In modern robotic radiotherapy, precise radiation of moving tumors is possible by tracking external optical surrogates. The surrogates are used to compensate for time delays and to predict internal landmarks using a correlation model. The correlation depends significantly on the surrogate position and breathing characteristics of the patient. In this context, we aim to increase the accuracy and robustness of prediction and correlation models by using a multi-modal sensor setup. Here, we evaluate the correlation coefficient of a strain belt, an acceleration and temperature sensor (air flow) with respect to external optical sensors and one internal landmark in the liver, measured by 3D ultrasound. The focus of this study is the influence of breathing artefacts, like coughing and harrumphing. Evaluating seven subjects, we found a strong decrease of the correlation for all modalities in case of artefacts. The results indicate that no precise motion compensation during these times is possible. Overall, we found that apart from the optical markers, the strain belt and temperature sensor data show the best correlation to external and internal motion.


In this study we present a method for the localization problem of Autonomously Guided Vehicles (AGVs) in the framework of well-known Simultaneously Localization and Map Building (SLAM) problem. Methods that are using odometer and IMU together still open to development because of incapability of obtaining significant noise-free measurements from ordinary IMU sensor. Nowadays localization techniques for industrial AGVs are also include specific Landmarks that brings big amount of precision for particularly indoor since that allow sparse mapping without future extraction efforts. This property is also useful for implementation of estimation tools such as Kalman filtering. Our work is based on EKF based localization of based on landmark detection, odometry and IMU measurements together. The proposed method is tested on our AGVs experimentally equipped by various sensors for some navigation scenarios successfully.


Using satellite image pairs from the 2010–2011 Canterbury Earthquake Sequence (CES) in New Zealand, optical image correlation is used to measure horizontal displacements due to liquefaction-induced lateral spreading. Horizontal displacements as small as 0.2 to 0.3 m are accurately measured by optical image correlation at a spatial resolution of less than 20 m. Comparisons with field survey measurements of horizontal displacement are favorable, but some differences are observed due to the different spatial scales of the measurements. Liquefaction-induced horizontal displacements derived from LIDAR surveys are similar to those from optical image correlation, but in some locations the LIDAR measurements are inaccurate due to limitations in the LIDAR survey acquisition methodology used. This paper demonstrates that optical image correlation from satellite image pairs can be used to create more complete databases of liquefaction-induced horizontal movements, which can be used to improve current predictive models for liquefaction-induced horizontal displacements. Future post-earthquake investigations and research should make use of optical image correlation to document the horizontal displacements associated with liquefaction.


The melting of thin Si film induced by irradiation from a focused beam of a CW Ar-ion laser oscillating in various modes is directly observed using an optical microscope. It is found that as the laser power is increased, liquid spots first appear, subsequently, a mixture region in which solid filaments fluctuating in time and space coexist with liquid is formed, and finally a uniformly molten region appears at the center of the solid-liquid mixture region. The shapes of the mixture and uniformly molten regions are shown to be strongly influenced by the laser power and/or mode, that is, by the laser intensity profile. It is confirmed that the TEM10+TEM01-like mode gives a molten shape suitable for recrystallizing Si films, compared with the TEM00 and TEM02 modes. The size and fluctuation of solid filaments in the mixture region are discussed.


This overview summarizes recent information concerning the biopathology of mesangial cell proliferation and matrix expansion which constitute fundamental features in human IgA nephritis. The currently available knowledge, mainly stemming for immunohistochemical observation of human materials, experimental investigations with laboratory animals, and mesangial cell culture studies, emphasizes the importance of cell to cell, cell to soluble factors, and cell to matrix interactions. Mesangial cells, activated by cytokines and growth factors, express adhesion molecules, stimulate proliferation both of themselves and neighbouring cells, and synthesize extracellular matrix. Matrix components, in turn, may influence the behaviour and proliferation activity of mesangial cells, or act as a receptor or reservoir for growth factors. Expression of protooncogenes, regulating cell proliferation and apoptosis, by glomerular cells could be associated with persistent cell replication and chronic tissue damage. These disease processes seem to be common to a group of diseases termed chronic inflammatory proliferative disorders.


Author(s): Liku, Muluye Ejigu | Advisor(s): Li, Joachim J | Abstract: CDK Regulated Localization of Replication ProteinsMuluye E. LikuAbstractThe precise inheritance of genetic material requires that eukaryotic cells initiate DNA replication in a highly regulated manner. To prevent any inappropriate re-replication of the genome, initiation at each of the hundreds to thousands of replication origins must occur only once per cell cycle. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, cyclin dependent kinases have a critical role in inhibiting reinitiation, and must do so without interfering with their role in promoting initiation. Previously, we had shown that CDKs inhibit multiple proteins involved in an early step of replication initiation, i.e. assembly of the pre-replicative complex (pre-RC), so as to prevent re-initiation of DNA replication. Specifically, we had demonstrated that making ORC, Cdc6, and Mcm2-7 refractory to CDK inhibition promotes limited reinitiation and re-replication from some origins. Despite this finding, our understanding of the mechanisms used by CDKs to prevent re-initiation are incomplete.This thesis presents two different studies that expand our understanding of these mechanisms. In the first part, we acquired a more in depth understanding of how CDKs inhibit Mcm2-7 activity by promoting their nuclear export. We identified key transport regulatory modules on Mcm2 and Mcm3 that control the import and export of the Mcm2-7 complex and showed that phosphorylation of the Mcm3 module alters the balance between the two events so as to favor export. We showed that this Mcm3 module and its CDK regulation evolved quite recently in a budding yeast lineage that includes Saccharomyces cerevisiae and closely related yeast. A more detailed analysis of CDK phosphorylation consensus sites on Mcm3 and other pre-RC components showed that although the precise number and position of sites is not conserved, the clustering of these sites in specific regions is.Our second study on the CDK inhibition of reinitiation was motivated by the limited re-replication that we observed when we deregulated ORC, Cdc6, and Mcm2-7. This result suggests that CDKs target additional replication components to prevent re-initiation, and we investigated the possibility that DNA polymerase alpha primase, specifically its Pol1 and Pol12 subunits, might be one of these components. We showed that the CDK phosphorylation of Pol1 and Pol12, which appears to be conserved through humans, are unlikely to be activating events that trigger replication initiation, but are in fact delayed till after replication is mostly complete, consistent with a late inhibitory role. We also showed that CDK phosphorylation of Pol1 is required to promote the relocalization of Pol alpha primase from nucleoplasm to nuclear periphery in G2/M phases. Because of these suggestive hints, although we could not establish a role for Pol 1 or Pol12 phosphorylation in the block to re-replication, we suspect that such a role may be uncovered with further investigation.


Experiment was conducted to screen different varieties and advanced lines against early blight of tomato caused by Alternaria solani. Twenty one advanced lines and five varieties were screened under field conditions. Early blight was found to be the major disease of tomato under agro-climatic conditions of Konkan region of Maharashtra State. None of the varieties and advanced lines showed resistant reaction. Five advanced lines were moderately resistant. While one variety and four advanced lines were moderately susceptible and thirteen advanced lines and four varieties were found to be susceptible to early blight of tomato.


We present a near-optimal detection method for decoding codes appropriate to transmission using multiple transmit antennas in a fixed wireless environment. The method is a nontrivial generalization of maximum ratio combining. This reduces the decoding complexity at the expense of some sacrifice in performance.


Abstract Objective Nutritious yet inexpensive foods do exist. However, many such foods are rejected by the low-income consumer. Is it because their use violates unspoken social norms? The present study was designed to assess the variety and cost of the lowest-cost market basket of foods that simultaneously met required dietary standards and progressively stricter consumption constraints. Design A mathematical optimisation model was used to develop the lowest-cost food plans to meet three levels of nutritional requirements and seven levels of consumption constraints. Subjects The nationally representative INCA (National Individual Survey of Food Consumption) dietary survey study of 1332 adults provided population estimates of food consumption patterns in France. Food plan costs were based on retail food prices. Results The lowest-cost food plans that provided 9204 kJ/d (2200 kcal/d) for men and 7531 kJ/d (1800 kcal/d) for women and met specified dietary standards could be obtained for <1·50 €/d. The progressive imposition of consumption constraints designed to create more mainstream French diets sharply increased food plan costs, without improving nutritional value. Conclusions Minimising diet costs, while meeting nutrition standards only, led to food plans that provided little variety and deviated substantially from social norms. Aligning the food plan with mainstream consumption led to higher costs. Food plans designed for low-income groups need to be socially acceptable as well as affordable and nutritious.


Purpose: To determine whether inclusion of interprofessional rounds (IPR) during hospitalization affects patient length of stay and discharge destination (eg, home and skilled nursing facility) following total hip or knee arthroplasty. Methods: A retrospective medical record review was conducted for 300 patients who underwent a total hip arthroplasty or a total knee arthroplasty. These patients were categorized into groups based on whether IPRs were received or not received (NR) between the dates of January 2011 and February 2013. Patient demographics and functional outcomes, length of hospital stay, and discharge destination were analyzed for each group. Results: Length of stay was shorter for patients who received IPR (n = 150) compared with those who did not (NR) (n = 150), P < .001. For functional outcomes, ambulation distance was significantly longer for patients in the IPR group. A significant difference was not found between the groups and discharge destination. Conclusions: The inclusion of IPRs may have a positive effect on decreasing the length of stay in the hospital and on ambulation distance for patients who have had a total hip arthroplasty or a total knee arthroplasty. Further studies are recommended to further investigate the benefits of including IPRs in other patient populations.


Promising therapeutic uses and a great variety of pharmacological effects are the leading forces that focus actual cannabinoid research. Cannabinoid and opioid systems share neuroanatomical, neurochemical, and paharmacological features. This fact supports the notion that actions induced by each one of these types of drugs involved an interaction between the endogenous opioid and endocannabinoid neuronal systems. Over the last decade our group and others have investigated cannabinoid/opioid crosstalk in the central nervous system by studying the mechanisms underlying pharmacological and biochemical interactions between the two systems in experimental paradigms of antinociception, drug reinforcement, and anxiety. The goal of this review is to revise the latest work done on this subject, with special emphasis on the research done with genetically modified animals. Whereas clinical progress is going ahead slowly, basic research in this area is progressing rapidly. Clinical applications derived from the cannabinoid/opioid crosstalk and based tightly on medical evidence are yet to come, but it is hoped that knowledge of this central messenger interaction will help to develop new alternatives for the treatment of some pathological states.


The application of the TLM method to electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) problems is discussed. As a time-domain method the Transmission Line Matrix (TLM) method allows to model broad-band and transient electromagnetic phenomena and therefore is optimally suited for modeling. Combining TLM with the Integral Equation method yields a powerful tool for the modeling of complex electromagnetic structures separated by large distances in free space. Introducing network models allows the application of correlation matrix methods for the modeling of stochastic fields.


Permanent magnet synchronous generator now-a-days play a major role in the Wind energy conversion system. This project deals with the design of 1.5 kW, 500 rpm, 230V,50Hz multi pole permanent magnet synchronous generator for direct drive wind energy conversion system using the software Ansoft Maxwell. This design is based on considering the parameters such as diameter of core, core length, machine type, material type, number of poles, number of armature conductors and slot etc., The RMxprt construction obtained from the above parameters are exported to Maxwell 3D design to perform the Magnetostatic analysis which involves validation of design, analysis setup, boundaries and excitation.


Wasabi (Japanese horseradish, Eutrema japonicum) is the only cultivated species in the genus Eutrema with functional components that provide a strong pungent flavor. To evaluate genetic resources for wasabi breeding, we surveyed variations in the two most abundant isothiocyanate (ITC) components in wasabi, allyl isothiocyanate (AITC) and 6-methylsulfinyl (hexyl) isothiocyanate (6-MSITC, hexaraphane). We also examined the phylogenetic relationships among 36 accessions of wild and cultivated wasabi in Japan using chloroplast DNA analysis. Our results showed that (i) the 6-MSITC content in currently cultivated wasabi accessions was significantly higher than in escaped cultivars, whereas the AITC content was not significantly different. (ii) Additionally, the 6-MSITC content in cultivated wasabi was significantly lower in the spring than during other seasons. This result suggested that the 6-MSITC content responds to environmental conditions. (iii) The phylogenetic position and the 6-MSITC content of accessions from Rebun, Hokkaido Prefecture had different profiles compared with those from southern Honshu, Japan, indicating heterogeneity of the Rebun populations from other Japanese wasabi accessions. (iv) The total content of AITC and 6-MSITC in cultivated wasabi was significantly higher than that of wild wasabi. In conclusion, old cultivars or landraces of wasabi, "zairai", are the most suitable candidates for immediate use as genetic resources.


Incentive regulation is moving towards new schemes where standard efficiency mechanisms are combined with output-based incentives (related to quality of supply, sustainability and innovation). Assessing performance of regulated utilities requires models capable to account for these different regulatory objectives. Benchmarking analysis has been in use for a long time; however, whether these models should incorporate even quality as an additional regulated output is still a matter of debate. In this paper we study how benchmarking DEA models can be designed to correctly accommodate all regulated variables, including continuity of supply. To this end, we discuss different models to measure technical efficiency, using a comprehensive and balanced panel for 115 electricity distribution Zones, that belong to the largest Italian utility. Our results show that, for our data set, quality significantly affects efficiency scores. We thus claim that the effect of additional regulated outputs should always be tested in benchmarking models.


We study the problem of change point detection for covariance matrices in high dimensions. We assume that {Xi}i=1,...,n is a sequence of independent, centered p-dimensional sub-Gaussian random vectors is observed whose covariance matrices are piece-wise constant. Our task is to recover with high accuracy the number and locations the of change points, which are unknown. Our generic model setting allows for all the model parameters to change with n, including the dimension p, the minimal spacing between consecutive change points, the magnitude of smallest change and the maximal operator norm of the covariance matrices of the sample points. We introduce two procedures, one based on the binary segmentation algorithm (e.g. Vostrikova, 1981) and the other on its extension known as wild binary segmentation of Fryzlewicz (2014), and demonstrate that, under suitable conditions, both are able to consistently estimate the number and locations of change points. Our second algorithm, called Wild Binary Segmentation through Independent Projection (WBSIP) is shown to be minimax optimal in the in terms of all the relevant parameters. Our minimax analysis also reveals a phase transition effect based on our generic model setting. To the best of our knowledge, this type of results has not been established elsewhere in the change point detection literature.


Abstract Cotton aphid, Aphis gossypii Glover, is known as a quarantine pest that is hard to control with short periods of fumigation with phosphine (PH3) or low concentrations of ethyl formate. Moreover, low-temperature fumigation with ethyl formate can lead to phototoxic damage of some perishable commodities. Therefore, a laboratory study was conducted to evaluate the synergistic effect of mixing ethyl formate and PH3 for the treatment of adults and nymphs of A. gossypii. Combined toxicity was observed and compared with a single dose of either ethyl formate or PH3. When insects were exposed to 0.5 g/m3 of PH3 combined with different levels of ethyl formate from 1.6 to 16.3 g/m3 at 5 and 20°C for 2 h, L(Ct)50 and L(Ct)99 values were greatly reduced in comparison with a single dose of either ethyl formate or PH3. The synergistic ratio (SR) is described as L(Ct) of ethyl formate alone/L(Ct) of ethyl formate + PH3. The SR values of L(Ct)50 and L(Ct)99 for adult A. gossypii at 5°C were 4.55 and 2.33, respectively. However, at 20°C the SR levels of L(Ct)50 and L(Ct)99 were 2.22 and 1.45, respectively, but still showed significant synergism (significant difference, P< 0.5). This new technology could meet quarantine and preshipment requirements for shorter exposure times and less damage of perishable commodities, and could also be extended for controlling other quarantine pests and thereby be a useful alternative to methyl bromide for fruit and vegetable applications.


The glycan composition of the N‐ and O‐linked oligosaccharides of the follicle (Sertoli) cells of the urodele amphibian Pleurodeles waltl testis were identified by lectin histochemistry, performed alone or in combination with enzymatic and chemical deglycosylation methods. The follicle cells were shown to contain: (1) Fuc, Galβ(1,4)GlcNAc, GalNAc and Neu5Acα(2,3)Galβ(1,4)GlcNAc in both N‐ and O‐linked oligosaccharides; (2) Man in N‐linked glycans; and (3) Galβ(1,3)GalNAc in O‐linked sugar chains. The follicle cells at the pre‐ and postmeiotic stages showed some differences in the UEA‐I‐positive Fuc characterisation, suggesting differences in the glycan composition. In addition, the sequence Neu5Acα(2,6)Gal/GalNAc was shown in the follicle cells only after spermiation, in the sperm‐empty lobules of the developing glandular tissue. These results suggest that the follicle cells modify their glycoprotein content, probably for the performance of new roles, as the spermatogenetic cells develop. Thus the follicle cells surrounding male germ cells at different spermatogenetic stages would contain different glycoproteins involved in specific roles during male germ cell proliferation and maturation.


In this study, we discuss mineral chemistry data, melt inclusion study results, and report Ar-Ar phlogopite age for the aillikite dykes of the Arbarastakh alkaline-carbonatite complex on the Aldan-Stanovoy shield, Russia. Aillikite was crystallised at 631 ± 8.5 Ma, coeval with the intrusion age of the Arbarastakh rocks. The Arbarastakh complex was formed during the late Neoproterozoic epoch of REE-Nb ore-bearing alkaline-carbonatite magmatic activity that was widespread on the southwestern and southern margins of the Siberian craton, related to rifting processes during the breakup of the supercontinent Rodinia. The aillikites show mineralogical characteristics of primitive magmas such as highly forsteritic olivine, Mg-ilmenite, and Cr-rich spinel. The variance in olivine zonation, morphologies, and chemical element distribution indicate that olivine in the aillikites is represented by several genetic types: xenogenic olivines (Fe-poor cores) from the sheared peridotite; olivine antecrysts (Fe-rich cores) related to mantle metasomatism by preceding proto-aillikite melt; and olivine phenocrysts formed during crystallization of aillikite melt. The latter shows decreasing Ni and Cr due to fractional crystallization of olivine, ilmenite, and chromite; along with increasing Mn and Ca concentrations that are consistent with enrichment of these elements in the residual melt. The olivine phenocrysts chemistry shows variations that are characteristic of the presence of phlogopite and carbonate in the mantle source (low 100*Ca/Fe (0.4-1.2) and 100*Mn/Fe (1-2), moderate 100*Ni/Mg (1.4-0.4)). Spinel shows a wide compositional variation with two compositional zoning trends, one of which follows the titanomagnetite trend, while the other follows the qandilite-rich magnesio-ulvöspinel-magnetite one. The latter trend indicates an increase in fO2 and attendant Fe oxidation to Fe3+ during crystallization. Ilmenite composition evolution (from Mg-rich to Mn-rich) also reflects the carbonate-rich nature of aillikite melt. We identify primary melt inclusions hosted in phlogopite and secondary melt inclusions in olivine; both melt inclusions types have daughter minerals dominated by dolomite, calcite, Na-Ca carbonates, phosphates, and phlogopite, consistent with the carbonate-rich nature of aillikite melt. The calculated temperatures reflect the early stage of aillikite crystallization, with values ranging from 1169 to 1296°C and fO2 values (olivine-spinel pair) varying from +0.40 to +1.03 ΔFMQ, and from ΔNNO −0.9 to ΔNNO −2.0 (perovskite oxygen barometer); in contrast, the homogenization temperature of the secondary melt inclusions in olivine (700-720 °C) characterizes late-stage aillikite melt evolution. The carbonate-rich nature of the Arbarastakh aillikite and its similar age to the carbonatites are consistent with a genetic relationship between them.


OBJECTIVE To evaluate if silent myocardial ischemia (SMI) and silent coronary artery disease (CAD) provide significant additional value to routine cardiovascular risk assessment in type 2 diabetic patients. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We followed up to a first cardiovascular event 688 subjects (322 men, aged 59 ± 8 years) out of 731 consecutive asymptomatic type 2 diabetic patients with ≥1 additional risk factor who had been prospectively screened between 1992 and 2006 for SMI by stress myocardial scintigraphy and for silent CAD by coronary angiography. RESULTS SMI was found in 207 (30.1%) patients and CAD in 76 of those with SMI. Of the patients, 98 had a first cardiovascular event during a 5.4 ± 3.5 (range: 0.1–19.2) year follow-up period. Cox regression analysis considering parameters predicting events but not SMI and CAD ("routine assessment") showed in univariate analyses that macroproteinuria (hazard ratio [HR] 3.33 [95% CI 1.74–6.35]; P < 0.001), current multifactorial care (0.27 [0.15–0.47]; P < 0.001), and peripheral/carotid occlusive arterial disease (PCOAD; 4.33 [2.15–8.71]; P < 0.001) independently predicted cardiovascular events. When added into the model, SMI (HR 1.76 [1.00–3.12]; P = 0.05) and CAD (2.28 [1.24–4.57]; P < 0.01) were also independently associated with events. SMI added to the prediction of an event in the following 5 years above and beyond routine assessment risk prediction (c statistic with or without SMI 0.788 [0.720–0.855] and 0.705 [0.616–0.794], respectively). CONCLUSIONS Although screening for SMI and silent CAD should not be systematic, these complications are predictive of cardiovascular events in type 2 diabetic patients in addition to routine risk predictors, especially represented by PCOAD, macroproteinuria, and nonintensive management.


Saltbush (Atriplex halimus L.), a native shrub which is adapted to arid rangelands, was transplanted to the semiarid grassland at Jordan University of Science and Technology Campus in 1986. Our objective was to determine the seasonal changes in the chemical composition of the annual growth of leaves and stems of saltbush (Atriplex halimus L.) during 1995-96 and 1996-97. A strong positive correlation was found among P, Ca, crude protein, and nitrogen free extract and a strong negative correlation was found between fiber and P, Ca, crude protein, and nitrogen free extract. Nitrogen free extract (NFE) had a strong positive linear correlation with P, Ca, and crude protein. P, Ca, Ca:P ratio, crude protein, and NFE contents were found to be higher in leaves than in stems on all the occasions. Leaves had relatively higher concentrations of P, Ca, crude protein, and NFE during the growing season (February to April). Crude protein of leaves reached its maximum in March (22.7% ). The concentrations decreased, however, to 15% during the dry period (June to October). Crude protein content of stems ranged from 11.3 to 12.2%. Fiber content of leaves was lowest during February and March (16.9 to 18%), and reached maximum values during August and October. Saltbush is a good protein source for sheep during the dry season; however, P content would not meet nutritional requirements of ewes. DOI:10.2458/azu_jrm_v53i2_el-shatnawi


Objective: To determine frequency of thrombocytopenia in patients with Chronic Hepatitis C infection. Methods: A 6 months cross sectional study was carried out to determine frequency of thrombocytopenia in all patients admitted with chronic hepatitis c infection in all medical units at Civil Hospital Karachi, from April 2, 2012 to October 1, 2012. Patients with platelet count <150,000/microL was labeled as having thrombocytopenia and categorized according to the Child-Pugh Scoring. Patients with Child-Pugh score <7 was categorized in Grade A, 7-9 in Grade B and >9 in Grade C. Results: Out of 141 patients, 46(32.6%) were male and 65(46%) were female with 1.17:1 male to female ratio. The average age of patients was 47.25 ± 11.52 years (95%CI: 45.33 to 49.17). Similarly average duration of illness was 3.06 ± 1.78 Years (Range 8 months to 9 Years) and average platelet count was 165156.74± 176324.9. Seventy five patients (53%) had thrombocytopenia (platelet count <150000/microL). The average age of thrombocytopenic patients was 48.53±12.34 years and duration of illness was 3.7 ± 1.81 years. Regarding child Pugh class, 35(24.8%) cases had in class A, 49(34.8%) in class B and 57(40.4%) in class C. Thrombocytopenia was most common in above 60 years of age that is 10.7% (8/75) and 22.7% to 32% in all age groups. Conclusions: In our study the frequency of thrombocytopenia was found to be higher. Patients of age more than 60 years and of child-Pugh class C affected the most.


While numerous studies have demonstrated the essential role of magnesium in the normal development of plants, the information as to the soil conditions governing the availability of this nutrient is relatively limited. In general it is considered that a true lack of magnesium in the soil, such as might result from leaching or overcropping, is the main cause of magnesium deficiency in plants. This aspect of the problem has received considerable attention (Imp. Bureau, 1940). It has become evident in recent years, however, that the absorption of magnesium by plants may be depressed under the influence of an excess of other nutrients, notably potassium and calcium, in the soil. In some instances this has been noted to result in the onset of magnesium deficiency in plants, despite an apparently adequate concentration of this element in an easily available form in the soil as shown by chemical methods. The literature having a bearing on the inducement of magnesium deficiency in this manner has been reviewed by Walsh & Clarke (1944). These workers, from a study of magnesium deficiency chlorosis in tomatoes, showed that it was induced by heavy dressings of potassium causing a depression in magnesium uptake. While the effect of potassium alone in this respect was sufficient to induce the deficiency, it was also found that the sulphate radical played a prominent part. Where potassium was added other than in the form of the sulphate salt, the onset of the chlorosis was retarded and the symptoms were reduced in severity.


This work addresses the problem of guiding a number of ground vehicles from some initial location to a specified destination, while avoiding obstacles in an unmapped field and maintaining formation relative to each other. Potential applications for recently developed ground formation are described in this paper, illustrating the need for autonomy in such formation systems. The behavior-base technique has been implemented to reach this autonomy in differential drive kinematics systems. The basic behaviors: move-to-goal, avoid-obstacle, maintain-relative-distance, maintain-relative-angle, and stop have been assigned to the independent systems to form a guidance algorithm. Validation of this guidance algorithm is carried out through simulations via Matlab/Simulink.


The in-plane optical anisotropic properties of the non-polar a-plane GaN films grown by metal organic chemical vapour deposition are investigated by using polarised photoluminescence (PL), optical transmission and Raman scattering measurements. Through polarised PL and transmission spectra, the in-plane optical anisotropic properties of a-plane GaN film are found, which are attributed to the topmost valance band (at Γ point) split into three sub-bands under anisotropic strain. The PL spectra also exhibit that the light hole band moves up more rapidly than the spin-orbit crystal-field spilt-off hole band with the increasing in-plane anisotropic compressive strain. Raman scattering spectra under different configurations further indicate the in-plane anisotropy and the hexagonal crystalline structure of these a-plane GaN films.


There is increasing evidence that the sodium pump plays a role in essential hypertension. Recent publications have focused on intrinsic alterations in pump activity, external modification of pump activity by circulating inhibitors, and endothelial mediation of endogenous inhibitor effects on the vascular response. Hence, this review focuses on these areas. Although there is intriguing evidence that alterations in sodium pump activity might contribute to the pathogenesis of hypertension, in at least some sodium-sensitive models and some patients with essential hypertension, the evidence remains circumstantial and areas of substantial controversy exist.


The authors report the realisation of a new design for a large mode area monomode optical fibre. This photonic crystal fibre will guide only a single mode, no matter how large the fibre diameter, provided the shape is kept constant. This is demonstrated with a fibre which has a core diameter equal to approximately 50 free-space wavelengths.


Background/Aims The prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in Busan, Gyeongnam, and Jeonnam Provinces in Korea is more than twice the national average. This study aimed to examine whether demographic and lifestyle characteristics are associated with HCV infection in these areas. Methods A case control study was performed at three study hospitals. HCV cases were matched with two controls for sex and age. Patient controls were selected from non-HCV patients at the same hospital. Healthy controls were subjects participating in medical checkups. Conditional logistic regression models were used. Results A total of 234 matched-case and patient- and healthy-control pairs were analyzed. The significant risk factors for both controls were sharing razors (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 2.39 and 3.29, respectively) and having more than four lifetime sexual partners (aOR, 2.15 and 6.89, respectively). Contact dockworkers (aOR, 1.91) and tattoos (aOR, 2.20) were significant risk factors for the patient controls. Transfusion (aOR, 5.38), a bloody operation (aOR, 5.02), acupuncture (aOR, 2.08), and piercing (aOR, 5.95) were significant risk factors for the healthy controls. Needle stick injuries and intravenous drug abuse were significant in the univariate analysis. Conclusions More education concerning the dangers of sharing razors, tattoos and piercings is required to prevent HCV infection. More attention should be paid to needle stick injuries in hospitals and the community.


Enforcing access policies derived from management control principles is a way by which organisations protect their information assets. The minimum privileges principle is an example of a management control principle, which specifies that users should only have access to resources they require to carry out their duties. Requirements models use actors to specify their access policies. Actors normally represent roles that users adopt, however a role can have different meanings, such as a position in an organisation or the assignment of a task, and can therefore be misleading. Current requirements modelling approaches do not provide a systematic way of defining roles for incorporation into access policies, and therefore we can not ensure that they satisfy management control principles. In this thesis we address the need to provide precise role definitions by developing a framework that facilitates the derivation of roles from the organisational context. The framework consists of a metamodel, which enables the organisational context to be represented and related to actors; a set of heuristics for deriving the organisational context; and a set of language constructs for formulating access policies, and verifying them using scenarios.
We use the meta-model and language constructs that we developed to extend an existing requirements modelling language, the i* framework, and in particular a formal version of it, formal Tropos, to define and verify access policies definitions satisfying the minimum privileges principle. We also investigate the use of automated tool checking by translating the formal Tropos definitions into the specification language Alloy, which is supported by a tool that automatically checks assertions, to ensure consistency of the access policy definitions. We carry out a detailed case study taken from the literature to verify the extensions to the i* framework and the tool supported analysis.
The framework presented in this thesis makes a novel contribution to the modelling of access policies as requirements, enabling us to define access policies using actors derived from the organisational context, that satisfy the minimum privileges principle.


Fragments of bacterial peptidoglycan relating to compounds of the muropeptide series have high biological activity. They have an immunological effect, due to the fact that they are signals for immune receptors and, accordingly, their activators. In order to obtain fragments of peptidoglycans, the autolysis of the bacterial mass Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. Bulgaricus 2–11 was performed and the characteristics of protein nature products of autolysate were given. To obtain cell suspensions at different growth stages, a growth curve of the bacterial culture was constructed for 48 hours. The autolysis of biomass was carried out at the end of the logarithmic phase of growth at the temperatures 37–90 0 C and after the stationary phase of growth at the temperatures 37–90 0 C for 7 days. The degree of autolytic changes was evaluated by the definition of colony forming units, the accumulation of amino acids, low molecular weight peptides and soluble protein in the autolysate. The results of studies of autolytic biomass changes have shown that the largest accumulation of amino acids occurs in autolysate, which was obtained at the end of the logarithmic phase of the growth of bacterial mass at exposures at 90 0 C. The molecular-mass composition of protein nature compounds of the autolysate soluble fraction is determined. It is established that peptides with a molecular weight in the range corresponding to the molecular weight of the muropeptides are presented in the autolystate, but their quantity is rather insignificant.


The nitrite accumulation in Biological Aerated Filter (BAF) treating simulated municipal wastewater was investigated and the possibility of nitrous nitrification in low ammonia wastewater treatment was discussed. The results indicate that the lower concentration of DO was of advantage to the formation of the nitrite accumulation. When the concentration of DO was controlled to less than 0.5 mg/L, the nitrite accumulation rate can improved significantly to the maximum over 80%. By adjusting pH, nitrite accumulation can take place in BAF. When the influent pH value was 6.5 to 7, the highest nitrite accumulation rate was 57%. But long-term stable nitrite accumulation cannot be obtained only through changing influent pH value. The increasing of hydraulic loading can contribute to nitrite accumulation. When the hydraulic loading was enhanced to 10 m3/(m2•h) , the average nitrite accumulation rate can be increased by 52.5 times. When concentration of DO was 1.0 to 1.5, influent pH was 6.5 to 7 and the filtration rate was 5 m/h, the nitrite accumulation of BAF reactor was of good stability. During 60 days' running, the nitrite accumulation rate can keep at 65% to 75% stably and obvious nitrous nitrification was found.


Operation of a high resolution compact clinical PET Scanner (PEM Flex/spl trade/) device as a breast scanner is described. The device features high spatial resolution (1.5 mm FWHM intrinsic resolution) as a result of small crystals and compact position-sensitive photomultipliers. The compactness of the system allows it to reside within a stereotactic X-ray mammography unit, or as a separate standalone system capable of breast compression. The gamma rays are detected for a volumetric reconstruction by two heads, each of which contains 2,028 2 mm by 2 mm by 10 mm lutetium-containing crystals. The heads travel within X-ray transparent compression paddles. A window is provided in one of the paddles for direct correlation with ultrasound transducers and for interventional access. To enable real-time interventions, images are reconstructed and displayed while the detectors are still acquiring data. The maximum-likelihood reconstruction provides quantitative images with threefold improved contrast as compared to simple back-projections.


A basic understanding of statistical concepts is necessary to effectively evaluate existing literature. Statistical results do not, however, allow one to determine the clinical applicability of published findings. Statistical results can be used to make inferences about the probability of an event among a given population. Careful interpretation by the clinician is required to determine the value of the data as it applies to an individual patient or group of patients.Good research studies will provide a clear, testable hypothesis, or prediction, about what they expect to find in the relationships being tested. The hypothesis will be grounded in the empirical literature, based on clinical observations or expertise, and should be innovative in its tests of a novel relationship or confirmation of a prior study. There are at minimum two hypotheses in any study: (1) the null hypothesis assumes there is no difference or that there is no effect, and (2) the experimental or alternative hypothesis predicts an event or outcome will occur. Often the null hypothesis is not stated or is assumed. Hypotheses are tested by examining relationships between independent variables, or those thought to have some effect, and dependent variables, or those thought to be moved or affected by the independent variable. These also are called predictor and outcome variables, respectively.Statistics are used to test a study's alternative or experimental hypothesis. Statistical models are fitted based on the nature, type, and other characteristics of the dataset. Data typically involves levels of measurement, and these determine the type of statistical models that can be applied to test a hypothesis. Nominal data are those variables containing two or more categories without underlying order or value. Examples of nominal data include indicators of group membership, such as male or female. Ordinal data is nominal data that includes an order or rank but has undefined spacing between groups or levels, such as faculty ranking, or educational level. Interval data is ordinal data with clearly defined spacing between the intervals and no absolute zero points. An example of interval data is the temperature scale, as the magnitude of the difference between intervals is consistent and measurable (one degree). Ratio data are interval data that include an absolute zero such as the amount of student loan debt. Nominal and ordinal data are categorical, where entities are divided into distinct groups, whereas, interval and ratio data are considered continuous such that each observation gets a distinct score.It is up to the researcher to appropriately apply statistical models when testing hypotheses. Several approaches can be used to analyze the same dataset, and how this is accomplished depends heavily on the nature of the wording in a researcher's hypothesis. There exist a variety of statistical software packages, some available for free while others charge annual license fees, that can be used to analyze data. Nearly all packages require the user to have a basic understanding of the types of data and appropriate application of statistical models for each type. More sophisticated packages require the user to use the program's proprietary coding language to perform hypothesis tests. These can require a good amount of time to learn, and errors can easily slip past the untrained eye.It is strongly recommended that unfamiliar users consult with a statistical analyst when designing and running statistical models. Biostatistician consultations can occur at any time during a study, but earlier consultations are wise to prevent the introduction of accidental bias into study data and to help ensure accuracy and collection methods that will be adequate to allow for tests of hypotheses.


In this paper, a physically based analytical threshold-voltage model is developed for nanoscale strained-Si on silicon-germanium-on-insulator MOSFETs for the first time, taking into account short-channel effects. The model is derived by solving the 2-D Poisson equation in strained-Si and SiGe layers. The effects of various important device parameters like strain (Ge mole fraction in the SiGe layer), body doping, gate workfunction, strained-Si thin film and SiGe layer thickness, etc., has been considered. We have demonstrated that increasing strain in order to enhance device performance can lead to undesirable threshold-voltage rolloff. The model is found to agree well with the 2-D simulation results


A multidomain pseudospectral time-domain (PSTD) method with a newly developed well-posed PML is introduced as an accurate and flexible tool for the modeling of electromagnetic scattering by 2-D objects buried in an inhomogeneous lossy medium. Compared with the previous single-domain Fourier PSTD method, this approach allows for an accurate treatment of curved geometries with subdomains, curvilinear mapping, and high-order Chebyshev polynomials. The effectiveness of the algorithm is confirmed by an excellent agreement between the numerical results and analytical solutions for perfectly conducting as well as permeable dielectric cylinders. The algorithm has been applied to model various ground-penetrating radar (GPR) applications involving curved objects in a lossy half space with an undulating surface. This multidomain PSTD algorithm is potentially a very useful tool for simulating antennas near complex objects and inhomogeneous media.


Climate change and malnutrition are two global phenomena that affect millions of population groups. The Philippines is considered one of the most vulnerable countries for extreme natural events and at the same time has a high prevalence of underweight (19.0%) and stunting (28.8%) in 2019 among under five children. The nutritionally vulnerable groups are children, pregnant and lactating women, and elderly. These groups are also greatly affected by climate change-related events then the malnutrition situation is exacerbated. The local nutrition workers are the frontline workers who plan, implement, and monitor nutrition programs. Mainstreaming climate change in the local nutrition planning processes will be facilitated if nutrition workers are knowledgeable. This study aimed to determine the current knowledge, attitudes and practices of nutrition workers and perceptions on how to mainstream climate change in the nutrition sector's local planning system. A survey was conducted among local nutrition workers. Ninety-five percent of nutrition workers were highly knowledgeable, 86% were with high level of attitudes and 50% were exhibiting moderate level of practices related to climate change. The gaps can be narrowed by capacity building and possibly this can lead to mainstreaming climate change in the local nutrition planning process.


Abstract-The criteria of a good ship are not only could floating in the sea, but it should have a very complex construction development planning. Longitudinal and transversal strengths, stability, flood, bulkhead, ship motion etc was interrelated criteria that should be calculated for safety and comfort of the ship, passenger and cargo passenger. Matching point is an operating point of rotation main engine (engine speed) such that match with the load character of propeller.In another word, the operating point of main engine rotation, where absorbed power by propeller is equal by produced power by main engine, and deliveringan equal speed with planned service speed. One step inship design evaluating is EPM (Engine Propeller Matching). The lack of available software to analyze relationship between characteristics of propeller with main engine and hull, causing the calculation of EPM (Engine Propeller Matching) takes more time. Java is a very popular application, especially for enterprise application. So that Java applications can be used to build a programming language of Engine Propeller Matching.


Plasma toroidal rotation is a factor important for
plasma stability and transport, but it is still a fairly poorly
understood area of physics. This thesis focuses on three aspects of
rotation: momentum transport, Ohmic rotation reversals, and LHCD
induced rotation. Momentum transport is approached in a
semi-empirical method through the development of the "Toy Model."
The "Toy Model" assumes that the toroidal momentum is transported
via diffusive and convective profiles, and, using assumptions about
the diffusive and convective terms, it can generate the profiles of
the residual stress or source as a function of space and time.
Several resultant source profile calculations are shown for SSEP
sweeps, rotation reversals, H-modes, and I-modes. Generally, it is
observed that the convective profiles do not greatly improve the
fits to the data, and that source profiles have peaks around the
steep core rotation gradient region of the plasma. Rotation
reversals, spontaneous reversals of the rotation direction during
the Ohmic phase, are also described in this work. It is seen that
they are related to the Linear Ohmic Confinement (LOC) to Saturated
Ohmic Confinement (SOC) regime changeover. This relation is
supported through linear gyrokinetic simulations that show that the
co- to counter- reversal coincides with a change from marginally
electron to ion diamagnetic direction most unstable modes which is
believed to play a role in the LOC to SOC explanation as well.
Lower Hybrid Current Drive (LHCD) induced rotation is also
described, including the first experimental observations of
bi-directional rotation on a single tokamak. These observations
help to explain differences in rotation seen among the various
devices running lower hybrid. The LHCD rotation reverses direction
as a function of plasma current, and this occurs in a similar
parameter space as the Ohmic rotation reversal; it also has
turbulence changes that are reminiscent of the Ohmic reversal as
well. This suggests that LHCD is, in fact, causing the plasma to
transition from the ITG dominated regime to the TEM dominated
regime, which explains the rotation differences. These experiments
and models provide new tools to understand rotation transport and
generation in tokamaks.


The study of the optical properties of graphene oxide (GO) is crucial in designing functionalized GO materials with specific optical properties for various applications such as (bio) sensors, optoelectronics, and energy storage. The present work aims to investigate the electronic transitions, optical bandgap, and absorption coefficient of GO under different conditions. Specifically, the study examines the effects of drying times ranging from 0 to 120 h while maintaining a fixed temperature of 80°C and low temperatures ranging from 40 ℃ to 100 ℃ , with a constant drying time of 24 h. Our findings indicate that exposing the GO sample to a drying time of up to 120 h at 80°C can lead to a reduction in the optical bandgap, decreasing it from 4.09 to 2.76 eV. The π−π* transition was found to be the most affected, shifting from approximately 230 nm at 0 h to 244 nm after 120 h of drying time. Absorption coefficients of 3140–5507 ml mg−1 m−1 were measured, which are similar to those reported for exfoliated graphene dispersions but up to two times higher, confirming the improved optical properties of GO. Our findings can provide insights into determining the optimal temperature and duration required for transforming GO into its reduced form for a specific application through extrapolation. The study is complemented by analyzing the elemental composition, surface morphology change, and electrical properties.


Karmini. 2017. Factors affecting paddy farm income in East Kalimantan, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 18: 101-108. The development of paddy farming in East Kalimantan Province faces problem and challenge as the low level of paddy farm income. Consequently, efforts are needed to increase paddy farm income. The objective of this study is to determine factors affecting paddy farm income. This study was carried out in East Kalimantan Province, Indonesia (Now, the province was divided into two, East Kalimantan and North Kalimantan). The two-stage cluster sampling was applied to select one cities and three Districts (Bontang City, Kutai Kartanegara District, and Penajam Paser Utara District) and to choose 3 sub-cities and 6 sub-districts (Sub-cities of South Bontang, North Bontang, and West Bontang and Sub-districts of Tenggarong Seberang, Loa Janan, Muara Muntai, Babulu, Penajam, and Waru) as the study areas. The simple random sampling was used to choose the households of paddy farmers as respondents. This study assessed 380 paddy households as respondents. The regression function was used to analyze the data. The result of F test shows age of household head, depreciation of tools, experience of household head in paddy farming, labour cost, land cultivation cost, paddy farm size, raw materials cost, and rice requirement of the household, collectively, very significantly affect paddy farm income in East Kalimantan Province, Indonesia. The results of t tests show land cultivation cost, paddy farm size, and raw materials cost, individually, significantly affect paddy farm income in East Kalimantan Province, Indonesia. Meanwhile, labour cost, individually, significantly affect paddy farm income. However, the other variables, individually, are not significantly affect paddy farm income.


This work describes a navigation framework for robots in semi-structured outdoor environments which enables planning of semantic tasks by chaining of elementary visual-based movement primitives. Navigation is achieved by understanding the underlying world behind the image and using these results as a guideline to control the robot. As retrieving semantic information from vision is computationally demanding, short-term tasks are planned and executed while new vision information is processed. Thanks to learning techniques, the methods are adapted to different environment conditions. Fusion and filtering techniques provide reliability and stability to the system. The procedures have been fully integrated and tested with a real robot in an experimental environment. Results are discussed.


The Wiener index of a graph is defined as the sum of distances between all pairs of vertices in a connected graph. Wiener index correlates well with many physio chemical properties of organic compounds and as such has been well studied over the last quarter of a century. In this paper we prove some general results on Wiener Index for graphs using degree sequence.


Background: P2X7 receptors are important in inflammation and immunity, but excessive activation results in cell death. Results: Facilitation of P2X7 receptor currents and dilation of the pore are enhanced by cholesterol depletion and reduced by cholesterol loading. Conclusion: Plasma membrane cholesterol destabilizes the open and dilated states of the receptor pore. Significance: Targeting of P2X7 to cholesterol-rich lipid rafts may protect cells from death. P2X7 receptors are nonselective cation channels gated by high extracellular ATP, but with sustained activation, receptor sensitization occurs, whereby the intrinsic pore dilates, making the cell permeable to large organic cations, which eventually leads to cell death. P2X7 receptors associate with cholesterol-rich lipid rafts, but it is unclear how this affects the properties of the receptor channel. Here we show that pore-forming properties of human and rodent P2X7 receptors are sensitive to perturbations of cholesterol levels. Acute depletion of cholesterol with 5 mm methyl-β-cyclodextrin (MCD) caused a substantial increase in the rate of agonist-evoked pore formation, as measured by the uptake of ethidium dye, whereas cholesterol loading inhibited this process. Patch clamp analysis of P2X7 receptor currents carried by Na+ and N-methyl-d-glucamine (NMDG+) showed enhanced activation and current facilitation following cholesterol depletion. This contrasts with the inhibitory effect of methyl-β-cyclodextrin reported for other P2X subtypes. Mutational analysis suggests the involvement of an N-terminal region and a proximal C-terminal region that comprises multiple cholesterol recognition amino acid consensus (CRAC) motifs, in the cholesterol sensitivity of channel gating. These results reveal cholesterol as a negative regulator of P2X7 receptor pore formation, protecting cells from P2X7-mediated cell death.


Smart cities are an actual trend being pursued by research that, fundamentally, tries to improve city's management on behalf of a better human quality of live. This paper proposes a new autonomic complementary approach for smart cities management. It is argued that smart city management systems with autonomic characteristics will improve and facilitate management functionalities in general. A framework is also presented as use case considering specific application scenarios like smart-health, smart-grid, smart-environment and smart-streets.


OBJECTIVE
To compare the toxicity of Euphorbia pekinensis before and after being processed by vinegar on normal liver cells LO2, and discuss its possible mechanism.

METHOD
LO2 cells were cultured in vitro, and processed with different concentrations of crude and vinegar-processed E. pekinensis. MTT assay was used to measure the inhibitory effect of LO2 cell; Hoechst 33258 staining was used to observe the morphological changes in apoptosis cell; Annexin V-FITC flow cytometry was used to analyze the apoptotic rate of LO2 cell; PI staining flow cytometry was used to analyze its impact on cell cycle. The level or content of ALT, AST, LDH, SOD, MDA and GSH were observed as well.

RESULT
Compared with the negative control group, crude E. pekinensis at all concentrations could obviously inhibit LO2 cell proliferation, induce LO2 cell apoptosis and cause cell arrest in S phase, with significant differences (P <0.05). E. pekinensis could significantly increase the levels of ALT, AST and LDH (P <0.05) in the supernatant of cell culture fluid, significantly decrease the level of SOD and the content of GSH (P <0.05) , and significantly increase the content of MDA (P <0.05). Compared with the crude E. pekinensis group, E. pekinensis after being vinegar-processed can significantly reduce cell apoptotic rate, cell cycle arrest, activities of ALT, AST, LDH in the supernatant of cell culture fluid (P <0.05) , and remarkably increase the level of SOD and the content of GSH, but reduce the content of MDA in the supernatant of cell culture fluid.

CONCLUSION
Vinegar-processed E. pekinensis can release the cytotoxicity of LO2 cell. Its mechanism may be related to the decrease in the oxidative damage of LO2 cells, thereby reducing the cell cycle arrest and apoptosis.


The recurrent outbreak of coronaviruses and variants underscores the need for broadly reactive antivirals and vaccines. Here, a novel broad-spectrum human antibody named 76E1 was isolated from a COVID-19 convalescent patient and showed broad neutralization activity against multiple α- and β-coronaviruses, including the SARS-CoV-2 variants and also exhibited the binding breath to peptides containing the epitope from γ- and δ- coronaviruses. 76E1 cross-protects mice from SARS-CoV-2 and HCoV-OC43 infection in both prophylactic and treatment models. The epitope including the fusion peptide and S2' cleavage site recognized by 76E1 was significantly conserved among α-, β-, γ- and δ- coronaviruses. We uncovered a novel mechanism of antibody neutralization that the epitope of 76E1 was proportionally less exposed in the prefusion trimeric structure of spike protein but could be unmasked by binding to the receptor ACE2. Once the epitope exposed, 76E1 inhibited S2' cleavage, thus blocked the membrane fusion process. Our data demonstrate a key epitope targeted by broadly-neutralizing antibodies and will guide next-generation epitope-based pan-coronavirus vaccine design.


Cell turnover is a fundamental feature in metazoans. Cells can die passively, as a consequence of severe damage to their structural integrity, or actively, owing to a more confined biological disruption such as DNA damage. Passive cell death is uncontrolled and often harmful to the organism. In contrast, active cell death is tightly regulated and serves to support the organism's life. Apoptosis-the primary form of regulated cell death-is relatively well defined. Necroptosis-an alternative, distinct kind of regulated cell death discovered more recently-is less well understood. Apoptosis and necroptosis can be triggered either from within the cell or by extracellular stimuli. Certain signaling components, including several death ligands and receptors, can regulate both processes. Whereas apoptosis is triggered and executed via intracellular proteases called caspases, necroptosis is suppressed by caspase activity. Here we highlight current understanding of the key signaling mechanisms that control regulated cell death.


Key agreement protocol is crucial in providing data confidentiality and integrity to subsequent communications among two or more parties over a public network. In 2007, Wang-Cao have proposed an escrow-free certificate-based authenticated key agreement protocol and claimed it to be secure. However, we discover that their protocol does not satisfy an important security feature that is the known session-specific temporary information security. In this paper, we discuss this problem in depth and propose a slight modification to their original scheme in order to satisfy the missing security property.


Background: Pathologic complete response (pCR) is an established prognostic biomarker for aggressive HER2+ breast cancer (BC). Improving pCR rates may identify new therapies that improve survival. Pertuzumab (P) has established survival benefit in the metastatic setting, and received accelerated approval in the neoadjuvant setting when combined with trastuzumab (H) and docetaxel(D) as part of a complete treatment regimen for early breast cancer. We tested its ability, when combined with standard therapy (paclitaxel, T, and H) to improve pCR (ypT0ypN0) over TH in the adaptively randomized, phase II, I-SPY 2 neoadjuvant trial. Methods: Enrolled patients (pts) had invasive BC ?2.5 cm in HER2-positive subsets. Pts were adaptively randomized to control (TH, qwk x 12) or THP (P, q3wk x 4) followed by doxorubicin/cyclophosphamide (AC) x 4 and surgery. To compare THP to TH we utilized all control pts accrued over the course of the trial, adjusting for potential differences due to time period treated, which were informed by the several other treatment arms that have been in the trial. Adaptive assignment to the experimental arms was based on current Bayesian probabilities of superiority over control. "Graduation" by signature and futility stopping were based upon Bayesian predictive probability of success in a 2-arm, N = 300 phase III randomized 1:1 trial of THP vs. TH with pCR endpoint. Results: THP met the predictive probability criterion and graduated in 3 signatures: all HER2+, HER2+/HR+, and HER2+/HR- (See Table 1). Final accrual: 44 THP and 31 TH. Safety data will be shown. Conclusions: I-SPY 29s standing platform trial efficiently evaluates agents in biomarker-defined pt subsets. THP -> AC substantially improves pCR rates over standard TH -> AC in all 3 HER2+ signatures, including HR+ and HR- subsets. APHINITY, a trial of adjuvant pertuzumab with a primary outcome of invasive disease-free survival, is ongoing.
 Citation Format: Meredith Buxton, Angela M. DeMichele, Stephen Chia, Laura van9t Veer, Jo Chien, Anne Wallace, Henry Kaplan, Julie Lang, Douglas Yee, Claudine Isaacs, Stacy Moulder, Kathy Albain, Judy Boughey, Kathleen Kemmer, Barbara Haley, Susan Minton, Andres Forero, Rita Nanda, Anthony Elias, Larissa Korde, Rebecca Viscuzi, Hope Rugo, Richard Schwab, Fraser Symmans, Melissa Paoloni, Nola Hylton, Michael Hogarth, Julia Lyandres, Jane Perlmutter, Ashish Sanil, Christina Yau, Laura Esserman, Don Berry, I-SPY 2 TRIAL Investigators. Efficacy of pertuzumab/trastuzumab/paclitaxel over standard trastuzumab/paclitaxel therapy for HER2+ breast cancer: Results from the neoadjuvant I-SPY 2 TRIAL. [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 CT106.


The bark of Eysenhardtia polystachya, has been used in Mexican folk medicine for treatment of anti-inflammatory diseases. This study aimed to investigate the anti-inflammatory activity, on various animal models using carrageenan-induced oedema, cotton pellets-induced granuloma, induction of acute inflammation by histamine, croton oil induced ear oedema, activity of myeloperoxidase, adjuvant-induced arthritis, quantification of tumor necrosis factors alpha (TNFα), interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β), prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and leukotriene B4 (LTB4) in arthritic rat. Methanol extract (PAM) was also performed by assessing the activities of lipoxygenase and xanthine-oxidase. Our data indicate that PAM exhibited significant anti-inflammatory activity in all the trials of paw and ear oedema induced exhibiting also anti-arthritic activity. PAM could also markedly inhibit production of proinflammatory cytokines, especially TNFα, IL-1β, PGE2 and LTB4. These effects resulted in an attenuation of the inflammatory cytokines and ultimately suppression of the oedema. The extract also inhibited lipoxygenase and xanthine-oxidase. It was seen that PAM is effective on chronic inflammation and acute inflammation.

 Key words: Eysenhardtia polystachya, anti-inflammatory, cytokines, inflammation.


Widespread applications of power electronic based loads in industry have increased the importance and application of power quality studies. Decrease in the cost of power electronic devices , fast switching characteristics of converters and improvements in the efficiency of both power converters and energy storage components have increased the applicability of new technological solutions such as Custom Power (CP) and Flexible AC Transmission Systems (FACTS) Devices. Unified Power Quality Conditioner (UPQC, a combination of series and shunt power filters) is one of the CP devices and compensates voltage and current quality problems. UPQC has become very popular in recent years both in low voltage and medium voltage applications. In this study, an attempt has been made to model the UPQC for voltage and current compensation with the help of two different control schemes. The current harmonics as well as voltage sag and swells compensation are shown. Keywords— Power Quality, Active power Filter, Modeling of UPQC.


Camera pose estimation is a long-standing computer vision problem that to date often relies on classical methods, such as handcrafted keypoint matching, RANSAC and bundle adjustment. In this paper, we propose to formulate the Structure from Motion (SfM) problem inside a probabilistic diffusion framework, modelling the conditional distribution of camera poses given input images. This novel view of an old problem has several advantages. (i) The nature of the diffusion framework mirrors the iterative procedure of bundle adjustment. (ii) The formulation allows a seamless integration of geometric constraints from epipolar geometry. (iii) It excels in typically difficult scenarios such as sparse views with wide baselines. (iv) The method can predict intrinsics and extrinsics for an arbitrary amount of images. We demonstrate that our method PoseDiffusion significantly improves over the classic SfM pipelines and the learned approaches on two real-world datasets. Finally, it is observed that our method can generalize across datasets without further training. Project page: https://posediffusion.github.io/


A system for assaying human interchromosomal recombination in vitro was developed, using a cell line containing two different mutant thymidine kinase genes (TK) on chromosomes 17. Heteroalleles were generated in the TK+/+ parent B-lymphoblast cell line WIL-2 by repeated exposure to the alkylating nitrogen mustard ICR-191, which preferentially causes +1 or -1 frameshifts. Resulting TK-/- mutants were selected in medium containing the toxic thymidine analog trifluorothymidine. Mutations were characterized by exon-specific polymerase chain reaction amplification and direct sequencing. In two lines, heterozygous frameshifts were located in exons 4 and 7 of the TK gene separated by approximately 8 kilobases. These lines undergo spontaneous reversion to TK+ at a frequency of less than 10(-7), and revertants can be selected in cytidine/hypoxanthine/aminopterin/thymidine medium. The nature and location of these heteroallelic mutations make large deletions, rearrangements, nondisjunction, and reduplication unlikely mechanisms for reversion to TK+. The mode of reversion to TK+ was specifically assessed by DNA sequencing, use of single-strand conformation polymorphisms, and analysis of various restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs) linked to the TK gene on chromosome 17. Our data suggest that a proportion of revertants has undergone recombination and gene conversion at the TK locus, with concomitant loss of frameshifts and allele loss at linked RFLPs. Models are presented for the origin of two recombinants.


The "overcrowding" in Emergency Departments (EDs) and its potentially negative consequences, is a well known phenomenon in western countries. The causes of this phenomenon in this area are: constantly decreased number of hospital beds, increased number of ED visits and demographic changes (increasing prevalence of elderly people and migrants). Overcrowding in EDs accounts different timing of various care-paths (e.g. door-to-balloon time in STEMI) and also influences the degree of care given to patients. Moreover overcrowding has also been considered as a first-line cause of doctor's and nurse's burnout and of verbal or physical assault. The overcrowding phenomenon seems to be more effectively influenced by interventions directed to improve patient's output from ED to wards; by contrast interventions directed to limit ED visits failed to be effective.


This paper reviews difficulties with both the conceptualisation and testing of cross-cultural adjustment identified in extant literature and empirical research. The U-curve hypothesis, one enduring theoretical position on cross-cultural adjustment, is extended with the application chaos theory to suggest adjustment may be a bi-modal phenomenon capable of linear and nonlinear progressions. Such an approach may explain adjustment phenomena such as abandoning the overseas assignment. The potential and implications of this model are also discussed.


In this study, we used RVUS data from RadCalNet as a benchmark to verify the radiometric accuracy and stability of operational and reprocessed SNPP/VIIRS data and the accuracy of NOAA-20/VIIRS data, as well as to assess the efficiency of the SNPP/VIIRS reprocessing algorithm. In addition, to remove the uncertainty of the RVUS site itself, we used Landsat 8/OLI as another benchmark with which to validate the accuracy and stability of VIIRS data through the RUVS site. The radiometric biases of the operational and reprocessed SNPP VIIRS bands were within ±4% and ±2%, respectively, as compared with the RUVS site and OLI, except for the M10 and M11 bands. In particular, the biases of the M5 and M7 bands were reduced by ~2% in this study. NOAA-20 VIIRS, on the other hand, was consistently lower than SNPP by ~2 to ~4% for all the bands. For the equivalent bands, the drift differences between operational and reprocessed SNPP/VIIRS and OLI were no larger than 0.24%/year and 0.1%/year, respectively. The reprocessing algorithm of SNPP VIIRS efficiently improved the radiometric accuracy and stability of the SNPP/VIIRS dataset to meet its specifications.


Large cohort studies have contributed significantly to our understanding of the factors that influence the development of the bacterial component of the gut microbiome (GM) during the first years of life. However, the factors that shape the colonization by other important GM members such as the viral fraction remain more elusive. Most gut viruses are bacteriophages (phages), i.e., viruses attacking bacteria in a host specific manner, and to a lesser extent, but also widely present, eukaryotic viruses, including viruses attacking human cells. Here, we utilize the deeply phenotyped COPSAC2010 birth cohort consisting of 700 infants to investigate how social, pre-, peri- and postnatal factors may influence the gut virome composition at one year of age, where fecal virome data was available from 645 infants. Among the different exposures studied, having older siblings and living in an urban vs. rural area had the strongest impact on gut virome composition. Differential abundance analysis from a total of 16,118 viral operational taxonomic units (vOTUs) (mainly phages, but also 6.1% eukaryotic viruses) identified 2,105 vOTUs varying with environmental exposures, of which 5.9% were eukaryotic viruses and the rest was phages. Bacterial hosts for these phages were mainly predicted to be within the Bacteroidaceae, Prevotellaceae, and Ruminococcaceae families, as determined by CRISPR spacer matches. Spearman correlation coefficients indicated strong co-abundance trends of vOTUs and their targeted bacterial host, which underlined the predicted phage-host connections. Further, our findings show that some gut viruses encode important metabolic functions and how the abundance of genes encoding these functions is influenced by environmental exposures. Genes that were significantly associated with early life exposures were found in a total of 42 vOTUs. 18 of these vOTUs had their life styles predicted, with 17 of them having a temperate lifestyle. These 42 vOTUs carried genes coding for enzymes involved in alanine, aspartate and glutamate metabolism, glycolysis-gluconeogenesis, as well as fatty acid biosynthesis. The latter implies that these phages could be involved in the utilization and degradation of major dietary components and affect infant health by influencing the metabolic capacity of their bacterial host. Given the importance of the GM in early life for maturation of the immune system and maintenance of metabolic health, these findings provide a valuable source of information for understanding early life factors that predispose for autoimmune and metabolic disorders.


Psychophysical studies with cochlear implant patients have demonstrated performance variability across the electrode array, in some cases with electrodes displaying quite anomalous behavior. Aberrant cochlear implant channels have been linked to reduced speech recognition ability and poor transmission of auditory information. However, psychophysical tests to completely assess all psychophysical metrics and detect impaired electrodes are time consuming. This study proposes using the confusion matrices from closed response set listening tests to identify impaired electrodes. A listening experiment was performed in which normal-hearing subjects identified vowel and consonant tokens processed with an impaired cochlear implant acoustic model. Two methods of analyzing the vowel and consonant confusion matrices to identify the impaired acoustic model channels are considered. The performance of the two analysis methods motivates further study of the uses of relatively simple listening tests to provide information that can expedite larger scale testing of psychophysical metrics and impaired electrodes


It is well established that childhood sexual abuse (CSA) increases the risk for subsequent sexual victimization. However, it is unclear why women with a CSA history may engage in risky behaviours and vulnerability-increasing cognitions that put them at risk for revictimization to a greater degree than women without a CSA history. I proposed and tested a model that uses attachment theory to interpret the increased involvement in risk factors for unwanted sex among women with a CSA history. The proposed model suggests that the extent to which women with a CSA history rely on insecure attachment strategies predicts their involvement in risk factors (sexual activity, substance use, and risk perception deficits) that, in turn, increase the likelihood of unwanted sexual experiences in adolescence and adulthood. Three hundred and eight university women completed measures of childhood and adolescent/adult sexual victimization, attachment strategies, sexual activity, substance use, and risk recognition in a date rape scenario. Among the risk factors assessed, only sexual activity mediated between CSA and unwanted sex. Substance use was not associated with CSA; but it was associated with sexual activity and was a risk factor for unwanted sex. Attachment insecurity was not associated with increased involvement in risk factors, and thus did not mediate the revictimization process as proposed. However, avoidant attachment strategies, especially in the context of low attachment anxiety, were associated with an increased risk for unwanted sexual experiences independent of the other risk factors. Discussion focuses on the potential value of attachment theory as an organizational framework for understanding sexual revictimization.


Laser shock peening (LSP) is an innovative process which imparts compressive residual stresses in the processed surface of metallic parts to significantly improve fatigue life and fatigue strength of this part. In opposing dual sided LSP, the workpiece can be simultaneously irradiated or irradiated with different time lags to create different surface residual stress patterns by virtue of the interaction between the opposing shock waves. In this work, a finite element model, in which the hydrodynamic behavior of the material and the deviatoric behavior including work hardening and strain rate effects were considered was applied to predict residual stress distributions in the processed surface induced under various conditions of the opposing dual sided micro scale laser shock peening. Thus the shock waves from each surface will interact in different ways through the thickness resulting in more complex residual stress profiles. Additionally, when treating a thin section, opposing dual sided peening is expected to avoid harmful effects such as spalling and fracture because the pressures on the opposite surfaces of the target balance one another and prohibit excessive deformation of the target. In order to better understand the wave-wave interactions under different conditions, the residual stress profiles corresponding to various workpiece thicknesses and various irradiation times were evaluated.Copyright © 2006 by ASME


We design and implement the espionage infrastructure to launch a cache-based side channel attack on AES. This includes a spy controller and a ring of spy threads with associated analytic capabilities - all hosted on a single server. By causing the victim process (which repeatedly performs AES encryptions) to be interrupted, the spy threads capture the victim's footprints in the cache memory where the lookup tables reside. Preliminary results indicate that our setup can deduce the encryption key in fewer than 30 encryptions and with far fewer victim interruptions compared to previous work. Moreover, this approach can be easily adapted to work on diverse hardware/OS platforms and on different versions of OpenSSL.


[ ANALYSIS OF Hg 2 + USING NANOPARTIKEL METAL (NPP) AS A COLORIMETRY INDICATOR WITH SPECTRUMFOTOMETRY METHOD ]. Mercury (Hg) is heavy metal with high toxicity that often pollutes the aquatic environment. Concentration of Hg (II) ions is usually determined by using ICP-MS and AAS but because its price relatively expensive an alternative is needed to determine concentration of Hg. Therefore, the purpose of the study was to conduct synthesis of silver nanoparticles (NPP) by utilizing extract of Phyllanthus acidus ceremin fruit as a colorimetric indicator for alternative analysis concentration of Hg metal in digital image. Bio NPP used as a colorimetric indikator of Hg metal in this study was synthesized at optimum condition. The optimum condition of Bio NPP synthesis was obtained on the ratio of extract volume of P. acidus  fruit and AgNO 3 1: 1 and the duration of exposure to sunlight for 1 hour.The formed Bio NPP knew to be selective against Hg (II) metal ions characterized by the change of Bio NPP color from brownish yellow to clear. In addition, the Bio NPP that has been synthesized  in this study can be used as a colorimetric indicator of Hg metal analysis using spectrofotometer uv-vis with detection limit  7.56 ppb.


This new translation of The Logic of the Cultural Sciences (formerly entitled The Logic of the Humanities) makes Ernst Cassirer's classic study, long out of print, available to English readers. A German Jew living in exile at the beginning of the Second World War, Cassirer wrote this book-one of his clearest and most concise-in response to the crises besetting his era. It represented to him a rethinking and completion of his magnum opus The Philosophy of Symbolic Forms. S. G. Lofts's translation stays close to the original German and accurately reflects the echoes of the philosophical debates of Cassirer's day. In the book's five linked studies, Cassirer considers the intellectual structure of the disciplines we commonly refer to as the humanities. He defines and justifies the basic philosophical perspective of the philosophy of symbolic forms, and he contributes a wealth of ideas to continuing debates about culture and what is unique in human nature.


The high congestion at the airports, due both to the increase of air traffic demand and the lack of significant intervention on the infrastructures, and the need to guarantee a high safety level in the airport areas ask for more intensive studies concerning the problem of the ground circulation in an airport area. Particularly, high traffic airport areas must be continuously monitored in orderto know at each time the position of all the moving objects, land vehicles and aircrafts, on the ground (aprons, taxiways, runways). Recent solutions used to resolve the problem of object positioning move towards the use of GPS apparatus. In this work, a system that integrates GPS and Geographical Information System is proposed for monitoring the airport areas, following the new requirements of Intelligent Transport System (ITS) applications and with an innovative communication network among GISs.


Na+ was found to be essential for the accumulation of sucrose by Vibrio alginolyticus. Sucrose uptake was completely inhibited by the addition of proton conductor at neutral pH, but not at alkaline pH, where the primary electrogenic Na+ pump generates the Na+ electrochemical gradient. We therefore conclude that sucrose transport is driven by the electrochemical potential of Na+ in this organism.


In this paper I introduce computational techniques to extend qualitative analysis into the study of large textual datasets. I demonstrate these techniques by using probabilistic topic modeling to analyze a broad sample of 14,952 documents published in major American newspapers from 1980 through 2012. I show how computational data mining techniques can identify and evaluate the significance of qualitatively distinct subjects of discussion across a wide range of public discourse. I also show how examining large textual datasets with computational methods can overcome methodological limitations of conventional qualitative methods, such as how to measure the impact of particular cases on broader discourse, how to validate substantive inferences from small samples of textual data, and how to determine if identified cases are part of a consistent temporal pattern.


INTRODUCTION
Acquired elastolysis of the papillary dermis simulating pseudoxanthoma elasticum and white papulosis of the neck are two skin diseases with clearly limited borders. The two entities can be distinguished clinically when papulae converge into yellowish-white patches and histologically by complete absence of the elastic network in the papillary dermis without thickening of the collagen network in the superficial and mid dermis.

CASE REPORT
We observed a patient with the clinical and histological criteria for acquired elastolysis of the papillary dermis. Histological examination showed a thick collagen network as described in white papulosis of the neck.

DISCUSSION
This case clearly demonstrates the histological continuum between these two entities. A review of the literature also provided evidence of borderline forms, leading us to propose grouping them together. Elastolysis of the papillary dermis would appear to be a relatively specific histological sign differentiating white papulosis of the neck, in a general sense, and acquired elastosis of the mid dermis. Two factors could explain the rare observations of acquired elastosis of the mid dermis in patients with acquired elastosis of the papillary derma: use of the Verhoeff Van Gieson stain without an internal control and imprecise localization of the biopsy.


In this letter we give a systematic derivation and justification of the semiclassical model for the slow degrees of freedom in adiabatic slow-fast systems first found by Littlejohn and Flynn (Phys. Rev. A, 44 (1991) 5239). The classical Hamiltonian obtains a correction due to the variation of the adiabatic subspaces and the symplectic form is modified by the curvature of the Berry connection. We show that this classical system can be used to approximate quantum-mechanical expectations and the time evolution of operators also in sub-leading order in the combined adiabatic and semiclassical limit. In solid-state physics the corresponding semiclassical description of Bloch electrons has led to substantial progress during the recent years, see works by Niu and coworkers. Here, as an illustration, we show how to compute the piezo-current arising from a slow deformation of a crystal in the presence of a constant magnetic field.


A critical challenge for online retailers is to determine what types of product and price information are best suited to influence online conversion. While it has long been known that customers differ in their state of shopping, it is cumbersome to learn about such latent differences offline. The availability of clickstream data however helps us in identifying meaningful segments of sessions on the basis of customers' online behaviors. We examine whether product and price information had different impacts on customers belonging to three states of shopping, and also assess the effect on outcomes within a session and across sessions. Our results question the practice of offering price promotions to all customers of a store, and highlight the value of product information in increasing loyalty for some customers. Depending on the retailer's goal– short term conversion versus longer-term customer relationship–a different information provision strategy is likely to be optimal.


Polyaniline (PANI) as a pseudocapacitive material has very high theoretical capacitance of 2000 F g-1. However, its practical capacitance has been limited by low electrochemical surface area (ESA) and unfavorable wettability toward aqueous electrolytes. This work deals with a strategy wherein the high ESA of PANI has been achieved by the induction of superhydrophilicity together with the alignment of PANI exclusively on the surface of carbon fibers as a thin layer to form a hybrid assembly. Superhydrophilicity is induced by electrochemical functionalization of the Toray carbon paper, which further induces superhydrophilicity to the electrodeposited PANI layer on the paper, thereby ensuring a high electrode-electrolyte interface. The Toray paper is electrochemically functionalized by the anodization method, which generates a highly active electrochemical surface as well as greater wettability (superhydrophilic) of the carbon fibers. Because of the strong interaction of anilinium chloride with the hydrophilic carbon surface, PANI is polymerized exclusively over the surface of the fibers without any appreciable aggregation or agglomeration of the polymer. The PANI-Toray paper assembly in the solid-state prototype supercapacitor can provide a high gravimetric capacitance of 1335 F g-1 as well as a high areal capacitance of 1.3 F cm-2 at a current density of 10 A g-1. The device also exhibits high rate capability, delivering 1217 F g-1 at a current density of 50 A g-1 and a high energy density of 30 W h kg-1 at a power density of 2 kW kg-1.


This conceptual paper puts research on individual teleworker outcomes in the context of an open systems model of organisation. It is suggested that the concept of fit might be a useful way of conceptualising the task of designing and implementing effective telework interventions. The paper explores the concept of career anchor (Schein, 1996; 1978) and its potential utility for helping establish fit between individual teleworker and telework context. The concept of career anchor may also help understand the often reported problems in the relationship between teleworkers and their managers. Career anchor may also help explain teleworkers reaction to organisational control systems. The paper includes initial research questions that will provide a program of future research.


We report a case of a 35 year old woman with colon cancer metastatic to liver and lung who presented for exploratory laparotomy and/placement of hepatic arterial infusion pump for chemotherapy. Surgical course was notable for aberrant hepatic artery anatomy requiring extended dissection time, vascular surgery consultation, and use of substantial methylene blue to aid in visualization. Of note, patient's history was also significant for anxiety and depression, for which she was being treated with the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) duloxetine (Cymbalta). The patient subsequently developed serotonin syndrome in the postoperative period but fully recovered. Our case highlights the need for close attention to methylene dosing recommendations and improved communication between perioperative care providers (surgery, anesthesia, nursing, and pharmacy) to prevent such occurrences.


Estimation of noise power and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) are fundamental tasks in wireless communications. Existing methods to recover these parameters in orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) are derived by following heuristic arguments and assuming perfect carrier frequency offset (CFO) synchronization. Hence, it is currently unknown how they compare with an optimum scheme performing joint maximum likelihood (ML) estimation of CFO, noise power and SNR. In the present work, the joint ML estimator of all these parameters is found by exploiting the repetitive structure of a training preamble composed of several identical parts. It turns out that CFO recovery is the first task that needs to be performed. After CFO compensation, the ML estimation of noise power and SNR reduces to a scheme that is available in the literature, but with a computational saving greater than 60% with respect to the original formulation. To assess the ultimate accuracy achievable by the ML scheme, novel expressions of the Cramer-Rao bound for the joint estimation of all unknown parameters are provided.


This paper reports the first phase of an ESRC funded research project to investigate first year students' use of technology in relation to the idea of young people born after 1983 forming a distinct age cohort described variously as the Net generation or Digital Natives. The research took place in five English universities in the spring of 2008. The research found a far more complex picture than that suggested by the rhetoric with student use of new technologies varying between different universities and courses. Some of the more discussed new technologies such as blogs, wikis and virtual worlds were shown to be less used by students than might have been expected. The Net generation appears if anything to be a collection of minorities with a small number of technophobic students and larger numbers of others making use of new technologies but in ways that did not fully correspond with many of the expectations built into the Net generation and Digital Natives theses.


This paper presents the two most significant types of deformation behavior fordynamically loaded, saturated soil. Flow liquefaction and cyclic mobility deserve special attention because of the large deformations that accompany these two phenomena. The submergence of a railway-line embankment due to the newly built Sava-river accumulation reservoir in Bostanj and the large landslide that occurred in the Stože area in the Julian Alps are case histories in Slovenia where flow liquefaction and cyclic mobility were analyzed. The dynamic loading caused by railway traffic and possible seismic activity were taken into account. Material from these two sites, silty sand and lacustrine carbonate silt, were used in extensive laboratory research, with the objective to define a procedure for excess pore-water pressure-generation modeling in dynamically loaded saturated soil.
It has been found recently that the change of the pore-water pressure is related to the dissipated energy density calculated from the hysteresis loops caused by dynamic loading. Based on the experimental results an empirical equation defining the generation of pore pressure during dynamic loading has been proposed. The equation is divided into two parts: the first part describing the residual pore-water pressure generation, and the second part describing the increment and decrement of pore-water pressure within the load cycle, the so-called temporary pore-water pressure change. The proper effective stresses and thus the stress path of the dynamically loaded soil can be defined by using the proposed energy-based numerical model.
The proposed pore-pressure model can also be used in deformation-behavior modeling. It was observed from the experimental results that after a few cycles of dynamic loading the saturated soil starts to exhibit a very low stiffness at the beginning of a load cycle, after which it begins to strengthen. The strain developed during this softening phase represents the main share of the total strain. The occurrence and duration of this phase are related to the energy dissipated during the cyclic loading as well, and the relation between the dissipated energy, the excess pore pressure and the short-term flow during cyclic mobility, give us an opportunity for a simple response modeling of the dynamically loaded saturated soils.


A country scale analysis of diffuse source nutrient emissions have been undertaken previously on small catchments level using the MONERIS model, which needed a proper estimation of surface and subsurface runoff differentiation to support or contradict its own water budget based method. As reliable, country scale base flow estimation has not been available for the country at the time of the study, this knowledge gap has been tried to be filled by the current work. This has been done using multiple methods. Digital filter have been applied on continuous river discharge data on gauged catchments in order to determine base flow indices (BFI). Using multiple linear regression (MLR) and artificial neural networks (ANN), climatic, soil and land use properties of the catchments have been used to extend base flow indices to ungauged catchments. MLR brought acceptable results (adjusted r2 values around 0.7), however it proved to be sensitive of the selection of catchments used for validation, and therefore a mean of prediction by thirty different regression equation was used for the estimation. ANN was less sensitive for the change of the variables included and the number of nodes used for the learning. The results are comparable with the MLR method and show good agreement in most of the areas, however in some part of the country the two approach show significant differences in the predicted BFI values.


In this paper, the H∞ output-feedback control problem is investigated for a class of discrete-time fuzzy systems with randomly occurring infinite distributed delays and channel fadings. A random variable obeying the Bernoulli distribution is introduced to account for the probabilistic infinite distributed delays. The stochastic Rice fading model is employed to simultaneously describe the phenomena of random time delays and channel fadings via setting different values of the channel coefficients. The aim of this paper is to design an H∞ output-feedback fuzzy controller such that the closed-loop Takagi-Sugeno (T-S) fuzzy control system is exponentially mean-square stable, and the disturbance rejection attenuation is constrained to a given level by means of the H∞ performance index. Intensive analysis is carried out to obtain sufficient conditions for the existence of desired output-feedback controllers, ensuring both the exponential mean-square stability and the prescribed H∞ performance. The cone-complementarity linearization algorithm is utilized to cast the controller design problem into a sequential minimization: one that is solvable by the semi-definite programming method. A simulation result is exploited to illustrate the usefulness and effectiveness of the proposed design technique.


In these last ten years the Netherlands has experienced a dramatic swing to the Right. Long considered the epitome of tolerance and liberalism, the country now finds itself at the forefront of the political revival of nationalist and anti-immigrant sentiments in Europe. The motor behind this remarkable turnaround is the spectacular rise of right-wing populism since the 1990s, an ascendancy that reached yet a new climax with the 2010 elections, which resulted in a resounding victory for the right-wing populist and anti-Islamist Freedom Party (PVV) of Geert Wilders. The election was followed by the formation of a minority government of right-wing Liberals (VVD) and Christian Democrats (CDA), dependent on the strategic support of the PVV to obtain a parliamentary majority. It is generally seen as the most right-wing government in Dutch post-war history.


The paper contains a new non-perturbative representation for subleading contribution to the free energy of multicut solution for hermitian matrix model. This representation is a generalisation of the formula, proposed by Klemm, Marino and Theisen for two cut solution, which was obtained by comparing the cubic matrix model with the topological B-model on the local Calabi-Yau geometry II and was checked perturbatively. In this paper we give a direct proof of their formula and generalise it to the general multicut solution.