The Minkowski question mark function is a rich object which can be explored from the perspective of dynamical systems, complex dynamics, metric number theory, multifractal analysis, transfer operators, integral transforms, and as a function itself via analysis of continued fractions and convergents. Our permanent target, however, was to get arithmetic interpretation of the moments of ?(x) (which are relatives of periods of Maass wave forms) and to relate the function ?(x) to certain modular objects. In this paper we establish this link, embedding ?(x) not into the modular-world itself, but into a space of functions which are generalizations and which we call mean-modular forms. For this purpose we construct a wide class of measures, and also investigate modular forms for congruence subgroups which additionally satisfy the three term functional equation. From this perspective, the modular forms for the whole modular group as well as the Stieltjes transform of ?(x) (the dyadic period function) minus the Eisenstein series of weight 2 fall under the same uniform definition. The main result is the construction of the canonical isomorphism between the spaces of quasi-modular forms and mean-modular forms. This gives unexpected Minkowski question mark function-related interpretation of quasi-modular forms.


Correspondence Vivian Zayas, Department of Psychology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853-7601, USA. Email: email@example.com Abstract Two well documented but still neglected blind spots of often-used study designs limit a researcher's ability to make inferences about psychological phenomenon. First, typical designs focus on effects of conditions at the group level and are not able to assess the extent to which effects characterize each participant in the study. This blind spot can lead to erroneous (or incomplete) conclusions about the effects of manipulations both for a given participant and at the group level. Second, commonly used research designs often use a limited sample of stimuli, constraining conclusions to the particular stimuli. This blind spot can lead to non-replication when different stimuli are used. We propose that the Highly-Repeated Within-Person (HRWP) approach helps mitigate these limitations. Using a study on the effects of anti-smoking messages, we illustrate how the HRWP approach helps alert researchers when the conclusions at the group level may not apply to all (or any) participant, quantifies the heterogeneity of effects of manipulations across people, and increases confidence regarding the generalizability of the effects. We discuss how the HRWP approach may help conceptualize issues of replicability in a new light. DOI: 10.1111/spc3.12487


In this study, the intent was to identify genetic polymorphisms of mitochondrial (mt) DNA in Korean cattle (Bos taurus coreana) and to analyze the genetic relationship between Korean cattle and other breeds. Whole mtDNA genomes (16,338 bp) of 26 animals (16 Korean cattle and 10 Holsteins) were directly sequenced. Multiple alignments, including 26 whole-mtDNA sequences obtained by direct sequencing and 10 mtDNA sequences from a public database (National Center for Biotechnology Information), revealed 393 mtDNA polymorphisms (382 SNP, 3 heteroplasmies, and 8 insertion-deletion polymorphisms). Estimated gene diversity of mtDNA was 0.00198 among these 36 animals. Phylogenic analysis with mtDNA polymorphisms revealed a distinct genetic difference between Bos taurus (Korean, Japanese Black, Holstein, and Fleckvieh breeds) and Bos indicus (Nellore and Zwergzebu breeds). The genetic information regarding mtDNA polymorphisms identified in this study would be useful for further investigation of mtDNA in other breeds.


Poor maternal nutrition inhibits muscle development and postnatal muscle growth. Satellite cells are myogenic precursor cells that contribute to postnatal muscle growth, and their activity can be evaluated by the expression of several transcription factors. Paired-box (Pax)7 is expressed in quiescent and active satellite cells. MyoD is expressed in activated and proliferating satellite cells and myogenin is expressed in terminally differentiating cells. Disruption in the expression pattern or timing of expression of myogenic regulatory factors negatively affects muscle development and growth. We hypothesized that poor maternal nutrition during gestation would alter the in vitro temporal expression of MyoD and myogenin in satellite cells from offspring at birth and 3 months of age. Ewes were fed 100% or 60% of NRC requirements from day 31±1.3 of gestation. Lambs from control-fed (CON) or restricted-fed (RES) ewes were euthanized within 24 h of birth (birth; n=5) or were fed a control diet until 3 months of age (n=5). Satellite cells isolated from the semitendinosus muscle were used for gene expression analysis or cultured for 24, 48 or 72 h and immunostained for Pax7, MyoD or myogenin. Fusion index was calculated from a subset of cells allowed to differentiate. Compared with CON, temporal expression of MyoD and myogenin was altered in cultured satellite cells isolated from RES lambs at birth. The percent of cells expressing MyoD was greater in RES than CON (P=0.03) after 24 h in culture. After 48 h of culture, there was a greater percent of cells expressing myogenin in RES compared with CON (P0.05). In satellite cells from RES lambs at 3 months of age, the percent of cells expressing MyoD and myogenin were greater than CON after 72 h in culture (P<0.05). Fusion index was reduced in RES lambs at 3 months of age compared with CON (P<0.001). Restricted nutrition during gestation alters the temporal expression of myogenic regulatory factors in satellite cells of the offspring, which may reduce the pool of myoblasts, decrease myoblast fusion and contribute to the poor postnatal muscle growth previously observed in these animals.


A researcher applied indirect estimation techniques to data from 352 rural villages from the 1978 Republic of the Philippines Fertility Survey to determine if community factors affect mortality of children 5 years old. Children with the highest mortality risks included those of the poor and least educated parents. For example, infant and child mortality stood at 203 among mothers with no education compared to 42 among those with at least a college education. In addition, infant and child mortality among husbands who were farmers was 111 whereas it was 28 among husbands who worked in professional and clerical jobs. Low cost health services and midwives were the health factors that had the greatest effect ion the probability of survival for children 5 years old, especially among the poor and least educated. For example, the probability of dying fell from 123-80 among the poor and 152-79 among the least educated if a dispensary was accessible and from 131-88 among the poor and 154-96 among the least educated if a midwife was accessible. Furthermore, adequate nutrition, better housing conditions, safe water, and sanitation also played a key role in reducing the probability of death. In terms of community development, only accessibility to a newspaper outlet the families were. On the other hand, the presence of electricity was significant only when education of the mother, occupation of the father, and region of residence were used as control variables. Thus the government should expand health care services to the rural population. Further, it should integrate health components in social and economic development programs


The contribution of non-sensory information processing to perceptual decision making is not fully understood. Choice biases have been described for mice and humans and are highly prevalent even if they decrease rewarding outcomes. Choice biases are usually reduced by discriminability because stimulus strength directly enables the adjustments in the decision strategies used by decision-makers. However, choice biases could also derive from functional asymmetries in sensory processing, decision making, or both. Here, we tested how particular experimental contingencies influenced the production of choice biases in mice and humans. Our main goal was to establish the tasks and methods to jointly characterize psychometric performance and innate side-choice behavior in mice and humans. We implemented forced and un-forced visual tasks and found that both species displayed stable levels of side-choice biases, forming continuous distributions from low to high levels of choice stereotypy. Interestingly, stimulus discriminability reduced the side-choice biases in forced-choice, but not in free-choice tasks. Choice biases were stable in appearance and intensity across experimental days and could be employed to identify mice and human participants. Additionally, side- and alternating choices could be reinforced for both mice and humans, implying that choice biases were adaptable to non-visual manipulations. Our results highlight the fact that internal and external elements can influence the production of choice biases. Adaptations of our tasks could become a helpful diagnostic tool to detect aberrant levels of choice variability.


I have been inspired in my home town of Los Angeles by the work of Jesuit Priest, Father Gregory Boyle, who for over 30 years has lead Homeboy Industries supporting gang members. Father Boyle has taught the world a great deal about the power of compassion and reconciliation. In an earlier editorial I wrote about what I have learned about suffering from his work and his first book, Tattoos on the Heart. In his new book Barking to the Choir Y The Power of Radical Kinship, he writes about the importance of human connection. Once again I find myself reading about his compassion for social justice and gangs and thinking about our work in reforming a health care system to provide palliative care. Father Boyle cites the 14th century mystic, Dame Julian of Norwich,who said that ''the truest andmost authentic spiritual life is one that produces awe, humility and love.'' He suggests however that awe often is ignored yet ''we are our healthiest when we are situated in aweI standing at the margins with the broken reminds us not of our own superiority, but of our own brokennessI Awe is the great leveler. The embrace of our own suffering helps us to find spiritual intimacywith ourselves and others. For if we don't welcome our ownwounds, wewill be tempted to despise the wounded.'' The kinship of palliative nursing is also one worthy of awe. It is a story of nurses caring for verywounded patients and families, but also confronting our own woundedness in doing this work. Providing spiritual care requires us to face our own spirituality. Lifting the frail, emaciated elder from a commode requires us to glimpse at our own future frailty. Comforting the parents of a recently deceased child will require us to allow ourselves to see the faces of all the other parents we have comforted and to be in touch with those we ourselves hold dearly and could lose. The thin veil between the comforter and comforted is ever present in palliative care. This issue of the journal is once again a reflection of our profession. Hold this issue and you hold a mirror to the sacredwork of nursing care of the seriously ill and to our radical kinship. The titles on the cover of the journal alone are a reflection of this ''very humble work'', as in the words of Mother Teresa, dementia in long term care, mothers' grief after loss of a newborn, and also papers which have dared to explore the nature and meaning of palliative nursing. The authors in this issue are sharing deep human experiencesY pregnancy during serious illness, religious or cultural factors in brain death, and extending palliative care into populations such as hemotologic malignancies and end stage renal disease. I am in awe of the work of these authors and the care described in these papers. I am also very proud to be a member of this gang we call palliative nursing.


In this paper an analytical model of an optical ring network which is capable of handling WDM traffic intelligently has been presented. The proposed architecture can be used to ease the traffic congestion in a ring network. The backbone of the proposed model is the use of a proxy node which is connected to a particular number of nodes, depending upon the traffic, then diverting their traffic and thereby increasing throughput. A probabilistic model for the proposed network architecture is developed employing packet queuing control to estimate the average waiting time of packets in the buffer and the average number of packets in the buffer for different incoming traffic arrival rate.


This paper brings a speculative, sociological perspective to the nature of 'ability' in physical education (PE) and asks why this aspect of embodiment, with notable exceptions, has received so little critical attention in the professional discourse of PE and associated research in recent years. It is suggested that thinking about 'ability' has become a taken for granted absent presence in the discursive practices of PE in the UK that variously helps configure attitudes towards the body, a sense of status, value, distinction, inclusion/exclusion and embodied self. Drawing on ideas from the theoretical work of Bernstein and Bourdieu the paper raises a number of issues about the ways in which 'ability' is constructed within the disciplines that feed the various subcultures of the PE profession, influencing teaching in schools and teacher education. The paper suggests that unless greater attention is given to 'physical education', rather than the interests of sport and health, the profession is unlikely to make an impact either on the 'abilities' or other culturally informed differences that children and young people bring to schools.


Abstract Background: Dengue virus infection has been a public health concern in Thailand. In the past decades, there has been recent interest concerning unusual clinical manifestations in both dengue fever (DF) and dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF). Objective: We described the unusual clinical manifestations and outcomes of children with dengue admitted to a tertiary care hospital in northeast Thailand. Materials and Methods: A study was conducted on the 73 patients with serologically confirmed dengue infection admitted to Srinagarind Hospital, a tertiary care facility in northeast Thailand between January 2007 and August 2011. Results: Of the 73 children examined, 42 (57%) were boys and 31 were girls. Their age ranged from 8 months to 14 years (median 11 years). Nine patients developed neurological symptoms, 6 patients had altered consciousness, and 3 patients convulsion. Among 9 patients with neurological symptoms, 1 patient had acute kidney injury, 1 had hepatic failure, and 1 had kidney and liver involvement, mostly associated with fluid resuscitation or prolonged shock. Apart from neurological symptoms, one patient developed infection associated hemophagocytic syndrome and was treated with intravenous immunoglobulin. Two patients died from multiple organ failure, and 1 patient was brought back home in a moribund condition. The other patients recovered completely. Conclusion: Altered consciousness was the most commonly observed unusual neurological manifestation. Patients who did not develop acute kidney injury or liver failure had mild clinical courses and recovered from neurological symptoms without sequelae. Acute kidney injury was associated with fluid overload and/or prolonged shock. Careful fluid management and close monitoring for complications resulted in favorable outcomes.


In Wireless Body Area Networks (WBANs), the tradeoff between network throughput and energy efficiency remains a key challenge. Most current transmission schemes try to cope with the challenge from the perspective of general Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs), which may not take the peculiarities of WBAN channels into account. In this paper, we take advantage of the correlation of on-body channels in walking scenarios to achieve a better tradeoff between throughput and energy consumption. We first analyze the characteristics of on-body channels based on realistic channel gain datasets, which are collected by our customized wireless transceivers in walking scenarios. The analytical results confirm the rationale of our newly proposed transmission scheme A3NC, which explores the combination of the aggregative allocation (AA) mechanism in MAC layer and the Analog Network Coding (ANC) technique in PHY layer. Both theoretical analyses and simulation results show that the A3NC scheme achieves significant improvement in upload throughput and energy efficiency, compared to the conventional approaches.


The research reported in this paper was undertaken to obtain a better understanding of problem solving and scientific reasoning in 10-year-old children. The study involved measuring children's competence at syllogistic reasoning and in solving a series of problems requiring inductive reasoning. Children were also categorized on the basis of levels of simultaneous and successive synthesis. Simultaneous and successive synthesis represent two dimensions of information processing identified by Luria in a program of neuro-psychological research. Simultaneous synthesis involves integration of information in a holistic or spatial fashion whereas successive synthesis involves processing information sequentially with temporal links between stimuli. Analysis of the data generated in the study indicated that syllogistic reasoning and inductive reasoning were significantly correlated with both simultaneous and successive synthesis. However, the strongest correlation was found between simultaneous synthesis and inductive reasoning. These findings provide a basis for understanding the roles of spatial and verbal-logical ability as defined by Luria's neuropsychological theory in scientific problem solving. The results also highlight the need for teachers to provide experiences which are compatible with individual students' information processing styles.


Many researchers have studied bilateral master-slave teleoperator systems, especially since Anderson and Spong (1989) proposed a novel and simple method to overcome the instability due to transmission delays. In this paper we propose a bilateral master-slave manipulator system in which the slave impedance can be adjusted by the operator in a bilateral fashion. The stability of the system for the time delay is also discussed, and the effectiveness of the system is shown by experiments.


New imido bis(borohydride) complexes [(RN=)M(PMe3)2(η2-BH4)2] [R = Ar, M = Ti (3); R = Ar, M = V (5); R = Ar, M = Mo (6); R = Ar', M = Mo (7); Ar = 2,6-iPr2C6H3, Ar' = 2,6-Me2C6H3] were prepared by the reaction of dichlorides [(RN=)MCl2(PMe3)n] (M = Ti, n = 2; M = V, n = 2, M = Mo, n = 3) with LiBH4 (2 equiv) in THF. Compounds 3, 5, 6 and 7 were studied by IR spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction, and an EPR spectroscopy study was performed for paramagnetic compound 5. In 3, the two borohydride units are orthogonal to each other as a result of the overlap of an antiphase combination of B-H orbitals with the empty dxy orbital of Ti. In contrast, the dxy orbital of the metal atom is singly occupied in 5 and fully occupied in 6 and 7, and both borohydride ligands are oriented in the same way, with the B(μ-H2)M moieties orthogonal to the P-M-P vector.


The potential due to a uniform distribution of point wave sources around a horizontal ring can be expressed in terms of cylindrical polar coordinates as the sum of two integrals. This representation has certain disadvantages, both analytically and computationally, near the ring, particularly when the ring is near the free surface. An alternative representation in terms of multi-valued toroidal harmonics is found which does not have the same difficulties.


The aim of this work is to present an automated method that assists diagnosis of normal and abnormal MR images. The diagnosis method consists of four stages, pre-processing of MR images, skull Striping, feature extraction, feature reduction and classification. After histogram equalization of image, the features are extracted based on Dual-Tree Complex wavelet transformation (DTCWT). Then the features are reduced using principal component analysis (PCA). In the last stage two classification methods, k-means clustering and Probabilistic neural network (PNN) are employed. Our work is the modification and extension of the previous studies on the diagnosis of brain diseases, while we obtain better classification rate with the less number of features and we also use larger and rather different database.


. Informed by the ontology of becoming, this study explores technological affordances in the context of use of social media technologies where multiple human and material agents interact without necessarily being co-present. In such scenarios, tracing the relational configuration of social and material agents becomes a challenge. So far, extant literature based on the ontology of becoming has only considered the actualization of affordances in the proximal co-presence of other people and objects. Extending this understanding of affordances by using actor-network theory (ANT) as a methodological and conceptual device, this research traces translations of the "distant" in the form of inscriptions that can travel across space and time. This study points towards the utility of using ANT, over other interpretive methods, as a tool to study complex technological phenomena. It shows that affordances are collective, ongoing accomplishments of diverse actors, some co-pre-sent physically and others, though distant, co-present through translated representations.


Abstract Objectives To construct a valid and reliable Nutritional Literacy Scale for patients with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) receiving dialysis and evaluate associations between nutrition literacy and quality of life. Methods A total of 208 ESKD patients receiving dialysis were selected for this study. Nutrition literacy evaluation items were drafted based on dietary guidelines for chronic kidney disease (CKD), Literature reviews and expert consultation. Scale reliability and validity were then assessed. Factors influencing nutrition literacy and the associations among nutrition literacy, nutritional status, and quality of life were evaluated. Results The scale consists of 28 items with a scale-level content validity index of 0.91 and item-level content validity indices ranging from 0.83 to 1.00. Factor analysis identified 4 common factors (dimensions) named nutrition knowledge, cognitive attitude, behavioral practice, and information acquisition ability that collectively explained 56.31% of literacy score variation. The overall Cronbach's α coefficient of the scale was 0.83, the dimensional Cronbach's α coefficients ranged from 0.79 to 0.87, and the retest reliability was r = 0.73 (p < 0.05). Age, education level, residence (urban vs. Rural), occupational status and dialysis modalities were significant factors influencing nutrition literacy. Nutrition literacy score was negatively correlated with SGA score and positively correlated with serum albumin and prealbumin concen- trations, and with SF-36 quality of life score (all p < 0.05). Conclusions This new Nutrition Literacy Scale demonstrates high reliability and validity for Chinese ESKD patients undergoing dialysis. The nutrition literacy is influenced by age, education level, residence, occupational status and dialysis modalities, associated not only with nutritional status but also with quality of life.


OBJECTIVE
To test the validity of the Outcome Measure in Rheumatology (OMERACT) semiquantitative score by comparing with a quantitative method in the sonographic (US) assessment of hyaline cartilage at the metacarpal head (MH) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and healthy subjects (HS).

METHODS
The hyaline cartilage from second to fifth MHs of both hands was scanned. Hyaline cartilage was scored semiquantitatively and quantitatively (by measuring cartilage thickness and comparing with reference values). In RA patients, radiographic joint space narrowing (JSN) was scored on the same joints using the Simple Erosion Narrowing Score (SENS).

RESULTS
Four-hundred and eight MHs in 51 RA patients and 320 MHs in 40 HS were evaluated. The OMERACT semiquantitative score was quicker to perform than the quantitative method (6.0 ± 0.5 vs 8.0 ± 1.5 min, p< 0.01). A significant correlation between the US scores (R = 0.68), and between the US scores and the JSN-SENS (R = 0.61 and R = 0.63, for semiquantitative and quantitative method, respectively) was found. The frequency of cartilage abnormalities was similar between the two US methods in RA patients (58.8% and 51.0% RA patients for semiquantitative and quantitative method, p= 0.46), while the former revealed more abnormalities in HS (27.5% and 7.5% of HS, p= 0.02).

CONCLUSION
The higher feasibility of the OMERACT semiquantitative score suggests its use as first-choice method in the evaluation of cartilage damage. However, despite its limits, the quantitative assessment of HC, providing patient-tailored information due to age- and sex-corrected cut-off values, may represent a valid supplement for optimizing the evaluation of cartilage damage in selected cases.


Doxorubicin is a key component of a number of treatment regimens used in paediatric oncology, despite the very limited pharmacology data on which current dosing regimens are based. We conducted a multicentre, multinational phase II pharmacokinetic study investigating age-dependency in the clearance of doxorubicin in children with solid tumours and leukaemia. The study was funded under the Framework Program 7 of the European Commission. 101 patients treated with doxorubicin according to a tumour-specific national or European therapeutic trial were recruited to the study, with a particular focus on children less than 3 years. Absolute doses of doxorubicin ranged from 2.4 to 57 mg, administered, with infusion durations ranging from 0.25 to 24 hours. Samples were collected after 2 administrations, with 5 samples collected in children Data were available from all but 5 patients, with samples lost due to withdrawn consent, analytical issues or sample stability related to sample transport. A three compartment model was sufficient to characterize the pharmacokinetics of doxorubicin, with a further compartment to describe those of the major metabolite doxorubicinol. All parameters of the population model were scaled to body surface area. Age dependence of doxorubicin clearance was demonstrated, with children less than 3 years having a lower clearance (21.1±5.8 l/h/m2) than older children (26.6±6.7 l/h/m2) (p=0.0004), even after correcting for body weight. No other patient-related covariate, including liver function, was found to influence the parameters of the model. While the model provided a good fit to the doxorubicinol data, no covariate was identified which influenced the parameters of the metabolite model. Pharmacogenetic variants, including those in transporters and drug metabolizing enzymes, had little influence on pharmacokinetic parameters. Likewise, pharmacokinetics had only limited impact on markers of cardiotoxicity such as troponins or on measured cardiac function. This study yields new pharmacokinetic data on doxorubicin pharmacokinetics in very young patients, suggesting that lower doses may be appropriate in children less than 3 years. The data presented her may be useful for refining dosage regimens in this patient group. Citation Format: Alan V. Boddy, Nicolas Andre, Gianni Bisogno, Joachim Boos, Maurizio D9Incalci, Nina Kontny, Miriam Krischke, Swantje Voeller, Georg Hempel. Age dependence of doxorubicin pharmacokinetics in pediatric cancer patients; results of an FP7-funded clinical study. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 4625. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-4625


There is an increasing trend towards non-invasive diagnosis and conservative treatment for early pregnancy problems. Although there are enormous potential benefits for women being treated thus, the ideal treatment methods and diagnostic algorithms have yet to be elucidated. Further large-scale studies are required.


A database design methodology is defined for the design of large relational databases. First, the data requirements are conceptualized using an extended entity-relationship model, with the extensions being additional semantics such as ternary relationships, optional relationships, and the generalization abstraction. The extended entity-relationship model is then decomposed according to a set of basic entity-relationship constructs, and these are transformed into candidate relations. A set of basic transformations has been developed for the three types of relations: entity relations, extended entity relations, and relationship relations. Candidate relations are further analyzed and modified to attain the highest degree of normalization desired.
The methodology produces database designs that are not only accurate representations of reality, but flexible enough to accommodate future processing requirements. It also reduces the number of data dependencies that must be analyzed, using the extended ER model conceptualization, and maintains data integrity through normalization. This approach can be implemented manually or in a simple software package as long as a "good" solution is acceptable and absolute optimality is not required.


The essay provides an overview of a unique and innovative cooperative initiative by an NGO-coalition to monitor and strengthen law enforcement responses to hate crimes and to identify new tools in the fight against hate incidents in Hungary. The Working Group Against Hate Crimes, in close collaboration with national and local police, conducts research, delivers opinions on legislation, develops curricula, designs training and education modules, and partakes in regular case-analysis with officers.


The purpose of the study was to determine the impact of self-regulated strategy development (SRSD) on vocabulary learning of students' English as a foreign language (EFL), and find the relationship between male and female participants with regard to the effect of SRSD on their vocabulary learning. To achieve this goal, 60 homogeneous intermediate EFL learners (30 male and 30 female) were randomly assigned to two groups of 30, a control group who received the mainstream instruction for intermediate learners and an experimental group who received additional training using self-regulated strategy development in their vocabulary instruction. The treatment consisted of five vocabulary learning strategies (using a monolingual dictionary, using new words in sentences, guessing meaning from the context, word part analysis and repetition) which were reinforced through five steps of SRSD, i.e., discuss it, model it, make it your own, support it and independent performance. A quasi-experimental design was adopted to collect the data. The results indicated that self-regulated strategy development can have a significantly positive impact on the vocabulary learning of Iranian intermediate EFL learners and this impact does not differ among male and female EFL learners. Based on the findings of the study, it was suggested that self-regulated strategy development is used in English language classes in order to teach vocabulary. Further educational implications of the study have been elaborated in the paper. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2015.v6n5s2p249


This paper examines the role of local politicians in affecting national-level election outcomes by focusing on the drastic municipal mergers in Japan that took place in the early 2000s. Specifically, we argue that the political party that relies most extensively on local politicians' efforts for electoral mobilization and monitoring will suffer an electoral slump when municipalities are merged and the number of municipal politicians is swiftly reduced. We empirically show that municipalities with a history of mergers exhibit significantly lower voter turnout and obtain a smaller vote share for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in national elections when compared to other municipalities without an experience of mergers. This result indicates that municipal politicians are indispensable human resources for LDP candidates running for the national parliament.


The incorporation of a phenylboronic acid group has appeared as an attractive strategy to build smart drug delivery systems. Here, we report novel synthesis of phenylboronic acid-functionalized copolypeptides based on an l-boronophenylalanine N-carboxyanhydride (BPA-NCA) monomer and their application for robust co-encapsulation and responsive release of dual anticancer drugs. By employing different poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) initiators and copolymerizing with varying NCA monomers, linear and star PEG-poly(l-boronophenylalanine) copolymers (PEG-PBPA, star-PEG-PBPA), PEG-poly(l-tyrosine-co-l-boronophenylalanine) [PEG-P(Tyr-co-BPA)], PEG-poly(l-lysine-co-l-boronophenylalanine) [PEG-P(Lys-co-BPA)], and PEG-poly(β-benzyl-l-aspartate-co-l-boronophenylalanine) [PEG-P(BLA-co-BPA)] were obtained with controlled compositions. Interestingly, PEG-PBPA self-assembled into uniform micellar nanoparticles that mediated robust co-encapsulation and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and acid-responsive release of dual antitumor drugs, curcumin (Cur) and sorafenib tosylate (Sor). These dual drug-loaded nanoparticles (PBN-Cur/Sor) exhibited a greatly enhanced anticancer effect toward U87 MG-luciferase glioblastoma cells. The facile synthesis of phenylboronic acid-functionalized copolypeptides from BPA coupled with their robust drug loading and responsive drug release behaviors make them interesting for construction of smart cancer nanomedicines.


The announcement of the cigarette excise tax increase made on September 13, 2019 was very surprising, but Sampoerna respected the President's decision. At present, Sampoerna is working to determine how to manage the impact of the increase. While waiting for the details of the excise tax policy to be officially released, Sampoerna intends to submit two recommendations to the Government to support the continuation of employment.


The D2Σ+-X2Σ+ band system of CaH has been reinvestigated in emission and in absorption. Analysis shows that the previously accepted vibrational numbering must be changed with the result that the vibration frequency of the D state must be reduced by a factor of two. Anomalies in the rotational structure of the D state are explained by a strong homogeneous interaction with excited vibrational levels of B2Σ+.


Most decoding algorithms of linear codes, in general, are designed to correct or detect errors. However, many channels cause erasures in addition to errors. In principle, decoding over such channels can be accomplished by deleting the erased symbols and decoding the resulting vector with respect to a punctured code. For any given linear code and any given maximum number of correctable erasures, parity-check matrices are introduced that yield parity-check equations which do not check any of the erased symbols and which are sufficient to characterize all punctured codes corresponding to this maximum number of erasures. These matrices allow for the separation of erasures from errors to facilitate decoding. Several constructions of such separating parity-check matrices are presented. To reduce decoding complexity, separating parity-check matrices with small number of rows are preferred. The minimum number of rows in a parity-check matrix separating a given maximum number of erasures is called the separating redundancy. Upper and lower bounds on the separating redundancies are derived. In particular, it is shown that the separating redundancies tend to grow linearly with the number of rows in full-rank parity-check matrices of codes. The separating redundancies of some classes of codes are determined for some maximum numbers of erasures.


Motion estimation plays a vital role in today'smedia applications. Hence testing of such a module is asignificant concern. Even though several algorithms have been proposed in the past testing of motion estimators are seldom addressed. The proposed system describes an Error Detection and Data Recovery (EDDR) architecture that detects and recovers data inthe motion estimator. The system uses the Mean Absolute Difference (MAD) method to compute the difference in the current and reference frames which overcomes some of the drawbacks in the existing techniques. The architecture comprises of an Error Detection Circuit (EDC) and a Data Recovery Circuit(DRC) to recover the original data. A Residue-Quotient code is used to compute the change in value between the error and expected values. Result show that the errors are effectively recovered with a delay of a single cycle.


The purpose of this study was to determine the latent structure of the California Verbal Learning Test--Children's Version (CVLT-C; D. Delis, J. Kramer, E. Kaplan, & B. Ober, 1994) in a sample of 175 children with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Maximum-likelihood confirmatory factor analyses were performed to test 6 competing hypothetical models for fit and parsimony. A 4-factor model consisting of Attention Span, Learning Efficiency, Delayed Recall, and Inaccurate Recall provided the best fit to the data. The results support the construct validity of the CVLT-C in children with TBI and suggest that a multifactorial interpretation of quantitative indexes from this instrument is appropriate for clinical practice.


Background: Recently, the Nordic diet has gained interest, and a healthy Nordic food index has been developed, which has been found inversely related to colorectal cancer among Danish women. This single finding, however, requires replication in other cohorts. Methods: We conducted a prospective study in the Women's Lifestyle and Health cohort, including 45,222 women, recruited in 1991–92, and followed up ever since through Swedish registries. Participants were classified according to the Nordic food index (consisting of whole grain bread, oatmeal, apples/pears, cabbages, root vegetables, and fish/shellfish), and the association between adherence and colorectal cancer was assessed using the Cox proportional hazards models. Results: In the fully adjusted models, we found no association, neither with the continuous index score [incidence rate ratio (IRR), 1.04; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.95–1.12, per 1-point increment] nor in the categorical analyses (IRR, 1.09; 95% CI, 0.78–1.52 for highest vs. lowest adherers). Conclusion: The present study does, thus, not support a previous finding of an inverse association between a healthy Nordic food index and colorectal cancer. Impact: This article adds new evidence to the field of the Nordic diet in disease prevention. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 24(4); 755–7. ©2015 AACR.


We show that controllable inhomogeneous coupling between two-level systems and a common data bus provides a fast mechanism to produce multipartite entanglement. Our proposal combines resonant interactions and engineering of coupling strengths—between the qubits and the single mode—leading to well defined entangled states. Furthermore, we show that, if the two-level systems interact dispersively with the quantized mode, engineering of coupling strengths allows the controlled access of the symmetric Hilbert space of qubits.


Safe outpatient management of acute leukaemia consolidation cycles may enable substantial savings in admission costs. Safety involves the prompt administration of antibiotics in patients with neutropenic fever. Our unit in a metropolitan tertiary referral hospital analysed a cohort of patients spanning a 10‐year period, with two key observations: (i) a high proportion of patients living a substantial distance from hospital and (ii) the high incidence and generally prompt onset of fever after severe neutropenia, suggesting this broad applicability of this approach is unfeasible without addressing travel issues and potentially reducing and/or delaying neutropenic fever with prophylactic antibiotics.


The Advanced Certificate in Total Quality Management for Education is centered around the principles of total quality management (TQM) and the Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award Criteria for Educational Programs. This comprehensive certificate is designed to provide an indepth knowledge of TQM principles, the Baldridge Award Criteria, and an understanding of how to conduct an assessment using the Baldridge criteria. The focus of the four certificate courses is an understanding of the value that Baldridge brings to your organization and how to use the Baldridge Award Criteria for Education as a change management tool. With a focus on strategic goals and indicators, this certificate offers school leaders an approach to help guide district, school and classroom improvement planning.


Many species of fig trees (Ficus spp., Moraceae) have nematodes that develop inside their inflorescences (figs). Nematodes are carried into young figs by females of the trees' host-specific pollinating fig wasps (Agaonidae) that enter the figs to lay their eggs. The majority of Asian fig trees are functionally dioecious. Pollinators that enter figs on female trees cannot reproduce and offspring of any nematodes they carry will also be trapped inside. The biology of the nematodes is diverse, but poorly understood. We contrasted the development of nematodes carried by the pollinating fig wasp Ceratosolen solmsi marchali into figs on male and female trees of Ficus hispida in Sumatra, Indonesia. Figs were sampled from both male and female trees over a six-month period, with the nematodes extracted to record their development of their populations inside the figs. Populations of three species of nematodes developed routinely inside figs of both sexes: Caenorhabditis sp. (Rhabditidae), Ficophagus cf. centerae and Martininema baculum (both Aphelenchoididae). This is the first record of a Caenorhabditis sp. associated with F. hispida. Mean numbers of nematodes reached around 120-140 in both male and female figs. These peak population sizes coincided with the emergence of the new generation of adult fig wasps in male fig trees. We conclude that figs on female trees can support development and reproduction of some nematode species, but the absence of vectors means that their populations cannot persist beyond the lifetime of a single fig. Just like their fig wasp vectors, the nematodes cannot avoid this routine source of mortality.


A huge amount of images are continuously shared on social networks (SNs) daily and, in most of cases, it is very difficult to reliably establish the SN of provenance of an image when it is recovered from a hard disk, a SD card or a smartphone memory. During an investigation, it could be crucial to be able to distinguish images coming directly from a photo-camera with respect to those downloaded from a social network and possibly, in this last circumstance, determining which is the SN among a defined group. It is well known that each SN leaves peculiar traces on each content during the upload-download process; such traces can be exploited to make image classification. In this work, the idea is to use the PRNU, embedded in every acquired images, as the "carrier" of the particular SN traces which diversely modulate the PRNU. We demonstrate, in this paper, that SN-modulated noise residual can be adopted as a feature to detect the social network of origin by means of a trained convolutional neural network (CNN).


Purpose of reviewA number of less-invasive haemodynamic monitoring devices have been introduced in recent years, largely replacing the pulmonary artery catheter (PAC) as a standard monitoring tool. Apart from tracking cardiac output (CO), these monitors provide additional haemodynamic parameters. The aim of this article is to review the most widely used less-invasive monitoring modalities, their technical characteristics and limitations regarding their clinical performance. Recent findingsThe utilization of CO monitoring in the perioperative setting has been shown to be associated with improved outcomes if integrated into a haemodynamic optimization strategy. These findings provide the basis of recent recommendations for perioperative monitoring. SummaryAn array of monitoring modalities have been introduced that can reliably track CO in the perioperative setting and make the PAC dispensable in most clinical situations. In order to be used safely and efficiently, knowledge regarding the inherent monitoring techniques and their limitations, their clinical validity and the utility of the parameters provided is crucial.


New urban water practices promise greater resilience, liveability and sustainability. Water reformers suggest new practices which are decentred compared to old, centralised water arrangements and systems. Fundamentally, changing the way water is delivered in cities may bring new risks, or at least new allocations of existing risks. This article examines the legal consequences of reforms where water is supplied through legally decentred entities, including private or community-owned entities. It recognises that the traditional analytical lens on urban water risks usually adopts the philosophy of risk avoidance or minimisation, as opposed to a less common approach adopted here which views risk as harm. It traces the legal consequences of what happens if harm occurs alongside innovation: that is, what happens if a risk manifests and causes harm to the end user? Four separate incidents of harm are analysed in hypothetical, yet realistic, decentred scenarios – water contamination, flooding, sewage nuisance, and an interrupted water supply – in terms of the legal consequences of the harm and the difficulties for people who are harmed in pursuing adequate redress. The analysis confirms that changing the legal ownership of water suppliers has important legal and practical implications. Thus, governments considering water reforms involving decentred arrangements need to move carefully and explicitly consider if new regulatory regimes and recovery mechanisms are needed – or, indeed, whether new arrangements are justified at all.


Kudai dance as a medium of collective expression of Semendesociety is identical with the women strength as the source of life. In the aspect of its performance, It contains social interaction through the symbols that is expressed through the aesthetics of the female body.The purpose of the article is to explain the symbolic meaning of Kuadai dance performance expressed by Semende society in Lampung.This research used qualitative method with interdisciplinary approach. The data collection used the technique of observation, interview, and documentation. The data validity was based on the credibility criteria with triangulation technique. The data analysis used the procedure of dance research by Gertrude Prokosch Kurath that is focused on dance analysis especially on symbol and meaning in Kuadai dance. The results showed that Kuadaidance is a form of tradition reality imitation which exists among Semendesociety as an agrarian society that outs forward the tradition of tunggu tubang (the first daughter as a shelter and a manager of family's treasure. The personality of tunggu tubang that is full of patience, consistence, and responsibility is manifested through the Kuadai dance movements.The plate as property is a symbol of a respect as well as a representation of a woman that should be treated gently, carefully, lovingly, and with sacred. The dominant floor pattern symbolizes the Semende society that always respects the customs' regulation. The dance accompaniment with slow tempo symbolizes Semende society that is full of tranquility and togetherness.


Columnar defects introduced by irradiation with very energetic heavy ions are the most effective pinning centres for flux lines in high-temperature superconductors. This correlated disorder generates large increases in the critical current densities and expansion of the irreversible regime in and the various Bi- and Tl-based compounds. In single crystals and thin films, the pinning enhancement is strongly angular-dependent, and maximizes when the applied magnetic field is parallel to the amorphous latent tracks. In contrast, in the much more anisotropic Bi- and Tl- based materials this unidirectional anisotropy is very small due to the quasi two-dimensional character of the vortices. Some of the extensive experimental studies on this topic are reviewed. Measurements of the temperature, field and defect density dependence of the persistent currents and their time relaxation in YBCO are presented. The analysis of these results based on recent theoretical models permits the identification of various pinning and creep regimes. Studies in other compounds, including technologically relevant Bi-based tapes, are summarized. The influence of the angular dispersion (splay) of the tracks on vortex pinning and creep is discussed.


Using monthly zip-code level data on credit card transactions covering 16 U.S. cities, this paper investigates changes in consumption at local commercial places during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Since using aggregate-level data can suppress valuable information on consumption patterns coming from zip codes, the main contribution is achieved by estimating common factors across zip codes that are controlled for factors that are zip-code and time specific as well as those that are zip-code and sector specific. Whereas raw data for the median zip code suggest that spending on all sectors (except for grocery) has decreased amid COVID-19, the estimation results based on common factors across zip codes rather show that relative consumption of products and services that can be consumed at home (e.g., grocery, pharmacy, home maintenance) has increased up to 56% amid COVID-19 compared to the previous year, whereas relative consumption of products and services that cannot be consumed at home (e.g., fuel, transportation, personal care services, restaurant) has decreased up to 51%. Similarly, after controlling for the corresponding factors, online shopping has relatively increased up to 21%, while its expenditure share has relatively increased by up to 16% compared to the pre-COVID-19 period.


Guanine nucleotide binding proteins (G proteins), known as an important signal transduction molecular, can physiologically couple extracellular signals identified by G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) to a series of intracellular effector to cause changes of gene transcription and protein's structure and function. Members of G protein family including Gs, Gi/o, Gq/11, and G12/13 express in the myocardium. In the heart G protein-mediated signal transduction generates diverse effects on myocardiac contractility, heart rate, heart rhythm, and myocyte growth. This review focuses on alterations of G protein in cardiac hypertrophy, heart failure, acute myocardial ischemia, and arrhythmia to help us to understand the pathogenesis and pathophysiology in heart diseases.


Projections of future populations are integral to many planning applications, yet are often poorly understood. This analysis focuses on the implications of the choices planners make when they construct projections. Specifically, it examines the impact of length of base period, analyzes the error structure of projection techniques for counties in the aggregate and by size and growth rates, investigates the role of averaging, and compares the performance of trend extrapolation and cohort—component methods. The article concludes by discussing forecast complexity, data quality, the role of assumptions, and other considerations of forecasting in a planning context.


Objective: To compare the effect of cold snare and hot snare on the resection of small colorectal polyps, and to explore the clinical value of cold snare technique in removing colorectal polyps. Methods: From September 1, 2017 to January 31, 2018, 206 cases of patients with colorectal polyp resection in the Department of Gastroenterology of Peking University International Hospital were studied. During this period, according to the standard, 103 cases of patients (158 polyps) were in the cold snare group, and 103 patients (180 polyps) were randomly selected as control group from patients of the hot snare group. The related clinical data were analyzed retrospectively. The location, shape, size, polypectomy time, pathological type, complete resection rate, specimen recovery rate, complications and related costs of the two groups of polyps were compared. Results: The polypectomy time of the cold snare group was shorter than that of the hot snare group.The difference was statistically significant (Z=-11.727, P<0.001). The related cost of the perioperative period of the cold snare group was lower than that of the hot snare group.The difference was statistically significant (Z=-12.680, P<0.001). There were no statistically significant differences in the number of polyps/case, size, shape, pathological classification, complete resection rate, specimen recovery rate, and perioperative complications of the patients in the two groups(P>0.05). Conclusions: The operation time of cold snare technique in colorectal polyps (6-9 mm in diameter) is shorter and the cost is lower, which is worthy of clinical promotion.


The interpretive and subjective nature of qualitative research has led to growing utilization of arts-based strategies for data collection, analysis and dissemination. The defining characteristic of all such strategies is that they are largely subjective and intended to invoke personal responses in the 'audience.' Following that direction, many qualitative researchers are using metaphor to capture themes emerging from their analysis. In this article, we explore ethical aspects of using metaphor in describing results of qualitative health research and illustrate some of the complexities using a case study of research conducted by one of the authors. Our analysis is designed to sensitize researchers and ethics reviewers to some unique ethical issues inherent to this approach towards data analysis and presentation. Issues related to participant dignity, respect and vulnerability led us to suggest that researchers should take these points into consideration in designing their research and seeking informed consent. Metaphors can be linguistic devices, but also conceptual aids that help develop patterns in analysis or that facilitate re-interpretation. However, there is a thin line between artistic licence for better expression and distorting the participants' actual experience and meanings. Researchers, and reviewers, must be aware of the danger to participant dignity and integrity when aesthetics overshadow actuality. The use of metaphor may also trigger tensions between researchers and participants, especially if member checking is used. The implications of participant withdrawal must be considered and conveyed to ethics reviewers and participants. It is important to have a plan in place for dealing with some of these issues. These should be detailed in the proposal and communicated to participants. Institutional research ethics boards should, on their part, be prepared to ask questions if such details are lacking in the proposal.


This research considers the effects of a major change in the provision of community pharmaceutical services in England. Commercial companies now provide the majority of the service with a marked decrease in provision by independent contractors. This change may be described as the corporatisation of community pharmacy. This is important because public policy assumes the service is of a uniform standard irrespective of the occupational status, working pattern and organisational setting of the practitioner. Professional policy has also subscribed largely to this belief, but allowed models of practice to develop in which pharmacists seem to have a considerable variation of control over their professional work. Commercial policy has been driven by organisations seeking to maximise profitability and develop cost effective models of professional practice.Pressures from these sources impact upon community pharmacists and give rise to concerns regarding their ability to carry out their professional responsibilities fully. Of particular concern is their professional autonomy, regarded by many commentators as the distinguishing characteristic of the professions. This research is an exploration of whether, and to what extent community pharmacists' professional autonomy has been affected by corporatisation. Empirical work undertaken led to an instrument that made use of practice based scenarios to locate the degree of professional autonomy that community pharmacists perceived they possessed. After two successful pilots, the instrument was used in a large-scale survey of community pharmacists throughout England. The results indicated that community pharmacists' perception of their professional autonomy varied considerably. The variation was linked to their occupational status and whether they worked on a full or part-time basis. These factors are closely related to the corporatisation of community pharmacy. The findings have considerable policy implications. From the perspective of professional policy, the erosion of professional autonomy found with respect to some categories of community pharmacists calls into question the professional status of pharmacy. From the perspective of public policy the tacit assumption that professional services provided through a variety of organisational structures are essentially the same has been shown to be naive. With regard to commercial policy the overwhelming strength of the commercial agenda risks deprofessionalising community pharmacy. The conclusion reached is that the existing contractor model for the provision of pharmaceutical services should be reviewed and consideration given to replacement with a model that takes into account the realities of current provision.


Clinical staff perfusionists are responsible for training perfusion students to perform tasks and manage patients in the clinical setting. They are often the least prepared to assume this teaching role. To address this need, a modular programme has been developed to provide the teaching staff with instructional skills. Adult learning theory specifies that an effective learning environment addresses issues of saliency, motivation, retention and transfer. Adults have different expectations, so this programme is designed to maximize this process. The programme is comprehensive and may be used for didactic instruction as well. Derived from a model designed for physicians as teachers, five modules provide theoretical support for teaching techniques, learning tools and management techniques for giving feedback and evaluating performance. Specifically, the topics address the following subjects: managing and motivating learners; teaching medical problem solving; teaching clinical skills; giving feedback and evaluating performance. The short curriculum is based on teaching principles that apply to adult learners with diverse learning styles. While presenting techniques to use with different types of learners, the programme itself incorporates these techniques in teaching the teachers. The modules use lectures, demonstrations, role playing and video taping to challenge teachers and learners in the cognitive, psychomotor and affective domains. The success of this programme is its ability to engage each participant in the learning process.


A temporal video segmentation method is proposed in this paper. This method is based on the detection of shot abrupt transition and gradual transition, and then takes into account the conditions of user terminals, which could generate different video summarization for each user. The experimental results show that the video summarization is able to meet the user's browsing requirements, and allows user to enjoy better browsing experience.


Feeding and swallowing disorders have been described in children with a variety of neurodevelopmental disabilities, including Down syndrome (DS). Abnormal feeding and swallowing can be associated with serious sequelae such as failure to thrive and respiratory complications, including aspiration pneumonia. Incidence of dysphagia in young infants with DS has not previously been reported. To assess the identification and incidence of feeding and swallowing problems in young infants with DS, a retrospective chart review of 174 infants, ages 0–6 months was conducted at a single specialty clinic. Fifty‐seven percent (100/174) of infants had clinical concerns for feeding and swallowing disorders that warranted referral for Videofluroscopic Swallow Study (VFSS); 96/174 (55%) had some degree of oral and/or pharyngeal phase dysphagia and 69/174 (39%) had dysphagia severe enough to warrant recommendation for alteration of breast milk/formula consistency or nonoral feeds. Infants with certain comorbidities had significant risk for significant dysphagia, including those with functional airway/respiratory abnormalities (OR = 7.2). Infants with desaturation with feeds were at dramatically increased risk (OR = 15.8). All young infants with DS should be screened clinically for feeding and swallowing concerns. If concerns are identified, consideration should be given to further evaluation with VFSS for identification of dysphagia and additional feeding modifications.


In most classical Autonomous Vehicle (AV) stacks, the prediction and planning layers are separated, limiting the planner to react to predictions that are not informed by the planned trajectory of the AV. This work presents a module that tightly couples these layers via a game-theoretic Model Predictive Controller (MPC) that uses a novel interactive multi-agent neural network policy as part of its predictive model. In our setting, the MPC planner considers all the surrounding agents by informing the multi-agent policy with the planned state sequence. Fundamental to the success of our method is the design of a novel multi-agent policy network that can steer a vehicle given the state of the surrounding agents and the map information. The policy network is trained implicitly with ground-truth observation data using backpropagation through time and a differentiable dynamics model to roll out the trajectory forward in time. Finally, we show that our multi-agent policy network learns to drive while interacting with the environment, and, when combined with the game-theoretic MPC planner, can successfully generate interactive behaviors.


As the COVID-19 pandemic closed borders and shut down travel in 2020, culinary tourists have turned to virtual experiences for satisfying their curiosity about new foods and tastes. Individuals as well as industry professionals have focused their energies on cooking shows, cookbooks, food memoires, blogs, and both formal media and informal social media. These activities represent a philosophical approach to tourism as a state of seeing or attitude that represents the humanities-based definition of culinary tourism as "eating out of curiosity" rather than the more industry-driven one of food-motivated travel to a destination. These virtual formats may be reaching a larger number of audiences than pre-COVID-19 culinary tourism marketing and including a larger number of potential destinations that tourists previously would not have considered visiting in person. They also are creating opportunities for educating people about various dishes and food cultures. Those opportunities may be "whetting their appetite" for future travel, resulting in heightened interest in culinary tourism experiences in the future. It is possible that these audiences will be more aware of the nuances of food cultures and of the impacts of tourism and will therefore seek experiences that are more multifaceted and more sustainable for all parties involved.


It is a well-known EOR mechanism that residual oil in swept zone after water flooding (including oil drops, films and clusters) can be mobilized by low interfacial tension (IFT) during surfactant flooding. The aim of this work is to investigate if trapped oil in low-permeability zone (unswept by water flooding) can be mobilized or not by ultra-low IFT in dilute surfactant flooding without any additional conformance control treatment using polymer, gel, or foam, etc. Anionic–nonionic surfactant was used to attain ultra-low oil-water IFT of 10-4 mN/m at a low surfactant concentration of 0.2wt% under high salinity without adding any additional solubilizer, alkali, alcohols, etc. Using this surfactant solution, low field NMR core flooding experiment was conducted using heterogenous core. This core was drilled from artificial rectangular-sandstone core with two layers (gas permeability in low- and high-permeability layer is 90mD and 1200mD, respectively). Then, two-parallel core flooding experiment was conducted, where two core holders were parallelly installed (one for low-permeability core, one for high-permeability core) to simulate the heterogenous permeability condition.
 NMR core flooding results showed that the reduction percentage of oil saturation in large pores (mostly distributed in high-permeability layer) was much higher than that in small pores (mostly distributed in low-permeability layer) during water flooding. After a high water cut of 98%, surfactant was injected. It was found that oil saturation in both high- and low-permeability layer was decreased, and the reduction percentage in small pores was much higher than that in large pores, which partly indicates that ultra-low IFT cannot only mobilize residual oil in swept zone in high-permeability layer, but also effectively mobilize trapped oil in unswept zone in low-permeability layer. This EOR mechanism was further verified by two-parallel core flooding experiment. Under the permeability max-min ratio of 705.1 to 48.96 mD (water permeability), there was no oil production from low-permeability core during water flooding even when water cut was 98% in high-permeability core. This means that it is difficult for injected water to penetrate into low-permeability core under such a heterogeneity. However, when changed to surfactant flooding, low-permeability core started to produce oil. A surfactant injection of 0.3 PV can yield an oil recovery of about 5% and 16% from low- and high-permeability core, respectively, which proves that ultra-low IFT has ability to mobilize trapped oil in low-permeability zone unswept by water flooding under heterogenous permeability without any additional conformance control treatment.


The second volume of this outstanding work lives up to the standard set by the first volume, which is another way of saying it is superb. This volume lists twenty-five contributors. In many books of multiple authorship the different contributions vary greatly in quality, and the work in toto suffers from a choppy style of writing, the exposition clear in places and again murky. The different contributions here are well balanced, the literary style smooth and fluid. The work is both informative and interesting. This volume covers the years from 1450 to 1800; the chapters are devoted to mathematics, astronomy, physics, geology, biology, chemistry, anatomy, physiology, and medicine and show the progress of medicine from the period of the Renaissance to the beginning of the nineteenth century. The anatomical discoveries of Vesalius and Harvey's discovery of the circulation of the blood are clearly and impartially set forth. Delauney's statement that


Objective This study aimed to investigate the correlation between obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) and the severity of coronary artery disease (CAD) assessed by angiography. Methods This prospective study screened 273 patients diagnosed with CAD by coronary angiography. The severity of CAD was assessed by SYNTAX score. A total of 255 subjects were enrolled of whom 161 were diagnosed with OSA, with an apnoea–hypopnoea index ≥5/hour. Ninety-four CAD patients without OSA were used as controls. The relationship between OSA and CAD was analysed by multiple linear regression. Results The prevalence of OSA in CAD patients was 63.1%. The prevalences of single-vessel, two-vessel, and three-vessel disease were similar in the two groups. However, CAD was significantly more severe in patients with OSA, measured by SYNTAX score, than in those without OSA. OSA was independently associated with CAD after adjusting for traditional risk factors. Conclusions OSA is relatively common among patients with CAD in China. The independent association between OSA and CAD, even after adjusting for traditional confounders, suggests that OSA should be taken into account when considering the risk factors for CAD. The present findings highlight the important adverse influence of OSA on the severity of CAD.


Unsized single-end rovings are oxygen plasma pretreated and organosilicon plasma coated using plasma nanotechnology to optimize the interphase in glass-fiber-reinforced polyester composites and to determine the achievable range of their shear strength for potential applications. This surface modification of the fibers allows us to vary the shear strength of the composite in the range of 23.1 to 45.2 MPa at reduced financial costs of the process, while the commercial sizing corresponds to 39.2 MPa. The shear strength variability is controlled by the adhesion of the interlayer (plasma nanocoating) due to the variable density of chemical bonds at the interlayer/glass interface. The optimized technological conditions can be used for continuous surface modification of rovings in commercial online fiber-processing systems.


In 2006, State Health Agencies and its Health Platforms were established in each of Austria's nine federal states. One of the goals was to improve planning, controlling and financing of the health system by overcoming sectoral boundaries. To achieve this funds may be earmarked ("reform pool") to compensate for shifts in service provision between health care settings (see also survey (7) 2006). This survey gives an overview about "reform pool" activities in Austrian federal states.


Little is known about the situational factors that turn feelings of revenge into actual acts of revenge. Addressing this gap in the literature, this study selected a representative sample of people who acted on their feelings of revenge (avengers) and of people who did not (nonavengers), obtaining a reflection of typical antecedents of revenge. Results revealed that avengers did not report more severe offenses. Neither did avengers report less closeness to offenders nor a larger number of audience members toward whom they might want to prove something. Results did reveal that revenge was more prevalent (a) among young, male friends and acquaintances; (b) in contexts involving social exclusion; and (c) if there was a possibility to take revenge.


Objective This study examined the differences in the current levels of depression, anxiety, and physical pain in emerging adulthood among gay and bisexual men with various experiences of traditional and cyber homophobic bullying based on gender role nonconformity and sexual orientation and the moderating effects of family and peer support. Methods A total of 500 gay or bisexual men (age 20–25 years) in Taiwan were recruited from August 2015 to July 2017. The levels of depression, anxiety, and physical pain among gay or bisexual men who had experienced both traditional and cyber homophobic bullying (n=109), only traditional or cyber bullying (n=173), and neither traditional nor cyber bullying during childhood (n=218) were compared. The moderating effects of family and peer support on the effects of homophobic bullying victimization on depression, anxiety, and physical pain were also examined. Results Victims of any type of homophobic bullying in childhood had more severe depression, anxiety, and physical pain in emerging adulthood than nonvictims. Victims of both traditional and cyber homophobic bullying had more severe anxiety in adulthood than victims of only traditional or cyber homophobic bullying. Family but not peer support in childhood moderated the effects of homophobic bullying victimization on current levels of anxiety and physical pain in emerging adulthood among gay and bisexual men. Conclusion The results of the present study support that early prevention and intervention for homophobic bullying and enhancement of family support are essential to reduce mental health problems in emergent adults among gay and bisexual men.


In typical archives, documents are indexed primarily by subject, author, title, and, to a lesser extent, by document type. Adding the possibility of geographic indexing can make the searching process much more cohesive and comprehensive.
This paper describes design and implementation problems with software for managing archives of geographically oriented documents. Apart from information about geographic indexing this paper also describes some issues specific for our country, e.g. work with documents that contain classified information or personal data.


Mineral and phytochemical contents of leaves of Amaranthus hybridus L. andSolanum nigrum L. Subjected to different processing methods were evaluated. Processing procedures adopted include shredding, sun–drying, oven–drying, steaming and a combination of these. Minerals examined are Na, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, P, and Zn while the phytochemicals are alkaloids, flavonoids, hydrocyanic acid, phenols, phytic acid and tannins. Oven – drying was the most effective method for retaining the studied minerals in S. nigrum  but only for Na, Ca, Fe and Mg in A.hybridus L. Na/K and Ca/P ratios ranged between 0.13 – 0.14 and 1.24 - 1.28 A.hybridus L. while values for S. nigrum L. were 0.70 – 0.80 and 0.21 – 0.24 respectively in all the treatments. Sun–drying was the most effective method for retaining the phytochemicals. For retention of alkaloids, flavonoids and saponins, oven–drying proved the second best method while steaming with sun – drying elicited the greatest reduction in the levels of hydrocyanic acid, phenols, phytic acid and tannins. Processing methods employed when utilizing these leaves should therefore reflect the desired effect.

 Key words: A. hybridus L., S. nigrum L., processing, minerals, phytochemicals.


Lineage‐specific differentiation programs are activated by epigenetic changes in chromatin structure. Melanin‐producing melanocytes maintain a gene expression program ensuring appropriate enzymatic conversion of metabolites into the pigment, melanin, and transfer to surrounding cells. During neuroectodermal development, SMARCA4 (BRG1), the catalytic subunit of SWItch/Sucrose Non‐Fermentable (SWI/SNF) chromatin remodeling complexes, is essential for lineage specification. SMARCA4 is also required for development of multipotent neural crest precursors into melanoblasts, which differentiate into pigment‐producing melanocytes. In addition to the catalytic domain, SMARCA4 and several SWI/SNF subunits contain bromodomains which are amenable to pharmacological inhibition. We investigated the effects of pharmacological inhibitors of SWI/SNF bromodomains on melanocyte differentiation. Strikingly, treatment of murine melanoblasts and human neonatal epidermal melanocytes with selected bromodomain inhibitors abrogated melanin synthesis and visible pigmentation. Using functional genomics, iBRD9, a small molecule selective for the bromodomain of BRD9 was found to repress pigmentation‐specific gene expression. Depletion of BRD9 confirmed a requirement for expression of pigmentation genes in the differentiation program from melanoblasts into pigmented melanocytes and in melanoma cells. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays showed that iBRD9 disrupts the occupancy of BRD9 and the catalytic subunit SMARCA4 at melanocyte‐specific loci. These data indicate that BRD9 promotes melanocyte pigmentation whereas pharmacological inhibition of BRD9 is repressive.


Efficient processing of non-numeric textual data is a frequent requirement with medical computer applications such as clinical laboratory result reporting. In such instances, it is often desirable that the computer control the generation of the text to ensure that the intended meaning is conveyed. This paper describes a technique for interactively selecting predefined text segments to form complex textual reports for laboratory tests. The approach, which uses algorithms based on augmented transition network theory, has been implemented as part of a comprehensive computerized laboratory information system at the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions. The specific applications discussed include chemistry, hematology and microbiology laboratory result reporting. The text manipulation techniques are entirely general, and should be readily adaptable to other areas such as radiology and pathology reporting.


This article examines coastal urban planning in Costa Rica vis‐a‐vis the country's values in the areas of sustainable tourism and community development, focusing on the city of Jaco. I argue that an anti‐urban tourism development strategy, swift coastal urban development and weak planning have nurtured a nature–infrastructure paradox: when people are brought closer to nature without proper urban and governmental infrastructure, this causes social and environmental damage. To assess this paradox and understand local perceptions of development, I analyzed lengthy semi‐structured interviews and survey responses in San Jose and Jaco in this study. Research methods also encompassed analysis of current tourism planning institutions and regulations, tourism media coverage and reports, real estate data, participant observation of planning and community meetings and activities, and observations of the built and natural environmental conditions in Jaco and its surroundings. The findings show jurisdictional fragmentation, regulatory weaknesses, complexity, poor coordination, slow action, and incoherent planning and development, leading to environmental degradation and socio‐spatial inequities. A more balanced approach to planning and development would seek to improve environmental health and socio‐spatial equity in tandem, by nurturing and advancing both nature and infrastructure development. Lessons from Jaco have global resonance, given the expansion of the worldwide tourism and second‐home/retirement‐housing industries, their recent concentration in urban coastal destinations of developing countries, and the fragility of these socio‐ecological systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]


ABSTRACT The conventional flowsheet of coal washing plants includes sequential units where different coal size fractions are washed. Generally, coal washeries include dense medium vessels/drums and cylones for coarse and intermediate sizes as well as spirals and flotation units for fine/ultrafine fractions. Three product-dense medium cyclones (TPDMC) may replace the traditional flowsheet, enabling coals of a wide size range to be treated at once. TPDMC is widely used in the world, particularly in China, and has many potential advantages, yet there is limited data about its performance and simulation. In this study, the performance of a 70 t/h feed capacity TPDMC used for hard coal washing was investigated and its separation behavior was simulated using two different dense medium separation models. Test results revealed that the separation performance of TPDMC was efficient, yet different geometric designs might be required for the treatment of various coal types.


Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) is a key player in inflammatory bowel disease and has been variably associated with carcinogenesis, but details of the cross talk between inflammatory and tumorigenic pathways remain incompletely understood. It has been shown that, in C57BL/6 mice, signaling via TNF receptor 1 (TNFR1) is protective from injury and inflammation in experimental colitis. Therefore, we hypothesized that loss of TNFR1 signaling would confer increased risk of developing colitis-associated carcinoma. Using three models of murine tumorigenesis based on repeated bouts of inflammation or systemic tumor initiator, we sought to determine the roles of TNF and TNFR1 with regard to neoplastic transformation in the colon in wild-type (WT), TNFR1 knockout (R1KO), and TNF knockout (TNFKO) mice. We found R1KO animals to have more severe disease, as defined by weight loss, hematochezia, and histology. TNFKO mice demonstrated less weight loss but were consistently smaller, and rates and duration of hematochezia were comparable to WT mice. Histological inflammation scores were higher and neoplastic lesions occurred more frequently and earlier in R1KO mice. Apoptosis is not affected in R1KO mice although epithelial proliferation following injury is more ardent even before tumorigenesis is apparent. Lastly, there is earlier and more intense expression of activated β-catenin in these mice, implying a connection between TNFR1 and Wnt signaling. Taken together, these findings show that in the context of colitis-associated carcinogenesis TNFR1 functions as a tumor suppressor, exerting this effect not via apoptosis but by modulating activation of β-catenin and controlling epithelial proliferation.


The power of genotype-phenotype association mapping studies increases greatly when contributions from multiple variants in a focal region are meaningfully aggregated. Currently, there are two popular categories of variant aggregation methods. Transcriptome-wide association studies (TWAS) represent a category of emerging methods that select variants based on their effect on gene expressions, providing pretrained linear combinations of variants for downstream association mapping. In contrast, kernel methods such as SKAT model genotypic and phenotypic variance using various kernel functions that capture genetic similarity between subjects, allowing non-linear effects to be included. From the perspective of machine learning, these two methods cover two complementary aspects of feature engineering: feature selection/pruning, and feature modeling. Thus far, no thorough comparison has been made between these categories, and no methods exist which incorporate the advantages of TWAS and kernel-based methods. In this work we developed a novel method called kTWAS that applies TWAS-like feature selection to a SKAT-like kernel association test, combining the strengths of both approaches. Through extensive simulations, we demonstrate that kTWAS has higher power than TWAS and multiple SKAT-based protocols, and we identify novel disease-associated genes in WTCCC genotyping array data and MSSNG (Autism) sequence data. The source code for kTWAS and our simulations are available in our GitHub repository (https://github.com/theLongLab/kTWAS).


Objective: To evaluate whether early neurofunctional assessment may be useful in predicting neurodevelopmental outcome in children of very low birth weight (VLBW). Design: Observational longitudinal study. Settings: Northern Italy. Patients: A total of 250 VLBW children (129 boys, 121 girls) born consecutively 1996–1999. Main outcome measures: Neurodevelopment at 36 months of chronological age, classified in accordance with the classification of Tardieu and the International classification of functioning. Results: Of the infants exhibiting normal neurodevelopment (n  =  183) or major dysfunction (n  =  17) at 3 months of corrected age, 72% and 94% respectively did not change their score during the study. Minor dysfunctions at 3 months of corrected age were transient in 17 (34%) children. After adjustment for neonatal variables, neurodevelopment at 3 months of corrected age remained predictive of dysfunction at 36 months (odds ratio  =  4.33, 95% confidence interval 2.05 to 9.12). If the results for the normal and minor dysfunction groups were pooled, the predictive qualities of the 3 month neurofunctional assessment were: sensitivity 0.5, specificity 0.99, positive predictive value 0.94, negative predictive value 0.93. Conclusion: Early neurofunctional evaluation may be useful in predicting later neurodevelopmental outcome in VLBW children.


Coronary heart disease is the leading cause of death globally. Complete cessation of blood flow in coronary arteries causes ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), resulting in cardiogenic shock and fatal arrhythmia, which are associated with high mortality. Primary coronary intervention (PCI) for recanalizing the coronary artery significantly improves the outcomes of STEMI, but advancements made in shortening the door-to-balloon time have failed to reduce in-hospital mortality, suggesting that additional therapeutic strategies are required. Left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) ligation in rats is an animal model for acute myocardial IR research that is comparable to the clinical scenario in which rapid coronary recanalization through PCI is used for STEMI; however, PCI-induced STEMI is a technically challenging and complicated operation associated with high mortality and great variation in infarction size. We identified the ideal position for LAD ligation, created a gadget to control a snare loop, and supported a modified surgical maneuver, thereby reducing tissue damage, to establish a reliable and reproducible acute myocardial ischemia-reperfusion (IR) research protocol for rats. We also propose a method for validating the quality of study results, which is a critical step for determining the accuracy of subsequent biochemical analyses.


Lactococcus lactis mutant dadih is fermented food made of cow's milk in a plastic tube with a 2% Lactococcus lactis and incubated at 30oC for 48 hours. The experiment result shown, the characteristics dadih barriers Lactococcus lactis mutants on antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus wider than antimicrobial activity against Escherechia typii coli and Salmonella. Lactococcus lactis mutant dadih contains 71,4% water, 0,93% acidity , 5:02% protein , 6:39% fat, 18 x 105 cfu / g total colony of Lactococcus lactis mutant, and essential amino acid.


The thin film transistor liquid crystal is one of the most successful electronic products in the last two decades. It affects almost everyone's daily life throughout the world. The first report of the amorphous silicon thin film transistor triggered the revolution of the field. In the past 30 years, the thin film transistor technology has progressed dramatically, especially in the large-area, low-temperature, high-throughput fabrication process. Recently, new types of TFTs with the improved mobility, flexible material properties, or novel structures have been reported for applications in displays, sensors, imagers, etc. The uniqueness of the thin film transistor technology lies in the versatile structure and composing materials with few limits on the substrate material and size. Although applications of thin film transistors are broader than those of ICs, these two technologies can complement each other.


Purpose - This chapter aims to provide an overview of the use of strategic enrolment management at DePaul University in Chicago. Design/methodology/approach - A case study approach is used to provide an analysis of strategic enrolment management (SEM) and its particular use at DePaul University in the context of the university's long-standing commitment to student access. Findings - As the United Kingdom moves to a more market-based system of higher education, universities may need to pay closer attention to strategic enrolment management concepts and practices. While enrolment management has been criticised for reflecting a wider movement toward 'marketisation' in higher education, the experience at DePaul University in Chicago indicates that SEM has played an important role in clarifying the university's commitment to student access during a period of environmental and institutional change. Originality/value - This chapter sets DePaul's experience within the wider development of SEM in the United States and illustrates some of the ways in which enrolment managers at the university have been able to balance a mission-based commitment to student access with other institutional goals and priorities.


We consider the possibility of incorporating distinctive features into a statistically based speech recognizer. We develop a two pass strategy for recognition with a standard HMM based first pass followed by a second pass that performs an alternative analysis to extract class-specific features. For the voiced/voiceless distinction on stops for an alphabet recognition task, we show that a linguistically motivated acoustic feature exists (the VOT), provides superior separability to standard spectral measures, and can be automatically extracted from the signal to reduce error rates by 48.7% over state of the art HMM systems.


Increasing demand for higher data rates in wireless communication systems has tremendously evolved over the last years. This demand is rapidly increasing with rising in number of wireless devices. Advanced antenna systems (AAS) – known as massive MIMO – is one of the central enabling radio technologies for 5G cellular systems that significantly increase the data rates provided for data-hungry
applications.

A fundamental component in the realization of multiple antenna systems is the radio frequency (RF) power amplifier (PA) at each transmitter branch. The reason for its crucial role is because it takes the responsibility of amplifying the transmitted signal to suitable power levels for transmission. These RF PAs are the most power-hungry components in RF transmitters. Consequently, their energy
efficiency is a major concern. One way to increase the PA efficiency is by increasing the input signal power to the PA. However, the signals, using modern modulation schemes, e.g., Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) and Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (W-CDMA), have high Peak to average power ratio (PAPR). Hence, PAs introduce nonlinear distortion to the amplified signal.
This nonlinear behavior of PAs does not only distorts the transmitted signal (in-band distortion), but also produces spectral regrowth which causes interference to the other signals in neighboring channels (out-band distortion). Due to these distortions, 3GPP spectrum regulations might be violated in terms of in-band and out-band distortions. Hence, PAs are required to be linear and highly efficient. To do so, some linearization technique can be used, like Digital Pre-distortion (DPD) to linearize the PA behavior.

Massive MIMO systems contains up to several hundreds of antennas, and these antennas are closely attached. This complicates the transmitter structure, and the smaller space between antenna elements increases the cross-talk between them due to mutual coupling. In addition to that, there is impedance mismatch between the power amplifier and the antenna at each radio branch. As a consequence, these multiple antenna systems are suffered from nonlinear distortion due to the
combining effects of mismatch and cross-talk at the output of PA, in addition to the non-linear distortion from PA itself at high PAPR. To avoid both mismatch and cross-talk coupling effects, expensive and bulky isolators should be placed between PAs and antennas, which increase system design complexity and cost. Hence, the project main aim is to relax the isolation requirement, while applying linearization technique (DPD), to save the cost, complexity and reduce the design requirements in base stations.

In this project, the DPD is implemented as a linearization technique, using a behavioral model of PA that counts for PA non-linearity and cross-talk, while mismatch effects is not considered. Further investigations are carried out to test different levels of isolation to know up to which extent the isolation
can be relaxed while keeping the Adjacent Channel Leakage Ratio (ACLR) level of -50 dBc, due to 3GPP regulations. These investigations led to a conclusion that, in sub-6 GHz, it would be impossible to relax the isolation level if the PA model that does not count for cross-talk coupling is used. In contrast, when counting for cross-talk coupling in the PA behavioral model, isolation level is relaxed to about 11 dB while keeping the targeted ACLR level.


More than 50% of heart failure (HF) patients require diuretic therapy after left ventricular assist device (LVAD). Although few data related to diuretic response (DR) exist in stage D patients, tubular sodium reabsorption may be clinically prognostic independent of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and proteinuria within this cohort. We aimed to characterize DR serially before and after LVAD implantation in a stage D population. We conducted a prospective, observational cohort study of HF patients receiving diuretics with plans to undergo LVAD implantation. We measured urine sodium (UNa) and creatinine (UCr) at three points after diuretic therapy: pre-LVAD, post-LVAD prior to discharge, and as an outpatient. Prior to LVAD, patients (N = 19) had an average eGFR of 54.0 ± 18.0 mL/min/1.73 m2, spot UNa of 74.8 ± 28.0 mmol/L, and fractional excretion of sodium (FENa) of 3.1 ± 2.7%. Pre-LVAD, eGFR did not correlate with spot UNa nor FENa (p > 0.05 for both). LVAD implantation did not improve DR post-LVAD (mean change FENa per 40 mg IV furosemide 0.5 ± 1.0%; p = 0.84), and 90% of patients required loop diuretics at 90 days post-surgery. Improved hemodynamics following LVAD may not improve DR or tubular function; larger studies are needed to confirm our results and assess the utility of DR to predict post-LVAD outcomes.


In this paper, we assess the random coding error exponents (EEs) corresponding to decode-and-forward (DF), compress-and-forward (CF) and quantize-and-forward (QF) relaying strategies for a parallel relay network (PRN), consisting of a single source and two relays. Moreover, through numerical analysis we show that the EEs achieved by using QF relaying along with non-Gaussian signaling (coded modulation, M-QAM) at the source and symbol-by-symbol uniform scalar quantizers (uSQs) at the relays is better than that achieved by DF and CF relaying strategies when the system is in the low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) regime and the backhaul capacity is sufficient. This behavior is due to the structure of coded modulation, as opposed to Gaussian signaling, which leads to better EEs for simple relaying strategies compared to its more complex counterparts.


Opinion mining has been receiving increasing attention recently, and various approaches have been suggested for mining sentiment information, such as mining attitudes or opinions about a topic or product etc. However, as far as we know, little work has been reported on citation opinion mining (COM). By COM, we refer to the process of identifying authors opinions towards the works they cite, such as positive/negative attitudes or approval/disapproval. We contend that such information is useful for semantic information retrieval and text mining, particularly for users who wish to search for documents taking a positive or negative stance towards a specific previous work. In this paper, we propose a system which is based on existing semantic lexical resources and NLP tools, aiming to create a network of opinion polarity relations between documents and citations. This is a web-based system which allows users to access the citations collected from documents and retrieve those documents linked to each of the citations with different opinion polarity relations, namely approval, neutral or disapproval relations. Various approaches will be tested including detecting semantic orientation of subjective words in the context of citations and machine learning using manually annotated data. In particular, we will explore the use of semantic lexicons for this task.


ABSTRACT The current study investigated the relationships between grit, self-efficacy, achievement orientation goals, and academic performance in parallel and serial mediation models. University student participants (N = 258) responded to an online survey containing demographic items and scales measuring the non-cognitive factors noted above. The results demonstrated that 'grit' (i.e. perseverance of effort and consistency of interest) positively associates with academic performance through a sequential pathway of mediators including self-efficacy and achievement orientation goals. Findings supported the positive relationships between mastery, approach goals, and academic performance, as well as the negative association between avoidance goals and academic performance. The model revealed that self-efficacy may play supportive and protective roles by increasing the positive effect of mastery and performance-approach goals and reducing the negative effect of avoidance goals on academic performance, respectively. These novel findings support the contribution of 'grit' in predicting various academic outcomes.


THE DOCUMENT REPRESENTS ULTRASYSTEMS DATA PROCESSING FOR A FILE OR FILE GROUP WITHIN THE VEHICLE-IN-USE DATA BANK. GENERALLY, DATA PROCESSING FOR A FILE OR FILE GROUP CONSISTED OF PRINTED AND PLOTTED ANALYSIS RESULTS AS A FUNCTIN OF THREE VARIABLES: VEHICLE AGE, VEHICLE MILEAGE, AND VEHICLE MODEL YEAR. DATA ARE PRESENTED IN TWO TABLES. /AUTHOR/


Northern blot analysis is a powerful research tool for discovery, validation and expression of genes, and is currently widely used to detect microRNA (miRNA) accumulation. However, the traditional Northern blot procedure, which is based on a support membrane, is overly elaborate and time-consuming, although it is unsurpassed in accuracy for determining the sizes and amounts of multiple small RNAs sharing high sequence identity. Here we present an alternative method derived from plant miRNAs, liquid Northern hybridization, using fluorescently labeled oligonucleotide probes and characterized by simple and specific miRNA determination and quantitation. The entire detection process is completed within a few hours, and multiple miRNAs can be simultaneously detected in a single experiment.