In vehicle logistics several logistics service providers are involved across the process chain ranging from transport of new vehicles to the automobile terminal via storage and technical modifications on the terminal to delivery of the vehicles to the customer. Today, coordination of the process executors is marked by a short planning horizon, as none of the involved parties have access to all necessary planning information of the entire process. Currently no integrated process design of the logistic chain is executed. This contribution deals with developing an integrated planning and control method for collaborative vehicle logistics processes. The method considers both vehicle terminal processes as well as transport processes executed by automobile logistics providers. The logistic effects of applying this method will be determined in a simulation study using discrete event simulation. The method will be implemented in real automobile terminals by means of a prototypical software based control centre.


Purpose
This paper aims to report a stretchable piezoresistive strain sensor array that can detect various static and dynamic stimuli, including bending, normal force, shear stress and certain range of temperature variation, through sandwiching an array of conductive blocks, made of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) composite. The strain sensor array induces localized resistance changes at different external mechanical forces, which can be potentially implemented as electronic skin.

Design/methodology/approach
The working principle is the piezoresistivity of the strain sensor array is based on the tunnelling resistance connection between the fillers and reformation of the percolating path when the PDMS and MWCNT composite deforms. When an external compression stimulus is exerted, the MWCNT inter-filler distance at the conductive block array reduces, resulting in the reduction of the resistance. The resistance between the conductive blocks in the array, on the other hand, increases when the strain sensor is exposed to an external stretching force. The methodology was as follows: Numerical simulation has been performed to study the pressure distribution across the sensor. This method applies two thin layers of conductive elastomer composite across a 2 × 3 conductive block array, where the former is to detect the stretchable force, whereas the latter is to detect the compression force. The fabrication of the strain sensor consists of two main stages: fabricating the conducting block array (detect compression force) and depositing two thin conductive layers (detect stretchable force).

Findings
Characterizations have been performed at the sensor pressure response: static and dynamic configuration, strain sensing and temperature sensing. Both pressure and strain sensing are studied in terms of the temporal response. The temporal response shows rapid resistance changes and returns to its original value after the external load is removed. The electrical conductivity of the prototype correlates to the temperature by showing negative temperature coefficient material behaviour with the sensitivity of −0.105 MΩ/°C.

Research limitations/implications
The conductive sensor array can potentially be implemented as electronic skin due to its reaction with mechanical stimuli: compression and stretchable pressure force, strain sensing and temperature sensing.

Originality/value
This prototype enables various static and dynamic stimulus detections, including bending, normal force, shear stress and certain range of temperature variation, through sandwiching an array of conductive blocks, made of MWCNT and PDMS composite. Conventional design might need to integrate different microfeatures to perform the similar task, especially for dynamic force sensing.


Hypercalcemia is a common electrolyte abnormality with a wide differential diagnosis. Primary hyperparathyroidismand malignancy are the most frequent causes, accounting for more than 90% of cases. We report the case of a woman presenting with symptomatic severe hypercalcemia, who was subsequently diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) due to the presence of arthritis, lymphopenia, antinuclear antibodies (ANA), anti-DNA and anti-Ro antibodies and low C3 levels. After acute treatment with intravenous fluids, steroids, diuretics and pamidronate, calcium levels corrected and have remained normal on low-dose prednisone.Five similar cases have been reported in the literature. Thus, SLE is an uncommon cause of hypercalcemia, which can also be the presenting feature of lupus.


Technological substitution is the process by which disruptive technologies replace the dominant ones in an industry. The formulation of classical models of diffusion and substitution impose simplification constraints to reach analytical solvability. We use the system dynamics methodology to build upon existing models by integrating dynamic aspects derived from a broad theoretical framework and to explore the links between social dynamics, technological developments and substitution patterns. Our simulation model generates a substitutive drop in the life cycle which is not replicated by classical models but substantiated by empirical data from various industries. The more general theory embodied in the model allows to better understand the underlying dynamics of technological substitutions. The generic structure can generate the dynamics of a sailing ship effect and account for the non-uniformity of interpersonal communications.


We have previously shown that oculomotor inhibition of return is predominantly retinotopic (gaze-centred) immediately following a saccadic eye movement, and predominantly spatiotopic (world-centred) at longer post-saccadic delays (Mathôt & Theeuwes, 2010a). This claim has been contested by Hilchey et al. (2012), who re-analysed our data after removing very fast saccades (<100ms) and observed that removing these saccades attenuated the effect of interest. Here we report an elaborate re-analysis of that same dataset. We show that recent conflicting reports on the reference frame of inhibition of return can likely be reconciled by a previously unrecognised effect of saccadic response time. Oculomotor inhibition of return is predominantly retinotopic at short post-saccadic delays, particularly for fast saccades. In contrast, oculomotor inhibition of return is predominantly spatiotopic at longer post-saccadic delays, particularly for slow saccades. With respect to previous studies, differences in paradigm and trial exclusion criteria may have resulted in different distributions of saccadic response times, thus leading to different conclusions regarding the reference frame of inhibition of return. Finally, we argue that the effects reported here are not specific to inhibition of return, but reflect general mechanisms that are observed across a wide range of attentional, visuomotor, and visuotactile phenomena.


Frequently, one of the goals of Graphic Design (gd) is discovering disruptive visual solutions that stand out and attract people's attention. However, due to the increasing democratisation of gd, graphic designers tend to adopt design trends, leading to designs that many times lack innovative and catchy features. EvoDesigner is an evolutionary extension for Adobe InDesign that aims to aid gd processes by automatically evolving layout and style variations of given InDesign pages. The generated pages might be previously created and post-edited by designers, promoting co-creation. As an extension of the study EvoDesigner: Towards Aiding Creativity in Graphic Design, this article begins with a general introduction of EvoDesigner. Then, we review previous experiments on evolving pages towards the page balance of existing target posters. Furthermore, we present new experiments exploring the benefits of using grid systems to position and scale page items along with a user survey made to gather feedback about the impact of grid systems in the generated pages and showcase examples of artefacts created from the collaboration between designers and the system. The findings indicate that the presented techniques can be used to interpret current layouts in different manners, and suggest that grid systems may be a useful tool for promoting the automatic production of layouts with better organisation when compared to applying no organisational constraints. However, a conducted user survey indicates that, depending on the goals of the designers, more organised layouts might not always be synonymous with better results.


The dichotomy between what has been termed empirically supported treatments (EST) and common factors (CF) is false and counterproductive. Neither has a monopoly on empirical truth. The term nonspecific is unproductive and misleading. Specified versus nonspecified is more empirically correct. Assumptions of the EST and CF approaches are questionable. Common factors (both currently specified and not so specified) are reviewed. These include the therapeutic relationship, expectancies, attributions for therapeutic success, exposure, and mastery. Far from maximizing therapeutic success, the CF EST dichotomy and its resulting theoretical squabbles result in weaker outcomes than would be the case if empirical results were taken seriously, and factors shown to be effective (both specified and nonspecified) were systematically investigated and integrated so as to create maximally effective treatments.


The paper examines decentralized cooperation based on cooperation projects between France and Algeria. The outcomes of the survey conducted in the regions of Bejaia and Tizi-Ouzou highlight the project typology, the strongest fields and the actors involved in the cooperation agreements. In order to encourage the decentralized economic cooperation supporting the projects, promoting SME development, the survey's conclusions suggest a number of paths that may yield a fair economic development between the two partner regions.


Transactions through mobile commerce for tourism-related products and services are increasing. This phenomenon can lead to impulse buying due to technological features and personal inclinations. However, few studies have shed light on the phenomenon empirically. The purpose of this study is to investigate what motivates buyers to purchase tourism products through mobile commerce and how these motives impact consumers' impulse buying behavior. First, we interviewed participants to study their motivation for mobile commerce application use. Then, we extracted the motivation factors and examined how these factors affect impulse purchase intentions for tourism products through mobile commerce applications. To do this, we administered a questionnaire survey. In addition, fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) provided in-depth analysis of factors that can influence impulse buying. Results show that convenience and ubiquity have an effect on perceived value. Furthermore, perceived value, notice of special promotion, and impulsiveness have a direct effect on impulse buying behavior. According to the results of the fsQCA, not only impulsiveness but also other factors can serve as antecedents to impulse buying behavior.


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate job participation, career-related problems, and actual job problems in adults with complex congenital heart disease (CHD) compared with adults with mild CHD and reference groups.

DESIGN
Cross-sectional study.

SETTING
Patients were randomly selected from the archives of the Department of Pediatric Cardiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands.

PATIENTS AND MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
In total, 76 patients with complex CHD and 80 with mild CHD (age range, 17-32 years) completed a self-reported questionnaire on employment and handicaps, with reference data available (response rate, 70%).

RESULTS
In the study groups, 45 (59%) of 76 patients with complex CHD had a paid job compared with 61 (76%) of 80 patients with mild CHD. Patients older than 25 years with complex CHD had significantly lower job participation (64%) than the general population (83%). Multiple logistic regression showed that type of CHD and level of education were significantly and independently related to job participation (odds ratio, 4.8; 99% confidence interval, 1.2-19.6; and odds ratio, 4.7; 99% confidence interval, 1.3-17.2, respectively). Of the 76 patients with complex CHD, 42 (55%) experienced disease-related career problems, in contrast to only 1 patient with mild CHD. Both CHD groups had more job-related mobility handicaps than did the reference group. However, in the mild CHD group, handicaps could be attributed to additional noncardiac diseases.

CONCLUSIONS
Patients with complex CHD have reduced job participation compared with patients with mild CHD and the general population. Many receive disability benefits or experience career problems or job handicaps. Career counseling focusing on physical abilities and level of education may help prevent or reduce these job-related problems.


To reduce emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technologies
have been developed. Chemical Looping Combustion (CLC) is a CO2 capture technology
with the CCS framework, and at Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg,
Sweden, a 100 kW chemical looping combustor has been built.
This project aimed to investigate to what degree air can replace helium as the
uidizing
gas for
uid dynamical studies in a CLC cold
ow model of the above mentioned 100 kW
facility. Experiments were performed using air and helium separately as
uidizing gas and
pressure data were obtained, which formed the basis for the comparison. The project also
aimed to investigate
uid dynamics in the
uidized bed and study when the risk of slugging
occuring was greatest. The results were presented in the form of figures and tables divided
into pressure, concentration and standard deviation of the pressure.
The results obtained showed that air as
uidizing gas did not create the same
uid dynamics
as helium over the entire fuel reactor. The magnitude of the deviation varied in the various
segments of the reactor. Results obtained regarding slugging in the fuel reactor showed
that the risk of slugging occuring increased with increasing
uidization velocity. The risk
was greatest for velocities between 0.7-1.1 m/s. The results also showed that there was a
greater risk of slugging occuring when helium was used as
uidizing gas.


Inclusive glueball production via polarized photon-photon collision is discussed. The cross section and asymmetry are calculated. The results show that this kind of process is favorable to the glueball search and identification.


Common injectable anesthetics in cats are alpha-2 receptor agonists and tiletamine/zolazepam. Xylazine shows higher rate of side effects because its lower specificity to alpha-2 receptors than dexmeditomidine. However, the use of drug combinations in cats is not much known. Therefore, alternative anesthetic combination should be investigated. Here, we examined the use of tiletamine/zolazepam with two doses of dexmedetomidine in cats. A total of 24 female cats, weight 3.05 ± 0.10 kg (mean ± SEM). Cats were randomly blinded given intramuscularly injection (IM) with either of such drug combination, representing dosage of low dose dexmedetomidine 7.5 µg/kg with tiletamine/zolazepam 3 mg/kg; TD-Lo (n=8), high dose dexmedetomidine 15 µg/kg with tiletamine/zolazepam 3 mg/kg; TD-Hi (n=8), or xylazine 0.6 mg/kg with tiletamine/zolazepam 3 mg/kg; TX (n=8). After the IM injection, the sedative, analgesic, and cardiorespiratory effects and body temperature were assessed. All treatments showed clinically comparable induction effects resulting in spontaneous lateral/sternal recumbency and loss of paw withdrawal reflex within 7 minutes; TD-Lo (4.125 ± 0.74 min), TD-Hi (4.5 ± 0.32 min), and TX (4.12 ± 0.58 min). Notably, anesthesia time or the time from absent to regain of paw withdrawal reflex (Time LOPR to ROPR) was significantly higher in TD-Hi (52.75 ± 1.17 min) compared to TD-Lo (42.62 ± 2.51 min) and TX (41.12 ± 2.53 min); p <0.01. Likewise, a significant higher of time from IM to ROPR in TD-Hi (57.25 ± 1.29 min) were indicated vs in TD-Lo (46.75 ± 2.88 min; p <0.05), and vs in TX (45.25 ± 2.43 min; p <0.01). No vomiting or any adverse events were reported in all groups. TD-Lo, TD-Hi, and TX produced overall comparable cardiorespiratory effect with no significantly differences in all physiological values; heart rate (HR), respiratory rate (RR), body temperature (T), systolic arterial pressure (SAP), mean arterial pressure (MAP), diastolic arterial pressure (DAP), and tissue oxygen saturation (SpO 2 ). TD supplied the effective anesthesia duration for ≥ 42 minutes, which can be fully reversed by atipamizole.


The authors report a case of congenital arteriovenous communication of the retinal near the macula, associated with a central retinal vein occlusion. This occlusion only affected the inferior half-retina, especially the area surrounding the arteriovenous anastomoses. Laser photocoagulation was applied to areas of peripheral ischemia. After a 12 month follow-up, a marked decrease of visual acuity occurred, attributable to severe ischemia and edema in the posterior pole. An extension of the peripheral capillary non perfusion required additional laser treatment. We also observed the reduction in caliber of the arteriovenous anastomosis. The association of congenital arteriovenous communication and retinal vein occlusion is rare. The clinical and pathogenic features are discussed. Photocoagulation of extensive peripheral capillary occlusion is recommended in order to prevent neovascular complications.


This paper examines the value of a task-based approach to engaging with original works of art and focuses in particular upon the experiences of a group of PGCE Art and Design trainees when they visited an exhibition entitled, Air Guitar: Art Reconsidering Rock Music, to carry out given tasks. The extent to which a task-based approach might creatively disrupt trainee teachers' thinking and the nature and significance of such thinking within an educational context is considered, as is the impact of the tasks on their developing understanding of the need for a diversity of approaches to critical engagement. It draws extensively upon selected responses to the tasks and the trainees' subsequent reflections on the experience. Comparisons are made between trainees' responses to particular works and references to these works that are detailed in the exhibition catalogue. This is undertaken with the intention of examining the interrelationship between understanding and knowledge when reading and responding to works of art in the gallery context. A further concern is to generate debate and challenge assumptions regarding the nature and dynamics of gallery based activities and contribute to a process of development and innovation in which all participants can play an active part.


Federated Learning by nature is susceptible to low-quality, corrupted, or even malicious data that can severely degrade the quality of the learned model. Traditional techniques for data valuation cannot be applied as the data is never revealed. We present a novel technique for filtering, and scoring data based on a practical influence approximation that can be implemented in a privacy-preserving manner. Each agent uses his own data to evaluate the influence of another agent's batch, and reports to the center an obfuscated score using differential privacy. Our technique allows for almost perfect ( > 92% recall) filtering of corrupted data in a variety of applications using real-data . Importantly, the accuracy does not degrade significantly, even under really strong privacy guarantees ( ε ≤ 1 ), especially under realistic percentages of mislabeled data (for 15% mislabeled data we only lose 10% in accuracy).


Human high density lipoprotein enriched in free cholesterol was obtained by exposing the lipoprotein to lipid dispersions having a free cholesterol/lecithin molar ratio greater than two. The metabolism of cholesterol was studied in tissue culture cells exposed to normal and cholesterol-enriched lipoproteins. Incubation of Fu5-AH rat hepatoma cells in medium containing cholesterol-enriched lipoprotein resulted in the accumulation of cellular cholesterol whereas normal high density lipoprotein produced no change in cellular content. The accumulated sterol was recovered primarily as esterified cholesterol and was derived almost entirely from lipoprotein free cholesterol. The esterification of incorporated free cholesterol and the cellular cholesterol content were directly related to the molar ratio of free cholesterol to phospholipid in the lipoprotein and to the concentration of lipoprotein in the culture medium. Isotopic experiments utilizing lipoprotein labeled with 125I or [4-14C]cholesteryl oleate demonstrated that a large fraction of the cholesterol incorporated from lipoprotein enriched in free cholesterol occurred by mechanisms that did not result in lipoprotein internalization and degradation. The response of other tissue culture cells to cholesterol/phospholipid dispersions is presented. The data indicate that the lipid composition of a lipoprotein can regulate free cholesterol uptake and esterification as well as cellular cholesterol content.


1029 Editorial—Payne It is often said that a person is the sum of her memories. Memory allows us to relive our past, and in so doing provides us with a sense of our previous and present selves. But new evidence suggests that our memories are as important for the future as they are for the past.1 This requires thinking of a memory less as a high fidelity and static representation of prior experience, and more as a powerfully flexible construct that is nonetheless prone to errors and inaccuracies. A study by Sterpenich and colleagues2 in the current issue of SLEEP brings this important insight into the field of sleep and memory research, and suggests a role for REM sleep in memory flexibility. We often talk about sleep "consolidating" memories, or fixing them in the brain. Several studies have demonstrated that the neural activity observed during wakeful learning can be reactivated during subsequent periods of sleep. This in turn aids memories, with reactivation during deep, slow wave sleep (SWS) being especially beneficial if one wants to recall information in veridical format—or in exactly the same way one originally encountered it.3 A clever group of studies,4 including the Sterpenich study,2 provide causal evidence for sleep's role in memory processing by demonstrating that a sensory cue, if originally paired with a memory at the time of learning, can improve memory retention when that cue is re-delivered during sleep. For example, in a recent study by Diekelmann et al., participants were trained on a task similar to the memory game "Concentration" either in the presence or absence of an odor that would later serve as a memory cue. They then either stayed awake or went to sleep, during which time they were re-exposed to the odor. Odors applied during SWS stabilized memories in hippocampal-cortical networks, which in turn benefited subsequent task performance.5 Such studies support the traditional view of memory consolidation as a stabilizing or "stamping in" of newly learned information. In contrast to traditional consolidation theory, however, are studies showing that seemingly permanent memories can be returned to a labile state following reactivation, at which point they can be modified.6 Indeed, in the study mentioned above,5 if the odor cue was re-presented during wakefulness (instead of SWS) memories were labilized, allowing them to be modified and updated with similar information. Although EDITORIAL


In recent years, scholarly interest in financing for innovation has grown, particularly for mitigating cli-mate change. However, extant literature has neglected the interaction of actors along the equity financing value chain, and the indirect effects of innovation and financial policy on the supply and de-mand of private equity (PE) and venture capital (VC). In this article, we emphasize the importance of these understudied aspects through a comparative case study of equity finance for cleantech in the United States and Germany. We find that systemic interdependencies between institutional investors, VC/PE and policy makers influence the conditions for innovation—the " finance-innovation-policy nexus. " Adverse effects of policies affecting financial markets, in particular institutional investors, have to be taken into account to effectively mobilize private investments for (cleantech) innovation.


The purpose of this research was to explore the relationship between the perceived built environment and physical activity (PA) among college students, and to determine whether race and/or sex moderate this relationship. Participants were 785 college students (435 students in Study 1 and 350 in Study 2). Students completed questionnaires assessing characteristics of their neighborhood, and were followed up 1 (Study 1) or 2 (Study 2) weeks later to measure PA levels. Seeing others in one's neighbourhood being active was found to be significantly related (p < .01) to higher levels of PA for students in both studies. In Study 2, race was found to moderate the relationship between having many places within walking distance and PA, affecting African Americans more strongly than Caucasians. Sex was not found to moderate the perceived built environment/PA relationship. It appears that certain aspects of the perceived built environment may have an effect on the level of PA in college students, with race moderating this relationship.


Medtable™ is an Electronic Medical Record (EMR)-integrated tool designed to address the significant problem of medication nonadherence, especially barriers related to patients' limited cognitive resources and ineffective patient-provider communication. Medtable™ supports the patient-provider collaboration needed to create effective medication schedules that are easy to implement by diverse patients. The tool builds on prior research and, through its integration with EMR systems, creates medication lists and schedules that are more easily updated, more accurate and more reliable. Used in clinical practice, it is expected to improve patient satisfaction, medication understanding and adherence, as well as health outcomes among patients struggling to manage multiple medications.


Recently, the phase II HUDSON trial demonstrated the feasibility of testing multiple immunotherapy-based combinations simultaneously, with biomarker-driven treatment matching where possible, in patients with non-small cell lung cancer. The study provides an example of how novel trial designs can improve the efficiency of drug testing.


A method is described for the staining of glomerular basement membranes of aldehyde-fixed, osmicated renal tissue embedded in Epon or Araldite. The procedure presented does not require chemical digestion of the polymerized Epon or Araldite matrix before application of the methenamine-silver technique. There is no divergence from the procedures for fixation and embedding for transmission electron microscopy (TEM). This enables sections from the same block of renal tissue to be examined both by light microscopy (LM) and TEM without loss of time or sacrifice of quality.


A study was performed to assess realistic ventriculo-atrial (VA) interval boundaries for classification of arrhythmias with 1:1 atrial retrograde conduction. Separation of ventricular tachycardia with retrograde from atrioventricular reentrant tachycardia with retrograde can be effected by imposing distinct VA interval boundaries to give 100% classification. These findings could be of importance in algorithms for next-generation implantable cardioverter defibrillators which include two-chamber (atrial and ventricular) sensing and two-chamber interval measurements.


RATIONALE
The average age of lung transplant recipients is increasing, and the mix of recipient indications for transplantation is changing.

OBJECTIVES
To determine whether the health-related quality-of-life (HRQL) benefit of lung transplantation differs by recipient age and diagnosis.

METHODS
In this prospective cohort study, we obtained serial HRQL measurements in adults with advanced lung disease who subsequently underwent lung transplantation (2004-2012). HRQL assessments included the St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire, 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36), EQ-5D, Standard Gamble, and Visual Analog Scale for current health. We used linear mixed effects models for associations between age or diagnosis and changes in HRQL with transplantation. To address potential survivorship bias, we fitted Markov models to the distribution of discrete post-transplant health states (HRQL better than pretransplant, not better, or dead) and estimated quality-adjusted life-years post-transplant.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS
A total of 430 subjects were listed, 387 were transplanted, and 326 provided both pretransplant and post-transplant data. Transplantation conferred large improvements in all HRQL measures: St. George's change of -47 units (95% confidence interval, -48 to -44), 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey physical component summary score of 17.7 (16.5-18.9), EQ-5D of 0.27 (0.24-0.30), Standard Gamble of 0.48 (0.44-0.51), and Visual Analog of 44 (42-47). Age was not associated with meaningful differences in the HRQL benefits of transplantation. There was less HRQL benefit in interstitial lung disease than in cystic fibrosis.

CONCLUSIONS
Lung transplantation confers large HRQL benefits, which vary by recipient diagnosis, but do not differ substantially in older recipients.


&NA; A study assessed the effect of incorporating medical ethics into the medical curriculum and the relative effects of two methods of implementing that curriculum, namely, lecture and case‐study discussions. Results indicate a statistically significant increase (p less than or equal to .0001) in the level of moral reasoning of students exposed to the medical ethics course, regardless of format. Moreover, the unadjusted posttest scores indicated that the case‐study method was significantly (p less than or equal to .03) more effective than the lecture method in increasing students' level of moral reasoning. When adjustment were made for the pretest scores, however, this difference was not statistically significant (p less than or equal to .18). Regression analysis by linear panel techniques revealed that age, gender, undergraduate grade‐point average, and scores on the Medical College Admission Test were not related to the changes in moral‐reasoning scores. All of the variance that could be explained was due to the students' being in one of the two experimental groups. In comparison with the control group, the change associated with each experimental format was statistically significant (lecture, p less than or equal to .004; case study, p less than or equal to .0001). Various explanations for these findings and their implications are given.


Sonchus oleraceus is an annual species native to Eurasia and Northern Africa that has become a major weed of cultivated fields and ruderal areas in Australia. Populations are difficult to manage in cropping systems because of the development of resistance to common herbicides. Biological control is being investigated as an additional tactic for managing the weed. A literature review was conducted to identify the phytophagous arthropod species already associated with the species in Australia to guide such a biological control programme. To identify opportunities for biological control agents to aid in management, we undertook field surveys across Queensland and South Australia in different environments. We also investigated factors that may influence their performance in Australia. Both the literature review and field surveys identified 21 arthropod species associated with S. oleraceus in Australia, most of them being generalist species and pests of exotic origin. Capitula were the most damaged plant part while stems were relatively free from insects, except aphids. The field surveys recorded an unexpected new interaction between S. oleraceus and the gall midge, Contarinia jongi (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae). This association was surprising as the midge, only known to develop on Alstroemeria (Liliales: Alstroemeriaceae), a very distant relative to S. oleraceus (Asterales: Asteraceae), was reported in Australia only a few years ago under greenhouse conditions. The midge and the moth Eublemma cochylioides (Lepidoptera: Erebidae) were the two species that occurred most frequently in developing flower head samples. We considered their infestation rate as a proxy of herbivory and tested whether the environment surrounding the plant may influence herbivory. Both E. cochylioides and C. jongi showed the highest infestations in ruderal sites compared with the sites located in conventional farming areas. We discuss the implications of our results in the context of selecting and releasing candidates for the biological control of the weed, especially in agricultural landscapes.


PURPOSE
Because the overall outcome of critically ill hematologic patients has improved, we evaluated the short-term and long-term outcomes of the poor risk subgroup of allogeneic hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (HSCT) recipients requiring admission to the intensive care unit (ICU).

PATIENTS AND METHODS
This was a retrospective multicenter study of allogeneic HSCT recipients admitted to the ICU between 1997 and 2003.

RESULTS
Two hundred nine critically ill allogeneic HSCT recipients were included in the study. Admission in the ICU occurred during the engraftment period (< or = 30 days after transplantation) for 70 of the patients and after the engraftment period for 139 patients. The overall in-ICU, in-hospital, 6-month, and 1-year survival rates were 48.3%, 32.5%, 27.2%, and 21%, respectively. Mechanical ventilation was required in 122 patients and led to a dramatic decrease in survival rates, resulting in in-ICU, in-hospital, 6-month, and 1-year survival rates of 18%, 15.6%, 14%, and 10.6%, respectively. Mechanical ventilation, elevated bilirubin level, and corticosteroid treatment for the indication of active graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) were independent predictors of death in the whole cohort. In the subgroup of patients requiring mechanical ventilation, associated organ failures, such as shock and liver dysfunction, were independent predictors of death. ICU admission during engraftment period was associated with acceptable outcome in mechanically ventilated patients, whereas patients with late complications of HSCT in the setting of active GVHD had a poor outcome.

CONCLUSION
Extensive unlimited intensive care support is justified for allogeneic HSCT recipients with complications occurring during the engraftment period. Conversely, initiation or maintenance of mechanical ventilation is questionable in the setting of active GVHD.


An analysis of the flow and of the vertical transfer of the horizontal momentum induced by the breaking of modulated wave trains in wind and no-wind conditions is presented. The study is based on the results of two-dimensional numerical simulation of the Navier-Stokes equations for two-phase flow. The open source Gerris flow solver has been used, which employs a Volume of Fluid technique to capture the air-water interface.
 The breaking is induced through the Benjamin-Feir instability mechanism. The numerical simulations cover the entire range from the initial development of the instability, the breaking phase and the post-breaking evolution. In order to investigate the role played by the wind, a uniform wind profile, twice the phase speed, is initialized in the air phase and it is left to evolve while interacting with the wave system.
 Results in terms of averaged horizontal velocity and vertical flux of horizontal momentum are presented. It is shown that in the wind case the backward stresses induced at the wave troughs as a consequence of the flow separation at the crest influence significantly the flow in the upper water layer, particularly in the pre-breaking phase. No substantial differences are found between the wind and no-wind solutions in terms of the vertical transfer of horizontal momentum in the lower water layer. The vertical flux of horizontal momentum in air is consistent with the velocity reduction occurring in the wind case in the early stage.


The paper analyzes the time frame required for bachelor degree attainment, as well as its relation with socio-demographic variables and academic aptitude. A followup study of students entering the University of Costa Rica between 2000 and 2003 was conducted up until 2010. The data were analyzed using Kaplan-Meier survival curves. A higher probability of early graduation was found in women and students enrolled in branch campuses. Moreover, Cox regression models were estimated, showing a negative correlation between the time frame required for obtaining the bachelor degree, on one hand, and the score obtained in an academic aptitude test, the type of high school (public/private), and whether the student had received financial aid from the university, on the other. The results show a trend in students with higher academic aptitude of successfully finishing their studies earlier. Furthermore, socioeconomic condition does not have a significant effect. The authors claim that this pattern is due to the role of the financial aid system of the university.


Cicero's letters are unique, both as evidence for a most important period of ancient history, the end of the Roman Republic, and as a portrayal of the world of Cicero and his numerous correspondents; they make Cicero himself the most intimately known person in the whole classical world. The 147 letters dealt with here cover the years 62 to 43 BC. The book provides a useful introduction and extensive notes on L.P. Wilkinson's selected translation ofthe letters (also published by Bristol Classical Press).


To clarify the mechanism of coupling phenomena such as heat, mass and electric charge transfer in a single-cell polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC), we have measured in-plane temperature distribution in a single-cell PEFC by thermograph under power generation. We have investigated the influence of relative humidity and flow rate of supply gas and gas channel pitch of separator on in-plane temperature distribution and power generation performance. As a result, when the stoichiometric ratio of gas flow rate is set over 1.00 regardless of relative humidity of supply gas, the lower and higher temperature region is observed near the inlet and outlet of cell, respectively. This is caused by the convention heat transfer by excess oxygen flow in gas channel at the cathode. Total voltage is increased and the temperature in observation area is decreased with decreasing the gas channel pitch of separator regardless of relative humidity of supply gas under the experimental condition in this study.


Sterol regulatory element-binding proteins (SREBPs), SREBP-1 and SREBP-2, are transcription factors mainly controlling lipogenesis and cholesterogenesis via the regulation of genes related to fatty acid and cholesterol biosynthesis. We previously showed that SREBP-1 was highly elevated in clinical prostate cancer specimens compared with non-tumor prostate tissues. Also, SREBP-1 promoted cell viability and progression through alterations of the metabolic and signaling networks involving lipogenesis, androgen receptor (AR) and oxidative stress in prostate cancer cells. In the present study, we evaluated the therapeutic benefit of targeting the aberrant SREBP signaling in prostate cancer by using a novel SREBP inhibitor, fatostatin. Fatostatin significantly inhibited cell proliferation and suppressed anchorage-independent colony formation in soft agar in LNCaP and C4-2B prostate cancer cells. Fatostatin also reduced the abilities of in vitro migration and invasion in both cells. The results of flow cytometric analyses with annexin V/propidium iodide staining showed that fatostatin caused G2/M arrest and induced cell death. Additionally, apoptosis was observed by inducing caspase-3 and poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase cleavages and increasing caspase activities in fatostatin-treated prostate cancer cells. In the animal study, fatostatin significantly inhibited C4-2B xenograft tumor growth and markedly decreased serum PSA level compared to control group in immune-compromised mice. The results of fatostatin action in prostate cancer cells in vitro and in vivo are due to specific interruption of the proteolytic process of mature SREBP-1, -2 and their regulated gene expressions including HMG-CoA reductase, fatty acid synthase and further inhibition of lipid biosynthesis and AR signaling network. In summary, our study demonstrates for the first time that fatostatin will be developed as a novel anti-prostate cancer drug and provides new insights into cancer therapy by targeting SREBP. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 4728. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-4728


The aim of this research is to know  (1) Influence of difference of aerob capacity to interval anaerobic training in improving speed runs 100 metre. (2) Group owning the make-up of achievement runs quickly 100 better metres between aerob capacity  of high group and aerob capacity of low group. Method used at this research experiment method. At this research is compared to two experiment groups that is group 1 with capacities classification of aerobic high and group 2 with capacities classification of aerobic low. Both groups given are same treatment that is interval anaerobic training. Intake of achievement data run quickly 100 metre by doing tes run by pass through over 100 metre. Technique analyse data done with statistical analysis, using test of t at level of significant 5%. Result of research of Group 1 and group 2 owning difference which is significant, with value of t count = 2,190 bigger than t tables 5% = 2.021. Group 1 owning the make-up of speed run 100 metre equal to 10.200%, while group 2 owning the make-up of speed run 100 metre equal to 8.283%. Capacities of aerob influence ability of runner to finish and overcome given practice burden. Capacities of Aerob not bad give base to appearance of speed. Capacities of Aerob represent the condition of common physical which is prerequisite for encumbering up at specialization. Conclusion: (1) There is difference of influence which is significant between aerob capacity of high group and aerob capacity of low group to make-up of achievement run quickly 100 metre. (2) Group aerob capacity of high have the make-up of achievement run quickly 100 better metres from at interval anaerobic training with aerob capacity of low.


Lung disease caused by Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) is increasing in prevalence. MAC disease occurs in patients with chronic preexisting obstructive pulmonary diseases but is also diagnosed in individuals with no history of lung pathology or identifiable immune defect. Histologically, the disease is characterized by either the development of nodular granulomatous lesions in the peribronchial region or cavitary peripheral disease in smokers. Response to long-term treatment is poor. Limited comparative-efficacy data on treatment exist. A model that resembles nodular MAC disease was established in C57 (bg+/bg+) mice infected intranasally. Therapy with clarithromycin, a compound commonly used to treat MAC disease, was evaluated in parallel with treatment using a new bicyclolide, EDP-420, that achieves high levels of intrapulmonary concentrations. Although clarithromycin administered daily resulted in a reduction in the bacterial load in the lung, EDP-420 administered either daily or twice a week was significantly more effective. These results suggest that this animal model can be used to evaluate novel regimens against MAC disease and that compounds with high concentration in the lung might have a significant impact on the outcome of MAC lung disease.


The catalytic epoxidation of olefins is an important reaction in chemical industry since epoxides are versatile and important intermediates in the synthesis of fine chemicals and pharmaceuticals. The current epoxidation procedures often use stoichiometric organic and sometimes toxic inorganic oxidants that are less favourable from an environmental and economical point of view. In contrast to such processes, catalytic epoxidation processes employing H2O2 oxidant are preferred for green processing. Herein is reported a highly efficient green process for the epoxidation of olefins using H2O2 oxidant and modified silver polyoxometalate catalysts at 65°C. The preparation and activity of the catalysts are described. The method enjoys >90% conversion and ≥99% selectivity to the epoxide for a variety of cyclic and linear olefins including terminal ones. The catalysts are easily recovered by filtration and are reusable several times.

 Key words: Epoxidation, olefins, hydrogen peroxide, polyoxometalate, silver catalysts.


Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a major cause of mortality in type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) patients, and cardiovascular risk (CVR) remains high even in T1DM patients with good metabolic control. The underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood and known risk factors seem to operate differently in T1DM and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients. However, evidence of cardiovascular risk assessment and management in T1DM patients often is extrapolated from studies on T2DM patients or the general population. In this review, we examine the existing literature about the prevalence of clinical and subclinical CVD, as well as current knowledge about potential risk factors involved in the development and progression of atherosclerosis in T1DM patients. We also discuss current approaches to the stratification and therapeutic management of CVR in T1DM patients. Chronic hyperglycemia plays an important role, but it is likely that other potential factors are involved in increased atherosclerosis and CVD in T1DM patients. Evidence on the estimation of 10-year and lifetime risk of CVD, as well as the efficiency and age at which current cardiovascular medications should be initiated in young T1DM patients, is very limited and clearly insufficient to establish evidence-based therapeutic approaches to CVD management.


Presenting a panel of human hybridomas secreting serospecific antibodies which confer a high degree of protection against fatal infection with Pseudomonas aeruginosa, we report an efficient approach for a systematic generation of antigen specific human monoclonal antibodies with biological activity. This approach is based on active immunization and antigen specific panning. Individuals were immunized with polysaccharides isolated from LPS of Pseudomonas aeruginosa conjugated to toxin A. Specific B cells were isolated and enriched by panning of blood samples taken at the time point with the highest frequency of fuseable cells. These cells were then transformed with Epstein-Barr virus. Arising lymphoblastoid cell lines were screened for the secretion of anti-LPS antibodies by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and fused to a murine-human heteromyeloma cell line. Hybridomas were selected for high levels of antibody secretion and binding to intact bacteria as determined by an immunofluorescence microscopy assay. The observation that protective capacity of an antibody was associated with its ability to bind to LPS determinants accessible on the bacterial cell surface allowed for an effective screening for therapeutically interesting human monoclonal antibodies. Out of four immunized individuals, 15 lymphoblastoid cell lines with anti-LPS activity could be isolated, and 8 hybridomas, which cover the majority of the common Pseudomonas aeruginosa serotypes, were characterized further. The generation of monoclonal anti-Pseudomonas aeruginosa toxin A, anti-Klebsiella capsular polysaccharides, and anti-Escherichia coli LPS antibodies suggests that the success of this approach is not limited to the generation of human monoclonal antibodies of a particular specificity or to the use of antigens of a particular character.


We describe how a Respiratory Function Monitor (RFM) can aid during simulation-based manikin training. We demonstrate how a RFM can provide quantitative and qualitative assessment of the trainee's resuscitation technique. A RFM can assist i) to identify correct mask hold and positioning techniques; ii) to assess the delivered airway pressures and adjust the inflating pressures to deliver the appropriate tidal volume.


Abstract The Australian punk tree Melaleuca quinquenervia is a notorious invasive weed that threatens the biological integrity of Florida's Everglades ecosystems. A comprehensive plan initiated to manage M. quinquenervia includes an ambitious biological control program, and as part of this program we investigated the origins and invasion history of M. quinquenervia in Florida. Scrutiny of public and private records showed that extant populations derive from more than a dozen introductions, with the earliest occurring during 1886 in Sarasota County. Six sources, some Australian and some extra-Australian, have contributed to Florida's populations. The tree became naturalized in southern Florida during the 1920s, but a paucity of records makes it difficult to determine when naturalized populations began to proliferate via an exponential growth phase. Human distribution of seeds and seedlings is a confounding factor in attempting to decipher rates of M. quinquenervia invasion.


Mesoscale models are getting importance in weather prediction. Researchers working in the field of atmospheric sciences are now utilizing these models for the simulation and prediction of severe weather systems. Some of the pioneer weather prediction agency such as NOAA, ECMWF, UK met etc uses mesoscale models for operational products development. This modeling system can be used for simulating very high resolution products on a nested grid with a wide variety of options for the parameterization of physical processes. This review is focused on state of the art mesoscale modeling techniques that can be used to estimate high resolution hydro-meteorological data at local/regional or global level. This paper will provide the review of the various mesoscale modelling techniques. The two models-MM5 and WRF are explained in detail with respect to its applications. Further usefulness of these models for downscaling is also discussed with respect to their performances.


Abstract Invasive predators can have wide-ranging effects on invaded ecosystems and identifying the prey spectra and preferences of invaders are important steps in assessing their potential impacts on native biota. In this study, we investigated prey preferences of two invasive crab species (Hemigrapsus sanguineus and Hemigrapsus takanoi) that recently invaded Europe's shores and compared them with preferences of native shore crabs (Carcinus maenas) of similar size. In laboratory experiments, all three crab species preferred animal over algal prey. In general, sessile mussels (Mytilus edulis) were preferred over motile amphipods (Gammarus locusta) by all three crab species but amphipod predation was lower in the invasive compared with the native crabs. For the two invasive crab species, this pattern was the same in treatments where prey was offered separately (no-choice treatments) or simultaneously (choice treatments), while for the native crabs, mussel preference disappeared in choice treatments. The general preference of mussels by all three crab species suggests that local invasions of crabs most likely lead to increased competition among crabs. In addition, given that local densities of invasive crabs are often much higher than those of native crabs, predation pressure on native mussels can be expected to strongly increase at invaded sites. In contrast, local predation pressure on amphipods may be less affected by the crab invasions. Further field studies are needed to establish the magnitude of competition and predation pressure exerted by the invaders under natural conditions.


Introduction: Low back pain is one of the widespread problems among nurses which can cause disability, absenteeism, work restriction, and negative economic impacts. This study aimed at determining the role of health beliefs, somatization tendency and mental health on back pain among nurses. Methods: The present research was a cross sectional study among 246 nursing personnel (all nurses and nurse aids) working in Shahrood hospitals in 2008. CPUID questionnaire was used to collect data. Chi-square test, multiple logistic regressions and Mann Whitney test for analysis were performed. Results: The mean age of participants was 33.7 ± 0.2 yrs, and the mean work hours per day were 47.5 ± 8 hours. 69% of them had more than 5 years work experience. 59% (n=145) of the study population reported back pain in previous 12 months. Significant relationships were found between work experience, working with hands above shoulder height, Familiarity with people suffering from back pain outside of work environment, somatisation tendency, health beliefs ) P > 0.05). Conclusion: Results indicated that in addition to physical work related risk factors, health beliefs and somatisation tendency can be risk factors for back pain which confirms results of similar studies in other countries.


The problem in question is to find the motion of an atom having arbitrary spin J in a strong oscillating magnetic field and a static field whose component perpendicular to the oscillating field is small (case B). It is shown how to relate this problem to that of ordinary magnetic resonance–an atom in a small oscillating field perpendicular to a strong static field (case A)–by applying to each case a suitable transformation. In the transformed frames the dominant terms in the equations of motion are equivalent and subsidiary terms are similar, so that results well-known in case A may be taken over to case B. The dominant terms in case B describe a set of resonances whose line-shapes are given explicitly for a particular example. Subsidiary terms lead to shifts of the resonances analogous to the Bloch-Siegert shift. The leading term s in these shifts are given. Terms of higher order may be calculated by employing a technique due to Shirley which is described.


Welcome to the third issue of the charter Volume of the Journal of Hunger & Environmental Nutrition! This first Volume is the result of three years of perseverance, patience, and vision by the dedicated staff at the Haworth Press, Inc. and members of the Hunger and Environmental Nutrition Dietetic Practice Group (HEN DPG) of the American Dietetic Association (ADA). The title for this new journal is no coincidence. In 2003, Kathy Rutz, Vice President of Editorial Development at the Haworth Press, Inc. attended the ADA Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo in San Antonio, Texas and pitched the concept of a peer-reviewed journal to the HEN DPG leadership. The new journal would address research and practice applications in nutrition, food insecurity and hunger, water security, food and nutrition policy, and sustainable food systems and the impact on human health. Without question, the HEN DPG agreed to pursue a partnership with the Haworth Press, Inc., but the question remained: "How?" How could a small, yet emerging, group of dietetic professionals launch a new journal? How could the HEN DPG create a formal relationship with the Haworth Press, Inc. and obtain ADA approval? One thing was certain: The HEN DPG leadership would not pass up this invitation by Haworth Press. The HEN DPG next drafted a concept paper, recruited an editor and provided assistance to the editorial team during the building phase. Eventually, with the assistance of the ADA legal staff, the HEN DPG and the


The dynamics of a mobile hole in two-dimensional frustrated quantum magnets is investigated by exact diagonalization techniques. Our results provide evidence for spin-charge separation upon doping the kagome lattice, a prototype of a spin liquid. In contrast, in the checkerboard lattice, a symmetry broken valence bond crystal, a small quasiparticle peak is seen for some crystal momenta, a finding interpreted as a restoration of weak holon-spinon confinement.


This thesis explains how secondary predication is constructed. It focuses on Polish, with some comparisons to other languages, and provides analysis on the syntactic, morphological and semantic level in the paradigm of Minimalism.It starts with a definition of primary and secondary predication, maintaining that only adjuncts are true secondary predicates. This is followed by an introduction of a new phrase type, bipartite, to Polish linguistics – an expression consisting of a preposition and adjective or, sometimes, a noun. It is shown that bipartites are not simply adverbs, for which they have been taken so far, but they can serve in a variety of functions, some of them typical for adjectives, such as attributive modifier or predicative use. That predicative use, especially in secondary predication, is then in the focus of the rest of this work. The morphosyntactic composition of secondary predication is discussed in detail, showing that lexically secondary predicates involve both adjectives and nouns (to a much lesser extent). Structurally, secondary predicates are divided into bare ones, consisting of an adjective or noun, and prepositional ones, involving bipartites, and thus consisting of a combination of a preposition and adjective or noun. Semantically, secondary predicates can be depictive or resultative. It is also illustrated that although secondary predicates fall into the category of adjuncts, they must be clearly distinguished from adverbials, attributives, interjections and absolutes.The second part of this study concentrates on the syntax of secondary predication. It shows that secondary predicates are best described as small clauses with a predicator serving as Pr head. Three attachment sites are proposed that allow for unambiguous subject and object control, as well as separation of depictives and resultatives from circumstantials.Secondary predicates can both agree and not agree with controlling NPs. Cases are discussed where agreement is obligatory, optional or blocked. In order to account for this variety, two types of Pr head (small clause head) are assumed: the full one blocks agreement and may assign its own case, the defective one allows agreement. The agreement involves both Agree and feature sharing between the controlling NP and secondary predicate. Finally, long distance control of secondary predicates in non-finite constructions and verbal nouns is explained.Additional to dichotomy depictive vs. resultative, a third group, the co-called circumstantials, is identified which differs significantly from the former ones not only in semantics, but also in lexical composition (they are predominantly nominal) and attachment site (inside NP).


Despite the efforts of driver's training and other safety programs to make U.S. highways and roads safe, thousands of U.S. citizens are killed each year in traffic accidents that could have been prevented. A similar problem exists in the U.S. Army where several hundred soldiers have been killed in the last decade in preventable combat vehicle accidents while on operational deployments around the world. This study shows how System Dynamics analysis can be used to better understand the complex root causes of vehicle accidents. It shows how this approach has been used to better understand and predict non-combat related vehicle accidents in Iraq and how it can be used to explain how and why individual accidents take place. Finally, suggestions are provided as to how lessons learned from the modeling and study of combat vehicle accidents in the U.S. Army can be used to model, simulate, analyze and understand various aspects of vehicle safety on U.S. civilian roads and highways.


[History and folk culture in the highlander trilogy of Maria Kann] The works of Maria Kann are a significant contribution to the history of children and teenagers literature. The author started co-operating with scout papers in the 1930s and took part in the activities of the Polish Scouting and Guiding Association. Her initial literary work was related to the association as well as to her fascination with aviation. In the occupation period Kann participated actively in the underground life and co-operated with the Council for Aid to Jews. The highlander trilogy published in the 1950s comprises novels: Wantule, Dujawica and Owcze ściezki and is evidence of an exceptional familiarity with the culture and mentality of the inhabitants of Podhale as well as with the occupation reality of World War II. In the novel Wantule M. Kann presents pre-war fortunes of highlander families of Gąsienicowie and Pawlicowie living in the community of Zakopane. Dujawica presents reality of the occupation period, the Goralenvolk action and the underground activity of the citizens of Zakopane. The third part of the trilogy: Owcze ściezki is a continuation of the fortunes of the heroes from the previous volumes in the initial years after the liberation. The trilogy contains rich material concerning the highlander folklore. The author presents legends and cultural transformations of Zakopane and skilfully introduces the highlanders' dialect into the dialogues. Due to these advantages, the series of novels by Maria Kann should be considered in the programme realization of regional education in lower secondary school


Background: Left anterior temporal lobectomy (L-ATL) may be complicated by confrontation naming deficits. Objective: To determine whether preoperative fMRI predicts such deficits in patients with epilepsy undergoing L-ATL. Methods: Twenty-four patients with L-ATL underwent preoperative language mapping with fMRI, preoperative intracarotid amobarbital (Wada) testing for language dominance, and pre- and postoperative neuropsychological testing. fMRI laterality indexes (LIs), reflecting the interhemispheric difference between activated volumes in left and right homologous regions of interest, were calculated for each patient. Relationships between the fMRI LI, Wada language dominance, and naming outcome were examined. Results: Both the fMRI LI (p < 0.001) and the Wada test (p < 0.05) were predictive of naming outcome. fMRI showed 100% sensitivity and 73% specificity in predicting significant naming decline. Both fMRI and the Wada test were more predictive than age at seizure onset or preoperative naming performance. Conclusions: Preoperative fMRI predicted naming decline in patients undergoing left anterior temporal lobectomy surgery.


The last five years in Nigerian flour industryhave witnessed massive usage of price panicking as a marketing strategyto achieve short run boost in sales target. The continued usage of the strategy had overtime weakened the loyalty bond between the flour firms and their customers.Using evidence from the sales volume of the two leading flour mills, Flour Mills of Nigeria (FMN) and Honeywell Flour Mills (HFM), and evaluating the outcomes from7 occurrences of price panics in the industry between July, 2012 andMarch, 2015, the study observeda near-equal average growth rate in the sales of the two firms with and without the adoption of price panicking. Were price panicking allowed to continue with the rapidity as currently being practiced, the uncertainty and distortions that will be created therefrom would retard, rather than boost sales in the long run. The study suggests a rethinking by theNigeria Flour Mills (NFM) and Honeywell Flour Mills (HFM) who are the leading promotersof the dangerous strategy, and argued that both the firms and the industry potentially stand to lose were panicking to be sustained long into the future.


This paper describes the Humphrey Vision Analyser (HVA) which is a subjective refracting instrument incorporating the unique principles of "remote refraction" and continuously variable topics. Increased versatility can be obtained by connecting the HVA to the Humphrey Lens Analyser, forming an over-refraction system. A brief evaluation is presented.


In 2019, the ATLAS experiment at CERN is planning an upgrade in order to cope with the higher luminosity requirements. In this upgrade, the installation of the new muon chambers for the end-cap muon system will be carriedout. Muon track reconstruction performance can be improved, and fake triggers can be reduced. It is also necessary to develop readout system of trigger data for the Level-1 end-cap muon trigger.
We have decided to develop software-based data acquisition system. There-fore, we have implemented SiTCP technology, which connects a FPGA with the network, on the FPGA of new trigger processor boards.
Due to this implementation, the new DAQ system can take advantage of the latest developments in computing industry. This new readout system architec-ture is based on multi-process software, and can assemble events at a rate of 100 kHz. For data collection, the 10 Gbit Ethernet network switch is used. Moreover, we have optimized these processes to send data to the following sys-tem without any error. Therefore, the built events can be sent with an average throughput of approximately 211 Mbps.
Our newly developed readout system is very generic and it is flexible for modi-fications, extensions and easyto debug. This paper will present the details of the new software-based DAQ system and report the development status for ATLAS Run-3.


Objectives: To describe current issues facing the field of perinatal and infant psychiatry, the issues involved in developing service models and greater awareness of the area in mental health service strategic development. To describe contemporary approaches working to integrate perinatal and infant models with a focus on early-in-life intervention and prevention. Conclusions: Perinatal and infant psychiatry has ongoing issues in clarifying the location of services and their models of care with a lack of clear higher level governance. It remains a vital area for improving the mental health of both carers and infants and child development.


Purpose: This work introduces a new lattice geometry library, egs_lattice, into the EGSnrc Monte Carlo code, which can be used for both modeling very large (previously unfeasible) quantities of geometries and establishing recursive boundary conditions. The reliability of egs_lattice, as well as EGSnrc in general, is cross-validated and tested. Methods: New Bravais, cubic, and hexagonal lattice geometries are defined in egs_lattice and their transport algorithms are described. Simulations of cells and Gold NanoParticle (GNP) containing cavities are implemented to compare to published Geant4-DNA and PENELOPE results. Recursive boundary conditions, implemented through a cubic lattice, are used to perform electron Fano cavity tests. Results: Lattices are successfully implemented in EGSnrc. EGSnrc calculated doses to cell cytoplasm and nucleus when irradiated by an internal electron source with a median difference of 0.6% compared to Geant4-DNA. EGSnrc calculated the ratio of dose to a microscopic cavity containing GNPs over dose to a cavity containing a homogeneous mixture of gold, and results generally agree (within 1%) with PENELOPE. The Fano test is passed (sub-0.1%) for all energies/ cells considered. Additionally, the recursive boundary conditions used for the Fano test provided a factor of over a million increase in efficiency in some cases. Conclusions: The egs_lattice geometry library, currently available as a pull request on the EGSnrc GitHub develop branch, is now freely accessible as open-source code. Lattice geometry implementations cross-validated with independent simulations in other MC codes and verified with the electron Fano cavity test demonstrate not only the reliability of egs_lattice, but, by extension, EGSnrc's ability to simulate transport in nanometer geometries and score in microscopic cavities.


The Atlantic margin of southern Africa is a classic example of a volcanic rifted margin, but the strong gradient in the intensity of magmatism from north to south challenges a conventional plume model. A petrologic study of breakup-related mafic dikes from the northern and southern margin was undertaken to provide data on magma compositions and P-T conditions of mantle melting with which to test the plume (excess heat) hypothesis. The results demonstrate not only more magma but greater diversity of magma types and stronger crustal influence in the dikes from high-flux northern margin in Nambia. Some of these dikes have picritic bulk compositions (>12 wt.% MgO), and olivines Fo90-93, indicating about 200°C excess mantle temperature. Dolerite dikes from the Cape peninsula derive from a single tholeiite series and yield petrologic temperature estimates in favor of a passive upwelling model.


The process by which students develop conceptions of science has long been an area of science education research. From a constructivist standpoint (Bodner, 1986) the formation of misconceptions and processes of conceptual change are equally interesting, as learners may place unintended interpretations onto instructional materials. Previous studies have identified a myriad of individual misconceptions across the sciences (Azizoglu, Alkan, and Geban 2006; Boo 1998; Cakmakci, Leach, and Donnelly 2006; Sneider and Ohadi 1998; Taber 1996) and the efficacies of numerous interventions have been investigated (Cakir, Uzuntiryaki, and Geban 2002; Diakidoy and Kendeou 2001; Kalkanis, Hadzidaki, and Stavrou 2003; Yang, Greenbowe and Andre 2004). General theories of conceptual change have also been proposed, attributing the origins of misconceptions to ontological miscategorisations (Chi, Slotta and de Leeuw 1994), conflicts with epistemological presuppositions (Vosniadou 1994; 2002), and inappropriate selections from multiple representations (Halliden, Petersson, Scheja, Ehrlen, Haglund, Osterlind and Stenlund 2002; Spada 1994).

Despite this extensive body of research, the practical implementation of recommendations from general conceptual change theories remains problematic. Much of the research is necessarily and appropriately learner-centred and thus individually-focused; however, undergraduate teaching is primarily conducted in groups. Conceptual change theories have also offered comparatively little overt advice for general pedagogical practices to minimise misconception formation. This paper is intended to begin to fill this gap, by offering an integrated model for developing robust conceptions which is applicable at the classroom level. The empirical data presented draw on research in chemistry education, but the model presented is expected to be applicable in other science domains.


The self-diffusion coefficients of globular proteins (myoglobin, bovine serum albumin, barstar, lysozyme) in aqueous solutions at different temperatures and pH values are obtained by pulsed-gradient spin-echo NMR, and their concentration dependence is analyzed. The generalized concentration dependence of globular protein self-diffusion coefficients is empirically established, and compared to the concentration dependence of diffusion coefficients of flexible polymers and rigid Brownian particles.


Fundamental elements of physical theories of systems of objects are examined. Consider the Newtonian mechanics, Maxwellian electrodynamics, relativistic mechanics, general relativity, and the Dirac theory of the electron. Each of these theories has specific differential equations whose solutions ac-curately describe the state and the time evolution of systems of particles that belong to the theory's domain of validity. Well-known textbooks prove that these theories can be derived from the least action principle that applies to an appropriate Lagrangian or Lagrangian density. The Noether theorem proves that the Euler-Lagrange differential equations of these theories conserve energy-momentum, angular momentum, and charge. The electroweak theory, which is a part of the Standard Model of particle physics, is a contradictory example. Although this theory is about 50 years old, textbooks still do not show the explicit form of its differential equations that describe the electromagnetic interactions of the W ± particles. Hence, the electroweak theory fails to show that solutions of its missing differential equations fit experimental data. For this reason, the electroweak theory belongs to the set of physical ideas that are not even wrong.


Aims

Ossified ungular cartilages may be associated with foot pain. There are no detailed descriptions of their radiological appearance. Dorsopalmar images are considered best for evaluation of ossification; the usefulness of oblique images has not been assessed. The aims were to describe the radiological appearance of ossified cartilages and to determine the usefulness of oblique images.

Methods

Radiographs of all feet (n = 169, 2005–2012) with ≥ Grade 2 ossification (Dyson et al. 2010) of one/both ungular cartilages were assessed subjectively using a purpose-designed grading system, after a repeatability study in which 10 sets of radiographs were examined 10 times. Detection of abnormalities was compared among conventional and oblique images.

Results

Radiological abnormalities including focal/diffuse increase in trabecular bone opacity, loss of trabecular architecture, and loss of definition between the trabecular bone and the cortices were more frequent in lateral cartilages (72, 59 and 60, respectively) than medial (41, 36 and 33, respectively). Cartilage shape varied in dorsopalmar images, being straight (270), curving axially (19) or abaxially (10). There was modelling of the cortices in 52 lateral (33 mild, 19 moderate) and 23 medial (17 mild, 6 moderate) cartilages. There were separate centres of ossification (SCsO) in 30 lateral and 14 medial cartilages. Fractures were present in 18 medial and 13 lateral cartilages, 20 at the base. Accurately distinguishing between fractures and osseous reaction around junctions between ossification centres was impossible in 8 cartilages. In total SCsO or fractures were seen in 59 dorsopalmar and 81 oblique images. Fracture sites and junctions between ossification centres were consistently best seen in oblique images. Palmar curvature of the cartilages could only be accurately detected in oblique images and was present in 31 cartilages.

Conclusions and practical significance

Lateral cartilages had a greater variation in radiological appearance than medial cartilages. Oblique images can provide information not available from other images.

Ethical animal research

Not required by this Congress: retrospective analysis of archived radiographs. Sources of funding: None. Competing interests: None.


Despite tremendous growth in the project management profession and substantial proof that the profession has helped increase productivity and bottom line earnings, some senior-level executives are still fighting progress. Why is it so difficult to sell project management to senior executives? and How do you get them on board? are the main questions being answered in this pertinent book by Thomas, et al. After years of research, the authors report their findings in Phases I and II of this insightful book.


Nedocromil sodium is a new chemical entity. This compound is very hydrophilic and is well absorbed by tissues such as the lung but not by tissues with tight junctions such as the gut. This product is chemically different from all drugs currently used for the treatment of airway diseases. The in vitro effects of nedocromil sodium are reviewed. Nedocromil sodium is capable of blocking: 1) the chemotaxis of neutrophils; 2) the activation of macrophages and monocytes by IgE; 3) the release of histamine from mast cells; 4) the cytotoxicity of platelets; 5) the release of LTC4 from eosinophils. Nedocromil sodium thus seems to have an effect on each of the cells which are implicated in the allergic reactions. In animals, nedocromil sodium can block the immediate bronchoconstriction induced by an antigen, adenosine and neurokinin A. Nedocromil sodium can also block the increase in bronchial responsiveness induced by antigen exposure. Moreover, vascular permeability induced by ovalbumin is reduced by nedocromil sodium. In summary, nedocromil sodium demonstrated a significant inhibitory effect of inflammation in both in vivo and in vitro models.


Taking a feminist and intersectional approach, this article conducts a socio-political analysis of the traditional paradigms of disability through an ethnographic study of the life histories of women with functional diversity (FD). In Spain, the term "people with functional diversity" has emerged as a preferred denomination for many, if not all, people and entities working in this field because it emphasizes the contribution of people with FD to society. Based on interviews with six study participants, the analysis examines these women's discourses and the different ways that they deconstruct traditional models of disability and ableism and the patriarchal and capitalist social categories that constrain them in positions of inequality and oppression. In particular, the analysis centers on the different ways of "being" a woman with FD and the transformative capacity of agency in overturning traditional representations in favor of plurality and inclusiveness. By challenging marginalized social categories, the women claim ownership of their bodies and sexuality and also open routes to social resources. Nevertheless, the research also shows that these resistances often took place at an individual rather than a collective level. Hence, while emphasizing the agentive capacity of the participants, the study shows how each of their biographies is framed within a socio-political context. This research makes an important contribution to the theory and practice of social work as it questions the traditional categories of FD and brings us closer to the lived experiences and practices of the study participants.


Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is the most common gastrointestinal disease of premature infants. However, despite significant morbidity and mortality, the etiology and pathogenesis of NEC are poorly understood. Evidence suggests that ileal proinflammatory mediators such as IL-18 contribute to the pathology associated with this disease. In addition, we have previously shown that upregulation of TNF-alpha in the liver is correlated with ileal disease severity in a neonatal rat model of NEC. With the use of a neonatal rat model of NEC, we evaluated the incidence and severity of ileal damage along with the production of both hepatic and ileal proinflammatory cytokines in animals injected with (anti-TNF-alpha; n = 23) or without (NEC; n = 25) a monoclonal anti-TNF-alpha antibody. In addition, we assessed changes in apoptosis and ileal permeability in the NEC and anti-TNF-alpha groups. Ileal damage was significantly decreased, and the incidence of NEC was reduced from 80% to 17% in animals receiving anti-TNF-alpha. Hepatic TNF-alpha and hepatic and ileal IL-18 were significantly decreased in pups given anti-TNF-alpha compared with those sham injected. In addition, ileal luminal levels of both TNF-alpha and IL-18 were significantly decreased in the anti-TNF-alpha-injected group. Ileal paracellular permeability and the proapoptotic markers Bax and cleaved caspase-3 were significantly decreased in the anti-TNF-alpha group. These data show that hepatic TNF-alpha is an important component for the development of NEC in the neonatal rat model and suggest that anti-TNF-alpha could be used as a potential therapy for human NEC.


A one-dimensional analytic model for the insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT), which includes a high-doped buffer layer in the low-doped bipolar transistor base, is developed. The model is used to perform a theoretical trade-off study between IGBT's with and without the buffer layer. The study is performed for devices of equal breakdown voltages, and the critical parameters chosen to ``trade-off'' are turn-off switching energy loss (related to turn-off time) and on-state voltage, both at a given current. In this model, as in reality, the two critical parameters are varied by 1) adjusting the doping concentration and thickness of a buffer layer included as part of the bipolar transistor base, 2) adjusting the lifetime in the lowly doped bipolar transistor base with no buffer layer included, or by 3) a combination of 1) and 2). The results of the model predict that for equal breakdown voltages an optimized device with a buffer layer has less switching energy loss for a given on-state voltage than an optimized device with no buffer layer.


BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE
To study the cumulative incidence and surgical treatment of midline incisional hernia (MIH) after cystectomy for bladder cancer.

METHODS
In the nationwide Bladder Cancer Data Base Sweden (BladderBaSe), cystectomy was performed in 5646 individuals. Cumulative incidence MIH and surgery for MIH were investigated in relation to age, gender, comorbidity, previous laparotomy and/or inguinal hernia repair, operative technique, primary/secondary cystectomy, postoperative wound dehiscence, year of surgery, and period-specific mean annual hospital cystectomy volume (PSMAV).

RESULTS
Three years after cystectomy the cumulative incidence of MIH and surgery for MIH was 8% and 4%, respectively. The cumulative incidence MIH was 12%, 9% and 7% in patients having urinary diversion with continent cutaneous pouch, orthotopic neobladder and ileal conduit. Patients with postoperative wound dehiscence had a higher three-year cumulative incidence MIH (20%) compared to 8% without. The corresponding cumulative incidence surgery for MIH three years after cystectomy was 9%, 6%, and 4% for continent cutaneous, neobladder, and conduit diversion, respectively, and 11% for individuals with postoperative wound dehiscence (vs 4% without). Using multivariable Cox regression, secondary cystectomy (HR 1.3 (1.0-1.7)), continent cutaneous diversion (HR 1.9 (1.1-2.4)), robot-assisted cystectomy (HR 1.8 (1-3.2)), wound dehiscence (HR 3.0 (2.0-4.7)), cystectomy in hospitals with PSMAV 10-25 (HR 1.4 (1.0-1.9)), as well as cystectomy during later years (HRs 2.5-3.1) were all independently associated with increased risk of MIH.

CONCLUSIONS
The cumulative incidence of MIH was 8% three years postoperatively, and increase over time. Avoiding postoperative wound dehiscence after midline closure is important to decrease the risk of MIH.


The alternating pyrimidine-purine elements CA, CAC, and CACA are anisotropically flexible, as deduced from gel circularization assays on point mutations and single-base mismatches in the OR3 site of lambda phage alone and in the specific complex with the Cro protein. These sequences evidently promote DNA bending in the specific binding region of the complex and may also facilitate overwinding in the central nonbinding region. Effects for CACA are exceptionally large and suggest that an alternative DNA structure may occur in this element.


This chapter gives an overview of interaction techniques for mixed reality including augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR). Various modalities for input and output are discussed. Specifically, techniques for tangible and surface-based interaction, gesture-based, pen-based, gaze-based, keyboard and mouse-based, as well as haptic interaction are discussed. Furthermore, the combination of multiple modalities in multisensory and multimodal interaction, as well as interaction using multiple physical or virtual displays, are presented. Finally, interaction with intelligent virtual agents is considered.


Nowadays, tend to use nanotechnology in various fields such as medical science and pharmacology have increased. Making nanoparticles can be done by different ways, but, due to the hazards and environmental pollution caused by them, green synthesis has attracted much attention. Green synthesis of biological resources such as plants, green algae, and microorganisms like bacteria and yeast are used for the production of nanoparticles. For the production of iron oxide nanoparticles this research, in line with the objectives of green synthesis, used the lactobacillus casei extract as a biological source. In this study, green synthesis of iron oxide nanoparticles were performed usingLactobacillus casei extract as a biological source  cytoplasmic extract of lactobacillus casei and iron sulfate solution 10-3 M [pH=5.6] were mixed in a V/V 10 % volume ratio,  and incubated for 3 weeks at 37 °C in the presence of 5% carbon dioxide. Synthesizing iron oxide nanoparticles was studied by electron microscope and x-ray microdiffraction. After three weeks of incubation, the color of iron sulfate and the extract solution was changed from colorless to black. According to XRD analysis, synthesis of iron oxide nano crystals was confirmed. The average synthesized nanoparticles diameters as determined by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was found to be about 15 nm with a spherical shape. Production of iron oxide nanoparticles through green synthesis method using cytoplasmic extract of lactobacillus casei as a microorganism probiotic is biologically safe, of low cost, simple, efficient, and eco-friendly treatment that has attracted a lot of attention in medicine, pharmacology, and targeted drug delivery.


Purpose

Because of the various geometric descriptions of different bearing types, performance calculation of journal bearing is complicated, and is difficult in traditional model. This paper aims to simplify the calculation of the journal bearing performance, and to reduce the workload.

Design/methodology/approach

On the basis of previous research, a general performance calculation model of journal bearing is proposed in this paper. Eccentricity ratio and attitude angle of axis to each pad are calculated by coordinates of spindle center and each pad center by establishing the unified coordinate system. The surface deformation of journal bearing is taken into consideration, and a correction value is added to the dimensionless oil film thickness.

Findings

The performance calculation results of various fix-pad and tilting-pad journal bearings match the results of the existing references very well, revealing the validity of the model. The general model can greatly reduce programming workload, and increase adaptability to different bearings.

Originality/value

Geometric descriptions of both fix-pad and tilting-pad journal bearings are unified in this model, which can be applied to both standard and non-standard journal bearings with different preload ratios. In addition, due to the unification of different bearings types, this model is more conducive to performance comparison among different bearing types, and promotes the development of new structural forms for journal bearings.


With the widespread diffusion of smartphones, Spatial Crowdsourcing (SC), which aims to assign spatial tasks to mobile workers, has drawn increasing attention in both academia and industry. One of the major issues is how to best assign tasks to workers. Given a worker and a task, the worker will choose to accept the task based on her affinity towards the task, and the worker can propagate the information of the task to attract more workers to perform it. These factors can be measured as worker-task influence. Since workers' affinities towards tasks are different and task issuers may ask workers who performed tasks to propagate the information of tasks to attract more workers to perform them, it is important to analyze worker-task influence when making assignments. We propose and solve a novel influence-aware task assignment problem in SC, where tasks are assigned to workers in a manner that achieves high worker-task influence. In particular, we aim to maximize the number of assigned tasks and worker-task influence. To solve the problem, we first determine workers' affinities towards tasks by identifying workers' historical task-performing patterns. Next, a Historical Acceptance approach is developed to measure workers' willingness of performing a task, i.e., the probability of workers visiting the location of the task when they are informed. Next, we propose a Random reverse reachable-based Propagation Optimization algorithm that exploits reverse reachable sets to calculate the probability of workers being informed about tasks in a social network. Based on worker-task influence derived from the above three factors, we propose three influence-aware task assignment algorithms that aim to maximize the number of assigned tasks and worker-task influence. Extensive experiments on two real-world datasets offer detailed insight into the effectiveness of our solutions.


Breast cancer (BC) in women is the second most commonly diagnosed type of cancer worldwide, and the leading cause of cancer-related mortality among women. To date, surgery is the main treatment option, often combined with other (neo)adjuvant therapeutic modalities to treat this malignancy and prevent relapse. Despite the invasive aspects of the majority of these therapeutic interventions and their associated side-effects, these treatments are still unable to effectively cure this disease and prevent relapse. Thus, there is an urgent need for the identification of more relevant biomarkers for more effective theranostics. Signaling lymphocytic activation molecule F7 (SLAMF7) is a glycosylated cell surface protein that plays a critical role in immune cell functions under both healthy conditions and in cancer. It is specifically targeted by elotuzumab for the treatment of multiple myeloma. The present retrospective study aimed to investigate the expression patterns of SLAMF7 and evaluate its associations with clinicopathological features, including the survival outcomes of patients with BC. The protein expression of SLAMF7 in BC was investigated in 278 lymph node-positive formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue blocks using tissue microarray and immunohistochemistry techniques. The results revealed a significant association between cytoplasmic SLAMF7 protein expression and several clinicopathological parameters, particularly age at diagnosis (P<0.007), tumor invasion (P<0.008) and vascular invasion (P=0.05). Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed that the overexpression of SLAMF7 was a strong positive prognosticator of both disease-free and disease-specific survival in the patients with BC (log-rank P=0.001 and P=0.008, respectively). This suggests that patients with SLAMF7 protein expression have a higher survival rate and a lower recurrence rate. On the whole, the present study demonstrated that a weak or no SLAMF7 expression was a powerful prognosticator of poor survival outcomes associated with both tumor and vascular invasion. Therefore, elotuzumab (as SLAMF7monoclonal antibody therapy) may be a promising option for targeted therapy worthy of clinical testing in patients with BC.


Game semantics describe the interactive behavior of proofs by interpreting formulas as games on which proofs induce strategies. Such a semantics is introduced here for capturing dependencies induced by quantifications in first-order propositional logic. One of the main difficulties that has to be faced during the elaboration of this kind of semantics is to characterize definable strategies, that is strategies which actually behave like a proof. This is usually done by restricting the model to strategies satisfying subtle combinatorial conditions, whose preservation under composition is often difficult to show. Here, we present an original methodology to achieve this task, which requires to combine advanced tools from game semantics, rewriting theory and categorical algebra. We introduce a diagrammatic presentation of the monoidal category of definable strategies of our model, by the means of generators and relations: those strategies can be generated from a finite set of atomic strategies and the equality between strategies admits a finite axiomatization, this equational structure corresponding to a polarized variation of the notion of bialgebra. This work thus bridges algebra and denotational semantics in order to reveal the structure of dependencies induced by first-order quantifiers, and lays the foundations for a mechanized analysis of causality in programming languages.


In recent years, there have been two parallel research paths for developing advanced traffic signal systems. Real-time traffic adaptive system research, supported largely by the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) and smaller scale closed loop systems developed primarily by traffic signal system vendors. Simulation models have been developed for evaluating USDOT supported projects, and those results have been reported in the literature. However, even though there are several hundred traffic responsive systems deployed, most of the vendor developed closed loop signal systems have not undergone such rigorous evaluations. This is an area of signficant concern because deployment of efficient closed loop signal systems is one of the most cost effective Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) investment that a small urban area can make. In order to make good deployment decisions, rational quantitative evaluation procedures are required to evaluate feasible options. This paper reports on an evaluation procedure developed for quantifying the impact of traffic responsive operation in modern closed loop signal systems. The paper reviews the concepts of "hardware-in-the-loop simulation," explains the application of this simulation procedure to evaluate closed loop systems, and reports on the observed results. The same procedure can be applied to systems developed outside the United States such as the SCOOT and SCATS systems.


In Latin America, urban popular movements emerged in the late 1940s as thousands of low-income migrants and city residents banded together to claim land, build self-help housing, and forge neighborhood organizations that fomented community participation and mobilized to demand land titles and city services. These neighborhoods were characterized by informal housing; inadequate provision of electricity, water, sanitation, transportation, and social services; and informal employment and underemployment. During the authoritarianism of the 1960s and 1970s, some urban popular movements resisted military dictatorship while others forged clientelist ties. Democratic and authoritarian leaders alike were forced to deal with the steady influx of rural migrants to cities, and regimes of all types often came to view informal neighborhoods founded by urban popular movements as an acceptable solution to some of the challenges of urbanization. In the 1980s and 1990s, neoliberal privatization of public utilities and cuts to social safety nets harmed urban popular movements, but national and local democratization expanded some avenues of participation, and the regional trend of urban popular movements expanded in numbers and extended its geographic reach. In the 2000s, socialist "Pink Tide" governments delivered benefits to low-income sectors, and many popular sectors supported these leftist regimes. Material gains proved modest, however, and state-movement alliances were rocky, leaving urban popular movements in the awkward position of being dissatisfied with national leadership, yet preferring the Pink Tide incumbents to most alternatives. And in the 2010s, a new "right turn" emerged, as conservative leaders replaced many Pink Tide presidents, threatening to reintroduce the repressive over-policing of popular sectors. Throughout these periods, the core conceptual identity of some urban popular movements shifted from the poblador (the "founder" seeking to meet his or her family's needs) to the vecino (the "neighbor" collaborating with other movement participants through collective efforts), to the ciudadano (the empowered "citizen" who recognizes his or her needs as rights to be secured through political engagement).


Reinforcement learning is important for machine-intelligence and neurophysiological modelling applications to provide time-critical decision making. Analog circuit implementation has been demonstrated as a powerful computational platform for power-efficient, bio-implantable and real-time applications. This paper presents a current-mode analog circuit design for solving reinforcement learning problem with simple and efficient computational network architecture. The design has been fabricated and a new procedure to validate the fabricated reinforcement learning circuit will also be presented. This work provides a preliminary study for future biomedical application using CMOS VLSI reinforcement learning model.


Abstract The water distribution network is largely affected by the change in the influencing factors, such as input pressure, demand and supply duration. The change in each parameter requires the extensive design of the network and the interactive effect of the influencing parameters are hardly explored. The main hurdles for the water providers lie in the absence of a prediction model, which can be used as a decision tool to assess the effect of the change in parameter and estimating the cost for the changed scenario. The present study developed a novel framework based on the artificial neural network for multivariate prediction modeling taking the response as the cost of the pipe network. The application of the 33 factorial design was used for the selection of the influencing parameters and outcome was taken as the input to the neural network model. The adequacy of the model was tested through error functions and analysis of variance. The low values of the error functions (0.0004–0.228) and high F value (162,442) and R2 (0.999) established the significance of the model. The model can be used for predicting the cost of the changed scenarios and assessment of the optimal solution for the system variables.