SIR,-The interesting and important M.R.C. report on the relative values of cortisone and aspirin in rheumatoid arthritis, published in the Journial of May 29 (p. 1223), has already received glaring publicity in the lay press, and will undoubtedly have considerable medical and political repercussions. Like all statistically controlled trials, it will be surrounded by an aura of sanctity, and will provide an unchallengeable "gospel " for years to come. Those who read it superficially will merely conclude that aspirin is as effective as, and a far safer treatment for rheumatoid arthritis than, cortisone. They will naturally relegate thlatter to the rubbish heap of extinct remedies. Those who read it carefully-especially if they have had experience of the drug-will accept the conclusions that cortisone given in this particular way, to this particular group of patients, and judged by these particular criteria, is not a justifiable form of therapy. But they will still await statistical guidance on the wider and far more fundamental issues about the indications for cortisone therapy. As Professor Hill has stated,' there are an infinite number of questions we might ask about any new regime, but the statisticians prefer to answer a single question at a time-that is, " If to a defined type of patient Y gr. of drug X are given daily by one particular route in so many divided doses, what happens ? " Without wishing to appear facetious, I can tell him what happens: the correspondence columns of the medical press are filled for weeks to come by letters which, being paraphrased, read, " Ah, yes, but if you use another group of patients and give the drug in different dosage, and by a different route, you will get startlingly different results." And so the controversy continues. My comments on this trial are largely a text on which to hang a plea to the statisticians to modify their rigid approach to clinical trials. Perfect statistical techniques are not possible when dealing with biological material, nor is it possible at the early stage at which the Medical Research Council generally formulate their trials for them to lay down the optimum regimes which are not liable to subsequent criticism. I would suggest that a more useful, if less perfect, protocol on which to base a clinical trial is: " Does drug X, given under optimum conditions (as judged by experienced, reliable, and unbiased clinicians), give better results than drug Y ? "-leaving the clinicians to select both the patients and to adjust the dosage schedules to individual requirements. Possibly the " cross-over" technique mentioned in your leading article (p. 1249)-in which the patient becomes his own control-is the best compromise. A trial based on this essential degree of flexibility would give a far more useful and a broader picture of the problem, and at the same time would lack some of the specious sanctity which now arises from the statisticians choosing certain highly inaccurate assessments (such as joint tenderness and range of movement) as a means of overall assessment, whilst ignoring entirely such imponderable but important clinical features as the degree of stiffness and the patient's sense of well-being. As a reductio ad absurdum, unless we insist on some degree of clinical discrimination, we will soon be handing over these trials to technical assistants who will make a set of measurements without even asking the patient how he feels. We would do far better to learn to evaluate subjective factors in our patients than to ignore them. To return to the cortisone-aspirin trial: Selection of patients.-The protocol laid down that the patients must have had the disease for not less than three months and not more than nine months. They should be suitable for either cortisone or aspirin therapy. Patients fulfilling even the first part of this criteria were exceptionally hard to find in two large clinics, drawing patients from all over England. When such a patient did materialize, he was usually unsuitable for both types of therapy, either because the disease was too mild or because (as is so characteristic of this early stage of the disease) it was so unstable that it was almost impossible to evaluate any therapeutic results. No responsible clinician would give cortisone at this stage. None the less, they were included in the trial in most cases because more suitable material, fulfilling the criteria, was not forthcoming. This is probably the reason why the functional capacity assessments were identical in each group at the end of the year. It is of some interest that the one case (case 1 on p. 1225), whose disease was rapidly progressive, "drew" aspirin, and after six months he refused to continue in view of his deterioration. He was withdrawn from the trial, and was subsequently treated independently with cortisone. He is now back on -full employment as a gold blocker; his disease is still very active, but well controlled. Thus he provides an excellent example of the " cross-over" technique. I am quite confident that no other type of drug would have controlled this man's disease. I am not convinced that in a small sample (such as the present one of thirty pairs) such anomalies are automatically ironed out by 'pairing" on the basis of age and sex alone. It is of greater importance that one shou!d aim to pair, if possible, similar clinical types. Dosage.-Hench et al.2 have laid down that it is of extreme importance to " individualize " the dose in cortisone therapy, and to give the minimum necessary to control most of the symptoms. The Medical Research Council trial required an initial dosage of 300 mg./200 mg./ 100 mg. followed by a sudden drop to 50 mg. in the second week, culminating in a period of abstinence on the thirteenth week, twentysixth, and twenty-ninth weeks, etc. It is difficult to imagine a regime so calculated to insult the psyche and the adrenals of the rheumatoid patient, and there is even soome evidence (Lansbury, personal communication) that to allow the patient to get out of control in this way is very liable to spread the rheumatoid process. Certainly my own personal experience suggests that whenever a patient's disease breaks through the cortisone suppression, as a result of dose reduction, it may need considerably higher dosage to get him under control again. There are many other minor points of assessment on which one might comment ip this trial, but they are of insignificant importance compared to those alreacdy mentioned. To summarize: This trial has been expensive and laborious ; it answers fairly conclusively, in spite of its technical imperfections, a problem with which few clinicians would disagree-namely, that there are very few cases of early rheumatoid arthritis for which cortisone is indicated. It completely fails to shed any light on the main problems of cortisone therapy. A plea is made that statistical rigidity in the planning of clinical trials should be modified so as to take some account of the clinician's discretion. In other words, the pendulum away from therapeutic empiricism has swung too far.-I am, etc., London, E.1. JOHN H. GLYN. REFERENCES


While semiconductor spintronics promises lower switching energy and faster speed, a major limitation on its development as a viable technology is the lack of room temperature ferromagnetic semiconductor materials. The material challenge is great, because not only magnetic and electronic doping but also thermally robust coupling between them are required for a room temperature ferromagnetic semiconductor. Here, we report the growth-controlled engineering of magnetic exchange interactions in single crystalline GaCoZnO1-v epitaxial films with high Co concentrations (0.3 ≤ x ≤ 0.45) by controlling oxygen vacancy and carrier density through Ga3+ doping. Strong ferromagnetism, spin-split impurity states, and spin-polarized electrical transport are realized and well controlled at room temperature by tailoring the s,p–d exchange coupling. This room temperature ferromagnetic semiconductor, which offers the ability to individually control carrier density and magnetic doping, will lay a solid foundation for the deve...


The stability of the Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) over time is described in 77 infants (41 boys, 36 girls) with cerebral palsy (CP; mean age 19.4mo [SD 1.6 mo]; 27 unilateral spastic, 42 bilateral spastic, eight dyskinetic type) and in the same children at follow‐up at age 2 to 4 years. The overall level of agreement over time (linear weighted kappa) was 0.70 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.61−0.79). The overall percentage of children whose GMFCS level changed one or two levels was 42%, of which the majority were reclassified to a less functional level (McNemar's Chi2 test p=0.11). The chance that children initially classified in the combination of GMFCS Levels I, II, and III would subsequently be classified in the same level in early childhood was 96% (positive predictive value [PPV] 0.96, 95% CI 0.85−0.99), whereas the PPV for the combination of Levels I and II was 0.88, 95% CI 0.70−0.96. These findings indicate that GMFCS classification in infants is less precise than classification over time in older children. In conclusion, children can be classified by the GMFCS early on, but there is a need for reclassification at age 2 or older as more clinical information becomes available.


A thesis submitted to the Department Of English, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science And Technology, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of the degree of Master of Philosophy in English College of Humanities and Social Sciences Faculty of Social Sciences, 2015


The return-risk trade-off of the 100 stocks contained in the Egyptian EGX100 index is examined. The Egyptian stock market has an average free float of only 45%. It is estimated that 50% of trading in the free float stocks is dominated by large investors, and local and international fund managers. The market suffers from low turnovers and more recently long periods of trade suspension after the political unrest of January 25th, 2011. The study finds that a serial correlated returns model is more suitable to estimate returns for low free float stocks in Egypt. However, it is unlikely that this serial correlation could lead to above average trading profits since it is a reflection of ownership concentration in a small illiquid market. The market offers diversification benefits due to its low correlation with major world indices. However, trade suspension due to political instability is an extra risk that could negate diversification benefits.


Since the 1960's there has been an increase in the assertion of a Native American identity across North America. This identification has been expressed in the Ohio Valley region (Indiana, Ohio, and Kentucky) through performance at powwows, re-enactments and restored ceremonies. For the most part in the United States, acceptance of American Indian identification is founded on government recognition, racial appearance, or language. As no Native American languages are still spoken in the region, the "racial" appearance of Ohio Valley Native people is "mixed" or ambiguous, and government recognition is absent for most groups, the question arises of how an Ohio Valley Native identity has developed and been maintained over time. In pursuit of answers to this question, data were gathered at powwows, historic re-enactments, living history enactments, and other events where Ohio Valley Native people participate. Newsletters of Indian organizations and books influencing the expression of a Native Ohio identity also served as sources of primary data. Ethnohistorical research further illuminated the factors that shaped elements of Native American identity in the Ohio Valley. The analysis of interviews and the other data demonstrate that the claim to Native American identity in the Ohio Valley is not, as some have suggested, a newly emergent construction. Rather, Native American identity has been maintained performatively in some quarters for many generations while remaining submerged in others. This Native identity continues to be constructed and performed drawing from a combination of Ohio Valley "folk" culture, Appalachian rural culture and "Pan-Indian" powwows. Similarities and connections were also found to exist with other mixed North American peoples, such


Using new data on currency invoicing for Belgian firms, we analyze how firms make their currency choice, for both exports and imports, and the implications of this choice for exchange rate pass-through into prices and quantities. We derive our estimating equations from a theoretical framework featuring variable markups, international input sourcing, and staggered price setting with endogenous currency choice. Our structural specification provides a new test of the allocative consequences of nominal rigidities, by estimating the treatment effect of foreign-currency price stickiness on the dynamic response of prices and quantities, controlling for the endogeneity of the firm's currency choice. We show that flexible-price determinants of exchange rate pass-through are also the key firm characteristics that determine currency choice. In particular, small non-importing firms tend to price their exports in euros (producer currency) and exhibit complete exchange-rate pass-through into destination prices at all horizons. In contrast, large import-intensive firms tend to denominate their exports in foreign currencies, especially in the US dollar, exhibiting a lower pass-through of the euro-destination exchange rate and a pronounced sensitivity to the dollar-destination exchange rate. The effects of foreign-currency price stickiness are still significant beyond the one-year horizon, but gradually dissipate in the long run.


Author(s): Berentsen, Are B.; Johnston, John J.; Mauldin, Richard E.; Schmidt, Robert H. | Abstract: The Coyote Lure Operative Device (CLOD) is a bait delivery device designed to deliver chemicals such as vaccines, sterilizing agents, predacides, and physiological markers to coyotes. Coyotes have activated the device in the field when it is filled with placebo baits, but measured delivery of an active ingredient has never been attempted. We developed a dose-response relationship for pentachlorobenzene (PeCB) residues in coyote serum and used the CLOD to deliver PeCB to captive coyotes. Twenty-two days post dosing, PeCB residues were detected in serum samples collected from every coyote that activated the CLOD. No residues were found in controls. We conclude that PeCB can be used as a physiological marker for identification of coyotes that activate CLODs. Using PeCB to quantify CLOD consumption met with moderate success and recommendations for future research are provided.


The purpose of the present study was to compare the oxygen uptake ( VO2) behavior in response to a resistance exercise (RE) session with aim of hypertrophy (HP) with another session with aim of local muscular endurance (LME). Nine young men (23.1± 2.1 years) voluntarily participated in the present study. Dynamic muscle strength was measured with one repetition maximum test (1RM). O VO2 was collected at rest and ten minutes after exercise with a gas analyzer (CPX/D). The RE protocols were composed of one upper body exercise (bench press) and one lower body exercise (squat) with the execution of 3 sets of 6-8 maximum repetitions (RM) with 80% of 1RM in HP session and 3 sets of 15-20 RM with 55% of 1 RM in LME session. Exercise post oxygen consumption (EPOC), energy cost (EC) and time constant (TC) of VO2 were analyzed. The results showed that both RE sessions provoked significant elevated VO2 after RE in comparison to rest values. There were no differences between groups in the EPOC (l) (HP: 2.21 ± 0.54 vs. LME: 2.60 ± 0.44), EC (Kcal) (HP: 10.36 ± 2.53 vs LME: 12.18 ± 2.04) and TC of VO2 (s) (HP: 56 ± 7 vs. LME: 57 ± 6) (p>0.05). These results demonstrated that a RE session with the aim of LME gain is capable of causing similar metabolic impact to the RE session with HP aim, even if it is performed at lower intensity concerning maximal load.


This review deals with the isolation and chemical and biological characterization of phytotoxins produced by Ascochyta caulina and Phoma chenopodiicola proposed as mycoherbicides for the biological control of Chenopodium album, a worldwide spread weed which causes serious problems to some agrarian crops, including sugar beet and maize. Studies on the structure activity relationships and on the modes of actions of toxins isolated are also described, as well as the optimization of analytical methods focused on selection of the best fungal toxin producers. The attempts to scale up production of these phytotoxins aimed to obtain sufficient amounts for their application in greenhouse and field trials are also reported.


сетчатки. We have shown that the classical panretinal laser coagulation is a rather traumatic procedure, damaging all layers of the retina, leadingbto a narrowing of visual fields and decrease the electrical activityof the retina that can impair quality of life. Using sparing laser coagulation is a highly effective metod of prolonged of visual


BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
To improve the iron status of school children through noon meals prepared using a multiple micronutrient-fortified salt.

METHODS AND STUDY DESIGN
Children from a randomly selected school who consumed (intervention) and did not consume (reference) a noon meal prepared using a multiple micronutrient- fortified salt were studied over 1 year. A pre-post-test design for children aged 5-17years in reference (n=100) and intervention (n=128) groups was used. Levels of serum ferritin, soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR), alpha glycoprotein (AGP), and C-reactive protein (CRP) were assessed at baseline and at 1 year. In a subsample, urinary iodine was assessed.

RESULTS
sTfR decreased in the intervention group (-0.80 mg/L) but increased in the reference group (0.47 mg/L) at 1 year (p=0.0001).Body iron stores (BIS) increased in the intervention group (0.09 mg/kg body weight) and decreased (-0.58 mg/kg body weight) in the reference group at 1 year (p=0.028).These findings indicate an increase in iron deficiency in the reference group and a decrease in the intervention group. However, no changes in serum ferritin and urinary iodine were observed in either group or between groups.

CONCLUSIONS
Iron status can be improved in schoolchildren in Tamil Nadu by increasing the amount of micronutrients in the fortified salt used for preparing noon-time school meals.


Introduction Eating disorders (EDs) and behavioural addictions show common psychological vulnerability factors such as alexithymia and stressful life events (SLE). This study aims, firstly, to explore the prevalence and latent profiles of participants based on their risk of suffering EDs, gambling disorder (GD), alcohol and/or drug abuse, and compulsive buying (CB) by sex. Secondly, it aimed to test whether alexithymia and having experienced SLE are associated with group membership. Methods The sample was predominantly drawn from university students and social networks. It was composed of 352 young adults between 18 and 35 years old, of whom 77.8% were women and 22.2% men. Results The results showed that the most prevalent disorders of the sample were alcohol, EDs, CB, drugs and GD, respectively. Moreover, latent class analyses were conducted based on the risk of suffering EDs or addictions by sex. Three main profiles were found: 'Men with addictions', 'Healthy women' and 'Women with EDs'. Finally, differences in SLE and alexithymia levels were tested by latent classes. "Men with addictions" and "Women with EDs" had higher scores on alexithymia and SLE than the group of "Healthy women". However, the group of "Women with EDs" (class 3) reported significantly higher levels of SLE and alexithymia than the other two groups. Discussion and conclusion In conclusion, we discuss the possibility that some vulnerability factors operate generally and transdiagnostically in EDs and addictive disorders. The identification of clinical phenotypes could complement and deepen prediction, prevention and treatment research in clinical settings. The need to take sex and gender differences into account is reinforced.


We investigate the electronic structures and magnetic properties of ZnO doped with N, Cu, and (Cu+N) by using a first principles method and considering the strong correlation effect. It is interesting to compare these three systems. ZnO:N has weak p-type doping and unstable ferromagnetism, while ZnO:Cu becomes insulating due to the Jahn—Teller effect. Cu and N codoping can not only greatly improve the dopability of p-type doping accompanying the Jahn—Teller fading, but also enhance the ferromagnetism at the same time. The calculation results indicate that there is a win-win effect between N and Cu dopants in the ZnO:(Cu+N) system, which could possibly find applications in spintronics besides optoelectronics.


As part of ongoing development efforts at MSFC, we have begun to investigate mounting strategies for highly nested xray optics in both full-shell and segmented configurations. The analytical infrastructure for this effort also lends itself to investigation of active strategies. We expect that a consequence of active figure control on relatively thin substrates is that errors are propagated to the edges, where they might affect the effective precision of the mounting points. Based upon modeling, we describe parametrically, the conditions under which active mounts are preferred over fixed ones, and the effect of active figure corrections on the required number, locations, and kinematic characteristics of mounting points.


This clinical study was done to investigate how the perticular elements of coffee reflects a person using MMPI (Minesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory) as a guide. This study was done based on the sample groups of 29 coffee-drinking-studensts and 21 non-coffee-drinking students. The results were as follows ; 1. The mean T-scores on all the scales were within normal range in coffee-drinking-group. 2. The personal traits of coffee-drinking-group showed elevated scales of Hs, D, Hy and Pt and showed 3, 1, 2 profile type. 3. Comparing non-coffee-drinking-group with coffee-drinking-group, scales of Hs, D, Hy, Mf, Pt, Ma were significantly higher in the latter. 4. According to pattern analysis, Psycho-neurotic trait was recognized in 62.07% of non-coffee-drinking-group, 76.19% of coffee-drinking-group. As a result, aboves support the exiting hypothesis that coffee give rise to Blood-asthenia(血虛) and Spleen-Lack of transports(脾不運化) and have an influence on neurosis, psychosis and sleep disturbance.


In this book, Mabroka al-Werfalli examines the extent and effects of political alienation in Libya. Using a variety of measures, the author highlights links between legitimacy and alienation and underlines certain types of political behaviour commonly associated with political alienation, in an attempt to draw attention to various causes of indifference and violent behaviour associated with political alienation in Libyan society. Al-Werfalli's findings reveal that alienation has led to widespread political apathy and low or non-existent levels of political participation among Libyans. Every year the percentage of eligible Libyans involved in political activities has declined. the Basic Popular Congresses (BPC's) which work as an essential vehicle for political participation within the Libyan political regime, have been treated as immature institutions by the revolutionary leadership, who have remained, in the eys of the people, the only actor of note. As a result, these trends are being increasingly interpreted as signs of the gradual exhaustion of a model for which there is no clear alternative in sight.


The WHR, reflecting the fat distribution, is a relevant measure of female physical attractiveness and an indicator of female health and reproductive capacity. Previous studies mainly investigated the divergence of WHR preferences between cultures and brain areas and body processing in relation with face processing, body motions or body expressions. However, no study has investigated the characteristics of physical attractiveness in heterosexual observers at behavioral and electrophysiological levels. The purpose of this study was thus to investigate with a behavioral experiment the characteristics of physical attractiveness of naked and dressed female bodies, presented in different Waist-to-Hip Ratios (WHRs of 0.6, 0.7, 0.8 and 0.9) and from two perspectives (back and front) in heterosexual observers of both genders, and, secondly, to investigate the time course of cerebral activation for these biologically relevant sexual stimuli with an electrophysiological experiment. We wanted to investigate whether the N190 and P1 components were modulated by stimuli evaluated as more physically attractive in the previous behavioral experiment. We proceeded with two experiments, one evaluating the judgment of physical attractiveness at a behavioral level by asking participants (mean age: 27.9 years) to rate the level of attractiveness of female bodies and the other one investigating the brain activation associated with these stimuli that participants (mean age: 25.6 years) see scrolling on a screen. In the behavioral experiment, naked female bodies with a WHR of 0.7 seen from the back were evaluated as more physically attractive for both gender. In the electrophysiological experiment, the P1 occurred between 122 ms and 162 ms after stimulus onset and peaked at 144 ms on average, whereas the N190 was observed between 158 ms and 217 ms, with mean peak at 185 ms in the occipital cortex. The processing of the female body shape thus occurs very early, during the first 200 ms of viewing. The N190 and P1 components were sensitive to the categories related to our female bodies (i.e., WHR, clothing and perspective). The N1 seems more sensitive to the whole body shape, whereas the P1 seems more sensitive to body features like the WHR. Consequently, this study yields important results for the relevant characteristics of perceived sexual attractiveness of female bodies and their underlying cerebral mechanisms.


At its most fundamental, cancer is a genetic disease in the sense that the primary events in tumorigenesis involve damage to the genome. The genome is subject to damage continuously from both exogenous agents and endogenous processes but this becomes functionally important only if the damage is not detected and resolved in a timely and effective manner. In mammals there are 5 DNA repair pathways, encoded by approximately 150 genes, which appear to have arisen early in evolution and which are highly conserved. Given the substantial epidemiological and experimental evidence that variation in dietary intake accounts for a significant proportion of the variance in cancer prevalence, an a priori case can be made that dietary factors may influence the effectiveness of DNA repair. A review of the literature has identified 4 observational and 8 intervention studies in human subjects where DNA repair (or a component thereof) has been measured in relation to nutrition. This rather limited evidence base precludes drawing definitive conclusions, but the fact that there were significant effects of dietary supplements in 5 out of the 8 intervention studies suggests that food components and/or nutritional status may influence DNA repair. This review considers possible molecular mechanisms through which such factors could modulate repair.


OBJECTIVE
The aim of this one-year, re-entry case series was to evaluate clinically the amount of bone regeneration following the placement of immediate implants in fresh extraction sockets where bone allograft has been used to treat horizontal gaps and buccal-bone dehiscence defects in periodontally compromised patients.

METHODS
Sixteen patients consented to participate, each having one immediate implant with > 3 mm buccal dehiscence bone defects and > or = 2 mm horizontal defects between the implant and socket wall. Peri-implant defects were treated using a demineralized freeze-dried bone allograft and a bioresorbable collagen membrane. Measurements of the vertical and horizontal bone defects were performed at 4 sites: buccally, mesially, distally and lingually, and were done at baseline and at 1-year follow-up.

RESULTS
The mean reduction in vertical defects between baseline and re-entry for all sites was 2.42 mm (p = 0.0005). Compared to lingual sites, the buccal sites showed the greatest resolution in vertical defects dimension (6.37 mm), followed by proximal sites (0.78 mm). The overall mean reduction in horizontal defects was 1.59 mm (p < 0.0001). Compared to lingual sites, the buccal sites showed the greatest resolution in horizontal gap dimension (3.2 mm), followed by proximal sites (0.8 mm). Age, defect location in the mouth and implant length did not show significant effectson the reduction in defect dimension during the first year.

CONCLUSIONS
A partially missing buccal plate was not a critical factor for implant success and bone regeneration of immediate implants in patients with a history of periodontal disease regardless of the time of implant loading (immediate/conventional).


Most recent HPC platforms have heterogeneous nodes com- posed of a combination of multi-core CPUs and accelerators, like GPUs. Scheduling on such architectures relies on a static partitioning and cost model. In this paper, we present a locality-aware work stealing scheduler for multi-CPU and multi-GPU architectures, which relies on the XKaapi runtime system. We show performance results on two dense linear algebra kernels, Cholesky (POTRF) and LU (GETRF) factorization, to evaluate our scheduler on a heterogeneous architecture composed of two hexa-core CPUs and eight NVIDIA Fermi GPUs. Our experiments show that an online locality-aware scheduling achieve performance results as good as static strategies, and in most cases outperform them.


A land certificate is an important document that shows proof of someone's ownership and rights to land. The complete systematic land registration program offers to people to make land certificates at a low cost. However, in its implementation there were many problems and irregularities encountered, especially the high collection of costs to the community. In 2017, Kudus Regency became one of the cities with the largest Prona certificate quota and there were often many problems in the implementation of Prona. Ombudsman Republik Indonesia is present as an institution that functions to oversee and resolve public service problems that occur in the community. Ombudsman Republik Indonesia Perwakilan Jawa Tengah as the representative of the central Ombudsman supervised and tries to resolve the problems that occurred during the implementation of Prona in Kudus Regency. This study uses qualitative research methods with a case study approach. The purpose  of using this method is to dig up data and information accurately and specifically, so that the data and information produced is complete and in-depth. Data collection techniques used were interviews with eight informants, literature review and review of documents relating to the supervision of the Ombudsman Republik Indonesia. The results of this study indicate that the supervision carried out by Ombudsman Republik Indonesia Perwakilan Jawa Tengah in supervising Prona in Kudus Regency was in accordance with its functions, duties, and authority. Supervision carried out by the Ombudsman Republik Indonesia Perwakilan Jawa Tengah is to conduct an investigation of its own initiative, conduct preventive supervision and cooperate with other law enforcement agencies. Ombudsman Republik Indonesia Perwakilan Jawa Tengah tries to resolve the Prona problem reported by the public and Ombudsman Republik Indonesia Perwakilan Jawa Tengah also sent suggestions for improvements to stakeholders to prevent problems from recurring. The thing that was lacking in the supervision was Ombudsman Republik Indonesia Perwakilan Jawa Tengah did not involve the community in supervising Prona in Kudus Regency. Keywords : Supervision, Prona, Ombudsman Republik Indonesia Perwakilan Jawa Tengah


The Operational Procedures of the Security Division of University of Cordilleras was assessed through descriptive normative survey method. Utilizing a self-constructed questionnaire, examination of documents, and interviews, the level of attainment of the goals and objectives of the Safety Committee of the University of Cordilleras was determined to be very much attained, the extent of implementation of the Operational Procedures was found out to be much implemented, and the degree of serious of the problems encountered in the implementation of the operational procedures was found to be moderately serious. Nevertheless, the Officers should still strengthen their performance especially during night shift. The method of patrol should be improved and emergency and evacuation drills should be regularly conducted. Staffing of trained marshals and officers with good managerial skills and coordination should not be neglected as these are important parts of security management and operations. Arranging a security education program with school administration will boost awareness and cooperation of the occupants on school security operations.


The use of affinity purified ANG II antiserum as opposed to crude antiserum greatly enhanced the staining resolution in rat brain. This improved resolution was due to a complete loss of background staining and an apparent increase in specific staining that was totally blockable by preabsorption. With the purified antibody it was easily possible to visualise the finest fibres in rats not treated with colchicine. Furthermore, the improved technique permitted a clearer visualisation of an ANG II-like immunoreactive product in cell bodies. This use of affinity purified antibody should greatly facilitate the mapping of central angiotensinergic pathways.


Deep Learning research has been largely accelerated by the development of huge datasets such as Imagenet. The general trend has been to create big datasets to make a deep neural network learn. A huge amount of resources is being spent in creating these big datasets, developing models, training them, and iterating this process to dominate leaderboards. We argue that the trend of creating bigger datasets needs to be revised by better leveraging the power of pre-trained language models. Since the language models have already been pre-trained with huge amount of data and have basic linguistic knowledge, there is no need to create big datasets to learn a task. Instead, we need to create a dataset that is sufficient for the model to learn various task-specific terminologies, such as 'Entailment', 'Neutral', and 'Contradiction' for NLI. As evidence, we show that RoBERTA is able to achieve near-equal performance on 2% data of SNLI. We also observe competitive zero-shot generalization on several OOD datasets. In this paper, we propose a baseline algorithm to find the optimal dataset for learning a task.


Part I of this Note examines the concept of sovereignty and the role of the International Monetary Fund (Fund) as an instrument of supranational or joint sovereignty. Part II traces the development of economic dependence in Mexico and Argentina, examines the history of both public and private lending to these nations, and suggests that their current indebtedness is an extension of a chronic need for imported capital. Part III discusses the growth of international bank lending to developing countries in the 1970's, and Part IV examines the Fund's role in the renegotiation of sovereign debt. Part V addresses the relationship between modern economic interdependence and sovereignty. The Note concludes that the relationship between commercial bank creditors and their sovereign debtors is one that has grown beyond the legal mechanisms that coordinate international economic relations. ECONOMIC INTERDEPENDENCE AND THE SOVEREIGNTY OF DEBTOR NATIONS: A COMPARISON OF MEXICAN AND ARGENTINE REACTIONS TO INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND STABILIZATION


We present a novel simple formulation of the problem of 3D object reconstruction from images. In this formulation, the object is seen as lying at the intersection of the projection of orbits of custom built Lie group actions. The group parameters correspond to unknown irrelevant quantities such as the camera orientation, the depth parameters of the object with respect to the camera, and the focal length. We then use an algorithmic method based on moving frames a la Fels--Olver to obtain a fundamental set of invariants of these group actions. The invariants are used to define a set of equations determining the 3D object, thus providing a mathematical formulation of the problem where the irrelevant parameters do not appear.


Bathochromic shifts accompanying the formation of several bivalent metallic complexes containing 5-(4'-dimethylaminophenylimino) quinolin-8-one (L1), and 7-chlore-5(4'-diethylamino-2-methylphenylimino) quinolin-8-one (L2) ligands in ethanol solutions were evaluated by VIS-NIR spectroscopy. The [L1-Cu-L1] sulphide complex was selected as a reagent for further tests on optical fibres. Samples of multimode siloxane-clad fused-silica fibre were sensitized by diffusing an ethanol/chloroform solution of the dye into the cladding polymer, and tested by VIS-NIR optical spectroscopy (12 cm long fibre sections), and optical time domain reflectometry (OTDR; 20 ns laser pulses, wavelength 850 nm, 120 m long fibre sensitized within the interval 104–110 m). A well-resolved absorption band of the reagent could be identified in the absorption spectra of the fibres. After exposure to dry ammonia/nitrogen gas with increasing ammonia concentration (0–4000 ppm), the short fibre samples showed subsequent decay of NIR optical absorption; saturation was observed for higher ammonia levels. The concentration resolution r ? 50 ppm and forward response time t90 ? 30 sec were obtained within the interval 0–1000 ppm. The OTDR courses showed an enhancement of the back-scattered light intensity coming from the sensitized region after diffusion of the initial reagent, and decay after exposure to concentrated ammonia/nitrogen gas (10000 ppm).


The primary goal of this study is to successfully develop a Geographic Crime Information Reporting System at a station in Mandaue City, an electronic blotter that uses Geographical Information System (GIS) in recording crime information. The "Geographic Crime Information Reporting System" contains a Geo Spatial Crime Visualization module that loads and displays the maps from shape files. The Crime Management Module to assign coordinates in the map given by the user to be stored in a Database. The Geographic Crime Information Analyzer analyzes the data and creates a report which is a list of possible suspects. The system is then evaluated by randomly selected Philippine National Police Officers (PNP Officer) and Philippine National Police Information Technology personnel (PNP IT Personnel) of Mandaue City. The Results show that 75% of the respondents are familiar with the Electronic-blotter (E-Blotter), with only 26.7% of them who are currently using it. 85% are familiar with maps and pins, with 64.7% of them who are currently using it. The PNP Officers evaluated the usefulness of the E-blotter with a mean rating of 3.25, which is interpreted as Moderately Acceptable. And to the usefulness of the maps and pins with a mean rating of 3.82, which is interpreted as Very acceptable. The Response clearly showed that the proposed system is useful. The PNP officers evaluated the system interfaces ease of understanding as 3.95, which is interpreted as very acceptable. The system's provision of time efficient decision making was rated 3.9, which is interpreted as very acceptable. The system's implementation of the theories was rated 3.85, which is interpreted as very acceptable. The system's accuracy of results was rated 3.75, which is interpreted as very acceptable. The PNP officers evaluated the systems importance (include all results) with an overall rating of 3.8625 which is interpreted as very acceptable. The PNP IT personnel evaluated the system with an overall rating of 4.515 on a 5-point rating system which is interpreted as completely acceptable. Functionality had a mean rating of 4.35, which is interpreted as completely acceptable. Usability had a mean rating of 4.68. This is interpreted as completely acceptable.


In this paper, a detailed model of a ship deck and attached dynamic systems was developed and subjected to dynamic studies using two different shock inputs: a triangular shaped velocity pulse and the vertical motion of the innerbottom of the standard Floating Shock Platform (FSP). Two studies were conducted, one considering four single degree-of-freedom systems attached at various deck locations and another considering a three-mass system attached at one location. The two shock inputs were used only for the multi-mass system study. The triangular pulse was used for the four single degree-of-freedom systems study. For the single degree-of-freedom systems study, shock spectra were first calculated at the four mounting locations assuming the oscillators were not present. Then the oscillator systems were added to these grid points to determine the change in the shock spectra. First, the oscillators were added one at a time, and then all the oscillators were added to the deck. The multi-mass system was analyzed using both shock inputs. First, the fixed-base modal masses and frequencies were determined. Then, the system as a whole was attached to the deck and the spectrum values at the base point were determined and compared to those for the free deck case. In the last step each mode of the multi-mass system, represented by a single degree-of-freedom system with the modal mass and appropriate spring stiffness, was considered individually to determine the spectrum responses. Results of the free deck, the entire system and individual modal responses are compared.


Indigital circuits, energy reduction is the most important parameter in the design of handy and battery-operated devices. Flip- flop is an important component in any digital system. By improving the performance of flip-flop, complete system performance is better. This paper addresses the design of D flip-flop using direct current diode-based positive feedback adiabatic logic (DC-DB PFAL) at various frequencies at 45nm technology node. Further, the layout for the proposed design is also presented. The performance analysis is carried out for delay, power dissipation, power delay product and transistor count. Circuit simulation is done by using cadence virtuoso tool at 10 MHz and 100 MHz frequencies. The results show an improvement in power dissipation of 18% with less transistors count compared to exiting designs in the literature.


ABSTRACT GPS measurements of tidal modulation of ice flow and seismicity within the grounding zone of Beardmore Glacier show that tidally induced fluctuations of horizontal flow are largest near the grounding line and decrease downstream. Seismic activity is continuous, but peaks occur on falling and rising tides. Beamforming methods reveal that most seismic events originate from two distinct locations, one on the grid-north side of the grounding zone, and one on the grid-south side. The broad pattern of deformation generated as Beardmore Glacier merges with the Ross Ice Shelf results in net extension along the grid-north side of the grounding zone and net compression along the grid-south side. During falling tides, seismic activity peaks on both sides because of increased vertical flexure across the grounding line. During rising tides, seismic activity in the region of extension on the grid-north side is relatively low because the tidal influence on both horizontal strain rate and vertical flexure is small. On the grid-south side during rising tides, however, tidally induced horizontal strain rates promote increased seismicity in regions of long-term compressional flow paths. Our study highlights how concurrent geodetic and seismic measurements provide insight into grounding-zone mechanics and their influence on ice-shelf buttressing.


Engineering chem-/sono-/photo-multimodal antitumor therapies has become an efficient strategy to combat malignant tumors. However, the existence of hypoxia in the tumor microenvironment (TME) leads to limited sonodynamic or photodynamic efficiency because O2 is the key reactant during the process of generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Here, to design a desirable platform that can simultaneously convert H2O2 in the TME into ROS and O2 for efficient chem-/sono-/photo-multimodal tumor therapies, we have created ultrasmall Cu2O-coordinated carbon nitride on a biocompatible ceria substrate (denoted as Cu2O-CNx@CeO2) via a self-assisted catalytic growth strategy. The chemical and morphological structures, ROS and O2 generation activities, and chemo-/photo-/sono-dynamic specificities of Cu2O-CNx@CeO2 when serving as multifunctional biocatalytic agents were systematically disclosed. The experimental studies validated that Cu2O-CNx@CeO2 presents state-of-the-art peroxidase-like and catalase-like activities. Moreover, the light excitation and ultrasound irradiation were also demonstrated to boost ROS production. The in vitro and in vivo experiments suggest that Cu2O-CNx@CeO2 can efficiently inhibit the growth of malignant melanoma via chem-/sono-/photo-multimodal antitumor ability. We believe that applying these new biocatalysts with dual catalytic activities of producing ROS and O2 will offer a new path for engineering multimodal nanoagents to combat malignant tumors.


Background. Digital radiography has widespread use in endodontics. Determining a correct working length is vital for a proper endodontic therapy. The aim of this study was to compare the accuracy of conventional and digital radiographic techniques for root canal working length determination. Methods. After determining the real working lengths of 50 permanent maxillary central incisors (gold standard), the conventional (E- and F-speed films) and digital (CCD, PSP) images were obtained using the parallel technique. The mean registered working length of each modality was compared with the other and with the gold standard using one-way ANOVA at P<0.05. Results. No significant difference was found between the recorded working length values using the conventional and digital radiographic techniques (P=0.828). Conclusion. Within the limitations of this study, it was concluded that there was no difference between the measurement accuracy of CCD, PSP and conventional imaging techniques in root canal working length determination.


The article deals with the questions of syncretism in lexical semantics of words belonging to different parts of speech in two aspects: the syncretism of properties of lexical meanings and the syncretism of lexical meanings. Three types of nomination meanings are singled out: 1) nomination meaning oriented on either a person or an animal, or an object (nomination of one denotative area); 2) evaluative meaning which is simultaneously oriented on a person, animal and an object (characterizing three denotative areas); nomination evaluative meaning oriented on one denotative area naming and characterizing it at the same time. The article provides examples of the syncretism of direct and metonymic, several metonymic, direct and metaphoric, metonymic and metaphoric meanings. Theoretical issues are illustrated by examples from fiction. The author' observations are focused both on general theoretical issues of semantics and on the practice of teaching vocabulary at schools or institutes of higher education.


Some recent advances in the application of atomic force microscopy to crystalline polymers are detailed. Ultra-high resolution imaging of crystal surfaces, combined with the analysis of computer generated Connolly surfaces, enables the unambiguous identification of features on the cellulose crystal surface at near-atomic resolution. The electronic enhancement of the quality factor of the cantilever when tapping in liquids enables a considerable improvement in force sensitivity to be obtained, allowing the fully saturated surface of an isotactic polystyrene gel to be imaged under the solvating molecule, at nanometre resolution. A series of experiments are detailed in which processes such as crystallization, crystal thickening and crystal deformation are followed in situ, in real time, providing significant new insights into long standing problems in polymer science.


According to conventional wisdom, strategic natural resources like oil are harmful to international peace. Nonetheless, there is little empirical quantitative work on the link between resource abundance and interstate conflicts. Analyzing the impact of oil on militarized interstate disputes on a monadic level of analysis, this paper shows that oil in fact influences the conflict potential between countries. Results of logistic regressions suggest that a high absolute oil production is associated with an increased risk of dispute initiation. Per capita oil production, in contrast, does not seem to influence a country's propensity to start militarized conflicts. We also find that while very small oil-rich countries are more frequently the object of military actions, large oil producers seem to be generally spared from foreign attacks. We conclude that specific causal mechanisms such as an increased military capacity or the indulgence of the international community (rather than domestic political conditions inherent to the rentier state) might be particularly useful to explain our findings.


HiperLAN/2 is an upcoming standard, which is being specified by the ETSI/BRAN project. High Performance Radio Local Area Network type 2 (HiperLAN/2) is one of the wireless broadband access networks, shall provide high-speed communications of up to 54 Mbps between mobile terminals and various broadband infrastructure networks. This paper presents an overview of the H/2 standard together with simulated physical layer performance results for each of the transmission mode define in the standard for channel A, C and E as these channels are the most common environments where H/2 will be deployed. Furthermore, the effect on system's throughput as the number of users and number of connections per user increases are also investigated. At the end, some comparison are made between HiperLAN/2 and IEEE 802.11(a) standards as they are two competing systems.


This research aims to determine the effect of Fiscal Balance Funding on regional economic growth in East Java Province period 2015-2017. The data used in this research are Local Own Revenue (Pendapatan Asli Daerah), General Allocation Fund (Dana Alokasi Umum), Specific Allocation Fund (Dana Alokasi Khusus) and Village Fund (Dana Desa), Capital Expenditure (Belanja Modal) and Regional Gross Domestic Bruto (Produk Domestik Regional Bruto) from all district in East Java Province. The data used are obtained from the Directorate General of Fiscal Balance and the Central Bureau of Statistics. The sample in this study was 30 districts/cities in East Java Province and analytical method used is multiple linear regression analysis and path analysis. According to the calculation results based on the magnitude of the direct influence coefficient of the five variables shows that there is an indirect effect of District Own Revenue and General Allocation Fund on Regional Economic Growth through Capital Expenditure. Based on these results, the researchers provide suggestions that it is expected to allocate Special Allocation Fund for expenditures that have high impact on productive activities such as capital expenditure that can support regional economic growth.
Keywords: Fiscal Balance Funding, Capital Expenditurel, Regional Economic Growth


"Seeing as a kind of journey: from dark to light, from nothing to substance. Sight as crossing over…an understanding of oneself and the other. " (Samuele Mazza. Spectacles)

Over the last 15 years as a lecturer I have been increasingly interested in the integration of emerging technologies for the creative industries, overseeing the installation of laser systems for welding, cutting and marking for jewellery and applied art courses. In order to further understand the technology that artists increasingly look for to use as a daily tool, I recently completed the research project Laser processing on titanium for contemporary jewellery: a bridge between cultures at The University of Manchester in the School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering. The difficulty in understanding between my own art background and their engineering culture, however, created in the project a new dimension. The relatively straightforward task of finding applications of laser processing for contemporary jewellery also became a mission to improve the communication between art, science and engineering through the objects being made.

The Ocular series 1-6 created during the research, was grounded in the aesthetic and function of the measuring instruments used in optometry. These had always been an intriguing source of interest to me, perhaps because of my lifelong condition of hyperopia and astigmatism. Manual instrumentation, trial lenses and correcting glasses provided an important design influence. The objects all include a lens in the centre, inviting the viewer to peer through, to examine in detail, to inspect further - actions associated with scientific observation and also with improving sight, clarifying vision, aiding discovery, altering perception or simply appealing to the wonder of magnification.

The journey that I encountered during my research included microscopic views of titanium oxidation and opened new levels of material understanding thanks to the help of engineers and scientists working around me. Eyesight correction and the essential use of both eyes needed for binocular vision became metaphors for the research. The Ocular series were modelled on the idea of a monocle that might be made to individual prescriptions, suggesting that correcting vision would help see the 'bigger picture', assuage 'clouded' or 'tunnel vision'.

For this exhibition it is my intention to further develop the concept of using sight as a bridging mechanism between the cultures of science and art. Jewellery is the ideal art form with which to communicate and carry this notion forward and I hope to work with a scientist and/or an engineer to carry it out. The object/s made will also engage with issues surrounding the public understanding of both art and science, exposing aspects of engineering research and of art practice that aim to change persistent preconceptions.


Abstract Objective This study aimed to develop a digitised Mandarin Nonsense Word Speech Perception Test for use in Malaysia, a multilingual country in Southeast Asia. Design In Phase I, 400 vowel-consonant-vowel (VCV) nonsense word samples containing 20 Mandarin consonants in /a/, /i/, or /u/ contexts were recorded from two speakers of different genders. Acoustic analyses, sound quality ratings, and item validations were used to guide selection of items to form two gender-specific test lists. In Phase II, performance-intensity functions and test-retest reliability for the lists were established. Study sample Native Mandarin-speaking adults with normal hearing participated in Phase I (n = 10) and Phase II (n = 69). Results Eighty-four of the 400 VCV words were selected to form two gender-specific test lists. A two-way repeated measure ANOVA revealed a significant interaction effect between speaker-gender and presentation level [F (4.88, 283.20) = 22.79, p < 0.001, ηp 2= 0.28]. Intraclass correlation scores of 0.75 and 0.87 were obtained for the female-speaker and male-speaker lists respectively. Conclusions The preliminary normative data of the Mandarin nonsense word test have been developed. It is recommended to use separate gender-specific norms when conducting the test. The test has good validity and reliability for testing Mandarin-speaking adults in Malaysia.


Abstract The hypothalamus is indispensable in energy regulation and glucose homeostasis. Previous studies have shown that pro-opiomelanocortin neurons receive both central neuronal signals, such as α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone, β-endorphin, and adrenocorticotropic hormone, as well as sense peripheral signals such as leptin, insulin, adiponectin, glucagon-like peptide-1, and glucagon-like peptide-2, affecting glucose metabolism through their corresponding receptors and related signaling pathways. Abnormalities in these processes can lead to obesity, type 2 diabetes, and other metabolic diseases. However, the mechanisms by which these signal molecules fulfill their role remain unclear. Consequently, in this review, we explored the mechanisms of these hormones and signals on obesity and diabetes to suggest potential therapeutic targets for obesity-related metabolic diseases. Multi-drug combination therapy for obesity and diabetes is becoming a trend and requires further research to help patients to better control their blood glucose and improve their prognosis.


Background. Dental and gum disease is a health problem faced by many countries around the world. Dental and gum diseases begin with the formation of plaque on the tooth surface, as a result of the activities of bacteria in the oral cavity. Elimination of the bacteria as caries causal has been done in many ways, one of them by using plant extracts which have anticariogenic activities, such as gambir (Uncaria Gambir [Roxb.]). The aim of this study was to determine the effect of chewing candy containing gambir on the decrease of bacterial colonies and dental plaque formation.
Methods. A Pretest-Posttest Control Group Design had been conducted in SMPN 17 of Junior High School in Palembang and Province's Health Laboratory of South Sumatera, Indonesia. The population consisted of 50 participants, divided into 5 groups. Each group was chewing with 5%, 7.5%, 10% extract-gambir candies, no chewing candies, and chewing sucrose's candies. Data were analyzed by using SPSS vers 22.
Result. The results showed that all candies containing gambir extract were able to reduce the formation of dental plaque and to decrease the bacterial colonies in saliva. The best effect of this study was 10% extract-gambir candies.
Conclusion. It can be concluded that extract-gambir candies were effective in the decline of dental plaque formation and bacterial colonies.


A solid (ie filled-in) two-dimensional form is seen in motion toward another solid object of different shape and not towards an outline object of the same shape. The interpretation of these findings in terms of luminance-domain spatial frequency filtering is challenged by experiments in which the same results were obtained with kinetic and cyclopean forms.


Many practical multi-sensor tracking systems are based on some form of track fusion, in which local track estimates and their associated covariances are shared among sensors. Communication load is a significant concern, and the goal of this paper is to propose an architecture for low-bandwidth track fusion. The scheme involves intelligent scalar and vector quantization of the local state estimates and of the associated estimation error covariance matrices. Simulation studies indicate that the communication saving can be quite significant, with only minor degradation of track accuracy.


Paramedics occupy an ever-increasing role within healthcare
and the development of this role should be informed by the voice of patients.
This systematic literature review seeks to explore patient experience during
a paramedic intervention. Methods: Using a 'state of the art' review style, a
systematic search was conducted of the literature published between 2006 and
2018. Following PRISMA guidelines, a total of seven articles meeting the inclusion
criteria were identified. A definition of experience which incorporates several
dimensions was used to frame the search. Results: Three themes were identified,
with the available literature focusing mainly on satisfaction. Satisfaction is
improved through certainty and clarity of the progression through treatment and
is high among patients of paramedics. Conclusion: Our understanding of patient
experience in paramedic interventions is largely limited to an understanding of
satisfaction. While this may provide some useful insights, other facets such as
the lived experience and physiologic aspects are underrepresented in the current
evidence base.


Interpreting a deep Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) involves identifying the features in a hierarchy of layers that contribute to recognition. Although the current approaches serve as methods to interpret a deep CNN, further advancement is required for a more accurate and efficient way of understanding how a hierarchy of features formed by a deep CNN contributes to recognition. In this paper, we propose attaching a feedback CNN to a pretrained feedforward CNN as a means of learning how recognition is performed by the feedforward CNN. In other words, the features reconstructed in a hierarchy of the feedback CNN represent those learned by the feedforward CNN. By analyzing how clusters are formed in the layers of feature spaces in the feedback CNN, we can interpret which features critically contribute to recognition. It also helps to evaluate whether or not recognition is done successfully. In order to show this, we experimentally verify the capabilities of the proposed approach in terms of identifying incorrectly recognized input data by pinpointing the source of the error in feature spaces. Experiments conducted on the ModelNet datasets indicate that the proposed approach offers an extended capability of interpreting a deep CNN as described above with higher accuracy than conventional approaches.


Each year the Editorial Board of Physiological Measurement has the task of choosing the paper published in the previous year that represents the most significant advancement in physiological measurement science and/or technology. This is a particularly difficult endeavor, for there are many deserving manuscripts published. Not only that, major impact can occur over a long time constant, and a year may not provide a sufficient period to obtain a relevant sample of a paper's impact. There is also the factor of when the paper was published in the year under consideration. A paper published early in the volume will have more exposure than one published later. This means that metrics such as the number of citations or web downloads cannot be used without some sort of correction factor. In short, referees' comments were used to narrow down the choice of papers to a shortlist of eight, rated as the best of 2005. It then boiled down to each Board member's personal assessment of these eight papers and what they felt the impact of a particular paper would be. One might think that this is no better than gazing into a crystal ball or reading tea leaves, but we have an impressive Editorial Board both from the perspective of the various areas of physiological measurement they represent and from their geographic distribution. Much expertise goes into making this annual choice. I am pleased to announce that the Editorial Board has chosen Jonathan S Maltz and Thomas F Budinger Evaluation of arterial endothelial function using transit times of artificially induced pulses 2005 Physiol. Meas. 26 293–307 to receive the Martin Black Prize, awarded by the Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine (IPEM) and IOP Publishing. This paper is important in that it presents a new and simplified method of assessing endothelial function, a factor that others have shown to be an early indicator of atherosclerosis. Furthermore, additional authors have shown that altered endothelial function in peripheral arteries such as the brachial artery is usually indicative of altered endothelial function in the coronary arteries and therefore can be used as an early indicator of coronary artery disease, a major killer in our world. The problem was that before Maltz and Budinger's work, there was no simple and relatively inexpensive way to noninvasively measure endothelial function that might lead to a practical clinical test for early arterial disease. Our award paper shows the possibility of removing this limitation. Maltz and Budinger have demonstrated that a relatively simple measurement can identify endothelial functional anomalies associated with atherosclerosis. Yes, their apparatus is limited to small studies and is somewhat awkward to use (they do point out, however, that its use was easily taught to those making the measurement), but this is not the point of the paper. Rather than developing the technology to the level where a clinical device prototype can be produced, they have concentrated on being able to test their basic principle and let the engineering details come later. If the basic principle is not valid, the engineering design and development need not come at all! Too often medical instrument developers are more concerned with the engineering development of prototypes and not whether the measurement will be valid and will have clinical impact. Maltz and Budinger get right to the issue of whether their approach to the measurement makes sense, and if it does then they can design a more clinically appropriate device. They have done this well. It is unlikely that any of us who are at that point in life where we must worry about the status of our coronary arteries will be experiencing this test the next time we mount the bicycle ergometer or step on a treadmill at the cardiology clinic. Much work still needs to be done before Maltz and Budinger's approach reaches routine use, but our Editorial Board believe that this approach has a good chance of making it there. There are many questions that will need to be answered before this happens, however. A study of twelve subjects can demonstrate feasibility, but far more evaluations will be needed to constitute a clinical trial. We will need to know the effects of gender, body type, age and a host of other factors before this can be established as a routine clinical test. But even more important, it will be necessary to relate the results of this measurement to coronary artery disease, or, for that matter, other vascular diseases, for this approach to achieve its full clinical potential. There is still a long way to go, but Maltz and Budinger are off to a good start. We congratulate them on their accomplishment and look forward to hearing more from them as they continue to develop this important new physiological measurement.


In shared spaces, motorized and non-motorized road users share the same space with equal priority. Their movements are not regulated by traffic rules, hence they interact more frequently to negotiate priority over the shared space. To estimate the safeness and efficiency of shared spaces, reproducing the traffic behavior in such traffic places is important. In this paper, we consider and combine different levels of interaction between pedestrians and cars in shared space environments. Our proposed model consists of three layers: a layer to plan trajectories of road users; a force-based modeling layer to reproduce free flow movement and simple interactions; and a game-theoretic decision layer to handle complex situations where road users need to make a decision over different alternatives. We validate our model by simulating scenarios involving various interactions between pedestrians and cars and also car-to-car interaction. The results indicate that simulated behaviors match observed behaviors well.


The annual amount of dew input to the water budget in the midlatitudes is mostly neglected, possibly because direct dew measurements are very difficult and time‐consuming. As the Netherlands has a very high frequency of dew events, a grassland area was selected to determine whether dew input could be significant. The study site is situated within the Wageningen University meteorological station. Dew measurement experiments were carried out in 2004. Data were used to verify a surface energy dew model, which was then applied to an 11‐year data set. A mean annual dew amount of 37 mm was obtained with a standard deviation of 8 mm, while the mean annual precipitation was 830 mm with a standard deviation of 200 mm. Dew contributed about 4.5% of the mean annual precipitation. The average number of dew nights per year was 250 (70%) with a standard deviation of 25 nights. This frequency significantly affects leaf wetness and possible vegetation diseases.


To investigate if it is appropriate to apply urine density correction when a urine sample is dense or dilute. Data on hippuric acid (HA-U), toluene (Tol-U), creatinine (CR) and specific gravity (SG) in end-of-shift urine samples and exposure to air-borne toluene were cited from previous publications. In practice, 837 cases were available, and they were classified into dense, intermediate and dilute groups taking 0.3 and 3.0 g/l of CR and 1.010 and 1.030 of SG as cut-off points. Lines of regression of HA-U and Tol-U (as observed, CR-corrected or SG-corrected) with air-borne toluene were calculated for each density groups, and correlation coefficients (CCs) were compared. The dense groups gave CCs similar to those of the intermediate groups. Dilute versus intermediate group comparison also gave promising results. These conclusions were however based primarily on the findings with observed values, because the numbers of cases in the dilute or dense group were limited when CR- or SG-correction was applied. Literature survey showed that urine density correction does not always improve the correlation between solvents in air and exposure makers in urine. It was concluded that no correction for urine density may be necessary in evaluating HA-U and Tol-U in dense (and probably also dilute) urine samples as markers of occupational toluene exposure. Just in case when correction for urine density is desired for any reason, SG-correction may be recommended.


There is a growing call to introduce a European public notice filing system for security rights in movable goods comparable to the notice filing system of Art. 9 UCC. A proposal to this effect has been adopted in Book IX DCFR, which represents a comprehensive framework of rules for proprietary security in movable assets. The ultimate aim of this thesis was to investigate whether a European notice filing system for security rights in movable assets should be introduced, and if so, to what extent Art. 9 UCC should serve as an example. In evaluating this question, this thesis focused on the interests of several types of parties that are typically involved in or exposed to secured transactions operating within the borders of the European Union. In a nutshell, it investigated whether it is likely that these parties will be "better off" in a system where a public filing system exists, measured by effectiveness and cost-efficiency. More specifically, this thesis proceeded from the proposition that it is worthwhile to strive for public filing if it effectively addresses the legal risks these parties are exposed to in the absence of public information on security interests and does so in a manner that is cost-efficient for the parties concerned, i.e. in accordance with a cost-benefit approach. The outcome was that a public filing system on a European scale may be useful in the aforementioned respect; its success will however, largely depend on the way it is designed and organized. The current proposal for a public notice filing system as embodied in Book IX of the European Register for Proprietary Security ('ERPS'), is promising in various respects. This thesis presented a few recommendations aimed at further improving the proposal.


Presented at a conference titled "Psychedelic Science 2013," highlighting the resumption of investigations with psychedelic substances (i.e., psilocybin, DMT, LSD, MMDA, etc.) in the United States and Europe after a dormant period of more than two decades, the author presents insights and perspectives gleaned from his 25 years of clinical research experience. After acknowledging the vastness and potential significance of this research frontier, the article focuses on the "cartography of inner space"; the unique therapeutic potential of transcendental states of consciousness; the entelechy of the interpersonally grounded psyche; the importance of integration in drug-free therapy sessions; the roles of expectation, religious education and faith; the role of music; and future research directions.


The emerging Fog Computing paradigm provides an additional computational layer that enables new capabilities in real-time data-driven applications. This is especially interesting in the domain of Smart Grid as the boundaries between traditional generation, distribution, and consumer roles are blurring. This is a reflection of the ongoing trend of intelligence distribution in Smart Systems. In this paper, we briefly describe a component-based decentralized software platform called Resilient Information Architecture Platform for Smart Systems (RIAPS) which provides an infrastructure for such systems. We briefly describe some initial applications built using this platform. Then, we focus on the design and integration choices for a resilient Discovery Manager service that is a critical component of this infrastructure. The service allows applications to discover each other, work collaboratively, and ensure the stability of the Smart System.


Collaborative Filtering (CF) has become the standard approach to solve recommendation systems problems. Collaborative Filtering algorithms try to make predictions about interests of a user by collecting the personal interests from multiple users. There are multiple CF algorithms, each one of them with its own biases. It is the Machine Learning practitioner that has to choose the best algorithm for each task beforehand. In Recommender Systems, different algorithms have different performance for different users within the same dataset. Meta Learning has been used to choose the best algorithm for a given problem. Meta Learning is usually applied to select algorithms for a whole dataset. Adapting it to select the to the algorithm for a single user in a RS involves several challenges. The most important is the design of the metafeatures which, in typical meta learning, characterize datasets while here, they must characterize a single user. This work presents a new meta-learning based framework named $\mu-\mathbf{cf}2\mathbf{vec}$ to select the best algorithm for each user. We propose using Representation Learning techniques to extract the metafeatures. Representation Learning tries to extract representations that can be reused in other learning tasks. In this work we also implement the framework using different RL techniques to evaluate which one can be more useful to solve this task. In the meta level, the meta learning model will use the metafeatures to extract knowledge that will be used to predict the best algorithm for each user. We evaluated an implementation of this framework using MovieLens 20M dataset. Our implementation achieved consistent gains in the meta level, however, in the base level we only achieved marginal gains.


In recent years there have been major changes in the accounting field and the question of what is fair and accurate reporting is always a relevant issue. Defining the concept of true and fair view and to find an accurate synonym is difficult, still it may be considered that there is an implied meaning of the concept in the business of accounting. In 2004 BFN started the development of K2, a simplified regulatory framework for small companies. The purpose of K2 is to facilitate the accounting and reduce the administrative burden for these companies. In Sweden, 95 percent of all companies belong to the category of small companies and are allowed to use the new and simplified regulations, K2. Therefore we wish to study whether the true and fair view can be affected by K2 and its simplifications.


Coarse-grained atomistic simulations are conducted to study the effect of phase interface atomic coherency on the dynamics of dislocations in both metallic and non-metallic multilayers under compression. Results show that the Cu/Ni bimaterial with a coherent interface has a yield point of almost twice higher than the one with a semi-coherent interface. An increased number of semi-coherent interfaces provides richer sources for dislocation nucleation, giving rise to a lower yield point. The intersection of the deposited dislocations is shown as an effective facilitator of dislocation transmission and emission across the semi-coherent interfaces. In contrast to Cu/Ni, the Si/Ge bimaterial with coherent and semi-coherent interfaces exhibit yield strengths of only a 13% discrepancy. The dramatic difference is shown to be determined by the disparate deformation mechanisms of the interface dislocations.


We introduce 2D blind spot estimation as a critical visual task for road scene understanding. By automatically detecting road regions that are occluded from the vehicle's vantage point, we can proactively alert a manual driver or a self-driving system to potential causes of accidents (e.g., draw attention to a road region from which a child may spring out). Detecting blind spots in full 3D would be challenging, as 3D reasoning on the fly even if the car is equipped with LiDAR would be prohibitively expensive and error prone. We instead propose to learn to estimate blind spots in 2D, just from a monocular camera. We achieve this in two steps. We first introduce an automatic method for generating ``ground-truth'' blind spot training data for arbitrary driving videos by leveraging monocular depth estimation, semantic segmentation, and SLAM. The key idea is to reason in 3D but from 2D images by defining blind spots as those road regions that are currently invisible but become visible in the near future. We construct a large-scale dataset with this automatic offline blind spot estimation, which we refer to as Road Blind Spot (RBS) dataset. Next, we introduce BlindSpotNet (BSN), a simple network that fully leverages this dataset for fully automatic estimation of frame-wise blind spot probability maps for arbitrary driving videos. Extensive experimental results demonstrate the validity of our RBS Dataset and the effectiveness of our BSN.


Abstract This paper describes how Marche Regional Administration (MRA) introduced an innovative institutional reform of an Agricultural Knowledge and Information System (AKIS) in central Italy. In order to study the main features of the MRA reform we used a methodological approach based on three steps: (i) first we applied a desk analysis to sketch the main elements of the reform; (ii) we then analyzed farmers' assessment of the institutional change by using information derived from a field survey on a sample of beneficiaries, and (iii) using a focus group technique. We found that MRA reform introduced an institutional innovation in the domain of public extension services (ES) provision within the Italian context. However, the assessment of the short-term effects indicate that the original objectives of the reform have been only partially achieved. This is in line with other experiences presented in the literature and confirms the difficulties to introduce institutional innovation in the domain of AKIS. The paper describes the analysis of an institutional reform in the AKIS domain which has been considered a 'best practice' within the Italian context. Using an institutional analysis approach the paper provides an original way of looking at a 'new' model for organizing public ES.


The active state of muscle is characterized by two mechanical properties, the capacity to exert or resist a force and the ability to shorten. The former is known to reach its full extent and very quickly after a stimulus; the development of the latter has been examined experimentally. Isotonic twitches of a frog's sartorius were recorded at 0ºC with equipment of high sensitivity and very small inertia. Following the latent period, about 8 msec, was required for the full velocity of shortening to be reached, after which it was maintained for some time. The delay was not due to inertia, but a substantial part of it is probably to be attributed to a statistical distribution of speed of response in individual fibres. In the ultimate contractile elements, therefore, the transition from rest to full activity is extremely rapid.


Sample surveys providing high quality information on both total household expenditure (consumption) and income are not commonly available. Nevertheless, surveys focusing on income usually do collect some information on expenditure data. A main drawback of this practice is that it could let some researchers think that both sets of information have similar accuracy, as they are derived from the same survey. This paper provides an empirical investigation of the consequences of such an assumption. We draw on the Survey of Household Income and Wealth (SHIW, thereafter) as a case study, since it collects information on both income and consumption. We combine this survey with the information coming from other surveys that are assumed to be more reliable than the SHIW for specific items. On average, we find that the underestimation of household income is lower than the one relating to consumption. As a consequence, in the survey saving rates are likely to be overestimated. We also find evidence that measurement error in income data is proportionally higher for high incomes. This does not appear to be the case for consumption data. Household saving is likely to be overestimated, especially for households in the low income classes. Finally, we find evidence that measurement error may bias the relationship between household savings and its determinants.


We develop a novel technique to decompose banks' ratio of nonperforming loans to total loans into three components: first, a minimum ratio that represents best-practice lending given the volume and composition of a bank's loans, the average contractual interest rate charged on these loans, and market conditions such as the average GDP growth rate and market concentration; second, a ratio, the difference between the bank's observed ratio of nonperforming loans, adjusted for statistical noise, and the best-practice minimum ratio, that represents the bank's proficiency at loan making; third, a statistical noise. The best-practice ratio of nonperforming loans, the ratio a bank would experience if it were fully efficient at credit-risk evaluation and loan monitoring, represents the inherent credit risk of the loan portfolio and is estimated by a stochastic frontier technique. We apply the technique to 2013 data on top-tier U.S. bank holding companies which we divide into five size groups. The largest banks with consolidated assets exceeding $250 billion experience the highest ratio of nonperformance among the five groups. Moreover, the inherent credit risk of their lending is the highest among the five groups. On the other hand, their inefficiency at lending is one of the lowest among the five. Thus, the high ratio of nonperformance of the largest financial institutions appears to result from lending to riskier borrowers, not inefficiency at lending. Small community banks under $1 billion also exhibit higher inherent credit risk than all other size groups except the largest banks. In contrast, their loan-making inefficiency is highest among the five size groups. Restricting the sample to publicly traded bank holding companies and gauging financial performance by market value, we find the ratio of nonperforming loans to total loans is on average negatively related to financial performance except at the largest banks. When nonperformance, adjusted for statistical noise, is decomposed into inherent credit risk and lending inefficiency, taking more inherent credit risk enhances market value at many more large banks while lending inefficiency is negatively related to market value at all banks. Market discipline appears to reward riskier lending at large banks and discourage lending inefficiency at all banks.


This paper describes a manufacturer's use of HALT (Highly Accelerated Life Test) to help identify the root causes of multiple, intermittent, and complex problems with certain Personal Computers (PCs) as used in Point-of-Sale (POS) equipment. In addition to identifying the root causes of "forced" hardware problems by means of these special and severe environmental tests, the paper describes attempts to understand the relationships between the test failures and the experienced factory and field problems. Although the tested PCs have been primarily used in Point-of-Sale equipment, their hardware is very similar to that of ordinary PCs, so the paper's results are applicable to the average PC user. The paper has three basic conclusions: (1) single-sided board construction, while inexpensive, is not suitable for the very high reliability required by POS applications; (2) tin-plated connectors are not reliable for use in POS equipment, especially for low-force, low-current applications like SIMMS cards: and (3) HALT served as a useful tool for identifying some of the perplexing sources of factory and field problems with PCs. Note that the second conclusion is also applicable to those not in the POS market: (a) tin platings are probably not suitable for certain connectors in home and office PCs; and (b) the data provides ii rare example where an accelerated test has quickly demonstrated tin-plated connectors to be troublesome, in situ, in complex electronic systems.


— Transportation is an essential need for many people to go to their work, school, and home. In particular, the main common method inside many cities is to drive the car. Driving a car can be an easy job to reach the destination and load all stuff in a reasonable time. However, deciding to find a parking lot for a car can take a long time using the traditional system that can issue a paper ticket for each customer. The old system cannot guarantee a parking lot for all customers. Also, payment methods are not always available, and many customers struggled to find their car among a numerous number of cars. As a result, this research focuses on providing an online smart parking system in order to save time and budget. This system provides a flexible management system for both parking owner and customers by receiving all request via the online system and it gets an accurate result for all available parking and its location.


The possible colonization of the intestines and contamination of broilers after transport to the slaughterhouse with Campylobacter strains present in cleaned and disinfected transport containers was investigated. Seven broiler flocks with a Campylobacter-free status were sampled once just before loading at the farm and once just before slaughter. On both occasions, samples were also taken from the exterior of the birds and from the intestinal content. Transport containers used to transport the flock were sampled on the farm just before loading the birds. Campylobacters were enumerated and genotyped by flagellin gene A PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. In total, 25 of the 35 sampled containers were Campylobacter contaminated, and 30 genotypes were found. Three broiler flocks became colonized on the farm between initial status determination and transport to the slaughterhouse, and three Campylobacter-free flocks were externally contaminated after transport. In none of the seven flocks was evidence found of intestinal colonization or cocolonization due to transport in Campylobacter-contaminated containers.


The article discusses the options for using information and communication technologies at technology lessons in a comprehensive school, in particular, interior design applications. On the example of studying the theme "Creating a room design", it is shown how, at technology lessons and integrated technology and informatics lessons, a teacher can organize schoolchildren's project activities at technology lessons during one academic trimester. A brief overview of interior design applications that can be used in the educational process is given — Pro100, Dom-3D, Planoplan, Sweet Home 3D. The use of the free software Sweet Home 3D in the design activities of schoolchildren is described in detail.


The book provides the scientific community with a much-needed overview of how adsorbents based on inexpensive waste materials can be used to treat various major water pollutants. This work focuses on design, surface modification and characterization of these materials, thereby leading to an understanding of the role that sorption mechanism plays in treating water pollution. The introductory section deals with a comprehensive overview of various techniques applied for water treatment, the complexity involved and advantages of sorption technique. The following sections then present novel surface modification methods for adsorbents depending on the pollutants and different methodology used to characterize them. The results and discussion section highlights the efficacy of the novel adsorbents in removing various water pollutants and the mechanisms involved in the sorption process. The book concludes with a conclusion chapter enlisting the salient features of the investigation and scope for future work. The result is a reliable reference for those wanting to learn more about this important class of inexpensive adsorbents, as well as scientists in the field seeking deeper insight.


Transient behavior of bipolar transistors with a quantum-well base and a resonant-tunneling structure in the collector is studied using the ensemble Monte Carlo particle method. The switch on/off processes as a response to trigger pulses of the collector voltage and the base current are simulated. The amplitudes and duration of the pulses providing reliable switching are obtained.


Divalent metal transporter 1 (DMT1) is the protein that allows elemental iron entry into the duodenal cell. It is expressed ubiquitously and it also allows the iron exit from the endosomes. This protein plays a central role in iron metabolism and it is strictly regulated. Several animal models elucidate its role in physiology. Recently three patients affected with DMT1 deficiency have been described. This recessively inherited condition appears at birth with severe microcytic anemia. Serum markers could be particularly useful to establish a correct diagnosis: high serum iron, normal total iron-binding capacity (TIBC), increased saturation of transferrin (Tf), slightly elevated ferritin, and increased soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR). Increased free erythrocyte protoporphyrins (FEPs) could address the diagnosis to iron-deficient anemia. All patients appeared to respond to erythropoietin (Epo) administration. Because mean corpuscular volume (MCV) and mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH) did not change during Epo treatment, it was concluded that Epo did not improve iron utilization of the erythroblasts but likely reduced the degree or intensity of apoptosis, affecting erythropoiesis. Moreover liver iron overload was present and documented in all of the affected patients. In this review we analyze the role of DMT1 in iron metabolism and the major causes of reduction and their consequences in animal models as well in humans, and we attempt to define the correct treatment for human mutants.


An assessment of deteriorative effects on reinforced concrete structures is presented focusing mainly on the propagation of the reinforcement corrosion stage. It necessitates the utilization of relevant models and advanced simulation techniques to enable the probabilistic analysis of concrete structures and service life prognosis. Several analytical models for the initiation of concrete cracking, for crack width and for a decrease in the effective reinforcement cross-section are briefly presented. The described approach is applied to some illustrative examples showing the feasibility of predicting the development of reinforcement corrosion and its effect on the service life and/or reliability of the structure. The authors believe that such methodology supports the optimisation of design strategies as well as effective decision-making processes.


Purpose. To determine if two widely used behavioral change measures—Stages of Change (SoC) and Patient Activation Measure (PAM)—correlate with each other, are affected by financial incentives, or predict positive outcomes in the context of incentive-based health interventions. Design. Secondary analysis of two randomized controlled trials of incentives for weight loss and for improved diabetes self-monitoring. Setting. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Newark, New Jersey. Subjects. A total of 132 obese and 75 diabetic adults enrolled in one of two trials. Measures. SoC and PAM scores; weight loss and usage rate of diabetes self-monitoring equipment. Analysis. Multiple regression; Kruskal-Wallis test. Results. We found no association between baseline SoC and PAM scores in either study (p = .30 and p = .89). Regression models showed no association between baseline PAM score and SoC and subsequent outcomes for either study (weight loss study: PAM: p = .14, SoC: p = .1; diabetes study: PAM: p = .45, SoC: p = .61). Change in PAM score and SoC among participants in the intervention groups did not differ by study arm or among participants with better outcomes. Conclusion. PAM score and SoC may not effectively predict success or monitor progress among individuals enrolled in incentive-based interventions.


This paper aims to present a linguist-semiotic analysis of the Islamophobic discourse in the Western media. It attempts to exhibit the ability to applying Van Dijk's (2008) Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) as a conceptual framework for examining and investigating the distorted, verbal and non-verbal Islamophobic discourse in the Western media. The study traces the linguistic manipulation and the distorted and overgeneralized depiction of Arabs and Muslims. Moreover, it outlines verbal, and non-verbal, racial, and ethnic targeting seen in different forms of Western media. It sheds light on the Portrayal of Arabs and Muslims in the Western arts and journalistic contexts while simultaneously drawing an analogy between the counterarguments of both. The study attempts to emphasize the vital role of mass media in the generation and reproduction of one type of racism, which is Islamophobia. It is hypothesized that such stereotypical and prejudiced portrayals result in the "othering" of Arabs and Muslims. In order to trace Islamophobia and assess how these dominant representations reinforce numerous stereotypes of Muslims and Arabs in general, samples of newspapers, articles, movies, paintings, books, and cartoons will be used for the data collection process. Also, this study will take on a qualitative and descriptive approach as its research design. The study found that the Western media tends to present disfigured, fabricated, and overgeneralized portrayals and images of Arabs and Muslims, resulting in an "us" versus "them" dichotomy.


The mechanisms underlying the refractory effects of flutamide, a first-line oral anti-androgen drug, have not been entirely elucidated. In the present study, we investigated the mechanism of flutamide-induced hormone-refractory prostate cancer cell growth and its modulation by resveratrol, a phytoalexin present in grapes. Resveratrol significantly attenuated interleukin 6 (IL-6)-induced signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) transcriptional activity and dihydrotestosterone (DHT) or IL-6-induced prostate-specific antigen (PSA) transcriptional activity. Furthermore, compared to treatment with DHT or IL-6 alone, combination treatment of cells significantly increased PSA transcriptional activity, and resveratrol markedly diminished DHT plus IL-6-induced STAT3 and PSA transcriptional activities. Thus, the inhibitory effects of resveratrol on IL-6-, DHT-, and flutamide-induced hormone-refractory prostate cancer cell growth are partly mediated by the suppression of STAT3 reporter gene activity, suggesting that resveratrol represents a promising therapy for prostate cancer.


We present a multi-modal, first order, intuitionistic linear logic with locations, called DMLL. It is resource-sensitive and takes into account the notions of location and mobility of formulae (seen as resources) through the introduction of three modalities. We define a sequent calculus for which cut-elimination property is proved, a based-on resource semantic model and thus we prove the soundness and completeness of the calculus. Then, we discuss an extension of DMLL with quantifications over locations, called full-DMLL, and propose, from an appropriate subset, a new distributed process calculus with modalities. The relationships between computations and proof search in such logics will be studied and illustrated in some examples.


An experimental pulse technique has been developed permitting rapid measurement of absolute surface wave velocity on single crystals to an accuracy of 1 percent or better. A further modification of the technique allows measurement of parts per million changes in surface wave time delay caused by changes in substrate temperature. The technique directly measures the vertical component of particle velocity at the receiver as a function of time and enables one to distinguish clearly between the various types of surface modes, e.g., Rayleigh wave, pseudosurface wave, etc. The method is applicable to any material.


Excess noise converted from the optical relative intensity noise (RIN) has limited the noise performance in the microwave signal synthesis application for mode-locked lasers. In this paper, a method for detailed characterization of the excess noise conversion from the optical RIN to the electrical pulse width jitter (PWJ), electrical relative amplitude noise (RAN) and electrical phase noise in the photodetection of mode-locked lasers is proposed. With the measured noise conversion ratios, one can predict the electrical RAN and phase noise power spectral densities under different input optical powers. The effect of the pulse width and peak power of the incident optical pulses and the effect of the saturation power of the photodetectors are also investigated. The results are used to suggest guidelines for achieving low-noise photodetection for microwave signal synthesis application.


The high frequency of pulmonary infection by mucoid strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in patients with cystic fibrosis can be interpreted to represent an apparent mutation resulting from environmental factors within the host.