This study is conducted to learn about experiences and practices to cope with cyberbullying among high school students in Hanoi and to explore the association between the average time of Internet used per day among high school students in Hanoi, Vietnam, and the risk of being cyberbullied. A total of 215 students aged 13–18 years completed an online survey using respondent-driven sampling method. The experience of being cyberbullied was examined using the modified Patchin and Hinduja's scale. The prevalence of experiencing at least one type of cyberbullying was 45.1%. The most common type of cyberbullying was being called by names/made fun of. The average daily time spent on Internet showed dose-response association with the risk of being cyberbullied. The prevalence of having experienced cyberbullying was 54% among subjects who used Internet >3 hours/day compared to 39% among those who used 1–3 hours and 30% among those who used <1 hour. In terms of practices to cope with this, most students chose to ignore it and not share information with their family or teacher. The most frequent method to overcome this problem was talking with friends (60.8%). Research shows that the prevalence of cyberbullying victimization in Hanoi was high, and student's practices to cope with this new form of bullying were not efficient. Online time had dose-response association with risk of cyberbullying. More attention is needed to increase level of society/school awareness to prevent cyberbullying in Hanoi.


The results of treatment for severely slipped capital femoral epiphysis by biplanar wedge osteotomy of the femoral neck in 13 cases are presented. They were compared to the results quoted by both advocates and opponents of this method. The authors conclude that this method renders beneficial results but they depend greatly on surgical technique and experience.


Facial palsy is unilateral facial nerve weakness or paralysis of rapid onset with unknown causes. Automatically estimating facial palsy severeness can be helpful for the diagnosis and treatment of people suffering from it across the world. In this work, we develop and experiment with a novel model for estimating facial palsy severity. For this, an effective Facial Action Units (AU) detection technique is incorporated into our model, where AUs refer to a unique set of facial muscle movements used to describe almost every anatomically possible facial expression. In this paper, we propose a novel Adaptive Local-Global Relational Network (ALGRNet) for facial AU detection and use it to classify facial paralysis severity. ALGRNet mainly consists of three main novel structures: (i) an adaptive region learning module that learns the adaptive muscle regions based on the detected landmarks; (ii) a skip-BiLSTM that models the latent relationships among local AUs; and (iii) a feature fusion&refining module that investigates the complementary between the local and global face. Quantitative results on two AU benchmarks, i.e., BP4D and DISFA, demonstrate our ALGRNet can achieve promising AU detection accuracy. We further demonstrate the effectiveness of its application to facial paralysis estimation by migrating ALGRNet to a facial paralysis dataset collected and annotated by medical professionals.


Abstract. Nurhasanah, Sadaruddin, Sunaryo W. 2016. Diversity analysis and genetic potency identification of local rice cultivars in Penajam Paser Utara and Paser Districts, East Kalimantan. Biodiversitas 17: 401-408. Local rice cultivars provide genetic diversity in rice genepool that is very useful for rice breeding programs. Less is known about local rice genetic diversity in East Kalimantan, because their existence only depends on traditional cultivation and conservation by local farmers based on needs and tendencies towards certain varieties. According to the current exploration study conducted in Penajam Paser Utara (PPU) and Paser, the smallest districts in East Kalimantan, there were high genetic diversities of rice existed in that two districts. As many as 71 local rice cultivars were collected, consisted of 53 rice and 18 glutinous rice. Traits characterization showed that there were large variation of plant height (66 to 209.33 cm), culm number (1 to 41.67), culm diameter (0.23 to 1.03 cm), leaf length (39 to 108.33 cm), leaf width (0.83 to 2.67 cm), leaf angle (10 to 50 degree), ligule length (11 to 55 mm) and weight of ten seeds (0.13 to 0.40 gram) in the local rice population showing high phenotypic variations of agro-morphological traits in the population. A strong negative correlation between culm number (tiller) and culm diameter, leaf length as well as leaf width was observed, which indicated that culm number is few if the culm diameter is big, and the leaves are longer and wider. Genetic diversity analysis based on Agro-morphological characters clustered the cultivars in nine and four classes for rice populations in PPU and Paser districts, respectively. Pre-identification of the local rice genetic potencies showed some superior and potential traits which will be very useful for rice breeding programs to develop new superior rice varieties


Because of high specific stiffness, the aluminum alloy has been used for various industry field. Specially, the heat-treated aluminum alloy is difficult-to-machine material and machining test is necessary to evaluate and improve the machinability. In order to manufacture the functional part, appropriate cutting condition is selected by considering surface quality, machining time, and workpiece deflection by cutting force. In this investigation, the machinability of A16061-T6 is estimated by changing cutting conditions. The variable cutting conditions are cutting speed, depth of cutting, and feed rate. The estimation is done by analysis of cutting force, surface roughness, and surface shape according to the change of cutting conditions.


A mixed digital-to-analog (D/A) high speed circuit board capable of driving a tunable super structure grating distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) laser is developed. The circuit is used to control the laser over a 20-nm tuning wavelength range with 0.1 nm resolution. Three control currents are preprogrammed into an electrically erasable/programmable read-only memory (EEPROM) look-up table for each wavelength. Upon receiving a differential logic control signal, the circuit tunes the laser to the specified output wavelength within 500 ns. The long-term repeatability of the tuned laser output wavelength shows drift below /spl plusmn/0.02 nm with greater than 100 h of operation.


This study combines first-person storytelling, visual interpretation, and linguistic investigation to analyze how a mixed-media artwork that Kasia Ozga produced in 2011, The Internal Frontier, represents immigrant journeys on an autobiographic, social, and discursive level. In the context of an increasingly polarized political climate, Ozga examines borders as individual experiences and geopolitical phenomena to explain how art conditions conflictual aspects of the self to coexist, promoting social consciousness and community engagement. Those in power use borders to naturalize and separate what is familiar from what is strange. As an artist, Ozga explores how our personalities are partitioned, enforced, and made from external boundaries that define our movements, and by the internal borders that we impose on ourselves. Here, reproductions of different "frontiers" around the world are literally cut from the fabric of human chest x-rays collected from immigrant long-term visa applicants, highlighting physical removal and absence. To produce these modified artifacts, shown in light-boxes in various exhibitions in France and the United States, Ozga researched the border-as-process of inclusion and exclusion linked to regulative authority in social relations, nation-building, political sovereignty, as well as personal identity formation. In the artworks, migration is transformed from an isolated act to a shared human experience. The images, at once precise and indeterminate, maintain the dual symbolism of the border as barrier and as springboard, simultaneously inhibiting and enabling interactions between individuals and select geographic locations. Just as migrants lead us to re-evaluate our physical and mental borders, critical cultural production can contest the impact and staying power of borders by underscoring how establishing and overriding boundaries enable us to claim and reclaim who we are.


The text is proposed to undertake the problem of the expression in the philosophy of Merleau-Ponty under three general aspects: 1. Toward an ontology of the sensitive thing, 2. Expression and corporal difference and 3. Body and creative expression. From the notion of nature is sought, with the first section, to emphasize the ontological character of the perception, in order to understanding why the perception is already expression. In second place, intends to deepen in the thesis of the body as expression and in this manner to be able to need its essential link with the language. From the distinction between the speaking language and the spoken language itself to be exact, finally, the paradoxical character of the expression, its incarnatesense.


Abstract Despite a growing awareness about the importance of gender equity and the rising number of women in medicine, women remain persistently underrepresented in pain medicine and anesthesiology. Pain medicine ranks among the bottom quartile of medical specialties in terms of female applicants, female trainees, and proportion of female practitioners. Female pain medicine physicians are also notably disadvantaged compared with their male colleagues in most objective metrics of gender equity, which include financial compensation, career advancement, public recognition, and leadership positions. Increased gender diversity among pain medicine physicians is vital to fostering excellence in pain research, education, and clinical care, as well as creating a high-quality work environment. Pain medicine stands at a crossroads as a specialty, and must examine reasons for its current gender gap and consider a call to action to address this important issue.


The main issue when using pumped storage power plants is to increase their efficiency by reducing energy costs in the pump mode. This article proposes a diagram of a micro-hydro accumulative power plant with upper and lower reservoirs, a hydraulic turbine unit, a pumping unit and stepwise arranged hydraulic rams used to supply water from the lower reservoir to the upper one. This arrangement of hydraulic rams allows you to reuse the flowing water from them for feeding into the upper tank. The results of calculations and experimental studies show that the use of two stepwise arranged hydraulic rams allows to supply 20 ... 45% of the water from the lower tank to the upper tank, depending on the height of the lift without electricity consumption. According to the results of the experiments, an analytical dependence is obtained that approximates the process of feeding hydraulic rams of a certain flow of water to a selected lifting height. The energy characteristics of the design of a micro-accumulating power plant, consisting of hydraulic rams and pumping units, which allow you to quickly determine the amount of water supplied to the upper tank and the energy expended for this purpose, and, therefore, the efficiency of the complex as a whole, are proposed. These characteristics can be used to justify the parameters of water supply to the upper tank and the effectiveness of hydraulic water storage.


New institutionalism (NI) may no longer qualify as being 'new', but since re-emphasizing institutions as a central explanatory variable in political analysis over two decades ago, it continues to provide scholars with a useful perspective through which to analyse political dynamics and outcomes that shape everyday life. The renewed focus on institutions has rebalanced the structure/agency scales back toward the former without losing important insights about the role and impact of political actors. NI has allowed for greater understanding about the co-constitutive nature of politics: the various ways in which actors bring about or resist change in institutions; and the way institutions shape the nature of actors' behaviour through the construction of rules, norms and policies.


The toxic and carcinogenic actions of four methylnitrosamine or -amide compounds, given as a single intraperitoneal injection to newborn and adult inbred Swiss mice, were examined.

Toxicity was approximately directly proportional to the stability of the three compounds capable of methylating macromolecules in vitro .

Methylnitrosourea induced a high incidence of thymic lymphomas in adults and newborns of either sex. Dimethylnitrosamine induced a high incidence of hepatomas in newborns only. These two drugs, as well as methylnitrosourethan and methylnitroso- p -tolylsulfonamide, induced a high incidence of pulmonary adenomas.

Mice given a single sublethal intraperitoneal injection of methylnitrosourea underwent cell depletion of the thymolymphoid and myeloid systems, followed by recovery. These events occurred more rapidly in the myeloid systems than in the thymolymphoid system. These events may represent steps in the genesis of lymphomas induced by methylnitrosourea.


Gender classification from face images has many applications and is thus an important research topic. This paper presents an approach to gender classification based on shape and texture information gathered to design a fuzzy decision making system. Beside face shape features, Zernik moments are applied as system inputs to improve the system output which is considered as the probability of being male face image. After parameters tuning of the proposed fuzzy decision making system, 85.05% classification rate on the FERET face database (including 1199 individuals from different poses and facial expressions) shows acceptable results compare to other methods.


Abstract : Biofilms are microorganisms, where bacteria are embedded in networks formed by bacteria-produced expopolysacharrides, also known as extracellular polymeric substances (EPS). Bacteria in biofilms communicate and cooperate with each other by sensing the density of signalling molecules that bacteria excrete. This phenomenon is known as quorum sensing (QS) In this paper, we develop a hydrodynamic model for biofilms to include quorum sensing in biofilm dynamics, extending previous models for biofilms. In the new model, we classify bacteria into down-regulated and up-regulated quorum sensing cells, as well as non quorum sensing cells based on their quorum sensing ability. We then develop a numerical simulation tool for studying biofilms under quorum sensing in an aqueous environment by solving the hydrodynamic model in full 3D in space and time. Our numerical results show that this model captures key features of quorum sensing regulation that are responsible for the development of heterogeneous biofilm structures. For instance, numerical simulations with the model show that quorum sensing is beneficial for the biofilm development in a long run by building a robust EPS population to protect the biofilm, but maybe of little benefit in some short time frame because it slows down the development of biofilm colonies. In addition, numerical simulations demonstrate that quorum sensing induction in biofilms is sensitive to the hydrodynamic stress and competes directly with the nutrient supply. When nutrient supply is strong in the entire domain, QS induction produce more QS up-regulated bacteria to grow robust biofilm colonies upstream. On the other hand, when nutrient supply is weak, QS induction is more prominent downstream. Hydrodynamic stress also alters morphology of the biofilm when the flow is strong in the domain.


Chronic inflammation plays a pivotal role in the development of atherosclerosis, where the pro-inflammatory cytokine-induced expression of endothelial adhesion molecules and the recruitment of monocytes are the crucial events leading to its pathogenesis. Glossogyne tenuifolia ethanol extract (GTE) is shown to have potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities. We evaluated the effects of GTE and its major components, luteolin (lut), luteolin-7-glucoside (lut-7-g), and oleanolic acid (OA) on TNF-α-induced expression of adhesion molecules in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). The results demonstrated that GTE, lut, and lut-7-g attenuated the expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) in TNF-α-activated HUVECs, and inhibited the adhesion of monocytes to TNF-α-activated HUVECs. The TNF-α-induced mRNA expression of ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 was also suppressed, revealing their inhibitory effects at the transcriptional level. Furthermore, GTE, lut, and lut-7-g blocked the TNF-α-induced degradation of nuclear factor-κB inhibitor (IκB), an indicator of the activation of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB). In summary, GTE and its bioactive components were effective in preventing the adhesion of monocytes to cytokine-activated endothelium by the inhibition of expression of adhesion molecules, which in turn is mediated through blocking the activation and nuclear translocation of NF-κB. The current results reveal the therapeutic potential of GTE in atherosclerosis.


Manets are self configuring networks. Why manets are self configuring networks? It's because they possess they dynamic toplogy. it is difficult to predict the topology of manets. There are numerous applicable protocols for ad hoc networks, but one confusing problem is the vast number of separate protocols. This research paper deals with a classification of ad hoc routing protocols and also presents some specified protocols according to that classification. Presented protocols are selected according to an entity formed by this paper The emphasis of this paper is not to present protocols in detail but to present main features of wide variety of different protocols and evaluate their suitability and tradeoffs.


Skin prick-test is the first choice for the detection of type I hypersensitivity in human atopic dermatitis. Canine atopic dermatitis resembles several symptoms of the disease in the human counterpart. In canine atopic dermatitis, intradermal testing is the test of choice, and there are few reports on the use of skin prick test (SPT) in dogs. The purpose of this study was to evaluate SPT reactions in atopic dogs and a healthy control group to 11 environmental allergens. Eleven glycerinated allergens were applied on the left lateral thorax of nine atopic dogs and nine healthy dogs. The skin was pricked with a feather lancet and evaluated for the positive percutaneous reaction at 5, 10, 15, and 20 min after the application of the allergens. Data were analyzed by the Shapiro-Wilk test to test for normal distribution. Data that did not meet normality were analyzed by a one-sided Wilcoxon ranked sum test with a p-value of 0.05. Six out of 9 atopic dogs tested positive for at least one of the allergens tested. None of the dogs in the control group showed a positive reaction to the allergens included in the test. Blomia tropicalis, Dermatophagoides farine, and Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus exhibited the highest reaction rate among the group of atopic dogs. There was not a statistical difference in the histamine reaction (positive control) between both groups. In this set of dogs, the test exhibited a 100% specificity and a sensitivity of 66%. The use of skin prick-test in the detection of causative allergens of human atopic dermatitis has proved to be a sensitive and specific tool frequently used by human allergists. Due to the number of similarities in canine and human atopic dermatitis, this could be a valuable tool that needs intensive research in veterinary medicine. The published research so far correlates to the results obtained in this investigation. However, future studies evaluating the concordance between in vitro specific IgE antibody assays and SPT must be carried out simultaneously to validate the test.


Aimed at the more and more serious problems of energy and pollution, Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV) is one of the best practical applications for transportation with high fuel economy and low emission. Since the power control strategy has a critical effect on the performance of HEV, genetic algorithm is introduced to optimize the strategy parameters for fuel economy and emissions in this paper. Compared with two main strategies, Thermostatic and DIRECT, the computation procedures of genetic algorithm are discussed, and simulation study based on the model of series hybrid electric vehicle is given to illustrate the optimization validity of the genetic algorithm.


Introduction: Primary mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) of the palatine tonsil without involvement of the regional lymph nodes is rarely reported. Case Report: A 52-year-old male presented with complaints of a change in his voice over 3 months, with neither sore throat nor fever. Physical examination revealed right-sided grade IV and left-sided grade III tonsillar enlargement with prominent vessels. The patient underwent bilateral tonsillectomy. An initial histopathological report revealed chronic tonsillitis on the left side and suspicion of atypical lymphoproliferative disorder on the right. Immunohistochemically, the neoplastic cells were positive for Bcl2, CD20, CD5 and Cyclin D1 and negative for CD10, Bcl6 and CD3; thus a diagnosis of MCL was confirmed. Conclusion: MCL of the tonsil is rare. The microscopic diagnosis is challenging as the picture is very similar compared with other types of small cell lymphomas. A detailed immunohistochemistry panel is required for an accurate diagnosis.


This paper addresses the issue of measuring load frequency control (LFC) service by performing a state of the art in the field of indicators. The objective of the latter is to assess the way an interconnected control area contributes to support frequency according to its service obligation. Three indicators have already been designed. The first one, so called control performance standards (CPS), is now implemented in North America. Two other indicators have been designed in Europe following different approaches. For the first time, a comparison is drawn contributing to enrich the understanding and interpretation of indicator results. It is shown that European indicators can be considered as belonging to the same family as the American one, European indicators and the American one are respectively the expression of zero, first and second moment of the frequency error term. These three indicators provides fully guidance to ensure the quality of the interconnection frequency. In a particular operating condition, the CPS inherits some properties and does not fulfill the objective of establishing the responsibility of an incorrect LFC behavior.


convinced that Australia's prohibition on the importation of uncanned meat and certain other raw animal products which could carry foot-and-mouth disease virus from risk countries is very soundly based and should not on any account be relaxed. He has said that in this respect, in countries which import potentially dangerous products, pigs present a great danger as the scraps of virus-carrying meat fed to a pig infect the animal, often starting a chain reaction in other suseeptfble farm animals.


Abstract. Fire frequencies are changing in Neotropical savannas and
forests as a result of forest fragmentation and increasing drought. Such
changes in fire regime and climate are hypothesized to destabilize tropical
carbon storage, but there has been little consideration of the widespread
variability in tree fire tolerance strategies. To test how aboveground
carbon stocks change with fire frequency and composition of plants with
different fire tolerance strategies, we update the Ecosystem Demography
model 2 (ED2) with (i) a fire survivorship module based on tree bark
thickness (a key fire-tolerance trait across woody plants in savannas and
forests), and (ii) plant functional types representative of trees in the
region. With these updates, the model is better able to predict how fire
frequency affects population demography and aboveground woody carbon.
Simulations illustrate that the high survival rate of thick-barked, large
trees reduces carbon losses with increasing fire frequency, with high
investment in bark being particularly important in reducing losses in the
wettest sites. Additionally, in landscapes that frequently burn, bark
investment can broaden the range of climate and fire conditions under which
savannas occur by reducing the range of conditions leading to either
complete tree loss or complete grass loss. These results highlight that
tropical vegetation dynamics depend not only on rainfall and changing fire
frequencies but also on tree fire survival strategy. Further, our results
indicate that fire survival strategy is fundamentally important in
regulating tree size demography in ecosystems exposed to fire, which
increases the preservation of aboveground carbon stocks and the coexistence
of different plant functional groups.


The past decade has seen an increasingly rapid development in the field of construction due to an initiative from the government to boot the economy and enhance the standard of living. However, these rapid changes result in many delayed and non-completion projects. Due to these matters, there is an extremely hih number of lost and cost in terms of wastage and pollution. One effective solution Is to implement the Industrialized Building System (IBS) such as the Profiled Steel Sheeting Diy Board (PSSDB). PSSDB is a composite structural panel consists of three elements which are the dry board, steel sheeting and self tapping screw as connection. It can be used as a wall, roof or floor panel. This research studies the effect of dry -board thickness on the overall-floor panel stifThess. -Two -different thicknesses of Primaflex dry board; 6 mm and 9 mm, were used whilst the Peva 45 profiled steel sheeting thickness was maintained at 0.8 mm. Bending tests were performed to identify the thickness that contributed to the higher stiffness of the floor panel. From the result, the maximum load for 6 mm and 9 mm boards are 24.51 kN/m2 and 27.2 kN/m2 respectively. The stiffness of the panels was also determined from the slope of the load versus the deflection graph. The stiffness value for the 6 mm board is 85 kNm 2/m. In comparison, the stifffiess value of 9 mm Primaflex dry board is 89 kNm2/m. It can be concluded that the thicker the dry board, the stiffer the floor panel will be. The Primaflex dry board has shown to have a better bending flexibility and a potentially suitable dryboard choice in PSSDB. VI


After introducing money laundering as a white-collar crime and as a cybercrime, the presentation of first international anti-money laundering conventions and activities starts. Then the article continues with the text about how the Convention on Cybercrime extends the regulation of the Convention on money laundering. It is followed by the analyze of the contemporary EU legislation and national regulations in EU states focusing on money laundering offences influenced by the above mentioned European conventions - the Czech Republic, the Slovak Republic and the Republic of Hungary.The European regulation is compared with the legislation of the United States of America and their case law (Jurado case and Russia v. Bank of NY Mellon). Finally a few notes about underground banking and offshore banking centres are written.


This article is based on an exploratory study of Polish "returned" migrants aided by the Barka Foundation, carried out in 2010 shortly after the men were returned to Poland, during the liminal stage of readjustment and decision-making about whether to remain in Poland, return to the UK or migrate elsewhere. The interviews centred on migrants' assessment of their migration projects; engagement with Barka outreach workers; decision-making processes about returning to Poland; assessment of most pressing needs; evaluation of provided services once they returned to Poland; and plans for the future. Discussions with service providers mirrored these themes to compare the emic or insiders' (migrants) and etic or outsiders' (programme staff's) assessment of the strategies employed to aid Polish "returned" migrants.


Current theoretical bearing models differ in their stiffness estimates because of different model assumptions. In this study, a finite element/contact mechanics model is developed for rolling element bearings with the focus of obtaining accurate bearing stiffness for a wide range of bearing types and parameters. A combined surface integral and finite element method is used to solve for the contact mechanics between the rolling elements and races. This model captures the time-dependent characteristics of the bearing contact due to the orbital motion of the rolling elements. A numerical method is developed to determine the full bearing stiffness matrix corresponding to two radial, one axial, and two angular coordinates; the rotation about the shaft axis is free by design. This proposed stiffness determination method is validated against experiments in the literature and compared to existing analytical models and widely used advanced computational methods. The fully-populated stiffness matrix demonstrates the coupling between bearing radial, axial, and tilting bearing deflections.


Discussion of what is '(post)-Soviet studies' has become one of the most lively sub-fields of the discipline (if, indeed, it is a discipline), reflecting the mood of introspection and self-doubt that prevails in the area today. What precisely, is the subject in question? There is no consensus even over the name. The title of this short review was initially set as 'post-Soviet studies'. Although from the outset aware of the shortcomings of the term, it was only as I began to think how to approach the subject that I realised that it was impossible—or at least profoundly misleading—to work under such a rubric. The concept of 'Soviet' grounds the emerging discipline too narrowly in the experience of a single country. The notion of 'post-Sovietology' is also emerging as a contender to describe the field, but that is doubly misleading, inheriting at best a mixed intellectual baggage and controversial legacy of the original subject of 'Sovietology', now compounded by the addition of the prefix 'post'. The subject is indeed as much about the terms it uses and the methodologies it applies as it is about the events and processes it describes.


Chronic viral hepatitis is common among persons with HIV-1 infection, because of shared modes of transmission, and coinfection results in accelerated liver damage, compared with persons with chronic viral hepatitis alone. The use of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) has led to a significant decrease in the morbidity and mortality associated with HIV-1 infection. A number of the medications that are commonly used in HAART regimens are metabolized by the hepatic CYP enzymes, which raises the possibility of significant interactions between antiretroviral medications and hepatic impairment induced by chronic viral hepatitis. Although the data are still very scant, the pharmacokinetics of several antiretroviral medications have been shown to be significantly altered in the presence of liver disease. In the present report, we review the available data and consider potential options, such as dose adjustment and therapeutic drug monitoring, for the administration of antiretroviral therapy to patients with significant hepatic impairment.


The effects of fast neutral (heavy) particles on the characteristics of low-pressure noble gas discharges are reviewed. Complementing experimental observations, numerical simulations are applied to demonstrate the importance of these species in the (i) surface reactions causing cathodic electron emission and (ii) gas-phase reactions leading to the creation of charged particles and to light emission through excitation processes. All these processes are found to be important at high values of the electric field to gas density ratio, E/n, under which conditions positive ions - being the primary species creating fast neutrals in collision processes - acquire high energy in the cathode region.


OBJECTIVE: The present study was aimed at evaluating endovascularly treated abdominal aortic aneurysms by multidetector computed tomography angiography. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Multidetector computed tomography angiography studies of 166 patients were retrospectively analyzed. The sample included 137 men and 29 women with mean age of 73 years who had undergone endovascular treatment for abdominal aortic aneurysm in the period between June 2005 and August 2006. Images were acquired in a 64-channel multidetector tomograph adopting the following parameters: 0.625 mm collimation, pitch 0.6-1, 300-400 mAs, and 120 kV. A nonionic iodinated contrast agent (350 mg/ml) was injected by infusion pump at a rate of 4 ml/s to 5 ml/s and a variable amount of 70 ml to 100 ml. The studies were evaluated for the presence of complications. RESULTS: Among the 166 cases, 93 patients did not present complications and 73 presented the following findings: endoleak (n=37), circumferential thrombosis (n =29), angulation (n=17), presence of collection at the puncture site (n=10), graft migration (n=7), dissection of access vessels (n=7) and occlusion (n=6). CONCLUSION: In summary, endoleak was the most prevalent complication in the present series, with type II endoleak being most frequently found.


Background Information about malaria risk factors at high altitudes is scanty. Understanding the risk factors that determine the risk of malaria transmission at high altitude villages is important to facilitate implementing sustainable malaria control and prevention programs. Methods An unmatched case control study was conducted among patients seeking treatment at health centers in high altitude areas. Either microscopy or rapid diagnostic tests were used to confirm the presence of plasmodium species. A generalized linear model was used to identify the predictors of malaria transmission in high altitude villages. Results Males (AOR = 3.11, 95%CI: 2.28, 4.23), and those who traveled away from the home in the previous month (AOR = 2.01, 95% CI: 1.56, 2.58) were strongly associated with presence of malaria in high altitude villages. Other significant factors, including agriculture in occupation (AOR = 1.41, 95% CI: 1.05, 1.93), plants used for fencing (AOR = 1.70, 95% CI: 1.18, 2.52) and forests near the house (AOR = 1.60, 95% CI: 1.15, 2.47), were found predictors for malaria in high altitude villages. Conclusion Travel outside of their home was an important risk of malaria infections acquisition. Targeting males who frequently travel to malarious areas can reduce malaria transmission risks in high altitude areas.


The Livermore Superconducting Levitron contains an 80-cm-diam superconducting ring as well as three pairs of superconducting coils that produce a poloidal field, that are 50, 112, and 160 cm in diameter respectively, and that are located 40 cm above and below the midplane of the ring. Twelve control coils and optical position sensors form a feedback system for maintaining the ring's position. Magnetic damping plates above and below the ring prevent it from making accidental but dangerously violent movements. The ring was successfully tested about a year ago, and the entire system is now undergoing its first operating tests. Construction details and the initial operating results are presented here.


The seven wisdom books of the Catholic Bible, namely, Job, Proverbs, Psalms, Qoheleth (Ecclesiastes), Song of Songs, Wisdom, and Sirach, expound on the life of wisdom using practical maxims that give meaning to existence. Within their hortatory pronouncements, there lies an existential connection. However, the maxims are not entirely compatible with each other and they can be scrutinized under the critique of wisdom as "pagan." This paper navigates through the seven books within the Wisdom Literature of the Catholic canonical scripture to extract the paired themes of 'suffering and death,' and the issue of 'freedom vs divine sovereignty' to de-paganize the books. The paper thus explores the text as a philosophical venture in contrast to biblical exegesis, which provides an actual interpretation of the text. To do this, the paper first (1) extracts the important understanding of the themes within the texts (as result and discussion) and then (2) proceeds to argue using a de-paganizing hermeneutic discussion as recapitulation/conclusion. The recapitulation of such themes finds a seminal thread for an existential hermeneutic that focuses on the paradoxes of the ethical questions concerning the meaning of life.


Treaty interpretation has long drawn from the practice of contract interpretation. This is because, structurally speaking, treaties and contracts share many features. While the contract paradigm of treaty interpretation may work well for "ordinary" treaties—that is, treaties that have relatively low transaction costs for negotiating and renegotiating, whose fallout would not produce possibly disastrous consequences, and whose contents reify other, previously instantiated commitments between the parties—there is reason to doubt its efficacy with respect to "momentous" treaties. Momentous treaties are those whose transaction costs are tremendously high, fallout from which would jeopardize critical international security and prosperity goals, and that are often not supported by previous treaties securing the same or similar goals. Since the contract paradigm of interpretation largely focuses on the text of a treaty, it might be ill-suited to promote trust between the parties, which is especially important for maintaining momentous treaties. I argue that when it comes to interpreting momentous treaties, international institutions should opt for a "covenant paradigm of interpretation" over the contract paradigm of interpretation. Drawing on historical and anthropological work on the ancient Near East and Bible, I provide an account of "covenant interpretation" that calls on interpreters to focus not only on the text, but also on the parties' broader shared history and normative values. Using this paradigm, international institutions can remedy contract interpretation's trust-building deficit.


ABSTRACT This study explored and compared the role of self esteem, stress and social support in maintenance or improvement in physical and psychosocial functioning over 12 months in older men and women with cardiovascular disease. Data from 502 adults over 60 years of age showed that self esteem and stress were both significantly associated with functioning when demographic and clinical factors were controlled. Men were significantly more likely than women to maintain or improve in functioning. Self esteem, stress, compliance with medication regimens, and marital status were significantly associated with maintenance or improvement of functioning among women. Only age and stress were significantly associated with maintenance or improvement in functioning among men. Findings indicated that: (1) stress and self esteem were stronger predictors of functioning, especially among women, than demographic and clinical factors; and (2) women in the highest quartile of the self esteem distribution were approximately five times as likely to maintain or improve their functioning as women in the lowest quartile.


This paper proposes a novel multilevel inverter for automotive applications. The topology consists of a modular DCDC converter and a tap selector, where the DC-DC converter provides several DC-output levels and the tap selector produces an AC signal by choosing different DC-output signals from the DC-DC converter. To produce the DC-levels, the DC-DC converter consists of a modular structure where the modules are connected in series. The novelty is that the modules are connected both, magnetically in the AC-domain and electrically in the DCdomain. Due to the usage of low power switches in the modules, the proposed structure provides high efficiency. Furthermore, the DC-DC converter is capable of self-balancing its modules and thus does not require large capacitors which yields a high power density. A prototype of the proposed converter is built and simulation, as well as experimental results, are used to verify the findings.


Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text. Background & aims Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has emerged as the most prevalent chronic liver disease, with about one in four people being affected in most areas of the world. Due to its strong association with metabolic syndrome, NAFLD is associated with high morbidity and mortality. Recent data have suggested a pathophysiological association between NAFLD and thyroid disease, but most studies are explorative and results remained conflicting. Here, we aimed at evaluating a potential association between NAFLD and hypothyroidism as well as autoimmune thyroiditis primary care patients in Germany. Methods Incidence rates of hypothyroidism and autoimmune thyroiditis were compared between a cohort of n = 40,583 patients with NAFLD and a cohort of equal size without NAFLD that was matched by sex, age, index year, obesity and diabetes within 10 years from the index date. Results Within the 10 years observation period, incidence of hypothyroidism was significantly higher among patients with NAFLD compared to patients without NAFLD [hazard ratio: 1.53 (95% confidence interval, 1.43–1.64), P < 0.001]. Importantly, regression analysis revealed that the association was significant in both men and women patients as well as in patients from all age groups. Moreover, NAFLD patients showed a significantly higher incidence rate of autoimmune thyroiditis compared to patients without NAFLD [hazard ratio: 1.55 (95% confidence interval, 1.34–1.79), P < 0.001]. This association was most pronounced in patients >70 years. Conclusion Our study provides strong evidence for a significant association between NAFLD and hypothyroidism as well as autoimmune thyroiditis in a large population-based cohort in Germany. This finding should trigger a particular awareness of thyroid diseases in this increasingly important patient group.


Our study was aimed to investigate the association between the use of antidepressants and the risk of preterm birth in pregnant women who have had perinatal depression. We extracted data from the Taiwanese National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) and analyzed them using multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression models. Identified from the NHIRD, we matched 1789 women aged 18–55 years who were using antidepressants during pregnancy and 1789 women who were experiencing depression but who were not using antidepressants during pregnancy for age, index date, and medical comorbidities. We enrolled the women in our study, which we conducted using 12 years' worth of data between 2000 and 2012, and then followed up individually with them for up to 1 year to identify any occurrence of preterm birth. Results highlighted that, compared with the women with perinatal depression who were not using antidepressants during pregnancy, the women taking antidepressants had a 1.762-fold risk of preterm birth (adjusted HR=1.762, 95% CI 1.351 to 2.294, p<0.001). The use of antidepressants in women with perinatal depression may increase the risk of preterm birth. However, the decision to start, stop, or change the use of antidepressants during pregnancy requires evaluating the risks of treatment versus untreated depression for both mother and child.


Change impact analysis is generally regarded as a very difficult program comprehension problem. One of the reasons for this is that there is no universal definition for dependency between software artifacts, only algorithms that approximate the dependencies.
In the past two decades, different kinds of algorithms have been developed by researchers. But which algorithm is the most suitable in a specific situation, which one finds the relevant dependencies in the best way? What kinds of dependencies are important for the programmers? What kinds of algorithms do they work with? Finding the most relevant dependencies is difficult, and it is essentially a creative mental task.
A possible way to answer the above questions is to involve programmers in a survey, and listen to their subjective opinions based on expertise and experience in program comprehension. In this paper, we present the results of our survey on this theme. We wanted to know what the difference was between the results of some well-known algorithms and programmers´ opinions and, in addition, among programmers´ opinions as well. Hence we conducted a case study.


Investigation on using network for distributed systems is an important topic in the motion control industry. This paper presents solutions to time-delay and packet-loss problems encountered in distributed real-time operation of an open-loop unstable magnetic levitation (maglev) test bed via an Ethernet. A novel model predictive control strategy with optimal controller design is developed to overcome the adverse influences of time delays and packet losses. By using the prediction of system states and the event-driven and time-driven smart actuator simultaneously, the plant receives the current control signal in every sampling interval even at the presence of time delays and packet losses. Thus we can compensate the time-delay and packet-loss in a uniform way. The simulation and experimental results demonstrated the feasibility and effectiveness of this control algorithm for NCSs with long stochastic time delays and successive packet losses.Copyright © 2004 by ASME


The need to analyze structured data for various business intelligence applications such as customer churn analysis, social network analysis, telecom network monitoring etc., is well known. However, the potential size to which such data will scale in future will make solutions that revolve around data warehouses hard to scale. As data sizes grow the movement of data from the warehouse to archives becomes more frequent. Current file based archive models make the archived data unusable for any type of insight extraction. In this paper, we present an active archival solution for data warehouses that makes use of Hadoop distributed file system (HDFS) to store the data in an always available and cost-effective manner. We investigate various structured data storage schemes within HDFS and empirical evaluations show that a combination of Universal scheme model and column store is best suited for the active archival solution.


Lucifer yellow (4-amino-N-[3-(vinylsulfonyl)phenyl]naphthalimide-3,6-disulf onate), a fluorescent probe that can react covalently with sulfhydryl or amino groups, has been used to modify chloroplast coupling factor 1 (CF1). Conditions are described under which Lucifer yellow selectively labels the alpha subunit of CF1 to the extent of about 1 mol of probe per mole of CF1. An especially reactive amino group is apparently labeled, and modification has little effect on the ATPase activity of the enzyme. Lucifer yellow is a useful probe for fluorescence energy transfer measurements. The distances between this probe and fluorescent and absorbing molecules attached to seven specific sites on the beta, gamma, and epsilon subunits were determined. These distances converge to a single location. In addition to providing further information about the structure of CF1, these results suggest that the alpha subunits of CF1 are not structurally equivalent.


Microbes residing in the internal tissues of a plant are called endophytes, and are known for producing phytochemicals such as taxol, podophyllotoxin, azadirachtin and vinca alkaloids. In this study, out of five isolates from Salacia species, two fungi Penicillium capsulatum and Aspergillus fumigatus have been evaluated and confirmed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification for their endophytic action to produce mangiferin. Mangiferin has been reported to possess protective properties, including antioxidant, antidiabetic and immunomodulatory. It has been reported that the content of mangiferin is 7-9% in Mangifera indica , and is also present in other plants like Swertia chirata , Salacia chinensis , and Hypericum aucheri . Therefore, an attempt was made to explore the biotechnological approach and regulation studies to increase the production of mangiferin in S. chinensis and S. oblonga . Endophytes were isolated, screened, and analyzed, to evaluate the mangiferin in fungal extracts in comparison with crude plant extracts. An HPLC analysis was used to determine the mangiferin content present in the fungal extract of S. chinensis stem (74.74 g/mL), followed by fungi extracts of S. oblonga root (33.75 g/mL) and S. chinensis root (30.50 g/mL), compared with the plant extracts. These results were confirmed FTIR


The aim of this study was to investigate pulmonary function and exercise capacity in a group of survivors of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). At 3 months after hospital discharge, 46 survivors of SARS underwent the following evaluation: spirometry, static lung volumes and carbon monoxide transfer factor (TL,CO). In total, 44 of these patients underwent cardiopulmonary exercise testing. No abnormalities were detected in the pulmonary function tests in 23 (50%) of the patients. Abnormalities of forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), FEV1/FVC and TL,CO were detected in seven (15%), 12 (26%), one (2%) and 18 (39%) patients, respectively. All of these abnormalities were mild except in one case. In 18 patients (41%), the maximum aerobic capacity was below the lower limit of the normal range. Breathing reserve was low in four patients and significant oxygen desaturation was detected in a further four patients. Comparison of the measured exercise capacity with resting pulmonary function tests showed many cases of discordance in impairment. In conclusion, pulmonary function defects were detected in half of the recovered severe acute respiratory syndrome patients 3 months after hospital discharge, but the impairment was mild in almost all cases. Many patients had reduced exercise capacity that cannot be accounted for by impairment of pulmonary function.


[Structure: see text] A temporal N-silylation protocol in the catalytic aryl amination reaction has been devised to prepare nitrogen-bridged calixarene analogues. The protocol involves a smooth in situ N-silylation before aryl amination reaction, followed by spontaneous cleavage of the N-Si bond in the usual workup process, to furnish secondary aromatic amines as the cross-coupled product with no silyl group on the nitrogen atom. A successful application to the preparation of regioselectively N-methylated azacalix[8]arene is described, together with the crystallographic analysis.


CheZ is the phosphatase of the chemotactic response regulator, CheY. There are three conserved domains on CheZ. Here we determined the function of the C-terminal domain (residues 202-214). A truncated form of CheZ, missing residues 202-214, hardly bound to the phosphorylated form of CheY. Conversely, a peptide composed of the last 19 amino acid residues of the CheZ (residues 196-214), generated by tryptic digestion, bound specifically to the phosphorylated form of CheY. This was demonstrated by both fluorescence depolarization of the peptide (labeled with fluorescein) and cross-linking. It is concluded that the conserved C-terminus of CheZ functions as a CheY-binding domain.


Objective: This study aimed to clarify the infection state of early embryos by HBV and the effect of HBV infection on embryo development. Methods: In vitro culture was carried out on the fresh surplus embryos from infertile couples on the third day (D3) who received routine in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF-ET) treatment. The embryo cells were infected in vitro by the serum of HBV infected patients with different viral loads. HBsAg quantity in the supernatant secreted by embryo and HBV mRNA in embryo cells were detected. The development of embryo cells after HBV infection was evaluated by embryo morphological parameter score and fragment score in embryo cells. Results: From May 2013 to July 2015, 238 cases of D3 fresh surplus embryos from 120 infertile couples and 128 samples of embryo culture supernatant were collected. The HBsAg positive rate in the supernatant of embryos in the high viral load infection group was significantly higher than that in the low viral load infection group (40.0% vs.15.6%, p<0.05). HBV mRNA was detected in 2 of 17 HBsAg positive embryos. The scores of embryos in the high load HBV culture solution group were higher than those in the low load group (p=0.04). There was one formed blastocyst in low load HBV culture group, but there was no blastocyst formation in all embryo cells of high load group (p<0.001).Conclusion: The results suggest that embryo cells can be directly infected by HBV in vitro. HBV infection affects the development of embryos.


Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) represents a subgroup of major depression with a regular occurrence of symptoms in autumn/winter and full remission in spring/summer. Light therapy (LT) has become the standard treatment of this type of depression. Apart from this, pharmacotherapy with antidepressants also seems to provide an improvement of SAD symptoms. The aim of this controlled, single-blind study was to evaluate if hypericum, a plant extract, could be beneficial in treating SAD patients and whether the combination with LT would be additionally advantageous. Patients who fulfilled DSM-III-R criteria for major depression with seasonal pattern were randomized in a 4-week treatment study with 900 mg of hypericum per day combined with either bright (3000 lux, n = 10) or dim (< 300 lux, n = 10) light condition. Light therapy was applied for 2 hours daily. We found a significant (MANOVA, P < .001) reduction of the Hamilton Depression Scale score in both groups but no significant difference between the two groups. Our data suggest that pharmacologic treatment with hypericum may be an efficient therapy in patients with seasonal affective disorder.


Backgrounds & Objective: End-stage renal disease (ESRD) frequently causes Protein Energy Wasting (PEW), which is an important morbidity and mortality factor. Although it is difficult to assess PEW with a reliable method, there are various methods such as Handgrip strength test (HST), serum albumin, cholesterol, etc. HST is a simple and reliable antropometric method which is used for nutritional status and body muscle strength. This study aims to assess the relationship between HST and biochemical markers in evolution of nutritional status of ESRD patients. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 36 consecutive patients, who are on peritoneal dialysis and 36 healthy –control subjects. Jamar-hand dynamometer was used for handgrip strength test; a pinch gauge was used for key pinch. Other antropometric tests included skin fold thicknesses at biceps, triceps, umbilical, suprailiac and subscapular regions; circumferences at waist hip, neck and midarm. Biochemical tests were performed only in Peritoneal Dialysis (PD) group. SPSS for Windows ver. 15.0 was used for statistics. Results: The mean age of patients was 49.3±14.4, and mean age of control group was 43.8±10.6 (p=0.075). In PD group dominant hand dynamometer test 1,2 and 3 results were 19.3±9.3 kg, 25.3±10.8 kg, 25.5± 10.6 kg and; 34.2±10.3 kg, 34.4±9.8 kg, 34.6±10.0 kg for control group (p< 0,001). Right key pinch results were 6.7±1.9 kg for patients; 13.5±4.5 kg for control group (p<0.001). Left key pinch results were 6.8±1.9 kg for patients; 13.2±4.4 kg for control group (p<0.001). There was not any significant relationship concerning handgrip or key pinch tests with biochemical parameters. Conclusion: Handgrip Strength Test and key pinch may be reliable, cheap and easily performed tests for the diagnosis of Protein Energy Wasting in patients on Peritoneal Dialysis.


This study compared the mental health of 12 mothers who had infants with colic to 12 mothers of infants without colic. Colic was defined as infant fussing/crying of at least 2 hours/day for at least 5 out of 7 days, infant cry high-pitched and pain-sounding, and maternal report of infant inconsolability. Mental health was operationalized as scores on the Profile of Mood States and the Symptom Checklist-90R. Mothers of infants with colic had multidimensional psychological distress; they reported more bodily dysfunction, fears, disordered thinking, depression, anxiety, fatigue, hostility, impulsive thoughts and actions; and they had stronger feelings of personal inadequacy or inferiority. Implications for nursing research and practice are discussed in the context of study findings.


BACKGROUND
Congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) is an inherited recessive disorder of adrenal steroidogenesis. Past reports suggested that brain white matter could be involved in CAH.

OBJECTIVE
To detect the presence, and possible changes over time, of brain white matter abnormalities in patients with CAH.

DESIGN
Neurological examination and brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) that were repeated in 12 patients after a mean interval of 11 years.

SETTING
Pavia, northern Italy. Patients Twenty-two patients with CAH.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
Evaluation of clinical neurological findings and brain MRI T2-weighted images.

RESULTS
Ten (45%) of 22 patients with CAH had white matter abnormalities (diffuse in 4 cases, focal in 3 cases, and both diffuse and focal in 3 cases) on MRI. The MRI findings never changed over repeated assessments.

CONCLUSIONS
Subclinical brain white matter involvement is frequent in CAH. This might be due to hormonal imbalance during brain development or corticosteroid treatments. Our study findings indicate that a relationship with demyelinating diseases can also be suggested. Diagnosis of CAH should be suspected in young subjects with brain MRI white matter abnormalities that are not otherwise explicable.


The role of plants as a source of nutrients to animals for survival and development cannot be over-emphasized. Clerodendrum volubile (marugbo) is an under-utilized tropical non-conventional leafy vegetable grown in Nigeria. Nutritive, anti-nutritive, mineral and amino acid components of this plant were determined using standard analytical procedures. Proximate analysis unraveled a high percentage of carbohydrate (44.69%), protein (13.88%), ash (11.67%) and fibre (11.26%) contents. Mineral analysis showed high level of calcium (30.91%), potassium (27.69%), phosphorus (27.61%), magnesium (27.11%) and sodium (22.86%) while lead was absent. The composition of anti-nutrients were; 16.30, 3.67 and 2.19mg/100g for phytates, oxalates and tannin respectively. The amino acid analysis revealed that methionine was the limiting amino acid in Clerodendrum volubile. Amino acids observed in appreciable concentrations include Glu 9.88, Asp 8.14, Leu 7.60, Arg 4.68, Val 3.95, Lys 3.82, Ala 3.81, Phe 3.78, Gly 3.25, Thr 2.98, Ile 2.97 and Ser 2.35. The results obtained in this study suggest that marugbo leaves could be used as a good dietary source of minerals, carbohydrate, protein and essential amino acids such as leucine, isoleucine, arginine, valine, lysine and phenylalanine.


By molecular dynamics simulations employing an embedded atom model potential, we investigate the fcc-to-bcc phase transition in single crystal Al, caused by uniform compression. Results show that the fcc structure is unstable when the pressure is over 250 GPa, in reasonable agreement with the calculated value through the density functional theory. The morphology evolution of the structural transition and the corresponding transition mechanism are analysed in detail. The bcc (011) planes are transited from the fcc (111) plane and the (111) plane. We suggest that the transition mechanism consists mainly of compression, shear, slid and rotation of the lattice. In addition, our radial distribution function analysis explicitly indicates the phase transition of Al from fcc phase to bcc structure.


The lack of adequate techniques for measuring the specific absorption rate (SAR) of microwave energy in such lossy structures as biological bodies is pointed out. A non-invasive method, based on the use of an array of small, non-perturbing electric field probes, is proposed. The feasibility of the method is demonstrated, using a circular cylindrical model of the human body. The simplifying assumptions on the nature of the incident signal are discussed. >


We study information acquisition in a exible framework with strategic complementarity or substitutability in actions and a rich set of externalities that are responsible for possible wedges between the equilibrium and the efficient acquisition of information. First, we relate the (in)efficiency in the acquisition of information to the (in)efficiency in the use of information and explain why efficiency in the use does not guarantee efficiency in the acquisition. Next, we show how the acquisition of private information affects the social value of public information (i.e., the comparative statics of equilibrium welfare with respect to the quality of public information). Finally, we illustrate the implications of our results in a few applications that include beauty contests, monetary economies with price-setting complementarities, and economies with negative production externalities.


Quantum calculations are carried out for the scattering of electrons from sulphur dioxide molecules in the energy range from about 1.0 eV up to 30 eV. Integral and differential cross sections are obtained for the elastic process and for the excitation processes of the target asymmetric rotor into various final rotational levels. Comparison with experimental data, both of the momentum transfer cross sections and the angular distributions, indicates rather good agreement between measured and computed values over the whole range of the examined energies, while the integral elastic cross sections (rotationally summed) show disagreement at low energy with the experimental estimates. Born corrections to the calculations are also shown to provide the correct behaviour of the forward scattering angular distributions and a reliable guide to experimental extrapolation procedures.


Since their appearance in the 19th century, universal exhibitions have been closely related to the artistic collections of numerous nations, and they have been a fundamental source for art historians as a historical event in which the most outstanding novelties of each period can be observed. However, the study and more detailed knowledge of the attractive pavilions, or the awardwinning artistic works displayed in these events has diverted the attention from many other artistic projects. The contribution of the Provincial Commission of Monuments of Zaragoza to the 1878 Universal Exhibition not only enabled awareness to be raised about the historical-artistic riches of our province, but also helped spread knowledge about the Aragonese heritage outside our borders through the assembly of a comprehensive catalogue, and a splendid photo album of Aragonese artistic works, which were sent to Paris.


Purpose Breast cancers that over-express a lipoxygenase or cyclooxygenase are associated with poor survival possibly because they overproduce metabolites that alter the cancer's malignant behaviors. However, these metabolites and behaviors have not been identified. We here identify which metabolites among those that stimulate breast cancer cell proliferation in vitro are associated with rapidly proliferating breast cancer. Experimental Design We used selective ion monitoring-mass spectrometry to quantify in the cancer and normal breast tissue of 27 patients metabolites that stimulate (15-, 12-, 5-hydroxy-, and 5-oxo-eicosatetraenoate, 13-hydroxy-octadecaenoate [HODE]) or inhibit (prostaglandin [PG]E2 and D2) breast cancer cell proliferation. We then related their levels to each cancer's proliferation rate as defined by its Mib1 score. Results 13-HODE was the only metabolite strongly, significantly, and positively associated with Mib1 scores. It was similarly associated with aggressive grade and a key component of grade, mitosis, and also trended to be associated with lymph node metastasis. PGE2 and PGD2 trended to be negatively associated with these markers. No other metabolite in cancer and no metabolite in normal tissue had this profile of associations. Conclusions Our data fit a model wherein the overproduction of 13-HODE by 15-lipoxygenase-1 shortens breast cancer survival by stimulating its cells to proliferate and possibly metastasize; no other oxygenase-metabolite pathway, including cyclooxygenase-PGE2/D2 pathways, uses this specific mechanism to shorten survival.


Forty-one black patients aged 21 to 75 years with hepatic tuberculosis diagnosed at liver biopsy were studied prospectively. The liver varied in size and consistency and was tender in 44 per cent of patients. Abdominal symptoms, weight loss, pyrexia, hepatomegaly, splenomegaly and anaemia were absent in 54, 39, 37, 5, 68 and 27 per cent of patients respectively. Twenty-two per cent of chest radiographs were normal. Liver function tests were of little diagnostic value and hepatic imaging techniques often gave normal results. Acid-fast bacilli, caseation and coexistent liver disease were detected in 59, 51 and 37 per cent of patients respectively. Since there was no consistent clinical pattern a high index of suspicion is necessary if this disease is to be detected in communities in which tuberculosis is endemic. In patients with unexplained hepatomegaly or hepatosplenomegaly or pyrexia of unknown origin liver biopsy provides the only means of making this diagnosis.


ABSTRACT The presence of microbial biofilms in the phyllosphere of terrestrial plants has recently been demonstrated, but few techniques to study biofilms associated with living plant tissues are available. Here we report a technique to estimate the proportion of the bacterial population on leaves that is assembled in biofilms and to quantitatively isolate bacteria from the biofilm and nonbiofilm (solitary) components of phyllosphere microbial communities. This technique is based on removal of bacteria from leaves by gentle washing, separation of biofilm and solitary bacteria by filtration, and disintegration of biofilms by ultrasonication. The filters used for this technique were evaluated for their nonspecific retention rates of solitary bacteria and for the efficiency of filtration for different concentrations of solitary bacteria in the presence of biofilms and other particles. The lethality and efficiency of disintegration of the sonication conditions used here were also evaluated. Isolation and quantification of bacteria by this technique is based on use of culture media. However, oligonucleotide probes, sera, or epifluorescent stains could also be used for direct characterization of the biofilm and solitary bacteria in the suspensions generated by this technique. Preliminary results from estimates of biofilm abundance in phyllosphere communities show that bacteria in biofilms constitute between about 10 and 40% of the total bacterial population on broad-leaf endive and parsley leaves.


Abstract Since the fall of the Iron Curtain and especially since joining the European Union, the Czech Republic has become a country with a sharply growing number of immigrants, who more and more often are coming to the country with the purpose of settling long term and starting a family. This change places demands on society as a whole but also on particular areas such as the education system, which needs to integrate these children successfully and ensure that they are provided with quality education. The experiences of countries with a long history of migration have shown a negative correlation between the extent of concentration of non-citizen pupils in a school and their academic performance. Such a relationship is explored in this article which examines the degree of concentration of non-citizen pupils at Czech primary and lower secondary schools both in terms of concentration in individual regions, as the spatial distribution of immigrants tends to be very unequal, and in terms of concentrations at particular schools within individual regions. The article shows that despite a current growing concentration of non-citizen students in some regions, there is not clear evidence to confirm a growing segregation at particular schools.


SUMMARY The present work was carried on dogs as experimental model to assess the histological and clinicopathological changes that associated with ischemiareperfusion injury of intestine. Serum biochemical changes with correlation to histopathological alterations as a result of induction of ischemia-reperfusion were clarified. A total 15 healthy male mongrel dogs of weighing 9 to 12 kg and ageing one to five years old were allocated into 3 groups according to the pathway of induction of intestinal ischemia. Blood samples were taken from dogs before and after induction of ischemia-reperfusion injury for determination serum biochemical and blood coagulation changes. A significant hypercoagulability in all groups at the end of ischemic and reperfusion times were recorded. Serum biochemical changes associated with IRI in intestine revealed a significant increase in (ALT, AST, ALP, LDH and AMYL), enzymes activities with ischemic and reperfusion times, when compared with their activity at zero-time. Blood urea, creatinine and glucose determination showed significant increase in their concentration during ischemia and reperfusion times. Also C-reactive protein revealed a significant increase in their titer with all groups at the end of ischemic time and with reperfusion time. Ischemia/ reperfusion lesions of intestinal region revealed congestion, hemorrhages and cyanosis associated with damage of intestinal epithelium and serosal layer with different grades. The histological findings demonstrated severe destruction of intestinal segment after reperfusion in comparison with ischemia. On the other hand, ischemia/ reperfusion were reflected on hepatic and renal parenchyma with different grades according to ischemic pathway.


Simple Summary A total of 10 genes (YWHAZ, F3, TMOD3, NFE2L3, ENDOD1, ITGA3, RRAS, PRSS23, TOP2A, and LRRFIP1) were identified as tumor suppressive miR-30c-5p and miR-30c-2-3p targets in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), and expression of these genes were independent prognostic factors for patient survival. Furthermore, aberrant expression of TOP2A and its transcriptional activators (SP1 and HMGB2) enhanced malignant transformation of PDAC cells. Abstract Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the most aggressive types of cancer, and its prognosis is abysmal; only 25% of patients survive one year, and 5% live for five years. MicroRNA (miRNA) signature analysis of PDAC revealed that both strands of pre-miR-30c (miR-30c-5p, guide strand; miR-30c-2-3p, passenger strand) were significantly downregulated, suggesting they function as tumor-suppressors in PDAC cells. Ectopic expression assays demonstrated that these miRNAs attenuated the aggressiveness of PDAC cells, e.g., cell proliferation, migration, and invasiveness. Through a combination of in silico analyses and gene expression data, we identified 216 genes as putative oncogenic targets of miR-30c-5p and miR-30c-2-3p regulation in PDAC cells. Among these, the expression of 18 genes significantly predicted the 5-year survival rates of PDAC patients (p < 0.01). Importantly, the expression levels of 10 genes (YWHAZ, F3, TMOD3, NFE2L3, ENDOD1, ITGA3, RRAS, PRSS23, TOP2A, and LRRFIP1) were found to be independent prognostic factors for patient survival (p < 0.01). We focused on TOP2A (DNA Topoisomerase II Alpha) and investigated its potential as a therapeutic target for PDAC. The overexpression of TOP2A and its transcriptional activators (SP1 and HMGB2) was detected in PDAC clinical specimens. Moreover, the knockdown of TOP2A enhanced the sensitivity of PDAC cells to anticancer drugs. Our analyses of the PDAC miRNA signature and tumor-suppressive miRNAs provide important insights into the molecular pathogenesis of PDAC.


Improving heteroatomic interactions via alloying or forming heterogeneous catalysts is of importance to the enhancement in terms of electrocatalytic activity and stability. In this work, a simple galvanic replacement reaction was utilized to synthesize low Pt-based quaternary nanotubes (NTs). It is easy to obtain PtPdRuTe NTs with different composition and controlled shape using ultrathin Te nanowires (NWs) as sacrificial templates for its high activity. The NT wall thickness and formed NPs on the surface are closely related with the composition, especially Pd content. The optimized incorporation of Pd atoms into ternary PtRuTe NTs formed a uniform protecting PtPd surface and modified the Pt electronic structure to improve the methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) performance. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) reveals a larger extent of electron transfer from neighboring atoms to Pt on PtPdRuTe, consequently leading to a weaker bonding of the intermediate on Pt. As a result, the quaternary PtPdRuTe NTs exhibit enhanced activity and stability toward efficient MOR.


We herein reported the synthetic, structural, computational, and magnetic studies of four air-stable heptacoordinated mononuclear cobalt(II) complexes, namely, [CoII(tdmmb)(H2O)2][BF4]2 (1), [CoII(tdmmb)(CN)2]·2H2O (2), [CoII(tdmmb)(NCS)2] (3), and [CoII(tdmmb)(SPh)2] (4) (tdmmb = 1,3,10,12-tetramethyl-1,2,11,12-tetraaza[[3](2,6)pyridino[3](2,9)-1,10-phenanthrolinophane-2,10-diene; SPh- = thiophenol anion). Constrained by the rigid pentadentate macrocyclic ligand tdmmb, the CoII centers in all of these complexes are in the heptacoordinated pentagonal-bipyramidal geometry. While the equatorial environments of these complexes remain very similar to each other, the axial ligands are systematically modified from C to N to O to S atoms. Analyses of the magnetic data and the ab initio calculations both reveal large easy-plane magnetic anisotropy (D > 0) for all four complexes. While the experimentally obtained D values do not show any clear tendency when the axial coordinated atoms change from C to N to O atoms (complexes 1-3), the largest value is for the heavier and softer S-atom-coordinated complex 4. Because of significant magnetic anisotropy, all four complexes are field-induced single-ion magnets. This work represents a delicate modification of the magnetic anisotropy by tuning the chemical environment of the metal centers.


Safety is essential for deploying Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL) algorithms in real-world scenarios. Recently, verification approaches have been proposed to allow quantifying the number of violations of a DRL policy over input-output relationships, called properties. However, such properties are hard-coded and require task-level knowledge, making their application intractable in challenging safety-critical tasks. To this end, we introduce the Collection and Refinement of Online Properties (CROP) framework to design properties at training time. CROP employs a cost signal to identify unsafe interactions and use them to shape safety properties. Hence, we propose a refinement strategy to combine properties that model similar unsafe interactions. Our evaluation compares the benefits of computing the number of violations using standard hard-coded properties and the ones generated with CROP. We evaluate our approach in several robotic mapless navigation tasks and demonstrate that the violation metric computed with CROP allows higher returns and lower violations over previous Safe DRL approaches.


The modulated lapped transform (MLT) can be regarded as the fundamental transform in the field of audio coding. The MLT is, however, an orthogonal tranform, which poses the limitation of the synthesis transform matrix being simply the transpose of the analysis transform matrix. This requires the analysis and synthesis window functions to be the same. It is possible to generalize the MLT into the biorthogonal modulated lapped transform (BMLT), and gain more flexibility in the choice of the analysis and synthesis window functions. It is further possible to adapt the BMLT window functions for example to tune the energy compaction of the analysis transform. This paper addresses the requirements of perfect reconstruction when the BMLT transform windows are varied in time.


Engineering students must graduate with command of a vast body of technical knowledge. They must possess personal, interpersonal and system-building skills to function in teams, and be prepared to produce products and systems. Their education must have been structured under a curriculum blending ability to combine technical expertise with ethical, innovative, philosophical and humanistic acumen. This paper describes a unique international collaboration among four universities to reform engineering education. The collaborators agreed to a statement of goals, which includes descriptions of knowledge, skills and attitudes vital to an effective education, and codifies proficiency levels expected of graduates. We developed and utilized unique stakeholder surveys both to validate our prototype and to determine desired proficiency levels. This collaboration resulted in The CDIO Syllabus, A Statement of Goals for Undergraduate Engineering Education. The syllabus is both a template and a process that can be used to customize the syllabus to others' programmes. It can define new educational initiatives/and be employed as the basis for rigorous assessment. This paper details how, with the input of industry, academia and others, we employed an engineering problem-solving paradigm to effect our redesign. It outlines the syllabus and the unique process employed to create it.


Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) exist in Africa as
they do everywhere in the world. Historically they have been under recognized and under
studied. The aim of this paper is to review the existing challenges of ASD care and diagnosis
in Africa, with a view to describing workable unique strategies deployable within the
continent.

We present an overview of the existing medical literature and summarize key
findings in relation to the topic of ASD in Africa. First, as a preliminary step, we highlight
key findings from previous epidemiological surveys. Second, we undertook a review of
relevant available evidence from the various African regions. When the authors were familiar
with additional local or regional scientific works, these were also used and referenced.

There has been a growing awareness of the extent to which ASDs exist and have
an impact on affected individuals and their families. There are many barriers to diagnosis and
effective interventions. These include lack of trained personnel, stigma and cultural beliefs
regarding etiology, disparities in resources between urban and rural areas, and poverty.
Nonetheless, partnerships to support research and the development of culturally appropriate
interventions can be developed and strengths exist in the communities that can be harnessed
to improve care.


We assessed the extent to which an invader, Gammarus pulex (Crustacea: Amphipoda), has replaced a native, Gammarus duebeni celticus, over a 13-year period in a European river system and some of the abiotic and biotic factors that could account for this. Between 1988 and 2001, 56% of mixed-species sites had become invader-only sites, whereas no mixed sites had become native only again. The native dominated areas of higher dissolved oxygen and water quality, with the reciprocal true for the invader. Field transplant experiments revealed that native survivorship was lower in areas where it had been replaced than in areas where the invader does not yet occur. In invader-only areas, native survivorship was lower than that of the invader when kept separately and lowest when both species were kept together. We also observed predation of the native by the invader. Laboratory oxygen manipulation experiments revealed that at 30% saturation, the native's survivorship was two thirds that of the invader. We conclude t...


Summary One of the major drawbacks in the use of biomedical materials is the occurrence ofbiomaterial-centered infections. After implantation, the host interacts with a biomaterial byforming a conditioning film on its surface and an immune reaction towards the foreignmaterial. When microorganisms reach a biomaterial surface they can adhere to it. Adhesion ofmicroorganisms to an implant is mediated by their physico-chemical surface properties andthe properties of the biomaterial surface itself. Subsequent surface growth of themicroorganisms will lead to a mature biofilm and infection, which is difficult to eradicate byantibiotics. Chapter 1 gives an overview of the mechanisms involved in biomaterial-centeredinfection and the possible strategies to prevent these infections. Chapter 2 describes the parallel plate flow chamber system. With this system thedifferent steps in biofilm formation, i.e. conditioning film formation, initial bacterialadhesion, bacterial surface growth and bacterial detachment can be modeled and monitored


Objectives Investigating whether dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors could influence clinical outcomes in intramural hematoma (IMH) patients with diabetes mellitus (DM). Methods IMH patients who received a "wait and watch strategy" were included. Cox proportional hazard models were constructed to identify potential risk factors. A Kaplan–Meier survival analysis was used to estimate all-cause and aorta-related mortality during the follow-up period. Results From January 2000 to December 2020, 1094 IMH patients were divided into group A (n=572, IMH patients without DM), group B (n=191, IMH patients with DM and receiving oral antidiabetic drugs [without admission of DDP-4 inhibitors]) and group C (n=331, IMH patients with DM and receiving oral antidiabetic drugs [including admission of DDP-4 inhibitors]). Group C had the lowest rate of aorta-related adverse events (6.4%), aorta-related mortality (1.2%) and reintervention (5.2%). Cox proportional hazard models revealed that lower eosinophil count (per 0.1, hazard ratio [HR], 0.61; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.51-0.73, P< 0.001) and thicker hematoma thickness (HR, 1.22; 95% CI, 1.06-1.39, P <0.001) were associated with higher occurrences of aorta-related adverse events. Lower eosinophil count (per 0.1, HR, 0.24; 95% CI, 0.15-0.40, P <0.001), larger descending aorta diameters (HR, 1.12; 95% CI, 1.02-1.23, P <0.021), and thicker hematoma thickness (HR, 3.25; 95% CI, 2.36-4.46, P <0.001) were also associated with increased aorta-related mortality. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis revealed a significant decrease in all-cause and aorta-related mortality in group C ( P <0.001). Conclusions DPP-4 administration influences progression of IMH patients with DM, leading to a lower rate of aorta-related adverse events, aorta-related mortality, and reinterventions.


This meta-analytic review examines the role of optimism, social support, and coping strategies in contributing to posttraumatic growth. Results from 103 studies showed that all three systems of variables yielded significant effect sizes. Religious coping and positive reappraisal coping produced the largest effect sizes. Social support, seeking social support coping, spirituality, and optimism were moderately related to posttraumatic growth. Acceptance coping yielded the smallest effect sizes. Moderator analyses showed that effect sizes did not differ according to time elapsed since trauma, gender, and type of posttraumatic growth measure (posttraumatic growth vs. benefit finding). Age and gender were significant moderators of religious coping, whereas study design (longitudinal vs. cross-sectional) significantly moderated the effect of positive reappraisal coping. Implications for research and interventions on posttraumatic growth are also discussed.


Background The mechanisms by which moderate tidal volume ventilation (MTV) exacerbates preexisting lung injury are unclear. We hypothesized that systemic endotoxemia via the gut-lung axis would lead to non-canonical and canonical inflammasome activation and pyroptosis in a two-hit model involving polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid (Poly(I:C)), a synthetic analog of dsRNA and MTV and that this would associate with acute lung injury (ALI). Methods Anesthetized mice were administered Poly(I:C) intratracheally and then 6 h later, they were mechanically ventilated for 4 h with otherwise non-injurious MTV (10ml/kg). Changes in intestinal and alveolar capillary permeability were measured. Further documentation of ALI was assessed by evans blue albumin permeability, protein and IL-1 family concentration in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) or plasma, and histopathology in cohorts of wildtype (WT), whole body genetically ablated caspase-11 (caspase-11-/-), caspase-1/caspase-11 double knockout (caspase-1/11-/-), gasdermin D (GSDMD)-/-, nucleotide-binding domain leucine-rich repeat-containing protein 3 (NLRP3)-/- and advanced glycosylation end product-specific receptor (RAGE) -/- mice. Results Non-injurious MTV exacerbated the mild lung injury associated with Poly(I:C) administration. This included the disruption of alveolar-capillary barrier and increased levels of interleukin (IL)-6, high mobility group proteins 1 (HMGB-1), IL-1β in BALF and IL-18 in plasma. Combined (Poly(I:C)-MTV) injury was associated with increase in gastrointestinal permeability and endotoxin in plasma and BALF. Poly(I:C)-MTV injury was sensitive to caspase-11 deletion with no further contribution of caspase-1 except for maturation and release of IL-18 (that itself was sensitive to deletion of NLRP3). Combined injury led to large increases in caspase-1 and caspase-11. Genetic ablation of GSDMD attenuated alveolar-capillary disruption and release of cytokines in combined injury model. Conclusions The previously noted exacerbation of mild Poly(I:C)-induced ALI by otherwise non-injurious MTV is associated with an increase in gut permeability resulting in systemic endotoxemia. The gut-lung axis resulted in activation of pulmonary non-canonical (cytosolic mediated caspase-11 activation) and canonical (caspase-1) inflammasome (NLRP3) mediated ALI in this two-hit model resulting in GSDMD sensitive alveolar capillary barrier disruption, pyroptosis (alveolar macrophages) and cytokine maturation and release (IL-1β; IL-18). Pharmacologic strategies aimed at disrupting communication between gut and lung, inhibition of inflammasomes or GSDMD in pyroptosis may be useful in ALI.


Acute subdural hematoma (SDH) is a rare occurrence in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients with only two cases reported in literature. However, sudden severe acute SDH caused by CML has not been reported on.Our patient was admitted for 'sudden unconsciousness for more than 1 hour'. Computed tomography (CT) angiography revealed a large amount of acute SDH on the left side. Physical exam showed the patient's left pupil was dilated and signs of cerebral herniation were present. The preoperative coagulation profile was normal. Emergency craniotomy for hematoma clearance and decompression was performed. During the surgery, a ruptured cerebral artery was located in the perisylvian region and hemostasis was achieved through electrocautery. Pre-operative white blood count was 58,100 cell/µl, with post-operative bone marrow examination、cytogenetic analysis and RT-PCR detection revealing a diagnosis of CML, for which hydroxyurea chemotherapy was initiated. Leukocyte count of the patient gradually returned to normal. After 24 days, the patient regained consciousness and on day 30, repeat CT scan showed no SDH recurrence. The patient recovered with no neurological deficits and achieved a good prognosis.


In the next decade there will be an increase in the number of elderly people from a South Asian background. All too often minority groups are treated as homogenous, leading to inappropriate generalisations, unmet need, and unsuitable treatment and management. In order to understand and manage a person's illness it is necessary to appreciate the effects of their culture, experiences and environment. The South Asian community is well established in the UK and the attitudes of the growing elderly population towards mental illness, their expressions of distress, and views on management and treatment are only now being canvassed. Awareness of these issues is essential before epidemiological studies of depression and dementia and use of health services by this group will provide beneficial results. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Eutrophication of water bodies is matter of concern for the last few decades because wastewater without treatment can cause serious health effects and disturb functioning of ecosystem. The objective of the current study was to utilize nutrient present in wastewater for algal growth and biodiesel production from harvested biomass of algae. Mixed algae culture (Microspora sp., Diatoms, Lyngbya sp., Cladophora sp., Spirogyra sp. and Rhizoclonium sp.) collected from Botanic Garden of Government College University Lahore was grown in artificial ponds of 13.5 L capacity. Algal growth was monitored for six days by measuring its fresh and dry weight which showed almost similar results of 3.34 g/day and 3 g/day respectively. Uptake of total Kjeldahl nitrogen (55%), total phosphorous (61%), nitrate (97%), phosphate (93%), sulphate (34%) and chloride (41%) was carried by mixed algae culture from wastewater. Seasonal variation in the absorption of nutrients in alternate months of the year showed higher uptake in March, September and November due to favorable conditions for algal growth. Yield of biodiesel produced by transesterification of dried algal biomass was calculated to be 15.13% on an average. Quality of biodiesel was analyzed for kinematic viscosity (4.5 mm /s), flash point (167°C), specific gravity (0.895 g/ml), iodine value (80 mg/g), acid number (0.65 mg. 2 KOH/g) and water contents (32 mg/kg). It was found that the quality of biodiesel was according to the ASTM standards for biodiesel.


This article offers a program description of a new approach to the treatment of problematic drinking developed at St. John's Hospital, Bruges, Belgium. The program is based on Solution-Focused Brief Therapy, and is offered in both an inpatient and outpatient setting. Four-year follow-up telephone interviews were conducted for 118 inpatients and 72 outpatients who had completed the program; 84% of the inpatients and 81% of the outpatients reported maintaining their goals of either abstinence or controlled-drinking four years after completion of the program. The benefits of using a Solution-Focused Brief Therapy model for the treatment of problem drinking are discussed.


: A study was made of brain bioelectric activity in patients with secondarily generalized epilepsy under hypnosis. The disease manifestations were dependent on whether the site of the focus was in the right or in the left hemisphere. Hypnotic trance changes the neurodynamics of the focus and the level of interhemispheric relations, which depends on the focus lateralization. The authors demonstrate possibilities of that state, both positive connected with the diagnosis and treatment and negative ones restricting the use of hypnotherapy in the presence on the EEG of frequent epileptic phenomena or their slight provocation by hyperventilation.


Recently, nanoporous (NP) GaN has emerged as a promising photonic material in the III-N family. Due to its attractive properties, such as its large refractive index contrast and perfect lattice matching with GaN, as well as its good electrical conductivity, photonic components and devices involving NP GaN have been successfully demonstrated. However, further development of high-performance NP GaN based electrically injected devices, such as vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) and edge emitting lasers, requires efficient heat dissipation. Therefore, in this paper, we study thermal conductivity (TC) of NP GaN, especially when incorporated into a practical distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) in a VCSEL device. Through an effective medium model, we study the theoretical effect of NP GaN morphological properties over its TC. We then experimentally measure the TC of NP GaN, with different porosities and pore wall thicknesses, which shows a high agreement with the theoretical model. We also fabricate actual NP GaN DBRs and study the large tunability and interdependence among their TC (1–24 W/m K), refractive index (0.1–1.0), and electrical conductivity (100–2000 S/m) compared to other conventional DBRs. Finally, we perform a finite-element simulation of the heat dissipation within NP GaN-VCSELs, revealing their superior thermal dissipation compared to dielectric DBR based VCSELs. In this regard, this study lays the foundation for nanoscale thermal engineering of NP GaN optoelectronic and photonic devices and paves the way for their successful commercialization.Recently, nanoporous (NP) GaN has emerged as a promising photonic material in the III-N family. Due to its attractive properties, such as its large refractive index contrast and perfect lattice matching with GaN, as well as its good electrical conductivity, photonic components and devices involving NP GaN have been successfully demonstrated. However, further development of high-performance NP GaN based electrically injected devices, such as vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) and edge emitting lasers, requires efficient heat dissipation. Therefore, in this paper, we study thermal conductivity (TC) of NP GaN, especially when incorporated into a practical distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) in a VCSEL device. Through an effective medium model, we study the theoretical effect of NP GaN morphological properties over its TC. We then experimentally measure the TC of NP GaN, with different porosities and pore wall thicknesses, which shows a high agreement with the theoretical model. We also fabricate ...


The goal of Sketch-Based Image Retrieval (SBIR) is using free-hand sketches to retrieve images of the same category from a natural image gallery. However, SBIR requires all categories to be seen during training, which cannot be guaranteed in real-world applications. So we investigate more challenging Zero-Shot SBIR (ZS-SBIR), in which test categories do not appear in the training stage. Traditional SBIR methods are prone to be category-based retrieval and cannot generalize well from seen categories to unseen ones. In contrast, we disentangle image features into structure features and appearance features to facilitate structure-based retrieval. To assist feature disentanglement and take full advantage of disentangled information, we propose a Bi-directional Domain Translation (BDT) framework for ZS-SBIR, in which the image domain and sketch domain can be translated to each other through disentangled structure and appearance features. Finally, we perform retrieval in both structure feature space and image feature space. Extensive experiments demonstrate that our proposed approach remarkably outperforms state-of-the-art approaches by about 8% on the Sketchy dataset and over 5% on the TU-Berlin dataset.


The nifH gene is the most widely sequenced marker gene used to identify nitrogen-fixing Bacteria and Archaea. Numerous PCR primers have been designed to amplify nifH, but a comprehensive evaluation of nifH PCR primers has not been performed. We performed an in silico analysis of the specificity and coverage of 51 universal and 35 group-specific nifH primers by using an aligned database of 23,847 nifH sequences. We found that there are 15 universal nifH primers that target 90% or more of nitrogen fixers, but that there are also 23 nifH primers that target less than 50% of nifH sequences. The nifH primers we evaluated vary in their phylogenetic bias and their ability to recover sequences from commonly sampled environments. In addition, many of these primers will amplify genes that do not mediate nitrogen fixation, and thus it would be advisable for researchers to screen their sequencing results for the presence of non-target genes before analysis. Universal primers that performed well in silico were tested empirically with soil samples and with genomic DNA from a phylogenetically diverse set of nitrogen-fixing strains. This analysis will be of great utility to those engaged in molecular analysis of nifH genes from isolates and environmental samples.


This paper focuses on the mapping of natural language sentences in written stories to a structured knowledge representation. This process yields an exponential explosion of instance combinations since each sentence may contain a set of ambiguous terms, each one giving place to a set of instance candidates. The selection of the best combination of instances is a structured classification problem that yields a high-demanding combinatorial optimization problem which, in this paper, is approached by a novel and efficient formulation of a genetic algorithm, which is able to exploit the conditional independence among variables, while improving the parallel scalability. The automatic rating of the resulting set of instance combinations, i.e., possible text interpretations, demands an exhaustive exploitation of the state-of-the-art resources in natural language processing to feed the system with pieces of evidence to be fused by the proposed framework. In this sense, a mapping framework able to reason with uncertainty, to integrate supervision and evidence from external sources, was adopted. To improve the generalization capacity while learning from a limited amount of annotated data, a new constrained learning algorithm for Bayesian networks is introduced. This algorithm bounds the search space through a set of constraints which encode information on mutually exclusive values. The mapping of natural language utterances to a structured knowledge representation is important in the context of game construction, e.g., in an RPG setting, as it alleviates the manual knowledge acquisition bottleneck. The effectiveness of the proposed algorithm is evaluated on a set of three stories, yielding nine experiments. Our mapping framework yields performance gains in predicting the most likely structured representations of sentences when compared with a baseline algorithm.


Patients need to tell their stories. One of our primary tasks as analysts is to help patients tell their stories and own them. The freedom of mind to think, to feel, and to know are dependent on the ongoing capacity for storytelling. The analyst's stance plays a major role in the development of the analysand's storytelling capacities.