The early stages of precipitate formation in Fe-25at% Co-9at% Mo at 500 °C was investigated by in situ small-angle neutron scattering (SANS). The ratio of magnetic to nuclear SANS intensity, which depends on the precipitate composition, and the precipitate sizes were analyzed. The results suggest that in the Fe-Co-Mo alloy an initial stage of precipitate formation with strong compositional changes is completed after 150 s, when the full magnetic signal is established. For comparison, the well-known nucleation and growth reaction in Fe-1at% Cu was studied. Differences in the growth rate of the mean size of the developing structures could be distinguished in the two investigated alloys. While in the Fe-Co-Mo alloy the precipitate structures grow with t0.15 to t0.21, the mean precipitate radius in the Fe-Cu alloy grows with t0.40 in the observed time interval.


Hostage situations differ greatly in the aims and goals of the hostage-takers, the frequency and intensity of maltreatment, the type and quality of conditions, the duration of captivity, and the processes by which they are ultimately resolved and concluded. Although there is a paucity of research-based data about hostage reactions, clinical management, and outcome, there are general descriptive accounts in the medical and popular literature. A number of key texts are highlighted in the references, and examples of different conditions are briefly summarised in Box 1. The psychiatric treatment of hostages and their relatives does not differ substantially from the psychiatric treatment of other victims of trauma, although management is inevitably affected by intense media, public and political interest. Since the subject of treatment for victims of trauma has already received attention in this journal (Adshead, 1995) it will not be covered in detail here. This article will focus upon descriptions of general and specific reactions seen in hostages, and on two forms of post-release management given to


In January 2019, 30 leading European intellectuals, including Bernard-Henri Lévy and Orhan Pamuk, pronounced that 'the idea of Europe is in peril'. Their voices added to a general sense from all corners of the European continent that the liberal narratives that have sustained the European Union integration project are under attack. Is it true, as Pamuk suggested, that Europe no longer makes us dream? What would it take to reactivate Europe's ability to inspire? Aligned with Sudeep Dasgupta and Mireille Rosello's approach of queering European culture, I imagine the possibilities that might emerge if we reenergise Queer and Europe with their original radical potential. In my reading of Panos H. Koutras' film Xenia, I ask the following: what happens if we imbue Queer Europe with a grammar of hope instead of a grammar of hopelessness? I posit that Xenia queers the space between the European centre and periphery in its celebration of 'diva citizenship' and in so doing, the film reconfigures a Europe in the present continuous rather than the past and future tenses. Such a reconfiguration widens the scope to imagine new cartographies that map European culture in alternative frameworks. A Europe of Stories, I suggest, emerges in the space that this new cartography opens up.


Novel materials, based on Mesoporous Bioactive Glasses(MBGs) in the ternary system SiO2-CaO-P2O5, decorated with (3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane (APTES) and subsequently with amino acid Lysine (Lys), by post-grafting method on the external surface of the glasses (named MBG-NH2 and MBG-Lys), are reported. The surface functionalization with organic groups did not damage the mesoporous network and their structural and textural properties were also preserved despite the high solubility of MBG matrices. The incorporation of Lys confers a zwitterionic nature to these MBG materials due to the presence of adjacent amine and carboxylic groups in the external surface. At physiologic pH, this coexistence of basic amine and carboxilic acid groups from anchored Lys provided zero surface charge named zwitterionic effect. This behaviour could give rise to potential applications of antibacterial adhesion. Therefore, in order to assess the influence of zwitterionic nature in in vitro bacterial adhesion, studies were carried out with Staphylococcus aureus. It was demonstrated that the efficient interaction of these zwitterionic pairs onto the MBG surfaces reduced bacterial adhesion up to 99.9% compared to bare MBGs. In order to test the suitability of zwitterionic MBGs materials as bone grafts, their cytocompatibility was investigated in vitro with MC3T3-E1 preosteoblasts. These findings suggested that the proposed surface functionalization strategy provided MBG materials with notable antibacterial adhesion properties, hence making these materials promising candidates for local bone infection therapy.


Intracranial brain abscess was produced in three monkeys by embolization of a small pledget of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) soaked in a broth of Staphylococcus aureus. Imaging of the chronic stable abscess was performed on the General Electric 8800 CT unit (Milwaukee, Wis.) and a 1.4 T superconducting small bore imaging system. Magnetic resonance imaging included saturation recovery, inversion recovery, and spin echo techniques. MR imaging was also performed after paramagnetic enhancement using gadolinium-DPTA (Gd-DTPA). Our results show that paramagnetic enhancement with T1-weighted imaging adds specificity and enables rapid assessment of abnormalities of the blood-brain barrier. T2-weighted imaging without paramagnetic enhancement was very sensitive in defining areas of abnormality in the brain but in our experiment lacked specificity. T2-weighted imaging with Gd-DTPA demonstrated no obvious change in the appearance of the lesion. The combination of T1-weighted Gd-DTPA and T2-weighted imaging appeared complementary in our experiment, and these images correlated well with the pathologic findings.


Energy consumption has been mostly neglected in network coding (NC) research so far. This work investigates several different properties of NC that influence the energy consumption and thus are important when designing NC systems for battery-driven devices. Different approaches to the necessary implementation of coding operations and Galois fields arithmetic are considered and complexity expressions for coding operations are provided. We also benchmark our own mobile phone implementation on a Nokia N95 under different settings. Several NC strategies are described and compared, furthermore expressions for transmission times are developed. It is also shown that the use of NC introduces a tradeoff between reduction in transmission time and increase in energy consumption.


This thesis successfully addresses the issues faced by particle filters in high-dimensional state-spaces by comparing them with genetic algorithms and then using genetic algorithm theory to address these issues. Sequential Monte Carlo methods are a class of online posterior density estimation algorithms that are suitable for non-Gaussian and nonlinear environments, however they are known to suffer from particle degeneracy; where the sample of particles becomes too sparse to approximate the posterior accurately. Various techniques have been proposed to address this issue but these techniques fail in high-dimensions. In this thesis, after a careful comparison between genetic algorithms and particle filters, we posit that genetic algorithm theoretic arguments can be used to explain the working of particle filters. Analysing the working of a particle filter, we note that it is designed similar to a genetic algorithm but does not include recombination. We argue based on the building-block hypothesis that the addition of a recombination operator would be able to address the sample impoverishment phenomenon in higher dimensions. We propose a novel real-coded genetic algorithm particle filter (RGAPF) based on these observations and test our hypothesis on the stochastic volatility estimation of financial stocks. The RGAPF successfully scales to higher-dimensions. To further strengthen our argument that whether building-block-hypothesis-like effects are due to the recombination operator, we compare the RGAPF with a mutation-only particle filter with an adjustable mutation rate that is set to equal the population-to-population variance of the RGAPF. The latter significantly and consistently performs better, indicating that recombination is having a subtle and significant effect that may be theoretically explained by genetic algorithm theory. After two successful attempts at validating our hypothesis we compare the performance of the RGAPF using different real-recombination operators. Observing the behaviour of the RGAPF under these recombination operators we propose a mean-centric recombination operator specifically for high-dimensional particle filtering. This recombination operator is successfully tested and compared with benchmark particle filters and a hybrid CMA-ES particle filter using simulated data and finally on real end-of-day data of the securities making up the FTSE-100 index. Each experiment is discussed in detail and we conclude with a brief description of the future direction of research.


The unsteady flow in a single stage axial flow compressor at different operating conditions has been investigated with hot wire and hot film probes to find out the influence of the aerodynamic compressor load onto the periodic fluctuations. These results are compared with measurements in the last stages of a multi stage high pressure compressor of a gas turbine for normal operation and under stall conditions. From the patterns of the frequency spectra of the measuring signals a parameter for the detection of the approach to the stability line of a compressor is derived. A method for the on line monitoring of the aerodynamic load is presented. Based on these results a monitoring system has been developed. First experiences with this system, applied to two multi stage compressors are reported.


In this letter, we aim to address synthetic aperture radar (SAR) despeckling problem with the necessity of neither clean (speckle-free) SAR images nor independent speckled image pairs from the same scene, a practical solution for SAR despeckling (PSD) is proposed. Firstly, to generate speckled-to-speckled (S2S) image pairs from the same scene in the situation of only single speckled SAR images are available, an adversarial learning framework is designed. Then, the S2S SAR image pairs are employed to train a modified despeckling Nested-UNet model using the Noise2Noise (N2N) strategy. Moreover, an iterative version of the PSD method (PSDi) is also proposed. The performance of the proposed methods is demonstrated by both synthetic speckled and real SAR data. SAR block-matching 3-D algorithm (SAR-BM3D) and SAR dilated residual network (SAR-DRN) are used in the visual and quantitative comparison. Experimental results show that the proposed methods can reach a good tradeoff between speckle suppression and edge preservation.


The purpose of this document is to describe a general architecturefor flow admission and termination based on aggregated (pre-) congestion information in order to protect the quality of service of established inelastic flows within a single DiffServ domain.


The influence of three effluent organic matter (EfOM) model compounds, humic acid (HA), bovine serum albumin (BSA), and sodium alginate (AGS), on the ozonation of bezafibrate (BF), a typical pharmaceutical and personal care product (PPCP), was investigated. The results show that ozonation efficiently removed BF from aqueous solution with removal efficiencies> 95% within 8 min for all conditions. The reaction rate of BF decreased with increasing model compounds concentrations and the influence was more pronounced for HA and BSA, while less pronounced for AGS. Although BF concentration was significantly reduced, the degree of mineralization achieved was only approximately 11%. The addition of HA and BSA improved the mineralization of the solution, while the influence of AGS was minor. The acute toxicity of BF solution during ozonation was determined using the Luminescent bacteria test, and the toxicity exhibited an initial increase and a successive reduction. An overall decreased acute toxicity was observed with an increase of HA. The presence of BSA increased the formation rate of toxicity intermediates and resulted in inhibition peak forward.


The study establishes the Malaysian chairperson statements from the socio-cognitive and professional practice perspectives. It identifies the move structure of 53 chairperson statements and metadiscourse strategies based on questionnaire and interview responses collected from 39 investors and 3 professional members. Three informational moves are used to assist investment decisions while seven non-informational moves are intended to build good image and good will, and to ensure compliance to requirements. Self-mentions, attitude markers, frame markers and transitions are also used to affectively realise the promotional and interpersonal moves. The chairperson statements are interdiscursively informational, promotional, and public relational. This research highlights pedagogy implications for English for Professional Communication (EPC) programmes, and recommendations for future studies.


ITLN1, whose expression is regulated by the unfolded protein response, coats a subset of microorganisms, including Akkermansia muciniphila, allows them to thin the inner mucus layer, and increases colitis severity. ITLN1 upregulation in UC may drive similar outcomes.


Neurogenic erectile dysfunction is a consequence of alterations in neural pathways, autonomic, somatic, the combination of both or brain components that induce erection. This review aims to explain the physiopathological mechanisms of the most frequent neurological alterations causing erectile dysfunction and sexual disorders.


Summary. There is on‐going concern about the relationship between class size and achievement for children in their first years of schooling. The Institute of Education's class size project was set up to address this issue and began recruiting in the autumn of 1996. However, because of the non‐normality of achievement measures, especially in mathematics, the results have hitherto been presented by using transformed achievement measures. This makes the interpretation difficult for non‐statisticians. Ideally, the data would be modelled on the original scale and a bootstrap procedure used to ensure that inferences are robust to non‐normality. However, the data are multilevel. In the paper we therefore propose a nonparametric residual bootstrap procedure that is suitable for multilevel models, show that it is consistent and present a simulation study which demonstrates its potential to yield substantial reductions in the difference between nominal and actual confidence interval coverage, compared with a parametric bootstrap, when the underlying distribution of the data is non‐normal. We then apply our approach to estimate the relationship between class size and achievement for children in their reception year, after adjusting for other possible determinants.


Glioblastoma is an aggressive cancer, the proliferative capacity of which is correlated with glycolytic metabolism. BPM31510 is a novel formulation for delivery of supraphysiological levels of ubidecarenone to the mitochondria, enabling cancer specific metabolic switches. It is being studied in Phase I clinical trials versus a number of tumors, including glioma. Here, the effects of ubidecarenone on viability and redox homeostasis of glioma and non-tumorigenic cells was assessed using in vitro monoculture and coculture systems and an in vivo preclinical model. BPM31510 administration (50 mg/kg bid i.p., beginning 4-8 days post-inoculation) resulted in over a 20% long term survival rate in C6 tumor-bearing rats. We next compared BPM31510 effects in vitro between glioma lines (rat C6, human U251) and murine NIH3T3 fibroblasts, as a stromal control. In monocultures, decreased growth was observed in glioma lines and NIH3T3 with increasing BPM31510 doses; however, glioma lines were 2-fold more sensitive to BPM31510 compared to NIH3T3 cells (IC50 glioma lines: 230 µM vs IC50 NIH3T3: >460 µM). To investigate the differential sensitivity to BPM31510, a coculture system was developed by coincubating 2 x 105 C6-GFP labeled cells and NIH3T3 cells. After 6 days of coculture, the percentage of C6 relative to NIH3T3 cells was lowest at doses of BPM31510 between 115 µM and 230 µM, evidence of greater sensitivity to BPM31510-induced cytotoxicity in the C6 glioma cells than the non-tumorigenic component. At higher doses, differential effects on cell viability were less apparent. The level of superoxide, a central reactive oxygen species important in redox homeostasis, was also assessed using Mitosox in cocultures. At a BPM31510 dose which resulted in maximal differential viability between C6 and NIH3T3 cells (230 μM), the maximal differential superoxide level was likewise greatest. The basal differential in Mitosox signal was 9-fold between C6 and NIH3T3 cells, and it increased to over 50-fold upon treatment with BPM31510 (230 μM), implying that BPM31510 exploits differential redox vulnerabilities between C6 and NIH3T3 to mediate its anti-cancer activity. At high doses of BPM31510, differential effects on superoxide levels were less apparent. In summary, BPM31510 has marked anti-cancer activity in rats implanted with C6 glioma, and its differential effects on the viability of normal and transformed cells are associated with maximal differences in BPM31510-induced superoxide production. Together, these data suggest that differential redox vulnerabilities between tumorigenic and non-tumorigenic cells may underpin the anti-cancer activity of BPM31510, and identification of in vivo correlates of redox indices may represent an avenue to improved measurement of anti-cancer efficacy as well as define patient populations responsive to BPM31510. Citation Format: Jiaxin Sun, Seema Nagpal, Chirag Patel, Milton Merchant, Tiachang Jang, Anne R. Diers, Shiva Kazerounian, Stephane Gesta, Niven R. Narain, Rangaprasad Sarangarajan, Lawrence Recht. BPM31510 exploits differential redox vulnerabilities between normal and glioblastoma cells to mediate its anti-cancer effect [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019; 2019 Mar 29-Apr 3; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 3608.


health rules are reminiscent of the Regimen sanitatis Salerni. Some of the material was borrowed, such as proverbs from Dryden, Pope, La Rochefoucauld and Rabelais. Franklin continually added and revised, and some of his statements found their way into common American parlance. The last number (1758) contained a series of adages entitled 'The way to wealth' and this appeared even in Chinese, Russian and Welsh. As a reflection of the popular needs of mid-eighteenth-century America, Britain and France, Franklin's almanacks are important social documents of general and particular knowledge. Their reproduction in the present form, which first appeared in 1964, is, therefore, welcome, although the much-acclaimed coloured plates in this edition are not especially attractive.


The authors examine and justify the life tables constructed by Deparcieux in 1746 for the Benedictine monks of St. Maur France. The life table is characterized by lower mortality of middle-aged adults and excess mortality for men over 50 years of age as compared with life tables for the laity constructed at that time. The reasons for these differences are considered (SUMMARY IN ENG SPA) (ANNOTATION)


James Doster's book could well be labeled a study in confirmation. The names are different, the locale has shifted, and the details vary, but the broader story remains the same. The state of Alabama welcomed the railroads, the state came to fear the railroads, the state tried to regulate the roads, the roads successfully neutralized such regulation, a strong man arose, with just enough of the demagogue in him to sway people, and regulation became effective. The remarkable thing about this particular study is how neatly each phase of the story coincides with what was happening to corporate regulation on the national scale and in other states. In the 1860's and 1870*5 Alabama gave the railroads not only its heart, but more important, its credit. (In that same period Texas was giving the railroads lands equivalent to an area the size of Alabama, but of course Alabama had no such public lands to squander.) Gradually, as sentiment built for regulation, the conservatives decided that if regulation were coming, they had better see that the "right type" of legislation was passed. The result was a three-man commission with little power beyond the advisory one. More than that, however, a result was to initiate a generation of "dogfighting" between Braxton Bragg Comer, a Populist-type radical, and Milton Hannibal Smith, president of the Louisville and Nashville Railroad, which made regulation a continuing issue in Alabama politics. Whether either man won anything permanent is moot, but they kept the issues thoroughly aired. The book is solid and sober. Doster apparently has looked under every railroad tie in Alabama, and he has an awareness of where his story fits into the general Alabama experience of the period. If the book is not exactly exciting, it will serve as an excellent buttress to those historians who erect the larger structures of ratemaking, regulatory commissions, or Populist-Progressive politics. JOE B. FRANTZ, University of Texas


Performance theories have streamlined the practicality of theatre through various approaches that are man and environment centred. Acting as a discipline of this vibrant social media has been an indispensable composite art, a thespian craft which reappraises the role of theatre and film of the dramatic genre as a social media. The skill of acting as a performative art, its technique as an interpretative artistic genre and most importantly its therapeutic influence as a panacea for stress reduction strategy is the main focus of this study.The theoretical influence of Stanislavsky on the skill of acting is the theme and the effect through practice is the recommendation.


CIE recommended values of road-lighting performance parameters have been established on the basis of investigations, generally those with subjective appraisals of road-lighting installations. This paper presents an analysis of the results of investigations of this type made in some European countries. The general conclusions are that it is not possible to establish the reliable correlation between the road-lighting performance parameters and the appraisals of these parameters; the results obtained do not give a sufficient basis for recommending any minimum values of road-lighting performance parameters. Reasons of the unreliability of the results of investigations are considered, especially those concerning the present-day methods of investigation based on subjective appraisals made by observers.


The effect of steric exclusions between rods in correlating positional with rotational hinderances is used to calculate the mean field a rod sees in a fluid of other rods with which it interacts via anisotropic dispersion forces. The resultant potential involves all Legendre polynomials even within the dipole–dipole approximation. It is also possible to see how specific forces could be incorporated into the derivation to give the often anomalous results seen in Raman scattering. The magnitude of the potential is also estimated using absorption, scattering, and equation of state data. The resultant characteristic energy is somewhat smaller than that required by a recent theory of Flory and Ronca which contains both steric and dispersion effects, and is much smaller than that required by the Maier–Saupe approach which takes no account of steric influences.


This study presents subjective speech evaluation on mobile communication networks, to determine speech quality level on mobile networks in Nigeria. The speech evaluation was based on subjective measurement methods using Mean Opinion Score (MOS). The subjective method was carried out in a quiet place at various times, with recommended sentences at different period respectively, five TECNO mobile equipments, with model number TECNO N3 and Andriod Version 2.3.5 were used, for a period of three Months. In addition, Network A, Network B and Network C, were considered in mobile communication networks in Nigeria. The male and female speech quality were examine from three different mobile networks, also comparison analysis were carried out from various networks to determine their speech quality, using various statistical tools such as Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) and Correlation Coefficient. In addition, various causes of drop calls and low (poor) speech quality levels were highlighted. It is observed that the total average RMSE value from the male speech quality obtained from the three networks considered is 0.601, while Correlation Coefficient value obtained between male and female speech quality were in variance. Also, Network A has higher (better) speech quality than Network B and Network C. In addition, speech distortions have lead to high number of drop calls in mobile communication networks in Nigeria.


In the current study, the influence of different rotation conditions on the flow behavior is experimentally investigated by a new system which is designed for time-resolved PIV measurements of the smooth channels at rotation conditions. The Reynolds number equals 15000 and the rotation number ranges from 0 to 0.392 with an interval of 0.098.
 This new time-resolved Particle Image Velocimetry system consists of a 10 Watts continuous laser diode and a high-speed camera. The laser diode can provide a less than 1mm thickness sheet light. 6400 frames can be captured in one second by the high-speed camera. These two parts of the system are fixed on a rotating disk. In this case, the relative velocity of flows in the rotating smooth square channel can be measured directly to reduce the measurement error. This system makes high-speed camera close to the rotating channel, which allows a high resolution for the measurements of main stream. In addition, high accuracy and temporal resolution realize a detailed analysis of boundary layer characteristics in rotation conditions. Based on this system, experimental investigation has been undertaken. Results are presented of the evolution of velocity and boundary layer thickness at various rotation numbers and different circumferential positions.


An accurate and safer analysis for structure is possible if we can identify factors in the analysis more accurately. One of the important factors in the analysis is the identification the kind and intensity of structural loading. Among the types of loading, especially dynamic loads and impact loads resulting from the explosion, is far more complicated and difficult to determine. According to lab explosion modeling problems, using numerical modeling to analyze these phenomena can be reasonable. Uses grid methods like Finite element method caused a numerical error due to intense deformation and high velocity of blast. In this paper, underwater explosion was modeled and programmed with numerical mesh-less method, Smooth Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH), using Fortran programming language and explosion pressure and water level changes in the blast were studied. Finally the solving problem is compared with empirical relation. The results of this model are very similar to empirical relationship. This program can be used for underwater explosions modeling and the results can be used to determine pressures and impacts on marine structures.


Purpose This study attempted to derive an objective and sophisticated definition of poor ovarian response (POR). Materials and Methods A total of 176 consecutive in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles (137 patients) with conventional ovarian stimulation during 2009 to 2012 were studied by retrospective analysis. Optimal oocyte number (total or mature) was determined by statistics-based (distribution of oocyte number) and prognosis-based approaches (prediction for IVF outcome). Receiver operating characteristics curve analysis was used to show what number of oocytes could predict IVF pregnancy and whether clinical and laboratory variables could predict newly defined POR. Results The 25th percentile of the distribution corresponded to total oocytes ≤2 and mature oocyte ≤1. The cut-off values for the prediction of IVF outcomes were total oocytes >5 and mature oocyte >1. Considering the incidence of POR (34.1%), a reasonable definition of POR was decided as total oocytes ≤2 or mature oocyte ≤1. For the prediction of this new definition, the extreme cut-off value (by setting a false positive rate of 5%) of serum anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) was ≤0.76 ng/mL, which was better than serum follicle stimulating hormone or age. A new simple definition of POR was derived as total oocytes ≤2 or mature oocyte ≤1 in a previous cycle or a serum AMH level of ≤0.76 ng/mL. When this simple criterion was re-applied to our data, the predictive performance was similar to the Bologna criteria. Conclusion We here propose a new definition of POR, which is simple and supported by statistical and prognostic analyses.


Noted economist Bina Agarwal provides gender perspectives on a wide range of academic and policy issues of current importance in this three-volume set of essays written by her over the last three decades. Combining diverse methodologies and an interdisciplinary approach, this collection brings together in one place the author's pioneering work in the areas of agriculture, environment, and property rights. These peer-reviewed essays challenge standard economic analysis and assumptions, unraveling the linkages between gender inequality, social exclusion, property, and development. Volume I examines how modernization of agriculture, introduction of new technologies, and rural innovations affect the position of women in rural families, especially in the context of food distribution and healthcare. Volume II challenges conventional approaches to property and family, and examines the importance of owning property, for women's economic and social well-being, for enhancing their bargaining power and security, and for protecting them against domestic violence. Volume III provides theoretical and conceptual formulations on gender differences in responses to the environment, empirical assessments of such responses, and policy implications.


Improving food security at the household level is very crucial in India as here many people are suffering from persistent hunger and malnutrition. In India, mounting pressure of population, adverse threats of climate change, fragmented land holding, high input cost etc. are very important which prevent to ensure food security. In India, there is malnutrition in all age groups, especially among children. Problem of low birth weight due to undernutrition of mother during pregnancy and underweight of children is very common in the country. The purchasing power of certain section of the society is so low that they cannot access food at the market price. They need the safety net of food subsidy. In India, food problem in the normative sense still continues to exist as millions of poor suffer from persistent hunger and malnutrition. This is the task to which food security system must address itself in future. There are some important factors which can increase yield growth and domestic supply of food substantially. Among these factors education and knowledge regarding improving farm efficiency, provision of an improved agricultural technology to the farmers, delivery of modern farm inputs, technical know-how, institutional credit to the farmers, and crop diversification are very essential to build a huge stock of food grains in India. Educated and trained people can acquire new skills and technologies required for growing agricultural output to meet the domestic demand.


In this paper we consider the problem of diagonal stability of interval systems. We investigate the existence and evaluation of a common diagonal solution to the Lyapunov and Stein matrix inequalities for third order interval systems. We show that these problems are equivalent to minimax problem with polynomial goal functions. We suggest an interesting approach to solve the corresponding game problems. This approach uses the opennes property of the set of solutions. Examples show that the proposed method is effective and sufficiently fast.


We forecast the reionization history constraints, inferred from Lyα damping wing absorption features, for a future sample of ∼20 z ≥ 6 gamma-ray burst (GRB) afterglows. We describe each afterglow spectrum by a three-parameter model. First, L characterizes the size of the ionized region (the "bubble size") around a GRB host halo. Second, 〈x H i 〉 is the volume-averaged neutral fraction outside of the ionized bubble around the GRB, which is approximated as spatially uniform. Finally, N H i denotes the column density of a local damped Lyα absorber (DLA) associated with the GRB host galaxy. The size distribution of ionized regions is extracted from a numerical simulation of reionization and evolves strongly across the epoch of reionization (EoR). The model DLA column densities follow the empirical distribution determined from current GRB afterglow spectra. We use a Fisher matrix formalism to forecast the 〈x H i (z)〉 constraints that can be obtained from follow-up spectroscopy of afterglows with S/N = 20 per R = 3000 resolution element at the continuum. We find that the neutral fraction may be determined to better than 10%–15% (1σ) accuracy from this data across multiple independent redshift bins at z ∼ 6–10, spanning much of the EoR, although the precision degrades somewhat near the end of reionization. A more futuristic survey with 80 GRB afterglows at z ≥ 6 can improve the precision here by a factor of 2 and extend measurements out to z ∼ 14. We further discuss how these constraints may be combined with estimates of the escape fraction of ionizing photons derived from the DLA column density distribution toward GRBs extracted at slightly lower redshift, z ∼ 5. This combination will help in testing whether we have an accurate census of the sources that reionized the universe.


Abstract Observations are described in an experiment undertaken to determine the response of a stratified inlet to changing conditions of wind, tide and runoff. Time series of conductivity profiles taken in Alberni Inlet, British Columbia, show marked fluctuations in surface layer thickness that appear to be related to strong winds. The effect of an up-inlet wind is to produce a rapid thickening of the fresh-water layer at the inlet head which may persist for several days. Strong winds were also associated with significant changes in the intensity of stratification.


PURPOSE
The activation of antigen specific T cells by tumor associated antigens (TAA) might be a promising treatment strategy for patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC). We analyzed TAA expression in patients with RCC as well as the prevalence of fitting HLA phenotypes and calculated the percent of patients eligible for peptide vaccination trials.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
A total of 41 RCC samples from primary tumors were analyzed for TAA expression by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. Genes of interest were MAGE-1, MAGE-3, G250 and PRAME since peptides derived from these genes have been shown to activate antigen specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes. Results were combined with data on the HLA gene and haplotype frequencies in the German population as an example of a white population.

RESULTS
Tumor specific expression of at least 1 T-cell activating antigen was observed in all patients. Of the patients 80% expressed 2 or more TAAs simultaneously. HLA molecules suitable for presentation of the respective antigens were calculated to be expressed in 51% to 85% of white German patients. These results mirror with only minor variations most of the white populations in Europe and North America.

CONCLUSIONS
We noted that T-cell activating tumor associated antigens are frequently expressed in patients with RCC. Based on HLA expression analysis in a white population at least 30% of patients with RCC are eligible for monovalent specific immunotherapy and 41% are eligible for polyvalent specific immunotherapy. These data are a rational basis for future prospective vaccination trials in patients with RCC.


This paper makes the case that if e-learning research and development projects are to be successfully adopted in real-world teaching and learning contexts, then they must effectively address accessibility and usability issues; and that these need to be integrated throughout the project. As such, accessibility and usability issues need to be made explicit in project documentation, along with allocation of appropriate resources and time. We argue that accessibility and usability are intrinsically inter-linked. An integrated accessibility and usability evaluation methodology that we have developed is presented and discussed. The paper draws on a series of mini-case studies from e-learning projects undertaken over the past 10 years at the Open University. DOI: 10.1080/09687760701673659


This research paper investigated the elemental composition of soil samples from four selected mechanic workshops in Zaria. A total of eight samples were analyzed at Centre for Energy Research and Training (CERT) Ahmadu Bello University Zaria using standardless X-Ray Fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF). From the result, it was found that Silicon (Si) has the highest mean concentration ranging from 0.0013-0.0024 ppm and Ba, Ni, Cr, Mn, Cu, V, Mo and Zn having very low concentration witha mean of (0.000035 0.000053) ppm, (0.000009 0.000012) ppm, (0.0000054 0.000012) ppm, (0.0000049 0.000012) ppm, (0.0000052 0.000017) ppm, (0.0000052 0.000029) ppm, (0.0000068 0.00007) ppm and (0.00001 0.000055) ppm respectively. Lead was found in only one sampling point (Samaru Dogon Icce) with an abundance of 0.00018 ppm which is less than the maximum permissible limits (MPL) recommended by W.H.O. Hence, the result shows that there were no much toxic elements in some of the mechanic workshops in Zaria. It is advisable that substances containing heavy metals should not be disposed in farm lands or any dumpsites close to residential areas.


Relevance. Leek (Allium porrum L.) has been known as a cultivated plant since ancient times. It plays an important role in human nutrition. To increase the interest of the population, increase demand and consumption, as well as widespread and popularize this culture, it is urgent to create new promising varieties of leeks that meet modern requirements and have valuable economically useful traits. The creation of new highly productive varieties is associated with the search for sources of valuable biological and economic traits: productivity, early maturity, yield. The aim of the research was to study collection varieties of leeks, to identify the sources of the necessary valuable traits for their further use in breeding work. Materials and methods. The initial material was 73 samples of leeks of the European subspecies of various ecological and geographical origin from the collection of VIR. The studies were carried out at the collection site of the Krymsk EBS, VIR Branch (Krasnodar Territory, the city of Krymsk). Results. As a result of the study of phenological, biological, morphometric and economic characteristics, the foliage of the plant, the size of its and the false stem of the "leg", productivity and yield were determined. Formed groups of samples by ripeness and use. Comparative assessment of collection samples made it possible to identify the sources of productivity: the weight of the plant and the stem, its diameter and height, the yield of plants and the yield of marketable products. The isolated sources of valuable traits are recommended as a starting material for the selection of leeks.


Reform of social care in England is taking far too long, and delay will seriously affect people's health and quality of life, experts have told MPs.

The government's plans for a white paper on social care have been delayed, despite a large scale independent review on funding of social care for adults in England, the Dilnot report, being published almost a year ago, with specific recommendations.1

All four witnesses appearing before the parliamentary health select committee on 19 June for the first evidence session of its new inquiry into social care condemned ongoing delays in publishing the white paper.

After the publication of Dilnot's review in July 2011, the health committee conducted an inquiry into social care, publishing its report in February this year. …


Burnout is defined by Maslach and Jackson (1981a:99) as "...a syndrome of emotional exhaustion and cynicism that occurs frequently among individuals who do 'people-work' of some kind.99 [1] Research on the meaning and measurement of burnout has profited from the recent publication and psycho metric study of self-report burnout scales. (Jones, 1980; Maslach and Jackson, 1981b) Given the availability of these measures, it is important that researchers use them to examine potential contributors to the onset and/or amelioration of job stress, frequently identified (Perlman and Hartman, 1982) as a principal cause -of worker burnout. One factor identified by previous research is the psychosocial or perceived work environment. (Billings and Moos, 1982) The Berkeley Planning Associates (1977), using their own burnout questionnaire, found significant relationships between burnout and staff perceptions of non-supportive leadership, poor communication, underemphasis on task orientation, lack of worker autonomy, lack of clarity in expectations of workers, lack of innovation, and inadequate peer support. They concluded that interventions in the work environment, particularly in human service settings, can diminish worker burnout and enhance worker performance. Unfortunately, the burnout questionnaire used in the Berkeley study is not available commercially and their findings have not been replicated.


Letters from readers are welcome. They will be published at the editor's discretion as space permits and will be subject to editing. They should not exceed 500 words with no more than three authors and five references and should include the writer's telephone number and e-mail address. Letters related to material published in Psychiatric Services, which will be sent to the authors for possible reply, should be sent to Howard H. Goldman, M.D., Ph.D., Editor, Psychiatric Services, American Psychiatric Association, 1000 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 1825, MS#4 1906, Arlington, Virginia 222093901; fax, 703-907-1095; e-mail, psjournal@psych. org. Letters reporting the results of research should be submitted online for peer review (http://appi.manu scriptcentral.com).


Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to model the impact of structural factors and activities on commitment in a regional strategic network(RSN) context. Design/methodology/approach: A longitudinal case study examines two regional strategic networks acting in different business areas in mid Sweden. Findings: Competition-neutral, social, and personal goals were found to be powerful drivers promoting shared values andcommitment among competitors, whereas business-related goals worked well for complementary firms, providing a more stable basis for networkcommitment. In the RSN with a large number of members, sensitivity to absence was low, but it took longer for members to get to know one another, slowing commitment development. The RSN including members with complementary resources proved a more favorable setting than did the RSN including competitors, and frequent activities that favored social relationship development increased commitment. Research limitations/implications: This study identifies important factors influencing the development of commitment in network contexts, but is limited to two cases. The topic merits further research: other factors need consideration, and the factors discussed here should be evaluated in other contexts. Practical implications: The impact on network commitment of the factors discussed here needs to be considered by RSN initiators and hubs. Originality/value: Few studies treat commitment in RSN contexts. This paper addresses this deficit by identifying structural factors and activities that influence commitmentdevelopment. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited.


The Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association, or "MOFGA", was formed in 1971 by back-to-landers and others interested in growing their own food organically. MOFGA is the oldest and largest state organic organization in the United States. Its mission is to help farmers and gardeners grow organic crops, increase local food production and support rural communities. MOFGA also endeavors to educate consumers and lawmakers about the connection between healthful food and environmentally sound farming practices.

MOFGA began its organic certification program in 1972. True to the roots of the organic movement, these first certified organic farms and gardens were small-scale homestead-type operations. Accordingly, MOFGA's certification program was a grassroots effort, following Rodale's organic garden certification guidelines. Education was a significant part of the certification process in these early days, with organic farmers inspecting and instructing one another during the certification process. Twenty-seven farms were certified that first year.

Much has happened in the organic movement in the four decades since MOFGA began. Most notably was the establishment of a federal rule forming the National Organic Program within the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). This national set of criteria defining organic agriculture can still spark controversy. In 2001, in order to comply with the new regulation, MOFGA established a subsidiary, MOFGA Certification Services LLC, to carry on the role of organic certification for its constituents in Maine, but now as an accredited certifying agent under the USDA. Locally, there is still work to be done to educate farmers and processors about compliance with the rule. Those who get certified want to see a greater return on the effort and expense involved in certification. In spite of these challenges, the number of organic farms and processors-now over 430-continues to grow in Maine. MOFGA has had an important role in cultivating new farmers, many of whom get certified. Growing the number of farmers selling through Community Supported Agriculture or CSAs and other forms of direct to consumer outlets has also been a programmatic focus. MOFGA is currently working on a marketing campaign to promote brand recognition for the MOFGA certified organic label.

This poster will present recent trends at MOFGA with data filled graphics. We hope our experiences can inform other NGOs from around the world and that conversations and connections can be made at this IFOAM Congress that can improve MOFGA's work in Maine.


Introduction: Internet has literally percolated every aspect of human life today including social communication, education, research, health seeking, banking, business, shopping, administration, and entertainment, so much so that we cannot imagine our lives without internet. However, internet can be misused and excess internet use can be pathological and addictive. Younger population and especially college students are more vulnerable to this addiction because of their psychosocial and environmental characteristics. This internet addiction can lead to various psychological, physical, as well as social problems. Hence, in this background, the present study was conducted to find out the prevalence of internet addiction among medical students and also its determinants. Methodology: This was a cross-sectional study done at DM Wayanad Institute of Medical Sciences, Wayanad District, Kerala, between January and June 2018. All the undergraduate medical students of the college were the study subjects. Data were collected using a predesigned and pretested self-administered questionnaire (Young's internet addiction test). Completed responses were obtained from a total of 729 students. Results: 5.5% were found to have no internet addiction and 94.5% were found to have internet addiction. 60.8%, 31.3%, and 2.5% were found to have mild, moderate and severe internet addiction, respectively. The prevalence of internet addiction was more among males compared to females, Part II, final phase students compared to other phase students, management quota students compared to other quota students, Christians compared to other religions, urban origin students compared to rural origin, and day scholars compared to hostellites. However, only sex, phase of MBBS, and place of origin were found to have a statistically significant association (P= <0.01, 0.026 and 0.049 respectively). There was a weak negative correlation (r = −0.117) between the percentage of marks obtained in previous university examination and IA scores, and the correlation was found to be statistically significant (P= <0.01). Conclusions: The prevalence of internet addiction among the study subjects was significantly more compared to other studies. Sex, phase of MBBS, and place of origin were found to have a statistically significant association with internet addiction. There was a negative correlation between the degree of internet addiction and academic performance. Key words: Internet addiction, Kerala, medical college, students


This deployment model is well-suited to actors of Over The Top Cloud (like Amazon). But it is less obvious for traditional operators of telecommunication services (like Orange). Actually, one can see today that there are real advantages to exploring a different approach, based not only on centralized infrastructures, but that would be composed of a large number of distributed Cloud infrastructures, distributed throughout the network of operators, and at the edge: in local and regional Point of Presence (PoP), in customer premises, or even inside core network equipment. There are at least two contexts where such distributed Cloud infrastructure would make sense for operators. First is to allow the deployment of applications with locality constraints. Those constraints can be technical like latency (e.g., for augmented reality), or legal – data must remain inside a given geographical area (e.g., for medical services). The second context is to provide the operator with the required infrastructure to deploy applications of virtualized network functions (NFV). Indeed, operators are in the process of considering the deployment of advanced network functions (GiLAN mobile interface, level 4 to 7 services such as firewalls or load balancers, EPC mobile core, IMS...) as virtual machines or containers deployed on COTS x86 hardware. The distributed Cloud infrastructure could provide the IaaS layer that will support for the deployment of those NFV applications.


Abstract: This is a report on the ultrastructural finding of the olivary hypertrophy in a case with palatal myoclonus. By light microscopy two types of neuronal changes were observed in the inferior olivary nucleus, i.e. the central chromatolysis and cytoplasmic vacuolation. Both types were also recognized by electron microscopy and the cytoplasmic vascuolation was identified as the vesiculated endoplasmic reticulum. In the reactive astrocytes, mitochondria were strikingly proliferated.


The development and strengthening of employees' vocational identity are critical issues in organizations. The absence of professional selfawareness could negatively affect the emotional status of individuals. Moreover, such a condition can lead to a worsening of organizational performance. For this reason, studying the connections between human resources management and identity development is essential. Data and method. This exploratory study performs a systematic literature review starting from SCOPUS and EBSCO Host databases to understand how literature debates these connections. Results. The majority of extracted articles belong to the following fields: human resources management, psychology, and organizational studies. The connections between these three fields represent a clear theoretical framework for understanding how literature debates professional identity development in organizations. The theories considered in the extracted articles are numerous, but the social identity theory and the social categorization theory are the most cited by the authors. Four main themes emerge from the content analysis: motivation, satisfaction, and well-being of employees; the "crisis" status of human resource management; professional identity development in the workplace; the career adaptation of individuals. Conclusions. This study allows confirming how the development of professional identity is critical in organizations. Although the literature shows a considerable interest in vocational identity and human resources management, this study reflects on the possibility of producing further in-depth examinations concerning the connections between these topics. Further studies should explore vocational identity development through a renovated strategic role of human resources management, no more limited to a bureaucratic partner.


Abstract Catalysis in aqueous systems under sonochemical conditions has become an irreplaceable method in green synthetic chemistry after more than two decades of studies in this domain. The present review has the aim of describing the state-of-the-art with a comprehensive view of advantages and limitations as well as new potential applications. Catalytic procedures in water assisted by ultrasound and/or hydrodynamic cavitation are environmentally friendly with milder conditions, shorter reaction times and higher yields. Sonochemical processes can reduce the formation of hazardous by-products, the generation of waste and also produce energy savings. Cavitational implosion generates mechanical and chemical effects such as cleaning of catalyst surface and formation of free radicals by sonolysis of water. The present overview of sonochemical reactions in water (oxidation, bromination, aza-Michael, C–C couplings, MCR and aldol reactions) should provide useful models for furthering the progress of organic synthesis using harmless and greener sound energy.


PURPOSE
To investigate fundus autofluorescence (FAF) imaging findings for patients with choroidal rupture.

METHODS
FAF images were recorded with a new-generation confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscope. Three patients with choroid ruptures, one acute and two chronic, were included in the study.

RESULTS
Choroidal ruptures typically appeared as hypoautofluorescent crescent-shaped lesions on FAF images. In the case of acute choroid rupture, the whole extent of the rupture was clearly seen, and visibility of the lesion was found to be better by FAF imaging than by ophthalmoscopy and fundus fluorescein angiography.

CONCLUSION
Choroidal rupture has a typical appearance by FAF imaging. FAF imaging may be a useful noninvasive tool in the recognition of these lesions early in their course.


Nisin, the best known LAB (Lactic Acid Bacteria) bacteriocin, is a promising alternative to antibiotics, and displays a broad spectrum of activity against a wide range of spoilage and pathogenic Gram positive bacteria. The aim of the study was to determine the bactericidal effect of nisin. The Lactococcus lactis MTCC 440 used for the study was obtained from IMTECH, Chandigarh. The nisin was purified by ammonium sulphate precipitation and dialysis. It was found that the addition of nisin showed bactericidal activity against Staphylococcus aureus , Micrococcus luteus and Bacillus cereus at 11μgm/10μL, 07μgm/10μL and 08μgm/10μL, respectively. The bactericidal effect of nisin against susceptible test strains showed minimum inhibitory concentrations of 50, 80 and 70 μgm/mL against Staphylococcus aureus , Micrococcus luteus and Bacillus cereus , respectively in MIC test. The molecular weight of nisin was characterized using SDS PAGE and it was found to be 3000 and 7000 Daltons. The study revealed that nisin exhibited bactericidal effect against some of the selected food-borne pathogens and hence can be effectively used in any food product to control either the Gram positive food-borne pathogens or spoilage bacteria. Keywords/phrases: Bactericidal, Lactococcus lactis, Nisin, Test strains Ethiop. J. Biol. Sci ., 10(1): 95-102, 2011


This study suggests quantitative guidelines for inside clothing temperatures to improve the heat tolerance of 20``s females in summer. First, the inside clothing temperatures (Tcl) of each subject was measured in daily use. The subjects were asked to record subjective thermal sensations, clothing items worn, clothing weight, and activities during an experiment designed to determine the comfort zone of Tcl. In a thermally neutral state, the comfort zone of Tcl was decided on a mean value Tcl±1σ. Second, the subjects were asked to wear clothing that would enable them to feel ``slightly warm but still comfortable``. The rest of the processes were the same as previous steps that were designed to understand the way and degree of clothing control. The comfort zone of Tcl was decided in the same manner as the previous step. The two comfort zones were combined and named the combined comfort zone of the definitive comfort zone. The results were as follows: 1. Thermally comfortable Tcl, Hcl were 34.0±1.1℃, 40±9%RH and the thermally comfortable ambient climate was 25.0±1.6℃, 53±7%RH. 2. When subjects were asked to wear ``slightly warm but still comfortable``, there were difference in thermally comfortable Tcl, clothing weight and clothing layer by subject. 3. In this study, the optimal Tcl was decided on the mid-point of the definitive comfort zone of Tcl.


By reducing cut thickness to 3 mm, spatial resolution of transverse axial and reformatted images of the thorax is markedly improved at the cost of slightly decreased contrast resolution as compared to standard 9 mm CT pictures when using the same dose. Reformatte4d CT pictures of the thorax in coronal sagittal and oblique planes made from thin slices offer a unique way of studying normal and pathological anatomy in vivo. It is further concluded that, although with present reconstruction times this method is as yet not suited for routine use, it might prove to be useful in investigations where high spatial resolution is of prime importance.


Holocene sediments in Lake Washington contain a series of turbidites that were episodically deposited throughout the lake. The magnetic signatures of these terrigenous layers are temporally and areally correlatable. Large earthquakes appear to have triggered slumping on the steep basin walls and landslides in the drainage area, resulting in turbidite deposition. One prominent turbidite appears to have been deposited about 1100 years ago as the result of a large earthquake. Downcore susceptibility patterns suggest that near-simultaneous slumping occurred in at least three separate locations, two of which now contain submerged forests. Several other large earthquakes may have occurred in the last 3000 years.


ABSTRACT Dipeptidyl peptidase type IV (DppIV) enzymes are broadly distributed phylogenetically and display diverse functions, including intercellular signaling, immunomodulation, protein maturation and processing, metabolism, and nutrient acquisition. We identified a secreted proteolytic activity in Histoplasma capsulatum effective toward DppIV-specific substrates. In order to determine the gene(s) that encodes this activity, we identified two putative DPPIV homologs (HcDPPIVA and HcDPPIVB) in H. capsulatum based on a homology search with Aspergillus fumigatus DppIV. Comparative sequence analysis revealed that HcDppIVA is similar to secreted DppIV enzymes, while HcDppIVB clusters with intracellular DapB-like enzymes. Unexpectedly, silencing of HcDPPIVA by RNA interference (RNAi) had no effect on secreted DppIV activity and an HcDPPIVA-null deletion mutant also showed no abrogation of secreted DppIV activity. In contrast, RNAi silencing of HcDPPIVB significantly reduced the level of secreted DppIV activity. RNAi silencing of HcDPPIVB in the HcDPPIVA-null mutant had no additional effect on secreted DppIV activity, indicating that HcDPPIVA does not contribute to secreted activity. RNAi silencing of HcDPPIVB did not affect the ability to kill a murine macrophage-like cell line, RAW 264.7, indicating that this gene is not required for infection of macrophages.


The obituary for William A. Altemeier, Jr. (4 May, p. 525), was incorrect. Dr. Altemeier was chairman of the Department of Surgery at the University of Cincinnati.


Eight hundred volcanologists from 34 countries gathered in late June in Santa Fe, N.Mex., for the week-long 1989 General Assembly of the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior (IAVCEI). Although such international volcanological meetings have taken place every 4 years since the 1950s, this was the first IAVCEI Assembly ever held in North America, as noted by the president of IAVCEI, Shigeo Aramaki of the Earthquake Research Institute of the University of Tokyo, during the opening ceremony in Santa Fe. The Santa Fe assembly also was about 50% larger than any previous IAVCEI meeting, attesting to the healthy scientific status of volcanology.


Purpose
The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to present a set of critical factors for total quality management (TQM) and supply chain management (SCM) practices through an extensive literature review; and, second, to identify the relationships among them by comparing the identified TQM and SCM practices in order to explore the concept of supply chain quality management (SCQM).

Design/methodology/approach
To meet the goals of this work, a review of published quality research papers was carried out. For this, the authors identified papers on TQM and SCM practices and observed how these practices improve the business performance of organizations. Further, on the basis of identified practices, a conceptual model of SCQM was developed.

Findings
The results presented a set of six critical factors each for TQM and SCM practices. Further, it was found that management support and commitment, customer focus, information and supplier partnership are the most common practices found in both TQM and SCM practices. The integration of TQM and SCM (SCQM) throughout the supply chain has the strongest impact on the organizational performance.

Research limitations/implications
The study used data from various research papers of reputed journals which considered the study of India's manufacturing industry as well as other countries, which may not provide a clear picture. However, this can be overcome by applying the findings of this paper to collect data from Indian manufacturing industry in future studies.

Practical implications
Indian manufacturing industry can improve its competitive image through the synergy of TQM and SCM. The result of this paper will help in providing a greater understanding of identified TQM and SCM practices that will lead to the successful implementation of TQM and SCM strategies to enhance business performance in terms of the improved levels of customer service.

Originality/value
Much of the attention is given on TQM and SCM practices, and very few studies have been undertaken to integrate TQM and SCM practices. But as far as the authors know, there is no study undertaken to integrate TQM and SCM practices in India for the manufacturing class. Therefore, this study compares TQM and SCM practices and considers their integration and can be thus treated as filling a gap in the extant literature. Therefore, the findings of this review paper will contribute in future research.


The emergence of antimicrobial drug resistant bacteria has been a concern worldwide. One of bacteria that has been reported to develop resistance is Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Recent studies showed that Livestock Associated MRSA (LA-MRSA) was found in domestic food animals and their handlers. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of MRSA in goat milk of goat farms located in Terengganu. A total of 664 udder milks were taken from 332 goats at 40 selected farms within Terengganu state. Then, screening of bacteria and isolation of suspected S. aureus isolates in the milk samples was done using selective agar, Gram staining and biochemical tests. The identity of the bacteria isolated was further confirmed using PCR where specific designed primers were used to detect the presence of nuc gene of S. aureus (278bp) and mecA gene (533bp) of MRSA. Both S. aureus and MRSA isolates were also tested for their susceptibilities toward the antimicrobial drugs. Fifty milk samples were found to contain S. aureus and one of the S. aureus isolates were MRSA. The bacteria isolates were found to have higher tendency to be resistance toward Penicillin (26.0%) and Oxacillin (12.0%). This study provides useful data on the current status of MRSA prevalence in small ruminant's milk, which can be used to prevent transmission of LA-MRSA to human and other animals.


This research paper aims to study the dynamics of Cognitive Dissonance in the context of Financial Products. The study shall explain the relationship between Cognitive Dissonance and its effect on Brand Recommendations in the context of Financial Products. Design/ Methodology – A survey was conducted among the customers who had bought a financial product recently from any recognized financial institution in India. Scale developed by Sweeney et al. (2000) was used to measure the magnitude of dissonance for 2 factors – "Concern for Deal" & "Wisdom of Purchase". The responses were collected through Google Form using convenience sampling. Findings – The research found that there was no significant difference in the levels of Cognitive Dissonance due to Demographic Factors such as Age, Gender, Education, while it was observed that students felt high and medium levels of cognitive dissonance after purchasing a financial product. There was no difference between the levels of cognitive dissonance due to the different types of sellers. The type of product also did not affect the levels of cognitive dissonance except a little influence among Insurance buyers. There was a slight difference in the levels of cognitive dissonance due to few alternatives explored and none or many alternatives explored. Customer who explored few alternatives experienced more cognitive dissonance as compared to those who explored none or many alternatives. The relationship between Cognitive Dissonance and Brand Recommendation was found to be quite consistent and the research inferred that with low levels of cognitive dissonance the propensity to recommend the brand gets higher.  Practical Implications- The arousal of cognitive dissonance after the purchase decision taken can be a major concern for marketers as it can result in order cancellations before use, loss of trust for the brand and loss of word of mouth resulting in negative Brand Recommendations. Social Implications- Marketers are responsible for Sales Volume as well as Profits for their organizations. However, they are also responsible for creating happy and loyal consumers for a win-win situation in a sales oriented transaction.


Cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) and cGMP-dependent protein kinase (PKG) are autoinhibited through multiple interactions between their respective regulatory and catalytic domains. A large portion of this autoinhibition occurs through interactions between residues within the catalytic domain and those within either a substrate-like sequence (-RRXSX-) or pseudosubstrate sequence (-RRXAX-) in the regulatory domains. These contacts effectively inhibit catalysis by blocking substrate binding. Particularly important contacts involve the P-2, P-3, and P+1 residues where either serine, which is potentially autophosphorylated, or alanine occupies the P0 position. The primary sequence is apparently less important for autoinhibition in PKGs than in PKAs, and a conserved serine at P+2 in PKGs is important for autoinhibitory contacts. Elements outside the substrate-related sequences also contribute to autoinhibition in both PKA and PKG. For example, synthetic peptides with relatively short pseudosubstrate sequences are weak inhibitors; while heat-denatured RII subunit does not inhibit catalytic subunit, it is still rapidly autophosphorylated; and truncated PKGs lacking the substrate-like sequence are still partially autoinhibited. Thus, capacity for autoinhibition of PKA or PKG is provided by contacts involving direct interactions with the catalytic site and by contacts that stabilize an inactive conformation.


The learner has face difficult in learning if not accompanied by strong motivation and directed towards the goals that set for himself,as the type of goals set by the learner for himself is behind the difference in achievement of the tasks and levels of learning, and these goals are directed and determine his behavior Academic in the way of his study and his direction towards the lecture and colleagues.
Current research aims:

Build tools for thegoal orientations
Measuring the goal orientations for the university studentsaccording to variables (type/class/specialization).

In order to achieve the objectives of the research, a tool was constructed for the (the Goal orientation), and the psychometric properties of the tool were extracted. The validity was achieved by the retest method for the completion of the pitch (0.89), after the performance / feet (0.90) and after the performance / volume (0.85), either in the alfa-cronbach method was (0.80) for the first dimension, and (0.78) for the second dimension, and (0.86) for the third dimension. The scale was applied to a sample of (377), After collecting and processing the data statistically Data processing statistically the current research shows that university students have goal orientations, the current research recommends that the quality of the goals adopted by university students be taken into consideration.


This paper presents a polymorphic type inference algorithm for a small subset of JavaScript. The goal is to prevent accessing undefined members of objects. We define a type system that allows explicit extension of objects through add operation and implicit extension through method calls. The type system also permits strong updates and unrestricted extensions to new objects. The type inference algorithm is modular so that each function definition is only analyzed once and larger programs can be checked incrementally.


A topologically oriented neural network is very
efficient for real-time path planning for a mobile robot in changing
environments. When using a recurrent neural network for this
purpose and with the combination of the partial differential equation
of heat transfer and the distributed potential concept of the network,
the problem of obstacle avoidance of trajectory planning for a
moving robot can be efficiently solved. The related dimensional
network represents the state variables and the topology of the robot's
working space. In this paper two approaches to problem solution are
proposed. The first approach relies on the potential distribution of
attraction distributed around the moving target, acting as a unique
local extreme in the net, with the gradient of the state variables
directing the current flow toward the source of the potential heat. The
second approach considers two attractive and repulsive potential
sources to decrease the time of potential distribution. Computer
simulations have been carried out to interrogate the performance of
the proposed approaches.


Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the genotoxic effects of chlorinated homosalate by-products occurred in the presence of free chlorine. Method: The genotoxic effects of chlorinated homosalate by-products were investigated using Allium test. Cytogenetic analysis included monitoring influence of various concentrations of the test filter (10, 30 and 50 ng/ml) at various concentrations of free chlorine (0.2, 0.4 and 0.6 mg/ml), on mitotic activity of meristem cells., as well as the types of genotoxic effects expressed during the cell cycle. The observed effects were quantitatively presented at 2000 analyzed cells. Results: Each tested homosalate concentration causes a reduction of the mitotic index (MI) comparing to the water as a control, after 24 and 48 hours exposure as well. Statistical analysis demonstrated highly significant difference (p<0.0001) between the MI of water and MI of investigated solution. Besides the water as the basic control, the comparison was also performed compared to the three controls represented the concentration of free chlorine (0.2, 0.4 and 0.6 mg/ml). Most of the investigated concentration had highly significant difference of MI if compared to MI of their control containing different concentration of free chlorine. The number of irregular phases caused by investigated homosalate solutions was determined by cytogenetic analysis. It was found that the investigated solutions in the applied concentration and at the length of treatment (24 and 48 hours), disturbed chromosomes kinetics at certain stages of cell division. Aberrations in cells of the onion root appeared in the form of chromosome kinetic disturbance, the appearance of cells with "chromosomal bridge", cells with agglutinated chromosomes and micronuclei. Conclusion: The results of this study have shown that chlorinated homosalate byproducts that occur in the presence of free chlorine, show genotoxic effects on the onion root and interfere with the normal division of meristem cells.


The hazard analysis critical control point (HACCP) system is a food safety control strategy which could contribute greatly to the prevention and control of food-borne diseases if widely accepted and correctly implemented. This paper reports the findings of a survey which assessed food business operators' knowledge of, attitudes to, and opinions about, the HACCP strategy introduced into food legislation in the UK through the Food Safety (General food hygiene) regulations of 1995. The study was conducted, using the structured interview method. Seventy food business operators in Glasgow were interviewed by means of a questionnaire. Fifty-nine per cent of the food business operators have not heard about HACCP; only 27% claimed to have received literature on the strategy, while 67% indicated that they would need assistance in identifying hazards, critical control points (CCPs), and monitoring procedures in their processes. The findings of the study suggest that the presence of a legal control in the statute bo...


Measurement of specific behaviors involved in weight management is essential to understanding the behavior change process. This study presents measures of common behavioral objectives for weight management interventions. The relationships between these measures and conventional outcomes of weight management are described. Data are from a survey of 407 adults in the rural Midwest ages 23 to 88. Analyses involved bivariate and multivariate statistical tests. Relationships were stronger when limited to diet or physical activity outcomes as opposed to body mass index or waist circumference. Diet-related strategies were more strongly correlated with diet-related outcomes than physical activity-related outcomes and vice versa. Measures of social interactions and self-monitoring for both diet and physical activity were consistently related to outcomes. The measures show promise as reliable and valid indicators of behavior that could be useful in the evaluation of interventions. Intervention studies are needed to further characterize their value and sensitivity to change over time.


Polarographic assays of oxidative phosphorylation in muscle mitochondria indicated abnormal pyruvate-malate metabolism in Friedreich ataxia (FA). Pursuing this clue, more specific assays were performed. Mitochondrial malic enzyme (MEm; malate: NADP oxidoreductase) specific activity was 10% of controls in fibroblasts from eight FA patients (p < 0.0001). Cytosolic malic enzyme was modestly increased in FA fibroblasts. Mitochondrial and cytosolic malate dehydrogenase and aspartate aminotransferase, and malate transport on the dicarboxylate and a-ketoglutarate carriers were normal in fibroblasts or leukocytes. MEm activity is normally highest in the nervous system and heart and is important in regulating carbohydrate metabolism. MEm deficiency could cause FA; further studies are required to substantiate this hypothesis.


The paper presents new high angular resolution ALMA 1.3 mm dust continuum observations of the protoplanetary system AS 209 in the Ophiuchus star forming region. The dust continuum emission is characterized by a main central core and two prominent rings at $r = 75\,$au and $r = 130\,$au intervaled by two gaps at at $r = 62\,$au and $r = 103\,$au. The two gaps have different widths and depths, with the inner one being narrower and shallower. We determined the surface density of the millimeter dust grains using the 3D radiative transfer disk code \textsc{dali}. According to our fiducial model the inner gap is partially filled with millimeter grains while the outer gap is largely devoid of dust. The inferred surface density is compared to 3D hydrodynamical simulations (FARGO-3D) of planet-disk interaction. The outer dust gap is consistent with the presence of a giant planet ($M_{\rm planet} \sim 0.8\,M_{\rm Staturn}$); the planet is responsible for the gap opening and for the pile-up of dust at the outer edge of the planet orbit. The simulations also show that the same planet can give origin to the inner gap at $r = 62\,$au. The relative position of the two dust gaps is close to the 2:1 resonance and we have investigated the possibility of a second planet inside the inner gap. The resulting surface density (including location, width and depth of the two dust gaps) are in agreement with the observations. The properties of the inner gap pose a strong constraint to the mass of the inner planet ($M_{\rm planet} < 0.1\,M_{\rm J}$). In both scenarios (single or pair of planets), the hydrodynamical simulations suggest a very low disk viscosity ($\alpha < 10^{-4}$). Given the young age of the system (0.5 - 1 Myr), this result implies that the formation of giant planets occurs on a timescale of $\lesssim$ 1\,Myr.


The immunomodulatory drug lenalidomide (Len) has drawn attention to potentiate antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC)-mediated immunotherapies. We developed the defucosylated version (YB-AHM) of humanized monoclonal antibody against HM1.24 (CD317) overexpressed in multiple myeloma (MM) cells. In this study, we evaluated ADCC by YB-AHM and Len in combination against MM cells and their progenitors. YB-AHM was able to selectively kill via ADCC MM cells in bone marrow samples from patients with MM with low effector/target ratios, which was further enhanced by treatment with Len. Interestingly, Len also up-regulated HM1.24 expression on MM cells in an effector-dependent manner. HM1.24 was found to be highly expressed in a drug-resistant clonogenic "side population" in MM cells; and this combinatory treatment successfully reduced SP fractions in RPMI 8226 and KMS-11 cells in the presence of effector cells, and suppressed a clonogenic potential of MM cells in colony-forming assays. Collectively, the present study suggests that YB-AHM and Len in combination may become an effective therapeutic strategy in MM, warranting further study to target drug-resistant MM clonogenic cells.


In recent years, the household composition in Galicia has experienced profound changes; the proportion represented by the nuclear families has been increased, the average family size has been reduced, the importance of single person households has been increased, etc. These changes could involve modifications in the traditional family role as a representative of a safety area for its most vulnerable members. Therefore, this paper will examine the impor- tance that currently has the attention to child care and dependent care within the family, focusing on the Galician case because it's a community that, at least since the eighteenth century, has stood out for its high percentages of family complexity.


This paper studies the welfare implications of using market mechanisms to allocate transmission capacity in recently liberalized electricity markets. It questions whether access to this essential facility should be traded on a market, or whether the incumbent should retain exclusive usage rights. We show that granting exclusive use to the incumbent might be optimal, if the capacity of the essential facility is small and the incumbent can reduce production costs by taking advantage of interregional production-cost differences. This result counters the intuition that arbitrage will improve the social surplus when there is no output contraction. The reason is that when competition is imperfect, arbitrage might reduce production efficiency. We advise policymakers to introduce market mechanisms for the allocation of transmission capacity only if sufficient investment in the network is ensured or if the market power of the incumbent is broken in at least one of the markets in which it is active.


Ovarian cancer is the most lethal disease among gynecological malignancies. More effective therapy is required to counter high recurrence rates and chemotherapy resistance. We investigated the efficacy and molecular mechanisms of three combined treatments (TCTs)-a novel histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor OBP-801/YM753, 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), and paclitaxel (PTX)-in human ovarian cancer SKOV-3 and OVCAR-3 cells. The inhibition of cell growth was stronger with TCTs than with each single agent and with two combined treatments. The TCTs significantly induce G2 phase arrest in both cell lines. We then analyzed the molecular mechanisms and found that the TCTs increased the phosphorylation of p38 (Thr180/Tyr182), decreased the expression of CDC25C, and increased the phosphorylation of CDC2 (Tyr15), an inactive form of CDC2. To examine the responsibilities of the p38 pathway for G2 phase arrest induced by the TCTs, we employed the p38 inhibitor SB203580. SB203580 inhibited G2 phase arrest, suppression of CDC25C, and phosphorylation of CDC2 (Tyr15) induced by the TCTs. These results suggest that the TCTs can induce G2 phase arrest through activation of the p38 signaling pathway. We therefore believe that this combination is promising as a novel therapeutic strategy against ovarian cancer.


The software in modern systems has become too complex to make accurate predictions about their performance under different configurations. Real-time or even responsiveness requirements cannot be met because it is not possible to perform admission control for new or changing tasks if we cannot tell how their execution affects the other tasks already running. Previously, we proposed a resource-allocation middleware that manages the execution of tasks in a complex distributed system with real-time requirements. The middleware behavior can be modeled depending on the configuration of the tasks running, so that the performance of any given configuration can be calculated. This makes it possible to have admission control in such a system, but the model requires knowledge of run-time parameters. We propose the utilization of machine-learning algorithms to obtain the model parameters, and be able to predict the system performance under any configuration, so that we can provide a full admission control mechanism for complex software systems.


Using Nyquist-plots definitions and HSDI-based analyses of the acoustic and visual data base of similarly sounding disordered neurologically driven pathological phonations, we categorized these signals and provided an in-depth explanation of how these sounds differ, and how these sounds are generated at the glottic level. Combined evaluations based on modern technology strengthened our knowledge and improved objective guidelines on how to approach clinical diagnosis by ear, significantly aiding the process of differential diagnosis of complex pathological voice qualities in nonlaboratory settings.


Throughout the 2014 field season, we had over two dozen biologist throughout the western US collect over 300 samples for eDNA analysis with paired controls. Control samples were collected by filtering 0.5 L of distilled water. No samples had any evidence of field contamination. This method of sampling verifies the cleanliness of the field equipment, as well as the handling methods of the field collector. However, it cannot measure any contamination that may occur in the process of collecting a sample from a stream or lake. For example, standing upstream of the sampling area in waders that have brook trout DNA on them while a sample is being collected may result in a false positive detection of brook trout in that sample. Similarly sampling for lake trout from a boat that was previously in a waterbody containing the fish may also contaminate a sample, leading to a false positive detection of lake trout in a field sample. As a result, we believe that a better approach for detecting false positives is to consider the local expert opinion of the area and verify results with repeated sampling where necessary.Related web site: Broad-scale genetic monitoring of aquatic speciesFor most current version of publication: http://www.fs.fed.us/research/genomics-center/docs/edna/edna-protocol.pdf


Polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV) and neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD) are prevalent age-related diseases characterized by exudative changes in the macula. Although they share anatomical and clinical similarities, they are also distinctly characterized by their own features, e.g. vascular abnormalities in PCV and drusen-mediated progression in neovascular AMD. PCV remains etiologically uncharacterized, and ongoing discussion is whether PCV and neovascular AMD share the same etiology or constitute two substantially different diseases. In this study, we investigated T-cell differentiation and aging profile in human patients with PCV, patients with neovascular AMD, and age-matched healthy control individuals. Fresh venous blood was prepared for flow cytometry to investigate CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell differentiation (naïve, central memory, effector memory, effector memory CD45ra+), loss of differentiation markers CD27 and CD28, and expression of aging marker CD56. Patients with PCV were similar to the healthy controls in all aspects. In patients with neovascular AMD we found significantly accelerated T-cell differentiation (more CD28−CD27− cells) and aging (more CD56+ cells) in the CD8+ T-cell compartment. These findings suggest that PCV and neovascular AMD are etiologically different in terms of T cell immunity, and that neovascular AMD is associated with T-cell immunosenescence.


We derive the universal R-matrix of the quantum-deformed enveloping algebra of centrally extended sl ( 2 ∣ 2 ) using Drinfeld's quantum double construction. We are led to enlarging the algebra by additional generators corresponding to an sl ( 2 ) automorphism. For this maximally extended algebra we construct a consistent Hopf algebra structure where the extensions exhibit several uncommon features. We determine the corresponding universal R-matrix containing some non-standard functions. Curiously, this Hopf algebra has one extra deformation parameter for which the R-matrix does not factorize into products of exponentials.


Infrared solar spectra were obtained from the ground at McMurdo, Antarctica, during September and October 1987. Absorption features due to HNO3 and HCl have been analyzed to determine the vertical column content of these compounds for the days when observations were made. The variation of these column amounts with time is presented and discussed.


The objective of this work was to evaluate the effects of hormonal synchronization protocols, associated or not with follicular development stimulation, on the recovery of oocytes and on in vitro production of Bos indicus and B. taurus embryos, in different seasons. Ultrasound‐guided follicular aspirations (n=237) were performed without pre‐treatment (G1, control group) and after follicular wave synchronization (G2), or after follicular wave synchronization and follicle growth induction (G3). Bos indicus produced more oocytes and embryos than B. taurus (18.7±0.9 vs. 11.9±0.6 oocytes and 4.8±0.3 vs. 2.1±0.2 embryos). On average, oocyte and embryo yields were higher in G3 than in G2, and both were greater than in G1, which lead to a higher conversion of oocytes to embryos in these treatments. The hot or the cold season did not affect the B. indicus outcomes, whereas, in B. taurus, both oocyte recovery and embryo production were higher in the cold season. Follicular wave synchronization improves ovum pick‐up and in vitro production of embryos in both cattle subspecies evaluated.


Interannually varying net carbon exchange fluxes from the TransCom 3 Level 2 Atmospheric Inversion Intercomparison Experiment are presented for the 1980 to 2005 time period. The fluxes represent the model mean, net carbon exchange for 11 land and 11 ocean regions after subtraction of fossil fuel CO2 emissions. Both aggregated regional totals and the individual regional estimates are accompanied by a model uncertainty and model spread. We find that interannual variability is larger on the land than the ocean, with total land exchange correlated to the timing of both El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) as well as the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo. The post‐Pinatubo negative flux anomaly is evident across much of the tropical and northern extratropical land regions. In the oceans, the tropics tend to exhibit the greatest level of interannual variability, while on land, the interannual variability is slightly greater in the tropics and northern extratropics. The interannual variation in carbon flux estimates aggregated by land and ocean across latitudinal bands remains consistent across eight different CO2 observing networks. The interannual variation in carbon flux estimates for individual flux regions remains mostly consistent across the individual observing networks. At all scales, there is considerable consistency in the interannual variations among the 13 participating model groups. Finally, consistent with other studies using different techniques, we find a considerable positive net carbon flux anomaly in the tropical land during the period of the large ENSO in 1997/1998 which is evident in the Tropical Asia, Temperate Asia, Northern African, and Southern Africa land regions. Negative anomalies are estimated for the East Pacific Ocean and South Pacific Ocean regions. Earlier ENSO events of the 1980s are most evident in southern land positive flux anomalies.


Abstract The heating characteristics of aqueous electrolyte solutions (NaCl, KCl, CaCl2, NaBF4, and NaBr) of varying concentrations in ultrapure water by 2.45 GHz microwave radiation from a single-mode resonance microwave device and a semiconductor microwave generator were examined under conditions where the electric field (E-field) was dominant and where the magnetic field (H-field) dominated. Although magnetic field heating is not generally used in microwave chemistry, the electrolyte solutions were heated almost entirely by the microwaves' H-field. The heating rates under H-field irradiation at the higher concentrations of electrolytes (0.125 M to 0.50 M) exceeded the rates under E-field irradiation. This inversion phenomenon in heating is described in terms of the penetration depth of the microwaves. On the other hand, the action of the microwave radiation on ethylene glycol containing an electrolyte differed from that observed for water under E-field and H-field conditions.


A 28 GHz patch antenna array with reduced mutual coupling for 5G communication systems is presented in this paper. Two elements antenna array was simulated with a periodic boundary to represent an infinity array. The antenna array is attached with a pair of the coupled directional coupler with a coupling value of -3.47 dB, and transmission lengths of 3.40 mm and 7.62 mm depending on the antenna array's magnitude and phase coefficient were designed and simulated. A reduced mutual coupling of -31.86 dB compared to -10.75 dB for an array without a decoupling network was observed. The wide scanning angle of ±180o was also achieved. These results were obtained under smaller antenna elements interspacing of 0.43 0. Moreover, the proposed antenna array design achieved a 3.32 GHz enhanced fractional bandwidth which is 11.8%. Generally, this work found that the combinatorial advantages of using the gap coupled insert feed technique and employing a pair of directional couplers develop the patch antenna array design with better performance.


The skeletal muscle fibre membrane plays a major role in muscle contraction by generating and propagating action potentials, and linking the latter to the release of intracellular calcium stores which triggers mechanical contraction. This function relies on the proper functioning of ion channels. In the last two decades, diseases caused by mutations in muscle ion channel genes have been identified, the so-called muscle channelopathies. Even though the pathophysiology of muscle channelopathies is not completely elucidated, major advances have been made in their understanding, thus linking patient symptoms and neurophysiology with abnormal functioning of the muscle membrane. This has facilitated significant progress both in the diagnosis of these disorders and in the rationale for therapeutic intervention. In this review, we will focus on diagnosis and treatments of muscle channelopathies of relevance to the clinical neurologist.


Measuring privacy risk in online social networks is a challenging task. One of the fundamental difficulties is quantifying the amount of information revealed unintentionally. We present PrivAware, a tool to detect and report unintended information loss in online social net-works. Our goal is to provide a rudimentary framework to identify privacy risk and provide solutions to reduce information loss. The first instance of the software is focused on information loss attributed to social circles. In subsequent releases we intend to incorporate additional capabilities to capture ancillary threat mod-els. From our initial results, we quantify the privacy risk attributed to friend relationships in Facebook. We show that for each user in our study a majority of their personal attributes can be derived from social contacts. Moreover, we present results denoting the number of friends contributing to a correctly inferred attribute. We also provide similar results for different demographics of users. The intent of PrivAware is to not only report information loss but to recommend user actions to mitigate privacy risk. The actions provide users with the steps necessary to improve their overall privacy measurement. One obvious, but not ideal, solution is to remove risky friends. Another approach is to group risky friends and apply access controls to the group to limit visibility. In summary, our goal is to provide a unique tool to quantify information loss and provide features to reduce privacy risk.


The temperature and thickness dependence of the thermal expansivity of ultrathin thin films of poly(tert-butylstyrene) capped between aluminum layers revealed an unusual and intriguing confinement scenario. Below 50 nm, both the glass transition temperature and the thermal expansion coefficients decreased. Such a mixed behavior implies an enhancement of the molecular mobility, without the presence of any free surface, but dead layers. On the basis of a careful analysis of averaged quantities measured by capacitive dilatometry, we deduced a profile of thermal expansivity that explains our experimental data and previous observations in polymer nanocomposites. The effect of density-conformation coupling in proximity of a nonattractive interface allows the coexistence of an immobilized fraction in direct contact with the metal and an excess of thermal expansivity, arising from the long-range effects of packing frustration penetrating inside the bulk-like core of the film.


— Short Message Service (SMS) has grown in popularity over the years and it has become a common way of communication, it is a service provided through General System for Mobile Communications (GSM) that allows users to send text messages to others. SMS is usually used to transport unclassified information, but with the rise of mobile commerce it has become a popular tool for transmitting sensitive information between the business and its clients. By default SMS does not guarantee confidentiality and integrity to the message content. In the mobile communication systems, security (encryption) offered by the network operator only applies on the wireless link. Data delivered through the mobile core network may not be protected. Existing end-to-end security mechanisms are provided at application level and typically based on public key cryptosystem. The main concern in a public-key setting is the authenticity of the public key; this issue can be resolved by identity-based (ID-based) cryptography where the public key of a user can be derived from public information that uniquely identifies the user. This paper presents an encryption mechanism based on the ID- based scheme using Elliptic curves to provide end-to-end security for SMS. This mechanism has been implemented over the standard SMS network architecture and the encryption overhead has been estimated and compared with RSA scheme. This study indicates that the ID-based mechanism has advantages over the RSA mechanism in key distribution and scalability of increasing security level for mobile service.