Serum and urinary glucose, creatinine, calcium and phosphorus, serum insulin were measured every 60 min from 9.00 to 12.00 in twenty healthy subjects. All subjects presented normal body weight, renal function, serum glucose, serum and urinary calcium. Urinary calcium and phosphorus were expressed by Ca/creat and P/creat ratio, and renal phosphate threshold was expressed by the TmP/GFR ratio. At 9.00, after an overnight fast, ten subjects received 75 g of glucose (groupe B) and ten subjects were conserved as controls (group A). Hyperglycemia and hyperinsulinemia due to glucose load (B) induce a decrease of serum phosphorus (10.00, 11.00, 12.00), while phosphoremia increased in group A. Urinary P/creat increased in group A (12.00), and decreased in group B (12.00); while TmP/GFR decreased in group B (10.00, 11.00). Serum calcium rose in the two groups, according to the circadian rythm and urinary Ca/creat ratio increased in group A (10.00) and increased considerably in group B (10.00, 11.00, 12.00). In group B, a negative linear correlation was found between serum glucose and TmP/GFR ratio (= -0,50) and between serum phosphorus and urinary Ca/creat ratio (r = -0,40). These results show that in healthy subjects, with normal body weight, oral glucose load induced a decrease of phosphaturia and an increase of calciuria, subsequent to hyperglycemia.


Abstract : This paper examines how the National Security Strategy (NSS) and its new subcomponent, the National Security Science and Technology Strategy (NSS&TS) address Information Warfare. The Executive Branch has put the Department of Defense (DoD) on the front lines of the national effort to define and build a National Information Infrastucture (NII). The Defense information Infrastructure (DII) is described in its relationship to the NII. Two information systems of the DoD are then examined. They are: Electronic Commerce/Electronic Data interchange (EC/EDI) and the Defense Message System (DMS). They are described nontechnically to press home three points. First, Information is a national strategic asset and that using it and protecting it should be national priorities. Second, the world and the United States are becoming extremely interconnected and interdependent during this information Age. This represents a new dimension of warfare and national security across all levels of conflict and all locations of the battlespace. The NSS and the NSS&TS should explicitly recognize Information Warfare, probably under a different diplomatically acceptable name. Third, the Administration recognizes these trends and has accounted for them in the NSS even if not explicitly recognized.


This paper presents the findings of a study of motorized two-wheeler emissions under lane restricted and lane-less flow conditions in heterogeneous traffic. Lane restriction is defined as the movement of particular categories of vehicles on specified lanes (dedicated lanes), whereas lane-less flow movements are conditions when vehicles are free to change lanes. This study was conducted on selected mid-block road sections of different lengths in Chennai city, India. In the process of test runs, tailpipe emissions (CO, HC and NO) were measured using a portable gas analyzer at short intervals of time. These data were then synthesized to evaluate the total emissions from the vehicles for each test run. Instantaneous speeds of the vehicles were measured using an optical sensor fixed to the wheel. Consumption of fuel by the test vehicles were also measured using a petrol reading apparatus. Based on the analysis of field data collected specifically for this study, it is concluded that lane restricted flow generally produced reduced levels of tailpipe emissions compared to lane-less conditions. The impact of various factors such as, number of lane changes, average speed and fuel consumed on emissions were also studied. In order to understand the relationships between emissions and various traffic factors, regression models were tested and built using SPSS software. Highly heterogeneous traffic conditions and the lane changing behavior of drivers in traffic conditions prevailing in urban areas in India offered unique research opportunities in this study.


Endocrinological studies have contributed considerably to the development of theory concerning the proximate aspects of the timing of reproduction. In non–domesticated, avian species, the relative importance of the photoperiodic and non–photoperiodic factors influencing later stages of the breeding cycle, such as the onset of egg laying, remains unclear because egg laying is difficult to obtain with captive populations and laboratory experiments of breeding are rarely carried out in the framework of long–term field studies. We set up a special experimental design such that captive Mediterranean blue tits (Parus caeruleus) can breed with success in large outdoor aviaries at similar latitudes and altitudes to their wild counterparts. Here we demonstrate experimentally that the non–photoperiodic factors responsible for large and consistent differences in the expression of natural breeding responses between three captive outdoor blue tit populations are ignored during long–day treatment. Based on these findings, an evolutionary explanation is provided for why the relative importance of the non–photoperiodic factors decreases with the progress of the season. The hypothesis can explain observed maladapted breeding dates in free–living populations and could possibly be used to increase the success of breeding programmes with some endangered, captive, non–domesticated, photoperiodic species.


We described a cobalt/polypyrrole/carbon nanotube (Co/Ppy/CNT) as non-platinum catalysts for PEMFC. The Co/Ppy/CNT catalyst was characterized by XRD, TEM and XPS. The results showed that polypyrrole was well coated on the surface of CNT and cobalt ion was successfully stabilized on the nitrogen atoms of polypyrrole. The electrocatalytic activity was dependant on thermal treatment conditions. An onset potential of oxygen reduction reaction over Co/Ppy/CNT catalyst increased from 0.55 V to 0.78 V (NHE) after pyrolysis. Therefore, the interaction between cobalt ion and nitrogen atoms and pyrolysis process of catalyst should play and important role to enhance activity of catalyst.


According to the World-Wide Organization of the Health, the number of people infected with the Tripanosoma Cruzi is considered between 6 and 8 million, causal agent of the Chagas' disease , and in 550000 the people are expected to be exposed to the affectation risk. When concluding in 1983 a longitudinal epidemiologist study in patients with the disease evaluated every 3 years, the cardiac affectation: chronic Chagasic myocarditis (MCHC) increased from a 17% at the beginning of the study to a 49, 4% after 15 years. Previous studies of the variability of cardiac frequency (HRV) in patients with the Chagas' disease, show alterations in the spectral indices of the HRV. A nonlinear modeling technique allows the definition of early risk markers in patients with Chagas's disease and without any evidence of cardiac involvement evaluated by standard diagnostic test (CH1). We analyze ECGs by Holter recordings in patients with ECG alterations (CH2), patients without ECG alterations (CH1) who had positive serological findings for Chagas' disease and healthy (Control) matched for sex and age. Two ECGs were digitized for each volunteer, one begins at supine position and the other at orthostatic position. The technique applied is based upon quantitative comparison of the evolution from similar ECGs Sub segments, and a measure of the predictability decay rate were calculated for each register. We did find significant differences among Control and CH2 during supine and also standing with high sensibility and specificity in the early detection of cardiac involvement. It is suggested that these alterations are very early autonomic disturbances in patients without ECG alterations (CH1) that could be useful to enhance risk stratification.


The Fourier analysis method was used to investigate the response of scintillation camera collimators with parallel holes. This method which takes into account the septal penetration was applied to the case of round hole collimators having a hexagonal distribution. Modulation transfer functions, MTF have been determined to verify the accuracy of the computed Fourier coefficients of the collimator function. Comparisons between the geometric and the penetrating plus geometric transfer function are shown for round and hexagonal holes.


Standard procedures for estimating the item parameters in IRT models make no use of auxiliary information about test items, such as their format or content, or the skills they require for solution. This paper describes a framework for exploiting this information, thereby enhancing the precision and stability of item parameter estimates and providing diagnostic information about items' operating characteristics. The principles are illustrated in a context for which a relatively simple approximation is available: empirical Bayes estimation of Rasch item difficulty parameters.


Envariance—entanglement assisted invariance—is a recently discovered symmetry of composite quantum systems.We show that thermodynamic equilibrium states are fully characterized by their envariance. In particular, themicrocanonical equilibriumof a system  withHamiltonian  H is a fully energetically degenerate quantum state envariant under every unitary transformation. The representation of the canonical equilibrium then follows from simply counting degenerate energy states. Our conceptually novel approach is free ofmathematically ambiguous notions such as ensemble, randomness, etc., and, while it does not even rely on probability, it helps to understand its role in the quantumworld.


PLANETARY SCIENCEHOUSTON-- Using sophisticated instruments aboard the Galileo spacecraft orbiting Jupiter, researchers reported last month at the annual Lunar and Planetary Science Conference here that they have observed a surface temperature of about 1800 kelvins on Jupiter's moon Io, the most volcanically active body known. Planetary geologists say that these high temperatures imply a type of volcanism not seen on Earth for billions of years, meaning that scientists can use Io as a volcanological laboratory to test models of terrestrial volcanism.


The development of inhibitory antibodies to factor (F) VIII and FIX continues to be a major challenge in the treatment of patients with hemophilia. In patients with low-responding inhibitors, it is usually possible to saturate the inhibitor with the deficient factor and to achieve hemostasis, but in patients with high-responding inhibitors, two major tasks have to be considered. One is how to treat the acute bleedings and the other is how to permanently eliminate the immune response, in other words, to induce tolerance. There are several hemostatic agents available for bleeding patients with high-responding inhibitors. Nonactivated and activated prothrombin complex concentrates (PCCs) have been used for almost 30 years, and since the beginning of the 1980s, porcine FVIII has also been used. In more recent years, recombinant FVIIa has been added to the therapeutic armamentarium and has been shown to control hemostasis in most patients. Immunoadsorption may temporarily reduce the inhibitor, enabling replacement therapy for several days. Available data on these alternative regimens will be discussed with a focus on the mechanisms of action, pharmacokinetics, safety, monitoring, and clinical experience.


Teaching is never merely a technical, pedagogical issue. This is especially true of Arabic teaching in Israel. Two related factors have conditioned the evolution of Arabic instruction in Israel in various, often contradictory ways. One is the Zionist modernist project of inventing a Jewish nation by bracketing off Jews from gentiles and reconstituting them as a distinct Hebraic ethno-linguistic community. The other is the project of securing historic Palestine as an exclusive national homeland for this newly invented nation and the consequent ambivalence toward Arab existence in historic Palestine. Both make up what I term Zionist sectarianism, and their influence on Arabic pedagogy has been decisive and pervasive, yet contradictory and unpredictable, demonstrating that although practice is always political, it is never mechanically reducible to its political underpinnings.


While various extreme wind studies have been undertaken for South Africa for the purpose of, amongst others, developing strong wind statistics, disaster models for the built environment and estimations of tornado risk, a general analysis of the strong wind hazard in South Africa according to the requirements of the National Disaster Management Centre is needed. The purpose of the research was to develop a national profile of the wind hazard in the country for eventual input into a national indicative risk and vulnerability profile. An analysis was undertaken with data from the South African Weather Serviceâ??s long-term weather stations to quantify the wind hazard on a municipal scale, taking into account that there are more than 220 municipalities in South Africa. South Africa is influenced by various strong wind mechanisms occurring at various spatial and temporal scales. This influence is reflected in the results of the analyses which indicated that the wind hazard across South Africa is highly variable, spatially and seasonally. A general result was that the strong wind hazard is highest from the southwestern Cape towards the central and eastern parts of the Northern Cape Province, and the southeastern parts of the coast as well as the eastern interior of the Eastern Cape Province. On a seasonal basis, the southern parts of the country showed similar magnitudes of relative wind hazard throughout the year. However, further north, a strong seasonal component was evident, with lowest risk of strong winds during autumn and winter, and highest risk in spring and summer when convective activity is strongest.


A 58‐year‐old Japanese male visited us with painful lesions on the lower lip, oral mucosa and genital region of an 8‐month duration. Histological features of the genital lesion were almost consistent with lichenoid tissue reaction. A few intraepidermal acantholytic keratinocytes were also seen in the suprabasal clefts. Direct immunofluorescence exhibited cell surface immunoglobulin (Ig)G deposition and linear deposition of fibrinogen at the dermoepidermal junction. IgG anti‐desmoglein (Dsg)3 antibody, but not anti‐Dsg1 antibody, was detected in the patient's serum by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay. Immunoblotting using normal human epidermal extract detected the 210‐kD envoplakin, 190‐kD periplakin and 130‐kD Dsg3. The diagnosis of paraneoplastic pemphigus (PNP) was made. Subsequent investigation revealed a large space‐occupying lesion in the liver. Histological findings from liver biopsy specimen were consistent with hepatocellular carcinoma. The patient has been alive 38 months after the diagnosis of PNP was made, although the liver mass has slowly enlarged. Our case is clinically and histologically similar to erosive mucosal lichen planus. Immunological studies confirmed the diagnosis of PNP. The results of negative Dsg1 and positive Dsg3 were consistent with clinical features showing severe mucosal involvement without cutaneous erosion. In PNP, the association with non‐hematological solid tumor is extremely rare.


Sir, A 24-year-old female patient presented with severe headache. A cranial MR imaging study was performed on a 1.5T MR scanner, with SE T1-weighted, FSE T2-weighted and FLAIR sequences in three planes. A multicystic lobulated mass that was located along the pons, mesencephalon and subthalamic areas was detected, with cerebrospinal fluid intensity on all sequences. The sizes of the lateral and third ventricles were detected to be mildly increased as well. The diagnosis of ''tumefactive perivascular spaces'' was made on the basis of the


Abstract Knowing the burden of influenza is helpful for policy decisions. Here we estimated the contribution of influenza-like illness (ILI) visits associated with laboratory-confirmed influenza among all clinic visits in a Senegal sentinel network. ILI data from ten sentinel sites were collected from January 2013 to December 2015. ILI was defined as an axillary measured fever of more than 37.5 °C with a cough or a sore throat. Collected nasopharyngeal swabs were tested for influenza viruses by rRT-PCR. Influenza-associated ILI was defined as ILI with laboratory-confirmed influenza. For the influenza disease burden estimation, we used all-case outpatient visits during the study period who sought care at selected sites. Of 4030 ILI outpatients tested, 1022 were influenza positive. The estimated proportional contribution of influenza-associated ILI was, per 100 outpatients, 1.2 (95% CI 1.1–1.3), 0.32 (95% CI 0.28–0.35), 1.11 (95% CI 1.05–1.16) during 2013, 2014, 2015, respectively. The age-specific outpatient visits proportions of influenza-associated ILI were higher among children under 5 years (0.68%, 95% CI: 0.62–0.70). The predominant virus during years 2013 and 2015 was influenza B while A/H3N2 subtype was predominant during 2014. Influenza viruses cause a substantial burden of outpatient visits particularly among children under 5 of age in Senegal and highlight the need of vaccination in risk groups.


Maximum-likelihood estimates for the levels of the mean value function and the covariance function of a Gaussian random process are investigated. The stability of these estimates is examined as the actual covariance function of the process deviates from the form assumed in the estimators. It is found that the time-bandwidth product for stationary processes represents an upper bound on the number of estimator terms that can be safely used when estimating with uncertainty about the process covariance function. This result is consistent with other interpretations of the time-bandwidth product and tempers the conclusion that, in principle, an infinite number of estimator terms can be used to obtain a perfect estimate of the covariance level. In practice, the estimate of the level can never be perfect, and the accuracy of the estimate depends on the observation interval. Finally, conditions are established to ensure asymptotic stability of the estimates and physical interpretations are presented.


Measurement of the CKM phase gamma in B->DK decays can be potentially performed with high precision due to low theoretical uncertainties. However, the precision measurement requires very large experimental samples of B decays. This report covers prospects for gamma measurement at the future e+e- facilities and upgraded LHCb detector.


With hyperspectral imaging, image content can be identified based on fine spectral details related to chemical composition. Immediate applications in smart agriculture and environmental monitoring have the potential for strong societal benefits. However, the technology struggles with the vast amount of data that it produces, in particular when deployed on satellites. The current movement towards increased use of lossy compression is highly risky, because even careful and tedious parameter tuning cannot guarantee that no applications are compromised. We implemented and validated a compression method that simultaneously provides a strong data reduction and preserves analysis results for all possible applications.


We give a complete solution to a scheduling problem for a two-part-type, single-machine, flexible manufacturing system, with finite-capacity buffers. Backlogged and rejected requests incur a cost which must be minimized over an infinite time interval. If buffer capacities were infinite, the well-known c/spl mu/ rule would have solved the problem. We find the optimal policy for the finite-capacity case and give a computation procedure and some illustrative examples.


The efficiency of inverted polymer light-emitting diodes (iPLEDs) were remarkably enhanced by introducing spontaneously formed ripple-shaped nanostructure of ZnO (ZnO-R) and amine-based polar solvent treatment using 2-methoxyethanol and ethanolamine (2-ME+EA) co-solvents on ZnO-R. The ripple-shape nanostructure of ZnO layer fabricated by solution process with optimal rate of annealing temperature improves the extraction of wave guide modes inside the device structure, and 2-ME+EA interlayer enhances the electron injection and hole blocking and reduces exciton quenching between polar solvent treated ZnO-R and emissive layer. As a result, our optimized iPLEDs show the luminous efficiency (LE) of 61.6 cd A-1, power efficiency (PE) of 19.4 lm W-1 and external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 17.8 %. This method provides a promising method, and opens new possibilities for not only organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) but also other organic optoelectronic devices such as organic photovoltaics, organic thin film transistors, and electrically driven organic diode laser.


The 2001 terrorist attacks on USA marked a crucial moment in the debates referring to the provocations of the new millennium, concerning the rapport between civilizations. The characterization of our time as « the age of terror » reflects more than a rapport "barbarism" "civilization", "culture" "inculture", "sacred" "lay", a clash of ethic and religious fundamentalisms. Literally analyses, born from the ashes of the twin towers, were and are confined to look at the rapport between the Occidental and the Oriental world as one between two incompatible cultures. Their meeting, in the postcolonial and deteritorialisation epoch, is seen as one exclusively violent. But literature offers another battle field, one that proves that beyond our crushing world people, no matter what their culture is, are living the same anguishes of the meeting with the Other and feel the same threats of difference. The literary perspective, by sublimating reality, offers a fresh image of the man at the beginning of the new millennium and the enantiomorphic clash between fundamentalisms. The disease of our times, denounced by the 9/11 texts, is malign and is called over-simplification.


1. In this study we addressed the question of the generalization of population viability analysis by comparing migration of different butterfly species in the same habitat network. We compared (i) the population spatial structure and (ii) the migration between local populations in three butterfly specialist species living in the same habitat (chalk grassland) within the same habitat network (eight patches) at the same time. 2. For the three species, population structures within the study system were considered as metapopulations. However, their patch occupancy and migration patterns differed strongly, from a species with six small populations, one being apparently isolated (Cupido minimus), to a species with eight populations connected by individual movement with all others within the landscape (Melanargia galathea). 3. Patch area of both donor and receiver sites affected migration rate in M. galathea. Patch quality may interfere with this area effect in Aporia crataegi. Increasing distance between patches decreased both the probability of movements between local population and the number of moving butterflies. The distribution of migration distances differed between A. crataegi and M. galathea: this distribution followed an inverse-power function for A. crataegi, and an exponential-negative function for M. galathea. 4. These differences in population structure and migration patterns will have consequences for population viability analyses: the persistence of C. minimus cannot be expected if the habitat network is designed on the basis of the requirements of the two other species. Therefore, metapopulation persistence analyses have to remain species-specific. As such analyses are impossible to perform on every threatened species living in a given habitat, we propose a preliminary screening of the most fragile candidate based on its population structure and mobility.


Hybrid coordination systems (marketing cooperatives and contracts) are in place in agriculture to link smallholder farmers to the global agri-food value chains. With the framework of transaction cost economics, this study, however, is particularly designed to investigate the key determinants pushing dairy farmers to hybrids (marketing cooperatives and contracts), viz. spot market channels in the local food chains. A household survey of 415 smallholder dairy farmers was designed. Data collection was administered using trained enumerators. A multinomial logistic regression model was employed to analyze data and to identify the signifi cant determinants. The results indicate that high transaction costs and resource constraints were found driving farmers to cooperative engagement and contracts, implying that hybrids were found to be a solution to farmers' constraints of access to information and institutional absence, as well as resource constraints. Policy makers and development partners are advised to strengthen cooperative societies and contract enforcement mechanisms. Providing information and resources to increase smallholders' capacity with resources appear to be interventions which will enable the agricultural marketing system to properly function by serving smallholders in linking to the global food chains.


This article focuses on one of the main issues in the contemporary trinitarian renaissance, viz. the relationship between the immanent (or ontological) and the economic Trinity. It takes its starting-point in what is labeled 'the classic model' as shared by both the Eastern and the Western church. The basic idea here is that the economic Trinity is the epistemological ground of the immanent Trinity whereas the immanent Trinity is the ontological ground of the economic Trinity. It is shown that this model is endorsed by two influential Reformed theologians, viz. John Calvin and Herman Bavinck. Next, the 'model of the new theology of the cross' is introduced, as represented by Eberhard Jungel and Jurgen Moltmann. Especially Moltmann's innovative proposals are critically discussed. Characteristic of this second model is that the distinction between the ontological and economic Trinity is blurred. Third, it is argued that Dutch Reformed theologian Hendrikus Berkhof offered an even more radical model, which leaves us with only the economic Trinity. Although both of these contemporary models have their attractions, it is concluded that we have every reason to stick to the classic model.


There are several cases in wireless communications theory where the statistics of the sum of independent or correlated Nakagami-m random variables (RVs) is necessary to be known. However, a closed-form solution to the distribution of this sum does not exist when the number of constituent RVs exceeds two, even for the special case of Rayleigh fading. In this paper, we present an efficient closed-form approximation for the distribution of the sum of arbitrary correlated Nakagami-m envelopes with identical and integer fading parameters. The distribution becomes exact for maximal correlation, while the tightness of the proposed approximation is validated statistically by using the Chi-square and the Kolmogorov-Smirnov goodness-of-fit tests. As an application, the approximation is used to study the performance of equal-gain combining (EGC) systems operating over arbitrary correlated Nakagami-m fading channels, by utilizing the available analytical results for the error-rate performance of an equivalent maximal-ratio combining (MRC) system.


Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide. Chemokines and their corresponding receptor have been shown to play important role in tumor progression, including lung cancer. In this regard, we have previously shown that the chemokine receptor CXCR5 is involved in metastatic dissemination in breast and prostate cancers. In this study we show CXCR5 is highly expressed by lung cancer cell lines and non-small cell lung carcinomas (NSCLC) tissues, than compared to non-neoplastic lung tissue. CXCL13, which is the only natural ligand for CXCR5, is also expressed within the lung tumors. Retrospective analysis of CXCR5 expression in 45 patients specimens showed significantly higher expression of CXCR5 in squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma samples. Interestingly, the nuclei of advanced tumor cells from these tissues were also positive for CXCR5 in more than 50% of these cases. Furthermore, ELISA showed significantly higher serum levels of CXCL13 by serum of patients with either adenocarcinoma or squamous cell carcinoma (n = 31), than compared to normal controls (n = 9). The mechanism underlying these clinically and biologically important findings need to be further explored.


The papers in this special section examine important current topics on multimodal data fusion in the medical context. All clinical data, including genomic and proteomic, play a role in the diagnosis and in particular in the treatment planning and follow-up. This is true for all types of data analyses whether in classification, regression, retrieval, clustering, or other. The interaction between several types of information is not always well understood. Experienced clinicians automatically and even unconsciously add multiple sources of information into their decision process, but machine learning tools often concentrate on single information sources. This special issue presents five examples where several data sources are fused. The papers give several examples of fusion techniques and also the results obtained in quite different application scenarios.


Frequency distribution of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) gene genotypes and alleles was studied among children with chronic glomerulonephritis (HGN) with different level of the blood pressure (BP) and among nearly healthy children and adolescents of russian and buryat nationalities. 38 and 59 patients with HGN and 94 and 79 nearly healthy children of these nationalities were examined. Symptomatic arterial hypertension (SAH) was confirmed by means of ABPM. Polymorphism of ACE gene and AGT gene was determined by means of polymerase chain reaction. Absence of ethnic particularities in frequency of the registrations of the SAH and its dependency on the nephritis duration was revealed. With the prevalence frequencies of deletion alleles ACE gene in russian group the association of this polymorphic marker with shaping of the SAH in the HGN group, however, was not revealed. The association of polymorphism T174M AGT gene with SAH in chronic glomerulonephritis group of buryat population was founded


Background Early response to certolizumab pegol (CZP), a PEGylated Fc-free anti-TNF, has been shown to predict long-term probability of low disease activity and inhibition of progression of structural joint damage in patients (pts) with active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) from the RAPID 1 trial.1 Objectives To examine whether clinical response to CZP at Week (Wk)12 predicts long-term clinical remission and inhibition of progression of structural damage in Japanese pts with active RA. To explore the impact of concomitant DMARDs and baseline (BL) disease status. Methods 198 pts (J-RAPID [NCT00791999]2 82 pts; HIKARI [NCT00791921]3 116 pts) treated with CZP 200 mg every 2 wks were sub-grouped by concomitant medications and BL CRP (>1.8 vs ≤1.8 mg/L), DAS28 (>6.11 vs ≤6.11), and disease duration (>5 yrs vs ≤5 yrs). Remission rates and radiographic changes at Wk52 were compared to DAS28 responses obtained at Wk12. Pts in J-RAPID received concomitant MTX. Pts in HIKARI received DMARDs other than MTX or no concomitant DMARDs ("monotherapy"). Missing DAS28 data was imputed by last observation carried forward. Linear extrapolation was used to estimate the missing mTSS data at Wk52. Results In pts with a DAS28 change ≥1.2 at Wk12 (Responders, R), DAS28 remission was achieved at Wk52 in 41.3% of J-RAPID and 34.9% of HIKARI pts (Table). In comparison, pts with a DAS28 response of <1.2 at Wk12 (Non-responders, NR) only had 5.3% and 6.7% chance of achieving remission, respectively, and had higher rates of radiographic progression at Wk52. Similar results were obtained in pts treated with CZP + non-MTX DMARDs and with CZP monotherapy. This lower probability of remission at Wk52 in NR at Wk12 was consistently observed regardless of BL CRP, DAS28 and disease duration in both studies. Conclusions These analyses suggest that DAS28 response at Wk12 predicts long-term clinical and structural outcomes regardless of concomitant medication or BL disease status in Japanese pts treated with CZP. References Keystone E. J Rheumatol 2011;38:6 Yamamoto K. Arthritis Rheum 2011;63(Suppl10):S474 Yamamoto K. Arthritis Rheum 2011;63(Suppl10):S476 Acknowledgements The authors acknowledge Costello Medical Consulting for writing and editorial assistance which was funded by UCB Pharma. Disclosure of Interest H. Yamanaka Grant/research support from: Abbott, Astellas, BMS, Chugai, Eisai, Janssen, Mitsubishi-Tanabe, Pfizer, Takeda, UCB Pharma, Consultant for: Abbott, Astellas, BMS, Chugai, Eisai, Janssen, Mitsubishi-Tanabe, Pfizer, Takeda, UCB Pharma, K. Yamamoto Grant/research support from: Pfizer, Abbott, Santen, Mitsubishi-Tanabe, Eisai, UCB Pharma, Consultant for: Pfizer, Abbott, BMS, Roche, Chugai, Mitsubishi-Tanabe, Eisai, UCB Pharma, T. Takeuchi Grant/research support from: Abbott, Astellas, BMS, Chugai, Daiichi-Sankyo, Eisai, Janssen, Mitsubishi-Tanabe, Nippon Shinyaku, Otsuka, Pfizer, Sanofi-Aventis, Santen, Takeda, Teijin, Consultant for: AstraZeneca, Eli Lilly, Novartis, Mitsubishi-Tanabe, Asahi Kasei, Speakers bureau: Abbott, BMS, Chugai, Eisai, Janssen, Mitsubishi-Tanabe, Pfizer, Takeda, N. Ishiguro Grant/research support from: Takeda, Mitsubishi-Tanabe, Astellas, Chugai, Abbott, BMS, Eisai, Janssen, Kaken, Pfizer, Speakers bureau: Takeda, Mitsubishi-Tanabe, Astellas, Chugai, Abbott, BMS, Eisai, Janssen, Kaken, Pfizer, Taisho-Toyama, Otsuka, Y. Tanaka Grant/research support from: BMS, MSD, Chugai, Mitsubishi-Tanabe, Astellas, Abbott, Eisai, Janssen, Speakers bureau: Mitsubishi-Tanabe, Abbott, Eisai, Chugai, Janssen, Santen, Pfizer, Astellas, Daiichi-Sankyo, GSK, AstraZeneca, Otsuka, Actelion, Eli Lilly, Nippon Kayaku, Quintiles Transnational, Ono, UCB Pharma, K. Eguchi Consultant for: UCB Pharma, A. Watanabe Grant/research support from: Astellas, Daiichi-Sankyo, Kyorin, Shionogi, Taisho, Dainippon-Sumitomo, Taiho, Toyama Chemical, Meiji Seika, Speakers bureau: Abbott, MSD, Otsuka, GSK, Shionogi, Daiichi-Sankyo, Taisho-Toyama, Dainippon-Sumitomo, Mitsubishi-Tanabe, Toyama Chemical, Bayer, Pfizer, H. Origasa Consultant for: Astellas, UCB Pharma, T. Shoji Employee of: UCB Pharma, S. Onodera Employee of: UCB Pharma, N. Miyasaka Grant/research support from: Pfizer, Takeda, Mitsubishi-Tanabe, Chugai, Abbott, Eisai, Astellas, T. Koike Speakers bureau: Pfizer, Chugai, Abbott, Mitsubishi-Tanabe, Takeda, Eisai, Santen, Astellas, Taisho-Toyama, BMS, Teijin, Daiichi-Sankyo, UCB Pharma


The main concern of this study is to reflect on relationship marketing, and how it can help customer loyalty and the sales scale, as well as compose a good commercial strategy. This article aims to analyze the importance of using marketing, and relationship marketing to improve the organization's business strategy, applying a model where the focus is on the customer and not on the product, with the objective of this strategy being an incredible customer experience. and consequently more sales and more loyalty. A bibliographic research was carried out considering the contributions of authors such as KOTLER (2005), CROCCO (2006), SOHRABI (2010), CRAVENS (1997), among others, seeking to emphasize how the use of this commercial strategy can significantly improve the results organization, as well as demonstrating the achievement of its objectives using these means. It was concluded, then, that relationship marketing becomes an effective means for customer loyalty as it provides knowledge of the consumer's desires and needs, establishing a relationship, and thus the sale is not an end but a means, the main objective is always to develop the relationship with the client and provide him with an experience that exceeds his expectations.


Arabica coffee seeds contain caffeine, chlorogenic acid, flavonoids, and trigonelline. This study aims to test the antibacterial of Arabica coffee seed extract against the bacterium Enterococcus faecalis at concentrations of 1,5625%, 3,125%, 6,25%, 12,5%, 25%, 50%, and 100%. The extraction method uses maceration with solvent 96%. The Kirby and Bauer diffusion test used the antibacterial activity test method. The results showed that mango seed extract could provide inhibition starting from 3,125% with an average diameter of inhibition zone of 1,16 mm to the largest concentration of 100% with an average zone diameter of inhibition of 14,6 mm. At the same time, the average diameter of the inhibitory zone of antibiotic ampicillin at a concentration of 1% as a control (+) is 24,6 mm. The results showed that the greater concentration, the greater the inhibitory zones are formed.


BACKGROUND
Most inborn errors of metabolism result in mental retardation and death due to accumulation of abnormal metabolites in the tissues. The presence of abnormal metabolites in the urine of mentally retarded individuals has been used worldwide for detection of inborn errors of metabolism. The purpose of the study is to determine the prevalence of inborn error of metabolism in mentally retarded children.

METHODS
Random urine samples were collected from mentally retarded children at two institutes in Kathmandu, and also from 60 normal children from Duwakot, Nepal after obtaining consent from their parents. Urine was then tested for the presence of amino acids, keto-acids, mucopolysaccharides, fructose, glucose and protein using simple qualitative color reactions in the laboratory.

RESULTS
The tests detected eight cases of Phenylketonuria, which turned out to be false positive on paper chromatography. Three cases of presence of ketone bodies (acetoacetate), ten cases of α-ketoaciduria, two cases of mucopolysaccharidosis and twelve cases of fructosuria amongst the sixty-two urine samples were also found.

CONCLUSIONS
Certain aminoacidurias, ketoacidurias and mucopolysaccharidoses might be present in the Nepalese population. Within consideration of errors, the samples tested positive should be evaluated by a higher end method to confirm the utility of these simple and cheap chemical tests.


We address supporting unanticipated users and uses of limited information resources (sensors, databases, weapons -any resource intrinsically tied to digital information) in a timely and efficient fashion. Platform-centric systems often preclude users and uses not identified when the system was developed and deployed. Net-centric approaches, however, can address these problems by allowing services and information to be discovered and accessed at run-time. We have developed a Resource Brokering Service (RBS) that uses net-centric principles to enable multi-domain information and resource sharing and support for unanticipated users and uses. The RBS uses a modular software component framework for dynamically composing and tasking heterogeneous resources including sensors, data feeds, processors, archived data, networks, and even analysts into resilient, mission-oriented workflows. The RBS is applicable to multiple sense-decide-act military domains including missile defense, space situation awareness, ISR, border protection, and cyber defense. In this paper we give an overview of the concepts of the RBS and describe the process of transforming abstract plans to executable plans.


Abstract Given a connected graph and a vertex x ∈ V (G), the geodesic graph Px(G) has the same vertex set as G with edges uv iff either v is on an x − u geodesic path or u is on an x − v geodesic path. A characterization is given of those graphs all of whose geodesic graphs are complete bipartite. It is also shown that the geodetic number of the Cartesian product of Km,n with itself, where m, n ≥ 4, is equal to the minimum of m, n and eight.


We consider a Bayesian approach to offline model-based inverse reinforcement learning (IRL). The proposed framework differs from existing offline model-based IRL approaches by performing simultaneous estimation of the expert's reward function and subjective model of environment dynamics. We make use of a class of prior distributions which parameterizes how accurate the expert's model of the environment is to develop efficient algorithms to estimate the expert's reward and subjective dynamics in high-dimensional settings. Our analysis reveals a novel insight that the estimated policy exhibits robust performance when the expert is believed (a priori) to have a highly accurate model of the environment. We verify this observation in the MuJoCo environments and show that our algorithms outperform state-of-the-art offline IRL algorithms.


Gnotobiotic rats received up to 3 mmol L-carnitine/day with the drinking water during 9 days. They excreted about a quarter of the administered dose with the urine, partially in form of acetyl-L-carnitine, but trimethylamine, trimethylamine N-oxide or gamma-butyrobetaine were not detectable in urine or faeces in contrast to conventional animals. After oral loading with D-carnitine the unphysiological isomer was absorbed and either excreted unchanged in urine or metabolized to acetonyltrimethylammonium. With regard to the development of carnitine deficiency syndromes and the degradation of nutritional carnitine the conclusion has to be drawn, that the bacteria of the gastro-intestinal tract, but not the tissues of the mammals, are responsible for the metabolization of L-carnitine to gamma-butyrobetaine or trimethylamine.


BACKGROUND: Glioblastoma (GBM) contains self-renewing, tumorigenic cancer stem cells (CSCs) which contribute to tumor propagation and therapeutic resistance. While the tumor microenvironment is essential to CSC self-renewal, the mechanisms by which CSCs sense and respond to microenvironmental conditions are poorly understood. Scavenger receptors are a broad class of membrane receptors that are well characterized on immune cells and instrumental in sensing apoptotic cellular debris and modified lipids. METHODS: To interrogate the role of scavenger receptors in GBM, we utilized GBM patient tissue and patient derived xenografts. CSCs were enriched using standard cell surface marker methods and validated using functional assays (proliferation, self-renewal, tumor initiation). The role of scavenger receptors was tested using RNA interference and small molecule approaches in combination with CSC functional assays. The use of scavenger receptors as a biomarker was evaluated using bioinformatics databases and tissue microarray analysis. Lipid metabolism was evaluated by addition of oxidized low density lipoprotein (oxLDL) and de novo lipogenesis was evaluated by following carbon flux from acetate and oleate into phospholipids. RESULTS: We detected the expression of CD36, a major scavenger receptor, in GBM cells in addition to previously described cell types including endothelial cells, macrophages and microglia. CD36 was enriched in CSCs and was able to functionally distinguish self-renewing cells. CD36 was co-expressed with integrin alpha 6, a previously described CSC functional marker, and CD36 reduction by RNA interference resulted in concomitant loss of integrin alpha 6 expression, self-renewal and tumor initiation capacity. These results were confirmed using a novel small molecule inhibitor to CD36. We confirmed that oxidized phospholipids, ligands of CD36, were present in GBM and found that the proliferation of CSCs, but not non-CSCs, increased with exposure to oxLDL. RNA and protein levels of CD36 were informative biomarkers of malignancy and negatively correlated to patient prognosis. An unbiased analysis of GBM patients revealed that higher lipid metabolism correlated to poorer prognosis. To determine if differences in lipid metabolism were present in CSCs versus non-CSCs, we evaluated de novo lipogenesis and fatty acid esterification, both of which were significantly elevated in CSCs and could be attenuated using a CD36 small molecule inhibitor. CONCLUSIONS: Our data demonstrate that CD36 expression is elevated in CSCs, functions to promote self-renewal, and provides CSCs a selective lipid uptake advantage. Taken together, these results provide a paradigm for CSCs to thrive by the enhanced expression of scavenger receptors, providing survival and metabolic advantages. SECONDARY CATEGORY: Preclinical Experimental Therapeutics.


Previous research has revealed that problem solving and attainment in chemistry are constrained by mental capacity and working memory. However, the terms mental capacity and working memory come from different theories of cognitive resources, and are assessed using different tasks. The current study examined the relationships between mental capacity, working memory, algorithmic and open-ended problem solving, and A level chemistry grades. The results revealed that the best predictor of algorithmic problem solving and A level grades was performance on a counting recall task, which requires the simultaneous processing and storage of information within working memory. The best predictors of open-ended problem solving were backwards digit recall and the figural intersection test. The results therefore demonstrated a dissociation between the cognitive resources underlying algorithmic and open-ended problem solving. The results are discussed in terms of both theoretical and practical implications.


No reports have been published on the possible effects upon rheumatoid arthritis of the thiouracil drugs, which have a potent action on the thyroid and also on the adrenal glands, although several investigators have pointed out certain correlations between disturbances of the thyroid on the one hand, and rheumatoid arthritis on the other, and the study of the adrenal cortex plays a central role in rheumatology. Tripi and others (1949) certainly observed in a careful investigation thiat rats treated with thiouracil developed a more severe experimental arthritis than control animals. However, these animal experiments are not directly applicable to human rheumatoid arthritis, particularly as the animals suffered from a septic arthritis quite different from the human disease. The rats were inoculated with a " pleuropneumonia-like organism "; in connection with the developing joint affections, abscesses were to be found in several organs, and the inoculated micro-organisms could be cultivated both from various organs and from the joints in pure culture. The experimentation with thiouracil medication in cases of rheumatoid arthritis was initiated by a case in which thiouracil seemed to have a favourable action.


The interaction between gravitational and electromagnetic radiation has a rather long research history. It is well known, in particular, that gravity-wave distortions can drive propagating electromagnetic signals. Since forced oscillations provide the natural stage for resonances to occur, gravito-electromagnetic resonances have been investigated as a means of more efficient gravity-wave detection methods. In this report, we consider the coupling between the Weyl and the Maxwell fields on a Minkowski background, which also applies to astrophysical environments where gravity is weak, at the second perturbative level. We use covariant methods that describe gravitational waves via the transverse component of the shear, instead of pure-tensor metric perturbations. The aim is to calculate the properties of the electromagnetic signal, which emerges from the interaction of its linear counterpart with an incoming gravitational wave. Our analysis shows how the wavelength and the amplitude of the gravitationally driven electromagnetic wave vary with the initial conditions. More specifically, for certain initial data, the amplitude of the induced electromagnetic signal is found to diverge. Analogous, diverging, gravito-electromagnetic resonances were also reported in cosmology. Given that, we extend our Minkowski-space study to cosmology and discuss analogies and differences in the physics and in the phenomenology of the Weyl-Maxwell coupling between the aforementioned two physical environments.


PURPOSE: Patients with AD commonly exhibit behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD). This study is aimed to compare the efficacy of yokukansan (YKS) and risperidone (RIS) on BPSD in patients with severe Alzheimer's disease (AD). METHODS: Thirty eight inpatients with AD were investigated. Patients were randomly as-signed to the YKS group (N = 18) or the RIS group (N = 20) and treated for 4 weeks. The primary outcomes were changes in the scores on the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI), the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), the Bar-thel Index, and the Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory (CMAI). The frequency of extrapyramidal symptoms (EPS) and other adverse events were recorded at every visit. RESULTS: All participants in both groups completed the trial. The Barthel Index did not significantly change either in the RIS group or the YKS group. The MMSE scores did not change either in the RIS group or the YKS group. Significant improvements in mean total NPI and CMAI scores showed in both groups. Between the YKS and the RIS groups, there were no significant differences in the NPI or the CMAI scores. EPS and other serious adverse effects were not observed in either group. CONCLUSIONS: In this 4-week trial, YKS treatment significantly improved BPSD in the patients with severe AD. The present study suggests that YKS is as effective as RIS on BPSD with severe AD.


Abstract Gradient reversed‐phase liquid chromatography (RP‐LC) was validated for the analysis of rhG‐CSF in pharmaceutical formulations. The LC method was carried out on a Jupiter C4 column (250 mm×4.6 mm I.D.), the mobile phase A consisted of water:acetonitrile (90:10, v/v) with 0.1% TFA and the mobile phase B was water:acetonitrile (20:80, v/v) with 0.1% TFA, run at a flow rate of 0.5 mL/min and detection at 280 nm. Validation parameters were evaluated and the method was linear in the range of 10–300 µg/mL. The dimers, high molecular mass forms, sulphoxides, and deamidates were analysed by the LC methods and then subjected to independent neutropenia mouse bioassay, giving overall biological activities within 13.47% and 15.63%. The pharmaceutical samples were analysed by the chromatographic methods and compared to the bioassay, showing mean difference between the estimated potency of 2.04% lower for the RP‐LC, and 4.03% lower for the SE‐LC, with significant correlation (P>0.05). Due to the bioactivity of...


The formation of ordered structures, in particular Turing patterns, in complex spatially extended systems has been observed in many different contexts, spanning from natural sciences (chemistry, physics, and biology) to technology (mechanics and electronics). In this paper, it is shown that the use of memristors in a simple cell of a spatially-extended circuit architecture allows us to design systems able to generate Turing patterns. In addition, the memristor parameters play a key role in the selection of the type and characteristics of the emerging pattern, which is also influenced by the initial conditions. The problem of finding the regions of parameters where Turing patterns may emerge in the proposed cellular architecture is solved in an analytic way, and numerical results are shown to illustrate the system behavior with respect to its parameters.


Zambia is considered vulnerable to the adverse impacts of human-induced climate change and, as a Party to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Zambia has felt the need to combat increased national green house gas (GHG) emissions through Government initiatives. In order to successfully reduce GHG emissions, reliable carbon footprint (CF) estimates are required for use in national emission reduction strategy formulation. In this context, the study's main objective was to determine the CFs at household level in two townships in Ndola, Zambia. The findings show that middle income families had a higher CF than low income families. Indirect emissions contributed just under 50 per cent of total household GHG emissions in both income groups. The study concludes that a family's CF increased with an increase in household income.


Direct methods are effective for estimating transpiration in areas where the water balance and vegetation characteristics are highly variable. Usually, transpiration is calculated as a component of catchment evapotranspiration in spatial modelling of water resources. This leads to uncertainty about the actual values of plant transpiration and soil evaporation. Nevertheless, this information is important for conservation and planning in sub-humid and arid areas where vegetation can take up a significant amount of water. In this study, transpiration was directly estimated, based on data from a sap flow and leaf ecophysiology measurement campaign conducted in north-western Spain, in a semi-arid catchment where Quercus Ilex and Quercus Pyrenaica are the dominant species. Estimations obtained with the Penman-Monteith model were compared with sap flow transpiration estimations at the tree, stand and catchment levels. In order to identify tree species throughout the catchment, two methods of classification were performed on a Quickbird satellite image. A procedure based on supervised classification and object-oriented analysis proved to have greater accuracy (0.80 overall accuracy, Kappa = 0.31, true accuracy between 0.75 and 0.84 at p 0.05) than a multi-criteria method using GIS (0.79 overall accuracy, Kappa = 0.23, true accuracy between 0.74 and 0.83 at p 0.05). Sap flow measurements were scaled up using sapwood area and canopy area, while Penman-Monteith estimates were scaled up using Leaf Area Index (LAI) and the fraction of sunlit and shaded parts of the canopy. At the tree level, PenmanMonteith estimations were closer to sap flow estimations when LAI was applied using a "big leaf" model (RMSE = 296.2 cm/h for Q. Pyrenaica and 542.6 cm/h for Q. Ilex, as compared with sap flow values) than using a simple 4-layer representation of the canopy (RMSE = 430.2 cm/h for Q. Pyrenaica and 8543.9 cm/h for Q. Ilex). For a 1 Ha stand with 19 trees, the estimated transpiration was 0.148 m/h with sap flow measurements, and 0.138 m/h with the Penman-Monteith model. Finally, at the catchment level, the sap flow estimation of transpiration was 4.94 m/h and 11.92 m/h with the Penman-Monteith model. Differences arise mainly from the assumptions and generalizations taken for both estimations. It is concluded that simple, direct methods (e.g. sap flow measurements, "big leaf" upscaling procedures) are effective for transpiration estimation, but the generalizations and assumptions associated with them are an obstacle for validation.


Purpose: The aim of this prospective surgical note was to evaluate the highly predictable horizontal bone gain of the alveolar ridge augmentation in two-stage implant surgery at the mandible with titanium mesh.
Material and Methods: Five patients treated with 10 implants and simultaneous guided bone regeneration with ribbed titanium meshes (i–Gen®, MegaGen, Seoul, Republic of Korea) were selected for inclusion in the present surgical note. Primary outcomes were highly predictable horizontal bone gain of the alveolar ridge augmentation, secondary outcomes were biological and prosthetic complications.
Results: After the removal of titanium meshes, the cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) showed a mean horizontal bone gain of 2 mm. The most frequent complications were mild postoperative edema (40% of patients) and discomfort after surgery (60% of patients); these complications were resolved within one week. Titanium mesh exposure occurred in 0 patients. And implant survival rate of 100% (implant-based).
Conclusions: The horizontal ridge reconstruction with titanium meshes placed simultaneously with dental implants achieved predictable satisfactory results.


We examine the cosmic microwave background (CMB) anisotropy for signatures of early quintessence dark energy—a nonnegligible quintessence energy density during the recombination and structure formation eras. Only very recently does the quintessence overtake the dark matter and push the expansion into overdrive. Because the presence of early quintessence exerts an influence on the clustering of dark matter and the baryon-photon fluid, we may expect to find trace signals in the CMB and the mass fluctuation power spectrum. In detail, we demonstrate that suppressed clustering power on small length scales, as suggested by the combined Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe/CMB/large-scale structure data set, is characteristic of early quintessence. We identify a set of concordant models and map out directions for further investigation of early quintessence.


Field education is the core of social work education, yet the quality of this programme is threatened by a high turnover of field educators. This retrospective study examines the turnover rate in one Australian social work programme, the characteristics of its supervisors and agencies and establishes a bench-mark for national and international comparative studies. High turnover rates suggest the need to re-examine some of the traditions arid assumptions of field education for social work.


Eleven grain sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) hybrids were grown in the field and growth chamber. Leaf blade samples were assayed by in vitro and in vivo procedures for nitrate reductase activity (NRA) to i)termine NRA of the hybrids, ii) examine relationships between NRA and grain and N yields, and iii) determine whether NRA of growth chamber-grown plants are indicative of those of field-grown plants. Among hybrids, differences in yields of grain, dry matter, and grain protein and in in vitro NRA were significant though comparatively small. Seven hybrids had similar N input: accumulation ratios while four had lower ratios. This variation in N input:accumulation ratios, precludes the use of NRA, as assayed here, as a criterion for screening grain sorghum cultivars for N accumulation ability. Also, NRA values of young growth chamber-grown plants were not indicative of those of field-grown plants


Abstract Despite the traditional plasmonic materials are counted on one hand, there are a lot of possible combinations leading to alloys with other elements of the periodic table, in particular those renowned for magnetic or catalytic properties. It is not a surprise, therefore, that nanoalloys are considered for their ability to open new perspectives in the panorama of plasmonics, representing a leading research sector nowadays. This is demonstrated by a long list of studies describing multiple applications of nanoalloys in photonics, photocatalysis, sensing and magneto‐optics, where plasmons are combined with other physical and chemical phenomena. In some remarkable cases, the amplification of the conventional properties and even new effects emerged. However, this field is still in its infancy and several challenges must be overcome, starting with the synthesis (control of composition, crystalline order, size, processability, achievement of metastable phases and disordered compounds) as well as the modelling of the structure and properties (accuracy of results, reliability of structural predictions, description of disordered phases, evolution over time) of nanoalloys. To foster the research on plasmonic nanoalloys, here we provide an overview of the most recent results and developments in the field, organized according to synthetic strategies, modelling approaches, dominant properties and reported applications. Considering the several plasmonic nanoalloys under development as well as the large number of those still awaiting synthesis, modelling, properties assessment and technological exploitation, we expect a great impact on the forthcoming solutions for sustainability, ultrasensitive and accurate detection, information processing and many other fields.


In multi-agent based traffic simulation, agents are always supposed to move following existing instructions, and mechanically and unnaturally imitate human behavior. The human drivers perform acceleration or deceleration irregularly all the time, which seems unnecessary in some conditions. For letting agents in traffic simulation behave more like humans and recognize other agents' behavior in complex conditions, we propose a unified mechanism for agents learn to decide various accelerations by using deep reinforcement learning based on a combination of regenerated visual images revealing some notable features, and numerical vectors containing some important data such as instantaneous speed. By handling batches of sequential data, agents are enabled to recognize surrounding agents' behavior and decide their own acceleration. In addition, we can generate a traffic flow behaving diversely to simulate the real traffic flow by using an architecture of fully decentralized training and fully centralized execution without violating Markov assumptions.


Azfar Moin's The Millennial Sovereign: Sacred Kingship and Sainthood in Islam prompts a consideration not only of the histories of Islam and early modern connected histories of Central and South Asia, but also of current debates about local and global history-writing. Moin's work intersects with a strand of comparative world history—following Victor Lieberman's Strange Parallels—but also engages strands of historical anthropology, bringing to light a range of compelling stakes for global historians, historians of South Asia, and scholars of nationalism alike. Though Moin's work pushes the boundaries of connected histories centered on South Asia, his focus on a trans-regional millennial science avoids questions of the local within new global histories.


Electron microscopic studies on a closed colony of rabbits with an 18.5 per cent incidence of spontaneous onset insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus revealed that the beta-cells of the islets of Langerhans of the diabetic animals were hypergranulated. This finding contrasts with most other animal models of spontaneous diabetes mellitus which show degranulation of the beta-cells. There was no evidence of hyperplasia, insulitis, amyloid, or fibrosis of the islets by either light or electron microscopy. Correlation of our morphologic findings with physiologic data suggests a defect in insulin secretion. Rabbits with normal glucose metabolism showed a normal degree of granulation of their beta-cells. The alpha and delta cells were within normal limits in all animals. No other abnormalities associated with diabetes in humans or other animals were noted except for minimal fusion of the glomerular epithelial foot processes and mineralization of the proximal tubules and Bowman's capsules.


The purpose for this study is to compare two major Swedish daily newspapers "Dagens Nyheter" and "Svenska Dagbladet" and their statements regarding the electors of Sweden Democrats attitude regarding immigrants and immigration policy during the autumn of 2013. The scope was to analyze medias interpretation with the electors of the Sweden Democrats statements and opinions regarding their immigration policy. I have used three different questions to fulfill my purpose; the first one is to describe how media chooses to present the electors of Sweden Democrats opinions regarding immigrants. The second question is to reflect and present the electors own opinions on immigrants and their immigration policies. The final area is to identify similarities and differences with medias interpretation and the electors own statements. The theory which will characterize my study is based on framing, with the purpose to show how media presents the reality. The method I have used for this study is based on both qualitative and quantitative facts were the questions at issue is based on both analyses of released news articles and from gathered statistics. My conclusion is that the electors have more negative opinions against immigrants then the picture media presents.


A two-dimensional computational model of fretting corrosion was proposed by the authors. The two-dimensional simulation result was reported in the previous paper. Presently, the model is extended to three-dimensional space. This paper focuses on the electrical contact resistance profile, which is caused by particle generation, oxidation, and transportation at the interface of connector terminals. The material used in the study is tin-plated copper alloy. The scope of the simulation is limited between the initial state and the first peak of resistance profile curve. The model for particle generation, oxidation, and transportation is based on cellular automata. On the other hand, the resistance profile is calculated with the model based on equivalent resistor network. In this case, the calculation of overall resistance value is equivalent to the solution of simultaneous equations. Typically, the authors used the conjugate gradient method for solving the equations. The simulated resistance profiles were compared with experimental results. The peak heights of the resistance profile agree with the experimental results. Nevertheless, further investigation is still required on the compatibility with the physical theory. The results indicate that this model can describe the resistance altering tendency and the peak heights caused by fretting corrosion.


Sildenafil (Viagra) citrate has been well accepted by physicians and patients for its reliable efficacy and safety in the treatment of erectile dysfunction (ED) ever since its introduction into clinical andrology in China 10 years ago. It has been proved effective for various ED subgroups, regardless of causes, severity and age. Recent studies show that sildenafil also benefits patients with premature ejaculation, either used alone or in combination with other therapies.


Observations were concentrated on the ultrastructure of perikarya and satellite cells of the otic ganglion of the adult rat. Characteristics of both cell types were morphologically analysed as well as their relationship. Quantitative data concerning the volumetric density were calculated for the following elements of the ganglion: glial cells together (28.5%), unmyelinated fibres (13.4%), myelinated fibres (2.7%), connective tissue (13.6%). This electron microscopic study is a sequence of our previous light microscopic study which determined neuronal densities (COSTA, MANDARIM-DE-LACERDA and BAUER, in press).


ABSTRACT Amphipod crustaceans comprise a significant and enigmatic component of Australian groundwater ecosystems, particularly in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. Many amphipod species in the Pilbara, including species in the genus Nedsia Barnard & Williams, 1995, are considered short range endemics, poorly or contentiously defined by taxonomic treatments based on morphology alone and have uncertain distributions as a consequence of this taxonomy. A modern systematic revision of Nedsia is presented here, utilising both molecular and morphological analyses alongside distributional data to delineate species. We describe 13 new species of Nedsia, confirm three existing species and synonymise eight previously described species. Nedsia species are confirmed to be functionally morphologically cryptic, with COI divergences at the 5–20% level. We present comparatively reduced taxonomic descriptions for these cryptic amphipod species in an effort to provide an accelerated pathway for future taxonomic work. The research provides the basis for future environmental impact assessments involving Nedsia species and ongoing monitoring of the groundwater communities these form part of in the resource-rich Pilbara region.


A novel heterometallic MnSr complex containing the Mn3SrO4 cuboidal moiety and all types of μ-O(2-) moieties observed in the oxygen-evolving complex (OEC) in Sr(2+)-containing photosystem II (PSII) has been synthesized and characterized, which provides a new synthetic model of the OEC.


Keynote paper presented at the International Leucaena Conference, 1‒3 November 2018, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.This review describes the history of research in Leucaena leucocephala (leucaena) feeding systems carried out by the National Institute of Agricultural Technology (INTA) over the last 5 decades and discusses the main limitations resulting in poor adoption in Argentina. Leucaena was introduced in the subtropical region of the north of the country in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Since then, INTA has conducted research to evaluate forage and animal productivity, leucaena accessions, rhizobial strains, contribution to soil carbon and total nitrogen and density effects on competition and other ecosystem interactions in silvopastoral systems. In spite of the convincing research results showing the excellent potential of leucaena to increase forage quality and animal production in suitable areas, there has been poor adoption of this forage tree legume on a broad scale.


Background Although chiropractic is most commonly used for spinal problems, many chiropractors use manipulations for the treatment of non-spinal conditions. Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) has been identified as one such condition. This systematic review evaluates the evidence for or against the effectiveness of chiropractic as a treatment for CTS. Methods Eight electronic databases were searched from inception until November 2008. Reference lists of retrieved articles were hand-searched. Chiropractic associations were contacted in order to identify further non-published studies. No language restrictions were applied. Results Of 26 potentially relevant studies, only one trial of chiropractic for CTS met all the inclusion criteria. The trial was of poor quality and reported no significant differences between the groups on any outcome measure. However, our re-analyses indicated a significant difference in favour of the control treatment (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs [NSAIDs] use). Adverse effects were noted in both groups. Conclusions There is insufficient evidence to suggest that chiropractic is effective for the treatment of CTS. Therapy should continue to focus on the use of NSAIDs, corticosteroid injection, splinting and surgical release of the median nerve. Further research into the utility of chiropractic for CTS is required.


Research summary: Research demonstrates that foreign firms from institutionally distant countries imitate the practices of domestic firms (i.e., adopt an isomorphism strategy). The conjecture has been that pursuing such a strategy can help foreign firms counteract the deleterious performance consequences associated with institutional distance; yet there is scant evidence of such. This study treats isomorphism as an endogenously selected strategy influenced by institutional distance to examine its performance consequences. Using a dataset of 80 foreign banks from 25 countries operating in the United States, we find that foreign firms from institutionally distant home countries benefit initially from selecting an isomorphism strategy. However, the benefits diminish with experience. Managerial summary: Multinational companies experience great difficulty in managing institutional distance, and research suggests that one way to overcome distance-related constraints is to imitate the strategies of local companies. Unfortunately, we do not know enough about the performance-related consequences of engaging in such imitative behavior. This study examines whether imitating local firms improves performance for multinational companies from institutionally distant markets. We find that imitation improves a firm's performance at first; however, with experience those same strategies result in performance decrements. Managers of multinationals should therefore be careful not to get locked into imitative strategies that provide performance benefits upon entry, but that fail to provide benefits over time. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Background: Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are one of the first-line drugs for acid-dependent diseases. Inappropriate use of PPIs, especially the Intravenous (IV) formula of pantoprazole, can result in excessive cost. This study aimed to evaluate IV pantoprazole usage's appropriateness and optimize its use in accordance with guidelines at Razi educational and remedial center, Rasht, Iran.
Methods: This cross-sectional study was executed in five months among 344 patients of Razi hospital who received IV pantoprazole for stress ulcer prophylaxis (SUP). Demographic data, route and doses of pantoprazole, risk factors for stress ulcer, and other related medical data were recorded. In addition, the appropriate use of IV pantoprazole was measured according to recommendations arranged by this center and the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists.
Results: Out of 197 patients who received SUP with an appropriate indication, 183 patients (92.9%) were able to tolerate the drug orally, and only 14 patients (7.1%) had an indication for receiving IV pantoprazole. There was a significant difference between patients who received SUP with an indication regarding having or not having an indication for IV pantoprazole (P = 0.007). 5029 vials (96.5%) with a cost of 17,822 US dollars were used inappropriately and imposed an additional cost on the health care system.
Conclusion: This study presented that the majority of IV pantoprazole use in this center was not well-matched with guidelines in most cases, containing appropriate indication and right dosing. In order to prescribe this drug as SUP, it is necessary to be more careful about the criteria for prescribing and conforming the prescribed drug and the prescribed dose to the relevant instructions.


Statistical fluctuation problems are faced by all quantum key distribution (QKD) protocols under finite-key condition. Most of the current statistical fluctuation analysis methods work based on independent random samples, however, the precondition cannot be always satisfied on account of different choice of samples and actual parameters. As a result, proper statistical fluctuation methods are required to figure out this problem. Taking the after-pulse contributions into consideration, we give the expression of secure key rate and the mathematical model for statistical fluctuations, focusing on a decoy-state QKD protocol (Sci Rep. 3, 2453, 2013) with biased basis choice. On this basis, a classified analysis of statistical fluctuation is represented according to the mutual relationship between random samples. First for independent identical relations, we make a deviation comparison between law of large numbers and standard error analysis. Secondly, we give a sufficient condition that Chernoff bound achieves a better result than Hoeffding's inequality based on independent relations only. Thirdly, by constructing the proper martingale, for the first time we represent a stringent way to deal with statistical fluctuation issues upon dependent ones through making use of Azuma's inequality. In numerical optimization, we show the impact on secure key rate, the ones and respective deviations under various kinds of statistical fluctuation analyses.


The sustainable bond market, comprising green, social and sustainability (GSS) bonds, continues to develop rapidly. Until recently, sovereign issuers played only a minor role, due in part to tensions between the use-of-proceeds earmarking of GSS bonds and the fungibility requirements for many sovereigns. That said, sovereign GSS bond frameworks rely on stringent reporting and verification standards, thus setting goalposts for private issuers to aim for. Sustainability-linked bonds allow an unrestricted use of proceeds and – if based on contractual terms that sufficiently align issuers' incentives with sustainability objectives – can provide sovereigns with new options to make progress towards carbon emission reduction targets.


Introduction Isolation strategies have been implemented in numerous countries worldwide during the ongoing community transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). However, various countries and organizations have implemented their isolation measures at varying intensities, even during the same period. Therefore, we systematically reviewed the key information contained in currently available guidelines regarding the isolation of the general population, aiming to better identify the heterogeneity of the current isolation strategies. Methods We conducted searches in four evidence-based medicine (EBM) databases and five guideline websites to identify guidelines, guidance, protocols, and policy documents published by authoritative advisory bodies or healthcare organizations, which provided information on the implementation of isolation for general populations with COVID-19. One author extracted data using a standardized data extraction checklist, and a second author double-checked all extractions for completeness and correctness. Discrepancies were resolved through discussion. The information extracted from the included articles was summarized both narratively and using tables. Results We included 15 articles that provided information on isolation measures recommended by nine different countries and organizations. The included articles consistently recommended isolating individuals with a positive COVID-19 test, regardless of the presence of symptoms. However, there were variations in the duration of isolation, and substantial differences also existed in the criteria for ending the isolation of COVID-19 patients. Conclusion Different countries and organizations have substantial differences in their isolation policies. This reminds us that scientifically sound guidelines on isolation that balance the risk of prematurely ending isolation with the burden of prolonged isolation are a crucial topic of discussion when faced with a pandemic.


We report 2 young women with Raynaud's phenomenon who later developed the laboratory and clinical features of mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD). Antibodies to extractable nuclear antigens were initially negative and remained so far several years before becoming positive. Raynaud's phenomenon is common in MCTD, but laboratory and clinical evidence of the latter may not be present initially.


Nanostructured Al2O3 powders were prepared by high-energy ball milling of corundum. Both the solid state nuclear magnetic resonance spectra of the Al3+ ions and the solid state electron paramagnetic resonance spectra of incorporated Fe3+ ions are governed by noticeable spectral changes dependent on the duration of the mechanical treatment. The quadrupolar parameters of the 27Al nuclei and the zero-field splitting parameters of the Fe3+ ions as well as their statistical distributions were determined as functions of the milling time. Structural changes of the Al2O3 matrix were also followed by powder x-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy measurements. Direct relations between the structural disorder as obtained by x-ray data and the spin Hamiltonian parameters of both ions could be established. These results suggest that the milled powders consist of nanocrystalline grains embedded in amorphous grain boundaries even for the longest milling time. The grains can be described in terms of ordered AlO6-octahedra as in the starting crystalline material exhibiting a slight rhombic distortion. The grain boundaries look like random arrangements of these octahedral units. The specific behaviour of the environment of the Fe3+ paramagnetic probe points out that such a point defect acts as an activation centre of the amorphization process.


Family-based association designs are popular, because they offer inherent control of population stratification based on age, sex, ethnicity, and environmental exposure. However, the efficiency of these designs is hampered by current analytic strategies that consider only offspring phenotypes. Here, we describe the incorporation of parental phenotypes and, specifically, the inclusion of parental genotype-phenotype correlation terms in association tests, providing a series of tests that effectively span an efficiency-robustness spectrum. The model is based on the between-within-sibship association model presented in 1999 by Fulker and colleagues for quantitative traits and extended here to nuclear families. By use of a liability-threshold-model approach, standard dichotomous and/or qualitative disease phenotypes can be analyzed (and can include appropriate corrections for phenotypically ascertained samples), which allows for the application of this model to analysis of the commonly used affected-proband trio design. We show that the incorporation of parental phenotypes can considerably increase power, as compared with the standard transmission/disequilibrium test and equivalent quantitative tests, while providing both significant protection against stratification and a means of evaluating the contribution of stratification to positive results. This methodology enables the extraction of more information from existing family-based collections that are currently being genotyped and analyzed by use of standard approaches.


Feasibility of plasma current ramp-up in JT-60SA with no additional central solenoid (CS) flux consumption after the initial plasma formation has been investigated using an integrated modeling code suite (TOPICS). In our previous study, we developed a scenario in which the plasma current is ramped-up from 0.6 MA to 2.1 MA with no additional CS flux consumption by overdriving the plasma current using neutral beams (NB) and electron cyclotron (EC) waves. While the density profiles were prescribed in the previous study, in this study, we introduce a particle transport model according to the experimental results of JT-60U. It is shown that an internal transport barrier (ITB) can be obtained and the plasma current can be overdriven even if the particle transport is solved. The plasma current is ramped up in 330 s without CS flux consumption using 17 MW of NB and 3 MW of EC when the electron density is approximately 70% of the Greenwald limit. Although low-n ideal MHD modes are stable, an infinite-n ballooning mode is unstable in this scenario. The latter mode is presumably harmless, but to ensure the stability we investigate the pressure and the current profile controllability when the plasma current is overdriven. As a result, the infinite-n ballooning mode is shown to be stable when a broad pressure profile and a locally optimized magnetic shear are obtained using 2 MW of on-axis N-NB, 2 MW of off-axis N-NB, 4 MW of co-tangential P-NB and 7MW of EC with the electron density 30% of the Greenwald limit.


This study investigated the effect of educational board games and the creative thinking spiral teaching strategy (CTSTS) on the learning outcomes of beginner-level Chinese language learners. Two dimensions were measured: learning outcome and writing ability. A total of 82 learners from one university in Taiwan participated in this study. Participants were non-randomly selected using convenience sampling. The participants were divided into the control group (40 participants) and experimental group (42 participants). In the control group, the teacher used the board game "Conveyance GO" as a teaching tool; in the experimental group, both Conveyance GO and CTSTS were used to teach the Chinese language. The results indicate no significant difference in learning outcomes between the groups. However, the experimental group exhibited a significantly larger improvement in writing abilities than did the control group, especially in terms of cohesion, coherence, and grammatical accuracy.


Proceedings: AACR 107th Annual Meeting 2016; April 16-20, 2016; New Orleans, LA

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), or liver cancer, is the second leading cause of death from cancer worldwide (Ferlay et al, Lyon, France: International Agency for Research on Cancer, 2013). HCC is linked with hepatic steatosis, or fatty liver disease, the most common chronic liver disease in the US. Both hepatic steatosis and HCC are increasing in prevalence in the US. However, the molecular mechanisms that cause HCC in a steatotic liver are not entirely understood. To uncover mutations promoting cancer in fatty livers and elucidate the role of steatosis in HCC, we performed a forward genetic screen using the conditional Sleeping Beauty (SB) transposon insertional mutagenesis system in mice treated with ethanol and a choline deficient diet to induce steatosis. Mice developed hepatic steatosis and liver cancer without sex bias, modeling the pattern seen in humans in whom HCC's with steatosis as a preceding condition are represented by a nearly equal number of males and females. We found that hepatic steatosis caused a downregulation of liver Foxa1 expression and increased Foxa2 inactivating phosphorylation, thus providing a molecular explanation for the loss of gender bias in our mouse model. Transposon insertion sites were mapped from the mouse HCC tumors, and genes near or in which more insertions were observed than expected by chance were identified as common insertion sites (CIS), which we consider putative steatosis-associated liver cancer genes. Wnt/b-catenin signaling, which defines a subclass of HCC and can induce tumors in mice without sex bias, was one of the top CIS associated pathways identified. Interestingly, alpha-adrenergic and dopamine signaling were also among the top steatosis-specific CIS associated pathways, suggesting a role for the sympathetic nervous system and cAMP signaling in fatty liver-associated cancer. Further studies are underway to test the roles of the pathways and individual genes identified in this study in driving HCC. Our studies implicate Wnt/beta-catenin and sympathetic nervous system signaling in steatosis-associated HCC and suggest methods for treatment or prevention in such cases.

Citation Format: Barbara R. Tschida, N. Alpay Temiz, Ju D. Yang, Vincent W. Keng, David A. Largaespada. A transposon-based forward genetic screen for steatosis-associated liver cancer drivers. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 63.


This article has presented a tightly integrated systems architecture for a decentralized CSAT mission management algorithm and demonstrated successful implementation in actual hardware flight tests. This CSAT architecture allows each UAV to accomplish a combined search and track mission by conceptualizing the searching aspect as a spare time strategy to be executed optimally over a short time horizon when the agents are not actively tracking a vehicle. This presented a balance between the two conflicting search and track modes and allowed the mission to achieve more than simply searching or tracking alone.


Abstract Georgenthalia clavinasica, a new genus and species of amphibamid dissorophoid temnospondyl, is represented by a small, complete, postmetamorphic skull from the Lower Permian Bromacker locality, Germany. It is only the third non-amniote of an assemblage of 12 terrestrial tetrapod taxa known from this locality. It is characterized by a broadly rounded skull with large orbits, a short postorbital length, and a unique keyhole-shaped external naris superficially resembling that of trematopid dissorophoids. New features that help to discriminate between amphibamid species are highlighted. Phylogenetically informative characters present in G. clavinasica include: anterolateral flaring of the lateral margin of frontals; narrow interorbital width; ventral orbital process of the prefrontal contacts palatine; palatine exposed on lateral surface of ventral rim of orbit; large otic notches closely approach the orbits; absence of a supratympanic flange of otic notch; long supratympanic process of squamosal with flange-like process that underlaps the midcentral portion of supratemporal. Several features support a highly terrestrial habitus of G. clavinasica, which is consistent with the interpretation of the fossiliferous beds of the Bromacker quarry as representing an upland terrestrial environment in which limnic conditions were characterized by ephemeral lakes and ponds. A new clade, Olsoniformes, is named for Dissorophidae and Trematopidae (dissorophoids exclusive of Amphibamidae), and new phylogenetic definitions for Amphibamidae, Trematopidae, and Dissorophidae are presented. The small neotenic Micromelerpetontidae, and presumably also the neotenic and larval Branchiosauridae, fall within the newly defined clade Amphibamidae in the current study, and future work should focus on clarifying the nature of this relationship.


Inferring past demographic history of natural populations from genomic data is of central concern in many studies across research fields. Previously, our group had developed dadi, a widely used demographic history inference method based on the allele frequency spectrum (AFS) and maximum likelihood optimization. However, dadi's maximum likelihood optimization procedure is computationally expensive. Here, we developed donni (demography optimization via neural network inference), a new inference method based on dadi that is more efficient while maintaining comparable inference accuracy. For each dadi-supported demographic model, donni simulates the expected AFS and trains a multilayer perceptron algorithm to infer the model parameters from input AFS. We demonstrated that for many demographic models, donni can infer some parameters, such as population size changes and inbreeding coefficients, very well (ρ ≈ 0.9) and other parameters, such as migration rates and times of demographic events, fairly well (ρ ≈ 0.6 − 0.7). Importantly, donni provides parameter inference instantaneously from input AFS, with accuracy comparable to parameters inferred by dadi's likelihood optimization while bypassing its long and computationally intensive evaluation process. Donni's performance demonstrates that supervised machine learning algorithms may be a promising avenue for developing more sustainable and computationally efficient demographic history inference methods.


The rapid developments of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) and vision sensor are contributing a great reformation in precision agriculture. Farmers can fly their UAV spraying pesticides around their crop fields while staying at their remote control room or any place that is separated from their farm land. However, there is a common phenomenon in rice planting management stage that some empty areas are randomly located in farmland. Therefore, a critical problem is that the waste of pesticides that occurs when spraying pesticides over rice fields with empty areas by using the common UAV, because it is difficult to control the flow accuracy based on the empty areas changing. To tackle this problem, a novel vision-based spraying system was proposed that can identify empty areas automatically while spraying a precise amount of pesticides on the target regions. By this approach, the image was preprocessed with the Lucy-Richardson algorithm, then the target area was split from the background with k-means and the feature parameters were extracted, finally the feature parameters were filtered out with a positive contribution which would serve as the input parameters of the support vector machine (SVM) to identify the target area. Also a fuzzy control model was analyzed and exerted to compensate the nonlinearity and hysteresis of the variable rate spraying system. Experimental results proved that the approach was applicable to reducing the amount of pesticides during UAV spraying, which can provide a reference for precision agriculture aviation in the future.
Keywords: vision sensor, UAV, adaptive spray, variable rate spraying, fuzzy control, empty area, precision agriculture aviation
DOI: 10.25165/j.ijabe.20191203.4358

Citation: Wang L H, Lan Y B, Yue X J, Ling K J, Cen Z Z, Cheng Z Y, et al. Vision-based adaptive variable rate spraying approach for unmanned aerial vehicles. Int J Agric & Biol Eng, 2019; 12(3): 18–26.


ABSTRACT Acute care social work positions face budgetary scrutiny in the current climate of fiscal restraint in Canadian health care. Managers may be faced with the question of whether a new or vacant medical social work position should be filled by a BSW social worker or an MSW social worker. This question is further complicated when experienced and less costly BSW social workers are available while MSW social workers with medical or hospital experience may be limited in supply. This paper reviews the literature relevant to medical social work practice and hiring. A small scale survey was conducted with interprofessional managers responsible for the hiring of medical social workers. The purpose of this research was to examine the current hiring practices and considerations for hospital medical social workers.


The nascent field of gravitational-wave astronomy offers many opportunities for effective and inspirational astronomy outreach. Gravitational waves, the "ripples in space-time" predicted by Einstein's theory of General Relativity, are produced by some of the most energetic and dramatic phenomena in the cosmos, including black holes, neutron stars and supernovae. The detection of gravitational waves will help to address a number of fundamental questions in physics, from the evolution of stars and galaxies to the origin of dark energy and the nature of space-time itself. Moreover, the cutting-edge technology developed to search for gravitational waves is pushing back the frontiers of many fields, from lasers and materials science to high performance computing, and thus provides a powerful showcase for the attractions and challenges of a career in science and engineering. For several years a worldwide network of ground-based laser interferometric gravitational-wave detectors has been fully operational, including the two LIGO detectors in the United States. These detectors are already among the most sensitive scientific instruments on the planet and in the next few years their sensitivity will achieve further significant improvement. Those developments promise to open an exciting new window on the Universe, heralding the arrival of gravitational-wave astronomy as a revolutionary, new observational field. In this paper we describe the extensive program of public outreach activities already undertaken by the LIGO Scientific Collaboration, and a number of special events which we are planning for IYA2009.


This study proposes a radial basis function network (RBFN) controlled three-phase induction generator (IG) system using ac-dc and dc-ac power converters. In this study, first, the indirect field-oriented mechanism is implemented for the control of the IG. The electric frequency of the IG is controlled using the indirect field-oriented control mechanism. Then, an ac-dc power converter and a dc-ac power inverter are adopted to convert the electric power generated by a three-phase IG from variable-frequency and variable-voltage to constant-frequency and constant-voltage. Moreover, two on-line trained RBFNs using backpropagation learning algorithm with improved particle swarm optimization (IPSO) are introduced as the regulating controllers for both the dc-link voltage and the ac line voltage of the dc-ac power inverter. The IPSO is adopted in this study to adapt the learning rates in the backpropagation process of the RBFNs to improve the learning capability. By using the proposed RBFN controller with IPSO, the IG system can employ for stand-alone power application effectively. Finally, some experimental results are provided to show the effectiveness of the proposed IG system.


In this webinar, organised by NCRM, we discuss the ideas and principles that underpin the concept of anonymisation. The speaker (Professor Mark Elliot, NCRM, University of Manchester) demystifies the term and other related concepts and argues for a holistic, functional approach to the topic. He then go on to describe a practical system to the anonymisation called the "Anonymisation Decision-making Framework".


While the general fracture mechanics methodology for calculating fatigue life is well documented and validated, its application in the definition of pipeline system fatigue lives have differed from field experience. The source and magnitude of the conservatism inherent in the calculated fatigue life estimates are a concern when establishing integrity management programs. Of particular interest are the fatigue life estimates used in the integrity management programs for ERW pipeline systems that are primarily concerned with pipe wall anomalies oriented along the pipe axis. This project was initiated to consider several elements of the fatigue life estimation process to identify if there were sources of conservatism that could be better managed to permit integrity management programs to produce life estimates with known levels of conservatism. The project considered:

 - Ovality and misalignment stress concentration factors;

 - Fatigue crack growth rate (da/dN) material performance; and

 - Bulging correction factor.

Both experimental and numerical simulation techniques were used to consider the impact of these factors on rate of fatigue crack growth of pipeline axially oriented defects. The project results were compared to existing codified treatments to quantify the level of conservatism inherent in the current state of practice. Recommendations were provided to enhance the precision and manage conservatism in fatigue crack growth rate calculations used in integrity management.

This work has a related webinar.