Introduction Interactions between the gut microbiota and enteroendocrine cells play important role in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Reduced stem cell densities and their differentiation into enteroendocrine cells may cause abnormal densities of the duodenal enteroendocrine cells in IBS patients. Materials and Methods We aimed to investigate the effects of fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) on stem cell differentiation into enteroendocrine cells as detected by neurogenin 3, stem cells as detected by Musashi 1, and the enteroendocrine cells in the duodenum of IBS patients. The study included 16 IBS patients according to Rome III criteria. Four patients were excluded. The remaining patients (n = 12, four females and eight males) were divided according to the cause of IBS into post-infectious (n = 6) and idiopathic (n = 6) IBS. They completed the following questionnaires before and 3 weeks after FMT: IBS-Symptom Severity Scoring system (IBS-SSS) and IBS-Symptom Questionnaire (IBS-SQ). Feces donated by healthy relatives of the patients were transplanted via gastroscope. Biopsies were taken from the descending part of the duodenum at baseline and 3 weeks after FMT. They were immunostained for neurogenin 3, Musashi 1, and all types of duodenal enteroendocrine cells and quantified by computerized image analysis. Microbiota analyses of feces collected just before and 3 weeks after FMT were performed using GA-map™ Dysbiosis test (Genetic Analysis AS, Oslo, Norway). Results The total scores for IBS-SSS and IBS-SQ were significantly improved 3 weeks after receiving FMT, P = 0.0009 and <0.0001, respectively. The stem cell densities of neurogenin 3 increased significantly following FMT (P = 0.0006) but not for Musashi 1 (P = 0.42). The cell densities of chromogranin A, cholecystokinin, gastric inhibitory peptide, serotonin, and somatostatin, but not for secretin, have significantly changed in both IBS groups after 3 weeks from receiving FMT. Conclusion More than two-thirds of IBS patients experienced improvement in their symptoms parallel to changes in the enteroendocrine cells densities 3 weeks after FMT. The changes in the enteroendocrine cell densities do not appear to be caused by changes in the stem cells or their early progenitors rather by changes in the differentiation progeny as detected by neurogenin 3. The study was retrospectively registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (ID: NCT03333291). Clinical Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier NCT03333291.


Coreference analysis, also known as record linkage or identity uncertainty, is a difficult and important problem in natural language processing, databases, citation matching and many other tasks. This paper introduces several discriminative, conditional-probability models for coreference analysis, all examples of undirected graphical models. Unlike many historical approaches to coreference, the models presented here are relational—they do not assume that pairwise coreference decisions should be made independently from each other. Unlike other relational models of coreference that are generative, the conditional model here can incorporate a great variety of features of the input without having to be concerned about their dependencies—paralleling the advantages of conditional random fields over hidden Markov models. We present positive results on noun phrase coreference in two standard text data sets.


The author analyzes European Jewry in conjunction with the American and Israeli Jewish communities in order to assert that the Jewish community in Europe, deeply scarred by the Shoah (Holocaust), is very diverse and ambiguous. The author classifies the Jewish identity of America as privatized and the identity of Israel as nationalized, with European Jewish identity as somewhat a middle ground between the two. By assessing hallmarks of European history and how they shaped European Jewish identity, the author concludes that European Jewry possesses a certain subtlety, maturity, and humility that will revitalize its presence in Europe.


Study of the 620 Asian immigrants with tuberculosis notified in the Wandsworth area of south London between 1973 and 1988 showed a bimodal pattern of tuberculosis notifications: in 1977 there was a peak among Asians from East Africa, and in 1981 a peak among those from the Indian subcontinent. There was a mean lag time of five years between clinical presentation and immigration. Logit analysis showed that, although overall more men had tuberculosis than women, glandular tuberculosis was more common among women of all groups, and pulmonary tuberculosis was more common among Hindu women than Hindu men. Both subgroups of Asians had a substantially higher incidence of tuberculosis than white people, particularly at extrapulmonary sites. Hindus were also at a significantly greater risk of tuberculosis at all sites than Muslims (Hindu:Muslim risk ratio 5.5 for women and 3.7 for men). The increased susceptibility to tuberculosis of Hindus, particularly Hindu women, may be related to a culturally acquired immunodeficiency caused by vegetarianism and associated vitamin deficiency.


In the present contribution bending tests are modeled and the bendability of steel sheets is evaluated. Bendability refers to the ratio of the minimum bend radius to the initial sheet thickness at which the bending process is successfully accomplished [1]. The metallurgic microstructure of the studied sheet consists in two principal phases: a fully dense matrix (which may be itself composed by several metallurgic phases) and spherical voids. For that purpose, the Gurson Tvergaard Needleman law ([2], [3], [4]) is used and significantly modified. The behavior of the fully dense matrix is defined by the anisotropic Hill 48 function and the Swift hardening law. The width of the sheet is assumed to be large enough to neglect the transversal strains and the stress component in the thickness direction is also neglected. The bending operation can thus be modelled by a plane strain-plane stress loading. The influence of mechanical parameters such as the initial porosity, the Lankford coefficient and the strain hardening exponent on the bendability is studied herein. The failure here is defined by the onset coalescence of neighbour voids and is checked by using Thomason [5], Pardoen [6] and Brunet [7] coalescence models. So the influence of other phenomena (like the shear band development and the localized necking) on the bendability is neglected here.


RNA profiling is increasingly used to predict drug response, dose, or toxicity based on analysis of drug pharmacokinetic or pharmacodynamic pathways. Before implementing multiplexed RNA arrays in clinical practice, validation studies are carried out to demonstrate sufficient evidence of analytic and clinical performance, and to establish an assay protocol with quality assurance measures. Pathologists assure quality by selecting input tissue and by interpreting results in the context of the input tissue as well as the technologies that were used and the clinical setting in which the test was ordered. A strength of RNA profiling is the array-based measurement of tens to thousands of RNAs at once, including redundant tests for critical analytes or pathways to promote confidence in test results. Instrument and reagent manufacturers are crucial for supplying reliable components of the test system. Strategies for quality assurance include careful attention to RNA preservation and quality checks at pertinent steps in the assay protocol, beginning with specimen collection and proceeding through the various phases of transport, processing, storage, analysis, interpretation, and reporting. Specimen quality is checked by probing housekeeping transcripts, while spiked and exogenous controls serve as a check on analytic performance of the test system. Software is required to manipulate abundant array data and present it for interpretation by a laboratory physician who reports results in a manner facilitating therapeutic decision-making. Maintenance of the assay requires periodic documentation of personnel competency and laboratory proficiency. These strategies are shepherding genomic arrays into clinical settings to provide added value to patients and to the larger health care system.


It is our purpose to describe the occurrence on the eyelid of an important benign tumor which is often mistaken for squamous-cell carcinoma and which has not received attention in the ophthalmic literature. This tumor, keratoacanthoma, was established as a clinical entity by MacCormac and Scarff1in 1936, and since then their observations have been substantiated by others. The tumor is important because histologically it resembles a low-grade squamous-cell carcinoma and most commonly is diagnosed and treated as a malignant tumor. Judging from the available literature, the dermatologists appear to be the only group of medical practitioners who are generally aware of its existence. Yet its incidence is relatively high, as indicated by reports of as many as 76 cases in one single series.* Among other terms, the tumor has been referred to as molluscum sebaceum, because of a superficial resemblance to molluscum contagiosum, and as molluscum pseudocarcinomatosum; however,


Abstract Purpose: Atrial fibrillation (AF) may first present as an ischemic stroke. Pulse palpation is a potential screening method for asymptomatic AF. We aimed to assess the reliability of pulse palpation by the elderly in detecting AF. Materials and methods: After brief information and training session conducted by a nurse, 173 subjects aged ≥75 years were instructed to palpate their pulse regularly for a month. After this, their ability to distinguish sinus rhythm (SR), SR with premature ventricular contractions (PVC) and AF by pulse palpation was assessed using an anatomic human arm model programmable with various rhythms. A control group of 57 healthcare professionals received the same information but not the training. Subjects unable to find the pulse were excluded (25 (14.5%) of the elderly and none in the healthcare group). Results: The median age of the elderly subjects was 78.4 [3.9] years and 98 (56.6%) were women. There were no differences between the elderly and healthcare groups in detecting SR (97.3% vs. 96.5%) or SR with PVCs (74.3% vs. 71.4%), but the elderly subjects identified slow (81.8% vs. 56.1%) and fast AF (91.9% vs. 80.7%) significantly better than the healthcare group. The ability to recognize SR with PVCs by the elderly was independently predicted by previous pulse palpation experience, secondary or higher level of education and one-point increase in MMSE score, while identifying the other rhythms had no predictors. Conclusions: The elderly can learn to reliably distinguish a normal rhythm after education. Pulse self-palpation may be a useful low-cost method to screen for asymptomatic AF.


Purpose In keratoconus treatment, Ferrera® rings nomogram integrates the Q factor defining corneal asphericity. Our study deals with the effect of the implantation of Ferrerra rings on the Q factor

Methods This retrospective and monocentric study involves forty eyes of thirty-one patients suffering from keratoconus implanted with Ferrara® rings, with an uncorrected visual activity (UCVA), a best spectacle-corrected visual acuity (BSCVA) and a videokerato-topography, before and six months after surgery. The items followed are the UCVA, the BSCA, the average (Kmean) and maximum keratometry (Kmax) and the Q factor in the central 20° (Q20) and 40° (Q40). The analyse of the visual acuity (more or less than a line) enables to differentiate two groups of "good" and "bad" responders. The statistical tests are a Wilcoxon signed rank for pre and post operative comparisons, a Wilcoxon-Mann Whithey for group comparisons, and a Spearsman for correlations.

Results The average age of patients is 32,8 years with 83,1% of male gender. Twelve eyes were implanted with two rings and twenty-eight with one. We find an average gain of 3.6 lines for UCVA, 1.1 lines for BSCVA and a decrease in Kmean of 1,4 dioptry. Q20 and Q40 are meaningly improved after surgery, but there is no significant difference between the studied groups. Lastly, before surgery, BSCVA is correlated to Q20, and Kmax to Q40. After surgery, UCVA is correlated to Q20 and Kmax to Q20. But the Kmax variation and the UCVA or BSCVA gains are not correlated.

Conclusion Including the Q factor in the nomogram establishing ring's choice improves the keratometric field but not the visual outcome.


We present a novel corpus for subjectivity detection at the sentence level. We develop new annotation guidelines for the task, which are not limited to language-specific cues, and apply them to produce a new corpus in English. The corpus consists of 411 subjective and 638 objective sentences extracted from ongoing coverage of political affairs from online news outlets. This new resource paves the way for the development of models for subjectivity detection in English and across other languages, without relying on language-specific tools like lexicons or machine translation. We evaluate state-of-the-art multilingual transformer-based models on the task, both in mono- and cross-lingual settings, the latter with a similar existing corpus in Italian language. We observe that enriching our corpus with resources in other languages improves the results on the task.


A new method has been developed to drive a single quartz crystal in both of its modes. Using a modulator and a demodulator the oscillator provides a C mode frequency output directly as well as the difference frequency between the C and B modes. Results concerning this dual-mode oscillator used in a digital temperature compensated quartz crystal oscillator (DTCXO) are reported.


We present here a structural and mechanistic description of how a protein changes its fold and function, mutation by mutation. Our approach was to create 2 proteins that (i) are stably folded into 2 different folds, (ii) have 2 different functions, and (iii) are very similar in sequence. In this simplified sequence space we explore the mutational path from one fold to another. We show that an IgG-binding, 4β+α fold can be transformed into an albumin-binding, 3-α fold via a mutational pathway in which neither function nor native structure is completely lost. The stabilities of all mutants along the pathway are evaluated, key high-resolution structures are determined by NMR, and an explanation of the switching mechanism is provided. We show that the conformational switch from 4β+α to 3-α structure can occur via a single amino acid substitution. On one side of the switch point, the 4β+α fold is >90% populated (pH 7.2, 20 °C). A single mutation switches the conformation to the 3-α fold, which is >90% populated (pH 7.2, 20 °C). We further show that a bifunctional protein exists at the switch point with affinity for both IgG and albumin.


By means of their pivotal role in the outbreak of a variety of diseases, such as, recently, COVID-19, the molecular aspects of cell membrane function have gained considerable attention from researchers in recent decades. The resulting information explosion and the growing interdisciplinary character of cell biology seems, however, to not be represented in science classrooms. Hence, there appears to be a gap between what is scientifically known and what is actually taught in classrooms. Framed by the model of educational reconstruction (MER), the aim of our study is therefore to identify scientific core ideas of cell membrane biology from an educational point of view. This is achieved by conducting qualitative content analysis of relevant cell biology literature. By using Conceptual Metaphor as a theory of understanding, we additionally illuminate the experiential grounding of scientific conceptions. Our results propose that cell membrane biology can be structured into three core ideas, comprising compartmentalisation, physical and chemical properties, and multicellular coordination interrelated by evolution as a key aspect. Our results show that scientists conceive these ideas metaphorically. Embodied part-whole relations seem, for example, to lay the grounds for their understanding of biological function. The outcomes of the study may inform future cell membrane teaching.


Current polyamide 11 and 12 are lacking in fire retardancy and high strength/high heat resistance characteristics for a plethora of fabricated parts that are desired and required for performance driven applications. The introduction of selected nanoparticles such as surface modified montmorillonite (MMT) clay or carbon nanofibers (CNFs), combined with a conventional intumescent flame retardant (FR) additive into the polyamide 11/polyamide 12 (PA11/PA12) by melt processing conditions has resulted in the preparation of a family of intumescent polyamide nanocomposites. These intumescent polyamide 11 and 12 nanocomposites exhibit enhanced polymer performance characteristics, i.e., fire retardancy, high strength and high heat resistance and are expected to expand the market opportunities for polyamide 11 and polyamide 12 polymer manufacturers. The objective of this research is to develop improved polyamide 11 and 12 polymers with enhanced flame retardancy, thermal, and mechanical properties for selective laser sintering (SLS) rapid manufacturing (RM). In the present study, a nanophase was introduced into the polyamide 11 and combining it with a conventional intumescent FR additive via twin screw extrusion. Arkema RILSAN® polyamide 11 molding polymer pellets were examined with two types of nanoparticles: chemically modified montmorillonite (MMT) organoclays, and carbon nanofibers (CNFs); and Clairant's Exolit® OP 1230 intumescent FR additive were used to create a family of FR intumescent polyamide 11 nanocomposites. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was used to determine the degree of nanoparticles dispersion. Injection molded specimens were fabricated for physical, thermal, and flammability measurements. Thermal stability of these intumescent polyamide 11 nanocomposites was examined by TGA. Flammability properties were obtained using the Cone Calorimeter at an external heat flux of 35 kW/m and UL 94 Test Method. Heat deflection temperatures (HDT) were also measured. TEM micrographs, physical, thermal, and flammability properties are presented. FR intumescent polyamide 11 nanocomposites properties are compared with polyamide 11 baseline polymer. Based on flammability and mechanical material performance, selective polymers including polyamide 11 nanocomposites and control polyamide 11 will be


The recently identified human ortholog of the Rabphillin-3A-Like (RPH3AL) gene, located at the 17p13.3 locus, has been assessed for its mutational status and clinical significance in colorectal adenocarcinoma (CRC). Prospectively collected 95 frozen CRCs and their matching benign colonic epithelial tissues were evaluated for mutations and mRNA expression. Since, we observed a higher incidence of a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) at the -25 position in the 5'untranslated region (5'UTR-25) of RPH3AL, we performed the genotyping analysis of this SNP in a retrospective CRC cohort (n=134) to assess their clinical importance. Univariate and multivariate outcome analyses were performed. The cDNA analysis has detected point mutations in 6 CRCs, coding region SNPs in 14 CRCs, and non-coding region SNPs in 38 CRCs. Combined analyses of both cohorts has demonstrated that the incidence of SNP at 5'UTR-25 was 41% (95 of 229), and its A/A genotype (9%, 20 of 229) was observed exclusively in non-Hispanic Caucasians, and 19 of these cases were diagnosed with nodal metastasis. Patients who exhibited homozygous for A or C alleles had a significantly decreased levels of mRNA expression, increased risk of CRC recurrence and mortality. Therefore, these findings have significant clinical implications in assessing the aggressiveness of CRC.


Structural studies of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) gave insights into molecular mechanisms of their action and contributed significantly to molecular pharmacology. This is primarily due to technical advances in protein engineering, production and crystallization of these important receptor targets. On the other hand, NMR spectroscopy of GPCRs, which can provide information about their dynamics, still remains challenging due to difficulties in preparation of isotopically labeled receptors and their low long-term stabilities. In this review, we discuss methods used for expression and purification of GPCRs for crystallographic and NMR studies. We also summarize protein engineering methods that played a crucial role in obtaining GPCR crystal structures.


Since nesfatin-1/NUCB2 involved in the control of appetite and energy metabolism was discovered for the first time in hypothalamus, many reports have shown its expression in various tissues. We also recently demonstrated that nesfatin-1/NUCB2 was expressed in the reproductive organs of mouse. However, no data exist on nesfatin-1/NUCB2 expression, regulation, and secretion in the uterus. Therefore, we examined the expression of nesfatin-1/NUCB2 in mouse uterus and the effects of PMSG and estrogen on its expression. NUCB2 mRNA expression in the uterus was determined by conventional and real-time PCR and nesfatin-1 protein expression was detected by western blotting. In immunohistochemistry staining, nesfatin-1 protein was localized at the epithelial cells of the uterine glands and endometrium. Nesfatin-1 protein binding sites were displayed at the epithelial cells of uterine glands and specific granulocytes including neutrophils. Additionally, to examine if the nesfatin-1/NUCB2 expression in the uterus is regulated by gonadotropin or estrogen, ovariectomized mice were treated with PMSG or 17 β-estradiol. The expression levels of NUCB2 mRNA in the uterus was significantly increased in the control mice after PMSG treatment, but not in the ovariectomized mice. In contrast, NUCB2 mRNA expression was dramatically increased in the ovariectomized mice after treatment with 17 β-estradiol. We report here for the First time that nesfatin-1/NUCB2 mRNA and protein express in the mouse uterus and its expression is regulated by estrogen secreted from the ovary, but not gonadotropin from the pituitary.


White light scanning interferometry has gotten a firm position in 3D surface profile measuring field. Recently, the LCD industry gave a chance for this technology to enter into real industry fields. It is known that white-light phase-shifting algorithm give a best resolution compare to other algorithms, but there are some problems to be resolved. One of them is 300nm jump in height profile, called bat-wing effect. The main reason of this problem is an ambiguity of phase-peak detection algorithm, and some solution has been proposed, but it didn't work perfectly. In this paper, I will show the cases when these effects are occurred, and these height discrepancies will be almost disappeared when broad-band illuminators are used.


Abstract Eight different types of acid tuffs of the Eger Castle (Hungary) and two tuffs from nearby quarries have been studied in detail. Mapping of wall sections reveals that tuffs show weathering forms that are similar to common sedimentary rocks, such as limestones or sandstones. Different lithologies display various weathering features. On pumice-rich tuff ashlars relief due to selective weathering, weathering crusts, multiple flakes and scales occur, while crumbling is common on layered flow tuffs. Conversely, cemented tuff types do not show deep weathering. Pore-size distribution rather than effective porosity controls the weathering susceptibility of tuffs. Frequent larger micropores are the main causes of freeze-thaw-related weathering. Besides clays, newly formed gypsum and calcite are the weathering-related index minerals. Schmidt hammer rebound values mark the weathering process when quarry stones and ashlars of historic walls are compared.


Abstract This paper provides an imperfect information explanation for the existence of bank loan commitments when both the bank and the potential borrower are risk neutral. The borrower is assumed to have access to a two-stage investment project wherein the investment required in the second stage is not known at the outset. The unknown investment requirement is revealed to the borrower, but not to the bank, at the beginning of the second stage. If the investor borrows at the beginning of the first stage, the realization at the beginning of the second stage might prompt a default in a situation where the project yields positive net present value. The reason is that the borrower does not regard the first-stage investment as a sunk cost. We show that a two-stage contract resembling a loan commitment can solve this under-investment problem.


Aims: Nigerian indigenous kola nuts (Garcinia kola, Kola acuminate, Kola vera) were evaluated for potential phytochemical properties.
Study Design: Phytochemical analysis.
Place and duration of Study: Renaissance University, Ugbawka, Enugu State, Nigeria, July 2016.
Methodology: The nuts were dried, ground and extracted by cold maceration with 99.5% methanol for 72 hours after which the methanol was allowed to evaporate.
Results: The phytochemical evaluation revealed the presence of saponin glycosides, glycoside, volatile oil, steroid and alkaloid in Kola vera; saponin, saponin glycoside, glycoside, tannins, pseudo tannins, volatile oil, steroid and alkaloid in Kola acuminate while flavonoid, alkaloid and steroid were found in Garcinia kola.
Conclusion: The phytochemical activities results showed that kola acuminate and Garcinia kola extracts exhibited more phytochemical than kola vera.


Adverse events significantly impact upon mortality rates and healthcare costs. Purpose: To design a checklist of safety measures based on relevant scientific literature, apply random checklist measures to critically ill patients in real time (safety audits), and determine its utility and feasibility. Methods: A list of safety measures based on scientific literature was drawn up by investigators. Subsequently, a group of selected experts evaluated these measures using the Delphi methodology. Audits were carried out on 14 days over a period of one month. Each day, 50% of the measures were randomly selected and measured in 50% of the randomized patients. Utility was assessed by measuring the changes in clinical performance after audits, using the variable improvement proportion related to audits. Feasibility was determined by the successful completion of auditing on each of the days on which audits were attempted. Results: The final verified checklist comprised 37 measures distributed into 10 blocks. The improvement proportion related to audits was reported in 83.78% of the measures. This proportion was over 25% in the following measures: assessment of the alveolar pressure limit, checking of mechanical ventilation alarms, checking of monitor alarms, correct prescription of the daily treatment orders, daily evaluation of the need for catheters, enteral nutrition monitoring, assessment of semi-recumbent position, and checking that patient clinical information is properly organized in the clinical history. Feasibility: rounds were completed on the 14 proposed days. Conclusions: Audits in real time are a useful and feasible tool for modifying clinical actions and minimizing errors.


The main features of the phylogeny program TNT are discussed. Windows versions have a menu interface, while Macintosh and Linux versions are command‐driven. The program can analyze data sets with discrete (additive, non‐additive, step‐matrix) as well as continuous characters (evaluated with Farris optimization). Effective analysis of large data sets can be carried out in reasonable times, and a number of methods to help identifying wildcard taxa in the case of ambiguous data sets are implemented. A variety of methods for diagnosing trees and exploring character evolution is available in TNT, and publication‐quality tree‐diagrams can be saved as metafiles. Through the use of a number of native commands and a simple but powerful scripting language, TNT allows the user an enormous flexibility in phylogenetic analyses or simulations.


PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present how prior knowledge about the impact of real estate features on value might be utilised in the econometric models of real estate appraisal. In these models, price is a dependent variable and real estate features are explanatory variables. Moreover, these kinds of models might support individual and mass appraisals.Design/methodology/approachA mixed estimation procedure was discussed in the research. It enables using sample and prior information in an estimation process. Prior information was provided by real estate experts in the form of parameter intervals. Also, sample information about the prices and features of undeveloped land for low-residential purposes was used. Then, mixed estimation results were compared with ordinary least squares (OLS) outcomes. Finally, the estimated econometric models were assessed with regard to both formal criteria and valuation accuracy.FindingsThe OLS results were unacceptable, mostly because of the low quality of the database, which is often the case on local, undeveloped real estate markets. The mixed results are much more consistent with formal expectations and the real estate valuations are also better for a mixed model. In a mixed model, the impact of each real estate feature could be estimated, even if there is no variability in the sample information. Valuations are also more precise in terms of their consistency with market prices. The mean error (ME) and mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) are lower for a mixed model.Originality/valueThe crucial problem in econometric property valuation is that it involves the unreliability of databases, especially on undeveloped, local markets. The applied mixed estimation procedure might support sample information with prior knowledge, in the form of stochastic restrictions imposed on parameters. Thus, that kind of knowledge might be obtained from real estate experts, practitioners, etc.


ABSTRACT This paper reviews the literature on women's chemical dependency and its effects on their children. Many risk factors (e.g., a history of traumatic exposure) and consequences (interference with parenting) of substance abuse are unique for women, giving rise to special treatment needs of substance-abusing women with children. Substance-abusing mothers also experience unique barriers to receiving the services they need to recover, such as absence of child care and lack of gender-specific treatment in their communities. Model programs are described and recommendations are offered for best treatment practices for women with chemical dependency who present in the child welfare system.


This thesis consists of 8 chapters and each chapter is described as follows: Chapter 2: Presents the different types of piles which exist today and their classification. Chapter 3: Presents the different soil parameters we use in pile analyses and design and the properties of these parameters. Chapter 4: Presents the different empirical and theoretical static pile capacity equation. It also presents the effect of time and plugging on pile capacity. Chapter 5: Presents pile dynamics, static and dynamic load tests on piles. Chapter 6: Presents a case study which is a case of a bridge project on the Drammen selva river in Drammen, Norway. Chapter 7: Presents the analysis and results obtained for the case study described in chapter 6. Chapter 8: It is the last part of the work which presents conclusions and possible future work.


Resolution of data is a sensitive issue in environmental modeling. Professionals from diverse background use Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for environmental modeling. Availability of GIS software and publicly available digital data make modeling more accessible to anyone, but without proper understanding of the resampling and resolution of the digital database, model results are of little practical significance. It is imperative that the government agencies and their contractors responsible for using GIS‐based modeling to implement regulatory goals must have strong foundational knowledge of resolution of data and their implications. This study utilizes the SWAT (Soil and Water Assessment Tool) model integrated with ArcView to examine how sensitive the SWAT model was to the resolution of Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) while predicting the streamflow. This research uses a case study to demonstrate to the modeling community that resolution of data matters when predicting flow. If there were no effect of resolution on the modeled results then the original 90 m DEM and the original 30 m DEM resampled to 90 m would show similar trends. Initial input layers into SWAT were: DEMs, soils, landuse (LU) and meteorological data. The model‐predicted streamflow was validated against USGS (US Geological Survey) stream gauge data. DEMs are available at 30, 90 and 300 m resolution originally; therefore, this study analysed the sensitivity of the predicted streamflow at 30, 90 and 300 m resolution. Results indicated that SWAT is indeed sensitive to the resolution of the DEMs: original 90 and 30 m DEM resampled to 90 m did not show the same trend. Therefore, the effects of resolution cannot be ignored and resampling may not be adequate in modeling stream flows using a distributed watershed model. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Numerical modeling of the urban boundary layer is complicated by the need to describe airflow patterns outside of the computational domain. These patterns have an impact on how successfully the simulation is able to model the turbulence associated with the urban boundary layer. This talk presents experiments with the model boundary conditions for simulations that were done to support two Department of Energy observational programs involving the Salt Lake City basin. The Chemical/Biological Non-proliferation Program (CBNP) is concerned with the effects of buildings on influencing dispersion patterns in urban environments. The Vertical Transport and Mixing Program (VTMX) investigating mixing mechanisms in the stable boundary layer and how they are influenced by the channeling caused by drainage flows or by obstacles such as building complexes. Both of these programs are investigating the turbulent mixing caused by building complexes and other urban obstacles.


The authors present a novel image coding algorithm based on a class of image models known as doubly stochastic Gaussian models (DSGM). They exploit the nonhomogeneous nature of images by a space-variant autoregressive representation that switches in a set of linear predictive submodels. The switch is controlled by a 2-D Markov chain. The coder is a DPCM (differential pulse code modulation) system that is given the submodel (predictor) coefficients. In order to obtain these predictors, a recursive state estimation of the underlying Markov chain is done. This combination provides the doubly recursive prediction nature of this algorithm. Two coding schemes based on this structure are introduced. The first is a backward adaptation DPCM coder that needs very few side information bits. The other transmits codes for both model indices and quantized prediction residuals. Experimental results for different bit rates are presented.<<ETX>>


The relative cross-sections of 2- and 3-body outgoing channels were measured for the system 100Mo + 100Mo at 12, 14.7 and 18.8 MeV/u incident energy. At total-kinetic-energy losses TKEL > 500 MeV the 3-body channel accounts for more strength than the 2-body channel. For a given TKEL, the intensity ratio of these two channels is independent of the bombarding energy. Therefore, the probability of 3-body processes is attributed to the decay properties of the highly excited primary products rather than to the dynamics of the collision.


Most research on task oriented dialog modeling is based on written text input. However, users interact with practical dialog systems often using speech as input. Typically, systems convert speech into text using an Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) system, introducing errors. Furthermore, these systems do not address the differences in written and spoken language. The research on this topic is stymied by the lack of a public corpus. Motivated by these considerations, our goal in hosting the speech-aware dialog state tracking challenge was to create a public corpus or task which can be used to investigate the performance gap between the written and spoken forms of input, develop models that could alleviate this gap, and establish whether Text-to-Speech-based (TTS) systems is a reasonable surrogate to the more-labor intensive human data collection. We created three spoken versions of the popular written-domain MultiWoz task – (a) TTS-Verbatim: written user inputs were converted into speech waveforms using a TTS system, (b) Human-Verbatim: humans spoke the user inputs verbatim, and (c) Human-paraphrased: humans paraphrased the user inputs. Additionally, we provided different forms of ASR output to encourage wider participation from teams that may not have access to state-of-the-art ASR systems. These included ASR transcripts, word time stamps, and latent representations of the audio (audio encoder outputs). In this paper, we describe the corpus, report results from participating teams, provide preliminary analyses of their results, and summarize the current state-of-the-art in this domain.


Inflammation is an important hallmark of cancer and plays a role in both neogenesis and tumor development. Despite this, inflammatory-related genes (IRGs) remain to be poorly studied in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). We aim to explore the prognostic value of IRGs for LUAD and construct an IRG-based prognosis signature. The transcriptomic profiles and clinicopathological information of patients with LUAD were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO). Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) analysis and multivariate Cox regression were applied in the TCGA set to generate an IRG risk signature. LUAD cases with from the GSE31210 and GSE30219 datasets were used to validate the predictive ability of the signature. Analysis of the TCGA cohort revealed a five-IRG risk signature consisting of EREG, GPC3, IL7R, LAMP3, and NMUR1. This signature was used to divide patients into two risk groups with different survival rates. Multivariate Cox regression analysis verified that the risk score from the five-IRG signature negatively correlated with patient outcome. A nomogram was developed using the IRG risk signature and stage, with C-index values of 0.687 (95% CI: 0.644–0.730) in the TCGA training cohort, 0.678 (95% CI: 0.586–0.771) in GSE30219 cohort, and 0.656 (95% CI: 0.571–0.740) in GSE30219 cohort. Calibration curves were consistent between the actual and the predicted overall survival. The immune infiltration analysis in the TCGA training cohort and two GEO validation cohorts showed a distinctly differentiated immune cell infiltration landscape between the two risk groups. The IRG risk signature for LUAD can be used to predict patient prognosis and guide individual treatment. This risk signature is also a potential biomarker of immunotherapy.


Trawl processes belong to the class of continuous-time, strictly stationary, infinitely divisible processes; they are defined as L\'{e}vy bases evaluated over deterministic trawl sets. This article presents the first nonparametric estimator of the trawl function characterising the trawl set and the serial correlation of the process. Moreover, it establishes a detailed asymptotic theory for the proposed estimator, including a law of large numbers and a central limit theorem for various asymptotic relations between an in-fill and a long-span asymptotic regime. In addition, it develops consistent estimators for both the asymptotic bias and variance, which are subsequently used for establishing feasible central limit theorems which can be applied to data. A simulation study shows the good finite sample performance of the proposed estimators and, in an empirical illustration, the new methodology is applied to modelling and forecasting high-frequency financial spread data from a limit order book.


Articulated bodies are commonly employed to model complex physical systems, including robots, humanoid figures, hair, animals, plants, molecules, nanosystems, etc. As a result, Computer-Aided-Design (CAD) tools frequently allow users to construct, edit and simulate articulated-body systems.
When an articulated-body system contains a large number of degrees of freedom, however, manually editing its configuration becomes tedious, since it becomes unclear how to effectively map user interfaces with few degrees of freedom (e.g. a mouse or a haptic device) to the space of possible articulated-body motions.
In this paper, we introduce a simple, efficient algorithm to tunably smooth the acceleration of an articulated body, and demonstrate how this smoothed acceleration may be used to edit the configuration of complex molecular structures.
Our approach may be combined both with internal and external force fields, so that editing an articulated-body system may be performed while taking into account the system's physics. This helps the user design and analyze complex structures, and produce well-formed configurations and trajectories. We demonstrate our approach on several large-scale structural biology examples containing up to a few thousands of degrees of freedom.


We present a hybrid statistical and grammar-based system for surface natural language generation (NLG) that uses grammar rules, conditions on using those grammar rules, and corpus statistics to determine the word order. We also describe how this surface NLG module is implemented in a prototype conversational system, and how it attempts to model informational novelty by varying the word order. Using a combination of rules and statistical information, the conversational system expresses the novel information differently than the given information, based on the run-time dialog state. We also discuss our plans for evaluating the generation strategy.


In this letter we study the performance of wireless sensor networks in Rayleigh fading channel, transmitted power of every sensor is assumed to be fixed during the packet transmission. The probability of packet loss (or instantaneous outage) and the accessibility are used as the performance measures. The accessibility is defined in this letter as the probability that the sensor having the weakest link gets successful access. Closed form mathematical representation of the performance is given without Gaussian approximation of the interference. Monte Carlo simulations are provided to validate the results.


Violent behavior and suicidal ideation are two major public health problems, with the former representing outward attack and the latter characterizing inward attack. The effects of emotional maltreatment in childhood will continue into adolescence. This study explores the impact of childhood emotional maltreatment on adolescent violent behavior/suicidal ideation and its mechanism. Participants were 3,600 adolescents (average age is 16.21 ± 0.99) from the middle east of China. They completed questionnaires measuring emotional maltreatment in childhood, deviant peer affiliation, depression, violent behavior, and suicidal ideation in adolescence. After controlling for demographic variables, we found that deviant peer affiliation and depression mediated between childhood emotional maltreatment and adolescent violent behavior/suicidal ideation. Multi-group analysis results showed that males' deviant peer affiliation would contribute to their violent behaviors. Among female groups, deviant peer affiliation and depression were risk factors for violent behavior and suicidal ideation. a) cross-sectional design was used in this study; b) all the measures were self-reported. Preventing emotional maltreatment in childhood can help reduce violent behavior and suicidal ideation by reducing deviant peer affiliation and depression in adolescence. Males who experienced emotional maltreatment in childhood are more likely to show violent behaviors shaped by external factors such as deviant peer affiliation. In contrast, females' interpersonal orientation and internalizing factors both influence their external and internal aggressive behaviors.


Abstract The students' thoughts are a source of power when they are used correctly in the EFL classroom, but, on the contrary, they may be an obstacle to learning and cause emotional instability if the students do not use them well. According to general studies of psychology, thoughts can be classified as relevant and irrelevant. A relevant thought takes place when a person dedicates his thinking to a specific task. For instance, a student is doing a multiple-choice exercise about phrasal verbs, and makes hypothesis and deductions from his knowledge of phrasal verbs in order to do the exercise. Then, as those relevant thoughts take place, other thoughts that are not related directly to that exercise emerge. Those can be irrelevant thoughts when they do not help in doing the task, and interfere with relevant thoughts. They refer to intrapersonal matters, as self-efficacy, motivation, self-esteem, etc. For instance, the student thinks: "I won't be able to do the exercise" or "I should have studied harder", etc. However, these irrelevant thoughts can be facilitating to the task if the student is able to analyze those thoughts and change them into positive ones: "I will do my best" or "Although I have not studied hard, I will give it a chance" .This paper shows how cognition and emotion relate to each other and how relevant and irrelevant thoughts are created. It will also explain how the language learner employs self-defense mechanisms as s/he finds difficulties or aversion in doing learning tasks. As a general consideration, irrelevant thoughts can be as important as relevant thoughts in learning a language. Moreover, many researchers claim that they are responsible for determining success or failure in ordinary classroom learning tasks.


Pancreas divisum is an embryological malformation resulting from imperfect fusion of the dorsal and ventral parts of the gland. In this not infrequently observed anomaly, the excretory systems of the two parts remain independent, secretion being through the principal papilla for the ventral, and the accessory papilla for the dorsal pancreas. The pathogenic role of this malformation is now well established. Ultrasonographic findings in the three cases reported, particularly the intrapancreatic pathway of the superior mesenteric vein, were sufficiently atypical for this congenital malformation to be suspected.


Dynamic changes in VMH and PVN monoamines and immunoreactive insulin (IRI) were investigated by microdialysis in freely-moving genetically obese Zucker rats in order to relate possible disturbances to the impaired regulation of food intake of this model. Serotonin (5-HT), 5-HIAA and dopamine (DA) increased at the beginning of spontaneous meals while DOPAC decreased. Although similar in normal and obese rats, these changes were much more dramatic in the latter, as if more "signal" for satiety were necessary at the VMH-PVN level. Glucoprivic feeding or satiety are induced in normal rats by intravenous infusions of insulin or insulin+glucose respectively. The Zucker rat is resistant to these treatments. The monoaminergic changes brought about by these infusions were similar in obese and normal rats (decreases in 5-HT and DA and increases in 5-HIAA and DOPAC), but the occurrence of meals, in the obese, showed a superim-position of monoaminergic changes resembling those related to spontaneous feeding. The monoaminergic effects of insulin must therefore be dissociated from its effects on feeding. Hypothalamic insulin itself might be the brain signal. At the beginning of meals presented for the first time, VMH-PVN IRI increased earlier and with a smaller magnitude in the obese. When the rats were accustomed to scheduled meals, a similar anticipatory increase in IRI was found in both obese and lean rats. This suggests that brain insulin is more than a satiety signal. In addition, in response to an i.v. insulin infusion, IRI increased twice as much in obese rats despite lower basal levels. Whatever the origin of hypothalamic insulin, the larger response of the obese Zucker rat, known to be insulin resistant, may reflect the inefficiency of the peptide in reducing feeding and body weight in this pathological model.


A method is studied for computation of the spectral decomposition of a symmetric matrix with high precision. The approach used is based upon careful calculation of a solution of the Riccati equations arising in the refinement process. Detailed rounding error analysis and estimates of convergence rates are carried out.


This study examined the reasons for referral of patients from general practice to health centre hospitals in central and northern Finland during one week in 1994. Participants were 806 general practitioners (GPs) from public health centres. Outcome measures were reasons for referral by ICPC codes, with respect to characteristics of patients, GPs, and practices. A total of 723 patients (1.4%) were referred from 53,633 consultations. Most referrals (532, 74%) were from out of hours consultations. The most commonly reported reasons for referral in the age group under 65 years were alcohol abuse for males and vertigo for females. For patients aged 65 or over, angina pectoris was the most common reason for referral for both male and female patients. Our results will be useful in developing primary healthcare and the training of GPs. Future research should focus on alcohol-related diseases in those patients referred to health centre hospitals.


We present a numerical study of the λφ 4 model in three Euclidean dimensions, where the two spatial coordinates are non-commutative (NC). We first show the explicit phase diagram of this model on a lattice. The ordered regime splits into a phase of uniform order and a " striped phase ". Then we discuss the dispersion relation, which allows us to introduce a dimensionful lattice spacing. Thus we can study a double scaling limit to zero lattice spacing and infinite volume, which keeps the non-commutativity parameter constant. The dispersion relation in the disordered phase stabilizes in this limit, which represents a non-perturbative renormalization. From its shape we infer that the striped phase persists in the continuum, and we observe UV/IR mixing as a non-perturbative effect.


This paper
describes a simple form, the theory to determine the crystallization fraction
during the phase transformation of a solid, at a constant heating rate, from
data obtained by impedance spectroscopy, where the change of the applied
alternating voltage and measured current are proportional to the
microstructural changes at the sample, corresponding to the volume fraction of
a series layer model of two phases. To determine the volume fraction of each
phase present in the sample, electrical data are obtained: conductivity and
permittivity at DC, which are modeled by an electrical circuit composed by 2-RC,
taking into that the permittivity and the occupied volume correspond to the
filling fraction of each phase. By Cathodic Ersion or Sputtering, samples were
obtained in film form of about 500 in thickness, composed of an alloy of Sb2Te3,
in amorphous phase. To ensure the existence of the phase transformation in the
sample, phase transition tests are performed by changes in: Reflection Optics,
Electrical Resistivity and X-Ray Diffraction, showing clearly the presence of
such a transformation. In the final part of this work, it completely shows the
experimental results, giving a clear and precise idea of the kinetics of phase
transformation of Sb2Te3 alloy, by impedance spectroscopy
technique, which proves to be a simple and practical calculation tool.


This paper tackles the distributed leader-follower (L-F) control problem for heterogeneous mobile robots in unknown environments requiring obstacle avoidance, inter-robot collision avoidance, and reliable robot communications. To prevent an inter-robot collision, we employ a virtual propulsive force between robots. For obstacle avoidance, we present a novel distributed Negative-Imaginary (NI) variant formation tracking control approach and a dynamic network topology methodology which allows the formation to change its shape and the robot to switch their roles. In the case of communication or sensor loss, a UAV, controlled by a Strictly-Negative-Imaginary (SNI) controller with good wind resistance characteristics, is utilized to track the position of the UGV formation using its camera. Simulations and indoor experiments have been conducted to validate the proposed methods.


We give an intuitive though general explanation of the finite-size effect in scale-free networks in terms of the degree distribution of the starting network. This result clarifies the relevance of the starting network in the final degree distribution. We use two different approaches: the deterministic mean-field approximation used by Barabási and Albert (but taking into account the nodes of the starting network), and the probability distribution of the degree of each node, which considers the stochastic process. Numerical simulations show that the accuracy of the predictions of the mean-field approximation depend on the contribution of the dispersion in the final distribution. The results in terms of the probability distribution of the degree of each node are very accurate when compared to numerical simulations. The analysis of the standard deviation of the degree distribution allows us to assess the influence of the starting core when fitting the model to real data.


The proliferation of harmful content on online platforms is a major societal problem, which comes in many different forms, including hate speech, offensive language, bullying and harassment, misinformation, spam, violence, graphic content, sexual abuse, self-harm, and many others. Online platforms seek to moderate such content to limit societal harm, to comply with legislation, and to create a more inclusive environment for their users. Researchers have developed different methods for automatically detecting harmful content, often focusing on specific sub-problems or on narrow communities, as what is considered harmful often depends on the platform and on the context. We argue that there is currently a dichotomy between what types of harmful content online platforms seek to curb, and what research efforts there are to automatically detect such content. We thus survey existing methods as well as content moderation policies by online platforms in this light and suggest directions for future work.


An intelligent servo drive system for a permanent magnet-assisted synchronous reluctance motor (PMASynRM) that can adapt to the control requirements considering the motor's nonlinear and time-varying natures is developed in this study. A recurrent wavelet fuzzy neural network (RWFNN) with intelligent backstepping control is proposed to achieve this. In this study, first, a maximum torque per ampere (MTPA) controlled PMASynRM servo drive is introduced. A lookup table (LUT) is created, which is based on finite element analysis (FEA) results by using ANSYS Maxwell-2D dynamic model to determine the current angle command of the MTPA. Next, a backstepping control (BSC) system is created to accurately follow the desired position in the PMASynRM servo drive system while maintaining robust control characteristics. However, designing an efficient BSC for practical applications becomes challenging due to the lack of prior uncertainty information. To overcome this challenge, this study introduces an RWFNN as an approximation for the BSC, aiming to alleviate the limitations of the traditional BSC approach. An enhanced adaptive compensator is also incorporated into the RWFNN to handle potential approximation errors effectively. In addition, to ensure the stability of the RWFNN, the Lyapunov stability method is employed to develop online learning algorithms for the RWFNN and to guarantee its asymptotic stability. The proposed intelligent backstepping control with recurrent wavelet fuzzy neural network (IBSCRWFNN) demonstrates remarkable effectiveness and robustness in controlling the PMASynRM servo drive, as evidenced by the experimental results.


In this paper, a channel-adaptive beamforming method is proposed for OFDMA (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multilexing Access) systems with smart antenna, in which the size of a cluster is determined adaptively depending on the frequency selectivity of the channel. The proposed method consists of 4 steps: initial channel estimation, refinement of channel estimates, region-splitting, and computation of weight vector for each region. In the proposed method, the size of a cluster for resource unit is determined adaptively according to a region-splitting criterion. It is shown by simulation that the proposed method shows good performances in both frequency-flat and frequency-selective channels.


In this work we focus on the search and detection of Supermassive black hole binary systems, including systems at high redshift. As well as expanding on previous works where we used a variant of Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) with simulated annealing, we introduce a new search method based on frequency annealing which leads to a more rapid and robust detection. We compare the two search methods on systems where we do and do not see the merger of the black holes. In the non-merger case, we also examine the posterior distribution exploration using a 7-D MCMC algorithm. We demonstrate that this method is quite effective in dealing with the high correlations between parameters, has a higher acceptance rate than previously proposed methods and produces posterior distribution functions that are extremely close to the prediction from the Fisher matrix. Finally, after carrying out searches where there is only one binary in the data stream, we examine the case where two black hole binaries are present in the same data stream. We demonstrate that we have no problems in pulling out the two binaries, displaying that there is virtually no correlation between overlapping binary black holes, and more importantly showing that we can safely extract the SMBHB sources without contaminating the rest of the data stream.


The better definition of the mutual sustainment between neoplastic cells and immune system has been translated from the bench to the bedside acquiring value as prognostic factor. Additionally, it represents a promising tool for improving therapeutic strategies. In this context, myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) have gained a central role in tumor developing with consequent therapeutic implications. In this review, we will focus on the biological and clinical impact of the study of MDSCs in the settings of lymphoid malignancies.


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

Previous gene mapping efforts, including a recent admixture mapping study, concluded that there is likely at least one prostate cancer susceptibility locus on 7q32. Podocalyxin (PODXL) is the strongest candidate gene in this region, particularly for risk of aggressive disease (Casey et al. Human Molecular Genetics, 5: 735-741, 2006). Therefore, we examined 34 tagSNPs in the PODXL gene in relation to prostate cancer risk and aggressiveness in a sample of unrelated cases (n=626) and controls (n=239) from metropolitan Detroit, MI. Men were recruited from Henry Ford Health System; cases were diagnosed with prostate cancer between 2001 and 2004, and controls were frequency matched to cases on 5 year age groups and race. Logistic regression models were adjusted for family history of prostate cancer, race, age, and ancestry where appropriate. Carrying at least one copy of the variant A allele in SNP rs3212299 was associated with a decrease in prostate cancer risk (OR=0.60, 95% CI: 0.41, 0.90). Having at least on copy of the C allele in SNP rs11773254 was associated with a 70% increased risk of prostate cancer (OR = 1.70, 95% CI: 1.13, 2.58). The G allele of rs1733874 was marginally protective in the entire sample (OR=0.74, 95% CI: 0.49, 1.02). These risk estimates did not appreciably vary after stratifying by race [African American (AA), European American (EA)], age ( age 62), or prostate cancer aggressiveness (Gleason sum 3+4 or lower, Gleason sum 4+3 or higher). In addition, a protective effect of the C allele in SNP rs3800684 was observed in AA men (OR=0.56, 95% CI: 0.35, 0.90) but not in EA men (OR=1.38, 95% CI: 0.92, 2.09), and there was a statistically significant interaction between race and genotype at this marker (p=0.005). After stratifying by median age, the A allele of SNP rs10224884 was marginally associated with increased prostate cancer risk in the older age group (OR=1.44, 95% CI : 0.92, 2.27), but not the younger age group (OR=0.69, 95% CI: 0.42, 1.13), and the interaction between age group and genotype was statistically significant (0.03). Overall, we conclude that SNPs in the PODXL gene are associated with prostate cancer risk, but not prostate cancer aggressiveness, and that some of these variants may have race- and age-specific effects.

Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2847.


It has been previously shown that responsiveness to noradrenaline is reduced in brown adipocytes isolated from estradiol-treated rats. The possibility that high plasma levels of progesterone could also alter adrenergic response was checked. The oxygen consumption of brown adipocytes isolated from control and progesterone-treated rats was monitored in basal conditions and in the presence of increasing concentrations of noradrenaline. In both situations, cells isolated from treated animals showed a lower respiratory rate than those from control animals. These results suggest that not only estradiol but also progesterone could modulate the adrenergic response of brown adipocytes. The study of alpha 1- and beta-adrenergic responses indicates that the beta-response parallels the general reduction in oxygen consumption, although the alpha 1-response seems to be more deeply depressed. Estimation of cell number in brown fat depots indicates some hyperplasia induced by progesterone; this increase in cell number could counterbalance partially but not totally the decreased cellular oxygen consumption at the organ level.


Study the Plantation Business Development in Kutai Kartanegara Regency. The aim of this study was to know the development of plantation business in Kutai Kartanegara Regency. Data were analyzed by using descriptive analysis. Plantation business is managed by government-owned enterprise, private sector and farm small holder. The result of study showed the increase of plantation production in study area. Development of plantation should be continued to cultivate potential land. Government shoud made the procedure of investment in Kutai Kartanegara Regency easier and faster for investors.


Integral transformations on a finite interval with a singular basis wavelet are considered. Using a sequence of such transformations, the problem of nonparametric approximation of a function is solved. Traditionally, it is assumed that the validity condition must be met for a basic wavelet (the average value of the wavelet must be zero). The paper develops the previously proposed method of singular wavelets when the tolerance condition is not met. In this case Delta-shaped functions that participate in Parzen – Rosenblatt and Nadaray – Watson estimations can be used as a basic wavelet. The set of wavelet transformations for a function defined on a numeric axis, defined locally, and on a finite interval were previously investigated. However, the study of the convergence of the decomposition on a finite interval was carried out only in one particular case. It was due to technical difficulties when trying to solve this problem directly. In the paper the idea of evaluating the periodic continuation of a function defined initially on a finite interval is implemented. It allowed to formulate sufficient convergence conditions for the expansion of the function in a series. An example of approximation of a function defined on a finite interval using the sum of discrete wavelet transformations is given.


Jahmil X. T. Qubeka is best known for his 2013 film Of Good Report, which earned the distinction of being the first South African film to be banned following the nation's transition to a multiracial democracy when the Film Publication Board denied it classification. Though this ban was ultimately overturned, it set off a contentious debate in South Africa around artistic freedom in the new national dispensation. In terms of theme and style, there are clear links between Knuckle City and Of Good Report. Both films have a circular narrative structure connecting the past to the present, employ elements of film noir, and feature men who are emblematic of toxic masculinity, which is clearly a preoccupation of Qubeka's. Knuckle City, however, enters the pantheon of boxing films centered around an underdog fighting for one last chance at greatness and his family's survival. In keeping with the noir style, Knuckle City has an intricate plot line that moves back and forth between the past and the present. The film begins in the present with a sense of foreboding as the protagonist Dudu "Night Rider" Nyakama (Bongile Mantsai) is being wheeled into a hospital on a gurney after a fight. The image is blurry, speech is slurred, and in the background a heartbeat punctuates the film's score as the camera offers a closeup of Dudu's bloodied face. This scenario draws the viewer into the film's narrative, as we are left to wonder if Dudu won the bout that landed him in the hospital and whether he will survive. From there, the film flashes back to 1994 when Dudu, then a thirteen-year-old boy, is coming of age in Mdantsane, a Black suburb in the city of East London known for its boxing culture. That the film flashes back to 1994, the year often cited as the end of apartheid with the first multiracial election, is no doubt significant. Dudu's father (Zolisa Xaluva), a champion boxer enmeshed in the criminal underworld, had a penchant for schoolgirls and a problem with alcohol. When he was killed in an ambush by his boxing rival, Dudu, a dutiful son who hoped to follow in his father's footsteps as a champion fighter, and his younger brother Duke


A recent development in Geographic Information Systems is the use of crowd-sourcing to acquire and share information that was difficult to collect, organize and update in the past. Taking into consideration that the people entering data into the system might not have geographic training, an important concern is related to accessibility. In this paper we propose an algorithm for evaluating accessibility based on the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines defined by W3C.


This paper makes a preliminary attempt to fill a long-standing employment data gap in the study of China's economic growth in the Republican era. Instead of searching for other data than that used in the previous studies, it tries to organize the available estimates by various sources in a consistent occupational framework and reassess them against the macroeconomic background that might have impacts on the performance of the economy and hence its employment and occupational distribution. It focuses mainly on the construction of the 1915 benchmark and the revision of the existing 1933 and 1949-1952 benchmarks. It also provides time-series estimates for the employment by major occupation from the demand-side and for the total and working-age population from the supply-side of the system. The two sides are linked by estimated labor participation rate. Finally, it gauges the urbanization rate of the population implied by the change of the urban employment.


This paper explores the potential for annotating and enriching data for low-density languages via the alignment and projection of syntactic structure from parsed data for resource-rich languages such as English. We seek to develop enriched resources for a large number of the world's languages, most of which have no significant digital presence. We do this by tapping the body of Web-based linguistic data, most of which exists in small, analyzed chunks embedded in scholarly papers, journal articles, Web pages, and other online documents. By harvesting and enriching these data, we can provide the means for knowledge discovery across the resulting corpus that can lead to building computational resources such as grammars and transfer rules, which, in turn, can be used as bootstraps for building additional tools and resources for the languages represented.


This article contributes to the discussion concerning intra-organisational trust in home care services. The article is based on a study of organisational change and the implementation process for trust-based management in a Swedish municipality. Collection of material involved several organisational levels in the municipality's home care service and consists of individual interviews, group interviews, observations and a document review. The results show that the municipality has addressed common problems in home care services in Sweden, resolving them with specific solutions that are unique to the municipality. Quality assurance is performed by allowing frontline employees to fully utilise their competences. Management, first line management in particular, is characterised by checks instead of controls. This is in line with the idea of intra-organisational trust and is achieved by building trust between employees with different levels of education and occupations in the organisation. This form of intra- organisational trust is labelled inter-occupational trust. The process of implementing trust-based practices in the municipality is characterised by three quality dimensions: continuity, flexibility and time allocation. These dimensions are central aspects of the arguments for a user's perspective on collaboration. An important prerequisite in the municipality studied was that organisational change was followed up with adequate resources in the form of working hours, working conditions, education and training.


Selected antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) increase the risk of birth defects. To assess the impact of influencing AED prescribing practices on spina bifida and cleft palate we searched the literature for estimates of the association between valproic acid or carbamazepine use during pregnancy and these defects and summarized the associations using meta‐analyses. We estimated distributions of the prevalence of valproic acid and carbamazepine use among women of childbearing age based on analyses of four data sets. We estimated the attributable fractions and the number of children born with each defect that could be prevented annually in the United States if valproic acid and carbamazepine were not used during pregnancy. The summary odds ratio estimate for the association between valproic acid and spina bifida was 11.9 (95% uncertainty interval (UI): 4.0–21.2); for valproic acid and cleft palate 5.8 (95% UI: 3.3–9.5); for carbamazepine and spina bifida 3.6 (95% UI: 1.3–7.8); and for carbamazepine and cleft palate 2.4 (95% UI: 1.1–4.5) in the United States. Approximately 40 infants (95% UI: 10–100) with spina bifida and 35 infants (95% UI: 10–70) with cleft palate could be born without these defects each year if valproic acid were not used during pregnancy; 5 infants (95% UI: 0–15) with spina bifida and 5 infants (95% UI: 0–15) with cleft palate could be born without these defects each year if carbamazepine were not used during pregnancy. This modeling approach could be extended to other medications to estimate the impact of translating pharmacoepidemiologic data to evidence‐based prenatal care practice. Published 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


More and more health care systems are taking the project management route. The present article sets out the results of a literature review (who was produced with the help of ABI/INFORM GLOBAL and covers the period from 1979 to May 2017 inclusively) dealing with project management in the health sector. Consequently, this paper is not a comparative analysis of Quebec's health systems vis-à-vis the rest of the world's. Nor is it a theoretical analysis of project management and strategic health systems management. This paper is of interest to practitioners who must manage their health services and social services on a by-project basis because their organization has turned onto the project path. So, what does the discipline of Project Management (a discipline that sees itself as being oriented to practitioners) have to offer to practitioners in the health sector? Results of the literature review indicate that the information technology project management in health sector is the favorite topic of researchers. Furthermore, very little of the research on health sector project management is published in the project management discipline's journals and, on the other hand, a minority of the articles reviewed make reference to the works that are published in these PM Journals. Although the present article review focuses only on articles with the key words "Health" and "Project Management", we can conclude that if project management wishes to become a discipline associated with health, it must promote the initiation of research that clearly identifies the real issues involved in a project and its management, in relation to the primary mission of health care systems: care, health services and social services. This paper presents the importance given to project management in the health sector and the theme of health in project management. It demonstrates the lack of emphasis on project management as a lever for health care, health services and social services which is the primary mission of healthcare systems and its practitioners.


Abstract Background  We aimed to evaluate the presence of sural sparing pattern (SSP) and sensory ratio in pediatric Guillain–Barré syndrome (GBS), their distribution to subtypes, and their relationship with demographic and clinical features with a focus on the disability and muscle strength. Methods  This single-center retrospective study was conducted on pediatric GBS patients of both sexes with 2 years follow-up and two nerve conduction studies in which SSP and sensory ratio were calculated. Three subgroups of SSP were formed by separate calculation of median (SSP-m) and ulnar (SSP-u) and both median and ulnar sensory nerve action potentials (SNAPs; SSP-total). Muscle strength and disability were evaluated with the Medical Research Council (MRC) sum score and Hughes functional grading scale (HFGS), respectively. Results  SSP total was identified in 70.6% (n: 24) of the patients, while sensory ratio >1 was observed in 20 (66.7%) patients. Patients with SSP-m, SSP-u, SSP-total, or sensory ratio >1 had higher HFGS scores, while patients with SSP-m, SSP-u, or SSP-total had lower MRC sum scores. SSP parameters were significantly associated with muscle strength and disability scores in acute motor axonal neuropathy patients. Conclusion  Both SSP and sensory ratio can be used for diagnostic and prognostic purposes. Disability and muscle strength are associated with SSP and sensory ratio in pediatric GBS.


10 Luminescence up-conversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) consisting of a NaYF4 crystal lattice doped with rare earth (RE) ions have found widespread application in bio-sensing, bio-imaging, and therapeutics; yet the molecular weight of UCNPs is not known. Lack of knowledge of molecular weight of UCNPs results in sub-optimal functionalisation and dosages of UCNPs. We present a simple method for calculating the molecular weight of NaYF4:RE UCNPs from arbitrary crystal lattice parameters and UCNP diameter measurements, and we apply this method to estimate the molecular weight of various NaYF4:RE UCNPs from the literature. UCNP molecular weight scales exponentially with UCNP volume (i.e. diameter cubed). UCNPs of 10 nm diameter are estimated to be a molecular weight of ~ 1 MDa, and 45 nm UCNPs are estimated to be ~100 MDa. Hexagonal lattice UCNPs were found to have a greater molecular weight than their cubic lattice UCNP counterparts. A Gaussian distribution 20 of nanoparticle diameters was found to produce a lognormal distribution of nanoparticle molecular weights. We provide stand-alone graphic user interfaces to calculate UCNP:RE molecular weight. This approach can be generalised to estimate the molecular weight of crystalline nanoparticles of arbitrary size, geometry, and elemental composition where nanoparticle unit cell parameters are known.


A Family Romance is the story of the family of Alfred Deakin, Australia's first elected Prime Minister. In this intriguing book, John Rickard explores the complex web of relationships between Alfred, his wife Pattie, and his sister Catherine. The Deakin 'family romance' is permeated by the influence of spiritualism which, in extraordinary circumstances, brought Alfred and Pattie together, and which was to haunt their marriage. It is a tale which, with its Gothic overtones, has the character of a novel, but which, in its telling, poses questions about the nature of biography. How can we bring to life the emotional world inhabited by such a familyandmdash;or must that territory be conceded to the novelist? John Rickard beautifully evokes the life of a middle-class Australian family at the turn of the century, and gives us the untold story behind the public achievements of great man.


The topic of the thesis is the international cooperation between the German corporation Volkswagen and the Czech Skoda car company, which started in 1991 with a merger of these two. Using various analytic tools the positive and negative aspects of the Czech-German cooperation are researched with regards to the soft facts and the hard facts of the problem. The purpose of the thesis is to articulate recommendations that will lead to a successful international cooperation.


The understanding of the problem of nonradiative energy conversion in solid-state laser materials is a key factor in improving the overall efficiency of solid-state lasers. Furthermore, the reduction of the heat generated in an optically pumped laser crystal can lead to several new applications of solid-state lasers, especially in the high-power region. To improve the quality of grown crystals, laser crystal growers require accurate techniques to perform the quality control that is so vital to improving the growth process. Using a time-domain approach and a time-domain theoretical treatment of the IR radiative emission signal, it was determined that one may probe nonradiative surface and bulk processes by monitoring different time ranges. Our results show that photothermal radiometry can be used as a single-ended technique to evaluate both the bulk and surface nonradiative energy conversion rates in a solid-state laser material. This technique was compared to the standard laser cavity technique and it was concluded that photothermal radiometry can provide additional information to the standard technique by identifying the sources of heat generation as either surface- or bulk-originating.


The findings presented here have a bearing on regeneration in general. They show that even in simply organized animals, the number of totipotent cells which are able to differentiate decreases as the individual ages. In older specimens it takes longer for the totipotent cells to differentiate than in younger ones; at the same time the nuclear and cytoplasmic volume of these cells is reduced. The expanded basal epithelium of sponges germinating from gemmules is an organ necessary to establish the tension in the body which is indispensable for the functioning of the sponge. Sponges that have germinated from gemmules can be forced to regenerate a basal epithelium. The materials for this regeneration is furnished by the archaeocytes, which are embryonic, totipotent amoebocytes. The number of archaeocytes that are able to perform this regeneration decreases with time, i.e. as the differentiation of the entire body proceeds. On the other hand, the ability of the sponge to expand repeatedly on its own basal epithelium after being pushed away from it is limited only by the onset of cytolysis. The ability of the archaeocytes to regenerate new typical basal epithelial cells is reduced after repeated regeneration. The size of both nucleus and cytoplasm is reduced more and more during repeated regeneration. The nucleo-cytoplasmic ratio is thus kept fairly constant.


French-speaking African women traditionally expressed their creativity through oral storytelling. Previously silent in print, today they also speak through the written word, and their stories constitute one of the most significant recent developments in African literature. Irene Assiba d'Almeida dates this emerging phenomenon to 1969, the year Kuoh-Moukouri's Rencontres essentielles was published. A few more books by women were published in the '70s, followed by a creative explosion in the '80s that d'Almeida describes as a militant feminist appropriation of the written word. D'Almeida's book, the first single-author critical study in English of literary expression by Francophone African women, examines novels and autobiographies by nine new and established writers, all published since 1975. She finds that writing has liberated Francophone African women. They use it to critique the patriarchal order, to champion the cause of women and the community, and to preserve positive aspects of tradition. D'Almeida divides her analysis into sections on three aspects of literary production. The first deals with autobiography and begins with A Dakar Childhood, by Nafissatou Diallo, the first Francophone African woman to write her own life history. The section also examines The Abandoned Baobab, by Ken Bugul, a book that broke sexual taboos, and My Country, Africa, by Andree Blouin. In the second section the author looks at women and the family, including problems related to "compulsory" motherhood. She discusses Your Name Will Be Tanga, by Calixthe Beyala, Cries and Fury of Women, by Angele Rawiri (both published only in French), and Scarlet Song, by Mariama Ba. The third section, "W/Riting Change:Women as Social Critics, " discusses the ways female novelists link problems that affect women's lives to those affecting society at large. It examines works in French by Werewere Liking, Aminata Sow Fall, and Veronique Tadjo.


The quantum radar cross section (QRCS) is a concept that gives information on the amount of returns (or scattered energy towards the detector) one can expect from a particular target when being illuminated with a small number of photons. This cross section is highly dependent on the target's geometry, as well as the illumination angle and the scattering angle from the target. The expression for the quantum radar cross section equation has been derived in the context of photon scattering. In this paper, it will be shown that an equivalent cross section expression, including the alternate form written in terms of Fourier transforms, can be derived using quantum scattering theory applied to non-relativistic, massive particles. Both single particle and multiple particle illumination are considered. Although this approach is formulated based upon massive, non-relativistic particle scattering, its equivalence to the expression based upon photon scattering provide many valuable insights of representing and interpreting these equations in the context of quantum radar. This includes an improved algorithm to simulate the QRCS response of an object illuminated with any number of photons desired.


The threat of steep tax hikes has torpedoed the debate over national health insurance. Yet according to our calculations, the current tax-financed share of health spending is far higher than most people think: 59.8 percent. This figure (which is about fifteen percentage points higher than the official Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services [CMS] estimate) includes health care-related tax subsidies and public employees' health benefits, neither of which are classified as public expenditures in the CMS accounting framework. U.S. tax-financed health spending is now the highest in the world. Indeed, our tax-financed costs exceed total costs in every nation except Switzerland. But the sub rosa character of much tax-financed health spending in the United States obscures its regressivity. Public spending for care of the poor, elderly, and disabled is hotly debated and intensely scrutinized. But tax subsidies that accrue mostly to the affluent and health benefits for middle-class government workers are mostly below the radar screen. National health insurance would require smaller tax increases than most people imagine and would make government's role in financing care more visible and explicit.


With a typical slice-by-slice labeling fashion, the manual contouring process is subject to large intra-observer variation, especially for small-sized intracranial arteries. We propose an iterative refinement approach for ground truth contours with the help of deep neural networks for intracranial lumen and vessel wall segmentations. We demonstrate that the approach improved the smoothness of the predicted contours and feature quantification, which can potentially boost the robustness of a neural network as a consequence of the reduced uncertainty in expert labels.


Fresnel lenses based on liquid crystals, because of LC's large birefringence & also tunable optical properties, have attracted considerable attention in photonics. Precise controlling of focal length in a lens, can be kind of remarkable tools in photonics. In this article, we introduce a layout printing way for producing Fresnel zone on 1294-1b liquid crystal doped with dye. With layout printing technique, we recorded 25 zones on cell with λ=532nm diode laser. After producing, DDLC Fresnel lens have 33 cm focal length at 0 v and 225 cm focal length at 20 v.


The effect of status on aggregate welfare is ambiguous for marginal reforms that redistribute income. If average consumption falls, the change in relative consumption increases household utility but reinforces the decrease in household labor supply, raising welfare cost. For parameterizations of the model developed here, reforms which lower average consumption increase aggregate welfare. Numerical calculations show that status increases marginal welfare cost and marginal net benefit for a demogrant reform. Redistributing to high income households may increase aggregate welfare depending on the definition of average consumption and if the willingness to pay for status increases with income. Copyright 2006 Blackwell Publishing, Inc..


ABSTRACT Maternal self‐efficacy predicts sensitive and responsive caregiving. Low maternal self‐efficacy is associated with a higher incidence of postpartum depression. Maternal self‐efficacy and postpartum depression can both be buffered by social support. Maternal self‐efficacy and postpartum depression have both been linked independently, albeit in separate studies, to the experience of violent trauma, childhood maltreatment, and spousal abuse. This study proposed a model in which postpartum depression mediates the relation between attachment trauma and maternal self‐efficacy, with emotional support as a moderator. Participants were 278 first‐time mothers of infants under 14 months. Cross‐sectional data were collected online. Mothers completed questionnaires on attachment trauma, maternal self‐efficacy, postpartum depression, and emotional support. A moderated mediation model was tested in a structural equation modeling framework using Mplus' estimate of indirect effects. Postpartum depression fully mediated the relation between trauma and maternal self‐efficacy. Emotional support moderated only the pathway between postpartum depression and maternal self‐efficacy. Attachment trauma's implications for maternal self‐efficacy should be understood in the context of overall mental health. Mothers at the greatest risk for low maternal self‐efficacy related to attachment trauma also are those suffering from postpartum depression. Emotional support buffered mothers from postpartum depression, though, which has implications for intervention and future research.


With the advent of the Internet, it is desirable to interpret and extract useful information from the Web. One major challenge in Web interface interpretation is to discover the semantic structure underlying a Web interface. Many heuristic approaches have been developed to discover and group semantically related interface objects. However, those approaches cannot solve the problem of nonuniformity satisfactorily and are not able to tag the semantic role of each object. Distinct from existing approaches, this paper develops a robust and formal approach to recovering interface semantics using graph grammars. Because of the distinct capability of spatial specifications in the abstract syntax, the spatial graph grammar (SGG) is selected to perform the semantic grouping and interpretation of segmented screen objects. Instead of analyzing HTML source codes, we apply an efficient image-processing technology to recognize atomic interface objects from the screenshot of an interface and produce a spatial graph, which records significant spatial relations among recognized objects. A spatial graph is more concise than its corresponding document object model structure and, thus, facilitates interface analysis and interpretation. Based on the spatial graph, the SGG parser recovers the hierarchical relations among interface objects.


Improvement of magnetic, electronic, optical, and catalytic properties in cutting-edge technologies including drug delivery, energy storage, magnetic transistor, and spintronics requires novel nanomaterials. This article discusses the unique, clean, and homogeneous physiochemical synthesis of BaTiO3/iron oxide core–shell nanoparticles with interfaces between ferroelectric and ferromagnetic materials. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy displayed the distinguished disparity between the core and shell of the synthesized nanoparticles. Elemental mapping and line scan confirmed the formation of the core–shell structure. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy detected the surface iron oxide phase as maghemite. Rietveld analysis of the X-ray diffraction data labeled the crystallinity and phase purity. This study provides a promising platform for the desirable property development of the futuristic multifunctional nanodevices.


The objective of this programme was to create awareness of the value of improved land use management practices to minimise threats to production, via technical and practical mentorship and to highlight the economic implications of non-sustainable production. The insect pest Eldana saccharina was used as the vehicle to raise awareness of the cost to the community of not applying good land use practices. The step-wise methodology implemented was highly successful in that it (i) raised awareness as to the value of interaction between extension and growers in the design and development of a programme, (ii) made highly technical research results relevant and better understood by extension staff and the growers, (iii) emphasised a business approach to small growers, and (iv) established the value of a programme of work with defined goals and time lines.


The inhibitive action of the Juniper Oxycedrus Extract (JOE) against corrosion of carbon steel in a 1.0 M HCl solution was investigated using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, potentiodynamic polarization curves and weight loss measurements. The results indicate that the extracts functioned as a good inhibitor in acidic medium environments and inhibition efficiency increased with extracts concentration. Temperature studies revealed an increase in inhibition efficiency with rise in temperature and activation energies decreased in the presence of the extract. Polarization curves show that JOE behaves as a mixed-type inhibitor in hydrochloric acid. EIS shows that charge-transfer resistance increase and the capacitance of double layer decreases with the inhibitor concentration, confirming the adsorption process mechanism. The adsorption of Juniper Oxycedrus Extract on the surface of the carbon steel follows the Langmuir adsorption isotherm.


Conventional works for the AF (assured forwarding) service in the differentiated services (DiffServ) have no sufficient consideration on the fairness of bandwidth share based the target rate and the impact of RTT and UDP. In order to solve these problems, we proposed a new packet marking scheme with fairness guarantee. The proposed scheme based on average transmission rate, using the achieved rate and fairness of each flow to provide fairly marking for assured forwarding services in DiffServ network. By adding a record unit and a promotion/demotion probability generator to the conventional traffic conditioner, the impacts of RTT, UDP/TCP interactions, and different target rates can be mitigated effectively. The performance of the proposed scheme, compared with TSW3CM, is evaluated with the ns-2 simulator.


Infection with the larval stage of the cestode, Echinococcus granulosus sensu lato (s.l.), causes hydatid disease (hydatidosis) in a range of hosts, including macropods and other marsupials, cattle, and humans. Wild macropods are an important sylvatic reservoir for the life cycle of E. granulosus (s.l.) in Australia, and so provide a conduit for transmission of hydatid disease to domestic animals and humans. Two Lumholtz's tree-kangaroos (Dendrolagus lumholtzi) from the Atherton Tablelands of Far North Queensland were recently found to have hydatid cysts in both liver and lung tissues. Tree-kangaroos may travel across the ground between patches of forest but are primarily arboreal leaf-eating macropods. The finding of hydatid cysts in an arboreal folivore may indicate that the area has a high level of contamination with eggs of E. granulosus (s.l.). This finding may be of significance to human health as well as indicating the need for further investigation into the prevalence of hydatid disease in domestic stock, wildlife and humans living in this rapidly urbanizing region.


One of the popular fashions in Indonesia is batik. Several countries had acknowledged that batik was originated from their countries. In fact, Malaysia had registered a patent for batik. However, recently UNESCO has acknowledged that batik is indeed an Indonesian cultural heritage. In Indonesia, batik has developed since the beginning of the 19th century and has undergone the rise and fall through its development. The analysis of batik industry will identify the opportunities and strengths of Indonesian batik industry in facing competition. In addition, it also will identify threats and weaknesses of batik industry using SWOT analysis. Prior to analyzing opportunities, strengths, threats and weaknesses of batik industry, the macro environment of the company is analyzed that consist of technology, general economic condition, legislation and regulation, societal values and lifestyle, population demographics. The structure of batik industry is also analyzed. Key words: batik industry, opportunities, strength, threats, weaknesses


We experimentally demonstrate a new type of waveguide multiplexer device designed for silicon photonics, with a crosstalk level as low as -35 dB and an operational wavelength range of 300 nm. A compact device footprint of only 100 × 160 µm2 offers an excellent potential for integration with other silicon nanophotonic circuits.


BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE
The Neck Disability Index (NDI) is the most used scale for neck pain and disability. There is no validated Spanish version so far. This prospective study's objective was to evaluate a Spanish version's comprehension and metrics characteristics.

MATERIAL AND METHOD
The Spanish version of the NDI was obtained by the "translation-backward translation" method. This version and the pain visual analogue scale were both administered 2 times to 48 patients with nonnespecific or posttraumatic neck pain.

RESULTS
16% had comprehension troubles. The cultural level had no influence on it. Items more commonly called into question were the IX (neck pain and sleeping) and the VII (neck pain and working). The scales were fulfilled in 6 min 08 s (54 s) by those with middle-high cultural level, and in 7 min 59 s (1 min 26 s) by those with low one (p < 0.001). As shown by factor analysis, our NDI version is a one-dimension scale. Internal consistence was very good (Cronbach alpha of 0.937 at the first time and 0.944 at the second one). An optimal test-retest reliability was settled by intraclass correlation coefficient (0.978) and by Bland-Altman plot. For the construct validity, correlation with the pain visual analogue Scale was 0.643 (p < 0.01) at first time, and 0.743 (p < 0.01) at second one. This was the only metric characteristic where the cultural level had any influence.

CONCLUSIONS
On reformulation of some items, our NDI Spanish version's feasibility will allow its use for future definitive validation.