It is my purpose to present in this paper the method and the results of the treatment of premature infants in the University of Minnesota Hospital. The material studied includes sixty prematurely born infants, all being born at, or otherwise admitted to, the clinic from September, 1914, when the department of pediatrics assumed charge of the new-born infants' clinic, until the close of 1917. It is noteworthy that Litzenberg's 1 report of the efficacy of the four-hour feeding interval for premature infants, the first report in American literature, came from the obstetric service of the same hospital. As Litzenberg states, he was led to adopt the long interval by observing its success in a premature baby that vomited whenever a shorter interval was tried. No less an authority than Czerny had previously recommended that the premature baby be given no more than six feedings in the twenty-four hours. Since Litzenberg's


We embrace the position of the user in the driver's seat of the video search engine by proposing a principled framework for multimedia retrieval that moves beyond what users are searching for also to encompass why they search. This 'why' is understood as the reason, purpose or immediate goal behind a user information need, which we identify as the underlying user 'intent'. Breaking information needs down into a topical dimension representing 'what' and an intent dimension representing 'why' will allow online video search engines to provide users with more satisfying search results. Until now, research on intent has remained small scale, limited by the lack of a systematic method for arriving at possible dimensions of user intent that provide productive areas of inquiry for multimedia research. We demonstrate how mining information from user descriptions of video information needs on the social Web makes it possible to identify useful intent categories for online video search and carry out validation experiments showing that these categories display enough invariance to be successfully modeled by a video search engine. In a final experiment, we demonstrate the potential for these categories to improve video retrieval with a large user study confirming that users associate salient differences within topically homogenous video search engine results lists with these intent categories. This reveals the potential to refine video results list using user intent.


Direct nonoxidative conversion of methane to hydrogen and hydrocarbons was achieved at atmospheric pressure and 120°C using nonthermal plasma sustained by plasma catalysis promoters (PCPs). Reactors had two different electrode configurations. Methane conversion correlated well with the specific energy density (SED). Methane conversion was independent of plasma power, flow rate, electrode configuration, or the type of PCPs. Hydrogen selectivity (ca. 60%) was dependent significantly on PCP and electrode configuration. The ethane/ethylene molar ratio increased from 0 to 0.15 with increasing SED. When the SED value was below ca. 100 kJ/L, ethylene was the only C2 hydrocarbon. These results are similar to the recently reported nonoxidative catalytic methane conversion at ca. 1000°C. Therefore, these results represent process intensification in methane conversion. PCPs underwent structural and chemical changes but their performances are not affected during an 80-h experimental period. © 2017 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 63: 4418–4429, 2017


Limitations with the majority of bone therapeutic treatments include low availability, ethical constraints and low biological compatibility. Although a number of choice materials have been exploited successfully, there has always been scope for improvement as well as development of the next-generation of materials. Herein, scaffolds - developed from gelatin, chitosan and eggshell membranes - were crosslinked using tannic acid, and further infused with selenium and/or copper substituted hydroxyapatite nanoparticles to generate a novel nanocomposite substrate. FESEM images of the nanocomposite scaffolds revealed the presence of interconnected pores, mostly spread over the whole surface of the scaffold, alongside XRD and FTIR profiling that detailed the formation of hydroxyapatite as a sole phase. Moreover, physical characterisation of the nanocomposite confirmed that the hydroxyapatite particulates and the eggshell membrane fibres were uniformly distributed and contributed to the surface roughness of the scaffold. Biocompatibility and cytotoxicity of the novel constructs were assessed using the mouse-derived osteoblastic cell line, MC3T3-E1, and standard cell culture assays. Metabolic activity assessment (i.e. MTS assay), LDH-release profiles and Live/Dead staining demonstrated good cell adhesion, viability, and proliferation rates. Accordingly, this work summarises the successful development of a novel construct which may be exploited as a clinical/therapeutic treatment for bone repair as well as a possible translational application as a novel biomaterial for the drug development pipeline.


This paper presents a coordinative demand charge mitigation (DCM) strategy for reducing electricity consumption during system peak periods. Available DCM resources include batteries, diesel generators, controllable appliance loads, and conservation voltage reduction. All resources are directly controlled by load serving entities. A mixed integer linear programming-based energy management algorithm is developed to optimally coordinate DCM resources considering the load payback effect. To better capture system peak periods, two different kinds of load forecast are used: the day-ahead load forecast and the peak-hour probability forecast. Five DCM strategies are compared for reconciling the discrepancy between the two forecasting results. The DCM strategies are tested using actual utility data. Simulation results show that the proposed algorithm can effectively mitigate the demand charge while preventing the system peak from being shifted to the payback hours. We also identify the diminishing return effect, which can help load serving entities optimize the size of their DCM resources.


Abstract How can international organizations persuade governments to adopt policy recommendations that are based on private information when their interests conflict? We develop a game-theoretic model of persuasion that applies regardless of regime type and does not rely on the existence of domestic constituency constraints. In the model, an international organization (IO) and a domestic expert have private information about a crisis, but their preferences diverge from those of the government, which must choose whether to delegate decision making to the expert. Persuasion can take place if the international institution is able to send a credible signal. We find that this can take place only if the preferences of the IO and the domestic expert diverge and the institution holds the more moderate policy position. This result contrasts with conventional wisdom, which holds that the necessary condition for IOs to exert influence is support from a domestic constituency with aligned preferences. Our model suggests that, far from being an obstacle to international cooperation, polarized domestic politics may be a necessary condition for IOs to exert effective influence.


Abstract The strength of zirconia ceramic materials used in restorations is dependent upon sintering. Varying sintering protocols may affect the biaxial flexural strength of zirconia materials. This in vitro study was conducted to investigate the effects of sintering parameters on the biaxial flexural strength of monolithic zirconia. Two different monoblock zirconia ceramics were used. Following coloration, samples of both types of ceramics were divided into groups according to whether or not biaxial flexural strength testing was performed directly after sintering or following thermocycling. Biaxial flexural strength data was analysed with a Shapiro Wilk normality test, followed by 1-way ANOVA, Tukey post hoc tests for inter-group comparisons, and paired samples t-tests for intra-group comparisons. A significant difference was found between the biaxial flexural strengths of Zircon X and Upcera ceramics before thermocycling (p<0.05). In both Zircon X and Upcera ceramic groups, the thermocycling process created a significant difference in the biaxial flexural strength values of the ceramic samples in Group 6 (p<0.05) which had the slowest heating rate and longest holding time. The zirconia ceramics have higher BFS at higher heating rates either before or after thermocycling. The holding time has significant effects on thermocycling and flexural strength. The zirconia achieved its optimum strength when it sintered at longer time regardless of heating rates.


Homosexuality or same-sex sexual orientation has a very long history in the medical field as pathology of sexuality, starting from the nineteenth century (Bullough, 1974; Adams and Sturgis, 1977; Coleman, 1982; Beckstead 2001; Conrad and Angell, 2004). Officially, however, homosexuality was removed from the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ( DSM-III ) in 1973. This change notwithstanding, the current version of the DSM ( DSM-IV-TR ), in place since the year 2000, still includes the categories of Gender Identity Disorder (GID) and Sexual Disorder Not Otherwise Specified and its subcategory, Persistent and Marked Distress about Sexual Orientation (Throckmorton, 1998; McCommon, 2009), that leave a door open for the persistence of psychotherapeutic practices that aim at either changing the sexual orientation of homosexuals to heterosexuality, or to maintain the homosexual orientation but eliminate homosexual behaviours. These practices are variably known as conversion therapies , reparative therapies (e.g. Grace, 2008), or re-orientation therapies (Masters and Johnson, 1979). In this chapter I start with the main issues section, where I briefly review the historical background of 'homosexuality as pathology', the emergence of conversion therapies, especially those that have a religious motivation; the criticisms that such therapies have received, including the establishment of alternative gay/lesbian affirmative therapies, and the current approaches that aim at integrating the various dimensions that are relevant to the life of homosexuals. In the 'Looking forward' section, I propose an evolutionary view of homosexuality as an adaptive expression of sexuality, not as pathology, and endeavour to establish some evolutionarily inspired criteria that may help both therapists and counsellors in their approaches to homosexual clients, especially in cases where those clients feel the necessity to seek consistency between their sexuality and their strongly held religious beliefs.


Providing customers with excellent customer service creates a competitive advantage. In order to establish this, a 'total chain approach' must be followed, starting with the consumer. In this paper the cut flower logistical chain is partly analyzed by focusing on the consumer. A model -of the evaluation of customer service by consumers has been developed. In the model both consumers' perceptions of customer service offered, and consumers' customer service expectations are assumed to affect perception of customer service quality, which, in turn, affects consumer satisfaction/dissatisfaction. Survey analysis of Dutch consumers, with roses as the product under investigation, was used to quantify the relationships in the model with regard to customer service provided by specialist retail florists. The relationships in the model were analyzed by means of regression analysis. The insights in the use of customer service as a marketing instrument, obtained from this study, can be used in order to develop effective service programs throughout the floral distribution channel.


OBJECTIVE
to build, validate and apply a test that explores and evaluates the clinical aptitudes of Gynecology and Obstetrics (Ob/Gyn) residents.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
the test included five actual clinical cases representing the main obstetric conditions associated with obstetric bleeding. The validation process included rounds with experts and the final version of the test included 100 items in which the answers had the options "true." "false " and "don't know." A pilot study and the 21 Kuder-Richardson formula served to increase the consistency of the test. Then, 33 Ob/Gyn residents (8 of 2nd year; 14 of 3rd year and 11 of 4th year) answered the test.

RESULTS
According to the 21 Kuder-Richardson formula the consistency of the test was 0.80; regarding the clinical aptitudes, 18 % of residents scored in the middle level, 66 % in the low level and 15 % in the very low level. No resident scored in the high or very high levels or by chance answers level. The Kruskal-Wallis test did not show statistically significant differences among the three groups and with the U test of Mann-Whitney no differences between groups were observed after comparing 2nd year versus 3rd year; 3rd year versus 4th year, and 2nd year versus 4th year residents.

CONCLUSIONS
The years of residence did not show differences to developing clinical aptitudes. Most of the residents were located in the low level of these clinical aptitudes. This study underlined the need to reconsider our educative processes in a qualitative different manner.


ABSTRACT Descriptions of dementia can be traced to antiquity. Prichard (1837) described four dementia stages and Kral (1962) described a "benign senescent forgetfulness" condition. The American Psychiatric Association's DSM-III (1980) identified an early dementia stage. In 1982, the Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) and the Global Deterioration Scale (GDS) were published, which identified dementia antecedents. The CDR 0.5 "questionable dementia" stage encompasses both mild dementia and earlier antecedents. GDS stage 3 described a predementia condition termed "mild cognitive decline" or, alternatively, beginning in 1988, "mild cognitive impairment" (MCI). This GDS stage 3 MCI condition is differentiated from both a preceding GDS stage 2, "subjective cognitive impairment" (SCI) stage and a subsequent GDS 4 stage of mild dementia. GDS stage 3 MCI has been well characterized. For example, specific clinical concomitants, mental status and psychological assessment score ranges, behavioral and emotional changes, neuroimaging concomitants, neurological reflex changes, electrophysiological changes, motor and coordination changes, and changes in activities, accompanying GDS stage 3 MCI have been described. Petersen and associates proposed a definition of MCI in 2001 which has been widely used (hereafter referred to as "Petersen's MCI"). Important differences between GDS stage 3 MCI and Petersen's MCI are that, because of denial, GDS stage 3 MCI does not require memory complaints. Also, GDS stage 3 MCI recognizes the occurrence of executive level functional deficits, which Petersen's MCI did not. Nevertheless, longitudinal and other studies indicate essential compatibility between GDS stage 3 MCI and Petersen's MCI duration and outcomes.


An inducible tryptophanase was crystallized from the cell extract of Proteus rettgeri grown in a medium containing L-tryptophan. The purification procedure included ammonium sulfate fractionation, heat treatment, DEAE-Sephadex and hydroxylapatite column chromato graphies. Crystals were obtained from solutions of the purified enzyme by the addition of ammonium sulfate. The crystalline enzyme preparation was homogeneous by the criteria of ultracentrifugation and zone electrophoresis. The molecular, weight was determined to be approximately 210,000. The crystalline enzyme catalyzed the degradation of L-tryptophan into indole, pyruvate and ammonia in the presence of added pyridoxal phosphate. The enzyme also catalyzed pyruvate formation from 5-hydroxy-L-tryptophan, 5-methyl-L-tryptophan, S-methyl-L-cysteine and Lcysteine. L-, D-Alanine, L-phenylalanine and indole inhibited pyruvate formation from these substrates.


The apocalyptic Marian colony of Nueva Jerusalen, Mexico suffered a violent schism in 1982, marking a turning point in the history of the sect. The rift resulted in a major organizational transformation and helped to establish the centralized system of authority now observable in the colony. This article examines the ideological and structural factors that promoted the schism. A succession crisis, caused by the death of a Marian apparition seer, precipitated schismatic activity as dissidents struggled to block the charismatic leader's attempts to revise the sect's authority structure and identity. At the same time, the prophet escalated tensions by reframing the conflict as a commitment test. Wallis's theory of structural opportunity for schism is used to show how the conflict grew out of long-standing interest groups and ambiguous authority arrangements in the colony.


The case reports of three patients who were seen at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital Benin City with a diagnosis of solar maculopathy are presented. There was good visual recovery in two of the patients. This report shows the effect on the retina of direct sun gazing. The need to use protective filters is emphasized.


The opinions of technologists on the use of syringe shields were surveyed. The majority of respondents felt that syringe shields significantly reduced radiation exposure and should be used. Of five general categories of syringe shields, the thin wall lead or tungsten and leaded glass window shield was used most frequently. The 100% leaded glass shields were used half as often (almost as consistently as the thin wall type) and received the highest ratings for a variety of syringe shield characteristics. Lead shield or wrapping with no viewing window was used the least and received the poorest ratings.


The use of wireless networks bears great practical importance in instantaneous transmission of ECG signals during movement. In this paper, three typical wavelet-based ECG compression algorithms, Rajoub (RA), Embedded Zerotree Wavelet (EZ), and Wavelet Transform Higher-Order Statistics Coding (WH), were evaluated to find an appropriate ECG compression algorithm for scalable and reliable wireless tele-cardiology applications, particularly over a CDMA network. The short-term and long-term performance characteristics of the three algorithms were analyzed using normal, abnormal, and measurement noise-contaminated ECG signals from the MIT-BIH database. In addition to the processing delay measurement, compression efficiency and reconstruction sensitivity to error were also evaluated via simulation models including the noise-free channel model, random noise channel model, and CDMA channel model, as well as over an actual CDMA network currently operating in Korea. This study found that the EZ algorithm achieves the best compression efficiency within a low-noise environment, and that the WH algorithm is competitive for use in high-error environments with degraded short-term performance with abnormal or contaminated ECG signals.


Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the most lethal types of tumors, and its incidence is rising worldwide. Survival can be improved when tumors are detected at an early stage; however, this cancer is usually asymptomatic, and the disease only becomes apparent after metastasis. Several risk factors are associated to this disease. Chronic pancreatitis, diabetes, and some infectious disease are the most relevant risk factors. Incidence of PDAC has increased in the last decades. It is hypothesized it could be due to other acquired risk habits, like smoking, high alcohol intake, and obesity. Indeed, adipose tissue is a dynamic endocrine organ that secretes different pro-inflammatory cytokines, enzymes, and other factors that activate oxidative stress. Reactive oxygen species caused by oxidative stress, damage DNA, proteins, and lipids, and produce several toxic and high mutagenic metabolites that could modify tumor behavior, turning it into a malignant phenotype. Anti-oxidant compounds, like vitamins, are considered protective factors against cancer. Here, we review the literature on oxidative stress, the molecular pathways that activate or counteract oxidative stress, and potential treatment strategies that target reactive oxygen species suitable for this kind of cancer.


Abstract In 1996 David Cronenberg's film of J.G. Ballard's Crash led to a huge controversy in Britain, much of which turned on claims of what the film might do to its audience, claims which were the subject of a major ESRC-funded study. In 2001, in Aberystwyth, David Rabey mounted a stage adaptation of Ballard's book. This essay presents the first findings of an AHRB-funded research project into audience responses to the stage adaptation. One theme in particular is explored: the complicated meanings of 'liveness' to audiences, and how they conceived the differences between stage and screen. This, it is argued, connects with a deep-going assumption about the superiority of stage over screen. The essay examines the tensions within this assumption by their relations with Philip Auslander's Liveness.


The architecturally radical Steiff teddy bear factory in Giengen, Germany is a three storey, double skin glass curtain wall building with a steel frame, built in 1903. It is almost unknown in architectural history. On the other hand the loadbearing brick Fagus factory built in 1911 to a design by Gropius and Meyer, in spite of its nineteenth century technology, has become a hallowed icon of modern architecture and a UNESCO World Heritage site. The article discusses the contested history of both buildings and offers some suggestions as to why one became famous and the other did not. It also discusses the equally contested history of the teddy bear, showing that in both cases, history tends to ignore facts in favour of good stories.


We present a detailed dc magnetization study of the compound Ca4 Mn3 O10 , which undergoes a transition into a G-type antiferromagnetic structure on cooling below 113.5 K. A series expansion analysis of the magnetic susceptibility shows the material behaves as a quasi-2D antiferromagnet in the temperature regime above TN . This is corroborated by the analysis of the thermal evolution of the spontaneous magnetization obtained from neutron diffraction data. The antiferromagnetic transition is accompanied by the appearance at non-zero field of a net ferromagnetic moment of the order of 10-3 µB . This parasitic ferromagnetism is ascribed to a Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya term arising from the orthorhombic distortion of the crystal structure. The resulting weak ferromagnetic component in each MnO2 layer is hidden at zero field but an applied magnetic field induces a spin-flop transition to a phase with a net magnetization. A non-zero moment is observed at temperatures well above the antiferromagnetic transition and may be responsible for the negative magnetoresistance, which persists to >200 K. The behaviour below TN is dependent on the annealing treatment of the sample. Thermoremanent magnetization (TRM) measurements indicate a complex behaviour below the transition. TRM decay curves at low temperatures have been fitted to a stretched exponential function characteristic of spin glasses. The origin of this disordered behaviour may lie in the inhomogeneous distribution of the distortion that gives rise to the weak ferromagnetic phase, or in the detailed nature of that phase.


The liaison model in academic librarianship has an increased emphasis on engagement and embeddedness. It is moving away from traditional reference services and toward offering advanced research assistance and increased instruction. Shifting to this liaison model requires larger conversations on what traditional duties can be jettisoned to serve new roles and deepen existing engagement.


The information content from a single SIMS experiment is phenomenal. The technique is so rich in detail that it is difficult to know where, or how, to begin the interpretation stage. Each year that goes by sees an increase in one, or more, of mass resolution, sensitivity and speed of acquisition. The spectra become more detailed and the ability to collect lots of them becomes easier. In an attempt to stem the tide, most practitioners have chosen to implement statistical approaches to produce summaries of the data. However, the complexities of modern spectra require advanced multivariate statistics to extract the maximum amount of information. While univariate statistics is taught in most schools, the researcher is often more interested in developing instrumental and sample preparation abilities than developing their mathematical skills. This can leave a gap in knowledge that we will attempt to bridge in this text. There are any number of books available discussing multivariate statistical analysis, many with a chemometric bias. Here we concentrate on the aspects of multivariate analysis that the SIMS analyst will encounter and we seek to explain, in depth, the processes involved in performing, optimising and validating our procedures.


The calculation results for assembling monolithic spans are described. The data obtained during calculations are analyzed; the necessity of calculation of spans of this type at a few stages of including separate elements into work is determined. The comparative calculation of spatial models in the LIRA SOFTWARE is conducted.


A new method has been developed for compressing the matrices that occur in most integral-equation-based computer programs. This method is easy to interface with existing computer programs, and allows them to run significantly faster and with significantly less memory. This method applies not only to electromagnetic and acoustic computation, but also to most programs involving a Green's function or any integral equation with a kernel having some smoothness properties. Our numerical computations, running on a high-end personal computer, have achieved compression ratios of fifty times, and compressed inversion of the matrices fifty times faster than by previous methods. For larger problems, solved on high-performance computers, these ratios would improve to about one thousand to one for larger moment method problems.


Recently, attempts have been made to reduce annotation requirements in feature-based self-explanatory models for lung nodule diagnosis. As a representative, cRedAnno achieves competitive performance with considerably reduced annotation needs by introducing self-supervised contrastive learning to do unsupervised feature extraction. However, it exhibits unstable performance under scarce annotation conditions. To improve the accuracy and robustness of cRedAnno, we propose an annotation exploitation mechanism by conducting semi-supervised active learning with sparse seeding and training quenching in the learned semantically meaningful reasoning space, to jointly utilise the extracted features, annotations, and unlabelled data. The proposed approach achieves comparable or even higher malignancy prediction accuracy with 10x fewer annotations, meanwhile showing better robustness and nodule attribute prediction accuracy under the condition of 1% annotations. Our complete code is open-source available: https://github.com/diku-dk/credanno.


Media as a public health messaging tool can shape community perception. In missing persons' investigations Police utilise media to assist in location and recovery of absent people. This study, of Australian media in 2019, revealed that the statistical evidence of who goes missing, and returns, revealed that is not replicated in news articles. Content analysis of 2,400 media items highlighting a disconnect between statistical rate of return from being missing (up to 98%) and the media profiling those who return (17% of media articles including returned missing persons narratives). In addition, Police and family dominate media conversations paying minimal attention to the reasons why people vanish or including comment from those who return. Recommendations for Police media strategies, that include an accurate portrayal of the experiences of returned missing persons, as a public health tool, is required.


In clinical practice and research, speech intelligibility is generally measured by instructing the participant to recall sentences. Although this is a reliable and highly repeatable measure, it cannot be used to measure intelligibility of connected discourse. Therefore, we developed a new method, the self-assessed Békesy procedure, which is an adaptive procedure that uses intelligibility ratings to converge to a person's speech reception threshold. In this study, we describe the new procedure and the validation in young, normal-hearing listeners. First, we compared the results on the self-assessed Békesy procedure to a recall procedure for standardized sentences. Next, we evaluated the inter- and intrasubject variability of our procedure. Furthermore, we compared the thresholds for sentences in three masker types between the self-assessed Békesy and a recall procedure to verify if these procedures resulted in similar conclusions. Finally, we compared the thresholds for two types of sentences and commercial recordings of stories. In general, the self-assessed Békesy procedure is shown to be a valid and reliable procedure as similar thresholds (difference < 1 dB) and test–retest reliability (< 1.5 dB) were observed compared with standard speech audiometry tests. In addition, the time efficiency and similar differences between maskers to a recall procedure support the potential of this procedure to be implemented in research. Finally, significant differences between the thresholds of sentences and connected discourse materials were found, indicating the importance of controlling for differences in intelligibility when presenting these materials at the same signal-to-noise ratios or when comparing studies.


In this study we characterize the cell surface glycoconjugate moieties of strain 2 guinea pig epidermal Langerhans cells (LC) in single cell suspension by using a battery of 17 fluorescent lectins. All LC displayed binding sites for concanavalin A, succinylated concanavalin A, Lens culinaris agglutinin, Pisum sativum agglutinin, wheat germ agglutinin, succinylated wheat germ agglutinin, Griffonia simplicifolia agglutinin I, Ricinus communis agglutinin I, Phaseolus vulgaris E agglutinin, and Phaseolus vulgaris L agglutinin, but failed to bind Sophora japonica agglutinin (SJA), Dolichos biflorus agglutinin (DBA), and Ulex europaeus agglutinin I (UEA I). Neuraminidase pretreatment rendered LC reactive for SJA, but not for DBA and UEA I. The binding profiles of certain lectins point to the existence of LC subpopulations in that Griffonia simplicifolia I-B4 isolectin, peanut agglutinin (PNA), Helix pomatia agglutinin, and soybean agglutinin bound to only 80% (range 70-90%) of Ia-positive epidermal cells; binding sites for these lectins on primarily unreactive Ia-positive cells were unmasked when epidermal cells were treated with neuraminidase prior to lectin labeling. Ultrastructural PNA labeling studies revealed that the vast majority of Birbeck granule-containing LC displayed PNA binding sites, whereas indeterminate cells were consistently PNA-negative. Identification of carbohydrate configurations expressed on LC surfaces by lectin binding may provide a clue for the elucidation of the mechanisms of established LC functions and possibly the discovery of as yet unknown properties of this cell type.


In spite of all the hype, media attention, and explosion in market valuations, cryptocurrencies have so far failed to find wide acceptance as a means of payment. This has led to a wealth of literature investigating why cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin failed to establish themselves widely. However, these investigations have generally focused on specific cryptocurrencies and did not highlight which features of cryptocurrencies help or hinder adoption. This paper helps close this gap by conducting a qualitative user study with 960 respondents representative of the German population, obtaining freeform answers on the main adoption factors as well as the main obstacles for cryptocurrencies from both existing and potential users. We identify 33 reasons for and against cryptocurrency adoption, distributed into financial, ideological, benefits-based, technical, acceptance-based, and security-based categories. The contribution of this paper is threefold: We go beyond positive reasons and explicitly consider obstacles to cryptocurrency adoption inside a unified framework. We also identify additional payment system features that differ between different cryptocurrencies and influence their adoption. Thirdly, we identify adoption factors based on perceptions and personalities rather than just measurable features. Therefore, this paper also adds to the ongoing systematization of cryptocurrencies in the current stream of literature on the topic.


Boron-based materials have been widely studied for hydrogen storage applications. Examples of these compounds are borohydrides and boranes. However, all of these present some disadvantages that have hindered their potential application as hydrogen storage materials in the solid-state. Thus, different strategies have been developed to improve the dehydrogenation properties of these materials. The purpose of this review is to provide an overview of recent advances (for the period 2015–2021) in the destabilization strategies that have been considered for selected boron-based compounds. With this aim, we selected seven of the most investigated boron-based compounds for hydrogen storage applications: lithium borohydride, sodium borohydride, magnesium borohydride, calcium borohydride, ammonia borane, hydrazine borane and hydrazine bisborane. The destabilization strategies include the use of additives, the chemical modification and the nanosizing of these compounds. These approaches were analyzed for each one of the selected boron-based compounds and these are discussed in the present review.


In the turbulent decade since the collapse of the Soviet Union, conditions have worsened considerably for many Russians, and a wide-ranging debate has raged over the nature and destiny of their country. In Russia in Search of Itself, James H. Billington, the Librarian of Congress and a noted expert on Russia, examines the efforts of a proud but troubled nation to find a post-Soviet identity. The agenda has not been controlled from the top-down and center-out as in Russia's past. Nor has it been set by any intellectual giant such as Sakharov or Solzhenitsyn. Billington describes the contentious discussion occurring all over Russia and across the political spectrum. He finds conflicts raging among individuals as much as between organized groups and finds a deep underlying tension between the Russians' attempts to legitimize their new, nominally democratic identity, and their efforts to craft a new version of their old authoritarian tradition. After showing how the problem of Russian identity was framed in the past, Billington asks whether Russians will now look more to the West for a place in the common European home, or to the East for a new, Eurasian identity. Billington sees three elements shaping Russian culture: Orthodox Christianity; a special feeling for nature; and an intermittent, sometimes excessive passion for imported innovation. Out of this mix, he suggests, Russia must find its own moral anchor for its venture into democracy if it is to avoid falling back on a negative and authoritarian nationalism in order to recreate some sense of common purpose in society. The prospects for world peace in the twenty-first century depend in large measure on the way Russians decide to define themselves in the next few years. Drawing on his vast knowledge of Russian history, his frequent visits to Russia in the past decade, and his longstanding relationships with Russians from many different regions and segments of society, Billington provides an authoritative exploration of one of the world's most pressing issues.


The extent of injury in low speed rear end collisions is controversial. In many cases, the impact speed of the striking vehicle is low, neither car shows much if any post collision damage, and at the scene, the occupant of the struck vehicle appears uninjured. Yet many of these incidents progress to lawsuits with sometimes very significant damage and injury claims. In testimony, Plaintiff argues that the collision was significant while Defendant describes the collision as minor. A Biomechanical approach which addresses the forces in the collision and the resulting forces and kinematics of the occupant can help to resolve some of these issues. In the following, the process of a biomechanical analysis is described, using a specific example. A discussion of how courts have viewed this type of testimony is then presented.


Roof collapse is one of the problems with a higher frequency in most of the mines of all countries, even now. There are many reasons that may cause the roof to collapse, namely the mine stress activities in the mining process, the lack of vigilance and carelessness or the complexity of the geological structure and irregular operations. This work is the result of the analysis of one accident produced in the "Mary" coal exploitation located in northern Spain. In this accident, the roof of a crossroad of excavated galleries to exploit the "Morena" Layer, 700 m deep, collapsed. In the paper, the work done by the forensic team to determine the causes of the incident, its conclusions and recommendations are collected. Initially, the available documentation (geology, geotechnics, mining, etc.) and accident area were reviewed. After that, laboratory and on-site tests were carried out to characterize the behaviour of the rock materials and the support used (metal frames and shotcrete). With this information, different hypotheses of failure were simulated to find the one that best fits reality. For this work, the software of finite differences in three dimensions, FLAC 3D, was employed. The results of the study confirmed that the detachment was originated as a consequence of one sliding in the layer wall, due to the large roof span present in the place of the accident, and probably triggered as a consequence of the existence of a protection pillar insufficient. The results allowed to establish some corrective measures avoiding future risks. For example, the dimensions of the protection zones that must be remained unexploited and their interaction with the crossing areas between galleries, or the use of more adequate supports for these conditions, in which the significant deformations may discourage the use of rigid supports such as shotcrete. At last, a grid of seismic control was proposed as a predictive system. Its efficiency was tested along the investigation period employing three control equipment that detected new incidents (although smaller) in other similar areas of the mine. These new incidents show that the use of explosives produces vibrations which are a new risk factor to analyse in a next future. Keywords—Forensic analysis, hypothesis modelling, roof failure, seismic monitoring.


The British people and their rulers have always been concerned about the possibility of an invasion of their island home by a hostile power striking at them from the European continent. Arthur Balfour, the Prime Minister who did so much to modernize the defense arrangements of his country in the early years of the present century, was especially concerned with this problem of invasion. He called it "This eternal and most important question of our safety against invasion." In 1908 an entirely new element was introduced into this area of strategic thinking when it was realized, for the first time, that Britain might be invaded from the air. Until this year the British could take comfort from the often quoted words of Admiral Lord St. Vincent to a group of nervous fellow peers at the time of the French invasion danger early in the nineteenth century: "I do not say they cannot come, my Lords, I only say they cannot come by sea." Now, as a result of unprecedented technological developments it was possible for a vigilant and forward-looking observer to contemplate an air assault upon the United Kingdom that would put Lord St. Vincent's pithy maxim in an entirely new light. Eventually, the fear of air attack assumed a dominating position in the minds of British defense planners; but the origins of this problem have not been studied closely by scholars, even though they deserve attention.


Schistosomiasis is serious parasitic disease with an estimated global prevalence of active infections of more than 190 million. Accurate methods for the assessment of schistosomiasis risk are crucial for schistosomiasis prevention and control in China. Traditional approaches to the identification of epidemiological risk factors include pathogen biology, immunology, imaging, and molecular biology techniques. Identification of schistosomiasis risk has been revolutionized by the advent of computer network communication technologies, including 3S, mathematical modeling, big data, and artificial intelligence (AI). In this review, we analyze the development of traditional and new technologies for risk identification of schistosomiasis transmission in China. New technologies allow for the integration of environmental and socio-economic factors for accurate prediction of the risk population and regions. The combination of traditional and new techniques provides a foundation for the development of more effective approaches to accelerate the process of schistosomiasis elimination.


Feed is the main component in livestock industry, and contributes 70% of the total farming cost. Agriculture by-product is one of the alternative feed ingredients for poultry feed, but unfortunately they have low in nutritive value and high fiber contents that inhibit metabolism process. Fermentation technology is one of the methods to improve the nutritive value and to decrease fiber content of agriculture by-product. This paper explains the process of technology fermentation process and the effect of fermented product on poultry. Fermented agriculture by-product can be offered 5 to 30% depend on substrates and species of poultry without causing death. Fermentation process is not difficult to do, therefore agriculture by-product fermentated product are potential as poultry feedstuffs. Key words: Agriculture by-product, technology of fermentation, fermented products, poultry


Floating structures enable offshore wind power deployment at numerous deep water sites with promising wind potential where bottom-fixed systems are no longer feasible. However, the large diversity in existing floater concepts slows down the development and maturing processes of floating offshore wind turbines. Thus, in this work, different floating support structures are assessed with respect to their suitability for offshore wind farm deployment. A survey is conducted to examine the capacities of selected floater types, grouped into ten categories, with respect to ten specified criteria focusing on wind farm deployment. By this means, a multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) is carried out, using the technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS). With the individual scores of the different systems, considering the weighting of each criterion, suitable concepts are identified and potential hybrid designs, combining advantages of different solutions, are suggested.


Land and resources play an essential role in touristic activities. In recent years, this activity has introduced management changes and has started to use new tools to mitigate or avoid the negative impacts on territory caused by tourism. For this reason, the concept Tourism Carrying Capacity (TCC) was developed and is emerges as a basis for management of a Protected Area or Natural Monument. The study area is located within Ernesto Tornquist Provincial Park (PPET). There are 7 access trails to the different attractions and one of them leads to cerro Ventana. The flux of tourists in this track is barely regulated. Therefore, it is necessary to implement tools to improve the management of tourism and recreational activities within the protected area. The aim of this work is to calculate the Tourism Carrying Capacity for the trail to access Cerro Ventana. The method used is the one proposed by Cifuentes Arias (1992). New correction factors were introduced according to the characteristics of the zone studied. The results of the application of this methodology in the cerro Ventana trail showed that the ideal number of visitors is 98 visitors/day in summer, 106 visitors/day in fall, 167 visitors/day in winter and 100 visitors/day in spring.


OBJECTIVE
To examine the mechanical properties and the usefulness of titanium-niobium-aluminum (Ti-Nb-Al) wire in orthodontic tooth movement as compared with nickel-titanium (Ni-Ti) wire.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
The load deflection of expansion springs was gauged with an original jig. The gradient of the superelastic region was measured during the unloading process. Expansion springs comprising the two types of alloy wires were applied to upper first molars of rats. The distance between the first molars was measured with micrometer calipers.

RESULTS
The force magnitude of the Ti-Nb-Al expansion spring was lower than that of the Ni-Ti expansion spring over the entire deflection range. The initial force magnitude and the gradient in the superelastic region of the Ti-Nb-Al expansion springs were half those of the Ni-Ti expansion springs. Thus, Ti-Nb-Al expansion springs generated lighter and more continuous force. Tooth movement in the Ni-Ti group proceeded in a stepwise fashion. On the other hand, tooth movement in the Ti-Nb-Al group showed relatively smooth and continuous progression. At 17 days after insertion of expansion springs, there were no significant differences between the Ti-Nb-Al and Ni-Ti groups in the amount of tooth movement.

CONCLUSIONS
These results indicate that Ti-Nb-Al wire has excellent mechanical properties for smooth, continuous tooth movement and suggest that Ti-Nb-Al wire may be used as a practical nickel-free shape memory and superelastic alloy wire for orthodontic treatment as a substitute for Ni-Ti wire.


John Dillon (Trinity College, Dublin) argues that the Platonism that Plotinus inherits setting aside Ammonius Saccas, of whom we know all too little is by the later second century distinctly dualist in tendency, and is able, especially in the case of Plutarch, to quote Plato to its purpose. Plato himself, though, as the author maintains, is, despite appearances to the contrary, what one might term a 'modified monist'. That is to say, he fully recognizes the degree of imperfection and evil in the world, and holds it to be ineradicable, but he does not in the last resort believe in a positive countervailing force to the Good or the One. What we have is simply a negative force, whether Indefinite Dyad, disorderly World-Soul, or Receptacle, which is an inevitable condition of their being a world at all, but which, as a side-effect of introducing diversity, generates various sorts of imperfection. It is this scenario that justifies his follower Hermodorus in declaring that Plato recognizes only a single first principle, and it to this sort of monism if anything, in a more pronounced form that Plotinus returns. The article is published in its English version in Vol. I, issue 1.


Security has become a necessary part of nearly every software development project, as the overall risk from malicious users is constantly increasing, due to increased consequences of failure, security threats and exposure to threats. There are few projects today where software security can be ignored. Despite this, security is still rarely taken into account throughout the entire software lifecycle; security is often an afterthought, bolted on late in development, with little thought to what threats and exposures exist. Little thought is given to maintaining security in the face of evolving threats and exposures. Software developers are usually not security experts. However, there are methods and tools available today that can help developers build more secure software. Security modeling, modeling of e.g., threats and vulnerabilities, is one such method that, when integrated in the software development process, can help developers prevent security problems in software. We discuss these issues, and present how modeling tools, vulnerability repositories and development tools can be connected to provide support for secure software development


Multiple transgenic mouse models from our laboratories demonstrated that lung alveolar type II (AT II) epithelial cells serve as progenitor cells for lung adenocarcinoma when various oncogenic molecules were overexpressed in AT II epithelial cells. Signal transducers and activators of the transcription 3 (Stat3) is a potent transcription factor with diverse biological functions. Previously, we demonstrated that overexpression of constitutively active form Stat3C in AT II epithelial cells of CCSP-rtTA/(tetO) 7 -CMV-Stat3C bitransgenic mice induced chronic inflammation and lung bronchioalveolar adenocarcinoma (Li Y et al, Cancer Res 2007; 67:8494-503). Approximately 800 downstream genes changed expression in this process by the GeneChip microarray analysis. Among these genes, a group of pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines were highly up-regulated at the very early stage (1-month doxycycline treatment) in AT II epithelial cells, suggesting a critical role of inflammation in tumor initiation. In the current study, we found that CD11b + Gr-1 + myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) were significantly increased, while CD4 + and CD8 + T cells were decreased in the lung and blood of doxycycline-treated bitransgenic mice. In the bronchioalveolar larvage fluid (BALF) and blood plasma of doxycycline-treated bitransgenic mice, concentrations of MDSCs-stimulating factors IL-1beta, IL-6, IL-10, TNF-alpha and GM-CSF were significantly increased. In the in vitro study, BALF from doxycycline-treated bitransgenic mice stimulated wild type alveolar monocyte/macrophage to CD11b + Gr-1 + cell conversion. When incubated with isolated wild type alveolar monocytes/macrophages in vitro, GM-CSF was able to stimulate heterogeneous CD11b + Gr-1 + cell conversion in three gated areas (R1, R2, R3) by flow cytometry. IL-1beta, IL-6, TNF-alpha were able to stimulate the CD11b + Gr-1 + cell conversion in R1 and R2 areas. IL-10 was able to stimulate the CD11b + Gr-1 + cell conversion only in the R1 area. VEGF lacked the ability to stimulate monocyte/macrophage to CD11b + Gr-1 + cell conversion. MDSCs from the lung and blood of doxycycline-treated bitransgenic mice showed increased phosphorylation of oncogenic intracellular signaling molecules Stat3, Erk1/2 and P38. MDSCs from doxycycline-treated bitransgenic mice strongly inhibited proliferation and function of wild type CD4 + T cells in vitro. CD4 + T cells from doxycycline-treated bitransgenic mice showed much weaker activities of proliferation and lymphokine release. In addition, T regulatory cells (Treg) were increased in doxycycline-treated bitransgenic mice. These findings support a concept that persistent activation of Stat3 induces inflammation and lung cancer by promoting MDSCs-mediated immune suppression to facilitate tumor growth. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 450. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-450


The highly differentiated gastric parietal cell has a characteristic morphology and plays a specialized role in the hydrochloric acid secretion into the stomach lumen. The major enzyme in this system is an ATP-driven proton pump, the H+/K(+)-ATPase, which is responsible for proton translocation across the apical plasma membrane. The primary structures of the catalytic alpha and glycosylated beta subunits, and their transmembrane topology are similar to those of the corresponding subunits of Na+/K(+)-ATPase, suggesting that the reaction mechanism of both ATPases would be essentially the same if not identical. Most of the positions of introns in the H+/K(+)-ATPase subunit gene. These findings suggest that the alpha and beta subunit genes, respectively, of the two ATPases were derived from the common ancestors. We found that a DNA sequence motif, (G/C)PuPu(G/C)NGAT(A/T)PuPy, was located in the upstream regions of both alpha and beta subunit genes from human and rat. This motif may be a binding site for a positive transcriptional regulator that functions specifically in the parietal cells. cDNA cloning and in situ hybridization demonstrated that novel zinc finger proteins (GATA-GT1 and GATA-GT2) are present in the gastric parietal cells. These proteins bind to the (G/C)PuPu(G/C)NGAT(A/T)PuPy motif. Furthermore, they activate the transcription of the reporter gene with the 5'-upstream region of the alpha or beta subunit gene. These results suggest that gastric GATA DNA-binding proteins play important roles in transcriptional activation of H+/K(+)-ATPase genes in the parietal cells.


Mandibular incisors can be vulnerable to early loss due to their inherently weak periodontal support and high prevalence with respect to periodontal disease. What are the most common treatment options for missing mandibular incisors? Aside from removable prosthetic options, the restorative options for a fixed prosthesis include a conventional bridge, a resin-bonded bridge (Maryland Bridge) and implants. For a case in which one or two mandibular central incisors are missing, a threeor four-unit bridge has often been the treatment of choice. A resin-bonded bridge, in these cases, can be a reasonable alternative to a conventional bridge; whereas implant treatment, more often than not, is not suitable due to insufficient space. When more than two incisors are missing, the implant option may become the first choice for most clinicians these days.


The objective of this study was to compare Pixxaro (halauxifen/fluroxypyr) alone and in combinations for weed control in fallow. Pixxaro alone was equal to or better than Banvel, Starane Ultra, or glyphosate alone for kochia control. However, the best kochia control occurred when these herbicides were mixed in various combinations. Similarly, Pixarro controlled flixweed equally as well as Banvel, Starane Ultra, or glyphosate at 7 days after treatment but flixweed control was complete regardless of herbicide later in the season.


We propose a method for improving image quality in medical images by using a wavelet-based approach. The proposed method integrates two components: image denoising and image enhancement. In the first component, a modified undecimated discrete wavelet transform is used to eliminate the noise. In the second component, a wavelet coefficient mapping function is applied to enhance the contrast of denoised images obtained from the first component. This methodology can be used not only as a means for improving visual quality of medical images but also as a preprocessing module for computer-aided detection/diagnosis systems to improve the performance of screening and detecting regions of interest in images. To confirm its superiority over existing state-of-the-art methods, the proposed method is experimentally evaluated via 30 mammograms and 20 chest radiographs. It is demonstrated that the proposed method can further improve the image quality of mammograms and chest radiographs, as compared to two other methods in the literature. These results reveal the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed method.


Some theory is presented, with results from simulation, that identify a filter/estimator in the style of the Kalman filter. It promises some significant advantages relative to the usual filter in typical satellite (and other) applications. We call it a fading Gaussian deterministic filter and outline its main features.


Study of feeding habits of freshwater fishes collected from ponds at World Fish Center (ICLARM) showed that the African catfish, Clarias gariepinus and Forskal catfish, Bagras bayad had the highest proportion of full stomachs (31-58% & 44-45% respectively). In cichlid fishes, the rate of full stomachs was much lower, being 0.0-12.5% and showed higher incidence of empty stomachs that varied from 37.5% for Oreochromis niloticus to 78.3% for Sarotherodon galilaeus. Food items were analyzed by the percentage of point assessment (P%), abundance (N%) and frequency of occurrence (F%). Results of the three methods of analyses (Index of relative importance, I.R.I) emphasized the importance of plants (1214.7) as a major food resource in the stomach of Nile tilapia, O. niloticus followed by shell fragments (628.5), whereas, snail soft bodies were the main food category in the diet of hybrid tilapia O. niloticus x O. aureus (2539.3). Shell fragments (652) and snail soft bodies (296.9) were the 1st in relative importance as foods of O. aurea. In case of S. galillae, shell fragments (338) came 2nd in I.R.I. after plants (559). Present investigation shows that shell fragments were represented by 11.1% and 15.1% in the diet of African catfish, C. gariepinus by (N%) and (P%) methods, however, they came as the second food item in its diet by I.R.I (1237.3). According to F% method, both shell fragments and Crustacea were present in the diet of C. gariepinus considerable proportions each of 47.4%. Shell fragments were represented by low proportions in the diet of B. bayad 3.9, 2.1 and 22.2 by N%, P% and F% respectively.


Temporal difference methods enable efficient estimation of value functions in reinforcement learning in an incremental fashion, and are of broader interest because they correspond learning as observed in biological systems. Standard value functions correspond to the expected value of a sum of discounted returns. While this formulation is often sufficient for many purposes, it would often be useful to be able to represent functions of the return as well. Unfortunately, most such functions cannot be estimated directly using TD methods. We propose a means of estimating functions of the return using its moments, which can be learned online using a modified TD algorithm. The moments of the return are then used as part of a Taylor expansion to approximate analytic functions of the return.


Methods based on received signal strength measurements (RSS measurements) are used to determine the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) location using a wireless sensor network. The UAV transmitter power is usually unknown. In real conditions, it often becomes necessary to consider existence of anomalous measurement results. The reasons for the violation of the measurement process can be: the influence of interference, errors in the identification of signals during primary processing, failures of the equipment and similar. The optimum and quasi-optimal adaptive algorithms of UAV movement parameters filtration based on the RSS-measurement sensor networks in the presence of anomalous measurements at the unknown power of the transmitter are developed. These algorithms are obtained using Bayes' theorems and the Markov property of a mixed process, including a vector of target movement parameters and a discrete component characterizing the type of measurement. Analysis of developed algorithm performance was carried out by Monte Carlo method on 2D plane. The quasi-optimal adaptive filtering algorithm detects the appearance of anomalous measurements with probabilities close to unity and allows one to eliminate their influence on the accuracy of UAV movement parameters estimation and also to estimate the UAV unknown transmitter power.


The manifestations of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) have been classified into either esophageal or extraesophageal symptoms. Esophageal manifestations include classic symptoms of reflux, such as heartburn and regurgitation, and atypical non-cardiac chest pain. Laryngitis, chronic cough, hoarseness, asthma or dental erosion are classified as extraesophageal symptoms, and they have a common pathophysiology, including microaspiration of gastric content into the larynx and pharynx, and vagally mediated bronchospasm and laryngospasm. In extraesophageal GERD, patients usually do not display the classic symptoms, so it is difficult to confirm the diagnosis of GERD. Endoscopy and pH monitoring have proved to have poor sensitivity and therefore are often not diagnostically helpful. Recently, anti-secretory therapy by proton pump inhibitor (PPI) is thought to be well-established, cost-effective tool and it is broadly used as both a diagnostic trial and as a therapeutic management. Diagnostic testing, such as pH monitoring, may be useful in those with partial or poor response to the initial treatment with PPI. (Korean J Med 78:145-154, 2010)


International trade is an important factor affecting competition in domestic markets. Considering the vastness of Russian territory, one can expect the pro-competitive effect to vary from region to region. This analysis tests the hypothesis that the unique geographical position and economic status of the Kaliningrad region contribute to the rapid development of international trade, which, in turn, exerts competitive pressure on regional prices. The study incorporates two major lines of analysis: a) a comparison of the international trade growth rates of different Russian regions; b) an assessment of the influence of Russian and European prices on the consumer price index as well as prices for particular tradable goods in the Kaliningrad region. Rosstat and Eurostat serve as the main data sources. To test their hypothesis, the authors use the methods of statistical and econometric analysis. The status of the free economic zone and unique geographic position of the Kaliningrad region do not result in high growth rates of international trade in the region, but rather lead to a structural shift towards import thus exerting additional competitive pressure on domestic prices. The analysis did not confirm the hypothesis about the considerable influence of European prices on the short run dynamics of the regional consumer prices index or prices for certain imported goods. Nevertheless, indirect evidence of competitive effects of foreign trade was found in the course of a comparative analysis of price levels in the regions of the Northwest Federal district: the cost of the standard set of consumer goods and services in the Kaliningrad region is lower than the level defined by the regional per capita income.


The discharge energy determines the machining resolution, minimum processable feature size, and surface roughness, which makes it a hot research topic in the microelectrical discharge machining (EDM) field. In this paper, a kind of novel discharge-energy-generation method in micro-EDM is investigated. In this method, the opposite induced charges on the electrolyte jet and workpiece serve as the source of the discharge energy. The operating mechanism of this discharge energy is revealed by analyzing the equivalent discharge circuit. The unique discharge current and voltage between the electrolyte jet and the workpiece are sampled and investigated. In contrast with the pulsating energy in conventional EDM, this study shows that the direct current (DC) voltage source can automatically generate a continuously periodical pulsating discharge in the electrostatic-field-induced electrolyte jet (E-Jet) EDM process. After further analyzing the electric signals in a single discharge process, it can be found that the interelectrode voltage experienced a continuous sharp electric breakdown, a nearly unchanging process, and a fast exponential recharging process. The discharge frequency increases as the electrolyte concentration and interelectrode voltage increase but decreases as the interelectrode distance increases. The discharge energy per pulse increases with the increasing interelectrode distance and electrolyte concentration but with the decreasing interelectrode voltage. Finally, the electrostatic-field-induced discharge-energy generation and change mechanisms are revealed, which provides a feasible method for micro-EDM with continuous tiny pulsed energy only using the DC power supply.


This essay is an outline of the most salient themes in American pragmatism. It seeks to flesh out those themes in relation to theology and religion. In doing so it stresses the reconstructive and democratic character of pragmatic thought and the manner in which they are expressed through a variety of pragmatic voices. This essay provides a general sketch of the origins and development of American pragmatism. It offers an overview of the pragmatic worldview. It identifies select representatives and expressions of pragmatic thinking. And it lays out the enduring challenges to pragmatism as a philosophical disposition and ethical practice. Overall, this essay offers a broad survey of pragmatic thinking since its emergence after the Civil War. It stresses the significant shifts which it has undertaken during in its short history. By giving attention to matters of race, religious pluralism, and changing contexts, this essay treats pragmatism as an intellectual and ethical impulse that is committed to human progress. Democracy, difference, and reconstruction are at the center of its efforts to improve our world.


The goal of gait recognition is to learn the unique spatiotemporal pattern about the human body shape from its temporal changing characteristics. As different body parts behave differently during walking, it is intuitive to model the spatio-temporal patterns of each part separately. However, existing part-based methods equally divide the feature maps of each frame into fixed horizontal stripes to get local parts. It is obvious that these stripe partition-based methods cannot accurately locate the body parts. First, different body parts can appear at the same stripe (e.g., arms and the torso), and one part can appear at different stripes in different frames (e.g., hands). Second, different body parts possess different scales, and even the same part in different frames can appear at different locations and scales. Third, different parts also exhibit distinct movement patterns (e.g., at which frame the movement starts, the position change frequency, how long it lasts). To overcome these issues, we propose novel 3D local operations as a generic family of building blocks for 3D gait recognition backbones. The proposed 3D local operations support the extraction of local 3D volumes of body parts in a sequence with adaptive spatial and temporal scales, locations and lengths. In this way, the spatio-temporal patterns of the body parts are well learned from the 3D local neighborhood in partspecific scales, locations, frequencies and lengths. Experiments demonstrate that our 3D local convolutional neural networks achieve state-of-the-art performance on popular gait datasets. Code is available at: https://github.com/yellowtownhz/3DLocalCNN.


We present a 72-year-old patient that he has admitted to analize a large amount and bilateral lung nodes in a incidentally thorax x-ray. It is carried out a lung node biopsy, with a result of silicoanthacosis.


A host of strategic management and marketing issues, including competitive analysis and strategic decision making, hinges on accurately identifying and representing competitive market structures. It is readily acknowledged that competitive market structures are typically asymmetric; namely, one firm may actively compete with another in a given market but not vice versa. However, empirical efforts to assess these competitive asymmetries have been lacking in the strategy literature. We propose a new spatial methodology to identify and represent asymmetric competitive market structures. Specifically, we devise a new stochastic multidimensional scaling procedure that is calibrated from actual consumer consideration/choice sets to estimate and uncover competitive asymmetries. The proposed methodology can be effectively employed in the analysis of appropriate data from either demand- or supply-side approaches to assess competitive market structure. We illustrate our proposed methodology with survey data collected from two different commercial applications: one from the U.S. luxury automobile market and the other from the U.S. portable telephone market. We contrast the findings of the proposed methodology against traditional symmetric approaches for identifying and representing competitive market structures, and discuss the respective strategic insights.


Disseminating research findings in a meaningful way is often a challenge. The topic of sexual health creates an even greater challenge. The work that numerous teams conducted within our research department had profound effects that altered the way in which we were practising cancer care. The Schering Lectureship provided the forum for our patients' collective voices to be heard. Artists in the world of music who crossed the spectrum from classical to country helped us to focus. The sexual health message was entwined in their words. That message became a personal interpretation we had not been able to convey with words alone. Through the songs, each nurse found his/her own meaning. To our surprise, this lectureship became a powerful medium for patients to speak out and nurses to learn. The nurses conducting the sexual health studies thank CANO and Schering Canada. To each oncology nurse who spoke about the message heard, please know that your words touched our hearts. While it has been a challenge to put this lectureship into a manuscript, it is hoped the written words will convey a similar message.


Abstract We propose an approach for fitting linear regression models that splits the set of covariates into groups. The optimal split of the variables into groups and the regularized estimation of the regression coefficients are performed by minimizing an objective function that encourages sparsity within each group and diversity among them. The estimated coefficients are then pooled together to form the final fit. Our procedure works on top of a given penalized linear regression estimator (e.g., Lasso, elastic net) by fitting it to possibly overlapping groups of features, encouraging diversity among these groups to reduce the correlation of the corresponding predictions. For the case of two groups, elastic net penalty and orthogonal predictors, we give a closed form solution for the regression coefficients in each group. We establish the consistency of our method with the number of predictors possibly increasing with the sample size. An extensive simulation study and real-data applications show that in general the proposed method improves the prediction accuracy of the base estimator used in the procedure. Possible extensions to GLMs and other models are discussed. The supplemental material for this article, available online, contains the proofs of our theoretical results and the full results of our simulation study.


Modern bioinformatics analyses of high throughput experiments often produce groups of proteins or genes of interest. Many metrics have been developed to evaluate the enrichment of proteins sharing similar functions within such groups. Commonly used evaluation using information of the Gene Ontology annotation has limitations. In this poster, we present the results of a research project to directly utilize the semantic information of biomedical literature for evaluating the functional coherence of protein groups.


In industrialized countries, the rates of hysterectomies as treatment for benign diseases of the uterus have fallen in the last twenty years due to the use of methods which preserve the uterus (IUDs with progestogen, endometrial ablation, myomectomy, etc.). In contrast, the study by Muller et al. reported an explosion in hysterectomy rates at one institution after laparoscopic methods (laparoscopic hysterectomy [LH] and laparoscopic supracervical hysterectomy [LSH]) were introduced, in 2004 to 2008. This huge increase can only be explained by a marketing effect ("new operation–new patients") and more frequent indication of the procedure. The advantages of LH and LSH stated are low blood loss and short operating time, but these are not clinically significant.

Day-to-day clinical practice, confirmed by numerous studies, shows that vaginal hysterectomy by an experienced surgeon is the method requiring the shortest operating time, lowest consumption of resources, and highest patient satisfaction. However, laparoscopic methods have a powerful ally: the industry, which has an interest in promoting laparoscopic surgery, despite its high consumption of resources. Intensive marketing supported by the industry keeps the profile of laparoscopic hysterectomy methods constantly high by means of surgery courses on the subject for many and varied indications. Unlike LH and LSH, vaginal hysterectomy requires no specific instruments or newly available techniques, and thus offers few chances for marketing. This is very much to the detriment of women who need to have their wombs removed due to benign diseases, because vaginal hysterectomy leaves no scarring and removes the whole cervix, which might otherwise develop abnormalities that require repeat surgery. Vaginal hysterectomy should therefore remain the focus of professional training for gynecology surgeons, as it provides the most benefits for patients.


This study tested a moderation model in which the association between child sexual abuse severity and negative sexual outcomes (i.e., sexual avoidance and compulsivity) differed as a function of relationships status (i.e., single, cohabiting, and married individuals). A sample of 1,033 adults completed self-report questionnaires online, and 21.5% reported childhood sexual abuse. Path analyses indicated that child sexual abuse severity was associated with higher sexual compulsivity in single individuals, both higher sexual avoidance and compulsivity in cohabiting individuals, and higher sexual avoidance in married individuals. The moderation model was invariant across men and women. These results suggest that the time course of negative sexual outcomes associated with child sexual abuse may follow distinct patterns of expression according to relationship status.


Van Vunakis, Helen (Brandeis University, Waltham, Mass.) and Roger M. Herriott. Inactivation of the T-even coliphages by pyrophosphate. J. Bacteriol. 83:590–596. 1962.—Pyrophosphate liberates the deoxyribonucleic acid from the T-even coliphages. The reaction is dependent on pH, temperature, time, and ionic environment. The reaction can be inhibited by magnesium, putrescine, spermidine, and neutral molecules above a certain molecular weight. Possible mechanisms of the reaction are discussed.


Chronic kidney disease, characterized by decreased glomerular filtration and proteinuria are associated with increased cardiovascular risk, and mortality as a result of those events. Stroke, in particular can be a debilitating event in a CKD patient's life due to limitations of standard treatment in this population even if the presentation is within the therapeutic time window. We discuss the traditional and non traditional risk factors associated with stroke in CKD patients and their pathophysiology. In addition, this article reviews the advantages and disadvantages of peritoneal dialysis and hemodialysis in the different subsets of stroke patients with CKD. We also talk about potential future areas of research in treatment and controlling for the risk factors associated with stroke.


In June 1982, The Office of Nuclear Safety of the Department of Energy initiated a contract with the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) to determine the extent to which human factors technology is being applied to DOE nuclear facilities. This project, now in its third year, was initially conducted with the assistance of BioTechnology, Inc., and beginning in 1984 with Essex Corporation. The objective is to identify generic areas where human factors can be applied to improve the safety of nuclear facilities. To accomplish this objective, six tasks are being performed. Each task is intended to improve the awareness of DOE and DOE contractor personnel with human factors technology or to provide practical guidelines and bibliographic and other materials that can be used to design new and evaluate existing DOE nuclear facilities. The emphasis in all of these tasks is to reduce the occurrence of human error and to minimize the safety consequences of undetected or unre-covered human error. Language: en


C6 and C7 types were studied in 158 Japanese patients with different types of chronic glomerulonephritis: 75 patients with IgA nephropathy (IgA-N); 49 patients with idiopathic membranous nephropathy (IMN), and 34 patients with minimal-change nephrotic syndrome (MCNS). There were significant differences in the C6 and C7 allele and phenotype frequencies between the patient groups and controls. A strong association was found between IgA-N and C7 5 phenotype (p less than 0.001, RR = 12.71), and between MCNS and C7 5 phenotype (p less than 0.001, RR = 14.20). A significant association between MCNS and C6 B2 phenotype (p less than 0.05, RR = 2.42) was also found. In the IMN patient group, a significant association with C7 4 phenotype (p less than 0.05, RR = 2.42) was observed. Thus, C6 and C7 phenotypes may be causative factors in the development of chronic glomerulonephritis.


It is often argued that the growth of single-asset tourism places is fragile because it is vulnerable to economic fluctuations and is based on specialization and localization economies that lead to an ever stronger lock-in process of path-dependent urban economic development and, in the end, slow growth. In this paper, it is doubted whether a high urban tourism growth implies an ever stronger specialization and an ever stronger lock-in. This paper shows that the growth of tourism stimulates the growth of related and unrelated industries and generates a diversification of the economy, even though some other sectors are crowded out. Antalya (Turkey) is selected as a case-study area not only because its economy is dominated by tourism (it is a good example of a single-asset tourism city), but also because its economy shows a tendency to economic diversification at the sectoral level. This diversification tendency is shown by means of a shift-share analysis and Herfindahl indexes.


Knowledge of how groups of people interact is important in many disciplines, e.g. organizational behavior, social network analysis, knowledge management and ubiquitous computing. Existing studies of social network interactions have either been restricted to online communities, where unambiguous measurements about how people interact can be obtained, or have been forced to rely on questionnaires, or diaries to get data on face-to-face interactions. Surveybased methods are error prone and impractical to scale up. This paper describes our work in developing a computational framework to model face-to-face interactions within a community. We have integrated methods from speech processing and machine learning to demonstrate that it is possible to extract information about people's patterns of communication, without imposing any restriction on the user's interactions or environment. Furthermore, we analyze some of the conversational dynamics and present results that demonstrate distinctive and consistent turntaking styles for individuals during conversations. Finally, we present results that show strong correlation between a person's turn-taking style during one-on-one conversations and the person's role within the network. Author


Two experiments provide evidence that preschoolers selectively infer history when explaining outcomes and infer past events that could have plausibly happened. In Experiment 1, thirty-three 3-year-olds and thirty-six 4-year-olds explained why a character owns or likes certain objects. In Experiment 2, thirty-four 4-year-olds and thirty-six 5-year-olds explained why a character either owns or is using the objects. Children aged 4 and 5 years, but not 3 years, inferred history when explaining ownership, but not when explaining liking or use. They also tailored their explanations to reflect likelihood, allowing them to infer plausible past events. These findings are informative about the development of children's ability to infer history in their explanations and also suggest that preschoolers appreciate that ownership depends on past investment.


Misalignment of quadrupole magnets and beam position monitors (BPMs) in the linac of the SLAC Linear Collider (SLC) cause the electron and positron beams to be steered off-center in the disk-loaded waveguide accelerator structures. Off-center beams produce wakefields which limit the SLC performance at high beam intensities by causing emittance growth. Here, we present a general method for simultaneously determining quadrupole magnet and BPM offsets using beam trajectory measurements. Results from the application of the method to the SLC linac are described. The alignment precision achieved is approximately 100 ..mu..m, which is significantly better than that obtained using optical surveying techniques. 2 refs., 4 figs.


Many of the methodologies existing today for oil testing provide only one key parameter of diagnostic information such as particle size or chemical composition. Often one parameter can give clues to what is occurring in an engine or motor, but more often than not it is inconclusive. To deal with the limited knowledge provided by each test, often labs recommend a battery of tests to provide a more comprehensive diagnosis. This almost certainly leads to confusion as to how to interpret the data or even which method to request and how often. What if a complete diagnosis could be obtained with one test? Better yet, what if this test could be performed by in-house maintenance technicians and not require an off- site lab with skilled chemists?


A novel 6T-SRAM cell layout designed with rectangular patterns has been developed. Employing this layout, 4.13 /spl mu/m/sup 2/ and 5.33 /spl mu/m/sup 2/ cells with word transistor width of 0.25 /spl mu/m and 0.75 /spl mu/m are obtained, respectively, based on the 0.20 /spl mu/m rule. Among the various layouts of 6T-SRAM cells, this layout provides minimum cell size and the smallest bit line capacitance with word transistor width over 0.75 /spl mu/m for the ultra high speed operation. It is also demonstrated quantitatively that the optimized SRAM cell layout for high speed use is different from that for low power use. The cell layout proposed also provides the excellent scalability beyond 0.18 /spl mu/m generation due to its highly simplified pattern design.


A sa result of the vertiginous advance of sciences and the development of information technology, over the last three decades a multidisciplinary trend has been generated, which has allowed the integration of research designs that were previously far from fundamentality and methodology. This approach has allowed various disciplines to create possible methodological bridges between each other, thus facilitating the understanding of different phenomena. In relation to applied linguistics, in the sphere of language teaching there has been similar changes, which has led to a change of paradigms, with generative linguistics and cognitive psycholinguistics, being the most outstanding ones. The psycholinguistic model of language teaching is based on a set of multidisciplinary studies, which respond to the fundamentally objective methodological requirements – from the controlled manipulation of covert behaviors and intervening variablesto an evidence-based practice. In this article, a general review of the evolution of the language teaching landscape, the methodological problems found within it and the proposal of a psycholinguistic model as an emerging alternative to the need to create increasingly effi cient programs and projects will be developed, adapted to different age groups, supported in turn by the use of information and communication technology (ICT).


Here, I discuss some implications of the time-reversal invariance of lossless radiating systems. I highlight that time-reversal symmetry provides a rather intuitive explanation for the conditions of polarization and impedance matching of a receiving antenna. Furthermore, I describe a solution to generate the time-reversed electromagnetic field through the illumination of a matched receiving antenna with a Herglotz wave.