The bimetallic complexes of 1,4-bis-(5-H/methyl/chloro-1H-benzimida- zol-2-yl)-1,2,3,4-butanetetraols (L1-L3) with CdCl2 and HgCl2 were synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, molar conductivity, as well as IR and 1 H-NMR spectroscopy. The ligands coordinate to the metal ion through all of the hydroxyl oxygen atoms as tetradentate in the Hg(II) complexes of L1-L3 and in the Cd(II) complexes of L2 and L3 .I n the Cd2(L1)Cl4 complex, the ligand acts as tetra- dentate through the benzimidazole nitrogen atoms and the two oxygen atoms of the hydroxyl groups near the imidazole ring.


The effect of air-drying parameters on antioxidant activity and changes in antioxidant compounds of broccoli (Brassica oleracea L.) were studied. Broccoli samples were dried to 70 g kg−1 moisture content using temperatures ranging from 50 to 100 °C and air flow-rates from 1.20 to 2.25 m s−1, resulting in drying times from 25 to 90 min. Temperature, owing to its positive effect on the oxidation kinetics, was negatively correlated with ascorbic acid and free and total polyphenol contents but not with kaempferol, even though the sample dried at the highest temperature showed the lowest kaempferol content. The air flow-rate was positively correlated with the total (TPP) and free (FPP) polyphenol contents because it led to a reduction in the drying time. No correlation was found between air flow-rate and kaempferol content. Air flow-rate and temperature positively affected the antioxidant activity by reducing the drying time. High-temperature, short-time processes maximised the antioxidant activity of broccoli owing to the negative effect of drying time on antioxidant activity. The antioxidant activity of broccoli was positively and significantly correlated with the FPP content but not with TPP and kaempferol. The evaluation of hydroxymethylfurfural content as an indicator of the occurrence of a Maillard reaction in dried broccoli did not support the hypothesis of a contribution of MRPs to the antioxidant activity of dried broccoli. Copyright © 2006 Society of Chemical Industry


In 2010 Enexis investigated the possibilities how to equip their distribution bays in the 10kV substations with PAC-equipment. The substations are pretty simple (single busbar, no redundant DCsupply, etc.) so the PAC solution should also be simple. The functional need that has been specified is to collect measurement data and events from the substations and to control the bays from the control room. The paper will describe which choices are made and for what reason. Besides that it will explain how Enexis uses IEC-61850 in a kind of a light version. This because some benefits of IEC-61850 (standard data objects and high performance) are valuable in this situation but other typical characteristics of IEC61850, such as the way of engineering, the application of GOOSE messages, and possibilities for interlocking, are not required in this relatively simple substations. More and more automation is introduced in the distribution networks, also at a 'lower level'. In these applications the required functionality is rather limited. Using only a limited part of IEC61850, as a kind of 'IEC61850 light' might probably also be interesting in these cases.


The intracellular distribution of the low-molecular-weight GTP-binding protein rap2B was investigated in resting and agonist-activated human platelets. In both cases, platelets were lysed by Triton X-100, and cell fractions were obtained by differential centrifugations. Using a specific polyclonal antiserum, we found that rap2B in resting platelets was completely detergent-soluble. When platelets were aggregated with thrombin, the thromboxane analogue U46619, or the Ca(2+)-ATPase inhibitor thapsigargin, a significant amount of rap2B became associated with the cytoskeleton. This association was paralleled by a decrease of rap2B in the Triton X-100-soluble fraction. Translocation of rap2B to the cytoskeleton strictly depended on platelet aggregation, and maximal incorporation was found when approximately 50% aggregation was measured. Inhibition of fibrinogen binding to the glycoprotein IIb-IIIa complex completely prevented the interaction of rap2B with the cytoskeleton. These results clearly demonstrate that changes in the intracellular localization of rap2B occur during platelet activation and represent evidence that this low molecular weight GTP-binding protein may be involved in platelet function.


Abstract Background Tixagevimab and Cilgavimab, a combined monoclonal antibody (Evusheld) was granted emergency use authorization for SARS-CoV-2 preexposure prophylaxis in individuals with moderate to severe immunocompromising condition. In this study we used population-based real-world data to evaluate the effectiveness of Evusheld in immunocompromised patients. Methods Using the computerized database of the largest healthcare provider in Israel, we identified all adult immunocompromised patients who were eligible to receive Evusheld (the dose used during the study period was 150 mg Tixagevimab and 150 mg Cilgavimab) on 15-February-2022. Patients with a documentation of a prior SARS-CoV-2 infection were excluded. A total of 703 patients who received Evusheld were propensity score-matched, using a ratio of 1:4, with 2812 patients who have not received Evusheld (control group). Patients were followed through 30-June-2022 for up to 90-days for the first documentation of SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 related hospitalization. Results Overall, 72 patients in the Evusheld group and 377 patients in the control group had SARS-CoV-2 infection, reflecting and incidence rate of 4.18 and 5.64 per 100 person-months, respectively. HR was 0.75(95%CI,0.58-0.96) for SARS-CoV-2 infection, and 0.41(0.19-0.89) for COVID-19 related hospitalization in the Evusheld group compared to the control group. The magnitude of relative risks reduction of each outcome was greater in non-obese patients (P for interaction = 0.020 and 0.045, respectively). Conclusion This study suggests that Evusheld (150 mg Tixagevimab and 150 mg Cilgavimab) is effective in reducing the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 hospitalization in immunocompromised patients. The effectiveness of this dose appears to be greater in non-obese patients


This editorial is advocating that increasing consistency and accuracy in radiation therapy via educational interventions is important for radiation therapist. Education and training with ongoing refreshers is the key to maintaining consistency throughout the radiotherapy process, which in turn will ensure all patients receive accurate treatment.


The expression of neuronal growth regulating factors (Ni 35/250, GAP-43) were studied immunohistochemically in the plastic telencephalic song system and in the cerebellum of the canary. In the myelinated song nuclei (HVc and RA) growth promoting and inhibiting molecules could be detected, whereas in the white matter tracts of the cerebellum only the neurite growth inhibitor could be detected. The morphodynamic effects of these molecules were assessed by in vitro assays on cryosections. Neurites were formed by 20-30% of the E7 chick cortical neuroblasts cultured in myelinated areas of the vocal control system, neurite outgrowth from the white matter of the cerebellum was completely inhibited.


The study examines rural urban migration in south – western Nigeria. Population of the study is the rural households of southwestern Nigeria Multi Stage random sampling technique was used to select two out of the six states that make up the south – western Nigeria. Five Local Government Areas were also randomly selected from each of the state while one rural community was randomly selected from each of the Local Government Area making a total of ten communities used for the survey. Twelve respondents were selected from each community making a total of one hundred and twenty (120) respondents for the study. Data collected were analyzed using Descriptive Analytical tools while Chi-square were used to establish relationship that existed between respondents' socio – economic characteristics and their annual income among others. Findings revealed that there are more male (62.2%) than the female (37.8%) migrants, that income was one of the major determinant of migration (23.300, p = 0.000). Also majority migrated as a result of lack of social amenities such as health facilities (69.2%), and job opportunities (65.0%) coupled with higher standard of living in urban areas (74.2%) than rural areas. Research Note Apata et al.; AJAEES, 5(1): 16-21, 2015; Article no.AJAEES.2015.034 17


Background: Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) / Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) has been a global problem nowadays. To reduce its spread, Voluntary Counseling and Testing (VCT) and Provider-Initiated Testing and Counseling (PITC) have been provided. However, these interventions remain ineffective to discover new cases, as the stigma among health officers may exist.Objective: To compare the stigma towards people living with HIV/AIDS between VCT and PITC officers.Methods: This was a descriptive comparative conducted in Makassar City, Parepare City and Sidenreng Rappang Regency, South Sulawesi Province Indonesia. There were 139 samples were selected using convenience sampling technique, which consisted of 66 VCT counseling officers and 73 PITC officers. The questionnaire from Health Policy Project in Thailand was used to measure the HIV/AIDS related-stigma. Data were analyzed using descriptive analysis and Mann Whitney test. Results: Findings show that there was a statistically significant difference in stigma between the group of VCT and PITC on people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA), which the mean of stigma in the PITC group (73.07) was higher than the mean value in the VCT group (66.61). Conclusion: There is a significant difference in stigma between VCT and PITC officers towards PLWHA. It is suggested that PITC curriculum should be evaluated and supervision and monitoring in both VCT and PITC groups should be implemented regularly to reduce the stigma towards PLWHA.


Despite the huge decline in the contribution of agriculture to the Sudanese exports from 73% in 1998 to only 5% in 2007 as a result of the growing share of petroleum; agriculture remain an important sector in the economy contributing 35% to GDP in 2007 and employing about 70% of the Sudanese labour force. Traditional agriculture occupies 60% of the total cultivated land and employs 65% of the total agricultural population; nonetheless, it contributes only 16% to total agricultural GDP, attributed to low crop productivity beside the concurrent droughts. These factors have influenced food security situation in the region negatively and increased poverty rates. The objective of this paper is therefore to investigate the effects of improving the agricultural efficiency in the traditional rainfed sector of Sudan assuming additional capital allocation and improving the skills of labour. These assumptions are justified by the increasing investments flows in the Sudanese agriculture especially from Arab countries due to the recent world food crises. Further, the paper also simulates subsidy elimination as well as tax imposition on the output of the selected sectors, as a source of government income. The rational of that is to compensate the amount of government spending located to improve the efficiency. GTAP model and the new GTAP Africa data base are employed with 11 regions to see possible effects on some African and MENA countries. Sectors are aggregated to 14, separating cereals and oilseeds, which represent the most important crops in the traditional rainfed sector. Results show that, GDP, welfare, private income and consumption in Sudan will improve because of efficiency improvements. Moreover, output, trade balance, domestic demand, and exports of cereals and oilseeds would apparently improve while their imports and domestic import demand will decline. Importantly, welfare levels and domestic imports demand of these sectors would also increase in MENA.


The exactly solvable model of quasi-conical quantum dot, having a form of spherical sector, is proposed. Due to the specific symmetry of the problem the separation of variables in spherical coordinates is possible in the one-electron Schrodinger equation. Analytical expressions for wave function and energy spectrum are obtained. It is shown that at small values of the stretch angle of spherical sector the problem is reduced to the conical QD problem. The comparison with previously performed works shows good agreement of results. As an application of the obtained results, the quantum transitions in the system are considered.


Abstract. Significance Three-dimensional (3D) imaging and object tracking is critical for medical and biological research and can be achieved by multifocal imaging with diffractive optical elements (DOEs) converting depth (z) information into a modification of the two-dimensional image. Physical insight into DOE designs will spur this expanding field. Aim To precisely track microscopic fluorescent objects in biological systems in 3D with a simple low-cost DOE system. Approach We designed a multiring spiral phase plate (SPP) generating a single-spot rotating point spread function (SS-RPSF) in a microscope. Our simple, analytically transparent design process uses Bessel beams to avoid rotational ambiguities and achieve a significant depth range. The SPP was inserted into the Nomarski prism slider of a standard microscope. Performance was evaluated using fluorescent beads and in live cells expressing a fluorescent chromatin marker. Results Bead localization precision was <25  nm in the transverse dimensions and ≤70  nm along the axial dimension over an axial range of 6  μm. Higher axial precision (≤50  nm) was achieved over a shallower focal depth of 2.9  μm. 3D diffusion constants of chromatin matched expected values. Conclusions Precise 3D localization and tracking can be achieved with a SS-RPSF SPP in a standard microscope with minor modifications.


Growth curves of Nellore cattle were analyzed using body weights measured at ages ranging from 1 day (birth weight) to 733 days. Traits considered were birth weight, 10 to 110 days weight, 102 to 202 days weight, 193 to 293 days weight, 283 to 383 days weight, 376 to 476 days weight, 551 to 651 days weight, and 633 to 733 days weight. Two data samples were created: one with 79,849 records from herds that had missing traits and another with 74,601 from herds with no missing traits. Records preadjusted to a fixed age were analyzed by a multiple trait model (MTM), which included the effects of contemporary group, age of dam class, additive direct, additive maternal, and maternal permanent environment. Analyses were carried out by a Bayesian method for all nine traits. The random regression model (RRM) included the effects of age of animal, contemporary group, age of dam class, additive direct, permanent environment, additive maternal, and maternal permanent environment. Legendre cubic polynomials were used to describe random effects. MTM estimated covariance components and genetic parameters for birth weight and sequential weights and RRM for all ages. Due to the fact that covariance components based on RRM were inflated for herds with missing traits, MTM should be used and converted to covariance functions.


Background Reference-based phasing and genotype imputation algorithms have been developed with sublinear theoretical runtime behaviour, but runtimes are still high in practice when large genome-wide reference datasets are used. Methods We developed EagleImp, a software with algorithmic and technical improvements and new features for accurate and accelerated phasing and imputation in a single tool. Results We compared accuracy and runtime of EagleImp with Eagle2, PBWT and prominent imputation servers using whole-genome sequencing data from the 1000 Genomes Project, the Haplotype Reference Consortium and simulated data with more than 1 million reference genomes. EagleImp is 2 to 10 times faster (depending on the single or multiprocessor configuration selected) than Eagle2/PBWT, with the same or better phasing and imputation quality in all tested scenarios. For common variants investigated in typical GWAS studies, EagleImp provides same or higher imputation accuracy than the Sanger Imputation Service, Michigan Imputation Server and the newly developed TOPMed Imputation Server, despite larger (not publicly available) reference panels. It has many new features, including automated chromosome splitting and memory management at runtime to avoid job aborts, fast reading and writing of large files, and various user-configurable algorithm and output options. Conclusions Due to the technical optimisations, EagleImp can perform fast and accurate reference-based phasing and imputation for future very large reference panels with more than 1 million genomes. EagleImp is freely available for download from https://github.com/ikmb/eagleimp.


The large-amplitude radiation field pulses produced by intracloud lightning discharge processes have been recorded with submicrosecond time resolution. The wave forms are distinctly different from those produced by return strokes in cloud-to-ground lightning, yet they are surprisingly alike within a discharge and in different discharges. The shapes tend to be bipolar, with two or three narrow, fast-rising pulses superimposed on the initial half cycle. Pulses with a positive initial polarity are usually produced in the several tens of milliseconds prior to the first return stroke in a cloud-to-ground discharge. Positive pulses tend to occur at regular intervals and have a mean full width of about 40±13 μs. Negative pulses are usually produced during isolated cloud discharges at more random intervals and have shapes similar to the positive pulses but with more variability. The implications of the field shapes and polarities for the physics of intracloud discharge processes are discussed.


A87 The extracellular matrix (ECM) plays a key role in establishing tissue architecture and regulating homeostasis as cells that loose contact with matrix undergo cell death (referred to as anoikis). Certain oncogenes provide protection from anoikis that is critical during tumorigenesis by allowing cells to survive outside the natural microenvironment and disrupt tissue architecture. We are interested in understanding how oncogenes regulate anoikis at the cellular level but also during disruption of tissue architecture using in vitro 3D culture models. Key components in ECM signaling include the integrin receptors, thus we have begun to examine changes in integrin expression during anoikis and by oncogenes that allow anoikis resistance and disrupt mammary 3D morphogenesis. Using the normal mammary epithelial cell line, MCF-10A, we have found that the integrin α5 is specifically upregulated during anoikis and 3D morphogenesis. We hypothesize that induction of integrin α5 enhances cell survival during anoikis. Indeed, targeting integrin α5 with siRNA oligos, but not control oligos, causes increased sensitivity to anoikis of MCF-10A cells. Moreover, we find that MCF-10A cells overexpressing breast cancer causing oncogenes, such as ErbB2/Neu highly upregulate integrin α5 levels compared to control cells. Abrogation of integrin α5 but not integrin α3, via siRNA oligos, in oncogenic ErbB2 expressing cells inhibited colony formation in soft agar suggesting a critical role for integrin α5 in tumorigenesis. This effect on ErbB2-anchorage independence may be due to block of ErbB2-mediated survival signaling as we find that inhibition of integrin α5 in ErbB2 expressing cells causes inhibition of the Erk-MAP kinase pathway leading to induction of the apoptotic protein Bim and activation of caspase-3. Thus, integrin α5 is a major regulator of anoikis sensitivity in normal mammary epithelial cells and key mediator of anchorage independence by the ErbB2-MAP kinase pathway and may be a potential therapeutic target in breast cancers overexpressing ErbB2/Neu oncogene.


In this paper, security of ID documents (such as passports) is discussed. A class of cryptographic protocols called Password-Authenticated Key Exchange (PAKE) provides a more robust solution to this problem. PAKE protocols ensure that an eavesdropper can't learn any information on the low-entropy secret. They're also required to be as secure as possible against all passive and active attacks. Basically, all an adversary can do to learn the password is an online dictionary attack (guess the password and try to execute the protocol with one of the parties). We can prevent this through latency, smart card blocking, and so on. For implementing PAKE protocols, especially in constrained environments such as e-passports, elliptic-curve cryptography is fast and requires little memory. However, it involves representing numeric values (in this case, passwords) as points on an elliptic curve, and how to do this efficiently and se curely isn't obvious.


Relevance. Asherman's syndrome is one of the most difficult problems in gynecologic practice, because in addition to complex clinical picture, which includes secondary amenorrhea and infertility is a significant difficulty in diagnosis and treatment. The purpose was to improve the results of treatment of Аsherman's syndrome after conducting hysteroresectoscope adhesiolysis using anti adhesive barrier "Antiadgezin". Materials and methods. The study included 36 patients with peritoneal process in the uterus of varying severity. Group I consisted of 20 women who are in the postoperative period in the uterine cavity was entered "Antiadgezin", group II 16 women with similar pathology without introducing anti adgesive barriers. Results. All women 3 months after adhesiolysis was performed a control hysteroscopy. The presence of adhesions was diagnosed in 2 (10%) patients in the first group, while adhesions were isolated delicate and easily destroyed by the sheath of a hysteroscope. In group II adhesions had recurrences in 5 (31,3%) patients (p = 0,038), and one patient was visualized "tunnel" uterus, which is extremely unfavorable course of disease. Conclusion. Treatment of Asherman's syndrome, as extreme degree of intrauterine adhesions, requires a comprehensive approach, which is based on prevention of recurrence of the formation of adhesions after surgical interventions. Research on application anti adgesivebarriers will continue, as intrauterine their use on the example of antiadgezin showed good results.


Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), thromboxane B2 (TXB2), and salicylic acid were measured in blood samples from 10 healthy men after administration of antiinflammatory doses of aspirin (3.9 g/day) or salsalate (3.0 g/day). Each medication was given for 3 days, followed by an observation period of 13 days. Plasma salicylate concentrations were slightly, but generally insignificantly, higher during aspirin dosing, although both drugs produced salicylic acid levels in the antiinflammatory range. Serum levels of PGE2 and TXB2, which reflected synthesis of cyclo-oxygenase products by platelets, were minimally affected by salsalate but profoundly suppressed by aspirin. When medication was discontinued, the effects of salsalate on serum PGE2 and TXB2 were readily reversible within 36 h, whereas the recovery from aspirin was still incomplete after 13 days of observation. These results indicate that the two orally administered salicylates have differential effects on prostaglandin synthesis in platelets and may also differ in their therapeutic and adverse effects.


INTRODUCTION
Septic arthritis (SA) is a devastating infection with a high rate of sequelae. The aim of this retrospective study was to determine the epidemiology, clinically significant sequelae and risk factors for developing these sequelae in children admitted to our hospital with SA.

METHODS
Patients with bacteriologically and/or radiologically confirmed SA from January 1999 to December 2014 were identified from discharge and laboratory records. Data collection was done by retrospective review of the case notes.

RESULTS
A total of 75 patients (62.7% male) met the inclusion criteria. The median age at presentation was 6 years (range 2 weeks to 15 years), and six patients were neonates. Microbiologic aetiology was determined in 40 (53.3%) patients, with Staphylococcus aureus being the most common organism. 68% underwent arthrotomy and the average hospital stay was 15.3 days. Sequelae of SA were observed in nine patients on follow-up. Univariate and multivariate statistical analyses showed that young age, pyogenic bacterial isolation and concomitant osteomyelitis were significant risk factors for developing sequelae.

CONCLUSION
Our study has demonstrated that young age, pyogenic bacterial isolation and concomitant osteomyelitis are associated with a high risk of sequelae. Timely microbiologic diagnosis by novel polymerase chain reaction methods and the use of magnetic resonance imaging in high-risk children to identify adjacent infection could possibly prevent lifelong disabling sequelae in SA.


Mining useful information and helpful knowledge from large databases has evolved into an important research area in recent years. Among the classes of knowledge derived, finding sequential patterns in temporal transaction databases is very important since it can help model customer behavior. In the past, researchers usually assumed databases were static to simplify datamining problems. In real-world applications, new transactions may be added into databases frequently. Designing an efficient and effective mining algorithm that can maintain sequential patterns as a database grows is thus important. In this paper, we propose a novel incremental mining algorithm for maintaining sequential patterns based on the concept of pre-large sequences to reduce the need for rescanning original databases. KeywordsData mining, Sequential pattern, Large sequence, Pre-large sequence, Incremental mining


Combined radiation and heat conduction in a plane parallel medium is investigated using a special integro-differential form of the radiative transfer equation as a starting point. Opaque reflecting boundaries are assumed; steady and time-dependent cases are considered. The solution technique used is efficient in computer time and can be extended to treat much more complicated problems.


This paper compares low power techniques current in the research literature with those used in commercial DSP design and explores why some techniques have not yet had commercial impact. It also examines the low power needs of future DSP applications.


Ferroptosis has recently been associated with immunological changes in sepsis. However, the clinical significance of ferroptosis-associated genes (FAGs) remains unknown. In this paper, a FAG-based prognostic model was constructed for sepsis patients using an integrated machine learning approach. The prognosis model was composed of 14 FAGs that classify the patients as high or low risk. Based on immunological study, it was found that the immune status differed between the high-risk and low-risk clusters. Cox regression analysis revealed that FAGs were independent risk factors for the overall survival of sepsis patients. ROC curves and nomograms revealed that the FAG-based model was robust for prognosis prediction. Lastly, NEDD4L was identified from the 14 FAGs as a potential hub gene for sepsis prediction.


In this paper we present regions of motion and periodic orbits in the spatial elliptic restricted three body problem (ER3BP). Periodic orbits and regions of motion are fundamental keys to understand any dynamical system; for this reason the Hill's surfaces or the families of halo orbits have been extensively studied in the frame of the circular restricted three body problem. It is our opinion that their natural extensions to the ER3BP have not been studied enough. We divide the position space into forbidden subegions, subregions of motion and low-velocity subregions. We use these notions to define necessary condition for a transfer trajectory in the ER3BP. Also we compute branches of elliptic halo orbits bifurcating from halo orbits in the circular restricted three body problem. The new periodic orbits have principal periods and stability properties different from those of the originating halo orbit.


The neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR)is an emerging biomarker used in the prognosis of many conditions. We aimed to conduct a meta-analysis to assess the prognostic accuracy of the NLR in determining mortality in patients with Community acquired pneumonia (CAP). The Pubmed, EBSCO, and Scopus databases were searched to find all relevant articles. 10 articles with 5220 patients were included. The pooled area under the curve (AUC) of NLR admission levels to predict 30-Day mortality of CAP patients was 0.706; 95% CI (0.631 to 0.781), while the pooled AUC of NLR levels taken at 3-5 days was 0.882; 95% CI (0.818 to 0.945). Meta analysis also showed a significant difference in the NLR between the Survivors and 30-Day non-survivors. This difference was greater when NLR levels were taken at 3-5 days; Standardized mean difference (SMD) = 1.646; 95% CI (0.451 to 2.840) compared to NLR levels at admission SMD = 1.139; 95% CI (0.514 to 1.764). These results show that the NLR has potential to be incorporated in the routine assessment and stratification of CAP patients, especially in the early-stage evolution (3-5 days), keeping in mind the availability and cost effectiveness of this test.


Ice core reconstructions and ocean sediment analysis have revealed that the climate of the last glacial period was highly variable with rapid stadial-interstadial transitions and glacial meltwater pulses (Heinrich events) modulating the climate evolution in the Northern and Southern hemispheres. Heinrich events had the potential to weaken the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) substantially. Mechanisms that led to the resumption of the AMOC after such events have not been fully disentangled yet. Here a coupled atmosphere-ocean–sea ice model of intermediate complexity is employed to identify important negative climate feedbacks that contribute to a fast recovery of the glacial AMOC. Shortly after the AMOC collapse, thermal processes weaken the stratification in the northern North Atlantic making it more vulnerable to perturbations. Eventually, 300–400 years after the main collapse of the AMOC the mean advection of salinity anomalies within the horizontal gyres generates an unstable stratification that will be homogenized through the resumption of convective activity. Eventually, isopycnal slopes in the North Atlantic are readjusted, thereby reinitiating the large-scale meridional overturning flow.


Scattering data for polymers in the non-crystalline state, i.e., the glassy state or the molten state, may appear to contain little information. In this work, we review recent developments in the use of scattering data to evaluate in a quantitative manner the molecular organization of such polymer systems. The focus is on the local structure of chain segments, on the details of the chain conformation and on the imprint the inherent chemical connectivity has on this structure. We show the value of tightly coupling the scattering data to atomistic-level computer models. We show how quantitative information about the details of the chain conformation can be obtained directly using a model built from definitions of relatively few parameters. We show how scattering data may be supplemented with data from specific deuteration sites and used to obtain information hidden in the data. Finally, we show how we can exploit the reverse Monte Carlo approach to use the data to drive the convergence of the scattering calculated from a 3d atomistic-level model with the experimental data. We highlight the importance of the quality of the scattering data and the value in using broad Q scattering data obtained using neutrons. We illustrate these various methods with results drawn from a diverse range of polymers.


Doing the right innovation projects is critical to firm's success; therefore, academics and practitioners are striving for optimizing innovation project portfolio management (IPPM). Although some research on certain issues in IPPM has been conducted so far, valid empirical evidence on the use, outcomes, and most important success drivers of portfolio methods in innovation management is rare. We aim at discovering the cause-and-effects of IPPM performance. This paper shows that performance of IPPM may be better understood if it is considered as an integrated system of portfolio balance, strategic alignment, and value maximization simultaneously. Using in-depth data from 29 interviews in 12 companies, we use a grounded theory approach to develop a general model of what drives IPPM in detail and how these causes are related to effects on both project performance and firm performance. According to the findings from these qualitative data, effective IPPM is the result of three constructs: usage of IPPM methods, IPPM design, and project characteristics. These cause-and-effects are moderated by management perception and satisfaction with IPPM.


Abstract

In this paper, whether and how digital inclusive finance affects households' formal credit are discussed. Based on the data of China Household Finance Survey from 2013 to 2017 and the province-level DFI index, we find that compared with traditional financial services, digital inclusive finance has higher flexibility, which can effectively reduce information asymmetry and transaction costs, and digital payment channels also significantly improve households' access to formal credit. However, it is found that the government intervention has a negative impact on household formal credit, which may be due to policy differences or regional discrimination. Therefore, when deepening the development strategy of digital inclusive finance, it is necessary to strengthen the construction of digital financial infrastructure, especially in rural areas and the central and western regions, so as to improve the underdeveloped situation of digital financial services. Additionally, it is necessary to develop tailored policy measures for different households when a comprehensive approach that considers various factors, such as education level, income level, and geographic differences.

JEL classification numbers: D12, G21, G28.
Keywords: Digital inclusive finance, Household formal credit, Credit availability, Government intervention.


Research on requests has focused mainly on requests in ordinary social interactions, often over the telephone, including 'remote' requests for something to be done in the future. However, less is known about requests in face-to-face interactions, concerning immediate not-postponable or time critical actions to be done here and now, about their embodied production, and their embeddedness in the current activity. In this Chapter I examine requests for something to be done immediately which are formatted through multimodal resources – through grammar, gestures and the embodied engagement in the ongoing activity – and which orient to the local timing of the activity and the situated environment making the request accountable. I focus on video recordings of surgical procedures: the operating room is a perspicuous setting for investigating 'immediate' requests, since much of the teamwork supporting a surgical operation is conducted through requests addressed by the chief surgeon to his collaborators. I describe the possible multimodal formats of these requests – that can be accomplished verbally, with or without gesture, or with gesture alone – and the way they are silently responded to. Furthermore I show how they are built into expanded complex sequences, in which the preparation of the request, projecting its relevance and recognizability, is crucial. By describing in detail the contingency, temporality, embodiment of these requests in the operating room, the paper offers more generally a systematic account of the organization of requests to be done right now and their embodiment and embeddedness in the current activity.


This paper investigates changes in tire/pavement noise caused by variations in the road surface characteristics. This research is based on the analysis of noise and surface characteristics collected from sections with 25 mm thickness thin layer surfacings in the Netherlands. Investigations are first performed on the measured noise levels in 1/3rd octave bands, texture levels and the sound-absorption curves. The one-way analysis of variance is employed to test the changes of noise caused by variations of the pavement surface characteristics. It is found that the significant differences in the noise levels between road surfaces mainly appear at frequencies higher than 1000 Hz, and they are considered to be related to surface layer properties. Multivariate linear regression analysis is performed for describing the relationship between the noise level changes and the variations of surface characteristics. By using the partial least square (PLS) regression, the combined effect of texture and sound absorption coefficients on different spectral bands is displayed. From the regression results, it can be inferred that the sound absorption variations at 1000 and 1250 Hz are important factors influencing noise reduction of thin layer surfacings. The founding provides information for designing the noise reducing thin layer surfacings. © 2013 Institute of Noise Control Engineering.


Security has been an essential part of human lives in a present era where the canker of crime has no intention of bowing out of society. Thus, being motivated to avail a relatively reliable and affordable form of security to society, this research sought to develop an integrated mobile- cybernetic-cloud based surveillance or object detection and monitoring system to monitor homes, warehouses, office spaces, outdoor areas and other areas which may require surveillance. The research described in this paper employed an integrated web, mobile, cloud and image detection to make security surveillance robust, portable and real-time with respect to alerts. A webbased surveillance system was designed which is deemed suitable for the African region, Ghana to be more precise, due to its ability to operate under the slowest of internet connectivity and with the  continuous sunny weather conditions enjoyed in the region. The systems use image transformations and analysis namely image resizing, Color conversion, Image blurring, image thresholding and image dilation to achieve object detection. A Raspberry Pi 2 miniaturized computer, a camera module, a Wi-Fi dongle, GSM mobile communication module and a power bank with 7000mAh capacity were mounted to capture frames from a streaming video, carry out object detection on the captured images. The captured images are dispatched via email, short message service (SMS) alerts with an interface to a cloud system with the computing device to store images. Future work on this research will consider the following: integration of a night vision camera to perform human detection in the dark. Moreover, a mobile application could be built across the various mobile platforms to serve as extra channels for receiving alerts. Further on a Python script could be modified to further perform a face match and detection to narrow false positives. Keywords: mobile communication, cybernetics, cloud, system, object, detection, monitoring.


This paper presents an autonomous formation flight algorithm for micro aerial vehicles (MAVs) and its flight test results. Since MAVs have severe limits on the payload and flight time, formation of MAVs can help alleviate the mission load of each MAV by sharing the tasks or coverage areas. The proposed formation guidance law is designed using nonlinear dynamic inversion method based on 'Leader-Follower' formation geometric relationship. The sensing of other vehicles in a formation is achieved by sharing the vehicles' states using a high-speed radio data link. the designed formation law was simulated with flight data of MAV to verify its robustness against sensor noises. A series of test flights were performed to validate the proposed formation guidance law. The test result shows that the proposed formation flight algorithm with inter-communication is feasible and yields satisfactory results.


Many large-scale computations involve a mesh and first (or sometimes higher) partial derivatives of functions of mesh elements. In principle, automatic differentiation (AD) can provide the requisite partials more efficiently and accurately than conventional finite-difference approximations. AD requires source-code modifications, which may be little more than changes to declarations. Such simple changes can easily give improved results, e.g., when Jacobian-vector products are used to solve nonlinear equations iteratively. When gradients are required (say, for optimization) and the problem involves many variables, "backward AD" in theory is very efficient, but when carried out automatically and straightforwardly, may use a prohibitive amount of memory. In this case, applying AD separately to each element function and manually assembling the gradient pieces — semiautomatic differentiation — can deliver gradients efficiently and accurately. This paper concerns on-going work; it compares several implementations of backward AD, describes a simple operator-overloading implementation specialized for gradient computations, and compares the implementations on some mesh-optimization examples. Ideas from the specialized implementation could be used in fully general source-to-source translators for C and C++.


Abstract The volcano rabbit Romerolagus diazi is an Endangered species endemic to Mexico, with a range of < 400 km2. We investigated threats from destruction, fragmentation and degradation of habitat, hunting, and cattle grazing intensity in relation to the distribution and abundance of the volcano rabbit on the Iztaccihuatl volcano. Faecal pellet counts were taken as a proxy for rabbit abundance in 1,718 random 0.2 m2 quadrats at 859 sampling points along 25 transects, covering an area of c. 100 km2 at altitudes of 3,400–4,000 m. Presence of the species was significantly associated with absence of closed forest, absence of long grass types (not bunchgrass), shallow inclines, absence of cattle grazing, lower altitude, low hunting pressure (measured by proximity to ranger station), absence of bare ground and, contrary to previous findings, increased frequency of fire. The species was significantly more abundant in habitats with a greater percentage cover of zacaton (bunchgrass) and short grass types. It was significantly less abundant in areas with more hunting (measured by proximity to ranger station) and cattle grazing. Key conservation priorities are therefore the protection of the subalpine zacaton bunchgrass-dominated habitat type, strict enforcement of hunting laws and the removal of livestock from relevant national park boundary areas. However, the results suggest that frequent fires have a significant positive effect on the occurrence of the volcano rabbit as a result of habitat improvement and this is often a consequence of anthropogenic management of land for cattle grazing.


In wireless communications systems, desired signal can be exposed to fading, cochannel interference (CCI) and noise. Diversity combining, such as space diversity, is a well-known method that can be used to alleviate the effects of these degradations. L-branch selection combining (SC) receiver which uses signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) power algorithm over correlated Rayleigh fading channels in the presence of Rayleigh distributed CCI and Gaussian noise is considered. The outage probability as significant performance criteria is analytically derived. The main contribution of this paper is that the analysis is carried out including the noise as a stochastic process, not only its average power value. The proposed mathematical analysis is complemented by various evaluation results showing the effects of the fading correlation as well as the number of diversity branches on the system's performance. In addition, SC performance in interference-plus-noise environment is compared with performance in noise- and interference-limited environments.


This study is broadened in the context of my PhD related to nowadays' knowledge society in the era of the Internet and aims to investigate the most important potentialities of the communities in Social Network Sites (SNSs) as PLEs for second language (L2) learners. My research, in particular, attempts to raise awareness of some of the complex issues (learner autonomy, motivation, collaboration) surrounding learning taking place on SNS communities referring to the context of in informal L2 learning and reframing these communities as Personal Learning Environments (PLEs).From the analysis of my case studies it will be possible to obtain relevant data about the affordances, potentialities, constraints and actual use of SNS environments in order to generate a wide range of guidelines on how to take most advantage from these communities in the perspective of improving learners' learning in these informal contexts. In addition, this research might give some contribution to some based-task activities in L2 learning taking place in formal settings.


UNLABELLED
From Jan. 1993 to Apr. 1997 intestinal resections in Crohn's disease have been performed in 275 patients. 89 patients have been operated on laparoscopic assisted. The following parameters were analyzed: previous laparotomies, extent of resection, steroid medication, conversionrate, complications, operative time and postoperative stay. Endpoints were: conversionrate, complications, reconvalescence and overall satisfaction with the laparoscopic technique.

RESULTS
The duration of the disease ranged from 1 to 16 years (x = 6). 47 patients were under steroid medication at the time of surgery. 30 patients had undergone previous laparotomies. In 10 patients the operation had to be converted into open surgery. The following procedures have been performed: ileocaecal resections (45), anastomotic resections (14), small bowel resections (4), hemicolectomies (12), colectomies (9), loopileostomies (4), adhesiolysis (1). Minor complications occurred in 6.7% of patients, major complications in 5.6%. Operative time ranged from 70 to 420 minutes (x = 173.7). The postoperative hospital stay was 13.3 days in the average.

CONCLUSION
The morbidity of 12.3% is not higher than in open surgery. When complications do not occur the patients benefit from early convalescence, better cosmetics and shorter hospital stay.


Amorphous calcium phosphate (ACP)-filled methacrylate composites were recently found to effectively remineralize in vitro caries-like enamel lesions. Their inferior mechanical properties compared to glass-filled composites, however, limit their use as a dental restorative material. In this study, the feasibility of introducing glass-forming elements (tetraethoxysilane or zirconyl chloride) during the low-temperature synthesis of ACP was investigated. Composites based on such hybrid fillers (mass fraction, 40%) were evaluated to establish whether hybridization strengthened the composites via improved interfacial interactions with the polymer phase without compromising the release of the mineral ions. Two types of visible-light cured resins were prepared: BTHZ resin from 2, 2-bis[p-(2'-hydroxy-3'-methacryloxypropoxy)phenyl]propane (BisGMA), triethylene glycol dimethacrylate (TEGDMA), 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) and zirconyl methacrylate (ZrM), and TP resin from TEGDMA and pyromellitic glycerol dimethacrylate (PMGDM). Hybridized fillers and BTHZ- and TP-based composites were characterized by the IR spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, dissolution/transformation kinetic studies, and biaxial flexure strength (BFS) testing before and after immersion in buffered saline solutions. The feasibility of improving the BFS via hybridization, while retaining, if not enhancing the remineralizing potential was demonstrated for BTHZ-based composites. Both BFS and remineralizing ability of the TP-composites, however, deteriorated upon their exposure to an aqueous environment. Therefore, hybridized ACP-filled BTHZ composites have a potential for utilization in more demanding restorative, sealant, and adhesive applications.


Finite fields have been used for many types of public key cryptography, such as elliptic curve (EC) and RSA cryptosystems. This paper presents an arithmetic unit that support Galois fields GF(p) and GF(2m) for arbitrary prime numbers and irreducible polynomials respectively. The arithmetic unit can do the Galois field arithmetic operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication, squaring, inversion and division. The least significant bit first (LSB-first) scheme for modular multiplication and the extended Euclid's algorithm for modular inversion are both modified for the arithmetic unit. The architecture has been implemented using 0.18-mum CMOS standard cell library, the clock frequency can reach at least 250 MHz for a 256-bit arithmetic unit. Furthermore, any bit length can be supported by any hardware configuration so long as the memory capacity is sufficient.


Games play a central role in human culture, as well as in interaction, interpersonal relationships, and overall development. Based on these premises, game-based learning (GBL) has been increasingly studied as a form of pedagogical innovation in formal and non-formal education. However, the implementation of these types of interventions in real educational settings has faced several barriers and constraints that reduce their possible impact. In this context, the present study aims to fulfil two aims: (a) mapping the main obstacles experienced in the implementation of GBL approaches in educational contexts; and (b) proposing an intervention diagram that matches each type of barrier with potential strategies to address it. Towards these aims, a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) was conducted, following the PRISMA methodology and guidelines. This included screening and eligibility processes based on inclusion criteria, which were defined considering the research's aims. Non-peer-reviewed research and studies aimed at other pedagogical approaches, such as gamification, were excluded to obtain a final sample of 11 studies and 1952 individuals, with an average of 195.20 participants per study (SD = 266.14). Through the analysis of the studies, a model of four types of barriers emerged: (1) attitudinal and behavioural barriers; (2) school policy barriers; (3) technological and material barriers; and (4) game literacy barriers. Through the critical evaluation of the barriers emerging from the analyzed empirical studies, we propose some potential methodological strategies that might support practitioners in overcoming them. This includes: (a) the implementation of a co-creation and participatory-driven methodology; (b) the appropriate selection of analogue, digital, or hybrid games; (c) the inclusion of the different educational stakeholders in the process; and (d) the promotion of GBL training within the projects.


Centria University of Applied Sciences Date November 2019 Author Markus Perä Degree programme Environmental Chemistry and Technology Name of thesis Circular approach in fish industries Instructor Jana Holm Pages 28 Supervisor Kari Jääskeläinen, Egidija Rainosalo The growing population requires a lot of food in order to sustain itself. Therefore, also, more fish need to be caught and farmed. Since a large amount of fish captured cannot be used commercially, it is usually thrown away, which in turn can be hazardous to the environment not to mention sea birds. Bycatch is also caught when fishing. A circular approach to this fish waste means seeing this waste as something that should be used instead of being thrown away. Usually fish waste if not discharged overboard, is converted into fish meal or fish oil. It is often costly and time-consuming. The heterogeneous nature of fish waste is an added challenge because finding solutions that work all the time with all types of fish waste is not possible. The lab-scale applications mentioned in this thesis include, but are not limited to, turning fish waste into fertilizer, feed, nutrients, peptides, enzymes, hydrolysates, biomaterials, wastewater treatment products, and biofuels. This thesis was a literature review, and no lab work was done when making it. Fertilizer and feed are relatively straight-forward to do, but they require more time to be aged than their commercial counterparts. Nutrients, peptides, hydrolysates, and enzymes can also be extracted from the fish waste; however, in the case of mincing the fish waste it can only replace part of the fish meat. Peptides showed interesting properties but required more research to be identified precisely. Hydrolysates could be used for capturing moisture in the food industry, but their inner bitterness needs to be masked beforehand. Enzymes can be extracted, but their performance varies; an enzyme for dehairing leather works great, but an enzyme to make cheese creates a cheese that cannot hold moisture inside it. Fish waste can also be added into packaging materials, where the biodegradability increase, but this comes at the cost of weaker strength and an inability to hold moisture inside the package. Their properties can be improved by adding additional substances into the material. Fish waste can also be used to manufacture sorbents for treating wastewater and in the articles they could remove, for example, azo dyes and lead. Fish waste can also be converted into biofuels. However, they increase some emissions, while simultaneously reducing others and they cannot be stored as long as conventionally made diesel. Fish waste has many potential applications, but their large-scale implementation requires massive investments in a circular economy.


We propose an ensemble model for predicting the lexical complexity of words and multiword expressions (MWEs). The model receives as input a sentence with a target word or MWE and outputs its complexity score. Given that a key challenge with this task is the limited size of annotated data, our model relies on pretrained contextual representations from different state-of-the-art transformer-based language models (i.e., BERT and RoBERTa), and on a variety of training methods for further enhancing model generalization and robustness: multi-step fine-tuning and multi-task learning, and adversarial training. Additionally, we propose to enrich contextual representations by adding hand-crafted features during training. Our model achieved competitive results and ranked among the top-10 systems in both sub-tasks.


To ventilate indoor spaces, axial single-blade fans are widely used in various areas, such as schools, houses, offices, and restaurants. Recently, axial single-blade fans were developed to realize energy efficiency and noise reduction improvements. Here, an experimental study of the air flow characteristics of an axial dual-blade fan is conducted. The characteristics of the axial dual-blade fan were tested via an air flow analysis and with prototypes. For the performance of the fan, the flow rate, power consumption, and noise were evaluated. The result showed that the axial dual-blade fan uses less power and produces less noise in comparison with an axial single-blade fan.


Influence of diabetes mellitus (DM) and diabetic retinopathy (DR) on parafoveal retinal thicknesses and their ratios was evaluated. Six retinal layer boundaries were segmented from spectral‐domain optical coherence tomography images using open‐source software. Five study groups: (1) healthy control (HC) subjects, and subjects with (2) controlled DM, (3) uncontrolled DM, (4) controlled DR and (5) uncontrolled DR, were identified. The one‐way analyses of variance (ANOVA) between adjacent study groups (i. e. 1 with 2, 2 with 3, etc) indicated differences in retinal thicknesses and ratios. Overall retinal thickness, ganglion cell layer (GCL) thickness, inner plexiform layer (IPL) thickness, and their combination (GCL+ IPL), appeared to be significantly less in the uncontrolled DM group when compared to controlled DM and controlled DR groups. Although the combination of nerve fiber layer (NFL) and GCL, and IPL thicknesses were not different, their ratio, (NFL+GCL)/IPL, was found to be significantly higher in the controlled DM group compared to the HC group. Comparisons of the controlled DR group with the controlled DM group, and with the uncontrolled DR group, do not show any differences in the layer thicknesses, though several significant ratios were obtained. Ratiometric analysis may provide more sensitive parameters for detecting changes in DR. Picture: A representative segmented OCT image of the human retina is shown.


We report on the measurement and computer simulation of the divergence of fast electrons generated in an ultraintense laser-plasma interaction (LPI) and the subsequent propagation in a nonrefluxing target. We show that, at Iλ(2) of 10(20) Wcm(-2)μm(2), the time-integrated electron beam full divergence angle is (60±5)°. However, our time-resolved 2D particle-in-cell simulations show the initial beam divergence to be much smaller (≤30°). Our simulations show the divergence to monotonically increase with time, reaching a final value of (68±7)° after the passage of the laser pulse, consistent with the experimental time-integrated measurements. By revealing the time-dependent nature of the LPI, we find that a substantial fraction of the laser energy (~7%) is transported up to 100 μm with a divergence of 32°.


The analysis of genotype x environment interaction in plant breeding have been enlarged with new methodologies in the last decade, improving its efficiency on the selection of genotypes under different environmental conditions. The objective of this research was to analyze the yield and stability of twelve genotypes of rice, in eight environments, during the years 2005 and 2006 in Colombia. Completely randomized block designs with four replications were used. The phenotypic stability parameters and grouping of environments were estimated by the genotype-environment interaction study according to SREG (Sites Regression) method and its biplot graphic (GGE). The statistical analysis indicated significant differences (with 5% probability error) among genotypes and among environments. Also, it pointed out the significance (with 5% probability error) of the genotype-environment interaction, indicating different responses of genotypes confronted with different environments. In SREG method, the two first principal components of interactions explained 75.29% of the interaction. The genotypes 400094, 350361 and the variety Fedearroz were found as the highest yields. According to the biplot GGE graphic the environments La Libertad and Escobal were the ones with small variations during the years of study.


The effects of the intra-African and European deportation regimes brought about since the European Union's externalization of its migration and development policy by transferring it to countries of sub-Saharan Africa remain largely understudied - especially their effects on people's everyday life after forced returns. Based on extensive field research, Susanne U. Schultz's book analyses the supposedly "failed" migration of Malian men, the social situations in which they find themselves following deportation, and the implications of their "failure" for their social environment and broader society. This important ethnographic study creates empirical knowledge on key issues in migration research, policy, and practice in the context of a charged debate.


Celiac disease is an immune-mediated disorder triggered by ingestion of wheat gliadin and related proteins in genetically susceptible individuals. In addition to the characteristic enteropathy, celiac disease is associated with various extraintestinal manifestations, including neurologic complications such as neuropathy, ataxia, seizures, and neurobehavioral changes. The cause of the neurologic manifestations is unknown, but autoimmunity resulting from molecular mimicry between gliadin and nervous system proteins has been proposed to play a role. In this study, we sought to investigate the immune reactivity of the anti-gliadin Ab response toward neural proteins. We characterized the binding of affinity-purified anti-gliadin Abs from immunized animals to brain proteins by one- and two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, immunoblotting, and peptide mass mapping. The major immunoreactive protein was identified as synapsin I. Anti-gliadin Abs from patients with celiac disease also bound to the protein. Such cross-reactivity may provide clues into the pathogenic mechanism of the neurologic deficits that are associated with gluten sensitivity.


Background and Aims: we previously reported in studies on organoid-cultured bovine pulmonary arteries that pulmonary hypertension (PH) conditions of exposure to hypoxia or endothelin-1 caused a loss of a cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP) stabilization of bone morphogenetic protein receptor-2 (BMPR2) function, a known key process contributing to pulmonary hypertension development. Based on subsequent findings, these conditions were associated with an extracellular superoxide-mediated increase in matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9) expression. We investigated if this contributed to PH development using mice deficient in MMP9. Results: wild-type (WT) mice exposed to Sugen/Hypoxia (SuHx) to induce PH had increased levels of MMP9 in their lungs. Hemodynamic measures from MMP9 knockout mice (MMP9 KO) indicated they had attenuated PH parameters compared to WT mice based on an ECHO assessment of pulmonary artery pressure, right ventricular systolic pressure, and Fulton index hypertrophy measurements. In vitro vascular reactivity studies showed impaired endothelium-dependent and endothelium-independent NO-associated vasodilatory responses in the pulmonary arteries of SuHx mice and decreased lung levels of COMP and BMPR2 expression. These changes were attenuated in MMP9 KO mice potentially through preserving COMP-dependent stabilization of BMPR2. Innovation: this study supports a new function of superoxide in increasing MMP9 and the associated impairment of BMPR2 in promoting PH development which could be a target for future therapies. Conclusion: superoxide, through promoting increases in MMP9, mediates BMPR2 depletion and its consequent control of vascular function in response to PH mediators and the SuHx mouse model of PH.


Introduction: In France rare orphan diseases as pediatric interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) have been identified as a public health priority. A national pediatric reference center for rare lung diseases, RespiRare, was created several years ago. Objective: To investigate the prevalence and the expression of pediatric ILDs within a national cohort in France. Methods: Children presenting with ILD from 1995 to 2010 were identified through the RespiRare network. Clinical, radiological, functional, pathological, biological and genetical longitudinal data were collected by the physicians in charge of ILDs patients using a unique national biomedical database. Results: Data were available for 197 children presenting with ILD. The mean incidence was 26/year. Median age at diagnosis was 20 months [0-16 years], and the sex ratio was 0.87 male/female. Investigations including thoracic high resolution computed tomography scan (n=197), broncho-alveolar lavages (n=97), lung biopsies (n=30) and analysis of surfactant genes (n=67) led to a diagnosis for 142 out of the 197 children (63.4%): surfactant mutation associated disorders (n=29, 14.7%), haemosiderosis (n=24, 12.2%), sarcoidosis (n=20, 10.2%) and alveolar proteinosis (n=17, 8.6%) were the most common diagnoses. Pulmonary hypertension was observed in 16% cases at diagnosis. Conclusion: A national database is now used in France for pediatric ILDs and facilitates clinical studies. Based on this experience, recommendations for diagnosis and therapeutic strategies are being established. As a European ILDs consortium is emerging, a European ILDs registry would be the next step to improve the knowledge of pediatric ILDs pathophysiology and their management.


People have to do a number of activities in their day-to-day life. Though there are some activities that can be done only sequentially, most of the day-to-day activities do not impose such restriction. People very often tend to multitask with such activities. They interleave activities or go about them sequentially or concurrently. So, to be useful in real life situations, an activity recognition system must be able to recognize activities irrespective of how the user performs the activities. This paper proposes a novel simple approach that can be used to recognize sequential, interleaved and concurrent activities efficiently. The proposed method is tested with a publicly available dataset and is producing very promising results.


Diagnostic practices, including video surveillance, in Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy can lead to multiple nursing dilemmas. A case study with discussion of these dilemmas and suggestions to deal with them is presented to help nurses cope more effectively with this difficult diagnosis.


The discovery of endomorphins (EMs) has opened the possibility of searching for new analgesics. However, the design of peptide analgesics has proven to be very difficult as a result of their conformational flexibility and a lack of clarity in structure–activity relationships (SAR). In EMs, the amino acid side chains exhibit considerable conformational flexibility, especially in the third aromatic ring, which is free to adopt a bioactive conformation. To resolve these problems, a series of C terminus EM analogues, [Xaa4‐R]EMs, modified through the substitution of Phe4 with nonaromatic residues and termination with benzyl groups, were designed to generate conformational constrains of the third aromatic ring by amide bond and torsion angles (ϕ4 and ψ4) of Xaa4. Introduction of (S)‐α‐methyl or (S)/(R)‐α‐carboxamide on the methylene unit of the benzyl group was designed to produce an atypical topographical constraint (ϕ5) of the third aromatic ring rotation. Interestingly, some EM derivatives, with elimination of the C‐terminal carboxamide group and significant changes in the address sequence (Phe4‐NH2), still exhibited higher μ‐opioid receptor (MOR) affinity than unmodified EMs. In contrast, some analogues with incorrectly constrained C termini displayed very low affinity and pharmacological activities. Thus, our results indicate that these EM analogues, with atypical constrained C termini, provide model compounds with potent MOR agonism. They also give evidence that the proper spatial orientation and conformational restriction of the third aromatic ring are crucial for the interaction of EMs with MOR.


A system should be formed, which shall preserve as much as possible can be done, their institutions and laws to the natives of Hindoostan, and attemper them with the mild spirit of British government.—John Bruce Jurisprudence is the nexus where authoritative texts, cultural assumptions, and political expediency come together during a crisis. It is therefore not so much a thing or a system as it is an experience, an interpretative experience. Yet the practice of jurisprudence is very different from other types of interpretation because it is also an exertion of power. A legal interpretation is a decision which mobilizes coercive forces to immediately solidify the interpretation into a social reality. The administrative structure of courts and the legal rhetoric that flows through them disguise jurisprudence as 'a system' rather than revealing its nature as an interpretative experience; this disguise serves to heighten the authority of these exercises of power and to limit the ability to contest them to specialists.


The advantages of the convergence with the square of the Newton-Raphson method are combined with the precision characteristics of digit-by-digit algorithms to obtain units for fast division that satisfy the IEEE 754 floating point standard requirements. A general design methodology that leads to a class of alternative architectures providing interesting performances for division is presented, together with one example of possible implementation. In particular, the proposed implementation achieves a speedup varying from 20% to about 30% in comparison with a previous architecture by Fandrianto, with a relatively small additional hardware cost if a multiplier is already available on the arithmetic unit.


Using experimental data, Monte Carlo tuning is implemented for performance parameters associated with the scintillation counters and readout electronics of the BESIII time-of-flight (TOF) system, as part of the full simulation model. The implementation of the tuning is described for simulations designed to reproduce the performance of a number of TOP system parameters, including pulse height, hit efficiency, time resolution, dead channels and background. In addition, comparisons with experimental data are presented.


Markov G. N. & Vergiev S. 2010. — First report of cf. Protanancus (Mammalia, Proboscidea, Amebelodontidae) from Europe. Geodiversitas 32 (3): 493-500. ABSTRACT Three molars from northeast Bulgaria are attributed to cf. Protanancus sp., based on their distinctive morphology. These are the first finds from Europe referable to the amebelodontid genus Protanancus, hitherto known from Africa and Asia. The material from NE Bulgaria differs from both named species of the genus, P. macinnesi and P. chinjiensis, displaying a combination of derived and primitive characters.


The distribution of estrogen receptor protein-alpha (ER-alpha)-containing cells in the human hypothalamus and adjacent regions was studied using a monoclonal antibody (H222) raised against ER-alpha derived from MCF-7 human breast cancer cells. Reaction product was found in restricted populations of neurons and astrocyte-like cells. Neurons immunoreactive for ER-alpha were diffusely distributed within the basal forebrain and preoptic area, infundibular region, central hypothalamus, basal ganglia and amygdala. Immunoreactive astrocyte-like cells were noted within specific brain regions, including the lamina terminalis and subependymal peri-third-ventricular region. These data are consistent with the location of estrogen receptors in the basal forebrain of other species and the known effects of estrogens on the cellular functions of both neurons and supporting elements within the human hypothalamus and basal forebrain.


The aim of the study was to determine the usage patterns of benzodiazepine hypnotics, the use of other ways of improving sleep and general sleep characteristics in patients prescribed these drugs on a regular basis and in a control group of ageand sex–matched patients not receiving hypnotics. Patients receiving regular benzodiazepine hypnotic prescriptions and a control group matched for age and sex were identified from a general practice computer. They were interviewed in their own homes about their habits relating to sleep, hypnotic use and attitudes to sleep and hypnotics. None of the recommended methods of improving sleep differed significantly in frequency between the two groups or had an effect on sleep parameters. Only daytime napping was found to be slightly more frequent in hypnotic users, but had no apparent effect on self–estimates of sleep duration or latency. The hypnotic users claimed a longer sleep latency and a shorter sleep duration than non–users. More patients who took hypnotics also perceived them to be beneficial and more convenient than other ways of promoting sleep. The recommendation of sleep–promoting methods such as caffeine and alcohol avoidance and regular exercise may not be helpful in patients attempting to avoid hypnotics, as many patients already claim to use such methods.


This paper presents a summary of the 2019 Unconstrained Ear Recognition Challenge (UERC), the second in a series of group benchmarking efforts centered around the problem of person recognition from ear images captured in uncontrolled settings. The goal of the challenge is to assess the performance of existing ear recognition techniques on a challenging large-scale ear dataset and to analyze performance of the technology from various viewpoints, such as generalization abilities to unseen data characteristics, sensitivity to rotations, occlusions and image resolution and performance bias on sub-groups of subjects, selected based on demographic criteria, i.e. gender and ethnicity. Research groups from 12 institutions entered the competition and submitted a total of 13 recognition approaches ranging from descriptor-based methods to deep-learning models. The majority of submissions focused on ensemble based methods combining either representations from multiple deep models or hand-crafted with learned image descriptors. Our analysis shows that methods incorporating deep learning models clearly outperform techniques relying solely on hand-crafted descriptors, even though both groups of techniques exhibit similar behavior when it comes to robustness to various covariates, such presence of occlusions, changes in (head) pose, or variability in image resolution. The results of the challenge also show that there has been considerable progress since the first UERC in 2017, but that there is still ample room for further research in this area.


This paper addresses the problem of defect segmentation in semiconductor manufacturing. The input of our segmentation is a scanning-electron-microscopy (SEM) image of the candidate defect region. We train a U-net shape network to segment defects using a dataset of clean background images. The samples of the training phase are produced automatically such that no manual labeling is required. To enrich the dataset of clean background samples, we apply defect implant augmentation. To that end, we apply a copy-and-paste of a random image patch in the clean specimen. To improve the robustness of the unlabeled data scenario, we train the features of the network with unsupervised learning methods and loss functions. Our experiments show that we succeed to segment real defects with high quality, even though our dataset contains no defect examples. Our approach performs accurately also on the problem of supervised and labeled defect segmentation.


Teachers are forced to use state-adopted texts, approved materials and methods in order to facilitate learning. The creativity of designing a lesson plan that meets the needs of each student, while fostering the imagination and creativity, can be all but lost when constrained by such parameters. So what can teachers do to enhance the learning process for students? Many teachers are turning towards alternative sources of information to compliment their lesson plans. One such source that can provide a wealth of knowledge and unlimited access to cultures, ideas, history and knowledge from all over the world are museums. Many of the world's most popular and renowned museums have begun to enhance their research divisions to include areas that assist educators in complimenting their lesson planning and curriculum. The purpose of this study is to identify the various ways museum resources can enhance curriculum and lesson plans for teachers, and review the impact of such resources on student engagement and learning. Four key elements have been identified that need to be in place in order to have a successful and meaningful fieldtrip experience at a museum. These four elements are as follows: pre-planning, interaction, task-oriented activities and follow-up. This study outlines how to incorporate these four elements and outline the specific ideas behind what makes each step successful in this unique learning experience. Museums: The Learning Trip 6 Chapter


Wave based imaging methods aim to build an accurate reconstruction of the physical properties of an object by recording the scattered field caused by illumination from multiple directions. Classically the minimum distance between the characteristics of the object that can be resolved by an imaging method is limited by the wavelength, λ, of the interrogating field. In order to improve the resolution shorter wavelengths can be propagated; however, due to material absorption, this limits the penetration depth of the wave which consequently reduces the potential imaging range. Any imaging technique which can overcome the resolution limit is of great practical and academic interest and represents the subject of this thesis. Subwavelength characterisation has become well established in the field of Nearfield Scanning Optical Microscopy which requires part of the probing system to be within λ of the object being illuminated (near field), in order to detect the nonpropagating evanescent waves. The super-oscillatory properties of the evanescent waves are subsequently used to achieve subwavelength resolution. However, access to the near field of an object is not always feasible and since evanescent waves decay exponentially they cannot be directly detected in the far field (greater than λ from the object). The aim of this thesis is to define and investigate an imaging strategy that will allow super resolution to be achieved from the far field. Conventional imaging techniques, which are constrained by the resolution limit, neglect the distortion of the scattered field caused by the internal structure of the object. This thesis will show that a more accurate description of the interaction of the incident field with the object, which includes the multiple scattering of evanescent waves, can lead to subwavelength resolution from the far field.


Background The mechanisms of smoking tobacco leading to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are beginning to be understood. However, conclusions about the role of blood or lung oxidative stress markers were disparate. Aims To investigate the oxidative stress in blood or lung associated with tobacco smoke and to evaluate its effect on pulmonary function data and its relation with physical activity. Methods It is a case-control study. Fifty-four male-smokers of more than five pack-years (PY) and aged 40-60 years were included (29 Non-COPD, 16 COPD). Physical activity score was determined. Blood sample levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), protein-cys-SH (PSH), and Glutathione (GSH) were measured. Fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) and plethysmographic measurements were performed. Correlation coefficients (r) evaluated the association between oxidative stress markers and independent variables (plethysmographic data and physical activity score). Results Non-COPD (48±6 years) and COPD (49±5 years) groups had similar tobacco consumption patterns, that is, 27±14 PY versus 30±19 PY, respectively. Compared to the Non-COPD group, the COPD group had significantly lower levels of GSH and PSH, that is, mean±SE were 40±6 versus 25±5 µg/mL and 54±10 versus 26±5 µg/g of hemoglobin, respectively. However, MDA level and FeNO values were similar. In the COPD group, none of the oxidative stress markers was significantly correlated with plethysmographic data or physical activity score. In the Non-COPD group, GSH was significantly correlated with physical activity score (r=0.47) and PSH was significantly correlated with total lung capacity (TLC) (r=-0.50), residual volume (r=0.41), and physical activity score (r=0.62). FeNO was significantly correlated with TLC of the COPD group (r=-0.48). Conclusion Compared to the Non-COPD group, the COPD group had a marked decrease in blood antioxidant markers (GSH and PSH) but similar blood oxidant (MDA) or lung (FeNO) burden.


This paper proposes two transformations for homogeneous reaction systems with inlet and outlet streams that allow isolating three distinct parts of the state vector, namely, the reaction variants, the reaction invariants but inlet- flow variants, and the reaction and inlet-flow invariants. In the absence of an outlet stream, as in batch and semi-batch reactors, the first transformation leads to the concepts of extents of reaction and extents of inlet flow. For reaction systems with an outlet stream, the second transformation uses key components to decouple the variables and arrive at the new concepts of generalized extents of reaction and generalized extents of inlet flow. These transformations are helpful to compute the reaction invariants for general open homogeneous reaction systems. Furthermore, the energy balance equation is shown to augment the number of reaction invariants by one. The various concepts are illustrated through the analysis of a simulated ethanolysis reaction.


Discovering the mechanical properties of biological composite structures at the Nano-scale is much interesting today. Top Neck mollusk shells are amongst biomaterials Nano-Composite that their layered structures are composed of organic and inorganic materials. Since the Nano indentation process is known as an efficient method to determine mechanical properties like elastic modulus and hardness in small-scale, so, due to some limitation of considering all peripheral parameters; particular simulations of temperature effect on the atomic scale are considerable. The present paper provides a molecular dynamics approach for modeling the Nano-Indentation mechanism with three types of pyramids, cubic and spherical indenters at different temperatures of 173, 273, 300 and 373K. Based on load-indentation depth diagrams and Oliver-Far equations, the findings of the study indicate that results in the weakening bond among the bilateral atoms lead to reduced corresponding harnesses. Whenever, the temperature increases the elastic modulus decrease as well as the related hardness. Moreover, within determining the elastic modulus and hardness, the results obtained from the spherical indenter will have the better consistency with experimental data. This study can be regarded as a novel benchmark study for further researches which tend to consider structural responses of the various Bio-inspired Nano-Composites. © 2019 IAU, Arak Branch. All rights reserved.


This study aims to explorepre-service teachers' beliefs about mathematics. Those beliefs are defined into beliefs about mathematics as nature, beliefs about learning mathematics, and beliefs about teaching mathematics. Furthermore, each of the dimensions is characterized asconnectionist, transmission, or discovery. This is a survey study. All respondents were given a questionnaire involving nine rating statements using Likert Scale without the "neutral" level. The Cronbach Alpha value for the questionnaire is 0.71, which is considered to be good. In addition, to know more about the pre-service teachers' beliefs,theyare also asked to elaborate the reasons of the rating they chose for each statement provided in the questionnaire. This study involved 65 pre-service mathematics teachers at a Mathematics Education Study Program of a private university in Indonesia. They were in the beginning of their fourth year atthe university. Based on the results and discussion, it can be concluded that the pre-service mathematics teachers involved in this study tend to have discovery orientation on the dimension of mathematics as nature. On the other hand, both dimensions of learning mathematics and teaching mathematics have transmission orientation. In addition, mathematics is seen as an applicable discipline which demands understanding concepts and communicating ideas.


A delay of 2-3 months is often recommended before routine semen testing after vasectomy. Such tests may be carried out much sooner, about 28 days after vasectomy. In most men, residual sperms are all immotile within 15 days of vasectomy, regardless of the number of ejaculations that have occurred. Immotile sperms cannot fertilize, and may thus be disregarded; failure to continue contraception has resulted in conception six weeks after technically successful vasectomy. Results are available for 202 men who submitted specimens within a month of vasectomy. 121 were examined 18-24 days after vasectomy; in 5 of them, motile sperms were present (from 1% motility in a count of 1 sperm per high power field, to 69% motility). In all 5 cases, motile sperms were absent at repeat examination about 3 weeks later. 81 specimens were examined 25-31 days after vasectomy; in this group, no motile sperms were found. In both groups, some immotile sperms were usually present, generally in small numbers. The optimum time for testing appears to be about 28 days after vasectomy, when most men can establish their sterility, and few will require a second test. Because the number of ejaculations is not specified, those less sexually active are not disadvantaged.


Within its 2050 energy plan, Israel examines the demographic implications of a Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) in Shivta Rogem site in the Negev. NPP would have a great contribution to the diversity and robustness of energy sources in Israel. A Small Modular Reactor (SMR) is designated to be safer than existing NPPs and will have better resistance to external hazards due to inherent passive safety features. This study develops a risk assessment methodology for a Nuclear Power Plant (NPP), in particular, SMR, to withstand a large conventional warhead explosion (GBU-28). The methodology comprises: hydro-dynamic simulations, validation of the dynamic simulations using numerical analysis compared to the simulations, risk analysis and damage assessment given the reference scenario of a detonation of a GBU-28 inside the underground water pool of a NuScale SMR. Discrete fragility curves were developed to evaluate the capacity of the SMR critical components. The overall probability of failure was assessed based on a Fault-Tree-Analysis (FTA). Results of the 3 m explosion from the reactor bay wall showed a displacement of 13 cm, breaching of the SMR bay wall and the water pool wall, and 12 cm deflection of the Containment Vessel (CNV). Sensitivity analyses of the uncertainty values were carried out by posting HCLPF (High Confidence Low Probability of Failure) values to the fragility curves. Combination of the results of the study with the failure criteria of NuScale for seismic hazards reveals that given the hazard scenario, core damage is expected accompanied by release of radioactive materials to the atmosphere. The study concludes that building the SMR in Israel will require adapted protective solutions. Future research may examine protective alternatives such as adding a reinforced concrete protecting layer or the possibility to set the SMR at a deeper underground elevation. © 2020 The Authors. Published by Budapest University of Technology and Economics & Diamond Congress Ltd Peer-review under responsibility of the Scientific Committee of the Creative Construction Conference 2020.


Technological advancement is a natural process, and with its introduction into a sport, athletes simply become "better". Technologies in sports are man-made means developed to reach human interests or goals in or relating to a particular sport. Technology in sports is a technical means by which athletes attempt to improve their training and competitive surroundings in order to enhance their overall athletic performance. It is the knowledge and application of using specialized equipment and the latest modern technologies to perform tasks more efficiently. In this, paper discussed efficient technologies that will help in enhancing the performance and quality of sports.


Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is a common procedure for end-stage osteoarthritis of the tibiofemoral and patellafemoral joints. Despite a good outcome in many patients, persistent knee pain after TKA poses a significant challenge. Proximal tibiofibular joint (PTFJ) osteoarthritis has been seen as a rare cause of such pain. In this case series, we share our experience diagnosing PTFJ dysfunction and managing it with intra-articular ultrasound-guided injections. We demonstrate that PTFJ arthropathy may be a more common cause of chronic post-TKA pain than generally believed.


PURPOSE
It is necessary to define the problem of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in every hospital to evolve control strategies. The objectives of this study were to determine factors influencing the persistence of MRSA in patients with hospital acquired infection and to identify alternate cost effective antibiotics.

METHODS
A six month study was carried out for 50 patients with MRSA infection. Treatment modalities and risk factors were determined by a preset protocol. Minimum inhibitory concentration of commonly used antibiotics was determined.

RESULTS
The risk factors were prolonged postoperative morbidity, prior antibiotic therapy and emergency admissions. Seventy percent of the isolates were from postoperative cases undergoing emergency surgeries. Isolation was highest during the second week of hospital stay. Emergency admissions had a significantly higher chance of early isolation. Prior treatment with multiple antibiotics in 38% was found to be another major risk factor. Ofloxacin was seen to be efficacious in a small percentage of cases. Rifampicin in combination with ofloxacin and clindamycin were found to be other good alternatives. Ofloxacin was found to be the cheapest and vancomycin the most expensive, for a full course of treatment.

CONCLUSIONS
Minimizing risk factors and attention to alternate cost effective combination therapy may ease the problem of management of infections with MRSA.


Business process standardization is of growing importance for both researchers and practitioners alike. Corporate experts and process owners meanwhile consider business process standards to be a prime action item and major instrument in a firm's BPM toolkit. An increasing number of scientific publications also show a growing interest of the scientific community. But to date IS research on business process standardization most notably is focused on the impact of business process standardization on business process performance abstracting away from a concise analysis of their antecedents. Therefore in this paper – based on an exploratory case study from healthcare industry – we provide a research model presenting three major antecedents of business process standardization: Top management support, involvement of the HR-, businessand IT departments and organizational governance/topology. As this approach is conceptual in nature future research should empirically evaluate our framework.


Moving objects have special importance for Autonomous Driving tasks. Detecting moving objects can be posed as Moving Object Segmentation, by segmenting the object pixels, or Moving Object Detection, by generating a bounding box for the moving targets. In this paper, we present a Multi-Task Learning architecture, based on Transformers, to jointly perform both tasks through one network. Due to the importance of the motion features to the task, the whole setup is based on a Spatio-Temporal aggregation. We evaluate the performance of the individual tasks architecture versus the MTL setup, both with early shared encoders, and late shared encoder-decoder transformers. For the latter, we present a novel joint tasks query decoder transformer, that enables us to have tasks dedicated heads out of the shared model. To evaluate our approach, we use the KITTI MOD [23] data set. Results show 1.5% mAP improvement for Moving Object Detection, and 2% IoU improvement for Moving Object Segmentation, over the individual tasks networks.


This chapter provides a theoretical account of mediation a process of dispute resolution that has grown significantly over the past 50 years. It argues that there are three central theoretical models – the pragmatic, the transformative and the narrative, with all other models being ultimately iterations of the latter. The chapter then discusses what various theorists argue are the fundamental features or qualities of mediation. These features include privacy and informality. The chapter concludes by arguing that, in fact, only voluntariness and autonomy, bottom-up justice, and plurality are central to a true jurisprudence of mediation.


The phenomenon of anisotropism in most rolled products necessitates that the rolling direction that enhances desirable mechanical property is established. In this paper, the comparative deep drawability of as-received and annealed mild steel containing about 0.1%C was investigated. The flat steel sample was divided into two and classified as as-received and heat treated respectively. The heat treated sample was obtained by annealing at 950°C after been soaked for 5 hours and deep drawn at ambient temperatures (35°C - 42°C). From both samples, circular specimens were machine- blanked parallel to the rolling directions inclined at 0°, 45° and 90° respectively and were prepared for deep drawability test while rectangular specimens were prepared for tensile test. Both specimens, as-received and annealed were then sub- jected to tensile, cupping and microstructural analyses. Results show that the contribution to increased formability at 90° rolling direction seems to have come from the spheroid-like pearlite grains induced during annealing while the sta- bility of spread observed was achieved through a modest increase in strength. Thus, the resistance of annealed eutectoid steel to cupping is quite minimal at 90° to the rolling direction. The desirable drawability characteristics developed by the annealed eutectoid steel specimen are: cup-height, 30 mm maximum and ear, 6.4% maximum.


Brain extraction (a.k.a. skull stripping) is a fundamental step in the neuroimaging pipeline as it can affect the accuracy of downstream preprocess such as image registration, tissue classification, etc. Most brain extraction tools have been mainly orientated for human data and are often challenging for non-human primates (NHP). In recent attempts to improve the performance in NHP, deep learning models appear to outperform the traditional tools. However, given the minimal sample size of most NHP studies and notable variations in data quality, the deep learning models are very rarely applied in multi-site samples in NHP imaging. To overcome this challenge, we propose to use transfer-learning framework that leverages a large human imaging dataset to pretrain a convolutional neural network (i.e. U-Net Model), and then transferred to NHP data using a small NHP training sample. The resulting transfer-learning model converged faster and achieved more accurate performance than a similar U-Net Model trained exclusively on NHP samples. We improved the generalizability of the model by upgrading the transfer-learned model using additional training datasets from multiple research sites in the Primate Data-Exchange (PRIME-DE) consortium. Our final model outperformed brain extraction routines from popular MRI packages (AFNI, FSL, and FreeSurfer) across multiple heterogeneous multiple sites from PRIME-DE with less computational cost (20s~10min). Our model, code, and the skull-stripped mask repository of 136 macaque monkeys are publicly available for unrestricted use by the neuroimaging community at https://github.com/HumanBrainED/NHP-BrainExtraction.


Few-shot learning models learn representations with limited human annotations, and such a learning paradigm demonstrates practicability in various tasks, e.g., image classification, object detection, etc. However, few-shot object detection methods suffer from an intrinsic defect that the limited training data makes the model cannot sufficiently explore semantic information. To tackle this, we introduce knowledge distillation to the few-shot object detection learning paradigm. We further run a motivating experiment, which demonstrates that in the process of knowledge distillation, the empirical error of the teacher model degenerates the prediction performance of the few-shot object detection model as the student. To understand the reasons behind this phenomenon, we revisit the learning paradigm of knowledge distillation on the few-shot object detection task from the causal theoretic standpoint, and accordingly, develop a Structural Causal Model. Following the theoretical guidance, we propose a backdoor adjustment-based knowledge distillation method for the few-shot object detection task, namely Disentangle and Remerge (D&R), to perform conditional causal intervention toward the corresponding Structural Causal Model. Empirically, the experiments on benchmarks demonstrate that D&R can yield significant performance boosts in few-shot object detection. Code is available at https://github.com/ZYN-1101/DandR.git.


Synopsis Human activities are rapidly changing ecosystems around the world. These changes have widespread implications for the preservation of biodiversity, agricultural productivity, prevalence of zoonotic diseases, and sociopolitical conflict. To understand and improve the predictive capacity for these and other biological phenomena, some scientists are now relying on observatory networks, which are often composed of systems of sensors, teams of field researchers, and databases of abiotic and biotic measurements across multiple temporal and spatial scales. One well-known example is NEON, the US-based National Ecological Observatory Network. Although NEON and similar networks have informed studies of population, community, and ecosystem ecology for years, they have been minimally used by organismal biologists. NEON provides organismal biologists, in particular those interested in NEON's focal taxa, with an unprecedented opportunity to study phenomena such as range expansions, disease epidemics, invasive species colonization, macrophysiology, and other biological processes that fundamentally involve organismal variation. Here, we use NEON as an exemplar of the promise of observatory networks for understanding the causes and consequences of morphological, behavioral, molecular, and physiological variation among individual organisms.