Cancer is not infrequently detected in the Emergency Department (ED) and is sometimes even an incidental finding on imaging. Since the ED is designed to identify and treat acutely ill patients, the time providers can spend with patients and the depth of investigation into patient conditions is limited. However, Emergency Medicine physicians must ensure the appropriate follow-up for patients with presumptive diagnosis of cancer to ensure timely confirmatory testing, prompt treatment, and accurate prognosis. A 26-year-old woman presented to the ED for evaluation of abdominal pain and urinary complaints and was ultimately found to have a 36cm ovarian mass that was suspicious for neoplasm. The mass caused obstruction of urinary outflow leading the patient to develop a urinary tract infection. Emergency Medicine physicians are faced with the challenge of having limited time and short-lived doctor-patient relationships. In cases of suspicious findings, balancing the urgency of follow-up without causing undue harm from heightened anxiety for patients is essential. It is important to discuss findings that may be concerning for cancer with both clear verbal and written communication. Employ strategies such as direct communication with primary care physicians and outpatient specialists via phone consultation and electronic medical record messaging, as well as providing clear discharge instructions in-person and in-writing to the patient including whom to call and the time frame for follow-up.


We propose a novel optical wireless (OW) system based on a power adaptive multibeam spot-diffusing transmitter serving multiple seven-segment maximum ratio combining (MRC) angle diversity receivers. A feedback link is assumed between the transceivers so that each receiver conveys to the multibeam transmitter the new beams transmit power weights to be used to achieve the best signal quality at a given receiver location. Two cases involving three and five receivers are considered. Four different configurations for the placement of the three-receiver case in the room are also examined. The system's performance in each case is evaluated in terms of signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and is compared with the single receiver scenario with and without power adaptation. In the presence of one receiver, the transmit spot powers can be adjusted for optimum performance at that receiver location. For multiple receivers, there is conflict, and we propose spot power adaptation based on the average requirements (power distribution in spots), i.e., transmit equal gain combining (EGC) of spot power or MRC of transmit spot powers. The results show that the three receivers benefit most from an adaptive transmitter when each is placed at a corner of the room. In this case, an SNR increase of as much as 2.6 dB is achieved for all three receivers at the corners by both MRC and EGC. Moreover, when all receivers are placed away from the line of diffusing spots, our proposed MRC collaborative approach is 1 dB better than the noncollaborative system. This gain reduces the difference from the upper bound set by the single receiver adaptation, which is 3 dB. For a mobile transmitter, MRC also significantly improved the SNR for the farthest receivers at the opposite end from the transmitter located near one room corner.


This work is aimed to contrast the similarities and differences for the emotions identified in two very different scenarios: human-to-human interaction on Spanish TV debates and human-machine interaction with a virtual agent in Spanish. To this end we developed a crowd annotation procedure to label the speech signal in terms of both, emotional categories and Valence-Arousal-Dominance models. The analysis of these data showed interesting findings that allowed to profile both the speakers and the task. Then, Convolutional Neural Networks were used for the automatic classification of the emotional samples in both tasks. Experimental results drew up a different human behavior in both tasks and outlined different speaker pro-files.


This paper proposes a novel approach to discriminative training of probabilistic linear discriminant analysis (PLDA) for speaker verification with x-vectors. Model over-fitting is a well-known issue with discriminative PLDA (D-PLDA) for speaker verification. As opposed to prior approaches which address this by limiting the number of trainable parameters, the proposed method parameterizes the discriminative PLDA (DPLDA) model in a manner which allows for intuitive regularization, permitting the entire model to be optimized. Specifically, the within-class and across-class covariance matrices which comprise the PLDA model are expressed as products of orthonormal and diagonal matrices, and the structure of these matrices is enforced during model training. The proposed approach provides consistent performance improvements relative to previous DPLDA methods when applied to a variety of speaker recognition evaluations, including the Speakers in the Wild Core-Core, SRE16, SRE18 CMN2, SRE19 CMN2, and VoxCeleb1 Tasks. Additionally, when implemented in Tensorflow using a modern GPU, D-PLDA optimization is highly efficient, requiring less than 20 minutes.


Malignant ascites (MA) is a common manifestation of advanced gastric cancer (GC) with peritoneal metastasis (PM), which usually indicates a poor prognosis. The present study aimed to explore the effects of MA, a unique microenvironment of PM, on the proliferation of cancer cells and investigate the underlying mechanisms. Ex vivo experiments demonstrated that GC cells treated with MA exhibited enhanced proliferation. RNA sequencing indicated that asparagine synthetase (ASNS) was one of the differentially expressed genes in GC cells following incubation with MAs. Furthermore, the present study suggested that MA induced an upregulation of ASNS expression and the stimulatory effect of MA on cancer cell proliferation was alleviated upon ASNS downregulation. Activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4), a pivotal transcription factor regulating ASNS, was upregulated when cells were treated with MA supernatant. After ATF4 knockdown, the proliferation of MA-treated GC cells and the expression of ASNS decreased. In addition, the decline in the proliferation of the ATF4-downregulated AGS GC cell line was rescued by ASNS upregulation. The findings indicated that MA could promote the proliferation of GC cells via activation of the ATF4-ASNS axis. Hence, it may be a potential target for treating GC with PM and MA.


With the development of the Highway Transportation and Business Trade, vehicle weigh-in-motion (WIM) technology has become a key technology and trend of measuring traffic loads. In this paper, a novel capacitive flexible weighing sensor which is light weight, smaller volume and easy to carry was applied in the vehicle WIM system. The dynamic behavior of the sensor is modeled using the Maxwell-Kelvin model because the materials of the sensor are rubbers which belong to viscoelasticity. A signal processing method based on the model is presented to overcome effects of rubber mechanical properties on the dynamic weight signal. The results showed that the measurement error is less than ±10%. All the theoretic analysis and numerical results demonstrated that appliance of this system to weigh in motion is feasible and convenient for traffic inspection.


Several special stability controls, including fast turbine valving are in service at AEP's Rockport generating plant to enhance the plant's transient and voltage stability performance. An account of how these supplementary controls evolved over time to meet changing system needs is provided. An overview of field tests, maintenance practices and operating history of the fast turbine valving equipment is presented. Finally, one of the successful Rockport fast valving events is analyzed in detail, with respect to valve stroke characteristics and electrical response of the Rockport units. This paper emphasizes the lessons learned from the operating experience, which include a need to constantly monitor the adequacy of the special stability control equipment, through regular maintenance and analysis of actual operations.


Frontline healthcare worker jobs are among the fastest growing occupations in the USA. While many of these are 'bad jobs' with low pay and few benefits, the intrinsic nature of frontline work can also be very rewarding. This article examines the influence of extrinsic job characteristics (e.g. wages and benefits) versus intrinsic characteristics (e.g. meaningful tasks) on job satisfaction and intent to stay with one's current employer. This article uses a mixed-methods approach, drawing on survey data collected from frontline workers and organizations in a variety of healthcare settings, as well as interview and focus group data from frontline workers to contextualize and interpret the findings in the multi-level models. The results indicate that both intrinsic and extrinsic characteristics are significant predictors of job satisfaction, but only extrinsic characteristics help explain intent to stay with the employer.


Cells of the heart of the day 10 rat embryo are resistant to the cytotoxic effects of cyclophosphamide (CP) while cells of neuroepithelium (head) are sensitive. Using radiolabeled CP we have investigated the hypothesis that this difference in sensitivity is related to the binding (alkylation) of drug to specific proteins in heart and head cells. Two-dimensional gel analysis reveals that CP alkylates a variety of proteins in both heart and head cells. Although minor differences in the profiles of alkylated proteins exist between heart and head cells, the major proteins alkylated by CP in the two populations are identical. These data, therefore, do not support the hypothesis that sensitivity to the cytotoxic effects of CP is related to drug binding to specific proteins.


New glycoprotein (GP) IIb-IIIa antagonist preparation framon (Monafram), is the F(ab')(2) fragment of a monoclonal antibody FRaMon directed against GP IIb-IIIa. This preparation blocks GP IIb-IIIa binding with fibrinogen and inhibits platelet aggregation both in vitro and upon intravenous administration. Safety and ability of framon to prevent thrombotic complications in high risk coronary angioplasty (CA) was evaluated in the present study. FRAMON was injected intravenously into 153 patients just before the start of procedure as a single bolus at the dose of 0.25 mg/kg. Control group was formed of 126 patients who underwent angioplasty without GP IIb-IIIa blockers. After framon administration there were no allergic reactions or major bleedings, deep thrombocytopenia (< 50000/microl) developed in 1 patient (< 1%), and antibodies against framon were detected in less than 5% of patients. Number of unfavorable outcomes (cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, angina recurrence) within 1 month after CA was 3 times higher in control group than in the group of patients treated with framon (11.4% and 3.3%, respectively, p = 0.018). The effect of framon was most strongly pronounced within the first day after procedure -- administration of the drug reduced number of acute thromboses from 6.5% to 0.7% (p = 0.013). Significant differences between numbers of end points was still preserved at 6 months after procedure (25.7 and 14.2% in control and framon groups, respectively, p = 0.023). The data obtained proved safety and clinical efficacy of framon administration in coronary angioplasty with high risk of thrombotic complications.


A new 1-D cyanide-based coordination polymer consisting of octacyanomolybdate(V) and Nd(III) has been synthesized and characterized through a single-crystal X-ray and elemental analysis. The compound consists of 1-D chains single strand chiral helix of [(Terpy)(DMF)3(MeOH)Nd-CN-Mo(CN)7] (NdMo-1) (Terpy is 2,2':6',2"-terpyridine, DMF is dimethylformamide), where each MoV (CN)3− 8 entity acts as a two-monodentate bridging ligand towards two Nd(III) ions through two of its eight cyanide groups in cis positions, respectively, in an alternating fashion. Corresponding chains are connected utilizing hydrogen bond interactions to form a three-dimensional supramolecular structure that stabilizes the whole molecule. These interactions have been validated using the Hirshfeld surface analysis.


Purpose : We report the result of arthroscopic ACL reconstruction using a bone-patellar tendonbone allograft with the Flip technique. Materials and Methods : From October 2002 to August 2003, 21 cases of arthroscopic ACL reconstruction were performed using the Flip technique. The average age and follow-up period was 29.3 years old (17-46) and 13.7 months (10-20), respectively. Physical examinations, such as Lachman test, pivot shift test and measured a quantitative KT-2000 testing, the Lysholm, IKDC, and Tegner scores were performed and the results were compared with those of the final evaluation. Results : Final results of the Lachman test were 1+ in 9 patients, 2+ in 1 patient, and the pivot shift was positive in only 1 patient. Preoperative evaluation revealed an average score with a KT-2000 of 6.8 mm, a Lysholm score of 50.4, an IKDC score below C in all cases and a Tegner score of 3.0. However, the final results showed a KT-2000 of 3.2 mm, a Lysholm score of 86.2, an IKDC score above B in all cases and a Tegner score of 6.6. Conclusion : Arthroscopic ACL reconstruction using allogeneic bone-patellar tendon-bone graft with the Flip technique showed excellent functional results with a resolution of the graft-tunnel length mismatch.


In cubarthritis—osteoarthritis of the elbow—surgical procedures may be considered to debride the elbow joint to reduce pain, to increase mobility, and to postpone joint replacement surgery. The ulnohumeral arthroplasty as described by Outerbridge and Kashiwagi was originally introduced to debride both anterior and posterior elbow compartments through a direct posterior mini-open approach. To achieve this, a distal humeral fenestration throughout the humeral fossa is performed. Although with an elbow arthroscopy, a technique that was obviously developed later on, all compartments can be easily visualized. The arthroscopic fenestration of the humerus preserves its advantages, with good clinical results focused on pain relief and gaining mobility. On top, future elbow joint locking based on degenerative loose bodies can be prevented. Therefore, this surgery is often done in young, more active patients and even in sportsmen. These patients, however, need to be prompted to restrict loading on the elbow in the immediate postoperative period, because the elbow is biomechanically weakened and may be prone to a fracture. However, both outcome and postoperative rehabilitation are promising and the arthroscopic Outerbridge procedure is a reliable procedure with an easy rehabilitation. Therefore, the threshold is relatively low in early cubarthritis and recurrent locking of the elbow. In this paper, we present a literature review and the author's experience and own research on the Outerbridge procedure.


In this article, I argue that Chettle's somewhat neglected play, The Tragedy of Hoffman, stands apart from either John Kerrigan's influential account of revenge tragedy as continual escalation, or Linda Woodbridge's more recent account of revenge tragedy as bilateral symmetry. The quantification of death and the concomitant mathematical calculation of an appropriate revenge are made a particularly explicit component of the aesthetic of Hoffman, in which two distinctly Aristotelian models of revenge are permitted to emerge: one relies upon the geometrical proportionality inherent to the concept of distributive justice, and the other relies upon the arithmetical proportionality inherent to the concept of corrective, or rectificatory justice. My contention here is that, by placing these two mathematical models of revenge‐justice into counterpoint, Hoffman manages to interrogate them simultaneously as two separate architectures of justice (each with their own logics and aesthetics, problematics and justifications) but also to question where the boundaries between these models might lie, and how the subjective alteration of those boundaries might effect their social and judicial utility.


The following report is based on studies carried out on a trained subject for four and a half years. The subject was originally selected to serve as the source of gastric juice for patients with pernicious anemia. Because of the fact that he was receiving repeated injections of histamine, we decided to study his gastric secretion. At first attention was paid only to the volume and the acidity; later, determinations of pepsin and chloride were included. F. F., aged 49 years, a foreman of a railroad gang, entered the Cincinnati General Hospital, in February 1931, with paralysis of the extremities following ingestion of adulterated Jamaica ginger. His past history was unimportant except for chronic alcoholism. He had been surprisingly free from digestive disturbances. The general physical examination revealed only evidence of peripheral neuritis and of some involvement of the pyramidal tracts. The blood count, urinalysis and stool analysis gave normal


To facilitate the parent company's push to gain market share, Heineken USA needed to be more responsive to market demand fluctuation. Because of the long lead-time between order and delivery, they found that responding to marketplace changes in a timely fashion was becoming increasingly difficult. In the meantime, major competitors such as Anheuser Busch were responding to consumer demands for fresher products by providing freshness label dating. Heineken USA launched its new Interact based system called Heineken Operational Planning System (HOPS) to allow the parent company to produce the beer closer to the time when they need to deliver it, so the customer receives a fresher product. The new system enables Heineken USA to achieve 50% reduction in the lead-time from order to delivery and 10% increase in sales.


This paper presents methods and results in modeling wind turbine dynamic radar signatures in the near field. The theoretical analysis begins with the simpler case of modeling wind turbine blades as rectangular plates. The theoretical radar signature for the wind turbine in the near field is formulated and its main peculiarities are investigated. Subsequently, the complex shape of the blades is considered and the corresponding radar signatures are modeled. Theoretical modeling is confirmed for both cases via experimental testing in laboratory conditions. It is shown that the experimental results are in good accordance with the theoretically predicted signatures.


The TNF superfamily member TWEAK (TNFSF12) is a multifunctional cytokine implicated in physiological tissue regeneration and wound repair. TWEAK is initially synthesized as a membrane-anchored protein, but furin cleavage within the stalk region can generate a secreted TWEAK isoform. Both TWEAK isoforms bind to a small cell surface receptor named Fn14 (TNFRSF12A) and this interaction stimulates various cellular responses, including proliferation and migration. Fn14, like other members of the TNF receptor superfamily, is not a ligand-activated protein kinase. Instead, TWEAK:Fn14 engagement promotes Fn14 association with members of the TNFR associated factor family of adapter proteins, which triggers activation of various signaling pathways, including the classical and alternative NF-κB pathways. Numerous studies have revealed that Fn14 gene expression is significantly elevated in injured tissues and in most solid tumor types. Also, sustained Fn14 signaling has been implicated in the pathogenesis of cerebral ischemia, chronic inflammatory diseases, and cancer. Accordingly, several groups are developing TWEAK- or Fn14-targeted agents for possible therapeutic use in patients. These agents include monoclonal antibodies, fusion proteins, and immunotoxins. In this article, we provide an overview of some of the TWEAK/Fn14 axis-targeted agents currently in pre-clinical animal studies or in human clinical trials and discuss two other potential approaches to target this intriguing signaling node.


The AdS/CFT correspondence between string theory in AdS space and conformal .eld theories in physical spacetime leads to an analytic, semi-classical model for strongly-coupled QCD which has scale invariance and dimensional counting at short distances and color confinement at large distances. Although QCD is not conformally invariant, one can nevertheless use the mathematical representation of the conformal group in five-dimensional anti-de Sitter space to construct a first approximation to the theory. The AdS/CFT correspondence also provides insights into the inherently non-perturbative aspects of QCD, such as the orbital and radial spectra of hadrons and the form of hadronic wavefunctions. In particular, we show that there is an exact correspondence between the fifth-dimensional coordinate of AdS space z and a specific impact variable {zeta} which measures the separation of the quark and gluonic constituents within the hadron in ordinary space-time. This connection allows one to compute the analytic form of the frame-independent light-front wavefunctions, the fundamental entities which encode hadron properties and allow the computation of decay constants, form factors, and other exclusive scattering amplitudes. New relativistic lightfront equations in ordinary space-time are found which reproduce the results obtained using the 5-dimensional theory. The effective light-front equations possess remarkable algebraic structuresmore » and integrability properties. Since they are complete and orthonormal, the AdS/CFT model wavefunctions can also be used as a basis for the diagonalization of the full light-front QCD Hamiltonian, thus systematically improving the AdS/CFT approximation.« less


Cardiac function is dynamically regulated by various G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). GPCR kinases (GRKs) are important in cardiac GPCR regulation through phosphorylation and desensitization of these receptors. GRK2 and GRK5 are the predominant GRKs in the heart, and the most widely characterized as they are both up-regulated in the failing heart. Prior studies from our Lab have determined that GRK5 plays a crucial role in pathological cardiac hypertrophy. Another type of hypertrophy termed, "physiological hypertrophy" occurs with exercise training and is defined as an enlargement in cardiac myocyte size leading to favorable cardiac adaptations. At present, it is unclear if GRK5 is a regulator of physiological hypertrophy in addition to its role in maladaptive hypertrophy. We hypothesize that GRK5 will not regulate physiological hypertrophy such that mice with cardiac-specific overexpression of GRK5 (TgGRK5) will yield a similar post-exercise cardiac physiological hypertrophic response as that of control wild-type (WT) mice. To test this hypothesis, TgGRK5 and WT mice were exposed to a 21 day high-intensity swimming exercise protocol. For each line, sham mice, which did not swim served as appropriate controls. At the conclusion of this protocol, mice were sacrificed and heart weight (HW), body weight (BW), and tibia length (TL) measured. TgGRK5 and WT mice both exhibited a characteristic 10-15% increase in HW/BW and HW/TL ratios, which are standard measures of cardiac hypertrophy. In addition, hearts were sectioned and H&E stained to evaluate myocyte size. Both TgGRK5 and WT mice exhibited a significant increase in myocyte size. Cardiac function was evaluated via echocardiography both prior to and after exercise training, and no changes were observed between TgGRK5 and WT mice after training. These data were re-affirmed in H9C2 cells and neonatal rat ventricular myocytes overexpressing either GFP or GRK5, which exhibited similar increases in cell size and AKT phosphorylation after IGF-1 treatment, a physiological hypertrophy stimulus. Taken together, these data suggest that physiological hypertrophy is similar in both control and TgGRK5 mice, confirming that GRK5 is solely a regulator of pathological cardiac hypertrophy.


We report the first record of the ammotheid pycnogonid species Hemichela nanhaiensis Wang et al., 2015, from Japanese waters. Four specimens of H. nanhaiensis were collected from the East China Sea at depths of 405–635 m, including the first females ever found. We redescribe male and female H. nanhaiensis from these specimens. We found that H. nanhaiensis is sexually dimorphic in the number of tiny lateral outgrowths on the lateral processes; length of the lateral process tubercles and oviger articles 4 and 5; ratio of the terminal claw to article 10 in the oviger; presence or absence of a proximal reversed spine on oviger article 5; thickness of the leg femur; and number of gonopores.


Abstract—In this paper, a hybrid blind digital watermarking system using Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT) and Contourlet Transform (CT) has been implemented and tested. The implemented combined digital watermarking system has been tested against five common types of image attacks. The performance evaluation shows improved results in terms of imperceptibility, robustness, and high tolerance against these attacks; accordingly, the system is very effective and applicable.


Polypropylene and jute bags are widely used for grain storage across the developing world. The permeability of clear polypropylene bags (PP-C), opaque polypropylene bags (PP-O) and jute bags were determined using the ASTM E96 Standard Test Methods under three temperature and relative humidity combinations (25°C / 65%, 28°C / 75% and 30°C / 80%) that resulted in three vapor pressure deficits of 1.11, 0.95, and 0.85 kPa. The water vapor transfer rate (WVTR) and the interaction between water vapor permeability (WVP) of the materials were determined. WVTR ranged from 216 g m-2 day-1 for opaque polypropylene (PP-O) exposed to air conditions of 30°C / 80% to 478 g m-2 day-1 for jute exposed to air at 25°C / 65% WVTR decreased with vapor pressure deficit for all materials. There was no significant difference in the WVTR between the polypropylene bags (PP-C and PP-O). WVP values ranged from 4.7 × 10-5 g (m day Pa)-1 to 6.4 × 10-4 g (m day Pa)-1 at 25°C / 65% for PP-O and jute, respectively. WVP of PP-C and PP-O decreased slightly as the vapor pressure deficit increased. The permeability of jute was significantly different from both polypropylene bags under these test conditions (p<0.05). The change in corn moisture content with initial moisture at 10% and 12% (wb) were investigated using mini bags constructed from the three materials. Environmental condition, initial grain moisture, and the interaction among the parameters, had a large impact on the moisture change. There was a weak positive interaction between WVP of bag materials and change in corn moisture. This study demonstrates that environmental condition affects moisture redistribution in grain stored in woven bags, thus adequate monitoring is required to maintain grain quality during storage.


Asthma is the most common chronic lung disease, with increasing morbidity and mortality worldwide. Accumulation of peribronchial leukocytes is the hallmark of asthma, in particular, eosinophils, which have been reported as the primary cell associated with the induction of airway hyperresponsiveness. Continued exacerbation and accumulation of other leukocytes, such as neutrophils, Th1, and Th17 cells correlate with many of the long-term effects of asthma, such as airway remodeling. We have patented the TnP family of synthetic cyclic peptides, which is in the preclinical phase of developmental studies for chronic inflammatory diseases. The aim of this work was to investigate whether TnP could show anti-inflammatory activity in a murine model of asthma that includes a mixed phenotype of eosinophilic and neutrophilic inflammation. For this, Balb/c mice, sensitized with OVA and exposed to 1% challenge with OVA aerosol, were submitted to prophylactic treatment, receiving TnP at 0.3 mg/kg orally, 1 h before each challenge. We found that sensitized mice challenged with OVA and treated with TnP showed no airway hyperreactivity or lung remodeling. TnP acts systemically in secondary lymphoid organs and locally in the lung, inhibiting the production of Th2/Th17 cytokines. Furthermore, TnP prevented the infiltration of eosinophils and neutrophils in the BAL and lung tissue, inhibited the production of IgE/IgG1, prevented hyperplasia of mucus-producing cells, and decreased the thickening and deposition of sub-epithelial collagen. Our results showed TnP as a candidate molecule for the treatment of airway remodeling associated with inflammatory diseases, such as asthma.


In this work, the performances of circular single-and double-sided composite patch repairs are compared by computing the maximum stress intensity factor of a repaired surface crack. The three-dimensional finite-element method is used to calculate the stress intensity factor along the crack. The effects of the crack depth, composite patch thickness and patch material on the stress intensity factor variation are highlighted. The obtained results show that the selection of single-or double-sided patches depends on both the crack depth and patch thickness.


Abstract The paper attempts to describe the possibilities of shaping the environment and spatial development of the rural administrative areas of Białowieża, using the tools of planning documents. The natural and cultural space of Białowieża rural administrative district is particularly sensitive to any investment activities. It is impossible to overestimate its value, and the need to take care of it is a natural necessity, determining all activities, especially planning and architectural-urban planning ones, responsible for its future shape. The aim of the study is to indicate ways of searching for such possibilities so that the two – natural and cultural – structures harmoniously interpenetrate each other. Subsequent steps and activities are described in detail, starting with a very precise identification of the resources of the space under analysis, followed by the execution of an architectural and urban planning inventory, conducting a nature and landscape study up to the development of a list of parameters and indicators, and ending with the development of a three-dimensional model of the settlement units of the rural district, based on the provisions of the draft local spatial development plan.


Adult probation evolved in the United States as a result of the suspended sentence concept. As a result of a lack of follow through when an individual obtained a suspended sentence, there was no "checks and balances" to monitor whether an individual completed the guidelines set forth. As time progressed, it became apparent a more cohesive and monitored system was needed. Thus, an energetic and motivated individual, John Augustus, started the concept of probation by taking it upon himself to assist in the rehabilitative process of individuals charged with criminal behavior. Subsequent to his death, the concept of probation was embraced by his advocates who lobbied legislatively in order to enact probation laws that would oversee the success of probationers. It wasn't until the 1950's that the counties in the state of Texas took it upon themselves to enact their own system of monitoring of probationers. Over time the states have guided their probation concepts from evidence based research. Juvenile probation in the United States didn't gain a solid foundation until the end of the 19th century with the development of the first juvenile court in Illinois. It took this country time to understand that juveniles were different than adults mentally; therefore, there would need to be a separation of juveniles from adults from being subjected to the same punishments as adults. The approach in dealing with juveniles was more grounded in treatment rather than in punishment. In the state of Texas, the focus for juvenile probation was based on different approaches based on the areas within the state. The juvenile system has gone through the due process era to its current state of the evidence based research. This thesis will provide the reader an overview of the history of the development of probation in the United States and in the State of Texas, specifically in the two largest counties in Texas. This thesis will go into detail in how probation came into existence to where it is in its current state.


Pulmonary alveolar type II cells have been shown to be a possible target for the secosteroid hormone, 1alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 [1alpha,25(OH)2D3], during perinatal transition. At present, there is great interest to isolate and identify the metabolites of 1alpha,25(OH)2D3 produced in its target tissues and to determine the contribution of each individual metabolite of 1alpha,25(OH)2D3 to the final expression of the pleiotropic actions attributed to 1alpha,25(OH)2D3. Of all the known metabolites of 1alpha,25(OH)2D3, 1alpha,25(OH)2-3-epi-D3 has gained most attention as it is produced only in specific tissues and possesses significant activity in tissues in which it is produced. Furthermore, in vivo studies indicate that this metabolite when compared to 1alpha,25(OH)2D3 is less calcemic. Therefore, we performed the present study to identify production of 1alpha,25(OH)2-3-epi-D3 in alveolar type II cells, and to evaluate its effect on surfactant synthesis. We incubated NCI-H441 cells, an alveolar type II cell line, with 1alpha,25(OH)2D3 and demonstrated that these cells metabolize 1alpha,25(OH)2D3 to various previously well-characterized polar metabolites, and to a less polar metabolite which was unequivocally identified as 1alpha,25(OH)2-3-epi-D3 by GC/MS and HPLC analysis. Further, biological activity studies in H441 cells indicated that 1alpha,25(OH)2-3-epi-D3 possesses significant activity in terms of its ability: (i) to increase surfactant phospholipid synthesis, (ii) to induce surfactant SP-B mRNA gene expression, and (iii) to increase surfactant SP-B protein synthesis. However, the activity of 1alpha,25(OH)2-3-epi-D3 when compared to 1alpha,25(OH)2D3 in generating VDR-mediated transcriptional activity in ROS 17/2.8 cells transfected with human osteocalcin VDRE/growth hormone gene construct, was significantly reduced. The high metabolic stability of 1alpha,25(OH)2-3-epi-D3, as previously proposed by us, may be a possible explanation for the high in vitro activity in spite of the reduced VDR-mediated transcriptional activity. In summary, we report for the first time the pathways of 1alpha,25(OH)2D3 metabolism in pulmonary alveolar type II cells and indicate that 1alpha,25(OH)2-3-epi-D3, a natural intermediary metabolite of 1alpha,25(OH)2D3 possesses significant activity in stimulating surfactant synthesis in alveolar type II cells.


Local time variations in the OH, and O2(b¹Σ g+) and O(¹S) nightglow have recently been reported in observations by the Wind Imaging Interferometer (WINDII) and the High Resolution Doppler Imager (HRDI) on the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) and attributed to dynamical effects associated with the migrating diurnal tide. A simple model involving vertical advection, a background atmosphere from MSIS, and a latitudinal variation in amplitude given by the (1,1) Hough mode is developed and found to duplicate many of the features of the satellite observations. The model demonstrates that vertical advection is the prime process causing these airglow variations. The observed variability in the relative phases and intensities between these nightglow signatures are most likely due to variations in the phase, amplitude and/or vertical wavelength of the tide, and/or the background oxygen mixing ratio. Given the ubiquitous nature of the tidal influence in the mesopause region any attempt to determine background atmospheric parameters from nightglow signatures must take the dynamical effects of the diurnal tide into account.


The study sought to determine the nature of relatio nship between Dividend per Share and Share Price Changes, and the rate at which Share Prices reflect Dividend Announcement information for stocks traded at the Nairobi Securities Exchange. The target population was all the 57 companies listed at the Nairobi Securities E xchange as at 31 st December, 2010. Purposive sampling was used to select a sample of four companies. The event study methodology was used to determine the effect of Dividend Announcement on Share Prices. Market Adjusted Abnormal Returns (MAAR) and Cumulative Abnormal Returns (CAR) around the event day were calculated using the Market Adjusted Abnormal Return model. Secondary data was obtained from Nairobi Securities Exchange. Correlation and t-statistic were used in data analysis.The study found negative relationship between Dividend Announcements and Share Price changes in companies quoted at Nairobi Securities Exchange. The study establishes the basis for the companies' mana gement to formulate their dividend policy and also provides information to investors to make right judgment in interpreting dividend announced by companies quoted at Nairobi Securities Exchange.


A method is described which makes it possible to calculate rigorously the distribution of the adsorption energies of the sites of a catalyst surface when the adsorption isotherms are known, if the adsorption is localized and there are no interactions. This method is applied to a Freundlich isotherm, and also to a new theoretical isotherm which reduces to the Freundlich type for small pressures, but exhibits saturation for large pressures. It is shown that this isotherm corresponds to a distribution function which differs very little from a Gaussian one. The case of atomic adsorption of gases is also considered.


This paper describes the vulnerability analysis of a complex network as the process of identifying the combination of component failures that provide maximum reduction of network performance. By way of a vulnerability analysis, the understanding of these failures can be related to the occurrence of a disruptive event, and also to the fundamental tasks for the protection of critical infrastructures. To describe vulnerability, the paper provides an analytical method to characterize completely the importance of network disruptions and identify a vulnerability set via the solution of a proposed multi-objective network vulnerability problem. This approach makes it possible to recognize that decision-makers (e.g. network managers) could benefit from understanding the relationship between different failure scenarios and network performance, for example, how the increase in protection resources would reduce the vulnerability of the network. Numerical examples, related to a medium-sized network and two complex networks, are solved using the evolutionary algorithm known as the multi-objective probabilistic solution discovery algorithm (MO-PSDA) and illustrate the proposed approach.


Forty-three years later these words still ring true, but are too seldom followed (Fedick 1996). For several years, we have been engaged in a multidisciplinary programme of research in northwestern Belize and neighbouring areas of Guatemala, eliciting a comprehensive, integrated picture of changing ancient Maya landscapes (Scarborough & Dunning 1996; Valdez et al. 1997). Our goals include a reconstructive correlation of environmental and cultural history, including the relationship between changes in water and land management and political economic organization. This work is still in progress and our understanding is far from complete (Dunning & Scarborough 1997).


The production of health economic evaluations of pharmaceuticals is a global, multibillion dollar industry. Despite this fact, little is known about what happens after a health economic evaluation has been produced. Will it be used at all, and if so, how? Who uses economic evaluations and for what purposes? Are there differences in the use patterns between decision makers at macro, meso and micro levels? Are decision makers willing and able to use them, and to what extent can the patterns be explained by contextual factors? This dissertation aims to provide answers to these questions. The concepts "use" and "barriers to use" are developed and the influence of contextual factors, demands for transparency, internal and external institutions, and logics on the use patterns are investigated. The use and barriers to use are addressed by an empirical investigation of Swedish pharmaceutical decision makers at the Dental and Pharmaceutical Benefits Agency (TLV), a county council formulary committee and prescribing physicians. Differences in the use patterns and the barriers to use are found among the Swedish macro (TLV), meso (county council formulary committee) and micro (physicians) decision makers. The findings from the empirical research on Swedish decision makers are also contrasted with decision makers in other countries in a systematic literature review. Through triangulation of observations, interviews and analysis of documents it is suggested that the use may be defined according to the purpose of the use and consequently the phase of the priority setting process (i.e. preparation, expert comments, decision making or launch). In addition, a conceptual model of the use and barriers related to the acceptability of health economic evaluations among decision makers is suggested, integrating findings from research in health economics, priority setting and institutional theory. According to this model, barriers to use may be explained by six factors ; 1) budget restrictions, 2) decision making rules used to reduce uncertainty, 3) demand for transparency, 4) internal institutions, 5) external institutions, and 6) the existence of prevailing templates. (Less)


Edge computing is a recent computing paradigm that brings cloud services closer to the client. Among other features, edge computing offers extremely low client/server latencies. To consistently provide such low latencies, services should run on edge nodes that are physically as close as possible to their clients. Thus, when the physical location of a client changes, a service should migrate between edge nodes to maintain proximity. Differently from cloud nodes, edge nodes integrate CPUs of different Instruction Set Architectures (ISAs), hence a program natively compiled for a given ISA cannot migrate to a server equipped with a CPU of a different ISA. This hinders migration to the closest node. We introduce H-Container, a system that migrates natively compiled containerized applications across compute nodes featuring CPUs of different ISAs. H-Container advances over existing heterogeneous-ISA migration systems by being (a) highly compatible – no user's source-code nor compiler toolchain modifications are needed; (b) easily deployable – fully implemented in user space, thus without any OS or hypervisor dependency, and (c) largely Linux-compliant – it can migrate most Linux software, including server applications and dynamically linked binaries. H-Container targets Linux and its already-compiled executables, adopts LLVM, extends CRIU, and integrates with Docker. Experiments demonstrate that H-Container adds no overheads during program execution, while 10–100 ms are added during migration. Furthermore, we show the benefits of H-Container in real-world scenarios, demonstrating, for example, up to 94% increase in Redis throughput when client/server proximity is maintained through heterogeneous container migration.


The hypothesis that antioxidant vitamins may reduce risk of cardiovascular diseases has been the subject of considerable research attention in recent years. Basic research studies have provided evidence of possible mechanisms for an effect of antioxidants on atherosclerosis, and several epidemiological studies have suggested that risk of coronary heart disease may be 20-40% lower among those with high dietary intake and serum levels of antioxidant vitamins, especially of vitamin E. However, large-scale randomized trial haven not supported a benefit of high doses of vitamin E supplementation among a general, well-nourished population.


The deposits are of three types. Lode-type deposits are deep, narrow, conformable lenses of massive hematite within steeply-dipping Precambrian iron formation. They are believed to be hypogene replacements of the iron formation, formed by hot fluids during metamorphism; they contain much less alumina and phosphorus than supergene ores, their structural relations suggest formation after deformation, and they have 9mudstone9 envelopes that suggest argillic alteration. Crust-type deposits are relatively shallow bodies formed by supergene enrichment (leaching of silica). Derived-type deposits are products of mechanical and chemical weathering, transportation, and accumulation of iron from the iron formation. Examples of all three types occur in other countries.


The subject of mental disturbances associated with pituitary disorders embraces two large fields—psychiatry and endocrinology—in either of which any discussion is considerably influenced by the subjective interpretative point of view. Both fields present unlimited opportunity for fanciful speculation and interpretive mysticism. For such a study as is here proposed, the use of the experimental method is possible to only a very limited extent, and we must content ourselves with such clinical material as nature provides. The psychiatrist, from necessity, must be interested in a general and total view of all the symptoms of the sick man. He well recognizes his limitations in estimating the etiologic importance of the multitudinous factors in the causation of mental disorder. Particularly is this true of somatic disorders outside the central nervous system. Similarly, conservative endocrinologists are hesitant in discussing with finality interglandular relationships, and in ascribing to glandular disease other changes that have taken


There are lots of and kinds of stone pagoda and stone Buddhas at Unjusa Temple in Hwasun, Jeonnam, which is thus called as Cheontap(千塔) or Cheonbul.(千佛) Several archaeological excavations have been conducted in Unjusa though, the foundation purpose or background motivation is yet wrapped in mystery. Circular shape is representative pagoda of Unjusa made of round frame or spherical roof but circular stone pagoda is unusual that there is no similar example found in India or China as well as in Korea. Located in the symbolic center, Circular stone pagoda is a key to understand Unjusa. Yundeung(輪燈) is made of stone for circular stone pagoda and there are craft lamp and large lamp. The large lamp, for the palace courtyard on the occasion of Palgwanhoe,(八關會) consists of discs and light on each disc. Outdoor lamp of circular stone pagoda made of stone for permanent preservation purpose. Unjusa is a very special temple with stone-yundeung for circular stone pagoda. In this study, a circular stone pagoda that is the source of yundeung said. Unjusa circular 주제어 : 운주사, 석탑, 원형석탑, 윤등,


This paper proposes an adaptive algorithm for non-pilot distance protection of power transmission systems. The proposed adaptive method compensates the infeed effect by estimating its current based on the short-circuit capacity. The performance analysis of the proposed technique was made from simulations in a 230 kV Brazilian transmission line using ATP/ETMP software. The adaptive technique was implemented and evaluated in MATLAB environment, presenting excellent performance in the line trip decisions compared to a traditional method.


This book provides all the vital information you need to know about tuberculosis,especially in the face of drug-resistant strains of the disease.


Our results from 121 patients as well as data from the literature prove that fertility rates after treatment of uni- or bilateral cryptorchism remain unsatisfactory. There is no statistically significant difference in fertility between a group of patients treated with human-chorionic-gonadotrophin and another group treated by orchidopexy after unsuccessful hormonal therapy. On the other hand, late results in unilateral cryptorchism are to a statistically significant extent better than in bilateral cryptorchism (46/29%). According to our histological findings in maldescended testicles, early treatment (before the age of 3 years) is advocated.


The invention relates to a method for operating interacting different units, particularly of an installation, with different controllers that control these advanced control sequences, particularly with different control pulses. The inventive method is characterized in that the clock pulses (IPOi) of the different controllers (3.1, 3.2, 3.3) are interpolated to a common system clock pulse (ttick),and that the control sequences are synchronized. A device suited for carrying out the inventive method correspondingly comprises at least one common interpolation device (5.3) for the controllers (3.1, 3.2, 3.3) for interpolating the clock pulses (IPOi) of the different controllers (3.1, 3.2, 3.3) to a common system clock pulse (ttick) and at least one synchronization device (5) for synchronizingthe control sequences.


Thesis submitted to the Department of Civil Engineering, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in partial fulfilment of the requirement for the degree of Master Science, 2010


Shigella flexneri is an important cause of bacillary dysentery in developing countries. Small regulatory RNAs (sRNAs) play essential roles in diverse cellular processes. We found a novel sRNA Ssr1 based on RT-PCR, northern blot, and 5′RACE in S. flexneri. Ssr1 responds to acidic environmental changes, as shown by a strong linear correlation between the pH value and Ssr1 expression (R = 0.785, P < 0.05) using the qRT-PCR method. Deletion of Ssr1 results in growth retardation at pH values ranging from 5.0 to 7.0 (P < 0.05), and the survival rate was reduced by 22% in acidic conditions (pH 3.0). Additionally, virulence was significantly increased in an Ssr1 mutant strain, as revealed in a murine lung invasion model and survival model assays. By using the sTarPicker method and proteomic analysis, we considered that DnaK, which is a major factor that confers acidic stress tolerance, may be a direct target of Ssr1. We also found that Ssr1 may enhance virulence by directly targeting OmpA; this leads to altered expression of genes in the type three secretion system (T3SS). This work provides new insight into the mechanism of adaptation to environmental stress and into the pathogenesis of Shigella.


Segmental collapse occurs in the early stage of avascular necrosis (AVN) of the femoral head, and is associated with a poor prognosis. Since it develops at a relatively young age, the long-term outcome after total hip replacement is a major concern. We have compared the long-term results of pedicle bone grafting (PBG) with those of transtrochanteric rotational osteotomy (TRO). In the PBG group there were 23 men (27 hips) and three women (4 hips) with a mean age at the time of surgery of 38 years and a mean follow-up of 13 years. In the TRO group there were 44 men (55 hips) and 19 women (22 hips) with a mean age at the time of surgery of 39 years and a mean follow-up of seven years. Failure was defined as a need for total hip replacement or a Harris hip score below 70. The long-term results were similar for the two groups. The survival rates at five and ten years were 85% and 67%, respectively, in the PBG group, and 71% and 61%, respectively, in the TRO group, according to Kaplan-Meier survivorship analysis. In the TRO group patients in stage II had significantly better results that those in stage III.


Cancer stem cells (CSCs) play a decisive role in the development and progression of cancer. To investigate CSCs in Epstein‐Barr virus (EBV)‐associated carcinoma (EBVaGC), we screened previously reported stem cell markers of gastric cancer in EBV‐infected gastric cancer cell lines (TMK1 and NUGC3) and identified CD44v6v9 double positive cells as candidate CSCs. CD44v6/v9+/+ cells were sorted from EBVaGC cell line (SNU719) cells and EBV‐infected TMK1 cells and these cell populations showed high spheroid‐forming ability and tumor formation in SCID mice compared with the respective CD44v6/v9−/− cells. Sphere‐forming ability was dependent on the nuclear factor‐κB (NF‐κB) signaling pathway, which was confirmed by decrease of sphere formation ability under BAY 11‐7082. Small interfering RNA knockdown of latent membrane protein 2A (LMP2A), one of the latent gene products of EBV infection, decreased spheroid formation in SNU719 cells. Transfection of the LMP2A gene increased the sphere‐forming ability of TMK1 cells, which was mediated through NF‐κB signaling. Together, these results indicate that CD44v6v9+/+ cells are CSCs in EBVaGC that are maintained through the LMP2A/NF‐κB pathway. Future studies should investigate CD44v6/v9+/+ cells in normal and neoplastic gastric epithelium to prevent and treat this specific subtype of gastric cancer infected with EBV.


The signature verification system using image processing is a technique where researchers are eagerly concentrating. The problem in the signature verification system is non availability of data for testing. Security using signature has to be developed with high accuracy. Here we studied the algorithms available in the market. For signature verification, we proposed a new method of signature verification using suitable algorithm. Our proposed system achieves 90% of accuracy.


Oil shale process waters can contain high concentrations (I to 30 g/L) of dissolved ammonia/ammonium ion, most of which must be removed prior to discharge or codisposal. Nonosmotic dissolved-gas dialysis (NOGD), a membrane separation process that uses tubular, microporous hydrophobic polytetrafluoroethene (PTFE) membranes, is being evaluated as an alternative to conventional ammonia removal methods, such as steam stripping. Unlike most conventional methods, NOGD is more selective for ammonia, and it combines both removal and recovery of ammonia in a single unit process. The PTFE membrane serves as a gaseous barrier between two aqueous phases. Dissolved ammonia diffuses from the wastewater through the gaseous interface to an acidic absorption solution (dialysate), which serves to maintain the concentration gradient of ammonia gas across the membrane wall. This separation process has been described in a numeric model based on the diffusive transport of ammonia. For an ammonium hydroxide solution, correlation between the numeric model and experimental results was greater than 90% using mass-transfer coefficients as the basis of comparison; correlation between the model and experimental data for waters from three oil shale retorts (Occidental burn #6 [Oxy-6), Geokinetics-9, and Paraho) was poorer. On the basis of hydraulic residence times (HRT), the ammonia removals attained were 56% for Oxy-6 (0.92 min HRT), 55% for Geokinetics (0.87 min HRT), and 64% for Paraho (0.83 min HRT). These results from bench-scale experiments demonstrate the potential of NOGD as a rapid ammonia removal process. INTRODUCTION Ammoniac industrial and domestic wastewaters contain an equilibrium mixture of free ammonia gas and nonvolatile, protonated ammonium ion. The relative concentrations of these two species depends on the pH. The concentration of ammoniac1 ~Sanitary Engineering and Environmental Health Research Laboratory University of California (Berkeley) Richmond, California 94804 nitrogen reported for any given wastewater does not distinguish between the two forms. Wastewater ammoniac-N concentrations can range over orders of magnitude: domestic sewage (typically 10 to 50 mg/L) (Metcalf and Eddy, Inc. 1979), oil refinery wastewaters (as high as 7 000 mg/L) (American Petroleum Institute 1969), and oil shale process waters (I 000 to 31 000 mg/L) (Daughton, Sakaji, and Langlois, in press). Ammonia removal from refinery wastewaters typically depends on a packed-bed process (e.g., steam stripping). Studies by the American Petroleum Institute (API 1975) have shown, however, that steam strippers do not always meet design specifications. Removal of ammonia and carbonate alkalinity from oil shale wastewaters, using EPA-approved treatment schemes that incluC:ed steam stripping, has been evaluated (Day, Desai, and Liberick, Jr. 1983). Another report on steam stripping of oil shale wastewaters (Sakaji, Persoff, and Daughton 1984) summarizes the results of pilotand bench-scale steam strippers and concludes that this treatment process is not always successful. These limitations, coupled with the energy requirements for steam generation, suggest that alternative technologies may be desirable. One such alternative is the use of gas-permeable membrane separation devices. This report discusses nonosmotic dissolved-gas dialysis (NOGD) as an alternative to conventional steam stripping. The process uses dialysis (i.e., ammonia diffuses from a region of high concentration to one of low concentration, the dialysate) without the concomitant osmosis of liquid water. NOGD is similar to the hollow-fiber gas membrane technology that has been used for the selective separation of ammonia from aqueous solutions (Qi and Cussler 1985), but NOGD uses a thicker and more porous, tubular polytetrafluoroethene (PTFE) membrane. The combination of hydrophobic and microporous membrane properties allows gases to volatilize from the liquid phase and diffuse through the gas-filled membrane pores while preventing the passage of liquid water; this prevents dilution by the wastewater and allows for collection of highly concentrated dialysates. The transport of ammonia is driven by a concentration gradient maintained across the membrane by absorption of the ammonia permeate into a dilute, nonvolatile acid solution, where it is protonated to form ammonium ion; this effectively reduces the ammonia concentration at the outer membrane wall to zero. An advantage of NOGD is not only the selectivity of the process, but also the combining of stripping and resource recovery into a single unit process; this simplifies design and encourages recovery of a potentially valuable resource. The diffusive transport model of ammonia removal was experimentally verified by NOGD treatment of an ammonium hydroxide solution. To assess the feasibility of wastewater treatment by NOGD, removals for waters containing a wide range of ammoniac concentrations were compared. Ammonia removals from both domestic sewage and an ammonium hydroxide solution were close to predicted values even though the ammonia concentrations differed by orders of magnitude. Ammonia removals from oil shale wastewaters were much poorer than predicted, although the results were comparable to those achieved by some benchand pilot-scale steam strippers. The theory of NOGD, a description of the numeric transport model, and laboratory results are discussed in this report. THEORY OF NONOSMOTIC DISSOLVED-GAS DIALYSIS The use of PTFE membranes for dissolved-gas removal has been 'almost exclusively confined to chemical-analysis instrumentation. Microporous PTFE membranes have been used in continuous-flow reactors for the quantitative analysis of aqueous samples for volatile solutes such as chlorine· (Aoki and Munemori 1983) and ammonia (Aoki, Uemura, Munemori 1983). One of the first uses of tubular, microporous PTFE membranes was for the selective removal of ammonia from samples of oil shale process water for the purpose of quantifying total nitrogen in the dialyzed sample as a rapid estimate of organic nitrogen (Daughton, Jones, and Sakaji 1985). From this work, it was suggested (Daughton and Sakaji 1984) that these tubes could be used in a continuous-flow process for ammonia removal, despite the noted physical limitations of the membranes (Daughton 1984, Chapter 2), Previous studies of microporous membranes in continuousflow operations used models based on mass-transfer coefficients. These models provide limited information on the mechanics of the NOGD process because the approximations and ambiguities inherent in this approach are concealed in a single coefficient (Cussler 1984). That approach was used to describe a process similar to NOGD that uses a microporous polypropylene membrane (Qi and Cussler 1985). The resulting model was limited 2 to viewing the process as a series of resistances to mass transfer: in the feed water, membrane, and dialysate (i.e., acid-capture solution); the primary resistances were demonstrated to be in the membrane and feed. Rather than combining the separate processes of ammonia transport into a single coefficient, a detailed numeric model could be built from the equation of continuity; effects such as dispersion and diffusion can be modeled as separate transport phenomena. Such a model would improve the understanding of how ammonia is transported through microporous PTFE membranes, and it would also show the proper parameters to monitor for experimental demonstration, engineering analysis, and economic analysis. For the continuous-flow NOGD process, an incompressible fluid (wastewater) is pumped through the tubular membrane of internal radius, ri, and external radius, r 0 , with steady laminar flow in a direction, z, parallel to the membrane wall (Fig. 1). The velocity profile is fully established and is parabolic. Ammonia is transported only by diffusion in the radial direction and by convection in the z-direction (diffusion in the z-direction is negligible in comparison). There is no chemical reaction that consumes or produces ammonia while the wastewater is in the PTFE membrane. The concentration profile of ammonia, in radial coordinates [c(z, r)], is given by the equation:


A 44-year-old patient with bilateral keratoconus and bilateral Fuchs' dystrophy underwent penetrating keratoplasty. Examination of the patient's family revealed keratoconus in the patient's son and central guttata and abnormal endothelial cells in the patient's mother and daughter. Histopathologic evaluation of the corneal button demonstrated a thinned central epithelium and folds and keratocytes in Bowman's layer consistent with keratoconus. Central guttata, subepithelial bullae, and a decreased number of endothelial cells, consistent with Fuchs' endothelial dystrophy, were also seen. This case demonstrates that two distinct familial corneal diseases can occur in the same patient. Although one cannot conclude inheritance patterns based on this limited evaluation, the findings in this family support previous observations that keratoconus can be familial, and that Fuchs' corneal dystrophy has a female predilection with an autosomal-dominant inheritance pattern.


The purpose of the study was to compare the Anthropometric measurements and Body Composition between Individual and Team Game of Punjab University, Chandigarh. The subjects for this study were thirty male students, each from football and Track and Field Intervarsity teams of Punjab University, Chandigarh. They were selected with the view of obtaining scores on selected Anthropometric measurements and Body Composition. The age of the subjects ranged between 18 to 25 years. The variables selected for the study under Anthropometric measurements were Standing Height, Sitting Height, Total Arm Length, Total Leg Length, Upper Arm Girth, Hand Girth, Thigh Girth, Calf Girth and Chest Girth while under Body Composition the variables under taken were body Weight, Percentage of Body Fat and Lean Body Mass. To determine the significant difference between the mean scores of subjects belonging to football and Track and Field on Anthropometric measurements and Body Composition variables, the't' ratio was employed. The level of significance chosen was 0.05. The results of the present study indicate that football and Track and Field Athletes did not differ much on selected Anthropometric measurements and Body Composition, however a significant difference in Total Leg Length, Total Arm Length and Standing Height was obtained.


In collaboration with lens-based artist, Andy Eccleston, Wright has created sonic interpretations of inaccessible environments, bridging physical and psychological territory.
 This was a centrepiece of Sightsonic Digital Arts Festival, York. Subsequent iterations (continuing) respond to their environment, e.g. using shop windows as acoustic devices in a city centre. Each piece is therefore a "work in progress", exploring the micro and macro aspects of spatialisation within each differing exhibition space.
It used medical imaging techniques and image-to-sound conversion software to create soundscapes in a psycho-acoustic examination of scale and imagined landscape. The three works are:
REQUIEM
"…a man who dissolved everything in his art", (Isaiah Berlin on Verdi) The dissolution, then regeneration, of a French horn immersed in nitric acid. (Commissioned by The Culture Club and Opera North for centenary of Verdi's death) ACOUSMA
Binaural "opera" based on the phenomenon of auditory hallucinations constructed from MRI brain scans, the images converted to sonograms and used to manipulate the recorded voice of opera north's Vikki Sharpe. SPINDRIFT
An endoscopic journey through the internal mechanisms of brass instruments initially exhibited as a series of large format mounted images, accompanied by a 15.8 multi-channel surround sound installation.


Internet connection nowadays has become one of the essential requirements to execute our daily activities effectively. Among the major applications of wide Internet connections is local area network (LAN) which connects all internet-enabled devices in a small-scale area such as office building, computer lab etc. This connection will allow legit user to access the resources of the network anywhere as long as authorization is acquired. However, this might be seen as opportunities for some people to illegally access the network. Hence, the occurrence of network hacking and privacy breach. Therefore, it is very vital for a computer network administrator to install a very protective and effective method to detect any network intrusion and, secondly to protect the network from illegal access that can compromise the security of the resources in the network. These resources include sensitive and confidential information that could jeopardise someone's life or sovereignty of a country if manipulated by wrong hands.  In Network Intrusion Detection System (NIDS) framework, apart from detecting unauthorized access, it is equally important to recognize the type of intrusions in order for the necessary precautions and preventive measures to take place. This paper presents the application of Genetic Algorithm (GA) and its steps in performing intrusion detection process. Standard benchmark dataset known as KDD'99 cup was utilized with forty-one distinctive features representing the identity of network connections. Results presented demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method and warrant good research focus as it promises exciting discovery in solving similar-patent of problems.


Research on joint decision-making processes in households is particularly relevant for marketing, especially for understanding who decides what to buy in purchasing decisions and how decision processes evolve. However, the investigation of such complex processes requires adequate research methods to account for the dynamics in close relationships. We provide a critical overview of past research in the arena of economic decision-making among couples, concentrating on methodological issues. After describing different types of decisions we proceed by describing findings on interaction dynamics, including the nature and occurrence of conflicts. In reviewing relationship structures we focus on the dimensions of harmony and power. The descriptive process model utilized includes the partners' use of influence tactics, as well as the emergence of utility debts at the end of a decision-making process. Reviewing the adequacy of various research methods, observational and survey techniques are discussed as conventional psychological research methods. The Vienna Partner Diary is introduced as novel method and suggested as being useful for collecting data on the complex interaction processes in the everyday life of couples.


Reports of 4 personal cases of breast sarcomas (3 cases of cystosarcoma phyllodes and 1 angiosarcoma), the authors review the literature concerning these rare tumors which account for less than 1% of malignant tumors of the breast. Whilst the usual clinical picture is that of a large tumor deforming the breast with pseudo-inflammatory signs, sarcomas 1 to 3 cm in diameter were discovered and treated with good chances of recovery. The natural history of breast sarcomas is marked above all by the risk of hematogenic metastatic spread (30% of cases) whilst very few (5%) local recurrences are seen following surgical treatment by mastectomy. Emphasis is placed upon problems of histological diagnosis of the variety of sarcoma and the demonstration of histoprognostic factors which can be used to predict the outcome (mitotic activity, grading) showing evidence of good correlation in the series analyzed. The various characteristics of cystosarcoma phyllodes are described emphasizing the conditions surrounding its development, relations with benign phyllodes tumors. The particular severity of this sarcomatous form in the very young woman is mentioned. Prevention lies in the sufficiently extensive excision of the phyllodes tumor. Mesenchymatous sarcomas of the breast are also accompanied by a fairly favorable prognosis (5 year actuarial survival of 50 to 80% according to series). By contrast, two special and rare histological varieties, angiosarcoma and lymphosarcoma, are characterized by a much more gloomy prognosis and require different treatment including radiotherapy and chemotherapy.


Elder abuse is a significant public health issue encompassing neglect, financial exploitation, physical and sexual abuse, and affecting about 10% of adults over age 60 (Acierno et al., 2010). While elder sexual abuse (ESA) is the least common form of elder abuse, its impact can be devastating (Dong, 2015). Though the American Medical Association has long held for the routine screening of elder abuse (Aravanis et al., 1993), there are substantial barriers and challenges in identifying and addressing maltreatment among ESA survivors (Burgess, 2006). This brief commentary provides an overview of the risk factors for ESA, survivors and offender characteristics, as well as signs of abuse health care providers should be aware of in the older population. Given that older adults frequently interface with health care professionals, these providers are in a unique position to screen and address this underrecognized issue. The introduction of the integrated behavioral health model provides additional resources for this domain. We discuss how components of other interprofessional and integrated care programs, which have successfully targeted unique psychosocial needs of the elderly, can be used to address ESA. Primary care psychologists can be a valuable resource providing direct clinical services and training medical providers to sensitively and appropriately assess abuse and intervene when necessary. To highlight this, we discuss the model of trauma-informed primary care and the need for education and communication training for medical providers to address ESA.


A decision support system (DSS) is defined as the combination of data, information, and computer- (and non-computer-) based tools and services working within a structured framework to improve the process and outcome of decision-making. In this special edition, researchers from around the world present their projects and findings related to the fundamentals, concepts and applications of DSS in infrastructure management. This special edition includes papers from a wide range of infrastructure disciplines; although the disciplines range from institutional buildings to urban planning, the common theme is how and when to optimize decision-making.


In birds and oviparous reptiles, hatching is often a lengthy and exhausting process, which commences with pipping followed by lung clearance and pulmonary ventilation. We examined the composition of pulmonary surfactant in the developing lungs of the chicken, Gallus gallus, and of the bearded dragon, Pogona vitticeps. Lung tissue was collected from chicken embryos at days 14, 16, 18 (prepipped), and 20 (postpipped) of incubation and from 1 day and 3 wk posthatch and adult animals. In chickens, surfactant protein A mRNA was detected using Northern blot analysis in lung tissue at all stages sampled, appearing relatively earlier in development compared with placental mammals. Chickens were lavaged at days 16, 18, and 20 of incubation and 1 day posthatch, whereas bearded dragons were lavaged at day 55, days 57-60 (postpipped), and days 58-61 (posthatched). In both species, total phospholipid (PL) from the lavage increased throughout incubation. Disaturated PL (DSP) was not measurable before 16 days of incubation in the chick embryo nor before 55 days in bearded dragons. However, the percentage of DSP/PL increased markedly throughout late development in both species. Because cholesterol (Chol) remained unchanged, the Chol/PL and Chol/DSP ratios decreased in both species. Thus the Chol and PL components are differentially regulated. The lizard surfactant system develops and matures over a relatively shorter time than that of birds and mammals. This probably reflects the highly precocial nature of hatchling reptiles.


Health as one of the fundamental values is the foundation for the quality of human life, the welfare of one's family, and also of society as a whole. A healthy society is the substance for a productive and efficient economy and the development of the state. Biological, psycho-emotional, social, economic, environmental, as well as lifestyle factors influence the health of each individual and therefore, the public health. People with a quality education, stable employment, safe homes and neighbourhoods and access to high quality preventive services tend to be healthier throughout their lives and live longer. When organizations, whether they are governmental, private, or non-profit succeed in meeting these basic needs, people are more likely to exercise, eat healthy foods and seek preventive health services. Diseases (microbial and chronic) are increasing in global prevalence and seriously threaten developing nations' including India's ability to improve the health of their populations. The rise of lifestyle-related chronic disease in poor countries is the result of a complex constellation of social, economic, and behavioural factors. Diseases (e.g., cardiovascular diseases, mental health disorders, diabetes, and cancer) and injuries are the leading causes of death and disability in India and it is ventured to have pronounced increases in their contribution to the burden of disease during the next 25 years. These rights, opportunities and factors have been taken as the basis in the drafting of this policy planning document. A survey and study on the various diseases prevailing in Sikkim was done. The main objective of the study was to check the prevalence and risk factors associated with various types of diseases in Sikkim and the design was based on random selection among 2000 individuals from different areas of Sikkim. Prevalence of diseases with respect to gender, age group and population type was evaluated. Also the various risk factors viz diet type, physical activity, water consumed and type of addictions was assessed for every disease concerned. The data was collected and analyzed statistically. Diseases considered are more or less equally prevalent in both the sexes. The rural populations are more affected as per the results obtained. The 15-25 years old and >65 years old age groups showed higher occurrence of most disease and therefore it is matter of concern. It was also found that the prevalence of respiratory disease, gastrointestinal diseases, eye/ear, dermal and general (non-microbial) diseases are high. Although, all the risk factors considered in this study affect all the diseases in some or other way, however, it was shown that the type of addictions viz alcohol consumption, smoking and recreational drug use poses the greater risk to the population of Sikkim especially young generation which is indulged in such activities the most, this may be due to the impact of rapidly embracing western lifestyles. Other risk factors like diet, water consumed and physical activity also augments the occurrence of relative diseases significantly and thus might be considered as the risk factors for various diseases considered in Sikkim. Keeping all this in view, for the better health and hygiene, effective prevention and control measurements (by strengthen social and policy frameworks) should be implemented or the already implemented measures should be substantially increased.


Histopathololgical observations were performed on the heart and cardiac nervous system of 5 horses affected with wandering pacemaker. The histopathological lesions common to all the animals were as follows: (1) Focal fibrosis in the atrial myocardium just beneath the subendocardium and/or in the endo- and subendocardium, and existence of atrial Purkinje-like fibers within the fibrotic lesions, (2) Microvascular altetation, characterized by edematous-loosening and/or fibrous swelling of the walls of the small and minute arteries, in both the atria, (3) Edema in the intracadiac nerves of both the atria, (4) Multifocal loss of nerve fibers in the extracardiac nerves of both the sympathetic and vagal systems, and (5) Medial degeneration in the pulmonary artery and aorta. The atrial focal lesions of myocardial and endo- and subendocardial fibrosis should be regarded as a result of local circulatory insufficiency (ischemia) due to the microvascular alteration. The Purkinje-like fibers witihin the atrial fibrotic lesions might have been given temporary automaticity and, at the same time, might have been under a condition of cardiac nervous fluctuation due to the organic disturbances in both the sympathetic and vagal systems.


Fibers with droplets encapsulated in them could build bridges between a 0D dispersed structure and a 1D continuous wire and thus provide optimal solutions requiring high surface-to-volume ratio and strong mechanical properties. However, current methods are mostly focusing on the architectures with the size of droplets smaller than that of fibers; the relatively thick barrier of fibers usually limits the rate of diffusion from inner droplets to the outer environment. Here, we report a hybrid method combining microfluidics and electrospinning to fabricate nanofibers with microdroplets encapsulated in them. Monodisperse microdroplets with controllable sizes from 36 to 95 μm are generated through microfluidic flow-focusing and split into a string of smaller droplets from 1 to 3 μm, respectively, during the electrospinning stretching. The size of encapsulated droplets could be tuned by controlling the flow rate ratio during the microfluidic process, and the shape of that could be varied by changing the viscosity of encapsulated solution. This marriage of microfluidics and electrospinning could be applied to produce a nanofiber-based moisture barrier and drug carrier, also providing efficient tools to study the under-electric-field stretching and splitting of droplets trapped in the polymer network.


The experience of redundancy and being unemployed can dislocate the ways in which we make sense of ourselves and our lives. Explores some of the key stressors involved in being unemployed. Proposes a programme of psychological support as one way of facilitating the process of personal adaptation during this transition. Evaluates the programme in relation to other possible sources of support, such as outplacement services and personal counselling.


In order to probe the role of peptide backbone conformation on the biological activity of chemotactic peptides through conformationally constrained peptides, we synthesized the following three analogs of N-formyl-Met-Leu-Phe-OH (fMLF) containing dehydrophenylalanine (delta ZPhe) and dehydroleucine (delta ZLeu): formyl-Met-delta ZPhe-Phe-OCH3 (1), formyl-Met-delta ZLeu-Phe-OCH3 (2) and formyl-Met-delta ZPhe-delta ZPhe-OCH3 (3) and studied their conformational behavior in solution by 1H NMR and IR spectroscopy. The conformation of (1) was also examined by x-ray diffraction methods. Biological activity of these analogs was assessed for their ability to induce the release of beta-glucosaminidase from rabbit neutrophils. In addition, the chemotactic activity of analog (2) was also determined. We found that, in the solid state, (1) favors a type II beta-turn structure, stabilized by a 4-->1 intramolecular hydrogen bond. A similar structure was reported recently for (2) also. 1H NMR studies in solution suggest that the Phe NH is solvent shielded in both (1) and (2) and that a major population of peptide molecule exists in an intramolecular hydrogen bond stabilized type II beta-turn conformation. None of the NH groups in (3) and another analog, formyl-Met-Phe-Phe-OCH3 (4), appear solvent shielded, favoring an extended structure for these analogs. Analogs (2) and (4) are highly active indicating that both extended and beta-turn backbone conformations may be compatible with high activity and that the phenylalanine ring in the middle position is well accepted. Highly reduced activities of (1) and (3) suggest that delta ZPhe residue in position 2, irrespective of the preferred peptide backbone conformation, is not acceptable for high bioactivity. These results suggest that an induced fit mechanism may possibly be the most relevant one, but the nature and the topography of the side chains, particularly the middle residue, may be crucial for appropriate receptor ligand interactions.


Volumetric models with known biases are shown to provide bounds for the uncertainty in estimations of volume for ecologically interesting objects, observed with a terrestrial laser scanner (TLS) instrument. Bounding cuboids, three-dimensional convex hull polygons, voxels, the Outer Hull Model and Square Based Columns (SBCs) are considered for their ability to estimate the volume of temperate and tropical trees, as well as geomorphological features such as bluffs and saltmarsh creeks. For temperate trees, supplementary geometric models are evaluated for their ability to bound the uncertainty in cylinder-based reconstructions, finding that coarser volumetric methods do not currently constrain volume meaningfully, but may be helpful with further refinement, or in hybridized models. Three-dimensional convex hull polygons consistently overestimate object volume, and SBCs consistently underestimate volume. Voxel estimations vary in their bias, due to the point density of the TLS data, and occlusion, particularly in trees. The response of the models to parametrization is analysed, observing unexpected trends in the SBC estimates for the drumlin dataset. Establishing that this result is due to the resolution of the TLS observations being insufficient to support the resolution of the geometric model, it is suggested that geometric models with predictable outcomes can also highlight data quality issues when they produce illogical results.


The 80,000 km2 Lake Tumba Landscape (LTL) is the only one of the 12 UN Priority Conservation Areas in Africa with a focus on freshwater ecosystems. Surprisingly little though is known about fish in this area. The objective of this thesis is to increase knowledge of fish occurrence in the LTL. The first paper uses catch statistics to quantify the fish populations in three LTL streams against the background of their physical and chemical environments (Paper I). All the species caught represented 23% of the known Congo Basin fish species. The Lebomo stream had higher catches during the dry than wet season, but this was not the case for the Bambou and Bongo streams. Significant differences in fish species composition between the streams were found, but this probably related more to pH and nutrient status than land use. These streams yield too little fish to be a regular part of the local diet, but the streams may be important reservoirs of biodiversity in the landscape, and also serve as "sentinels" of change for larger downstream aquatic ecosystems. The aim of the second paper was to characterize the breeding sites of Tilapia congica in order to guide the zoning process for fishery management in Lake Tumba. For this purpose, the nest depths, distances from the shoreline, exposure to sunlight and habitat types were measured. Four extensive groups of breeding sites were located near where tributary rivers entered the lake. All nest sites were exposed to the sun and 90% of sites were within 51-250m of the shoreline. The breeding substrates for T. congica are sandy and under hippo grass (Vossia cuspidata) (48%) or water lilies (Nymphaea stellata) (39%). Tilapia congica shared 42% of its nesting sites with other fish species, so protecting the breeding habitat of T. congica would likely help other species. The major overall findings of this thesis are that there is much diversity in the running waters of the LTL, and that knowledge of the location as well as the seasonality of fish breeding patterns can inform better fish management. At this point, it is not clear what effect land use/land cover has on the fishery, but better monitoring can establish a baseline against which eventual changes can be defined in relation to changes in land use and even climate.


This work is a presentation of the perspectives of Nietzsche and Freud on contemporary Western civilization from the writings Genealogy of Morals, the first, The Future of an Illusion and The Malaise Civilization in the second. Is discussed aspects related to life in civilization, the mechanisms to deal with the unpleasantness of life in society and conflicts between instinct [Trieb] and culture. We present the perspectives of two authors to reveal the similar elements, different and complementary. Finally, we discuss the importance of these two authors for an analysis of the psychological condition of human science.


In recent years, the discovery of increasing numbers of rocky, terrestrial exoplanets orbiting nearby stars has drawn increased attention to the possibility of studying these planets' atmospheric and surface properties. This is especially true for planets orbiting M dwarfs, whose properties can best be studied with existing observatories. In particular, the minerological composition of these planets and the extent to which they can retain their atmospheres in the face of intense stellar irradiation both remain unresolved. Here, we report the detection of the secondary eclipse of the terrestrial exoplanet GJ 1252b, obtained via 10 eclipse observations using the Spitzer Space Telescope's IRAC2 4.5 μm channel. We measure an eclipse depth of 149−32+25 ppm, corresponding to a dayside brightness temperature of 1410−125+91 K. This measurement is consistent with the prediction for a bare rock surface. Comparing the eclipse measurement to a large suite of simulated planetary spectra indicates that GJ 1252b has a surface pressure of ≲10 bar, i.e., substantially thinner than the atmosphere of Venus. Assuming energy-limited escape, even a 100 bar atmosphere would be lost in <1 Myr, far shorter than our gyrochronological age estimate of 3.9 ± 0.4 Gyr. The expected mass loss could be overcome by mantle outgassing, but only if the mantle's carbon content were >7% by mass—over two orders of magnitude greater than that found in Earth. We therefore conclude that GJ 1252b has no significant atmosphere. Model spectra with granitoid or feldspathic surface composition, but with no atmosphere, are disfavored at >2σ. The eclipse occurs just +1.4 −1.0+2.8 minutes after orbital phase 0.5, indicating ecosω = +0.0025 −0.0018+0.0049 , consistent with a circular orbit. Tidal heating is therefore likely to be negligible with regard to GJ 1252b's global energy budget. Finally, we also analyze additional, unpublished TESS transit photometry of GJ 1252b, which improves the precision of the transit ephemeris by a factor of 10, provides a more precise planetary radius of 1.180 ± 0.078 R ⊕, and rules out any transit-timing variations with amplitudes ≳1 minute.


Introduction: It is well-recognised that the Internet may be an appropriate vehicle to provide information for people with Learning Disabilities. A small but growing body of research has studied the usability of the Internet for this purpose. This review examines the literature relating to this issue. Objectives : The objective of the paper is to examine current research and thinking around the issue of web design for people with Learning Disabilities, including an exploration both of methods used and key findings. Methods: A comprehensive literature review was undertaken encompassing material from the fields of education, computer science and health. Literature was elicited from various appropriate bibliographic databases. In examining the literature, an analytical proforma was used to elicit information, evaluate and compare studies. Results: A large number of methods by which usability has been studied with this cohort were elicited, including using a mainstream website; comparing an especially adapted website against an equivalent ''mainstream' version and comparing various 'accessible' website designs. Similarly, studies included those comparing the performance of people with Learning Disabilities with a 'mainstream' cohort and on their own. Findings overall suggest that 'accessible sites' are easier to use for people with Learning Disabilities. Difficulties encountered include in reading, finding content from a large quantity of text and scrolling. Work examining the efficacy of images or icons has had contradictory findings, from having little or no benefit in terms of access to information, to significantly aiding the understanding of text. Conclusions: Contradictory or inconclusive findings suggest both a need for further research and for greater participation by people with Learning Disabilities themselves in studying the usability of web sites and other IT applications.


OBJECTIVE
To study the association of haplotypes of IL-8 -251T/A and 781 C/T single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with the susceptibility of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

METHODS
This study included 101 hospitalized patients under 2 years who suffered from RSV pneumonia and 108 hospitalized patients under 2 years who suffered only from pneumonia without RSV infection. Genotypes of two SNP loci in all enrolled persons were defined by allele-specific polymerase chain reaction. The allele's frequencies of SNPs were analyzed with case-control study, linkage of two loci and haplotypes composed by the two loci were also studied.

RESULTS
(i) The frequency of IL-8 -251T in cases was dramatically high (OR = 2.08, p = 0.0002). (ii) Haplotype of TC was significantly high in cases (p = 0.01).

CONCLUSION
These findings support that haplotype of TC composed by IL-8 -251T and 781C is associated with the susceptibility of RSV.


Seven years data on the yield of ginseng seedling were investigated to define the relations between meteorological conditions and yield of ginseng seedling. Variation of meteorological factors by years are showed in the order precipitation, hours of sunshine and temperature. The variation of temperature by years was biggest in June, whereas smallest figure in April. Variation of yield of ginseng seedling in different quality by years was biggest in number of short weighted seedling and least in that of usable seedling. Highly significant correlations were confirmed between number of usable seedling and number of total seedling, and between number of total seedling and precipitation from January to March, respectively. A significant negative correlation was recognized between the number of usable seedling and temperature in July but correlation between number of usable seedling and precipitation in May was positive. It suggests that water management in seedbed have to be started from May.


We report on magnetotransport studies of dual-gated, Bernal-stacked trilayer graphene (TLG) encapsulated in boron nitride crystals. We observe a quantum Hall effect staircase which indicates a complete lifting of the 12-fold degeneracy of the zeroth Landau level. As a function of perpendicular electric field, our data exhibit a sequence of phase transitions between all integer quantum Hall states in the filling factor interval -8<ν<0. We develop a theoretical model and argue that, in contrast to monolayer and bilayer graphene, the observed Landau level splittings and quantum Hall phase transitions can be understood within a single-particle picture, but imply the presence of a charge density imbalance between the inner and outer layers of TLG, even at charge neutrality and zero transverse electric field. Our results indicate the importance of a previously unaccounted band structure parameter which, together with a more accurate estimate of the other tight-binding parameters, results in a significantly improved determination of the electronic and Landau level structure of TLG.


The field of prebiotic chemistry has demonstrated that complex organic chemical systems that exhibit various life-like properties can be produced abiotically in the laboratory. Understanding these chemical systems is important for astrobiology and life detection since we do not know the extent to which prebiotic chemistry might exist or have existed on other worlds. Nor do we know what signatures are diagnostic of an extant or "failed" prebiotic system. On Earth, biology has suppressed most abiotic organic chemistry and overprints geologic records of prebiotic chemistry; therefore, it is difficult to validate whether chemical signatures from future planetary missions are remnant or extant prebiotic systems. The "biosignature threshold" between whether a chemical signature is more likely to be produced by abiotic versus biotic chemistry on a given world could vary significantly, depending on the particular environment, and could change over time, especially if life were to emerge and diversify on that world. To interpret organic signatures detected during a planetary mission, we advocate for (1) gaining a more complete understanding of prebiotic/abiotic chemical possibilities in diverse planetary environments and (2) involving experimental prebiotic samples as analogues when generating comparison libraries for "life-detection" mission instruments.


Research on the potential ameliorating effects of social support on occupational stress produces weak, inconsistent, and even contradictory results. This study of 117 employees, mostly from a southern U.S. hospital supply company, examined potential moderators that were theorized might reduce the confusion: source congruence (congruence between sources of the stressor and of social support) and gender role. Congruence between the sources of stressors and of social support appeared to make little difference in determining the moderating or buffering effect of social support on the relationship between stressors and strain. Gender role, however, may moderate the relationship between social support and individual stains such that more feminine people react more strongly and positively to social support than more masculine people do.


Aspect sentiment classification, a challenging task in sentiment analysis, has been attracting more and more attention in recent years. In this paper, we highlight the need for incorporating the importance degrees of both words and clauses inside a sentence and propose a hierarchical network with both word-level and clause-level attentions to aspect sentiment classification. Specifically, we first adopt sentence-level discourse segmentation to segment a sentence into several clauses. Then, we leverage multiple Bi-directional LSTM layers to encode all clauses and propose a word-level attention layer to capture the importance degrees of words in each clause. Third and finally, we leverage another Bi-directional LSTM layer to encode the outputs from the former layers and propose a clause-level attention layer to capture the importance degrees of all the clauses inside a sentence. Experimental results on the laptop and restaurant datasets from SemEval-2015 demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed approach to aspect sentiment classification.


Education for sustainable development ought, inter alia, to shape and strengthen the ability to make judgments and decisions in favor of safer, healthier and more prosperous world, and should develop critical thinking and develop ecological awareness. In this context the aspect of environmental awareness and the related choice of means of transport can be discussed. This article presents the results of research regarding the choice of means of communication by students. The study was carried out by a questionnaire among students in Krakow. The results of the research are presented in context of available communication possibilities in Krakow, which are also characterized. Studies have shown that the level of environmental awareness of students is still not satisfactory. Behind their declared concern for the environment do not follow the attitudes and behavior supporting this concern. The most important is their own comfort, even more important than their own health and condition. The care for the environment recedes into the background.


In this article we seek to understand whether, how and under what conditions political parties publicly articulate matters of European integration and encourage contestation over Europe. Based on a content analysis of parties' televised advertising spots during the 2009 European Parliament (EP) election campaign in six countries (Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, the United Kingdom), we find evidence that European Union (EU) issues and actors are more prominent on the campaign agenda in countries with many Eurosceptic parties. Eurosceptic and non-Eurosceptic parties co-orient themselves towards each other in their EU articulation. Finally, contestation over Europe exists in the realm of identity politics: right-wing fringe parties (and in some countries also mainstream parties) characterize the EU as a threat to national sovereignty and identity, whereas left-wing mobilization against the EU on economic matters is hardly visible. Regarding the two politicization dimensions — EU articulation and contestation — we show that party campaigns cannot be described as purely second-order national contests any more. Instead, the strategic party mobilization model seems to better characterize the 2009 EP campaigns.