Aims The modified Radiological Union Scale for Tibia (mRUST) fractures score was developed in order to assess progress to union and define a numerical assessment of fracture healing of metadiaphyseal fractures. This score has been shown to be valuable in predicting radiological union; however, there is no information on the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of this index for various cut-off scores. The aim of this study is to evaluate sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and cut-off points of the mRUST score for the diagnosis of metadiaphyseal fractures healing. Methods A cohort of 146 distal femur fractures were retrospectively identified at our institution. After excluding AO/OTA type B fractures, nonunions, follow-up less than 12 weeks, and patients aged less than 16 years, 104 sets of radiographs were included for analysis. Anteroposterior and lateral femur radiographs at six weeks, 12 weeks, 24 weeks, and final follow-up were separately scored by three surgeons using the mRUST score. The sensitivity and specificity of mean mRUST score were calculated using clinical and further radiological findings as a gold standard for ultimate fracture healing. A receiver operating characteristic curve was also performed to determine the cut-off points at each time point. Results The mean mRUST score of ten at 24 weeks revealed a 91.9% sensitivity, 100% specificity, and 92.6% accuracy of predicting ultimate fracture healing. A cut-off point of 13 points revealed 41.9% sensitivity, 100% specificity, and 46.9% accuracy at the same time point. Conclusion The mRUST score of ten points at 24 weeks can be used as a viable screening method with the highest sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy for healing of metadiaphyseal femur fractures. However, the cut-off point of 13 increases the specificity to 100%, but decreases sensitivity. Furthermore, the mRUST score should not be used at six weeks, as results show an inability to accurately predict eventual fracture healing at this time point. Cite this article: Bone Jt Open 2021;2(10):796–805.


Biological neurons are extremely complex cells whose morphology grows and changes in response to the external environment. Yet, artificial neural networks (ANNs) have represented neurons as simple computational devices. It has been evident for a long time that ANNs have learning abilities that are insignificant compared with some of the simplest biological brains. We argue that we understand enough neuroscience to create much more sophisticated models. In this paper, we report on our attempts to do this.We identify and evolve seven programs that together represents a neuron which grows post evolution into a complete 'neurological' system. The network that occurs by running the programs has a highly dynamic morphology in which neurons grow, and die, and neurite branches together with synaptic connections form and change. We have evaluated the capability of these networks for playing the game of checkers. Our method has no board evaluation function, no explicit learning rules and no human expertise at playing checkers is used. The learning abilities of these networks are encoded at a genetic level rather than at the phenotype level of neural connections.


Abstract Recurrent pediatric inguinal hernia is relatively rare. In a large series, the recurrence rates vary from 0.3 to 1.2%. In a university hospital with surgical service for a wide spectrum of sick pediatric patients, the real recurrence rate may be 3 to 6%. Recurrence manifests typically 6 months after first repair. Current evidence indicates that recurrence rates in open and laparoscopic repair are similar. Laparoscopic repairs are, however, still performed by a minority of skilled pediatric surgeons, whereas the majority of pediatric surgeons rely on open repair not least because of the assumed lower risk of recurrence. After repair of an indirect hernia, the majority of recurrences (97%) are indirect, whereas in rare cases the recurrence turns out to be a formerly undiagnosed direct or femoral hernia. In Children's Hospital of Helsinki, Finland, recurrence rate from 2012 to 2016 was 2.8% and operations for recurrent hernias comprised 3.3% of the total. From 1991 to 2017, a total of 130 operations for recurrent hernias were performed with open inguinal approach (n = 75, 58%), laparoscopy (n = 49, 38%), and laparotomy (n = 4, 4%). One teenage patient underwent a Lichtenstein Prolene net repair. A recurrent inguinal hernia can be repaired either with an open or laparoscopic approach. In laparoscopy, the nature of the recurrent hernia can be clarified and an immediate repair performed either by laparoscopic or open technique. In expert hands new laparoscopic techniques using muscular arch, lateral umbilical ligament, iliopubic tract, and division of the sac may be an alternative to a simple purse-string closure.


In January 2002, the Fermilab Director initiated a design study for a high average power, modest energy proton facility. Such a facility is a possible candidate for a construction project in the U.S. starting in the middle of this decade. The key technical element is a new machine, dubbed the "Proton Driver," as a replacement of the present Booster. The study of an 8-GeV synchrotronbased proton driver has been completed and published [1]. This paper will give a summary report, including machine layout and performance, optics, beam dynamics issues, technical systems design, civil construction, cost estimate and schedule.


The transport properties of a Dirac semimetal quantum wire with two side gates are theoretically studied by adopting the lattice Green function method. It is found that a residual conductance quantum contributed from the surface states can be switched on or off by tuning the electron energy or the side gates voltage. This ideal switching effect for the surface Dirac electron results from the transversal quantum confinement of the quantum wire in combination with the electrostatic potential induced by the side gates. These findings may provide useful guidance for designing all-electrical topological nanoelectronic devices.


In order to cope with the challenges brought about by increasing global competition and rapid technological development, organizational change has become the norm. Organizational change has a profound effect on employment relationships, with a particular area of concern being any breaches of the psychological contracts (PCB) and the negative behaviours that result from these. In extant literature concerns the impact of organizational change on employment relationship, however, the perceived obligations that exist in the employment relationship have received less attention. In addition, little research has been undertaken in a Chinese government context, thus, the current study investigated the role such breaches play in determining the behavioural responses of Chinese civil servants to organizational change. The conceptual framework is formed by strategic, structural, process-oriented and people-oriented change, in relation to the psychological contracted breaches associated with the transactional, relational and balanced elements. Finally, with respect to the employees' behavioural responses, the concepts Exit, Voice, Loyalty and Neglect (EVLN) behaviours were used. A positivist approach of "testing-out" was adopted, whereby a specifically-designed questionnaire was used to collect data from 486 civil servants working for the Chinese government. Mutual expectations of both parties in the employment relationship were explored. Analysis involved traditional statistical techniques and included an assessment of biographical data. In certain areas, the outcomes supported Western findings on how, following change, a breach of the psychological contract can impact on employee behaviour. However, variations with previous studies were also found, which were related to the traditional Chinese cultural dimension, Confucius thought and the social phenomena surrounding the post 1980's generation. The discussion resulted in a new conceptual model of PCB being presented, which applies specifically to the cultural context of Chinese civil servants. The study advanced knowledge in a number of ways. Theoretical contributions were made to the psychological contract and particularly the breaches brought about by the change process. Contributions were also made in extending knowledge in the area of employee behaviours, particularly those of Exit, Voice, Loyalty and Neglect. Finally, in investigating the various concepts in the culturally specific environment of China, a contribution was made to public management, international HRM and the general area of culture. Practical contributions were made through recommendations for improvement, with further areas for research also being added.


Lead poisoning was diagnosed in five of seven primates affected with leuccencephalomyelosis that were necropsied at the National Zoological Park and the Antwerp Zoo. Diagnoses of lead poisoning were made by various means including the detection of acid-fast intranuclear inclusions in renal proximal tubular cells and the presence of excess lead in the liver specimens. The implications of the concurrence of lead intoxication and leucoencephalomyelosis is discussed with regard to etiology and pathogenesis.


Abstract Travel behavior plays an important role in transportation planning. Mode choice has direct impact on the policy making decision. It is behavioral and complex in nature. The objective of this study is to carryout detailed review on various modeling methods of mode choice analysis. The factors that affect the traveler's mode choice decision have been discussed. The methods of data collection have been briefly discussed. Further the paper highlights on mode choice models such as logit model, probit model, extreme value model and their applications. Advanced soft computing techniques such as Artificial Neural Network models, Fuzzy approach and Neuro-fuzzy approach are discussed. Due to complexity of travel models, such advanced models found more reliable. Keywords: Mode choice, Logit Model, Soft Computing Techniques Cite this Article Ramanuj PS, Varia HR. Mode Choice Analysis: Fundamental and Models. Trends in Transport Engineering and Applications . 2018; 5(1): 7–13p.


The founding of the Carnegie Institute's Department of Embryology in 1913, alongside its systematization of embryo staging, contributed to the mechanization of developmental stages of embryo growth in the early 20th century. For a brief period in the middle of the century, attention to the detailed interrelation between embryo development and time made pre-existing ideas about pregnancy ends less determinative of ideas about that developmental course. However, the turn to the genetic scale led to the disappearance of this attention, replaced by a sense of biological life as seamlessly scripted. This study examines the history of what I refer to as temporal attention: attention to the live, unfolding potentialities within vital matter. The reintroduction of temporal attention to discussions of development allows us to more fully consider non-human vitality and the experiences of beings that house or otherwise intimately intersect with that vital tissue, regardless of outcomes.


We thank the authors of the editorials (1-4) in Transl Cancer Res for their comments on the GOIRC-AIFA FARM6PMFJM trial (5). This is the first randomized prospective phase III study assessing the role of adding bevacizumab to standard platinum-etoposide chemotherapy on survival outcome in the first-line treatment of extensive stage (ES) small cell lung cancer (SCLC).


The present investigation was carried out to study the relationship between presence of cytotoxic compounds in Ocimum basilicum, Alhagi maurorum, Calendula officinalis and their parasite Cuscuta campestris. The cytotoxic activity of the pure compounds was performed by MTT assay against breast cancer cell lines (MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231) and normal breast cell line (MCF 10A). The induction of apoptosis was measured by the expression levels of p53, bcl-2, bax and caspase-3 genes using quantitative Real Time PCR. Three active fractions were detected by nuclear magnetic resonance as lutein, lupeol and eugenol, respectively, in C. officinalis, A. maurorum and O. basilicum. These compounds and their epoxidized forms were also detected in their parasite C. campestris. The cytotoxic activity of lutein epoxide, lupeol epoxide and eugenol epoxide was significantly more than lutein, lupeol and eugenol. The mRNA expression level of p53, caspase-3 and bax genes were increased in both cancer cells treated with all pure compounds. However, bcl-2 gene expression decreased in treated breast cancer cells. In conclusion, all the data indicated that the epoxide forms of lupeol, lutein and eugenol are potential drug candidates for inducing apoptosis in human breast cancer cells.


In the post-physical verification space called 'Mask Synthesis' a key component of design-for-manufacturing (DFM), double-exposure based, dark-field, alternating PSM (Alt-PSM) is being increasingly applied at the 90nm node in addition with other mature resolution enhancement techniques (RETs) such as optical proximity correction (OPC) and sub-resolution assist features (SRAF). Several high-performance IC manufacturers already use alt-PSM technology in 65nm production. At 90nm having strong control over the lithography process is a critical component in meeting targeted yield goals. However, implementing alt-PSM in production has been challenging due to several factors such as phase conflict errors, mask manufacturing, and the increased production cost due to the need for two masks in the process. Implementation of Alt-PSM generally requires phase compliance rules and proper phase topology in the layout and this has been successful for the technology node with these rules implemented. However, this may not be true for a mature, production process technology, in this case 90 nm. Especially, in the foundry-fabless business model where the foundry provides a standard set of design rules to its customers for a given process technology, and where not all the foundry customers require Alt-PSM in their tapeout flow. With minimum design changes, design houses usually are motivated by higher product performance for the existing designs. What follows is an in-depth review of the motivation to apply alt-PSM on a production FPGA, the DFM challenges to each partner faced, its effect on the tapeout flow, and how design, manufacturing, and EDA teams worked together to resolve phase conflicts, tapeout the chip, and finally verify the silicon results in production.


This paper presents a near-field 3-D synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imaging system for which the 2-D aperture is radially scanned. Compared to the current SAR imaging systems, the proposed system has several advantages such as quick data collection, full 360° inspection of target, and simple image formation processing. However, in radial scan, the samples do not fall on a Cartesian grid, which prevents us from using the fast Fourier transform (FFT) to form SAR image without calling for interpolation. In this paper, the 2-D nonuniform FFT (NUFFT) is used for dealing with the problem. After 2-D NUFFT of the radial sampled data, the 3-D reflectivity image can be efficiently reconstructed by using the 3-D version of the range migration algorithm. The Stolt mapping has been implemented implicitly by another 1-D NUFFT to reduce the artifacts caused by the conventional interpolation processing. In addition, to alleviate the data sampling burden, a compressed 2-D slow-time sampling strategy is also discussed. Finally, the proposed Rad-SAR system and the imaging method are demonstrated using near-field wideband simulation data.


Abstract During their occupation of the Philippines from 1942 to 1945, the Japanese invaders aimed at making the archipelago become part of the so-called Greater East Asia Co- Prosperity Sphere (GEACPS, Daitōa kyōeiken)—a self-sustaining economic bloc that should act as a bulwark against Western imperialism. The underlying philosophy of the GEACPS was pan-Asianism (Han Ajia-shugi)—an ideology that propagated the liberation and unity of all Asian peoples. In the Philippines, the Japanese administrators faced various problems with the implementation of this ideology. The strong impact of four centuries under Western colonial rule had created a mindset among many Filipinos that they themselves were Westerners and not Asians. Therefore, one of the main purposes of the new Japanese rulers was to change the attitude of the Philippine population and win the Filipinos over to the concept of the GEACPS. One means to this end was the dissolution of all political parties in the Philippines and replacing them with the Kapisanan sa Paglilingkod sa Bagong Pilipinas (KALIBAPI: lit., 'Association for Service to the New Philippines'). The Japanese wanted to turn this association into a mass organization with the ultimate goal to create a mass movement towards the establishment of the 'New Philippines' among the population. In this article, I will discuss how the Japanese administrators used the KALIBAPI to adopt their pan-Asianism to Philippine circumstances, but also how the organization exemplifies the ultimate failure of Japanese pan-Asianism in the Philippines.


Intracellular recordings of activity in response to acoustic stimuli were obtained from units of the dentate nucleus of conscious cats. Twelve units with short latency responses to 70 dB clicks or hisses were injected intracellularly with biocytin and identified morphologically. The identified cells were small, relatively aspinous, multipolar cells with diameters < 20 microns. Most had beaded dendritic varicosities. Six were located centrally, and five were on the border of the nucleus. One appeared to be an axonal process. The results provide direct evidence that small cells of the dentate nucleus can respond with short latencies of 4-14 ms to acoustic stimuli. We suggest that these cells are part of a primary ascending auditory transmission pathway between cochlear nuclei and the motor cortex.


The rubber process analyzer was commercialized by Monsanto Rubber Instrument and Equipment company in the early 1990s. In its initial version, the RPA was able to perform only oscillatory-type tests, which varied in frequency and strain. Later, it offered a controlled strain–stress relaxation test. Only recently and not for all models has a controlled steady shear test been made available. Using this type of test, the instrument has successfully measured steady shear viscosity with high repeatability without correction. The results fit well with other rheometers or viscometers when no-slip conditions are ensured. The closed-boundary configuration prevents edge fracture, as commonly experienced with open-boundary rheometers (DMA) on high-viscosity, high-elasticity materials. A comparison of results using grooved dies (no-slip) and polished dies (slip) readily provides wall slip velocity under constant pressure. The results of wall slip versus shear stress follow a power-law function per the Navier slip law [F(V) = −k(Vr)e]. This method separates the shear rate from pressure effects on wall slip. It questions pressure-driven flow instruments (capillary rheometer), which use pressure measurements for shear stress calculations, and prevents an easy and controlled change of the die surface roughness.


The concentrations of lead and cadmium in the tree bark from Sanming and Xiamen, Fujian province, China were determined by atomic fluorescence spectrometry and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The results obtained in the outer tree bark and tree bark pocket could reflect the degree of present and historical air pollution at different sampling locations. Tree bark and tree bark pocket should be expected to be as a useful biomonitor of present and historical condition of air pollution.


Understanding the chemical evolution of young (high-mass) star-forming regions is a central topic in star formation research. Chemistry is employed as a unique tool 1) to investigate the underlying physical processes and 2) to characterize the evolution of the chemical composition. With these aims in mind, we observed a sample of 59 high-mass star-forming regions at different evolutionary stages varying from the early starless phase of infrared dark clouds to high-mass protostellar objects to hot molecular cores and, finally, ultra-compact Hii regions at 1 mm and 3 mm with the IRAM 30 m telescope. We determined their large-scale chemical abundances and found that the chemical composition evolves along with the evolutionary stages. On average, the molecular abundances increase with time. We modeled the chemical evolution, using a 1D physical model where density and temperature vary from stage to stage coupled with an advanced gas-grain chemical model and derived the best-fit χ 2 values of all relevant parameters. A satisfying overall agreement between observed and modeled column densities for most of the molecules was obtained. With the bestfit model we also derived a chemical age for each stage, which gives the timescales for the transformation between two consecutive stages. The best-fit chemical ages are ∼10 000 years for the IRDC stage, ∼60 000 years for the HMPO stage, ∼40 000 years for the HMC stage, and ∼10 000 years for the UCHii stage. Thus, the total chemical timescale for the entire evolutionary sequence of the high-mass star formation process is on the order of 10 5 years, which is consistent with theoretical estimates. Furthermore, based on the approach of a multiple-line survey of unresolved data, we were able to constrain an intuitive and reasonable physical and chemical model. The results of this study can be used as chemical templates for the different evolutionary stages in high-mass star formation.


While most productivity on the surface of the Earth today is fueled by oxygenic photosynthesis, for much of Earth history it is thought that anoxygenic photosynthesis—using compounds like ferrous iron or sulfide as electron donors—drove most global carbon fixation. Anoxygenic photosynthesis is still performed by diverse bacteria in niche environments today. Of these, the Chlorobi (formerly green sulfur bacteria) are often interpreted as being particularly ancient and are frequently proposed to have fueled the biosphere during late Archean and early Paleoproterozoic time before the rise of oxygenic photosynthesis. Here, we perform comparative genomic, phylogenetic, and molecular clock analyses to determine the antiquity of the Chlorobi and their characteristic phenotypes. We show that contrary to common assumptions, the Chlorobi clade is relatively young, with anoxygenic phototrophy, carbon fixation via the rTCA pathway, and iron oxidation all significantly postdating the rise of oxygen ~2.3 billion years ago. The Chlorobi therefore could not have fueled the Archean biosphere, but instead represent a relatively young radiation of organisms which likely acquired the capacity for anoxygenic photosynthesis and other traits via horizontal gene transfer sometime after the evolution of oxygenic Cyanobacteria.


PURPOSE
The purpose of this in vitro study was to determine the effects of six surface treatment methods on the surface roughness of two feldspathic ceramic materials.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
One hundred twenty metal discs were cast (Remanium CS). A low-fusing feldspathic ceramic (Vita Omega 900) was fired onto 60 metal discs, and an ultra low-fusing feldspathic ceramic (Finesse) was fired onto the other 60 metal discs. Six surface treatment methods were selected: (1) autoglazing (AUG), (2) overglazing (OVG), (3) polishing (POL), (4) fine diamond disc grinding + polishing + autoglazing (FDPA), (5) coarse diamond disc grinding + polishing + autoglazing (CDPA), (6) polishing + autoglazing (PA). Omega specimens were assigned to six experimental groups representing six surface treatment methods (Om-AUG, Om-OVG, Om-POL, Om-FDPA, Om-CDPA, Om-PA) (n = 10). Finesse specimens were also assigned to six experimental groups (Fn-AUG, Fn-OVG, Fn-POL, Fn-FDPA, Fn-CDPA, Fn-PA) (n = 10). Treated ceramic surfaces were examined by means of profilometry and transmission electron microscopy.

RESULTS
In Omega groups mean roughness values ranged as follows: group Om-AUG = Om-POL > Om-OVG > Om-CDPA = Om-FDPA > Om-PA (p < 0.001). No significant difference was found between groups Om-AUG/Om-POL and Om-CDPA/Om-FDPA (p > 0.05). In Finesse groups mean roughness values ranged as follows: Fn-CDPA > Fn-FDPA = Fn-AUG = Fn-POL = Fn-OVG > Fn-PA (p < 0.001). No significant difference was found between Fn-FDPA, Fn-AUG, Fn- POL and Fn-OVG (p > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS
For both ceramic types, the smoothest surfaces were obtained with polishing prior to autoglazing. Diamond disc grinding prior to polishing and autoglazing (Fn-FDPA, Fn-CDPA) displayed the roughest surfaces in ultra low-fusing ceramic (Finesse). Autoglazing alone and polishing displayed the roughest surfaces in low-fusing ceramic material (Om-AUG, Om-POL).


Twenty-four Santa Gertrudis male calves of mean initial age 11 months and liveweight (LW) 280 kg were assigned to 12 pairs according to weight in a randomized block-design experiment. The two treatments compared were: maize silage + concentrate (1) without zeolite or (2) with 2,4% of zeolite. The proportion of roughage to concentrate was maintained at approximately 45:55. The animals were confined in individual pens during 127 days, including 15 days of adaptation. Mean results for treatments 1 and 2 were: daily LW gain, 1.35 and 1.41 kg; daily dry matter (DM) intake relative to LW, 2.53 and 2.59%; feed conversion ratio, 6.03 and 5.93 kg DM/kg LW gain; and pH of feces, 5.36 and 5.51, respectively. Mean carcass evaluation data were: warm carcass yield, 54.22 and 55.56%; loin eye area, 26.72 and 26.92 cm 2 /100 kg LW; proportion of renal plus pelvic fat, 2.4 and 2.55%, respectively. Inclusion of zeolite at the 2% level in the concentrate (1.1% in the dietary DM) did not significantly affect the various parameters studied, except fecal pH. The latter observation might be indicative of improved utilization of the dietary starch when zeolite was fed.


In this paper we present a new methodology to extract the small error-prone motion recorded during a Computed Tomography (CT) imaging directly from the sinogram. In comparison to the use of the usual reconstructed images, this approach has the advantage to minimize the reconstruction errors and artifacts. Moreover, the B-spline modeling of the motion has brought about the required accuracy for the detection of such a small motion. The windowing used can act as a kind of time regularization, in case of volume motion detection.


The purpose of this work was to improve the quality of Jeungpyun made with rice sourdough, which was prepared using a mixed culture of Saccharomyces cerevisiae (S. cerevisiae) and Leuconostoc mesenteroides (L. mesenteroides) strains, and to also develop a new process for Jeungpyun preparation using the rice sourdough. The Jeungpyun was manufactured through proofing for 3 hr at 30oC and steaming steps after mixing the ingredients, including pre-fermented rice sourdough, rice powder and water. After proofing, the expansion ratio of the Jeungpyun dough ranged from 109 to 135% and the pH was decreased to pH 3.80~4.09. The volumes of the Jeungpyun samples prepared with rice sourdough were 18~45% greater than that of the control. In particular, the Jeungpyun made with rice sourdough containing 10% brown rice (CM-10) had a significantly greater volume (266 mL). Also the rice sourdough Jeungpyun samples had well developed dense porous structures compared to the control. According to sensory evaluations, the sample prepared with rice sourdough containing 10% brown rice was preferred. Finally, the physical quality (texture properties) and microbiological shelf-life of the Jeungpyun was improved by using the rice sourdough.


Among many non-contact particle manipulation methods, acoustic levitation (AL) is most popular since it is not restricted by the characteristics of the target material. However, existing AL's structures still have some disadvantages which limited their potential further applications. Take the application of acoustic twin tweezer for example, complex calculations make them difficult to be commercialized. Therefore, in this paper, an innovative method is proposed to implement the AL more intuitively and freely. Through switching two adjacent focal points rapidly, it is possible to generate an acoustic trap with low-density sound field on specific position. The object would be hold in this trap and could be moved by changing the position of the trap. In this paper, serval acoustic levitating experiments have been conducted to verify the proposed method. Besides, acoustic field simulation was also performed to visualize and quantify the presence of acoustic trap. The experimental results including levitating one object, two object, and transportation of a single target have proved the levitating capability of the proposed method. Moreover, the results of simulation also proved that the proposed approach could successfully create acoustic traps.


This paper presents experiments and evaluations on a new silicon solar cell structure obtained by texturisation of the front surface using silicon micromachining technologies. The textured surface of the solar cell is made in order to reduce frontal reflectivity, to consequently obtain the lowest possible reflectance. Heterojunction SnO2:In/n silicon substrate ("honeycomb" textured) solar cells were manufactured by the sol gel method over textured p and n-type single CZ crystal silicon substrate wafers, with <100> orientation., rejected from the MOS integrated technology process. The obtained textured structures were studied by several methods, like: surface scanning with electron microscope (SEM), optical measurements and spectrophotometric evaluations. Key-Words: Silicon, Texturisation, micromachining, Light trapping, Solar Cells, sol-gel method


It is well known that if we are able to estimate acoustic impedance (AI) and a parameter related to shear-wave velocity from seismic data, our ability to discriminate between different lithologies and fluid phases will increase. Prestack inversion on individual CDP gathers and inverting directly for VP , VS , and density have been tested in several ways, but the estimated parameters are often poorly determined.

A more robust approach is to apply poststack inversion on partial stacks. For inversion of the near-offset stack, AI can be calculated directly from well logs. However, for the far-offset stack, we need to derive an equivalent of the acoustic impedance that can be used to calibrate the non-zero-offset seismic reflectivity. Connolly (1998, 1999) derived such an equivalent—elastic impedance (EI)—and demonstrated how, by using elastic impedance logs (which requires shear-wave logs), he was able to perform well calibration and inversion of far-offset data.

This article describes a new function—shear-wave elastic impedance (SEI)—for linking converted-wave stacks to wells using a linearization of the Zoeppritz equations. SEI is similar to EI but adapted to P-S converted seismic data. It can be computed from acoustic log data ( P - and S -wave velocities and density) and used for well calibration, wavelet estimation, and inversion of P-S reflectivity data leading to improved interpretability of converted wave data. (Equation 4 in Appendix 1 is the key mathematical formula in this approach to SEI).

To test the SEI technique, we used a 3-D four-component (4-C) ocean-bottom cable (OBC) survey acquired in 1997 that covers approximately 10 km2 of the Statfjord Field (Rogno et al., 1999). Both P -wave and converted-wave data were 3-D prestack time-migrated. The hydrophone ( P ) and the vertical geophone ( Z ) component were summed to attenuate receiver side water-layer reverberations and both data sets ( PZ …


Spiking neural networks are a popular area of current research in both artificial intelligence and neuroscience. Unlike second generation networks like the multilayer perceptron (MLP), they simulate rather than emulate neuronal interactions. Spiking networks have been shown to be theoretically more powerful than earlier generation networks, and have repeatedly been suggested as ideal for realtime problems due to their time-basis. Because of their sparse nature, real neural networks are also extremely power-efficient, a pressing concern in computing today. This raises the possibility of applying sparse spiking networks for power-saving. To investigate these ideas, we wish to apply a spiking network to realtime data classification. As a first step, we use a feedforward network with the SpikeProp algorithm to classify offline skeleton data derived from a depth camera. Classifier networks were successfully trained, but we found SpikeProp considerably more complex to apply than backpropagation. There is considerable potential for optimization and power efficiency, and we hope to compare the performance of our system with more established learning techniques in a realtime setting.


The authors have studied the endorphins effects on lymphocyte proliferation of 55 Chernobyl male workers aged 36-69 yrs and exposed to radiation dosed from 0.25 to 3.8 Sv. These patients have been found to have discirculatory encephalopathy in comparison with 30 non-exposed workers and 25 healthy volunteers. Physiological concentrations of alpha- and beta-endorphins intensify the spontaneous and mitogen-dependent proliferation of T-lymphocytes. Intensifying effect of the opiate peptides is being blocked by naloxone. Obtained data demonstrate the unidirectional opiates action, however the beta-endorphine effect dominates. The detected effect of endorhines are shown both among exposed to ionizing radiation and non-exposed. The irradiation higher than 1 Sv results in disturbance of the endorphine reception by T-cells with blockage of the influence of naloxone. It confirms the presence of radiation effects in opiate regulation of the lymphocyte proliferation.


Introduction Extensive cross-sectional evidence has demonstrated an association between psychological distress (PD) and hypertension. However, evidence on the temporal relationship is limited, especially in low-income and middle-income countries. The role of health risk behaviours including smoking and alcohol consumption in this relationship is also largely unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between PD and later development of hypertension, and how this association may have been influenced by health risk behaviours, among adults in east Zimbabwe. Methods The analysis included 742 adults (aged 15–54 years) recruited by the Manicaland general population cohort study, who did not have hypertension at baseline in 2012–2013, and who were followed until 2018-2019. In 2012–2013, PD was measured using the Shona Symptom Questionnaire, a screening tool validated for use in Shona-speaking countries including Zimbabwe (cut-off point: 7). Smoking, alcohol consumption and use of drugs (health risk behaviours) were also self-reported. In 2018-2019, participants reported if they had diagnosed with hypertension by a doctor or nurse. Logistic regression was used to assess the association between PD and hypertension. Results In 2012, 10.4% of the participants had PD. The odds of new reports of hypertension were 2.04 times greater (95% CI 1.16 to 3.59) among those with PD at baseline, after adjusting for sociodemographic and health risk behaviour variables. Female gender (adjusted odds ratio, AOR 6.89, 95% CI 2.71 to 17.53), older age (AOR 2.67, 95% CI 1.63 to 4.42), and greater wealth (AOR 2.10, 95% CI 1.04 to 4.24 more wealthy, 2.88, 95% CI 1.24 to 6.67 most wealthy) were significant risk factors for hypertension. The AOR for the relationship between PD and hypertension did not differ substantially between models with and without health risk behaviours. Conclusion PD was associated with an increased risk of later reports of hypertension in the Manicaland cohort. Integrating mental health and hypertension services within primary healthcare may reduce the dual burden of these non-communicable diseases.


Financial innovation often involves the creation of new instruments that bundle existing securities such as mutual funds or exchange traded funds. In this paper we argue that while the creation of such assets has advantages such as lowering transaction costs, there can also be negative side effects. Investment in the new instrument may reveal information about future demand for the underlying securities, as the fund managing the instrument often needs to mechanically re-balance its position. Informed arbitrageurs may trade, exploiting their knowledge of this re-balancing. In general equilibrium, this trading activity can make the price of the underlying securities less informative and more sensitive to re-balancing shocks. We show that this loss of information may outweigh the direct gains from lower transaction costs that uninformed investors achieve. So welfare of uninformed investors may be lower. We argue that the potential effect on the market for the underlying securities may be substantial. To illustrate our mechanism, we analyze two episodes of financial innovations in the oil and volatility markets. The magnitude of the effect can be gauged by the fact that introduction of the new instrument in the oil market led to a temporary violation of a no-physical arbitrage condition.


Drawing upon the moral cleanness metaphor and the power height metaphor, we proposed the clear sky effect: polluted air increases perceived corruption. To test the effect, we established a correlation (Studies 1 and 2) and causal link (Studies 3, 4, and 5) between haze pollution and corruption perception. This correlation is unique, in that, of various air pollutants, only the major haze indicator was positively correlated with corruption perception at city (Study 1) and country (Study 2) levels. In addition, recalling feelings concerning haze (Studies 3 and 5) or experiencing hazy days (Study 4) increased corruption perception. Furthermore, in support of embodiment, this effect was moderated by body awareness (Study 4) and mediated by bodily stress responses (Study 5). Taken together, these findings suggest that environmental pollution could be one of the factors that influence our trust in government.


BackgroundSentinel lymph node biopsy using a vital dye is a convenient and safe method to assess lymph node status in breast cancer. However, intensive training is necessary to obtain a satisfactory detection rate and to avoid false-negative results. This paper presents a novel method using indocyanine green fluorescence imaging to detect sentinel lymph nodes.MethodsFluorescence images were obtained using a charge coupled device camera with a cut filter as the detector, and light emitting diodes at 760 nm as the light source. When indocyanine green was injected around the areola, subcutaneous lymphatic channels draining from the areola to the axilla were visible by fluorescence within a few minutes. The sentinel lymph node was then dissected by fluorescence navigation.ResultsSentinel lymph node biopsy using the present method was performed on eighteen patients. Subcutaneous lymphatics were detectable by fluorescence in all patients, and sentinel nodes were successfully identified in 17 of 18 cases (detection rate: 94%). It was possible to detect the lymphatic channels and nodes receiving indocyanine green with higher sensitivity by the fluorescence signal than by the green color.ConclusionSentinel node biopsy guided by indocyanine green fluorescence imaging is a promising technique for further clinical exploration.


In patients with chronic disorders, control self-efficacy is the confidence with managing symptoms and coping with the demands of illness. Can do treatment (CDT) is an intensive, 3-day, social cognitive theory-based, multidisciplinary treatment that focuses on identification of stressors, goal setting, exploration of boundaries, and establishment of new boundaries. An uncontrolled study showed that patients with relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) and low-disability had improved control self-efficacy six months after CDT. Hence, in a 6-month, single-centre, randomized (1:1), unmasked, controlled trial in RRMS patients with Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score ≤4.0, we compared CDT with no intervention and the option to receive CDT after completion of study participation. Follow-up assessments were at one, three and six months. Primary endpoint was control self-efficacy (Multiple Sclerosis Self-Efficacy Scale Control [MSSES-C] (minimum 90, maximum 900) at six months. Secondary endpoints were functional self-efficacy (MSSES-F), participation and autonomy (Impact on Participation and Autonomy questionnaire [IPA]), health-related quality of life (MS Quality of Life-54 Items questionnaire [MSQoL-54]), anxiety, depression (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale [HADS]) and coping skills (Utrecht Coping List [UCL]) at six months. Tertiary endpoint was care-related strain on support partners (Caregiver Strain Index) at six months. Of the 158 patients that were included, 79 were assigned to CDT and 79 to the control group. Two CDT patients discontinued treatment prematurely. Sixty-one (77%) control patients chose to receive CDT after study participation. Intention-to-treat ANCOVA analyses were performed with follow-up values as dependent, and condition, baseline values, disease duration and gender as independent variables. The mean (standard deviation [SD]) MSSES-C score in the CDT group vs. control group at baseline was 468 (162) vs. 477 (136), and at six months 578 (166) vs. 540 (135) (p = 0.100). Secondary and tertiary endpoints did not differ between groups, except for the UCL palliative reaction score being slightly higher in the CDT group (p = 0.039). On post hoc analyses the MSSES-C score at one and three months was higher in the CDT vs. control group: 597 (114) vs. 491 (131) (p<0.0001) and 561 (160) vs. 514 (143) (p = 0.018), respectively; and at one month the MSSES-F, IPA Limitations, HADS Anxiety and Depression, and MSQoL-54 Mental and Physical scores were also in favour of the CDT group. We conclude that in low-disability RRMS patients, the intensive 3-day social cognitive theory-based CDT did not improve control self-efficacy at six months follow-up compared to waitlist controls. The absence of a between-group difference at six months relates to a gradual improvement in the control group. In all, this social cognitive theory-based approach for improving self-efficacy needs further investigation before being broadly applied in RRMS patients.


To document clinical, serum and urinary parameters in patients with features of diabetic nephropathy in type 2 diabetes mellitus and to correlate light microscopical findings of the renal biopsy specimen with the clinical, serum and urinary parameters, a study was conducted among 30 patients of type 2 diabetes mellitus with features of nephropathy attended Medical College, Kolkata with special emphasis given on neurological and fundoscopic examination. The patients were investigated with fasting and postprandial venous plasma glucose, glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c), serum urea, creatinine, sodium, potassium, 24-hour urinary protein/micro-albumin and lipid profile. Percutaneous renal biopsy was performed after taking informed consent from the patients and sent for histopathological examination. Obtained data were tabulated and analysed. Among 30 patients (male-16; female-14; proteinuric-23, micro-albuminuric-6) diabetic nephropathy was detected in 28 patients (diffuse-15, nodular-9, 4 had focal segmental glomerulosclerosis) and 2 had normal renal biopsy. Retinopathy was detected in 16 patients; 12 had autonomic neuropathy and 3 had peripheral neuropathy.


In this work, preparation of discontinuous nickel films on zirconium by electrochemical deposition of Ni-Cu alloy followed by selective anodic etching of the more noble metal, copper, was performed in an aqueous solution at room temperature. Potential varying electrodeposition produces were applied to obtain Ni-Cu alloys on Zr substrate. It is found that the Ni content increases as the deposition potential becomes more negative. Cyclic voltam-metric data indicate that the anodic dissolution of nickel is retarded by passivation. By taking the advantage of nickel passivation, selective anodic etching of Cu is achieved. Multicyclic electrochemical alloying/dealloying process makes the film rich of nickel and complete dealloying of copper.Copyright © 2010 by ASME


Ecclesial unity among Christian physicians is jeopardized by the culture of secular medicine. The medical context, rather than being a neutral sphere, has increasingly become a context that cuts loose and reshapes church members into a secular ecclesia. This thesis is demonstrated through focus groups composed of Christian physician-residents within Harvard Medical School residency programs. The interviews describe how many Christian physicians are psychologically isolated and spiritually endangered because of compliance to secular expectations within academic teaching hospitals. In contrast, the key to undoing secular atomization stems from the nature of the church as a people gathered in the presence of Christ. Thus, the essay develops an ecclesiology that focuses on the manifestation of unity in its local relationships and embodied practices. Despite severe time constraints, Christian physicians have the opportunity to reconstitute a unified church within the secular by pursuing one another in love and offering tangible signs of solidarity.


OBJECTIVE
To establish whether outpatient thyroid surgery is safe.

DESIGN
Prospective, observational cohort.

SETTING
Two tertiary care centres.

METHODS
Although there is currently a trend toward ambulatory surgery in many domains, thyroidectomy has traditionally remained an inpatient procedure. We present our 200-case experience of total and partial thyroidectomy in an outpatient setting. Consecutive patients were prospectively recruited between May 2009 and October 2010. Surgeries were performed by four surgeons. A postoperative parathyroid hormone (PTH) level was obtained in the recovery room and used to guide the prescription of calcium and calcitriol oral supplements according to our institutional protocol.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
Postoperative complications, admission and readmission rates, patients' satisfaction, and feeling of security on a 10-point scale.

RESULTS
A total of 171 patients, for a total of 200 surgical procedures: 100 hemithyroidectomies, 34 completion hemithyroidectomies, and 66 total thyroidectomies (including 14 with central compartment dissection). Immediate admission was decided in 12% of cases due to peroperative findings (15 patients), anesthetic considerations (7 patients), bilateral vocal fold paralysis noted in the recovery room (1 patient), and surgery late in the afternoon (1 patient). Two patients were readmitted for surgical site infections and one due to hypocalcemia. Temporary symptomatic hypocalcemia or decreased PTH level occurred in 10% (20 patients). On average, patients' satisfaction and feeling of security reached 9.3 on a 10-point scale.

CONCLUSION
Outpatient thyroid surgery is a safe and desirable option.


Poincaré's method is well known for analyzing the stability of continuous-time periodic dynamical systems by studying the stability properties of a fixed point as an equilibrium point of a discrete-time system. In this paper we generalize Poincaré's method to dynamical systems possessing left-continuous flows to address the stability of limit cycles and periodic orbits of left-continuous, hybrid, and impulsive dynamical systems. It is shown that resetting manifold (which gives rise to the state discontinuities) provides a natural hyperplane for defining a Poincaré return map. In the special case of impulsive dynamical systems, we show the Poincaré map replaces an nth-order impulsive dynamical system by an (n − 1)th-order discrete-time system for analyzing the stability of periodic orbits.


The present invention discloses a method of assigning a frequency using the transmission loss in a CDMA communication system. A base station measures a channel on the transmission loss between the base station and a mobile station. If the transmission loss measured was greater than a set value, the base station determines that the mobile station is in a position away from the base station, the mobile station is the possible interference with a base station of another CDMA communication system. The base station and assigned to the other CDMA communication channels are not adjacent to the frequency band assigned to the mobile station.


In this lively book, a well-known social critic draws on evidence from movies, TV, literature, and advertising to argue that many Americans have been lulled by the media into believing that racial problems can be substantially mitigated, even vanquished, by blacks and whites working together, one on one, to reconcile their differences. Benjamin DeMott believes that this position of "friendship orthodoxy" oversimplifies the causes of racism and allows us to ignore the harsh socioeconomic realities faced by many blacks in this country. "A fresh, witty and pertinent essay on race in America...DeMott advances his simple yet subtle argument in graceful, nuanced writing."-Edward T. Chase, Nation "DeMott draws carefully and intelligently from the well of cultural evidence and delivers the boldest contribution to America's ongoing racial dialogue to come along in years."-Quinn Eli, Philadelphia Inquirer "A refreshingly original assessment of the state of black-white relationships in the United States."-George M. Fredrickson, New York Review of Books "DeMott argues his case persuasively in this important book, a clarion call to those still willing to consider the lessons of history before TV and advertising erase them completely."-Kirkus Reviews "Critical reading for anyone interested in the intersections of culture, race, and policy."-Kristal Brent Zook, LA Weekly "A uniquely fine book ...on race relations in America...A powerfully crafted call for a revolution in the way we see ourselves."-Courtland Milloy, Quarterly Black Review of Books


Herein, we report the construction of a dynamic, highly sensitive, stable, reliable, and reproducible selective ethanol sensor based on a ternary metal oxide system of CdO/ZnO/Yb2O3 nanosheets (NSs). The NSs were synthesized by a hydrothermal process in alkaline phases. The morphological and structural characterization of the synthesized NSs were approved using various advantageous and well-established conventional methods such as Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), ultraviolet visible spectroscopy (UV/vis), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and powder X-ray diffraction (XRD). A thin layer of CdO/ZnO/Yb2O3 NSs was deposited onto a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) with conducting binder to produce a working electrode. A calibration plot was obtained and was found to be linear over the ethanol concentration range (linear dynamic range, LDR) from 0.35 nM to 3.5 mM with the detection limit (LoD) of 0.127 ± 0.006 nM and the quantification limit (LoQ) of 0.423 ± 0.02 (signal-to-noise ratio, at the S/N of 3), and the system exhibited a sensitivity of 7.4367 μA mM−1 cm−2. Furthermore, the proposed chemical sensor was successively applied for the detection of ethanol in various environmental samples. This approach was introduced as a well-organized route for efficient ethanol sensor development in environmental and health-care fields in a broad scale.


This paper explores the effect of outdoor microclimatic environment upon indoor conditions for different urban block types in hot-humid climate. The main focus here is on courtyard patterns, considering its potentials for hot-humid climate is not fully understood yet. Courtyard spaces have been examined in conjunction with the internal spaces of surrounding buildings with the aim to create a link between both. Based on theoretical models, it intends to devise strategies to optimise both indoor-outdoor thermal comfort and building energy performance while enabling the building designers and urban professionals to consider these essential issues at the early design stage. For this study, four simplified archetypal urban arrays are selected, primarily developed by Martin and March. These are: pavilions, enclosed courtyard pavilions, open-square and open-rectangular courtyard pavilions. Firstly, it has observed the microclimatic characteristics of the geometric patterns through a high resolution CFD microclimatic model: ENVI-met. Thermal comfort in the adjacent and enclosed outdoor spaces was assessed against Physiological Equivalent Temperature (PET) index with the aid of Rayman 1.2. Secondly, the energy performance of the surrounding buildings was analysed by IES-VE: a building performance modelling tool. The methodology and results from the current study can be integrated in the future urban planning processes in a high-density warm-humid context.


Author(s): Brooks, John Edward | Advisor(s): Gailmard, Sean | Abstract: Public-employee pensions have grown significantly in cost in recent years, and will continue to be one of the central policy problems that state and local governments confront in the 21st Century. Pensions show United States' federalism at work: they vary tremendously across and within states. I examine the causes and consequences of this variation. Specifically, I ask how democratically-elected politicians can commit to pension performance, and what are consequences do pensions and politicians' decisions have? This dissertation presents three separate empirical papers using data from 103 plans across all 50 states from 2001-2011. I also include introductory, transitional, and concluding sections. As discussed both here and in prior literature, politicians have clear incentives to compensate employees through pensions, while disguising expenses and skipping payments. This has led to significant costs and increased attention to pensions.The first paper focuses on the factors leading to variation in pensions' financial performance, or funding ratios. Centrally, I find that as management board personnel is increasingly insulated from political control, performance improves. The second paper focuses on politicians' contributions into funds. There, I uncover evidence that politicians prefer to commit to pensions covering police and fire employees. They also tend to skip payments when prior economic performance and investment returns are higher. This shows that elected officials prefer to keep taxes low when possible, even at the cost of underfunding pensions. The third paper pivots to examine a consequence of pensions: how they affect public-employee retirement rates. I present a simple theoretical model showing how reductions in commitments from employers might make public-employees less likely to believe they will receive their full pension benefits, and in turn, more likely to retire. I then present empirical evidence that as pensions are more controlled by politicians, retirements increase. Poorer funding from the prior year also is associated with increased retirements, providing evidence that performance generates feedback effects for human capital. Jointly, my papers provide broad and novel insight into the causes and consequences of variation in public pensions.


We describe a new species of small-sized (SVL 24.6–28.8 mm) rupicolous Cnemaspis from the Biligirirangan Hills (BR Hills), Karnataka based on morphology and molecular (mitochondrial 16S and ND2) data. The new species is nested within the monticola, mysoriensis and gracilis clades, where it is basal to monticola and gracilis clades in the Maximum Likelihood analysis and is basal to the monticola clade in the Bayesian phylogenetic analysis.


Cross-border trade in food commodities within sub-regional economic blocks in Sub-Sahara Africa (SSA) is believed to be faster, cheaper, more convenient and welfare-enhancing than overseas trade between SSA countries and the USA, EU and the BRIC countries. The difficulty of commodity arbitrage across international borders SSA is however a fundamental constraint to price transmission, market integration and the realisation of the welfare enhancing role of cross-border trade in Africa. This study examines the impact of border and distance on price transmission between tomato markets in Ghana and Burkina-Faso. Theanalysis applies a regime-switching vector error correction model to estimate semi-weekly, wholesale prices of tomato in four tomato markets in Ghana and a production centre in Burkina-Faso. Estimated parameters of price transmission contain evidence of border and distance effects. This is expected since high transfer costs, including cross-border tariffs are incurred by traders in moving tomato across the border. Moreover, the perishable nature of tomato, and the poor quality of roads and transportation facilities may imply additional costs of risks to arbitrageurs. The findings have both theoretical relevance and practical implications for facilitating cross-border trade in West Africa, especially for trade between landlocked countries like Burkina-Faso and coastal ones like Ghana.


Virgin coconut oil (VCO) extracted from fresh coconut kernel is becoming very valuable because of its numerous beneficial properties. In the present study, comparative effect of VCO with copra oil (CO), olive oil (OO) and sunflower oil (SFO) on thrombotic factors and platelet aggregation were investigated. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed test oils at 8% level for 45 days along with the synthetic diet. Results demonstrated that compared to CO, a prolonged prothrombin time (PT) and activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) were observed in VCO fed rats and was comparable with OO and SFO. Supplementation of VCO reduced the coagulation factors namely factor V, fibrin, fibrinogen and thromboxane B2 levels in plasma compared to those fed CO, OO and SFO. Compared to other test oils, platelet aggregating tendency was also reduced in VCO fed rats. The polyphenolic fraction (PF) isolated from VCO inhibited in vitro platelet aggregation induced by ADP compared to PF from other oils. These results indicated that supplementation of VCO has significant antithrombotic effect by inhibiting the activation of platelets and coagulation factors compared to rats fed other test oils. Accepted: 26 January 2016 Available Online: 06 February 2016


Conventional treatment of textile wastewater such as biological treatment discharges will no longer be tolerated and identified as non-biodegradable. Advanced processes such as adsorption and advanced oxidation hold great promise to provide alternative for better treatment and protection of environment. In this study, adsorption process is carried out for both batch (kinetic and isotherm) studies using natural wheat straw (NWS) as low cost adsorbent, modified wheat straw (MWS) and Activated Carbon (AC) for comparing the results. Batch adsorption experiments were conducted on a shaker at 200 rpm, room temperature using 250 mL conical flasks contains 100 mL of dye solution to study the effects of adsorption conditions. The effect of pH was determined by adjusting pH values (2.5 – 10.5). To study the effect of initial dye concentration, six different concentrations of reactive blue dye (5, 20, 30, 50, 70 and 90) mg/L were prepared and used. Results showed that the removal percent using NWS, MWS and AC are; 68%, 92.17% and 90.5% respectively. Equilibrium isotherm experiment were carried at different dosages (0.1 – 1 g) to predict the isotherm model; Langmuir, Freundlich and BET. The experimental data showed that reactive blue is fitted with Freundlich isotherm (1/n = 1.25, 0.67) for both (NWS) and (MWS) respectively, and for (AC) is fitted with Langmuir isotherm. Three kinetic models, were selected to fit the kinetic data; pseudo first, second order and intra-particle diffusion, reactive blue is fitted with intra-particle diffusion model with (NWS) and (MWS), and Pseudo second order for (AC).


Dravet syndrome Dravet syndrome is one of the most well-known genetic epilepsy syndromes. The main characteristics of the disease are early onset intractable epileptic seizures in the first year of life, accompanied by a delayed psychomotor development in the second year of life, resulting in mild to severe intellectual disability in most patients. Mutations in one of both copies of the SCN1A-gene are the cause of disease in the majority of Dravet syndrome patients. Phenotypic variability Pathogenic variants in SCN1A can give rise to not only Dravet syndrome, but also to milder phenotypes, such as genetic epilepsy with febrile seizures plus (GEFS+), febrile seizures plus (FS+) and febrile seizures. This discrepancy can be partly explained by the different mutation types that are associated with the respective disorders. This however does not explain all differences between patients with SCN1A-related epilepsy: patients with similar mutations may show a wide phenotypic variability and even the exact same SCN1A mutation does not always result in the same phenotype. For parents of young patients, it is understandably very important to accurately predict the clinical course after a pathogenic SCN1A variant has been detected. In this thesis, we have investigated several potential modifiers that may influence clinical outcomes of genetic epilepsy syndromes, to ultimately improve counseling of patients and/or parents. Influence of modifiers We conclude that many different modifiers influence the severity of SCN1A-related disease. Examples are modifier genes, variants in regulatory regions of the SCN1A-gene, medication use and mosaicism. Mosaicism does not only influence the severity of SCN1A-related phenotypes, but also that of two X-linked epilepsy syndromes we have researched (PCDH19- and KIAA2022-related epilepsy). We can investigate several of these modifiers in individual patients already. When detection of mosaicism is implemented in regular diagnostics, parents can be better informed regarding the expected severity of the disease and the recurrence risk for future children. We also show that the age at which a first afebrile seizure occurs is a good predictor for disease severity. We furthermore show that the prolonged use of contra-indicated medication has a negative effect on mental development. We therefore conclude that it is of great importance to detect SCN1A pathogenic variants at a young age, before maintenance treatment is initiated and contra-indicated medication can be avoided.


The dam related disaster caused thousands of people's lives and billions of property damages in the world. In Malaysia, one case study of dam failure in Sungai Perak may result in the death of more than 10,000 and RM 1.25 Billion of property damages. The loss of life and property damages is mostly happened due to the lack of timely release of the water. In this research, we proposed a pre-release strategy for all TNB dams in Sg Perak Hydroelectric scheme. The pre-release of the reservoir water will prevent the floods in the nearby area of the dams. Two pilot case study is being shown and proved that applying pre-release strategy ensure the safety of the dams.


Background There was no consistent recognition of the association between high or low body mass index (BMI) and health related quality of life (HRQL). The aim of this research was to study the association between BMI and HRQL in Chinese adults, and to further explore the stability of that association in the subgroup analysis stratified by status of chronic conditions. Methods A total of 21,218 adults aged 18 and older were classified as underweight, normal weight, overweight, class I obese, and class II obese based on their BMI. HRQL was measured by the SF-36 Health Survey. The independent impact of each BMI category on HRQL was examined through standard least squares regression by comparing the difference of SF-36 scores and the minimum clinically important differences (MCID), which was defined as 3 points. Results Compared to the normal weight, the class I obese was significantly associated with better HRQL scores in the mental component summary (MCS) (75.1 vs. 73.4, P<0.001). The underweight had the lowest score in both the physical components summary (PCS) (75.4 vs. 77.5, P<0.001) and mental components summary (MCS) (71.8 vs. 73.4, P<0.001). For the MCID, the HRQL score was reduced by more than 3 points in the physical functioning for the class II obese (D=-3.43) and the general health for the underweight (D=-3.71). Stratified analyses showed a similar result in the health subjects and chronic conditions, and it was significant in the chronic conditions. Conclusions The class I obese showed the best HRQL, especially in the mental domain. The worst HRQL was found in the underweight. The class II obese reduced HRQL in the physical functioning only. "Obesity paradox" was more obvious in the participants with chronic conditions.


Summary Oral anticoagulation with a vitamin K-antagonist requires special consideration when surgery or interventional procedures are planned. This is mainly due to the half life of vitamin K-antagonists and to the need for safe and effective anticoagulation prior to and during surgery as well as in the postoperative period. So far, the continuous infusion of unfractionated heparin (UFH) has been the medication of choice to ,,bridge" patients to surgery. The use of low molecular weight heparins (LMWH) has been prospectively investigated in this setting and represents a safe alternative. The advantages of LMWH are the better dose-response relationship and reduced need for monitoring. This facilitates the bridging procedure to be started out of hospital, which may reduce hospital stay and associated costs. Furthermore, the so-called bridging of patients with oral anticoagulation prior to and during surgery reduces bleeding complications and maintains a safe anticoagulation for patients at risk.


The filtration method for the evaluation of the RBC deformability has been further refined to simulate the deformations encountered in the recticuloendothelial system (in particular the spleen), a recognized site of aged and sickled cells removal. The core of the developed measuring system is a very thin (0.4 micron thick) filter that consists of single micropore (diameters down to 1 micron) on a Si3N4 film which has been constructed using silicon microfabrication techniques. Individual RBC's deformability is quantified measuring the cell pore passage time. From one blood sample 200 passage times are analyzed by a computer, displaying mean and median values as deformability indexes, and class and cumulative histograms for studying the passage times distribution. In this paper the effectiveness of the developed system as a routine clinical evaluation tool is demonstrated by studying several factors that are known to affect the RBC deformability, such as temperature, addition of diamide and glutaraldehyde, and blood storage conditions. In addition, it is experimentally demonstrated that the human RBC can traverse a pore with a diameter as small as 1 micron when the pore length is very short, thus broadening the experimental conditions under which the RBC deformability (fluidity) can be studied.


Abstract I review the literature covering the issue of interstellar extinction towards the Milky Way bulge, with emphasis placed on findings from planetary nebulae, RR Lyrae, and red clump stars. I also report on observations from HI gas and globular clusters. I show that there has been substantial progress in this field in recent decades, most particularly from red clump stars. The spatial coverage of extinction maps has increased by a factor ~ 100 × in the past 20 yr, and the total-to-selective extinction ratios reported have shifted by ~ 20–25%, indicative of the improved accuracy and separately, of a steeper-than-standard extinction curve. Problems remain in modelling differential extinction, explaining anomalies involving the planetary nebulae, and understanding the difference between bulge extinction coefficients and 'standard' literature values.


Background: Improved and cost-effective palliative and end-of-life care is an international policy imperative. Developments are impeded by a weak and often inconsistent evidence base. Aim: To examine the main methodological challenges and limitations to developing and evaluating palliative and end-of-life care services and requirements to further this field of research. Design: A meta-synthesis to systematically appraise the evidence from systematic reviews on the research methods used in studies evaluating the effectiveness of palliative care services for patients with advanced illness and/or carers meeting inclusion and quality criteria. We extracted data from the reviews on the methodological issues reported on the included studies into Excel spreadsheets and generated textual descriptions coded and analysed in NVivo. Data sources: Six electronic databases, reference chaining and expert advice. Results: In total, 27 systematic reviews were included on the effectiveness of palliative care services for patients with cancer (n = 6), advanced illness (n = 10) or mixed populations (n = 11) across care settings. Main methodological challenges were implementation as a continuum, active precise recruitment, addressing randomisation and economic evaluation beyond cost savings. Conclusions: The complexity of delivering and evaluating palliative and end-of-life care services requires the accumulation of knowledge from multiple sources to understand the active components of an intervention to deliver patient benefit and examine the evaluation methods to detect change and reveal processes prior to a definitive trial. The implementation of evidence into practice should form a continuum throughout the evaluation stages to reveal understanding on the process of intervention delivery, the context and the intended outcome(s).


Sun power is a standout amongst the most productive yet clean wellsprings of vitality we approach. There are no expanded fuel expenses or conditions, no connections to toxins, and it's both dependable and reasonable. Obviously, keeping in mind the end goal to bridle sun oriented power you require access to particular innovation. This tech depends on either little scale sun oriented photovoltaic (PV) systems but in main problem of photovoltaic (PV) system soil and dust particles accumulating on photovoltaic (PV) panels reduce the solar energy getting the cells, thereby falling overall power performance. We are solving the problem of this cleaning the PV panels is a problem of great practical engineering interest in solar PV power generation cleaning the photovoltaic (PV) panels is a problem of great practical interest in solar PV power creation. We are solve this problem discuss the methods for dust removal system using the Internet of things IoT .We are developing the simple and useful dust cleaning device and developed novel architecture of dust cleaning system for PV panel using IoT . the main motive for this system is developed system for dust cleaning for PV system using IoT and maintaining the clean PV panel efficiency.


Management of familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) is guided by the cumulative risk of colorectal cancer (CRC) and aggressive fibromatosis/desmoid (AF/D). The first non-Caucasian FAP cohort with cumulative risk estimates for CRC and AF/D shows distinct differences with the Caucasian and other Asian cohorts. The strong correlation between the adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) mutation location with the FAP phenotype and the geoethnic differences in APC mutation spectrum, genetic constitution, lifestyle and sporadic CRC rates, mandates the use of population-specific cumulative risk estimates for CRC and desmoid for counselling and risk management. On genotype–phenotype correlation in 83 individuals with classical FAP and a confirmed pathogenic/likely Pathogenic (P/LP) APC variant (n=76) or obligate carrier of the family variant (n=7), we observed a high cumulative CRC risk of 40% and 85% by 40 and 60 years, respectively. The observed 30% cumulative risk by 50 years for desmoids was higher than previous European and Asian cohorts and was significantly associated with prophylactic surgery (OR: 4.58, 95% CI 1.06 to 19.78) and APC mutation 3′ of codon 1309 (OR: 13.07, 95% CI 3.58 to 47.56) and also 3′ of codon 1444 (OR: 8.0, 95% CI 1.83 to 34.94). Global cooperation is required to establish FAP genotype–phenotype associations and population-specific risk estimates to guide genetic counselling and risk management.


The sensor described includes a four-arm piezoresistance bridge circuit, an amplifier, and a bridge excitation circuit. This circuit is used to stabilize changes in sensitivity due to variations in temperature and supply voltage. The sensor was fabricated using a self-aligned double-poly Si gate p-well CMOS process combined with an electrochemical etch-stop technique using N/SUB 2/H/SUB 4/-H/SUB 2/O anisotropic etchant for the thin-square diaphragm formation. The silicon wafer was electrostatically adhered to a glass plate to minimize thermally induced stress. Less than a /spl plusmn/0.5% sensitivity shift and less than a /spl plusmn/5-mV offset shift were obtained in the 0-70/spl deg/C range, with a 1-V/kg/cm/SUP 2/ pressure sensitivity. By using a novel excitation technique, a sensitivity change of less than /spl plusmn/1.5% under a /spl plusmn/10% supply voltage variation was also achieved.


Semantically non-compositional phrases constitute an intriguing research topic in Natural Language Processing. Semantic non-compositionality --the situation when the meaning of a phrase cannot be derived from the meaning of its components, is the main characteristic of such phrases, however, they bear other characteristics such as high statistical association and non-substitutability. In this work, we present a model for identifying non-compositional phrases that takes into account all of these characteristics. We show that the presented model remarkably outperforms the existing models of identifying non-compositional phrases that mostly focus only on one of these characteristics.


This paper attempts to ground the relationship of architecture to game space, suggest ways in which real world design of places can help the design of game spaces, and distinguish between our experience and recall of episodic space as scene via film and literature, to our experience and recall of sequential and interstitial space in three-dimensional games. The following argument is based on informal feedback of game players, formal observations of navigation in virtual environments, and from discussions with researchers of medical visualization technologies. My hypothesis is that having an ergodically embodied sense of self (such as in computer games) enhances sequential spatial memory over traditional non-ergodic forms of entertainment (such as adventure books with survey maps, or traditional cinematic media). My proposed method of evaluation for analyzing and evaluating spatial cognition in an interactive virtual environment (such as a computer game), is to use brain scanning equipment.


Abstract This article addresses the relationship between experience and belief, focusing on the role of science in the debate between secular Humanism and Christianity. It suggests that the possibility of appropriating experience to belief – taking action to bring experience into line with belief – distinguishes spiritual belief from systematic belief (in which the object is independent of beliefs about it); but that the boundary between these two forms of belief is itself a matter of (metaphysical) belief. Understanding science and religion, Humanism and Christianity in relationship to systematic and spiritual belief-structures helps to bring clarity to the debate.


Proceedings: AACR 101st Annual Meeting 2010‐‐ Apr 17‐21, 2010; Washington, DC

For many years, we have advanced the hypothesis that cancers exhibit a mutator phenotype. Recent support for this concept was gained by the increased frequency of random single-base substitutions measured in human tumors as well as by the large numbers of clonal mutations detected by DNA sequencing in a variety of human cancers. While these findings indicate that cancer cells accumulate large numbers of mutations, it remains unclear what types of alterations in the fidelity of DNA synthesis contribute most to the evolution of a tumor. In order to delineate the types of mutations that have the greatest impact on accelerating tumorigenesis, we studied the consequences of altered accuracy of synthesis by mutant DNA polymerases.

DNA polymerase δ (Pol δ) is responsible for replication of the lagging DNA strand during replication and functions in multiple DNA repair pathways. Based on homology to substitutions known to induce error-prone synthesis in other DNA polymerases, we constructed a series of single base substitutions at position L606 in the catalytic domain of human Pol δ. We found that Pol δ L606G introduces a high frequency of point mutations into DNA in vitro, but heterozygous mice expressing L606G do not exhibit a cancer phenotype. In contrast, Pol δ L606K synthesizes DNA in vitro with high accuracy; yet heterozygous mice expressing this mutant exhibit enhanced rates of tumor progression. Compared to either the wild type or L606G, the L606K mutant is defective in lesion bypass; cells expressing this mutant exhibit a decrease in the rate of fork progression. In addition, L606K cells exhibit an increase in spontaneous chromosomal aberrations, and comparative genomic hybridization analysis reveals an increased frequency of random deletions in tumors from mice expressing Pol δ L606K. These results indicate that mutations in a major replicating DNA polymerase can result in random deletions throughout the genome that have the potential to affect tumor progression.

Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 241.


A single dose (0.2 g/kg) of 20% tetramisole granulate to pheasants infected with Thominx phasianina resulted in intestinal helminth elimination in 72 hours. Structural injuries of the helminth cutaneomuscular sac, digestive and sexual system were detected, manifesting 6 h after the injection and reaching their peak 24 h after it. The mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum of middle intestinal wall, uterus, oviduct epitheliocytes, oogonia, and oocytes of nematodes were found the most sensitive to the drug.


Background: The incidence of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) has increased markedly with the introduction of population-based mammographic screening. DCIS is usually diagnosed non-operatively. Although sentinel lymph node biopsy (SNB) has become the standard of care for patients with invasive breast carcinoma, its use in patients with DCIS is controversial. Aim: To examine the justification for offering SNB at the time of primary surgery to patients with a needle core biopsy (NCB) diagnosis of DCIS. Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed of 145 patients with an NCB diagnosis of DCIS who had SNB performed at the time of primary surgery. The study focused on rates of SNB positivity and underestimation of invasive carcinoma by NCB, and sought to identify factors that might predict the presence of invasive carcinoma in the excision specimen. Results: 7/145 patients (4.8%) had a positive sentinel lymph node, four macrometastases and three micrometastases. 6/7 patients had invasive carcinoma in the final excision specimen. 55/145 patients (37.9%) with an NCB diagnosis of DCIS had invasive carcinoma in the excision specimen. The median invasive tumour size was 6 mm. A radiological mass and areas of invasion <1 mm, amounting to "at least microinvasion" on NCB were predictive of invasive carcinoma in the excision specimen. Conclusions: SNB positivity in pure DCIS is rare. In view of the high rate of underestimation of invasive carcinoma in patients with an NCB diagnosis of DCIS in this study, SNB appears justified in this group of patients.


Researchers and practitioners often extol the health benefits of social relationships and social participation for older adults. Yet they often ignore how these same bonds and activities may contribute to negative health behaviors. Using data from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study (16,065 observations from 7,007 respondents), we examined how family characteristics, family history, and social participation predicted three measures of alcohol abuse between ages 53 and 71. Results indicate that, generally, greater social participation is associated with increased drinking days per month. We also found that religious participation and having ever lived with an alcoholic are each associated with reporting possible alcohol dependence but not with alcohol consumption itself. Lastly, we identified gendered associations between marital dissolution and drinking behavior. These findings contextualize the increasing rates of alcohol abuse among older adults by emphasizing the possible negative consequences of "linked lives" on health via relationship stress and group norms.


The unprecedented volume of research output combined with fierce competition for grant funding and the implications of successful awards has emphasised the importance of careful analysis of research data. Especially in today's economic climate, strategists and policy makers are under pressure to show the impact of funded research and to justify their decisions by demonstrating the return on investment of specific projects, researchers and their institutions. This requires a significant objective component to research evaluation using a variety of selected indicators and comparisons against national, regional or global benchmarks. This paper will take a practical approach using case studies to give an insight into the opportunities and challenges regarding the monitoring of research trends, collaboration networks and resolving issues surrounding author ambiguity.


For several real-time applications it is critical that the failure of a network component does not lead to unexpected termination or long disruption of service. In this paper, we propose a scheme called RAFT (Resource Aggregation for Fault Tolerance) that guarantees recovery in a timely and resource-efficient manner. RAFT is presented in the framework of the Reliable Back-bone (RBone), a virtual network layered on top of an integrated services network. Applications can request fault tolerance against RBone link and node failures. The basic idea of RAFT is to setup every fault tolerant flow along a secondary path that serves as a backup in case the primary path fails. The secondary path resource reservations are aggregated whenever possible to reduce the overhead of providing fault tolerance. We show that the RSVP resource reservation protocol can support RAFT with simple extensions.


This article is intended to promote reflection on the intercultural competence of nurses and other health professionals. It discusses the different types of interpretation used to communicate with patients who do not speak English or French, legal and ethical consequences, and impact on health-care quality. The authors offer recommendations for both research and clinical nursing, as well as the health-care system in general, and highlight the challenges faced by nurses in a pluralist society. The literature review reveals an inherent complexity in the use of diverse types of interpreters. Finally, the authors argue that the intricacy of the cross-cultural communication trio is intensified by a lack of adequate preparation of nurses and other health professionals and interpreters regarding cross-cultural communication.


The green spruce aphid, Elatobium abietinum, is the most important defoliating pest of Sitka spruce, Picea sitchensis, in the UK. Populations are expected to increase in response to predicted climate change, therefore placing Sitka spruce under increased risk of widespread and severe defoliation. The effect of spring–summer drought stress on E. abietinum population dynamics and development over multiple years was assessed in a field experiment under five different drought treatments with differing intensities and frequencies. The impact on host tolerance, in terms of needle retention, was also investigated. No differences in the length of time taken to reach peak population size were observed. Despite this, E. abietinum populations were found to respond positively to low amplitude intermittent stress, with high densities maintained for longer after the peak. Spring peak densities of aphids did not differ among drought levels, although an autumn peak was observed consistently over 2 years on trees subjected to continuous severe drought. This suggested advancement in the onset of Sitka spruce dormancy. Aphid infestation significantly increased percentage needle loss under all drought treatments, although no differences were observed between drought levels. An interaction between aphid presence and drought treatment was, however, observed during a second year of drought where no aphids were present. The study herein presented has contributed to the understanding of E. abietinum population responses under a changing climate. The implications for damage to host Sitka spruce are of relevance to forest management strategies, as an increase in drought events are predicted in the UK.


The synthesis of nanostructures has advanced in the last decade to a point where a vast range of insulating, semiconducting, and metallic materials are available in a variety of forms and shapes such as wires, tubes, ribbons, sheets, and spheres. These nanostructures display exceptional physical properties that can be used to realize novel devices such as high-speed electronics, efficient photovoltaics and thermoelectrics, sensitive chemical and biological sensors, nano-light sources such as lasers and light-emitting diodes, and high-frequency resonators. However, a persistent challenge has been the development of a general strategy for manipulation and heterogeneous integration of individual nanostructures with arbitrary shapes and compositions. Development of such methods is essential in transforming nano-sciences into successful nano-technologies that can ultimately affect the society. Several techniques such as microcontact printing, microfluidics, Langmuir-Blodgett, mechanical nano-manipulators, optical tweezers, and fixed-electrode dielectrophoresis have been developed to address this challenge. However, these techniques either lack the capability to manipulate single nanostructures or are unable to do so in a dynamic and large-scale fashion.Optoelectronic tweezers (OET) has emerged as a powerful tool for massively parallel manipulation of polymer-beads and living cells at micron length-scales via optically-induced dielectrophoresis. By combining the optical and electrical trapping capabilities, OET is able to manipulate particles with much lower optical intensities than optical tweezers and unlike fixed electrode dielectrophoresis, OET is capable of dynamic manipulation of single particles over large areas.In this dissertation, we will first introduce OET as an optofluidic platform and characterize the various electrokinetic forces that can be generated in the OET device. Next, we will use these forces for manipulation, sorting, assembly, and patterning of various nanostructures such as semiconducting and metallic nanowires, carbon nanotubes, and metallic spherical nanocrystals. Though the initial demonstrations of OET were limited to manipulation of microscale objects, here, we will explore the capabilities of OET for manipulation of nanoscale particles, establishing it as an important tool for post-synthesis organization and heterogeneous integration of nanostructures.


Empirical studies have revealed that many minima in the loss landscape of deep learning are connected and reside on a low-loss valley. We present a general framework for finding continuous symmetries in the parameter space, which give rise to the low-loss valleys. We introduce a novel set of nonlinear, data-dependent symmetries for neural networks. We then show that conserved quantities associated with linear symmetries can be used to define coordinates along the minima. The distribution of conserved quantities reveals that using common initialization methods, gradient flow only explores a small part of the global minimum. By relating conserved quantities to convergence rate and sharpness of the minimum, we provide insights on how initialization impacts convergence and generalizability. We also find the nonlinear action to be viable for ensemble building to improve robustness under certain adversarial attacks.


The taxonomy and distribution of cephalochlamydid cestodes are reviewed. This group is primarily specific to pipid anurans and occurs naturally across sub-Saharan Africa. Paracephalochlamys gen. nov. has two large lateral testes (sometimes doubled or absent on one side) on the anterior margin of each segment, while Cephalochlamys Blanchard, 1908 has three to 23 small testes scattered in lateral fields. Paracephalochlamys papilionis sp. nov. infects Pseudhymenochirus merlini in Sierra Leone. The distribution of Cephalochlamys species is inferred from the previous literature and numerous new records. Cephalochlamys namaquensis (Cohn, 1906) occurs in Xenopus laevis laevis in Namibia, South Africa, Lesotho and Zimbabwe, X. l. poweri (new host record) in Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo (D.R.C.), X. l. victorianus in Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and D.R.C., X. l. sudanensis (new host record) in Cameroon and Sudan, and the ranid anuran, Rana angolensis , in Zimbabwe. Anthropogenic dispersal of C. namaquensis , together with X. l. laevis , has occurred to localities in the south-western United States and Isle of Wight, U.K. Cephalochlamys compactus sp. nov., differentiated from C. namaquensis by a less well developed median ovarian cavity and more compact vitellarium, occurs in Xenopus muelleri in Togo, Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, D.R.C., Zimbabwe and South Africa, X. borealis in Kenya, X. clivii in Ethiopia, R. angolensis in Ethiopia and R. occipitalis in Nigeria. Cephalochlamys representatives of uncertain specific status have been recorded in X. gilli (new host record) in South Africa, X. pygmaeus and X. fraseri -like hosts (new host records) in the D.R.C., X. tropicalis (new host record) in Nigeria and R. occipitalis in Gabon. Despite the ability of some species to infect distantly related amphibians, the distribution of cephalochlamydid taxa amongst their principal hosts, pipids, can be related to the allopolyploid evolution of this anuran family.


Because the HVDC converter connected to an HTS DC power cable generates harmonics that cause an additional power loss in the DC cable, loss characteristics of the HTS DC power cable need to be analysed for practical applications to the HVDC system. A miniaturized HVDC thyristor converter and 2 m length HTS DC cable made of YBCO HTS wire were used to measure the power loss in the HTS DC power cable. The loss characteristics of the HTS DC model cable were analysed using the finite elements method (FEM). The power loss of the DC current which contains harmonics was measured using the calorimetric method. The experiment and FEM analysis results were compared to confirm that the harmonic current induced by the HVDC converter influence the power loss in the HTS DC cable.


Predicate logic functions like a distorting mirror in the sense that it often does not faithfully represent reality. As an example, consider Adam's loving Eve. In the state itself, Adam does not occur first or second, but in predicate logic it is represented by an ordered pair. In this paper a new logical system is developed which does not have this artifact and in which we can reason in a natural way about all kinds of relations. The starting point is to view a relation as a network of interrelated states.


Uncertainty in economics still poses some fundamental problems illustrated, e.g., by the Allais and Ellsberg paradoxes. To overcome these difficulties, economists have introduced an interesting distinction between 'risk' and 'ambiguity' depending on the existence of a (classical Kolmogorovian) probabilistic structure modeling these uncertainty situations. On the other hand, evidence of everyday life suggests that 'context' plays a fundamental role in human decisions under uncertainty. Moreover, it is well known from physics that any probabilistic structure modeling contextual interactions between entities structurally needs a non-Kolmogorovian quantum-like framework. In this paper we introduce the notion of 'contextual risk' with the aim of modeling a substantial part of the situations in which usually only 'ambiguity' is present. More precisely, we firstly introduce the essentials of an operational formalism called 'the hidden measurement approach' in which probability is introduced as a consequence of fluctuations in the interaction between entities and contexts. Within the hidden measurement approach we propose a 'sphere model' as a mathematical tool for situations in which contextual risk occurs. We show that a probabilistic model of this kind is necessarily non-Kolmogorovian, hence it requires either the formalism of quantum mechanics or a generalization of it. This insight is relevant, for it explains the presence of quantum or, better, quantum-like, structures in economics, as suggested by some authors, and can serve to solve the aforementioned paradoxes.


This study aims to classifyand identify how the semantic equivalence of culture-specific terms achieved in English-Indonesian translation of novel The Duchess War. The aims then break down into five, following Newmark's categorization of culture-specific terms; ecology, material, social, organizations, customs, and ideasand thelast is gestures and habits. The original novel investigated entitled The Duchess War by Courtney Milan and its translation entitled "Skandal Sang Duchess"translatedy Eka Budiarti as the subject of this study. The limitation of this study covers up the semantic equivalence of culture-specific terms of the English-Indonesian translation of novel The Duchess Warby considering the seven types of meaning proposed by Leech (1974); conceptual, connotative, stylistic, affective, reflective, collocative, and thematic meaning.Descriptive qualitative research is employed in this study. The data gathered through 490 sentences containing culture-specific terms were identified and after reducing the redundancy of the data, researcher found there are 106 types of culture-specific terms and categorized into five categorizations following Newmark's. The result shows of 106 culture-specific terms, there are 20,75% ecology culture, 39,62% of material culture, 16,04% of social culture, 21,70% of organizations, customs, and ideas, and the last is gestures and habits that has 1,89% of data.Based on the data, there are some similar culture-specific terms found based on the data gained. The same culture-specific terms categorization found, but the meaning is different, or the same in meaning but different in TT translation. Those happened because the translator considers the context in the usage of certain terms. All the data has been examined by the expert and the different meaning due to the suitable context in the novel The Duchess War. Hence, the culture-specific terms between ST and TT are semantically equivalent.


Loyalty towards the employer has been considered a merit in the past. In today'slabor, loyalty may instead be regarded as a burden on the loyal employee because he/she often gets lower wage and gets less attractive on the labor market than those who change jobs every once in a while. This may cause problems within the organizations, such as a high employee turnover where individuals leave their jobs in a faster pace than the organizations expect. This places high demands on organizations to work strategically with their Human Resources Department to recruit the right staff and retaining them in the organization. The purpose of this study was to examine why some individuals are more likely to leave their organizationsthan others. This was accomplished through measuring the variables organizational identification, perceived occupational status and its correlation with the intention to leave their organization. A quantitative survey was conducted in collaboration with the Swedish Armed Forces. The respondents consisted of professional soldiers from Skaraborgs regiment serving in the 42nd mechanized battalion. The results showed significant negative correlations between organizational identification and intention to leave their organization (β=-.39,p=<.001), and perceived occupational status and intention to leave their organization (β =-.35,p=<.001). Organizational identification also had a significant positive association with perceived occupational status (β=.34, p=<.001). The results indicate that organizational identification affects not only the intention to leave their organization, which also has been shown by previous studies, but also employees' perceived occupational status. This provides incentives for organizations to work actively to increase their employees' organizational identification if the employee's perceive a low occupational status and if the turnover rates are high.


The physical and engineering properties of inanimate objects as heat exchangers have been the subject of long study. Within the past 25 years, many factors have brought biological disciplines into intimate contact with the formally similar problem of heat exchange between a living body and its environment. A Committee on Biotechnology of the Heat Transfer Division of this Society has been organized recently with the intention of advancing and standardizing useful engineering descriptions of biological heat-exchange problems. Such problems presently complicate engineering design in which the human link is a critical element in total function of man and machine. The paper demonstrates that a large body of calorimetric data on the human heat exchanger can be summarized in statistically derived empirical equations. These equations obviate the need for special physiological knowledge required of the engineer who would make such computations from the classical equations of heat loss.