Solar energy has been chosen as "the source of energy" given its effectiveness and promises that push researchers forward for developing enhanced solar panels. Diffractive optical elements promise efficient spatial and spectral control of the sunlight that can fulfill the need for increased conversion efficiency. Here, we present designs of diffractive optical elements that can spectrally split broadband sunlight as well as serving as a solar concentrator. We show that a single wavelength can be concentrated with almost 1200-fold at the target position. Moreover, our results indicate that a single diffractive optical element can guide two different wavelengths to two distinct target planes with 89% average spectral optical efficiency. We observe that a diffractive optical element that is optimized for two wavelengths can provide 5.3% excess spectral optical efficiency under broadband illumination. The increased output at limited computation costs enables the design of diffractive optical elements for various settings that require broad angle response which is extremely costly in terms of computation.


In the late 1990s, the once prolific populations of the coral Acropora intermediasurrounding Okinawa, Japan, dramatically declined because of thermal stress, bleaching caused by heat stress, and consequent mortality. Before the bleaching event, 72 fragments (about 15 cm in length) were collected and transferred to the Okinawa Churami Aquarium. Through growth and repeated fragmentation, these original fragments developed into about 100 colonies that spawned from 1999 to 2009. In this study, we compared gametogenesis, fertilization, survival, and O2 consumption in cultured and wild colonies of A. intermedia and their offspring. Cultured A. intermediahad larger oocytes and higher fertilization and survival rates than samples from wild colonies. O2 consumption of cultured embryos was similar to that of wild embryos. These results suggest that cultured A. intermediaand their offspring are as viable as wild colonies. Aquaria can play a role in the conservation of endangered corals, and their cultured colonies could be used to re-establish devastated species on the Okinawa reefs.


Dynorphin A(1-13), a tridecapeptide of the endogenous opioid peptides, has modest effects in reducing mild opiate withdrawal in humans. Previous studies revealed that dynorphin also potentiates the analgesic effect of morphine in morphine-tolerant rats and mice. The therapeutic potential of dynorphin A(1-13) is limited due to extensive metabolism by human metabolic enzymes resulting in an in vivo half-life of less than one minute. Chemical modifications of dynorphin A(1-13), such as N-methylation of Tyr1 and amidation of the C-terminus have been shown to be effective in protecting against the proteolytic enzymes in human plasma. This article is a general review of the metabolism of dynorphin A(1-13) in human plasma and CSF.


Johne's disease (JD) or partuberculosis is a chronic granulomatous enteritis in ruminants caused by infection of Mycobacterium avium paratuberculosis subspecies (MAP). The disease has been detected serologically in Indonesia. It's potential to spread to other herds and could create great economic losses. The objectives of current study were to detect MAP in milk and faeces of dairy cows as well as to evaluate the association between farm management factors and presence of the bacteria in dairy cows in Bogor. The sample size was calculated using the formula to detect disease with the prevalence assumed to be 5% using 95% significant level. Milk and faeces samples were taken from 62 dairy cows which were suspected as suffering from MAP infection. Detection of MAP was done by isolation in Herrold' egg yolk medium with mycobactin J (HEYMj), acid-fast bacilli Ziehl-Neelsen staining, PCR IS900 and F57. Biochemical test to confirm M. tuberculosis presence was also conducted. Fifteen isolates of Mycobacterium sp . were found from the faeces samples but not from the corresponding milk samples. However, conventional PCR conducted on the isolate as well as the milk samples, gave negative results. Biochemical test proved that all Mycobacterium sp . isolates were not M. tuberculosis . This study indicated the prevalence of MAP in Bogor was less than 5%. These findings should be continued by observational study to achieve the comprehensive information at the cattle and herd level. Bovine Tuberculosis monitoring should be done also to protect dairy herd and food safety for the community. Key words : Johne's disease, Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis, Milk, Faeces


The method of transillumination rhinography is proposed which provides a graphic image of hemodynamics of nasal mucosa, nasal respiration and mucociliary transport. Changes of the above hemodynamics in different nasal diseases are described. Rhinothermopharmacology is proposed as a new approach to assessment of the known regularities.


Objective To describe the demographic, clinical, and radiologic findings in a consecutive series of patients presenting with a chief complaint of pulsatile tinnitus (PT). Study Design Retrospective review of 157 patients undergoing a combined arterial/venous phase computed tomographic (CT) imaging study. Setting Tertiary referral center. Patients Adult patients referred to neurotology faculty for evaluation of PT between 2016 and 2020. Interventions Triple phase high-resolution arteriography/venography/temporal bone CT. Main Outcome Measures Prevalence of osseous, venous, and/or arterial pathology, clinicodemographic characteristics. Results One hundred fifty-seven adults (mean age, 52 years; 79.6% female) were evaluated. A history of migraine headaches was common (19.7%). The average body mass index was 30.0 (standard deviation, 6.8), and 17.2% of subjects had a diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea. Idiopathic intracranial hypertension was diagnosed by elevated opening pressure on lumbar puncture in 13.4%. Comorbid depression and anxiety were common (25.5% and 26.1%, respectively). Overall, abnormalities were found in 79.0% of scans, with bilateral transverse sinus stenosis (TSS) seen in 38.9% and unilateral TSS found in 20.4%. Fifteen subjects (9.6%) had evidence of osseous etiologies, including superior canal dehiscence or thinning in 8.9% and sigmoid sinus dehiscence in one subject. There were 3 dural arteriovenous fistulae identified. Unilateral PT was ipsilateral to the side of TSS in 84.4% of subjects with unilateral TSS. Conclusion In a large consecutive series of patients with PT referred for CT venography/arteriography, transverse sinus stenosis was the most common finding at 59%. Venous etiologies for PT should be suspected when patients are referred to neurotologists for evaluation.


Abstract Three-dimensional (3D) printing has become a popular technique in many areas. One emerging field is the use of 3D printing for the development of 3D drug delivery systems (DDS) and drug-loaded medical devices. This article describes a novel concept for the fabrication of timecontrolled drug delivery systems based on stereolithography combined with inkjet printing. An inkjet printhead and an UV-LED light source have been integrated into an existing stereolithography system. Inkjet printing is used to selectively incorporate active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) during a stereolithographic 3D printing process. In an initial experimental study, poly (ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA) was used as polymer whereas 2-Hydroxy-4´-(2- hydroxyethoxy)-2-methylpropiophenone (Irgacure 2959) and Lithium phenyl-2,4,6-trimethylbenzoylphosphinate (LAP) were used as photoinitiators. Basic structures could be manufactured successfully by the new hybrid 3D printing system.


International trade and investment economies are highly integrated and interdependent and can be exploited by organized, international terrorism. The network of inter dependencies in the international economy means that a terrorist attack has the potential to disrupt the functioning of the network, so the effects can reverberate around the world. Governments can control the distributed effects of terrorism by auditing industrial networks to reveal and protect critical hubs and by promoting flexibility in production and distribution of goods and services to improve resilience in the economy. To explain these network effects, the authors draw on the new science of complex networks which has been applied to the physical sciences and is now increasingly being used to explain organizational and economic phenomena.


In the beginning of the Joseon dynasty, the Royal Astronomical Bureau (觀象監, shortly RAB) was established. After the double RAB had settled down by King Sejong (世宗), it continued to function until 1907. Before the Japanese invasion of Korea in 1592, the Joseon court had the Inner RAB in the Gyeongbok Palace (景福宮) and the Outer RAB in the Northen District Gwangwha-Bang (北部廣化坊) at the western side of the Changdeuk Palace (昌德宮). In the reign of King Sukjong (肅宗) the double system of the RAB was transformed into the Geumho-Gate (金虎門) Outer RAB and the Gaeyang-Gate (開陽門) Outer RAB. During the reconstruction of the Gyeongbok Palace in the early reign of King Gojong (高宗), the Gaeyang-Gate Outer RAB was replaced by the Yeongchu-Gate (迎秋門) Outer RAB in 1865. All RAB had the Royal Astronomical Observatory (觀天臺, RAO hereinafter), so called the Soganui-platform (小簡儀臺) on which the Soganui (小簡儀) has been put. The Soganui (小簡儀) is a small simplified armillary sphere. While the Gwangwha-Bang RAO handed down from the reign of King Sejong still exists, other RAOs, such as Gyeongbok Palace RAO, Gaeyang-Gate and Yeongchu-Gate RAOs, do not remain. According to our study, the Changgyeong Palace (昌慶宮) RAO was not indeed the RAO with the Soganui.


The reproductive strategy of the parasitic isopod Onisocryptus ovalis in the luminescent ostracod Vargula hilgendorfii was studied at a beach in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan, and in the laboratory, mainly from April 2000 to May 2001. Onisocryptus ovalis is a protandrous hermaphroditic species and changes from a mobile male to an immobile female that loses most of its appendages and has a sack-like body. Male parasites O. ovalis invade female hosts VV hilgendorfii, eat the host eggs, change sex, produce eggs, and die after the eggs have hatched. Some parasites invade immature or male hosts, but move to female hosts immediately afterwards. The percentage of hosts parasitized by O. ovalis was low (0-18%) from summer to autumn, but increased greatly (28-91%) from winter to spring mainly because of a shortage of hosts. Usually, one or two male parasites were found in a host, and only one male of them changed sex. From winter to spring, however, up to 8 male parasites were found in a host and a maximum of five changed sex. The most adaptive parasitic strategy of O. ovalis seems to fertilize eggs as a male as many times as possible, and then to produce more eggs as the only female in a host, although these parameters are not available at present.


The use of natural fibres in cement composites is an expanding research field as their use can improve the mechanical and thermal behavior of cement mortars and reduce their carbon footprint.
In this paper two different wild grasses, i.e. Pennisetum Setaceum, also known as crimson fountaingrass, and Ampelodesmos Mauritanicus, also called diss, are used as source of natural fibres for cement mortars. The principal aim is to evaluate the possibility of using the more invasive crimson fountaingrass in place of diss inside cement based vegetable concrete.
The two plants' fibres have been characterized by means of electron microscopy, helium picnometry; moreover, the thermal conductivity of fibre panels has been measured. Mortars samples using untreated and boiled fibres have been prepared. The mechanical characterization have been performed by means of three point bending and compression tests. Thermal conductivity and porosity have been measured to characterize physical modification induced by fibres' treatment. The results showed better thermal and mechanical properties of diss fibres composites than fountaingrass one and that fibres treatment leads to a decrease of thermal insulation properties.


A matrix treatment of the formation of intramolecular anti-parallel P-sheets from a statistical coil has been extended to incorporate interstrand loops of arbitrary size. The behavior of the model is compared with a simpler version in which all pairs of contiguous strands were connected by P-bends. When large interstrand loops are allowed, there are many more types of sheets than is the case when all contiguous strands must be connected by tight or P-bends. For this reason, the larger interstrand loops make it easier to introduce the initial sheet into a statistical coil, and the sheet content is enhanced in the early stages of sheet formation ke., a t small values of the growth parameter t ) . As the transition continues (i.e., as t increases), a stage will be reached where occupancy of the statistical coil state is negligible because nearly all residues are in sheets or interstrand loops. Now, additional sheet formation can be accomplished only at the expense of residues in the interior of interstrand loops. For this reason, the larger interstrand loops make it more difficult to complete the final stages of sheet formation. These effects are especially dramatic in the formation of cross-P-sheets.


In this article, I dwell on the blurring of the lines between gladiators and athletes in the first and second centuries c.e. , showing that attention to gladiators, athletes, and the spaces in between helps one to see interesting processes by which identities are constructed—Greek, Roman, and Christian alike. The material and literary "texts" that I examine here show wealthy Greeks using gladiatorial games in the construction of provincial identity, Greek gladiators resignifying themselves as athletes, and a Paul who blurs the lines between athletes and gladiators in his correspondence with the Corinthians (particularly 1 Cor 9:19–27 and 2 Cor 4:7–13). In each case, I argue that we can locate the production and reception of these texts in a context in which Greek athletics and Roman games had begun to blur, both discursively and practically, for those discerning audiences who flocked to the amphitheater to see physical and violent enactments of virtue and vice. In this broader context, Paul's own ambiguous appropriations of the stadium and the arena emerge as one site among many where the language of sport and spectacle opened up spaces for rethinking and refashioning identity.


Attempts were made to reverse the acquired resistance of P388 murine leukemia utilizing non-toxic concentration of nitroxazepine hydrochloride, an antidepressant. The effect of nitroxazepine hydrochloride on the intracellular accumulation of adriamycin and the inhibition of DNA synthesis were studied in these cells. The survival of mice bearing adriamycin-resistant P388 murine leukemia cells treated in vitro with nitroxazepine hydrochloride, adriamycin and a combination of the two drugs was also investigated. The results show that treatment of these cells with nitroxazepine hydrochloride significantly enhanced (1) the intracellular accumulation of adriamycin, (2) inhibition of DNA biosynthesis, and (3) the survival of mice transplanted with adriamycin-resistant P388 murine leukemia cells treated in vitro with a combination of nitroxazepine hydrochloride and adriamycin. The mechanism of restoration of drug sensitivity by nitroxazepine hydrochloride in adriamycin-resistant P388 cells could be due to an enhanced intracellular accumulation of adriamycin. The implications of the present investigations are promising, leaving hope for the utility of nitroxazepine hydrochloride in restoring drug sensitivity in adriamycin-resistant tumors.


Rings are unique among personal adornments: none other carries such a weight of symbolism. Rings can be enjoyed for themselves as objects of beauty; but equally fascinating are the meanings that have been attached to them. With rings, lovers and wedded couples pledged their faith, kings and popes exercised their power, noblemen displayed their lineage, merchants marked their goods. Rings warned their wearers to meditate on salvation; commemorated the dead; proclaimed loyalties. Almost every example awakens a human story to life. To her history of rings from the Middle Ages to modern times, Diana Scarisbrick brings an unequalled knowledge of remarkable treasures in museums, private collections and salerooms. She notes the choice of specific gems, the role of the goldsmith, and changes in taste, design and attitudes; and she unravels the iconography of rings. Memoirs, inventories and imaginative literature, together with contemporary portraits, illuminate the social context. Rings of significance and rings for show, rings that have adorned the fingers of Richard Coeur-de-Lion and the Duchess of Windsor all are described, explained and illustrated in enlargements that convey the excitement of handling the jewels themselves. Infinitely precious yet unobtrusive, personal and enigmatic, rings still speak to us in a language that defies time. Diana Scarisbrick is an art historian specializing in the history of jewelry and engraved gems. She has curated exhibitions on jewelry at the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, and the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge. She writes a monthly jewellery column for "Harpers and Queen" magazine, and contributes regularly to "Country Life", "Apollo" and "The Burlington Magazine".


Abstract A new species, Taxiphyllum townsendii Ochyra & Ireland (Hypnaceae, Musci), is described from Sri Lanka. The species was earlier known under the name Plagiothecium ceylonense Brotherus ex Dixon, but this name was not validly published and therefore a new name is needed. Taxiphyllum townsendii is similar in many ways to the common eastern North American species, T. deplanatum (Bruch & Schimper ex Sullivant) M. Fleischer, but differs by its larger, often oblong-lanceolate leaves that are abruptly or gradually short- or long-acuminate; much longer and narrower mid-leaf cells; short-rectangular, very broad basal leaf cells that form a distinct 1- to 2-seriate strip at the leaf insertion; and a prominent angular group of large quadrate to short-rectangular cells that extend up the margins by four to 10 cells. Taxiphyllum subretusum (Thwaites & Mitten) O'Shea is transferred to the genus Phyllodon Schimper as P. subretusus (Thwaites & Mitten) Ochyra & Ireland and the name is lectotypified. The validity of the name Entodon isopterygioides (Dixon) Dixon is discussed and this name is considered to be validly published.


Two stage electrochemical oxidation of toluene, p-ethoxy toluene, o-chloro toluene and p-isopropyl toluene to their corresponding aldehydes were carried out using Ce 4 + /Ce 3 + redox mediator in methane sulphonic acid medium. Ceric methane sulphonate was prepared as homogeneous solution as well as yellow crystalline solid in 2 M methane sulphonic acid under optimised conditions. The order of ease of chemical oxidation of these compounds is as follows: p-Ethoxy toluene > Toluene > p-isopropyl toluene > o-chloro toluene. The duration of chemical oxidation depends on the reaction temperature and the concentration of methane sulphonic acid. Higher concentration of methane sulphonic acid decreases the duration of oxidation. The yield of p-ethoxy benzadehyde, benzaldehyde, o-chloro benzaldehyde and p-methyl acetophenone is 95%, 93%, 70% and 37% respectively, p-Isopropyl toluene interestingly gave p-methyl acetophenone as the major product and hence the yield of corresponding aldehyde was low.


Abstract The concentrations of salt particles over central Illinois are being monitored through the use of a sodium flame-counter and an impactor. The number of large particles as determined by the impactor has been found to average about two per cubic meter, and high concentrations of the magnitude found over oceans have never been detected. It is concluded that these large salt particles are not found over mid-continents in sufficient numbers to initiate precipitation through a process of condensation and coalescence unless the chain-reaction process is also operative. There is no evidence that these large particles are necessarily carried inland from an oceanic source region.


Osteoarthritis (OA) is a whole-joint disease characterized by cartilage destruction, subchondral bone sclerosis, osteophyte formation, and synovitis. However, it remains unclear which part of the joint undergoes initial pathological changes that drives OA onset and progression. In the present study, we investigated the longitudinal alterations of the entire knee joint using a surgically-induced OA mouse model. Histology analysis showed that synovitis occurred as early as 1 week after destabilization of the medial meniscus (DMM), which preceded the events of cartilage degradation, subchondral sclerosis and osteophyte formation. Importantly, key pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-1β, IL-6, TNFα, and Ccl2, major matrix degrading enzymes including Adamts4, Mmp3 and Mmp13, as well as nerve growth factor (NGF), all increased significantly in both synovium and articular cartilage. It is notable that the inductions of these factors in synovium are far more extensive than those in articular cartilage. Results from behavioral tests demonstrated that sensitization of knee joint pain developed after 8 weeks, later than histological and molecular changes. In addition, the nanoindentation modulus of the medial tibiae decreased 4 weeks after DMM surgery, simultaneous with histological OA signs, which is also later than appearance of synovitis. Collectively, our data suggested that synovitis precedes and is associated with OA, and thus synovium may be an important target to intervene in OA treatment.


A Field wireless sensors network based on ZigBee technology is developed. It consists of a PDA, a ZigBee coordinator, and several ZigBee nodes. First, PDA manages the coordinator to collect field information according to an order through its serial port. Secondly the coordinator gathers the data from all the terminal nodes. Finally, the collected information is transmitted to the PDA. Here the field information refers to soil moisture, soil temperature, soil electrical conductivity, environment humidity, and the sensors' status. The hardware architecture of each node consists of a ZigBee module integrated with transceiver, a microcontroller, some field sensors, and a peripheral circuit. Software is made up of algorithm of reading and processing the data from the field sensors, communicating process between ZigBee coordinator and the PDA, and the network building. Compared with the traditional agriculture information collecting system, the field wireless sensors network developed is more convenient and lower cost.


A typical transverse tanker frame has been analysed by the finite element method. Several analyses have been made to study the influence of modelling and element properties. It may be concluded that geometrical details have only local significance and most of the secondary stiffeners may be neglected in the plane stress analysis. This conclusion makes it possible to use a coarser mesh with more refined elements and it is shown that a better analysis is obtained more cheaply in this way. It is also shown that the mixture of various types of elements in the same analysis may lead to serious errors.


The serum of calcium, other involved minerals and parathyroid hormone (PTH) were studied in non-pregnant women, during pregnancy and in pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH). In pregnant women, serum creatinine, total calcium, total protein, albumin, inorganic phosphorus and magnesium declined, while parathyroid hormone levels increased significantly when compared to non-pregnant women. In PIH cases, serum total proteins, albumin and inorganic phosphorus were further reduced, while PTH levels were further increased when compared to normal pregnant women. Serum ionised calcium and sodium levels were similar in all the three groups. No significant relationship between blood pressure, PTH and involved minerals was observed in this study.


Abstract The present paper gives an historical account of agent noun formations in ‑mon‑ in Old and Middle Irish, based on the Proto-Indo-European prehistory of this suffix. The patterning of agent nouns in ‑mon‑ in Irish points to a polysemy already inherited from the originally adjectival Proto-Indo-European derivates denoting affiliation. This is supported also by polysemous nominalizations in Ancient Greek. Formations in ‑mon‑, originally deverbal in Proto-Indo-European, came to be formally enlarged and functionally reinterpreted in Early Celtic, thus leading to the polysemy in Irish, with both deverbal and denominal ‑mon‑formations designating professions, occupations and functions as well as instruments and even animals.


Quartz Crystal Microbalances (QCMs) have been used to measure the molecular contamination for satellites in vacuum bake-out tests at the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI). Through measurement using QCMs, the mass and the mass deposition rate of molecular contamination could be traced in real-time. Vacuum bake-out tests were performed for the satellite KAISTAT-4 Flight Model and its components under various temperature conditions. During these tests, QCM measurement data was obtained and materials from the cold plate were analyzed using a Gas Chromatograph-Mass Spectrometer (GC-MS). The characteristics of the QCM sensor were also observed.


Acute liver failure (ALF) results in diffuse cerebral dysfunction ranging from minor hepatic encephalopathy (HE) to coma, and disproportionately affects young, healthy adults. In these patients, neurological morbidity and mortality results from the development of cerebral edema and elevated intracranial pressure (ICP).(1) HE is potentially reversible with timely liver transplantation or spontaneous improvement in liver dysfunction, and prompt treatment of these patients can prevent death and improve outcomes. No single method can effectively identify patients at risk for cerebral edema. A high ammonia level should raise suspicion but on its own is not sufficient.(2) Monitoring of ALF patients for the development of cerebral edema and elevated ICP is fundamental to prevent death and improve outcomes. This review aims to discuss the benefits and drawbacks of monitoring modalities and propose a monitoring protocol. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.


Supplemental digital content is available in the text. Objectives Despite widespread use of medical devices and their increasing complexity, their contribution to unintended injury caused by healthcare (adverse events, AEs) remains relatively understudied. The aim of this study was to gain insight in the incidence and types of AEs involving medical devices (AMDEs). Methods Data from two patient record studies for the identification of AEs were used. Identification of AMDEs was part of these studies. Patient records of 6894 admissions of a random sample of 20 hospitals in 2011/2012 and 19 hospitals in 2015/2016 were reviewed for AMDEs by trained nurses and physicians. Results In 98.7% of the admissions, a medical device was used. Adverse events involving medical devices were present in 2.8% of the admissions, with 24% of the AMDEs being potentially preventable. Of all AEs, in 40%, medical devices were involved. Of all potentially preventable AEs, in 44%, medical devices were involved. Implants were most often involved in potentially preventable AMDEs. Conclusions Medical devices are substantially involved in potentially preventable AEs in hospitals. Research into AMDEs is of great importance because of the increasing use and complexity of medical devices. Based on patient records, most improvements could be made for placement of implants and prevention of infections related to medical devices. Safety and safe use of medical devices should be a subject of attention and further research.


To the Editor. —Drs Wachtel and Stein 1 suggest a fee-fortime system. In 1980 through 1982 the Preventive Medicine Center of Ann Arbor (Mich) billed by using precisely this method. As patients made their initial appointment, they were informed that they would be charged on the basis of $75 per hour based on the number of minutes spent with them. This removed a significant incentive for us to push additional studies and services, made our patients feel as if they were being treated fairly, provided their expectations of cost in advance, and also reimbursed the owners, physicians, and support staff fairly.


Chip on flexible substrate (COF) is a new packaging technology for light emitting diodes (LED). This paper investigated the effect of Cu-pillar in the polyimide (PI) layer on the thermal properties of COF LED packages by finite element analysis. The thermal distribution and thermal resistance were studied in both COF LED packages with and without Cu-pillar. The PI layer showed the highest thermal resistance in the typical package and led to a high chip temperature. With the addition of Cu-pillars, however, the thermal resistance of the PI layer significantly decreased due to the improvement of vertical thermal dissipation under LED chips. Based on the results of simulation and calculation, the relationship between the amount of Cu-pillar and thermal resistance of the COF package has been built. For the packages studied in this research, an 8 × 8 Cu-pillars array was adequate to improve the thermal performance of COF packages.


State-of-the-art methods for semantic segmentation are based on deep neural networks that are known to be data-hungry. Region-based active learning has shown to be a promising method for reducing data annotation costs. A key design choice for region-based AL is whether to use regularly-shaped regions (e.g., rectangles) or irregularly-shaped region (e.g., superpixels). In this work, we address this question under realistic, click-based measurement of annotation costs. In particular, we revisit the use of super-pixels and demonstrate that the inappropriate choice of cost measure (e.g., the percentage of labeled pixels), may cause the effectiveness of the superpixel-based approach to be under-estimated. We benchmark the superpixel-based approach against the traditional "rectangle+polygon"-based approach with annotation cost measured in clicks, and show that the former outperforms on both Cityscapes and PASCAL VOC. We further propose a class-balanced acquisition function to boost the performance of the superpixel-based approach and demonstrate its effectiveness on the evaluation datasets. Our results strongly argue for the use of superpixel-based AL for semantic segmentation and highlight the importance of using realistic annotation costs in evaluating such methods.


Positive and negative regulators of innate immunity work together to maintain immune homeostasis. We previously discovered that HLH-30/TFEB is a critical transcription factor that positively regulates host defense genes upon S. aureus infection in C. elegans. However, repression of host defense genes and negative regulation of immunity remain poorly understood. In this study, we identified nhr-42 as a negative regulator of host defense genes functioning downstream of HLH-30/TFEB, with major implications in host survival and metabolism after infection. nhr-42 expression is induced in an HLH-30/TFEB dependent manner mostly in the pharynx upon infection. We find that animals lacking nhr-42 have higher expression of host defense genes, which enables enhanced survival after infection. Antimicrobials expressed in the pharynx such as abf-2, function downstream of nhr-42 to confer resistance to infection by mitigating pathogen burden. Furthermore, nhr-42 deficient animals are defective in lipid mobilization, having higher lipid stores compared to wild type animals after infection. nhr-42 therefore enables C. elegans to limit the host defense response and reallocate energy resources through lipid mobilization after infection. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a transcription factor that represses host defense genes in C. elegans.


Objectives: Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are believed to increase the risk of HIV acquisition, but few studies have focused on homosexual men. We examined sexual behaviour and common STIs as independent risk factors for HIV seroconversion in a community-based cohort of homosexual men in Sydney. Methods: Between 2001 and 2004, 1427 initially HIV-negative men were enrolled. They were tested annually for HIV, for gonorrhoea and chlamydia in the urethra and anus (strand displacement amplification, BDProbeTec), and for herpes simplex virus types 1 and 2 (HSV-1 and HSV-2) using type specific ELISA. Participants also reported diagnoses of STIs since their last interview. Detailed information on sexual risk behaviours was collected every 6 months. Results: There were 49 HIV seroconversions through 2006, an incidence of 0.80 per 100PY. A higher number of episodes of insertive and receptive unprotected anal intercourse (UAI) with HIV positive or HIV status unknown partners was each significantly associated with HIV seroconversion. In multivariate analysis of behavioural risk factors, HIV seroconversion was significantly associated with a higher number of episodes of receptive UAI with a partner of unknown HIV status (p trend <0.001) or with a partner known to be HIV positive (p trend <0.001). After controlling for these sexual behaviours, a study diagnosis of anal gonorrhoea remained strongly related to HIV seroconversion (RR = 7.41, 95% CI 1.75-31.75). Most cases of anal gonorrhoea diagnosed were asymptomatic. In addition, there was an independent association with anal warts (RR = 3.43, 95% CI 1.43-8.19), and prevalent HSV-1 infection was of borderline significance (RR = 2.78, 95% CI 0.99-7.80). Conclusion: Certain anal STIs were associated with HIV seroconversion, even after adjustment for UAI. For some anal conditions, in particular gonorrhoea, infection was frequently asymptomatic. Screening for anal STIs should be investigated as a potential HIV prevention intervention.


Previous work has shown that the problem of learning the optimal structure of a Bayesian network can be formulated as a shortest path finding problem in a graph and solved using A* search. In this paper, we improve the scalability of this approach by developing a memory-efficient heuristic search algorithm for learning the structure of a Bayesian network. Instead of using A*, we propose a frontier breadth-first branch and bound search that leverages the layered structure of the search graph of this problem so that no more than two layers of the graph, plus solution reconstruction information, need to be stored in memory at a time. To further improve scalability, the algorithm stores most of the graph in external memory, such as hard disk, when it does not fit in RAM. Experimental results show that the resulting algorithm solves significantly larger problems than the current state of the art.


We reviewed ornithological, historic, anthropological, and archaeological records for evidence of whooping cranes (Grus americana) in Mexico. Records of whooping cranes in Mexico span 88 years (1863-1951) and cluster in 3 areas. Wintering records come from the northern highlands (Durango, and possibly Chihuahua), the central highlands (Guanajuato, Jalisco), and northeastern Tamaulipas, where the bird was also found in summer and might have bred. Later records (1970's and 1980's) of whooping cranes in the northern highlands are from individual birds released into the experimental migratory population that formerly migrated from Idaho to New Mexico, USA. Many of the wetlands used by whooping cranes remain and, though faced with a variety of threats, are conservation priority areas and some are already protected. We suggest 3 scenarios by which whooping cranes might return to winter in Mexico. The first 2 involve dispersal by birds wintering at the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, Texas, USA, by either population growth or ecosystem changes or degradation (e.g., climate change, reduced freshwater inflows) at the refuge. Finally, reintroduction of a migratory population might target part of Mexico as a wintering area. We encourage investigation of wetlands in Mexico, especially in northeastern Tamaulipas for their potential as future wintering areas. Our preliminary survey of historic Spanish language publications covering the 1500's to early 1600's found clear references to cranes in which, for example, cranes are described feeding with geese in grain fields. Cranes are mentioned in accounts of the DeSoto and Coronado expeditions as well as the travels of Bishop Alonso de la Mota y Escobar. Unfortunately, these accounts do not adequately describe the birds for species identification. Only, the Florentine Codex by Fray Bernardino de Sahagun provides a description of the sandhill crane (G. canadensis) from near Mexico City at the time of Spanish conquest of the Aztecs. Continued searches of early Spanish language publications might yield more information of the historic distribution of cranes in Mexico. ProcEEDINGS of thE North AmErIcAN crANE WorkShoP 10:153


The regional informatization is the essential condition of the development of e-commerce, simultaneously the e-commerce which is widespread development also inevitably can promote the regional informatization level. Therefore, according to the empirical study, this paper separately establishes two indicated models to quantitately calculate the informatization level index and e-commerce level index in Chongqing to form the relationship between the regional informatization and e-commerce. Then we can construct the associated OLS model on the informatization and e-commerce in Chongqing, and use the linear regression model to describe the connection and evolved regularity between the informatization and e-commerce in Chongqing.


Saccharomyces cerevisiae repressible acid phosphatase (PHO5) is induced when inorganic phosphate in the culture medium is depleted. To study the mechanism of this regulation, we constructed various deletions in the 5'-flanking region of the PHO5 gene. Two elements were revealed by this analysis: an upstream activation site (UAS) and a downstream element, both playing parts in the expression of this gene. The UAS is located between -384 and -292 upstream of the initiation codon and activates expression of the gene when inorganic phosphate is depleted. It consists of two homologous regions (UAS I and UAS II) that contain CTGCACAAATG and an adenine-plus-thymine-rich sequence, either one of which suffices for the effect. The downstream element includes a putative TATA box at -100 from the ATG codon and is necessary for efficient transcription and expression of the normal-sized PHO5 transcript. The distance between the UAS and the downstream element can be altered without causing loss of expression efficiency, and the action of the UAS is not affected by its orientation. These results are consistent with a model wherein UAS acts as a site of activation for transcription by interaction with a protein factor(s) that becomes active when inorganic phosphate is depleted from the culture medium.


Robustness of variance-balanced designs is investigated, when any number of observations in a block or any two blocks are lost in a design, in terms of efficiency of the residual design. The investigation shows that variance-balanced designs are fairly robust against the unavailability of observations in the set-up mentioned above.


The purpose of the proposed study was to identify the functional patterns of influence of the marketing tools on sales of cars on the global market, to be able to predict sales volumes in the future, taking into account certain marketing tools that the company may use in a particular international market. For the purpose of this research the method of correlationregression analysis is used to construct the corresponding economic and mathematical models of impact on the sales volumes of various instruments of product, price, promotion policy, etc. Using the models offered in the article, the feasibility of introducing certain measures can be determined, when entering new markets in order to increase car sales. Each instrument to which potential buyers are sensitive determines the effect of its use. Considering this effect, budgets can be set up for appropriate action.


Most humanoid robots have highly complicated structure and design of robots that are very similar to human is extremely difficult. In this paper, modelling of a general and comprehensive algorithm for control of humanoid robots is presented using Colored Petri Nets. For keeping dynamic balance of the robot, combination of Gyroscope and Accelerometer sensors are used in algorithm. Image processing is used to identify two fundamental issues: first, detection of target or an object which robot must follow; second, detecting surface of the ground so that walking robot could maintain its balance just like a human and shows its best performance. Presented model gives high-level view of humanoid robot's operations.


This paper focuses on analysing Jacques Derrida's aesthetic thought with reference to the conceptual art of Joseph Kosuth. The examination of Derrida's aesthetics in the context of conceptual art is based upon, inter alia, Of Grammatology, and Margins of Philosophy. American conceptual art is regarded as a sign of a peculiar language crisis diagnosed by the French philosopher. The paper examines Derrida's dialectics of presence and absence, the infinite and the temporal in the context of colour and plane. Negation of negation (line) forms space, states Derrida. Analogously, the negation of traditional art forms conceptual mental space. I analyse the implications of Kosuth's theoretical statements with reference to his volume entitled Art after Philosophy and After: Collected Writings, 1966-1990, preceded by J.-F. Lyotard's introduction. Kosuth's Art as Idea as Idea aims to engage and confront thought, language and artworks. Devoid of the attraction of colour and governed by the rigorous logic of the line and typography, the aesthetic value of Kosuth's concept of ide


The purpose of this study was to understand the nature of applied music instruction in partial replication of an earlier study by Duke and Simmons (2006). Our study was designed to explore whether teaching characteristics were evident in a different population of teachers and students and we examined 14 hours of video recordings of lessons given to students by three experienced applied teachers at a state university (n = 13). Comparing the previously reported narrative descriptions of Duke and Simmons, our findings showed some behaviors from the Duke and Simmons study were evident, with similar rates of frequency. Additionally identified were seven new elements, all of which were evident across three teachers. Teachers in our study behaved differently to teachers in the earlier study (Duke & Simmons, 2006) in terms of the specificity and type of intervention within lessons. Our teachers were concrete in their comments, and the types of scaffolding strategies they employed were side coaching and short demonstrations. Implications for future research and teaching effectiveness are discussed.


Osteosarcoma is the most common malignant bone tumor in children, adolescents, and young adults. This pleiomorphic tumor depends on new blood vessel development, also known as angiogenesis, for tumor growth and metastasis. Therefore, it's of utmost importance to identify the key genes and pathways that regulate this pro-metastatic process in order to develop more efficient therapies. Here, we have shown that the RNA-binding protein AUF1 positively regulates the expression of the pro-angiogenic factor VEGF-A and its positive regulator HIF-1alpha through direct binding and stabilization of their mRNAs. This effect is mediated through the seeding sequence of the AUF1 protein in the VEGF-A and HIF-1alpha 3'UTR sequences. As a consequence, the expression of the 3 genes was highly correlative in various osteosarcoma cell lines, and AUF1 enhanced the pro-angiogenic capabilities of osteosarcoma cells both in vitro and in vivo. Indeed, while inhibition of AUF1 using specific siRNA suppressed the pro-angiogenic effects of osteosarcoma cells, ectopic expression of AUF1 enhanced the pro-angiogenic effect in a VEGF-A-dependent manner. Therefore, in the era of targeted therapy, anti-angiogenic therapies targeting AUF1 could provide effective methods for treating osteosarcoma.


BACKGROUND
Conventional coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CCAB) has been associated with greater myocardial injury than off-pump surgery (OPCAB). However, the extent of myocardial injury following CCAB and OPCAB has not been assessed by priority of surgery or the number of diseased vessels. We tested the hypothesis that the additional myocardial injury associated with CCAB compared with OPCAB is sustained when patients are stratified by priority and 2- or 3-vessel disease.

METHODS AND RESULTS
In this prospective cohort, we measured 24-hour postoperative cardiac troponin T (cTnT) following CCAB and OPCAB surgery to determine if OPCAB results in less perioperative myocardial damage by priority (urgent or elective). We studied 1511 patients who underwent heart surgery in one hospital in northern New England between 2000 and 2004. Surgeons used either CCAB (778 patients) of OPCAB (733 patients). Unpaired t tests were used to test the mean difference in cTnT between CCAB and OPCAB subgroups. Mean cTnT levels were significantly higher in the CCAB group (0.94 ng/mL) than the OPCAB group (0.18 ng/mL) with P < .001; this difference was consistent across urgent and elective surgeries, and patients with both 2- and 3-vessel disease. CCAB patients consistently demonstrated higher cTnT levels. Similar results were evident when stratified by patient characteristics and surgeon.

CONCLUSIONS
In summary, higher postoperative cTnT levels are associated with CCAB than with OPCAB, regardless of priority, number of diseased vessels, patient characteristics, or surgeon. OPCAB results in less myocardial injury in patients, whether they present with 2- or 3-vessel disease and whether they undergo urgent or elective cardiac surgery.


Peripheral blood samples of 23 patients who had hairy cell leukemia were examined for leukocyte alkaline phosphatase scores. Leukocyte alkaline phosphatase levels were elevated in seventeen patients (74%), were normal in six (26%), and were not decreased in any patient. The mean leukocyte alkaline phosphatase score was 166 (normal range, 11-95). High leukocyte alkaline phosphatase scores correlated inversely with the absolute number of neutrophils in peripheral blood and were unrelated to other clinical factors, including age and time since splenectomy. High leukocyte alkaline phosphatase scores were also associated with a shift to more immature forms of neutrophil differentiation. These findings are consistent with the view that high leukocyte alkaline phosphatase levels in hairy cell leukemia are secondary to decreased marrow granulocyte reserves and do not necessarily indicate the existence of primary abnormalities of multiple bone marrow cell lines, including the granulocytes, in hairy cell leukemia. The role of the leukocyte alkaline phosphatase assay in the differential diagnosis of hairy cell leukemia with respect to non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, and other lymphoid malignancies is discussed.


The statistical global view of the low-latitude ionospheric density stimulates further
interest in studying the strong longitudinal variability of the ionospheric density
structures in low-to-equatorial latitudes. However, we are not completely certain how the
electrodynamics and ion-neutral coupling proceeds at low latitudes; in particular, the
longitudinal difference in the dynamics of plasma structures in the low-to-mid latitude
ionosphere is not yet fully understood. Numerical studies of latent heat release in the
troposphere have indicated that the lower atmosphere can indeed introduce a
longitudinal dependence and variability of the low-latitude ionosphere during quiet
conditions. For the first time, we present simultaneous observations of the tidally
modulated global wind structure, using TIDI observations, in the E-region and the
ionospheric density distribution using ground (global GPS receivers) and space-based
(C/NOFS in situ density and GPS TEC on CHAMP) instruments. Our results show that
the longitudinally structured zonal wind component could be responsible for the
formation of wave number four pattern of the equatorial anomaly.


We consider the case of robotic bin picking of reflective steel parts, using a structured light 3D camera as a depth imaging device. In this paper, we present a new method for bin picking, based on a dual-resolution convolutional neural network trained entirely in a simulated environment. The dual-resolution network consists of a high resolution focus network to compute the grasp and a low resolution context network to avoid local collisions. The reflectivity of the steel parts result in depth images that have a lot of missing data. To take this into account, training of the neural net is done by domain randomization on a large set of synthetic depth images that simulate the missing data problems of the real depth images. We demonstrate both in simulation and in a real-world test that our method can perform bin picking of reflective steel parts.


Modern industrial and social development under Arctic conditions in the Nenets Autonomous Okrug (NAO) causes severe changes, both on the environment and on the socio-economic situation of the indigenous peoples living in and of the land. The project aims at monitoring the situation and producing a GIS database, which documents the development and can be used to promote interests of traditional land users. The Association of Nenets People Yasavey is the major cooperation partner of the project, a fact that will ensure that local indigenous peoples' knowledge and needs are taken care of. Both natural and social scientific methods will be applied to acquire data on physical changes in the tundra as well as traditional occupations, mainly reindeer herding. Data sources are published data, personal observations of indigenous representatives, questioning of local residents in selected areas of the NAO, photo documentation, inquiries at administration and companies, and satellite image survey. The GIS database will show the physical and ethno-geography of the NAO, as well as visible and reported impacts. Data will be presented as an interactive map to 1:1 mill., though more detailed in areas where the density of acquired data demands it. Map elements will be linked with descriptive, explanatory and interpreted data in text and image formats. Contained data will be discussed in environmental, socio-economic, anthropological and human-security-related contexts. For this purpose a working group of international experts on these topics is formed. The database will be posted on the Internet. All data will also be published in bilingual (English and Russian) reports. To make sure that data presentation complies with Russian law, Russian legal expertise is attached to the project. After cessation of the project the database will be transferred to a local server in the NAO. Yasavey will be trained in using and maintaining it.


The reaction 5-amino-2-phenyl-3,4-dihydro-3 H-pyrazol-3-onewith activated lactams (lactim ethers, lactam acetals, and methylthioalkylideneiminium salts) was investigated. It occurs on the active methylenegroup of 5-amino-2-phenyl-3,4-dihydro-3 H-pyrazol-3-oneto furnish cyclic enamines, 5-amino-4-(2-azacycloalkylidene)-2-phenyl-2,4-dihydro-3 H-pyrazol-3-ones and 5-amino-4 -(1-methyl -2-azacycloalkylidene )-2-phenyl-2,4-dihydro-3 H-pyrazol-3-ones.


This study aims to study the training needs of basic school
headmasters in jerash Govern rate and get acquainted with the impact
of some independent variables ( gender, qualification , experience ) on
training needs. To achieve the study goals a tool for measuring the
training needs of basic school headmasters was developed, Its
credibility and stability were verified . Stability coefficient was
(0.85).
The study sample consisted of (102) headmasters and
headmistresses. The results showed that training needs in general, and
in the field of development and modernization in particular were high.
In the field of planning, organization, decision making, guidance , and
coordination , they were average. The results also showed that there
were no statistically significant differences in training needs· due to
gender or experience. There were statistically significant differences
in training needs due qualification in favour of Bachelor degree
holders whose needs were greater.


A multichannel sound reproduction system aims at offering an immersive experience exploiting multiple microphones and loudspeakers. In the case of multichannel acoustic echo cancellation, a suitable solutions for overcoming the well-known non-uniqueness problem and an appropriate choice of the adaptive algorithm become essential to improve the audio reproduction quality. In this paper, an advanced system is proposed based on the introduction of a multichannel decorrelation solution exploiting the missing-fundamental phenomenon and a combined multiple-input multiple-output architecture updated by using the multichannel affine projection algorithm. Experimental results proved the effectiveness of the presented framework in terms of objective and subjective measures, providing a suitable solution for echo cancellation.


East Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh in the North Eastern Region has tremendous potentiality for commercial cultivation of Khasi Mandarin. Despite of rich soil and favourable agro-climatic conditions, full potentialities in terms of production and productivity could not be realised by the growers. The study highlights correlates of adoption of improved practices of Khasi Mandarin and the associated problems of adoption of improved practices by the farmers. The overall level of adoption from the fi ndings revealed that majority (64.17%) of the respondents had medium level of adoption which was followed by low adoption level (25.00%). However, only 10.83 per cent were found to be in high level of adoption category. Total land holding, area under mandarin orchard, total annual income, extension contact, training exposure, management orientation and risk bearing ability had positive and signifi cant correlation with the level of adoption. Age, family size, occupation of the family, farming experience and farm labour availability exhibited a non-signifi cant relationship with the level of adoption. All the variables were found to contribute 42.9 per cent of total variation in adoption (R2=0.429) with extension contact, management orientation and risk bearing ability having signifi cant contribution to this variation.


Safety and seclusion features interrelated to RFID are, though, ahead noteworthy significance as the nonexistence of good security and retreat is moderately accountable for investment back the great level accomplishment that are requisite for the earlier revealed RFID request. Since RFID is a wireless structure devoid of any usual safety controls, label can be interpreted, customized, influenced, or immobilized with no substantial, and so visible, contact. The isolation issues have been recurrently glorified in the medium by assured persons and cluster that are beside the use of RFID, in meticulous in buyer products, as they imagine it to disobey their isolation. Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tools assure remuneration that ensues from being capable to recognize and follow individual goods in profitable supply chains. This assist in account management, decrease robbery, can be used in concurrence with other antenna technology to spot dented goods, and promises cost reductions. The purpose of this manuscript is to categorize impending threats to profitable supply chains associated to the use of RFID technology.


The paper assesses the impact of intemational relative prices and domestic expenditure variables on Brazil' s foreign trade performance in the first half of the 1990s. It has been argued that the appreciation of the Real since 1994 has had a detrimental impact of the country's trade balance. However, using temporal precedence analysis, our results do not indicate that the trade balance is strongly affected by intemational rei ative prices, such as the exchange rate. Instead, domestic expenditure variables appear to be more powerful determinant of the country' s trade performance in recent years. Granger and error correction causality techniques are used to determine temporal precedence between the trade balance and the exchange rate in the period under examination. Our findings shed light on the debate over the sustainability of recent exchange rate-anchored macroeconomic stabilisation programmes, which is a topic that has encouraged a lot of debate among academics and practitioners.


Face sketch-photo synthesis is a critical application in law enforcement and digital entertainment industry where the goal is to learn the mapping between a face sketch image and its corresponding photo-realistic image. However, the limited number of paired sketch-photo training data usually prevents the current frameworks to learn a robust mapping between the geometry of sketches and their matching photo-realistic images. Consequently, in this work, we present an approach for learning to synthesize a photo-realistic image from a face sketch in an unsupervised fashion. In contrast to current unsupervised image-to-image translation techniques, our framework leverages a novel perceptual discriminator to learn the geometry of human face. Learning racial prior information empowers the network to remove the geometrical artifacts in the face sketch. We demonstrate that a simultaneous optimization of the face photo generator network, employing the proposed perceptual discriminator in combination with a texture-wise discriminator, results in a significant improvement in quality and recognition rate of the synthesized photos. We evaluate the proposed network by conducting extensive experiments on multiple baseline sketch-photo datasets.


In 2007 the CMS experiment first reported some initial findings on the impedance mismatch between HEP use of C++ and the current generation of compilers and CPUs. Since then we have continued our analysis of the CMS experiment code base, including the external packages we use. We have found that large amounts of C++ code has been written largely ignoring any physical reality of the resulting machine code and run time execution costs, including and especially software developed by experts. We report on a wide range issues affecting typical high energy physics code, in the form of coding pattern - impact - lesson - improvement.


The variation of transmission phase for single- and dual-gate GaAs MESFET's with bias change and its probable effects on the performance of an active phase shifter have been studied for the frequency range 2 to 4 GHz. from measured S-parameter values for single- and dual-gate transistors, the element values of the equivalent circuits were fitted by using the computer-aided design program SUPER COMPACT. For the normal full-gate voltage range 0 to -2 V at V/sub DS/= 4 V, the single-gate MESFET varies in transmission phase from 142° to 149° at 2 GHz, and from 109° to 119° at 4 GHz. However, with drain voltage varied from 0.3 to 4 V and a constant gate-voltage bias of 0 V, the phase shifts are much larger, 105° to 145° at 2 GHz and 78° to 112° at 4 GHz. this suggests that large phase shifts may be expected in a dual-gate device and this is found to be so. With V/sub DS/= 4 Vand V/sub GS1/= - 1.0 V, variation of control (second) gate bias from 0 to - 1.75 V for the NE463 GaAs MESFET produces a transmission phase variation from 95° to 132° at 2 GHz and 41° to 88° at 4 GHz. Such phase shifts cause both amplitude and phase errors in phase-shifter circuits of the kind where signals from two FET channels are combined in quadrature with their gate voltages controlled to provide 0° to 90° phase control with constant amplitude. For the single-gate FET examined, the expected amplitude and phase errors are 0.30 dB and 6° at 2 GHz, and 0.36 dB and 10° at 4 GHz. If dual-gate FET's are used in similar circuits, the distribution of errors is different. For NE463 devices, the corresponding figures are 0.56 dB and 2° at 2 GHz and 1.2 dB and 3° at 4 GHz. the advantage of the dual-gate configuration is that the input impedance conditions are more constant than for the single-gate configuration.


A recent paper by Plater et al. [20], showed that the mutation of a single phenylalanine residue F27R in mouse alpha B completely abolished the chaperone-like property of alpha-crystallin when assayed with insulin at 25 degrees C or with gamma-crystallin at 66 degrees C. We have produced the same mutation as well as some additional mutations in human alpha B-crystallin. Our data suggest that the F27R mutation effected the thermal stability of alpha B-crystallin making it unstable at temperatures > or = 60 degrees C. In agreement with the published work, at these temperatures the F27R human recombinant alpha B-crystallin does not protect the target protein from aggregation. When assayed with insulin or alpha-lactalbumin at 25 or 37 degrees C, however, there were no differences in the protective abilities between the native alpha B-crystallin or the F27R mutated human alpha B-crystallin. Several other multiple mutations involving proline residues were also produced. These mutations did not effect the chaperone-like properties of human alpha B-crystallin, but some of them did effect the native molecular weight size as judged by gel filtration chromatography.


The existence and distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in fine coal fractions have been determined in order to evaluate their potential carcinogenicity to human beings. Thirteen PAHs of fine coal fractions (n = 9) from Barapukuria coal field, situated at the northwestern part of Bangladesh were analyzed by the gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC−MS) method in order to examine their distributions and toxicity in the environment. Relative abundances of fluoranthene (Flu), pyrene (Pyr), benzo [b,j,k] fluoranthene (Bflas), benzo [e] pyrene (BeP) and benzo [a] pyrene (BaP) were found to be high, followed by phenanthrene (Phe), indeno [1,2,3-cd] pyrene (InP), benzo [g,h,i] perylene (BghiP) and coronene (Cor). The average loads of carcinogenic PAHs in the fine coal fractions decreased in the order: Bflas > BeP > BaP > BghiP > InP > Cor. The PAHs ratios of BeP/(BeP + BaP) ranging from 0.61 to 0.85 (average 0.74), reflected the decay of BaP due to ageing in prolonged exposure to the solar radiation. High abundance of land plant markers retene (Ret) and Phe and BaP/BghiP ratio (~0.10 to 6.16, average 1.89) values indicate that organic matters in the studied samples were derived from typical biological sources. Moreover, the existence of more middle- and higher molecular weight (MMW and HMW) PAHs over lower molecular weight (LMW) PAHs in most samples implied the association of high toxicity with negative impacts on human health. The health risk assessment factors (BaPeq) ranging from 0.55 ng g–1 to 6.51 ng g–1 indicates moderate to high health risk related to carcinogenic PAHs in the surrounding atmosphere. The estimated incremental lifetime cancer risk (ILCR) values for adults (9.96 × 10−5 to 1.27 × 10−4) and children (5.56 × 10−6 to 1.12 × 10−6) were found to be higher than or equal to the range of 1.0 × 10−6 to 1.0 × 10−4.
Bangladesh J. Sci. Ind. Res.54(3), 203-214, 2019


ABSTRACT We apply the Job Demands-Resources model to explicate how two contextual factors (nondiscriminatory leadership behavior and cohesion) may equip subordinates to benefit from the leadership style of goal-focused leadership (GFL), a predominant leadership style in the military context. We predict that only when GFL is delivered in conjunction with nondiscriminatory leadership behaviors in a cohesive workgroup (which, we theorize, combine to create a resource-rich environment), subordinates may experience the lowest levels of exhaustion. We tested our hypothesis in two independent samples of uniformed United States Department of Defense personnel deployed in non-combat zones, and results are fully supportive. We add to recent efforts to expand the nomological network of GFL, pinpointing situational factors that may equip subordinates to experience lower (rather than higher) exhaustion when working with a goal-focused leader. In doing so, we also contribute to theory on diversity and stress, and we suggest practical applications for leadership across a range of hierarchical contexts, including the military and other large organizations. In all, our work may help inform the proper balance of leadership and workgroup factors, which determine the optimal context in which individuals can be equipped to benefit from GFL.


Streptococcus pneumoniae (SPN / pneumococcus), invades myriad of host tissues following efficient breaching of cellular barriers. However, strategies adopted by pneumococcus for evasion of host intracellular defences governing successful transcytosis across host cellular barriers remain elusive. In this study, using brain endothelium as a model host barrier, we observed that pneumococcus containing endocytic vacuoles (PCVs) formed following SPN internalization into brain microvascular endothelial cells (BMECs), undergo early maturation and acidification, with a major subset acquiring lysosome-like characteristics. Exploration of measures that would preserve pneumococcal viability in the lethal acidic pH of these lysosome-like vacuoles revealed a critical role of the two-component system response regulator, CiaR, which has been previously implicated in induction of acid tolerance response. Pyruvate oxidase (SpxB), a key sugar metabolizing enzyme that catalyses oxidative decarboxylation of pyruvate to acetyl phosphate, was found to contribute to acid stress tolerance, presumably via acetyl phosphate-mediated phosphorylation and activation of CiaR, independent of its cognate kinase CiaH. Hydrogen peroxide, the by-product of SpxB catalysed reaction, was also found to improve pneumococcal intracellular survival, by oxidative inactivation of lysosomal cysteine cathepsins, thus compromising the degradative capacity of the host lysosomes. Expectedly, a ΔspxB mutant was found to be significantly attenuated in its ability to survive inside the BMEC endocytic vacuoles, reflecting in its reduced transcytosis ability. Collectively, our studies establish SpxB as an important virulence determinant facilitating pneumococcal survival inside host cells, ensuring successful trafficking across host cellular barriers. AUTHOR SUMMARY Eukaryotic cells which constitute host barriers have innate immune defences to restrict microbial passage into sterile compartments. This necessitates need for pathogens to devise strategies to evade these, for successful establishment of disease. In this study, by focussing on the blood-brain barrier endothelium, we investigate the mechanisms which enable the opportunistic pathogen Streptococcus pneumoniae to traverse host barriers. Pyruvate oxidase, a pneumococcal sugar metabolizing enzyme was found to play a critical role in this key event, owing to production of acetyl phosphate and hydrogen peroxide via its enzymatic activity. On one hand, acetyl phosphate, by contributing to activation of acid tolerance stress response, enabled pneumococci to maintain viability in the lethal acidic pH of the lysosome-like vacuoles inside brain endothelium. On the other, hydrogen peroxide, was found to oxidise and inactivate a subset of degradative lysosomal enzymes. This two-pronged approach, aided by pyruvate oxidase, enabled pneumococci to evade intracellular degradation for successful transcytosis across the endothelium. Thus, pyruvate oxidase is a key determinant of pneumococcal virulence and hence can potentially serve as a viable candidate for therapeutic interventions for better management of invasive pneumococcal diseases.


This article looks to the philosophy of Gilles Deleuze in order to theorize the crucifixion of Jesus as event in early Christian literature. A Deleuzian view on the event is primarily articulated with the distinction between a sequential and a serial understanding of happenings, where the latter forms the basis for singular events. It is argued that Jesus' death is best considered a singular event in early Christianity, meaning that it displays a particular, distinct force in early Christian theologies that is irreducible to other happenings, such as the resurrection. The article's first section investigates the difference between a sequential and serial view on Jesus' death, by comparing a Pauline view of Jesus' death and resurrection, on the one hand, with the function of Jesus' death in a selection of Christian texts from the first to the fourth century, on the other. In the last section, the singularity of Jesus' death in early Christian texts is explored further, by turning to the Gospel of Mark. Returning to the Deleuzian theory of events, Jesus' peculiar death in the Gospel is described with the eventive traits of paradox and obscurity. It is argued that the Markan portrayal of the death of Christ – as a singular event – invites embodiment of Jesus' enigmatic death, in the lives of the Gospel's audience.


This study attempted to evaluate the learning effectiveness of using the MIT App Inventor platform and its Personal Image Classifier (PIC) tool in the interdisciplinary application. The instructional design was focused on applying PIC in the integration of STEAM (i.e., Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics) interdisciplinary learning, so as to provide sustainable and suitable teaching content based on the experiential learning theory for 7th grader students. Accordingly, the sustainable AI-STEAM course with the experiential learning framework has been implemented and verified, so as to confirm that the AI-STEAM course is not too difficult for young students. Many basic concepts involved in the AI-STEAM course, regarding programming logic, electromechanical concepts, interface design, and the application of image recognition, were measured in this study. The results showed that the students not only made significant progress in learning effectiveness, but also in particular made significant improvements in two parts: electromechanical concepts and image recognition knowledge. In the end, this study further provides some advice on the sustainable AI-STEAM course based on the survey of some important factors including active learning, and self-efficacy after confirming that it is not a barrier for the young students to learn the sustainable AI-STEAM course developed in this study.


This paper addresses stability, bifurcation properties, and performance improvement of the packet reservation multiple access with hindering states (PRMA-HS) protocol, a medium access control scheme suitable for application in low earth orbit mobile satellite systems. The bistable behavior and bifurcation properties of the PRMA-HS protocol for a traffic with voice sources is investigated. A bifurcation control scheme using state estimation is proposed to increase the capacity of the PRMA-HS protocol, defined as the number of simultaneous users sharing the same communication medium. Finally, a brief discussion concerning the extension of the proposed bifurcation control to PRMA-HS protocol over a random packet error channel is also provided.


The bee family Melittidae comprises a small, but biologically fascinating, group of mostly oligolectic bees, some of which are oil collecting. Phylogenetic relationships within this family are poorly understood and some genera cannot be placed with confidence at the subfamily level. We analysed melittid phylogeny using a combined dataset of five nuclear genes [28S, elongation factor‐1α (EF‐1α, F2 copy), long‐wavelength rhodopsin, Na‐K ATPase and RNA polymerase II] spanning 4842 bp plus 68 adult morphological characters. Our study included 25% of the species‐level diversity and 81% of the generic‐level diversity and included all previously recognized tribes and subfamilies. We analysed the dataset using parsimony, maximum likelihood and Bayesian methods. All methods yielded congruent results. All topologies recovered the three previously recognized subfamilies (Dasypodainae, Melittinae, Meganomiinae), but two genera (Afrodasypoda and Promelitta) are transferred from Dasypodainae to Melittinae. On the basis of our tree topologies we identify four tribes (Dasypodaini comb.n., Hesperapini stat.n., Macropidini comb.n. and Melittini), only one of which (Melittini) matches a widely used classification. Lastly, we discuss the evolution of host‐plant association in the light of our new phylogenetic hypothesis. Our results strongly support multiple independent origins of oil‐collecting behaviour in the Melittinae.


A VERY efficient type of traction, originally used by Hoke and known as the "Hoke-Martin Plaster Traction,"1is often overlooked when strong fixed traction is desired. As originally described, a plaster hip spica is applied extending from the nipple line down to and incorporating the foot on the well side and down to just above the knee or to the lower part of the leg on the affected side. Two metal bars, joined at the end and between which a ratchet is placed 2 in. (5 cm.) from the end, are incorporated into the plaster on the affected side. Either skeletal traction or skin traction can be applied to the extremity, above or below the knee as required. Herein is described a modification of the apparatus which is very useful in conditions such as old or "irreducible" congenital dislocation of the hip, old fracture dislocations, when it is desired


In this study, we evaluated the usefulness of positron emission tomography using 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG-PET) to detect metastatic lymph nodes in differentiated thyroid cancer. We also investigated whether certain factors, including the size of the metastasis to the lymph nodes, are associated with FDG avidity. A total of 22 consecutive patients with differentiated thyroid cancer who underwent FDG-PET preoperatively were enrolled in this study. Lymph node metastasis was diagnosed in the final pathology in 10 of the 22 patients (45.5%). The mean maximum standardized uptake value of the metastatic lymph nodes was 4.53 (range, 0-23.5). The 22 cases with differentiated thyroid cancer were divided into two groups based on lymph node metastasis. Clinicopathological variables other than FDG uptake of metastatic lymph nodes were not predictors of lymph node metastasis of thyroid cancer. The sensitivity, specificity, overall accuracy and false-negative rates of preoperative FDG-PET in the prediction of lymph node status were 40.0, 100, 72.7 and 60.0%, respectively. The false-positive rate of FDG-PET evaluation was 0%. The mean largest dimension of metastasis was 23.0 mm for FDG-positive cases and 10.9 mm for FDG-negative cases. There was a marked difference in the size of metastases between FDG-positive and -negative cases; however, even in patients with node metastasis >10 mm, the false-negative rate was 50.0%. Therefore, FDG-PET imaging was not found to be sufficient for the evaluation of lymph node status, particularly in cases with small metastases. Our findings indicate that preoperative FDG-PET evaluation of the lymph nodes cannot be considered predictive of the final pathology.


4111 Introduction: ES-285 is a novel anti-cancer agent originally isolated from the North Atlantic Clam, Spisula polynyma . Previous studies have shown that ES-285 has antiproliferative activity in a unique pattern across the NCI 60 cell line panel. Although the mechanism of this cellular response is unclear, ES-285 induces changes in cell morphology and the actin cytoskeleton, possibly though Rho signalling (Cuadros et al., Cancer Lett. 152 (1); 23-29). We have used cDNA gene expression microarrays to further investigate the mechanism of action of ES-285. . Methods: We have compared the cellular and molecular response to ES-285 with those of structurally-related compounds (safingol, sphingosine and ES-427, an inactive analogue of ES-285) together with compounds known to modulate Rho/ROCK signalling (FTI-277, GGTI-298 and Y-27632). Antiproliferative activity was assessed by MTT assay. Membrane integrity was investigated by following the release of LDH into culture medium after drug treatment. Effects on cell morphology and the actin cytoskeleton were visualized with confocal microscopy. Drug-induced changes in gene expression were measured using 22k cDNA microarrays (www.crukdmf.icr.ac.uk). . Results: ES-285 has antiproliferative activity against a panel of 10 cancer cell lines in vitro with IC50s 20-200nM. ES-285 causes minimal LDH release at 24 hours, but marked LDH release at 72 hours, when apoptotic cells are present. These effects are not seen with equimolar doses of ES-427. There was no correlation between constitutive actin stress fibre density of the different cell lines and their sensitivity to ES-285. However, in HT29 cells a concentration-dependent loss of stress fibres was seen, with abrogation of most fibres by 4 hours at a dose of 100nM (5xIC50). Loss of actin stress fibres was also seen with Y-27632 and GGTI-298 at 24 hours. No effect on stress fibres was seen with safingol, sphingosine or FTI-277. cDNA microarrays revealed that ES-285 treatment significantly alters the expression of a large number of genes at timepoints as early as 2 hours. This transcriptional response to ES-285 includes genes involved in apoptosis, cell cycle, signal transduction and the actin cytoskeleton. . Conclusions: ES-285 inhibits the proliferation of cancer cell lines in vitro at nanomolar concentrations. In HT29 colon cancer cells, treatment with ES-285 is associated with loss of actin stress fibres. The transcriptional response to ES-285 is distinct from, but overlaps with, that induced by structurally-related compounds and inhibitors of Rho/ROCK signalling. Further analysis and validation of these gene expression changes is being used to generate further hypotheses about the mechanism of action of ES-285 and to identify pharmacodynamic markers for use in a phase 1 clinical trial of ES-285 which is underway. . Acknowledgement: ES-285 and ES-427 were kindly supplied by PharmaMar S.A., Madrid, Spain.


The use of intensive chemistry in the agricultural field was a first cause of pollution in the agricultural field. In order to move towards sustainable, environmentally friendly agriculture, farmers took into account the use of alternatives to chemical fertilizers, green, green and non-polluting alternatives. Thus, so-called ecological fertilizers, green fertilizers, soil-friendly, agricultural crops, production and, implicitly, for humans and animals have emerged. The alternative to chemical fertilizers is fertilizer based on bacterial cultures.


The relationship between oil and gas fields and high concentrations of iodine in water is well known. Iodine is a good, indirect surface indicator of areas favorable for oil and gas accumulations. Humic substances are the main initial source of iodine in subsurface waters. At the high temperatures achieved during burial, structural degradation of large molecules of unsaponified organic matter and of insoluble residues and bitumens also provide a source of iodine. Although the iodine background content in formation waters of different geologic ages varies widely, it has no apparent effect on the use of iodine as a pathfinder for potential oil and gas prospects. Samples are taken from the top 2 to 4 in. (5 to 10 cm) of the soil and are analyzed for total iodine content. In the analysis for iodine, the total iodine content--iodine that is firmly retained by humic soils and iodine that is contained in soluble iodide form--is expressed in weight percent. Depth appears to influence the extent of iodide fixation by clay soils. For example, in arid and humid-temperate soil clays, the extent of iodide fixation increases with the decrease of soil depth. Clays obtained from different depths of soils located within the water table do not record any difference in iodide fixation; however, identification of the sand/clay ratio in the 170 mesh soil sample is important. High iodine concentrations occur about the perimeter of a surface geochemical anomaly. This surface expression of the reduction chimney, the so-called halo effect, is associated with oil and gas anomalies. A typical anomaly exhibits values greater than two standard deviations above the statistical mean. Iodine is an effective pathfinder in surface prospecting because of: (1) the simplicity of taking and non-critical handling required of the surface samples, (2) the ability to integrate a detailed survey into an earlier reconnaissance survey, and (3) relatively low-cost analysis permits a greater sampling density, which provides better identification and definition of anomalies. Iodine, as all geochemical parameters, should not be used by itself, but rather in combination with other geochemical techniques, and the results should be cross-correlated for an optimum confidence level. Iodine analyses are a good cross-check on the validity of radiometric anomalies or magnetic anomalies. They are also a good geochemical tool to use in the reconnaissance mode prior to using more expensive hydrocarbon analyses in the detailed phase of an exploration program. End_of_Article - Last_Page 466------------


Novel hybrid materials composed by a high density polyethylene (HDPE) matrix and powdered rubber coming from scrap tyres (ground tyre rubber [GTR]) were prepared. Two methods were followed: ethylene was polymerized by a metallocene catalyst (Cp2ZrCl2/methylaluminoxane) in the presence of a toluene dispersion of the filler (in-situ polymerization); and the ethylene was polymerized out after supporting the aluminum-based co-catalyst onto the rubber particles surface (polymerization filling technique). The experimental conditions were varied in order to achieve the best catalyst productivity. All the synthesized composites were characterized in order to investigate the occurrence and the extent of interactions between HDPE macromolecular chains and the GTR components and their effects onto the final properties, by comparison with a composite where GTR was included into the matrix through blending in the melt. Scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and solvent extractions were performed to this aim. The amount of thermoplastic matrix bonded to the filler was determined, and the extracted polymer was characterized by size exclusion chromatography and differential scanning calorimetry. Finally, stress–strain behavior of the composites obtained, respectively, by catalytic polymerization and melt mixing was compared. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014, 131, 40313.


Summary A 52-year-old man presented after one episode of effort angina, normal treadmill electrocardiogram (ECG), and clearly positive adenosine cardiac magnetic resonance (aCMR) for reversible perfusion defects in the left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery territory. Contrast high-dose dipyridamole (0.84 mg/kg per 6 min) stress echocardiography (cSE) demonstrated normal myocardial perfusion (MP) and wall motion at rest, while perfusion defects were shown in the lateral and apical segments after dipyridamole. Wall motion at stress was completely normal and stress/rest Doppler diastolic velocity ratio on the LAD demonstrated reduced flow reserve. In this case, cSE was the provocative test detecting both the LAD and circumflex obstructive lesions, thanks to MP analysis, while wall motion assessment was negative, not different from treadmill ECG, and aCMR highlighted only the LAD disease. Learning points In spite of the low sensitivity of wall motion assessment during stress-echocardiography to detect coronary artery disease (CAD) in patients with multivessel disease and balanced ischemia, the addition of cSE with myocardial perfusion assessment, is not only able to overcome this limitation of false negative rate on a per-patient basis, but may also depict multivessel myocardial perfusion defects more efficiently than aCMR, as in the reported case, thanks to high spatial resolution. Myocardial perfusion assessment during cSE, although not always technically feasible, has a very high spatial and temporal resolution which can easily demonstrate multivessel subendocardial perfusion defects during maximal vasodilation, which is often the only detectable marker of multivessel, balanced CAD. It is known that wall motion analysis during pharmacologic stress may result in falsely negative multivessel disease; in these cases perfusion imaging or Doppler measurement of coronary flow reserve may be helpful to detect multivessel obstructive CAD, which is a significant and dismal prognostic finding. aCMR is assumed as the perfect imaging modality for CAD detection, but in selected cases, such as the one presented, an advanced echocardiographic method in experienced hands can provide even more comprehensive results.


High-quality positioning is of fundamental importance for an increasing variety of advanced driver assistance systems. GNSS-based systems are predominant outdoors but usually fail in enclosed areas where a direct line-of-sight to satellites is unavailable. For those scenarios, external infrastructure-based positioning systems are a promising alternative. However, external position detections have no identity information as they may belong to any object, i.e. they are anonymous. Moreover, the area covered by external sensors may contain gaps where objects cannot be observed leading to a correspondence problem between multiple detections and actual objects. We present a global tracking-by-identification approach as extension to existing local trackers that uses odometry sensor data of vehicles to find the corresponding subset of external detections. Thus, our approach enables the assignment of anonymous external detections to a specific vehicular endpoint and the estimation of its current position without requiring an initial location. The problem is decomposed resulting in a two step approach. The first algorithm determines possible track segment combinations which are used as track hypotheses. The track hypothesis generation algorithm considers spatio-temporal relationships between track segments, thus avoiding exponentially growing complexity inherent to data association problems. The second algorithm compares track hypotheses to the relative vehicle trajectory using pseudo-distance correlation metrics. In a detailed evaluation, we demonstrate that the proposed approach is able to reliably perform global tracking and identification of camera-observed vehicles in real-time, despite relatively large coverage gaps of the external sensors.


Abstract. The Temple of Olympian Zeus in Agrigento (Italy) was one of the largest temple and at the same time one of the most original of all the Greek architecture. We don't know exactly how it was because the temple is now almost completely destroyed but it is very well-known for the presence of the Telamons. The Telamons were giant statues (about 8 meters high) probably located outside the temple to fill the interval between the columns. In accordance with the theory most accredited by archaeologists the Telamons were a decorative element and also a support for the structure. However, this hypothesis has never been scientifically proven. One Telamon has been reassembled and is shown at the Archaeological Museum of Agrigento. In 2009 a group of researchers at the University of Palermo has begun a study to test the hypothesis that the Telamons support the weight of the upper part of the temple. The study consists of a 3D survey of the Telamon, to reconstruct a detailed 3D digital model, and of a structural analysis with the Finite Element Method (FEM) to test the possibility that the Telamon could to support the weight of the upper portion of the temple. In this work the authors describe the 3D survey of Telamon carry out with Range-Based Modelling (RBM) and Image-Based Modeling (IBM). The RBM was performed with a TOF laser scanner while the IBM with the ZScan system of Menci Software and Image Master of Topcon. Several tests were conducted to analyze the accuracy of the different 3D models and to evaluate the difference between laser scanning and photogrammetric data. Moreover, an appropriate data reduction to generate a 3D model suitable for FEM analysis was tested.


The success of communicative interaction is dependent on the communication skills of each individual participating in the exchange. Accordingly, in the case of an interaction involving an individual using augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), the success of the interaction depends not only on the skills of this individual, but also on those of the communication partner. Current literature indicates that communication partner instruction is a critical intervention component. Furthermore, there is evidence that, with instruction, communication partners can learn to use facilitative interaction skills and strategies to better support the communication of individuals using AAC. To date, however, little attention has been paid to the most effective and efficient instructional methods for communication partner intervention programs. Therefore, in this paper, we propose an eight-step strategic model for use in communication partner instruction programs, and identify future research directions related to this model.


The crystal structure of (1R,2S,3R,5R)-3-amino-6,6-dimethyl-2-hydroxybicyclo[3.1.1]heptane 1 was determined and it is presented in reference to the structure of (1R,2S,3R,5R)-3-(p-tosylamino)-6,6-dimethyl-2-hydroxybicyclo[3.1.1]heptane 2. 1H and 13C chemical shifts parameters for both structures and for whole unit cells were calculated by using the GIPAW (gauge including projector augmented waves) method. Theoretically calculated chemical shift tensor parameters were verified by 13C CP MAS, 2D PASS, and 13C–1H FSLG HETCOR results to obtain a full structural assignment for 13C and 1H resonances in the solid-state. PISEMA MAS experiment was performed to determine the molecular dynamics of aminoalcohol 1. The comparison of two structures, obtained after all-atom positions optimization after the GIPAW calculations, revealed small conformational differences consistent with the single-crystal X-ray diffaction results.


Detecting dangerous riding behaviors is of great importance to improve bicycling safety. Existing bike safety precautionary measures rely on dedicated infrastructures that incur high installation costs. In this work, we propose BikeMate, a ubiquitous bicycling behavior monitoring system with smartphones. BikeMate invokes smartphone sensors to infer dangerous riding behaviors including lane weaving, standing pedalling and wrong-way riding. For easy adoption, BikeMate leverages transfer learning to reduce the overhead of training models for different users, and applies crowdsourcing to infer legal riding directions without prior knowledge. Experiments with 12 participants show that BikeMate achieves an overall accuracy of 86.8% for lane weaving and standing pedalling detection, and yields a detection accuracy of 90% for wrong-way riding using crowdsourced GPS traces.


We are currently waiting expectantly for the theatre that Eastern and.Central Europe will yield in the new century. The last will be remembered for its cycle of uprising, repression, and underground activity, all of which proved to be hell for the average Jan Svejk, but inspirational for the artist. Furthermore, the world's most famous writer-turned-politician, Vaclav Havel, was left asking ironically, 'Wasn't I in fact happier under Communism, because I constantly had a certain horizon, a certain perspective, something to struggle with, something to fight for?' Jarka Burian certainly has 'hope and expectation' for the future, though this is undermined by his last footnote, announcing the suicide by hanging in his own theatre of the talented postmodernist director, Petr Lebl, in December 1999. Burian's book is populated with such charismatic and committed figures, many of them familiar, such as Josef Svoboda, Otomar Krecja, and Jan Grossman, whose ascent, exile, and rehabilitation are detailed, but others of whom are less known in the West. Occasionally, the book becomes overcrowded with people, dates, and places, proving a dense read, though providing an excellent bibliographic service. In places, it would benefit from a little more analysis and less data, but the whole is authoritative and appealingly personal, based on rewritten articles, reviews, and recollections, with extensive references to plays and social context, and a good bibliography. Burian's text is especially captivating since its chronological progression embraces more recent history: the international successes of the 1960s, thriving artistic activity after the 1968 invasion, decline in the 1970s and 1980s, and the 1989 Velvet Revolution, in which demonstrations once again proved the transgressive potential of performance. Burian recalls how a Living Newspaper-style production in Prague incorporated a bleeding student's eye-witness account of nearby street actions. In a country where the national anthem was plucked from a 1834 play with music by Josef Tyl, we can only join Burian in hoping that theatre will continue to play a leading part in shaping the nation's identity and cultural life.


Taking as a starting point the training of personnel as a necessary investment to increase the professional value of employers and, therefore, firm value, this paper aims to determine the factors that condition the type of training in which firms invest. A series of hypothesis are contrasted, from the firm perspective, using information from the Survey of Firm Strategies on 791 Spanish industrial companies. In this way, we can obtain the common features of firms that carry out exclusively training of one type, whether generic or specific.


Road traffic accidents and their related deaths have become a major health problem and concerns. Studies have examined the impact of weather on road traffic accidents and casualties. However, the effect of weather on road traffic accidents in the existing literature is scanty in Nigeria. In the light of the growing interest in understanding the interrelationship between climate change and transportation including road traffic accidents, this study examines the impact of rainfall and temperature on road traffic accidents in Ondo State, Nigeria between 2005 to 2012. Secondary data on monthly road traffic accidents, rainfall and temperature were derived for the study duration from the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) and Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET). A total of 337 road traffic accidents occurred between 2005 and 2012, 30.83% were fatal, 52.56% were serious and 16.60% were minor accidents. The main finding is that the total road traffic accident is a function of several other factors than rainfall and temperature. Specifically, correlations between road traffic accidents and elements of weather were generally low and never exceeding 0.41. Both rainfall and temperature were negatively and positively correlated on yearly bases. Similarly, multiple linear regression models between road traffic accidents and the weather elements on yearly bases show that the variations in road traffic accidents accounted for by rainfall and temperature are equally low never exceeding 25.7%. In order to determine whether or not the weather effects on road traffic accidents are significant, continued research using additional weather and no weather variables is needed to replicate this study in the country.


Glomerulonephritis is a common cause of end-stage renal failure and a feature of ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV). AAV is an example of a small vessel vasculitis, characterised by inflammation of the endothelium and glomeruli in which the interaction between leukocytes and endothelial cells play a crucial role. Macrophages have been demonstrated to have a critical role during the initiation and progression of glomerulonephritis. Calprotectin (also termed S100A8/A9, mrp8/14), is a complex of 2 small calcium binding proteins that is abundantly expressed in neutrophils and monocytes as well as early infiltrating macrophages and is a ligand of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and the receptor for advanced glycation end-products (RAGE). There is growing evidence in animal models and patients with autoimmune diseases, of calprotectin being involved in the inflammatory response, as well as being a marker of activation of innate immunity. I have initially characterised the presence of calprotectin-positive cells in renal biopsies of patients with focal and crescentic AAV glomerulonephritis, therefore linking the presence of these cells with renal outcome. Patients with active AAV have elevated serum calprotectin levels, as well as significant expression on neutrophils and monocytes, which although decrease during remission, does not normalise. I have demonstrated that mrp14-/- mice are protected from nephrotoxic nephritis, which is abrogated by use of LPS during disease progression. Bone-marrow derived macrophages (BMDMs) release pro-inflammatory cytokines following stimulation with calprotectin; mediated by TLR4. Mrp14-/- BMDMs do not respond to the pro-inflammatory stimulus of S100A8/A9. The co-culture of endothelial cells (EC) and wild-type BMDMs is pro-inflammatory unlike that of mrp14-/- BMDM and ECs. Mrp14-/- mesangial cells also have a decreased pro-inflammatory response. This work demonstrates that calprotectin has a role in experimental glomerulonephritis as well as AAV patients. This may improve our understanding of the inflammatory response and identify a new novel treatment targets.