We examine the decision to start a new mutual fund with particular emphasis on how this decision differences for the case of real estate funds. Our sample includes 1016 fund openings within the German mutual fund industry for the period 1992 to 2010. Within a logistic regression framework, the fund opening decision is related to explanatory variables at the level of (i) the investment objective, (ii) the fund family and (iii) the investment objective within the fund family. To test whether the decision is different for real estate fund openings, we interact the explanatory variables with a dichotomous variable. The results are consistent with the different considerations associated with the decision to open or start a fund which invests in direct real estate as opposed to the opening of indirect investment vehicles such as equity and fixed income mutual funds. We find that all fund opening decisions are positively related to past inflows into the investment objective – an indicator for the growth potential of the industry. Interestingly, this effect is even more pronounced for real estate funds. At the family level, we find that larger fund families and those with more fund openings in the prior period are more likely to open new funds. For real estate fund openings, the size of the fund family is not as important, whereas the total number of fund openings of the family does not increase the real estate fund opening likelihood. As is the case for all other funds, the larger the fraction of the family assets invested in real estate, the higher the probability of another real estate fund opening. This suggests that fund families tend to specialize rather than diversify their product portfolio. At the family-objective level, only the real estate fund opening decision is positively related to past inflows into existing funds. This real estate specific result highlights the importance of existing fund liquidity. Additional analysis, unique to this study, examines the associated own-product cannibalization caused by new real estate funds starts and the impact on liquidity. Overall, these results aim to enhance the decision-making of fund managers and investors.


A QI intervention in outpatient pediatric clinics reduced unnecessary antibiotic use for AOM by promoting delayed antibiotic prescribing. OBJECTIVES: Acute otitis media (AOM) is the most-common indication for antibiotics in children. Delayed antibiotic prescribing for AOM can significantly reduce unnecessary antibiotic use and is recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics for select children. We sought to improve delayed prescribing for AOM across 8 outpatient pediatric practices in Colorado. METHODS: Through a collaborative initiative with American Academy of Pediatrics and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, we implemented an economical 6-month antimicrobial stewardship intervention that included education, audit and feedback, online resources, and content expertise. Practices used The Model for Improvement and plan-do-study-act cycles to improve delayed antibiotic prescribing. Generalized estimating equations were used to generate relative risk ratios (RRRs) for outcomes at the intervention end and 3- and 6-months postintervention. Practice surveys were evaluated. RESULTS: In total, 69 clinicians at 8 practice sites implemented 27 plan-do-study-act cycles. Practices varied by size (range: 6–37 providers), payer type, and geographic setting. The rate of delayed antibiotic prescribing increased from 2% at baseline to 21% at intervention end (RRR: 8.96; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 4.68–17.17). Five practices submitted postintervention data. The rate of delayed prescribing at 3 months and 6 months postintervention remained significantly higher than baseline (3 months postintervention, RRR: 8.46; 95% CI: 4.18–17.11; 6 months postintervention, RRR: 6.69; 95% CI: 3.53–12.65) and did not differ from intervention end (3 months postintervention, RRR: 1.12; 95% CI: 0.62–2.05; 6-months postintervention, RRR: 0.89; 95% CI: 0.53–1.49). CONCLUSIONS: Baseline rate of delayed prescribing was low. A low-cost intervention resulted in a significant and sustained increase in delayed antibiotic prescribing across a diversity of settings.


To help understand why there is a prevalence of canine distemper in Brazil, we interviewed 404 owners of dogs that were in clinics or veterinary hospitals about distemper. Our results showed that 80.4% of respondents knew about distemper and 67.6% knew that it is a severe and fatal disease. Approximately 50.9% knew that distemper can be prevented by the use of the vaccine, but 60.9% did not know about distemper vaccines. Our results show that the lack of knowledge and, consequently, the lack of vaccination against distemper may be the most important factors in the endemic presence of distemper in Brazil.


Achieving key agreement in wireless sensor networks (WSN) is a very hard problem. Many key agreement schemes come with a shortage of considering sensor addition, revocation, and also rekeying. This paper proposes a key distribution protocol based on the public key cryptography, RSA, and DHECC. The proposed protocol does not trust individual sensors, and partially trust the Gateway. Our protocol establishes pair-wise keys between nodes according to a specific routing algorithm after deployment, instead of loading full pair-wise keys into each node. So each node doesn't have to share a key with all neighbors except those involved in the routing path with it, which is the key role of increasing the resiliency, against node capturing, and also the storage efficiency. The proposed scheme comes to circumvent the shortage of providing the rekeying property of nodes and also nodes addition and revocation, comes with previous algorithms. We evaluate our algorithm from the WSN security view point.


—Analyzing the behavior of complex interdependent networks requires complete information about the network topology and the interdependent links across networks. For many applications such as critical infrastructure systems, understanding network interdependencies is crucial to anticipate cascading failures and plan for disruptions. However, data on the topology of individual networks are often publicly unavailable due to privacy and security concerns. Additionally, interdependent links are often only revealed in the aftermath of a disruption as a result of cascading failures. We propose a scalable nonparametric Bayesian approach to reconstruct the topology of interdependent infrastructure networks from observations of cascading failures. Metropolis-Hastings algorithm coupled with the infrastructure-dependent proposal are employed to increase the efficiency of sampling possible graphs. Results of reconstructing a synthetic system of interdependent infrastructure networks demonstrate that the proposed approach outperforms existing methods in both accuracy and computational time. We further apply this approach to reconstruct the topology of one synthetic and two real-world systems of interdependent infrastructure networks, including gas-power-water networks in Shelby County, TN, USA, and an interdependent system of power-water networks in Italy, to demonstrate the general applicability of the approach.


We examine the radiation response, annealing characteristics, and long-term reliability of capacitors with Al gates and Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/-SiO/sub x/N/sub y/ gate dielectrics stacks which received a forming gas anneal (FGA) or an O/sub 2/ and FG anneal after high-/spl kappa/ deposition. By comparison to a theoretical capacitance-voltage (CV) curve, the FG annealed devices are found to have a large preirradiation interface trapped charge density of /spl sim/7/spl times/10/sup 11/ cm/sup -2/, whereas devices annealed in O/sub 2/ and FG show a large density (/spl sim/9/spl times/10/sup 11/ cm/sup -2/) of negative bulk charge. The midgap voltage shift (/spl Delta/V/sub mg/) increases monotonically with dose for both sets of devices, but the O/sub 2/ annealed devices exhibit 50% less trapping at a total dose of 2 Mrad(SiO/sub 2/). The radiation-induced voltage shifts are found to recover during long duration biased anneals as a result of tunneling and thermal annealing. For short times and large biases, the annealing response is found to be dominated by tunneling. After 1,000 s of annealing, there is a 50% reduction in /spl Delta/V/sub mg/ for devices annealed at 2.0 MV/cm and a 7.5% recovery for devices annealed at 1.0 MV/cm. For longer times, the annealing response of these devices is dominated by thermal annealing. Accelerated life testing shows these devices have a broad failure distribution with a large population of extrinsic failures. Extrapolation of the reliability data suggests these particular devices would have to be operated at an electric field less than /spl sim/2.5 MV/cm to achieve a ten-year operational lifetime. Improved reliability is, therefore, required before insertion into a manufacturing environment.


patient with headaches. Mention is made in various places in the work about things to look for, hut for thc reader who is not well acquainted with the evaluation of headache patients, this omission limits the utility of the volume. The $75.00 price is reasonable for this work, which is a valuable compendium of up-to-date knowledge of issues in headache pathology or physiology and trcatment, for those who have an interest and some expertise in the


Coherent communications over doubly-selective fading channels are attracting increasing research interests because of the performance advantage over their noncoherent counterparts. In this paper, we use a simple windowing and dewindowing technique to improve the accuracy of an existing basis expansion model (BEM) and develop a windowed least-squares (WLS) estimator for doubly-selective fading channels. We also design the optimum pilot pattern for the WLS estimator. Our designs can considerably improve the channel estimation performance. Simulations are provided to corroborate our theoretical analysis.


Cloud users want to express their requirements in terms of high-level metrics (e.g. in terms of execution time, not in terms of CPU MHz). Moreover, at the submission time they would like to know if the resource provider will ful l with their requirements in order to decide if they would rather prefer another provider. On the other hand, the resource provider have to translate these high-level metrics into hard-
ware related metrics, to know if he have enough resources to execute the user's requests. In this context, we present our prediction system to foresee the amount of CPU required for a job to nish before its deadline. This prediction system uses machine
learning techniques to learn about the jobs and on-line adjust itself. Before all this training is done, the Prediction System uses an analytical model for this purpose. We also contribute with a deadline-based
scheduler which uses these predictions to discard jobs that will not meet its deadline in order to maximize the provider's revenue by means of a dynamic and effi cient resource allocation to jobs. We show how our system is able to provide higher revenue to resource
providers compared to simple yet well known schedulers like EDF, SJF, etc.


In this paper we are proposing a fast and efficient algorithm to track humans in a indoor surveillance video. Here we have used hog features and correlation based method to track humans in a surveillance video. Strips on the borders of a frame is analyzed to know the entry of new objects in to the frame. This algorithm can applied to real time systems due to the low time complexity of the system.


In this paper, we outline a suitable methodology for the analysis of nonstationary electrophysiological signals. The methodology is founded on a Bayesian approach to spectral estimation, which offers definite advantages in objectivity as compared to other approaches. The analysis of such signals is important in experimental paradigms where one is interested in tracking changes in spectral power or coherence. We describe how this methodology has been successfully applied to scalp EEG and deep brain local field potentials recorded from Parkinsonian patients, and used to deduce task related changes in power and coherence that are relevant to the understanding of the neural organisation of voluntary movement.


Scholars have long debated the advantages and disadvantages of formalization. Although many researchers have suggested that formalization is likely to be disadvantageous in the dynamic environments currently faced by organizations and employees, formalization appears to be increasingly pervasive in modern organizations. Since scholars have suggested that the effects of formalization may depend on the way it is implemented, I examine work design as a key contingency for the successful implementation of formalization. Based on examination and integration of work design, organizational theory, and cognitive perspectives, I conclude that formalization is actually more advantageous and viable in the current work context. However, neither work design nor formalization individually is sufficient for organizations seeking to cope with current challenges. Rather, both interact and thus represent key levers for organizations seeking to thrive in the modern work context. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


This study was designed to evaluate food habits, anthropometry and obesity of 252 children(136 boys, 116 girls) aged years old. The anthropometric indices were measured and food habits were surveyed. Average food habit score was 11.7/20.0 in boys and 11.8/20.0 in girls. It was found that 60.3% of the subjects belonged to fair score group(7-13) in food habits, while subjects in poor (0-6) and in excellent (14-20) were 30.6% and 9.1% respectively. There was no significant difference in food habits score between boys and girls. The food habits score tended to be higher as the mother's education level, total family income, number of siblings were increased. The mean height, weight and chest circumference of the subjects were much higher than the Korean standards. Evaluating the obesity by weight for height, 77.8% subjects was normal, 4.0% was underweight and 18.3% was obese. Underweight children did not seem to enjoy their meals and ate too slowly compared to normal or obese children. Therefore they needed to promote food habits by good nutritional education.


Rhabdomyosarcoma is the most common soft tissue sarcoma in childhood and young adulthood. Conventional treatment consisting of surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy can be insufficient, as long-term survival chances decrease dramatically when cancer recurrence occurs. Due to this fact, efficient treatment of this cancer is still a demanding issue, thus, novel and innovative therapies have to be considered as a part of combined treatment. In the present study, we present effective suicide gene therapy of rhabdomyosarcoma cell line Rh30 involving herpes simplex thymidine kinase (HSV-TK) and ganciclovir (GCV). Transduction of rhabdomyosarcoma cells using lentiviral vectors allowed efficient introduction of HSV-TK gene. In this study we proved high susceptibility of modified cells to ganciclovir resulting in eradication of cancer cells both in vitro and in vivo. Our data revealed strong gap junctional intercellular communication in examined cell line responsible for elimination of unmodified cells by bystander effect, even if HSV-TK-expressing cells comprise only 20% of cultured cells. Moreover, investigated approach is also efficient in vivo, where complete remission of tumors upon only 14 days of systemic administration of GCV can be observed. Obtained results suggest that HSV-TK suicide gene therapy is very promising concept in future clinical studies concerning rhabdomyosarcoma.


The following problem, is considered: given a robot system find a minimal-time trajectory from a start position and velocity to a goal position and velocity, while avoiding obstacles and respecting dynamic constraints on velocity and acceleration. The simplified case of a point mass under Newtonian mechanics together with velocity and acceleration bounds is considered. The point must be flown from a start to a goal, amid 2-D or 3-D polyhedral obstacles. While exact solutions to this problem are not known, the first provably good approximation algorithm is given and shown to run in polynomial time.


Abstract A relation between the zeros of the partial sums and the zeros of the corresponding tails of the Maclaurin series for ez is established. This allows an asymptotic estimation of a quantity which came up in the theory of the Riemann zeta-function. Some new properties of the tails of ez are also provided.


Introduction Recombinant activated factor VII (rFVIIa) has been used in the management of traumatic haemorrhage for a decade. Anecdotally, its use is decreasing. The aim of this study was to define the use of rFVIIa in UK deployed military hospitals over the last 5 years. Methods A retrospective database review was performed, using the Joint Theatre Trauma Registry, for the period January 2006 to June 2011. Data collected included use of rFVIIa, injury severity score (ISS), survival and injury pattern. The temporal trend of rFVIIa use, taking into account the number of severely injured patients presenting during each time period, was then analysed. Results During the period January 2006 to June 2011, 156 injured patients received rFVIIa. 146 of these (94%) had an ISS >15; there were 45 fatalities. The median ISS among the group receiving rFVIIa was 30, and 20 patients had an ISS in the range 60–75. There was a significant reduction in the use of rFVIIa in the second half of 2010 and the first half of 2011, compared with the previous 12-month period. Conclusion The use of rFVIIa in UK deployed military hospitals has declined since 2010, which is likely due to a combination of factors, including a change in resuscitation practice in these units, and a change in emphasis of manufacturer's guidance.


. We introduce a multi-level decomposition scheme for solving basis pursuit problems in a Fourier basis. The iterates generated by this scheme are equivalent to the coordinate-descent (CD) method for basis pursuit. However, unlike standard CD methods, the new algorithm computes each iterate using only O ( n log n ) operations. Using four different test problems, the CD algorithm is compared to two other common algorithms for basis pursuit. For the problems considered here, runtimes for the CD algorithm are approximately 5-10 times faster than conventional methods.


In this paper we present the results of the use of a methodology for multinodal load forecasting through an artificial neural network-type Multilayer Perceptron, making use of radial basis functions as activation function and the Backpropagation algorithm, as an algorithm to train the network. This methodology allows you to make the prediction at various points in power system, considering different types of consumers (residential, commercial, industrial) of the electric grid, is applied to the problem short-term electric load forecasting (24 hours ahead). We use a database (Centralised Dataset - CDS) provided by the Electricity Commission de New Zealand to this work.


ABSTRACT Esophageal squamous-cell carcinoma (ESCC) is one of the most common tumors worldwide. Recent studies suggested that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) might play a key role in regulating cellular processes and cancer progression. One of the lncRNAs, urothelial carcinoma associated 1 (UCA1), is known to be dysregulated in several cancers, including bladder carcinoma, colorectal, melanoma, breast, gastric, and ESCC. However, contributions of UCA1 to ESCC remain largely undiscovered. In order to understand the role and mechanisms underlying UCA1 in ESCC, the association of UCA1 expression with risk of esophageal cancer development was determined in 106 esophageal cancer tissues of ESCC patients and adjacent normal tissues using real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The relative expression of UCA1 was significantly reduced in cancer versus adjacent normal tissues suggesting an enhanced risk of esophageal cancer. To investigate the biological functions of UCA1 in ESCC, it was of interest to examine whether overexpression of UCA1 might influence cell proliferation, apoptosis, cell cycle distribution, migration, and invasion in vitro using EC109 cells. Our results demonstrated that UCA1 decreased cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and cell cycle progression of EC109 cells. Further, mRNA microarray analysis of overexpressed UCA1 in EC109 cells revealed that abnormal expression of UCA1 also inhibited the Wnt signaling pathway. Gene levels of DKK1 were elevated while C-myc fell significantly in overexpressed UCA1 EC109 cells. Interestingly, Western blot demonstrated no significant differences in relative expression of CTNNB1 (β-catenin) but marked reduction in β-catenin (active form) levels in both total and nuclear proteins. These results suggest that UCA1 may inhibit ESCC growth by regulating the Wnt signaling pathway. In conclusion, UCA1 may be a novel biomarker involved in ESCC development that may provide a potential therapeutic target for ESCC.


textabstractMy PhD project encompassed studies on the functions of several
different proteins, all involved in DNA repair, in somatic and germ-line cells.
Hr6b and Rad18Sc are involved in a DNA repair mechanism called 'Replicative
Damage Bypass' (RDB), and function as ubiquitin conjugating enzyme and
ubiquitin ligase, respectively. In Hr6b knockout mice, spermatogenesis is
severely impaired. Analysis of Hr6b knockout testis has indicated that Hr6b
plays a role in meiotic recombination and in post-meiotic chromatin remodelling.
Both these functions appear not to be directly related to RDB. We partially
rescued the Hr6b knockout phenotype using a transgenic approach to express
Hr6b-GFP and Hr6b-HA. Furthermore, we found that Rad18Sc, colocalizes with Hr6b
on unpaired and transcriptionally inactive chromosomal regions, such as the X
and Y chromosome in pachytene spermatocytes. These data indicate that Rad18Sc
may have a function in meiotic prophase, outside the contex!
 t of RDB.
Rad51 is a key player in homologous recombination, which is one of the major
pathways for repair of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs). To study Rad51 function
in living mitotic and meiotic cells, we targeted mouse ES cells with a DNA
construct in which endogenous Rad51 is replaced by LoxP flanked Rad51-GFP.
However, Rad51+/GFP ES cells proved to be more sensitive to DNA damaging agents
than wild-type ES cells. Still, in Rad51+/GFP cells, Rad51-GFP is nuclear and
forms spontaneous foci during S phase and following g radiation, indicating
that this fusion protein shows similar subcellular localization properties
compared to endogenous Rad51. Currently, we are studying the intracellular
dynamics of Rad51-GFP by fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS)
measurements and fluorescence recovery-after-photobleaching (FRAP) experiments.
 In another part of my project, we studied the role of another DSB repair
protein named Rad54 in spermatogenesis. Two mouse (and human) paralogs of yeast
RAD54 have been identified: Rad54 and Rad54B. Both proteins show relatively high
expression in testis. We developed a new technique for live cell and tissue
imaging in testis tubules and used it to study the localization and dynamics of
Rad54-GFP in different germ cell types of the testis. Rad54-GFP was detected at
high levels in proliferating spermatogonia, but absent from leptoten/zygotene
spermatocytes. Rad54-GFP signal reappeared briefly in mid-late pachytene
spermatocytes. During homologous recombination (HR) in somatic cells, Rad54 is
involved in the pre-synaptic, synaptic and post-synaptic phases of HR. To
evaluate possible involvement of Rad54 and Rad54B in meiosis, we studied
localization of Rad51 in spermatocytes from Rad54 and Rad54B knockout and
double-knockout mice. In these single and double-knockout spermatoc!
 ytes, we found normal accumulation of Rad51 foci during early meiotic prophase
(leptotene/zygotene), but abnormal Rad51 localization in spatially restricted
large clusters was found in pachytene and diplotene spermatocytes, when Rad51
foci normally disappear in the wild type. These studies suggests that Rad54 is
probably not involved in the pre-synaptic and synaptic steps of meiotic HR, but
is required for disassembling Rad51 during the post-synaptic phase.


It is very challenging to simulate unconventional reservoirs efficiently and accurately. Transient flow can last for a long time and sharp solution (pressure, saturation, compositions) gradients are induced because of the severe permeability contrast between fracture and matrix. Although high-resolution models for well and fracture are required to achieve adequate resolution, they are computationally too demanding for practical field models with many stages of hydraulic fracture. The paper aims to innovate localization strategies that take advantage of locality on timestep and Newton iteration levels. The strategies readily accommodate to complicated flow mechanisms and multiscale fracture networks in unconventional reservoirs.
 Large simulation speed-up can be obtained if performing localized computations only for the solution regions that will change. We develop an a-priori method to exploit the locality, based on the diffusive character of the Newton updates of pressure. The method makes adequate estimate of the active computational gridblock for the next iterate. The active gridblock set marks the ones need to be solved, and then the solution to local linear system is accordingly computed.
 Fully Implicit Scheme is used for time discretization. We study several challenging multi-phase and compositional model cases with explicit fractures. The test results demonstrate that significant solution locality of variables exist on timestep and iteration levels. A nonlinear solution update usually has sparsity, and the nonlinear convergence is restricted by a limited fraction of the simulation model. Through aggressive localization, the proposed methods can prevent overly conservative estimate, and thus achieve significant computational speedup. In comparison to a standard Newton method, the novel solver techniques achieve greatly improved solving efficiency. Furthermore, the Newton convergence exhibits no degradation, and there is no impact on the solution accuracy.
 Previous works in the literature largely relate to the meshing aspect that accommodates to horizontal wells and hydraulic fractures. We instead develop new nonlinear strategies to perform localization. In particular, the adaptive DD method produces proper domain partitions according to the fluid flow and nonlinear updates. This results in an effective strategy that maintains solution accuracy and convergence behavior.


An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the detection and quantitation of human immunoglobulin M (IgM), IgG, and IgA antibodies against Yersinia enterocolitica is described. Formalinized or heat-treated bacteria were adsorbed onto specially designed microcuvettes, and antibodies were allowed to attach to the antigen-coated cuvettes. Rabbit anti-human mu, anti-human gamma, and anti-human alpha antisera were allowed to react with human antibodies, and these class-specific anti-immunoglobulins were detected by alkaline phosphatase-labeled swine anti-rabbit IgG. A total of 423 sera were tested. The results obtained with the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay were compared with the results of the conventional tube agglutination test. Persistence of different antibodies was studied in six patients. Antibodies of the IgM class persisted only for 1 to 3 months after onset of the disease; thus the occurence of IgM-class Yersinia antibodies in a single sample indicates a recently acquired infection. The persistence of the IgG- and IgA-class antibodies was variable and not parallel with each other. Remarkably, all three patients in which the disease was complicated with arthritis had IgA-class Yersinia antibodies at the end of the follow-up period of 9 to 14 months, and in those without arthritis the IgA-class antibodies disappeared within 3 months after onset of the disease.


INTRODUCTION
Coxiella burnetii is the agent of Q fever, a worldwide zoonosis. To add to the available knowledge of the disease in China, C. burnetti infections were investigated in convenience samples from five animal species and humans from Yangzhou, Jiangsu province, eastern China.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Commercial ELISA kits were used to detect antibodies to phase I and II C. burnetii. A FRET-qPCR targeting the outer membrane protein com1 gene was also developed to detect C. burnetii DNA in blood samples from animals and humans, and bovine milk samples.

RESULTS
Seropositive cattle (44/150; 29%), goats (33/150; 22%), humans (45/180; 25%) and pigs (4/130; 3%) were found, while dogs (0/136; 0%) and cats (0/140; 0%) were seronegative. Seropositivity in humans was associated with increasing age, but there was no gender difference. DNA was amplified from two milk samples (2/150, 1.3%), while none of the blood samples were positive. The sequences of the obtained amplicons were identical to those of the com1 gene of the universal C. burnetii RSA 493 strain and other stains from China.

CONCLUSIONS
The findings indicaten that C. burnetii is endemic in Yangzhou, China, and therefore human and animal health workers should be aware of the possibility of infections and the occurrence of outbreaks of Q fever.


A quorum system over a universe of logical elements is a collection of subsets (quorums) of elements, any two of which intersect. In numerous distributed algorithms, the elements of the universe reside on the nodes of a physical network and the participating nodes access the system by contacting every element in some quorum, potentially causing the added network congestion induced by these quorum accesses to play a limiting factor in the performance of the algorithm.In this paper we initiate the study of algorithms to place universe elements on the nodes of a physical network so as to minimize the network congestion that results from quorum accesses, while also ensuring that no physical node is overloaded by access requests from clients. We consider two models, one in which communication routes can be chosen arbitrarily and one in which they are fixed in advance. We show that in either model, the optimal congestion (with respect to the load constraints) cannot be approximated to any factor (unless P=NP). However, we show that at most doubling the load on nodes allows us to achieve a congestion that is close to this optimal value. We also shed some light on the extent to which element migration can reduce congestion in this context.


A computational study was carried out to analyze a high-pressure combustion in scram accelerator. Fluid dynamic modeling was based on RANS equations for reactive flows, which were solved in a fully coupled manner using a fully implicit-upwind TVD scheme. For the accurate simulation of high-pressure combustion in ram accelerator, 9-species, 25-step fully detailed reaction mechanism was incorporated with the existing CFD code previously used for the ram accelerator studies. The mechanism is based on GRI-Mech. 2.11 that includes pressure-dependent reaction rate formulations indispensable for the correct prediction of induction time in high-pressure environment. A real gas equation of state was also included to account for molecular interactions and real gas effects of high-pressure gases. The present combustion modeling is compared with previous 8-step and 19-step mechanisms with ideal gas assumption. The result shows that mixture ignition characteristics are very sensitive to the combustion mechanisms, and different mechanism results in different reactive flow-field characteristics that have a significant relevance to the operation mode and the performance of scram accelerator.


Plasmonic nanostructures with singular geometries can exhibit a broadband scattering response that at first glance appears to violate the lower bounds for the radiation quality (Q) factor of small radiators, known as the Chu limit. Here we explore this apparent contradiction, investigating the Q factor of the resonant modes supported by two nearly touching cylinders, and analyze how their fractional bandwidth fares in relation to the Chu limit. We first derive lower bounds for the radiation Q factors of two-dimensional objects of arbitrary cross-section. We then discuss the dissipation and radiation Q factors associated with the plasmonic resonances of a cylinder dimer as a function of its gap size. We show that the radiation Q factor is always larger than the minimum Q and, as long as the peaks in the scattering spectrum are well separated, their bandwidth is equal to the inverse of their Q factor. In the limit of touching cylinders, the resonance spectra transition from discrete to a continuum around an accumulation point, yielding a broadband response for any finite level of material loss. Within any given frequency interval, the response is the result of a multitude of plasmon resonances, each individually obeying the Chu limit. Nevertheless, the connection between the Q factor and the overall bandwidth of the scattering response is lost. Our study sheds light onto the exotic resonant phenomena emerging when plasmonic materials are shaped in singular geometries, and outlines their opportunities and limitations for nanophotonics.


Information of the variability and the extent and type of relationship of some quantitative characters in rapeseed is important for an efficient breeding program. In addition, the association between seed yield and quality characters, oil and protein content, is of major interest. 10 winter rapeseed genotypes were evaluated for variation, genetic and phenotypic correlations and broad sense heritability for seed yield, yield and quality characters for 2 years. The results revealed significant differences for all yield and quality characters indicated the presence of sufficient genetic variability for effective selection. Variability, broad sense heritability, genetic advance were maximum for oil yield, seed yield followed by protein yield. In addition, very strong correlations were estimated among them. Simultaneous selection regarding seed yield would be an effective way to increase oil yield and protein yield. Plant height was associated with seed yield, oil yield, protein yield, number of pods on main stem and pod length. In conclusion, plant height, pod length, oil yield and protein yield were efficient characters as selection criteria.


This paper proposes an invariant causal predictor that is robust to distribution shift across domains and maximally reserves the transferable invariant information. Based on a disentangled causal factorization, we formulate the distribution shift as soft interventions in the system, which covers a wide range of cases for distribution shift as we do not make prior specifications on the causal structure or the intervened variables. Instead of imposing regularizations to constrain the invariance of the predictor, we propose to predict by the intervened conditional expectation based on the do-operator and then prove that it is invariant across domains. More importantly, we prove that the proposed predictor is the robust predictor that minimizes the worstcase quadratic loss among the distributions of all domains. For empirical learning, we propose an intuitive and flexible estimating method based on data regeneration and present a local causal discovery procedure to guide the regeneration step. The key idea is to regenerate data such that the regenerated distribution is compatible with the intervened graph, which allows us to incorporate standard supervised learning methods with the regenerated data. Experimental results on both synthetic and real data demonstrate the efficacy of our predictor in improving the predictive accuracy and robustness across domains.


Utilization of artificial intelligence has been imposed into many things, one of them on the assessment of lecturer's performance, one of them on the lecturer's performance assessment. Artificial intelligence can help and facilitate a person to solve a particular problem. In general, the purpose of lecturer performance assessment is to determine the best lecturer's order through predetermined criteria. Decision Making Method (AHP) and Function Membership Fuzzy is a method often used to determine lecturer performance assessment. There is a method that is a form of calculation whose output is the value of several lecturers who entered the assessment list. The purpose of the comparison is to know which artificial intelligence method is best applied to the lecturer's performance assessment. The method used to test the artificial intelligence applied to the lecturer's performance assessment is to use a comparison scenario. Based on the analysis that has been done, the result that artificial intelligence using AHP method and Membership Sets Fuzzy have balanced result. Based on the document can be concluded that in this study AHP method is a superior method in terms of accuracy, while the Fuzzy method is superior in terms of effectiveness.


In the past, plywood formwork needed Various equipments, accessories, special labor, and complicate processes To use precast form, however, cuts down the process of formwork, the period of construction, the labor cost so It promotes productivity and economical efficiency Therefore, this paper aims for making clear the mechanical and structural rationality of using PC form m order to consult constructional convenience and economical efficiency To determine the compressional behavior and capability of PC form column, th1s paper compared and analyzed the experiment and analysis results The specimens are assorted the columns using box type PC form, the columns using channel type PC form, general block column, general brick columns, and general reinforced concrete columns The variable of the columns using the PC form are the thickness and space of wiremesh, the strength of filling concrete, the type of PC form The height of specimens is 60cm, the section is 30cm×30cm, the thickness of the PC form is 25cm, the main bar in filling concrete is D16, the tie bar is D10


Early surrealistic painting and science fiction movies have envisioned dissolvable tattoo electronic devices. In this paper, we will review the recent advances that transform that vision into a viable technology, with extended capabilities even beyond the early vision. Specifically, we focus on the discussion of a stretchable design for tattoo sensors and degradable materials for dissolvable sensors, in the form of inorganic devices with a performance comparable to modern electronics. Integration of these two technologies as well as the future developments of bio-integrated devices is also discussed. Many of the appealing ideas behind developments of these devices are drawn from nature and especially biological systems. Thus, bio-inspiration is believed to continue playing a key role in future devices for bio-integration and beyond.


In the world, food insecurity remains an enormous challenge. Food insecurity is still a great concern for many households in Kenya. This situation is connected to high level of poverty that exists in the country, particularly in rural areas. Each year , between one to four million people receive relief food from both the national and donor agencies such as the world food program. Unfortunately policy responses have almost always inclined towards responding to emergencies of food shortages rather than on putting in place systems responsible for feeding Kenya in 2015 and beyond. This paper highlights key paradigm shift approaches to achieving food security in Kenya. The expected quick win outputs with regard to commitment to feed Kenya and methodologies on how to increase food security in Kenya have been discussed. Kenya's new constitution has devolved many responsibilities to the community level and therefore Kenya is poised to succeed in a ground up approach to boost food productivity. This is key to addressing food insecurity and feeding Kenya 2015 and beyond. This is the responsibility of national government through the ministry of Agriculture, livestock and fisheries and government through the County Agriculture docket. The arguments in this paper are informed by a number of secondary sources from which I gathered information. I have no doubt in my mind that this paper will allow the researcher to work with other global leaders in food security research to tackle one of the societal grand challenges of the 21st century: feeding a global population of 9 -10 billion people by 2015.


Imaging technology has rapidly developed during the past decade, and today's practitioners are faced with an increasingly bewildering list of tests to order and machines to purchase. This text attempts to help practitioners sort out which technologies are appropriate for individual patients. The content and organization of the text have origins in the New England Eye Center's Imaging in Glaucoma: The Boston Glaucoma Course 1996. Although not a direct transcript of the course, the text is written by the speakers at that meeting. The preface indicates that the intended audience is "both general ophthalmologists and glaucoma specialists" and other eye-care professionals may also benefit. The text includes discussion of all the major imaging techniques appropriate to glaucoma. Each chapter is written by an acknowledged expert in the field, and all are well-written and concise. The book is divided into 4 major sections. The first section, "Assessing the Structure of the


This paper is intended to provide basic information related to the behavior and performance of Japanese multinational corporations (MNCs) in Indonesian manufacturing. Comparisons are also made for other Asian countries and other foreign countries using a plant-level dataset for Indonesian manufacturing and several firmlevel data sets with related information. Results of analyses suggest that Japanese plants account for large shares of employment and value added in Indonesian manufacturing, especially in metal products and all machinery categories. In the early 1990s, MNCs from other Asian home economies were concentrated in different industries, but the industrial distributions of MNCs from Japan and other Asian economies have become similar in recent years. However, MNCs from other Asian economies still tend to be more labor-intensive and dependent on exports than Japanese MNCs. These differences suggest that MNCs from different home economies might have different effects on Indonesian manufacturing. JEL classification: F23, O14


Exposure to traffic-related air pollution is a ubiquitous, daily occurrence throughout the world. Evidence is emerging that implicates a causal role for traffic-related contaminants in promoting the incidence of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Our current understanding of the relationships between vehicular emissions and public health is muddled by the complexities of the combustion mixture chemistry, pathological mechanisms, and exposure dynamics. Controlled clinical and toxicological exposure studies have observed adverse cardiovascular effects from diesel and gasoline engine emissions. These effects include endothelial dysfunction, electrocardiographic abnormalities, and vascular inflammation and oxidative stress. The contribution of causal components or the potential interactions among the gases and particulates in vehicular emissions has not been clearly delineated. This chapter discusses recent work studying the impact of vehicular pollution on cardiovascular health.


An integration of structural field data and Lithoprobe seismic reflection line 28 in the northwestern Abitibi Greenstone Belt (AGB) reveals a crustal-scale, south-to southwest-vergent thrusting event that developed "in sequence" above a shallowly (15°) north-dipping sole thrust at a mid-crustal level. Seismic reflector geometry above this decollement suggests a mid crust (6–20 km depth) dominated by low-angle thrusts with smooth trajectory ramps and culmination folds or antiformal stacks, similar to the structural style of neighbouring high-grade plutonic–gneissic (Opatica) and sedimentary (Pontiac) subprovinces. In contrast, low-to high-angle east–west-trending thrusts at the upper-crust greenstone belt level (6–9 km depth) are interpreted to be listric. They occur in two fault systems, the Chicobi and Taibi, that resemble "imbricate fan" systems. The contrasting structural geometry of the upper and mid crust is interpreted as variations in level through the thrust stack, and resembles Paleozoic mountain...


For centuries, the study of traumatic brain injury (TBI) has been centred on historical observation and analyses of personal, social, and environmental processes, which have been examined separately. Today, however, computation implementation and vast patient data repositories are producing datasets of such volume and complexity as to challenge traditional scientific methodology. Drastically different approaches show great promise for research on TBI. We report a computational analysis of health status over time using population-wide health administrative data of patients with TBI. Our approach facilitates health status at injury event evaluation and classification, and unfolds health status trajectories, from that of preceding injury to the injury event itself, as they concern external causes of injury and injury severity. Taken together, the contrasting and interwoven aspects of health status on a time continuum can influence injury event trajectories and should be considered in TBI risk analysis for the improvement of diagnosis, treatment, and prevention.


Studies of the rapid economic development in East Asia have generated several models how industries in latecomer economies may upgrade from low-end manufacturing to full-blown product development capabilities. With the exception of some Korea and Taiwan's firms, however, there are few studies of the innovation journey of specific firms and the challenges, managerial efforts and uncertainties involved in linking to and learning from international knowledge centers. Moreover, the alternative ways suggested in the literature to acquire knowledge for innovation, need to be analyzed and compared from a firm and management perspective.This paper analyzes the strategic options confronting emerging economy firms which aspire to succeed in global competition. Using in-depth studies of two company cases in Turkey, one in white goods and one in the automotive industry, the paper details the combination of efforts and investments required to move up the technology ladder from license-based domestic businesses to independent, internationally competitive capabilities on par with global innovation leaders. The paper shows the critical value of long-term ownership structures for independent capability building but also indicates the difficulty of building brand value commensurate with technological achievements. Further, the paper demonstrates the limits of the alternative way, joint venture agreements, where MNEs tend to retain exclusive control of key technologies and product decisions. Here the paper suggests that coordinated private and Government efforts might be needed to position local partner firms as global centers of "niche" excellence within the multinational configuration.


【Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD) is characterized by a not entirely reversible limitation in the airflow. An airflow limitation is progressive and associated with an abnormal inflammatory response of the lung to gases and harmful particles. In COPD, the weight loss is commonly observed and there is a negative impact on the respiratory as well as skeletal muscle function. The pathophysiological mechanisms that result in weight loss in COPD are not fully understood. However, the mechanisms of weight loss in COPD may be the result of an increased energy expenditure unbalanced by an adequate dietary intake. The commonly occurring weight loss and muscle wasting in COPD patients adversely affect the respiratory and peripheral muscle function, the exercise capacity, the health status, and even the survival rates. Therefore, it is very valuable to include management strategies that the increase energy balance in order to increase the weight and fat free mass. A Better understanding of the molecular and cellular pathological mechanisms of COPD can improve the many new directions for both the basic and clinical investigations. The Nutritional supply is an important components of a multidisciplinary pulmonary rehabilitation program. Future studies combining an exercise program, the role of anabolic steroids, nutritional individualization, a more targeted nutritional therapy, and the development of new drugs including anti-cytokines is needed for the effective management of COPD.】


Phase Only Synthesis Time Modulated Array (POSTMA) is a new technique to reduce side lobe level (SLL) in radar application using phase only synthesis. It consists in applying successive sets of weights to the array elements during the integration time in order to generate an "average" SLL. Additional zeros can also be placed in the radiation pattern to suppress interference. It is also possible to steer to any desired direction.


Digital output signal of a mixed signal device contains analog information which requires post data processing to evaluate a device after acquiring data from it. This data processing typically has been done in a tester controller which is a workstation or PC, but slower bandwidth between data capture module and tester controller degrades test throughput. This data transfer time can be reduced only by custom test module that has capability of localized post data processing. In this paper, reconfigurable test module is presented. It can be configured as a dedicated test apparatus for various DUTs in a short design period. We have configured this module for CMOS imager test and it results in a reduction of four in test time.


Helical piles are being used in seismic regions of the U.S. and other countries, yet there remains much confusion regarding the state of practice and building codes for this pile type. Nonetheless, it is anticipated that piles with comparatively small cross-section and high anchoring capacity, such as helical piles, could be beneficial for seismic resistance due to their slenderness, higher damping ratios, ductility, and resistance to tip uplift. In addition, helical piles can be easily implemented as a retrofitting solution for foundations that are found to be deficient according to updated seismic codes. This paper is part of three phase investigation on the use of helical piles for earthquake mitigation. The results of an extensive literature and industry search for previous seismic tests performed on helical piles are highlighted as well as the current design standards used in seismic regions. Existing seismic testing results and current design standards are analysed to make recommendations about how to fill the knowledge gaps and provide quantitative data on the behaviour of helical piles under seismic conditions.


We consider the planted motif search problem, a problem that arises from the need to find transcription factor-binding sites in genomic information. One of the fastest non-exact algorithms that solves this problem is pattern branching [10], however this algorithm fails to solve challenging instances such as (15, 5) in most cases. In this paper we discuss a simple extension to this algorithm and an implementation of it that allows us to tackle challenging instances such as (15, 5) and (17, 6) with accuracy close to 100%


n order to review and study the issues of competitiveness and optimization of business operations with the use of IT and e-business, the paper will study, analyze and elaborate on the several key criteria formulated in research questions. Exploration of these questions through desktop and empirical research examines in detail the role and impact of new technologies, especially information technology in optimizing the competitive advantages of small and medium-sized enterprises. Research eventually assesses the degree of optimization of technological inputs and outputs in the development of competitive capacity of SMEs and offers appropriate conclusions.


Dracaena cinnabari is a relict of the remote Socotra Island (Yemen) where it grows at higher altitudes with the frequent occurrence of fogs. D. cinnabari as the only representative of the dragon tree group creates woodlands and forests on the Socotra Island. It is not clear what mechanisms allow this relict arborescent monocot to survive harsh climate and poor soil of karst rocks there. In this work, we conducted long-term sap flow monitoring in the stem and roots of the mature D. cinnabari plant during the driest period of year between two regular monsoons. We aimed to reveal plant responses to a range of environmental conditions and to understand mechanisms of drought survival by this woody monocot. Several following features of sap flow performance were found: high flow sectoriality in the stem and in roots corresponding to the intensity of insolation, free lateral flow, higher stem integrity compared to roots, internal storage replenishment from the fog followed by increased transpiration presumably from the refilled stem storage. Results indicate that in studying the sap flow dynamics in the mature D. cinnabari tree, plant water storage should be included in the analyses in addition to soil water availability and intensity of evaporating demands. The ability to replenish succulent woody organs from atmospheric water and to survive long periods of drought from the internal supply distinguishes the behavior of this short-rooted arborescent monocot from the known strategies of deep-rooted trees in arid areas.


Self-adaptive systems are able to modify their behaviour and/or structure in response to changes that occur to the system itself, its environment, or even its goals. In terms of authorisation infrastructures, self-adaptation has been shown to provide runtime capabilities for specifying and enforcing access control policies and subject access privileges, with a goal to mitigate insider threat. The evaluation of self-adaptive authorisation infrastructures, particularly, in the context of insider threats, is challenging because simulation of malicious behaviour can only demonstrate a fraction of the types of abuse that is representative of the real-world. In this paper, we present an innovative approach based on an ethical game of hacking, protected by an authorisation infrastructure. A key feature of the approach is the ability to observe user activity preand post-adaptation when evaluating runtime consequences of selfadaptation. Our live experiments captured a wide range of unpredictable changes, including malicious behaviour related to the exploitation of known vulnerabilities. As an outcome, we demonstrated the ability of our self-adaptive authorisation infrastructure to handle malicious behaviour given the existence of real and intelligent users, in addition to capturing how users responded to adaptation.


Traditional security tools and infrastructures have proven to be inadequate, inflexible, and difficult to apply in the incredibly large Internet of today. Existing security systems deal mainly with authentication and access control and are not suitable for the increasingly demanding trust requirements in today's network-based applications. In this paper, a general-purpose, application-independent dynamic distributed trust model (DDTM) that is suitable for access control in the Internet applications is proposed. The core of this model is the recommendation trust model organized as a trust delegation tree and authorization delegation realized by a delegation certificate. DDTM provides a distributed key-oriented certificate issuing mechanism with no centralized global authority. The service authorities can create their own trust policy and control access to the services owned by them. In this paper, we first point out the insufficiency of the existing access control mechanisms and review several method for expressing trust. We then propose the dynamic distributed trust model that works over the Internet. Finally, we focus on the detail operations of trust delegation tree.


Recently, controlled auto ignition(CAI) in gasoline engines are drawing more attentions due to its extremely low level of NOx emissions and potentials in lowering the fuel consumption rate. The one of the key techniques for realizing CAI combustion in engines is the control of valve system. Since the valve linkage system with higher complexity, or even earn-less valve systems, such as electro-hydraulic and electro-magnetic system, are adopted in CAI engines, it is not easy to estimate the valve lift profile from earn profiles. Therefore new measurement techniques for valve lift in CAI engines have been tried and tested. In this paper, hole type valve lift sensor was developed and tested to check the applicability in CAI engines. The valve lifts could be obtained from the sensor signal, which depends on the distance from the sensor to magnet attached to valve. Various engine speeds, ranging from 2,000 to 6,000 rpm, and valve lifts, maximum up to 9.7 mm, were tested. It was found that the sensor output for valve lift had accuracy of 98% in comparison with the basic specifications of valve lift through improvements of sensor driving circuit.


Several factors may limit the development and viability of late-term embryos and hatchlings: 1) The nutrient content of the egg needed for the development of tissues and nutrient reserves (glycogen, muscle, yolk) of the embryo through to hatch; 2 The ability of the gastrointestinal tract to digest utilize nutrients from an external carbohydrate and protein-rich diet; and 3) The ability of chicks and poults to rely on the residual nutrients in the yolk sac during the first few days post-hatch. These limitations are manifested by in the "chick or poult quality" phenomena. Approximately 2% to 5% of hatchlings do not survive the critical post-hatch "adjustment" period and many survivors exhibit stunted growth, inefficient feed utilization, reduced disease resistance, or poor meat yield. These limitations can be alleviated by the administration of food in the hatchery immediately post-hatch, a technology termed "Early Feeding", or by administration of food into the amnion of late term embryo, what we define as "In Ovo Feeding". A great potential exists in "combining" the early feeding and the in ovo feeding methods. Since the modern broiler increases its body weight by 50-fold from hatch until market age at 42 days, the first few critical days of "adjustment" represent a much greater proportion of the bird's life span than in the past. Consequently, early feeding methods will have a great impact on overall growth and well-being of the bird, particularly as genetic selection for increased growth performance continues in the future.


The present investigation was conducted to determine the optimal dietary Cu-NPs requirement of Asian walking catfish, Clarias batrachus (7.46 ± 0.15 cm; 5.28 ± 0.10 g) by feeding with diets supplemented with different concentrations of Cu-NPs (10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 mg/kg) and control group. Each experimental diet was hand-fed to triplicate groups of fish for 60 days in glass aquarium. Results showed that fish group fed with 20 mg/kg Cu-NPs in feed exhibited highest (P < 0.05) growth performance and feed utilization compared to the control group. However, increased level of Cu-NPs from 30 to 50 mg/kg in feed significantly reduced the growth performance. Significantly higher protein and lipid were also recorded at 20 mg/kg Cu-NPs supplemented group. Haematological parameters, serum lipid and enzymatic profile were found to influence significantly with the addition of Cu-NPs in feed compared to the control group. Based on the polynomial regression analysis between FW, WG and SGRW against dietary Cu-NPs levels, the optimal dietary supplementation of Cu-NPs for C. batrachus were estimated to be ranged between 19.98 to 20.05 mg/kg per diet, respectively. Bioaccumulation of Cu was the highest in liver compared to muscle and serum, whereas the highest Cu accumulation was observed at 50 mg/kg Cu-NPs supplemented group. The findings of the present study will be helpful for formulating nutrient rich low cost catfish feed.


Introduction: Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), critical in angiogenesis, is important for solid tumor growth and metastasis. Three single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in the promoter (rs833052, rs1109324 and rs1547651) and one in the 5′‐UTR regions (rs25648) of VEGF have been associated with increased risk for bladder cancer, and one at intron 2 (rs3024994) with decreased risk in a large‐scale case‐control study. The genotype frequency of the five bladder cancer‐associated SNPs among various ethnic groups is similar based on the dbSNP and the SNP500Cancer databases. The objective of this study was to determine the presence of these variants in a panel of 12 human bladder cancer cell lines. Methods: Twelve bladder cancer cell lines, commonly used in urological research and derived from various ethnic groups, were included in the study. Genotypes of the five SNPs were determined for the12 cell lines by direct PCR sequencing. The basal VEGF secretion by these cell lines in culture was measured by ELISA using a microsphere‐based array (Millipore) and Luminex® xMAP technology. Results: The SNP genotype frequency was in agreement with that reported in the databases. The only bladder cancer‐associated variant (rs833052: C>A) was detected in UM‐UC‐3, a cell line with many other genetic alterations. The secreted VEGF level in these cell lines as determined by ELISA varied considerably. No correlation between VEGF production and any particular SNP genotype could be established. Conclusions: The reported bladder cancer associated variants in VEGF was detected in only one of the twelve cell lines. Though these SNPs are all located in the regulatory regions, it appears that they have no effect on basal VEGF production in the cultured cells. Considering the low prevalence of these variants reported, the role of these SNPs in VEGF production and bladder cancer remains to be defined. Citation Information: Mol Cancer Ther 2009;8(12 Suppl):C29.


With rapid and continuous advancement in IC technology, it is now possible to pack a wholly contained electronic system onto a single chip. These chips termed Systems on Chip (SoC) not only integrate processor cores and memory, but call for much higher level of integration where specialized IP cores communication peripherals, and bus interfaces interact in order to function as a complete system. This paper provides an introduction to SoC design, followed by a discussion of two specific designs from Philips Semiconductors. Finally, the future course of work and some research ideas are analyzed.


We find the analytic solution of a pair of stochastic equations with arbitrary forces and multiplicative Lévy noises in a steady-state nonequilibrium case. This solution shows that Lévy flights always suppress a quasiperiodic motion related to the limit cycle. We prove that such suppression is caused by that the Lévy variation ∆L ~ (∆t)1/α with the exponent α < 2 is always negligible in comparison with the Gaussian variation ∆W ~ (∆t)1/2 in the ∆t → 0 limit.


Mangrove ecosystems are a form of ecosystem that has certain uniqueness and special characteristics, which have high economic and ecological value because they can be used as ecotourism areas or alternative tourism objects. Apar Village is a village that has great ecotourism potential, especially in its mangrove ecosystem. This study aims to reveal and describe the implementation of mangrove ecotourism in Apar Village as an alternative tourism. The method used is a qualitative descriptive study that emphasizes process, not limited to data collection and compilation, but includes data analysis and interpretation. Ecotourism has 3 perspectives, firstly ecotourism as a product that is all objects based on natural resources, secondly ecotourism as a container for environmental preservation, thirdly ecotourism as an approach to tourism development which is a model of utilizing, managing environmentally friendly and sustainable tourism resources. The combination of tourism elements and education elements in tourism activities in the Apar Village mangrove ecosystem is very possible and provides many benefits where with educational tourism tourists gain knowledge of the natural environment, especially about mangrove ecosystems that can be implemented in the development of the Apar Village mangrove ecotourism as an alternative tourism. Keywords: Mangrove ecosystems, Apar Village, Ecotourism


Tephra provide extremely useful sedimentary beds for Quaternary research because they are highly reliable time markers. Tephra studies in Japan have advanced primarily on this basis. Because tephra themselves are products of volcanic eruptions it is quite possible to study explosive eruptions using tephra beds. The thickness of the beds tells us the magnitude of the eruption, while the dispersal pattern of the tephra tells us the intensity of the eruption. The mode of eruption is known by the grain-size characteristics of the tephra deposits. The life history of a volcano can be revealed by alternations of tephra and loess beds.


Cyclosporin, an immunosuppressant, is a representative group of biologically active secondary metabolites produced by the fungus Tolypocladium inflatum. The amount and ratio of cyclosporin derivatives in the culture broth are an important factors for the production of cyclosporin A and the purification in the industrial process. Therefore, we studied the effect of amino acids and complex organic nitrogen sources using Tolypocladium inflatum mutants on the productivity of cyclosporin A and the ratio of cyclosporin derivatives. Overproducing mutant YHC-004 having seven times higher productivity than mother strain's could be obtained through the artificial mutation by UV irradiation. The concentration and kind of organic nitrogens and amino acids shows the profound effect on the productivity of cyclosporin A and ratio of cyclosporin derivatives. As a result, it was possible to raise the productivity and the ratio of cyclosporin A up to 3,430 mg/L and 93% respectively, but on the other hand the other cyclosporin derivatives decreased less than 2% in the culture broth.


Indicating of large marine and industrial diesel engines is made with using indicating channels in cylinder head with valves. The impact of these channels on the value of the parameters obtained from indicating is significant. However, indicating is commonly used for comparative tests assuming that this error is the same on all cylinders of the same engine in identical conditions. As a result of operation especially in cylinders with irregular combustion process the coke occurs in the channel limits its patency. It causes changes in the image of indicated pressure. In such a situation defined parameters are subject of considerable random error. In the earlier studies on the engine Sulzer type 6AL20/24 cylinder channel failure was simulated and channel chocking symptom was observed as apparent TDC shift relative to a reference mark connected with the shaft. As part of ongoing studies attempt to reconstruct distorted pressure curve by chocked indicating channel was made. It is assumed that the channel with the valve is only connection between throttling element in the form of a channel with the much greater volume of the valve. Such a structure was modeled as IIR filter. For this type of filter, there is an unequivocal inverse transformation, which, at least in theory gives possibility to reconstruct the distorted pressure waveform. The reconstruction was carried out by selection of the filter coefficients so as to eliminate the shift of TDC. In practice it turned out that the reconstruction is not perfect. All obtained pressure waveforms are slightly noisy and distorted in the first phase of expansion. Despite this, there was a significant reduction in errors of some parameters determined from the reconstructed pressure waveform.


Background: Tuberculous brain abscess is an extremely rare manifestation of tuberculous involvement of the central nervous system. In countries such as India where tuberculosis is fairly common, few cases of tuberculous brain abscess have been reported. Patient: The patient was an 8-year old boy presented with the diagnosis of cystic fibrosis and a history of tonic and clonic convulsions since 2 years ago with normal brain CT scan. Two months ago he became febrile and complained of severe headache that often awakened him up. Diagnosis of intracranial abscess was made clinically and the patient received ceftriaxon, amikacin and clindamycine; however, 2 weeks of treatment failed to show improvement. During craniotomy multiple cystic lesions and a mass of 9×3×8cm in frontoparietal area was found. After operation the patient developed severe hepatitis with elevated enzymes and bilirubin level due to anesthesia and anti- tuberculous treatment. Drugs were discontinued but fever persisted and he started a downhill course. While hepatitis was going to resolve, restarting antituberculous drugs flared up hepatitis and 3 days later he expired because of hepatic failure. Conclusion: Meningitis is an entity of tuberculous infection in subjects living in countries of high burden tuberculosis, thus, it should be kept in mind for suspicious subjects.


Recently, backdoor attacks pose a new security threat to the training process of deep neural networks (DNNs). Attackers intend to inject hidden backdoors into DNNs, such that the attacked model performs well on benign samples, whereas its prediction will be maliciously changed if hidden backdoors are activated by the attacker-defined trigger. Existing backdoor attacks usually adopt the setting that triggers are sample-agnostic, i.e., different poisoned samples contain the same trigger, resulting in that the attacks could be easily mitigated by current backdoor defenses. In this work, we explore a novel attack paradigm, where backdoor triggers are sample-specific. In our attack, we only need to modify certain training samples with invisible perturbation, while not need to manipulate other training components (e.g., training loss, and model structure) as required in many existing attacks. Specifically, inspired by the recent advance in DNN-based image steganography, we generate sample-specific invisible additive noises as backdoor triggers by encoding an attacker-specified string into benign images through an encoder-decoder network. The mapping from the string to the target label will be generated when DNNs are trained on the poisoned dataset. Extensive experiments on benchmark datasets verify the effectiveness of our method in attacking models with or without defenses. The code will be available at https://github.com/yuezunli/ISSBA.


Abstract Chemical investigation into the stems of the medicinal plant Schisandra sphaerandra led to the isolation and identification of a new dibenzocyclooctadiene lignan sphaerandrin A (1) and 11 known ones gomisin B (2), schirubrisin B (3), kadsuphilin B (4), schizandrin (5), benzoylgomisin Q (6), angeloylgomisin Q (7), gomisin G (8), schisanwilsonin O (9), isogomisin O (10), schisantherin D (11), and wuweizisu C (12). The structure of the new compound was elucidated by comprehensive spectroscopic methods including 1 D/2D NMR, HRESIMS, and CD spectrometry. To the best of our knowledge, compounds 2 – 11 were obtained from this species for the first time. All the compounds were evaluated for the cytotoxic activity against the triple-negative breast cancer cell lines MDA-MB-231 and HCC-1937.


Live-in relationship is a living arrangement in which an unmarried couple lives together in a long term relationship that resembles a marriage. Of late, live-in relationships have emerged as a substitute for marriages. The number of people opting to live-in relationships has considerably increased in India. This article explores the response of the Indian society and Indian judiciary to live-in relationships comparing it to the rest of the world. In a country where parents sometimes even murder their children for marrying out of caste, many brave couples do live together without getting married. They face social disgrace and legal hurdles. Families cringe at the idea of live-in relationships because it hints at sex for pleasure instead of for procreation, which marriage implies. The countries in the West never consider marriage as a religious sacrament and do not show keen interest on fulfilling obligations towards the family and society. To conclude, things have definitely improved with Court rulings which have recognized these relationships and have made changes in provisions to protect a woman from undue harassment as these relations guarantee very little in terms of security.


This paper summarizes household-expenditure patterns in the United States based on the 1980, 1990, and 1997 Consumer Expenditure Surveys (CEX). The CEX data used in the analysis have been organized to make them as comparable as possible to data extracted from corresponding expenditure surveys in France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, and the United Kingdom. The paper first discusses the structure and some of the relevant limitations of the CEX survey; next provides a description of the procedures used to make the data compatible with other national expenditure surveys; and, finally, reviews some of the expenditure patterns in the resulting data. The paper is part of a broader international project ("Demand Patterns and Employment Growth" or DEMPATEM), which seeks to analyse the impact of international differences in the consumption of services on national employment outcomes.


Anaerobic reaction of alpha- or beta-alkylcobinamides (alpha- or beta-RCbi(+)'s) with the corresponding alkyl free radical, R(*) (where R = CH(3), CH(3)CH(2), or CH(3)CH(2)OCH(2)CH(2)), generated by the Fenton reaction using Fe(2+) and an alkyl hydroperoxide, RC(CH(3))(2)OOH, causes isomerization and leads to mixtures of alpha- and beta-RCbi(+)'s. The reaction does not occur, however, under aerobic conditions or under anaerobic conditions in the presence of an excess of the free radical scavenger H-Tempo. In addition, alpha-CH(3)CH(2)Cbi(+) reacts with 50 molar equiv of tert-butyl hydroperoxide and Fe(2+) to give a mixture of alkylcobinamides that contains 6% alpha-CH(3)Cbi(+) and 94% beta-CH(3)Cbi(+), showing that multiple transalkylations occur. A Co(II)-induced isomerization and the S(H)2 mechanism are ruled out on the basis of the known reactivity of RCbi(+) and product analysis. A mechanism is proposed which involves a direct oxidative free radical displacement by an R(*) to the metal of RCbi(+) via a dialkylcobalt(IV) corrinoid species. Since the reaction leads to equilibration of the two diastereomers under mild conditions, it can be used to study the equilibria between diastereomeric RCbi(+)'s. Thus, the equilibrium for the diastereomeric ethyl-13-epicobinamides, in which the e propionamide side chain of the corrin ring has been epimerized from the alpha to the beta face of the corrinoid, lies significantly more toward the alpha diastereomer than that for the normal ethylcobinamides. This represents the most direct experimental evidence obtained to date that the corrin ring side chains control the relative steric accessibility of the two faces of the cobalt corrinoids.


This Bachelor thesis aims to analyze and clarify the situation of the irregular migrants in United Kingdom, whether it´s changing when applying UK:s own migrant legislation; The UK Immigration Act 2014, compared to EU:s migration policy and legislation. Based on Hannah Arendts theory on the irregular migrants loses their right to have rights, when migrating from their original country. These people tend to end up outside society and the lack of legal and social protection. The result of the thesis shows that there are significant differences between the two legislations and that The UK Immigration Act 2014 contributes to a higher restraint on the irregular migrants right to have rights. A important factor to take into consideration, is if it will affect the irregular migrants in a larger scale, when and if Brexit is being implemented. (Less)


Veteran physical educator Bev Davison knows how to get the biggest bang for her buck. In Creative Physical Activities and Equipment, she shares her secrets of how to expand a physical education or recreation program without exceeding the budget. Davison's practical, ready-to-use strategies help you make the most of your budget, no matter how big or small. But the ideas in this book aren't just easy on the wallet; more equipment means less down time and more opportunities for children to participate and learn.First, you'll discover how to make equipment using inexpensive, readily available materials and even trash! Need some pinnies? Grab a pair of scissors and some old towels and start creating! Are old dryer sheets accumulating in the laundry room? Turn them into juggling scarves! All of the equipment is easy to assemble-no mechanical skill is needed. In addition, the book describes dozens of unique games and activities that use this equipment to teach important skills. Next, the book explains how to use traditional equipment-such as Frisbees and jump ropes-in nontraditional ways and how to extend the life of old or broken equipment, including flat tennis balls and broken badminton racquets. You'll also learn the art of obtaining free equipment. The book provides information on equipment that's free for the asking, items that can be obtained by collecting proofs of purchase, and general budget-stretching ideas.Finally, since some equipment can be quite expensive, fundraising is an occasional necessity. Proving that fundraising does not have to be time-consuming and painful, the book presents ideas for 15 refreshingly creative fundraisers that are easy to organize and execute. Many of them don't require solicitation by students, which means greater parental support and participation. A resource no physical education or recreation program should be without, Creative Physical Activities and Equipment can pay for itself after just one use!


Two recently found coupled Bogomol'nyi-Prasad-Sommerfield (BPS) submodels of the Skyrme model are further analyzed. First, we provide a geometrical formulation of the submodels in terms of the eigenvalues of the strain tensor. Second, we study their thermodynamical properties and show that the mean-field equations of state coincide at high pressure and read p=ρ¯/3. We also provide evidence that matter described by the first BPS submodel has some similarity with a Bose-Einstein condensate. Moreover, we show that extending the second submodel to a non-BPS model by including certain additional terms of the full Skyrme model does not spoil the respective ansatz, leading to an ordinary differential equation for the profile of the Skymion, for any value of the topological charge. This allows for an almost analytical description of the properties of Skyrmions in this model. In particular, we analytically study the breaking and restoration of the BPS property. Finally, we provide an explanation of the success of the rational map ansatz.


The present study was realized in 2013-2014 on different type of cornelian cherry grown from seed, in the district of Tokat Almus, Turkey. The determination of some physical and chemical properties was studied. For this purpose, in this region, 40 cornelian cherry trees have been identified and were recorded by GPS. The evaluation was based on the observations and particular type selection criteria. In this regard, nine genotypes of cornelian cherry were subjected to the analysis. The fruit width ranged between values of 8.41 and 10.67 mm, the average fruit height between 13.51 to 18.84 mm, and the average fruit weight between 0.78 to 1.73 g were determined. As results provided by physicochemical analysis were the pH between 2.60 and 4.02, soluble solids (TSS) 11.4-15.5 % and the titratable acidity were up to 0.37.


An observational survey of standing crop characteristics was conducted in farmers' fields in Musikavanhu communal area of Zimbabwe, during the 1995/1996 cropping season, to investigate sorghum diversity and its role in household food security in semi-arid agriculture. The study revealed a wide diversity of crops growing in farmers' fields, often in a mixture. The major crop was sorghum, grown by 94% of the farmers and occupying 82% of the land. Eleven sorghum varieties were grown in the area during the surveyed season. Five extra varieties of sorghum were mentioned by farmers, but were no longer grown because seed became extinct. Cowpeas, pumpkins, cucumbers and watermelons were often intercropped with sorghum. These 'minor' crops are very important to farmers and are eaten as supplementary food, somewhat like vegetables or desserts. This enormous diversity of crop plants fulfils livelihood and nutritional needs. The use of cowpeas is an important aspect of many multiple-cropping systems and is particularly relevant to the development of low-external-input and sustainable agriculture systems. There is a definite need for national agricultural research systems (NARS) to capture this biodiversity by collecting samples for conservation and also to use this as the basis for improving production system in the area. Both in situ and ex situ conservation are essential and the links between them need to be improved.

 The Zimbabwe Science News Volume 34(1) March 2001, pp. 13-18


We consider a time division duplex (TDD) nt × nr multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system with known channel state information (CSI) at both transmitter and receiver. Using singular value decomposition (SVD) precoding at the transmitter, the MIMO channels are transformed into parallel subchannels. To improve the low diversity order, we propose X- and Y-Codes, prior to SVD precoding, to pair subchannels having different diversity orders. Specifically, a pair of channels is jointly encoded using a 2 × 2 real matrix, which is fixed a priori and does not change with each channel realization. Moreover, we propose X-, Y-Precoders with the same encoding matrices as X-, Y-Codes, which adapt to each channel realization. The optimal encoding matrices for X- and Y-Codes/Precoders are derived analytically to minimize the average error probability. Finally, we see that X-, Y-Codes/Precoders indeed achieve higher diversity gains at very low encoding/decoding complexity for both well- and ill-conditioned channels, respectively, when compared to other precoding schemes in the literature. We also observe that for the Rayleigh fading channel model X- and Y-Codes/Precoders exhibit the best average error performance.


The exploration of animal migration has entered a new era with individual-based tracking during multiple years. Here, we investigated repeated migratory journeys of a long-distance migrating bird, the marsh harrier Circus aeruginosus, in order to analyse the variation within and between individuals with respect to routes and timing. We found that there was a stronger individual repeatability in time than in space. Thus, the annual timing of migration varied much less between repeated journeys of the same individual than between different individuals, while there was considerable variation in the routes of the same individual on repeated journeys. The overall contrast in repeatability between time and space was unexpected and may be owing to strong endogenous control of timing, while short-term variation in environmental conditions (weather and habitat) might promote route flexibility. The individual variation in migration routes indicates that the birds navigate mainly by other means than detailed route recapitulation based on landmark recognition.


To investigate the influence of Fresnel diffraction on resolution and linewidth control in synchrotron radiation (SR) lithography, a detailed analysis is performed that takes X-ray phase shift in the absorber into account. The phase shift for 0.65-µm-thick Ta absorber is estimated to be -180°. It becomes clear that the phase shift plays a important role in limiting pattern resolution and linewidth control, especially for replicating fine (<0.3 µm) patterns. The conditions for replicating 0.2-µm lines-and-spaces resist patterns under practical conditions-i.e., with a mask contrast of 7 and a proximity gap of around 30 µm-are described. Designing a Ta absorber that is slightly narrower (<0.05 µm) than 0.2 µm is a great advantage for replicating 0.2-µm patterns because the dose-margin for replicating the patterns faithfully is improved.


Amiodarone has a high incidence of side effects, but few pro-arrhythmic effects. We report a case of amiodarone-induced torsade de pointes in a child aged 10 years. The patient had severe dilated cardiomyopathy, and even though he was treated with low oral doses of amiodarone, without dosage increments and electrolyte imbalance, he developed torsade de pointes at nights, after T-wave modification and increases of the corrected QT interval (QTc, 20%), QT dispersion (QTd, 175%) and QTcd (116%). The arrhythmic events were preceded by sinus bradycardia at Holter monitoring. Amiodarone therapy was discontinued. Intravenous magnesium administration was not effective in the suppression of torsade de pointes. High-rate atrial pacing prevented recurrences of the arrhythmias and reduced the QTc interval by 20%, QTd by 50%, and QTcd by 70%; QTd and QTcd returned below normal limits. This case underscores the need of careful electrocardiographic monitoring during amiodarone therapy.


OBJECTIVE
We conducted this study to identify residents' limitations in screening for, documenting, and managing domestic violence (DV) and to focus future educational interventions.

METHODS
We administered a detailed survey to 103 internal medicine residents from 4 university-affiliated programs to ascertain their attitudes about and practices in screening for, documenting, and managing DV.

RESULTS
Most residents agreed that DV is a significant health care problem (87%) and one in which physicians can intervene effectively (77%), yet 37% reported not screening for DV. Residents who said they do not screen reported a variety of mitigating factors, from uncertainty about how to screen for and manage DV, to fear of insulting or angering the patient. Eighty-two percent stated that they would document DV in the chart, but 51% had reasons for not documenting DV, ranging from fear that the patient's partner might harm the patient or the physician to concern that the patient may not be telling the truth. Fifty-seven percent of residents said they would ask about DV more often if state law mandated it. When asked to choose which management interventions were helpful or unhelpful, many residents made incorrect, potentially injurious choices.

CONCLUSION
Many residents reported beliefs and practices that could inhibit optimal care of DV victims. Educational interventions should be directed at remedying residents' gaps in knowledge and attitudes to improve screening for, documenting, and managing DV.


A method describing care pathways for users of mental health services is reviewed. The integrated care pathways approach provides a focus for determining which psychological interventions are required, together with the different contributions and roles of mental health staff. It could also assist in the costing and resourcing of services.


ABSTRACT An efficient and environmentally benign one-pot multicomponent synthesis of E-chalcones was developed using a mild and reusable new boron nitride-sulphonic acid catalyst. The catalyst was prepared by activating the boron nitride surface with nitric acid, followed by a simple reaction with 3-mercaptopropyl trimethoxysilane. The catalyst was characterized and morphological properties were studied by Fourier transform infrared, X-ray diffraction, transmission electron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller theory, and Raman spectroscopy techniques. The solid acid catalyst was recycled five times in a Claisen–Schmidt reaction to synthesize new chalcone derivatives, and X-ray crystallography was used to elucidate the structure of (E)-1-(anthracen-9-yl)-3-(2-(4-methylpiperazin-1-yl)quinolin-3-yl)prop-2-en-1-one. A fluorescence quench titration method was used to assess its binding ability with human serum albumin (HSA), while molecular docking was also performed to get a more detailed insight into their interaction at the binding site of HSA. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT


BACKGROUND
Malnutrition is very frequent in chronic renal failure but, after successful kidney transplantation, body weight gain is common and is widely investigated, while malnutrition after transplantation is underestimated. In the present study, the prevalence of malnutrition in kidney transplant patients and the factors which might contribute to its development are analysed.

METHOD
In a population of 452 kidney transplant patients followed-up regularly at our department, body mass index (BMI) was determined. Out of this population, 47 patients (18 females, aged 13-54 years, post-transplantation period 6-180 months) were randomly selected for more detailed examination of their nutritional status using anthropometry (body weight, the mid-arm muscle circumference, skinfold thickness, BMI) as well as biochemical parameters (serum protein, albumin, cholesterol, red blood cell count). Co-morbidity of the selected patients was assessed using the Index of Coexistent Diseases.

RESULTS
Among 452 kidney transplant patients, 15% had a BMI of <21 kg/m(2), 45% had a BMI of 21-25 kg/m(2), and 40% had a BMI >25 kg/m(2). After more accurate assessment of nutritional status of the selected 47 patients, a comparison between those who were malnourished (11 patients) and those who were well nourished (20 patients) was made. No significant difference was found in age at transplantation, pre-transplantation time on dialysis, donor origin, early post-transplant course, immunosuppressive therapy, number of rejection episodes or post-transplant period between these two groups. However, malnutrition appeared significantly more frequently in females, and malnourished patients had significantly higher serum creatinine levels. Co-morbidity conditions, assessed by the Index of Disease Severity and Index of Physical Impairment combined peak scores resulting in the final Index of Coexistent Disease, were more frequent and more severe in malnourished patients as compared with well-nourished patients.

CONCLUSION
In a population of kidney transplant patients regularly followed-up at our clinic, 15% had malnutrition. Malnutrition is more frequent in females, but kidney graft failure and co-morbidity had a significant role in its development.


Acne is a common skin disease in teenage to adult populations. Acne is caused by intrinsic factors, such as genetics, race and hormonal, as well as extrinsic factors such as stress, diet, cosmetics and drugs. Treatment by the doctor is generally determined by the type and severity of the patients. The identification process begins with image acquisition and acne segmentation process using Multi-Level Thresholding. The feature extraction using GLCM is applied to the image of the segmentation result to get the value of contrast, correlation, energy and homogeneity. Classification is based on previously extracted features. The best result of accuracy level for testing data is 89% of the total 18 acne images. Meanwhile, for two images non-acne, the accuracy of the testing data reached 50%.


Oxygen derived free radicals have been implicated in the causation of Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) [1].In this study, evidence of free radical injury and oxidative stress in patients with RA is compared with healthy subjects by estimating superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase, which are anti-oxidant enzymes in RBCs, Glucose 6 Phosphate Dehydrogenase (G 6 PD) in RBCs and serum Malon-di-aldehyde (MDA) levels. Serum MDA levels in RA could be used as a biochemical marker of disease activity and for monitoring the response to treatment. There was no definite correlation between enzyme levels of SOD, catalase and G 6 PD and disease activity.


Background Systemic sclerosis (SSc) may lead to pulmonary artery hypertension. Brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), a marker of cardiac failure, is a diagnostic marker of early pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) in patients with SSc. Obesity promotes a relative BNP deficiency because insulin resistance is associated with lower BNP level. So our aim was to analyzed affection of the body mass index (BMI) in level of BNP in screening for PAH in SSc Objectives To analyzed affection of BMI in level of BNP in screening for PAH in SSc Methods Between January 2010 and september 2011, outpatients referred to our unit and satisfying LeRoy criteria for SSc were assessed for PAH. Doppler echocardiography, BNP measurement, and BMI measurement were done concomitantly for a complete clinical, instrumental, and biochemical evaluation. Right-heart catheterization was carried out in cases of PAH Results Twenty-nine patients were enrolled (23 women, 6 men; 4 limited SSc, 25 diffuse SSc); precapillary PAH was found in 2 patients (0 limited SSc, 2 diffuse SSc). All subjects were divided into three group: Group A, BMI<25 (n=25); Group B, BMI 25 to 30 (n=3), and Group C, BMI>30 (n=1). Group A: increased with BNP. while BNP decreased in group C. The estimated PAP correlated with BNP (R =0.3; 95% CI 0.14–0.44) but not with BMI (R =0.7, 95% CI 0.14–1.45). BNP (p=0.032) and creatinine (p=0.049) were independent predictors of PAH, while BMI was not (p=0.50). Conclusions In our single-center study, Low BMI was correlation with high BNP in SSC. So BMI affected the level of BNP in PAH of SSC. References Prevalence of Exercise Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension in Scleroderma. Jose Luis Callejas-Rubio, Eduardo Moreno-Escobar, Pilar Martín de la Fuente, Lourdes Lόpez Pérez, Raquel Rios Fernández, Daniel Sánchez-Cano, José Pomares Mora, Norberto Ortego-Centeno, July 15 2008; J Rheumatol 2008;35:1812–6. Disclosure of Interest None Declared


∼ 30 % of Neuroblastoma harbor amplifications of the MYCN oncogene, which is the strongest molecular marker of poor prognosis. However, a subset of high-risk neuroblastoma does not carry alterations of the MYCN gene and the molecular pathways underlying their aggressive behavior remains to be elucidated. We have utilized a functional genomics approach with both genetically defined cell systems, as well as molecularly defined neuroblastoma cell lines, to identify critical survival pathways that distinguish MYCN-amplified versus non-amplified neuroblastoma. The results of high throughput siRNA screens targeting the druggable genome will be presented and discussed in light of public microarray data and validation experiments carried out in our laboratory. These findings revealed that different chromatin-remodeling genes, DNA-repair and developmental pathways differentiate MYCN amplified neuroblastoma versus non-amplified, thus highlighting specific new therapeutic targets associated with MYCN status as well as other molecular markers. In addition to pinpointing novel therapeutic targets for high-risk neuroblastoma, our study also functional defines signaling pathways activated in high-risk neruoblastoma and could be utilized to guide rational therapeutic choices. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 5139. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-5139


While the first CCTV camera was developed almost a century ago back in 1927, currently it is assumed as granted there are about 770 millions CCTV cameras around the globe, and their number is casually predicted to surpass 1 billion in 2021. At the same time the increasing, widespread, unwarranted, and unaccountable use of CCTV cameras globally raises privacy risks and concerns for the last several decades. Recent technological advances implemented in CCTV cameras such as AI-based facial recognition and IoT connectivity only fuel further these concerns raised by privacy-minded persons.
However, many of the debates, reports, and policies are based on assumptions and numbers that are neither necessarily factually accurate nor are based on sound methodologies. For example, at present there is no accurate and global understanding of how many CCTV cameras are deployed and in use, where are those cameras located, who owns or operates those cameras, etc. In addition, there are no proper (i.e., sound, accurate, advanced) tools that can help us achieve such counting, localization, and other information gathering. Therefore, new methods and tools must be developed in order to detect, count, and localize the CCTV cameras.
To close this gap, with this paper we introduce the first and only computer vision MS COCO-compatible models that are able to accurately detect CCTV and video surveillance cameras in images and video frames. To this end, our state-of-the-art detector was built using 3401 images that were manually reviewed and annotated, and achieves an accuracy between 91,1% - 95,6%. Moreover, we build and evaluate multiple models, present a comprehensive comparison of their performance, and outline core challenges associated with such research. We also present possible privacy-, safety-, and security-related practical applications of our core work.