The standardization of 5G systems is entering in its critical phase, with 3GPP that will publish the PHY standard by June 2017. In order to meet the demanding 5G requirements both in terms of large throughput and global connectivity, Satellite Communications provide a valuable resource to extend and complement terrestrial networks. In this context, we consider a heterogeneous architecture in which a LEO mega-constellation satellite system provides backhaul connectivity to terrestrial 5G Relay Nodes, which create an on- ground 5G network. Since large delays and Doppler shifts related to satellite channels pose severe challenges to terrestrial-based systems, in this paper we assess their impact on the future 5G PHY and MAC layer procedures. In addition, solutions are proposed for Random Access, waveform numerology, and HARQ procedures.


Many studies recognize the simple multiplier to be important for the estimation of direct and indirect effects, i.e., total effects. The usual analysis of total effects uses the final demand as a source of generating them, where all sectors total input requirements of each product are added to be equivalent to the sum of all sectors' direct inputs of the said product. On the contrary, it is not quite common to utilize total effects of the gross output representing production activity. Depending on business projects and objectives of the research, however, the gross output needs to be considered as a generating source instead of the final demand. This study clarifies the concept and the correct usage of total input requirements, which helps avoid potential confusion about total effects derived from the final demand, the gross output or the output of a specific industry. The results of this study shows that Sancho (2012) derives the right multiplier for total input requirements of the gross output in view of the basic structures of the input-output model. Sancho's multiplier is consistent with total input requirements calculated under the condition of equality between total inputs (or production) and total demand. It also includes all the necessary and sufficient inputs, directly and indirectly, to produce one unit of a specific commodity. This study proposes an exogenous industry method to derive Sancho's multiplier where all the input demand of a specific industry is treated as exogenous constants. In the exogenous model, however, the source of generating total requirements should include the final demand and the derived input demand for the commodity produced in the exogenous industry.


This is Part II of a continuing exploration of how to more effectively define and teach a Catholic sociology to today's college students. In Part I, which appeared in the November 2004 issue of this journal, I examined how a specifically Catholic sociology was framed between about 1939 and 1970 in a number of widely used, explicitly Catholic, college-level sociology texts by three key authors of that era: Fr. Paul Hanly Furfey, Dr. Eva Ross, and Fr. Raymond Murray. They were part of a larger movement to shape college curricula and teaching advocated by the American Catholic Sociological Society. These authors developed textbooks that functioned as works of legitimation, works of foundation, and/or works of instruction. Part I dealt with the first two types; in this part I explore the last type, suggest some lessons we may learn from the pioneers' efforts, and pose some crucial questions to consider today if we are to more successfully develop Catholic college-level sociology programs.


This study analyzes the prevalence of seven evaluative elements in book reviews published in Choice from 1988 to 1993 in American history, geography, and area studies. Outstanding books were most frequently praised for their qualities of analysis and research; books favorably assessed were most frequently praised for their qualities of readability and research. While the majority of evaluative elements were laudatory in reviews of both outstanding and favorably assessed books, outstanding titles averaged twice as much praise. The study identifies for book selectors the praiseworthy elements that differentiate books deemed outstanding from those deemed only favorable.


At atmospheric pressure, hexagonal ice (Ih) is thermodynamically stable relative to cubic ice (Ic), although the magnitude and underlying physical origin of this stability difference are not well defined. Pure Ic crystals are not accessible experimentally, and hence computer simulations have often been used to interrogate the relative stabilities of Ih and Ic; however, these simulations are dominated by molecular interaction models that ignore the intramolecular flexibility of individual water molecules, do not describe intermolecular hydrogen-bonding with sufficient accuracy, or ignore the role of nuclear quantum effects (NQEs) such as zero-point energy. Here, we show that when comparing the relative stability of Ih and Ic using a flexible, anharmonic molecular interaction model, while also accurately accounting for NQEs, a new picture emerges: Ih is stabilized relative to Ic as a result of subtle differences in the intramolecular geometries and intermolecular interactions of water molecules which are modulated by NQEs. Our simulations hence suggest that NQEs are a major contributor to the stabilization of Ih under terrestrial conditions and thus contribute to the well-known hexagonal (sixfold) symmetry of ice crystals.


Animal agriculture contributes significantly to global warming through ongoing emissions of the potent greenhouse gases methane and nitrous oxide, and displacement of biomass carbon on the land used to support livestock. However, because estimates of the magnitude of the effect of ending animal agriculture often focus only on one factor, the full potential benefit of a more radical change remains underappreciated. Here we quantify the full "climate opportunity cost" of current global livestock production, by modeling the combined, long-term effects of emission reductions and biomass recovery that would be unlocked by a phase out of animal agriculture. We show that, even in the absence of any other emission reductions, persistent drops in atmospheric methane and nitrous oxide levels, and slower carbon dioxide accumulation, following a phase out of livestock production would, through the end of the century, have the same cumulative effect on the warming potential of the atmosphere as a 25 gigaton per year reduction in anthropogenic CO2 emissions, providing half of the net emission reductions necessary to limit warming to 2°C. The magnitude and rapidity of these potential effects should place the reduction or elimination of animal agriculture at the forefront of strategies for averting disastrous climate change. Significance Statement The use of animals to produce food has a negative impact on the climate, but the benefits of a global switch to a plant based diet are underappreciated. We show that the global warming impact, through the rest of this century, of eliminating greenhouse gas emissions from livestock and allowing native ecosystems to regrow on the land currently used to house and feed livestock, would be equivalent to a 68% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions. We hope putting clearer numbers on the "climate opportunity cost" of our continued use of animals as food technology will help policymakers and the public properly prioritize dietary change as a climate defense strategy.


Atrial fibrillation (AF), the most common supraventricular tachycardia, has a morphological base, so called remodelation of atrial myocardium, with its abnormal conduction pattern as a consequence. The remodelation regards electrical, contractile, and structural properties. In this pilot study we attempted to find relations between the myocardial morphological (scarring, amyloidosis, left atrial enlargement) and electrophysiological (ECG characteristics of the P-wave) changes in patients with AF. We examined 40 hearts of necropsy patients - 20 with a history of AF and 20 with no history of AF. Grossly, the heart weight and the size of the left atrium (LA) were evaluated. Histologically, 7 standard sites from the atria were examined. In each specimen, the degree of myocardial scarring and of deposition of isolated atrial amyloid (IAA) were assessed. We failed to show any significant difference in the P-wave pattern between patients with and without AF. Morphologically, however, there were several differences - the patients with AF had significantly heavier hearts, larger left atria, more severely scarred myocardium of the LA and the atrial septum, and more severe deposition of IAA in both atria in comparison to the control group of patients with sinus rhythm. The left atrial distribution of both fibrosis and amyloidosis was irregular. In patients with AF the former was most pronounced in the LA ceiling while the latter in the LA anterior wall. The entire series showed more marked amyloidosis in the left than in the right atrium. An interesting finding was the universal absence of IAA in the sinoatrial node. The knowledge of distribution of atrial myocardial structural changes could be utilized by pathologists in taking specimens for histology and also by cardiologists in targeting the radiofrequency ablation therapy.


The morphological changes in the fatty tissue of the posterior surface of knee joint were studied in rats (n = 96) using the method of light microscopy 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 days after a single ultrasonic exposure of various duration (5, 10, 20 min)) in a diagnostic mode. This exposure resulted in hyperemia, lymphostasis and increase of vascular permeability. The degree of changes was found to increase in proportion to the duration of exposure. All the changes detected were reversible, and the majority of them disappeared within 1-2 days. During the practical application, it is necessary to take into account the possibility the induction of cell and tissue damage during the ultrasonographic examinations. Development and application of the measures directed to decrease the edema and to stabilize the vascular wall both during the ultrasonography and immediately after it are expedient. Ultrasonography should be performed only when there are significant medical indications, and to receive the required diagnostic information, the lowest power of the device should be used.


Iodine is one of the essential micronutrients required for the normal mental and physical well being of human beings. Iodine Deficiency Disorder (IDD) has been considered as major public health problem in India including Mewat. The present goiter survey was done in Mewat district with the objective of estimating the prevalence of goiter in primary school children, of age six to twelve years. 1050 children from six to twelve years were clinically examined for the presence of goitre during survey. Overall goitre prevalence rate was 15.2%. Prevalence was significantly higher among females than males (P=0.039). Age-specific prevalence rate (ASPR) was higher in 9 to 12 yrs age group as compared to 6 to 8 yr age group and it was statistically significant.


Markers of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection were measured in 465 non-drug-abusing heterosexually transmitted disease (STD) patients. HBV markers were found in altogether 70 persons, of whom 7 were HBsAg carriers. Those chronically infected were all born in HBV intermediate/high endemic areas. Gonorrhoea was the only STD that was correlated to an increased risk of HBV markers. Number of sexual partners, sex and age was not correlated with HBV infection, irrespective of country of origin. The risk of having HBV markers in an STD clientele in Copenhagen was highly dependent on the country of birth, as the prevalences were 7% (21/307) in persons born in Denmark, 19% (9/47) in those born in other low endemic areas and 36% (40/111) in those born in intermediate/high endemic areas. Falling incidence of gonorrhoea and other STD may render it difficult to point out risk factors indicative of HBV immunization in heterosexual STD patients. In low-risk countries, screening for HBV markers should however be offered to all immigrants and refugees as a part of an HBV immunization program.


We present results of a hybrid experimental and theoretical investigation of the fracture scaling in scratch tests and show that scratching is a fracture dominated process. Validated for paraffin wax, cement paste, Jurassic limestone and steel, we derive a model that provides a quantitative means to relate quantities measured in scratch tests to fracture properties of materials at multiple scales. The scalability of scratching for different probes and depths opens new venues towards miniaturization of our technique, to extract fracture properties of materials at even smaller length scales.


Abstract : Contaminated water flowing from abandoned coal mines is one of the most significant contributors to water pollution in former and current coal-producing areas. Acid mine drainage (AMD) can have severe impacts to aquatic resources, can stunt terrestrial plant growth and harm wetlands, contaminate groundwater, raise water treatment costs, and damage concrete and metal structures. In the Appalachian Mountains of the eastern United States alone, more than 7,500 miles of streams are impacted. The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission estimates that the economic losses on fisheries and recreational uses are approximately $67 million annually. While most modern coal-mining operations (Figure 1) must meet strict environmental regulations concerning mining techniques and treatment practices, there are thousands of abandoned mine sites in the United States (Figure 2). Treatment of a single site can result in the restoration of several miles of impacted streams. The purpose of this document is to briefly summarize key issues related to AMD treatment. This document is intended as a brief overview; thus, it is neither inclusive nor exhaustive. The technical note presents the preliminary planning issues


'Smart' in policy terms refers largely to the increasing use and various ways of ICT to meet various objectives, ranging from social cohesion to economic growth and environmental sustainability. Yet it is debatable what smart is in policy terms and even when there is consensus that it is wise to act in a certain way, the outcome might prove otherwise. Similarly, smart policy in terms of promoting the use of ICT in the transport sector includes certain threats while at the same time offering valuable opportunities. Consequently, this concluding chapter aims to summarize the main findings of previous chapters in a table and to draw useful conclusions to foster collaboration between previously distant disciplines. One of the main conclusions of this book is that ICT in particular, and technology in general, form important policy tools to advance sustainable transport, amongst other objectives. However, such policy tools should not be seen as fixes to the sustainable problem but as part of an overall solution minimizing risks. It is only such approaches that can build on synergies and avoid contradictions in the rapidly evolving field of ICT for transport to advance sustainable transport.


Summary form only given. This paper reports the utilization of AlSi/sub x/O/sub y/ as a new high transmittance embedded material for AttPSM at 193 nm. AlSi/sub x/O/sub y/ thin films were formed by plasma sputtering of Al (140-170 W) and Si (50-70 W) under Ar and oxygen. Its refractive index n, extinction coefficient k, reflectance RX and transmittance TX at 193 nm could be manipulated and kept in the useful range for the high transmittance AttPSM.


Our institution performs in vivo verification measurement for each of our total body irradiation (TBI) patients with optically stimulated luminescent dosimeters (OSLD). The lung block verification measurements were commonly higher than expected. The aim of this work is to understand this discrepancy and improve the accuracy of these lung block verification measurements. Initially, the thickness of the lung block was increased to provide adequate lung sparing. Further tests revealed the increase was due to electron contamination dose emanating from the lung block. The thickness of the bolus material covering the OSLD behind the lung block was increased to offset the electron contamination. In addition, the distance from the lung block to the dosimeter was evaluated for its effect on the OSLD reading and found to be clinically insignificant over the range of variability in our clinic. The results show that the improved TBI treatment technique provides for better accuracy of measured dose in vivo and consistency of patient setup. PACS number(s): 87.53.Bn, 87.53.Kn, 87.55.N‐, 87.55.Qr


Replication fork reversal is a fundamental process required for resolution of encounters with DNA damage. A key step in the stabilization and eventual resolution of reversed forks is formation of RAD51 nucleoprotein filaments on exposed ssDNA. To avoid genome instability, RAD51 filaments are tightly controlled by a variety of positive and negative regulators. RADX is a recently discovered negative regulator that binds tightly to ssDNA, directly interacts with RAD51, and regulates replication fork reversal and stabilization in a context-dependent manner. Here we present a structure-based investigation of RADX's mechanism of action. Mass photometry experiments showed that RADX forms multiple oligomeric states in a concentration dependent manner, with a predominance of trimers in the presence of ssDNA. The structure of RADX, which has no structurally characterized orthologs, was determined ab initio by cryo-electron microscopy (EM) from maps in the 2-3 Å range. The structure reveals the molecular basis for RADX oligomerization and binding of ssDNA binding. The binding of RADX to RAD51 filaments was imaged by negative stain EM, which showed a RADX oligomer at the end of filaments. Based on these results, we propose a model in which RADX functions by capping and restricting the growing end of RAD51 filaments. Significance Despite the central role of RAD51 in DNA replication and repair processes, the mechanisms of action of its many modulators are poorly understood. Here we combine structural and biophysical data to determine how the negative regulator RADX functions. We show that RADX oligomerizes upon binding DNA, and caps RAD51 filaments at the ends to prevent extension. This work advances knowledge of how RAD51 filaments can be modulated to regulate replication fork reversal and maintain genomic stability.


Background: The aberrant expression of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) has attracted more and more attention in the biological field of bladder cancer(BC). We aim to construct a competing endogenous RNA(ceRNA) network reveals potential prognostic lncRNAs involved in progression of BC.Results: Expression profiles of messenger RNA(mRNA), micro RNA(miRNA) and lncRNA of 397 BC samples and 19 non-tumor tissues were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas(TCGA) database. Patients with BC were randomly divided into training group (n=198) and validation group (n=199). Then, 130 lncRNAs, 159 miRNAs and 2,048 mRNAs were identified as differentially expressed genes (DEGs, |logFC|>1, FDR<0.01) related to BC progression. Nextly, we constructed an BC associated deregulated competing endogenous RNA(ceRNA) network with 70 lncRNAs, 30 miRNAs, and 62 mRNAs involved in. Subsequently, a seven-lncRNA signature was constructed by establishing a LASSO Cox model with 13 lncRNAs associated with survival from the ceRNA network. This signature can well distinguish high-risk patients from low-risk patients in training group and verification group. Furthermore, we combined the risk score model with other clinical fictures to estimate the ability of survival prediction. The result suggested that the risk score can be selected as an independent prognostic factor for overall survival(OS) rate. Conclusion: In this study, we construct a ceRNA network related to progression of BC and established an seven-lncRNA signature, which was a candidate prognostic biomarker for prognostic prediction of BC patients .


Automotive antenna testing performed on large, truncated spherical near-field systems, able to host the entire vehicle under test, are an industry standard. The truncated scanner is often terminated to a conductive floor where the vehicle is staged for testing. Despite the strong interaction with the reflective floor, such systems are often employed because of the ease of car accommodation and measurement setup. Moreover, if the conductive floor lies on the horizon plane, truncation errors can be easily reduced in the near-field to farfield transformation by simply mirroring the measured field (image theory).Due to mechanical constraints, or extension of the operational mode of some systems (e.g. absorber-based systems), sometimes the floor position doesn't correspond to the horizon plane, and advanced techniques are needed to extrapolate the truncated area. The Translated-SWE technique, already presented in the past, is proposed for such purpose and will be validated experimentally considering scaled automotive measurements.


In order to further demonstrate and understand spontaneous emission (SE) enhancement in solid-state microcavities, we choose to study microdisks, sustaining low V and potentially high Q "whispering gallery modes". We report the fabrication of high quality GaAs microdisks containing InAs quantum boxes (QBs), thanks to an improved process based on two-step wet-etching. Whispering gallery modes display record high Q's (12000 for 2 /spl mu/m diameter disks instead of 3300 for the previous state of the art) corresponding to a very high Fp (/spl sim/150). We also present an original characterization of the Purcell effect in continuous wave photoluminescence. In our structures, the number of QBs coupled to a given mode is not large enough to sustain lasing. When we raise the excitation power, the emission related to the fundamental optical transition of a QB thus saturates when we inject more than one electron-hole pair per lifetime. This behavior is observed for on-resonance as well as off-resonance QBs. However the beginning of the saturation occurs for a much higher pumping power when QBs are resonantly coupled to a cavity mode, which confirms that their radiative lifetime is much shorter due to the Purcell effect. For micropillars, these cw experiments confirm the previously reported results of time-resolved experiments. For microdisks, due to a much larger Purcell factor, we witnessed a SE enhancement as large as 20 for the best structures. The magnitude of this effect is well understood when considering the spatial and spectral distribution of the QBs.


Purpose
The purpose of this study is to gather insights into digital consumer behaviour related to Chinese restaurents by examining visual contents on Tripadvisor platform.

Design/methodology/approach
Using the deep learning approach, this research assessed consumer-posted online content of dining experiences by implementing image analysis and clustering. Text mining using word cloud analysis revealed the most frequently repeated keywords.

Findings
First, 4,000 photos of nine Chinese restaurants posted on Tripadvisor's website were analyzed using image recognition via Inception V3 and Google's deep learning network; this revealed 12 hierarchical image clusters. Then, an open-questionnaire survey of 125 Chinese respondents investigated consumers' information needs before visiting a restaurant and after purchasing behavior (motives to share).

Practical implications
This study contributes to culinary marketing development by introducing a new analysis methodology and demonstrating its application by exploring a wide range of keywords and visual images published on the internet.

Originality/value
This research extends and contributes to the literature regarding visual user-generated content in culinary tourism.


The objective of this study was to provide fundamental data for a subsequent selection of willow growth and soil remediation promoting bacterial strains. The rhizosphere of willows (Salix viminalis) was screened for cultivable bacteria with high enzymatic activity (proteolytic, pectolytic, cellulolytic, amylolytic) and production of siderophores at four test sites with broad spectrum of anthropogenic soil disturbance: sewage-sludge application, impoverishment by unfavorable arable use, ash dumping, and household-waste depositing. The density of bacteria in the rhizosphere ranged from 7.92 to 8.56 log 10 of colony-forming units per gram dry weight of soil and varied in a site- and willow-clone-specific manner. Within the 240 bacterial strains, a high diversity of metabolic activities was observed but was rarely combined in one strain (1.2% having six and 5.8% having five out of seven metabolic activities, respectively). The majority of strains (79.2%) revealed just one or two metabolic activities. Most common was a combination of lipolytic, proteolytic activities, and siderophore production as found in 13.8% of the bacterial strains. The 50 strains with the highest metabolic activity belonged predominantly to the Gammaproteobacteria (66%), the others to Flavobacteria (18%), Betaproteobacteria (8%), Actinobacteria (4%), and Bacilli (4%). The highest portion of cultivable strains of rhizosphere bacteria with high metabolic activities belonged to the genera Pseudomonas, Serratia, and Flavobacterium. We hypothesize that these genera include strains that support willow growth and soil remediation. Therefore, the described strain collection from the rhizosphere of S. viminalis provides a valuable basis for a subsequent selection of these candidates for applications in improvement of site adaptation of plants or remediation of soils.


Audio-visual recognition systems rely on efficient feature extraction. Many spatio-temporal interest point detectors for visual feature extraction are either too sparse, leading to loss of information, or too dense resulting in noisy and redundant information. Furthermore, interest point detectors designed for a controlled environment can be affected by camera motion. In this paper, a salient spatio-temporal interest point detector is proposed based on a low-rank and group-sparse matrix approximation. The detector handles the camera motion through a short-window video stabilization. The multimodal audio-visual features from multiple descriptors are represented by a super descriptor, from which a compact set of features is extracted through a tensor decomposition and feature selection. This tensor decomposition retains the spatiotemporal structure among features obtained from multiple descriptors. Experimental validation is conducted using two benchmark human interaction recognition datasets: TVHID and Parliament. Experimental results are presented which show that the proposed approach outperforms many state-ofthe-art methods, achieving classification rates of 74.7% and 88.5% on the TVHID and Parliament datasets, respectively.


Nondermatophyte molds are fungi found in soil and decaying plant debris and are generally considered to be uncommon or secondary pathogens of diseased nails. Prevalence rates of onychomycoses caused by nondermatophyte molds range between 1.45 percent and 17.60 percent. The most common nondermatophyte molds associated with nail disease are Scopulariopsis, Scytalidium, Fusarium, Aspergillus and Onychocola canadensis. Syncephalastrum racemosum, a nondermatophyte mold, belongs to the class Zygomycetae. Only one well-documented case of human disease attributed to this organism has been described. We describe a 45-year-old man with culture proven toenail onychomycosis due to Syncephalstrum racemosum.


The paper explores the behaviour of the Entrepreneur and the Effectual use of available resources mainly social capital in new market creation. The study dwells on creating a unique 'Context' by leveraging these resources to increase the Entrepreneurial orientation of a firm. The paper further attempts to explore whether the Contextual link between Effectuation and Entrepreneurial Marketing helps develop a 'Contextual Advantage', which can be used as a mean of developing a unique business model which differentiates the firm in the market. The paper hence explores contemporary theories of Entrepreneurship and Marketing namely Entrepreneurial Marketing, Effectuation and Contextual Marketing by studying their inter-relation. The nature of these theories is underexplored according to the authors and requires further investigation to evolve the field of Marketing and Entrepreneurship.


Mobile operators are witnessing a dramatic increase in traffic spurred by a combination of popularity of smartphones, innovative applications and diverse services. As mobile traffic transitions from being voice dominated to video and data dominated, the revenue per byte for the mobile operators is declining at an unhealthy rate. To counter the traffic growth and build cost-effective networks, many operators are now forging alliances for RAN (Radio Access Network) sharing to improve coverage and capacity at reasonable investments and operational costs. This paper presents the design and implementation of NetShare, a network-wide radio resource management framework that provides effective RAN Sharing. NetShare introduces a novel two-level scheduler split between the mobile gateway and the cellular basestations to effectively manage and allocate the wireless resources of the radio access network composed of multiple basestations among multiple different entities (such as operators, content providers, etc.) that share the network. Firstly, NetShare provides performance isolation across entities with a minimum guaranteed resource allocation to each entity across the network. Secondly, NetShare optimally distributes the resources to each entity across the network proportional to the resource demand at each basestation. Through extensive LTE-based system simulations and prototype evaluations on a WiMAX testbed, we show the efficacy of NetShare in (a) providing isolation across entities and (b) efficiently distributing resources for each entity across the network thus achieving high utilization of resources


In this review we discuss our efforts in using protein nanowires (amyloid fibrils) as structural templates for use in organic electronics applications, mainly focusing on organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). We discuss different ways of functionalising amyloid fibrils. In one method, the amyloid fibril is used to organise luminescent polymers. We also discuss an alternative preparative method, resulting in amyloid-like materials functionalised with phosphorescent organometallic complexes. We discuss the incorporation of such materials in organic electronics devices, such as OLEDs. When amyloid fibrils are integrated into the OLED active layer, consisting of an electroluminescent blue-emitting polyfluorene, the efficiency of the device increases by a factor of 10. Furthermore, when amyloid fibrils incorporating phosphorescent metal complexes are used, the phosphorescent guest functions more efficiently than in the corresponding case where naked metal complexes are used. By preparing amyloid fibrils incorporating green- and red-emitting phosphorescent complexes, and combining these with blue-emitting polyfluorene, we can fabricate devices for white-light emission. The origin of the effects of the biomaterial on device performance is discussed.


OBJECTIVE To examine whether improvements in health behaviors are associated with reduced risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in individuals with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Population-based prospective cohort study of 867 newly diagnosed diabetic patients aged between 40 and 69 years from the treatment phase of the ADDITION-Cambridge study. Because the results for all analyses were similar by trial arm, data were pooled, and results were presented for the whole cohort. Participants were identified via population-based stepwise screening between 2002 and 2006, and underwent assessment of physical activity (European Prospective Investigation into Cancer-Norfolk Physical Activity Questionnaire), diet (plasma vitamin C and self-report), and alcohol consumption (self-report) at baseline and 1 year. A composite primary CVD outcome was examined, comprised of cardiovascular mortality, nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal stroke, and revascularization. RESULTS After a median (interquartile range) follow-up period of 5.0 years (1.3 years), 6% of the cohort experienced a CVD event (12.2 per 1,000 person-years; 95% CI 9.3–15.9). CVD risk was inversely related to the number of positive health behaviors changed in the year after diabetes diagnosis. The relative risk for primary CVD event in individuals who did not change any health behavior compared with those who adopted three/four healthy behaviors was 4.17 (95% CI 1.02–17.09), adjusting for age, sex, study group, social class, occupation, and prescription of cardioprotective medication (P for trend = 0.005). CONCLUSIONS CVD risk was inversely associated with the number of healthy behavior changes adopted in the year after the diagnosis of diabetes. Interventions that promote early achievement of these goals in patients with newly diagnosed diabetes could help reduce the burden of diabetes-related morbidity and mortality.


In 1990, Kronauer proposed a mathematical model of the effects of light on the human circadian pacemaker. Although this model predicted many general features of the response of the human circadian pacemaker to light exposure, additional data now available enable us to refine the original model. We first refined the original model by incorporating the results of a dose response curve to light into the model's predicted relationship between light intensity and the strength of the drive onto the pacemaker. Data from three bright light phase resetting experiments were then used to refine the amplitude recovery characteristics of the model. Finally, the model was tested and further refined using data from an extensive phase resetting experiment in which a 3-cycle bright light stimulus was presented against a background of dim light. In order to describe the results of the four resetting experiments, the following major refinements to the original model were necessary: (i) the relationship between light intensity (I) and drive onto the pacemaker was reduced from I1/3 to I0.23 for light levels between 150 and 10,000 lux; (ii) the van der Pol oscillator from the original model was replaced with a higher-order limit cycle oscillator so that amplitude recovery is slower near the singularity and faster near the limit cycle; (iii) a direct effect of light on circadian period (tau x) was incorporated into the model such that as I increases, tau x decreases, which is in accordance with "Aschoff's rule". This refined model generates the following testable predictions: it should be difficult to enhance normal circadian amplitude via bright light; near the critical point of a type 0 phase response curve (PRC) the slope should be steeper than it is in a type 1 PRC; and circadian period measured during forced desynchrony should be directly affected by ambient light intensity.


Background and Objectives. The performance of caudal injection (CI) has become a routine part of pediatric anesthesia. The intraoperative and immediate postoperative complications of CIs have been reported extensively. Although the long-term consequences of CI are unknown, they may include the development of epidermoid tumors in the spinal canal. Such tumors have been attributed to tissue coring (the process by which pieces of tissue are removed by a needle as it passes through the tissue) and the subdural deposition of such tissue. Methods. In this study, we examine the internal needle of 20-gauge i.v. cannulae from 50 CIs for evidence of tissue coring. Results. We found a total coring incidence of 54% (95% confidence interval = 40-68%). Epidermal tissue was present in 33% of the positive samples. Fat was present in 67% of the positive samples and bloody material in 26%. This study provides an estimate (with a 95% confidence interval) of the rate of coring during CI performed with hollow point needles. Conclusions. These findings suggest that technical modifications may improve patient safety. The results also have implications for long-term follow-up of caudal anesthetics. Techniques for reducing the incidence of tissue coring during the performance of CI are discussed.


Stalk-eyed flies are classic models of how sexual selection can drive morphological and behavioral elaboration. Exaggerated ornaments born by stalk-eyed flies could impose locomotor costs and increase susceptibility to predation; however, a previous study determined that behavior, not eye span, was the major influence on predation risk. Despite the importance of behavior, relatively little is known about how these flies avoid and deter predators. We created an ethogram of behaviors and used it to score individual interactions of male and female Teleopsis dalmanni paired with an actively foraging, generalist arachnid predator (Phidippus audax). Sequential analysis was employed to identify temporal patterns in behavior and determine how males and females differ in their approaches to avoiding predation. Our results indicate that males and females significantly differ when specific behaviors were employed. Patterns in the behavioral transitions suggest that males are more aggressive than females and are more likely to approach a predator to jab, abdomen bob, or display. Males elicited more retreat responses from the predator, whereas females elicited more attacks. Although the behavioral repertoires of male and female stalk-eyed flies are indistinguishable, their uses of the behaviors differ, particularly the sequential order of presentation, suggesting a strong sex difference in anti-predatory behavior.


【This study examined the development of a low-salt fermented seafood product using an ascidian (Halocynthia roretzi), and the optimum processing conditions and quality characteristics of the low-salt fermented ascidian (LSA). The optimum processing conditions for the LSA were as follows. The ascidian was shelled and its muscle sliced into 5 mm widths. This was soaked in a 10% salt and 1% sodium erythorbate solution for 20 min. The solution was drained and then the muscle was soaked in 0.1% sodium bisulfite solution for 1 min. To this was added a 1:1 mixture of anchovy sauce and rice gruel, and it was fermented at $5^{\circ}C$ for 15 days. The moisture content and salinity of the LSA were 75.0-75.4% and 8.0-8.5%, respectively. During salt-fermentation at $5^{\circ}C$ for 20 days, the amino-N content of the LSA increased, and the texture softened gradually. The viable cell counts in early salt-fermentation were $4.2-4.5{\times}10^4CFU/g$ , and this decreased gradually. The ratio of saturated fatty acids tended to increase in early salt-fermentation, while that of polyunsaturated fatty acids decreased slightly. Chemical experiments and sensory evaluation showed that the dipping treatment in 1% sodium erythorbate solution and 0.1% sodium bisulfite solution resulted in a good color and prevented browning of the salt-fermented ascidian meat. Moreover, adding anchovy sauce and rice gruel mixture improved the flavor of the LSA.】


Background: Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is the most aggressive and most frequently seen histological variant of lung cancers, comprising nearly 45% of the overall cases of lung carcinoma and its incidence has been increased significantly worldwide in the last several decades. However, there was limited available evidence with respect to the signalling pathways and miRNAs related to the LUAD.Methods: To identify the differentially-expressed miRNAs (DE-miRNAs) in different stages of LUAD, we performed a microarray on 514 LUAD and 54 normal tissues. At the mean time, the potentially targeted genes as well as the highly-enriched signaling pathways and the relevant protein–protein interaction (PPI) network were analyzed and constructed by using a series of bioinformatic methods. Moreover, the identified DE-miRNAs in different stages of the LUAD were verified by using the TCGA dataset.Results : Overall 41 down-regulated -and 82 up-regulated DE-miRNAs were identified, of which 1,716 potential targeted genes were selected. Moreover, the enriched pathways of the above genes were screened by using the GO term and KEGG pathway analyses, including the AMPK signalling pathway, FoxO signalling pathway, MAPK signalling pathway, PI3K-Akt signalling pathway and hippo signalling pathway.Conclusions: Our study could provide additional understanding of the underlying molecular events and increase the precision of prognostic prediction.


Contents: R.E. Mayer, Introduction to Research on Teaching and Learning Computer Programming. D.H. Clements, S. Merriman, Componential Developments in LOGO Programming Environments. A.L. Fay, R.E. Mayer, Learning LOGO: A Cognitive Analysis. R. Lehrer, T. Guckenberg, L. Sancilio, Influences of LOGO on Children's Intellectual Development. J. Littlefield, V. Delclos, S. Lever, K.N. Clayton, J. Bransford, J.J. Franks, Learning LOGO: Method of Teaching, Transfer of General Skills, and Attitudes Toward Computers. E. Soloway, J. Spohrer, D. Littman, E UNUM PLURIBUS: Generating Alternative Designs. D.N. Perkins, S. Schwartz, R. Simmons, Instructional Strategies for the Problems of Novice Programmers. N.M. Webb, S. Lewis, The Social Context of Learning Computer Programming. K.D. Sloane, M.C. Linn, Instructional Conditions in Pascal Programming Classes. D. Sleeman, R.T. Putnam, J. Baxter, L. Kuspa, An Introductory Pascal Class: A Case Study of Students' Errors. S. McCoy Carver, Learning and Transfer of Debugging Skills: Applying Task Analysis to Curriculum Design and Assessment. R.H. Seidman, New Directions in Educational Computing Research.


Objective: The aim of this study was to compare the antiplaque and antigingivitis effects of a mouthwash containing tea tree oil (TTO) with a cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC) mouthwash. Materials and Methods: This was a randomized 4 × 4, controlled, cross-over, involving 20 healthy volunteers in a 5-day plaque re-growth model. Test mouthwashes were TTO (Tebodont®) and a mouthwash containing CPC 0.05% (Aquafresh®). A 0.12% chlorhexidine (CHX) mouthwash (Oro-Clense®) was used as positive and colored water (placebo [PLB]) as negative controls. Gingival bleeding index (GBI) and plaque index (PI) scores were recorded before and after each test period. Test periods were separated with 2 weeks washout period. Results: All four mouthwashes significantly (P < 0.001) reduced the GBI scores when compared to the baseline GBI scores. There was no significant difference between PLB and active mouthwashes in the GBI scores. CHX and CPC mouthwashes were found more effective in reducing the PI scores than TTO and PLB mouthwashes. There was no significant difference in PI scores of CHX and CPC mouthwashes. Conclusion: 0.05% CPC mouthwash can be an alternative to CHX mouthwash since it is alcohol free and found as efficient as CHX in dental plaque reduction with lesser side effects. More studies are needed to test antigingivitis effects of the mouthwashes used in this study, preferably without initial scaling and polishing.


A debtor who is unable to meet his or her contractual obligations may resort to the debt-relief measures provided by the Insolvency Act 24 of 1936 and National Credit Act 34 of 2005. The Insolvency Act provides sequestration as one of the debt-relief measures because following the sequestration order the debtor may be rehabilitated. In one hand, a debtor may apply for sequestration process by way of voluntary surrender while on the other it is also possible for a creditor to sequestrate a debtor's estate by way of compulsory sequestration. The NCA also provides debt-relief measures because it contains provisions that are aimed at the protection of consumers who are over-indebted, and further contains measures that are aimed at preventing reckless credit granting. In Ex Parte (2009 (3) SA 376 (WCC)) the applicants applied for voluntary surrender, whereas the major portion of each of the applicants' debts arose out of "credit agreements" as intended in the NCA. The court enquired as to why the over-indebtedness of the applicants should not be more appropriately addressed instead of the voluntary surrender under the Insolvency Act. The court refused the application for voluntary surrender and held that an applicant has to make a full disclosure of his or her other assets and liabilities in terms of section 4 of the Insolvency Act, and the court must be fully informed of the applicant's proprietary situation. The decision in Ex Parte Ford indicates that an applicant, who brings an application for voluntary surrender instead of using remedies under the NCA such as over-indebtedness, will have to explain to the court as to why he has not resorted to the debt-relief measures provided by the NCA.According to the Insolvency Act the main aim of the sequestration process is to provide for a collective debt-collecting process that will ensure an orderly and fair distribution of the debtor's assets in the circumstances where these assets are insufficient to satisfy all the creditors' claims. Therefore the rights of creditors as a group will be preferred over the rights of a single creditor (concursus creditorum). The former comes into operation after a sequestration order has been granted by a court. The effect of sequestration is that the insolvent will be divested of his estate and vest in the Master at least until a trustee has been appointed. More pertinently, section 20(1)(c) of the Insolvency Act provides that one of the effects of sequestration of the estate of an insolvent is that, as soon as any sheriff or messenger, whose duty is to execute judgment given against the insolvent, becomes aware of the sequestration should stay that execution, unless the court directs otherwise.In the matter between Fourie v Edkins the Supreme Court of Appeal had to consider circumstances in which a court could exercise its discretion in terms of section 20(1)(c) of the Insolvency Act, to stay the execution in the instance where a sheriff had sold immovable property in the execution of judgment, pursuant to a sale agreement concluded before the insolvent applied for sequestration of his or her estate and also prior to the registration of the transfer of the property in the name of the execution purchaser. The aim of this note is to analyse the decision in Fourie v Edkins in light of section 20(1)(c) of the Insolvency Act which deals with the effects of sequestration. Brief reference will also be made to other cases relating to section 20(1).


The glaucoma burden increases continuously and is estimated to affect more than 100 million people by 2040. As there is currently no cure to restore the optic nerve damage caused by glaucoma, the only controllable parameter is the intraocular pressure (IOP). In recent years, minimally invasive glaucoma surgery (MIGS) has emerged as an alternative to traditional treatments. It uses micro-sized drainage stents that are inserted through a small incision, minimizing the trauma to the tissue and reducing surgical and postoperative recovery time. However, a major challenge for MIGS devices is foreign body reaction and fibrosis, which can lead to a complete failure of the device. In this work, the antifibrotic potential of tetrapodal ZnO (t-ZnO) microparticles used as an additive is elucidated by using rat embryonic fibroblasts as a model. A simple, direct solvent-free process for the fabrication of stents with an outer diameter of 200-400 μm is presented, in which a high amount of t-ZnO particles (45-75 wt %) is mixed into polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and a highly viscous polymer/particle mixture is extruded. The fabricated stents possess increased elastic modulus compared to pure PDMS while remaining flexible to adapt to the curvature of an eye. In vitro experiments showed that the fibroblast cell viability was inhibited to 43 ± 3% when stents with 75 wt % t-ZnO were used. The results indicate that cell inhibiting properties can be attributed to an increased amount of protruding t-ZnO particles on the stent surface, leading to an increase in local contacts with cells and a disruption of the cell membrane. As a secondary mechanism, the released Zn ions could also contribute to the cell-inhibiting properties in the close vicinity of the stent surface. Overall, the fabrication method and the antifibrotic and mechanical properties of developed stents make them promising for application in MIGS.


Mitral valve disease in patients undergoing posterior fossa surgery enhances the inherent risk of the procedure and can complicate the anesthetic management. A great challenge for the anesthesiologist is to choose the most appropriate perioperative technique that balances the specific anesthetic considerations of both the cardiac and the neurologic diseases. The authors describe the anesthetic management of a patient with a meningioma in the posterior fossa requiring craniectomy and tumor decompression. She was also diagnosed with severe mitral regurgitation and moderate mitral stenosis.


Separation and purification of functional ingredients from raw or waste streams are often done via processes that include a chromatographic step using a packed bed of resin particles that have affinity for the ingredients to be separated. A column packed with these particles presents numerous bottlenecks when dealing with untreated or large streams: a trade-off between mass transfer and hydraulic permeability, a high pressure drop and susceptibility to plugging and fouling. The large equipment (column diameters) and volume of resin needed for a moderate pressure drop and a high capacity, poses problems of elevated costs and complex operation. Other technologies such as radial flow chromatography and polymeric resins membranes may represent an improvement in other applications (e.g. pharma or fine chemicals), but at this point their capacity and costs do not seem to be feasible for the separation of small molecules from larger food streams. The aim of the research discussed in this thesis was to find the principles that determine the suitability of different structured adsorbents, such as monoliths, for the selective adsorption and recovery of high-added value food ingredients of relatively low molecular weight, such as oligosaccharides and bioactive peptides. To ensure a cost-effective process and high capacity for small molecules, we demonstrated the feasibility of using activated carbon, and compared its adsorptive and hydraulic performance in two different structures: porous particles and channeled monoliths ("honeycomb" structures). Furthermore, we assessed the feasibility and window of operation of monoliths in terms of adsorbent and column volume required, compared to packed beds. To demonstrate the isolation of bioactive peptides from crude mixtures with activated carbon, we used activated carbon to recover a lacto-tripeptide IPP from a commercial hydrolyzate (1.5% w/w) in chapter 2. The purity of the initial crude mixture was doubled in the isolate, to up to 35% with a recovery of IPP of about 80% in the first cycles of adsorption. This was repeated over many consecutive adsorption-desorption cycles until the activated carbon packed bed column was exhausted. This exhaustion was found to be caused not only by the occupation of irreversible sites but also by pore blockage. Finally, guidelines were given for the competitive exhaustion of the adsorbent for process optimization in order to obtain higher purity and yield. In chapter 3 we showed the benefits of using channeled monoliths for processing untreated streams. We compared the use of channeled monoliths with a packed bed, both made of the same type of activated carbon, for the adsorption of the lactotripeptide IPP from a crude hydrolyzate. The results showed similar productivity and dynamic adsorptive capacities at comparable linear velocities and residence times, but the packed bed showed a strong pressure drop increase during continuous loading of the column and the same consecutive adsorption-desorption cycles as studied in chapter 2. This indicates the occurrence of pore blockage and plugging of the column. These fouling mechanisms were confirmed with two semi-empirical model analogies: one analogous to membrane fouling and another using an analogy with a set of parallel channels. The strong pressure drop increase was even more noticeable at high velocities (and short residence times). These trends were not observed in the channeled monoliths: no significant pressure drop increase was found here, and high velocities were eminently feasible. In chapter 4 the adsorption of lactose onto a bed of activated carbon particles and activated carbon channeled monoliths was described with a detailed chromatographic model, taking into account the different mass transfer resistances. First, the single component adsorption isotherm parameters were obtained using frontal analysis on both adsorbents. Second, the kinetics of adsorption of lactose on both activated carbon adsorbents were estimated using the shallow bed method, assuming an infinite bath. The uptake curves were fitted to the homogeneous surface diffusion model and the linear driving force approximation. The estimation of the intraparticle diffusion coefficient and the film mass transfer coefficient showed a similar intraparticle mass transfer performance during the uptake adsorptive process. Fitting of the breakthrough data to the general rate model describing the full column operation showed differences in performance during the overall column operation. These differences could be related to higher axial dispersion in the squared channeled monoliths. The difference between the experimentally-derived axial dispersion and he expected assuming tubular coated tubes, suggested that the squared shape was responsible for the inhomogeneity of the flow. In chapter 5, we presented guidelines for the configuration of industrial scale chromatographic separation of small molecules. A window was identified that defines the feasible configurations to use for the highest productivity for a given set of process requirements. The performance of different axial packed beds, channeled monoliths and a continuous monolith assuming silica as base material were compared by means of HETP (height equivalent of theoretical plates) and pressure drop relations. The relations as a function of velocity were used to calculate the resultant velocity and packing length for different conditions (efficiency, pressure drop, affinity constant and throughput). The specific productivity of channeled monoliths was shown to be up to 2.5 orders of magnitude higher than that of a packed bed. Therefore, at large scales (in which the pressure drops need to be limited, and the flow rate is high), channeled monoliths are preferred since they may reduce the equipment size up to 100 times and the required adsorbent volume up to 1000 times. Finally, in chapter 6 we discussed the suitability of activated carbon regarding its re-usability and purification potential in the separation of small food ingredients. The suitability of channeled monoliths for certain applications was also highlighted. Finally, other suitable adsorbents were suggested, and some future prospects in the selection of adsorbents were given.


Problems of mathematical formulation of problems accompanying the cracking and crack propagation in subsurface layer of barrel bore during firing the small-arms weapons are considered.


Roman Ephesus; Christian buildings are included, but little attention is given to the Christian history of the city. I have attempted to play the reviewer's trick of producing one or two references the author has omitted, but I have failed. Indeed, if anything the bibliography is slightly too complete. There is now little value in some of the earlier general articles about the site, and there is no point in citing The Roman Imperial Coinage vol. I in the first rather than the second edition. As the entries appear in alphabetical order of author, the subject index is crucial for enabling the user to find relevant items. Unfortunately, the major entries in it are too large: 'sculpture', for example, has about 300 entries and 'inscriptions' about 450.1 do not know how much New Testament scholars will use this book, but it will certainly be extremely helpful for ancient historians and archaeologists.


The authors present the results of a prospective study on percutaneous needle biopsy of the liver conducted at the Hepatology Outpatients' Ward of the Gastroenterology Unit of the University Hospital -" Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora", MG, Brazil. In 16 months 61 biopsies were made in patients with chronic liver disease according to the technique described by menghini. The inclusion criteria were established by The Patient Care Committee of The American Gastroenterological Association. Abdominal ultrasound was done before and after the procedure. The patients stayed six hours under control (blood pressure and pulse rate) in the hospital. After 24 hours other clinical, laboratorial and ultrasonic control were performed. The main complication was local pain or in the right shoulder (32 patients--52.5%). Abdominal ultrasound after 24 hours revealed only one hematoma of the abdominal wall (1.8%). This study shows that the outpatient needle liver biopsy is a safe procedure with low complication rate when performed in a judicious way, by specialized personnel and under strict clinical control.


Amado Alonso was the Director o f the Institute o f Phi lology and Spanish Literature ( w i c h years after recived his name) o f the University o f Buenos Aires among 1927 and 1946. He had an oustanding role in the Ministry Commission that re formed the literature and grammar programs por the midd le school in 1936 in Argentina. Alonso showed in this debate an intense preocupat ion for the professional aspects of the teaching practice. Also his part ic ipat ion in this particular process o f curricular change was for beyond to fu l f i l l just technical role in grammar maters. CAVŒ. Revista de Filologia y su Didactica. n.° 18-19. 1995-96/pags. 215-224 2 1 5


Prolyl endopeptidase (EC184.108.40.206) has been considered a unique intracellular enzyme catalyzing internal peptide bond hydrolysis of Pro‐X. In this study, the distribution of prolyl endopeptidase activity and its mRNA was investigated in the follicles of porcine ovary. Both follicular fluid and granulosa cell fractions from small follicles showed higher activity than those from large follicles. Molecular cloning and Northern blot analysis suggested that only one species of prolyl endopeptidase gene was expressed in the ovary. In addition, in situ hybridization study revealed that the prolyl endopeptidase mRNA expresssion was more noticeable in the granulosa cell layers of small ovarian follicles than in those of large follicles, suggesting its importance in the early stage of follicular development. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 50:121–127, 1998. © 1998 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


Citrate synthase (EC 18.104.22.168) was varied from 10% to 5000% the level found in wild-type Escherichia coli by means of recombinant DNA techniques. When acetate was the sole carbon source, cell growth and carbon flow through the Krebs cycle were greatly affected by the under-production of citrate synthase. In contrast, when glucose was the main nutrient, the same underproduction of citrate synthase had little effect on either growth or carbon flux. When the enzyme was overproduced 50-fold, cultures would grow on glucose but cell division could be abruptly stopped by adding acetate to the medium. These results indicate that the regulatory properties of citrate synthase are highly dependent on the carbon-source composition of the medium. Furthermore, recombinant DNA technology can be used to alter rate-controlling steps in biological pathways and elucidate the regulatory properties of metabolic systems.


In order to evaluate possible progression in the severity of their cognitive impairment, 34 parkinsonians with intellectual impairment were followed longitudinally for 7 years. Each patient was matched for age, sex, severity and duration of illness, and pharmacological treatment, with a parkinsonian patient without cognitive impairment. Results suggest that cognitive deficits are not static but rather there is a progression in the severity. Furthermore, patients suffering from severe dementia are more likely to die during the follow-up period. The prognosis of Parkinson's disease seems to be changed substantially by the occurrence of dementia. The natural history of parkinsonian dementia does not seem to differ from the history of other forms of dementia with a progressively disabling course leading to a complete loss of autonomy.


The International Paralympic Committee has been promoting the development of evidence-based classification to reduce the subjectivity in current decision-making systems. The current study aimed to evaluate the validity of the impairment and performance tests for para-alpine sit skiing classification, and whether cluster analysis of the measures would produce a valid classification structure. Thirty-eight para-alpine sit skiers with different disabilities completed seven tests. During these tests, isometric trunk strength, trunk muscle excitation, trunk range of movement (ROM), and simulated skiing performance (board tilt angle) were assessed. Correlations between the measures and the board tilt angle were calculated. To group athletes, K-means cluster analysis was performed according to how much the impairment measures affected the board tilting. There were significant correlations between all measures and the maximal board tilt angle (r = 0.35-0.81, p < 0.05). The cluster analysis revealed that the introduction of ROM and muscle excitation was an effective supplement to strength measures in improving the classification accuracy (53%-79%). It produced four clusters with strong structures (mean silhouette coefficient = 0.81) and large and significant inter-cluster differences in most measures and performance between clusters (p < 0.05). The cluster analysis produced classes comprising athletes with similar degrees of activity limitation. All tests reported can help establish a more transparent classification system for para-alpine sit skiers. This study also provides a reference for evidence-based classification systems in other Para sports.


The problem of finding the optimal set of source nodes in a diffusion network that maximizes the spread of information, influence, and diseases in a limited amount of time depends dramatically on the underlying temporal dynamics of the network. However, this still remains largely unexplored to date. To this end, given a network and its temporal dynamics, we first describe how continuous time Markov chains allow us to analytically compute the average total number of nodes reached by a diffusion process starting in a set of source nodes. We then show that selecting the set of most influential source nodes in the continuous time influence maximization problem is NP-hard and develop an efficient approximation algorithm with provable near-optimal performance. Experiments on synthetic and real diffusion networks show that our algorithm outperforms other state of the art algorithms by at least ∼20% and is robust across different network topologies.


Comparison shopping sites facilitate consumers' pre-purchase evaluation of alternatives, and draw increasing traffic to merchants' Web sites. As the main source of revenue, sponsored link advertising has become one of the most important aspects for comparison shopping services. However, little is known about the effectiveness of sponsored links and their effects on consumers' information processing behavior. In this study, we develop a research model that tries to explain the influence of information presentation on the main stages of consumers' information processing. The consumer decision process theory from the marketing literature and the information processing theory from social cognition research are employed to develop our model. We also propose that the attitude towards Web advertising will have direct and interaction effects on consumers' information processing behavior. Nine research hypotheses are postulated and will be tested in controlled experiments.


Catalog used to be a one point resource locater in Library in earlier days. Library professionals and users are happy with that practice in the print only era. Due to emergence of Electronic Resources, the role of catalog is also changing. Electronic resources have become reality along with print resources. Accessing electronic resources shows that librarians and users are facing a complex set of challenges. While a number of products have evolved for each aspect of the problem, the question is, how can they all be designed and implemented in such a way that they all work together, providing a clear and seamless interface for library users and avoiding redundant work for library staff? To date, no single product exists that provides comprehensive management of electronic resources. Will portals or federated search solutions be the answer to managing and providing access to resources available from academic libraries as well as other content needed by the academic community? With many, disparate electronic information sources available today, users are challenged with identifying and locating resources that match their needs. This paper explores some of the issues related to future of the catalog.


Often studies of children's technology use in the classroom is internally focused and small scale. This study attempts a globalised exploratory overview of an entire New Zealand middle school to understand the technology usages across a range of curriculum and learning outcomes. Observations of the use of technology in the classroom during eight different lessons were conducted followed by structured-open-ended interviews. From our classroom observations and through teacher interviews, we have been able to identify three levels of the dependency of learning outcome on contemporary-ICT.


The uptake and bioaccumulation of metals in Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus and Bagrid catfish, Chrysichthys nigrodigitatus were monitored to assess the pollution status in Lagos lagoon. Fish samples were collected at designated points on the lagoon over an eight month period covering both rainy and dry seasons and target organs such as gill, bone and flesh were analyzed for eight metals: manganese (Mn), iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), lead (Pb), cobalt (Co), cadmium (Cd) and nickel (Ni) using a Pye Unicam 960 atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS) with deuterium correction. Metal concentration in O. niloticus occurred in the order: Fe>Zn>Mn>Cu>Pb>Ni>Co>Cd while in C. nigrodigitatus, the order was Fe>Mn>Zn>Cu>Co>Ni>Pb>Cd. Generally, higher concentrations of metals were recorded in rainy season while concentration in tissues followed the order: gill>bone>flesh. However, in O. niloticus, Pb, Co and Ni and in C. nigrodigitatus, Pb and Co had their highest concentration in bone.


The ability of networked system software to adapt in a controlled manner to changes in the environment and requirements is crucial, but difficult to realize in complex systems with multiple interacting software layers/components. Typically, many components in a networked system implement adaptive behaviors and encapsulate their own adaptation logic (policies), making the whole system's adaptive behavior hard to analyze, coordinate, and test. This paper describes Cholla, a software architecture that separates the policy decisions of how and when adaptive components in networked systems react to their environment into separate centralized controllers that are constructed from composable rule sets. Centralizing policy decisions into controllers in Cholla facilitates the analysis, coordination, and testing of these policies, while the composable nature of these controllers allows them to be customized to changing user, application, and hardware demands. In addition to describing the architecture of Cholla, this paper also presents a Linux-based prototype implementation of this architecture that controls and coordinates adaptation policy decisions inside network protocols and multimedia applications. An experimental evaluation of this prototype demonstrates that Cholla's controller architecture enables component-based construction and customization of adaptation policies in networked systems, and that these policies can effectively control and coordinate adaptation.


Current density distribution generated inside a volume conductor by externally applied currents can be calculated by using spatial distribution of its magnetic flux density, . The imaging modality used to reconstruct images of the current density distribution is known as magnetic resonance current density imaging (MRCDI). In MRCDI, spatial distribution of the current‐induced magnetic flux density is measured on a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) platform. Calculation of current density distribution from magnetic flux density measurements requires all three components of . As only the component of which is in parallel with the main field of the MRI system can be measured, rotation of the subject is necessary to be able to acquire all three components of for a given current injection pattern. Rotating the subject inside the magnet is not trivial even for small‐sized objects and remains as a strong limitation to clinical applicability of the technique. In this study, a novel MRCDI reconstruction algorithm using only one component of is proposed to eliminate the need for subject rotation. Reconstruction performance of the proposed algorithm is evaluated on numerical and experimental models. Images obtained by the proposed and the conventional MRCDI algorithms, which utilizes three components of , are compared.


This study demonstrates the unique contributions of perinatal risk and genetic and environmental influences on child behavior using data from 561 domestic US adoption triads (birth mothers, adopted child, and adoptive parents). Findings show distinct patterns of associations among genetic (birth mother psychopathology), prenatal (six maternal reported aggregate scores characterizing total obstetric complications, perinatal internalizing symptoms, pregnancy complications, exposure to toxins, substance use, and neonatal complications), and postnatal influences (adoptive parent 18-month internalizing symptoms and over-reactive parenting) and toddler behavior problems (CBCL subscales at 27 months). Findings highlight multiple pathways for toddler's behavioral development, including genetic, pregnancy, and postnatal main effects. Findings suggest distinct types of pregnancy risk may transmit genetic influences for specific behavior problems rather than broadband problems.


Methyl-substituted cycloSal-pronucleotides of d4TMP were synthesized with high diastereoselectivities in satisfying chemical yields. The individual diastereomers were tested against HIV-1 and HIV-2 infected wild-type CEM/0 and HIV-2 infected thymidine kinase deficient CEM cells. All diastereomers tested showed significant antiviral activity in CEM/0 and strong activity in CEM/TK(-) cell cultures. The antiviral activities were strongly dependent on the chirality at the phosphate group and the position of the methyl-group(s) in the cycloSal moiety. In CEM/TK(-) cell cultures the difference in antiviral potency was found to be 7- to 20-fold. The stability of each diastereomer was studied in aqueous phosphate buffer and in CEM/0 cell extracts. Large differences in the half-lives were found. A comparison of the relative lipophilicity of the methyl-substituted cycloSal triesters was performed based on the retention times obtained by reversed phase HPLC. The results obtained clearly confirm the importance of a diastereoselective synthesis of cycloSal-pronucleotides.


During the year of 2010, a set of reports were released that contained important information regarding European multinationals and local governments. These reports were published by Wikileaks and were described as 'cables'. These cables were sent from American embassies to the United States' government. Suspicions were raised that the United States might have been spying on European countries, companies and their respective partners. One of the companies being mentioned in the cable files is Telefonica. Telefonica is a major Spanish telecom, television and Internet service provider operating in Europe and Latin America. The United States could have political and/or economic reasons to spy the Southern American continent. The main question during our research is to find out what reasons the United States might have to spy on Latin American countries and if the rumors were true that they have indeed spied upon Telefonica. And if these rumors are true, what profits there to be found within the cables and other relevant sources? During our research, we found relevant data containing possible evidence related to American espionage. The data found within the cables contain information about America's interest in Telefonica and the pressure being put on their investments in Latin America. The cables contain quotes referring to America's interest in Venezuela and Cuba. The cables contain messages being sent to an American official, stating that the United States should be aware of Telefonicas vast growing market share and influences in Southern American countries. Other relevant cables contain quotes referring to 'informed sources'. Who are these sources and how did they obtain relevant information about Telefonicas expenses? Most of the other relevant cables refer to other investments being done in Latin America, especially in Brazil and Mexico. The United States have good knowledge about the investments being done in Latin America by Telefonica. Unfortunately, none of these cables contained actual proof that the US had directly spied on Telefonica. The cables only contain relevant information regarding America's interest in Telefonica. Even though these cables contain shady and maybe suspicious quotes; this cannot be identified as evidence regarding possible espionage.


Bombyx prothoracicostatic peptide (Bom-PTSP) is a brain neuropeptide that has recently been reported to have in vitro inhibitory activity to prothoracicotropic hormone (PTTH)-stimulated ecdysteroid biosynthesis in the prothoracic gland of the silkworm, Bombyx mori. In the present report, Bom-PTSP has been shown to significantly decrease hemolymph ecdysteroid titer in the fifth instar larvae when Bom-PTSP was injected into the fifth instar day 8 silkworm larvae, resulting in significant delay in spinning behavior. This is the first evidence that Bom-PTSP inhibits in vivo ecdysteroidogenesis in the silkworm.


The previous article considered the employment issues that arise in relation to clinical supervision (Vol 6(7): 393-5). This article examines legal issues arising from professional accountability, the rights of the patient, and records and record keeping. Reporting concerns, giving negligent advice and the duty of care to the patient are described from the point of view of both the supervisor and supervisee. Patients' rights may fall in abeyance when clinical supervision is in progress and the patient should be notified that this is taking place. Access to records by the employer, the courts and the patient needs to be clarified. It is by no means certain that clinical supervision represents the best use of limited resources.


Naked mole rats seem to be naturally deficient in cholecalciferol yet exhibit net calcium and inorganic phosphorus absorption efficiencies that approach a physiological maximum (i.e., exceed 94%). Oral supplementation with cholecalciferol therefore does not markedly enhance the efficiency of gastrointestinal absorption of these minerals, but rather exerts indirect effects on mineral metabolism by increasing food intake (1.7x) from 3.6 +/- 0.4 to 6.2 +/- 0.3 g/100 g body wt day-1. This, in turn, results in a concomitant increase in the daily rate of calcium absorption from 2.9 +/- 0.3 to 4.4 +/- 0.4 (mmol/100 g body wt day-1) and inorganic phosphorus absorption from 4.5 +/- 0.4 to 7.9 +/- 0.4 (mmol/100 g body wt day-1) with cholecalciferol supplementation. Excretion of calcium decreases from 2.9 +/- 0.5 to 1.2 +/- 0.4 mumol/100 g body wt day-1 with cholecalciferol supplementation whereas inorganic phosphorus excretion is unchanged (4.3 +/- 0.9 to 4.3 +/- 1.2 mumol/100 g body wt day-1), to give a positive mineral balance, without any evident pathology. Indeed serum calcium (2.3 +/- 0.1 vs 2.5 +/- 0.1 mmol/liter) and inorganic phosphorus (1.5 +/- 0.3 vs 1.6 +/- 0.2 mmol/liter) concentrations remain tightly regulated irrespective of vitamin D3 status. Mineral balance in naked mole rats is concluded not to be directly influenced by cholecalciferol, rather it may be affected by pleiotropic actions of cholecalciferol on gut function.


Summary The population collapse of resident Gyps vulture species in South Asia, caused by the use of a veterinary drug diclofenac, has highlighted an urgent need to monitor numbers of other vulture species in the region. This study assessed population trends of Himalayan Griffon Gyps himalayensis in the mountainous region of Upper Mustang, Nepal, which is an important breeding area for the species. Vultures were surveyed in 2002, 2004 and 2005 by recording the number of birds sighted along 188 km of transects, and observing numbers of birds at breeding colonies. The number of birds recorded per day and per kilometre of transect declined by 67% and 70% respectively over the period of study. The number of active nests declined by 84% from 2002 to 2005. The veterinary drug diclofenac was available in pharmacies in the Mustang region. Young Himalayan Griffons, which migrate to the lowland areas of Nepal and, in increasing numbers to India, are highly likely to be subject to diclofenac poisoning. If this rate of population decline occurs throughout the Himalayan region, the conservation status of the species will need to be urgently reassessed.


Non-cortical visual areas in vertebrate brains extract different stimulus features, such as motion, object size and location, to support behavioural tasks. The optic tectum and pretectum, two primary visual areas, are thought to fulfil complementary biological functions in zebrafish to support prey capture and optomotor stabilisation behaviour. However, the adaptations of these brain areas to behaviourally relevant stimulus statistics are unknown. Here, we used calcium imaging to characterize the receptive fields of 1,926 motion-sensitive neurons in diencephalon and midbrain. We show that many caudal pretectal neurons have large receptive fields (RFs), whereas RFs of tectal neurons are smaller and mostly size-selective. RF centres of large-size RF neurons in the pretectum are predominantly located in the lower visual field, while tectal neurons sample the upper-nasal visual field more densely. This tectal visual field sampling matches the expected prey item locations, suggesting that the tectal magnification of the upper-nasal visual field might be an adaptation to hunting behaviour. Finally, we probed optomotor responsiveness and found that even relatively small stimuli drive optomotor swimming, if presented in the lower-temporal visual field, suggesting that the pretectum preferably samples information from this region on the ground to inform optomotor behaviour. Our characterization of the parallel processing channels for non-cortical motion feature extraction provides a basis for further investigation into the sensorimotor transformations of the zebrafish brain and its adaptations to habitat and lifestyle.


Chagas' disease, caused by Trypanosorna cruzi, is characterized by the appearance of pathological lesions in the heart and other tissues during the chronic phase. The mechanisms responsible for such damage are still unclear. In the vertebrate host, T. cruzi replicates intracellularly before transforming from amastigotes into trypomastigotes. The infected host cell then lyses, releasing the cytoplasmic contents and the parasites that shed membrane glycoproteins soon after release. The sum of all these components we have termed released antigen (Rag). We characterized antigens, released in vitro by fibroblasts infected with T. cruzi, obtained by concentrating conditioned serum-free culture media. The results demonstrate that Rag contains a complex protein mixture including stage-specific T. cruzi antigens (Ssp-1, -2, -4), glucose-regulated protein (Grp) 78h, and peptides recognized by the monoclonal antibody 2B10. These peptides exhibit neuraminidase activity and are expressed by intracellular and 10-20% of released trypomastigotes. Additionally, Rag is recognized by sera from T. cruzi-infected mice and human chagasic patients. Rag also stimulates in vitro production of interferon-gamma by splenocytes from resistant C57B1/6 and susceptible BALB/c infected mice and interleukin-4 by splenocytes from BALB/c infected mice. Altogether these results indicate that Rag is immunologically relevant and could contribute to pathogenesis of T. cruzi infection.


Endocytic transport impacts a wide range of cellular functions, including growth factor signaling, cell polarity, and cell-cell and cellmatrix adhesion. As such, deregulated endocytosis is emerging as a key feature of tumorigenesis. Growth factors and their receptors are important regulators of normal cell survival and proliferation and aberrant growth factor signaling is one of the fundamental elements of tumor growth and progression. Upon activation at the plasma membrane, growth factor receptors are internalized and either trafficked to the lysosome for degradation, or returned to the cell surface via the process of endosomal recycling. Furthermore, growth factor receptors can signal from endocytic compartments en route to the lysosome, and throughout the recycling process. Downstream of growth factor stimulation, signaling from Ras GTPases to effectors such as the mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway has also been shown to occur at endocytic compartments. Elucidation of the key regulators of the endocytic process therefore presents a novel opportunity to target certain growth factor signaling pathways. Two such key regulators are the small GTPase Rab25, and its interacting partner Rab coupling protein (RCP). Rab25 and RCP are amplified in certain breast and ovarian cancers, and this amplification is associated with increased aggressiveness of these cancers. Additionally, in mutant p53 cells RCP has been implicated in enhanced EGFR and integrin signaling, resulting in increased invasion. Here, we provide evidence for the importance of Rab25 and RCP in colorectal cancer (CRC) cell lines. Using siRNA to specifically knockdown RCP and Rab25 in a panel of CRC cell lines we have found that RCP and Rab25 knockdown significantly impacts on the proliferation of these lines. Within the panel of CRC cell lines, we have identified subpopulations of K-Ras dependent and K-Ras independent lines. K-Ras dependency appeared to be independent of K-Ras mutation status, and those lines which depend on K-Ras for proliferation also require RCP and Rab25. We are currently investigating the consequences of RCP knockdown on growth factor receptor signaling and subsequent Ras activation. These findings highlight the importance of the regulation of recycling endocytosis in colorectal cancer, and indicate a dependence of colorectal cancer cells on this process. Citation Information: Clin Cancer Res 2010;16(14 Suppl):A17.


In the past few decades, spillways have attraction significant as flow measuring devices as well as for release of flood discharges for dams. Severe cavitation damage has occurred on many high spillways around the world, including Russia, Pakistan, Venezuela, and Iran. In Iran, this phenomena caused serious damage to the Karun I dam spillway. Many studies and investigations related to cavitation effects were performed on different scale models and prototypes. Presently, standard shape spillways are designed based on previous experiences. Every case is subjected to a physical model study. It seemed necessary to systematize the evaluation of the flow field and the pressure distribution on the crests of spillways. The investigation of the subatmospheric pressure which is the main cause of cavitation was primary objective of the thesis. Consequently, a functional numerical model for design purposes was developed. Since viscous effects can be negligible, a two-dimensional irrotational flow was assumed. Comparable results between numerical and experimental spillway models validated this assumption. The developed numerical model was based on Navier-Stokes equations and the Bernoulli equation for Boundary-Fitted Curvilinear Coordinates (BFCC). The discretizations and computations were executed on a fixed, square grid regardless of the shape of the physical boundary. Equations were discretized using the finite difference method. The results show that the BFCC system is capable of treating Navier-Stokes equations for a wide range of Reynolds numbers with free surface boundary. In order to validate the numerical results of the problem, they were compared with WES 1 experimental data from the U.S. Army (1952). Also a small lab model was built to determine the free surface and pressure over an existing spillway. The investigation demonstrated agreement between the numerical, lab-scale and other researchers results. WES spillways are shaped knowing the design head. New shapes and pressures can easily be predicted by executing the BFCC program and introducing a optimal head for reiterated designs. The developed model can predict the formation of subatmospheric pressure at the early stage of spillway design. This model can also be applicable to flow in partially filled tunnels and in the design of supercritical slopes. While the BFCC model is a significant step forward in the development of numerical methods for predicting flow behavior on spillways, the flow patterns can often defy present analytical techniques. The thesis also contains several recommendations about spillway design in order to avoid damage due to the cavitation. 1 The Waterway Engineering Station


Objectives: Mesenchymal stem cells–based therapies have shown promising effects in experimental acute respiratory distress syndrome. Different mesenchymal stem cells sources may result in diverse effects in respiratory diseases; however, there is no information regarding the best source of mesenchymal stem cells to treat pulmonary acute respiratory distress syndrome. We tested the hypothesis that mesenchymal stem cells derived from bone marrow, adipose tissue, and lung tissue would lead to different beneficial effects on lung and distal organ damage in experimental pulmonary acute respiratory distress syndrome. Design: Animal study and primary cell culture. Setting: Laboratory investigation. Subjects: Seventy-five Wistar rats. Interventions: Wistar rats received saline (control) or Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide (acute respiratory distress syndrome) intratracheally. On day 2, acute respiratory distress syndrome animals were further randomized to receive saline or bone marrow, adipose tissue, or lung tissue mesenchymal stem cells (1 × 105 cells) IV. Lung mechanics, histology, and protein levels of inflammatory mediators and growth factors were analyzed 5 days after mesenchymal stem cells administration. RAW 264.7 cells (a macrophage cell line) were incubated with lipopolysaccharide followed by coculture or not with bone marrow, adipose tissue, and lung tissue mesenchymal stem cells (105 cells/mL medium). Measurements and Main Results: Regardless of mesenchymal stem cells source, cells administration improved lung function and reduced alveolar collapse, tissue cellularity, collagen, and elastic fiber content in lung tissue, as well as decreased apoptotic cell counts in liver. Bone marrow and adipose tissue mesenchymal stem cells administration also reduced levels of tumor necrosis factor–&agr;, interleukin-1&bgr;, keratinocyte-derived chemokine, transforming growth factor–&bgr;, and vascular endothelial growth factor, as well as apoptotic cell counts in lung and kidney, while increasing expression of keratinocyte growth factor in lung tissue. Additionally, mesenchymal stem cells differently modulated the secretion of biomarkers by macrophages depending on their source. Conclusions: Mesenchymal stem cells from different sources led to variable responses in lungs and distal organs. Bone marrow and adipose tissue mesenchymal stem cells yielded greater beneficial effects than lung tissue mesenchymal stem cells. These findings may be regarded as promising in clinical trials.


We formulate equations of time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) in the comoving Lagrangian reference frame. The main advantage of the Lagrangian description of many-body dynamics is that in the comoving frame the current density vanishes, while the density of particles becomes independent of time. Therefore a comoving observer will see a picture which is very similar to that seen in the equilibrium system from the laboratory frame. It is shown that the most natural set of basic variables in TDDFT includes the Lagrangian coordinate, $\mathbf{\ensuremath{\xi}}$, a symmetric deformation tensor ${g}_{\ensuremath{\mu}\ensuremath{\nu}}$, and a skew-symmetric vorticity tensor, ${F}_{\ensuremath{\mu}\ensuremath{\nu}}$. These three quantities, respectively, describe the translation, deformation, and the rotation of an infinitesimal fluid element. Reformulation of TDDFT in terms of new basic variables resolves the problem of nonlocality and thus allows us to regularly derive a local nonadiabatic approximation for exchange correlation (xc) potential. Stationarity of the density in the comoving frame makes the derivation to a large extent similar to the derivation of the standard static local density approximation. We present a few explicit examples of nonlinear nonadiabatic xc functionals in a form convenient for practical applications.


IMPORTANCE
Beginning in 2005, the incidence of suicide deaths in the US military began to sharply increase. Unique stressors, such as combat deployments, have been assumed to underlie the increasing incidence. Previous military suicide studies, however, have relied on case series and cross-sectional investigations and have not linked data during service with postservice periods.

OBJECTIVE
To prospectively identify and quantify risk factors associated with suicide in current and former US military personnel including demographic, military, mental health, behavioral, and deployment characteristics.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS
Prospective longitudinal study with accrual and assessment of participants in 2001, 2004, and 2007. Questionnaire data were linked with the National Death Index and the Department of Defense Medical Mortality Registry through December 31, 2008. Participants were current and former US military personnel from all service branches, including active and Reserve/National Guard, who were included in the Millennium Cohort Study (N = 151,560).

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES
Death by suicide captured by the National Death Index and the Department of Defense Medical Mortality Registry.

RESULTS
Through the end of 2008, findings were 83 suicides in 707,493 person-years of follow-up (11.73/100,000 person-years [95% CI, 9.21-14.26]). In Cox models adjusted for age and sex, factors significantly associated with increased risk of suicide included male sex, depression, manic-depressive disorder, heavy or binge drinking, and alcohol-related problems. None of the deployment-related factors (combat experience, cumulative days deployed, or number of deployments) were associated with increased suicide risk in any of the models. In multivariable Cox models, individuals with increased risk for suicide were men (hazard ratio [HR], 2.14; 95% CI, 1.17-3.92; P = .01; attributable risk [AR], 3.5 cases/10,000 persons), and those with depression (HR, 1.96; 95% CI, 1.05-3.64; P = .03; AR, 6.9/10,000 persons), manic-depressive disorder (HR, 4.35; 95% CI, 1.56-12.09; P = .005; AR, 35.6/10,000 persons), or alcohol-related problems (HR, 2.56; 95% CI, 1.56-4.18; P <.001; AR, 7.7/10,000 persons). A nested, matched case-control analysis using 20:1 control participants per case confirmed these findings.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE
In this sample of current and former military personnel observed July 1, 2001-December 31, 2008, suicide risk was independently associated with male sex and mental disorders but not with military-specific variables. These findings may inform approaches to mitigating suicide risk in this population.


Abstract The application of integrated satellite and modern wireless positioning technologies for ubiquitous real-time resources management in large scale civil engineering projects can greatly optimize the time and cost in the construction process, and is now the trend for modern construction project management. As the outdoor conditions of most civil construction sites are open to sky, satellite positioning with the popularly used Global Positioning System (GPS) has been proved to be very efficient and effective. However, the condition in indoor and underground construction site is very complicated due to the fact that different construction activities would be carried out in different congested areas, involving heavy construction plant, equipment, professionals and technical personnel. Nowadays different emerging technologies such as Wi-Fi and ZigBee can be adopted for position and tracking in indoor environments. Nevertheless, under the very complicated construction site conditions these technologies may fail due to movement of human resources and construction plant, variation of metrological conditions, and serious multipath effects of signals. It is considered that Ultra Wide Band (UWB) technology is more suitable for indoor construction site environments. In this paper, a case study on the attempt of integrating GPS with Ubisense Real-time Location System (RTLS) for resources management in an underground railway construction site is discussed. Laboratory and field tests have shown that the RTLS can provide better resources management capability in terms of positioning accuracy and stability than Wi-Fi and ZigBee technologies under complicated construction environments. The test results show that the system can normally achieve better than 15 cm accuracy, and better than 1 m under adverse geometrical site condition. However, the high instrumental set up cost and the requirement for high quality data transmission cable for high precision time synchronization between sensors may deter wide application of similar system for resources management in construction sites.


In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a shift from marble headstones to granite has been observed across the United States and in parts of Canada, as well. The goal of this study is to determine when this shift in headstone material occurred in North Carolina, and what factors contributed to this transition. Another objective is to determine how this shift impacted the expression of cultural meaning in North Carolina cemeteries. By examining how the shift from marble to granite caused changes to headstone morphology and style, this project will show how memorialization of individuals is influenced by headstone manufacturing processes. Ultimately, this study illustrates the effects of industrialization on the North Carolina cultural landscape as manifested in the state's cemeteries by analyzing the means of production and the expression of identity.


Mammalian methylomes reveal how DNA methylation is influenced by the underlying nucleotide sequence. DNA methylation denotes the addition of a methyl group to DNA, which in eukaryotes occurs predominantly at cytosines that are adjacent to guanine (CG). Because methylation does not alter the DNA sequence, it is referred to as an epigenetic mark. The sequence symmetry of the CG dinucleotide enables propagation of the methyl mark through cell division in a process that is mechanistically well understood (1). This inheritability makes DNA methylation highly attractive as a potential means to store information in a form of epigenetic memory that regulates genes over developmental processes or in response to environmental conditions. However, it has proven difficult to substantiate this function because it requires showing not only that a DNA methylation pattern coincides with a particular transcriptional state, but more importantly, that it controls it.


Recently, single carrier block transmission (SCBT) has received much attention in high-rate phase-coherent underwater acoustic communication. However, minimum-mean-square-error (MMSE) linear FDE may suffer performance loss in the severely time dispersive underwater acoustic channel. To combat the channel distortion, a novel multi-channel receiver with maximum ratio combining and a low complex T/4 fractional iterative frequency domain equalization (FDE) is investigated to improve diversity gain and the bit error rate (BER) performance. The proposed method has been verified by the real data from a lake underwater acoustic communication test in November 2011. At 1.8 km, the useful data rates are around 1500 and 3000 bits/ s for BPSK and QPSK respectively. The results show the improvements of system performance. Compared with MMSE FDE system, the output SNR improvement is 6.9 dB, and the BER is from 10-3 to no error bits for BPSK. The output SNR improvement is 5.3 dB, and the BER is from 1.91×10-2 to 2.2×10-4 for QPSK.


While Canadian scholars have documented some of the beliefs and behaviours of student activists in the 1960s, little has been said of the 'average' Canadian university student. As a result, this article deals with the political orientations and activities of students who entered Glendon College, York University, in 1963 and who graduated by 1967. It will be shown that upon entry to the university this cohort of students was primarily Liberal. Despite fundamental changes that were occurring at a macro-social level, by and large, the distribution of students' political orientations was the same in 1967 as it had been in 1963. The virtual absence of collective action with a political objective was consistent with this reality.