Nutrition is the most important contributor of health during the growing years of human beings. Nutritional status of children is influenced by several factors, such as the living conditions comprising of sanitary, environmental, social and economic situation of family, the literacy level of parents, food intake of children, etc. In addition, the nutritional status of mothers also influences the nutritional status of children. Malnutrition persists across ail the age groups of life span. Nutritional problems during school age is shown to affect adversely on attendance, performance and learning ability of the children. Country wide surveys indicate that more than half of the Indian children suffer from sub-clinical undernutrition as indicated by low weight for age and 65 per cent of them are stunted (low height for age) indicating long duration undernutrition. Nutritional status of children from rural area has been shown to be associated with their mother's dietary intake and nutritional status as well as the economic status of the family. Similar observations were also noted by Kulsum et al5 for children residing in urban slums of Mysore city.


One of the classical problems in fluid mechanics is the determination of the flow field around a bluff body represented by a circular cylinder. This is of great interest in many engineering applications, such as hydrodynamic loading on ocean marine piles and offshore platform risers and casing pipes etc. The hydrodynamic behavior of the complex flow field around variety of circular cylinders shall be investigated. Wave induced vibration of structure such as marine pipelines, oil terminals, tanks and ships by placing oscillatory pressure on the surface of the structure. Flow-induced vibrations of slender marine structures can result from external or internal flows. VIV phenomenon is widely seen in subsea applications for risers, conductors, seabed pipelines and other subsea structures. FLIP occurs for rough bore flexible pipes, i.e. pipes with a corrugated metallic inner liner carcass is used for dry gas transport. As dry gas passes through a flexible riser, an unstable shear layer is generated off each of the internal corrugations which make up the internal carcass. Above a certain flow velocity vortices are shed from the carcass, at a frequency resulting in the generation and propagation of acoustic vibrations that lead to fatigue damage to topside and subsea small bore piping. The experimental work is carried to determine the dependence of the exact geometry i.e. corrugation geometry, length of the corrugated tube and the boundary conditions on the generation of pulsations. The obtained analytical tools will be validated by detailed CFD simulations and laboratory experimental tests.


This paper addresses research from a three-year longitudinal study that engaged children in data modeling experiences from the beginning school year through to third year (6-8 years). A data modeling approach to statistical development differs in several ways from what is typically done in early classroom experiences with data. In particular, data modeling immerses children in problems that evolve from their own questions and reasoning, with core statistical foundations established early. These foundations include a focus on posing and refining statistical questions within and across contexts, structuring and representing data, making informal inferences, and developing conceptual, representational, and metarepresentational competence. Examples are presented of how young learners developed and sustained informal inferential reasoning and metarepresentational competence across the study to become "sophisticated statisticians".


The article analyzes the criminological aspects of the cyberbullying phenomenon as a form of destructive behavior on the Internet. The authors take criminological approach in considering the psychological characteristics of such behavior, as well as forms and types of its manifestation. The research described the most socially dangerous forms of cyberbullying, carried out the problem analysis of existing methods of prevention and counteraction to cyberbullying in modern science. The problems of investigation and prevention of bullying are incurred by very limited control in the digital space, first of all social networks due to anonymity of their users. The article proposes some measures to optimize the forensic prevention of crimes committed through cyberbullying. The choice of specific preventive measures should be conditioned by: materials of the criminal case; circumstances prevailing at the time of the decision to implement preventive measures; peculiarities of the personality of the juvenile and other factors.


Since November 2017, mass mortalities of larvae of bay scallop (Argopecten irradians) were reported in hatcheries located at the southern area of Republic of Korea. Over 90% of larvae aged 5-10 days sank to the bottom of the tank and died. The hatcheries could not produce spat, and thus artificial seed production industry incurred huge losses. We identified Ostreid Herpesvirus-1 μVar (OsHV-1 μVar) associated with mass mortality by PCR, sequencing and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). All the samples were positive for OsHV-1 μVar with 99% sequence identity to previously reported OsHV-1 μVar sequences. Partial sequence of ORF-4 of OsHV-1 detected in this study was more closely related to sequences isolated from Europe. This is the first report to confirm the mortality caused by an OsHV-1 infection in the bay scallop.


We investigate the existence of in-group bias (preferential treatment of one's own group) in court decisions. Using the universe of juvenile-court cases in a US state between 1996 and 2012 and exploiting random assignment of juvenile defendants to judges, we find evidence for negative racial in-group bias in judicial decisions. All else being equal, black (white) juveniles who are randomly assigned to black (white) judges are more likely to be placed in custody, as opposed to being placed on probation, and they receive longer sentences. Although observed in experimental settings, this is the first empirical evidence of negative in-group bias based on a randomization design outside the lab. We provide explanations for this finding.


Protein termini play pivotal roles in various biological processes. Although several terminomic strategies have been proposed for the analysis of protein N-termini or protein C-termini separately, few can analyze both ends of proteins at the same time. Herein, we developed a workflow, termed Simultaneous Analysis of Protein N- and C-Terminome (SAPT) based on strong cation exchange chromatography (SCX) fractionation. Taking advantage of terminal peptides' reduced charge states in low pH SCX for their selective separation, we identified 3724 canonical human protein N-termini and 3129 canonical human protein C-termini, as well as 1463 neo-N-termini from the HeLa cell line, representing the largest human protein C-termini data set and the second largest human protein N-termini data set so far. The whole fractionation procedure was simple and rapid with considerable selectivity by utilizing a commercially available SCX-SPE column. In addition, we report for the first time the comprehensive screening of protein N-terminal and C-terminal modifications, leading to an identification of 8 kinds of protein N-terminal PTMs other than acetylation and 1 kind of protein C-terminal PTM other than amidation. Our results demonstrate the excellent performance and great potential of SAPT in terminomic studies. Data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD024573.


Tinnitus is the perception of sound occurring without an external stimulus. Sound therapy is one of the most effective treatment techniques that have been employed by clinicians. To account for mechanisms of tinnitus generation and the clinical effects of sound therapy from the viewpoint of neural engineering, the authors have proposed a conceptual neural oscillator model with plasticity for the human auditory system. In this study, the authors found that this model has a bistable state, i.e., a condition where a stable oscillatory state and a stable non-oscillatory equilibrium state coexist at a certain parameter region. It was also found that the oscillation can be inhibited by supplying sinusoidal or random stimuli, which was hypothesized as sound for treatment of tinnitus, in this model. Through numerical simulations, the authors discovered that adequate noise stimulus can inhibit the oscillation. By hypothesizing that the oscillation and the equilibrium correspond to generation and inhibition of tinnitus, respectively, it can be stated that these phenomena could explain the fact that the human auditory system temporarily halts perception of tinnitus following sound therapy. This paper describes dynamical properties of the model and inhibition of the oscillation for sinusoidal stimulus and a kind of noise stimulus, which corresponds to the sound in the treatment of tinnitus.


General purpose processors have utilized complex and energy inefficient techniques to accelerate performance. In embedded DSP designs, power constraints have precluded general purpose microarchitectural techniques. Rather than minimize average execution time, embedded DSP processors require the worst case execution time to be minimized. Subsequently, very long instruction word (VLIW) processors have been employed, but architecturally visible side effects have imposed restrictions on parallelism due to interrupt and latency considerations - particularly if all loads must complete prior to servicing interrupts. In this paper, we present a low power multithreaded interlocked (transparent) microarchitecture capable of parallelizing non-associative DSP arithmetic. We describe specific memory and logic techniques for reducing power dissipation and discuss how multithreading enables low power optimization.


We report on the latest development in electro-optic chaos communications intended for physical layer optical data protection. The nonlinear delayed feedback scheme makes use of the optical phase as the dynamical variable exhibiting a high complexity broadband chaos. The proposed setup was found to be a superior alternative approach to the most popular way in Optics to generate chaos, the feedback laser dynamics. We report unprecedented performances in terms of bit rate and transmission quality (up to 10Gb/s, with nearly error free transmission over more than 100 km, without digital error correction), both in laboratory and field experiments.


Reaching the 21st century with superior test tools will require serious attention to three areas which are often under-emphasized in automatic test system (ATS) development the needs of users, powerful user interfaces, and data collection. When the needs of the various users are understood, a properly designed interface can be created which provides simple access to the test system functionality required to meet those needs. Keeping track of system performance and changes in the users' needs after a system is fielded must be an early design consideration to keep the user satisfied throughout the life of the system. This paper addresses the needs of users including technicians, software developers, software maintainers, and system engineers, with an emphasis on technicians. We discuss control and information presentation features which can be used to build a powerful user interface for test. Local maintenance data collection, creation and review of operator notes, and focal processing and analysis on automatic test systems can provide useful management tools in the maintenance environment. Such tools can help solve many data accuracy problems which now exist in large databases. These data collection concepts can get the users involved, improve maintenance data accuracy, and be a valuable source of operator feedback to software maintainers.


Historically, commodity futures have had excess returns similar to those of equities. But what should we expect in the future? The usual risk factors are unable to explain the time-series variation in excess returns. In addition, our evidence suggests that commodity futures are an inconsistent, if not tenuous, hedge against unexpected inflation. Further, the historically high average returns to a commodity futures portfolio are largely driven by the choice of weighting schemes. Indeed, an equally weighted long-only portfolio of commodity futures returns has approximately a zero excess return over the past 25 years. Our portfolio analysis suggests that the a long-only strategic allocation to commodities as a general asset class is a bet on the future term structure of commodity prices, in general, and on specific portfolio weighting schemes, in particular. In contrast, we provide evidence that there are distinct benefits to an asset allocation overlay that tactically allocates using commodity futures exposures. We examine three trading strategies that use both momentum and the term structure of futures prices. We find that the tactical strategies provide higher average returns and lower risk than a long-only commodity futures exposure.


Growth and feeding traits such as BW, BW gain (BWG), feed intake (FI), and feed conversion ratio (FCR) are of economic importance in poultry production. In this study, 8 SNP of the transforming growth factor β3 (TGF-β3) gene, which are located in the proximity of quantitative trait loci affecting BW and FCR, were selected to be genotyped by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry in 2 yellow meat-type chicken populations with 724 birds in total. Body weights at 49 (BW49) and 70 (BW70) d of age and FI in the interval were recorded, and respective BWG and FCR were calculated for each bird. Two SNP with a very low minor allele frequency (<1%) were discarded from further analysis. The results showed that both rs13586818 and rs14535174 had significant effects (P < 0.05) on BWG and FCR, and that rs14535177 was significantly (P < 0.05) associated with BW49, BW70, and FI. Furthermore, birds with the GA genotype of rs13586818 showed strongly higher FCR and lower BWG (P < 0.05) compared with AA individuals. The TT birds had significantly larger BWG (P < 0.05) than GT birds in rs14535174, whereas FCR was the opposite. Individuals with the GC genotype of rs14535177 had significantly higher BW49, BW70, FCR, and FI (P < 0.05) than those with the GG genotype. Additionally, haplotypes based on 3 SNP of rs13586818, rs14535174, and rs14535177 were significantly associated with FCR (P < 0.05). The SNP and analyzed haplotypes identified in this study might be used as potential genetic markers in meat-type chicken breeding.


Defines a new coset correlation that generalizes previous coset correlation results for m-sequences. This new correlation can be computed in terms of the coset sizes for any sequence that has a two-valued periodic autocorrelation function and that is constant on cosets. Thus the results apply to a larger family of periodic sequences than just m-sequences. >


This paper describes an adaptive power and bit allocation algorithm for a multiple input multiple output orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (MIMO OFDM) system operating in a frequency selective fading channel. The proposed algorithm is based on the use of a Lagrange multiplier method. It is realized as a one step procedure and hence does not require an iterative implementation process. The presented simulation results show that the algorithm operates successfully in multiple user access scenarios without scarifying power and diversity gain


Understanding insincere language (sarcasm and teasing) is a fundamental part of communication and crucial for maintaining social relationships. This can be a challenging task for cochlear implant (CIs) users who receive degraded suprasegmental information important for perceiving a speaker's attitude. We measured the perception of speaker sincerity (literal positive, literal negative, sarcasm, and teasing) in 16 adults with CIs using an established video inventory. Participants were presented with audio-only and audio-visual social interactions between two people with and without supporting verbal context. They were instructed to describe the content of the conversation and answer whether the speakers meant what they said. Results showed that subjects could not always identify speaker sincerity, even when the content of the conversation was perfectly understood. This deficit was greater for perceiving insincere relative to sincere utterances. Performance improved when additional visual cues or verbal context cues were provided. Subjects who were better at perceiving the content of the interactions in the audio-only condition benefited more from having additional visual cues for judging the speaker's sincerity, suggesting that the two modalities compete for cognitive recourses. Perception of content also did not correlate with perception of speaker sincerity, suggesting that what was said vs. how it was said were perceived using unrelated segmental versus suprasegmental cues. Our results further showed that subjects who had access to lower-order resolved harmonic information provided by hearing aids in the contralateral ear identified speaker sincerity better than those who used implants alone. These results suggest that measuring speech recognition alone in CI users does not fully describe the outcome. Our findings stress the importance of measuring social communication functions in people with CIs.


Web based Virtual reality application can be helpful in many real world applications such as education, virtual conferences, entertainment. Observing the progress of the gaming industry over the years can show the advancement in virtual reality web application and virtual environments clearly. In this paper, we present a virtual hospital in the form of a 3D virtual environment. This virtual environment depicts the Department of Radiology at Ottawa General Hospital where learners experiment on radiology equipment by carrying out specific learning scenarios we apply our proposed architecture on a test bed that consists of a cancer treatment scenario within a 3D virtual Radiology Department. We will incorporate the High Level Architecture HLA standard as an important corner stone in allowing the e-learning environment to be distributed and interactive.


Li(superscript +)-doped nano-TiO2 photocatalysts were prepared by sol-gel route and by impregnation method, respectively. The catalysts were characterized by TEM and XRD techniques, and pH of zero charge (pH(subscript pzc)) of catalysts were measured by pH drift method. The results show that all catalysts prepared at 500℃ are anatase phase. Li(superscript +) -doping restrains the growth of TiO2 particles, improves the dispersivity of the catalyst. The pH(subscript pzc) of catalysts is in the range 6.6-8.1, depending on the doping method and concentration of doped Li(superscript +) UV light and sunlight were used as light sources to investigate the photocatalytic activity of the catalysts for the degradation of malachite green and methyl orange, and the contents of CO2 produced by the degradation of pollutants were determined by gas chromatography(GC). It has been found that , for the degradation malachite green, Li(superscript +)doping both by sol-gel route and by impregnation method can all enhance the catalytic activity of TiO2, effectively, but the catalysts prepared by the impregnation method are more efficient than those prepared by sol-gel route, and the best photoactivity is obtained for 5% (mole fraction) Li(superscript +)- doped TiO2 prepared by impregnation technology and its photocatalytic efficiency is 6-8 times under UV light and 9-10 times under sunlight higher than that of pure Ti02 for methyl orange degradation, Li(superscript +)-doping reduces the catalytic activity of TiO2 to some extent, except for 3 % (mole fraction) Li(superscript +)-doped TiO2 which is slightly better prepared by sol-gel route. The contents of the final degradation products CO2 increase with improving of the photocatalytic activity of the catalysts. The main reasons of reverse photocatalytic activity of Li(superscript +) -doped TiO2 in degrading different organic pollutants is that Li(superscript +) -doping changes pH5 and the state of the charge of TiO2 surface. Li(superscript +)-doped nano-TiO2 photocatalysts were prepared by sol-gel route and by impregnation method, respectively. The catalysts were characterized by TEM and XRD techniques, and pH of zero charge (pH(subscript pzc)) of catalysts were measured by pH drift method. The results show that all catalysts prepared at 500℃ are anatase phase. Li(superscript +) -doping restrains the growth of TiO2 particles, improves the dispersivity of the catalyst. The pH(subscript pzc) of catalysts is in the range 6.6-8.1, depending on the doping method and concentration of doped Li(superscript +) UV light and sunlight were used as light sources to investigate the photocatalytic activity of the catalysts for the degradation of malachite green and methyl orange, and the contents of CO2 produced by the degradation of pollutants were determined by gas chromatography(GC). It has been found that , for the degradation malachite green, Li(superscript +)doping both by sol-gel route and by impregnation method can all enhance the catalytic activity of TiO2, effectively, but the catalysts prepared by the impregnation method are more efficient than those prepared by sol-gel route, and the best photoactivity is obtained for 5% (mole fraction) Li(superscript +)- doped TiO2 prepared by impregnation technology and its photocatalytic efficiency is 6-8 times under UV light and 9-10 times under sunlight higher than that of pure TiO2; for methyl orange degradation, Li(superscript +)-doping reduces the catalytic activity of TiO2 to some extent, except for 3%(mole fraction)Li(superscript +)-doped TiO2 which is slightly better prepared by sol-gel route. The contents of the final degradation products CO2 increase with improving of the photocatalytic activity of the catalysts. The main reasons of reverse photocatalytic activity of Li(superscript +)-doped TiO2 in degrading different organic pollutants is that Li(superscript +)-doping changes pH(subscript pzc) and the state of the charge of TiO2 surface.


─ In this paper, the radar target recognition is given by machine learning of K-NN (K-nearest neighbors) regression on angular diversity RCS (radar cross section). The bistatic RCS of a target at a fixed elevation angle and different azimuth angles are collected to constitute an angular diversity RCS vector. Such angular diversity RCS vectors are chosen as features to identify the target. Different RCS vectors are collected and processed by the K-NN regression. The machine learning belongs to the scope of artificial intelligence, which has attracted the attention of researchers all over the world. In this study, the K-NN rule is extended to achieve regression and is then applied to radar target recognition. With the use of K-NN regression, the radar target recognition is very simple, efficient, and accurate. Numerical simulation results show that our target recognition scheme is not only accurate, but also has good ability to tolerate random fluctuations. Index Terms ─ Machine learning, radar cross section, radar target recognition.


This paper deals with a design of input/output based digital fuzzy sliding mode control concept where no information on a reference input signal is available (only error signal is measurable). The control approach is based on minimum variance control method with disturbance estimator. An additional filtration of nonlinear, fuzzy, control component is performed by using a digital integrator and, consequently, elimination of chattering and higher accuracy in steady-state are achieved in comparison to the existing solution.


Immunoglobulin G4-related disease (IgG4-RD) is an increasingly recognized syndrome that can appear with multiple organ involvement, typically with tumor-like swelling, lymphoplasmacytic infiltrate rich in IgG4-positive plasma cells, and elevated serum IgG4 concentrations. We report the case of a 22-month-old female child with failure to thrive and recurrent respiratory tract infections since 8 months of age. Physical examination was normal except for pulmonary auscultation with bilateral crackles and wheezes. Laboratory tests revealed elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and elevated serum IgG and IgG4 with polyclonal hypergammaglobulinemia. Thoracic CT and MRI showed multiple mediastinal lymphadenopathies and a nodular posterior mediastinal mass in right paratracheal location with bronchial compression. Initial fine needle aspiration biopsy was compatible with reactive lymphadenopathy but after clinical worsening a thoracoscopic partial resection of the mass was performed and tissue biopsy revealed lymphoplasmacytic infiltrate and increased number of IgG4-positive plasma cells and a ratio of IgG4/IgG positive cells above 40%. Glucocorticoids therapy was started with symptomatic improvement, reduction in the size of the mass, and decrease of serum IgG4 levels after 6 weeks. There are very few reports of IgG4-RD in children. Long-term follow-up is necessary to monitor relapses and additional organ involvement.


Solutions of uridine were irradiated with ultraviolet light for varying periods, resulting in a progressive loss of the selective ultraviolet absorption spectrum. Such absorption can be restored ('reconstitution') by treatment of the irradiated material with heat, acid, a combination of the two, and alkali, though the restored spectrum is not identical with spectrum of uridine. Further study of the 'reconstituted' material shows that both uridine and uracil were present in varying percentages, depending on the duration of irradiation, as was a small amount of ribose, and small amounts of two other unidentified U.V.-absorbing substances. The growth of a uridine-requiring mutant of Neurospora crassa is well supported by the 'reconstituted' material. Uracil will also support growth of the mutant, but only in much larger concentrations than is the case with uridine and after a latent period of several days. Uracil, in concentrations which alone are not adequate for immediate growth, will support growth if 'catalytic' amounts of uridine are added either simultaneously or previously. The possible mechanisms of this synergism are discussed.


Abstract Background Thulium laser use in stapedotomy surgery is usually associated with many doubts regarding the thermal effect on the vestibular area and the production of acoustic shock waves, which may result in permanent complications. Objectives We aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the Thulium laser use in stapedotomy and its long-term effects on the clinical and audiological results. Material and methods It was a retrospective randomized case-series study. We included 148 otosclerosis patients. They were divided randomly into two groups; group A (multiple shots) included 62 patients and group B (one shot with a manual perforator) included 86 patients. Results There was a statistically significant improvement of the ABG in both groups. ABG closure (<10 dB) occurred in 87.1% of patients in group A, and 89.5% of patients in group B. Intraoperative complications were more in group B (p-value = 0.038). The postoperative complications were more in group A (p-value = .017). Conclusions According to our experience on a relatively large number of cases, the Thulium laser is a safe tool to be used in stapedotomy either in multiple shots or one shot with a manual perforator. It improved functional hearing efficiently without showing signs of inner ear impairment.


Recently, transition metal sulphides, in particular ZnS have been intensively studied because of its unique Catalytic functions. These studies have revealed that ZnSnanocrystal are good photo catalysts due to rapid generation of electron–hole pair by photo-excitation. By adding surfactant in synthesis of ZnS, it has been observed that there is phase transition occurs from cubic to wurtzite. In the present work, ZnS is prepared by hydrothermal process using Ethylene diamine as surfactant. Prepared sample were characterized by X-ray diffractions (XRD), FTIR, UV/VIS spectra were recorded for evaluation of photo physical properties. The photo activity of prepared ZnS with surfactant was accessed by photo catalytic decomposition of industrial waste under UV irradiation. Under the same condition photocatalytic activity of ZnS without surfactant was also examined. The ZnS with surfactant shows higher catalytic activity compare to ZnS without surfactant.Recently, transition metal sulphides, in particular ZnS have been intensively studied because of its unique Catalytic functions. These studies have revealed that ZnSnanocrystal are good photo catalysts due to rapid generation of electron–hole pair by photo-excitation. By adding surfactant in synthesis of ZnS, it has been observed that there is phase transition occurs from cubic to wurtzite. In the present work, ZnS is prepared by hydrothermal process using Ethylene diamine as surfactant. Prepared sample were characterized by X-ray diffractions (XRD), FTIR, UV/VIS spectra were recorded for evaluation of photo physical properties. The photo activity of prepared ZnS with surfactant was accessed by photo catalytic decomposition of industrial waste under UV irradiation. Under the same condition photocatalytic activity of ZnS without surfactant was also examined. The ZnS with surfactant shows higher catalytic activity compare to ZnS without surfactant.


Provision of residential services to people with mental illness has assumed increasing importance since deinstitutionalization and as community- based services have increased. This large-scale multisite study of housing programs specifically for persons with mental illness examines one of the factors that lead to successful residential tenure for persons with serious mental illness. To date, the Lehman Quality of Life Scale has been used primarily to assess satisfaction with housing in studies of residential services. This article reports on a new measure of housing satisfaction. This new 25-item instrument was developed, field tested in a variety of housing settings across the country, and analyzed for reliability and validity by a group of housing researchers and clinicians. The implications of using this instrument for future evaluation and research on housing for persons with mental illness are examined. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comm Psychol 31: 581–590, 2003.


Large and medium karstic springs in the Polish Tatra Mts. occasionally sampled during low flows exhibited little scatter of stable isotope composition and distinct differences between particular sampling sites. For extreme stable isotope values of four springs, the recharge altitudes were estimated by making use of topographic and geological maps. The altitude effect found in that way served for determining the recharge altitudes of other sampled sites. The altitude-effect gradients found in that way are -0.21/100 m and -1.45/100 m for d18 O and d2 H, respectively. In general, large karstic springs (exsurgents) have the highest recharge altitudes whereas medium spring and deep wells are characterized by much lower altitudes. Tritium data interpreted with the aid of lumped parameter models yielded mean ages of ca. 3 years for low flows in large karstic springs, ca. 10 years for medium springs, and 50 to 100 years for deep wells, all with very wide age distributions. For four deep wells, the regional hydraulic conductivity estimated from tritium ages (0.8 ´ 10-6 m/s) is about 20 times lower than the geometric mean found from pumping tests (17 ´ 10-6 m/s) suggesting the existence of obstacles to regional flow.


This paper shows how three systems of types well known to systems engineers can be understood as complex systems. This is important because research in complex systems sciences is vibrant and provides critical insight, but if systems engineers do not understand the complex aspects of the systems they work with daily, they may not be able to use these research results. To date, systems engineering has been looking only at exploiting the "order" side of the order‐to‐chaos spectrum, and it is time now to understand and begin to utilize principles from the middle and from the chaos side of the spectrum. Three complex systems examples are INCOSE, the systems engineering process (such as a company's standard process), and air traffic control. INCOSE represents most volunteer organizations and social groups. Most systems engineers do not realize that the systems engineering process for a company is a network that can be studied by complex systems methods. Air traffic control may come closest to many systems engineers' definition of a system. This paper provides principles of complex systems based on a variety of sources, and shows the application of complex systems to one of the examples. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Eng


Abstract This article covers an in plane experimental characterisation of a polypropylene glass fibre reinforced woven composite. Tensile, shear and compression loadings were carried out with a standard tensile rig and a crossbow/Hopkinson pressure bar rig. The specimen strain was measured by digital image correlation technique. It is concluded that the composite stiffness and strength are highly sensitive to strain rate. Static and dynamic multicycle tests were also undertaken to identify and quantify softening phenomenon. Thus, permanent plastic strain and reduction in stiffness are observed and quantified.


The biostratigraphic and lithostratigraphic distribution of Late Paleozoic seeds in Argentine is analyzed. Accordingly, taxa with biostratigraphic value me established for intra- and extra-basin correlations. Comparisons with other related seed taxa from Gondwana suggest that seeds can be only important as biostratigraphic markers in regional or basinal scales.


In federated learning (FL), in contrast to centralized ML learning processes, ML models are sent rather than the raw data. Therefore, FL is a decentralized and privacy-compliant process currently experiencing significant research interest. As a result, initial investigations were carried out with FL and microcontrollers (MCUs). However, each of these studies used a PC as a server. In this work, we introduce TinyFL, a method using only MCUs to build a low-cost, low-power, and low-storage system. TinyFL uses a hybrid master/slave protocol where the master MCU is responsible for communication and aggregation. Thereby, the communication is performed by inter-integrated circuit (I2C). TinyFL demonstrates that communication and aggregation for FL can be performed on only MCUs. Furthermore, we show that the training with TinyFL is 11.57 % faster than centralized training using a gesture recognition use case.


The analysis was developed for a coaxial waveguide for two configurations — one in which the central conductor is corrugated in axial slot-wedges, with ridge-wedges between them, and the other in which the outer conductor is provided with radial metal vane-wedges. Azimuthal harmonics were considered in the structure regions, the effects of which were ignored in earlier published analyses based on the surface impedance model to replace the interface between the two structure regions by a homogeneous reactive surface. For both the structure configurations, one and the same form of the dispersion relation with proper interpretation of the symbol for the radius of the ridge/vane was obtained. The dispersion relation obtained by the present analysis was validated against that obtained by other analytical methods reported in the literature. The shape of the dispersion characteristics is found uncontrollable by the structure parameters, and therefore the structure cannot be used for broadbanding a gyro-TWT. However, the plot of the eigenvalue versus the ratio of the outer conductor to ridge/vane radii strongly depended on the ridge/vane parameters. Thus the structure with its cross section tapered and ridge/groove parameters optimized has the potential for providing mode rarefaction in high-power, over-sized, over-moded gyrotrons.


The charge density observed by X-ray diffraction in Cs2CoCl4 is reported by means of maps, multipole refinements, and constrained valence-orbital refinements. A cobalt atom configuration of 3d-t23.3(3)3d-e4.0(4)′4p′1.0(3) was obtained with a cobalt charge of +0.7(2) and a chlorine charge of –0.7(1). Within the CoCl42– ion the bonding is close to ionic with 0.30(5) e donated from each chlorine atom into, mainly, the diffuse cobalt 4′p′ orbitals. The charge density of the CoCl42– ion has a slight trigonal distortion from cubic symmetry whereas the magnetic properties show mm symmetry. The difference is rationalised in terms of the arrangement of the chloride ions and of the surrounding caesium ions. This 'intermolecular' effect on the charge density is comparable in size with the covalent redistribution of charge within the ion. Difference density maps and the refinements indicate that close neighbours cause a charge redistribution in the ions from the outermost diffuse orbitals to localised regions at approximately the ionic radius along the interionic vector. This concentration of charge into small regions of space, while an 'intermolecular' effect, is reminiscent of overlap effects often seen in 'true' chemical bonds. In this case the charge transfer of this 'intermolecular polarisation' is comparable in size with those in the Co–Cl bond. The charge density in the CoCl42– ion is compared with the experimental spin-density distribution and with theoretical calculations. The qualitative agreement with the theory is good, suggesting that the poor agreement between theory and the spin-density results arises from the neglect of electron correlation effects, to which the spin density is more sensitive, or, less probably, to spin-sensitive effects from the rest of the crystal, as the theory is for isolated CoCl42– ions.


The voltage vs. magnetic field relation V(B) of superconducting interferometers consisting of two or more Josephson junctions is the basic characteristic of their operation as highly sensitive magnetometers and amplifiers. The conversion efficiency /spl part/V//spl part/B of interferometers containing two Josephson junctions, i.e. dc SQUIDs, decreases significantly with increasing loop inductance L. Therefore, the range of SQUID loop sizes for which the SQUID operates properly is very restricted. However, for sufficient coupling between the SQUID and the signal coil a large value of L is desirable. In this work theoretical and experimental results on the voltage response function of quantum interference filters (SQIFs) are presented. A SQIF consists of N Josephson junctions connected in parallel to form a 1D array. The array loop sizes are chosen such that the voltage response becomes a unique function around B=0. It is shown that for McCumber parameters /spl beta//sub C/>0.5 and sufficiently large array inductances the V(B) relation of SQIFs shows LC-resonances that lead to two pronounced minima in the response function. In the LC-resonant operation mode the conversion efficiency of SQIFs is not degraded even for large array inductances. By this, a very strong coupling to signal coils can be achieved. The experimental results agree very well with the theoretical predictions on which basis the SQIF has been fabricated.


The purpose of the present paper is to assess the current situation of the science and technology system in Colombia from a comparative perspective of quality indicators in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). We analyze the development of the science and technology policy in Colombia form a historical perspective. Our comparative analysis shows that Colombia quality indicators lag from those in the region. Even though policy changes have been a constant in the system of science and technology in Colombia, these changes have been not successful in significantly improving the quality and the impact of research communication and commercialization. Our conclusion is that a system of "management by objectives" applied to management research will substantially improve quality of the research undertaken under the current system of science and technology in Colombia.


The Eustachian tube opens and closes in response to swallowing movements. Sonotubometry records these opening and closing movements as changes in sound pressure. Moreover, it shows that the timing of the opening and closing of the Eustachian tube varies with the material swallowed (saliva, Barium, liquid, etc.) even in healthy adults. These differences effect the interpretation of the test results. We considered that the soft palate might have some relationship to nasal closure when the nasopharynx is closed in response to swallowing movements.Since the contribution of the soft palate to nasopharyngeal closing can be estimated by observing pressure changes, its relationship to the tubal opening and closing time was examined by combining various swallowing movements with sonotubometry during Toynbee's maneuver. It was found that the incease in intranasal pressure during saliva swallowing was lower than that during liquid swallowing; however, its decrease was greater. This may indicate that the soft palate is moved more voluntarily during swallowing behavior which requires an increased negative pressure of the pharynx. It was further estimated that the movement of various muscular groups involved in the tubal opening may also be activated, ultimately providing more positive results sonotubometry.


An inductive database is a database that contains not only data but also patterns. Inductive databases are designed to support the KDD process. Recent advances in inductive databases research have given rise to a generic solvers capable of solving inductive queries that are arbitrary Boolean combinations of anti-monotonic and monotonic constraints. They are designed to mine different types of pattern (i.e., patterns from different pattern languages). An instance of such a generic solver exists that is capable of mining string patterns from string data sets. In our main application, promoter sequence analysis, there is a requirement to handle fault-tolerance, as the data intrinsically contains errors, and the phenomenon we are trying to capture is fundamentally degenerate. Our research contribution to fault-tolerant pattern extraction in string data sets is the use of a generic solver, based on a non-trivial formalisation of fault-tolerant pattern extraction as a constraint-based mining task. We identified the stages in the process of the extraction of such patterns where state-of-art strategies can be applied to prune the search space. We then developed a fault-tolerant pattern match function InsDels that generic constraint solving strategies can soundly tackle. We also focused on making local patterns actionable. The bottleneck of most local pattern extraction methods is the burden of spurious patterns. As the analysis of patterns by the application domain experts is time consuming, we cannot afford to present patterns without any objective clue about their relevancy. Therefore we have developed two methods of computing the expected number of patterns extracted in random data sets. If the number of extracted patterns is strongly different from the expected number from random data sets, one can then state that the results exhibits local associations that are a priori relevant because they are unexpected. Among others applications, we have applied our approach to support the discovery of new motifs in gene promoter sequences with promising results.


According to the monetary neutrality hypothesis, only the unanticipated money supply growth has impacts on real economic variables, and the anticipated money supply growth has no real impacts. The monetary neutrality hypothesis is tested on real farm output. The test procedure involves joint estimation of farm output and the money growth equation. The empirical results show that the anticipated money supply growth does have significant effects on farm output and, thus, do not support the monetary neutrality hypothesis.


The consequences of autonomous systems software failures can be potentially dramatic. There is no need to darken the picture, but still, it seems unlikely that people, insurance companies and certification agencies will let autonomous systems fly or drive around without requiring their makers and programmers to prove that the most critical parts of the software are robust and reliable. This is already the case for aeronautic, rail transportation, nuclear plants, medical devices, etc. were software must be certified, which possibly involve its formal validation and verification (V&V). Moreover, autonomous systems go further and embed onboard deliberation functions. This is what make them really autonomous, but open new challenges. We propose to consider the overall problem of V&V of autonomous systems software and examine the current situation with respect to the various type of software used. In particular, we point out that the availability of formal models is rather different depending on the type of component considered. We distinguish these different cases and stress the areas where we think we need to focus our efforts as to improve the overall robustness of autonomous systems.


The rural-urban dichotomy is one of the most influential figures of thought in history, laying the foundation for academic disciplines such as rural and urban sociology. The dichotomy rests on the assumption that rural and urban areas differ fundamentally. By the mid-twentieth century, scholars had observed that many rural areas displayed a blend of rural and urban features. Since then, counter urbanisation, urban sprawl and ever-increasing flows of people, goods and ideas between rural and urban areas have blurred the distinctions even further. Attempts to create new rural-urban classification systems, whether based on factors such as population size, density or distances, have largely failed. Clearly, new classification systems must use the meaning of observed changes in rural-urban systems as their point of departure rather than simple measurements of these changes. These meanings can, despite the interdependencies of our global world, be explored only in their political, cultural and economic settings.


Digital pathology tasks have benefited greatly from modern deep learning algorithms. However, their need for large quantities of annotated data has been identified as a key challenge. This need for data can be countered by using unsupervised learning in situations where data are abundant but access to annotations is limited. Feature representations learned from un-annotated data using contrastive predictive coding (CPC) have been shown to enable classifiers to obtain state of the art performance from relatively small amounts of annotated computer vision data. We present a modification to the CPC framework for use with digital pathology patches. This is achieved by introducing an alternative mask for building the latent context and using a multi-directional PixelCNN autoregressor. To demonstrate our proposed method we learn feature representations from the Patch Camelyon histology dataset. We show that our proposed modification can yield improved deep classification of histology patches.


In a circular dated 13 September 2005, the French Ministry of the Interior asked the Prefects of the Regions to develop a two-pronged territorial economic intelligence policy: partly defensive, to counter attempts at destabilization and predation that could threaten firms; and partly offensive, to anticipate changes and to find and disseminate strategic information. This article presents the territorial intelligence apparatus implemented in Poitou-Charentes, a pilot region in this respect. It focuses on the management method used and analyses its communicational aspects in particular. Collective intelligence facilitates the creation of a strategic knowledge community, the only way of meeting the challenges of globalization and regional development.


Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disease manifested by joint involvement, extra-articular manifestations, and general symptoms. Adipose tissue, previously perceived as an inert energy storage organ, has been recognised as a significant contributor to RA pathophysiology. Adipokines modulate immune responses, inflammation, and metabolic pathways in RA. Although most adipokines have a pro-inflammatory and aggravating effect on RA, some could counteract this pathological process. The coexistence of RA and sarcopenic obesity (SO) has gained attention due to its impact on disease severity and outcomes. Sarcopenic obesity further contributes to the inflammatory milieu and metabolic disturbances. Recent research has highlighted the intricate crosstalk between adipose tissue and skeletal muscle, suggesting potential interactions between these tissues in RA. This review summarizes the roles of adipokines in RA, particularly in inflammation, immune modulation, and joint destruction. In addition, it explores the emerging role of adipomyokines, specifically irisin and myostatin, in the pathogenesis of RA and their potential as therapeutic targets. We discuss the therapeutic implications of targeting adipokines and adipomyokines in RA management and highlight the challenges and future directions for research in this field.


In ungulates the distance from the jaw joint to the last molar is approximately the same as that of the grinding tooth row length. An hypothesis is presented that attempts to explain why ungulate grinding teeth are positioned where they are along the jaw. If the jaw joint on the balancing side serves as the fulcrum in anisognathus animals, a region along the jaw is defined, corresponding to where teeth are actually found, where rather simple muscle action can apply equal forces at any point. The ability to produce the same force at any point in this region, as such, may not be the critical feature since anterior or posterior to this region, tooth placement produces either a relatively inefficient or an unstable condition.


The following article introduces a new concept of Bi-directional Box. The concept is explained by simultaneously calculating a new result: sum of all the natural multiples of each natural number up to infinity. The concept of Bi-directional Box helps to organise multiple infinite series and study different patterns in multiple infinite series. This Bi-directional box can be converted into a triangle by rearranging the already organised terms of the initial box. Similar to Pascal's triangle, this box has many patterns and properties instilled in it too. Along with the initial standard box, infinite such boxes can be made depending upon the sequence/series in which the pattern is to be observed: an example with different sequences is provided at the end of the article.


The activities of fluoroquinolones and a new macrolide against 30 clinical isolates of Mycobacterium tuberculosis were determined in vitro by agar diffusion. In order of relative potencies against M. tuberculosis, temafloxacin (MIC for 90% of isolates [MIC90], 2.3 micrograms/ml) was at least as active as the reference quinolones ofloxacin (MIC90, 2.4 micrograms/ml) and ciprofloxacin (MIC90, 4.3 micrograms/ml). Less active were difloxacin (MIC90, 4.7 micrograms/ml), pefloxacin (MIC90, 6.7 micrograms/ml), and enoxacin (MIC90, 8.3 micrograms/ml). The macrolide clarithromycin was more potent than erythromycin but less potent than the fluoroquinolones. Our results suggest that the newer fluoroquinolones and clarithromycin should be included with ciprofloxacin and ofloxacin in pharmacokinetic studies that may lead to trials in human subjects with mycobacterial infections.


The role of biotechnology in small holder agricultural systems has been the subject of much debate in South Africa and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region as a whole. The debate has centered on the suitability of biotechnology crops in small holder agricultural systems. In South Africa, genetically modified (GM) white maize was approved for commercial production in 1998. To educate and inform small-scale farmers and to give them the opportunity to evaluate GM white maize for themselves, six demonstration plots were planted at strategic locations. This communications presents the results obtained from these six demonstration plots. In all plots it was found that GM maize gave higher yields and had less stalk borer damage than the comparable non GM variety. GM white maize can be beneficial to small scale farmers located in areas where maize stalk borer is a major production factor. However, it is important that the authorities provide an effective extension service and financial support in order that the full potential of GM white maize can be experienced.


Contemporary audiences recognize the distinctive bookshop genre of "fantasy literature" that appeared following the publication of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings in 1954- 55. The fantasy genre has experienced exponential growth over the last forty years, and its popularity shows no sign of abating. Yet the perception of genre fantasy as a subject not really worthy of scholarly attention has remained entrenched in the broader field of literary and cultural analysis, and until very recently fantasy has been excluded from most English literature curricula. Fantasy readers and critics have on the whole tended to assume a defensive position, arguing for their right not only to read fantasy but also to study it within intellectual institutions. Whence came this great need for justification and validation, and whence the perceived attack? The key lies in the classification of fantasy as genre fiction: a term with a long history of derogatory implications separating "genre" from "real" literature. The relatively low cultural esteem in which fantasy is held is evident in the marginalization of its texts as objects of study in the academy.


It is now well established that in response to genotoxic stresses mammalian cells show an increased p53 protein levels and undergo cell cycle arrest at G1/S and G2/M checkpoints. But, the consequences of these cell cycle arrests on cell survival are not yet elucidated. In this study, we have analysed the relationships between p53 protein induction, cell cycle arrest and cell survival following exposure of normal human fibroblasts (NHFs) to various genotoxic agents such as cisplatin, UV radiation and gamma radiation. p53 protein accumulation and G2/M arrest arose at the same time following exposure to DNA damaging agents, suggesting that p53 is responsible for the G2/M block. However, following inhibition of p53 induction by an antisense oligonucleotide, this G2/M arrest is even more important and correlates with an enhanced sensitivity of NHFs to UV radiation. In addition, there appears to be a threshold in the response of NHFs to DNA damaging agents, p53 induction and cell cycle arrest being observed only with lethal UV doses. We show that: 1) there appears to be a threshold in the cellular response to genotoxic agents, below which neither p53 induction, nor cell cycle arrest, nor cell survival alteration occur and beyond which p53 induction is accompanied by cell cycle arrest and decreased cell survival; 2) although there is a tight temporal relationship, the onset of which depends of the DNA damaging agent used, between the start of p53 induction and the occurrence of G2/M arrest, this latter is independent of p53; 3) p53 inhibition enhances NHFs' sensitivity to DNA damaging agents, the extent of the G2/M arrest correlating with decreased cell survival. Finally, the lack of obligatory correlation between p53 inactivation, apoptosis and radio- or chemoresistance is discussed.


ABSTRACT With English as an undisputed global lingua franca, there is long-standing concern in anglophone countries over the lack of interest in language learning. In the UK, significant changes in language education policy, a mentality of insularity and the global spread of English have all contributed to a drop in language learning uptake beyond the compulsory stage. While the UK has seen many initiatives aiming to foster language learning, no interventions so far have aimed to change learner attitudes by raising students' language awareness of (a) the spread of English globally, and (b) cognitive benefits of mulitilingualism, and the ubiquity of multilingualism, globally and in the UK. A teaching intervention designed for this purpose was delivered to 97 students aged 12–13 in three different state schools in England and Scotland. The effect of the intervention was measured by a pre- and post-questionnaire, with questions closely tailored to the content of the intervention. In addition, qualitative student feedback was gathered after the intervention. Results show significant changes, across the cohort, in two out of three constructs studied, and effects on students' attitude towards language learning. Thus, we conclude that raising anglophone students' awareness of language through raising awareness of cognitive benefits of multilingualism, and the spread of English globally, has the potential to change the attitudes of learners otherwise not interested in language learning.


Aim: The recognition of the scapula anatomy and visible variations is important in surgical treatments and arthroscopic procedures in case of any diseases of the shoulder. The morphological and morphometric characteristics of the scapular notch on the superor margin are very important. Because, compression of the suprascapular nerve extending inside the scapular notch causes entrapment neuropathy. Therefore, the present study was planned in order to contribute to us as well as practitioners about morphometric and morphological characteristics of the superior margin of the scapula.
Materials and Methods: Morphometric measurements (SL: scapule length; SW: scapule width; SI: scapula index; STD: superior transverse diameter of the scapular notch; MTD: medial transverse diameter of the scapular notch; VD: vertical diameter) were performed on 90 (50 left; 40 right) scapulae of Turkish population without uknown age and gender. Furthermore, the superior scapular margin and the scapular notch were categorized through observational classification as well as measurement.
Results: The mean scapular width was detected 98.87±7.71 mm on the right and 94.38±13.01 mm on the left. The scapula index was measured 67.51±4.40 mm on the right and 63.80±8.29 mm on the left. The SL, STD and VT was larger on the left; the SW, SI and MTD were larger on the right. The difference between right and left for the SW and SI measurements was statistically significant (pMTD (%48.9). The most common superior margin type was moderately oblique (41.1%).
Conclusion: We believe that the data obtained would be helpful for orthopedic surgeons in intramedullary nailing and radiologists in the differential diagnosis of some osteolytic lesions in that region. Furthermore, scapula measurements would help to identify the gender and race in forensic medicine and antropology.


The Phlebotomy Technician program trains students to draw and process blood specimens. Phlebotomy technicians typically work in concert with medical lab technicians in hospitals or other healthcare organizations.


A 62-year-old man with type 2 diabetes mellitus, who had been on insulin therapy for the past 20 years, was found to have subcutaneous mass formation in the abdomen during a workup of worsened glycemic control. Because of suspected amyloid deposition, he was advised to avoid injections to the mass, which led to improvement of glycemic control. However, he strongly requested mass excision and was hospitalized. After evaluation using ultrasonography and computed tomography, a total mass excision was performed, and a diagnosis of insulin-derived amyloidosis was made. Comparison of the ultrasonographic and histopathological findings demonstrated that the location of the amyloid deposition nearly corresponded to the hypoechoic region. This case highlights that ultrasonography, which is a noninvasive imaging modality, can be useful for detection of insulin-derived amyloidosis.


The human body is inhabited by complex microbial communities, which positively impact different aspects of our health, and might also be related to the development of diseases. Progress in technologies, particularly sequencing methods and bioinformatics tools, has been crucial for the advances in this field. Microbial communities from skin can modulate immune response and protect the host against pathogens, and there are also data supporting their association with several skin conditions; including dandruff and seborrheic dermatitis. For decades, they have been thought to be related to Malassezia yeasts; however, the microbial role has not been elucidated, and their etiology remains poorly understood. This review discusses the recent findings in dandruff and seborrheic dermatitis and their relation to the skin microbiota. Data provided new perceptions to aid in the understanding of these skin disorders, broadening our view of their etiology and the possible roles of microbial communities in symptom development.


Abstract In this paper, I explain why I have chosen the expression "metaphysical anti-Semitism" to characterize Heidegger's position in the Black Notebooks. In this context, the strong connection between the question of being and the "Jewish question" is important. My thesis is that Heidegger ties Judaism to metaphysics with a Gordian knot. His ontological, theological, and political accusations against the Jews do not derive from common racism, but from this knot. After 1945, Heidegger does not change his position and does not recognize Germany's guilt. Yet, the Black Notebooks open a new perspective on his political thought.


Recently, novel ergodic notions have been introduced in order to find physically relevant formulations and derivations of fluctuation relations. These notions have been subsequently used in the development of a general theory of response, for time continuous deterministic dynamics. The key ingredient of this theory is the Dissipation Function Ω, that in nonequilibrium systems of physical interest can be identified with the energy dissipation rate, and that is used to determine exactly the evolution of ensembles in phase space. This constitutes an advance compared to the standard solution of the (generalized) Liouville Equation, that is based on the physically elusive phase space variation rate. The response theory arising in this framework focuses on observables, rather than on details of the dynamics and of the stationary probability distributions on phase space. In particular, this theory does not rest on metric transitivity, which amounts to standard ergodicity. It rests on the properties of the initial equilibrium, in which a system is found before being perturbed away from that state. This theory is exact, not restricted to linear response, and it applies to all dynamical systems. Moreover, it yields necessary and sufficient conditions for relaxation of ensembles (as in usual response theory), as well as for relaxation of single systems. We extend the continuous time theory to time discrete systems, we illustrate our results with simple maps and we compare them with other recent theories.


Knowledge concerning the structure of the neuron is based primarily on the study of fked and stained tissue sections. The opinion has often been expressed that some of the cell structures revealed by elaborate methods may be artefacts of fixation and impregnation. This skepticism has stimulated attempts to study the nerve cell in the living state. F o r this purpose, two types of study are available, namely, observations on neurons in tissue cultures and on those isolated from fresh tissues. Studies of nervous tissues in culture have been largely concerned with the outgrowth of neurites and the proliferation of macrophages. The neuron itself has less often been the object of study chiefly because embryonic nerve cells show little migration from tissue explants to permit unhindered observation. Nevertheless, notable results have been obtained from the recent studies of Hogue ('47, '50), Murray and Stout ('47), and Pomerat and associates (Pomerat et al., '50; Costero and Pomerat, ,51), using fetal as well as adult human material. However, neurons in tissue cultures show


This master thesis deals with the design of an permanent magnet (PM) motor for electric vehicles. An analytical model for surface mounted PM-motors (SMPM) is derived and verified with finite element analysis (FEM). Special attention is paid to the iron losses as they influence the performances. Today's motors for traction in electric vehicles are most often induction motors. In recent years, PM-motors have become interesting, as the efficiency can be increased. This is very important in battery applications. The first part of the project consisted of a literature study that aimed at building knowledge on machine design for field weakening applications. An analytical model for SPM-motors was deduced thereupon. An analytical model for the design of SMPM-motors was implemented in Matlab. It was verified with two-dimensional FEM calculations (Flux2D). It was noticed, that an optimal analytical design tool requires good means for predicting the iron losses. This is due to the fact that the iron losses form a significant fraction of the total losses in SMPMmotors and therefore have a big influence on the performances. Based on the results from the FEM analysis, an iron loss model for the stator teeth and the stator yoke was derived. This iron loss model is based on the description of the flux created by the magnets and the currents in the respective areas. The influence of the stator leakage is included as well. The iron loss model covers the complete operational range. An improved model attempting to include the leakage flux was also derived. Based on the computer program, some designs and the influence of certain parameters as the number of poles or the airgap length are discussed. The design that uses the stator of the induction motor that shall be replaced is of special interest. In addition, a compact design is presented.


This research is motivated by the expensive cost of scraps because of timelink misses in a semiconductor manufacturing line due to tool downs. A timelink is a time constraint between defined process steps. This paper presents a mixed integer programming model (MIP) and a constraint programming model (CP) with downscaled time constraints. With the assistance of the survival analysis, a safety value will be computed and included as a constant in the MIP and as a dynamic expression in the CP, to downscale the allowed time between two specific operations. The MIP and CP models are tested on a realistic production area example with different problem sizes. The quality of the solution and the performance of these two approaches are compared with each other. The test results show that the CP model outperforms the MIP and quickly finds much earlier usable schedules for large problem sizes.


Background: Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is a systemic autoimmune connective tissue disorder. The clinical presentation is protean and it affects the skin, joints and other internal organs. The American College of Rheumatology criteria for diagnosis has four cutaneous signs out of the eleven. SLE can be diagnosed in patients who present with only skin features, in the presence of a serological marker according to the Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics (SLICC) criteria. Objective: This study aimed to document the cutaneous findings in SLE patients who presented at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH). Methods: This was a retrospective study of SLE patients who presented to the Rheumatology/Dermatology clinics of LUTH. Data was obtained from the clinic register and patients' case record files. Results: Systemic lupus erythematosus was diagnosed in 90 (23.9%) of the 377 patients with rheumatologic conditions. Fifty (55.6%) of these patients had cutaneous lesions. Twenty eight patients (48.9%) had acute cutaneous LE, 10 (21.3%) had sub-acute cutaneous LE; while 14 (29.8%) had chronic cutaneous LE. There was a female preponderance with the male to female ratio of 1: 14.7. The mean age of presentation was 33.5 + 14.3 (range was 9 - 68 years). The mean duration of symptoms was 28.4 ± 38.8 months. Other cutaneous lesions were alopecia, photosensitivity, oral ulcers and malar rash. Conclusions: Skin lesions are common presentation of SLE, yielding valuable diagnostic information essential for early diagnosis, prompt management, and reduction in frequency of flares and complications. Keywords: Lupus, Connective tissue diseases, Cutaneous clues to systemic diseases


The reason of countries development in industrial and commercial enterprises fields in those countries. The security of a particular country depends on its security institutions, the confidentiality of its employees, their information, the target's information, and information about the forensic evidence for those targets. One of the most important and critical problems in such institutions is the problem of discovering an insider threat that causes loss, damage, or theft the information to hostile or competing parties. This threat is represented by a person who represents one of the employees of the institution, the goal of that person is to steal information or destroy it for the benefit of another institution's desires. The difficulty in detecting this type of threat is due to the difficulty of analyzing the behavior of people within the organization according to their physiological characteristics. In this research, CERT dataset that produced by the University of Carnegie Mellon University has been used in this investigation to detect insider threat. The dataset has been preprocessed. Five effective features were selected to apply three ML techniques Random Forest, Naïve Bayes, and 1 Nearest Neighbor. The results obtained and listed sequentially as 89.75917519%, 91.96650826%, and 94.68205476% with an error rate of 10.24082481%, 8.03349174%, and 5.317945236%.


This paper presents the theoretical basis for estimating the detrusor's viscoelastic properties using the small-amplitude oscillatory perturbations technique. Three possible configurations of the simplest second-order lumped-parameter model of the bladder were analyzed to derive equations of the parameters incremental resistance (R) and incremental elastance (K) in terms of the experimentally measurable magnitude and phase of hydrodynamic stiffness. In model I, single viscous, elastic, and inertial elements were assumed to to be connected in series. In model III the elastic and viscous elements were connected in series, but the inertial element was connected in parallel. With the assumption of a spherical geometry of the bladder, equations were also derived to obtain the bladder wall mechanical properties, spring incremental constant (S), and muscle incremental viscosity (b) as functions of bladder volume and the hydrodynamic properties R and K. Integration of the incremental equation describing the viscous component yields an expression that fits well the force-velocity experimental data from bladder strips reported by others. This finding suggests that muscle viscosity measured with the small-amplitude oscillations and analyzed with the proper theoretical model may be related to the force-velocity characteristics of the muscle. The equations delivered here form the basis for analyzing the experimental data described in the companion paper.


Concern has been mounting about the health and welfare of people who provide informal care for family or friends with chronic illness. In particular, young and elderly people—vulnerable groups in their own right—may be carrying a heavy burden.

The extent of the problem is not well known because estimates have been pieced together from ad hoc local studies and household sample surveys. These estimated that young carers in the United Kingdom numbered between 10 000 and 50 000,1 and that about one in 20 older people in Great Britain spent long hours caring for sick family members.2

In 2001, for the first time, the decennial UK census asked the entire population about caring responsibilities and general self rated health. We analysed the answers to these …


Shewanella putrefaciens is a model dissimilatory iron-reducing bacterium that can use Fe(III) and O2 as terminal electron acceptors. Consequently, it has the ability to influence both aerobic and anaerobic groundwater systems, making it an ideal microorganism for improving our understanding of facultative anaerobes with iron-based metabolism. In this work, we examine the bioenergetics of O2 and Fe(III) reduction coupled to lactate oxidation in Shewanella putrefaciens CN32. Bioenergetics were measured directly via isothermal calorimetry and by changes to the chemically defined growth medium. We performed these measurements from 25 to 36°C. Modeling metabolism with macrochemical equations allowed us to define a theoretical growth stoichiometry for the catabolic reaction of 1.00 O2:lactate and 1.33 Fe(III):lactate that was consistent with the observed ratios of O2:lactate (1.20 ± 0.23) and Fe(III):lactate (1.46 ± 0.15) consumption. Aerobic growth showed minimal variation with temperature and minimal variation in thermodynamic potentials of incubation. Fe(III)-based growth showed a strong temperature dependence. The Gibbs energy and enthalpy of incubation was minimized at ≥30°C. Energy partitioning modeling of Fe(III)-based calorimetric incubation data predicted that energy consumption for non-growth associate maintenance increases substantially above 30°C. This prediction agrees with the data at 33 and 35°C. These results suggest that the effects of temperature on Shewanella putrefaciens CN32 are metabolism dependent. Gibbs energy of incubation above 30°C was 3–5 times more exergonic with Fe(III)-based growth than with aerobic growth. We compared data gathered in this study with predictions of microbial growth based on standard-state conditions and based on the thermodynamic efficiency of microbial growth. Quantifying the growth requirements of Shewanella putrefaciens CN32 has advanced our understanding of the thermodynamic constraints of this dissimilatory iron-reducing bacterium.


Programming should be considered as an ill-defined domain because for a given programming problem there might be many alternative solution strategies and for each of them a wide spectrum of solutions can be created. Most programming problems, which are used to tutor beginners, are simple and might have well-defined start and goal states. The task statement can be well specified and a solution can easily be checked for being correct or not. However, the activity of solving a programming task is a design problem. One can not only apply different programming techniques to create a solution, but also modularize a program to make the code clear, easy maintainable and reusable. In this paper, we demonstrate how we applied weighted constraints to build a diagnosis component which serves the student model of an intelligent tutoring system (ITS) for logic programming. This technology has been integrated into a web-based ITS. We evaluated the coverage of error diagnosis with 221 student solutions of past examinations and the system was able to produce a correct analysis for 87.9% of collected solutions.


There is a substantial body of literature showing that men and women speak differently and that these differences are endemic to the speech signal. However, the psycholinguistic mechanisms underlying the integration of social category perception and language are still poorly understood. Speaker attributes such as emotional state, age, sex, and race have often been treated in the literature as dissociable, but perceptual systems for social categories demonstrably rely on interdependent cognitive processes. We introduce a diversity science framework for evaluating the existing literature on gender and speech perception, arguing that differences in beliefs about gender may be defined as differences in beliefs about differences. Treating individual, group, and societal level contrasts in ideological patterns as phenomenologically distinctive, we enumerate six ideological arenas which define claims about gender and examine the literature for treatment of these issues. We argue that both participants and investigators predictably show evidence of differences in ideological attitudes toward the normative definition of persons. The influence of social knowledge on linguistic perception therefore occurs in the context of predictable variation in both attention and inattention to people and the distinguishing features which mark them salient as kinds. We link experiences of visibility, invisibility, and hypervisibility with ideological variation regarding the significance of physiological, linguistic, and social features, concluding that gender ideologies are implicated both in linguistic processing and in social judgments of value between groups. We conclude with a summary of the key gaps in the current literature and recommendations for best practices studies that may use in future investigations of socially meaningful variation in speech perception. This article is categorized under: Linguistics > Language in Mind and Brain Psychology > Language Linguistics > Language Acquisition Psychology > Perception and Psychophysics.


The purpose of this study is to determine: 1) The infulence of service
quality to customer loyalty; 2) The influence of service quality to customer loyalty
through customer satisfaction as mediated variable 3) Which is dominant, the
direct influence of quality service to customer loyalty or indirect influence of
quality service to customer loyalty with satiffaction as mediated variable.
This research uses causal method design that research aimed at knowing
whether or not the relationship between variables. The population of this research
is IM3 customer in Wonogiri. Sample was taken by using non-probability
sampling sampling method and taken a sample of 100 IM3 customers as
respondents. Data collection techniques using the questionnaire method. Data
analysis techniques using validity test, reliability test, testing of classical
assumptions , multiple regression analysis, t test, F test, R
2
test, and path analysis
test.
The results showed that: 1) Service quality have direct, positive and
significant influence to IM3 loyalty customer in Wonogiri. That means the better
quality of service provided can build the higher customer loyalty and the first
hypothesis (H1) stated acceptable; 2) Service quality have indirectly, positive and
significant influence to customer loyalty through IM3 customer satisfaction in
Wonogiri and the second hypothesis (H2) stated acceptable; 3) The direct
influence of quality service to loyalty customer greater than the indirect influence
of quality service to loyalty customer through customer satisfaction and the third
hypothesis (H3) stated acceptable.
Keywords: service quality, customer loyalty, customer satisfaction, mediating
variable


Reported is a study of the teaching and transfer of seriation strategies using non-visual variables with first-grade children. Sixty first-grade children were administered Piaget's stick seriation task and classified as stage I (non-seriators) and stage III (seriators). From this group 24 were chosen and assigned to strategy treatment groups. Treatment group one, Extreme Value Selection Strategy (EVS), was taught to seriate the materials using a strategy which focused on choosing the greatest element from the unordered elements and placing it next in the row until all objects were in order. Treatment two, Insertion Strategy (INS), was taught to seriate by choosing randomly and then placing in proper position. Treatment group three, the control (CON), simply practiced the seriation task with feedback on correction. Groups were taught in three serIrate sessions. Data were collected on number of trials to criterion which was defined as the successful completion of the task using the exact strategy taught. A Kendall's Tau correlation was computed on posttest results to judge the degree of correctness for each task. Multivariate analysis indicated significant differences (p less than .05) with the EVS strategy group's mean scores superior to the INS or CON groups, and the INS group superior to the CON group. Analysis of trials to criterion (TTC) data showed no difference between stage I and stage III children. (Author/EB) US DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, EDUCATION & WELFARE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION THIS oocumeNi HAS BEEN REPRO OUCEO EXACTLY AS RECEIVED FROM THE PERSON OR ORGANIZATION ORIGIN ATING IT POINTS OF VIEW OR OPINIONS STATED DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRE SENT OFFICIAL NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION POSITION OR POLICY THE TEACHING AND TRANSFER OF SERIATION STRATEGIES USING NON-VISUAL VARIABLES WITH FIRST GRADE CHILDREN


Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) can be used by the military for a number of purposes such as monitoring or tracking the enemies and force protection. Unlike commercial WSNs, a tactical military sensor network has different priority requirements for military usage. Especially in the remote large-scale network, topology, self-configuration, network connectivity, maintenance, and energy consumption are the challenges. In this paper, we present an overview of application scenarios in remote large-scale WSNs focusing on the primary requirements for tactical environments. We propose a sensor network architecture based on the cluster-tree based multi-hop model with optimized cluster head election and the corresponding node design method to meet the tactical requirements. With the proposed WSN architecture, one can easily design the sensor network for military usage in remote large scale environments.


Automatic modulation classification (AMC) is one of the most essential algorithms to identify the modulation types for the non-cooperative communication systems. Recently, it has been demonstrated that deep learning (DL)-based AMC method effectively works in the single-input single-output (SISO) systems, but DL-based AMC method is scarcely explored in the multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems. In this correspondence, we propose a convolutional neural network (CNN)-based cooperative AMC (Co-AMC) method for the MIMO systems, where the receiver, equipped with multiple antennas, cooperatively recognizes the modulation types. Specifically, each received antenna gives their recognition sub-results via the CNN, respectively. Then, the decision maker identifies the modulation types, based on these sub-results and cooperative decision rules, such as direct voting (DV), weighty voting (WV), direct averaging (DA) and weighty averaging (WA). The simulation results demonstrate that the Co-AMC method, based on the CNN and WA, has the highest correct classification probability in the four cooperative decision rules. In addition, the CNN-based Co-AMC method also performs better than the high order cumulants (HOC)-based traditional AMC methods, which shows the effective feature extraction and powerful classification capabilities of the CNN.


In Chapter 8 we turn to Co-futuring Kinship—the ways in which past
 and present practices inform how the future of the kinship for care at a
 distance. This is particularly important for "super-aging" contexts like
 Japan in which one in three is of 80 years old. Chapter 8 sets the picture for
 discussion around digital health in which mobile media is fully imbricated
 in. Discussions around a "silver bullet" in the form of a mobile app still
 dominate despite the fact that there is much work into the need for social,
 rather than technological, solutions.


The species of the genus Strangalia from northern and central Brazil are revised. Strangalia xanthomelaena sp. nov. is described from Rondonia and Mato Grosso, Brazil. Two new synonyms are proposed: Ophistomis irene Gounelle, 1911 = Euryptera albicollis Pascoe, 1860; O. paraensis Bates, 1870 = O. bivittatus Bates, 1870. Illustrations and key for identification are provided.


The detection and tracking of mobile vehicles at current traffic sites is the emerging research area for intelligent transport systems. In this search, we offer a mysterious cellular automated engine model to address the problem of environmental changes associated with the methods and methods of the rear subtraction of dynamic vehicle tracking. The proposed model deals with the fuzzy cellular operator, which has been set up with less vague "exclusive" support rules and "operates as the following mode logic to deal with degrees of uncertainty in the rule of similar operations. In fact/ at each step, the background update is determined according to the number of active cells and the blur mapping function; therefore, mobile compounds that resemble their grey level are simply detected with a grey background. Furthermore, the treatment technique is used on a visual measurement basis to detect the blockage of the vehicle and the breakdown of the vehicle by category of blockage and the results show the experimental method proposed is more robust and accurate than the traditional methods of detecting and tracking vehicles in a timely manner.


Phase shifting interferometric (PSI) techniques are among the most sensitive phase measurement methods. Owing to its high sensitivity, any minute phase change caused due to environmental instability results into, inaccurate phase measurement. Consequently, a well calibrated piezo electric transducer (PZT) and highly-stable environment is mandatory for measuring accurate phase map using PSI implementation. Here, we present a new method of recording temporal phase shifted interferograms and a numerical algorithm, which can retrieve phase maps of the samples with negligible errors under the ambient environmental fluctuations. The method is implemented by recording a video of continuous temporally phase shifted interferograms and phase shifts were calculated between all the data frames using newly developed algorithm with a high accuracy less than or equal to 5.5*10-4*pi rad. To demonstrate the robustness of the proposed method, a manual translation of the stage was employed to introduce continuous temporal phase shift between data frames. The developed algorithm is first verified by performing quantitative phase imaging of optical waveguide and red blood cells using uncalibrated PZT under the influence of vibrations/air turbulence and compared with the well calibrated PZT results. Furthermore, we demonstrated the potential of the proposed approach by acquiring the quantitative phase imaging of an optical waveguide with a rib height of only 2 nm. By using 12-bit CMOS camera the height of shallow rib waveguide is measured with a height sensitivity of 4 Angstrom without using PZT and in presence of environmental fluctuations.


BACKGROUND & AIMS
The roles of intestinal Toll-like receptors (TLR) in the pathogenesis of colitis are not known. TLR2 and TLR4 appear to protect against dextran sodium sulfate-induced colitis by promoting mucosal integrity, but it is not clear whether this method of protection occurs in other models of colitis. We investigated the roles of TLR2 and TLR4 and the cell types that express these receptors during infectious colitis.

METHODS
We generated chimeric mice with TLR2(-/-) or TLR4(-/-) bone marrow and infected them with the bacterial pathogen Citrobacter rodentium. We assessed their susceptibility to colitis and the mechanisms of TLR-mediated mucosal integrity.

RESULTS
TLR2-expressing tissue resident cells prevented lethal colitis, whereas TLR4-dependent inflammatory responses of hematopoietic cells mediated intestinal damage. TLR2 expression protected against intestinal damage by maintaining epithelial barrier function and inducing expression of interleukin (IL)-11 from tissue resident cells in the muscularis mucosae, concurrent with epithelial activation of the transcription factor STAT3. Addition of exogenous IL-11 protected against the lethal colitis in TLR2-deficient mice via STAT3 activation in intestinal epithelial cells.

CONCLUSIONS
TLR2-dependent cytoprotective responses from tissue resident cells maintain mucosal integrity against the ultimately lethal TLR4-dependent inflammatory responses of hematopoietic cells. Whereas TLR2 protects against various noxious agents, the role of TLR4 during colitis can be either protective or damaging, depending on the stimulus. Therefore, therapeutics that reduce innate immunity (TLR2 signaling in particular) may not be beneficial to patients with colitis; they could worsen symptoms. Therapies that stimulate cytoprotective responses, like IL-11, could have benefits for patients with colitis.


The big puzzle of inequality in education is not that children of immigrant parents with low levels of formal education do not succeed in school; this is the expected outcome. More interesting is why some of these children succeed against all odds, or how what Bourdieu (1990) called cultural reproduction can be disrupted (Cooper et al., Chapter 5). Some researchers have looked at parental, school, and teacher factors, while others have emphasized systemic institutional educational factors. Much less attention is spent on the impact of factors like culture, belonging, identity, and future orientation. Culture, both working‐class culture and the culture migrants bring with them, is often regarded as impeding success when the implicit (and often explicit) goal of schooling is cultural assimilation. In this volume, however, the authors examine, with different types of often long‐running ethnographic research, how immigrant cultures can be a resource or under which conditions they can become one.


After one hour cross-linked agarose encapsulated activated charcoal hemoperfusion, there was slight increase of total white cells and neutrophil count, but the neutrophil adherence was 16.87 +/- 5.26% and marked lower than that before hemoperfusion (59.91 +/- 5.26%, p less than 0.05). Using glassball hemoperfusion as control, the neutrophil adherence also decreased but not so obvious as the former. Adherence is a cell property that may affect granulocyte margination, diapedesis, chemotaxis and phagocytic function, so the above investigations showed that both the hemoperfusion process and the charcoal itself may reduce the host defence mechanism. There were no change of the peroxidase and alkaline phosphatase activities of neutrophils during one hour cross-linked agarose encapsulated activated charcoal hemoperfusion.


Abstract It is well known that Kant uses the notion of the holy will in the Groundwork so as to contrast it with the finite wills of human beings. It is less clear, however, what function this contrast is supposed to perform. I argue that one role of the holy will is to illustrate transcendental idealism's account of the relation between moral knowledge and moral practice. The position is one intended to negotiate between ostensibly competing traditions. Kant uses the holy will as a way of endorsing the metaphysical picture of the scholastic tradition's so-called 'ethics of freedom', whereby the ideal of moral perfection is conceived as the perfection of one's power of freedom to the point where one is constitutively incapable of immoral action. This position is married however with the claim that the holy will's inaccessibility to human cognition motivates a subject-oriented moral epistemology more usually associated with Enlightenment humanism. I conclude by claiming that the nuanced role for the holy will can be understood as part of Kant's expansion of the value of religious faith [Glaube] to the domain of practical inquiry in general.


The photodissociation spectroscopy and dynamics resulting from excitation of the B (2)A(")<--X (2)A(") transition of CH(2)CFO have been examined using fast beam photofragment translational spectroscopy. The photofragment yield spectrum reveals vibrationally resolved structure between 29 870 and 38 800 cm(-1), extending approximately 6000 cm(-1) higher in energy than previously reported in a laser-induced fluorescence excitation spectrum. At all photon energies investigated, only the CH(2)F+CO and HCCO+HF fragment channels are observed. Both product channels yield photofragment translational energy distributions that are characteristic of a decay mechanism with a barrier to dissociation. Using the barrier impulsive model, it is shown that fragmentation to CH(2)F+CO products occurs on the ground state potential energy surface with the isomerization barrier between CH(2)CFO and CH(2)FCO governing the observed translational energy distributions.


Background: Type 2 diabetes and depression are common diseases with bidirectional associations. Depression in diabetics leads to poor adherence to diet and medication, poor glycemic control, reduced quality of life, and increased diabetes-related healthcare expenditure. This study aimed at evaluating diabetic patients with depression to improve the quality of care delivered. Materials and Methods: An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted among adult type 2 diabetics at Al-Jemaih Diabetic Center, Dongola, in July– December 2019A standardized pretested questionnaire was used to collect data, and the depression subscale of the Patient Health Questionnaire was used to diagnose depression. Chi-square test and logistic regression were used to analyze the data using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 25.0. Results:Out of the 407 participants, 282 (69.3%) were females, andmore than half were aged between 40 and 59 years. The prevalence of depression among type 2 diabetic patients was 35.6%, ranging from mild (24.3%) to moderate (7.4%), moderately severe (2.2%), and severe depression (1.7%). The risk factors associated with depression in type 2 diabetes were: combining antidiabetic therapy, long duration of diabetes, family history of psychiatric illness, diabetes-related complications, poor glycemic control, and lack of regular exercise. Conclusion:More than a third of type 2 diabetics have depression. Screening diabetic patients for depression, establishing a psychiatric unit at the diabetic center, and community-based studies are recommended.


Dyslexic groups have been reported to display poorer mean performance than groups of normal readers on a variety of psychophysical tasks. However, inspection of the distribution of individual scores for each group typically reveals that the majority of dyslexic observers actually perform within the normal range. Differences between group means often reflect the influence of a small number of dyslexic individuals who perform very poorly. While such findings are typically interpreted as evidence for specific perceptual deficiencies in dyslexia, caution in this approach is necessary. In this study we examined how general difficulties with task completion might manifest themselves in group psychophysical studies. Simulations of the effect of errant or inattentive trials on performance produced patterns of variability similar to those seen in dyslexic groups. Additionally, predicted relationships between the relative variability in dyslexic and control groups, and the magnitude of group differences bore close resemblance to the outcomes of a meta-analysis of empirical studies. These results suggest that general, nonsensory difficulties may underlie the poor performance of dyslexic groups on many psychophysical tasks. Implications and recommendations for future research are discussed.


A child with truncus arteriosus communis, characterized by the posterior origin of an individualized pulmonary trunk is presented. This relationship between the great arteries is unusual in truncus arteriosus communis and the spatial orientation resembles that seen in transposition of the great vessels. A brief discussion is proposed about a proper terminology in this type of complex anomaly.


Inactive lifestyles have negative health consequences, while time spent sedentary (sitting and lying) is related to morbidity and premature mortality. Older adults often form the most sedentary segment of the population. Much of this behaviour may be practised at home where this group can spend extended periods. Physical activity rates among older adults are particularly low. Even household physical activities can be beneficial for this group, while they can constitute much of an older person's total activity. Despite this context, the home's role in the active and sedentary behaviours of the older population appears critically understudied. Using interview and focus group data collected from 22 older adults (healthy volunteers, stroke survivors and people with dementia), this paper begins to address this issue. Aspects of the home that aid or impede a more active, less sedentary lifestyle are identified with three presenting particular capacity in this respect discussed: steps, space within the home, and the location and form of facilities, fixtures and fittings. The crucial role health status plays in structuring this capacity is identified. Simple design recommendations, devised to support older people to lead more active lives at home, are presented.


The ability to quantify fecundity is critically important to a wide range of experimental applications, particularly in widely-used model organisms such as Drosophila melanogaster. However, the standard method of manually counting eggs is time consuming and limits the feasibility of large-scale experiments. We develop a predictive model to automate the counting of eggs from images of eggs removed from the media surface and washed onto dark filter paper. A cross-validation approach demonstrates our method performs well, with a correlation between predicted and manually counted values of 0.88. We show how this method can be applied to a large data set where egg densities vary widely.