Research experiments conducted and preliminary findings The Expedition ARA04C is a multidisciplinary research program in the Beaufort Sea, carried out in collaboration between the Korea Polar Research Institute (KOPRI), Geological Survey of Canada (GSC), Department of Fisheries and Ocean (DFO), Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI), and the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI). The Expedition ARA04C on the IBRV Araon took place from September 6 to September 24, 2013 (Figure 0.1). Multiple research experiments were undertaken to study geological processes related to degrading permafrost, fluid flow and degassing, and associated geohazards, paleo-oceanography of the Beaufort shelf and slope region, as well as physical and chemical oceanography measurement of the Arctic Ocean linked with continuous atmospheric studies. The expedition focused on two main research areas: offshore Barrow, Alaska, from September 7 to September 9, 2013, and the Canadian Beaufort Sea from September 10 to September 24, 2013. Multichannel seismic data, in conjunction with an ocean-bottom-seismometer (OBS) study were collected to support drilling proposals especially IODP pre-proposal #806 (Dallimore et al., 2012), and to verify distribution and internal structures of the offshore permafrost occurrences (Figure 0.2). The multi-channel seismic data were acquired on the outer continental shelf of the Canadian Beaufort Sea, totaling 14 lines with ~435 line-kilometers and ~4,500 shot gathers (Chapter 3). The combined multichannel seismic and OBS data will be processed post-expedition at KOPRI and the GSC, and will allow detailed velocity analyses to investigate the permafrost signature and help mapping zones of high-velocity sediments indicative of the presence of ice (Chapter 4). Individual shot gathers collected during the multichannel seismic program show clear refraction arrivals with velocities around 2000m/s in areas of expected permafrost occurrence, and shot gathers lacked such arrivals in zones where the permafrost was predicted to be absent. It is therefore expected that the OBS data, once processed, will also show clear refracted arrivals for velocity analyses. Continuous sub-bottom profiler (SBP) and multibeam data were collected along all ship tracks for detailed subsurface imaging of sediment structures and permafrost, as well as for core-site location verification (Chapter 5 and 6). During Expedition ARA04C, more than 3000 line-kilometers of SBP data were collected, co-located with multibeam and backscatter data. These data are an essential part of the study of sub-seafloor permafrost distribution and provide insights into sediment dynamics at critical boundaries, such as the shelf edge. Along the shelf edge, the occurrence of pingo-like features (PLFs) result in a rugged landscape with thousands of PLFs piercing through the otherwise laminated sediments. More than 30 crossings of this critical shelf-edge boundary were made during this expedition, which complement data acquired in 2012 with the Huntec system and 3.5 kHz data provided by ArcticNet as part of the regional multibeam map of the study area. High resolution data provided critical new insights in deep-water fluid expulsion zones. Key new data were acquired over the area of the "Gary Knolls", where PLF structures occur at the shelf edge in water depth of only 50 to 60 m. All SBP data from this expedition will be post-processed and analyzed for the presence of sub-seafloor permafrost, occurrence of the PLF structures and indications for fluid and gas migration. Multibeam and backscatter data were collected along all ship tracks, adding to the database of existing information gathered through previous expeditions to the study region. Heat flow measurements were undertaken at eight stations (Figure 0.3) to study the thermal structure of fluid expulsion features, as well as degrading permafrost along a slope-shelf transect in the eastern Mackenzie Trough (Chapter 7). The data provide critical constraints on the distribution of sub-seafloor permafrost as well as the gas hydrate stability zone around fluid expulsion features. A very important finding is the observation made at the mud volcano in 420 m water depth, where seafloor temperatures are the highest in all observed stations, indicating active mud volcanism. Geological sampling using gravity coring and multi-coring tools was performed at strategic sites to support two research objectives. The first objective was to provide key data towards ongoing international
research linked to IODP pre-proposals #753 (O'Regan et al., 2010) and #806 (Dallimore et al., 2012). The second objective was to collect core to define key seismo-stratigraphic horizons critical to the understanding of geohazards in the region (Chapter 8). In total, 21 gravity cores and 12 multi-cores were taken (Figure 0.4, Table 8.3). All cores were scanned with a multi-sensor core-logger to measure physical properties (Chapter 9). Most sediment analyses on the cores will be performed post-expedition at KOPRI, GSC, and laboratories of other University-based collaborators in Canada and Germany. Onboard, sub-samples were taken from all shallow multi-cores and selected gravity cores. On selected cores from the Canadian Beaufort study region pore-waters were extracted using rhizones. These samples will be analyzed postexpedition at MBARI. Water sampling and Conductivity-Temperature-Depth (CTD) profiling was undertaken at most core sites to study physical and chemical properties of the seawater (Figure 0.5). These station-measurements were complemented by continuous waterproperty and atmospheric measurements when the Araon was underway. Most samples taken will be analyzed post-expedition at KOPRI for DIC/TA, nutrients, DOC, and POC. The pH of seawater, underway data of pCO2, CH4, and N2O, as well as a variety of subsequent calculations is required for accurate estimates in the above listed parameters. Methane was also measured with a methane sensor attached to the CTD tool and at the mud volcano in 420 m water depth, methane concentrations of more than 100-times ocean background were seen. The methane plume was also acoustically imaged with the echo sounder systems on board the IBRV Araon. Further details on the water sampling and atmospheric measurements are given in Chapter 10 and 11.


Total precipitable water (TPW) is an important key factor in the global water cycle and climate change. The knowledge of TPW characteristics at spatial and temporal scales could help us to better understand our changing environment. Currently, many algorithms are available to retrieve TPW from optical and microwave sensors. There are still no available TPW data over land from FY-3D MWRI, which was launched by China in 2017. However, the TPW product over land is a key element for the retrieval of many ecological environment parameters. In this paper, an improved algorithm was developed to retrieve TPW over land from the brightness temperature of FY-3D MWRI. The major improvement is that surface emissivity, which is a key parameter in the retrieval of TPW in all-weather conditions, was developed and based on an improved algorithm according to the characteristics of FY-3D MWRI. The improvement includes two aspects, one is selection of appropriate ancillary data in estimating surface emissivity parameter Δε18.7/Δε23.8 in clear sky conditions, and the other is an improvement of the Δε18.7/Δε23.8 estimation function in cloudy conditions according to the band configuration of FY-3D MWRI. Finally, TPW retrieved was validated using TPW observation from the SuomiNet GPS and global distributed Radiosonde Observations (RAOB) networks. According to the validation, TPW retrieved using observations from FY-3D MWRI and ancillary data from Aqua MODIS had the best quality. The root mean square error (RMSE) and correlation coefficient between the retrieved TPW and observed TPW from RAOB were 5.47 and 0.94 mm, respectively.


Due to the intrinsic property of B-Spline surface, the surface reconstruction with scattered and chaos point-cloud is a challenging problem. This paper proposed a skinning surface algorithm of B-spline for scattered point-cloud. First, raw data was preprocessed including denoising, simplifying and slicing to obtain section data. Second, approximating cross section data into B-spline curves and resampling to ensure the common knot vector. Then the new data would be parameterized and interpolated into B-spline curves. Finally, surface of scatter point-cloud would be reconstructed by skinning. Experiments demonstrate that this method is easy to implement and provides an accurate surface model.


A 33-year-old woman presented with a 1-month history of dry cough, fever, reduced appetite and weight loss. She had taken antitubercular therapy about a year prior with partial improvement in symptoms. At initial presentation, a plain chest X-ray followed by a contrast-enhanced chest CT scan was advised. The CT scan image was suggestive of a right upper lobe mass lesion. Since the patient had no sputum production, a diagnostic flexible bronchoscopy was performed. The bronchoalveolar lavage fluid analysis along with ultrasonography-guided lung biopsy was diagnostic of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis.


ABSTRACT Background: Problem drinking in college places students at an increased risk for a wealth of negative consequences including alcohol use disorders. Most research has shown that greater emotion regulation difficulties are related to increased problem drinking, and studies generally assume that drinking is motivated by efforts to cope with or enhance affective experiences. However, there is a lack of research specifically testing this assumption. Objectives: The current study sought to examine the mediating potential of drinking motives, specifically coping and enhancement, on the relationship between emotion regulation and problem drinking. Method: College participants (N = 200) completed an online survey, consisting of a battery of measures assessing alcohol use behaviors and related variables. Results: Coping drinking motives fully mediated the emotion regulation/problem drinking relationship, and enhancement motives partially mediated this relationship. Exploratory analyses indicated that all four drinking motives (i.e. coping, enhancement, social, and conformity) simultaneously mediated the relationship between emotion regulation and quantity/frequency of alcohol use. However, only coping and enhancement significantly mediated the relationship between emotion regulation and alcohol-related consequences (e.g. alcohol dependence symptoms, alcohol-related injuries). Conclusion: The current results offer direction for potentially modifying brief alcohol interventions in efforts to reduce students' engagement in problem drinking behaviors. For example, interventions might incorporate information on the risks of using alcohol as a means of emotion regulation and offer alternative emotion regulation strategies.


Introduction: Fulvestrant is a selective estrogen receptor down-regulator (SERD). Recent studies have shown that the efficacy of fulvestrant is dose-related. However, at the higher dose (500 mg/month) most cancers develop resistance and progress. We previously reported expression of several markers, including estrogen receptor (ER) and BCL-2, on breast cancer circulating tumor cells (CTC) using CellSearch®. We now report pilot data showing inter-patient heterogeneity of these markers on CTC in patients with known ER positive breast cancer whose disease is progressing on fulvestrant.

Methods: We conducted a pilot trial to determine the analytical validity of measuring expression of markers of endocrine sensitivity (ER, BCL-2) or resistance (HER-2, Ki-67) with fluorescent-labeled antibodies using the CellSearch® system. Patients with ER positive metastatic breast cancer (MBC) whose disease was progressing on any type of therapy were eligible after signed informed consent. This report is limited to the subjects who were progressing on fulvestrant. Whole blood (WB) was characterized for CTC counts and each of the four molecular markers using the CXC CellSearch® kit.

Results : Of 50 enrolled patients, seven were progressing on fulvestrant. Two patients had no detectable CTC, while five patients had an average of ≥5 CTC/7.5 mL WB. Results are shown in a table below:

View this table:

These exploratory data suggest widely different mechanisms of resistance to fulvestrant in different patients with ER positive MBC. In two of the patients (29, 45) treated with 500 mg/month, both CTC-ER and CTC-BCL-2 expression were absent, suggesting no signaling through the ER pathway. We hypothesize either that fulvestrant was actively down-regulating ER, but the cancers had adopted other growth and survival pathways, or that ER negative, hormone-independent clones had evolved. In the other three cases, ER was clearly present with evidence of signaling, based on BCL-2 expression. Two of these patients (2, 17) were on the lower dose of fulvestrant, now considered to be less effective. However, the third (8) was on the higher dose and yet still had evidence of ER signaling. This observation suggests that some patients may benefit from even higher doses of SERD therapy.

Conclusions: These pilot results suggest heterogeneous biological or pharmacological mechanisms of resistance to SERD therapy. These data suggest that CTC-ER and CTC-BCL-2 expression could serve as pharmacodynamic monitoring tools for dose escalation of fulvestrant or other SERDs. Further molecular analysis might provide biological bases for resistance to fulvestrant.

Supported by Veridex, LLC, Fashion Footwear Charitable Foundation of New York/QVC Presents Shoes on Sale™ (DFH), Associazione Sandro Pitigliani and by a studentship from FIRC (CP).

Citation Information: Cancer Res 2013;73(24 Suppl): Abstract nr PD6-4.


The dynamic responses of both the in-plane and out-of-plane vibrations are investigated for an axially moving membrane. The equations of motion are derived for the moving membrane with no-slip boundary conditions by using the extended Hamilton principle. Based on the Galerkin method, the discretized equations of motion are derived. The generalized-time integration method is applied to compute the dynamic responses for the in-plane and out-of-plane motions. From the computed results, the responses are compared between the in-plane and out-of-plane vibrations. Furthermore. the effects of velocity and acceleration on the dynamic behaviours for displacements and stresses are presented.


This study was undertaken to evaluate the incidence and severity of postoperative alkaline reflux gastritis in 798 symptomatic duodenal ulcer patients who had undergone vagotomy. The condition was identified on the basis of the unique endoscopic and histological findings in 116 (14.5%) of them. It was more frequent and severe in patients with truncal vagotomy and gastrojejunostomy than in those with truncal vagotomy and pyloroplasty, while it was not at all observed in cases with proximal gastric vago-tomy, the symptoms depended on the preoperative history of the ulcer disease and the patient's age at the time of surgery, but did not always correspond with the degree of histological findings. The location of the gastrojejunostomy and the size of the pyloroplasty stoma had an influence on the incidence of the syndrome. Helicobacter pylori was found more frequently in biopsy specimens from patients with severe symptoms (30.3%), but was present in only 14.6% of the total number of the patients with postoperative alkaline reflux gastritis after vagotomy.


Despite recent advances in enhancing photodynamic therapy efficacy, high-efficiency reactive oxygen species (ROS)-based therapy approach, especially in malignancy tumor treatment, remains challenging. Relieving the hypoxia of tumor tissue has been considered to be an attractive strategy for enhancing ROS-based treatment effect. Nevertheless, it is frequently neglected that the hypoxic regions are usually located deep in the tumors and therefore are usually inaccessible. To address these limitations, herein we constructed a sequential intercellular delivery system (MFLs/LAOOH@DOX) that consists of a membrane fusion liposomes (MFLs) doped with linoleic acid hydroperoxide (LAOOH) in the lipid bilayer and antitumor doxorubicin (DOX) encapsulated inside. In this report, LAOOH, one of the primary products of lipid peroxidation in vivo, was selected as ROS-generated agent herein, which depends on Fe2+ rather than oxygen and other external stimuli to produce ROS. Upon the enhanced permeation and retention effect, MFLs/LAOOH@DOX first fused with tumor cell membranes in the perivascular region in synchrony with selective delivery of LAOOH into the plasma membrane and the on-demand intracellular release of DOX. By hitchhiking with extracellular vesicles, LAOOH, as a cell membrane natural ingredient, spread gradually to neighboring cells and throughout the entire tumor eventually. Combined with subsequent administration of nano Fe3O4, ROS was specifically generated on the tumor cell membrane by LAOOH throughout the tumor tissues. This study offers a new method to enhance ROS-based antitumor treatment efficiency.


Some thirty years ago, peritoneal dialysis (PD) became a respectable modality of renal replacement therapy. That is why peritoneal membrane attracted the interest of investigators. Uremia is followed by changes in the morphology of serous membranes (uremic serositis). Uremic effects on pleura and pericardia have been studied for a long time, but the peritoneum is affected as well. The aim of our study was to examine the morphology of the peritoneum in uremic patients before the start of PD and to compare the findings with those from examinations of peritoneum in healthy controls. We examined 12 uremic patients and 10 healthy controls (kidney donors). Biopsies were taken from parietal peritoneum. The samples were prepared in the standard way for study by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Certain pathological changes--deformation of mesothelial cells, their detachment from the basement membrane, and unusual bulging of apical surface--were identified at the light microscopy level on semi-fine sections. Paracrystalline intracytoplasmic inclusions were seen in mesothelial cells only by TEM. We hypothesize that the inclusions were causing deformation of the mesothelial cells and detachment of those cells from the basement membrane. Sacculate dilatations of rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER) cisternae with partly destroyed membranes and few ribosomes were also seen, with and without densely osmiophilic filaments within cisternae. Although these changes are mentioned in the literature, the exact reason for their appearance remains unknown.


Familial Adenomatous Polyposis (FAP) is a colorectal cancer syndrome caused mainly by mutations in the APC gene (50-80% of the cases), and some mutations in MUTYH, usually in recessive and milder cases. Additionally, the genetic cause of 20% of classic forms and 50% of attenuated forms of the disease remain unclear. AXIN2 is a partner of the APC protein in the b-catenin destruction complex. Mutations in AXIN2 have been described in patients with oligodontia and other ectodermal dysplasia features in association with colorectal neoplasia or adenomatous polyps. We studied the AXIN2 gene in a series of APC/MUTYH mutation negative families and identified a novel variant, c.1387C>T;p.R463P, as the possible genetic cause of an attenuated FAP phenotype (AFAP). The autosomal dominant AFAP phenotype was not associated with any extracholonic manifestations or ectodermal dysplasia features. However, hyperplastic polyps were observed in some AXIN2-variant carriers. Thus, from a clinical point of view this family displayed some features that differ from previously described families with AXIN2 mutations. The variant c.1387C>T;p.R463P is located in the b-catenin binding domain, an area highly conserved throughout evolution. The variant segregates with the affected family members and was not present in 800 healthy Spanish controls. We were able to confirm loss of heterozygosity in 3 out of 5 polyps from the proband and his affected sister. AXIN2 and b-catenin expression patterns were tested by inmunofluorescence staining: both proteins are overexpressed in adenomatous polyps compared with normal colorectal ephitelium from the proband. Moreover, no colocalization of the two proteins could be observed by confocal microscopy. These results support a possible pathogenic role for this AXIN2 variant in our family and highlight the implication of AXIN2 in some cases of FAP syndrome. We argue comprehensives and functional studies will be necessary to clarify the role of AXIN2 in familial colorectal cancer predisposition. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 4010. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-4010


Web applications are a good fit for many-core servers because of their inherent high-degree of request-level parallelism. Yet, processing-intensive web-server requests can lead to low quality-of-service due to hot-spots, which calls for methods that can improve single-thread performance. This paper explores how to use off-chip GPUs to speed up web application hot-spots written in productivity-friendly environments (e.g. C#). First, we apply a number of straightforward optimizations through refactoring of a commercial-strength, web application code. This yields a speedup of 7.6 in a CPU multi-threaded, and multi-core test. Second, we then gather similar requests from different threads of the optimized code, by applying a technique called batching, to exploit SIMD parallelism provided by GPUs. Surprisingly, there is ample parallelism to be exploited from the already optimized code yielding a speedup of a factor between 2x to 3x compared to the best optimized CPU version.


Allergic rhinitis (AR) and upper airway respiratory infections are frequent in children, and both have a relevant impact on some social aspects, including school attendance and performance, sleep, quality of life (also of the parents), and costs. Saline nasal irrigation is widely employed to reduce nasal congestion and mucopurulent secretion, to stimulate cleansing of the nasal and paranasal cavities, and to induce restoration of mucociliary clearance. The present study evaluated the effects of nasal irrigation on nasal cytology, using the new device Nasir® in 66 children (40 males, 26 females, mean age 7.31±1.7 years, age range 4-17 years) with allergic rhinitis. The patients were treated with nasal irrigation with warm (36°C) Nasir® (250 mL sacs of premixed solution): one sac twice daily for 12 days. Nasal irrigation significantly reduced the neutrophilic infiltrate (baseline median value 2.8±0.7; post treatment value 2±0.5; p less than 0.05). In addition, there was a reduction of eosinophil infiltrate (T0= 3.2±1.1; T1= 2.6±1.2; p= less than 0.05). There was no significant change with regard to bacteria (T0= 2.7±0.9; T1= 2.3±1.02; p= 0.17). In conclusion, this pilot study reports that nasal irrigation with Nasir® might be useful to attenuate upper airway inflammation.


Purpose: We sought to compare the effects of physical practice (PP) and mental practice (MP) on the immediate and long-term learning of the finger-to-thumb opposition sequence task (FOS) in children; in addition, we investigated the transfer of this learning to an untrained sequence of movements and to the contralateral untrained hand. Method: This study included thirty-six 9- and 10-year-old children who were randomly allocated into 3 groups: MP, PP, and no practice (NP). The MP and PP groups were subjected to a single session of training with the dominant trained hand. MP participants were trained by mentally rehearsing the movements, PP participants were trained by executing the movements, and the NP group had no training. The performance of the trained sequence (TS) and untrained reverse sequence (URS) by each of the 3 groups was evaluated under identical conditions before training, after 5 min, and at 4 days, 7 days, and 28 days after training. Results: Whereas both trained groups (MP and PP) showed statistically significant improvement in TS using the trained hand at all assessment points after the training, only MP participants were able to transfer the performance gains from the TS to the URS and from the trained hand to the untrained opposite hand. Conclusion: Children were able to learn the FOS through MP or PP with a similar level of performance. Unlike PP, MP allowed for the transfer of performance gain to the URS and to the opposite hand, suggesting that the internal representations developed by MP were effector-independent.


This article reports on fermentation assays used to test the fermentability of malt, especially malt implicated in premature yeast flocculation (PYF). No standard small-scale method currently exists. The current study involved 12°C fermentations with three vessel configurations: a 4.4-cm high spectrophotometer cuvette, a 12.5-cm high test tube, and a 122-cm high "tall" tube fermentor. Worts tested were made from control and PYF malts. We included in our experiments the method of Jibiki and associates, using wort supplemented with 4% glucose and fermented at 21°C. The decline in Plato values (or real extract) was fit with a sigmoidal model. The model parameters and fermentor height were used to estimate CO2 evolution and average shear rates. It was confirmed that both fermentor height and fermentation speed are the major independent variables determining CO2 evolution and agitation within the fermenting wort. In examining the fermentation data, it is evident that the yeast did not stay equally suspended in all three fermentation vessels. When fermented at 12°C, yeast fell out of suspension rapidly in both the cuvette and test tube fermentors. In the tall tubes, the yeast remained in suspension as expected. The 21°C test tube fermentations supplemented with glucose had fermentation profiles similar to the tall tube fermentations but were complete in less than 72 hr. It is notable that these profiles could be used to distinguish between PYF and control malts. The minimum average shear rate required to keep yeast suspended was determined to be between 4 and 7.5 sec−1. Thus, when downscaling a fermentation assay by reducing the fermentor height, the rate of fermentation must be increased to maintain adequate shear rates. We confirmed that the PYF fermentation assay could be reduced to 15 mL, resulting in reduced labor, time, and material costs.


The EU started to develop its own Arctic policy in 2008. One of the three main objectives of this policy is the promotion of sustainable use of Arctic resources. ``Sustainability'' was also a focus of the 2011 resolution of the European Parliament as a guiding principle in developing European policies toward the Arctic. Against this background, this article investigates the question of whether the EU meets its respective objective - sustainability - in regard to the development of Arctic hydrocarbon resources. The article contrasts the development of the EU's overall policy toward Arctic mineral resources with specific EU measures and examines the EU's capacity to influence sustainable Arctic hydrocarbon resource development. The article also elaborates on specific questions related to the EU's energy policy and the development of Arctic hydrocarbon resources in recent years as well as on the EU's dependency on oil and gas imports and respective tendencies to conclude on the aforementioned questions.


A channel adaptive multiple description video codec is presented with flexible redundancy allocation based on modeling and minimization of the end-to-end distortion. We employ a three-loop multiple description coding scheme for which we develop models that estimate the rate-distortion performance of the side encoders as well as the overall end-to-end distortion given channel statistics. A simple yet effective algorithm is formulated for determining appropriate levels of redundancy given a total bit rate and channel estimates in the form of packet error rates. The experimental results presented validate the proposed models over various channels conditions. The performance and adaptivity of the codec is evaluated through extensive simulations with a 22 wireless multiple input multiple output system. A gain of more than 10 dB can be achieved compared to a non-adaptive system and even larger gains can be had relative to typical single description transmissions.


We have developed and tested a laboratory scale High-T/sub C/ Superconducting Magnetic Energy Storage (HT-SMES) system with storage capacity of up to 1.2 kJ. It was designed to improve the power quality for a consumer supplied by 3-phase standard commercial electric power grid at a consumer power of up to 20 kW. This SMES is based on a high-T/sub C/ superconducting coil with a ferromagnetic core, immersed in liquid nitrogen at 65 K to provide efficient thermal contact with the coolant. We also developed a cryogenic DC-DC converter based on low resistance power MOSFET transistors, providing low losses in the stored energy and high operational efficiency. The power conditioning capability of our HT-SMES was proved, and compensation of voltage drops in the electric grid was successfully demonstrated.


In this work we study the portfolio problem which is to find a good combination of multiple heuristics to solve given instances on parallel resources in minimum time. The resources are assumed to be discrete, it is not possible to allocate a resource to more than one heuristic. Our goal is to minimize the average completion time of the set of instances, given a set of heuristics on homogeneous discrete resources. This problem has been studied in the continuous case in [13]. We first show that the problem is hard and that there is no constant ratio polynomial approximation unless P = NP in the general case. Then, we design several approximation schemes for a restricted version of the problem where each heuristic must be used at least once. These results are obtained by using oracle with several guesses, leading to various tradeoff between the size of required information and the approximation ratio. Some additional results based on simulations are finally reported using a benchmark of instances on SAT solvers.


The present review has concentrated on the control of longitudinal growth and the relative importance of certain micronutrients. By far the most significant of these is 1.25(OH)2D3 which is now being recognized, not only for its role in maintaining Ca homeostasis, but also its major role in chondrocyte differentiation within the growth plate.


Adrenergic receptors are members of the G-protein coupled receptor superfamily. Recent studies revealed that these adrenergic receptors are playing an important role in the growth and metastasis of prostate cancer cells. The expression of adrenergic receptors rises significantly in prostate cancer cells and tissues. Agonists of these receptors promote the growth and mobility of prostate cancer cells, while antagonists may suppress their proliferation, trigger their apoptosis, and inhibit their metastasis. Clinically, receptor antagonists can significantly reduce the risk of prostate cancer and improve its prognosis after androgen depravation therapy. This article presents an overview on the roles of adrenergic receptors in prostate cancer.


Indoor localization system is one of the solutions that can provide a better care giving service to the people in a healthcare facility. The main function of an indoor localization system is to get the real-time location of a target and to guide a person along a certain direction. Despite the importance of this system, there is no existing product that is fully suitable for the healthcare industry. All the existing products have their own disadvantages.
To overcome this problem, a new approach is needed. This project is to develop an indoor emergency route navigation system by using a new technology called iBeacon for the
healthcare industries. This system makes use of the location information of a person and guides him or her along the evacuation path to the exit. iBeacon is used in this project because it is a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) based indoor proximity device and it works the best in indoor situation. The procedure to complete this project is divided into two major parts. The first part is the development of the coding algorithm for the iBeacon
interaction and the system operation. The next part consists of the analysis of the system to check on its reliability towards the operating distance and sensing ability of the iBeacon so that improvements can be made. From this research, it is concluded that the "near" range
distance is optimum in terms of the beacon's operating distance and sensing ability. For the beacon setup, all beacons must be placed with a 6.0m distance from each other for it to perform effectively. However, the problem regarding to the disturbances that is affecting the Bluetooth signal has yet to be solved and future recommendation is suggested.


We review various isotope effects in the high-Tc cuprate superconductors to assess the role of the electron-phonon interaction in the basic physics of these materials. Of particular interest are the unconventional isotope effects on the supercarrier mass, on the charge-stripe formation temperature, on the pseudogap formation temperature, on the electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) linewidth, on the spin-glass freezing temperature and on the antiferromagnetic ordering temperature. The observed unconventional isotope effects strongly suggest that lattice vibrations play an important role in the microscopic pairing mechanism of high-temperature superconductivity.


We provide estimates on the rate of convergence for approximation schemes for Bellman equations associated with optimal stopping of controlled diffusion processes. These results extend (and slightly improve) the recent results by Barles & Jakobsen to the more difficult time-dependent case. The added difficulties are due to the presence of boundary conditions (initial conditions!) and the new structure of the equation which is now a parabolic variational inequality. The method presented is purely analytic and rather general and is based on earlier work by Krylov and Barles & Jakobsen. As applications we consider so-called control schemes based on the dynamic programming principle and finite difference methods (though not in the most general case). In the optimal stopping case these methods are similar to the Brennan & Schwartz scheme. A simple observation allows us to obtain the optimal rate 1/2 for the finite difference methods, and this is an improvement over previous results by Krylov and Barles & Jakobsen. Finally, we present an idea that allows us to improve all the above-mentioned results in the linear case. In particular, we are able to handle finite difference methods with variable diffusion coefficients without the reduction of order of convergence observed by Krylov in the nonlinear case.


The invention provides a screen printing plate and a manufacturing method thereof. The screen printing plate (2) comprises an outer yarn (4) of an opening part (4c) made of resin net; an inner yarn (6) matched with the outer yarn (4) of the opening part (4c) and made of metal net; an emulsion layer (16) for printed patterns made of phototonus resin and formed with printed patterns (20) on the inner yarn (6); an emulsion layer (14) for alignment marks made of phototonus resin and formed with alignment marks (22) on the outer yarn (4). The printed patterns (20) and the alignment marks (22) being separated by a photo mask (F) are formed by exposing and developing the emulsion layer (16) for printed patterns and the emulsion layer (14) for alignment marks. Therefore, the relative displacement between the printed patterns of the inner yarn and the alignment marks of the outer yarn is avoided and the manufacturing cost is low.


BACKGROUND
Although competencies for managing care are often described in the medical literature, educators have been slow to integrate these competencies into clinical curricula. Backlash against managed care has created a skeptical educational environment. Many faculty feel unprepared to teach the competencies in clinical settings.

METHODS
From 1999 to 2001, we designed, implemented, and evaluated a faculty development program, funded by the Bureau of Health Professions, Division of Medicine. The goal of the program was to increase Undergraduate Medical Education for the 21st Century (UME-21) and Partnerships for Quality Education (PQE) faculty skills in teaching quality improvement and costeffectiveness in the clinical setting and to prepare them to teach these topics to other faculty.

RESULTS
Thirty-nine faculty attended the 4-month faculty development program. The program, in a train-the-trainer model, consisted of two 2-day workshops as well as pre-, mid-, and end-program activities and teaching experiences. Readings, brief lectures followed by focused discussion, and active learning experiences were used to teach content, provide experience and feedback with teaching skills, and model a variety of teaching approaches.

CONCLUSIONS
By the end of the program, participants believed that they had learned content (knowledge) and gained practical teaching skills. To be successful in effecting curriculum change around new topics, such as the managing care competencies, faculty need to not only master new content and methods but also learn how to be change agents in their schools. Because this work can be lonely, faculty need support within the school and connections with others, locally and nationally, who have similar ideas.


The present study evaluated the effect of non-absorbable oral polymyxin on the duodenal microflora and clinical outcome of infants with severe infectious diarrhea. Polymyxin was chosen because classic enteropathogenic Escherichia coli was more sensitive to this antibiotic. Twenty-five infants were randomly assigned to a 7-day treatment with oral polymyxin (2.5 mg/kg in 4 daily doses) or placebo. Duodenal and stool cultures were performed before and after the treatment. Five patients were excluded during the study because of introduction of parental antibiotic therapy due to clinical sepsis (N = 3) or rapid clinical improvement (N = 2). In the polymyxin group, small bowel bacterial overgrowth occurred in 61.5% of the cases (8/13) before treatment and in 76.9% (10/13) after treatment. In the placebo group these values were 71.4% (5/7) and 57.1% (4/7), respectively. By the 7th day, clinical cure was observed in 84.6% of the cases (11/13) in the polymyxin group and in 71.4% (5/7) in the placebo group (P = 0.587). Considering all 25 patients included in the study, clinical cure occurred on the 7th day in 12/14 cases (85.7%) in the polymyxin group and 6/11 cases (54.5%) in the placebo group (P = 0.102). Clinical sepsis occurred in 3/11 (27.3%) of the patients in the placebo group and in none (0/14) in the polymyxin group (P = 0.071). Oral polymyxin was not effective in reducing bacterial overgrowth or in improving the clinical outcome of infants hospitalized with severe infectious diarrhea. Taking into account the small sample size, the rate of cure on the 7th day and the rate of clinical sepsis, further studies with greater number of patients are necessary to evaluate these questions.


Testicular changes following the administration of mercuric chloride, (HgCl2, ip in various dosages) over one month were studied in rats, mice, guinea pigs and hamsters. HgCl2 (5 mg/kg) caused a testicular degeneration and cellular deformation was observed in both the seminiferous tubules and the Leydig cells in all species: a significant decrease of testicular weight also resulted. There was no cellular deformation at the dose of 2 mg/kg: only spermatogenic inhibition and Leydig cell atrophy were observed in the animals. At the dose of 1 mg/kg, testicular degeneration was observed only in the hamster, only partial degeneration was recorded in the rat and the mouse and no change was noted in the guinea pig.


This thesis presents an approach to identify and characterize the microbial community that exists in Jeli Hot Spring, Jeli, Kelantan Darul Naim. The identification need to be done to identify the kind of organisms that grow in the hot spring. The physical characteristic of Jell Hot Spring water was about 40-50°C at pH of between six and eight. The optimum temperature at the Jeli Hot Spring indicates the presence of thermophilic organism since this kind of organism able to live in the extreme environment where other type of organism and bacteria was unable to live in. There were some test carried out to identify the type of thermophilic bacteria which were carried out in morphological, physiological and biochemical test. Ten tests were conducted in order to identify the types of bacteria and determine the characteristic of that organism. The tests that had been done are Gram stain test, endospore test, motility test, biochemical test which consist of oxidase test, oxidation-fermentation test, catalase test, starch agar test, effect of temperature, effect of sodium chloride concentration and lastly the effect of pH on the growth of the thermophilic organism. From the result of the tests, the identity of the organism could be determined and from the characteristic that has been observed from the test, it showed the general structure and microbial activity of this organism. This study can be used for Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) using the Tag polymerase enzyme in biotechnology area. As for agricultural activity, the thermophilic bacteria are the one that withstand the high temperature during the production of manure and also the rotting of fruit. Apart from that, the organism that lives in hot spring lives in a sulphur environment, which indicates the ability of the organism to degrade the sulphur inside the hot spring to be used for respiration. The ability of these sulphur degrading organisms, it can be applied in agricultural activity which improving organism inside the soil by improving the DNA structure of organism inside the soil to reduce the sulphur exist in the environment to be applicable to the soil.


SUMMARY: Donor and recipient strains were isolated from a single clinical isolate of an Escherichia coli O4. Strain Z20 is a low-frequency donor which transfers a variety of markers to the recipient strain, CF2004--6. However, the recombination frequency for the tryptophan marker occurs at a somewhat higher frequency. The fact that all recombinants become donors and donor ability can be temporarily derepressed, suggests that this intra-strain conjugation system depends upon a repressed sex factor, termed the Z factor. When a lysogenic donor strain is used, the phage genome also is transferred during conjugation to a majority of the recombinants. This leads to a state of 'transient lysogeny' in which all recombinants segregate non-lysogens.


Abstract. Several methods are presently suggested for investigating pre-earthquake evolution of the regions of high tectonic activity based on analysis of the seismicity spatial distribution. Some precursor signatures are detected before strong earthquakes: decrease in fractal dimension of the continuum of earthquake epicenters, cluster formation, concentration of seismic events near one of the nodal planes of the future earthquake, and others. In the present paper, it is shown that such peculiarities are typical of the evolution of the shear crack network under external stresses in elastic bodies with inhomogeneous distribution of strength. The results of computer modeling of crack network evolution are presented. It is shown that variations of the fractal dimension of the earthquake epicenters' continuum and other precursor signatures contain information about the evolution of the destruction process towards the main rupture.


This article outlines the findings of a research project and a follow-up studycommissioned by Sport Northern Ireland relating to the development of an assessmenttool for physical literacy. A parallel development, namely the creation of physical literacyco-ordinators, is discussed in a later paper in the Bulletin within the section PhysicalLiteracy Across the World. The discussion concludes with a summary of therecommendations of a cross-sectoral Physical Literacy Task and Finish Group whichhighlight how considerably more resources are required to develop assessmentindicators for PL and to further advocate the importance of PL.


Custom jurisdiction is a peace jurisdiction institution between the custom legal society members in existing custom legal society environment. In Constitution of 1945 in article 24 paragraph (2) it states the judge authority is conducted by Supreme Court and subordinating Judicative Institution in Legal Jurisdiction Institution, Religious Court Environment, Military Environment and State Administrative Judicative Environment. In addition of these four jurisdictions, there is a particular court in Papua Province, i.e. Custom Jurisdiction. How is the existence of custom jurisdiction after the enforcement of the Laws on Particular Autonomy of Papua? This research intended to comprehend and gain data concerning on the existence of custom jurisdiction after the enforcement of the Laws on Particular Autonomy of Papua. In order to enforce and guarantee the conduction of legal regulations such was expected, thus it needs strong and reliable judge authority institution. The execution of judge
authority is conveyed to the judicative institutions stated by the laws by particular duty for receiving, investigating, bring to justice, and resolve every case submitted to it. Based on the result of research, the existence of custom jurisdiction after the enforcement of the Laws on Particular Autonomy of Papua has still existed from formerly up to how. However nowadays it has been lack on the ground of custom legal society do not report the violation of custom to the customary officials. The custom jurisdiction of Papua should always be maintained and perpetuated thus it will not extinct by the era advancement. Existence. Customary Court. Papua Local Government Autonomy Act.


The insect growth regulator, fenoxycarb, when applied at 0.06 kg AI/ha (0.05 lb AI/acre) as 1% sand granules was highly effective (97.5% corrected mortality) against Aedes communis, Ae. stimulans and Ae. canadensis in snowmelt pools in Massachusetts, and 100% effective against Ae. abserratus in an insectary study. No larval mortality owing to fenoxycarb treatment was observed, and most mortality occurred in the pupal stage as opposed to aborted adult emergence.


The Na+/I- symporter is the molecule that mediates active iodide uptake in the thyroid gland. A 16.4 kb genomic DNA fragment of the rat Na+/I- symporter gene (rNIS) was isolated, restriction mapped and a 2 kb region immediate 5' to the ATG site was sequenced. The transcription start site for rNIS was mapped to -98 nucleotide (nt) relative to the ATG translation initiation site. A series of 5' genomic DNA fragments ranging from 233 bp to 8 kb were tested for promoter activity in both thyroid and non-thyroid cells. Our results indicate that the DNA regulatory elements within 8 kb of the 5' flanking region of rNIS are not sufficient to confer thyroid-selective transcription. However, consistent with the clinical observation that NIS expression is reduced in thyroid tumors, the rNIS promoter activity is suppressed in ret/PTC1 transformed NIH3T3 cells, compared to non-transformed NIH3T3 cells.


Ministers clearly believe that harsh sentences for those convicted in the recent disorder, and the arrest and prosecution of those involved (even in minor ways)will create strong disincentives for future potential rioters. The government has also found like-minded judges, magistrates and prosecutors to give added impetus to this push in the immediate riot aftermath. But Chris Gilson points to voices suggesting a significant downside. Sentences that are disproportionate for the offences that have taken place will likely be overturned. And enforcing 'collective punishments' on whole households by removing benefits and social housing for the families of those convicted may be hard to enforce and is legally dubious. Allied with aggressive post-riot policing, such tactics may only exacerbate existing tensions in high-stress urban areas.


Background & Aims To investigate the value of dynamic three-dimensional contrast-enhanced ultrasound (3D-CEUS) in the assessment of therapeutic response of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treated with radiofrequency ablation (RFA). Methods Forty-two patients (31 men and 11 women; mean age (52.1 ± 13.1 years)) with 42 clinical diagnosed HCC lesions (size range 14-48 mm; mean size 28.4 ± 9.9 mm) treated by RFA were included. All patients underwent two-dimensional contrast-enhanced ultrasound (2D-CEUS) and 3D-CEUS 1 month after treatment. Two radiologists assessed the absence (complete response, CR) or presence (residual tumor, RT) of any arterially hyperenhancing nodules within or along the margin of the treated HCC lesions. Complete response on magnetic resonance (MR) imaging acted as standard of reference (SOR). Results After RFA treatment, 3D-CEUS was successfully conducted in 34 HCC lesions. CR was observed on both 2D-CEUS and 3D-CEUS in 25/42 (59.5%) HCC and RT in 6/42 (14.3%) HCC lesions. In 3/42 (7.1%) HCC lesion, RT was documented by SOR and 3D-CEUS, but it was not appreciable at 2D-CEUS. In 3/42 (7.1%) HCC lesion, the presence of peripheral RT was suspected by both 2D-CEUS and 3D-CEUS, but it was not confirmed by SOR. No statistically significant difference between 2D-CEUS and 3D-CEUS in depicting either CR or RT was found (P = 0.25). Combined with dynamic 3D-CEUS, the diagnostic accuracy was improved from 85.7% to 92.9%. Conclusions 3D-CEUS might be helpful in better diagnostic performance in the assessment of therapeutic response of HCC treated after RFA.


The effects of anapriline, ketamine and anapriline administered during ketamine-induced anesthesia on contents of lipid fractions and ATP in the heart and on oxidation of fatty acids by myocardial mytochondria were studied on 200 albino rats. Administration of ketamine in a dose of 50 mg/kg induced blockade of lipolysis and a decrease of ATP content in the heart. At oxidation of fatty acids a decrease of respiratory control due to an increase of the rate of controlled mitochondrial respiration was noted. Anapriline (1 mg/kg) induced lipolysis blockade and ATP accumulation in the myocardium. Fatty acid oxidation was followed by activation of all rates of mitochondrial respiration and an increase of phosphorylation efficiency coefficient. Anapriline administered during ketamine-induced anesthesia prevented an impairment of myocardial bioenergy developing under the influence of ketamine that manifested itself in an increase of phosphorylating respiration rate, phosphorylation efficiency coefficient and ATP content in the myocardium.


Background Lower socio-economic status (SES) has been reported to have a significant adverse impact on post-heart transplant outcomes. Lower SES patients qualify for government supported health care including MediCal and Medicaid. It has also been demonstrated that heart transplant patients with these forms of health insurance at the time of transplant have subsequent lower survival, which may be due to inadequate social support, lack of understanding medication instructions and poor follow-up compliance. A heart transplant program with a committed team to offer support such as a dedicated social worker, outpatient housing, and patient mentoring could change outcome of lower SES patients. In our heart transplant program, we have such social support. Methods We reviewed 261 patients transplanted between 7/97 and 9/01 and determined type of insurance at time of transplant. Of those patients 239 had insurance data available. Survival and the development of cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV) defined as angiographic lesions ≥30% stenosis was determined. Patients were divided into 3 insurance groups: 1) Private insurance, 2) Medicare and 3) MediCal/Medicaid. Results Gender, ischemic time, donor age, and donor gender were similar among the three groups. Significantly fewer Caucasian patients were seen in the MediCal/Medicaid Group (50% vs. Private: 71%, Medicare: 81%) p≤0.001. The patients in the MediCal/Medicaid Group were younger at time of transplant than the other groups: MediCal/Medicaid Group mean age 45 years vs. Private 54 years vs. Medicare 61 years, p≤0.001. There was no difference in survival between patients with private insurance, Medicare or MediCal/Medicaid at 36 months (76% vs. 79% vs. 73% respectively; p=0.86). There was also no significant difference in freedom from the development of CAV between the three groups over the same period of time (75% vs. 79% vs. 82% respectively; p=0.76). Conclusion Lower socio-economic (MediCal/Medicaid insurance) heart transplant patients appear to have comparable outcome to other patients after heart transplant when supported by a dedicated social worker in a highly integrated multi-disciplinary transplant program.


The doctrine of interjurisdictional immunity holds that valid, generally worded legislation enacted by one order of government cannot constitutionally be applied in contexts that can be said to fall within a core area of the other order of government's legislative jurisdiction. After years of seemingly settled law, the Supreme Court of Canada reassessed the doctrine in its decisions in Canadian Western Bank v. Albert (CWB) and in British Columbia (Attorney General) v. Lafarge Canada Inc. (Lafarge) where the doctrine was invoked by federally regulated undertakings (i.e., banks and a port authority) wanting to avoid the application of valid provincial legislation. The purposes of this paper are to provide to provide a detailed overview of the origins and evolution of the doctrine of interjurisdictional immunity and a careful scrutiny of the doctrine's place in the evolving law of Canadian federalism. Part II of the paper looks at the legal test used in early cases involving federally regulated undertakings. Part III summarizes the Court's reassessment of the doctrine in both CWB and Lafarge. Part IV offers critical analysis of the Court's reassessment of the doctrine.


Confidence of PCT chief executives has slumped across almost all the key indicators in HSJ's Barometer survey. There are new lows in optimism on access targets, negotiating power, the national programme for IT and payment by results. Only confidence in meeting the drug treatment target continued to rise. And 31 per cent of chief executives expect to get fewer than two stars this year compared to 20 per cent of the panel currently at that level.


This paper proposes a system for management of industrial production elements inspired by the techniques employed in the management of the current and complex ICT infrastructures on which business models are based and which are having considerable success. The main result of applying these techniques is that, at the same time as providing an adequate focus for the management of this type of infrastructure, it is possible to evolve from mass production models towards mass customization models increasingly bringing organisation objectives closer to the interests and requirements of customers. In this work, we present a review of the technologies in the sectors involved; a reconfiguration system is proposed for production systems based on management of ICT and integrated with the business system; their implementation and operation is analysed; and finally the main conclusions are drawn from the work, together with an indication of future lines of research.


Acquired and intrinsic radioresistance remains a major challenge during the treatment of patients with colorectal cancer (CRC). Aberrant cholesterol metabolism precipitates the development of multiple cancers. Here, we report that exogenous or endogenous cholesterol enhances the radioresistance of CRC cells. The addition of cholesterol protects CRC cells against irradiation both in vitro and in vivo. Sterol response element‐binding protein 1/fatty acid synthase (SREBP1/FASN) signaling is rapidly increased in response to radiation stimuli, resulting in cholesterol accumulation, cell proliferation and inhibition of apoptosis. Blocking the SREBP1/FASN pathway impedes cholesterol synthesis and accelerates radiation‐induced CRC cell death. Our findings provide novel insights into the role of the SREBP1/FASN/cholesterol axis in radiotherapy and suggest that it may be a potential target for CRC treatment. Clinically, our results suggest that CRC patients undergoing radiotherapy may benefit from a lowered cholesterol intake.


This article investigates the internal structure of the Hebrew particle gam ("also") from the perspective of construction grammar. Hebrew gam seems to exhibit meanings of both addition and concession, as a single particle and through compounds such as ma gam ("all the more so"), gam kaxa ("as it is") and gam im ("even"). The findings reveal that the interpretation of the various meanings realized by the construction result from the interaction of syntactic, semantic and pragmatic factors which in turn lead to a form-meaning pairing associated with conventional meanings. The article argues that gam functions as a partly– schematic construction which displays non-discrete meanings ranging from addition at one end of a continuum through polysemous cases which display both addition and concession to concession at the other end of the continuum.


ABSTRACT This case report illustrates the change process of one inmate participant in a music therapy group. The case was selected from a research project of group music therapy for offenders. The participant, Hui, a male inmate, participated in 20 biweekly sessions of group music therapy for male adult inmates in a Chinese prison. Three methods, music improvisation, music and imagery, and song writing, were used in the therapy. Music therapy led Hui (pseudonym) to change from a defensive isolated man into a person who was able to experience and share his emotions with other group members through music. In this case report, we detail the transformative process of Hui and elaborate the music therapist's reflection from theoretical and cultural perspectives. Later, the theoretical issues related to treatment in offender rehabilitation context are discussed in-depth. By making the intervention process transparent, we hope this case report can help readers to understand how the effects of music therapy on decreasing anxiety and depression and improving self-esteem that have been found in research may have taken place in the intervention.


Although separated by a century, Bram Stoker's Dracula (1898) and the AMC television series The Walking Dead (2010-) both describe how Gothic forces transform Western subjects into contagious, abject and cannibalistic Others that need to be disposed of through ritualized violence: in Dracula with the stake through the heart, in The Walking Dead through the headshot. In both narratives, the killing of the Gothic Other is celebrated as a heroic confrontation between good and evil. In their readings of the Victorian gothic, Stephen D. Arata and Patrick Brantlinger have both argued that these absolute categories must be understood in relation to Empire where gothic Others such as Dracula represent Oriental invaders, set on vengeful, reverse colonisation of the Empire. Similarly, more recent scholarship by Kyle Bishop, Timothy Fox and Christian Thorne suggest that the modern Gothic also relies on an imperial dynamic and that the zombie often personifies the Middle Eastern terrorist or Asian imperial competitor. In this way, the killing of the transformed Gothic Other can be understood as encouraging a form of metaphorical imperial violence. While this reading of the Victorian and modern Gothic is fundamentally convincing, it should be noted that the violence perpetrated against the Gothic Other is sometimes seen as deeply tragic and needs to be understood as a form euthanasia rather than as heroic intervention. In Dracula, Arthur Holmwood reels when he has finally finished driving the stake through the heart of his undead fiancee Lucy. In The Walking Dead, survivor Morgan Jones shakes with tears and grief as he aims his hunting rifle on his now cannibalistic zombie wife who stumbles through the streets below. In fact, those infected by the Gothic Other often ask to be euthanized before the transformation is complete: "Please kill me". Those who respond are seen as performing acts of terrible mercy rather than combating gothic evil. These sequences subtly complicate the imperial reading of these and other Gothic texts. Focusing on euthanasia in the Gothic, this paper discusses the different reasons why the border between the modern citizen and the Gothic Other is so porous and easily transgressed. If late nineteenth-century British imperialism argued that racial, social and cultural categories are absolute, the Gothic often introduce those same categories only to have them infect each other. In this way, the infectious and invasive nature of the gothic Other always allows a certain amount of metaphorical transculturation or counterculturation to occur. As Rick Grimes observes in The Walking Dead, "we are all infected".


In this study, the analysis of cutting forces on medium carbon AISI 1050—to which different spheroidization heat treatments were applied—was conducted by the mixed-level Taguchi orthogonal experiment design method. In the experiments, besides the parameters of feed rate, depth of cut and cutting speed having effect on cutting forces as a factor in orthogonal design, the spheroidization time and temperature parameters were also used. By the performed orthogonal experiment design method, the values of cutting forces were estimated using the five-factor, two- and three-leveled Taguchi L36 (22 × 33) mixed orthogonal experiment design method. The effectiveness of the machining parameters on the cutting force was revealed by performing analysis of variance test. Moreover, the effectiveness rates of the parameters were also determined in the study as per the signal noise rates. Consequently, it has been observed that the feed rate is more effective on the cutting forces compared to other parameters.


The coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) constitutes a serious threat to pregnant women. One of the key strategies for preventing and managing the COVID-19 epidemic is vaccination. Herd immunity is significantly hampered by COVID-19 vaccine reluctance, which poses a potential threat to population health. Therefore, the present work intends to ascertain the incidence and severity of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among Pakistani pregnant women, the determinants driving their decision, and a comparative assessment with non-pregnant participants. This cross-sectional survey was carried out from November 2021 to February 2022. The validated vaccination attitude examination (VAX) scale about vaccination reluctance was undertaken by participants, who were also required to indicate whether they would be inclined to acquire the COVID-19 vaccine along with the reasons for reluctance. In comparison to the non-pregnant category with 353 participants, the group of 372 pregnant participants who responded to the questionnaire had a much greater proportion of hesitant respondents. Likewise, contrasted to 31% of non-pregnant participants, about 40% of them attributed their willingness to get vaccinated against coronavirus to social media. They also demonstrated a considerably stronger mean score on all subcategories of the VAX measure. The adjusted odd ratio findings showed that the independent factors for vaccine reluctance appeared to be trusting rumors on social media (adj OR: 2.58), not being afraid of covid-19 (adj OR: 2.01), not believing in COVID-19 existence (adj OR: 2.53), and not believing in vaccines (adj OR: 4.25). Uncertainty about the COVID-19 vaccine is very prevalent among expectant mothers. The investigation accentuates the pressing need to administer COVID-19 vaccination to the general public, including expectant mothers who might be anxious about the vaccine.


The contents of K, Ca, Na and Mg in different organs of Bruguiera gymnorrhiza seedlings cultured in sand bases with solutions of 400 mmol.L-1 NaCl and different concentrations of CaCl2 were determined. In the treatment of 400 mmol.L-1 NaCl, Na was largely accumulated in organs, which caused the decrease of K/Na and Ca/Na, and decreased dry matter accumulation in seedlings. Supplemental CaCl2 decreased the accumulation of Na in seedlings, increased the rations of K/Na and Ca/Na and the accumulation of dry matter, and thereby, mitigated salt stress. The suitable concentration of CaCl2 was 10-15 mmol.L-1. It was concluded that B. gymnorrhiza seedlings cultured at high salinity accumulated more metal ions, which enhanced osmotic adjustment of plants, and kept highly selective absorption of K/Na. These characteristics are the main physiological mechanisms of the adaptation of B. gymnorrhiza to high salinity in estuary and coast, while suitable Ca/Na in soil is one of the important causes that B. gymnorrhiza can survive and regenerate in high salinity coast.


Ovarian cancer G protein-coupled receptor 1 (OGR1) has been shown as a receptor for protons. In the present study, we aimed to know whether OGR1 plays a role in insulin secretion and, if so, the manner in which it does. To this end, we created OGR1-deficient mice and examined insulin secretion activity in vivo and in vitro. OGR1 deficiency reduced insulin secretion induced by glucose administered ip, although it was not associated with glucose intolerance in vivo. Increased insulin sensitivity and reduced plasma glucagon level may explain, in part, the unusual normal glucose tolerance. In vitro islet experiments revealed that glucose-stimulated insulin secretion was dependent on extracellular pH and sensitive to OGR1; insulin secretion at pH 7.4 to 7.0, but not 8.0, was significantly suppressed by OGR1 deficiency and inhibition of G(q/11) proteins. Insulin secretion induced by KCl and tolbutamide was also significantly inhibited, whereas that induced by several insulin secretagogues, including vasopressin, a glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonist, and forskolin, was not suppressed by OGR1 deficiency. The inhibition of insulin secretion was associated with the reduction of glucose-induced increase in intracellular Ca(2+) concentration. In conclusion, the OGR1/G(q/11) protein pathway is activated by extracellular protons existing under the physiological extracellular pH of 7.4 and further stimulated by acidification, resulting in the enhancement of insulin secretion in response to high glucose concentrations and KCl.


Background The role of IL-22, a cytokine produced by Th17 cells, in autoimmunity is not fully understood. Previous research has shown that IL-22 is important in the development of collagen induced arthritis (CIA). However, the mechanism behind the apparent protection in IL-22 knock-out mice against CIA remains unclear. Objective To investigate the mechanisms by which IL-22 knock-out mice are protected against collagen induced arthritis. Materials and methods For CIA, IL-22 knock-out and wild type mice were immunised with chicken collagen type II and complete Freud's adjuvant (CFA) and boosted 21 days later. Antigen specific serum IgG levels were measured by ELISA. Mice were sacrificed 50 days after immunisation. Splenocytes were analysed by flow cytometry and immunohistochemistry. Functional assays were performed with splenic Th17 cells sorted from mice ten days after immunisation. For antigen induced arthritis (AIA), mice were immunised with methylated bovine serum albumin (mBSA) and CFA and triggered seven days later by intra-articular mBSA injection. Results In IL-22 knock-out mice, the severity, but not the incidence, of CIA was lower compared to wild type controls. This prompted us to study the pathogenicity of Th17 cells from these mice. Synovial fibroblasts produced higher levels of IL-6 when co-cultured with Th17 cells from IL-22 knock-out mice compared to wild type Th17 cells. To study the pathogenicity in vivo, we made use of the Th17 mediated AIA model. IL-22 knock-out mice developed AIA similarly to wild type controls, showing that Th17 cells without IL-22 function normally in vivo. As CIA is strongly driven by B cells and immune complexes, we investigated whether B cell immunity is normal in IL-22 knock-out mice. Antigen specific serum IgG2a levels were significantly lower in IL-22 knock-out mice at early onset of disease. We observed no significant differences in splenic B cell numbers or activation. However, spleens from IL-22 knock-out mice show no or very small germinal centers and fewer IgG2a plasma cells compared to wild type controls. Discussion Here we show that lack of IL-22 production affects B cell immunity in CIA. However, Th17 cells in IL-22 knock-out mice function normally in vitro and in vivo, indicating that lack of IL-22 production does not affect the pathogenicity of Th17 cells. Importantly, germinal center formation, plasma cell formation and IgG2a antibody production are lower in IL-22 knock-out mice in CIA, suggesting that IL-22 has a role in further differentiation of B cells in autoimmunity.


The objective of this research is to examine the perceived level of budgetary goal acceptance as an intervening variable between budgetary participation and managerial performance by using path analysis. The result of this study, based on a questionnaire survey of production managers of publicly owned corporations in Taiwan, suggests that goal acceptance's mediating role between budgetary participation and managerial performance is moderated by budgetary goal difficulty. Owing to enforcing the budgetary goal acceptance, the link between budgetary participation and managerial performance will be stronger when budgetary goal difficulty is high; and there exists no goal acceptance's mediating role when budgetary goal difficulty is low.


The STERNA project mainly focuses on enrichment of existing content of content holding organisations in the natural history domain. Therefore, developing a methodology on how to best integrate one's content into the STERNA information space is an essential part of the project. This document is the outcome of that developing process. It describes in detail a six-step procedure on how to go about content selection, how to submit the necessary information to enable our technology providers to develop a domain-specific data model that incorporates all the required parts, and how to approach the actual content enrichment process. In addition, this document contains three annexes that focus on data modelling in STERNA, on relevant examples of content items in the STERNA data model, and finally, on getting to know your way around the RNA Toolset, a set of versatile, easy-to-use tools that support various aspects of the content enrichment process.


Reversible logic has emerged as one of the most important approaches and more prominent technology having its applications in Low Power CMOS, Quantum Computing, Garbage inputs/outputs, Cryptography, Communication, nanotechnology, Optical Computing and Computer graphics. This paper presents a novel reversible multiplexer gate is proposed and the design of differential reversible multiplexer using the proposed reversible gate is discussed. The results of the proposed design show that the circuits are more optimized in terms of delay, power supply (0.7V) and voltage gain (0.76V). The power dissipation, power-delay and propagation delay produced using the new design are analyzed and compared with those of other design simulations. The results show that the proposed Reversible multiplexer has both lower power consumption and a lower Power-Delay Product (PDP) value (2.384 ×10-25 joule), frequency response 50.0 MHz's. The transistor implementation of the proposed gates is done by using Virtuoso tool of cadence. Based on simulation results and analysis at 45 nm technology, some of the trade-offs are made in the design to improve the efficiency.


This paper presents a new tactical optimization problem for non-hazardous waste and end-life product supply chain. Waste transport and recycling become crucial in our modern society, with a huge environmental and economic impact for industrials and communities. Operations on products during transport such as grinding or sorting allows companies to densify transports and reduce the overall supply cost. Integrating these new aspects, we introduce a new problem we term the multi-commodity, multi-flow problem with transformations and propose a linear mathematical model to solve it. With an application to a waste transport company and a performance benchmark on a linear solver, we show the pertinence of the model in a real case study and its scalability for more complex situations.


In this study we tested the influence of activation of ATP-sensitive K+ channels (KATP) on the changes in automatism induced by isoprenaline, noradrenaline and phenylephrine. Experiments were performed on the spontaneously beating right atria isolated from guinea pig. The rate of spontaneously beating preparations was measured under different experimental conditions. Rilmakalim (formerly HOE 234) was used as an activator of KATP channels. Isoprenaline induced significant, concentration-dependent positive inotropic action. This effect was strongly attenuated only in the presence of selective blockers of beta1- (metoprolol), but not beta2-adrenoceptor subtype (ICI 11855). Pretreatment with 4 microM rilmakalim resulted in a significant increase in the described effects of isoprenaline on automatism of isolated right atria. Phenylephrine (1 to 100 microM) in the presence of 1 microM propranolol, did not cause any changes in automatism of guinea pig right atria. Slight but significant positive chronotropic action induced by noradrenaline at lower concentrations (0.1 to 10 microM) in the presence of 1 microM propranolol was significantly decreased by pretreatment with rilmakalim. However, the effects obtained at higher concentrations (30 and 100 microM) of noradrenaline were enhanced. Interactions mentioned above were prevented by addition of 3 microM glibenclamide. The results imply that positive chronotropic effect of noradrenaline in the presence of propranolol is mediated by adrenoceptor subtype different from alpha1-, beta1- and beta2-adrenoceptors.


The combined-field integral equation (CFIE) is a linear combination of the H-field and the E-field integral equations. Previously, the weighting parameter of the E-field equation in the CFIE had been assumed constant along the generating curve of the body of revolution. However, in the Letter it is shown that the weighting parameter can take a variable distribution along the generating curve or on a part of it only. In the latter case, a reduction in the computational time of 40–50% is achieved.


Abstract. Three-dimensional (3-D) face reconstruction is an important task in the field of computer vision. Although 3-D face reconstruction has been developing rapidly in recent years, large pose face reconstruction is still a challenge. That is because much of the information about a face in a large pose will be unknowable. In order to address this issue, we propose a 3-D face reconstruction algorithm (PIFR) based on 3-D morphable model. A model alignment formulation is developed in which the original image and a normalized frontal image are combined to define a weighted loss in a landmark fitting process, with the intuition that the original image provides more expression and pose information, whereas the normalized image provides more identity information. Our method solves the problem of face reconstruction of a single image of a traditional method in a large pose, works on arbitrary pose and expressions, and greatly improves the accuracy of reconstruction. Experiments on the challenging AFW, LFPW, and AFLW database show that our algorithm significantly improves the accuracy of 3-D face reconstruction even under extreme poses (±90 yaw angles).


The asymmetry in power relations that exist between physicians and patients also exist between teachers and students. Thus, the dimensions of student care are analogous to those of patient care. The interactions between teachers and students are analyzed using the framework of the principles of beneficence (non‐maleficence), autonomy, and justice, which have been generally applied to physician‐patient interactions.


In relation to Sh. Mardjani's approaches to Islamic history, described by other scholars (A. Frank, M. Kemper, et al.), the article analyses the interaction of Islamic and progressist (modern European) discourses — the so called cultural bilingualism — in A. Baiazitov's vision of history. The question of Baiazitov's authorship is also discussed. A representative of the official Russian metropolis Muslim clergy (the akhun of a Tatar Muslim "parish" in St. Petersburg), Baiazitov was active in publishing books and articles in Russian in the central Russian press to contest the topoi common in the public, scholarly, and missionary visions of Islam and mixed up in the imperial frame of mass Orientalism — in particular, E. Renan's and his partisans' notorious ideas of the Islamic alienness to science and progress (Baia- zitov's "Objection" to Renan, 1883, was especially famous). The article shows that just to notice such views of Islam and consider them necessary to be retorted to, demanded that the author should share the progressist presumptions of history, which underlay those views. Hence the progressist discourse was indeed interiorized and present in Baiazitov's works (as well as in the essays of his alter ego, Murza Alim, and contrary to Mardjani who ignored those debates). Yet along with the appropriated progres- sist ideas, in particular the imagined backwardness of the 'Muslim world', Baiazitov also reproduced the structuring of history characteristic of the Islamic discourse proper, namely, the generalized Islamic reformist scheme that explained the decline of Islam by distortions introduced to the initial Islam by its later alien inheritors (Mongols and Turks); abandoning the errors, Islam would get back to the way of progress. The Islamic discourse also determined Baiazitov's understanding of science and knowledge and the very methods of argumentation (referring to hadiths, etc.). Revealing Baiazitov's sources and analyzing his ways of working on them — the works of both European Orientalists and modern Islamic reformists (particularly, the Indian Aligarh movement) and Islamic "classics" — the article exposes Baiazitov's universalist strive to unite different traditions in the "multilingual" cultural situation to whose challenge he responded. The necessity to "explain" Islam in the space of mass Orientalism, where he addressed and belonged to, demanded a kind of "translatory effort", yet the "translation" was not all-inclusive. Along with the force of the discursive practices he used, all that engendered the cultural bilingualism in his historical narrative. The accent on the origins of Islam (comparable with Mardjani's historical vision), i.e. the representation of the history of the 'Islamic world' as a whole, reflected Baia- zitov's own forming identity of a representative of the Islamic community in general. There's hardly a direct Mardjani's influence on Baiazitov's views, yet in some respects they gave analogous responses to the challenge of the imperial modernity, though from quite different discursive spaces.


The number of connection entities in modern car constructions is growing continuously. From that point of view, the identification of the most suitable structural behaviour of various car body configurations with respect to the number and the arrangement of connections becomes a challenge in automotive development. A standard simulation and optimization process was developed and established in a common project with the Audi AG and DYNAmore GmbH. The simulation model assembly process consists of a car body without any connection entities, a structured data format that describe the connections in detail and an automated process that realizes the connections using ANSA. All of these components are administrated and provided through the AUDI specific simulation data management tool CAx Load Case Composer (LoCo). This software is developed by DYNAmore and provides, among other innovative features, the possibility to parameterize components of the simulation model. With that ability at hand, it becomes possible to introduce parameters for the number of spot welds on a specified line. With the automated assembly process, the simulation engineer becomes able to investigate a number of spot weld configurations with a minimal amount of time and specific process knowledge. Connecting this parameterized assembly process with a structural optimization software like LS-OPT, provides the possibility to set up a systematic investigation of spot weld configurations with respect to any simulation response representing structural performance. The reduction of the total amount of connections under consideration of constraints can be one goal of such an investigation. Also the adjustment of a desired structural stiffness or the control of the deformation behaviour by the connection setup might be possible objectives in that context.


P.L. 93-641, the National Health Planning and Resources Development Act, specifies that health planning focus on health status as well as cost containment. It also specifies the integration of technical analysis with public involvement and political decision making. This paper suggests one planning process which can embody these difficult concepts. The process can be visualized as a series of four Decision Points at which the Governing Body of a Health Systems Agency takes action. Each Decision Point is supported by a staff Analysis which provides the decision makers with the best possible information about the area's health status and health system.


This article provides a historical approach of Schooling for Youth and Adults and its trajectory in the history of education in Brazil. It is characterized by an analysis documentary on the movement of this type of education and public policies that govern it. We compare with the historical development, teacher training, the labor market in Brazil, using primary and secondary sources with the search including the period from 1973 to 2007. We note that literature in general, describes events chronologically ad hoc initiatives in an attempt to solve the problems of illiteracy and lack of qualification of the workforce necessary for the current method of production each season, as initiatives for public policies. Regarding the relationship with the educational proposals for this type of education based on the analysis of legal documents, guidelines and programs for the Brazilian educational context, they are characterized by a compensatory, supplementary, and emergency education.


We present extensive molecular dynamics computer simulations of a glass-forming Yukawa mixture, investigating the nonlinear response of a single particle that is pulled through the system by a constant force. Structural changes around the pulled particle are analyzed by pair correlation functions, measured in the deeply supercooled state of the system. A regime of intermediate force strengths is found where the structural changes around the pulled particle are small, although its steady-state velocity shows a strong nonlinear response. This nonlinear response regime is characterized by a force-temperature superposition principle of a Peclet number and anisotropic diffusive behavior. In the direction parallel to the force, mean-square displacements show anomalous superdiffusion in the long time limit. We analyze this superdiffusive behavior by means of the van Hove correlation function of the pulled particle. Perpendicular to the force, the driven particle shows diffusive behavior for all considered force strengths and temperatures. We discuss the dynamics perpendicular and parallel to the force in terms of effective temperatures.


Consumer demand for local products is increasing all the time because of perceptions of superior quality and the idea that local products benefit personal health, the local community, and the environment. Many states have publicly funded marketing programs to promote the consumption of local products. In a new development in Florida, the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) has partnered with the Florida Nursery, Growers, and Landscape Association to include horticulture plants in the state's Fresh from Florida campaign for the first time. This 3-page report provides an overview of Florida consumer perceptions of the new Fresh from Florida campaign for horticultural plants. Growers, wholesalers, marketers, and retailers can use the tips inside to understand consumer perceptions and discover how best to use the promotional materials of the new program to reach consumers, reduce economic risks, and improve their returns on investment. Written by Hayk Khachatryan and Alicia Rihn, and published by the Food and Resource Economics Department, December 2015.
FE976/FE976: Florida Consumer Perception of the Fresh from Florida Campaign on Horticulture Plants (ufl.edu)


The computation of the Minimum Orbital Intersection Distance (MOID) is an old, but increasingly relevant problem. Fast and precise methods for MOID computation are needed to select potentially hazardous asteroids from a large catalogue. The same applies to debris with respect to spacecraft. An iterative method that strictly meets these two premises is presented.


By studying the responses of different species to urbanization, it is possible to understand the impact of this type of habitat modification and to explore, more generally, the link between variations in the environment and changes in behaviour. We radio collared 17 badgers Meles meles from six social groups in a 1 km2 urban study area in Brighton, UK, where local badger population density was high, and collected data on their ranging behaviour between 2005 and 2007. We aimed to determine how badgers adapt their behaviour to an urban environment and to assess the generality of previously reported differences in the ranging and territorial behaviour of urban and rural badgers. Analysis of habitat preferences and movement patterns suggested that garden habitat was principally used for foraging, while scrub and allotment habitats were important in allowing animals to travel from one part of their range to another. Group and individual home ranges were the smallest so far recorded for badgers (mean 100% minimum convex polygons=9.26 and 4.91 ha, respectively). Individual range size was negatively correlated with the availability of garden habitat, suggesting that the rich food resources provided by gardens enabled ranges to be small. Group ranges were mostly non-contiguous and there was no evidence of territorial scent marking; rather, activity was mainly restricted to areas in the vicinity of main setts. It is clear that badgers can adapt successfully to urban habitats and that this process affects various aspects of their behaviour. However, our high-density population of urban badgers displayed patterns of behaviour that differed not only from those of typical rural badgers, but also in some respects from those of a previously studied low-density urban population. We conclude that generalizations about the effects of urbanization must be made with caution.


This issue of the Journal of Community, Citizen's and Third Sector Media and Communication brings together research papers that seek to continue a dialogue about key questions started in the last issue of 3CMedia. One of these key questions deals with the continuing quest to find the raison d'etre for community organisations (including community media organisations) in times of participatory culture, media convergence and Web 2.0. Do the affordances of these socio-cultural and technical trends render the third sector less significant or even obsolete as some commentators speculate? Citizen journalism challenges conventional notions of news reporting. Users of blogs and social networking sites display and discuss their political, civic and environmental concerns on their profiles through personal statements, online group affiliations and virtual badges. Taking advantage of peer to peer forms of electronic communication such as mobile phone text messaging, the Critical Mass movement has established a history of successfully organising large political demonstrations in a decentralised manner without the need for a single dedicated institutional entity to coordinate the efforts. Indeed, in Shirky's words, 'Here Comes Everybody' (2008).


Around 70,000 osteoporosis-related fractures occur in Sweden annually and approximately half of the women in western world will sustain a fragility fracture after the age of 50 years. Fracture preventive efforts require the identification of individuals who are at high risk. Biochemical markers of bone turnover (BTMs) have shown some degree of fracture predictability. There is also a correlation between rate of decrease of areal bone mineral density (aBMD) and incident fractures. In this study, the correlation between BTMs and rate of bone loss (change of aBMD and ultrasound variables) over 5 years was investigated in the Malmo OPRA cohort of 75-year old women (n = 506 to 601). In addition, correlation of BTMs and bone metabolism, as assessed by scintigraphy, was tested in postmenopausal women (n = 22). Finally, the effect of precision error on the longitudinal monitoring of change in aBMD was assessed in elderly women (n = 690) and in elderly men (n = 211).
There was a strong correlation between all bone turnover markers and the results of scintigraphy (total skeletal uptake of 99mTc-labelled methylene diphosphonate), with no significant difference between bone formation markers and bone resorption markers. BTMs correlated to the 5-year rate of change of aBMD, especially in the legs and the total body, and 5-year change in speed of ultrasound. When serial measurements of BTMs were analysed, the mean value of measurements were correlated more strongly to aBMD change than single measurements, and women with constantly high levels of BTMs had higher rates of bone loss. Precision error of aBMD measurement by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry has an influence on the detection of individuals with aBMD change exceeding the least significant level. The calculated follow-up interval for detection of a change in aBMD beyond the least significant level in more than half of the elderly individuals ranged from 3–32 years, and was dependent on the equipment used and the skeletal site tested.
The results of this study indicate that currently available BTMs are associated with future bone loss. However, these correlations may not be strong enough to be predictive of bone loss at the individual level. DXA also has some limitations when used in the longitudinal setting in elderly individuals. DXA is therefore of limited use in the longitudinal monitoring of bone loss. Further studies with novel bone turnover markers may improve the ability of BTMs to predict bone loss.


The interaction of recA protein with single-stranded (ss) phi X174 DNA has been examined by means of a nuclease protection assay. The stoichiometry of protection was found to be 1 recA monomer/approximately 4 nucleotides of ssDNA both in the absence of a nucleotide cofactor and in the presence of ATP. In contrast, in the presence of adenosine 5'-O-(thiotriphosphate) (ATP gamma S) the stoichiometry was 1 recA monomer/approximately 8 nucleotides. No protection was seen with ADP. In the absence of a nucleotide cofactor, the binding of recA protein to ssDNA was quite stable as judged by equilibration with a challenge DNA (t1/2 approximately 30 min). Addition of ATP stimulated this transfer (t1/2 approximately 3 min) as did ADP (t1/2 approximately 0.2 min). ATP gamma S greatly reduced the rate of equilibration (t1/2 greater than 12 h). Direct visualization of recA X ssDNA complexes at subsaturating recA protein concentrations using electron microscopy revealed individual ssDNA molecules partially covered with recA protein which were converted to highly condensed networks upon addition of ATP gamma S. These results have led to a general model for the interaction of recA protein with ssDNA.


Rigid diaphragm is generally an acceptable option in most of the seismic design codes in which the in-plane deformability is not permitted because of the infinite in-plane stiffness properties.  Several building configurations may exhibit significant flexibility in floor diaphragms and accordingly using the semirigid diaphragm is recommended as significant in-plane deformation does occur.  In this study, a comparative study by using rigid and semirigid diaphragms is performed to identify the related effect on the reinforced concrete (RC) walls. In this study, a numerical study for a twelve-story building with dual system of RC columns and walls is performed. All geometrical and loading properties have been kept constant while using two types of diaphragm as rigid (RD) and semirigid (SRD). The seismic performance of the studied two structures was evaluated in terms of the fundamental period, maximum inter-story drift, maximum base shear and stresses on RC walls. Generally, RD produce results nearly identical to those of SRD for base shear, story displacements and inter-story drifts as the slab is sufficiently thick and membrane deformation due to lateral loading is negligible. Compared to SRD, using RD led to increase the internal moment and shear forces resulted from the seismic loads and acting on the RC walls while the resulting vertical loads are nearly identical.


SUMMARYANTICIPATING AND EVALUATING THE USEFULNESS OF EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES IN ERGONOMIC DESIGN: A REVIEW OF USEFULNESS IN DESIGN The overall aim of this paper is to outline a review of the concept of useful-ness. In particular, it looks at the facets of usefulness and the methods and tools that could help to develop a useful system from the perspective of ergonomics. Firstly, we present the research context and explain our motivations for focusing on the usefulness of innovative systems. One reason is that there is no theoretical or methodological framework that explicitly addresses usefulness as a guide to design and dene goals, in contrast with the concept of usability. The rst section aims to clarify the concept of usefulness. We have highlighted two dimensions of usefulness: purpose-usefulness and value-usefulness. Purpose-usefulness relates to the functional and non- functional features of the artefact. Value- usefulness relates to the improvements or signicant benets that the artefact can bring to users. We then clarify the relationship between usefulness and requirements. The require-ment is the original inspiration, the argument and the justication associated with the usefulness of an artefact during the design process. The second section presents usefulness from the point of view of ergonomics. First, we show the extent to which usefulness is a built and progressive feature of systems by revealing two worlds of usefulness: the prospective world and the retrospective world. The prospective world gathers all features, requirements and thinkable (although not necessarily desirable) solutions; the retrospectiv e world puts together all the rele-vant experiences in terms of usefulness to inform designers of the artefact. We then specify the relationship between usefulness and other criteria of ergonomics, such as usability or acceptability. The third section provides an overview of methods and their contributions to the different facets of usefulness. We detail the contribu-tion of methods to the production of a hypothesis and the development of prospec-tive worlds, before moving on to prioritization, selection and the decision-making process. Finally, we examine the evaluation of usefulness. In this part, we discuss the links between the more or less conscious nature of the requirements, the two


A primary objective in creating a stratified thermal storage is to maintain the thermodynamic quality of energy, so thermally stratified energy can be extracted at temperatures required for target activities. The separation of the thermal energy in heat stores to layers with different temperatures, i.e., the thermal stratification is a key factor in achieving this objective. This paper introduces different methods that have been proposed to characterize the thermal stratification in heat stores. Specifically, this paper focuses on the methods that can be used to determine the ability of heat stores to promote and maintain stratification during the process of charging, storing and discharging. In addition, based on methods using thermal stratification indices, the degrees of stratification of stored energy in Lyckebo rock cavern in Sweden were compared and the applicability of the methods was investigated.


Streaming applications will rapidly develop and contribute a significant amount of traffic in the near future. A problem, scarcely addressed so far, is how to distribute video streaming traffic from one source to all nodes in an urban vehicular network. This problem significantly differs from previous work on broadcast and multicast in ad hoc networks because of the highly dynamic topology of vehicular networks and the strict delay requirements of streaming applications. We present a solution for intervehicular communications, called Streaming Urban Video (SUV), that 1) is fully distributed and dynamically adapts to topology changes, and 2) leverages the characteristics of streaming applications to yield a highly efficient, cross-layer solution.