A hypothesis according to which the prolonged sperm storage in female sex tracts optimizes the fertilization process, permitting to synchronize an encounter of completely formed fertile spermatozoa and ovule under the most favourable for syngamy conditions is proposed. Spermatozoa in the state of "conservation" are the main source of male gametes under internal fertilization. Synchronization in encounter of gametes is achieved by the action on sperm-storage structures of follicular fluids, which brings about evacuation of a portion of sperm-storage structures to be in time with ovulation: yield, reactivation and advancement of sperm to the site of fertilization. The activating agents of follicular fluids act inside the oviduct. The limited number of spermatozoa is sufficient for successful fertilization. Ovule participates actively in the fertilization process.


The distribution of allele and genotype frequencies of Alu(I/D)-polymorphic sites in PLAT (TPA25), PKHD1L1 (Yb8AC702), STK38L (Ya5ac2145) и TEAD1 (Ya5ac2013) genes was first characterized in the ethnically homogeneous group (Tatars from the Republic of Bashkortostan, Russia), and was established (found) the association of each gene polymorphism with age. The study group consisted of 1580 unrelated individuals aged between 21 and 109 years, including 204 long-livers. It was found that STK38L*I/D genotype had positive association with longevity in the total group (OR=1,016, p=0,034). Long-lived women had a high probability of detection of PKHD1L1*I/I (OR=1,289, p=0,009), PLAT*D/D (OR=1,175, p=0,016) and TEAD1*I/I (OR=1,047, p=0,042) genotypes. PKHD1L1*I/D genotype was a significant factor in providing of male longevity (OR=1,713, p=0,030). Therefore, age-dependent changes in genotype frequencies are specific for each studied gene.


Recent developments in the linear theory of plasma stability in magnetic traps are described from a magnetohydrodynamic or quasi-fluid point of view. The stability against interchange of fairly general plasma distributions in open traps, which form magnetic wells satisfying the minimum-B criteria, is predicted in agreement with experiment, at least at low density. The situation with regard to closed traps is not so clear. Many new instabilities have been predicted as a result of including in a quasi-fluid theory fine-scale effects such as finite resistivity and ion mass. Systems stable according to `ideal' magnetohydrodynamics, either because of sufficient magnetic shear or average-magnetic-well properties, are unstable, at least in some regions, to the new but weaker instabilities.


Lesbian couples often present for therapy for the same reasons as heterosexual couples; however, lesbian couples also have to negotiate societal homonegativity that devalue s and marginalizes their relationships. The aim of this study was to explore a co mmon experience of therapy from the perspective of lesbian couples and their therapists. A femi nist qualitative method was used to attend to diversity within and among triads, maintain an awareness of th multiple influences on the client-therapist relationship, view the participants in their larger societal context, and consider the power dynamics that are inherent in relationshi ps. Interviews were conducted with seven lesbian clients and five therapists utili zing a semistructured format to inquire about their experience of therapy and what they thought influenced that experience. The interviews were recorded and transcribed verbat im. Data were analyzed through open and focused coding using a constant comparison method. Themes that emerged from the interview process indicated that the quality of the clienttherapist relationship or the therapeutic alliance was central to the therap y process. Participants described working together, a sense of connection, the therapist st ance as a nonexpert, and the therapist as a professional as concepts that led to a positive exper ence in therapy. Therapists fostered a sense of connection by attending to the physica l environment in their offices, creating emotional safety for lesbian couples via being c aring and nonjudgmental, and through the appropriate use of humor within the therapeutic context. The therapists took a non-expert stance and positioned the clients as the experts on thei r own lives and relationships by asking questions and letting clients lead the therapeutic pr ocess. Therapist professionalism was noted by clients when there was minimal selfdisclosure and when the therapist had knowledge about the issues that lesbian couples experience in their


Plant structure is one of the subjects in biology education program at Jambi University. Based on documentation of plant structure course value, in semester 2015/2016 is known that 64.47% of students have not achieved good grades. One material that is quite difficult is stem material, it is known that the number of foreign terms in the text book makes students feel difficult. One of the learning media that can be used is e-book, e-book contains electronic information in the form of text, images and audio packaged. This research aims to develop an ebook based android smartphone as biology learning media, also to determine the feasibility and response of students and lecturers to developed e-book. This study uses the ADDIE model with qualitative and quantitative data. In the validation step by media experts, the final percentage was 100%, the validation by the product experts gained a percentage of 89%. Furthermore, the product was tested on students consisting of 8 small groups and 24 large groups. The response of students in the small group trial got a percentage score of 89% with the criteria of "Very Good" while the large group received a percentage of 83.14% "Very Good". In the experiments conducted by lecturers, the course on plant structure obtained a percentage of 89% "Very Good". Thus it can be said that the media get a positive response and can be accepted in the learning process. Based on the research that has been done it is suggested that the media can be used when learning takes place or as an independent learning material for students so that it is easier to understand the material and can be used as a complementary learning material for lecturers on plant structure courses.


This paper is a complete survey of different image processing techniques and large number of related application in diverse disciplines, including medical, pedestrian protection, biometrics, moving object tracking, vehicle detection and monitoring and Traffic queue detection algorithm for processing various real time image processing challenges. Techniques discussed are FPGA, Focal plane, cloud, segmentation, edge detection, A3 methodology, SUREengine, corner detection. At last we relate various techniques with application areas and also explain their future scope. We intend this paper to be useful to researchers and practitioners interested in real time image processing.


OBJECTIVE
Technologies to obtain point-of-care photographs along with medical imaging studies are now available. We discuss the protections that photographs can provide in radiology and the potential privacy and legal issues that can arise with their incorporation.

CONCLUSION
Point-of-care photographs that are simultaneously obtained with medical imaging studies can provide biometric identification that enables detection of wrong-patient errors. Photographs also provide image-related clinical context. However, successful implementation of such technologies requires consideration of the privacy and legal issues perceived by stakeholders.


Wiley, W. R. (Battelle Memorial Institute, Richland, Wash.), and W. H. Matchett. Tryptophan transport in Neurospora crassa. I. Specificity and kinetics. J. Bacteriol. 92:1698–1705. 1966.—The transport of tryptophan in Neurospora crassa is mediated by a distinct stereospecific system which is chemically specific for a family of neutral amino acids. The process shows typical saturation kinetics and a sharp decrease in the rate of tryptophan uptake at low temperatures. The Q10 for the process is approximately 2 between 20 and 30 C. The apparent Km for uptake is 5 × 10−5m. Leucine and phenylalanine competitively inhibit the rate of tryptophan transport; the Ki values are 1.1 × 10−4m and 4.0 × 10−5m, respectively. These data are interpreted as evidence that these amino acids are transported by the same transport site(s). Inhibition studies with amino acids and other compounds structurally related to leucine and phenylalanine suggest that an uncharged side chain and an α amino group, next to a carboxyl, represent three attachment points for the uptake site.


We introduce a class of information measures based on group entropies, allowing us to describe the information-theoretical properties of complex systems. These entropic measures are nonadditive, and are mathematically deduced from a series of natural requirements. In particular, we introduce an extensivity postulate as a natural requirement for an information measure to be meaningful. The information measures proposed are suitably defined for describing universality classes of complex systems, each characterized by a specific phase space growth rate function.


The main objective of this study was to investigate the influence of human behavior on the success of public infrastructural megaprojects in Kenya. The need for this study arose from the thesis that complexity due to human behavior is the main cause of waste and failure that results in infrastructural megaprojects being delivered over budget, behind schedule, with benefit shortfalls, over and over again. The study was designed as multiple-method research, based on virtual constructionist ontology recognizing that complexity is the mid-point between order and disorder. A cross-sectional census survey of 27 completed public infrastructural megaprojects was conducted using two interlinked questionnaires assessing human behavior constructs and project success. A total of 108 respondents made up of project managers, team members and organizational sponsors, participated in this study. Using both descriptive and inferential analysis, the results of this study have confirmed that human behavior significantly influences success of public infrastructural megaprojects. Optimism bias remains the main individual behavior that leads to cost and schedule underperformance in infrastructural megaprojects but loss aversion is the most occurring cognitive bias. In light of this finding, the study recommends that implementing organizations adopt structures that allow for continued business justification, focus on products and give project managers sufficient authority over project resources in line with the postulations of the structural contingency theory.


Kenyatta University, Kenya. *Corresponding Author E-mail: email@example.com Some basic education teachers hold the view that there are many old, tried and tested pedagogic skills that are successful. This is justifiable where basic education learners have successfully undertaken and passed national examinations having been through the hands of such teachers. However, the use of modern Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tools is proving to be a "game changer" in many sectors of the economy, education included. Educational technology has been in place for many years; however, the use of modern ICT tools has the ability to make the learning environment more learner centered as opposed to being teacher centered. The role of the teacher is changing from being the sole source of information in a classroom to a facilitator, organizer and a guide who helps learners to get the right information among many sources available. Frequent up-date of the skill set of a teacher in the modern world is what improves the confidence of a teacher towards abandoning old pedagogic skills for new ones that can improve the teaching and learning environment. This paper looks at in-service training as a platform towards development and acquisition of new pedagogies that accommodate the use of modern ICT tools in the classroom. Integration of ICT in teaching and learning environments can bring about demystification of complex ideas in different subject areas as well as the creation of a learner-centered environment in and outside the classroom. Seasoned teachers at all levels of education may find it hard to abandon old teaching styles but according to John Dewey "if we teach the learner of today the same way we were taught, we deny them their tomorrow". In any education system the existing number of teachers will always exceed the one of the new in-coming teachers. The new teachers – even when they possess new pedagogic approaches that allow ICT integration – fall into the existing systems and ways of teaching very fast and may not have the desired effect in changing the status quo. Training those in service thus becomes a necessity if the entire teaching force is expected to integrate modern ICT tools in teaching and learning. A case study was used to come up with descriptive statistics from a questionnaire that was given to a purposively selected sample due to the nature of the Teacher Professional Development (TPD) that was employed for that population. This study found that TPD can ensure that teachers take change willingly, and confidently employ new skills they learn in their teaching. The study recommends frequent and scheduled TPD courses – that can be evaluated – for all in-service teachers particularly on contemporary issues such as use of modern ICT tools in teaching and learning


An innovative multilevel read-only recording method is proposed. In this method, a short pit/land is deliberately inserted to the original land/pit. This modifies the wave-shape of readout signal. Taking the wave-shape as the symbol of level detection, a signal wave-shape modulation (SWSM) multilevel method is realized. This method is carried out and validated on the DVD read-only manufacture and readout system. A capacity of 15 GB can be expected, and a bit error rate of 10−4 is achieved. The capacity can meet the demand of high definition movie publication. This method also provides a potential multi-level solution for other storage formats and systems.


Having a bot for seamless conversations is a much-desired feature that products and services today seek for their websites and mobile apps. These bots help reduce traffic received by human support significantly by handling frequent and directly answerable known questions. Many such services have huge reference documents such as FAQ pages, which makes it hard for users to browse through this data. A conversation layer over such raw data can lower traffic to human support by a great margin. We demonstrate QnAMaker, a service that creates a conversational layer over semi-structured data such as FAQ pages, product manuals, and support documents. QnAMaker is the popular choice for Extraction and Question-Answering as a service and is used by over 15,000 bots in production. It is also used by search interfaces and not just bots.


Endophytes are microorganisms (bacteria or fungi or actinomycetes) that dwell within robust plant tissues by having a symbiotic association. They are ubiquitously associated with almost all plants studied till date. Some commonly found endophytes are those belonging to the genera Enterobacter sp., Colletotrichum sp., Phomopsis sp., Phyllosticta sp., Cladosporium sp., and so forth. Endophytic population is greatly affected by climatic conditions and location where the host plant grows. They produce a wide range of compounds useful for plants for their growth, protection to environmental conditions, and sustainability, in favour of a good dwelling place within the hosts. They protect plants from herbivory by producing certain compounds which will prevent animals from further grazing on the same plant and sometimes act as biocontrol agents. A large amount of bioactive compounds produced by them not only are useful for plants but also are of economical importance to humans. They serve as antibiotics, drugs or medicines, or the compounds of high relevance in research or as compounds useful to food industry. They are also found to have some important role in nutrient cycling, biodegradation, and bioremediation. In this review, we have tried to comprehend different roles of endophytes in plants and their significance and impacts on man and environment.


Aromatic prenylation is an important step in the biosynthesis of many natural products and leads to an astonishing diversity of chemical structures. Cyanobactin pathways frequently encode aromatic prenyltransferases that catalyze the prenylation of these macrocyclic and linear peptides. Here we characterized the anacyclamide ( acy) biosynthetic gene cluster from Anabaena sp. UHCC-0232. Partial reconstitution of the anacyclamide pathway, heterologous expression, and in vitro biochemical characterization demonstrate that the AcyF enzyme, encoded in the acy biosynthetic gene cluster, is a Trp N-prenyltransferase. Bioinformatic analysis suggests the monophyletic origin and rapid diversification of cyanobactin prenyltransferase enzymes and the multiple origins of N-1 Trp prenylation in prenylated natural products. The AcyF enzyme displayed high flexibility toward a range of Trp-containing substrates and represents an interesting new tool for biocatalytic applications.


Transplant-accelerated arteriosclerosis in coronary arteries is the major limitation to long-term survival of patients with heart transplantation. The pathogenesis of this disease is not fully understood. Herein, we describe a simplified model of artery allografts in the mouse that allows us to take advantage of transgenic, knockout, or mutant animals. Common carotid arteries or aortic vessels were end-to-end allografted into carotid arteries between C57BL/6J and BALB/c mice. Neointimal lesions were observed as early as 2 weeks after surgery and had progressed at 4 and 6 weeks postoperatively. The lumen of grafted arteries was significantly narrowed due to neointima hyperplasia 4 weeks after transplantation. Using this model, we studied the role of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) in the development of transplant arteriosclerosis in ICAM-1-deficient mice. Neointimal lesions of artery grafts from ICAM-1 -/- C57BL/6J to BALB/c mice were reduced up to 60% compared with wild-type controls. MAC-1 (CD11b/18)-positive cells adhering to the surface of ICAM-1 -/- artery grafts were significantly less as identified by en face immunofluorescence, and these positive cells were more abundant in intimal lesions of artery grafts in wild-type mice. Furthermore, the major cell component of neointimal lesions 4 weeks after surgery was found to be alpha-actin-positive smooth muscle cells, which were significantly reduced in lesions of ICAM-1 -/- artery grafts. Thus, this model has been proven to be useful for understanding the mechanism of transplant arteriosclerosis. Our findings demonstrate that ICAM-1 is critical in the development of allograft arteriosclerosis via mediation of leukocyte adhesion to, and infiltration into, the vessel wall.


We model coherent conversation continuation via RNN-based dialogue models equipped with a dynamic attention mechanism. Our attention-RNN language model dynamically increases the scope of attention on the history as the conversation continues, as opposed to standard attention (or alignment) models with a fixed input scope in a sequence-to-sequence model. This allows each generated word to be associated with the most relevant words in its corresponding conversation history. We evaluate the model on two popular dialogue datasets, the open-domain MovieTriples dataset and the closed-domain Ubuntu Troubleshoot dataset, and achieve significant improvements over the state-of-the-art and baselines on several metrics, including complementary diversity-based metrics, human evaluation, and qualitative visualizations. We also show that a vanilla RNN with dynamic attention outperforms more complex memory models (e.g., LSTM and GRU) by allowing for flexible, long-distance memory. We promote further coherence via topic modeling-based reranking.


Linear Motors have been used more and more widely in high precision and high-speed linear motion for CNC machine tools, but uniform testing standards and methods for linear motor performance have not been established in China. Based on the virtual instrument software platform by means of computer technology, research and development of the test platform for synthetic performance parameters of linear motors can realize the rapid and accurate measurement, automatic storage and processing of linear-motor output, currents, positions, temperatures and other performance parameters. , Meanwhile, the platform can also provide the technical direction for design or improvement of linear motors, and technically support the formulation of related standards. Experiments showed that the test platform for synthetic performance parameters of linear motors can achieve high precision and automatic measurement to meet the testing requirements for synthetic performance of linear motors.


In this paper, a performance evaluation of well-known deep learning models in gait recognition is presented. For this purpose, the transfer learning scheme is adopted to pre-trained models in order to fit the models to the CASIA-B dataset for solving a gait recognition task. In this context, 18 popular Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs), were re-trained using Gait Energy Images (GEIs) of CASIA-B containing almost 14000 images of 124 classes under various conditions, and their performance was studied in terms of accuracy. Moreover, the performance of the studied models is managed to be explained by examining the parts of the images being considered by the models towards providing their decisions. The experimental results are very promising since almost all the models achieved a high accuracy of over 90%, which is robust to the increasing number of classes. Furthermore, an important outcome of this study is the fact that a recognition problem can be effectively solved by using CNNs pre-trained to different problems, thus eliminating the need for customized model design.


Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were considered a promising activator for persulfates due to their high electrical conductivity, large specific surface area and low toxicity. The functional groups and surface defects of CNTs could significantly affect their activation performance. In this study, CNTs with high C=O ratio and defect density (CNT-O-H) were prepared through a facile treatment of raw CNTs with HNO3 oxidation followed by calcination at 800 °C under an argon atmosphere. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Raman results showed that the C=O proportion and defect degree (ID/IG) rose to 75% and 1.53, respectively. The obtained CNT-O-H possessed a superior performance towards peroxydisulfate (PDS) activation, and the degradation efficiency of tetracycline (TC) in the CNT-O-H/PDS system was increased to 75.2% from 56.2% of the raw CNTs/PDS system within 40 min. Moreover, the activity of CNT-O-H after use could be easily recovered with re-calcination. In addition, the CNT-O-H/PDS system exhibited high adaptabilities towards wide solution pH (2–10), common coexisting substances and diverse organic pollutants. Singlet oxygen (1O2) was confirmed to be the dominant reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated in the CNT-O-H/PDS system. It was inferred that surface C=O groups and defects of CNTs were the key site to activate PDS for TC degradation.


Gangliosides, shed by tumor cells, have been shown to have immunomodulatory properties, suggesting that gangliosides may be a critical factor in initiating an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. To better define the immunomodulatory properties of gangliosides on antigen-specific T cell activation and development, independent of other tumor associated factors, we have developed an in vitro system utilizing ganglioside-treated murine bone marrow derived dendritic cells to prime and activate antigen-specific CD4+ T cells from AND T cell receptor transgenic mice. Ganglioside treatment promotes the development of a regulatory DC population characterized by decreased CD86 expression, and decreased IL-12 and IL-6 production. CD4 T cells primed with ganglioside-treated DCs proliferate normally, but have a defect in Th1 effector cell development and IL-2 production. This defect in Th1 effector cell responses is due in part to the development of regulatory T cell activity that can suppress the activation of previously primed Th effector cells in a contact-dependent manner. Depletion of CD25+FoxP3+cells, and addition of exogenous IL-2 partially rescues Th1 responses in effector T cells co-cultured with ganglioside primed T cells. Collectively, these data suggest that ganglioside-exposed dendritic cells promote regulatory T cell activity that may have long lasting effects on the development of tumor specific immune responses.


The uncertainty in very low doses measured with TLDs is partly caused by the uncertainty in the zero signal of the detector. A mathematical model for the thermodynamics of TLD heating and the zero signal in a hot gas reader with constant gas temperature is presented. The major component of the heating is described as diffusion limited conductive heating, the major component of the zero signal is black body radiation from the hot TLD. The parameters in the model were determined from the glow curves recorded at five different gas temperatures. The model explains the shape and statistics of a zero signal glow curve and can be used in the quality control of non-irradiated TLDs before calibration irradiation and readout.


The Vicência meteorite, a stone of 1.547 kg, fell on September 21, 2013, at the village Borracha, near the city of Vicência, Pernambuco, Brazil. It was recovered immediately after the fall, and our consortium study showed it to be an unshocked (S1) LL3.2 ordinary chondrite. The LL group classification is based on the bulk density (3.13 g cm−3); the chondrule mean apparent diameter (0.9 mm); the bulk oxygen isotopic composition (δ17O = 3.768 ± 0.042‰, δ18O = 5.359 ± 0.042‰, Δ17O = 0.981 ± 0.020‰); the content of metallic Fe,Ni (1.8 vol%); the Co content of kamacite (1.73 wt%); the bulk contents of the siderophile elements Ir and Co versus Au; and the ratios of metallic Fe0/total iron (0.105) versus total Fe/Mg (1.164), and of Ni/Mg (0.057) versus total Fe/Mg. The petrologic type 3.2 classification is indicated by the beautifully developed chondritic texture, the standard deviation (~0.09) versus mean Cr2O3 content (~0.14 wt%) of ferroan olivine, the TL sensitivity and the peak temperature and peak width at half maximum, the cathodoluminescence properties of chondrules, the content of trapped 132Xetr (0.317 × 10−8cm3STP g−1), and the Raman spectra for organic material in the matrix. The cosmic ray exposure age is ~72 Ma, which is at the upper end of the age distribution of LL group chondrites. The meteorite is unusual in that it contains relatively large, up to nearly 100 μm in size, secondary fayalite grains, defined as olivine with Fa>75, large enough to allow in situ measurement of oxygen and Mn‐Cr isotope systematics with SIMS. Its oxygen isotopes plot along a mass‐dependent fractionation line with a slope of ~0.5 and Δ17O of 4.0 ± 0.3‰, and are similar to those of secondary fayalite and magnetite in the unequilibrated chondrites EET 90161, MET 96503, and Ngawi. These data suggest that secondary fayalite in Vicência was in equilibrium with a fluid with a Δ17O of ~4‰, consistent with the composition of the fluid in equilibrium with secondary magnetite and fayalite in other unequilibrated ordinary chondrites. Secondary fayalite and the chondrule olivine phenocrysts in Vicência are not in isotopic equilibrium, consistent with low‐temperature formation of fayalite during aqueous alteration on the LL parent body. That alteration, as dated by the 53Mn‐53Cr chronology age of secondary fayalite, took place 4.0−1.1+1.4 Ma after formation of CV CAIs when anchored to the quenched angrite D'Orbigny.


In this paper, we introduce a new combinatorial auction mechanism - N-Bilateral Optimized Combinatorial Auction (N-BOCA). N-BOCA is a flexible iterative combinatorial auction model that offers optimized trading for multi-suppliers and multi-purchasers in the supply chain. We design the N-BOCA system from the perspectives of architecture, protocol, and trading strategy. Under the given N-BOCA architecture and protocol, auctioneers and bidders have diverse decision strategies for winner determination. This needs flexible modeling environments. Hence, we propose an optimization modeling agent for bid and auctioneer selection. The agent has the capability to automatic model formulation for Integer Programming modeling. Finally, we show the viability of N-BOCA through prototype and experiments. The results say both higher allocation efficiency and effectiveness compared with 1-to-N general combinatorial auction mechanisms.


The response of the tropical atmosphere to a collapse of the thermohaline circulation (THC) is investigated by comparing two 5-member ensemble runs with a coupled climate model (CCM), the difference being that in one ensemble a hosing experiment was performed. An extension of the Held‐Hou‐Lindzen model for the Hadley circulation is developed to interpret the results. The forcing associated with a THC collapse is qualitatively similar to, but smaller in amplitude than, the solstitial shift from boreal summer to winter. This forcing results from reduced ocean heat transport creating an anomalous cross-equatorial SST gradient. The small amplitude of the forcing makes it possible to arrive at analytical expressions using standard perturbation theory. The theory predicts the latitudinal shift between the Northern Hemisphere (NH) and Southern Hemisphere (SH) Hadley cells, and the relative strength of the anomalous cross-equatorial Hadley cell compared to the solstitial cell. The poleward extent of the Hadley cells is controlled by other physics. In the NH the Hadley cell contracts, while zonal velocities increase and the subtropical jet shifts equatorward, whereas in the SH cell the opposite occurs. This behavior can be explained by assuming that the poleward extent of the Hadley cell is determined by baroclinic instability: it scales with the inverse of the isentropic slopes. Both theory and CCM results indicate that a THC collapse and changes in tropical circulation do not act in competition, as a possible explanation for abrupt climate change; they act in concert.


We have analyzed shear-wave splitting (SWS) data from local earthquakes in the Permian basin in west Texas to understand crustal stress change and induced seismicity. Two SWS parameters, the fast polarization direction and the delay time, are computed using a semiautomatic algorithm. Most measurements are determined in the Delaware basin and the Snyder area. In both regions, SWS fast directions are mostly consistent with local SHmax at stations that are relatively far from the earthquake clusters. Varying fast directions at one station are related to different ray paths and are probably caused by heterogeneity. In the Snyder area, most northeast–southwest fast directions are from the events in the northern part of the cluster, whereas the northwest–southeast fast directions are mostly from the southern part. The northeast–southwest and northwest–southeast fast directions could be attributed to the northeast-trending normal faults and the northwest-trending strike-slip faults, respectively. SWS results in the Delaware basin have two unique features. First, most shallow earthquakes less than 4 km deep produce relatively large delay times. This observation implies that the upper crust of the Delaware basin is highly fractured, as indicated by the increasing number of induced earthquakes. Second, diverse fast directions are observed at the stations in the high-seismicity region, likely caused by the presence of multiple sets of cracks with different orientations. This situation is possible in the crust with high pore pressure, which is expected in the Delaware basin due to extensive wastewater injection and hydraulic fracturing. We propose that the diversity of SWS fast directions could be a typical phenomenon in regions with a high rate of induced seismicity.


The boundaries of recovery for personal injury, property damage, psychiatric damage and pure economic loss have been the subject of extensive judicial discussion. However, the courts are constantly asked to consider whether to expand recovery for such damage to novel situations. Wrongful conception is one such situation. In these cases parents claim, inter alia, the costs of raising a child conceived and born as a result of a negligent medical sterilisation procedure or negligent advice on this procedure. Decisions of the highest courts in common law jurisdictions reveal significant differences in judicial strategies deployed to consider whether to recognise recovery. Using wrongful conception cases as a case study, this paper article compares and analyses various aspects of the judicial strategies. Five main areas of concern with judicial strategy are identified, (including: for example, problems with the conceptualisation of the harm claimed; insufficient attention to incrementalism and the pace and "quantum" of the development of the law; and the development of hard-edged and categorical "rules" leading to either anomalies or "injustice" in subsequent cases). The aim of this paper article is to evaluates these problems and to offers some preliminary conclusions on what kind of overall judicial strategy may be best for handling novel situations: one which addresses these five concerns. These conclusions could generally assist courts when they are considering whether to allow recovery in other new situations.


In this paper, the manufacturing challenges and related technological solutions concerning the prototyping of microwave ablation (MWA) probes are addressed. In particular, the intertwined aspects pertaining probe design, fabrication and target performance are tackled. The development of a 14G MWA probe prototype, working at a frequency of 2.45 GHz, is proposed as a case study, describing design efforts and the use of rapid prototyping technologies combined with other manufacturing processes. A specific focus is dedicated to the insulating part of the probe radiating section, featuring high aspect ratio and complex shape, which was fabricated by means of Digital Light Processing (DLP) and by using a biocompatible material, the EnvisionTEC E-Shell® 300. Furthermore, the probe handling, properly designed to arrange cables and tubes routing, was fabricated by means of Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) technology. Finally, ex vivo experiments conducted on bovine liver showed satisfactory treatment performance and structural reliability of the 14G MWA probe prototype. Besides being characterized by a good impedance matching (S11 = −25 dB), prototype performance were also in good agreement with design simulations and even satisfying if compared to other results available in literature as, with an input radiation power of 40 W, the ablated zone after a 10 min treatment exhibited a ratio of the radial and longitudinal axis of 0.66.


Controlling interactions between building blocks, in either guided- or self-assemblies, is becoming increasingly important for the creation of functional materials. We have focused our attention on the well-known model assembly, the filamentous bacteriophage, where our strategy is to selectively alter surface features by focusing on spatially distinct capsid proteins. Towards introducing stimulus-responsive behavior in these flexible, rod-like particles, we have introduced elastin-like polypeptide (ELP) motifs of isoleucine and tyrosine "guest" residues by recombinant DNA methods. Our hypothesis is that modification of the major coat capsid protein would be greatly amplified by the 2700 copies per particle. Characterization of ELP-phage particles was carried out by microbiological assays, zeta potential, dynamic light scattering, and calorimetry. Bacteria producing ELP-phage particles grow more slowly and surprisingly, ELP-modified phages display a significant reduction in viral infectivity. For the lengths of ELP inserts studied, modified phages do not aggregate from solution as monitored by DLS. However, the hydrodynamic size of the phages depends on the details of the ELP motif. Zeta potential measurements reveal the particles are electrostatically stabilized, and this contributes in part to the energetic barrier against aggregation. Preliminary calorimetric data indicate subtle thermal transitions in the range 35-45 degrees C, suggesting that the ELP motif may collapse without triggering macroscopic aggregation. The results are consistent with the classical picture of critical solution phenomena at low concentrations, where to drive phase separation, solvent quality must be increasingly poor. Apart from being model systems to study basic questions of self-assembly, extending these modular systems is likely to result in improved understanding and control over self-assembly in various applications.


The study of manufacture technologies and provenance of raw materials in archaeological potteries are two fundamental aspects in providing information about sociocultural aspects on past societies. The most acknowledged technique in this field is represented by minero‐petrographic analysis, allowing to describe the compositional features of the artefacts and to link them to geological outcrops and technologic processes. In the case of fine‐grained potteries, minero‐petrographic analysis might sometime give back not clear results, requiring the use of high‐resolved methods. In this framework, information about raw materials and firing techniques might be provided by the support of micro‐Raman spectroscopy, able to supply information on mineral grains not detectable under a microscope and for which powders diffraction methods are not able to provide unique interpretations. In this work, particular attention was devoted to the phases formed during the ceramic body annealing, especially to newly formed feldspars, exhibiting a not natural occurring composition. Their correct identification, important for thermometric studies, is possible only with the use different techniques, due to the different investigated aspects (structure, composition and lattice dynamics).

Fine‐grained potteries from the famous site of Volterra, Tuscany (Italy) have been characterized as case study during a comparative evaluation of the results obtained by different techniques (micro‐Raman analysis, optical microscopy [OM], X‐ray diffraction [XRD] and scanning electron microscope energy dispersive spectrometry [SEM‐EDS]) on the same mineral grains. The obtained results demonstrated how micro‐Raman spectroscopy might improve interpretation of data collected with different methods in several aspects, from provenance to firing temperature estimation.


Biliary duct anomalies are commonly encountered during laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Advancements in the field of surgery allow for enhanced intraoperative detection of these abnormalities. Fluorophore injection and near-infrared (NIR) imaging can provide real-time intraoperative anatomic feedback without intraoperative delays and ionizing radiation. This report details two cases where the PINPOINT Endoscopic Fluorescence Imaging System (NOVADAQ, Ontario, Canada) was used to identify anomalies of the biliary tree and guide operative decision-making.


In this paper we compare two approaches to the design of protocol frameworks -- tools for implementing modular network protocols. The most common approach uses events as the main abstraction for a local interaction between protocol modules. We argue that an alternative approach, that is based on service abstraction, is more suitable for expressing modular protocols. It also facilitates advanced features in the design of protocols, such as dynamic update of distributed protocols. We then describe an experimental implementation of a service-based protocol framework in Java.


Polycrystalline fullerite C60 intercalated with Xe atoms at 575 K and a pressure of 200 MPa was studied by powder x-ray diffraction. The integrated intensities of a few brighter reflections have been utilized to evaluate the occupancy of the octahedral interstitial sites in C60 crystals, which turned out to be (34±4)%, and in good agreement with another independent estimate. It is found that reflections of the (h00) type become observable in Xe-doped C60. The presence of xenon in the octahedral sites affects both the orientational phase transition as well as the glassification process, decreasing both characteristic temperatures as well as smearing the phase transition over a greater temperature range. Considerable hysteretic phenomena have been observed close to the phase transition and the glassification temperature. The signs of the two hysteresis loops are opposite. There is reliable evidence that at the lowest temperatures studied the thermal expansion of the doped crystal is negative under cool-down.


Chronic Mountain Sickness (CMS) patients have repeatedly been found to hypoventilate. Low saturation in CMS is attributed to hypoventilation. Although this observation seems logical, a further understanding of the exact mechanism of hypoxia is mandatory. An exercise study using the Bruce Protocol in CMS (n = 13) compared to normals N (n = 17), measuring ventilation (VE), pulse (P), and saturation by pulse oximetry (SaO(2)) was performed. Ventilation at rest while standing, prior to exercise in a treadmill was indeed lower in CMS (8.37 l/min compared with 9.54 l/min in N). However, during exercise, stage one through four, ventilation and cardiac frequency both remained higher than in N. In spite of this, SaO(2) gradually decreased. Although CMS subjects increased ventilation and heart rate more than N, saturation was not sustained, suggesting respiratory insufficiency. The degree of veno-arterial shunting of blood is obviously higher in the CMS patients both at rest and during exercise as judged from the SaO(2) values. The higher shunt fraction is due probably to a larger degree of trapped air in the lungs with uneven ventilation of the CMS patients. One can infer that hypoventilation at rest is an energy saving mechanism of the pneumo-dynamic and hemo-dynamic pumps. Increased ventilation would achieve an unnecessary high SaO(2) at rest (low metabolism). This is particularly true during sleep.


Clustering is the process of grouping a set of patterns into different disjoint clusters where each cluster contains the alike patterns. Many algorithms had been proposed before for clustering. K-medoid is a variant of k-mean that use an actual point in the cluster to represent it instead of the mean in the k-mean algorithm to get the outliers and reduce noise in the cluster. In order to enhance performance of k-medoid algorithm and get more accurate clusters, a hybrid algorithm is proposed which use CRO algorithm along with k-medoid. In this method, CRO is used to expand searching for the optimal medoid and enhance clustering by getting more precise results. The performance of the new algorithm is evaluated by comparing its results with five clustering algorithms, k-mean, k-medoid, DB/rand/1/bin, CRO based clustering algorithm and hybrid CRO-k-mean by using four real world datasets: Lung cancer, Iris, Breast cancer Wisconsin and Haberman's survival from UCI machine learning data repository. The results were conducted and compared base on different metrics and show that proposed algorithm enhanced clustering technique by giving more accurate results.


Although institutional care has started to be outmoded in the developed countries with development of different models of care, it still has a considerable place in the developing countries such as Turkey. This is because, changes in the demographic structure, extended family, and urban development of Turkey has brought about several aging problems leading older adults to end up in institutions. Loneliness was one of the significant reasons given in the Social Inquiry Survey of Applicants of Darulaceze Old-Age Institution and the basis for a micro level analysis in this study. Therefore, the main objective of the study was to determine the predictors of loneliness, including age, the state of living alone, functional independence, education, and gender. Analysis of the results indicated that these predictors have significant effects on the loneliness predominantly defined by social factors rather than medical factors. In addition, the meso and macro level analyses were employed to control the micro level analysis and see a general picture of institutional care. Thus, an academic example of diagnosing the main reasons behind the institutional care was presented to understand the context of aging in Turkey.


Abstract An understanding of the phosphate (P) dynamics in paddy rice fields is the basis for improving P fertilizer efficiency and reducing P loss from paddy fields. During the ripening stage of rice plants cultivated in pots, we identified vivianite on the roots. We placed 3 kg of air-dried soil in a pot with coated urea (1 g N), coated potassium sulfate (1 g K2O) and granular superphosphate (1 g P2O5) as basal fertilizers. Three rice seedlings were transplanted into each pot and grown until the ripening stage under submergence outdoor conditions. The bulk soil showed a black color indicating the formation of amorphous FeS. According to the soil analysis data, the oxalate-extractable Fe content was much greater than the labile S and P contents, indicating that enough Fe(II) can be supplied to the S and P for the reaction. Bluish vivianite particles were observed on the roots using an optical microscope. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that the vivianite was an aggregate of platy crystals, and an energy dispersive X-ray analysis showed that Fe and P were the major elements in the crystal aggregates. The diffraction peak positions by the X-ray microdiffractometer were very close to the reported pattern for vivianite. Future research on the dynamics of P is expected based on vivianite formation in paddy field soils.


Dermoid cyst is a rare benign tumor and about 7% of occurrences are found in the head and neck region. Its location is almost always in the midline of the body such as the orbit, oral cavity, and nose, but it is rarer in and around the auricle. The authors present a 31-year-old woman with dermoid cyst in the postauricular area which is a rare site for this lesion. In surgery under local anesthesia, the mass was limited to the subcutaneous area and excised completely. Surgical excision should be considered for cosmetic reasons and the mass should be excised completely to prevent recurrence and infection. Histopathologic confirmation is important and mandatory after excision to confirm the pathologic diagnosis and rule out the possibility of malignancy.


Progress in wireless communications has led to an increasing number of standards such as WIMAX, 3GPP-LTE, DVB-T, DVB-H and more. This work presents a reconfigurable channel estimation engine for OFDM systems. The engine can support multiple channel estimation algorithms for many wireless standards. It can also support both 1D and 2D channel estimation algorithms. This is important because the large performance gain of 2D over 1D channel estimation algorithms, which can be up to 5dBs. Moreover, 1D algorithms are less complex than 2D algorithms and they are the best choice when there is a need to reduce the receiver processing power. The engine does not use any dividers for least square pilots estimation, and hence, the least square pilot estimator engine is less complex than other engines. Although the engine was designed and optimized for channel estimation algorithms, it can also be configured as an FFT engine, FIR engine and many more. The engine was synthesized on Altera Startix III EP3SC150 FPGA and performs the estimation process in 94 μsecond for the worst case parameters in all supported standards.


TOSHIBA is manufacturing the storage ring RF system for the Australian Synchrotron Project(ASP). Two pairs of the 500MHz Higher Order Mode(HOM) damped cavities will be applied for this system. The cavity is a modified KEK-PF type with silicon-carbide(SiC) microwave absorber and has three rod-shaped HOM couplers for damping the longitudinal HOM impedance less than 20kΩ/GHz to comply with ASP Performance Specification. The shunt impedance has been improved more than 5% in comparison with the original design by reducing the beam bore diameter without degrading HOM damping capability. The design of the cavity and the test results of an aluminum (Al) cold model are described.


This paper describes the design principles of the automated test system for microwave T/R module, with the embedded system achieving the function control of the whole system. The system could implement automatic measurement of all the time domain and frequency domain parameters in the sixteen 32-channel modules using the single-connection multiple-measurement (SCMM) technique, and conduct automatic S-parameter test and error correction under both continuous wave and pulse according to presetted test programs. With the application of the embedded system, the system ranks a high flexibility, high reliability, open infrastructure and good scalability, and the performance specification has made it among the advanced products worldwide.


We present the synthesis and cytotoxic potencies of new Pt(IV) complexes with bexarotene, an anticancer drug that induces cell differentiation and apoptosis via selective activation of retinoid X receptors. In these complexes bexarotene is positioned as an axial ligand. The complex of one bexarotene ligand attached to Pt(IV) oxaliplatin moiety was potent whereas its counterpart carrying two bexarotene ligands was inactive.


SUMMARY In contrast to most of the previous studies in gymnotiform reproduction, which have been conducted in the tropical region, this study examines a gymnotid from the temperate region in both the natural habitat and the laboratory. The gonadal histology of Brachyhypopomus pinnicaudatus is described for the first time. The male had a paired, lobular testis of the unrestricted spermatogonial type, and females a paired saccular cystovary. Analysis of gonads and their annual cycle enabled us to confirm the breeding season and to conclude that this species is a multiple spawner. Water temperature and photoperiod showed the expected annual cycles for the region. High temperature and a 14 h:10 h L:D photoperiod in the natural habitat coincided with (1) mature gonadal stages, (2) electrophysiological sexual dimorphism: males present a lengthened negative phase in their electric organ discharge (EOD) and (3) decreased temperature sensitivity of the EOD: the waveform does not change when temperature increases above 20°C. Acclimation to sustained high temperature (30 days, 28°C, 12 h:12 h L:D, low conductivity) induced gonad maturation along with EOD dimorphism. Our data show that high environmental temperature is enough to trigger sexual maturity in Brachyhypopomus pinnicaudatus from a temperate climate.


Abstract An estimation of the mass of the main asteroid belt was made on the basis of the new version of EPM2014 ephemerides of the Institute of Applied Astronomy of Russian Academy of Sciences using about 800000 positional observations of planets and spacecraft. We obtained the individual estimations of masses of large asteroids from radar data, as well as estimates of the masses of asteroids by using known diameters and estimated average densities for the three taxonomic types (C, S, M), and used the known mass values of binary asteroids and asteroids to which spacecraft approached. A two-dimensional homogeneous annulus with dimensions corresponding observed width of the main asteroid belt (2.06 au and 3.27 au) was used instead of a previous massive one-dimensional ring for modeling total perturbations from small asteroids. The obtained value of the total mass of the main asteroid belt is (12.25 ± 0.19)10−10M⊙.


Abstract. Significance: Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is a noninvasive technique that uses scalp-placed sensors to measure cerebral hemoglobin concentration. Commercial NIRS instruments do not allow for whole-head coverage and do not intrinsically indicate which brain areas generate the NIRS signal. Hence, the challenge is to design source–detector channel arrangement that maximizes sensitivity to a given brain region of interest (ROI). Existing methods for optimizing channel placement design have been developed using adult head models. Thus, they have limited utility for developmental research. Aim: We aim to build an application from an existing toolbox (fOLD) that guides NIRS channel configuration based on age group, stereotaxic atlas, and ROI (devfOLD). Approach: The devfOLD provides NIRS channel-to-ROI specificity computed using photon propagation simulation with realistic head models from infant, child, and adult age groups. Results: Cortical locations and user-specified specificity cut-off values influence the between-age consistency and differences in the ROI-to-channel correspondence among the example infant and adult age groups. Conclusions: The study highlights the importance of incorporating age-specific head models for optimizing NIRS channel configurations. The devfOLD toolbox is publicly shared and compatible with multiple operating systems.


Background Antimitochondrial antibodies (AMA) are autoantibodies directed against proteins of the outer and inner mitochondrial membrane. M2 antibodies stand out because of their high sensitivity and specificity for the identification of primary biliary cirrhosis. Objectives To analyse the prevalence of AMA and M2 autoantibodies in a large cohort of Spanish patients with primary Sjogren syndrome (SS), and to correlate positive results with epidemiological, clinical and immunological expression of the disease. Methods The GEAS-SS multicenter registry was formed in 2005 with the aim of collecting a large series of Spanish patients with primary SS. The cumulated ESSDAI index (2010 EULAR-SS disease activity index) was retrospectively calculated at diagnosis. AMA were detected by indirect immunofluorescence in triple rat tissue and M2 autoantibodies by ELISA against M2 proteins (PDC-E2, BCOADC-E2, OGDC-E2). Results AMA were tested consecutively in 733 patients with primary SS (688 women, mean age at diagnosis of 54.65 yrs), of whom 63 (9%) showed positive results. No significant differences were found in the main epidemiological, clinical and immunological features according to the presence or absence of AMA, except for a higher frequency of anti-Ro/SSA antibodies (83% vs 68%, p=0.015) and leucopenia (33% vs 21%, p=0.038) in AMA+ patients in comparison with those with negative AMA. M2 autoantibodies were tested in 210 patients, of whom 19 (9%) were positive. Comparison of the main epidemiological, clinical and immunological features according to the presence or absence of anti-M2 antibodies showed a higher frequency of anti-Ro/SSA antibodies (95% vs 74%, p=0.049), leucopenia (53% vs 19%, p=0.002), neutropenia (48% vs 22%, p=0.025), low C4 levels (26% vs 6%, p=0.008) and biological activity measured by the ESSDAI (84% vs 50%, p=0.007). We have the paired determination of AMA and anti-M2 in 23 patients with positive results: 12 have concordant positive results and 11 discordant (7 had negative AMA with positive M2, and 4 positive AMA with negative M2). The mean value of M2 autoantibodies in AMA+ patients was twice than in those with negative AMA, although the difference was not statistically significant (85.67 vs 41.51, p=0.126). Conclusions The study showed three key messages: i) the prevalence of AMA/M2 in primary SS was of 9%; ii) AMA/M2 correlated with the coexistence of Ro autoantibodies but not with systemic Sjögren; and iii) nearly half the patients showed discordant results between AMA and M2 positivities. We recommend the use of M2-ELISA to test for AMA in patients with primary SS. Disclosure of Interest None declared


Aims: The aims of the study are to evaluate the degree of improvement in labiolingual or buccolingual inclination of the teeth after treatment of class II division 1 malocclusion using Roth appliance and to compare the teeth inclination after treatment with that of normal occlusion samples to show if Roth appliance can give a reasonable result with straight arch wire technique. Materials and Methods: A twenty five patients (15–25 years age) with Class II division 1 malocclusion were treated with Roth 22" bracket system after extraction of upper first and lower second premolars to correct molars and canine relation, then the teeth inclination were compared among the four groups on the study casts that were taken before treatment, after treatment, after 1 year retention, and with the control group (25 dental casts of normal Class I occlusion) using special gauge. Results: Significant differences were seen among the four groups in the most of the teeth with the exception of the first molars and upper first premolars with the highest possible value in the(before treatment group). Conclusions: A considerable dispersion around the mean torque measurements was seen in the four groups , more lingual inclination was noticed in distally situated teeth. The preadjusted brackets help in decreasing the labial inclination of the treated teeth in Class II malocclusion making their inclination nearly to control group.


This paper discusses the ethical theory of Peter Kropotkin who followed Aristotle, Spinoza and Darwin in affirming a naturalistic approach to ethics. After outlining Kropotkin's basic theory, which put a focal emphasis on mutual aid, justice and magnanimity in the interpretation of moral values, the paper responds to the familiar criticisms of the anarchist, who is alleged to have committed the so-called 'naturalistic fallacy'. By this is meant deriving moral values from facts about the world. Drawing on Warnock's and Dennett's recent writings the paper defends Kropotkin's essential thesis.


In this paper, we present a backstepping based fuzzy logic (FL) scheme for the active control of vehicle suspension systems using the two-degrees of freedom or 1/4 car model. The full dynamics of a novel hydraulic strut are considered. The servo-valve dynamics are also included. A fuzzy logic system is used to estimate the nonlinear hydraulic strut dynamics. The backstepping fuzzy logic scheme is shown to give superior performance over passive suspension and active suspension control using conventional proportional-integral-derivative (PID) schemes. The FL system is adapted in such a way as to estimate online the unknown hydraulic dynamics and provide the backstepping loop with the desired servo-valve positioning so that the scheme becomes adaptive, guaranteeing bounded tracking errors and parameter estimates. A rigorous proof of stability and performance is given and a simulation example verifies performance. Unlike standard adaptive backstepping techniques, no linear-in-the-parameters assumptions are needed.


The study sought to determine the relationship between problem-solving skills and measure of working memory and attention span of science students of low ability level. The study adopted correlational survey research design. The population for the study comprised all Secondary School I (SSI) that offered physics, chemistry and biology as school subjects in all the public senior secondary schools in the study area for 2017/2018 academic session while the sample was 450 science students from 24 Senior Secondary Schools in the study area. Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) backward digit span task and Attention Lapses Clicker (ALC)were used for data collection. Multiple regression analysis was used to analyse data used to answer the research questions and test null hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. Findings revealed that low percentage variation in students' problem-solving skills in science can be attributed to measure of working memory and attention span. There exist no significant relationship between measure of working memory, attention span and the combination of working memory and attention span of students. It was recommended among others that science teachers should vary concentration spans of science students by inherently mimicking the same kind of cognitive gear shift in the activities that require creative problem-solving skills and thinking, Also interventions and accommodation need be designed by school administrators to help science teachers differentiate instruction with explanations on how techniques or strategies can address students with working memory difficulty and attention deficits in the classroom.


As the family of family medicine begins the process of revising the Residency Guidelines for Family Medicine, it may be time to look back over our progress to date in order to steer our efforts in the best direction in the future. What is the difference in our present product versus our ideals as our "founding fathers" delineated them in our "constitution" of 1968?

The original guidelines from family medicine covered a mere 3 pages laying out the length of training, and general content, as well as proposed categories of programs that reflected and embraced the wide variation of locations where family medicine physicians lived and worked.1 Our founding document also defined the family medicine physician in 4 domains. First, the family medicine physician was to serve as the physician of first contact with the patient who provided an entry for the patient into the health care system. Second, the family physician was tasked to evaluate the patient's total health care needs and to provide personal medical care and referral management. Third, our graduates were to provide continuous and comprehensive care as well as the coordination of care. Lastly, the vision asserted that family medicine physicians were to provide care for the patient within the context of the patient's family and social milieu.

Current guidelines include these attributes; future decisions in new guidelines will need to address the appropriateness of these parameters in the 21st century. Our current question is whether or not we and our graduates hold firm to this definition, or whether a majority tailor their practice to a narrower spectrum of care. Clearly, residents enter traditional family medicine practices, but they also opt for fellowships in geriatrics, obstetrics, and sports medicine and practices that embrace hospital medicine; they work in emergency departments, health departments, and Veterans' hospitals. Also, clearly, these graduates consider themselves family medicine physicians, although their career paths may not adhere to the strict definition as outlined in our founding documents.

There is no national database that answers the question, "where are our graduates, and what exactly are they doing?" Logically, we also cannot answer with complete confidence the question as to whether or not our residency programs prepared them for the world at large. The AMA collects physician data from specialty boards, state medical boards, and societies and publishes data on physician specialty and distribution, but does not drill down to the detail of practice profiles of family physicians.2 Several states also track physician resources, but still leave crucial questions unanswered that address the need for feedback on our residency programs. Although we are required to survey our residents following graduation, we use no consistent instrument across all programs, nor do we know if a single instrument could be designed to embrace all variations of family medicine residency programs to help us answer these questions. Several publications deal with regional outcome data, and at least 1 P4 project attempted to grapple with the concept of a common post graduate survey instrument.3

It follows that we may need to ask ourselves, is it time for a universal survey that would help the discipline answer the thorny questions of our role and worth in the healthcare system. Do we need to expand the definition of the family physician to include alternate types of practice? And, lastly are our values antiquated, are our visions of ourselves valid, or should we change?


Eight children suffering from diabetes mellitus and epilepsia were followed up. Emphasis is laid on the necessity of measuring glycemia in diabetes mellitus patients during convulsive attacks as well as on the importance of early diagnosis of epilepsia to institute multimodality treatment.


The synthesis, characterization, and methylene blue (MB) adsorption study of a new lignosulfonate/amino-functionalized SBA-15 nanocomposite are described. (3-Aminopropyl)triethoxysilane (APTES) was grafted into SBA-15 to prepare amino-functionalized SBA-15 (N-SBA-15) which was used, along with calcium lignosulfonate (LS), to prepare a new nanocomposite LS/N-SBA-15. The prepared materials were characterized by SEM, TEM, FT-IR, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller, powder XRD, TGA analysis, and Raman spectroscopy. The experimental results indicated that the obtained nanocomposite possesses a high surface area (598 m2 g−1) and a large pore volume (1.059 cm3 g−1). This particular combination of LS and N-SBA-15 endowed this material with good dispersibility and stability in water, and better wettability. The uptake of MB from aqueous solution using the LS/N-SBA-15 nanocomposite was investigated. The adsorption investigation was performed under parameters such as pH, contact time, adsorbent dosage, temperature and initial dye concentration. The results indicated that the addition of LS to N-SBA-15 enhanced the stability of the composite in water, and improved its adsorption capacity of MB, and showed the optimum conditions at 0.05 g dose and pH = 9 during a short contact time less than 10 min. LS/N-SBA-15 exhibited a high adsorption capacity compared to other adsorbents used in the literature for the removal of MB from water. The reusability of this new nanocomposite was also investigated and the results reported. This new nanocomposite can be efficiently employed for the removal of organic dyes from wastewater.


Bifidobacterium longum subsp. infantis is a common member of the intestinal microbiota in breast-fed infants and capable of metabolizing human milk oligosaccharides (HMO). To investigate the bacterial response to different prebiotics, we analyzed both cell wall associated and whole cell proteins in B. infantis. Proteins were identified by LC-MS/MS followed by comparative proteomics to deduce the protein localization within the cell. Enzymes involved in the metabolism of lactose, glucose, galactooligosaccharides, fructooligosaccharides and HMO were constitutively expressed exhibiting less than two-fold change regardless of the sugar used. In contrast, enzymes in N-Acetylglucosamine and sucrose catabolism were induced by HMO and fructans, respectively. Galactose-metabolizing enzymes phosphoglucomutase, UDP-glucose 4-epimerase and UTP glucose-1-P uridylytransferase were expressed constitutively, while galactokinase and galactose-1-phosphate uridylyltransferase, increased their expression three fold when HMO and lactose were used as substrates for cell growth. Cell wall-associated proteomics also revealed ATP-dependent sugar transport systems associated with consumption of different prebiotics. In addition, the expression of 16 glycosyl hydrolases revealed the complete metabolic route for each substrate. Mucin, which possesses O-glycans that are structurally similar to HMO did not induced the expression of transport proteins, hydrolysis or sugar metabolic pathway indicating B. infantis do not utilize these glycoconjugates.


We report the case of a 37-year-old woman (phototype II) who presented at our outpatient clinic with a two-month history of hyperpigmented plantar macules. Medical history revealed that the patient had taken capecitabine in the past three months as adjuvant chemotherapy for recurrent breast cancer. Dermoscopic examination of the plantar macules showed parallel ridge pattern with pigmentation in the furrows without obliteration of eccrine gland apertures. Besides in acral melanoma, parallel ridge pattern can also be observed in benign plantar lesions, such as congenital or acquired acral nevi, subcorneal hemorrhage, dye-related pigmentation and drug-induced hyperpigmentation, especially in patients with phototypes III–VI. The few reported cases of capecitabine-induced hyperpigmentation have been associated with hand and foot syndrome in patients with phototypes IV–V and palmar as well as plantar involvement.


This paper aims at testing a conceptual model connecting variables of the internal and external work environment to ITES/BPO employee turnover. In India over the past few years, the ITES/BPO sector has been growing in leaps and bounds. This has also posed certain Human Resource challenges to the practitioners and the biggest challenge of them happens to be the retention of the ambitious and the transitory workforce in these sectors. In this paper, employee turnover intention is studied from two dimensions: individualand organizationlevel. Based on the gaps identified from the literature, the study seeks to examine the influence of the intervening variables such as organizational commitment on turnover intentions of employees. Applying mediation multiple regression technique, an empirical examination was conducted. The results based on 208 employees' responses from 5 organizations, indicated that antecedents of turnover in the conceptual model of the present study were significantly associated with employee turnover intention mediated by organizational commitment. Results of the mediated regression analyses found that organizational commitment is a significant mediator between organizational justice, satisfaction and organizational support viz-a-viz turnover intentions. The findings suggest that organizations need to focus on how to foster commitment, enhance job satisfaction and to provide support to facilitate employee retention. Finally, the implications for organizational research, managerial practice and the need for future research are discussed.


Monitoring clinical outcome in persons with haemophilia (PWH) is essential in order to provide optimal treatment for individual patients and compare effectiveness of treatment strategies. Experience with measurement of activities and participation in haemophilia is limited and consensus on preferred tools is lacking.


We have investigated the effects of carrier localization on the migration-enhancing time in a wetting layer (WL) of quantum dots (QDs) grown by using the migration-enhanced epitaxy (MEE) growth technique. The WL photoluminescence (PL) intensity of QD sample grown with a longer migration-enhancing time remained strong even at low excitation densities. The PL decay time at the WL peak was longer for the MEE-grown QD with a longer migration-enhancing time. Moreover, the decay times of MEE-grown QDs across the WL's PL band were longer at longer wavelengths. We conclude that the localization effect in the WL intensifies as the migration-enhancing time is increased.


The purpose of this research is to ensure the effectiveness and acceptance student of
career counseling in Malaysian Polytechnic choose suitable careers. Furthermore,
purpose to guiding students chooses suitable careers before they graduate. The
effectiveness of career counseling in helping the students were studied based on the
opinion and information by the student on career counseling in Polytechnic. 5
Polytechnic were involved in this study namely Polytechnic Sultan Salahhuddin
Abdul Aziz Shah (PSA), Shah Alam, Polytechnic Seberang I'erai (PSP), Pulau
Pinang and Polytechnic Johor Bharu (PJB), Johor Bharu. One hundred (100)
respondents final year students was involves from both Polytechnic, From the data
had collected, summary and analysis by using statistic method specifically SPSS 10.0
versions. The students did frequency and percent calculation to determine level
priority in analyzed the opinion and information's. The analysis showed that career
counseling was nut an important need student making decision choose career and
suitable career. Conclusion, the career counseling in Polytechnic was not effective to
problem student's final year to chose the work. The research propose, the all teem
career caunceling in Polytechnic raise quality career counseling so that they can
plan which a able to cater for student need the new career after the graduate in
Polytechnic.


The work-function fluctuation (WKF) induced threshold voltage variability (σVth) in 16-nm-gate bulk FinFET devices is for the first time explored and modeled by an experimentally validated Monte Carlo simulation approach. A comprehensive analysis of variability sources of FinFETs is first conducted to show the significance of WKF in reliability of nano-device. Then, the influences of grain size of metal and aspect ratio of device geometry on σVth are drawn. The analytical expression of WKF-induced σVth can outlook the effectiveness of the fluctuation suppression approaches and benefits the design of nanoscale transistors.


Ecological stoichiometry (ES), as an ecological theory, provides a framework for studying various ecological processes, and it has been applied successfully in fields ranging from nutrient dynamics to biogeochemical cycling. Through the application of ES theory, researchers are beginning to understand many diverse ecological topics. The aim of this paper was to identify the main characteristics of ES, especially to clarify the evolution, and potential trends of this field for future ecological studies. We used CiteSpace software to conduct a bibliometric review of ES research publications from 1992 to 2019 extracted from the Web of Science. The results showed that the United States has been a major contributor to this field; approximately half of the top 15 academic institutions contributing to ES research were in the United States. Although the largest number of publications on ES were from China, the impact of these academic papers has thus far been less than that of the papers from other countries. Moreover, none of the top 15 authors or cited authors contributing to publications on ES from 1992 to 2019 were from China. ES research has developed rapidly and has changed from single-discipline ES studies to a multidisciplinary "auxiliary tool" used in different fields. Overall, ES shows great research potential and application value, especially for studies on nutrient cycling, ecosystem sustainability and biogeochemical cycling.


This article provides a conceptual review of the term 'technology-facilitated violence'. In the last decade, discussion of technology-facilitated violence has become commonplace in criminological and social scientific discourses. Yet, scholars have not settled on what this term means or the kind of relationship between technology and violence it infers. Addressing this ambiguity, we review how scholars have conceptualised technology-facilitated violence, evaluate the adequacy of those conceptualisations, and develop strategies to improve them. To do so, we bring the philosophy of technology into conversation with the scholarship on technology-facilitated violence to identify the latent theories of technology that underpin existing definitions of technology-facilitated violence. Then, synthesising insights from these two fields of scholarship, we generate a new definition of technology-facilitated violence that builds on the strengths of existing definitions while avoiding their key limitations. This new definition and the conceptual review that informs it should improve scholarly understandings of technology-facilitated violence and help design better strategies to address its harms. Hence, we conclude by emphasising the importance of this kind of conceptual and synthetic work and the value it offers scholars concerned with improving both theory and practice.


In many bird species, parents adjust their home-ranges during chick-rearing to the availability and distribution of food resources, balancing the benefits of energy intake against the costs of travelling. Over recent decades, European agricultural landscapes have changed radically, resulting in the degradation of habitats and reductions in food resources for farmland birds. Lower foraging success and longer foraging trip distances that result from these changes are often assumed to reduce the reproductive performance of parents, although the mechanisms are not well understood. We tested the behavioural response of chick-rearing Little Owls Athene noctua to variation in habitat diversity in an agricultural landscape. We equipped females with GPS loggers and received adequate range-use data for 19 individuals (6063–14 439 locations per bird). In habitats dominated by homogeneous cropland habitats, home-ranges were over 12 ha in size, whereas in highly diverse habitats they were below 2 ha. Large home-ranges were associated with increased flight activity (117% of that of birds in small home-ranges) and distances travelled per night (152%), increased duration of foraging trips (169%) covering larger distances (246%), and reduced nest visiting rates (81%). The study therefore provides strong correlative evidence that Little Owls breeding in monotonous farmland habitats expend more time and energy for a lower benefit in terms of feeding rates than do birds in more heterogeneous landscapes. As nestling food supply is the main determinant of chick survival, these results suggest a strong impact of farmland characteristics on local demographic rates. We suggest that preserving and creating islands of high habitat diversity within uniform open agricultural landscapes should be a key target in the conservation of Little Owl populations.


BACKGROUND: Mechanical ventilation is an important part of emergency medicine and is frequently used for transportation. Human errors during ventilator settings are frequent and may be associated with high morbidity/mortality. The aim of the study was to provide a complete ergonomic evaluation of emergency and transport ventilators, taking into account objective and subjective human-machine interface assessments and individual mental work load. METHODS: We performed a prospective bench ergonomic evaluation of 13 emergency and transport ventilators, using standardized conditions and a global methodological approach. The study was performed in an evaluation laboratory dedicated to respiratory care, and 12 emergency physicians unfamiliar with the tested devices were included in the evaluation. The ventilators were classified into 3 categories (simple, sophisticated, and ICU-like). Objective chronometric evaluations were conducted considering 9 tasks, and subjective evaluations were performed (ease of use, willingness to use, and user-friendliness of monitoring) using Likert scales. Mental work load evaluation was performed using the NASA Task Load Index scale. RESULTS: Overall task failure rate represented 4% of all attempts. Setting modifications, ventilation mode changes, and powering down durations were different between simple and other emergency and transport ventilator categories (P < .005). There was no difference between ventilator categories for the ease of use and user-friendliness of the monitoring. In contrast, the willingness to use was lower for simple devices, compared with sophisticated and ICU-like emergency and transport ventilators (2.9 ± 1.4 vs 3.9 ± 1.2, P = .002 and 4.3 ± 1, P < .001). No differences were observed between devices regarding the mental work load, except for several specific devices in the sophisticated category. CONCLUSIONS: A comprehensive ergonomic evaluation provides valuable information while investigating operational friendliness in emergency and transport ventilators. The choice of a device not only depends on its technical characteristics but should take into account its clinical operational setting and ergonomics in order to decrease mental work load. Sophisticated emergency and transport ventilators should only be used by clinicians who demonstrate expertise in mechanical ventilation.


The fossil hamster (an isolated m1) from the early Early Pleistocene Houhecun fauna found in Dali, Weinan, Shaanxi, China, originally identified as Kowalskia dalinica, is reexamined. Its unique characters, including a high crown, very small degree of division of the anteroconid and relatively large size, is taken as evidence of its attribution to the genus Sinocricetus, instead of Kowalskia (junior synonym of Neocricetodon) suggested by the original author. Therefore, the specific name of the species established based on this m1 should be changed to S. dalinicus (Wang, 1988). S. dalinicus probably has a relatively close affinity with S. major Li, 2010, but there are still some obvious differences of characters between them. The discovery of S. dalinicus in the Houhecun fauna confirms that the genus indeed survived into the Pleistocene. A broken hamster mandible, which was found in Weinan, Shaanxi, China and belongs to the late Pliocene Youhe fauna, is also described here and identified as Tscherskia sp. This specimen represents the earliest Tscherskia in Asia so far, but fails to refute the hypothesis that the genus originated in Europe during the early Pliocene.


As the volume and variety of healthcare related data continues to grow, the analysis and use of this data will increasingly depend on the ability to appropriately collect, curate and integrate disparate data from many different sources. We describe our approach to and highlight our experiences with the development of a robust data collection, curation and integration infrastructure that supports healthcare analytics. This system has been successfully applied to the processing of a variety of data types including clinical data from electronic health records and observational studies, genomic data, microbiomic data, self-reported data from surveys and self-tracked data from wearable devices from over 600 subjects. The curated data is currently being used to support healthcare analytic applications such as data visualization, patient stratification and predictive modeling.


When a brief current pulse is incident on excitable cells in cardiac and other nervous tissue, a change in phase of the cell's response is usually observed. In cardiac tissue, the cells are bared to external stimulation of generally positive currents, which depolarize the cells. In this paper an overview of the application of the phase resetting technique (PRT) in several cardiac models is presented. We discuss the effects of external stimuli in several cardiac cell models and we provide the phase transition curves (PTCs) resulted from the application of PRT with the Zhang et al. sinoatrial node model


Previous studies have shown that the response of patients with acute myeloid leukemia to induction chemotherapy can be predicted by the species of plasminogen activator that their cells secrete. Patients whose cells secreted tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) only failed to respond to combination chemotherapy. Individuals whose leukemic cells display features of the early progenitor phenotype also respond poorly to therapy. This suggested that the two species of plasminogen activator secreted by leukemic cells might be produced by normal cells at distinct stages of differentiation. These results indicate that the secretion of the two enzyme types is a differentiation-linked property of normal cells with tPA being produced by granulocyte/macrophage progenitors and urokinase by more differentiated cells and by mature neutrophils and macrophages.


The compressed air up to the maximum pressure of 8 MPa is stored in the storage facility of the Compressed Air Energy Storage Gas Turbine (CAES-G/T). The interior of the storage facility is covered by air-tight sheets to prevent a leak of this compressed air. Electricity by a power-generating system using such a facility is the first of its kind in the world. So, we have examined the materials of the airtight sheet and found that polymeric materials were suitable. Then, a normal pressure gas permeation test was done on several synthetic resins and rubbers. Butyl rubber (IIR) was found to show the smallest gas permeability. Moreover, a high-pressure gas permeation test was done on IIR and natural rubber (NR). The permeability of IIR at 10 MPa was estimated, and it was clear that IIR was a suitable air-tight material for CAES-G/T.


Available evidence shows that the benefits of routine oxytocic administration in the third stage of labor far outweigh the potential risks. In 1990, T.F. Baskett, MD, reviewed the routine use of oxytocic drugs by Canadian obstetricians in the management of the third stage of labor. With Dr Baskett's permission, we sent a similar questionnaire to 1500 obstetricians in Texas: 1000 practiced in urban areas and 500 practiced in rural areas of the state. Ninety-four percent of Texas obstetricians answering the survey used oxytocics routinely in managing the third stage of labor. However, only 14.9% administered the oxytocics before delivery of the placenta, in contrast to 92.1% who gave oxytocics after the delivery of the placenta. Oxytocin was the chosen oxytocic drug for routine third-stage management (95%) as well as for postpartum hemorrhage (73.3%). Of the physicians surveyed, 55.9% used 15-methyl prostaglandin F2a (Hemabate) to treat postpartum hemorrhage refractory to other drugs within the past year. Of the respondents, 14.3% had managed acute uterine inversion during the past year. Thus, Texas obstetricians use Oxytocin routinely in the management of the third stage of labor, but few are converted to active management.


In recent years there has been a substantial investment in the school estate within the UK. This investment has been accompanied by a debate on the quality of these new school buildings and the role that they may have within the education system. The view taken in this paper is that this debate is constrained by the paucity of research on school environments and the subsequent lack of an effective evidence base. In order to address this problem, this study aims to understand and measure how secondary school students perceive their physical school environments and identify how these perceptions relate to key educational outcomes. Data was collected through a combination of focus groups and a large scale survey of three different year groups of students across seven secondary schools in Scotland. The results indicated that students' perceptions of their physical school environment are related to key educational outcomes and the way in which they interact with their environment. However, the findings also indicate the danger of considering school students as a homogenous group. The implication of these findings for understanding the impact of school environments will be discussed.


Abstract This article 'thinks with' an Afro-Brazilian mobilisation of ancestralidade (ancestrality) as a means to explore, unmask and mark the centrality of 'race' in development. In contrast to thinking about race as cultural difference necessitating inclusion in development, thinking with Afro-Brazilian knowledge aims to rework the very category of development. 'Thinking with' engages critical knowledge emerging out of Afro-Brazilian struggles to forward a theory and practice of substantive political, institutional and social transformation. The article juxtaposes the culturalisms of national ideology and multicultural development policies with ancestralidade as a dynamic political practice that contests capitalism's racialised hierarchies while embodying another sociality of development. An analysis of one cultural centre's efforts to restructure the school curriculum demonstrates that the 'past' of racialised capitalism and ancestral memory are each contemporary projects which evince the relational formation and contested meaning of 'race' in development.


Soil erosion is a problem of global significance; yet obtaining data on rates of soil erosion is not straightforward. Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) offers the prospect of improvements in estimates of these rates through better understanding of the movement of individual soil particles. We report on two laboratory experiments to measure the travel distances of surrogate soil particles during erosion events. In the first experiment, we used RFID tags that need to be placed within a reader for identification. In the second, we used tags with a booster antenna that allowed remote detection. The recovery rate of particles in the first experiment was 81.7%. Most likely, lost particles were buried by other moving sediment. The distribution of travel distances is well fitted by a Burr 4-parameter distribution which lends support to its use for modelling travel distances of eroded particles. In the second experiment, the average distance from which particles could be detected was 62 mm and the average error in locating particles was 17.9 mm. We attribute much of this error to the assumptions that the detection field is a circle on the ground with the reader at its centre, and that the same detection range exists for all positions of the reader. RFID is shown to provide insights into the movement of individual soil particles, but improvements are needed in both particle detection range and modelling of soil particle movement before the full potential of RFID for measuring soil erosion can be realized.


Sub-pixel mapping technique can specify the location of each class within the pixels based on the assumption of spatial dependence. Traditional sub-pixel mapping algorithms only consider the spatial dependence at the pixel level. The spatial dependence of each sub-pixel is ignored and sub-pixel spatial relation is lost. In this paper, a novel multi-objective sub-pixel mapping framework based on memetic algorithm, namely MSMF, is proposed. In MSMF, the sub-pixel mapping is transformed to a multi-objective optimization problem, which maximizing the spatial dependence index (SDI) and Moran's I, synchronously. Memetic algorithm is utilized to solve the multi-objective problem, which combines global search strategies with local search heuristics. In this framework, the sub-pixel mapping problem can be solved using different evolutionary algorithms and local algorithms. In this paper, memetic algorithm based on clonal selection algorithm (CSA) and random swapping as an example is designed and applied simultaneously in the proposed MSMF. In MSMF, CSA inherits the biologic properties of human immune systems, i.e. clone, mutation, memory, to search the possible sub-pixel mapping solution in the global space. After the exploration based on CSA, the local search based on random swapping is employed to dynamically decide which neighbourhood should be selected to stress exploitation in each generation. In addition, a solution set is used in MSMF to hold and update the obtained non-dominated solutions for multi-objective problem. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed approach outperform traditional sub-pixel mapping algorithms, and hence provide an effective option for sub-pixel mapping of hyperspectral remote sensing imagery.


ABSTRACT It is widely acknowledged that people with higher socioeconomic positions and women smoke less, avoid alcohol abuse, and eat more healthily. Yet far less is known about the interaction of socioeconomic status with gender, especially in the Italian context. Here we address this issue by employing Abel's adaptation of Bourdieu's cultural capital theory and Courtenay's theory of gender construction and health. Using 2012 data from the Multipurpose survey on Daily Life, we first show that cultural capital is better than social class in predicting an adult's compliance with health recommendations, although this does not hold true for alcohol intake. We then look at the interaction of gender with cultural capital measures in order to determine how gendered forms of consumption change with increasing levels of cultural capital. The results show that the gender gap diminishes at higher levels of cultural capital following a twofold pattern: most often men's marginal benefit increases at a higher rate than that of women; however, we also find evidence that the gap diminishes because women start adopting unhealthy behaviours as their level of cultural resources increases. Overall, these findings indicate that cultural capital plays an important role in reconstructing gender role models.


The book offers a hands-on approach on the treatment of C# language and programming aspects, by bringing in practical examples and down-to-earth explanations. The treatment begins with .Net framework and the reasoning of choosing C#, goes on to discuss the branching and looping construct codes, then moves on to C# language nuts and bolts, and finally into the programming aspects, in a logical manner. This book has been written in such a way that even a novice programmer would be able to code in C# after he/ she goes past initial few chapters. All the concepts -- be it advanced or a simple one -- are explained with enough examples and clean explanations. The applications include web applications which one can access through internet, windows application which can act as a standalone executables, web service apps which will enable communication between client and server, and much more! The book has been conceptualized to meet the curricular need of the B. Tech students of computer programming, object oriented programming, .Net programming and C# programming. M. Tech students, researchers and programmers will find this book to be a useful resource. Learning Aids: Learning objectives at the beginning of the chapters, to check progress Points to remember, to help recapitulating and internalizing important points End-of-chapter exercises called Try it out, to help apply the concepts learned Sample codes and corresponding results, to aid cross-checking Pictorial representation and screenshots of important concepts, to aid better understanding and recall Sample application on Windows application at the end of the book, to give a real-world feel Contents: 1. Introduction to .Net Framework 2. Branching and Looping 3. Getting Started with the Concepts in C# 4. Towards Object Orientation 5. The Collections Namespace 6. Multi Threading in C# 7. File Handling in C# 8. LINQ in C# 9. More on C# 10. Sample C# Application: Windows Application Index


Cloud computing provides large scale computing resource to each customers. Cloud systems can be threatened by numerous attacks as cloud provides services to no trustworthy system. As the speedy usage of personal computer system and computer network in business organization and government organization are Bringing up day by day, the computer network is the mass medium over which attacks are put together. It comes final result in completely destroyed, unauthorized utilization and modifies in private data and demeans the reliability of computer network. To providing protection in computer network Artificial intelligence has latterly contributed intrusion detection system. This paper presents intrusion detection system which automatically updates the suspicious activity of cloud users therefore whenever new user try to access the data or try to use cloud it will compare with the log database which is present at administrator side


The link between global sports brands and the violation of workers' rights in Asia has been a mainstream issue for many years. A ceaseless flow of news reports on the infringement of workers' rights in Asia suggests that neocolonialist dependencies and the ruthless exploitation of sweatshop labor are endemic in the industry. However, Asian corporations standing in the shadow of global brands have recently taken the lead in coordinating global sports commodity chains. Asia's rise within the industry is having manifold impacts on development opportunities for workers, companies, and countries, first of all in the Asian region, but also beyond. Putting these transformations into the historical perspective of industrialization, this essay questions the taken-for-granted assumption about agency and compliance behind the new international division of labor.


This article advocates that lawyers use the tort of intentional infliction of emotional distress to challenge and deter bias-motivated harassment on the Internet and contributes important observations about the evolving tort of outrage, the changing face of extremist activities and the growing debate about First Amendment freedoms on the Web. After a brief discussion of on- and off-line harassment by racist extremists, the article turns to the facts of Housing and Urban Development v. Wilson, HUDALJ 03-98-0692-8 (July 19, 2000), to demonstrate the viability of the intentional infliction of emotional distress as a tool to challenge hate-motivated harassment via the Internet. First, the tort permits a contextual analysis that encompasses the online medium's unique challenges - its force multiplier effect, its viability as a tool of anonymity and the inadequate response of law enforcement to Internet conduct - challenges which fuel emotional harms. Second, in reliance upon the analysis of the Ninth Circuit en banc decision in Planned Parenthood of the Columbia/Willamette, Inc v. American Coalition of Life Activists, 290 F.3d 1058 (9th Cir. 2002) (6-5 decision), the article argues that the tort of intentional infliction of emotional distress does not infringe on a hate monger's First Amendment rights, because Web postings that make serious threats of violence against specific individuals constitute "true threats."


The mission dependability of repairable systems not only depends on mission reliability and capacity of the system, but also the maintenance capacity during the whole mission. The probability of mission successful completion is one of the important performance measures. For the complex mission that has many sub-missions of kinds, its success probability is associated with the ready and execution duration, maintenance conditions in the working field and success requirements of each sub-mission. Maintenance conditions in the sub-mission working field mainly include replacement and repair of the failed components. According to these different maintenance conditions, we classify all sub-mission into three classes. By analyzing the state transition during the ready period and execution period of each sub-mission, this paper presents a dependability model to evaluate the probability of mixed multi-mission success of repairable systems considering maintenance capacity. A simple example is provided to show the application of the model