The purpose of the current project was to examine the nature of the age-related differences on the Raven's Advanced Progressive Matrices (APM). Three components were hypothesized to be involved in correctly solving the APM problems. These included a rule-identification component, a rule-application component (involving a one-rule spatial transformation), and a rule-coordination component. The project was designed to examine the influence of each of the hypothesized components on the age-related variance on the APM. Two tests presumed to measure each hypothesized component were presented to 183 adults between the ages of 21 and 83. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that although all of the hypothesized components accounted for a significant amount of the variance on the APM (approximately 50% each), only performance on the tasks measuring rule application accounted for a unique proportion of the age-related variance on the APM. Implications of the results in regards to following symbolic instructions in assembly of objects and in driving are discussed.


Macroparticle dynamics in multi-cathode-spot (MCS) vacuum arcs were studied by utilizing laser Doppler anemometry (LDA) methods for in situ measurement of the cathodic macroparticle velocities and relative emission rates. Arc current pulses having peak values of 1-2 kA at either 6 or 1 ms after arc initiation were investigated. Systematic dependence of the macroparticle dynamics (i.e., speed and direction of flight) on cathodic thermophysical properties, location of the measurement probe in the interelectrode region, instantaneous value of the arc current, arc current waveform, and macroparticle size was determined. It was found that the macroparticle velocity increased with the melting temperature of the cathode metal, distance from the cathode surface, and the instantaneous value of the arc current, and decreased with macroparticle size and the rise time of the current waveform. All the above dependencies may be understood as direct indications of the plasma-macroparticle interaction during the discharge. The measured instantaneous relative emission rates were found to peak later than the arc current but before the peak average cathode surface temperature, which was estimated using a semi-empirical model. This result may be an indication of the dependence of cathodic erosion in the form of molten metal droplets on the average cathode surface temperature.


To describe a new test to quantitatively evaluate hand function in patients affected by Charcot‐Marie‐Tooth neuropathy (CMT). The sensor‐engineered glove test (SEGT) was applied to CMT patients (N: 26) and compared with a cohort of healthy controls (HC, N: 26). CMT patients were further divided into subjects with clinically normal (group 1) or impaired hand (group 2) function. The SEGT parameters evaluated were touch duration, inter‐tapping interval, and movement rate parameters of two different sequences: finger tapping (FT) and index‐medium‐ring‐little (IMRL) performed at self‐paced mode (SPM) and maximum velocity (MV). Hand function and strength were assessed by the 9‐hole peg test (9HPT) and dynamometry. Disability of patients was measured by the CMT neuropathy score. CMT patients had significantly worst performances at SEGT than controls regarding the rate of execution of both FT (at MV) and IMRL sequences (at SPM and MV). The rate parameter at MV in IMRL sequence showed a significant trend of decreasing in its average between HC (n: 26, rate = 3.08 ± 0.52 Hz), group 1 (n: 9, rate = 2.64 ± 0.66 Hz) and group 2 (n: 17, rate = 2.19 ± 0.45 Hz) (p for trend <0.001). No correlations were found with either 9HPT, dynamometry, electrophysiology, and the CMT neuropathy score. The SEGT test is sensitive to show hand dysfunction in CMT patients, with and without clinically impaired hands.


Lactose is separated from milk or other fluid dairy products for a variety of reasons. Ultrafiltration is a known process of removing lactose from these products. However, during ultrafiltration, valuable minerals, such as calcium in soluble form, are also lost into permeate. In this study, a process was developed in which first the lactose reduction in skim milk was achieved by ultrafiltration (4x volumetric concentration) using a 10-kDa membrane. Then, the calcium present in permeate was precipitated using one of three methods: 1) heat treatment, 2) pH adjustment, or 3) a combination of pH adjustment and heat treatment to permeate, then recovered by refiltering permeate. The process was first developed at laboratory scale, and then its applicability was tested at the pilot scale. Skim milk, retentates, permeates, and the treated permeates were analyzed for total solids, ash, protein, or total nitrogen, calcium, and lactose content. About 76% of the total lactose and about 16% of the calcium present in skim milk permeated through the membrane during ultrafiltration. The three treatments applied produced white precipitates and turned the clear permeates turbid. On refiltering the treated permeates approximately 42, approximately 50, and approximately 70% of the total calcium present could be recovered from 1) heat-treated, 2) pH-adjusted, and 3) pH-adjusted and heat-treated permeates, respectively. There was no marked change in the lactose content due to any of the three treatments and subsequent refiltering of the treated permeates.


Indoor navigation plays a crucial role in indoor location-based services. Single signal-based navigation systems, however, are prone to sensor noises, signal ambiguities and are specific to trial sites. To address these, existing work fuses different signals with user trajectories. Despite their accuracy, many of them are specific to input signals and navigation modes (e.g., spot-based or sequence-based) and are computationally expensive in large sites. Additionally, they do not give predictive uncertainty estimations, leading to a lack of trust in navigation instructions. In this paper, we propose a unified framework for accurate indoor navigation in various modes with different inputs, termed DeepNavi. We exploit either convolutional or recurrent neural networks for initial feature extraction. Afterwards, we insert fully connected layers to generalize extracted signal-dependent features to a shared domain before fusion. Then, we leverage state-of-the-art ensemble learning to learn multiple predictive models. By combining them together, we further reduce the impact of signal noises and achieve high accuracy. Finally, we insert mixture density networks to model more generalized data distributions and provide uncertainty estimations. We have implemented DeepNavi and conducted extensive experiments in two different trial sites with different signal combinations. Experimental results show that DeepNavi reduces location errors by more than 20% with comparable orientation accuracy.


ABSTRACT This paper presents a mixed-method investigation of client's perceptions of a good adventure sports coach. Semi-structured interviews were analysed thematically, and the findings used to inform a subsequent larger survey that sought to verify the importance of the themes identified in the interviews. The findings draw an alignment between the attributes of good coaches in traditional sports, as reported in previous studies, and those of adventure sports coaches. However, they also identify three additional attributes that are critical for good adventure sports coaches: (1) in-depth knowledge of the adventure sports environment, (2) a very high degree of individualisation, and (3) an explicit focus on developing the participant's confidence. The implications for training adventure sports coaches are discussed.


Fluorescence molecular tomography of tissues is a method that three-dimensionally resolves fluorescence biodistribution in vivo, with applications in small-animal research and pre-clinical diagnostics. There are many alternative imaging geometries in optical tomographic experimental systems, but in general, all imaging setups consist of four subsystems: illumination, animal mount, imaging, and automation and data acquisition (i.e., electronics and computer). Here we refer to charge-coupled device (CCD)-based systems that work in trans-illumination (i.e., illumination and detection occur on opposite sides of the subject), while a mouse or other small animal is rotated through 360° to allow photon acquisition from multiple projections. We present a procedure to tomographically reconstruct the biodistribution of fluorescence in small animals. The imaging system and equipment are described, the step-by-step image acquisition and preliminary image-processing methods are presented, and the tomographic reconstruction procedure is outlined. Finally, the method is showcased by imaging the fluorescence activity of a brain tumor of a glioblastoma mouse model.


The article shows the necessity of making up linguistic and culturological comments to filmed Russian fairy-tales. The comments present an informative basis explaining Russian cultural realities to students.


Diglyme (Diethylene glycol dimethyl ether, CAS No. 111-96-6) is a glycol ether which has been used in solvent formulations. To assess the potential developmental toxicity of this chemical, groups of pregnant Crl:CD BR rats were exposed to either 0 (control, room air only), 25, 100, or 400 ppm diglyme by inhalation for 6 hrs/day for Days 7 through 16 or gestation (day on which the copulation plug was detected was designation Day 1 G). All female rats were euthanized on day 21G and the fetuses were examined. An additional group of rats was treated with 25 ppm 2-methoxethanol (2ME) to serve as a positive control and for comparison of relative potencies. Maternal toxicity evident as depressed feed consumption at 400 ppm and increased liver weights at 100 ppm. There were no dams in the 400 ppm group with live fetuses (all litters consisted on resorbed conceptuses). Embryo viability was unaffected by concentrations of diglyme as high as 100 ppm. 2ME produced increased liver weights and depressed feed consumption at 25 ppm. Embryo-fetal toxicity was evident as a concentration-related decrease in fetal weight at diglyme concentrations as high as 100 ppm (and with 2ME). There were no fetuses derived from the 400 ppm diglyme-treated dams. A low incidence of structural malformations was observed in all diglyme groups (as well as with 2ME). The incidence of variations, (primarily delayed skeletal ossification and rudimentary ribs) was increased in the 25 and 100 ppm diglyme groups. The incidence and severity in the diglyme and 2ME groups exposed to 25 ppm was essentially the same suggesting similar potency for producing structural variations. In this study, diglyme was embryolethal at 400 ppm; a level that otherwise was only marginally toxic to the dam. Maternal and fetal toxicity also were demonstrated at 100 ppm. Although the fetal defects detected following diglyme exposure at 25 ppm were not significantly different from control values (with the exception of the incidence of skeletal developmental variations), the pattern, type, and incidence of variations were similar to those seen at 100 ppm, suggesting that 25 ppm was an effect level that approaches the lower end of the developmental toxicity response curve. Therefore, the no-observable-effect level (NOEL) for diglyme exposure in the dam is 25 ppm and a NOEL was not clearly demonstrated for the conceptus.


The aqueous and ethanolic extracts of C. grandis (Family: Leguminosae) were evaluated for antidiabetic activity by a glucose tolerance test, in normal rats and alloxan-induced diabetic rats. The aqueous and ethanolic extracts showed that they significantly lowered the blood glucose levels to normal in the glucose tolerance test. In alloxan-induced diabetic rats the maximum reduction in blood glucose was observed after three hours, at a dose level of 150 mg/kg of body weight. The percentage of protection given by the aqueous and ethanolic extracts was 32.72 and 46.42%, respectively. In the long-term treatment of alloxan-induced diabetic rats, the degree of protection was determined by measuring the blood glucose, cholesterol, and triglycerides on the tenth day. Both the extracts showed a significant antidiabetic activity comparable to that of glibenclamide. These results showed that the Cassia grandis possessed significant antidiabetic activity.


PrefaceCHAPTER 1 The Philosophical EnterpriseSection 1.1 Explaining the Possibility of the Impossible: Philosophical Problems and TheoriesPhilosophical ProblemsThe Stakes in Philosophical InquiryThe Mind-Body ProblemThe Problem of Free WillThe Problem of Personal IdentityThe Problem of Moral RelativismThe Problem of EvilThe Problem of SkepticismNecessary and Sufficient ConditionsSocrates and the Socratic MethodScience and the Scientific MethodLogical versus Causal PossibilitySection 1.2 Evidence and Inference: Proving your PointDeductive ArgumentsInductive ArgumentsInformal FallaciesSection 1.3 The Laboratory of the Mind: Thought ExperimentsHow Are Thought Experiments Possible?Criticizing Thought ExperimentsConceivability and PossibilityScientific Thought ExperimentsReadings:C. J. Ducasse, "The Place of Philosophy in a University Education"Brand Blanshard, "The Philosophic Enterprise"Robert Nozick, "Philosophy as an Art Form"CHAPTER 2 The Mind-Body ProblemSection 2.1 The Ghost in the Machine: Mind as SoulDescartes's DoubtI Think, Therefore I AmThe Conceivability ArgumentThe Divisibility ArgumentThe Causal Impotence of the MentalThe Causal Closure of the PhysicalThe Problem of Other MindsSection 2.2 You Are What You Eat: Mind as BodyEmpiricismLogical PositivismLogical BehaviorismThe Identity TheorySection 2.3 I, Robot: Mind as SoftwareArtificial IntelligenceFunctionalism and FeelingThe Turing TestIntentionalitySection 2.4 There Ain't No Such Thing as Ghosts: Mind as MythFolk PsychologySubjective KnowledgeSection 2.5 The Whole is Greater Than the Sum of Its Parts: Mind as QualityPrimitive IntentionalityMental DependenceDownward CausationReadings:Rene Descartes, "Meditations on First Philosophy: Meditations I and II"Richard Taylor, "Materialism vs. Dualism"Alan Turing, "The Imitation Game"David Chalmers, "The Puzzle of Concious Experience"Thomas D. Davis, "Strange Behavior"CHAPTER 3 Free Will and DeterminismSection 3.1 The Luck of the Draw: Freedom as ChanceHard DeterminismIndeterminismSection 3.2 The Mother of Invention: Freedom as NecessityTraditional CompatibilismHierarchical CompatibilismSection 3.3 Control Yourself: Freedom as Self-DeterminationThe Case for FreedomAgent-CausationReadings:Robert Blatchford, "The Delusion of Free Will"W. T. Stace, "The Problem of Free Will"Robert Nozick, "Choice and Indeterminism"Thomas D. Davis, "Please Don't Tell Me How the Story Ends"CHAPTER 4 The Problem of Personal IdentitySection 4.1 We Are Such Stuff as Dreams are Made On: Self as SubstanceAnimalismThe Soul TheorySection 4.2 Golden Memories: Self as PsycheThe Memory TheoryThe Reduplication ProblemSection 4.3 You Can't Step into the Same River Twice: Self as ProcessThe Brain TheorySplit BrainsClosest Continuer TheoriesIdentity and What Matters in SurvivalIdentity and What Matters in ResponsibilityExplaining the SelfReadings:John Locke, "Of Identity and Diversity"Thomas Reid, "On Mr. Locke's Account of Personal Identity"Derek Parfit, "Divided Minds and the Nature of Persons"Ray Kurzweil, "Live Forever"CHAPTER 5 The Problem of Relativism and MoralitySection 5.1 Don't Question Authority: Might Makes RightSubjective AbsolutismSubjective RelativismEmotivismCultural RelativismThe Divine Command TheoryAre There Universal Moral Principles?Section 5.2 The End Justifies the Means: Good Makes RightEthical EgoismAct-UtilitarianismRule-UtilitarianismSection 5.3 Much Obliged: Duty Makes RightKant's Categorical ImperativeRoss's Prima Facie DutiesRawls's ContractarianismNozick's LibertarianismThe Social ContractThe Ethics of CareMaking Ethical DecisionsSection 5.4 Character is Destiny: Virtue Makes RightThe Virtuous UtilitarianThe Virtuous KantianThe Purpose of MoralityAristotle on VirtueMacIntyre on VirtueVirtue EthicsReadings:W. T. Stace, "Are Ethical Values Relative?"Jeremy Bentham, "Of the Principle of Utility"Immanuel Kant, "Good Will, Duty, and the Categorical Imperative"John Rawls, "The Original Position and Justification"Ursula K. Leguin, "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas"CHAPTER 6 The Problem of Evil and the Existence of GodSection 6.1 The Mysterious Universe: God as CreatorThe Traditional Cosmological ArgumentThe Kalam Cosmological ArgumentThe Teleological ArgumentThe Argument from MiraclesThe Argument from Religious ExperienceThe Ontological ArgumentPascal's WagerThe Meaning of LifeThe VerdictSection 6.2 When Bad Things Happen to Good People: God as TroublemakerThe Ontological DefenseThe Knowledge DefenseThe Free-Will DefenseThe Ideal-Humanity DefenseThe Soul-Building DefenseThe Finite-God DefenseThe Leap of FaithReligion Without GodReadings:St. Thomas Aquinas, "The Five Ways"David Hume, "Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion"B.C. Johnson, "God and the Problem of Evil"Michael Martin, "The Miracle Sleuth"CHAPTER 7 The Problem of Skepticism and KnowledgeSection 7.1 Things Aren't Always What They Seem: Skepticism about SkepticismCartesian DoubtCartesian CertaintyReasonable DoubtSection 7.2 Facing Reality: Perception and the External WorldDirect RealismRepresentative RealismPhenomenalismSection 7.3 What Do You Know? Knowing What Knowledge IsThe Defeasibility TheoryThe Causal TheoryThe Reliability TheoryThe Explanationist TheoryReadings:Rene Descartes, "Meditations on First Philosophy: Meditation IV"George Berkeley, "Of the Principles of Human Knowledge"Edmund L. Gettier, "Is Justified True Belief Knowledge?"Thomas D. Davis, "Why Don't You Just Wake Up!"NotesCreditsIndex


Large-effect loci—those discovered by genome-wide association studies or linkage mapping—associated with key traits segregate amidst a background of minor, often undetectable genetic effects in both wild and domesticated plants and animals. Accurately attributing mean differences and variance explained to the correct components in the linear mixed model (LMM) analysis is important for both selecting superior progeny and parents in plant and animal breeding, but also for gene therapy and medical genetics in humans. Marker-assisted prediction (MAP) and its successor, genomic prediction (GP), have many advantages for selecting superior individuals and understanding disease risk. However, these two approaches are less often integrated to simultaneously study the modes of inheritance of complex traits. This simulation study demonstrates that the average semivariance can be applied to models incorporating Mendelian, oligogenic, and polygenic terms, simultaneously, and yields accurate estimates of the variance explained for all relevant terms. Our previous research focused on large-effect loci and polygenic variance exclusively, and in this work we want to synthesize and expand the average semivariance framework to a multitude of different genetic architectures and the corresponding mixed models. This framework independently accounts for the effects of large-effect loci and the polygenic genetic background and is universally applicable to genetics studies in humans, plants, animals, and microbes.


It is understandable that in 1916 Einstein was unable to explain his postulate c=const, that in the case of the lightning and the train that moves on the railway embankment he still tacitly implied that the inertial coordinate system which is at rest has advantage over the one in motion. In serious scientific journals, there are no tries of explanations of this postulate, but it is strange that even today, at popular lectures, Einstein's explanation is taken as valid. It isn't difficult to show that his explanation is not valid; it is difficult to find the right explanation without trying to form an alternative theory. The article is dedicated to this goal. The found explanation will also serve to explain, for example, the EPR-paradox without any "spooky action at a distance" or "hidden variables" (Einstein's expressions). And this is not the only example where it can serve. Content: Introduction What Einstein couldn't explain c = const can be understood only at the micro-level References and notes


OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this research was to study the stability internal consistency factor structure, and convergent and discriminate validity of the Hogan Empathy Scale (EM) when used longitudinally with occupational therapy students.

METHOD
More than 300 occupational therapy students completed the EM once; 192 completed it twice over a 12-month interval; and 56 completed a third administration at intervals ranging from 3 years to 6 years. The Fieldwork Performance Evaluation (FWPE) was rated twice for students after fieldwork rotations in the occupational therapy program. Data on grade-point average, gender, and age were collected.

RESULTS
Stability was estimated at .41 over a 12-month interval and from .30 to .38 over longer intervals. Internal consistency was estimated at .57, and factor structures hypothesized previously were not replicable. Students' biographical variables explained only trivial amounts of variance in EM scores in regression equations (R = .08 and .21). Correlations between EM and FWPE scores did not support convergent validity (r = -. 01-.18).

CONCLUSION
The reliability estimates for the EM as a measure of a trait-like construct are not encouraging and do not replicate previous estimates. Validity evidence was equally disappointing, raising questions about what the EM is measuring and cautioning against its continued, uncritical use as a measure of empathy.


We have monitored global changes in gene expression in mouse liver in response to fasting and sugar-fed conditions using high-density microarrays. From approximately 20,000 different genes, the significantly regulated ones were grouped into specific signaling and metabolic pathways. Striking changes in lipid signaling cascade, insulin and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) hormonal pathways, urea cycle and S-adenosylmethionine-based methyl transfer systems, and cell apoptosis regulators were observed. Since these pathways have been implicated to play a role in the aging process, and since we observe significant overlap of genes regulated upon starvation with those regulated upon caloric restriction, our analysis suggests that starvation may elicit a stress response that is also elicited during caloric restriction. Therefore, many of the signaling and metabolic components regulated during fasting may be the same as those which mediate caloric restriction-dependent life-span extension.


In connection with the surveillance programme of congenital malformations in Emilia Romagna led by I.M.E.R. Group since 1978 a crosswise survey has been performed on selected malformations: Down's syndrome, cardiac defects, unilateral or bilateral cleft lip and/or palate, unilateral or bilateral club foot. This survey has been useful as a pilot-study for another longitudinal survey which had a place in the programmes of the C.N.R. (National Research Council). By means of a multi-discipline approach we have collected information both of pediatric and of psycho-social character. A total of 187 children with the above named malformations were recorded at birth, 106 boys and 81 girls, aged from 9 months to 4 years. The neonatal diagnosis was confirmed in 84 out 86 cases under study. The rate of infant mortality was particularly high among children with heart defects (39.1%) and Down children (27.4%). The surgical centres where these children were operated upon, through with large variations in connection with the type of malformation, were in Emilia Romagna (49%), outside it (40%), and abroad (10.9%). As for the parental reaction to the birth of babies with congenital malformations, it was of initial rejection 5 cases of Down children, 3 cases of cardiopathy and 1 case of cleft lip and palate. Later the refusal was permanently confirmed only in 2 cases of Down children (who were subsequently adopted). The birth of a malformed baby has affected the relationship between husband and wife contributing to the separation in 3 cases of Down's syndrome and in 1 case of cardiopathy.


Several deficiencies affecting previous "box" models of the cochlea are overcome in this paper. Both mechanical and hydrodynamical aspects are treated at a level adequate to the complexity of realistic cochlear structures. The dynamics of the cochlea as a passive physical system, in the linear approximation, is described by an integral equation. It is further shown that this equation describes the properties of the working cochlea, provided a force term that accounts for hair cell motility is included. Numerical solutions for different degrees of outer hair cells activity, obtained by matrix methods in the frequency domain, are presented. Amplitudes and phases of the computer-simulated traveling waves are in fair agreement with basilar membrane responses to tones measured in various experimental conditions.


Evolutionary algorithms (EAs) are search procedures based on natural selection [2]. They have been successfully applied to a wide variety of optimization problems [4]. Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) [1,7] is a new type of evolutionary paradigm that has been successfully used to solve a number of single objective optimization problems (SOPs). However, to date, no one has applied PSO in an effort to solve multiobjective optimization problems (MOPs). The purpose of our research is to demonstrate how PSO can be modified to solve MOPs. In addition to showing how this can be done, we demonstrate its effectiveness on two MOPs.


A Community Web portal is a set of tools for a community of people who want to share information on a certain
 domain via the Web. The backbone of this system is an ontology which is understood by all members of the
 community and used as the common interface component for integrating, querying, structuring and exchanging
 information. This paper describes a simple but nevertheless powerful language for integrating XML documents
 into a Community Web system. More precisely, we describe how to add and exploit XPath enabled Web servers
 by mapping standard XPath location paths to conceptual paths in the system ontology. We present a query
 rewriting algorithm using such mappings. It transforms a user query into a set of XML queries based on XPath
 patterns for selecting XML fragments. Finally, we describe some evaluation techniques for reducing the size of
 XML data returned by the XML source for query evaluation.


Abstract Background Primary closure of the donor-site after harvest of a large anterolateral thigh flap (ALT) is associated with significant morbidity. Incisional negative pressure therapy (INPT) may decrease complications in high-risk incisions. This study assessed if the incidence of complications after primary closure of the ALT flap donor-site decreases with INPT. Methods Retrospective cohort study of a prospectively maintained database including patients who underwent upper and lower limb reconstruction, using an ALT free flap with primary closure of the donor-site. Two groups were defined: primary closure and INPT (study group) and primary closure with traditional dressings (control group). Nonparametric statistics were employed to identify prognostic factors, p < 0,05. Results Fifty-eight free ALT flaps in 58 patients (study group n = 28; control group n = 30) were included. Median flap width and length were 9 cm (range: 5–14) and 25 cm (range: 10–48), respectively. Median follow-up was 19 months (range: 3–78 months). No significant differences in age or flap size were identified in both groups (p > 0.05). The global complication rate was 7.14% (n = 2) in the INPT group, and 37% (n = 11) in the control group (p = 0.007). The study group had a lower dehiscence and skin necrosis rate (p < 0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed IPNT was associated with a significant reduction of donor-site complications (p = 0.006), especially in patients with defects > 8 cm (p = 0.003). Conclusion In this cohort study the use of INPT significantly reduced the donor-site morbidity after ALT flap harvest.


Introduction: When a caregiver comes from a country other than that of the person being cared for there is a clash of cultures and social practices. Leininger's concept of transcultural care echoes the cultural diversity this contrast or opposition involves and recommends incorporating it into professional practice by developing what she defines as culturally competent care. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to know what type of strategies foreign caregivers develop when caring for people of different origin and how these strategies are integrated into the social, cultural and institutional context of the recipient society. Study Materials and Methods: A qualitative approach was used, based on in-depth interviews with immigrant caregivers in the province of Huelva and with personnel specialized in dependent patient care. Results: The study provides a description of the socio-cultural practices caregivers develop, according to their culture, and how those practices intervene in the exercise of care in the recipient society. Conclusions: Foreign caregivers sometimes develop strategies akin to their own beliefs, giving them priority over those of the care recipient or the recipient society. This can cause cultural clashes. Nursing professionals must identify these clashes so as to be able to intervene, using training and cultural competency as tools for change.


This paper starts by examining recent work by applied linguists who argue that creativity is not only a property of especially skilled and gifted language users, but is pervasive in routine everyday practice. Also variously addressing literariness, language play and humour, this apparent democratization of creativity contributes to a more general refocusing within applied linguistics on language users as creative designers of meaning. Alongside the textual analysis of poetic form, there has been an increasing interest in the interactional functions of creativity, suggesting the need for a more dynamic model which can address the dialogical nature of everyday creativity, its sociohistorical dimensions and processes of contextualization. In order to suggest how such a model could be developed, the authors draw on Russian sociohistorical conceptions of the evaluative function of language as social sign and bring together the applied linguistic research with work from linguistic anthropology on contextualization, framing, and reflexivity within performance. While linguistic anthropologists have focused mainly on traditional oral art, the authors argue that the framing and critical potential of performance is also keyed by more fleeting uses of poetic language in everyday interaction. In relation to four contrasting examples of data, they suggest how an integrated analytical framework might be developed which addresses textual, contextual, and critical dimensions of creativity.


Abstract Cranial asymmetry was analyzed at different ontogenetic stages of two paedomorphic newt species (Triturus vulgaris and T. alpestris). Attention was focused on fluctuating asymmetry (FA), a measure of developmental stability. The analysis of cranial asymmetry in facultatively paedomorphic populations showed that during ontogeny the FA remains similar or even increases, regardless of the ontogenetic pathway. Paedomorphs and metamorphosed adult individuals did not show any considerable differences in FA. The observed variations in FA among analyzed cranial traits, indicate that developmental precision appear to be more trait specific, dependent on stage and degree of development, and variable during ontogeny.


Semantic Freedom and the Sense of Freedom : Splendors and Perils of Poetic Madness. This paper gathers a series of reflections on Elena Ciobanu's monograph regarding Sylvia Plath's work (Sylvia Plath's Poetry : The Metamorphoses of the Poetic Self). Beyond the divisions between poetry and linguistics, this reading aims at identifying the added value of the book for Cognitive Sciences, by following the analytical frame proposed by its author, a frame which is discreetly connected to the paradigm of enaction. Based on textual examples from the American poet's work, three issues are particularly approached : the construction of the self in discourse, the phenomenological unfolding of Plath's poetic existence and the discursive embodiment that subtends her creativity. Mainly interpretative, the approach attempts to decipher a number of obscure regions of linguistic production in which certain altered states of consciousness find their way into artistic creativity. The paper also tries to identify the (probably major) risk of such semantic adventures that are often outside any intersubjective regulation.


Suggests a modified model of deep-inelastic collisions which effectively allows for correlations between the mass and the energy of the fragment, as well as for the influence of a realistic potential on the absolute value of the fragment cross section.


With the onset of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Agreement on climate change, the world's nations were to create economic development integrating environmental and social improvement. However, there is still much uncertainty in the world of politics and academia as to whether these integrated goals are achievable and how they can fit best with diverse national and local contexts. Thus, there is always a need to find nations that can show how it can be achieved in different settings shaped by local experiences, challenges, and opportunities. Bhutan could be one of these nations as it could be argued that it has, to an extent, simplified the task to fit its values and aspirations. Bhutan has three major goals that need to be integrated: Wealth (GDP) to align with their middle-income aspiration, thus providing opportunities for employment, Greenhouse Gas emissions (GHG) that are maintained at a carbon neutral level, which is beyond most national commitments, and Bhutan's renowned Gross National Happiness (GNH) index, which covers their socio-economic goals. We show this integration and then synthesize some core findings from a literature review on the theory and practice of sustainable development through the lens of the three integrated goals of Bhutan, thereby placing the case of Bhutan into the wider literature. This paper seeks to show how one emerging nation can model an operational sustainability policy. The paper highlights some plausible synergies between the 17 SDGs and the domains and indicators of GNH that could help nations struggling with how they can create sensible sustainability outcomes from these new global agendas. Bhutan has framed the GNH as its contribution to sustainability. However, this paper suggests that it may be the integration of the GNH with GDP and GHG that is its real contribution. Furthermore, Bhutan's 3G model of fully integrating GNH, GDP, and GHG suggests a way forward for achieving their imperatives of economic growth, whilst enabling the SDGs and achieving the difficult climate change goal. It may also suggest a model for other nations wanting to find a complementary way of framing economic growth, the 17 SDGs, and the Paris Agreement into a coherent set of policies.


Digital disruption, also known as "the fourth industrial revolution," is blurring the lines between the physical, digital, and biological spheres. This issue of Library Technology Reports (vol. 56, no. 2), "Moving Forward with Digital Disruption: What Big Data, IoT, Synthetic Biology, AI, Blockchain, and Platform Businesses Mean to Libraries," examines today's leading-edge technologies and their disruptive impacts on our society through examples such as extended reality, Big Data, the Internet of Things (IoT), synthetic biology, 3-D bio-printing, artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain, and platform businesses in the sharing economy. This report explains (1) how new digital technologies are merging the physical and the biological with the digital; (2) what kind of transformations are taking place as a result in production, management, and governance; and (3) how libraries can continue to innovate with new technologies while keeping a critical distance from the rising ideology of techno-utopianism and at the same time contributing to social good.


This paper explores Israeli online public relations practice, including Web 1.0, and social media usage among Israeli public relations practitioners and organizations. The paper demonstrates a gap between the dialogic potential of the Internet and its actual utilization by Israeli practitioners and organizations. Still, it is expected that Internet usage, and mainly social media usage among Israeli practitioners will grow as well as their awareness to the dialogic and interactive potential of social media.


Distributed energy represented by micro-turbine generator is new evolution direction of world energy. Recently with the change of energy and power demand structure and environment protection all over the world, micro-turbine generator has greatly developed. The excitation control system is an important component of micro-turbine generator, which exerts important effects on security and stability. Keywords—excitation control system, DSP, Fuzzy PID


OJECTIVE
To construct the engineering bacteria with recombinant plasmid expressing the multi-epitope vaccine which composed of Helicobacter pylori urea membrane channel protein (UreI), Helicobacter pylori urease B subunit (UreB) and cholera toxin B subunit (CTB), and then to study it's microbiological characteristics.

METHODS
The sequence contains some dominant epitopes of Helicobacter pylori UreI and UreB was designed, and ctB was added at the N-terminal, all the sequence were linked by flexible linkers. Codon optimization was done according to Escherichia coli (E. coli) BL21 (DE3) bias, the optimized sequence was designated BIB. BIB sequence was synthesized and cloned into plasmid pET28a(+). The recombinant plasmid was confirmed by restriction enzyme digestion and DNA sequencing. The recombinant protein BIB was expressed in E. coli BL21 (DE3) and analyzed by Western blot.

RESULTS
The plasmid of pET28a(+)/BIB was constructed successfully, confirmed by restriction enzyme digestion and DNA sequencing. The recombinant protein BIB with relative molecular mass about 33 x 10(3) could be produced by E. coli BL21 (DE3) and was detected by Western blot. The relative molecular mass and N-terminal amino acid sequence of BIB were 100% identity with the design.

CONCLUTION
The engineering bacteria with recombinant plasmid expressing the multi-epitope vaccine against Helicobacter pylori was constructed successfully. The recombinant protein BIB can be identified by anti-Sydney strain 1 of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori SS1) polyclonal antibody and anti-CTB monoclonal antibody, which demonstrated that BIB has the expected antigenicity.


Formula Student Driverless challenges engineering students to develop autonomous single-seater race cars in a quest to bring about more graduates who are well-prepared to solve the real world problems associated with autonomous driving. In this paper, we present the software stack of KA-RaceIng's entry to the 2019 competitions. We cover the essential modules of the system, including perception, localization, mapping, motion planning, and control. Furthermore, development methods are outlined and an overview of the system architecture is given. We conclude by presenting selected runtime measurements, data logs, and competition results to provide an insight into the performance of the final prototype.


We give a factorization of the fundamental cycle of an analytic space in terms of certain differential forms and residue currents associated with a locally free resolution of its structure sheaf. Our result can be seen as a generalization of the classical Poincaré-Lelong formula. It is also a current version of a result by Lejeune-Jalabert, who similarly expressed the fundamental class of a CohenMacaulay analytic space in terms of differential forms and cohomological residues.


This paper is concerned with the problem of -stability of impulsive neural systems with unbounded time-varying delays and continuously distributed delays. Some -stability criteria are derived by using the Lyapunov-Krasovskii functional method. Those criteria are expressed in the form of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs), and they can easily be checked. A numerical example is provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the obtained results.


In this paper, we demonstrate a 1/spl times/4 thermo-optic switch based on the 4-branch waveguide. The proposed structure has one beam separator and two beam expanders in the branch region of a 4-branch waveguide and four electrodes as heaters on the top of each branch. The operation of this device is based on adiabatic mode evolution in branch waveguides with a small angle of separation. The integration of this 4-branch switch as a unit cell offers advantages in realizing matrix switches with many output ports.


Eye‐tracking technology is an innovative tool that holds promise for enhanced dementia screening, offering the potential of brief and quantitative assessment of cognitive functions. Critically, instruction‐less eye‐tracking tests may ameliorate some of the issues with complex test instructions and linguistic variations associated with traditional cognitive tests, and capture additional sensitive metrics of task performance. However, the extraction of relevant biomarkers from large, complex eye‐tracking datasets is non‐trivial. In this work, we introduce a novel automated way of extracting abnormal oculomotor biomarkers using machine learning from raw eye‐tracking data acquired during an instruction‐less cognitive test.


The temporal and spatial variations and effect factors of greenhouse gases (CO2,CH4 and N2O) emission from Chongming eastern tidal flat,the typical and most important wetland of the Yangtze estuary,have been studied on three time scales,i.e. seasonally,diurnally and tidally,and at four sampling areas,i.e. reclaimed wetland,high tidal flat,middle tidal flat and low tidal flat. On the scale of growing season,all of the gases emitted significantly from wetland. Diurnal fluxes of CO2 and CH4 were less than nocturnal ones,and N2O flux peak was found in the afternoon. In the early stage of the exposure after tide ebbed,CH4 and N2O emitted from sediments,while CO2 was Absorbed by sediments. The spatial variation of greenhouse gases was related to water gradient along the direction from land to sea. CH4 emission from high tidal flat was significantly higher than that from reclaimed wetland and from middle tidal flat,and a slight consumption was observed at low tidal flat. N2O emitted only at reclaimed wetland and consumed at other sampling sites. CO2 showed a significant emission from the planted sites and a slight consumption at low tidal flat. Both air temperature and soil temperature exerted influence on gases emission,with plants as intermediary. Tide-caused "immergence-exposure" change in sediment proved to be indispensable to gases emission from tidal wetlands. Physic-chemical characteristics of soil,such as organic carbon,ammonium,sulfate and redox potential,had profound effects on gases emission. Cutting of plants led to consequent additional emission. Land use change caused change of gases emission: as high tidal flat was converted into reclaimed wetland,flux of CH4 decreased and fluxes of N2O and CO2 increased. The estimated emissions in growing season from the Chongming eastern tidal flat wetland were 5.1×107 g CH4,1.0×105 g N2O and 1.7×1011 g CO2,respectively.


Evolving the cooperative behavior in Iterated N-Players Prisoners' Dilemma (INPPD) is studied over several evolutionary models. These models presented solutions for evolving cooperative behavior among INPPD players. Studying existing models revealed that when the number of the players' increases, the models lose their capabilities in maintaining stable levels of cooperation between the players. In this paper, we present an evolutionary model for enhancing the cooperation levels in large population of INPPD players. The model focuses on optimizing the communication topology of INPPD, as well as building a knowledge base to support players' future decisions based on the evolved knowledge gained from historical actions taken by different players. The presented communication topology along with the knowledge base present considerable support for the evolutionary Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm to evolve the players' strategies. The results showed that the model could increase the cooperative rate among INPPD player and allow players to achieve higher payoffs against benchmark strategies


This paper investigates the way economics moves, in other words we study the characteristics of economic dynamics by itself that is by abstracting from the single generating context, whatever this might be. We would like to concentrate on the fundamental mechanism "moving" the economic system and determining its business cycle, its crisis, its development and so on. In this way we are offering an extremely new perspective about economic dynamics, as we do not consider its elements as separate but we hold them as part of a single phenomenon, the evolution of an economic system. We argue that by considering this point of view, economic dynamics cannot be determined by a system in eternal equilibrium only occasionally disturbed by some exogenous shock. We demonstrate that economics is evolving continuously and economic phenomena (such as economic crisis) have to be interpreted as a variation in its velocity.


Achieving the directional and long-range droplet transport on solid surfaces is widely preferred for many practical applications but has proven to be challenging. Particularly, directionality and transport distance of droplets on hydrophobic surfaces are mutually exclusive. Here, we report that drain fly, a ubiquitous insect maintaining nonwetting property even in very high humidity, develops a unique ballistic droplet transport mechanism to meet these demanding challenges. The drain fly serves as a flexible rectifier to allow for a directional and long-range propagation as well as self-removal of a droplet, thus suppressing unwanted liquid flooding. Further investigation reveals that this phenomenon is owing to the synergistic conjunction of multiscale roughness, structural periodicity, and flexibility, which rectifies the random and localized droplet nucleation (nanoscale and microscale) into a directed and global migration (millimeter-scale). The mechanism we have identified opens up a new approach toward the design of artificial rectifiers for broad applications.


The purpose of this study was to describe the level of effectiveness of using visual media images in the learning process of Christian religious education at the Benfomeni Christian Theology High School. The method used in this research is a qualitative research method. The results obtained in the study are: 1). Actively involved students include: students look more focused and happy and not bored in participating in teaching and learning activities in class; 2). Students participate in learning by showing a sense of more interest when Christian religious education teachers use visual media images; 3). The form of the image includes: contextual design aspects; 4). The attractiveness of the visual media is because of the clarity of the image.


The paper aims to address the straight and U–type assembly line balancing problems by developing a novel recursive heuristic algorithm based on the idea of the depth of search. The dynamic fuzzy processing time (DFPT) model is employed to represent uncertainty and ambiguity related to the processing time in the actual production systems. The novel algorithm, the minimum cycle time objective is considered for a set of imposed considerers. They are arranged in an appropriate strategy in which three-stages are proposed and presented as a solution approach. Finally, the validity of the developed solution approach is evaluated through a tested numerical example conducted over a test problem taken from literature to assess its performance. This study proofs their ability and efficiency in assisting decision-making by determining the contribution proportion for significant assignment variables represented by skill level, work stability, type layout, and priority rule.


The purpose of this study is to analyze environmental-friendly design features in landscape architecture. The process of the study first started theoretical research of 'Environmental-friendly' and 'Landscape', then extracted primary conceptual elements that based on ecological background, and analyze 20 cases, from 1990 to now, based on elements that extracted. Summarizing about environment-friendly feature in landscape architecture of Form, Space, Energy Management is as following. First, In the formal aspect, Landscape architecture tend to harmonize with surrounding environment through horizontal, vertical continuity that is realized to transform artificial plate. Second, In the spatial aspect, Landscape architectural space has flexible feature. It is expression through methods blur boundary between outside and inside, lead to change and experience by time, indeterminacy of program. Third, In the energy management aspect, the introduction of effective energy system increase environmental features in space through technical application and environmental-friendly materials.


Articular cartilage is comprised of three histologic zones that exhibit different Young's moduli. In addition, with age and disease the moduli can be altered. Therefore,diagnosis of joint diseases can be accomplished by detecting biomechanical properties of articular cartilage. In this report we investigate the feasibility of ultrasound elastography of bovine articular cartilage (n=5) employing instantaneous static compression using high-resolution (55MHz) ultrasound elastography in vitro as a potential arthroscopic technique. Elastograms were computed using cross-correlation technique and a gradient operator. The elastograms revealed near-zero strains within the samples, except at the articular surface and the interface between zones 1 and 2. The boundary conditions associated with the loading technique implemented herein that have to allow for a large acoustic window during imaging represent a fundamental challenge toward imparting local strains to the articular cartilage. Despite the complex boundary conditions, the feasibility of imaging strain within the cartilage during a sustained compression using elastographic techniques was demonstrated.


Aim of the present paper is to provide a formal characterization of various different notions of responsibility within groups of agents (Who did that? Who gets the blame? Who is accountable for that? etc.). To pursue this aim, the papers proposes an organic analysis of organized collective agency by tackling the issues of organizational structure, role enactment, organizational activities, task- division and task-allocation. The result consists in a semantic framework based on dynamic logic in which all these concepts can be represented and in which various notions of responsibility find a formalization. The background motivation of the work consists in those responsibility-related issues which are of particular interest for the theory and development of multi-agent systems.


Background Traumatic brain injury(TBI) is one of the major causes of death and disability in children. Understanding epidemiologic characteristics of TBI in children is the first step for developing preventative strategies, optimizing care systems and rehabilitation of injury. Aims We aimed to describe and compare epidemiologic features and outcomes among children with TBI according to aged groups. Methods This is a cross-sessional study based on the date of the Emergency Department(ED)–based Injury In-depth Surveillance (EDIIS) in Korea. EDIIS is a prospective injury registry and total 23 EDs in tertiary hospital participate in it. We identified children (aged 0 to 18) with TBI in EDs between Jan. 2011 and Dec. 2015. We classified children into two aged categories: pre-school group (under 7 years old) and school-aged group (7 years old and over). Results During the study period (5 years), a total of 30 866 children with TBI were included in the analysis. There were 19 231 patients (62.3%) in pre-school group and 11 635 patients (37.7%) in school-aged group. TBI in school-aged group occurred more in male, road and school/educational facilities, recreational and educational activities, daytime and weekday compared with pre-school group (all p value<0.01). TBI in pre-school group occurred more in home, activity of daily living, evening time and weekend. Motor vehicle collision was more common in school aged group (35.6% vs 19.7%) but fall was more common in pre-school group (36.7% vs 72.2%). The school-aged group had a higher mortality rate compared with pre-school group (0.3% vs 1.1%, AOR: 1.6 (1.1–2.2)), and a higher intracranial injuries ((7.3% vs 14.4%, AOR: 1.6 (1.5–1.8)). Discussion and conclusions The epidemiological characteristics of TBI in school-aged group are differentiated from pre-school group and rate of mortality and intracranial injuries in school-aged group were higher. It is necessary to develop differentiated preventative strategies and treatment systems according to aged groups in children.


BackgroundPrevious studies have shown that ectonucleotide pyrophosphatase phosphodiesterase 1 (ENPP1) may be an inhibitor of the insulin signalling pathway, and insulin resistance (IR) is believed to be the core mechanism in the pathophysiology of polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). This study aimed to investigate the expression of ENPP1 in different tissues of PCOS rats and to analyse its potential role in the pathophysiology of PCOS.MethodsEighteen 23-day-old Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into the PCOS and control groups (n= 9/group). Serum, ovaries, skeletal muscle, and subcutaneous and visceral fat were collected after 20 days. Pathological examination, immunofluorescence and western blotting analyses were performed. Serum indicator levels were measured, including ENPP1, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), testosterone (T), monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), fasting blood glucose (FBG), fasting insulin (FINS), free fatty acids (FFAs), adiponectin (ADP), leptin, and serum lipids. ResultsThe levels of ENPP1, T, MCP-1, FBG, FINS, homeostasis model assessment of IR (HOMA-IR), FFAs, leptin, cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) were significantly higher in the PCOS group, while ADP and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) were significantly lower than in the control group. Spearman's rank correlation analysis showed that ENPP1 was correlated with T, MCP-1, HOMA-IR, FFAs, leptin, serum lipids and ADP. The mRNA levels of ENPP1, BAX, and IRS1 were higher in the ovaries, skeletal muscle, subcutaneous fat, and visceral fat of PCOS rats, and the protein expression of ENPP1 was significantly higher in the ovaries. ConclusionENPP1 is highly associated with IR and lipid metabolism-related molecules, which may promote pathophysiological changes in PCOS.


Observation of the use of seclusion rooms on a university hospital psychiatric inpatient floor over a period of one year indicates that seclusion is an effective device for the control of the destructive behavior of a few schizophrenic, hypomanic, organically-impaired, and depressed patients. During this period, 4% of the patients admitted were secluded. Fourteen of 15 secluded patients were discharged to their homes in eight weeks or less. Yet, the possibility remains that in a properly designed setting, with an adequately trained staff, more patients could be helped without recourse to seclusion. Further investigation is needed into means of providing help for the extremely agitated and violent patient who does not immediately respond to drugs or current methods of psychological intervention.


ABSTRACT Active and passive techniques have been utilized together to enhance heat transfer in this study. The ferronanofluid, magnetic field, and dimpled tube have not been utilized together in the literature so far. Regarding this issue, this investigation is the first experimental study to specify the effect of use of these three effects simultaneously. The concept of this study is to determine the thermo-hydraulic performance of Fe3O4/H2O flow inside a dimpled tube under magnetic field effect. Constant and uniform heat flux of 4500 W/m2 has been applied on the surface of the tube. The work aims to gain data in the range of laminar flow (1131≤ Re≤2102) in the dimpled tube. Dimple geometry with pitch ratio of P/d = 3.75, magnetic field (B = 0.03 ≤ T ≤ 0.16), and nanoparticle volume fraction of 1.0% are the base variables. The results showed that Nusselt number increases with increasing Reynolds number and magnetic field intensity. The highest increase in Nusselt number is obtained as 115.31% compared with the distilled water flow in the smooth tube for the case of magnetic field intensity of 0.3 T. The highest Performance Evaluation Criteria value is also determined as 1.44 for the case of ferronanofluid flow in dimpled tube at Re = 1131 in absence of magnetic field.


A robust blind watermarking scheme using wave atoms is proposed. The watermark is embedded in the wave atom transform domain by modifying one of the scale bands. The detection and extraction procedures do not need the original host image. We tested the proposed algorithm against common image processing attacks like JPEG compression, Gaussian noise addition, median filtering, and salt and pepper noise, and also compared its performance with other watermarking schemes using multiscale transformation. They were carried out using Matlab software. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm has great robustness against various imaging attacks.


Vegetable produce and processed products from the developing world are gaining greater importance both in domestic and international markets. However, due to the perishable nature of many vegetables, production is severely constrained by high postharvest losses, thereby making production and marketing of vegetables a relatively risky business. Yet, research in this area remains underfunded as evidenced by the scarcity of scientific papers, reliable data sources, and research initiatives examining the magnitude and reasons of postharvest losses in developing countries. Still, there is a growing concern for food quality and safety aspects, since vegetables (together with fruit) belong to the class of food items traded that are most frequently affected by sanitary and phytosanitary measures. This paper provides an overview of the postharvest loss situation of several priority vegetables along the entire supply chain in three Southeast Asian countries, namely Cambodia, Lao PDR and Viet Nam. Looking at the whole supply chain infrastructure and using an analysis of marketing margins, it quantifies the volume and value of vegetable losses from farmers to retailers, and identifies the key reasons and measures being implemented at each stage to reduce postharvest losses. The paper then offers a brief review of the preventive measures in conjunction with the main reasons enumerated per supply chain agent. Analysis of the data indicates that vegetable loss is common to most agents, and on average totals around 17 percent of the total harvest, with a value of approximately US$ 60 per metric ton produded. Physical loss is highest for farmers, i.e. roughly twice that for middlemen and about 30 percent higher than retailers, while monetary loss is highest for retailers. Results further show that postharvest loss is highest in Cambodia, whose supply chains are more complex than Lao PDR and whose technical expertise is inferior to Viet Nam considering postharvest handling and processing of vegetables. The paper suggests putting emphasis on the development of disease control measures for farmers, and improving marketing efficiency for middlemen and retailers through product quality standards and strengthened rural-urban linkages, e.g. transport conditions, packaging and handling techniques, and market assurance.


In this paper we deal with linear systems of P 3 through fat points. We consider the behavior of these systems under a cubic Cremona transformation that allows us to produce a class of special systems which we conjecture to be the only ones.


Background Previous epidemiological studies described that both Psoriasis (Ps) and Psoriatic Arthritis (PsA) are diseases with negligible prevalence among Natives from the Andean mountains of Peru. We herein first report the presence of Ps and PsA as well as the clinical status of Peruvian Natives and Mestizos with psoriatic disease. Objectives Our purpose was to describe the most salient demographic and clinical features of Peruvian Natives and Mestizos with Ps and PsA from Juliaca, Puno in the Andean mountains region of Peru. Methods During October 1st 2008 to December 31st 2010 consecutive patients attending the rheumatology clinic at the Hospital III in Juliaca, Puno (Southern Peru) at 3824 meters above sea level were carefully assessed for the presence of PsA satisfying the CASPAR classification criteria. The diagnosis of Ps was confirmed by a dermatologist. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the study population. Results Twelve patients with a mean (SD) age of 49.3 (10.7) years fullfilling CASPAR classification criteria were identified. There were 7 (58%) men and 5 (42%) women. 7 PsA patients were Natives of Quechua Ancestry and 5 Mestizos of European and Quechua mix. The main demographic and clinical features of the two ethnic groups included are summarized in table. At the time of first clinical visit all Natives with PsA had no family history of both Ps and PsA and exhibited an established disease (ranging from 12-72 months), were more likely to have a polyarticular disease, and a more severe disease phenotype evidenced by the presence of radiographic damage than Mestizos with PsA. Methotrexate exposure (dose ranging from 15-20 mg/wk) was almost universal in both Natives and Mestizos as was the absence of exposure to biological agents in spite of radiographic damage. Conclusions We first report Ps and PsA in the absence of a family history among Natives of the Andean Mountains of Peru in whom the CASPAR criteria was successfully applied to classify PsA patients. At the time of first visit PsA among the indigenous appeared to be chronic and more severe as most of these patients had radiographic damage. Disclosure of Interest None Declared


Global media environment that began with the advent of the Internet and accelerated with the rise of mobile devices, social networking media, and user-generated content. These developments pose a radical challenge to the theoretical frameworks that have traditionally dominated international communication scholarship, if only because serious attempts to capture contemporary media dynamics require us to leave behind the meta-theoretical frameworks of modernization, dependency and globalization, and focus sharply on case-studies that yield insight about context-bound communication processes and their social and political implications. Indeed, we argue in this essay, whereas television was the default and often unstated fulcrum of much of global communication theory, the emergent global media environment is best understood as a transnational "hypermedia space" (see Kraidy, 2006) in which so-called "old" media like television and the newspaper join emergent media like mobile devices, social media, video on the Internet, and others to create a communication space the social and political implications of which we are only beginning to discern.


Through-focus optical microscopy (TSOM) with nanometer-scale lateral and vertical sensitivity levels matching those of scanning electron microscopy has been demonstrated to be useful both for 3D inspections and metrology assessments. In 2014, funded by two private companies (Nextin/Samsung Electronics) and the Korea Evaluation Institute of Industrial Technology (KEIT), a research team from four universities in South Korea set out to investigate core technologies for developing in-line TSOM inspection and metrology tools, with the respective teams focusing on optics implementation, defect inspection, computer simulation and high-speed metrology matching. We initially confirmed the reported validity of the TSOM operation through a computer simulation, after which we implemented the TSOM operation by throughfocus scanning of existing UV (355nm) and IR (800nm) inspection tools. These tools have an identical sampling distance of 150 nm but have different resolving distances (310 and 810 nm, respectively). We initially experienced some improvement in the defect inspection sensitivity level over TSV (through-silicon via) samples with ~ 6.6 μm diameters. However, during the experiment, we noted sensitivity and instability issues when attempting to acquire TSOM images. As TSOM 3D information is indirectly extracted by differentiating a target TSOM image from reference TSOM images, any instability or mismatch in imaging conditions can result in measurement errors. As a remedy to such a situation, we proposed the application of adaptive optics to the TSOM operation and developed a closed-loop system with a tip/tilt mirror and a Shack-Hartmann sensor on an optical bench. We were able to keep the plane position within in RMS 0.4 pixel by actively compensating for any position instability which arose during the TSOM scanning process along the optical axis. Currently, we are also developing another TSOM tool with a deformable mirror instead of a tip/tilt mirror, in which case we will not require any mechanical scanning.


Purpose: To present our experience with orbital fracture treatment outcomes in patients with multiple trauma and those suffering localized orbital trauma. Methods: Retrospective data review of all patients examined for ocular motility problems and/or enophthalmos following orbital trauma in a 4-year period. Results: Forty-three patients were included in the study: 31 (72%) had localized orbital trauma (LOT) and 12 (28%) had concomitant traumatic insults to other organs (MT). More orbital walls were affected in MT patients than in LOT patients, and the incidence of zygomatic fracture was higher in MT patients. Late enopthalmos was much more prevalent in the MT group compared with the LOT group. Differences of outcome of extra ocular motility disturbance between groups in our series did not reach statistical significance. Conclusions: The findings of more walls affected and higher incidence of zygomatic fractures in MT patients probably represent a stronger impact of the original insult, causing both more damage to other organs and more severe damage to the orbit. The increased rate of late enophthalmos in MT patients may be associated with their primary presentation to the emergency room with potentially life-threatening injuries. Under such circumstances, thorough ophthalmologic examination is nearly impossible, both because the patient cannot cooperate sufficiently and because medical priorities dictate concentration on taking care of the injuries threatening life. The lack of a thorough ophthalmic examination prevents early comprehensive treatment.


A model for electromagnetic multi-Gaussian Schell-model beams is introduced. An analytical expression for the cross-spectral density matrix of electromagnetic multi-Gausssian Schell-model (EMGSM) beams propagating through non-Kolmogorov turbulence is derived based on the extended Huygens-Fresnel principle. With help of this expression, the average intensity, degree of coherence (DOC) and degree of polarization (DOP) of EMGSM beams are investigated in detail. Our results show that by suitable choices of the source parameters, the distance that preserve a flat profile can be prolonged. The effects of M and exponent value α on DOC and DOP of EMGSM beams are studied in detail.


The article considers heat transfer in a flow of helium-xenon mixture in straight and twisted tubes with square cross sections. The main attention is paid to the heat transfer at large Reynolds numbers for tubes with small effective diameter. Such flows are often found in compact heat exchangers, assemblies of heat-generating elements, and energy-separating devices. CFD simulation data serve to analyze the influence of the cross-section shape and the twist step of the tube on hydraulic resistance and heat transfer. Various methods of generalization of heat exchange data are analyzed, taking into account the effect of gas compressibility on the flow acceleration in the tube and dissipative effects on the equilibrium wall temperature.


From time immemorial the physician has been inclined to prescribe, and the patient to take, quinine only so long as fever continues. Since the organization of malaria campaigns, the malariologist has been concerned over the frequency of relapse—not always distinguished from reinfection—and has tended to combine the treatment of the acute attack with the prevention of relapse. He has therefore encouraged longer and longer treatments, hoping thereby to obtain a radical cure. This tendency culminated, in the United States, in the "standard treatment," developed by Bass and recommended by the National Malaria Committee, in which intensive treatment was given for two months. Bass 1 stated that most patients will relapse after treatment of a week or less but that 100 per cent of cases would be cured with daily treatment for three or four months. Recent researches, however, especially in therapeutic malaria, are giving new light on the natural history


The evaluation of 79 renal biopsies from patients with primary aldosteronism established pathology in one-fourth of the examinees. There were specific dystrophic and atrophic lesions of the tubular apparatus, focal interstitial sclerosis and disseminated round-cell infiltrates. Immunomorphological evaluation showed these to have macrophages and T lymphocytes as cellular components. The process manifested clinically by steady hypofunction of osmotic diuresis in the absence of bacterial inflammation and calycine-pelvic destruction. No relation of this condition with inflammation in onset and signs of immune origin of such give good grounds to refer the pathology to tubulointerstitial nephritides of immune genesis.


Climate change has been attributed to greenhouse gases with carbon dioxide (CO2 ) being the major contributor. Most of these CO2 emissions originate from the burning of fossil fuels (e.g. power plants). Governments and industry worldwide are now proposing to capture CO2 from their power plants and either store it in depleted reservoirs or saline aquifers ('Carbon Capture and Storage', CCS), or use it for 'Enhanced Oil Recovery' (EOR) in depleting oil and gas fields. The capture of this anthropogenic (man made sources of CO2 ) CO2 will mitigate global warming, and possibly reduce the impact of climate change. The United States has over 30 years experience with the transportation of carbon dioxide by pipeline, mainly from naturally occurring, relatively pure CO2 sources for onshore EOR. CCS projects differ significantly from this past experience as they will be focusing on anthropogenic sources from major polluters such as fossil fuel power plants, and the necessary CO2 transport infrastructure will involve both long distance onshore and offshore pipelines. Also, the fossil fuel power plants will produce CO2 with varying combinations of impurities depending on the capture technology used. CO2 pipelines have never been designed for these differing conditions; therefore, CCS will introduce a new generation of CO2 for transport. Application of current design procedures to the new generation pipelines is likely to yield an over-designed pipeline facility, with excessive investment and operating cost. In particular, the presence of impurities has a significant impact on the physical properties of the transported CO2 which affects: pipeline design; compressor/pump power; repressurisation distance; pipeline capacity. These impurities could also have implications in the fracture control of the pipeline. All these effects have direct implications for both the technical and economic feasibility of developing a carbon dioxide transport infrastructure onshore and offshore. This paper compares and contrasts the current experience of transporting CO2 onshore with the proposed transport onshore and offshore for CCS. It covers studies on the effect of physical and transport properties (hydraulics) on key technical aspects of pipeline transportation, and the implications for designing and operating a pipeline for CO2 containing impurities. The studies reported in the paper have significant implications for future CO2 transportation, and highlight a number of knowledge gaps that will have to be filled to allow for the efficient and economic design of pipelines for this 'next' generation of anthropogenic CO2 .Copyright © 2008 by ASME


Tourism in Iceland has increased rapidly in recent years and limited data has been collected about fish consumption of tourists in Iceland, and even of Icelanders themselves. This thesis investigates different components of fish consumption using the theory of planned behaviour as a conceptual model. Data was collected in Iceland by using an established questionnaire that was further adapted to the study. The sample consisted of 735 individuals, both Icelanders and tourists. Overall, participants had a positive attitude towards fish consumption and high behavioural intention to eat fish. Tourists had a more positive attitude and a higher behavioural intention than Icelanders. Regarding social norm, both groups found the opinions of their family, spouse, doctors and nutritionists the most important while making a fish choice. Opinions of advertisement, the food industry, and the government were considered unimportant by both groups. Regarding perceived behavioural control, availability, easiness to prepare, easiness of judging the quality, and making a good choice at purchase, were the three factors that participants, both Icelanders and tourists, found the most important while making a fish choice. Positive attitude towards eating fish, and high perceived behavioural control had a positive impact on the behavioural intention to eat fish. Subjective norm did not have a significant impact on behavioural intention. High behavioural intention to eat fish and high perceived behavioural control had a positive impact on fish consumption frequency. Results also indicated that higher age and the presence of children, had a positive impact on fish consumption frequency. These findings are important for the fishing industry in Iceland in terms of marketing and consumer behaviour, and the theory of planned behaviour adds a new perspective on previous research by highlighting different components of fish consumption. These results also provide information for the directorate of health and public policy regarding health in Iceland. Advertisers, restaurants, and distributers also benefit from this thesis since it has valuable information about the consumers' preferences and behaviour.


Reverse-time migration is a well-known method based on a single-scattering approximation; it is designed to obtain seismic images in the case of a complex subsurface. It can, however, be a very time-consuming task because the number of computations is directly proportional to the number of processed sources. In the context of velocity model-building, iterative approaches require that one derives a series of migrated sections for different velocity models. We propose to replace the summation over sources by a summation over depth offsets or time delays defined in the subsurface. For that, we have developed a new relationship between two migrated sections obtained for two different velocity models. Starting from one of the two images, we obtain a second section correctly and efficiently. For each time delay, we compute a generalized source term by extending the concept of exploding reflector to nonzero offset. We obtain the final migrated section by solving the same wave equation in the perturbed model with the modified source term. Our work included testing the methodology on 2D synthetic data sets, particularly when the initial and perturbed velocity models differ greatly.


In this selective look at research on test-taking strategies over the last twenty-five years, brief mention is made of the beginnings of test-taker strategy research and then important developments in its evolution to the present are discussed, focusing on conceptual frameworks for classifying strategies, Ll-and L2-related strategies, proficiency level and test-taking strategies, strategies as a function of testing method, and the appropriateness of the research methods. The review notes the valuable role that verbal report methods have played in the process of understanding what tests actually measure. The conclusion is that while test-taking strategy research has come of age over the last twenty-five years, there still remain numerous challenges ahead, such as in arriving at a more unified theory for test-taking strategies. Another challenge is to continue finding ways to make the research effort as unobtrusive as possible, while at the same time tapping the test-taking processes.


Recently, the estrogenic hormones 17β‐estradiol (E2) and 17α‐ethinyl estradiol (EE2) have been detected in municipal wastewater effluent and surface waters at concentrations sufficient to cause feminization of male fish. To evaluate the fate of steroid hormones in an engineered treatment wetland, lithium chloride, E2, and EE2 were added to a treatment wetland test cell. Comparison of hormone and tracer data indicated that 36% of the E2 and 41% of the EE2 were removed during the cell's 84‐h hydraulic retention time (HRT). The observed attenuation was most likely the result of sorption to hydrophobic surfaces in the wetland coupled with biotransformation. Sorption was indicated by the retardation of the hormones relative to the conservative tracer. Biotransformation was indicated by elevated concentrations of the E2 metabolite, estrone. It may be possible to improve the removal efficiency by increasing the HRT or the density of plant materials.


At least $$100 km.^{3}$$ of trachytic and peralkaline soda rhyolitic ash flows were erupted during late Miocene to early Pliocene time from a source near the center of Gran Canaria, Canary Islands. Their deposits cover more than $$350 km.^{2}$$ and are typical of ash-flow deposits elsewhere in that they show vertical changes in color, degree of crystallization, and denseness of welding. They underwent unusually intense vapor-phase crystallization, chiefly to aegirine-augite, Na-amphibole(?), and alkali feldspar. Several structures unusual for ash-flow deposits typify those of Gran Canaria. The structures are: (1) stretched pumice fragments; (2) broken and rotated pumice fragments; (3) tension cracks in the matrix; (4) hollows around rotated inclusions; (5) folds; (6) imbricated pumice fragments; (7) ramp structures. The structures are found throughout the $$350-km.^{2}$$ area, and those with directional significance show a uniform trend away from the source of the ash flows. The structures indicate that the ash flows probably advanced as viscous, laminar-flowing masses for distances on the order of several meters just before halt. We suggest that the ash flows-probably never greatly inflated-gradually but continuously degassed, grew denser, and consequently slowed as they advanced. Compaction welding began when the density became sufficient, and further flowage as a non-homogeneous viscous fluid proceeded until viscosity overcame momentum, and movement ceased. The alkali trachytic and peralkaline soda rhyolitic ash flows have high Fe/(Si + Al) and Na/K ratios which seem to lower viscosity, and they were so hot that deposits a few meters thick could weld. Moreover, large quantities of volatiles remained dissolved in the glass shards and pumices until movement ceased. Viscosities of the glass particles were consequently low, thereby accounting for their laminar flowage.


Helper T cells (CD3+CD4+ T cells) and cytotoxic T cells (CD3+CD8+ T cells) play direct and indirect antiviral roles. This study retrospectively explored the clinical significance of peripheral lymphocytes, especially the dynamic analysis of T-cell subsets, in determining coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) severity and progression. Seventy-nine patients with COVID-19 in the Public Health Clinical Center of Chengdu from January to February 2020 were included, 59 of which were analyzed for dynamic peripheral T-cell subsets expression. The neutrophil to CD4+ T lymphocyte ratio (N4R) and neutrophil to CD3+ T lymphocyte ratio (N3R) showed clinical significance in differentiating severe or critically-severe COVID-19, with area under receiver operating characteristic curves (AUCs) of 0.933 and 0.900, respectively (P < 0.05). COVID-19 patients with more baseline peripheral lymphocytes or NK cells were prone to test negative to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) after therapy (P < 0.05), and the AUC of NK cells for predicting negative results of SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection after therapy was 0.800. When the number of peripheral CD3+CD4+ and CD3+CD8+ T cells in COVID-19 patients continuously increased 6-9 days after baseline, the period of disease exacerbation could be delayed for more than 2 weeks after admission. Baseline N4R and N3R could be potential biomarkers for assisting in differentiating COVID-19 severity, and dynamically monitoring peripheral CD3+CD4+ and CD3+CD8+ T cells 6-9 days after baseline could help clinicians to evaluate disease progression in COVID-19 patients.


Facets are major topographic features built over several 100 k.y. above active normal faults. Their development integrates cumulative displacements over a longer time frame than many other geomorphological markers, and they are widespread in diverse extensional settings. We have determined the 36Cl cosmogenic nuclide concentration on limestone faceted spurs at four sites in the Central Apennines (Italy), representing variable facet height (100–400 m). The 36Cl concentration profiles show nearly constant values over the height of the facet, suggesting the facet slope has reached a steady-state equilibrium for 36Cl production. We model the 36Cl buildup on a facet based on a gradual exposure of the sample resulting from fault slip and denudation. Data inversion with this forward model yields accurate constraints on fault slip rates over the past 20–200 k.y., which are in agreement with the long-term rate independently determined on some of those faults over the past 1 m.y. 36Cl measurements on faceted spurs can therefore constrain fault slip rate over time spans as long as 200 k.y., a time period presently undersampled in most morphotectonic studies.


THE DISEASE thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura refers to a condition characterized by an unusual triad: hemolytic anemia, thrombocytopenic purpura, and multiple hyaline thrombi throughout the small vessels of the body. The occurrence of thrombi in cranial blood vessels gives rise to the characteristic cerebral symptoms. Since the name thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura, first suggested by Singer and co-workers, 11 fails to include any mention of the hemolytic anemia, a modification of this term to thrombohemolytic thrombocytopenic purpura is suggested. Forty-six cases of thrombohemolytic thrombocytopenic purpura (hereafter referred to as T. T. P.) have been described in the literature up to the present time. As the disease becomes better known, the diagnosis can often be made before death and studies can be carried out on the disease mechanism. An opportunity has been afforded recently to study two cases correctly diagnosed before death. These cases and the associated studies are described below, together with


According to its characteristics, venture capital can be described as a typical heterogeneous information network, which includes multiple kinds of nodes and various relations. Getting hints from PathRank algorithm, this paper proposes VC-Recom, a recommendation algorithm based on heterogeneous information network, which helps investment companies find suitable startup projects. Besides, the experimental results show that the proposed algorithm can produce more effective recommendation results for investment firms compared with other methods.


IEEE 802.11 wireless LAN has become the center of attention for one of the most dominant wireless networking technologies nowadays. In densely deployed wireless LANs, mobile stations are exposed to a number of AP, thus it is needed to select the best AP to associate with. The most common approach is to select the AP with the highest received signal strength. However it does not consider traffic load imposed to each AP so that it may cause the poor network performance. Therefore, in this paper, we propose a throughput estimation scheme for neighboring APs by sniffing the traffic within 802.11 networks. We devise a tool, named "VirtFrame", which is to estimate the station`s capable throughput from neighbor APs based on the channel access time by virtually combining the sniffed frames. Simulation results show that our proposed scheme well matches that there exists correlation between the channel access time and the actual throughput of the APs.


This paper described the principle of the direct vector quantization (DVQ) algorithm which was applied to simulated decoder module and codebook search module in LD-CELP speech coding algorithm. The synthesis filter in simulated decoder module was replaced by the inverse-perceptual weighting filter, removing the operation of impulse response h(n) in the codebook search module. The result showed that the DVQ algorithm decreased calculation quantity and improved the efficiency of codebook search. The multiplication operation amount of energy calculator and time-reversed convolution module could be reduced by 75%, and the addition operation amount could be reduced by 77.78% in an adaptation cycle of four vectors (20 samples), while SNR was equivalent to that of LD-CELP and speech quality had not almost change.


Hypocomplementaemic urticarial vasculitis syndrome is a leukocytoclastic vasculitis characterized by urticarial lesions, associated with fever, arthralgias, arthritis and abdominal pain. Other systemic manifestations include glomerulonephritis, uveitis, episcleritis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and neurological abnormalities. Some case associated with systemic lupus erythematosus have been described and SLE diagnosis was made by previous or concomitant diagnostic criteria before onset of urticarial vasculitis. Urticarial vasculitis prior to SLE diagnosis is rare. The development of anti-Ro/SS-A antibody for the diagnosis of SLE is emphasized. The authors alert to the importance of periodically searching for this marker in patients with urticarial vasculitis.


Abstract Cittarium pica (Linnaeus, 1758) is the third most important marine invertebrate species eaten by man in the West Indies. Information on it is widely scattered and is newly reviewed here, with original data, questions, and conclusions added. The animal has a relatively large shell and is easily collected, living intertidally and shallow subtidally on rocky shores. Its stocks are depleted at many places, large animals having been selectively removed by fishermen and others. There is only one living species of Cittarium, occurring in Bermuda, southern Florida, and in the greater West Indies. Its closest living relatives are all non-American, the only congener being the recently discovered C. maestratii Lozouet (2002) from the Oligocene of France. Thus the geographical and stratigraphic origins of the genus are still somewhat problematic. In Bermuda and southern Florida, the occurrence of C. pica alive is naturally sporadic. Sometimes sea surface temperatures are too low there for this tropical animal. The following topics are also reviewed: systematics, vernacular names, nomenclature, classification, anatomy and functional morphology, radulae, shell description, internal nacre, sizes and giants; shell strength, dextral coiling, and hermit crab occupancy; ecology and habitats, symbionts (unattached and attached), foods and feeding, reproduction, larval development and life history and movements, shell growth rates and longevity, predators, and escape responses; Pleistocene occurrences and historical extinctions in Bermuda and Florida; human introductions; also, human uses, including cookery, and possible tropical fish poisoning or ciguatera (caused by a toxic dinoflagellate). The most important new findings are: 1) That a shallowly shell-penetrating blue-green alga (Cyanophyta), probably Plectonema terebrans Bornet and Flahault, affecting only the white areas in the external color pattern (reported by Helen A. Randall, 1964), weakens these shell areas only and indirectly brings about differential erosion: the black, often zigzag stripes or marks on old shells become slightly higher in relief than the white areas. 2) Some aspects of multispiral operculum growth, visible externally only, are inferred from its morphology, but major questions remain. With growth, the operculum rotates as very many times as there are coils, and the growing edge is always in the same relative position, posterior, in the ever enlarging shell aperture. The operculum is attached on the inside by muscles arising postero-dorsally in the foot. The opercular muscle attachment and scar move, as they must, while the operculum grows and rotates very many times. How? 3) Occasionally, shells grow extra large in a very shallow, dead coral fringing reef habitat, not "deep". The largest shell reliably reported is 137 mm wide and is from the Netherlands Antilles. Two from the Bahamas, the first with habitat data, are 132 and 126 mm wide. 4) Clouds of broadcast sperm were once mistaken for an "opaque liquid" causing "alarm" in nearby cittariums. None of these topics is addressed fully or at all by Fretter and Graham (1994) or Hickman (1998). Cittarium is shown to be primitive and in the mainstream of trochid evolution, having few if any noteworthy or remarkable biological specializations such as occur in some other trochids. Examples are given of extreme morphological and functional diversity in other taxa in the family Trochidae, comparing them with those in Cittarium. Trochids are suggested to have the widest adaptive radiation of any marine gastropod family (Hickman, 1996), yet primitive trochids such as Cittarium still exist and indeed thrive. Trochid adaptations tend, though, to be allopatric both as regards geography and ecology.


Real Industry Projects and team work can have a great impact on student learning but providing these activities requires significant commitment from academics. It requires several years planning implementing to create a collaborative learning environment that mimics the real world ICT (Information and Communication Technology) industry workplace. In this project, staff from all the three faculties, namely the Faculty of Health, Engineering and Science, Faculty of Arts, Education and Human Development, and Faculty of Business and Law in higher education work together to establish a detailed project management plan and to develop the unit guidelines for participating students. The proposed project brings together students from business, multimedia and computer science degrees studying their three project-based units within each faculty to work on a relatively large IT project with our industry partner, Melbourne Zoo. This paper presents one multimedia software project accomplished by one of the multi-discipline student project teams. The project was called 'Interactive ZooOz Guide' and developed on a GPS-enabled PDA device in 2007. The developed program allows its users to navigate through the Zoo via an interactive map and provides multimedia information of animals on hotspots at the 'Big Cats' section of the Zoo so that it enriches user experience at the Zoo. A recent development in zoo applications is also reviewed. This paper is also intended to encourage academia to break boundaries to enhance students' learning beyond classroom.


A color-television receiver employing a single kinescope of the line-screen type has been developed. The kinescope screen consists of many hundred narrow parallel phosphor strips of the three primary colors, arranged cyclically. In the method investigated in greatest detail, the raster scanning lines are parallel to the phosphor strips. Circuit means are provided to cause the scanning lines to coincide with the phosphor strips of a single color. The beam is then deflected by a "stair-step" wave to the adjacent lines of the two remaining colors to generate color-dot areas in synchronism with the received color signal. The required registration of scanning lines with the screen elements is obtained by means of a servo circuit deriving control information from secondary-emission-signal areas on the kinescope screen. Various alternatives to this arrangement have also been investigated. Kinescopes of 16-inch envelope diameter have been employed to give color pictures of high horizontal definition and adequate color purity.


Photonic hook is a high-intensity, bent light focus with a proportional curvature to the wavelength of the incident light. Based on this unique light-bending phenomenon, a novel near-field photonic switch by means of a right-trapezoid dielectric Janus particle-lens embedded in the core of a planar waveguide is proposed for switching the photonic signals at two common optical communication wavelengths, 1310 nm and 1550 nm, by using numerical simulations. The signals at these two wavelengths can be guided to different routes according to their oppositely bent photonic hooks to realise wavelength selective switching. The switching mechanism is analysed by an in-house developed three-dimensional (3D) Poynting vector visualisation technology. It demonstrates that the 3D distribution and number of Poynting vector vortexes produced by the particle highly affect the shapes and bending directions of the photonic hooks causing the near-field switching, and multiple independent high-magnitude areas matched by the regional Poynting vector streamlines can form these photonic hooks. The corresponding mechanism can only be represented by 3D Poynting vector distributions and is being reported for the first time.


The authors have treated 48 unstable knees by lateral and medial ligament plasties using the Hughston technique. 36 patients were athletes who had to cease their sport because of anteromedial or anterolateral instability. 8 had previously had a menisectomy. Forty-three patients were reviewed with a follow up of 15 to 60 months. 30 patients who had both an active and a passive ligament plasty were able to undertake sporting activities but only 12 at top level. There were 13 failures.


Hyaluronic acid (HA) of different molecular weights has been examined by atomic force microscopy (AFM) in air. This technique allows 3-D surface images of soft samples without any pretreatment, such as shadowing or staining. In the present study we examined the supermolecular organization of HA chains when deposited on mica and graphite, to better understand the interchain and intrachain interactions of HA molecules in solution. The concentration of the solution deposited varied from 0.001 to 1 mg/ml. On both substrates, and independent of the concentration, high-molecular-mass HA formed networks in which molecules ran parallel for hundreds of nanometers, giving rise to flat sheets and tubular structures that separate and rejoin into similar neighboring aggregates. Accurate measurements of the thickness of the thinnest sheets were consistent with a monolayer of HA molecules, 0.3 nm thick, strongly indicating lateral aggregation forces between chains as well as rather strong hydrophilic interactions between mica and HA. The results agree with an existing model of HA tertiary structure in solution in which the network is stabilized by both hydrophilic and hydrophobic interactions. Our images support this model and indicate that hydrophobic interactions between chains may exert a pivotal role in aqueous solution.


Unit selection synthesis has improved the quality of synthetic speech by making it possible to concatenate speech from a large database to produce intelligible synthesis while preserving much of the naturalness of the original signal. Such synthesis is by no means perfect, however, and this paper describes work to achieve more optimal joins between concatenated units. Results from a psychoacoustic experiment, acoustic parameters and phonetic factors are analyzed and used in statistical training of join costs so that audible discontinuities at concatenation boundaries can be minimized.


Immune defense responses against Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection play an important role in maintaining homeostasis in the human body. Previously, we reported that expression of the bradykinin receptor (BR) is induced in response to P. aeruginosa infection. However, the factors responsible for the induction was uncertain. Here, we found that the type III secretion system (T3SS) is responsible for the induction of BR expression, and nucleoside diphosphate kinase (Ndk), as a novel T3SS effector, mediates the upregulation. The Ndk-mediated expression of BR was not induced by fliC mutant treatment, indicating the involvement of flagellin, one of the well-known pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs). Taken together, this study demonstrated that Ndk cooperates with flagella in the development of defense responses against P. aeruginosa infection.