, total
of 63 transcripts showed altered expression. We found 27
differentialy expressed transcripts with FC<1.5 (22 up, and 5
down), 17 of over-expressed transcripts were mapped exactly to
chromosome 1. The most altered expression (FC>2.0, p<0.05)
showed increase of UCHL1 (ubiquitin thiolesterase), GPR63
(G-protein receptor), TUBB4 (tubulin), KIF21B (kinesin) and
decrease of STAP1, MAML2, FAM13A and PDE4B (phosphodiesterase),
respectively. Based on ontology of revealed genes with altered
expression, we anticipate that patients with 1q21 gain might
have increased microtubules activity and/or dysregulation of
G-protein associated signal transduction. This may reflect the
pathogenesis of multiple myeloma.


NGOs have long been active at the UN, making the organisation a unique venue for analysing the work of NGOs, and how they cooperate with other NGOs, the UN and its member states. After major UN conferences it appeared as if NGOs had become part of the UN machinery, a perception reinforced by the growing number of accredited NGOs, and the positive language of partnership used by the UN itself to describe its relationship with NGOs.On the basis of a social network analysis, this study shows that individual success stories do not translate into a pervasive influence of NGOs at the international level, and more specifically as analysed here, at the UN. There are no formal arrangements for NGO participation at the most important UN organs, the Security Council and the General Assembly. Attempts in the past to establish such mechanisms failed because of the strong resistance of member states. As for informal cooperation, it remains patchy and undermined by a high degree of mistrust between NGOs and the UN, particularly when it comes to member state representatives. The replacement of major conferences by summits with very limited NGO partiCipation, and the failure of the Cardoso Panel to expand NGO rights, further suggests a backlash in UN-NGO relations. Bearing in mind that global governance calls for a stronger role of NGOs in international affairs, and that UN conferences are often mentioned as key venues for global civil society action, the study warns that concepts of global governance and global civil society should only be used with caution. The author used to work for the UN Non-Governmental Liaison Service in New York, advised the Office of the Under-Secretary-General in the Department of Economic and Social Affairs on NGO matters and served as the Assistant Secretary of the Committee on NGOs of the Economic and Social Council.


A growing body of research in sociology uses the concept of cultural schemas to explain how culture influences beliefs and actions. However, this work often relies on belief or attitude measures gleaned from survey data as indicators of schemas, failing to measure the cognitive associations that constitute schemas. In this article, we propose a concept-association-based approach for collecting data about individuals' schematic associations, and a corresponding method for modeling concept network representations of shared cultural schemas. We use this method to examine differences between liberal and conservative schemas of poverty in the United States, uncovering patterns of associations expected based on previous research. Examining the structure of schematic associations provides novel insights to long-standing empirical questions regarding partisan attitudes toward poverty. Our method yields a clearer picture of what poverty means for liberals and conservatives, revealing how different concepts related to poverty indeed mean fundamentally different things for these two groups. Finally, we show that differences in schema structure are predictive of individuals' policy preferences.


Microsporidia are zoonotic protozoa which were rare human pathogens prior to 1985, when Enterocytozoon bieneusi was described in human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients with chronic diarrhea. Another species, Encephalitozoon (Septata) intestinalis, is associated with diarrhea and chronic sinusitis, and approximately 25 cases have been reported in the literature. However, other microsporidial infections in human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients remain extremely rare. We report the first case of a Pleistophora sp.-like microsporidian infection presenting as a progressive severe myosotis associated with fever and weight loss. The organism was demonstrated by light microscopy and electron microscopy in corneal scrapings, skeletal muscle, and nasal discharge. Electron microscopy showed an electron-dense surface coat with "sunflare"-like projections surrounding all stages of development of meronts (two to four nuclei, dividing by binary fission), sporonts, and sporoblasts. Division of sporonts, in which sporonts separate from the thick outer coat, creating a sporophorous vesicle, is by binary fission, differentiating this organism from Pleistophora sp. The spore measures 4.0 by 2.5 microns and has a rugose exospore. A new genus and species, Trachipleistophora hominis, has been established for this parasite. The patient was treated with albendazole, sulfadiazine, and pyrimethamine, and the clinical symptoms resolved.


Background: Adjustment and reactive disorders are a heterogeneous group of mental disorders. Diagnostic criteria are vague and scientific research is limited despite the fact that these disorders play a major role in clinical practice. Methods: The 'posttraumatic embitterment disorder' (PTED) is introduced as a new concept for a subgroup of adjustment disorders. A case vignette and diagnostic criteria are presented. Results: Core criteria of PTED are: (1) a single exceptional negative life event precipitates the onset of the illness; (2) the present negative state developped in the direct context of this event; (3) the emotional response is embitterment and feelings of injustice; (4) repeated intrusive memories of the event; (5) emotional modulation is unimpaired, patients can even smile when engaged in thoughts of revenge, and (6) no obvious other mental disorder that can explain the reaction. Additional symptoms are feelings of helplessness, self-blame, rejection of help, suicidal ideation, dysphoria, aggression, down-heartedness, seemingly melancholic depression, unspecific somatic complaints, loss of appetite, sleep disturbances, pain, phobic symptoms in respect to the place or to persons related to the event, reduced drive. Duration is longer than 3 months. Performance in daily activities and roles is impaired. Conclusions: PTED is a frequent disorder. The diagnosis of PTED can lead to specific therapeutic interventions. PTED can be discriminated from PTSD, depression, anxiety disorders, and other adjustment disorders.


Abstract. The absorption cross section of N2O5, σN2O5(λ, T), which is known from laboratory measurements with the uncertainty of a factor of 2 (Table 4-2 in (Jet Propulsion Laboratory) JPL-2011; the spread in laboratory data, however, points to an uncertainty in the range of 25 to 30%, Sander et al., 2011), was investigated by balloon-borne observations of the relevant trace gases in the tropical mid-stratosphere. The method relies on the observation of the diurnal variation of NO2 by limb scanning DOAS (differential optical absorption spectroscopy) measurements (Weidner et al., 2005; Kritten et al., 2010), supported by detailed photochemical modelling of NOy (NOx(= NO + NO2) + NO3 + 2N2O5 + ClONO2 + HO2NO2 + BrONO2 + HNO3) photochemistry and a non-linear least square fitting of the model result to the NO2 observations. Simulations are initialised with O3 measured by direct sun observations, the NOy partitioning from MIPAS-B (Michelson Interferometer for Passive Atmospheric Sounding – Balloon-borne version) observations in similar air masses at night-time, and all other relevant species from simulations of the SLIMCAT (Single Layer Isentropic Model of Chemistry And Transport) chemical transport model (CTM). Best agreement between the simulated and observed diurnal increase of NO2 is found if the σN2O5(λ, T) is scaled by a factor of 1.6 ± 0.8 in the UV-C (200–260 nm) and by a factor of 0.9 ± 0.26 in the UV-B/A (260–350 nm), compared to current recommendations. As a consequence, at 30 km altitude, the N2O5 lifetime against photolysis becomes a factor of 0.77 shorter at solar zenith angle (SZA) of 30° than using the recommended σN2O5(λ, T), and stays more or less constant at SZAs of 60°. Our scaled N2O5 photolysis frequency slightly reduces the lifetime (0.2–0.6%) of ozone in the tropical mid- and upper stratosphere, but not to an extent to be important for global ozone.


Crha M., J. Lorenzova, L. Urbanova, T. Fichtel, A. Necas: Two Techniques of Intestinal Wall Suture in Surgical Treatment of Ileus in Dogs and the Importance of Omentalisation. Acta Vet. Brno 2008, 77: 263-267. Model experimental studies focused on the intestinal suture techniques in relation to healing, postoperative narrowing of the intestinal lumen or adhesion formation can not comprise a number of clinical factors (foreign body presence in the intestine, haematological abnormalities, septic peritonitis, different age of patients, etc.) that under clinical practice conditions may have an effect on the healing of the intestinal suture. The aim of this clinical study was to confirm in a group of dogs surgically treated for small bowel obstruction, whether different techniques of its wall suture may affect the frequency of possible dehiscence occurrence. This study compares two different techniques of intestinal wall suture in relation to postoperative dehiscence of the intestinal wall closure. Based on the clinical observation with regard to the risk of postoperative dehiscence and possible complications in form of adhesions, also the importance of omentalisation in the suture of small bowel was evaluated. No significant difference was demonstrated (p > 0.05) in the frequency of postoperative dehiscence at the site of the intestinal wall closure between the two-layer inverting and singlelayer appositional techniques of suture. Likewise, no significant difference was demonstrated (p > 0.05) in the frequency of dehiscence of intestinal wall suture between patients that underwent intestinal suture omentalisation and those whose intestinal wall suture was not complemented with omentalisation. Based on the results of this clinical study it may be stated that both manual single-layer approximation technique and two-layer inverting technique of the intestinal wall suture are equally safe from the viewpoint of possible dehiscence, and it depends on the surgeon's preference, which one of the said techniques he or she chooses. Concurrently it may be assumed that an exactly performed suture of the intestinal wall does not necessarily require omentalisation. Intestine, obstruction, dehiscence


In this paper, we examine the components, the structure and the formation process of derived categories, by analyzing the properties of nouns derived from adjectives. We will discuss the event structure underlying them and argue that, although it is commonly assumed that deadjectival nouns denote qualities (wisdom, beauty) or states (sadness, perplexity), there is a group of deadjectival nominalizations (imprudence, cruelty) that refer to occurrences of events (Beauseroy 2009). We show that such occurrential nominalizations are possible only when derived from evaluative adjectives. This is due, we argue, to the fact that such adjectives can be predicated of events in addition to the sentient individual (Stowell 1991). Finally, we show that the existence of a structure of origin with the relevant properties does not guarantee the existence of the derived category, leaving what seem to be gaps in the universe of possible derivations.


PURPOSE
To provide sample size calculation for the quantitative assessment of carotid atherosclerotic plaque using non-invasive magnetic resonance imaging in multi-center clinical trials. METHODS. As part of a broader double-blind randomized trial of an experimental pharmaceutical agent, 20 asymptomatic placebo-control subjects were recruited from 5 clinical sites for a multi-center study. Subjects had 4 scans in 13 weeks on GE 1.5 T scanners, using TOF, T1-/PD-/T2- and contrast-enhanced Tl-weighted images. Measurement variability was assessed by comparing quantitative data from the index carotid artery over the four time points. The wall/outer wall (W/OW) ratio was calculated as wall volume divided by outer wall volume. The percent lipid-rich/necrotic core (%LR/NC) and calcification (%Ca) were measured as a proportion of the vessel wall. For %LR/NC and %Ca, only those subjects that exhibited LR/NC or Ca components were used in the analysis.

RESULTS
Measurement error was 5.8% for wall volume, 3.2% for W/OW ratio, 11.1% for %LR/NC volume and 18.6% for %Ca volume. Power analysis based on these values shows that a study with 14 participants in each group could detect a 5% change in W/OW ratio, 10% change in wall volume, and 20% change in %LR/NC volume (power = 80%, p < .05). The calculated measurement errors presume any true biological changes were negligible over the 3 months that subjects received placebo.

CONCLUSION
In vivo MRI is capable of quantifying plaque volume and plaque composition, such as %lipid-rich/necrotic core and %calcification, in the clinical setting of a multi-center trial with low inter-scan variability. This study provides the basis for sample size calculation of future MRI trials.


Multiclass systems with different quality of service (QoS) requirements are essential in today's Ethernet passive optical networks (EPONs). In this paper, we propose a code division multiple-access-enabled dynamic power and bandwidth allocation (DPBA) algorithm for a multiclass system. The novelty of the proposed algorithm is the resource allocation components: power control and bandwidth allocation. Both resources are related and optimized through the weights of the weighted round-robin scheduler in a way to meet the physical layer signal to interference ratio and the network layer packet delay requirements for every class of users. Our objective is to offer a differentiated class of services for all optical network units while optimizing network performance and guaranteeing fairness between different classes. A closed-form solution for the optimal power and bandwidth allocation using the DPBA algorithm is analytically derived. It is shown that the proposed algorithm can radically enhance the network performance in terms of packet delay, throughput, queue size management, transmission cycle time, and class of service fairness while guaranteeing the QoS requirements for all classes.


Abstract. Solar spectral fluxes (or irradiance) measured by the SOlar Radiation and Climate Experiment (SORCE) show different variability at ultraviolet (UV) wavelengths compared to other irradiance measurements and models (e.g. NRL-SSI, SATIRE-S). Some modelling studies have suggested that stratospheric/lower mesospheric O3 changes during solar cycle 23 (1996–2008) can only be reproduced if SORCE solar fluxes are used. We have used a 3-D chemical transport model (CTM), forced by meteorology from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), to simulate middle atmospheric O3 using three different solar flux data sets (SORCE, NRL-SSI and SATIRE-S). Simulated O3 changes are compared with Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) and Sounding of the Atmosphere using Broadband Emission Radiometry (SABER) satellite data. Modelled O3 anomalies from all solar flux data sets show good agreement with the observations, despite the different flux variations. The off-line CTM reproduces these changes through dynamical information contained in the analyses. A notable feature during this period is a robust positive solar signal in the tropical middle stratosphere, which is due to realistic dynamical changes in our simulations. Ozone changes in the lower mesosphere cannot be used to discriminate between solar flux data sets due to large uncertainties and the short time span of the observations. Overall this study suggests that, in a CTM, the UV variations detected by SORCE are not necessary to reproduce observed stratospheric O3 changes during 2001–2010.


Artists, designers and writers have long employed ambiguity as a tool in compelling their audience to deduce a personal meaning to their work. As computing becomes less of a strictly workspace, task-oriented phenomenon and more of a ubiquitous, life-space one, it is increasingly important to consider the intelligence of the user in the design of everyday computer-based things. Support of multiple user interpretation through ambiguity is an element whose appropriate inclusion in system design can compel the user to deduce a personal interpretation of the system's meaning and utility. The work in this paper explores the process by which users may come to deduce a meaning to an ambiguous work, both as individuals and collaboratively. Incorporating elements of ambiguity, we created SenSpace, an immersive physical environment that embeds the Greek myth of Narcissus within itself. The subsequent user study provided insight on the process by which naive visitors may come to deduce their meanings of a work, both individually and collaboratively. Our results showed that there exists a tradeoff between a user's level of interaction and depth of the interpretation of the multimedia environment. We also show how ambiguity can be used as a design method, by incorporating observed user expectations into the system. This paper uses experimental evidence to advocate the design of systems that support not only the system goal the designer has in mind, but also the multiple perspectives and meanings that the user often brings to the system.


Sparse neural networks have been widely applied to reduce the computational demands of training and deploying over-parameterized deep neural networks. For inference acceleration, methods that discover a sparse network from a pre-trained dense network (dense-to-sparse training) work effectively. Recently, dynamic sparse training (DST) has been proposed to train sparse neural networks without pre-training a dense model (sparse-to-sparse training), so that the training process can also be accelerated. However, previous sparse-to-sparse methods mainly focus on Multilayer Perceptron Networks (MLPs) and Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs), failing to match the performance of dense-to-sparse methods in the Recurrent Neural Networks (RNNs) setting. In this paper, we propose an approach to train intrinsically sparse RNNs with a fixed parameter count in one single run, without compromising performance. During training, we allow RNN layers to have a non-uniform redistribution across cell gates for better regularization. Further, we propose SNT-ASGD, a novel variant of the averaged stochastic gradient optimizer, which significantly improves the performance of all sparse training methods for RNNs. Using these strategies, we achieve state-of-the-art sparse training results, better than the dense-to-sparse methods, with various types of RNNs on Penn TreeBank and Wikitext-2 datasets. Our codes are available at https://github.com/Shiweiliuiiiiiii/Selfish-RNN.


We investigate an energy-efficient synthesis that merges the bio-templated technique and solid-state reactions to produce nano-structured lithiated polyanions. With the aid of bio-templates based on an M13 virus, the thermal budget of an annealing process can be reduced, and the nano-structured characteristics of the precursors are preserved in the product. This method enables us to successfully prepare monoclinic LiMnBO3 with an average particle size of 20 nm in a 1 h annealing process, showing improved electrochemical properties compared with the conventionally synthesized one. Thus, we consider that this bio-facilitated method can open up an environmentally-friendly pathway to produce nano-structured electrode materials with an enhanced performance.


Spin pumping at a boundary between a yttriumiron garnet (YIG) film and a thin platinum (Pt) layer is studied under conditions in which a magnetostatic surface spin wave (MSSW, or DamonEshbach mode) is excited in YIG by a narrow strip-line antenna. It is shown that the voltage created by the inverse spin-Hall effect (ISHE) in Pt is strongly dependent on the wavevector of the excited MSSW. For YIG film thicknesses of 41 and 0.9m, the maximum ISHE voltage corresponds to the maximum of efficiently excited MSSW wavevectors and does not coincide with the maximum of absorbed microwave power. For a thinner (0.175m) YIG film, the maximum of the ISHE voltage moves closer to the ferromagnetic resonance and almost coincides with the region of the maximum microwave absorption. We show that the effect is related to the change in the thickness profile and the wavenumber spectrum of the excited MSSW taking place when the YIG film thickness is increased.


A multidisciplinary text, considering both general issues and principles of water law and administration at national and international level, dealing with current legal and institutional aspects of water resources management. New information has been added in this latest edition, including the situation in countries previously a part of the former Soviet Union. Added emphasis is given to areas of growing topical importance, such as stakeholders' influence on decisions, the need to maintain a minimum flow in water bodies and the necessity for legislation in support of water resource monitoring. There is new material on the European Union Water Framework Directive which is referenced heavily in the work. The book is aimed at those who carry out functions in water resources administration and those who deal with legal issues raised by water management. The book will be particularly useful to academics and graduate students of law, engineering, hydrology, hydrogeology, sanitary engineering and planners, as well as national and international water resources managers.


Nucleotides, nucleosides and nucleobases belong to the non-protein-nitrogen (NPN) fraction of milk. The largest amounts of ribonucleosides and ribonucleotides – ribose forms only were considered in this review – were measured directly after parturition in bovine milk and other ruminants as well as in the milk of humans. Generally, concentrations of most of the nucleos(t)ides tend to decrease gradually with advancing lactation period or nursing time. The species-specific pattern of these minor constituents in milk from different mammals is a remarkable property and confirms, at least, the specific physiological impact of these minor compounds in early life. The physiological capacity of these compounds in milk is given by the total potentially available nucleosides. The main dietary sources of nucleos(t)ides are nucleoproteins and nucleic acids which are converted in the course of intestinal digestion into nucleosides and nucleobases the preferred forms for absorption in the intestine. Thus, nucleosides and nucleobases are suggested to be the acting components of dietary and/or supplemented nucleic acid-related compounds in the gut. They are used by the body as exogenous trophochemical sources and can be important for optimal metabolic functions. Up to 15 % of the total daily need for a breast-fed infant was calculated to come from this dietary source. Concerning their biological role they not only act as metabolites but are also involved as bioactive substances in the regulation of body functions. Dietary nucleotides affect immune modulation, e.g. they enhance antibody responses of infants as shown by a study with more than 300 full-term healthy infants. Dietary nucleos(t)ides are found to contribute to iron absorption in the gut and to influence desaturation and elongation rates in fatty acid synthesis, in particular long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids in early stages of life. The in vitro modulation of cell proliferation and apoptosis has been described by ribonucleosides, in particular by modified components using human cell culture models. Due to the bio- and trophochemical properties of dietary nucleos(t)ides, the European Commission has allowed the use of supplementation with specific ribonucleotides in the manufacture of infant and follow-on formula. From the technochemical point of view, the ribonucleoside pattern is influenced by thermal treatment of milk. In addition ribonucleosides are useful indicators for quantifying adulterations of milk and milk products.


Mudrocks and sandstones of Numidian Formation in Sicily have been analysed for mineralogical, petrographic, major element and selected trace element compositions to constrain the intraformational variability and the sediment provenance. The mudrocks are characterized by a kaolinite-rich signature while the sandstones have a quartz-arenitic composition. The high Chemical Index of Alteration and Plagioclase Index of Alteration strongly suggest that recycling processes have been responsible for the present compositions. The mudrocks geochemical data suggested a compositional variability function of the paleogeographic depositional environments. In particular, the Numidian Formation of the more external Serra Del Bosco Unit is affected by the terrigenous contribution of epicontinental-type sediments. With regard to provenance, the geochemical data indicate a derivation from post-Archean sedimentary siliciclastic rocks. The contribution of African cratonic sediments was confirmed by the trace elements ratios and by the end-member modelling processed on mudrocks compositional data. In particular the suitability of the Nubian sediments as one of the sources of sediment supply is also attested.


A prototype 1.5 MW series-stacked converter system was built and installed at a DC-traction substation. The converter inverts energy generated by slowing an electric train using regenerative braking. The regenerated energy is fed into the local AC network at the DC-substation. A secondary function of the converter is to perform active power filtering (APF) while a train is drawing power from the substation. The systems control is based on the instantaneous reactive power theory. An interleaved switching scheme is used to switch the seven level series-stacked converter, thus exploiting the natural balancing properties of the series-stacked converter. Results obtained from tests done show that both the APF and regeneration functions of the system were successfully implemented


This paper describes the geology of organic-rich shales in China, their resource potentials, and properties of emerging and potential China shale gas and shale oil plays. Marine, lacustrine, and coastal swamp transitional shales were estimated to have the largest technically recoverable shale gas resource (25.08 trillion cubic meters or 886 trillion cubic feet) and 25 to 50 billion barrels of technically recoverable shale oil resource. The Precambrian Sinian Doushantuo Formation to Silurian Longmaxi black marine shales mainly accumulated in the intrashelf low to slope environments in the Yangtze Platform in South China and in the Tarim Platform in northwest China. The marine shales in the Yangtze Platform have high maturity (Ro of 1.3%–5%), high total organic carbon (mainly ![Formula][1] ), high brittle-mineral content, and have been identified as emerging shale gas plays. The Lower Paleozoic marine shales in the Upper Yangtze area have the largest shale gas potential and currently top the list as exploration targets. The Carboniferous to Permian shales associated with coal and sandstones were mainly formed in transitional depositional settings in north China, northwest China, and the Yangtze Platform in south China. These transitional shales are generally rich in clay with a medium level of shale gas potential. The Middle Permian to Cenozoic organic-rich lacustrine shales interbedded with thin sandstone and carbonate beds are sporadically distributed in rifted basins across China. Their main potentials are as hybrid plays (tight and shale oil). China shales are heterogeneous across time and space, and high-quality shale reservoirs are usually positioned within transgressive systems tract to early highstand systems tract intervals that were deposited in an anoxic depositional setting. For China's shale plays, tectonic movements have affected and disrupted the early oil and gas accumulation, making tectonically stable areas more favorable prospects for the exploration and development of shale plays.

 [1]: /embed/mml-math-1.gif


The Global Land Project (GLP) Science Plan and Implementation Strategy represents the joint research agenda of IGBP and IHDP to improve the understanding of land system dynamics in the context of Earth System functioning. This plan is therefore a first critical step in addressing the interaction between people and their environments. It is part of the broader efforts to understand how these interactions have affected, and may yet affect, the sustainability of the terrestrial biosphere, and the two-way interactions and feedbacks between different land systems within the Earth System. GLP will play a clear role in improving the understanding of regional and global-scale land systems, as well as promoting strong scientific synergy across the global change programmes. This Science Plan and Implementation Strategy develops a new integrated paradigm focused on two main conceptual aspects of the coupled system: firstly, it deals with the interface between people, biota, and natural resources of terrestrial systems, and secondly, it combines detailed regional studies with a global, comparative perspective. GLP takes as its points of departure ecosystem services and human decision making for the terrestrial environment. These topics are at the interface of the societal and the environmental domains, and serve as conceptual lenses for the research plan.


The implementation of restorative approaches in schools has been commonly seen in elementary and high schools, yet the development of restorative approaches in post‐secondary institutions has not been fully explored. In respect to university education, a more restorative approach to student discipline can be a proactive educational response mediating the response of student discipline boards to instances of student wrongdoing. Existing practices are explored, and critiqued from a restorative justice perspective. The rationale behind moving to a restorative response is outlined, and the experiences of student discipline boards that currently employ restorative approaches are assessed to determine how effective this paradigm shift could be. How university responses to student misconduct might function if aspects of the academic environment were built on restorative values and principles is explored, in particular, through looking at the benefits accruing to the development of restorative practices in the classroom, in distance education and for students who experience language difficulties.


OBJECTIVE
To observe the change of neovascular morphology and angiogenesis related factors in the ischemic cerebral area after cerebral infarction and the intervention effect of electroacupuncture (EA).

METHODS
Wistar rats were randomly divided into model group(n=90), EA group(n=90), sham operation group(n=90) and control group(n=10). The first three groups were further divided into 1 h, 3 h, 6 h, 9 h, 12 h, 24 h, 3 d, 7 d and 12 d subgroups(n=10 in each subgroup). The cerebral infarction model was established by middle cerebral artery occlusion(MCAO). EA(15 Hz, 2 mA) was applied to "Shuigou"(GV26) for 20 min in the EA group. The 1, 3, 6, 9, 12, 24 h subgroups were treated immediately after modeling, the 3, 7, 12 d subgroups were treated once daily for 3, 7 or 12 days. The neovascular endothelial cells were displayed by immunofluorescence double labeling staining. Quantitive real-time PCR and Western blot were applied to detect the changes of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), angiogenin (Ang) -1, 2, platelet-derived growth factor b (PDGF-b) in ischemic brain tissue, respectively.

RESULTS
After modeling, CD31 and Ki67 positive cells were first observed at 24 h in the model group, and reached the peak at 3 d, decreased at 7 d. While in the EA group, the CD31 and Ki67 positive cells were first observed at 12 h, and reached the peak at 3 d, and gradually decreased until 12 d. Compared with the control group, the mRNA expressions of bFGF at 9 h-12 h, Ang-1 at 12 h-12 d, Ang-2 at 1 h-12 d and PDGF-b at 1 h, 6 h, 9 h, 24 h-12 d were increased in the model group(P<0.01, P<0.05). After EA, the mRNA expressions of bFGF at 24 h-12 d, Ang-1 at 3 d-12 d, Ang-2 at 3 h-24 h and PDGF-b at 3 h, 6 h, 3 d-12 d were increased(P<0.05, P<0.01). In comparison with the control group, the proteins of bFGF at 24 h, Ang-1 at 6 h-12 d, Ang-2 at 1 h-12 d and PDGF-b at 1 h-7 d were increased in the model group(P<0.05, P<0.01). After EA, the proteins of bFGF at 3 d-12 d, Ang-1 at 3 d-12 d, Ang-2 at 3 h-12 h and PDGF-b at 6 h, 3 d-12 d were increased compared with the model group(P<0.05, P<0.01).

CONCLUSION
EA can up-regulate the expression of angiogenesis-related factors in MCAO rats, which has an important role in the establishment of blood vessel regeneration and collateral circulation, and thus promote the recovery of neurological function.


AIM Preseptal and orbital cellulitis are rare presenting features of intraocular retinoblastoma. The objectives of this study were to determine the frequency of retinoblastoma associated cellulitis, as well as to review its clinical and histopathological features. METHODS The medical records of 292 retinoblastoma patients in the King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia were reviewed. Those indicating a history of, or presenting with, cellulitis were retrieved and their clinical, radiological, and histopathological variables were assessed. Patients with definite extraocular tumour extension on clinical or radiological examination were excluded. RESULTS 14 patients were found to have retinoblastoma associated cellulitis (4.8%); nine had bilateral and five had unilateral retinoblastoma. Conjunctival and blood cultures were performed in 10 cases and were negative. 10 children were treated with intravenous steroids, often in conjunction with antibiotics, resulting in a prompt decrease in inflammation. Three other children were treated with antibiotics alone and one received no treatment. Computed tomographic scanning depicted large intraocular tumours occupying between 80% and 100% of the globe in each case. In eight patients, periocular inflammation was radiologically interpreted as possible extraocular extension. In one patient serial computed tomographic scanning showed a reduction in intraocular calcification over time which occurred in the presence of cellulitis. 12 patients underwent enucleation and histopathological examination revealed large necrotic, poorly differentiated tumours associated with uveal involvement and early optic nerve invasion. Focal perilimbal destruction was seen in one patient, and in another peripapillary extrascleral extension was present. 12 patients are alive with a mean follow up of 56.4 months. CONCLUSIONS Radiological evaluation of scleral integrity may be hindered by periocular inflammatory changes. The orbital cellulitis correlated well with the presence of advanced intraocular retinoblastoma with massive necrosis and anterior chamber involvement. In the majority of patients, cellulitis was not indicative of an extension of retinoblastoma into the orbit. Intravenous steroid treatment reduced orbital inflammation, facilitating examination and subsequent enucleation.


Recently, the space-time block codes (STBCs) were suggested to use in wireless relaying
networks (WRNs), denoted as distributed-STBCs (D-STBCs). This is to exploit effectively the
spatial diversity and hence improve the link reliability. In addition, this usage may increase
the network's spectrum efficiency as it allows concurrent transmission from the relaying
nodes. However, these networks encounter numerous issues that limit their wide practical
use. This thesis addresses three critical issues of WRNs, and proposes solutions for each part
individually.
In Part I, WRNs are considered under imperfect synchronization. In the literature, most research
tends to assume perfect synchronization among the cooperative relays. Unfortunately,
this level of synchronization is almost impossible to achieve in real communication networks,
and this introduces a significant performance degradation if imperfect synchronization is
present in the network. This part includes mathematical models that are derived for WRNs,
either one-way or two-way, under imperfect synchronisation conditions. Unlike existing
models, this model provides a simple method of evaluating the problem for variant network
configurations. In addition, this model considers the WRNs with N relays, each is equipped
with Ra antennas, where N, Ra ∈ N+. With respect to current literature, the contributions of
this part are : (1) both the existing PIC and SIC based detectors, which were proposed for
specific network configurations instances, are extended here to work with the general model.
(2) an enhanced interference cancellation based detector (EIC) is proposed. These proposed
detectors shows significant performance improvement compared to the conventional detector
under imperfect synchronisation conditions. In addition, the proposed EIC detector provides
better improvement due to the designed interference cancellation process. It reduces
the reliance on low-performance symbols and it benefits from interference components of
currently-detected symbols using a modified maximum likelihood (ML) scheme. Accordingly,
an extra performance improvement is achieved, particularly in the first iteration.
Part II considers the issue of designing D-STBCs for WRNs with an arbitrary number of
relays. It has been shown that the reliability of WRNs increases by adding more relays as a result of more communication paths becoming available. Unlike most existing D-STBCs, this part proposes two high rate coding schemes to accommodate an arbitrary number of
relays, while retaining low decoding complexity at the destination. The first scheme, full-rate
distributed space-time block coded-joint transmit/receive antenna diversity (D-STBC-JTRD),
is proposed for AF WRNs. Its code rate is independent of the number of relays and hence no
code rate loss is incurred as the relays number increases. In addition, this scheme deploys
the same encoding matrices at every relay; this eliminates the need for additional network
overhead to coordinate the code generation by the relays. In other words, there is no need
to interrupt the transmission if a relay has been up/down. The second scheme aims to find
a flexible trade-off between reliability and code-rate that can be offered by DF networks.
Towards this end, a method to construct a D-STBC that is combined with spatial modulation
(SM), denoted as D-STBC-SM, is proposed. This method is not restricted to a specific number
of relays and can be constructed as necessary. In addition, a novel adaptive transmission
protocol that uses the constructed codes, is proposed to achieve higher space diversity gain,
even with relays equipped with a single antenna. Unlike most existing schemes, this protocol
offers a throughput that increases as the number of relays increases. Moreover, the offered
throughput is achieved using the same total average transmit energy, as only N0 of the N
available participating relays are active at any given time.
In Part III, the multi-user interference of WRNs is considered. Two transmission protocols
with an interference cancellation scheme are proposed: the concurrentS−R−D-PICR,D protocol
for DF WRNs and the concurrentS−R−D-PICD protocol for AF WRNs. Unlike existing
protocols, these protocols allow the concurrent transmission in both phases of the transmission.
Thus, high spectral efficiency is offered while maintaining low decoding complexity.
This low decoding complexity is maintained due to the adaptation of the partial interference
cancellation group decoding (PICGD) approach for WRNs, which was initially proposed by
Guo, et al., for point-to-point (P2P) communication link. For a WRN consisting of J users
equipped each with Ja-antenna, a single half duplex (HD) Ra-antenna relay, and M-antenna
destination, the concurrentS−R−D-PICR,D protocol achieves the interference-free diversity
gain (i.e., Ra × min {Ja,M}) without imposing any conditions on a node's antenna number.
The interference-free is the diversity gain achieved, assuming that each user in the network
is transmitting solely without experiencing any interference from other users, hence it is
considered as the natural upper bound of the diversity gain in multi-user WRNs. Similar to
most exiting protocols, this protocol requires the CSI of the users-relay links at the relay. In
contrast, the concurrentS−R−D-PICR,D protocol achieves a diversity gain of Ja ×M, given that Ra > 8, while the CSI is required only at the destination. Although the diversity's upper bound is not achieved, this protocol uses a simple relay as no CSI or encoding is required
at the relay. In addition, and unlike the existing protocols, the achievable diversity gain is
determined by both Ja and M and it is not sacrificed while J is increased. This part also
establishes sufficient conditions for an STBC to achieve the prior mentioned diversity gains,
when the PICGD approach is employed by multi-users WRNs.


Thermoelastic behaviour similar to that of rubber has been found in numerous biological systems: elastin fibres, heat-contracted collagenous and elastoidin fibres, resting muscle and fresh 9silkworm9. In all these cases the elastic force must be attributed to the thermal motion of segments of partially stretched flexible chain molecules. We believe therefore that, generally, whenever high reversible extensibility is observed in living matter this latter contains a network of irregularly coiled or folded chain molecules. Such extensibility has been observed, for example, in animal membranes and in the elastic parts of cytoplasm. Several elastic systems contract on raising the temperature even if they are not subjected to a stress. These must contain two elastic systems which oppose each other: a system which contracts if the temperature is raised (such as does rubber under stress) and another one which is not affected in the same way by variation of temperature and maintains the stress of the first system. Such systems may be obtained by introducing cross-links in a stretched elastomer; in the case of collagenous fibres this can be achieved by treating with formaldehyde. Probably native elastin fibres contain a similar double system; they are not soluble in any of the solvents for proteins but become soluble under the action of elastase which seems to split up the cross-links. The 9long-range9 elasticity of hair (and wool) keratin has given rise to a controversy; according to Astbury, Speakman and Woods, the elastic force is due to the tendency of the long 9$\beta $9 keratin modification to transform into the 9$\alpha $9 keratin modification which, according to these authors, has a lower energy. Other workers believe that the force is due to thermal motion. Now hair and wool are not highly extensible when dry; the measured stress is due to short-range cohesive forces. It is only after these attracting forces between neighbouring groups are sufficiently weakened by swelling agents that keratin becomes extensible. Then, after relaxation, the 9long-range9 force, due to thermal motion, eventually becomes predominant. The $\alpha $-$\beta $ transformation is thus not the cause of the 9long-range9 retracting force, which has the same origin as that observed with other elastomers. The contracting force of tetanized muscle cannot be attributed to a 9rubber-like9 system. The stress-strain curve of tetanized muscle indicates that attracting forces are involved in muscular contraction.


Estimating the degree of traffic congestion at run time is crucially important for Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) especially when selecting travel routes. One of the challenges when using a mobile sensor (e.g. mobile phone, GPS) as source of traffic data stems from its mobility. This paper proposes a novel approach to fusing mobile data and an algorithm for traffic congestion estimation to compensate intermittent available mobile sensors. Furthermore, our proposed model is also tolerant to incomplete data and it is open to any type of sensors. This approach differs from other traffic congestion estimation techniques in that it utilizes discoverable context even on sensorless road segments in real time instead of entirely relying on a sensor-based data of observed road segment. Implementation and validation through extensive experimentation with real data confirms feasibility of the proposed approach.


The database of the Spectroscopy for the Investigation of the Characteristics of the Atmosphere of Mars (SPICAM) instrument between late January 2004 and Mars 2014 has been searched to identify signatures of CO Cameron and CO2+ doublet ultraviolet auroral emissions. This study has almost doubled the number of auroral detections based on SPICAM spectra. Auroral emissions are located in the vicinity of the statistical boundary between open and closed field lines. From a total of 113 nightside orbits with SPICAM pointing to the nadir in the region of residual magnetic field, only nine nightside orbits show confirmed auroral signatures, some with multiple detections along the orbital track, leading to a total of 16 detections. The mean energy of the electron energy spectra measured during concurrent Analyzer of Space Plasma and Energetic Atoms/Electron Spectrometer observations ranges from 150 to 280 eV. The ultraviolet aurora may be displaced poleward or equatorward of the region of enhanced downward electron energy flux by several tens of seconds and shows no proportionality with the electron flux at the spacecraft altitude. The absence of further UV auroral detection in regions located along crustal magnetic field structures where occasional aurora has been observed indicates that the Mars aurora is a time‐dependent feature. These results are consistent with the scenario of acceleration of electrons by transient parallel electric field along semiopen magnetic field lines.


Using data on 143 hospital organizations, this article examines the antecedents and effects of two forms of organizational legitimacy (managerial and technical) over a 46-year period. Results show that both the managerial and technical forms provide notable improvements in organizational survival chances but that the strength of each effect varies over time depending on the nature of the institutional environment. Variation also appears in the antecedents of legitimacy - for example, the ability of a hospital to secure approval for its managerial practices depends on the correspondence between its mission and the logic of the surrounding institutional environment. The results suggest that a multidimensional model can reveal nuances of organizational legitimacy that are missed by more unitary conceptions.


Context:
Coronal magnetic null points have been implicated as possible locations for localised heating events in 2D models. We investigate this possibility about fully 3D null points.

Aims:
We investigate the nature of the fast magnetoacoustic wave about a fully 3D magnetic null point, with a specific interest in its propagation, and we look for evidence of MHD mode coupling and/or conversion to the Alfven mode.

Methods:
A special fieldline and flux-based coordinate system was constructed to permit the introduction of a pure fast magnetoacoustic wave in the vicinity of proper and improper 3D null points. We considered the ideal, β = 0, MHD equations, which are solved using the LARE3D numerical code. The constituent modes of the resulting wave were isolated and identified using the special coordinate
system. Numerical results were supported by analytical work derived from perturbation theory and a linear implementation of the WKB method.

Results:
An initially pure fast wave is found to be permanently decoupled from the Alfven mode both linearly and nonlinearly for both proper and improper 3D null points. The pure fast mode also generates and sustains a nonlinear disturbance aligned along the equilibrium magnetic field. The resulting pure fast magnetoacoustic pulse has transient behaviour, which is found to be governed by the (equilibrium) Alfven-speed profile, and a refraction effect focuses all the wave energy towards the null point.

Conclusions:
 Thus, the main results from previous 2D work do indeed carry over to the fully 3D magnetic null points and so we conclude that 3D null points are locations for preferential heating in the corona by 3D fast magnetoacoustic waves


Researching within one's place of practice allows the researcher to have the unique position of knowing the participants and the research context. The relationship the participants have with the researcher will impact upon the disclosure of information differently than research conducted by someone outside the area of practice. This can be a benefit and a drawback for the participants, the area of practice and the researcher. However, as is demonstrated within this paper, the role the researcher adopts throughout the process of gathering information is not always clear.

As a student on the Doctorate of Education programme myself, the nature of practitioner research and the complexities of this type of research is of great interest to me. Beginning to develop my own research project through this taught programme has allowed an opportunity to think through these challenges and wrestle with the complexity and contradiction, dilemma and incongruity which emerges from being a researching practitioner. Within this piece it is suggested that these quandaries can be considered from the perspective of critical distance, relationships and power and ethical considerations. The idea of considering these conflicts reflexively will be explored here.

Although this discussion was not based on empirical research findings as such, it is anticipated that this piece will further the understanding of practitioner research in higher education from the position of being a student and through scholastic analysis of the Ed D programme providing a particular perspective on the nature of research.


An engineering critical assessment (ECA) is commonly conducted during the design of an offshore pipeline in order to determine the tolerable size of flaws in the girth welds. API 579-1/ASME FFS-1 2016 and BS 7910:2013+A1:2015 Incorporating Corrigenda Nos. 1 and 2 give guidance on conducting fitness-for-service assessments of cracks and crack-like flaws. The essential data required for an assessment (nature, position and orientation of flaw; structural and weld geometry; stresses; yield and tensile strength; fracture toughness; etc.) is subject to uncertainty. That uncertainty is addressed through the use of bounding values. The use of extreme bounding values might be overly-conservative. A sensitivity analysis is one way of investigating the sensitivity of the results of an assessment to the input data. A structural reliability-based assessment (a probabilistic assessment) is an alternative. A probabilistic assessment is significantly more complicated than a deterministic assessment.
 API 579-1/ASME FFS-1 and BS 7910:2013 note that a sensitivity analysis, partial safety factors or a probabilistic analysis can be used to evaluate uncertainties in the input parameters. Annex K of BS 7910:2013 gives partial safety factors for different combinations of target reliability and variability of input data. ISO 16708:2006 gives guidance on the use of structural reliability-based limit-state methods in the design and operation of pipelines.
 The structural reliability-based assessment of circumferentially-orientated, surface crack-like flaw in a girth weld in a pipeline is used to illustrate the significance of the distributions of the difference between the wall thickness and the ovality (out-of-roundness) of two pipes when calculating the bounding value of the stress concentration factor due to axial misalignment. The (assumed) distributions of diameter, wall thickness, out-of-roundness, yield strength, etc. are based on Annex B of ISO 16708:2006. The (nominal) probability of failure is calculated. It is then used to inform the choice of an appropriate bounding value (i.e. a characteristic value) for axial misalignment.


The literature review analyzes seven specialized papers, which are focused on issues of increased creativity of individuals with dyslexia. In connection with dyslexia, it starts to talk not only about deficits, but also about its possible positives, which develop in the context of possible weaknesses. In individuals with dyslexia are mentioned excellent visualization skills and increased creative potential. Based on some results of foreign research studies was proven a significantly higher level of creativity in persons with dyslexia in comparison with intact individuals in the group of adults with an average age greater than 18 years. Significantly higher level of acquired scores was not proven in children with dyslexia. It can be concluded that people with dyslexia have undoubtedly a specific creative potential.


The plasma membrane of murine erythro-leukemia (MEL) cells contains a 140-kD protein that binds specifically to fibronectin. A 125I-labeled 140-kD protein from surface-labeled uninduced MEL cells was specifically bound by an affinity matrix that contained the 115-kD cell binding fragment of fibronectin, and specifically eluted by a synthetic peptide that has cell attachment-promoting activity. The loss of this protein during erythroid differentiation was correlated with loss of cellular adhesion to fibronectin. Both MEL cells and reticulocytes attached to the same site on fibronectin as do fibroblasts since adhesion of erythroid cells to fibronectin was specifically blocked by a monoclonal antibody directed against the cell-binding fragment of fibronectin and by a synthetic peptide containing the Arg-Gly-Asp-Ser sequence found in the cell-binding fragment of fibronectin. Erythroid cells attached specifically to surfaces coated either with the 115-kD cell-binding fragment of fibronectin or with the synthetic peptide- albumin complex. Thus, the erythroid 140-kD protein exhibits several properties in common with those described for the fibronectin receptor of fibroblasts. We propose that loss or modification of this protein at the cell surface is responsible for the loss of cellular adhesion to fibronectin during erythroid differentiation.


What parent hasn't wondered 'What do I do now?' as a baby cries or a teenager glares? Making babies may come naturally, but knowing how to raise them doesn't. As primatologist-turned-psychologist Harriet J. Smith shows in this lively safari through the world of primates, parenting by primates isn't instinctive, and that's just as true for monkeys and apes as it is for humans. In this natural history of primate parenting, Smith compares parenting by non-human and human primates. In a narrative rich with vivid anecdotes derived from interviews with primatologists, from her own experience breeding cottontop tamarin monkeys for over thirty years, and from her clinical psychology practice, Smith describes the thousand and one ways that primate mothers, fathers, grandparents, siblings, and even babysitters care for their offspring, from infancy through young adulthood. Smith learned the hard way that hand-raised cottontop tamarins often matore into incompetent parents. Her observation of inadequate parenting by cottontops plus her clinical work with troubled human families sparked her interest in the process of how primates become 'good-enough' parents. The story of how she trained her tamarins to become adequate parents lays the foundation for discussions about the crucial role of early experience on parenting in primates, and how certain types of experiences, such as anxiety and social isolation, can trigger neglectful or abusive parenting. Smith reveals diverse strategies for parenting by primates, but she also identifies parenting behaviours crucial to the survival and development of primate youngsters that have stood the test of time.


Rates, (with mass-law constants where appropriate), and activation parameters have been determined for the reactions of triphenylmothyl chloride, its p-nitro derivative, the corresponding fluorides and methoxymethyl chloride with aqueous acetone. Thus information has been obtained on the effects of replacing chlorine by fluorine as leaving group in S(_N)1 reactions. The rapid S(_N)1 reactions of the triphenylraethyl chlorides with 85% aqueous acetone at low temperatures showed the expected large 1mass-law effects. Mass-law constants and rates of ionisation at zero ionic strength were obtained for each experimental temperature, account being taken of the influence of changing ionic strength during reaction. The substituent effects on the rate of ionisation and the activation parameters, attending the introduction of the p-nitrogroup into triphenylmethyl chloride, were consistent with earlier results for diphenylmethyl chlorides, (^2) although both reactions showed extremely negative entropies of activation. The relatively slow reactions of triphenylraethyl fluoride and its p-nitro derivatives with 70% aqueous acetone have been studied. As in the case of the chlorides, the p-nitro group reduced the rate almost entirely though an increase in the energy of activation. The entropies of activation when compared to those obtained for the chlorides provide support for the hypothesis (^3) that the transition states for the reactions of the fluorides are stabilised by hydrogen bonding between a water molecule and the incipient fluoride ion. The ΔC(^+)(_p)/ΔS(^+) ratio for the hydrolysis of triphenylmethyl fluoride can also be interpreted in terms of this hypothesis. Contrary to expectations,(^4) several features of the reaction of methoxyraethyl chloride suggested that the reaction does not proceed by mechanism 8(_N)1. The observed values of the entropy and heat capacity of activation were consistent with a transition state involving covalent attachment of a water molecule(^5). Further, the reaction although rapidv/as not subject to mass-law effects, indicating that the carbonium ion(Me(^+)OCH(_2)←→MeO(^+)=GH(_2)) is not a reaction intermediate. Thus as the purpose of the present work was to study the effect of a change in leaving group on S(_N)1 reactions, no attempt was made to prepare methoxymethyl fluoride.


Among 290 F2 progeny of an r10 x ACP cross were two recombinants which allowed the loci for glyoxalase‐1 and neuraminidase‐1 to be mapped relative to the RT1.A and dw‐3 loci in the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) of the rat. In 673 progeny of the same cross there was a recombinant between ft and dw‐3, and in 403 progeny of the backcross BY1 x (BY1 x BDIX)F1 there was another recombinant between ft and dw‐3. These data, combined with those from previous studies, provide the information for constructing a detailed map of the rat major histocompatibility complex: the gene order and size in the rat are very similar to those in the mouse and different from those in man and in the other species that have been studied. Comparison of the structures of the MHC in the various species leads to a hypothesis about the evolution of the MHC which involves sequential duplications of the genes coding for class I and class II loci and an inversion in the prototypic muridae which placed the class II loci between the class I loci.


Dr G. D. Williams writes: W. M. Dunne has produced an interesting model for the tectonic evolution during the Upper Palaeozoic of SW Wales with important emphasis on the syn-depositional faulting during the Devonian. In his discussion of Variscan deformation, Dunne states that evidence for a northward-propagating deformation front is found in the larger folds in the S of the area and a decrease in finite strain to the N. Clearly, a piggyback thrusting model (Butler 1982) with deformation migrating northwards is the most logical interpretation of the Variscan deformation. However, the evidence quoted by Dunne is erroneous; internal deformation of thrust sheets, in this case seen as major folds in the ORS rocks, may be simply a function of a relatively slowly propagating thrust fault with very few imbricate splays (Williams & Chapman, in press). The lack of major folding in the Upper Carboniferous rocks to the N of the Johnston thrust may be attributed to their thin-bedded nature relative to the ORS and the existence of numerous small thrust in a trailing imbricate fan (Boyer & Elliott 1982) beneath the Johnston thrust. Finite strain in the northern region may be as great as that in the folded ORS, but has been attained through multiple brittle thrusting rather than internal deformation of thrust sheets. Displacement on both the Ritec fault and Johnston thrust apparently dies out laterally, to the W on the former and to the E on the latter. Has Dunne considered that the Musselwick fault and Ritec


We compare the energy performance of four-wave mixing in nanowires and slow-light photonic crystals and outline the regimes where each platform exhibits salient advantages and limitations, including analysis of the impact of future fabrication improvement. These results suggest a route towards energy efficient silicon integrated photonics.


Uncertainty management for geometric data is currently an important problem in spatial databases, image databases, and GIS. Spatial objects do not always have homogeneous interiors and sharply defined boundaries but frequently their interiors and boundaries are partially or totally indeterminate and vague. For an important kind of spatial vagueness called fuzziness this paper provides a conceptual model of fuzzy spatial objects that also incorporates fuzzy geometric union, intersection, and difference operations as well as fuzzy topological predicates. In particular, this model is not based on Euclidean space and on an infinite-precision arithmetic which lead to lacking numerical robustness and to topological inconsistency; it rests on a finite, discrete geometric domain called grid partition which takes into account finite-precision number systems available in computers. Last but not least this paper shall also be a contribution to achieve a uniform treatment of vector and raster data.


Introduction A 29-year-old patient with cervical ectopic pregnancy (CEP) presented as "suspected" cervical mass, and irregular vaginal bleeding was directed to a gynecologic oncologist for consultation. During the examination a massive bleeding occurred. After an unsuccessful attempt to stop the bleeding with a balloon catheter and vaginal tamponade, a total abdominal hysterectomy was performed. The predisposing factors, the differential diagnostic possibilities and the clinical approaches in CEP are discussed. Total abdominal hysterectomy is the procedure of choice for treatment of cervical pregnancy under conditions of urgency and life-threatening bleeding.


The proposed idea emphasizes on the removal of weeds in a semi-structured cultivated field by using image processing. The main objective is to cut the weeds precisely which is present near to the cultivated plant and collect it separately. A static camera is mounted for taking the images of a segment of the field and the coordinates of the weeds present in that segment is detected by image processing using LABVIEW. The coordinates of the weeds obtained from camera are communicated through XBee module to the robot finally for cutting the weeds.


Glycopeptides were isolated from a proteolytic digest of human transferrin. After mild acid hydrolysis the desialylated glycopeptides were labelled by the galactose oxidase/NaB(3)H(4) procedure and then fractionated by Sephadex-gel filtration or by anion-exchange chromatography. Either technique allowed separation of the two heterosaccharide chains (designated glycan I and glycan II) previously described for this protein by Spik, Vandersyppe, Fournet, Bayard, Charet, Bouquelet, Strecker & Montreuil (1974) (in Actes du Colloque Internationale No. 221 vol. 1, pp. 483-499). Subsequent chromatography on Sepharose-concanavalin A separated fractions containing different quantities of carbohydrates for each glycan, as indicated by analyses. The isolated glycan fractions were then tested for their abilities to bind to the immobilized rabbit hepatic lectin. Our studies suggest that either glycan can have a bi- or tri-antennary structure. Desialylated biantennary glycans I and II did not bind to the hepatic lectin. Desialylated triantennary glycan I was slightly retarded by the hepatic lectin, whereas the triantennary glycan II consisted of equal quantities of a retarded and a bound type. Desialylated triantennary glycan II was totally displaced from the hepatic lectin by using a buffer containing 0.05m-EDTA. The results suggest that greater structural heterogeneity exists in the carbohydrate moiety of human transferrin than was previously envisaged. Such heterogeneity could be reflected in several molecular forms of human transferrin, which, after desialylation, differ significantly in their affinities for the hepatic lectin.


Magnetic droplet solitons are dynamical magnetic textures that form due to an attractive interaction between spin waves in thin films with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. Spin currents and the spin torques associated with these currents enable their formation as they provide a means to excite non-equilibrium spin-wave populations and compensate their decay. Recent years have seen rapid advances in experiments that realize and study magnetic droplets. Important advances include the first direct x-ray images of droplets, determination of their threshold and sustaining currents, measurement of their generation and annihilation time, and evidence for drift instabilities, which can limit their lifetime. This perspective discusses these studies and contrasts these solitons to other types of spin-current excitations, such as spin-wave bullets, and static magnetic textures, including magnetic vortices and skyrmions. Magnetic droplet solitons can also serve as current controlled microwave frequency oscillators with potential applications in neuromorphic chips as nonlinear oscillators with memory.


This study examined the differences in the masticatory function of patients with temporomandibular disorder (TMD) in Korea. The experimental groups were as follows: 23 patients with painful arthralgia classified as pain group according to the research diagnostic criteria for temporomandibular disorder (RDC/TMC) and 28 patients with pain-free disc displacement and reduction classified as clicking group. The subjects were obtained from those who had visited Yonsei University Dental Hospital from 2007 to 2008. Twenty dental students without TMD symptoms were enroled as the normal control group. The Mixing Ability Index (MAI) was used as the objective index, and the Food Intake Ability (FIA) Index, Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and oral health impact profile (OHIP) were used as the subjective indices. The MAI, FIA and VAS were significantly lower in the pain group than in the normal and clicking groups (P<0·05). The pain group showed a MAI, FIA and VAS of 16%, 81% and 67%, respectively, compared to that of the normal group. However, there were no significant differences in the MAI, FIA and VAS between the clicking and normal groups. The pain and clicking groups showed a 1·7 and 1·4 times higher OHIP value than the normal group (P<0·05). The MAI and subjective indices, such as the FIA (r=0·40) and VAS (r=0·48), showed a moderate correlation (P<0·01). In conclusion, pain is the main factor for the reduced masticatory function in patients with TMD in Korea, and the joint sound, not the masticatory function, affects the declining OHIP.


Through references to four anecdotes, this article approaches the complex and often neglected topic of the relationship between Sicilian migrants in Australia and Aborigines. It does so not in search of clear evidences that may structure a well-defined historical narrative, but rather looking for moments of truth that may open up new dialogues, narratives, research. Within embodied otherness, it is the uncanny feeling towards the racialised other that most effectively make us understand the complex relationship Italian migrants have had with the (un)familiar. The concept of the uncanny helps us understand that the racism of many Italian migrants towards Aboriginal people in Australia has not been resulting from a frightening encounter with the other, with the unfamiliar, with the difference. It has rather been the result of the return of what has been repressed from historical memory, namely the colonial character of Italian unification, Italians' own racist and colonial history, the colonial nature of many Italian migrants' settlement abroad, and the identification of southern Italians as the colonised, racialised others, in Italy and abroad. Through positive examples of emotional, intimate and political engagement between Sicilians and Aborigines, this article also consider people's agency in moving within and challenging the constraining, intricate pervasiveness of the racial and colonial dictate in contemporary Australian society.


In Coptic a direct object can either follow the verb directly or indirectly being introduced by a marker n (before nouns) or mmo (before pronouns). In a wide range of languages the direct object alternates between a morphologically marked and an unmarked form, so called 'differential object marking' (e.g., Bossong 1991; Bossong 1998: Lazard 2001). A well-attested language in which differential object marking (DOM) occurs, in my opinion, is Coptic. An analysis of all direct objects in the Gospels in Sahidic Coptic shows that contrary to common belief Coptic also exhibited differential object marking in agreement with patterns attested cross-linguistically. The main factors governing the distribution of object constructions in Coptic were referentiality and thematicity.


Abstract. In contrast to the large number of studies on humic waters from permafrost-free
regions and oligotrophic waters from permafrost-bearing regions, the bio-
and photolability of DOM from the humic surface waters of permafrost-bearing
regions has not been thoroughly evaluated. Following standardized protocol,
we measured biodegradation (at low, intermediate and high temperatures) and
photodegradation (at one intermediate temperature) of DOM in surface waters
along the hydrological continuum (depression → stream →
thermokarst lake → Pechora River) within a frozen
peatland in European Russia. In all systems, within the experimental resolution of 5 % to 10 %,
there was no bio- or photodegradation of DOM over a 1-month incubation period. It
is possible that the main cause of the lack of degradation is the dominance
of allochthonous refractory (soil, peat) DOM in all waters studied. However, all
surface waters were supersaturated with CO2. Thus, this study suggests
that, rather than bio- and photodegradation of DOM in the water column,
other factors such as peat pore-water DOM processing and respiration of
sediments are the main drivers of elevated pCO2 and CO2 emission in humic
boreal waters of frozen peat bogs.