What you find inspiring depends to a degree on where you come from and what you are looking for. So, by applying the principle of transparency, let me put my cards on the table. Those who founded the European Communities, and indeed both Jack Mackenzie Stuart and I, went through the last World War. I imagine that I will be the last judge of the Court in Luxembourg of whom this can be said. If you have been through such an experience, it is something which marks your whole life.


Small microRNA levels are altered in many diseases, including those caused by parasites. Here, we describe how infection by two important animal and human parasites, Theileria annulata and Plasmodium falciparum, induce changes in infected host cell miR-34c-3p levels to regulate host cell PKA kinase activity by targeting mammalian prkar2b. ABSTRACT MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNAs that can play critical roles in regulating various cellular processes, including during many parasitic infections. Here, we report a regulatory role for miR-34c-3p in cAMP-independent regulation of host cell protein kinase A (PKA) activity in Theileria annulata-infected bovine leukocytes. We identified prkar2b (cAMP-dependent protein kinase A type II-beta regulatory subunit) as a novel miR-34c-3p target gene and demonstrate how infection-induced upregulation of miR-34c-3p repressed PRKAR2B expression to increase PKA activity. As a result, the disseminating tumorlike phenotype of T. annulata-transformed macrophages is enhanced. Finally, we extend our observations to Plasmodium falciparum-parasitized red blood cells, where infection-induced augmentation in miR-34c-3p levels led to a drop in the amount of prkar2b mRNA and increased PKA activity. Collectively, our findings represent a novel cAMP-independent way of regulating host cell PKA activity in infections by Theileria and Plasmodium parasites. IMPORTANCE Small microRNA levels are altered in many diseases, including those caused by parasites. Here, we describe how infection by two important animal and human parasites, Theileria annulata and Plasmodium falciparum, induce changes in infected host cell miR-34c-3p levels to regulate host cell PKA kinase activity by targeting mammalian prkar2b. Infection-induced changes in miR-34c-3p levels provide a novel epigenetic mechanism for regulating host cell PKA activity independent of fluxes in cAMP to both aggravate tumor dissemination and improve parasite fitness.


Expressions of the spectroscopic factors (SFs) corresponding to one-particle transfer reactions have been established using a schematic definition. These expressions have been derived by taking into account the isovector neutron-proton (np) pairing correlations and a particle-number projection in the framework of the generalized Sharp-BCS (SBCS) method. Recently proposed expressions of the projected wave-functions of odd-mass nuclei have been used for this purpose. The formalism has first been tested using the single-particle energies of the schematic picket-fence model. It is shown that the np pairing and particle-number fluctuation effects are far from negligible and they depend on the pairing gap parameter values. Their behavior is not the same when the parent nuclei are even-even or odd. Predictions dealing with the SFs corresponding to one-proton stripping and one-neutron pick-up reactions in proton-rich nuclei have then been established within the framework of the realistic Woods-Saxon model. It is shown that the np pairing effect as well as the particle-number projection effect are important and thus have to be included in future calculations of the SF corresponding to these kinds of reactions.


This thesis explores how older people construct meaning, use and make sense of three kinds of robots in their homes. The exploration is undertaken in empirical studies of an assistive robot, an eHealth system, and robotic vacuum cleaners. The research draws on data collected through interviews and observations of older people in relation to three robots. The results show that older people's domestication of robots cannot be condensed into one universal formula that fits all older people and all robots. The domestication of a robot is a process of constant shaping through negotiations with other people, other technologies, everyday life practice, society, and in relation to and with the robot and ourselves. For robots to be meaningfully and seamlessly integrated into older people's everyday lives they need to be easy to use and desirable. But they also need to fit into the participants' home practices. These include older person's household activities, hobbies, interests, network of people, and the technology cluster in which the older person is situated. The usage of a robot needs to make sense to the older person; she needs to feel that she is in control of the robot and that the level of maintenance is reasonable. If the usage of a robot makes sense to the older person she will be willing to alter stable practices and routines. An important insight that emerged is how stereotypes of older people as weak, ill and housebound are embodied in robots intended for older people. These stereotypes are also constructed or reinforced by society, developers and older people themselves. The research presented demonstrates how this understanding of older people is situated in the home trials and shaped and maintained through them, which has powerful implications for the future development of robots. The findings further demonstrate that there is a difference between what older people say and what they do. The constructed and socially pervasive image of older people as weak, ill and housebound is apparent in how the older participants talk about robots and their potential. They incorporated robots into their everyday lives (as well as other technologies) that made sense to them, but they were unable to do so with robots that did not make sense to them. Instead the "practice of trying out a robot at home" ran parallel with the practices of everyday life during the home trials and became an end in itself. The main finding is not the serious implications of the stereotypical image of older people per se, but rather an understanding of how this stereotype is situated, shaped and maintained in the development. The thesis argues that by recognising the form older people's participation and influence takes in current robotic developments, we can gain an understanding of the aspects that need to be scrutinised in order to find alternatives to current robotic developments. (Less)


To counter highly mutable pathogens like HIV-1, a number of vaccines are being developed to deliver multiple mutant forms of viral Ags to provoke multivalent antiviral CTLs. However, it is uncertain whether such multiple mutant epitope vaccines will generate the diverse CTL responses desired or will instead create immune interference. To characterize the role of immune interference by mutant epitopes in this process, we have tested a "worst case" scenario in which the immunodominant epitope of OVA (SIINFEKL) and its in vitro TCR antagonist (SIINFEDL) have been used to genetically immunize C57BL/6 mice. We demonstrate here that sequential delivery of these mutant epitopes provokes original antigenic sin in CD8 T cells as demonstrated by attenuation of CTLs, intracellular IFN-γ production, and MHC I peptide-tetramer staining. By contrast, simultaneous exposure of the immune system to this agonist/antagonist pair not only fails to generate T cell antagonism in vivo, but also avoids original antigenic sin. These observations suggest that simultaneous immunization with vaccines containing mutant epitopes, even T cell antagonists, can indeed generate a diverse array of T cell responses and that at least some immune interference can be avoided by delivering mutant Ags to the immune system simultaneously.


There are many different models of marriage and family therapy; the challenge for students and beginning practitioners is deciding which one best suits their individual purposes. This highly practical volume elucidates the defining characteristics of 14 contemporary models, including their history, views of change, views of family and the role of the therapist; and methods of assessing family dynamics, goal setting; facilitating change; and knowing when to terminate. Each chapter also includes a template for implementing therapy models, and realistic case studies-many drawn from actual practice-to illustrate how each model would address common issues. In addition, the volume includes extensive interviews with master therapists such as Albert Ellis, Insoo Kim Berg, Sue Johnson, Susan McDaniel, Derald Wing Sue, and many others. They share their ideas of the ways in which change occurs, how they set goals, and how they perform therapy. For further clarification, each therapist illustrates how he/she would proceed via the same case study. Learning how to perform effective family therapy can be an arduous process of trial and error, yet this resource will ease the way for students and currently practicing family therapists who need to revisit the basics. Modalities Included Bowen Family Systems Theory Contextual Family Therapy Cognitive Behavioral Family Therapy Models Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy Symbolic-Experiential Family Therapy Satir Human Validation Process Model Milan Systemic Family Therapy Structural Family Therapy Strategic Family Therapy Solution-Focused Brief Therapy with Families Narrative Therapy with Families Emotionally Focused Therapy Medical Family Therapy Family Psychoeducation Key Features: Introduces the theory, history, theoretical assumptions, techniques, and components of each model Includes a template for using each model, from the initial meeting through assessment, intervention, and termination Provides numerous interviews with master therapists Includes case study commentary and analysis by master therapists Suggests questions, therapeutic strategies, and/or comments to consider for each therapeutic phase Includes a personality inventory to help readers select the most effective modality


In 3G systems, the achievable data rates and capacity on the uplink are much smaller than the downlink data rates and capacity due to the nonorthogonal nature of the CDMA uplink. In this article, we present a new time-orthogonal CDMA approach called high-speed uplink data burst transmission mode. The concept is based on slot-synchronized slot-orthogonal transmissions whereby high-speed data transmissions take place in slots orthogonal to the slots used for physical layer control signaling and low-data-rate transmission such as resource requests. Using this approach, very high data rates and capacity are achieved during data burst transmission because of the availability of high signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio, resulting from the orthogonal nature of the transmissions. Simulation results show that the uplink spectral efficiency of the proposed scheme is approximately four times better than that achieved with the existing 3G systems


The objective of this review was to present and discuss the effects of seasonality in the semen characteristics of Bos taurus and Bos indicus bulls before and after freezing in order to enable greater economic profitability. Even though the bovine reproduction is not characterized by seasonality, studies have shown the interference of the season on semen quality in bulls. The increase of temperature may lead to increase in testicular temperature, metabolic rates and oxygen requirements. Both thermal and oxidative stress will cause changes in the normal development of spermatogenesis, changing volume, sperm concentration, progressive motility, vigor and morphology of sperm cells, resulting in an economically negative impact on reproduction. Bos indicus bulls presented better performance in the hottest season of the year, showing a satisfactory quality of semen when compared to Bos taurus bulls. This is due to the greater resistance to high temperatures of zebu bulls and lipid peroxidation caused by the heat resulting in lower production of species reactive to oxygen and smaller increases in defects in sperm cells. Thus, European bulls, such as Bos Taurus, do not present a good performance in some of the hottest periods of the year, which leads to questioning if the cost-effective use of semen cryopreservation justifies its processing by the Semen Collection and Processing Centers during these periods. This fact has led some national centers for semen suspend activities in certain months of the year.


In this study, the effects of the different structures and properties of yarns produced with vortex and open-end (rotor) spinning systems on the colour efficiency of package dyeing were investigated. For this purpose, 100% combed open-end and vortex yarns with different linear densities were produced from the same raw material blend and wound on perforated plastic dye tubes (cones) according to the principle of loose winding (package density: 370 g/dm3), and the physical properties of the yarns were tested. The bobbins were dyed with reactive dye at three different dyebath concentrations in a universal package dyeing machine and then dried with a high frequency drier. The colour strengths (K/S) and differences (ΔE) were measured by a spectrophotometer. The test results were analysed using statistical methods. In conclusion, the unevenness, total imperfections and hairiness values of the vortex yarns gave better results compared to the rotor spun yarns. It was determined that vortex spun yarns have darker shades than rotor spun yarns, and the effect of yarn physical properties on finishing was found to be significant.


Vernacular architecture is suffering all over the world and Egypt is one of the countries where the desert vernacular is facing a great risk of disappearance. The aim of the research is to introduce a methodological approach applying participatory action research (PAR) as a tool to help save the future of the currently deteriorating desert vernacular architecture. The aim was to help prevent further loss of desert vernacular architecture knowledge and to encourage vernacular know-how in becoming a living part of future building practices. To benefit from local know-how, a desert vernacular model house was constructed using PAR methods that engaged the local community throughout the design and building phases. The model house was constructed based on an understanding of desert vernacular architecture as well as of the urban fabric and building technology. The town of Balat in the Western Desert of Egypt was chosen as a location for this research work application. As this is an international problem the research developed several techniques within PAR, applied in a flexible way, giving the opportunity for further application in similar vernacular settlements suffering from similar problems.


Density-functional calculations are performed to explore the relationship between the work function and Young's modulus of RhSi, and to estimate the p-Schottky-barrier height (SBH) at the Si/RhSi(010) interface. It is shown that the Young's modulus and the workfunction of RhSi satisfy the generic sextic relation, proposed recently for elemental metals. The calculated p-SBH at the Si/RhSi interface is found to differ only by 0.04 eV in opposite limits, viz., no-pinning and strong pinning. We find that the p-SBH is reduced as much as by 0.28 eV due to vacancies at the interface.


Current global energy demand and supply gap needs the best engineering methods to recover hydrocarbons from the unconventional hydrocarbon formations. Unconventional hydrocarbons normally present in deep formations, where the overburden stresses and formation integrity are very high. When fracturing these types of formations, the hydraulic fracturing job becomes much more challenging, and in some scenarios, pumping reached to the maximum capacity limits without generating any fracture. This reduces the operational gap to optimally placed hydraulic fractures. In the present research study, a novel thermochemical fracturing approach is presented to reduce the breakdown pressure of the high-strength formations. The hydraulic fracturing experiments presented in this study are carried out on ultra-tight cement block samples. The composition of cement blocks is synthesized in this way that it simulates the real rocks. The results showed that the newly proposed thermochemical fracturing approach reduced the breakdown pressure in ultra-tight cement from 1095 psia (reference breakdown pressure recorded from conventional hydraulic fracturing technique) to 705 psia. The post treatment experimental analysis showed that the thermochemical fracturing approach resulted in a deep and long fracture while conventional hydraulic fracturing resulted in a thin fracture. In addition to that, a Finite element analysis using ABAQUS is also presented. The main purpose of the numerical investigation is to confirm the sufficiency of the experimental data for reproducing the same breakdown pressure that included depiction of injection pressure versus time plots, failure loads and cracking patterns.


This guide offers resources that may be useful for English students, specifically those who are in English 0096, 0097, and 0098.


The equations governing the two-component neutrino are reduced to the form of a one-dimensional wave equation. And it is shown how the absence of super-radiance (i. e. a reflexion coefficient in excess of one) for incident neutrino waves and its manifestation for incident electromagnetic and gravitational waves (of suitable frequencies) emerge very naturally from the character of the respective potential barriers that surround the Kerr black hole.


Pharmaceutical companies' capital, influence, and labor force well equip them to assume responsibility for public medication disposal programs. Government- and industry-funded campaigns for medication disposal do work, but responsibility often falls on local health care organizations to provide education and services. Lack of public awareness about how to dispose of medications and the ramifications of contaminating our natural resources and ecosystems with pharmaceuticals suggest a need for collaboration among pharmaceutical companies, government officials, clinicians, and patients.


Glassy pharmaceuticals, characterized by excess thermodynamic properties, are theoretically more soluble than their crystalline counterparts. The practical solubility advantage of the amorphous form of celecoxib (CEL) is lost due to its proclivity to lose energy and undergo solvent-mediated devitrification. Theoretical assessment of solubility advantage using differences in isobaric heat capacities (Cp) revealed a 7-21-fold enhancement in the solubility of the amorphous form over that of the crystalline state of CEL. The present study attempts to unveil these differences between experimental and theoretical solubility using thermodynamic parameters such as free energy, enthalpy, and entropy. Amorphous CEL exhibited 1.3-1.5 times enhancement in Cp over that for the crystalline form. The zero and critical molecular mobility regions, represented by Kauzmann temperature (TK) and glass transition temperature (Tg), were found to lie near 246 and 323 K, respectively, for amorphous CEL. The fictive temperature (Tf), an indicator of the configurational entropy of glass, was determined for glassy CEL, signifying the retention of considerable molecular mobility in the glassy phase that may favor nucleation even below Tg. Further, the estimation of various thermodynamic quantities and strength/fragility parameters (D = 11.5 and m = 67.0) postulated the classification of glassy CEL into moderately fragile liquid, as per Angell's classification. A comprehensive understanding of such thermodynamic facets of amorphous form would help in rationalizing the approaches toward development of stable glassy pharmaceuticals with adequate solubility advantage.


Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are strongly associated with cancer biology. The objective of this study is to investigate the expression profile of lncRNAs in human papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC), and to understand the biological role of lncRNAs and their involvement in PTC oncogenesis. The lncRNAs and messenger RNAs (mRNAs) expression in human PTC and paired adjacent non-cancerous thyroid (NCT) tissues were studied by micro-array, and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) validated five differentially expressed lncRNAs. We identified 2,925 significantly differentially expressed lncRNAs with potential roles in PTC, (absolute fold change >2.0; p<0.05). Of these, 1,922 were up-regulated and 933 down-regulated and the qRT-PCR results agreed with micro-array results. Gene ontology (GO) enrichment and pathway analysis then investigated gene function and identified significantly enriched pathways in differentially expressed mRNA's. Many of these pathways were related to cancer, including 60 genes associated with "pathways in cancer" and 34 linked to "proteoglycans in cancer". Co-expression network and target prediction analysis of lncRNAs revealed that TCONS_00020457 can have important roles in PTC. In conclusion, the results of this study indicate that lncRNAs can be important regulators in PTC tumorigenesis and provide understanding of the function and mechanism of lncRNAs related to human papillary thyroid carcinoma.


We propose a new scheme for polarization-sensitive distributed fiber-optic sensing, called polarization optical correlation-domain reflectometry (POCDR), and experimentally demonstrate its fundamental operations. In this scheme, the states of polarization (SOPs) of reference lights are controlled so that they are uniformly distributed on the Poincaré sphere using a calibration method, which cancels the effect of unknown birefringence in the fibers used in the system. Then the SOP of spontaneous Brillouin scattering in a sensing fiber is estimated using a least-squares method, by measuring the interference powers for the multiple reference lights with different SOPs. As a pilot demonstration, the SOP transitions along a fiber including a three-paddle polarization controller are measured under different conditions. We also measure the SOP transition of a fiber wound on a bobbin and calculate its polarization beat length, which agrees well with the theoretical value. By exploiting its unique nature called random accessibility, high-speed measurement of the roundtrip birefringence between two arbitrary points in a sensing fiber will be potentially achieved.


Carotenoids represent a class of diverse compounds naturally present in bacteria, fungi, algae and plants. Animals cannot synthesize carotenoids de novo and need to obtain them from diet. Carotenoids serve a variety of functions such as antioxidants, colorants and precursors of vitamins. Chemical synthesis of carotenoids is challenging and costly. Extraction from plants is also laborious and often limited by the availability of the sources. There exists a demand for microbial production of carotenoids by fermentation. This paper reviews recent patents on microbial biotechnology to illustrate advances in microbial carotenoid production. Patents on composition of matters such as new strains, new genes or gene clusters, and improved genes, as well as methods on production of carotenoids to increase titer and purity are discussed.


Nanocomposites and carbons obtained from carbonization of Indoine Blue cations at different temperatures (from 673 to 1473 K) within inorganic taeniolite matrices have been studied by a series of physicochemical methods including transmission electron microscopy (TEM), FTIR and sorption measurements. Carbonaceous materials separated from the mineral host have varying microtexture which is related to the degree of carbonization and subsequent orientation of the so-called basic structural units (BSUs). Low pyrolysis temperatures (673 K) lead to the creation of an amorphous carbon with well pronounced features characteristic of the organic precursor. Higher pyrolysis temperatures (1073 K) result in significant constrained chemistry and, consequently, structure of the materials. The microtexture of the carbons obtained is governed by the effects of temperature and properties of the matrix and consequently the orientation of BSUs within the interlayer space. They influence the graphitizability of these carbons: disoriented BSUs result in turbostratic carbon; BSUs with parallel orientation result in polycrystalline graphite.


The presented study examines the conditions and factors for the implementation of national projects in Russia during the transition towards a digital economy. Particular attention is paid to the use of the input-output method in forecasting the final operating results of the Russian agro-food industry, with a focus on identifying key factors for the growth of competitive food exports in the medium term.Aim. The study aims to analyze the specific aspects of forecasting Russian food exports in the face of uncertainty using the input-output method.Tasks. The authors substantiate the need to use the input-output method for the scientific analysis of management decisions in the field of foreign economic activity and identify the specific features of a new approach to forecasting food exports in the face of uncertainty.Methods. The methodology used in this study is determined by the increasing uncertainty of foreign economic relations, which calls for modern economic and mathematical methods in forecasting. The authors propose using their own modification of the symmetrical input-output table of the Russian agro-food industry and the method of dynamic data visualization to examine processes with a high level of uncertainty.Results. The study describes the conditions and factors for the growth of Russian food exports in the context of increasing uncertainty in the development of world trade; substantiates the necessity and presents the results of the transformation of operation of public and commercial organizations engaged in exports; proposes a systems approach to forecasting the vector of the final product of the Russian agro-food industry and the vector of exports as its component that would ensure the implementation of national projects to improve the population's quality of life; estimates the probability of sustainable growth of Russian food exports in the medium term.Conclusions. In the context of crisis phenomena in the world economy, the Russian export management system offers new forms of support for exporters through digital transformation of services, diversification of traditional foreign relations and state export support measures, ensures the dissemination of new efficient business practices and development of an export support strategy for the post-crisis period. By using the input-output method in the forecasting of food exports, it is possible to comprehensively substantiate a system of national projects aimed at increasing the population's quality of life and strengthening the country's food security. To justify forecasts amid the increasing uncertainty in the development of foreign economic relations, it is necessary to use data visualization over time to estimate the probability of achieving the parameters of national projects in the medium term.


Formation of bile ducts in culture is important for reconstructing hepatic organoids with bile drainage systems. However, morphogenic factors of biliary epithelial cells (BECs) have been poorly understood because of the lack of experimental models. Here, we demonstrated that rat BECs formed bile ductular networks in dynamic culture, when culture conditions were sequentially controlled. BEC morphogenesis was achieved through two-dimensional culture on collagen gel, collagen gel sandwich configuration, and 1% dimethylsulfoxide stimulation. In this culture system, BECs developed into large bile duct structures (LBDs) that formed interconnected networks of continuous lumens. LBD luminal surfaces possessed well developed microvilli, consisted of 7 to 10 BECs, and their inner diameters measured 20 to 50 microm. Quantitative PCR analysis revealed that the cells in LBDs expressed apical and basal domain markers of BECs. Immunofluorescent staining identified apical domain markers such as Cl(-)/HCO(3)(-) anion exchanger 2 and cystic fibrosis transmembrane regulator on the luminal surface of LBDs, responding to secretin stimulation as well as laminin protein surrounding LBDs. Furthermore, the cells in LBDs transported metabolized fluorescein from the basal side to the luminal space, further demonstrating that the reconstructed LBDs were functionally and morphologically similar to the bile ducts in vivo. The culture model described here will be useful in reconstructing hepatic tissues as well as in understanding the mechanism of bile duct development and its disruption in disease.


Federated Learning (FL) has emerged as a prospective solution that facilitates the training of a high-performing centralised model without compromising the privacy of users. While successful, FL research is currently limited by the difficulties of establishing a realistic large-scale FL system at the early stages of experimentation. Simulation can help accelerate this process. To facilitate efficient scalable FL simulation of heterogeneous clients, we design and implement Protea, a flexible and lightweight client profiling component within federated systems using the FL framework Flower. It allows automatically collecting system-level statistics and estimating the resources needed for each client, thus running the simulation in a resource-aware fashion. The results show that our design successfully increases parallelism for 1.66 X faster wall-clock time and 2.6X better GPU utilisation, which enables large-scale experiments on heterogeneous clients.


A 30-year-old woman presented with swelling in her right thumb of 3-month duration which was slow-growing in nature without a history of trauma. On examination, firm non-tender swelling with ill-defined border over the dorsomedial aspect of the first metacarpal was noted. The swelling was mobile only in the vertical plane with restricted adduction and abduction. Plain X-ray revealed mild erosion of the first metacarpal head. Diagnostic ultrasound confirmed the lesion to arise from the extensor tendon sheath of diffuse type without any bony involvement. A wide local excision biopsy of the swelling was planned. Intraoperatively, a 3×2 cm greyish-white mass, bony hard in consistency with lobulated surface was found arising from the tendon sheath of the extensor tendon of the thumb; it was completely excised with a wide margin. Histopathological examination revealed polyhedral cells admixed with osteoclastic type giant cells. Biopsy from the first metatarsal was normal. The patient is on follow-up for the last 5 years with no evidence of recurrence.


Genetic trade‐offs in host plant use are thought to promote the evolution of host specificity. Experiments on a range of herbivorous insects, however, have found negative genetic correlation in host plant use in only a limited number of species. To account for the general lack of negative genetic correlation, recent hypotheses advocate that different stages in evolution of host use must be distinguished: initial performance on a novel host in comparison with the established host, and performance on both hosts after the insect population has interacted with both hosts for a long time. The hypotheses suggest that genetic correlation may not necessarily be negative at the initial stage. The present study examines growth performance on both the established and a novel host in a herbivorous ladybird beetle, Epilachna vigintioctomaculata Motschulsky (Coccinellidae, Epilachninae). The results show that traits of growth performance across hosts were positively or neutrally correlated, but there was no evidence of a negative genetic correlation. In addition, significant genetic variance of growth performance on each host was detected, suggesting that E. vigintioctomaculata can potentially respond to selection for increased performance on both plant species. These results and similar results from experiments on other herbivores suggest that host expansion may not be constrained genetically, at least at the initial stage of host range evolution.


The aim of this paper is to inform the reader about the role of women in countering violent extremism and radicalization leading to terrorism (VERLT). Women's role represents a growing interest for policy makers in addressing the rising concern for youth engagement in violent extremism. The study applies a gender perspective to analyzing the role of women in preventing and countering radicalization and violent extremism. In depth interviews were conducted with thirty-one women to reveal their opinions, attitudes and experiences with prevention of VERLT. The study covers three regions: Tirana, Elbasan and Pogradec, which are identified as hot spots for violent extremism. The study has found that women have a crucial role in preventing and countering violent extremism, given their access in family and community. Women's role is especially relevant in keeping young people safe from extremists' radicalization attempts. Women civic engagement increases community resilience against violent narratives and contributes to peace perseverance. Women front-line activism is primordial for countering extremism that leads to terrorism.

Received: 8 October 2020 / Accepted: 11 December 2020 / Published: 17 January 2021


Beliefs about misinformation and conspiracy theories are often associated with a state of mind. With the spread of the pandemic there has been an outbreak of depression cases among the population. In this paper, we attempt to test the relationship between affective states and beliefs in misinformation about COVID-19 during the early phase of the pandemic. We do this through a survey carried out on a random and representative sample of the Italian population that allows us to go and verify the co-evolution of many factors: i.e., beliefs in misinformation, symptoms of depression, perceptions and misperceptions about COVID-19, ways in which citizens got informed about the pandemic, and sociodemographic characteristics (e.g., age, gender, education). The results show that the relationship between affective state and beliefs in misinformation exists but is more complex than hypothesized.


A low dose of apomorphine (80 μg/kg s.c.), a mixed D1/D2 agonist that induces penile erection and yawning, increased the concentration of NO2− from 1.12 ± 0.45 μM to 3.8 ± 0.75 μM and NO3− from 5.53 ± 0.82 to 11.25 ± 2.30 μM in the dialysate collected from the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus of male rats by in vivo microdialysis. The NO2− concentration was also increased by LY 171555 (50 μg/kg s.c.), a D2 agonist that induces penile erection and yawning, but not by SKF 38393 (5 mg/kg s.c.), a D1 agonist with no effect on these responses. Conversely, apomorphine's effect on NO2− was prevented by haloperidol (0.5 mg/kg i.p.), a mixed D1/D2 antagonist and L‐sulpiride (25 mg/kg i.p.), a D2 antagonist, but not by the D1 agonist SCH 23390 (50 μg/kg s.c.), although all three compounds prevented penile erection and yawning. The apomorphine effect on NO2−, penile erection and yawning was also prevented by the nitric oxide synthase inhibitor NG‐nitro‐L‐arginine methyl ester (200 μg l.c.v.). The nitric oxide scavenger haemoglobin (200 μg l.c.v.) also prevented the NO2− increase, but was ineffective against penile erection and yawning. In contrast, the oxytocin antagonist d(CH2)5Tyr(Me)‐Orn8‐vasotocin (1 μg i.c.v.) and the guanylate cyclase inhibitor methylene blue (300 μg l.c.v.) had no effect on the NO2− increase, but did prevent the behavioural responses. We infer from this that dopamine agonists induce penile erection and yawning by acting on D2 receptors that increase nitric oxide synthase activity in the cell bodies of paraventricular oxytocinergic neurons projecting to extra‐hypothalamic brain areas.


Biometrics has become one of the strongest replacements for tradition authentication systems. However, in order to replace the password/token system with a biometric one, biometric data has to be fully protected at all stages of processing and authentication. In this paper a new cancellable biometric transformation is presented. The Randomised Radon Signature (RRS) cancellable templates of face biometrics are generated by extracting a set of Radon signatures in the signal domain of the face image. This extraction is governed by a randomised weighting function. The extracted signatures are then mixed with a Random projected face image to lock the template. The RRS templates can be easily regenerated by using different random subspaces of the weighting function and the projection matrix. They can also be used in the same way as original images for authentication in statistical holistic approaches of face recognition. The security of the system has been analysed by a derivation of the guessing entropy of the RRS templates. Using the fisherface algorithm for evaluation, the accuracy performance has been improved by 100% for the RRS over the original images since the genuine and impostor distribution separation has been increased by 261.5%, consequently this has given rise to a dramatic reduction in the equal error rate.


In Pakistan and globally, a large proportion of people with TB who are not receiving treatment are key populations with poor access to diagnosis and care. Transgender women and male sex workers (MSW) are heavily stigmatized and marginalized groups. While HIV rates are well documented among these key populations, little such data exists for TB. We engaged local organizations working with transgender women and MSW communities in Karachi and five urban cities in Sindh Province. People from the communities served as screening facilitators and treatment supporters. Verbal screening was followed by testing with Xpert MTB/RIF and HIV testing was offered. People with TB were supported through treatment. We screened 18,272 transgender women and 24,253 MSW. 8,921 (21.0%) individuals had presumptive TB and 7,472 (83.8%) provided sputum samples. We detected 438 (5.9%) people with positive results including 140 transgender women and 298 MSW. Including people diagnosed clinically, 625 people with TB were identified and 98.1% initiated treatment. Overall, 1.5% of people screened had TB, 1.7% among MSW and 1.1% among transgender women. Of 1,508 people tested for HIV, 243 had HIV infection (HIV+). The rates of TB among HIV+ transgender women (8.8%) were slightly lower than among MSW (10.3%). Previously, few attempts have been made to address TB in transgender women and MSW. Our work shows that these groups carry a significant burden of both TB and HIV in Pakistan and do not regularly access services. Effective interventions should include the engagement of community leaders and peers.


The use of concept cartoons in support of the constructivist view of learning is reviewed, and two particular examples are given to show they can help students' understanding of the formation of shadows.


While recent studies have suggested that fish mucus microbiota play an important role in homeostasis and prevention of infections, very few studies have investigated the bacterial communities of gill mucus. We characterised the gill mucus bacterial communities of four butterflyfish species and although the bacterial diversity of gill mucus varied significantly between species, Shannon diversities were high (H = 3.7-5.7) in all species. Microbiota composition differed between butterflyfishes, with Chaetodon lunulatus and C. ornatissimus having the most similar bacterial communities, which differed significantly from C. vagabundus and C. reticulatus. The core bacterial community of all species consisted of mainly Proteobacteria followed by Actinobacteria and Firmicutes. Chaetodonlunulatus and C. ornatissimus bacterial communities were mostly dominated by Gammaproteobacteria with Vibrio as the most abundant genus. Chaetodonvagabundus and C. reticulatus presented similar abundances of Gammaproteobacteria and Alphaproteobacteria, which were well represented by Acinetobacter and Paracoccus, respectively. In conclusion, our results indicate that different fish species present specific bacterial assemblages. Finally, as mucus layers are nutrient hotspots for heterotrophic bacteria living in oligotrophic environments, such as coral reef waters, the high bacterial diversity found in butterflyfish gill mucus might indicate external fish mucus surfaces act as a reservoir of coral reef bacterial diversity.


The purpose of this study is to investigate empathy skill levels of children with high functioning autism or Asperger Syndrome between the ages of 9 to 16 in terms of diagnosis, age and gender variables and compare the results with typically developed peers. This study was designed as a relational survey method, which is one of the descriptive methods. The subjects were 28 children with autism spectrum disorder (HFA and AS) and 42 typically developed children. Data collected via an adapted version of the "Empathy Scale for Children" and demographic forms. The results indicated a significant difference in empathy skill levels of the children with different diagnosis. The study reveals that children with high functioning autism (HFA) have lower empathic skills, whereas children with Asperger Syndrome (AS) do not differ from typically developed (TD) children in terms of empathic skill levels. Female children with HFA have a higher performance on a self-report empathy questionnaire than male children with HFA and there is no significant difference between females with HFA, AS and TD females. On the other hand, females with AS and HFA autism revealed slightly lower performances. According to the results, younger children (n<12) with AS and HFA do not differ from TD children. Children with HFA, older than 11 years of age revealed lower performances than children with AS and TD children.


We have constructed a laser welding system, which enabled high-power laser welding by combining three laser beams of 1 mm wavelength. Its wavelength enables optical silica fibers transmission and the flexible system. The heart of this system consists of a 4 kW and a 6 kW Nd:YAG lasers and a 10 kW Chemical Oxygen-Iodine Laser (COIL). The average power of the combined beam is up to over 20 kW. The effects of various welding parameters were investigated, such as the laser power, pulse modulation, and so on. The 10 kW COIL has a very good beam quality which is 64 mm.mrad. The beam spot diameter is 0.48 mm at the focal point. On the contrary the beam quality of Nd:YAG laser is worse, but it has the function of pulse modulation which the COIL dose not have. As a result of the welding test with the 6 kW Nd:YAG laser, it was clarified that the pulse wave (PW) has good efficiency of deeper penetration at low welding speed. When the combined beam with CW COIL and PW Nd:YAG laser was used, 20 mm penetration on the stainless steel could be achieved at a welding speed of 1 m/min.


Ruko as one of architectural city tipologies that have been contributed in the historical of Indonesian cities, included Perbaungan City, North Sumatera. In its journey until now, ruko appeared with many different image, in fact often becoming a part of disorganized in a city.


Introduction The morbidity and mortality (M&M) conference has long been a part of the education of residents of all specialties in the United States, yet its structure is variable across training programs. Recent literature has described the use of M&M as a forum for education in quality improvement methodology; however, a structure focusing on education in cognitive biases and errors has not been previously described in MedEdPORTAL. Methods This structured M&M conference series called upon resident presenters and peers in the audience to examine cognitive biases and errors involved in specific patient cases. Associated materials included preparatory guidelines provided to faculty advisors and resident presenters, a presentation template used during the introductory session, and a handout used during the discussion portions of presentations. Results During the 2019–2020 academic year, a total of 24 PGY 2 pediatrics residents presented M&M cases. They identified a mean of 3.7 (SD = 1.9) cognitive biases and/or errors per case and a mean of 1.7 (SD = 0.7) debiasing strategies per case. Peers in the audience were also successful in identifying potential biases and errors at play during presentations. Discussion We found that through this M&M conference structure, residents were able to demonstrate the ability to identify cognitive errors and biases both within themselves and in peers. This provided an effective forum for the identification and discussion of debiasing strategies, even when the series was forced to transition to a virtual format due to the COVID-19 pandemic.


We compared the effects of the two molecular forms of the brain-gut peptide YY (PYY), PYY(1-36) and PYY(3-36), on gastric emptying. Unanesthetized rats received 20-min intravenous infusions of rat PYY(1-36) (0, 1.7, 5, 17, 50, 100, 170 pmol x kg(-1) x min(-1)) and rat PYY(3-36) (0, 0.5, 1.7, 5, 17, 50, 100, 170 pmol x kg(-1) x min(-1)), either alone or combined, and gastric emptying of saline was measured during the last 10 min of infusion. For comparison, human PYY(3-36) was administered at 0, 17, and 50 pmol x kg(-1) x min(-1). Gastric emptying was decreased by 11, 24, 26 and 38% in response to 17, 50, 100, and 170 pmol x kg(-1) x min(-1) of rat PYY(1-36); by 10, 26, 41, 53, and 57% in response to 5, 17, 50, 100, and 170 pmol x kg(-1) x min(-1) of rat PYY(3-36); and by 35 and 53% in response to 17 and 50 pmol x kg(-1) x min(-1) of human PYY(3-36), respectively. Estimated ED50s were 470 and 37 pmol x kg(-1) x min(-1) for rat PYY(1-36) and PYY(3-36), respectively. In general, within an experiment, coadministration of PYY(1-36) and PYY(3-36) inhibited gastric emptying by an amount that was comparable to that produced when either peptide was given alone. We conclude that 1) intravenous infusion of PYY(1-36) and PYY(3-36) each produces a dose-dependent inhibition of gastric emptying in rats, 2) PYY(3-36) is an order of magnitude more potent than PYY(1-36) in inhibiting gastric emptying, 3) human PYY(3-36) and rat PYY(3-36) inhibit gastric emptying similarly, and 4) PYY(1-36) and PYY(3-36) do not appear to interact in an additive or synergistic manner to inhibit gastric emptying.


The Josephine Mountain intrusion is a Cretaceous calc-alkalictonalite-granite pluton emplaced at 22 km depth in a continental margin arc. Variable uplift of adjacent terranes in southern California since mid-Cretaceous time allows us to reconstruct the local crustal column and evaluate its role as a contaminant of mantle-derived arc magmas in this region. The parental magma of the intrusion was high-alumina basalt whose isotopic signature ( 87 Sr/ 86 Sr = 0.7087; δ 18 O = 7.5; ϵ Nd = −10) cannot have been generated by intracrustal assimilation of known or inferred rock types in the middle or lower crust. Such a signature could have resulted from high-pressure fractionation of primary low-alumina basalt coupled with assimilation of felsic/pelitic lower crust, partial melting of enriched subcontinental mantle followed by high-pressure fractionation, or a combination of these processes. Tonalite of the intrusion was formed by fractionation of the parent magma coupled with assimilation of local felsic wall rocks or by crustal melts similar to slightly younger granite. Assessment of the magnitude of crustal contamination is hampered by uncertainty regarding the existence and role of partial melting of previously enriched subcontinental mantle in generating the parental basaltic magma, leading to concomitant uncertainty in the fraction of new continental crust created by such arc plutonism.


A model of a re-entry plasma layer is analyzed by using the linearized hydrodynamic equations for a single-fluid warm plasma medium. The model consists of a perfectly conducting plane of infinite extent covered by a warm plasma layer of uniform density. The field excited by a magnetic line source located on the conducting plane is computed by Fourier transform techniques. Expressions are obtained for the far-zone radiation field and for the surface waves guided by the plasma layer. Numerical results are presented that show the dependence of the energy transported by these waves on frequency and electron temperature. In addition, the radiation pattern of the far-zone field is computed for various frequencies and electron temperatures.


Needle sharing is one of the principal risk behaviors leading to HIV transmission among injection drug users (IDUs). Shooting galleries, a social context where IDUs rent, share, and borrow needles, are locations usually found near drug markets. This study, which interviewed 1,700 IDUs from May 1989 to June 1990, assesses sociodemographic characteristics and HIV risk behaviors among shooting gallery users in Puerto Rico. Multivariate analyses showed that shooting gallery use is associated with speedball (a concoction of heroin and cocaine) injection, income from illegal activities and previous drug treatment. Shooting gallery users were more likely to rent, share, and borrow needles, and less likely to always use bleach and water to clean needles. Strategies to reduce shooting gallery use among drug injectors are discussed.


Abstract. Barley grass (Hordeum spp.) is a relatively short lived annual that provides high quality grazing early in the season, but its seed heads cause contamination of wool and carcasses, and may irritate the mouth, eyes and nose of sheep. Treatments were imposed on established subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum L.) annual pasture in the same plots for three consecutive years (2015 to 2017) to evaluate changes in barley grass content. Treatments included: grazing alone (G), herbicide followed by grazing (HG), or a forage conservation harvest in early October, late October or early November consistent with an early silage harvest (ES), late silage harvest (LS) or hay cut (H). Grazing plus herbicide markedly reduced (P < 0.05) barley grass numbers compared with all other treatments, but increased (P < 0.05) the growth of annual ryegrass (Lolium rigidum L.). ES reduced (P < 0.05) barley grass and increased (P < 0.05) subterranean clover compared with H, but broadleaf weed content benefitted by LS in contrast to either ES or H. Although herbicide application was the most effective method for barley grass control, forage harvest timing could be used to beneficially manipulate pasture composition.


Large-scale magnetic fields in the nuclear regions of protogalaxies can promote the formation and early growth of supermassive black holes (SMBHs) by direct collapse and magnetically boosted accretion. Turbulence associated with gravitational infall and star formation can drive the rms field strength toward equipartition with the mean gas kinetic energy; this field has a generic tendency to self-organize into large, coherent structures. If the poloidal component of the field (relative to the rotational axis of a star-forming disc) becomes organized on scales $\lesssim r$ and attains an energy of order a few percent of the turbulent energy in the disc, then dynamo effects are expected to generate magnetic torques capable of increasing the inflow speed and thickening the disc. The accretion flow can transport matter toward the center of mass at a rate adequate to create and grow a massive direct-collapse black hole (DCBH) seed and fuel the subsequent AGN at a high rate, without becoming gravitationally unstable. Fragmentation and star formation are thus suppressed and do not necessarily deplete the mass supply for the accretion flow, in contrast to prevailing models for growing and fueling SMBHs through disc accretion.


In a systematic study of the sulphonating properties of SO(3)B complexes, we have paid attention to the thiocyanosulphates KSO(3)SCN and NH(4)SO(3)SCN. We have shown conductimetrically that these salts are dissociated and that the ionic salvation is weak in the chosen solvent-sulpholane-which is strongly aprotic in character. We have determined potentiometrically the equilibrium constant K of the reaction MSO(3)SCN measured angle MSCN + SO(3), by means of the electrochemical couple Ag + SO(3)SCN(-) measured angle AgSCN + SO(3) + e(-). The values foun the ammonium and potassium salts are K = 10(-11.5 +/- 0.45) and 10(-9.7 +/- 0.7) respectively. Thiocyanosulphates appear to be stronger than chlorosulphates as sulphonating agents. Therefore SCN(-) is a weaker base than Cl(-) in sulpholane medium.


OBJECTIVE
Although neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) has been used as a safe and relevant complement to voluntary resistance training, its effectiveness in increasing quadriceps femoris muscle strength and mass in healthy young and older adults has not been determined. The aim of this scoping review was to assess the effects of NMES on quadriceps muscle strength and mass in healthy young and older adults.

METHODS
CENTRAL, Pedro, MEDLINE, PubMed were searched from inception to September 2019. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that compared NMES with control group or voluntary resistance training for healthy young and older adults were included. Study characteristics, primary and secondary outcome parameters, and details of the NMES intervention were extracted by 2 reviewers. Only studies for which full text was available in English were included.

RESULTS
Thirty-two RCTs including 796 healthy participants were identified as being eligible for young adults, and 5 RCTs including 123 healthy participants were identified as being eligible for older adults. The available evidence strongly suggests that NMES improves quadriceps muscle strength as compared with control group in young adults, but its efficacy seems lower than that of voluntary resistance training. The available limited evidence regarding the effects of NMES on quadriceps muscle mass compared to control in young adults is inconclusive, with 3 RCTs showing positive effects and 3 RCTs not showing positive effects. The very limited available evidence from 2 RCTs in older adults suggests that NMES might be beneficial for increasing quadriceps muscle strength and mass.

CONCLUSION
Overall, the evidence indicates that NMES is an efficacious method for increasing quadriceps muscle strength in young adults, whereas its impact on muscle mass requires further investigations. In addition, the effectiveness of NMES needs to be confirmed in older adults on the basis of more high-quality RCTs with larger sample sizes.

IMPACT
This scoping review of 87 RCTs including 919 people is the first study to show that the use of NMES increases quadriceps muscle strength in young adults and might improve quadriceps muscle strength as compared to control interventions in older adults. In both young and older adults, the effects of NMES on quadriceps muscle mass are still unclear.


This paper presents a numerical model to simulate the initial stress stiffening effect, induced by radial pressure and/or axial load on the dynamic behavior of axisymmetric shells. This effect is particularly important for thin shells since their bending stiffness is very small compared to membrane stiffness. The theoretical formulation is based on a combination of the finite element method and classical shell theory. For a perfect geometrical consistency, two semi-analytical finite elements, conical and cylindrical, are used to model axisymmetric shells. The displacement functions are derived from exact solutions of Sanders' shell equilibrium equations. The results obtained using this approach are remarkably accurate. The potential energy is calculated to estimate the initial stiffening effect using direct membrane forces per unit width and rotations about the orthogonal axes. The final stiffness matrix of each finite element is composed of the regular stiffness matrix and the added stiffness matrix generated by membrane loads. The frequencies of vibration are compared with those obtained in other experimental and theoretical research works and very good agreement is observed.


The function of criminal law is finite when it is uesd to control anti-social behaviours.Penalty,which is regarded as the last means of regulating social relationship and illegal actions,will not be put into practice but anyother method cannot work well.The ultima ratio of criminal law embodys the of caution of penalty and becomes one of the fundamental principles of modern criminal law.The ultima ratio of penalty resulted from political,economic,legal and culture foundation.So the idea of ultima ratio of penalty should be build up in Chinese criminal law because it is very important to criminal policy,criminal legislation and judicial practice.


Abstract As one of the highly diversified radiolarian groups in the Mesozoic, Vallupinae occurred widely in the tuffaceous claystone from the Mariana Trench of the upper Tithonian–Berriasian where the specimens are extremely well-preserved. The occurrence of diversified Vallupinae presented here is further evidence that the range of Vallupinae extends to Berriasian. The stratigraphic range and proposed possible phylogenetic relationships within the Subfamily Vallupinae are provided and 17 radiolarian species of this subfamily are presented, including three new species: Vallupus gracilis, Mesovallupus brevispina, and Neovallupus mediforma.


We have performed a propagation measurement campaign at the University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy. We have sounded the channel by a probing signal at a carrier frequency of 4.78 GHz modulated by a train of pulses having a duration of 0.4 ns shaped by a pseudonoise (PN) sequence. The measurement band falls (3.6-6 GHz) in the frequency range allowed by the FCC ruling for ultrawide-band (UWB) operations. To characterize the channel behavior over the large and the small scale, the transmitter is moved in six different positions on the floor, while the receiver is moved in 625 different locations within each room. The receiver locations are arranged in a square grid of 25/spl times/25 points with 2 cm spacing, i.e., less than half of the minimum wavelength of the transmitted signal. A total of 625/spl times/16 impulse responses are recorded in nonline-of-sight (NLOS) conditions, 625 in line-of-sight (LOS) conditions within the rooms and 11 LOS measurements are made in the corridor at incremental spacing of 1 m. We describe the measurement technique as well as the procedure by which we process the experimental data to extract the amplitude, phase and delay associated to each component of the multipath profiles. We also derive path-loss and shadowing models for the UWB indoor channel in both LOS and NLOS conditions. Finally, we present an accurate analysis of the time dispersion of the UWB channel.


In deep coal mining support of the underground roadway is fundamental and without knowledge of the mechanics of ground control a mine is unlikely to be operating safely and efficiently. It is therefore important for the support system to be designed satisfactorily for the size of the excavation required and to do so an understanding of the behaviour of the surrounding strata is required. Over the last 15 years there has been a major change in the mining industry and the support systems adopted. Roofbolting has been adopted as the primary support system, the industry has been privatised, legislation has been updated, a comprehensive research programme has been carried out and guidance documents produced.


Abstract
This paper describes the in-house re-development and evaluation of an
 existing online resource that supports students throughout their
academic learning journey. The Monash University Library Research and
Learning Online (RLO) project incorporated a number of eLearning
development practices, as well as devising suitable procedures for
completing eLearning projects, within its complex work environment. The
evaluation described in this paper suggests that the project was largely
 successful, with contributing features such as templates, examples,
workshops, collaboration and retreats that also enabled professional
learning. Recommendations were made both on improving the project and
for others seeking professional development inspirations in similar
situations.


Adding a stage of signal acquisition to the expected utility model shows that Bayesian updating results in a well defined law of demand for financial information when asset return distributions are conjugate priors to signals such as in the gamma-Poisson case. Signals have a positive marginal utility value that falls in their number if and only if investors are risk averse, asset markets large, and variance-mean ratios of asset returns high in fully revealing rational expectations equilibrium. Expected asset price increases in the number of signals so that expected excess return drops. The diminishing excess return prevents Bayesian investors from unbounded information demand even if signals are costless, unless the riskfree asset is removed. Signals mutually benefit homogeneous investors because revealing asset price permits updating so that a Pareto criterion judges competitive equilibrium as not sufficiently informative. However, asset price responses make incentives for signal acquisition dependent on portfolios so that welfare and distributional consequences become intricately linked when investors are heterogeneous.


The cross section, σn, for electron capture by Na+ ions from coherent elliptic states (CES) of Li was studied experimentally. The dependences on the principal quantum number, n, the eccentricity, e, and the spatial orientation of the CES were determined at the two reduced ion velocities vr = 1.20 and 1.68 (vr≡v/ve, where v is the ion speed and ve = 1/n the mean electron speed of the CES in atomic units). The ion velocity, v⃗, was perpendicular to the minor axis of the CES throughout the experiment, so the orientation is fully specified by the angle, φ, between v⃗ and the electric dipole moment, d⃗, of the CES. According to a generalized correspondence principle, the reduced cross section, σ̃ = lim n→∞σn/n4, is given accurately by classical mechanics, and it is a universal function of the scaled parameters of the collision, which in the present experiment are vr, e and φ. It is assumed that this result can be extrapolated to the range of n-values, 20-35, covered in this paper, i.e. σn = σ̃·np where σ̃ and p≃4 depend only weakly on n. The experimental data support the assumed existence of a universal cross section function and the expected n4-dependence is also confirmed at vr = 1.20, but at vr = 1.68 the n-dependence is closer to n3.


The leukemiainducing protein of the E26 avian retrovirus consists of a fusion between the Myb and Ets transcriptional activator proteins. Our studies have shown that the fusion is a prerequisite for leukemogenesis and that the chimeric protein specifically transforms hematopoietic cells capable of differentiating along the erythroid, myelomonocytic, and eosinophilic lineages.


Abstract : The Department of Defense has developed the Common Airborne Instrumentation System (CAIS) to promote standardization commonality and interoperability among aircraft test instrumentation systems. The value of CAIS is that it allows aircraft test and evaluation facilities to use common airborne systems and ground support equipment as well as common technical knowledge and procedures for these systems. It is the responsibility of the CAIS Program Office, a tri-service group, to conduct requirements analyses, manage system upgrades, and provide full life cycle support for this system. This interface control document (ICD) was written to provide a single document that designers of CAIS bus controllers and data acquisition units could reference to ensure interoperability on the CAIS bus. This ICD establishes the requirements for digital command/response, time division multiplexing techniques for a single CAIS bus. It encompasses the physical, electrical, and protocol aspects of the CAIS bus.


Reliability and durability assurance poses a serious challenge for surgical instruments manufacturers. Hard working conditions, such as intermittent contact with body fluids and hard bone tissues, as well as necessity to undergo frequent sterilisation processes, induce constant research into solutions capable of ensuring high wear resistance while maintaining satisfactory imperviousness to corrosion. Plasma nitriding is marked as the modern corrosion resistance improving method suitable for surgical instruments steels. The paper presents findings from the heat treated and plasma nitrided AISI 440B (PN EN or DIN X90CrMoV18) steel corrosion resistance studies. Three conventionally heat treated (quenched with tempering in 250, 390 or 605°C) and three additionally plasma nitrided in N2:H2 reaction gas mixture (50:50, 35:65 and 20:80 ratio, respectively) specimens groups were examined. Furthermore, the authors evaluated the effect of machining polishing and sandblasting on investigated steel corrosion resistance. Microscopic observations and electrochemical corrosion tests were performed using a variety of analytical techniques. Results showed that, in comparison to conventional heat treatment, plasma nitriding of 440B stainless steel does not significantly affect its corrosive characteristics as far as the uniform nitride layer over the entire detail surface is obtained. The layer heterogeneity results in intensification of corrosion processes, making the material even more susceptible to corrosion than after conventional heat treatment, and contributing to severe, visible even with the unaided eye damages development.


Chairmen's PrefaceIn 1984 we obtained a grant from the Nobel Foundation to organize a Nobel Symposium on "Unification of the Fundamental Interactions". In our proposal which we submitted in the fall of 1983 we stated that we wanted to cover the various attempts to unification such as GUT'S, supergravity, Kaluza–Klein theories and superstrings. What has happened in particle physics since then is already history. With the realization that certain superstring theories could be anomaly free, it became clear that these models could encompass earlier attempts to unification as well as solving the fundamental problem of quantum gravity. The excitement that some of us had felt for some time now spread through most of the particle physics community and this excitement certainly was evident during the Symposium. With the international advisory committee we originally chose a list of around 30 invitees which could best represent the various subjects listed above. When it came to the final planning of the programme essentially all talks dealt with superstrings! We were very fortunate that almost all of the invitees managed to come to the Symposium. From the western world only three were unable to participate, Andre Neveu, Steven Weinberg and Bruno Zumino. We certainly missed them during the meeting. We were particularly happy that Stephen Hawking managed to take part actively. Our real problem was to get participants from the Soviet Union. Out of eight invitations only one came through. We were very happy to have Renata Kallosh, who really did her utmost to enlighten us about not only her own work but also about recent progress in the USSR, However, we were very sorry that in spite of all our letters, telegrammes and endless attempts to get telephone calls through and despite the good relations between the Swedish and Soviet Academies of Sciences we had to miss Ludwig Faddeev, Valodja Gribov, Andrej Linde, Victor Ogievetsky, Sasha Polyakov, Misha Shifman and Arkadij Vainshtein. We had hoped that the Nobel Symposium should be a signal for improved relations between East and West, but in this respect we failed. The Symposium was held in the small town of Marstrand, a summer resort on an island outside Goteborg. The idea was to have it relatively close to home and to show the participants perhaps the best part of the local nature. Another motive was to keep the participants semi-isolated to provide ample time for discussions. With the somewhat heavy programme we found that even so, the days were not long enough. This Symposium was the second Nobel Symposium on elementary particle physics. The first one, also organized by our group, was held in 1968. We hope and believe that the next one need not be awaited another 18 years! The Symposium was made possible by a generous grant from the Nobel Foundation. An additional grant from the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences was also essential. A grant from Nordita made it possible to invite some ten Nordic observers. We also gratefully acknowledge help with the organization of the Symposium from the city of Goteborg, the city of Kungalv, Volvo, Skandinaviska Enskilda banken, Ericsson AB and IBM Sweden. We thank all the participants for all their efforts, to come to our remote part of the world, to give excellent talks, to write up their talks astonishingly quickly and to share with us so much of their knowledge and expertise. Last but not least we are indebted to the members of the organizing committee, members of the group and the secretarial staff. Goteborg, August 1986 Editors' NoteIn these Proceedings the lectures are given in the order of their oral presentation at the Symposium. Regrettably, a few contributors could not participate (V. Gribov, A. Linde, V. Ogievetsky, M. Shifman and A. M. Polyakov). Their contributions have been placed close to the end of the Proceedings. As these authors did not have the opportunity of correcting the proofs, responsibility for printing errors must rest with the Editors. It is a pleasure to thank all the authors for their enthusiastic and rapid response in our efforts to bring the contributions to the stage of printing. Without the efficient and fruitful collaboration with Physica Scripta the publication of these Proceedings would have been substantially delayed.


Programs are frequently modified during their lifetime. Furthermore, modifications to some systems have to be made on the fly; that is, without stopping their execution. For example, changes to airline reservation systems, telephone switching systems, and on-line banking systems have to performed dynamically. Other continuously running systems, such as operating systems, may be modified on the fly to increase their availability.
 DYMOS is a programming system that supports a programmer modifying a StarMod program dynamically. StarMod [2] is an extension of Modula [3]. To modify procedures dynamically, the programmer modifies and recompiles the source code of the procedures to be replaced and then requests the system to change the current core image to incorporate new code and data.


The emergence of mental states from neural states by partitioning the neural phase space is analyzed in terms of symbolic dynamics. Well-defined mental states provide contexts inducing a criterion of structural stability for the neurodynamics that can be implemented by particular partitions. This leads to distinguished subshifts of finite type that are either cyclic or irreducible. Cyclic shifts correspond to asymptotically stable fixed points or limit tori whereas irreducible shifts are obtained from generating partitions of mixing hyperbolic systems. These stability criteria are applied to the discussion of neural correlates of consiousness, to the definition of macroscopic neural states, and to aspects of the symbol grounding problem. In particular, it is shown that compatible mental descriptions, topologically equivalent to the neurodynamical description, emerge if the partition of the neural phase space is generating. If this is not the case, mental descriptions are incompatible or complementary. Consequences of this result for an integration or unification of cognitive science or psychology, respectively, will be indicated.


The existing studies have shown that the algorithmic trading has been playing an ever-increasing important role in both the U.S. and E.U. capital market. Many papers pay great attention on the high frequency trading, a special class of algorithmic trading, focusing on the impact that high-frequency activities have on the market quality. Investors engage in high frequency trading and interact with the market over millisecond horizons, resulting in a narrowed bid-ask spread, which, to some degree, abates the spurious volatility and autocorrelation in returns.
Brogaard (2012) have already made some research on the causal link between the high frequency trading and volatility before and after the 2008 short selling ban. We follow his methodology by applying the differernce-in-difference-in-difference (DDD) approach and try to make a study about the impact of the high frequency trading on the stock volatility during the normal market condition and uncertainty period in the 2008 crisis. Our conclusion is that the high frequency trading could reduce the stock specific volatility in Swedish stock market.


Barotrauma of the colorectum is an uncommon entity that usually occurs after colonoscopy. Perforation of the colon by non-iatrogenic barotrauma of the colon, with tension pneumoperitoneum, is very rare. We present a case of a male patient in his 20s with colon barotrauma caused by industrial compressed air, causing perforation of the transverse colon, with multiple serosal tears throughout the colon. There was also evidence of contusion in the caecum and ascending colon. Primary repair of the perforation and repair of the serosal tears were done along with a covering loop ileostomy.


Using a tight binding transfer matrix method, we calculate the complex band structure of armchair graphene nanoribbons. The real part of the complex band structure calculated by the transfer matrix method fits well with the bulk band structure calculated by a Hermitian matrix. The complex band structure gives extra information on carrier's decay behaviour. The imaginary loop connects the conduction and valence band, and can profoundly affect the characteristics of nanoscale electronic device made with graphene nanoribbons. In this work, the complex band structure calculation includes not only the first nearest neighbour interaction, but also the effects of edge bond relaxation and the third nearest neighbour interaction. The band gap is classified into three classes. Due to the edge bond relaxation and the third nearest neighbour interaction term, it opens a band gap for N = 3M − 1. The band gap is almost unchanged for N = 3M + 1, but decreased for N = 3M. The maximum imaginary wave vector length provides additional information about the electrical characteristics of graphene nanoribbons, and is also classified into three classes.


Business card recognition is a difficult problem. Characters in business card are small with diverse font types. An approach using the left-right hidden Markov model is proposed for business card recognition. The hidden Markov model will output a top-10 candidate list as its recognition result. A postprocessing stage is followed to improve the recognition result. The postprocessing stage uses a bigram table as linguistic information to search for the optimized recognition result from the top-10 candidate list. Our experiments are built on the recognition of company item and address item in Chinese business cards. Bigram table and hidden Markov models are trained with a telephony database. 100 address items and 30 company items are used for testing. Experimental results reveal the validity of our proposed method.


Raman spectra of the elastinlike polypentapeptide poly(GVGVP) were measured in H(2)O and D(2)O as solutions and, after increasing the temperature, as suspensions and sediments. In addition, spectra of the polypentapeptide in the solutions of increasing concentration and in the solid state were also investigated by gradually evaporating the water. Significant changes in band frequencies, intensities, and shapes were found for selected Raman bands in the measured spectra, particularly for the C-H stretching, the glycine CH(2) wagging, and some amide vibrations. The C-H stretching vibrations are influenced predominantly by the presence of water, the glycine CH(2) wagging vibrations are associated with conformational transitions. Three possible types of poly(GVGVP)s in the presence of water were indicated: polymer chains in a relatively extended state in the solution, a beta-spiral structure in the suspension, and irregularly bent chains in the sediment.


Objective:To investigate the mechanism of inducing ovulation with kidney tonifying herbs Tiangui Recipe in androgen sterilized rats(ASR).Methods:The experiment new born SD female rats were divided randomly into 3 groups:the ASR model group,the SD rats were injected with testosterone propionate subcutaneous at the age of 9 days;the herb group,ASR were administered with Tian Gui Fang daily at the age of 80 days for two weeks;the control group,SD rats were injected with tea oil subcutenously at the age of 9 days.Around the age of 106 days(proestrous day),all rats were sacrificed.Serum Δ4-andronestedione(Δ4-A),total testosterone(TT),free testosterone(FT),estradial(E2),insulin(Ins) and C-peptide(C-P) were measured by radioimmunoassay(RIA).The amount of AR mRNA in pancreas and ovary was quantitated by RT-PCR.The indexes were measured after Tiangui Recipe treatment.Results:The mean serum concentrations of Δ4-A,TT,FT,E2,Ins and C-P in ASR models were significantly higher than those in control group(P0.05,P0.01).The expression of AR mRNA in pancreas,and ovary elevated significantly(P0.01) in ASR rats as compared with control group.The rate of ovulation in herb group was 58%.After Tiangui Recipe treatment,serum hormones and AR mRNA in pancreas decreased significantly as compared with ASR models(P0.01),but no significant difference was observed of the AR mRNA in ovary.Conclusion:The elevated serum androgen levels in ASR model could enhance the expression of AR mRNA levels in pancreas and ovary,and then induced hyperinsulinemia and anovulation.Serum androgen,insulin and the expression of AR mRNA in pancreas were decreased after Tiangui Recipe treatment.Tiangui Recipe could alter the dysfunction of endocrinology and metabolism in ASR model.Although the AR mRNA levels in ovary kept high,but in the normal hormone environment,the rats still ovulated.


Keynote presentation.
The prevailing science communication system has showed little success in making science a global, participatory and equitable conversation. At the same time, a very robust ecosystem of science communication has been built in the Latin-American region, one that is intrinsically open, non-commercial and academy-owned. However, this "regional" approach has remained outside the legitimated channels of scholarly communication.
In Latin America, more than 2000 universities are publishing journals under the principle of science as a common and public good. Around half of them are public institutions which means that public budget is being heavily invested in sustaining non-commercial Open Access.
AmeliCA, a multi-institutional community-driven initiative supported by UNESCO and led by Redalyc and CLACSO, seeks a cooperative, sustainable, protected and non-commercial solution for Open Knowledge. AmeliCA is taking the 16-year experience and technological resources from Redalyc to strengthen non-profit publishing beyond the region.
AmeliCA's and Redalyc's approach is based on the fact that scholarly communication in control of the academy is a strategy much healthier and sustainable for the development of science and society. Why is it that commercial publishers are a pivotal actor in science communication – in many parts of the world – if the biggest part of activities concerning the generation of knowledge is in the academy?
Academy owned publishing seems not to exist in the mainstream databases (Web of Science and Scopus). So, it is strategic for the research community and libraries to join forces, as well as share and connect individual efforts to build a cooperative infrastructure, in order to guarantee that publishing is led by the scholarly community and that its openness is sustainable. The research community and libraries should also work together in the reshaping of how research is assessed, in order to give the non-profit academy-owned scholarly communications their place. All must be leveraged with technology to find more effective methods of communication and deployment of the knowledge generated by different regions, disciplinary fields or languages.


Among the vices of advancing years are carping criticism. garrulity and needless admonition. To all of these I plead guilty and so can only beg your indulgence while I say a few things that I think should be said, knowing that I say them poorly and that I add nothing to our store of knowledge. My theme is that much neglected individual, the patient himself. Concerning his organs and their functions, we have numberless tomes. Concerning the diseases that attack his parts, we have whole libraries. Concerning the various ways of cutting him open and sewing him up, there are several six-foot shelves. For the manifold instruments, machines and appliances of our armamentarium, an extensive congeries of industries is in constant operation. Indeed, some of us are so used to practicing medicine by machinery that the cortical cell bids fair to shrink into sterile desuetude. But of the patient himself


In this study, AVHRR and MODIS data online processing and distribution system for the monitoring of environment and disaster over Asia are introduced and demonstrate the usefulness of this system. IIS, University of Tokyo, has been receiving AVHRR data at Tokyo since 1984 and MODIS since 2001. AIT at Bangkok in Thailand has been receiving AVHRR data since 1997 and MODIS since 2001. Cloud-free 10-day composite over Asian region are available via the FTP and quicklook service for all the data are available on data storage system. An easy to use interface is expected to promote the use of AVHRR and MODIS data. Finally we discuss the role of IIS as a data archiving and distribution of satellite remote sensing data in a wide range of perspective.


The majority of adversarial attack techniques perform well against deep face recognition when the full knowledge of the system is revealed (white-box). However, such techniques act unsuccessfully in the gray-box setting where the face templates are unknown to the attackers. In this work, we propose a similarity-based gray-box adversarial attack (SGADV) technique with a newly developed objective function. SGADV utilizes the dissimilarity score to produce the optimized adversarial example, i.e., similarity-based adversarial attack. This technique applies to both white-box and gray-box attacks against authentication systems that determine genuine or imposter users using the dissimilarity score. To validate the effectiveness of SGADV, we conduct extensive experiments on face datasets of LFW, CelebA, and CelebA-HQ against deep face recognition models of FaceNet and InsightFace in both white-box and gray-box settings. The results suggest that the proposed method significantly outperforms the existing adversarial attack techniques in the gray-box setting. We hence summarize that the similarity-base approaches to develop the adversarial example could satisfactorily cater to the gray-box attack scenarios for de-authentication.


This paper proposes a method to generate surface and texture models from rigid objects captured with an RGB-D camera. The method integrates five stages: 1. Point cloud generation from RGB-D images; 2. Surface model generation; 3. Surface model refinement; 4. Texture generation and mapping; 5. Texture enhancement. The use of image processing algorithms for texture enhancement and the refinement of the surface models enables the improvement of the appearance of reconstructed models. The performed experimentation shows the results of the proposed method for five small textured objects. The appearance of reconstructed models was evaluated using a visual quality index; a sharper texture helps to improve such index.


The findings of AZOOR that we observed in our patient suggest that the retinal recovery assessed by m-ERG was di V erent for the lesion (main focus was related to the inferotemporal retina) and was delayed compared with visual acuity and HVF. Perhaps this delayed retinal recovery reflects a subtle microcirculatory disturbance that can not be clearly detected by FA or ICG. Slight leakage in FA and slight hypofluorescence on the late phase in ICG would suggest such a microcir- culation disorder. less than 4 mm Hg. Fundal examination revealed evidence of a retinal tear although details were obscured by a di V use vitreous haemorrhage.An ultrasound examination showed a vitreous haemorrhage and large retinal tear but no evidence of a scleral perforation. An examination under anaesthesia performed the following confirmed that there was no scleral rupture and indirect ophthal-moscopy confirmed the findings of di V use vit- haemorrhage and retinal


In Greece, grasslands constitute an important component of montane areas. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the photosynthetic responses of the forage species Bromus inermis at two montane grasslands (Filippaioi, Grammatiko) and a lowland grassland under differential irradiation and CO2 concentration levels. In each area, gas exchange parameters were calculated under: a) ambient conditions along with the measurement of variable to maximal fluorescence, b) low (300 µmol m-2 s-1) and high (1400 µmol m-2 s-1) radiation, and c) ambient (380 µmol mol-1) and high (800 µmol mol-1) CO2 concentrations. In addition, assimilation response curves to different levels of irradiation and intercellular CO2 partial pressure were recorded. The photosynthetic machinery of B. inermis responded better to changes in irradiation in the montane area of Filippaioi, while it was more sensitive to changes in CO2 concentration in the lowland area. Photosynthesis in the montane area of Grammatiko could be subject to novel ecological pressures shaped by lower grazing intensity. No effect of altitude on physiological responses of B. inermis was found. Instead, plants from each area may use different adaptive mechanisms to persist and thrive in the environmental conditions of each area.


Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a considerable problem for the military worldwide, and the media have designated it the 'signature injury' of the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq [1]. It can occur following head trauma after a direct impact or from being in close proximity to a blast. TBI can have different forms depending on the extent of the injury; this editorial will focus on TBIs that result in brain hemorrhage. On the battlefield, it is likely to be overlooked in favor of more readily visible injuries, yet bleeding and inflammation within the head can cause death or pervasive ongoing psychiatric conditions.


The metal-supported solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) was studied. Hydrocarbon fueled operation is necessary to make SOFC system. Different operating characteristics for metal-supported SOFC are used than for conventional ones as hydrocarbon fueled operation. Metal-supported SOFC was successfully fabricated by a high temperature sinter-joining method and the cathode was in-situ sintered. Synthetic gas, which is compounded as the diesel reformate gas composition and low hydrocarbons was completely removed by the diesel reformer. Metal-supported SOFC with synthetic gas was operated and evaluated and its characteristics analyzed. Button cell and 5x5cm single stack were mainly operated and analyzed. Long-term operation using diesel reformate shows degradation, and degradation analysis was completed in the view of metal oxidation. Solution to increase stability of long-term operation was tried in the way of materials and operating conditions. Finally, 5x5cm metal-supported single stack using synthetic gas was operated for 1000 hours under the modified condition.


In this study we have been unable to show any improvement in lung mechanics or transcutaneous blood gas measurements after 2 doses of artificial surfactant were delivered to the airways of preterm babies requiring intermittent positive pressure ventilation for IRDS. Blood gas values 12 hours after the study did not indicate that a delayed response was occurring. These findings are at variance with those of Fujiwara et al.,2 but similar to those of Wilkinson et al.3 There are several possible reasons for this. Firstly, our surfactant may have been inactive. This is unlikely, as many in vitro studies have shown this particular preparation to be highly active6; but there are some who claim that artificial surfactants are not as active as natural surfactant.7 Secondly, the surfactant may not have penetrated far enough into the lungs to achieve a monomolecular layer where required. This too is unlikely as insufflation of the powder certainly deposited surfactant down into the large airways. As the wet surface of the large airways is in direct continuity with the alveoli, any lowering of the surface tension locally would cause the surfactant to spread in the same way that a drop of washing up liquid immediately spreads across the surface of the water. The final insufflation of saline would help to deliver any surfactant deposited in the endotracheal tube, but this too was ineffective. Finally, the dose may have been too small: but 50 mg is a very large dose compared with that required to establish a monomolecular layer throughout the lungs. We suspect that the improvement seen by the Japanese and Canadian workers may be related to the way the surfactant was given, which included a period of hyperventilation with an anaesthetic rebreathing bag and also instillation of volumes of saline into the lungs-equivalent to as much as 500 ml in the adult. This combination may be useful for the management of conditions in which hyaline membranes have formed in the lungs. We conclude that dry surfactant powder is unlikely to have a useful clinical role in the management of severe IRDS. We consider that other delivery techniques and natural surfactant still need to be explored, but think it unlikely that surfactant deficiency is the main reason for the development of IRDS in the preterm baby and that animal models are not appropriate in this disease.


Transient post ischemic left ventricular dysfunction has been called stunned myocardium. The stunned myocardium can lead cardiac problems such as arrhythmias, left ventricular dysfunction, and a myocardial infarction. Stunned myocardium is a reversible condition. In this case, a 25 year old female patient with a history of mild intermittent asthma became hypovolemic and got into shock after developing uterine atony following a cesarean section. The patient did not respond to rapid volume replacement therapy. Subsequently, the patient had acute pulmonary edema, hypotension, and tachycardia developed. Echocardiogram was done showing severe left ventricular dysfunction (ejection fraction (EF), 25-35%) with left inferobasal wall hypokinesis and no right ventricular dysfunction or severe tricuspid regurgitation or right ventricular hypertrophy. Chest x-ray showed newly diagnosed cardiomegaly and bilateral pulmonary congestion. Initial troponin I was elevated, however, the level of troponin I remained stable with the same baseline value. Patient was at high risk for pulmonary embolism (PE) based on risk assessment, therefore, anticoagulation was started. Chest CT for pulmonary embolism was performed, and the result was negative. Two days after, repeated echocardiogram showed improved EF was 35%. Patient was discharged with beta –blocker to reduce oxygen demand of myocardium. This case supports hypovolemic shock not responding to volume replacement therapy can cause myocardium damage which is able to be diagnosed with stunned myocardium.


Wind-tunnel tests on a structural model are required when
the full-scale structure can not be tested or analysed.Until
 Jensen proposed the "Natural Law for phenomena in Natural
 Wind" in 1958, however,conventional wind tunnels had been
of the uniform flow type, which not only faild to simulate
the windspeed variation with height but also failed to simulate
 the turbulence characteristics.
 Accordingly, in order to obtain adequate results from wind pressure
measurements on buildings in wind tunnels, the boundary layer
wind tunnel provided with the suqare section was installed
at Dae Lim Institute of Technology and tests on its performance
were made.


This paper considers a two-stage development problem for information goods with costless quality degradation. In our model, a seller of information goods faces customers that are heterogeneous with regard to both the marginal willingness to pay for quality and the outside opportunity. In the development stage, the seller determines the quality limit of the product. In the second stage, the seller's problem is to design the price schedule corresponding to different quality levels, taking into account production and distribution costs. We show that versioning is optimal for the seller when customers have multiple outside options, or more generally, convex reservation utilities. In addition, we show that in the optimal solution, the seller discards both low-end and high-end customers. Among those that are served, the seller offers a continuum of (inferior) versions to customers with relatively low willingness to pay, and extracts full information rent from each of them. A common version with the quality limit is offered to the rest. We further prove that the seller should offer a single version when reservation utilities are either concave or linear. Through numerical experiments, we study the sensitivity of our results to changes in the cost structure and customer utilities.


Case mix complexity measurements are essential to determine health care efficiency and effectiveness. Measures of patient care processes and outcomes must be adjusted for case mix before valid comparisons can be made. Hospital reimbursement, particularly prospective reimbursement, must take into account differences in case mix. In addition, a key variable for hospital classification is case mix. There are, however, no widely accepted easily computed case mix measures. Information theory measures of case mix have been developed but their acceptance has been limited by a lack of verification of their basic assumption that concentration of disease is related to clinical complexity. We discuss the rationale underlying the mathematical computation of information theory measures and demonstrate a statistically significant relationship between clinical measures of case mix complexity and information theory measures of case mix complexity.


Abstract. A large fraction of the urban population in Europe is exposed to particulate
matter levels above the WHO guideline value. To make more effective mitigation
strategies, it is important to understand the influence on particulate
matter (PM) from pollutants emitted in different European nations. In this
study, we evaluate a country source contribution forecasting system aimed at assessing the domestic and transboundary contributions to PM in major European
cities for an episode in December 2016. The system is composed of two models (EMEP/MSC-W rv4.15 and LOTOS-EUROS v2.0), which allows the consideration of
differences in the source attribution. We also compared the PM 10 concentrations, and both models present
satisfactory agreement in the 4 d forecasts of the surface concentrations,
since the hourly concentrations can be highly correlated with in situ
observations. The correlation coefficients reach values of up to 0.58 for
LOTOS-EUROS and 0.50 for EMEP for the urban stations; the values are 0.58 for
LOTOS-EUROS and 0.72 for EMEP for the rural stations. However, the models
underpredict the highest hourly concentrations measured by the urban
stations (mean underestimation of 36 %), which is to be expected given the
relatively coarse model resolution used (0.25 ∘ longitude
 × 0.125 ∘ latitude). For the source attribution calculations, LOTOS-EUROS uses a labelling
technique, while the EMEP/MSC-W model uses a scenario having reduced
anthropogenic emissions, and then it is compared to a reference run where no
changes are applied. Different percentages (5 %, 15 %, and 50 %) for the
reduced emissions in the EMEP/MSC-W model were used to test the robustness
of the methodology. The impact of the different ways to define the urban
area for the studied cities was also investigated (i.e. one model grid cell, nine
grid cells, and grid cells covering the definition given by the Global
Administrative Areas – GADM). We found that the combination of a 15 %
emission reduction and a larger domain (nine grid cells or GADM) helps to
preserve the linearity between emission and concentrations changes. The
nonlinearity, related to the emission reduction scenario used, is suggested
by the nature of the mismatch between the total concentration and the sum of
the concentrations from different calculated sources. Even limited, this
nonlinearity is observed in the NO 3 - , NH 4 + , and H2O
concentrations, which is related to gas–aerosol partitioning of the species.
The use of a 15 % emission reduction and of a larger city domain also
causes better agreement on the determination of the main country
contributors between both country source calculations. Over the 34 European cities investigated, PM 10 was dominated by
domestic emissions for the studied episode (1–9 December 2016). The
two models generally agree on the dominant external country contributor
(68 % on an hourly basis) to PM 10 concentrations. Overall, 75 % of the
hourly predicted PM 10 concentrations of both models have the same top
five main country contributors. Better agreement on the dominant
country contributor for primary (emitted) species (70 % is found for primary organic matter (POM) and 80 %
for elemental carbon – EC) than for the inorganic secondary component of the aerosol (50 %),
which is predictable due to the conceptual differences in the source
attribution used by both models. The country contribution calculated by the
scenario approach depends on the chemical regime, which largely impacts the
secondary components, unlike the calculation using the labelling approach.