The present study reports on 4 experiments aimed at investigating potential sex differences on a curve tracing task. Furthermore, curve tracing was used as an indirect approach to explore the holistic versus piecemeal strategy hypothesis used to account for sex differences in mental rotation. In Experiment 1, participants only completed a curve tracing task. The Navon (1977) local/global task was added in Experiment 2, whereas mental rotation was included in Experiment 3. Experiment 4 corrected issues encountered with the mental rotation task in Experiment 3. All 4 experiments showed a performance advantage for men on accuracy in curve tracing, although the Sex × Distance interaction required to support preference for a holistic strategy in men was not found. The Navon task findings supported the notion that men show a reduced global precedence effect when compared with women. The performance advantage for men in mental rotation only emerged in Experiment 4. Finally, the tasks showed a pattern of correlations suggestive of common components aside from attention. The General Discussion focuses on alternative explanations of the findings and further research required to elucidate them. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).


Full-waveform inversion relies on the collection of large multiexperiment data volumes in combination with a sophisticated back-end to create high-fidelity inversion results. While improvements in acquisition and inversion have been extremely successful, the current trend of incessantly pushing for higher quality models in increasingly complicated regions of the Earth reveals fundamental shortcomings in our ability to handle increasing problem size numerically. Two main culprits can be identified. First, there is the so-called "curse of dimensionality" exemplified by Nyquist's sampling criterion, which puts disproportionate strain on current acquisition and processing systems as the size and desired resolution increases. Secondly, there is the recent "departure from Moore's law" that forces us to lower our expectations to compute ourselves out of this. In this paper, we address this situation by randomized dimensionality reduction, which we adapt from the field of compressive sensing. In this approach, we combine deliberate randomized subsampling with structure-exploiting transform-domain sparsity promotion. Our approach is successful because it reduces the size of seismic data volumes without loss of information. With this reduction, we compute Newton-like updates at the cost of roughly one gradient update for the fully-sampled wavefield.


Predictive models that generalize well under distributional shift are often desirable and sometimes crucial to machine learning applications. One example is the estimation of treatment effects from observational data, where a subtask is to predict the effect of a treatment on subjects that are systematically different from those who received the treatment in the data. A related kind of distributional shift appears in unsupervised domain adaptation, where we are tasked with generalizing to a distribution of inputs that is different from the one in which we observe labels. We pose both of these problems as prediction under a shift in design. Popular methods for overcoming distributional shift are often heuristic or rely on assumptions that are rarely true in practice, such as having a well-specified model or knowing the policy that gave rise to the observed data. Other methods are hindered by their need for a pre-specified metric for comparing observations, or by poor asymptotic properties. In this work, we devise a bound on the generalization error under design shift, based on integral probability metrics and sample re-weighting. We combine this idea with representation learning, generalizing and tightening existing results in this space. Finally, we propose an algorithmic framework inspired by our bound and verify is effectiveness in causal effect estimation.


Rock fall protection system installed against rock slope is one of the most conventional way to protect nearby infra structures. Despite of wide application of typical rectangular nets, virtually installed to protect rock slope face, several problems have also been pointed out up to date. Rectangular draped nets are vulnerable to a sudden external shock such as rock fall, because it doesn't have any systematical buffers or shock absorbers. Furthermore, it has been widely recognized from the some cases of rock fall accident in Korea that rock fall protection nets cause wide range of failure in the rock slope faces due to insufficient pullout bearing capacity of fixing parts. Therefore, in this study, we tried to make a consideration about the problems of existing standard rock fall protection nets in Korea, and develop a new type of hexagonal net with a shock absorber based on design rock fall energy. In this paper, laboratory and full scale test procedure is described to analysis the performance of newly developed hexagonal rock fall net, and the key results are presented and discussed.


Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is a condition with no cure and can cause disability1. RA affects nearly 1 in 100 adults. Early disease is characterised by pain and other features of inflammation, such as heat, swelling of joints, and loss of function. RA is associated with increased costs of co-morbid conditions (such as cardiovascular (CVD) associated with RA2. CVD associated with RA is the most common cause of death in RA patients. The risk of developing CVD is worse in some ethnic groups3;3;4. Furthermore, RA causes physical damage and social, economic, psychological and cultural problems that impact on all aspects of patient life. There are effective treatments available for RA5; however, non-adherence to medicines (not taking medicines as prescribed) is a significant issue in RA6. Patients' perceptions play an important role in adherence to medicines. Our research in the UK, has showed differences between individuals from ethnic groups on how they view their medicines7. These views can potentially impact on medication adherence and patients' satisfaction with information they receive in clinic. In the UK, we have recently shown that patients from different ethnic backgrounds with RA were disstaified with the information they receive about medicines7. Patients beliefs about medicines and illness pereceptions were found to be associated with satisfaction with information received by clinicans. Furthermore, the British Society of Rheumatology (BSR) led a national audit to investigate the delivery of care across UK rheumatology services. In this audit of early inflammatory arthritis service, we found patients from different ethnic backgrounds expressed greater impact of the disease on functional disability, fatigue, emotional well-being, physical well-being and coping and worse in older patients. This can impact on the way patients perceive their disease activity and information received on treatments. If we understand the needs of patients from ethnic backgrounds we can help improve the health outcomes. This session will provide the audience with insight into some solutions from the UK that might be helpful in order to improve satisfaction with information, disease enagement and treatment adherence. References Emery P. Evidence supporting the benefit of early intervention in rheumatoid arthritis. J Rheumatol, 2002;29 (2):3–8. John H, Kitas G, Toms T, Goodson N. Cardiovascular co-morbidity in early rheumatoid arthritis. Best Pract Res Clin Rheumatol 2009; 23(1):71–82. Grover S, Sinha RP, Singh U, Tewari S, Aggarwal A, Misra R. Subclinical atherosclerosis in rheumatoid arthritis in India. J Rheumatol 2006; 33(2):244–247. Chung CP, Giles JT, Petri M, Szklo M, Post W, Blumenthal RS et al. Prevalence of traditional modifiable cardiovascular risk factors in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: comparison with control subjects from the multi-ethnic study of atherosclerosis. Semin Arthritis Rheum 2012; 41(4):535–544. Smolen JS, Landewe R, Breedveld FC, Buch M, Burmester G, Dougados M et al. EULAR recommendations for the management of rheumatoid arthritis with synthetic and biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs: 2013 update. Ann Rheum Dis 2014; 73(3):492–509. Pasma A, Schenk CV, Timman R, Busschbach J, van den bemt B, Molenaar E et al. Non-adherence to disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs is associated with higher disease activity in early arthritis patients in the first year of the disease. Arthritis Research & Therapy 2015; 17:doi:10.1186/s13075–015–0801–4. Kumar K, Raza K, Nightingale P, Horne R, Chapman S, Greenfield S et al. Determinants of adherence to disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs in White British and South Asian patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a cross sectional study. BMC Musculoskelet Disord 2015; 16(1):396. Disclosure of Interest None declared


Complexity can be characterized at numerous levels; physical, perceptual, and cognitive features all influence the overall complexity of an informational display. The Human Performance Test Facility (HPTF) at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) develops lightweight simulator studies to examine the workload induced by various control room-related tasks in expert and non-expert populations. During the initial development of the lightweight simulator, cognitive complexity was defined based on the number of elements in each control panel. While the number of items roughly maps onto information density, it is only one of several features contributing to display complexity. This study is a follow-up to the original complexity evaluation and includes an initial characterization of the perceptual complexity of a set of control panels in their original (i.e., unmodified) and modified (for cognitive complexity reduction) forms. To assess perceptual complexity, a 3-dimensional approach was developed. The control panel displays were assessed using common measures of physical complexity (e.g., edge congestion, clutter, symmetry), performance-based measures (reaction time and accuracy for target identification), and subjective impressions using a survey adapted from a similar FAA assessment of air traffic controller workstation display complexity. Overall, the results suggested that clutter and symmetry were associated with target identification performance; participants interacting with high symmetry-low clutter displays identified target controls faster than those interacting with low symmetry-high clutter displays. Survey results tended to follow the same pattern as the physical and performance-based results; however, these patterns were not statistically significant, likely due to the small sample size. These initial results are a promising indication that the physical and performance-based measures were valid for assessing display complexity and that they are sensitive to differences in complexity, even with smaller samples. The physical and performance-based measures may be good candidates for human factors validation of future system designs - they are quick and easy to administer while providing a holistic sense of display perceptual complexity. Like other types of surveys, surveys for display complexity often require large samples to detect meaningful differences between groups. System designers and other stakeholders may want to consider alternative strategies, such as physical system measurement and characterization using performance-based methods if the user base is small or designs are in the early stages of development, requiring quick answers and an iterative approach to evaluation.


The false-fame effect is the phenomenon that familiar names are falsely judged famous more often than unfamiliar names. M.R. Banaji and A.G. Greenwald (1995) demonstrated a gender bias in the false-fame effect: In line with existing gender stereotypes, the false-fame effect was larger for male than for female names. A more general explanation for gender biasing in fame judgments is based on cognitive availability. Name gender could be used as an ecologically valid cue when making fame judgments. If the relevant universe of famous names contained more male than female names, a gender bias in fame judgments should be observed, if it contained more female names, the gender bias should be reversed. Indeed, this pattern could be demonstrated experimentally, and we argue that it is not compatible with an account that draws on gender stereotyping but with one based on cognitive availability. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Background: Intramyocellular (im) triglycerides (TG) are increased in athletes, but also insulin resistant (IR) adults. To elucidate this discrepancy, we studied FFA storage in imTG and im oleyl-carnitine (OC) concentrations in IR humans pre and post 2 methods of insulin sensitization (IS) in the context of fitness (VO2max). Methods: 39 adults (BMI 28-36 kg/m2) were given a diet/exercise program (DE; 11.7 ± 3.2 kg weight loss) or 30 mg/day pioglitazone (PI) for ∼19 weeks. Blood and muscle samples were taken before and after a 6 hour [U-13C]oleate infusion with either a euglycemic, hyperinsulinemic clamp (n=20) or saline infusion. Plasma oleate storage in imTG (nmol FFA/g muscle/hr) was calculated. Results: Quantative IS was similar in DE and PI groups. VO2max increased post DE (44 ± 1 to 46 ± 2 ml/kgFFM/min†), but not PI (45 ± 1 ml/kgFFM/min pre and post PI). At baseline, oleate storage in imTG during clamps correlated with VO2max (r=0.51*), but the δVO2max with treatment did not correlate with the δoleate storage in imTG. Following IS, VO2max correlated with imOC (r=0.46*); the latter was true for men (m) (r=0.89*), but not women (r=0.32), and for DE (m: r=0.97*) but not PI (m: r=0.70, p=0.18). δ VO2max correlated with δimOC (m: r=0.92*, f: r=0.57†), both post WL (r=0.91*) and PI (r=0.96*).Summary: In IR adults, IS influences the associations between fitness and markers of imFFA oxidation and storage in imTG during hyperinsulinemia. These relationships are more apparent in men and exaggerated post-IS. Conclusion: Fitness in men regulates imFFA trafficking towards storage and oxidation. *p Disclosure S. Shadid: None. M.D. Jensen: Other Relationship; Self; Novo Nordisk A/S. Consultant; Self; Novo Nordisk A/S.


* Abbreviations:
 AAP — : American Academy of Pediatrics
 ACMG — : American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics
 MCW — : Medical College of Wisconsin
 WES — : whole exome sequencing
 WGS — : whole genome sequencing

In 2009, scientists here at the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) demonstrated the ability to apply whole exome sequencing (WES) to diagnose a pediatric patient with a rare digestive disease. WES enables the evaluation of the known protein coding DNA sequence of an individual. For the MCW patient, WES provided confirmation of an immune disorder,* thereby warranting treatment with a cord blood transplant: a treatment that saved his life but would not have been undertaken without that confirmation.1 This groundbreaking story was prominently featured in a series of Pulitzer Prize–winning stories in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel , scholarly publications, and a segment of the PBS television program Nova . As predicted by Francis Collins,2 success of WES in cases like this has spurred interest in further application of this diagnostic tool. MCW has now expanded its program to include whole genome sequencing (WGS) and has since received requests from around the world to perform WGS. Additionally, in partnership with Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, a pilot program of clinical WGS has recently been completed. As with most new technologies, WGS has sparked controversy concerning whether its clinical application should move forward or if this technology should be confined to the research domain until specific clinical policies are established. Here, we articulate reasons to continue moving forward with clinical WGS.

Until recently, the consensus approach to genetic testing and screening in general has reflected cautious limitations on the use of genetic testing on children. …

Address correspondence to Thomas May, PhD, Ursula Von der Ruhr Professor of Bioethics, Medical College of Wisconsin, 8701 Watertown Plank Rd, Milwaukee, WI 53226. E-mail: tmay{at}mcw.edu


A 23-year old female patient presented with a 14 year history of cutaneous mucinosis. Her hands showed indurated edema with acrocyanosis and severe reduction in motility, while her face was red, edematous and revealed numerous small angiomas. In the sacral region, she had a large elevated skin colored plaque. On the basis of clinical findings, histology and further laboratory tests the disease was classified as papular mucinosis (lichen myxoedematosus). In view of the severe suffering of the young patient and an unsuccessful previous therapy with chloroquine, we decided to employ plasmapheresis as a single therapy. After the first treatment course there was an improvement in her skin condition. After a total of four plasmapheresis courses over a period of 18 months (total exchange volume of 38.4 l) there was an objective flattening of the plaques and reduction of the finger swelling. This case demonstrates that monotherapy of plasmapheresis is an effective mode of treatment for cutaneous mucinosis, a disease which is extremely difficult to treat.


In the calorimetric method of determining the absorption of light in bulk materials, used for the preparation of fibres, it is essential to know the rate at which heat is dissipated from its surface. The spatial temperature distribution in time is strictly derived, when the specimen is irradiated. It is shown that for almost all practical cases the formula for T(r, t) drastically simplifies within an error of less than 5%. In addition, if the sample is in a vacuum it is shown that the time dependence of T(r, t) enables the determination of the emissivity of gray bodies.


It is biologically important to integrate high-throughput data to identify aberrant signal transduction pathways in cancer research. The high-throughput data acquired from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) Project offer a comprehensive picture of the genomic and transcriptional changes across hundreds of tumor samples. In this paper we propose a novel method, namely Gibbs sampler to Infer Signal Transduction pathways (GIST), to detect aberrant pathways that are highly associated with biological phenotypes or clinical information. GIST endeavors to estimate the edge probability by using a Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) method (i.e., a Gibbs sampling strategy). Through the sampling process, GIST is able to infer the correct signal transduction direction because the sampled edge probabilities are jointly determined by gene expression data and network topology. We first tested the efficacy of the GIST algorithm on yeast data and successfully uncovered several biologically meaningful signaling pathways. A case study on TCGA ovarian cancer data was further designed, aiming to unravel diverse signaling pathways associated with the development of ovarian cancer. The experimental results demonstrated the feasibility of applying GIST to identify and prioritize important signaling pathways in ovarian cancer for further biological validation.


This paper evaluates the role of the private sector in performing one of the common surgical interventions, i.e. caesarean sections during childbirth in India. We use the latest round of National Family Health Survey to estimate the differential probability of C-section in private medical facilities relative to government facilities. We employ two estimation techniques, Household Fixed Effects and Coarsened Exact Matching, to reduce the extent of selection bias in the choice of delivery location. We also take advantage of a new question introduced in the survey which allows identification of planned C-sections which are more likely to be the result of either demand for C-section or unobservable (in the data) medical risks. We find that the probability of an unplanned C-section is 13.5-14 percentage points higher in the private sector. Given that some of the planned C-sections could be a result of supplier-induced demand, this is a very conservative estimate. Our results suggest that there were potentially 0.9 million preventable C-sections in the private sector in 2016. These results therefore call for a critical assessment of the role of private sector in healthcare in the context of inadequate public provision, expanding private provision and weak governance structures.


The function of the superconducting bias coil in a saturated iron-core fault current limiter is to magnetize the iron cores. For practical utility devices of HV power grids, the rated capacity is usually 100 MVA or higher. The size and weight of the iron cores of a saturated iron-core fault current limiter with such capacity is quite large, so the bias coil needs to have high magnetization capacity and consequently a large diameter. The stability and safety of the bias coil are of critical importance for the reliability required by power utilities. Experience taught us that great care must be taken in the design, fabrication, testing, and grid operation to avoid potentially fatal risks. In this paper, we will discuss and analyze the possible safety hazards for a large size superconducting bias coil, which may result in mechanical failure and electrical impact, causing significant damage to the coil. Possible causes of the hazards are improper configuration, mismatch of component materials during thermal cycling, manufacturing failures in fabrication, lack of protection in testing and operation, etc. We will also report measures we took to eliminate or reduce these safety hazards.


When noninfected L-cell suspension cultures are treated with interferon (specific activities superior to 106 reference units per mg of protein), the cell-free cytoplasmic extracts obtained are inactive for the translation of exogenous natural mRNAs. The dose-response curve shows that comparable amounts of interferon are required to produce a 50% reduction of Mengo virus multiplication in vivo and Mengo RNA translation in vitro. With higher doses of interferon, Mengo RNA translation is completely abolished, while poly U translation and endogenous protein synthesis are only slightly affected. The inactivation of Mengo RNA translation is reversible; after removal of interferon, normal translation activity is regained together with the ability to support Mengo virus multiplication. Fractionation of the cell-free extracts shows that the effect is localized in the fraction which can be washed off the ribosomes by high salt. These results establish that interferon induces a block in genetic translation in noninfected L cells.


Doxorubicin is a broad-spectrum anthracycline antibiotic which has antineoplastic activity. Doxorubicin can cause cardiotoxic effects due to the formation of doxorubicinol as its main metabolite. One of the latest bio sampling methods, Volumetric Absorptive Microsampling (VAMS), has various advantages which include blood sampling by finger-prick, hematocrit does not influence it, and it can be stored at room temperature. This study aims to determine the optimum analysis conditions and sample preparation method in VAMS with daunorubicin as an internal standard, and to develop sensitive, specific measurements as well as validate the analytical method using Ultra High Performance Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). Analytical quantification analysis using mass spectrometry with a mass analyzer type is a triple quadrupole with a positive type of electrospray ionization (ESI). The separation was carried out with the Acquity® UPLC BEH C18 column (2.1 x 100 mm; 1.7 μm), with a flow rate of 0.2 mL/min, and gradient elution using 0.1% formic acid in water and 0.1% formic acid in acetonitrile for 7 minutes. Multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) values were set at m/z 544.22 > 396.9 for doxorubicin; m/z 546.22 > 398.9 for doxorubicinol; and m/z 528.5 > 362.95 for daunorubicin. Sample preparation used protein precipitation with methanol as the extracting solution, the drying time of the VAMS was 2 hours, and the sonication time was 30 minutes. LLOQ values obtained were 8 ng/mL for doxorubicin and 3 ng/mL for doxorubicinol with the linearity of 0.9904 for doxorubicin and 0.9902 for doxorubicinol.


A novel active fire protection approach, based on integrating a shape memory alloy, NiTi, with a steel structure, was proposed to satisfy the fire resistance requirements in structural design. To demonstrate the principles of this approach, a simple structure in the form of a simply supported steel beam was used. The internal action of the beam due to a transverse applied load was reduced by utilizing the shape memory effect in the NiTi alloy at rising temperatures. As a result, the net internal action from the load design was kept below the deteriorated load capacity of the beam during the fire scenario for period of time that was longer than that of the original beam without the NiTi alloy. By integrating the NiTi alloy into the beam system, the structure remained stable even though the steel temperature exceeded the critical temperature which may have caused the original beam structure to collapse. Prior to testing the composite NiTi–steel beam under simulated fire conditions, the NiTi alloy specimens were characterized at high temperatures. At 300 °C, the stiffness of the specimens increased by three times and its strength by four times over that at room temperature. The results obtained from the high-temperature characterization highlighted the great potential of the alloy being used in fire engineering applications.


Low-speed performance and tracking accuracy of simulator's electrohydraulic servo system are effected by its nonlinear friction torque. Adaptive dynamic friction compensation control strategy with nonlinear observers of electrohydraulic servo system is proposed by building dynamic equations and LuGre friction model. The strategy can modify dynamic friction parameters constantly of servo system to compensate friction and improve low-speed performance by on-line adaptive rate. The effectiveness and superiority of the strategy are verified by comparing with feed-forward friction compensation control method.


Time series are ubiquitous in the world since they are used to measure various phenomena (e.g., temperature, spread of a virus, sales, etc.). Forecasting of time series is highly beneficial (and necessary) for optimizing decisions, yet is a very challenging problem; using only the historical values of the time series is often insufficient. In this paper, we study how to construct effective additional features based on related text data for time series forecasting. Besides the commonly used n-gram features, we propose a general strategy for constructing multiple topical features based on the topics discovered by a topic model. We evaluate feature effectiveness using a data set for predicting stock price changes where we constructed additional features from news text articles for stock market prediction. We found that: 1) Text-based features outperform time series-based features, suggesting the great promise of leveraging text data for improving time series forecasting. 2) Topic-based features are not very effective stand-alone, but they can further improve performance when added on top of n-gram features. 3) The best topic-based feature appears to be a long-term aggregation of topics over time with high weights on recent topics.


Programmed cell death or apoptosis is a process characterized by several morphological, biochemical and molecular events in response to physiological or pathological stimuli, such as gamma radiation. Free radicals being involved in many physiological and pathological processes, the aim of this study is to investigate the literature about the involvement of oxidative pathway during apoptotic process. As reported by several authors, the literature is abundant in this field and show the complexity of the network in which numerous molecules can regulate cell death and proliferation. However, reactive oxygen intermediate species (ROls) seem to play an important role in the induction of apoptosis as underlined by several reports. Regulation of cellular redox status may appear to be a key component which determines cell proliferation or apoptosis.


Exploiting geological variation and timing in the initiation of hydraulic fracturing, we find that fracking leads to sharp increases in oil and gas recovery and improvements in a wide set of economic indicators. There is also evidence of deterioration in local amenities, which may include increases in crime, noise, and traffic and declines in health. Using a Rosen-Roback-style spatial equilibrium model to infer the net welfare impacts, we estimate that willingness-to-pay (WTP) for allowing fracking equals about $2,500 per household annually (4.9 percent of household income), although WTP is heterogeneous, ranging from more than $10,000 to roughly 0 across 10 shale regions.(JEL D12, K42, L71, Q35, Q51, Q53, R41)


We theoretically study the current-perpendicular-to-plane magnetoresistance of a domain wall confined in a nanocontact which is experimentally fabricated as current-confined-path (CCP) structure in a nano-oxide-layer (NOL). We solve the non-collinear spin diffusion equation by using the finite element method and calculate the MR ratio by evaluating the additional voltage drop due to the spin accumulation. We investigate the origin of dispersion of magnetoresistance by considering the effect of randomness of the size and distribution of the nanocontacts in the NOL. It is observed that the effect of randomness of the contact size is much larger than that of the contact distribution. Our results suggest that the origin of dispersion of magnetoresistance observed in the experiments is the randomness of the size of the nanocontacts in the NOL.


Study Design. A cohort study. Objective. To determine the frequency of swelling of the spinal cord with an intramedullary lesion occurring after laminoplasty for nontraumatic cervical myelopathy and the possible mechanism of postoperative motor paresis of the upper extremity. Summary of Background Data. Postoperative enlargement of the spinal cord with an intramedullary lesion after decompression surgery for cervical stenotic myelopathy has been reported. But the frequency of the incidence remains unknown. Postoperative motor paresis occurring mainly in the C5 and C6 segments is known but various theories on its etiology exist, including the root involvement hypothesis and the spinal cord impairment hypothesis. Thus, the etiology is controversial. Methods. One hundred fourteen patients with cervical stenotic myelopathy were included in this study. All of them underwent preoperative magnetic resonance imaging and postoperative magnetic resonance imaging 3 weeks after surgery. We watched for the occurrence of postoperative neurologic deterioration including paralysis of the upper extremities. We also observed the presence or absence of postoperative abnormal expansion of T2 high-signal intensity areas on magnetic resonance imaging in the spinal cord. Results. Seven patients (6.1%) showed postoperative abnormal expansion of the T2 high-signal intensity area; 3 of the 7 were asymptomatic. A total of 9 patients (7.9%) experienced unilateral upper motor paresis after surgery. In 4 of the 9 cases, paresis of the unilateral deltoid, biceps and brachialis muscles (proximal paresis) occurred between 4 and 6 days after surgery. None of the 4 showed postoperative abnormal expansion of the T2 high-signal intensity area. In 3 other of the 9 patients, distal paresis occurred just after surgical intervention. Two of the 3 showed postoperative abnormal expansion of the T2 high-signal intensity area and 1 showed slight expansion of the area. In the other 2 cases, diffuse paresis occurred, and their postoperative magnetic resonance imaging showed abnormal expansion of the T2 high-signal intensity area. Conclusions. Spinal cord enlargement with abnormal expansion of the T2 high-signal intensity area, although not common, is an unpreventable complication after laminoplasty. This was strongly related with distal and diffuse type of postoperative paresis of the upper extremity without deterioration of lower motor function, but was little associated with a proximal type of paresis, so-called C5 and C6 palsies.


Faculty frustration with poor student writing ability and inconsistency among faculty on grading elements of assigned papers triggered the college administration to appoint a writing task force. The first goal was to develop a writing rubric. To measure the effectiveness of the rubric, faculty designed a research study but encountered failure early. Researchers could not achieve interrater reliability using the rubric and were unable to move forward. However, even a failed research study does not necessarily result in failure. Positive lessons were learned, a rubric contract was implemented, and our processes were innovated for improved faculty/student communication.


PURPOSE
To evaluate the neuroprotective effect of intravitreal injections of neurotrophic factors secreting mesenchymal stem cells (NTF-SCs) on the survival of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) in rat eyes after optic nerve transection (ONT).

METHODS
Rat and human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) were induced to secrete high levels of NTF. The neuroprotective effect from intravitreally injected untreated MSCs or NTF-SCs was compared with that from PBS injections using an ONT model in 146 rats. RGCs were labeled by applying rhodamine dextran to the orbital optic nerve or by injecting Fluorogold into the superior colliculus. Cell- and saline-treated eyes were compared 8 days after ONT. For tracking, MSCs and NTF-SCs were labeled with PKH26 and analyzed at 2 hours and at 10, 17, and 24 days using immunohistochemistry and RT-PCR.

RESULTS
Mean RGC survival at 8 days after transection increased significantly after intravitreal injections of human NTF-SCs (69% ± 3%) or of untreated human MSCs (66% ± 5%) versus PBS (46% ± 3%; P = 0.0005 and P = 0.03, respectively). In an additional set of experiments, human NTF-SCs versus PBS were significantly neuroprotective, but bone marrow-derived rat NTF-SCs were not (P = 0.001 and P = 0.1, respectively). Immunohistochemistry demonstrated that human-derived MSCs, human NTF-SCs, and rat-derived NTF-SCs survived at least 24 days after intravitreal injection.

CONCLUSIONS
Bone marrow-derived MSCs can deliver NTFs by intravitreal injection and can be neuroprotective after ONT. This approach might be further studied to deliver NTFs by autotransplantation in glaucomatous eyes.


As our imaging capability increase, so does our need for appropriate image quantification tools. Quantitative Vascular Analysis Tool (Q-VAT) is an open-source software, written for Fiji (ImageJ), that perform automated analysis and quantification on large two-dimensional images of whole tissue sections. Importantly, it allows separation of the vessel measurement based on diameter, allowing the macro- and microvasculature to be quantified separately. To enable analysis of entire tissue sections on regular laboratory computers, the vascular network of large samples is analyzed in a tile-wise manner, significantly reducing labor and bypassing several limitations related to manual quantification. Double or triple-stained slides can be analyzed, with a quantification of the percentage of vessels where the staining's overlap. To demonstrate the versatility, we applied Q-VAT to obtain morphological read-outs of the vasculature network in microscopy images of whole-mount immuno-stained sections of various mouse tissues.


This paper reports on the effect of nitrogen doping of p-type semiconducting amorphous carbon (p-C) films fabricated onto the glass substrate by Aerosol-Assisted Thermal Chemical Vapor Deposition using natural source of camphor oil as the precursor material. From the characterization of the electrical properties using current-voltage (I–V) measurement, I–V graph was modeled. The analyze reveal that conductivity shows an increment in the N2 doped thin film, both in dark and under illumination condition. Other than that, optical and structural properties were also characterized by using UV-VIS-NIR system and Atomic Force Microscopy. The same trend of optical and electrical can be seen when the measurement from the Tauc's plot expose a decreasing value of optical band gap as temperature increase.


This paper reports a highly reliable hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) gate driver using center-offset thin-film transistors (TFTs). The a-Si:H TFTs with a center-offset structure are demonstrated to be highly reliable compared to a conventional a-Si:H TFT. The Vth shift of center-offset a-Si:H TFTs was found to be 35% less than that of the conventional a-Si:H TFT. Therefore, the center-offset a-Si:H TFTs are used as pull-down TFTs in the gate driver circuit. When the center-offset pull-down TFTs are used in the a-Si:H gate driver, the output off-state of the gate driver remains stable for periods longer than 3 × 108 s.


This paper proposes a simple dynamic asset pricing model featuring extrapolative market participation by retail investors, that is, increased market participation following high returns in the stock market and high new participation growth (NPG). The model implies that extrapolative market participation induces asset bubbles and large trading volume and produces momentum and value effects simultaneously. More important, the model also implies that NPG positively predicts momentum strategy returns and negatively predicts value strategy returns. Using a composite measure for NPG, we find empirical support for these predictions. The momentum effect is 1.96% per month following high NPG and only 0.51% following low NPG, whereas the value effect is -0.10% per month following high NPG and 0.68% following low NPG. A similar, albeit weaker, pattern also holds for the time-series momentum and value effect.


Many pests, especially capsid bugs, infest cocoa and contribute to low yields in producing countries. In Ghana, synthetic pesticides are recommended for controlling the insect pests, and a combination of synthetic pesticides and cultural practices for diseases and weeds. However, the farmers in Ghana are not motivated to adopt these recommendations due to the high cost of pesticides and low producer prices. There is also concern that use of synthetic pesticides on a wide scale can affect both human health and the environment. With the objective of improving cocoa yields through environmentally friendly pest control practices, evaluation of an integrated pest management (IPM) package based on aqueous neem (Azadirachta indica A. Juss.) seed extracts to control the insect pests and cultural practices to manage the diseases, weeds and parasitic plants was undertaken in farmers' fields with their active participation. The IPM package improved yields significantly and was found to be more profitable than the farmers' practices. However, there are two major constraints to adoption of the package by farmers: it is labour-intensive and currently, neem is not readily available to the community. The study recommends that these constraints must be tackled to motivate the farmers to adopt or adapt the IPM package.


Clinical manifestations of venous thromboembolism are often subtle or misleading. Yet it is a potentially fatal condition. Although the symptoms and signs at presentation have a poor sensitivity and specificity when considered singly, the physician can accurately assess a clinical probability based on the history, the risk factors, the physical examination and some simple laboratory exams. This essential step allows us to identify a low risk group of patients which will benefit of a non invasive diagnostic strategy. More recently explicit prediction rules were proposed to offset the lack of standardization of this clinical assessment. These new didactic tools can simplify clinical evaluation. Nevertheless, their comparison to implicit evaluation reveals that they should be complemented by the physician's judgement.


Wood presents a hierarchical structure, containing features at all length scales: from the tracheids or vessels that make up its cellular structure, through to the microfibrils within the cell walls, down to the molecular architecture of the cellulose, lignin, and hemicelluloses that comprise its chemical makeup. This structure renders it with high mechanical (e.g., modulus and strength) and interesting physical (e.g., optical) properties. A better understanding of this structure, and how it plays a role in governing mechanical and other physical parameters, will help to better exploit this sustainable resource. Here, recent developments on the use of advanced imaging techniques for studying the structural properties of wood in relation to its mechanical properties are explored. The focus is on synchrotron nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, X‐ray diffraction, X‐ray tomographical imaging, Raman and infrared spectroscopies, confocal microscopy, electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy. Critical discussion on the role of imaging techniques and how fields are developing rapidly to incorporate both spatial and temporal ranges of analysis is presented.


Prior experiments showed the feasibility of alkali and alkaline earth metal/molten salt electrolyte/hydrogen gas electrochemical cells. These cells produce metal hydride, heat and electric power. Batch regeneration of a calcium - hydrogen cell was demonstrated. Regenerative cells were tested. The major difficulties noted were the plugging of the circulating salt lines, the low dissociation pressure of LiH in dilute solutions, and an electric cell-shorting effect arising after long operation. Various molten salt electrolytes were tested. Low melting point eutectic salts containing Na, Rb, Cs, K, and Li were found. Fluorides, bromides, and chlorides were found to be the best electrolytes. Borohydrides and iodides were not satisfactory. Various hydrogen electrode materials were tested. The best electrodes consisted of mesh electrodes or sintered porous disks. The dissociation of LiH over molten salts was determined, and the LiH content of various cell electrolytes was measured. The feasibility of the electrochemical cell, and of the hydride dissociation was demonstrated. However, the complete regenerative system was not reduced to practice. (auth)


To investigate the effect of flavoxate (Urispadol) treatment on patients with symptomatic benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH), with the main weight on the irritative symptoms, a randomized, double-blind, parallel-group, placebo-controlled and multicenter investigation was carried out. Seventy patients entered the study, 37 were allocated to flavoxate treatment on a daily dose of 1,200 mg (400 mg t.i.d.) for 12 weeks, and 33 patients were allocated to placebo treatment. In spite of a sufficient power, the study did not discriminate the two treatment groups in a statistically significant way (p > 0.05), when considering the main endpoints: the irritative symptom score and the global patient evaluation. Conservative treatment of micturition disorders accompanying BPH with flavoxate in doses of 1,200 mg/day cannot be recommended for clinical use.


The formation constant Kf for the 1:1 complex of di-t-butylnitroxide with methanol has been determined over the temperature range –23°C to + 65°C by measuring the variation of aN with methanol concentration. The solvent was carbon tetrachloride. The Newton–Raphson (N.R.) method was used in treating the results. Proper account was taken of the self-associated nature of the methanol. With suitable modifications the analysis should be applicable to other spectroscopic techniques used to study complex formation between two species, one of which is self-associated. Evidence has been obtained which favours the existence of linear rather than cyclic tetramers of methanol in equilibrium with monomers. The enthalpy of formation of the hydrogen-bonded complex was low, namely –6.7 ± 1.8 kJ mol–1. The temperature coefficients of aN in the free and complexed nitroxide are of opposite sign. For the complex, this is shown to be the consequence of proton hopping in an asymmetric double-minimum potential with an energy difference between the minima of 9.4 ± 0.8 kJ mol–1.


Background: The central vein sign (CVS) has been shown to help in the differential diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS), but most prior studies are retrospective. Objectives: To prospectively assess the diagnostic predictive value of the CVS in diagnostically difficult cases. Methods: In this prospective multicenter study, 51 patients with suspected MS who had clinical, imaging, or laboratory "red flags" (i.e. features atypical for MS) underwent 3T fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR*) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for CVS assessment. After the diagnostic work-up, expert clinicians blinded to the results of the CVS assessment came to a clinical diagnosis. The value of the CVS to prospectively predict an MS diagnosis was assessed. Results: Of the 39 patients who received a clinical diagnosis by the end of the study, 27 had MS and 12 received a non-MS diagnosis that included systemic lupus erythematosus, sarcoidosis, migraine, Sjögren disease, SPG4-spastic-paraparesis, neuromyelitis optica, and Susac syndrome. The percentage of perivenular lesions was higher in MS (median = 86%) compared to non-MS (median = 21%; p < 0.0001) patients. A 40% perivenular lesion cutoff was associated with 97% accuracy and a 96% positive/100% negative predictive value. Conclusion: The CVS detected on 3T FLAIR* images can accurately predict an MS diagnosis in patients suspected to have MS, but with atypical clinical, laboratory, and imaging features.


PURPOSE
For endometrial carcinoma patients, there is a need for improved identification of high-risk groups that may benefit from postoperative adjuvant therapy. We therefore studied the prognostic impact of markers for cell proliferation, cell-cycle regulation, and angiogenesis among endometrial carcinoma patients in a population-based setting.

PATIENTS AND METHODS
All patients diagnosed with endometrial carcinoma between 1981 and 1985 in Hordaland County, Norway, were studied. The median follow-up for the survivors was 11.5 years (range, 8 to 15 years), with no patient lost because of insufficient follow-up information. Paraffin-embedded tumor tissue, available in 96% of the cases (n = 142), was studied immunohistochemically for microvessel density (MVD) and expression of Ki-67, p53, and p21 proteins. We used the hot spot method for calculation of MVD, and expression of Ki-67 and p21 protein, because this approach may increase the probability of detecting small aggressive clones of possible prognostic relevance. The importance of these tumor markers was investigated in univariate survival analyses and Cox regression analysis.

RESULTS
The majority of traditional clinicopathologic variables was significantly associated with the tumor biomarkers. Age, International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage, histologic type, histologic grade, MVD, as well as Ki-67, p53, and p21 protein expression, all significantly influenced survival in univariate analyses (P < or = .05). In the Cox regression analysis, age, FIGO stage, MVD, Ki-67 expression, and p53 expression were the only variables with independent prognostic impact (P < or = .05), whereas histologic type, histologic grade, and p21 expression had no independent influence. A group of high-risk patients with more than one unfavorable marker was identified.

CONCLUSION
In addition to age and FIGO stage, MVD, Ki-67, and p53 protein expression showed an independent prognostic impact. Thus, information derived from routine histologic specimens identified a subgroup of high-risk endometrial carcinoma patients in this population-based study.


Experimental philosophy is the name for a recent movement whose participants use the methods of experimental psychology to probe the way people think about philosophical issues and then examine how the results of such studies bear on traditional philosophical debates. Given both the breadth of the research being carried out by experimental philosophers and the controversial nature of some of their central methodological assumptions, it is of no surprise that their work has recently come under attack. In this paper we respond to some criticisms of experimental philosophy that have recently been put forward by Antti Kauppinen. Unlike the critics of experimental philosophy, we do not think the fledgling movement either will or should fall before it has even had a chance to rise up to explain what it is, what it seeks to do (and not to do), and exactly how it plans to do it. Filling in some of the salient details is the main goal of the present paper.


ABSTRACT Failure of asphalt concrete in repeated loading tests could be due to fatigue or due to creep of the material. In this study, the effect of creep on the damage of asphalt concrete in these tests was investigated. Stress-controlled repeated loading tests were conducted in uniaxial tension at different frequencies. A different stress amplitude was chosen for each frequency so that the initial average stored energy in a cycle remains constant. Results indicate that the tensile creep of asphalt concrete can have a considerable effect on the damage and failure of specimens. The variations of the apparent dynamic modulus and phase angle, and the total dissipation per cycle with time, when appropriately normalised, were found to be nearly independent of the frequency of the test. In addition, the dissipation of energy in these tests that is related to the damage of the material was further evaluated. Several techniques have been suggested in the literature for the calculation of damage-related dissipation. The suitability of these techniques was analysed using the results of the study. The dissipated creep strain energy (DCSE) was found to provide the most accurate characterisation of damage-related dissipation.


Oscar Wilde and Emile Zola are conventionally opposed as the figureheads of, respectively, the aestheticist and the naturalist literary trends. Yet they exhibit a number of uncanny similarities—not least the turn both made in their last years toward religious themes and imagery, and especially those of martyrdom and the Passion. This article explores such images in the later life, work, and public persona of each writer and sets them within the context of the dizzying proliferation of references to Christ and martyrdom in fin de siecle culture. It examines the "entailments"—the unexpected consequences, meanings, and echoes—that these overdetermined themes brought in their train from the wider literary field and shows how those entailments were exacerbated by the massive politicization of "martyr" discourse around the time of the Dreyfus affair, when the theme acquired its fullest significance.


As genome sequencing tools and techniques improve, researchers are able to incrementally assemble more accurate reference genomes. A more accurate reference genome enables increased accuracy in read mappings, which provides more accurate variant information and thus health data on the donor. Therefore, read data sets from sequenced samples should ideally be mapped to the latest available reference genome. Unfortunately, the increasingly large amounts of available genomic data makes it prohibitively expensive to fully map each read data set to its respective reference genome every time the reference is updated. Several tools that attempt to reduce the procedure of updating a read data set from one reference to another (i.e., remapping) have been published. These tools identify regions of similarity across the two references and update the mapping locations of a read based on the locations of similar regions in the new reference genome. The main drawback of existing approaches is that if a read maps to a region in the old reference without similar regions in the new reference, it cannot be remapped. We find that, as a result of this drawback, a significant portion of annotations are lost when using state-of-the-art remapping tools. To address this major limitation in existing tools, we propose AirLift, a fast and comprehensive technique for moving alignments from one genome to another. AirLift can reduce 1) the number of reads that need to be mapped from the entire read set by up to 99.9% and 2) the overall execution time to remap the reads between the two most recent reference versions by 6.94x, 44.0x, and 16.4x for large (human), medium (C. elegans), and small (yeast) references, respectively.


Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) is a major worldwide chronic liver disease accompanied by hepatic inflammation, gut leakiness, and abnormal oxidative stress. Our previous study demonstrated substantial hepatoprotective activity of the active Poria cocos polysaccharide (PCP-1C). The present study explored whether PCP-1C protects against ALD among hepatic inflammation, gut leakiness, and abnormal oxidative stress. The results showed that PCP-1C significantly improved alcohol-induced liver injury by decreasing serum biochemical parameters, alleviating hepatic steatosis, and reducing lipid accumulation caused by ALD. Moreover, PCP-1C treatment reduced hepatic inflammation by inhibiting the toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)/nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) signaling pathway and also improved hepatocyte apoptosis by inhibiting the cytochrome P450 2E1 (CYP2E1)/reactive oxygen species (ROS)/mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) signaling pathway. Regarding intestinal protection, PCP-1C could repair the intestinal barrier and reduce lipopolysaccharide (LPS) leakage. Generally, PCP-1C exerts a positive therapeutic effect on ALD, which may play a pivotal of decreasing inflammatory factor release, inhibiting oxidative stress and apoptosis, and improving intestinal barrier injury.


Despite progress in standardization of reconstruction procedures, arterial and biliary complications remain an important problem in liver transplantation. These complications directly affect graft survival and patient mortality. We review a series of 165 consecutive orthoptic liver transplantations performed in 146 patients including 3 children. Biliary reconstruction included bilio-biliary termino-terminal anastomosis in 88% of the cases and bilio-digestive choledoco-jejunal anastomosis in 12%. Biliary complications occurred in 15% (25/165) with more obstruction (64%, 16/25) than leakages (64%, 7/25); 28% (7/25) of these complications were related to biliary drainage (3 obstructions and 4 leakages). There were no arterial complications in the 7 patients with non-anastomotic biliary stenosis. The rate of arterial complications was 11%; with 8 stenoses, 5 thrombosis and 5 pseudoaneurysms. Among the 18 transplantations with an arterial complication, 7 (39%) also had a biliary complication. Among the 10 patients with a complete interruption of arterial blood flow (thrombosis or surgical ligature or a ruptured pseudo-aneurysm), 5 (50%) also had a biliary complication, 1 underwent early retransplantation and 2 died early. In conclusion, the biliary tree of the graft are particularly susceptible to interrupted arterial flow. Ischaemic biliary lesions predominate in the intra-hepatic biliary ducts. Biliary drainage is important.


Stem analysis data defines a range of possible heights for each age. A smooth stem/age curve is obtained with linear programming (LP) when the sum of the absolute second differences of heights is minimized subject to constraints obtained from the stem analysis. The method is analogous to cubic splines. A LP problem can include additional constraints that are based on the assumption that the crosscut is randomly located within the annual height increment. The method produces smoother height curves than Issa method which is utilizing second order differences of ring counts. It was found using simulated data that the method provides better results than earlier methods for short bolts if height growth is sufficiently regular.


The economical and environmental impacts of fossil fuels have forced governments and society to investigate sustainable solutions. The interest has focused principally on the green and clean benefits provided by renewable energy sources. The growth rate of new renewable energy supplies being installed has reached the incredible yearly mark of approximately 30% over the last few years. Consequently, investments in research and development in the field of power electronics have increased proportionally, especially in high voltage and high power grid connected systems. This paper presents ultra capacitor based sensorless current control of a three- phase inverter-based distributed generation system. a robust control scheme for high power quality grid connection of inductor-capacitor-inductor (LCL)-filtered distributed generation (DG) inverters. This paper also presents a modified adaptive Kalman filter for sensorless current control of a three-phase inverter-based distributed generation system. The control variable states can be estimated one sample in advance with a reduced number of sensors. Two current control loops with the steepest descent adaptive control for grid voltage estimation have been employed to boost robustness. Stability and dynamic performance have been examined. Simulation and results validate the proposed control approach. Simulation is done using Matlab software.


Celebrity Humanitarianism: The Ideology of Global Charity.By ILAN KAPOOR. Routledge, 2013. $44.95Reviewed by Sonja Killoran-McKibbinThe back cover promised a "hyper-critical porpoise with a purpose," and though I wasn't entirely sure what to expect, I was not disappointed by this book. In Celebrity Humanitarianism: The Ideology of Global Charity, Ilan Kapoor cleverly and humorously attacks the celebrity charity peddlers, the "coffee-pusher philanthropists," and the NGO superstars who dominate our conception of international aid. Using a Žižekian framework to carry out a refreshing ideology critique, Kapoor prods the assumptions implicit within celebrity humanitarianism to reveal its ideological basis and the underlying interests such actions serve. While Kapoor focuses on only a handful of notorious celebrity humanitarians, he insists that the individual celebrities in his book are merely some of the more colourful examples of a broader trend. Most importantly, Kapoor avoids the trite and banal and refuses to return to the all too easy suggestion that something is better than nothing. Instead, Kapoor's text skilfully addresses the role of celebrity charities by systematically deconstructing the manner in which they justify and support the very inequities that they purport to challenge.By asking "Do they know that it's Christmas?" almost thirty years ago, Band Aid set off the growing role of celebrities as an authoritative voice on global poverty. Yet the issue is under-discussed and rarely critiqued, making Kapoor's cutting and insightful analysis long overdue. The book begins by exploring the hyper-celebrities who claim to speak for, witness, or represent poverty. Using Bono, Bob Geldof, Madonna, and Angelina Jolie as examples, Kapoor demonstrates how such celebrity charity work is used for individual profit and to mask the root causes of inequality. By offering the opportunity to do good through consumerism, such work feeds into the capitalism's elusive promise of jouissance—or the eternal promise of enjoyment. Celebrity humanitarianism showcases the excessive lifestyles of celebrities, supporting their individual brand but also glorifying and marketing their excessive lifestyles as the ultimate promise of capitalism. Celebrities in this way are used to embody a justification of the current economic system at the same time as they claim to work to change it. Support for the decadence of the rich glorifies the inequality on which capitalism is based and obfuscates the very conditions that create poverty. Moreover, these stars act as witnesses and authorities on the poverty of the third world and situate third world subjects as victims, perpetuating the issues of inclusion and exclusion within such actions.Next to come under Kapoor's gaze are the private foundations established and maintained by billionaires, such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and George Soros' Open Society Institute. Calling such endeavours "decaf capitalism," Kapoor argues that they allow people to continue with business as usual and that "it is charity that helps decaffeinate capitalism. It masks and purifies corporate ills, acting as a countermeasure to socioeconomic exploitation." Foundations highlight the benevolence of corporate moguls and effectively hide the mechanisms through which they obtain such wealth. These acts keep people engaged and complicit with the corporate order and effectively depoliticize systems of inequality while undermining public mechanisms to improve social conditions and situating private initiatives as appropriate solutions.Finally, the book addresses those non-governmental organizations that have situated themselves as types of celebrities in their own right. From Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) to Oxfam, such charities not only seek celebrity endorsements but have also developed their own personae and brand. Kapoor suggests that such charities, in many ways, represent an element of commodity fetishism in our late capitalist culture—distancing ourselves from elements of poverty while at the same time providing us with an outlet for our anxieties about global injustice. By constructing a "permanent emergency regime" these charities thrive on the spectacle of disaster and demand immediate action. They cultivate an anti-theoretical activism by suggesting that crisis makes immediate action essential—and unquestionably benign — leaving no time for analysis and portraying such reflection as inactive and necessarily detrimental. In this fashion such organizations encourage us to allow them to do the work for us, effectively delegating our beliefs to commodities. The absence of theorizing and the urgency of action effectively glosses over the manner in which the forms of new humanitarianism that such charities engage in are neoimperial endeavours. The complicity of NGOs in "humanitarian war" is made invisible by the parade of spectacularized emergencies.While Kapoor points to some of the ways the celebrity charity regime might be transformed, he is also quite clear that these reformist proposals are limited. They result in nothing more than a compromise with the system and do not address the depoliticizing tendencies of such international action. Drawing again on Žižek, Kapoor calls for an uncompromising politics that demands revolutionary change. While I welcome Kapoor's call for a revolutionary overthrow of the current global order and his rejection of sanctioned resistance, I must admit that I was left feeling somewhat unsatisfied by his insistence on revolutionary inaction. What of confronting antagonisms through unsanctioned resistance? While Kapoor advocates the imagining of new political possibilities that are distinct from inaction, as they ultimately must be followed by the material work for their creation, Kapoor deals with a lot in his last few pages, and perhaps that is part of the problem. While he urges the reader to see the opportunities in the contradictions it is difficult not to wish for more than a few pages to bring together his revolutionary proposal. Nonetheless, this could also be seen as Kapoor not letting his readers off the hook for their own complicity by pushing them to consider these tendencies beyond the bound pages. Overall Kapoor has crafted an engaging and entertaining text that deftly employs an all too familiar and visible phenomenon to bring to light the ideology embedded within it.~SONJA KILLORAN-MCKIBBIN  is a PhD Candidate in the Faculty of Environmental Studies at York University. Her work explores the intersections of international aid and extractive industries.


The 'peace-walls' of Belfast represent a widely acknowledged architectural legacy of the Troubles, the period between 1969 and 1994 when sectarian conflict in Northern Ireland was most extreme. This paper reveals a further crucial but unacknowledged architectural legacy. It is a Hidden City of unassuming inner-city architecture where everyday pervasiveness masks a capacity to perpetuate conflict-era forces in a post-conflict city. The first half of the paper presents a Foucauldian analysis of declassified government documents revealing the knowledge created through undisclosed systems of power-relations. Here a problematisation of accepted norms reassesses the Troubles-era urban landscape and exposes the latent significance of its socio-material complexity. The second half of the paper illustrates the material consequences of related hidden policy practices on the contemporary post-conflict community. It borrows from Goffman to offer an exposition of the institutionalisation of movement and meaning at play in the Hidden City. A triangulation of interviews, photography and architectural fieldwork is used to theorise the Material Event, a construction of meaning derived from the interaction between people, architecture and the wider systems of power-relations. The paper concludes by demonstrating the complexity of the systemic challenges posed by the Material Events and how these help constrain conflict-transformation practices.


The aim of this study was to determine age-related changes in three human muscles with different function and location in the body. The cross sectional area and the percentage of fibers type I, type IIA and type IIX were studied in vastus lateralis, deltoideus and external intercostal muscle. Muscle samples were obtained from 30 male subjects, aged 20-80 years. Fiber types were defined immunohistochemically, using monoclonal antibodies specific for type I, type IIA and type IIX fibers. Cross sectional area of muscle fibers was analyzed morphometrically by computerized image analysis. All muscle fiber types (I, IIA, IIX) showed the reduction in the fiber size in all three examined muscles. In all muscles the proportion of type I and type IIA was changed, but not in type IIX. With increasing age results showed the increase in proportion of type I, while proportion of type IIA fibers decreased, with vastus lateralis muscle being the most affected. These results suggest that age-related muscle atrophy is not a general phenomenon, and does not affect all muscles equally.


ABSTRACT:This paper explores some ideas of Wilfrid Sellars to raise two difficulties for a naturalistic approach to the mind. The first difficulty, which is methodological, is a corollary of Sellars's distinction between two images of man-in-the-world, the manifest and the scientific image. For Sellars, taking science seriously requires that we think of it as constructing a unified image of man-in-the-world of its own. I argue that it is the rivalry between the manifest and the scientific image which gives rise to the mind-body-problem. The challenge for a naturalistic solution to the mind-body-problem is that it is not legitimate to isolate single scientific results from their theoretical context in order to integrate them piecemeal into the manifest image. According to Sellars, a satisfactory solution to the mind-body-problem must attempt nothing less than a fusion of both images which somehow respects and preserves the unity of each. The second, substantial difficulty for a naturalistic approach to the mind is that of coming to terms with the normativity of the mental. Many interpreters take Sellars to hold that normativity sets the mental apart from the rest of nature. Against this I argue that according to Sellars the living is governed by norms of its own. It follows that normativity cannot serve as the mark of the mental. I argue that according to Sellars the distinguishing feature of the mental lies elsewhere, namely in the way in which normative force comes about. Unlike biological norms, the norms of thought owe their force to a common practice of mutual evaluation. However, the assumption that there are norms in animate nature should make it easier for naturalists to accept that the mental is characterized by norms of its own.


ABSTRACT The aim of the study was to evaluate a 90-minute professional training and education workshop on working with women affected by "female genital mutilation" (FGM). Forty-nine psychosexual therapists attended the workshop and completed the same questionnaire eliciting FGM knowledge and attitudes at the beginning and end of the workshop. Pre- and post-differences in responses to the questionnaire were taken to be the effect of the workshop intervention. Participant satisfaction was independently obtained by the conference organisers. Participants' knowledge of FGM improved significantly following the workshop. Post-workshop, more participants were able to identify the year FGM was made illegal (X2 (5, N = 97) = 32.36, p < .001), the classification of FGM (X2 (6, N = 97) = 29.10, p < .001) and UK prevalence data (X2 (6, N = 97) = 29.10, p < .001). Participants also identified significantly more practising communities (t = 4.6, p < 0.001) and illegal cutting procedures (t = 2.9, p = 0.004). Regarding shifts in attitude following the intervention, the participants expressed greater disagreement with circumcision on consenting adult males (U = 806.5, p = 0.046 (one-tailed), r = 0.18). This suggests that a 90-minute interactive group workshop could be highly acceptable to recipients and enhance knowledge about FGM.


Background: Dexmedetomidine (DEX), an α2-adrenoceptor agonist, has been reported to possess neuroprotective effects against postoperative cognitive impairment. GLO-1 plays a key role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Here, the primary goal was to assess whether DEX affect GLO-1 and protect cognition impairment in APP/PS1 transgenic mice.Methods: After DEX was intraperitoneally injected in APP/PS1 mice, behavior was tested by Water Maze to illustrate whether DEX treatment has a significantly positive effect on ameliorating the cognition deficits in AD. We assessed the effect of DEX on the expression of GLO-1 and the production of other oxidative stress factors by ELISA and Western blot. To determine whether DEX play roles in the Aβ induced neuron apoptosis, flow cytometry was used.Results: DEX treatment significantly ameliorated cognition deficits in APP/PS1 mice. DEX increased GLO-1 expression and decreased MG activity in the hippocampus. In addition, DEX increased activity of SOD, GSH and reduced the activity of MDA. In vitro, DEX could protect the neuron apoptosis induced by Aβ. GLO-1 inhibitor could block the protective role of DEX.Conclusion: Taken together, our findings suggest that DEX prevents progression of AD-like pathology through upregulating GLO-1.


Abstract. Organic compounds residing near the surface of atmospheric aerosol particles
are exposed to chemical reactions initiated by gas-phase oxidants, such as
hydroxyl (OH) radicals. Aqueous droplets composed of inorganic salts and
organic compounds can undergo phase separation into two liquid phases,
depending on aerosol composition and relative humidity (RH). Such phase
behavior can govern the surface characteristics and morphology of the
aerosols, which in turn affect the heterogeneous reactivity of organic
compounds toward gas-phase oxidants. In this work, we used an aerosol flow
tube reactor coupled with an atmospheric pressure ionization source (direct
analysis in real time) and a high-resolution mass spectrometer to
investigate how phase separation in model aqueous droplets containing an
inorganic salt (ammonium sulfate, AS) and an organic acid (3-methylglutaric
acid, 3-MGA) with an organic-to-inorganic dry mass ratio (OIR) of 1 alters
the heterogeneous OH reactivity. At high RH, 3-MGA/AS aerosols were aqueous
droplets with a single liquid phase. When the RH decreased, aqueous 3-MGA/AS
droplets underwent phase separation at ∼75 % RH. Once the
droplets were phase-separated, they exhibited either a core–shell,
partially engulfed or a transition from core–shell to partially engulfed
structure, with an organic-rich outer phase and an inorganic-rich inner
phase. The kinetics, quantified by an effective heterogenous OH rate
constant, was found to increase gradually from 1.01±0.02×10-12 to 1.73±0.02×10-12 cm3 molec.−1 s−1 when the RH decreased from 88 % to 55 %. The heterogeneous reactivity of phase-separated droplets is slightly
higher than that of aqueous droplets with a single liquid phase. This could
be explained by the finding that when the RH decreases, higher
concentrations of organic molecules (i.e., 3-MGA) are present at or near the
droplet surface, which are more readily exposed to OH oxidation, as
demonstrated by phase separation measurements and model simulations. This
could increase the reactive collision probability between 3-MGA molecules
and OH radicals dissolved near the droplet surface and secondary chain
reactions. Even for phase-separated droplets with a fully established
core–shell structure, the diffusion rate of organic molecules across the
organic-rich outer shell is predicted to be fast in this system. Thus, the
overall rate of reactions is likely governed by the surface concentration of
3-MGA rather than a diffusion limitation. Overall, understanding the aerosol
phase state (single liquid phase versus two separate liquid phases) is
essential to better probe the heterogenous reactivity under different
aerosol chemical composition and environmental conditions (e.g., RH).


Haemophilus influenzae incorporates choline obtained from environmental sources onto its lipopolysaccharide as phosphorylcholine (ChoP). The decoration of the bacterial surface with ChoP contributes to pathogenesis by allowing for mimicry of the host. As the main reservoir for choline in the host is phosphatidylcholine, we tested whether other choline‐containing molecules associated with eukaryotic membranes could provide an alternative source of choline. H. influenzae was able to use glycerophosphorylcholine (GPC), an abundant degradation product of phospholipids, as efficiently as free choline. Utilization of GPC required glpQ, which expresses an enzyme with glycerophosphodiester phosphodiesterase activity. In the absence of free choline, this gene was required for adherent H. influenzae to obtain choline directly from epithelial cells in culture. GlpQ therefore allows choline to be transferred from the host to the bacterial cell surface.


The present study compares differences in organization development (OD) interventions using Hofstede's (1980) four dimensions of culture as a framework for studying seven countries' practices. The seven countries examined were Finland, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States. In general, Hofstede's theoretical approach proved to be a useful framework for comparing OD practices as the majority of the authors' hypotheses were, at a minimum, partially supported. However, when those hypotheses were not supported, some interesting patterns emerged that provide intriguing directions for future research.


We have established a current good manufacturing practice (GMP) manufacturing process to produce a nanoparticle suspension of 1,1′-methylenebis-4-[(hydroxyimino)methyl]pyridinium dimethanesulfonate (MMB4 DMS) in cottonseed oil (CSO) as a nerve agent antidote for a Phase 1 clinical trial. Bis-pyridinium oximes such as MMB4 were previously developed for emergency treatment of organophosphate nerve agent intoxication. Many of these compounds offer efficacy superior to monopyridinium oximes, but they have poor thermal stability due to hydrolytic cleavage in aqueous solution. We previously developed a nonaqueous nanoparticle suspension to improve the hydrothermal stability, termed Enhanced Formulation (EF). An example of this formulation technology is a suspension of MMB4 DMS nanoparticles in CSO. Due to the profound effect of particle size distribution on product quality and performance, particle size must be controlled during the manufacturing process. Therefore, a particle size analysis method for MMB4 DMS in CSO was developed and validated to use in support of good laboratory practice/GMP development and production activities. Manufacturing of EF was accomplished by milling MMB4 DMS with CSO and zirconia beads in an agitator bead mill. The resulting bulk material was filled into 5-mL glass vials at a sterile fill facility and terminally sterilized by gamma irradiation. The clinical lot was tested and released, a Certificate of Analysis was issued, and a 3-year International Conference on Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Registration of Pharmaceuticals for Human Use (ICH) stability study started. The drug product was placed in storage for Phase 1 clinical trial distribution. A dose delivery uniformity study was undertaken to ensure that the correct doses were delivered to the patients in the clinic.


The formation of a coalition government by the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats, combined with the need for important cuts to Britain's armed forces has raised significant uncertainties about Britain's attitude to defence cooperation within the European Union. Since taking office the coalition, while grappling with the implications of Britain's fiscal challenges, has shown an unprecedented interest in strengthening bilateral defence collaborations with certain European partners, not least France. However, budgetary constraints have not induced stronger support for defence cooperation at the EU level. On the contrary, under the new government, Britain has accelerated its withdrawal from the EU's Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP). This article assesses the approach of the coalition to the CSDP. It argues that, from the perspective of British interests, the need for EU defence cooperation has increased over the last decade and that the UK's further withdrawal from EU efforts is having a negative impact. The coalition is undermining a framework which has demonstrated the ability to improve, albeit modestly, the military capabilities of other European countries. In addition, by sidelining the EU at a time when the UK is forced to resort more extensively to cost-saving synergies in developing and maintaining its own armed forces, David Cameron's government is depriving itself of the use of potentially helpful EU agencies and initiatives—which the UK itself helped set up. Against the background of deteriorating European military capabilities and shifts in US priorities, the article considers what drove Britain to support EU defence cooperation over a decade ago and how those pressures have since strengthened. It traces Britain's increasing neglect of the CSDP across the same period, the underlying reasons for this, and how the coalition's current stance of disengagement is damaging Britain's interests.


Bribery in public contracting is a serious problem, particularly in many developing countries. The trend in the law applicable to contracts between governments and foreign firms is to refuse to enforce contracts procured through bribery. This zero-tolerance approach is misguided. Proof that a firm obtained a contract through bribery does not necessarily indicate the extent to which the firm has fallen short of its obligations to combat bribery. Specifically, the zero-tolerance approach does not take into account the extent to which the firm has not only attempted to prevent bribery but also monitored and punished employees who engage in bribery, cooperated with law enforcement authorities, and created value for the government in the course of performing its side of the contract. Subjecting bribe-payers to liability that is more proportional to fault seems preferable on a number of grounds.


The major focus of this review is to establish concussion in sport as a silent epidemic in our society that is not an accident. Brain injury has a definitive pattern and distinct nonrandom predictable characteristic. The development of successful head protection requires a scientific database approach to the mechanics of headgear. It is the responsibility of the health care clinician to help with the maintenance of protective standards for headgear and support rule changes to decrease the morbidity and mortality of athletes.


The survival times of neonatal rats in nitrogen with and without injected iodoacetic acid and at diverse ages and temperatures are presented. It is shown that the survival time in nitrogen is greatly shortened if iodoacetic acid has been injected. Also, in iodoacetic acid treated rats the survival time is decreased with the daily development of the animal; the survival time is lengthened by a decrease in body temperature; the effect of temperature decreases with the daily development of the animal; the logarithm of the survival time has a linear relationship with the body temperature. It is concluded that these survival times are a measure of the energy requirement of the respiratory centers and the influence of age and temperature upon the requirement. A calculation is made which indicates that a deficiency of one micromole of energy-rich phosphate per gram of tissue in the respiratory centers results in the cessation of respiratory movements.


Based on the data from a nationwide survey of labor force participation conducted in 1985 by the Office of the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics, Executive Yuan, Republic of China, this project tries to modify Caldwell's Wealth Flows Theory in order to analyze fertility behavior of married women. Caldwell's Wealth Flows Theory indicates that a patriarchal family has a significant effect on fertility. Unless the patriarchal family structure is replaced by a nuclear family system, he claims, fertility levels will remain relatively high in developing countries. However, he does not discuss social factors which may influence the process of change in the family structure and which factors in the patriarchal family may influence fertility. To make up this shortcoming, this paper shows that female educational level, employment patterns, and occupational prestige brings about change in the family structure. This research also indicates that women with higher education and occupational prestige have lower fertility. In addition, it finds that female occupational status is a main factor to bring about change in the family structure. (author's)


A method is presented which combines coupled cluster (CC) and configuration interaction (CI) to describe accurately potential-energy surfaces (PESs). We use the cluster amplitudes extracted from the complete active space CI calculation to manipulate nondynamic correlation to tailor a single reference CC theory (TCC). The dynamic correlation is then incorporated through the framework of the CC method. We illustrate the method by describing the PESs for HF, H2O, and N2 molecules which involve single, double, and triple bond-breaking processes. To the dissociation limit, this approach yields far more accurate PESs than those obtained from the conventional CC method and the additional computational cost is negligible compared with the CC calculation steps. We anticipate that TCC offers an effective and generally applicable approach for many problems.


Objective: This study was designed to compare the effect of mibefradil, a selective T-type calcium channel antagonist, with the β-blocker atenolol on regression of left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy in hypertensive patients. Methods: In this multicenter, double-blind, active-controlled, randomized, parallel-group comparison, 66 patients with mild-to-moderate hypertension (sitting diastolic blood pressure, SDBP, 95–114 mm Hg) and LV mass index >102 g/m2 for males and >88 g/m2 for females were randomized to an initial treatment with 50 mg of either mibefradil or atenolol for 4 weeks. Doses were increased to 100 mg/day if blood pressure was not normalized to ≤90 mm Hg, and, if needed, 25 mg of hydrochlorothiazide was added. Treatment continued for a total of 24 weeks. LV hypertrophy was assessed by echocardiography, and trough SDBP and adverse events were recorded. Results: Treatment with mibefradil or atenolol resulted in decreases from baseline in LV mass index of 11.1% (p < 0.001) and 9.1% (p < 0.001), respectively. The treatment difference (mibefradil vs. atenolol) was not statistically significant. Reductions in SDBP with mibefradil and atenolol were 14.3 and 10.7 mm Hg, respectively, again not statistically significant. Both drugs were well tolerated; however, overall there were more potentially drug-related adverse events reported with atenolol (48.5%) than with mibefradil (24.2%). Conclusions: The reductions in LV hypertrophy and blood pressure achieved with mibefradil were larger but statistically equivalent to those with atenolol, but a lower overall incidence of treatment-related adverse events was seen in the mibefradil-treated patients.


Objective: The Present Study was undertaken to know the periodical variation of leukocyte count in different phase of menstrual cycle. Material and Methods: A total of 38 healthy female in the age group of 16-28 years with regular cycles of 282 days duration were studied. Result: There was significant increase in total leukocytes count during secretory phase. In differential leukocytes count, there was a significant increase in the Neutrophil count during secretory phase, lymphocyte was increased in menstrual and secretory phase, monocyte count more on proliferative phase but show no significance, In Eosinophil count there was not much changes in all the three phases. Conclusion: This study was attempted to determine the normal variation in the leucocytes count during the different phase of menstrual cycle which may help in understanding various disorders.


Although masks (face coverings) are a prime tool in fighting airborne pathogens, during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States the use of masks encountered resistance based on existing patterns of cultural division. We argue that mask wearing must be understood basis on existing cultural frames assessed at both the individual level and the state level. We relied on prominent frameworks in cultural psychology: individualism-collectivism as well as independent and interdependent self-construals, the tightness-looseness framework, U.S. honor cultures, and political orientation as predictors. Using multilevel modeling, in a sample of 633 respondents from 45 U.S. states we investigated mask-wearing behavior, masks' perceived utility, implications for well-being, and the social meaning attributed to masks. Conservatism was linked to lower mask wearing, and consistently unfavorable perceptions of mask wearing. Collective interdependence predicted favorable perceptions of masks, as did state-level differences in collectivism; both constructs were linked with viewing mask wearing to be normative. Independent self-construal predicted a greater intent to wear masks, even though masks were also evaluated less favorably. Mediation analyses revealed that a single mediator, the perceived utility of mask wearing, was implicated in translating the effects of different cultural predictors into behavior. Additional findings highlighted that in tightener (vs. looser) states masks wearing was conceived of as a civic duty, whereas in U.S. honor states mask were seen as spoiling one's public image. Our discussion focuses on the cultural and political context of mask wearing, argues that different communities in the U.S. respond to its symbolic and social meaning, and suggest strategies to increase mask wearing among those who are otherwise reluctant to do so.


In the present age of genome sequencing, a vast number of predicted genes are initially known only by their putative nucleotide sequence. The newly established field of bioinformatics is concerned with the computational prediction of structural and functional properties of genes and the proteins they encode, based on their nucleotide and amino acid sequences. Since one of the crucial properties of a protein is its subcellular location, prediction of protein sorting is an important question in bioinformatics. A fundamental distinction in protein sorting is that between secretory and non-secretory proteins, determined by a cleavable N-terminal sorting signal, the secretory signal peptide. The main part of this thesis, including four of the six papers, concerns prediction of secretory signal peptides in both eukaryotic and bacterial data using two machine learning techniques: artificial neural networks and hidden Markov models. A central result is the SignalP prediction method, which has been made available as a World Wide Web server and is very widely used. Two additional prediction methods are also included, with one paper each. ChloroP predicts chloroplast transit peptides, another cleavable N-terminal sorting signal; while NetStart predicts start codons in eukaryotic genes. For prediction of all N-terminal signals, the assignment of correct start codon can be critical, which is why prediction of translation initiation from the nucleotide sequence is also important for protein sorting prediction. This thesis comprises a detailed review of the molecular biology of protein secretion, a short introduction to the most important machine learning algorithms in bioinformatics, and a critical review of existing methods for protein sorting prediction. In addition, it contains general treatment of the principles of data set construction and performance evaluation for prediction methods in bioinformatics.


This report presents final results of the Sterling Boggs 1240 slant well. Objectives of the project were (1) to test the potential for improved recovery efficiency in a fractured Devonian Shale reservoir from a directionally drilled well, (2) to perform detailed tests of reservoir properties and completion methods, and (3) to provide technology to industry which may ultimately improve the economics of drilling in the Devonian Shale and thereby stimulate development of its resources.


Physicians are being challenged to obtain data for outcomes research and measures of quality practice in medicine. We developed a prospective data collection system (registry) that provides data points across all elements of a neurosurgical stereotactic radiosurgery practice. The registry architecture is scalable and suitable for any aspect of neurosurgical practice. Our purpose was to outline the challenges in creating systems for high quality data acquisition and describe experiences in initial testing and use. Over a two year period, a multicenter team working with software engineers developed a comprehensive radiosurgery registry based on a MS-Sequel® server platform. Three neurosurgeons at one center were responsible for final editing. Alpha testing began in September 2012 and server-based beta testing began in February 2013. The major elements included demographics, disease-based items (47 categories for different brain tumors, vascular malformations, and functional disorders) with relevant clinical grading systems, treatment-based items (imaging, physics, clinical), and follow-up data (clinical, imaging, subsequent therapeutics). Nine hundred patients were entered into the registry at one test center, with new entries and follow-up data entered daily at the point of contact. With experience, the mean time for one new entry was 6 minutes. Mean time for one follow-up entry was 45 seconds. The system was made secure for individual use and amenable for both data entry and research. Analytics used different filters to create customized outcomes charts as selected by the user (e.g., survival, neurologic function, complications). A local or multicenter prospective data collection registry was created for use across 47 clinical indications for stereotactic cranial radiosurgery. Further refinement of fields and logic is ongoing. The system is reliable, robust, and allows use of rapid analytical tools. Large medical registries will become widely used for collection and analysis of large data sets and should have broad applicability to many other elements of neurosurgical and medical practice.


Abstract Fluid inclusions in the progressively metamorphosed rocks of the Joroinen-Sulkava area, located in the south-eastern end of the Raahe-Ladoga zone near the Archaean-Proterozoic boundary, southeastern Finland, fall into four main categories: (1) H2O-rich, (2) CO2-rich, (3) mixed H2O-CO2 and (4) CH4-N2 inclusions. The samples were collected from quartz veins associated with different deformation phases (D2-D4) and from metapelites. The progressive stage of metamorphism took place mainly during the D2 deformation. The age of metamorphism and D2 deformation becomes younger with increase in metamorphic grade from amphibolite to granulite facies. Regional distribution of the different fluid types indicates a change in fluid regime from H2O to CO2-dominant during the progressive stage of the metamorphism. H2O entered preferentially into the anatectic melt. The possibility of CO2 infiltration from deeper crust can not be excluded, because granulite facies rocks occur most probably below the lower grade zones. A zone enriched in CH4-N2 fluids is located near the lineament zones caused by the D3 deformation. This fluid type dominates the Au-bearing D2–D3 quartz lenses in the K-feldspar-sillimanite zone. Density data of early CO2 inclusions in combination with estimates of metamorphic temperatures (645–750°C) in the different metamorphic zones indicate a pressure range of 3.0–4.5 kbar, which is consistent with data derived from mineral geobarometry. The diversity of fluid types encountered in the D2–D4 quartz veins are a result of the passage of different fluids through veins at different times without re-equilibrating with the wall rocks. However, it is supposed that the CH4-N2 fluid is derived from a CO2-rich fluid with XCH4 ⩽ 0.4 by re-equilibration during its passage through the rocks.


In matrix sensing, we first numerically identify the sensitivity to the initialization rank as a new limitation of the implicit bias of gradient flow. We will partially quantify this phenomenon mathematically, where we establish that the gradient flow of the empirical risk is implicitly biased towards low-rank outcomes and successfully learns the planted low-rank matrix, provided that the initialization is low-rank and within a specific "capture neighborhood". This capture neighborhood is far larger than the corresponding neighborhood in local refinement results; the former contains all models with zero training error whereas the latter is a small neighborhood of a model with zero test error. These new insights enable us to design an alternative algorithm for matrix sensing that complements the high-rank and near-zero initialization scheme which is predominant in the existing literature.


Linear tail-biting trellises for block codes are considered. By introducing the notions of subtrellis, merging interval, and sub-tail-biting trellis, some structural properties of linear tail-biting trellises are proved. It is shown that a linear tail-biting trellis always has a certain simple structure, the parallel-merged-cosets structure. A necessary condition required from a linear code in order to have a linear tail-biting trellis representation that achieves the square root bound is presented. Finally, the above condition is used to show that for r/spl ges/2 and m/spl ges/4r-1 or r/spl ges/4 and r+3/spl les/m/spl les/[(4r+5)/3] the Reed-Muller code RM(r, m) under any bit order cannot be represented by a linear tail-biting trellis whose state complexity is half of that of the minimal (conventional) trellis for the code under the standard bit order.


In this study, we use the wavelet analysis to construct a test statistic to test for the existence of a trend in the series. We also propose a new approach for testing the presence of trend based on the periodogram of the data. Since we are also interested in the presence of a long-memory process among the data, we study the properties of our test statistics under different degrees of dependency. We compare the results when using the band periodogram test and the wavelet test with results obtained by applying the ordinary least squares (OLS) method under the same conditions.


Using the generalized Polya urn models, we find the expected value of the size of a branch in recursive k-ary trees. We also find the expectation of the number of nodes of a given outdegree in a branch of such trees.


Cloud computing is expected to keep growing and therefore more and more data centers are being built. In parallel of this increasing amount of data centers, there are also more cloud providers. On one side, this heterogeneity in the cloud market allows a user to choose and change its cloud provider. On the other side, thanks to this growing number of cloud providers, it is now possible to have small cloud providers forming a cloud federation. This way, they can mutualize their resources in order to accommodate their clients and compete with bigger cloud providers. However, solutions are needed to interconnect data centers. Those solutions must allow a cloud provider to interconnect its data centers to other cloud providers' one. This interconnection must be achieved even if the data centers do not use the same technology. This is the problem we focus on in this paper and we propose a solution to interconnect a TRILL data center with an OpenFlow one. We design and implement this solution in order to analyze its impact on both throughput and latency. Concerning the latency, we found that our solution increases it by 3% compared to the OpenFlow solution. Throughput-wise, we have an 8% lower throughput than TRILL.