Genome-wide association studies have established BIN1 (Bridging Integrator 1) as the most significant late-onset Alzheimer disease (AD) susceptibility locus after APOE. We analyzed BIN1 protein expression using automated immunohistochemistry on the hippocampal CA1 region in 19 patients with either no, mild, or moderate-to-marked AD pathology, who had been assessed by Clinical Dementia Rating and CERAD scores. We also examined the amygdala, prefrontal, temporal, and occipital regions in a subset of these patients. In non-demented controls without AD pathology, BIN1 protein was expressed in white matter, glia, particularly oligodendrocytes, and in the neuropil in which the BIN1 signal decorated axons. With increasing severity of AD, BIN1 in the CA1 region showed: 1) sustained expression in glial cells, 2) decreased areas of neuropil expression, and 3) increased cytoplasmic neuronal expression that did not correlate with neurofibrillary tangle load. In patients with AD, both the prefrontal cortex and CA1 showed a decrease in BIN1-immunoreactive (BIN1-ir) neuropil areas and increases in numbers of BIN1-ir neurons. The numbers of CA1 BIN1-ir pyramidal neurons correlated with hippocampal CERAD neuritic plaque scores; BIN1 neuropil signal was absent in neuritic plaques. Our data provide novel insight into the relationship between BIN1 protein expression and the progression of AD-associated pathology and its diagnostic hallmarks.


The dissolution and release of active ions from ion-doped apatites is currently gaining interest due to indications of a beneficial biologic response. The release of ions from apatite coatings is important because it influences the biological effect of these types of materials. In this study the ion release from three different ion-doped apatite coatings (iHA coatings), SrCaP, SiHA and FHA, has been studied. The coatings were prepared by a mineralization method based on immersion in modified PBS solutions containing additions of Sr, Si or F. The kinetics of ion release from the iHA coatings were studied in two different media with and without calcium and phosphate ions (phosphate buffer saline solution (PBS) and Tris–HCl). The amount of cumulative release of Sr, Si and F ions from the iHA coatings was SrCaP>SiHA>FHA in Tris–HCl, which could be also be related to the solubility for these iHA coatings. According to analysis using the Korsmeyer–Peppas model, the release of ions from the coatings was in most cases controlled by a combination of Fickian diffusion and dissolution of the coatings. The morphologies of the iHA coatings were not markedly changed after immersion in Tris–HCl. In the phosphate buffer solution, there was a concurrent redeposition of new apatite crystals on the surface of all of the iHA coatings, which means there were both a dissolution and a remineralization process acting, ultimately controlling the ion release rate.


Objective We investigated blood samples from fully SARS-CoV2-vaccinated subjects and from previously positive tested patients up to one year after infection with SARS-CoV2, and compared short- and long-term T cell and antibody responses, with a special focus on the recently emerged delta variant (B.1.617.2). Methods and results In 23 vaccinated subjects, we documented high anti-SARS-CoV2 spike protein receptor binding domain (RBD) antibody titers. Average virus neutralization by antibodies, assessed as inhibition of ACE2 binding to RBD, was 2.2-fold reduced for delta mutant vs. wild type (wt) RBD. The mean specific antibody titers were lower one year after natural infection than after vaccination; ACE2 binding to delta mutant vs. wt RBD was 1.65-fold reduced. In an additional group, omicron RBD binding was reduced compared to delta. Specific CD4+ T cell responses were measured after stimulation with peptides pools from wt, alpha, beta, gamma, or delta variant SARS-CoV2 spike proteins by flow cytometric intracellular cytokine staining. There was no significant difference in cytokine production of IFN-γ, TNF-α, or IL-2 between vaccinated subjects. T cell responses to wt or mutant SARS-CoV2 spike were significantly weaker after natural occurring infections compared to those in vaccinated individuals. Conclusion Antibody neutralisation of the delta mutant was reduced compared to wt, as assessed in a novel inhibition assay with a finger prick blood drop. Strong CD4 T cell responses were present against wt and mutant SARS-CoV2 variants, including the delta (B.1.617.2) strain, in fully vaccinated individuals, whereas they were partly weaker 1 year after natural infection. Hence, immune responses after vaccination are stronger compared to those after naturally occurring infection, pointing out the need of the vaccine to overcome the pandemic.


Deformable shape models (DSMs) comprise a general approach that shows great promise for automatic image segmentation. Published studies by others and our own research results strongly suggest that segmentation of a normal or near-normal object from 3D medical images will be most successful when the DSM approach uses (1) knowledge of the geometry of not only the target anatomic object but also the ensemble of objects providing context for the target object and (2) knowledge of the image intensities to be expected relative to the geometry of the target and contextual objects. The segmentation will be most efficient when the deformation operates at multiple object-related scales and uses deformations that include not just local translations but the biologically important transformations of bending and twisting, i.e., local rotation, and local magnification. In computer vision an important class of DSM methods uses explicit geometric models in a Bayesian statistical framework to provide a priori information used in posterior optimization to match the DSM against a target image. In this approach a DSM of the object to be segmented is placed in the target image data and undergoes a series of rigid and nonrigid transformations that deform the model to closely match the target object. The deformation process is driven by optimizing an objective function that has terms for the geometric typicality and model-to-image match for each instance of the deformed model. The success of this approach depends strongly on the object representation, i.e., the structural details and parameter set for the DSM, which in turn determines the analytic form of the objective function. This paper describes a form of DSM called m-reps that has or allows these properties, and a method of segmentation consisting of large to small scale posterior optimization of m-reps. Segmentation by deformable m-reps, together with the appropriate data representations, visualizations, and user interface, has been implemented in software that accomplishes 3D segmentations in a few minutes. Software for building and training models has also been developed. The methods underlying this software and its abilities are the subject of this paper.


Natural computation is the study of computational systems that use ideas and get inspirations from natural systems, including biological, physical, chemical, economical and social systems. It covers many active research fields, such as evolutionary computation, neural computation, molecular computation, quantum computation, ecological computation, etc. It has made tremendous progress in academic research and real-world applications. Many university departments have been offering individual modules/courses in one form or another on related topics. However, few universities have been offering an entire postgraduate program in natural computation. This article summarises one such MSc program in natural computation at the University of Birmingham, UK.


Young people are at the heart of the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Not only are they disproportionately represented in terms of new infections but they are also key to overcoming the disease. Effective HIV prevention efforts that focus on youth are crucial to reversing the pandemic. The World Bank is one of the largest official financiers of HIV/AIDS programs in the world with over $2.7 billion committed for HIV/AIDS prevention care support and treatment since 1988. A recent review of Bank projects related to HIV/AIDS (1999-2004) reveals that over 40% include specific youth components and virtually all include youth as a target group. This note summarizes the growing body of evidence of what works to prevent HIV/AIDS among youth in developing countries. (excerpt)


Over the last decade, there have been considerable concerns raised regarding the social and environmental impacts of large-scale land concessions for plantation development in various parts of the world, especially in the tropics, including in Laos and Cambodia. However, there is still much to learn about the various connections and interactions associated with reactions to what are often referred to as "land grabs", and the ways they are associated or not associated with broader social movements and networks opposed to land grabbing. There is also the need to develop language for discussing these circumstances, something I aim to contribute to in this article. Here, I present four different cases of types of resistance, or what I refer to as contingent contestations, to land concessions in southern Laos and northeastern Cambodia (two from each country), focusing on the perspectives and associated strategies of smallholder farmers, but without ignoring broader issues. I consider the roles of locals in these contestations, through emphasizing the importance of histories, identities/ethnicities, politics, and geography in determining the types of responses to these land deals that emerge, and the strategies that are adopted for contesting these developments.


For several purposes in Natural Language Processing (NLP), such as Information Extraction, Sentiment Analysis or Chatbot, Named Entity Recognition (NER) holds an important role as it helps to determine and categorize entities in text into predefined groups such as the names of persons, locations, quantities, organizations or percentages, etc. In this report, we present our experiments on a neural architecture composed of a Conditional Random Field (CRF) layer stacked on top of a Bi-directional LSTM (BI-LSTM) layer for solving NER tasks. Besides, we also employ a fusion input of embedding vectors (Glove, BERT), which are pre-trained on the huge corpus to boost the generalization capacity of the model. Unfortunately, due to the heavy unbalanced distribution cross-training data, both approaches just attained a bad performance on less training samples classes. To overcome this challenge, we introduce an add-on classification model to split sentences into two different sets: Weak and Strong classes and then designing a couple of Bi-LSTM-CRF models properly to optimize performance on each set. We evaluated our models on the test set and discovered that our method can improve performance for Weak classes significantly by using a very small data set (approximately 0.45\%) compared to the rest classes.


A multi-document summarization method based on Latent Semantic Indexing (LSI) is proposed. The method combines several reports on the same issue into a matrix of terms and sentences, and uses a Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) to reduce the dimension of the matrix and extract features, and then the sentence similarity is computed. The sentences are clustered according to similarity of sentences. The centroid sentences are selected from each class. Finally, the selected sentences are ordered to generate the summarization. The evaluation and results are presented, which prove that the proposed methods are efficient.


Axial flux permanent magnet (AFPM) machines are being increasingly used in a variety of industrial direct drive applications which benefit from their extreme axial compactness. In particular, slotted AFPM machines are of great interest since they allow to achieve high torque densities together with an acceptable constant power speed range. This paper analyzes a particular aspect related to the design of such machines, i.e., the use of soft-magnetic-composite wedges to close stator slots. This paper is the continuation of a previous investigation dedicated to the analysis of the no-load performance variation introduced by the magnetic wedges. Here, the attention is focused on the load performance by studying the effect of the wedges on d-q-axis stator flux linkages, torque production, and losses. The 2-D and 3-D finite element analyses are performed on a 10-kW AFPM machine, various magnetic wedge configurations are studied, and the load performance is compared with that of the same machine using nonmagnetic wedges, in terms of stator flux linkage, average and ripple torque, and magnetic losses. Finally, experimental tests and results on a full scale prototype machine mounting magnetic wedges are reported.


Summary A new methodology for blastocyst biopsy that uses a 1.48μm in diode laser is described. Trophectoderm cells are biopsied after laster zona drilling and culture, fixed and processed for fluorescent in situ hybridisation (FISH) analysis. Preliminary results on the efficiency of the procedure and blastocyst recovery rate are promising. Blastocyst laser biopsy is a useful tool in preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) as it allows a more reliable diagnosis and widens the diagnostic possibilities on account of the higher number of cells obtained in the biopsy.


This paper describes the design features and technical parameters of a complex for characterizing the fluorescence parameters of macro- and microsamples in the near-IR region. Along with the standard 90°setup for exciting and recording the fluorescence, a microfluorimetric technique is used. Two types of InGaAs photodiodes are compared, and the features of the measurements are discussed, using as an example the recording of the IR fluorescence spectra of PbS quantum dots.


The TAU Performance System® provides a multi-level instrumentation strategy for instrumentation of Kokkos applications. Kokkos provides a performance portable API for expressing parallelism at the node level. TAU uses the Kokkos profiling system to expose performance factors using user-specified parallel kernel names for lambda functions or C++ functors. It can also use instrumentation at the OpenMP, CUDA, pthread, or other runtime levels to expose the implementation details giving a dual focus of higher-level abstractions as well as low-level execution dynamics. This multi-level instrumentation strategy adopted by TAU can highlight performance problems across multiple layers of the runtime system without modifying the application binary.


Delays and cost overruns in Public Sector investments can raise the capital-output ratio in the sector and elsewhere, bringing down the efficacy of investments. Yet there are no estimates of the delays and cost overruns, and of their opportunity cost. This study arrives at rough estimates of the delays and cost overruns, and the opportunity cost in terms of the extracapital X time' that is used up. Cost overruns (at 80%) and the extracapital X time' incurred (about 190%) are very large; even after removing the increase due to inflation! The reasons for the same are also identified and rated. Factors internal to the public sector system and Government largely account for the delays and cost overruns: Poor project design and implementation, inadequate funding of projects, bureaucratic indecision, and the lack of coordination between enterprises. Appraisal by the Government very often is devoid of meaning when the emphasis is only on the form of the project proposal rather than on its content- a tendency quite usual in bureaucracies. Since the public enterprises particularly those in the core sector have large dealings with each other, avicious circle of delays' has been built up. The politically expedient tendency to take up large numbers of projects and short fund them all, except those with the very highest priority, is perhaps the most important factor in delays. The Government's ad hoc approach in according high priority to certain sectors- oil and natural gas, and petroleum- while perhaps overcoming the problem in these sectors have compounded the problem elsewhere, particularly in the infra-structural areas- railways, coal and steel.


In the University of Debrecen Building Mechatronics Research Centre faced by the application of building automation technology, are tackled by cutting edge research performed at the Research Centre. The embedded device system, the focus of the ongoing project at the Research Centre, is programmable, reconfigurable, and adjustable. The design of an efficient embedded system must meet regulatory requirements, for optimizing building energy efficiency. The system provides solutions for a range of industrial applications, and peaks the interest of building services providers (e.g. SMEs).


Background: Ascending aortic aneurysm in an important cause of mortality in cardiovascular diseases. Stenosis of aortic is considered to be a risk factor as the ascending aortic aneurysm grows. Animal models have been demonstrated that ascending aortic aneurysm could be induced by supra valvular banding of the ascending aortic. Our objective is to compare different banding conditions on the formation of aneurysms for more precise experiment and improving the preclinical value. Therefore, three comparison banding groups of banding altitude, banding severity and banding angle are established based on rat. Then flow pattern, wall shear stress (WSS) and vessel deformation of each model are calculated and discussed using transient two-way fluid-structure interaction (FSI) analysis in order to explore the influence of different banding methods on the generation of ascending aorta aneurysm.Results: Banding methods lead to different shapes or amplitudes of flow beam, WSS and vessel dilation. Eccentric flow beam, local high WSS accompany with vessel dilation are formed above the banding ring in all banding models because of the banding operation compared with normal model. More concentrated flow beam with bigger velocity, higher local WSS and more obvious expansion deformation above the banding ring are prone to happen in the middle segment banding with 60% banding severity and banding angle of 30 degree.Conclusion: According to the results, a higher position, relatively severe banding, and an acute banding angle are more favor to promote the generation of ascending aortic aneurysm.


Boolean matrix factorization and Boolean matrix completion from noisy observations are desirable unsupervised data-analysis methods due to their interpretability, but hard to perform due to their NP-hardness. We treat these problems as maximum a posteriori inference problems in a graphical model and present a message passing approach that scales linearly with the number of observations and factors. Our empirical study demonstrates that message passing is able to recover low-rank Boolean matrices, in the boundaries of theoretically possible recovery and compares favorably with state-of-the-art in real-world applications, such collaborative filtering with large-scale Boolean data.


The system principle and configuration of the double-differential pressure method for measuring oil tank level are presented. The fundamental method and circuit of fiber optic transmission are analyzed .The accuracy and security of level measurement in the oil tanks have been greatly improved.


One of the most difficult technical challenges in cleaning up the US Department of Energy`s (DOE) Hanford Site in southeast Washington State will be to process the radioactive and chemically complex waste found in the Site`s 177 underground storage tanks. Solid, liquid, and sludge-like wastes are contained in 149 single- and 28 double-shelled steel tanks. These wastes contain about one half of the curies of radioactivity and mass of hazardous chemicals found on the Hanford Site. Therefore, Hanford cleanup means tank cleanup. Safely removing the waste from the tanks, separating radioactive elements from inert chemicals, and creating a final waste form for disposal will require the use of our nation`s best available technology coupled with scientific advances, and an extraordinary commitment by all involved. The purpose of this guide is to inform the reader about critical issues facing tank cleanup. It is written as an information resource for the general reader as well as the technically trained person wanting to gain a basic understanding about the waste in Hanford`s tanks -- how the waste was created, what is in the waste, how it is stored, and what are the key technical issues facing tank cleanup. Access to information is key to better understanding the issues and more knowledgeably participating in cleanup decisions. This guide provides such information without promoting a given cleanup approach or technology use.


Swarnaprashan is a lehan karma in which gold is given in combination with honey, ghrita and various other herbs to the child. It helps in boosting up the intellectual power, physical strength and immunity in the body to fight against diseases. In the present research to assess the recurrence of upper respiratory and gastro intestinal infections, children with recurrent infections falling in age group between 3 to 10 years were registered and divided randomly into two groups. In group A children were given swarna bhasma along with honey and ghee while in group B children were given honey and ghrita only, on daily basis on empty stomach for 30 days and followed for 6 months. After following up it was found that 35% of the children enrolled in group A were relieved while 50% children had moderate improvement. In group B 50% children showed mild to moderate improvement. 50% remained unchanged.


Swan and Brown (2017) recently addressed the effects of restoration on stream communities under the meta-community framework. Using a combination of headwater and mainstem streams, Swan and Brown (2017) evaluated how position within a stream network affected the outcome of restoration on invertebrate communities. Ostensibly, their hypotheses were partially supported as restoration had stronger effects in headwater streams: invertebrate taxonomic richness was increased and temporal variability decreased in restored reaches; however, these results were not consistent upon closer scrutiny for both the original paper (Swan and Brown 2017) and the later erratum (Swan and Brown 2018). Here, I provide a secondary analysis of the data, with hypotheses and interpretations in the context of stream, restoration, and metacommunity ecology. I did not find any effects of restoration on local diversity, spatial dissimilarity, or temporal variability, let alone differential effects of restoration between headwaters and mainstems; these results are contrary Swan and Brown (2017, 2018), who reported that restoration increased taxonomic richness, increased spatial dissimilarity, and decreased temporal variability in restored headwater streams. I demonstrate further that the statistical tests conducted by Swan and Brown (2017, 2018) were invalid and, therefore, recommend use of the results presented here. More broadly, I suggest that river and stream restoration will likely have greater success if a regional approach is taken to designing and implementing restoration projects.


SUMMARY A new specimen of a Mesosuchian crocodile is described from a loose boulder found on the foreshore north of Port Mulgrave on the Yorkshire coast. From a consideration of the associated ammonite and bivalve fauna, the provenance of the boulder is shown to be the top of the Jet Rock ( Harpoceras elegans horizon, upper one third of the exaratum Subzone). The vertebrate material is disarticulated and incomplete, and is referred to Steneosaurus bollensis. Although the species is well known from the equivalent horizon in the classic Toarcian faunas of Holzmaden, south-west Germany, most Yorkshire crocodilian material comes from well above this level and this is the first properly documented record of a crocodile from the Jet Rock (lower part of the Jet Rock Member) of the Yorkshire Coast. The specimen is described in detail and the taxonomy of Liassic teleosaurs is discussed. S. brevoir is considered to be a possible synonym of S. bollensis, but S. gracilirostris can still be regarded as a separate species.


Location- and context-aware services are emerging technologies in mobile and desktop environments, however, most of them are difficult to use and do not seem to be beneficial enough. Our research focuses on designing and creating a service-oriented framework that helps location- and context-aware, client-service type application development and use. Location information is combined with other contexts such as the users' history, preferences and disabilities. The framework also handles
the spatial model of the environment (e.g. map of a room or a building) as a context. The framework is built on a semantic backend where the ontologies are represented using the OWL description language. The use of ontologies enables the framework to run inference tasks and to easily adapt to
new context types. The framework contains a compatibility layer for positioning devices, which hides
the technical differences of positioning technologies and enables the combination of location data of various sources.


Introduction/Background We evaluated the long-term results of treatment and effect of adjuvant chemotherapy on the survival rate of patients with high-risk EC stage I. Methodology In the retrospective study were include 225 patients who underwent treatment in Belarussian cancer clinics between 2006–2010. EC Ib G1 stage and nonendometrioid stage I cancer (serous, clear cell, undifferentiated carcinoma, carcinosarcoma) were included in the study. We received all the data from the Belarusian cancer registry. Results The overall (OS), cancer-specific (CSS) and disease-free (DSF) 5-year survival rate in high-risk EC was 66.7±3.2, 77.4±2.9%, 77.0±2.9%. 10-year old ¬ 53.7±4.5, 69.7±4.2 and 69.3±4.2% respectively. There were no statistically significant differences in the survival depending on morphological tumor type, but the endometrioid carcinoma of the Ib G3 stage is defined as a most favourable form of the high-risk EC, and the undifferentiated carcinoma and carcinosarcoma are the most unfavourable forms. The were no statistically significant differences in OS, CSS and DFS between the endometrioid carcinoma of the Ib G3 stage EC and nonendometrioid forms of the EC stage I. Adjuvant chemotherapy did not improve the long-term outcome of treatment in general, as well as separately in the Ib G3 stage of the endometrioid carcinosarcoma and the nonendometrioid EC stage I. Conclusion International collaborative research may define the role of chemotherapy in patients treatment with high-risk EC Disclosure Nothing to disclose


Attenuation relationships are presented for peak acceleration and response spectral accelerations from shallow crustal earthquakes. The relationships are based on strong motion data primarily from California earthquakes. Relationships are presented for strike-slip and reverse-faulting earthquakes, rock and deep firm soil deposits, earthquakes of moment magnitude M 4 to 8+, and distances up to 100 km.


The paper discusses the problems of the formation and development of corporate business organization in solving the problems of economic growth in Russia. Modern corporations of developed countries, possessing huge tangible and non-tangible assets, human capital and advanced technologies, are essentially the main drivers of economic development. By constantly investing significant amounts of capital in the creation of innovative products, corporations play a leading role, both in existing markets, and create new ones, receiving not only average industry profits, but also rents. Large corporations play a special role in national economies, since it is they who practically implement scientific and technological progress, create jobs, provide orders to small and medium enterprises, and make a significant contribution to the country's GDP and significant tax revenues. Creating conditions for the emergence and development of large corporations in Russia is an urgent task, including for the implementation of national projects and economic growth programs, the implementation of which until now has been hampered by the inadequate organization of the national economy.


Abstract: Metabolic syndrome (MS) is a collection of risk factors for coronary artery disease and type 2 diabetes. Prevalence of the MS in patients with depression is high and use of antidepressants also exert variable effects on constituent elements of the MS. Metabolic and behavioral effects of chronic serotonergic antidepressants treatment in rats subjected to swim endurance test (SET) were investigated. The Albino Wistar rats were divided into 2 groups vehicle (n=12) and drug (n=12). Each group was further divided into unstressed and stressed. Tianeptine (20 mg/kg), and sertraline (30 mg/kg), was administered orally for 28 days. Results showed that tianeptine and sertraline treatment correspondingly increase rat swimming time in SET. Swim stress raised circulating glucose, non-esterified free fatty acids (NEFFA), cholesterol, high density lipoprotein (HDL), low density lipoprotein (LDL) and corticosterone levels with no effects on triglycerides (TGs). Drug alone administration showed that serum glucose levels were decreased by sertraline but not by tianeptine. Lipid levels were raised by both the drugs without effecting TGs. When drug treated stressed group was compared with the stressed controls, showed that tianeptine increases total cholesterol and LDL whereas TGs were decreased with no change on glucose levels. However sertraline treatment decreased the circulating glucose levels while the lipid profile remained unchanged. Corticosterone levels were increased by both the drugs. In conclusion, both the drugs may contribute potentially to the development of MS.It is suggested that antidepressant therapy should include routine surveillance for clinical and/or biochemical evidence suggestive of the metabolic syndrome.


As temperature dependence in many biological precesses is generally a bell-shaped curve, warming may be benefitial at cooler climate but deterimental at warmer climate. Although warming responses are expected to vary between different temperature regimes even in the same species, such variations are poorly understood. We established open-top canopy chambers, in which average daytime leaf temperature was increased by ca. 1.0°C, at the canopy top of Quercus serrata in a deciduous forest in high (HL) and low (LL) latitude sites and studied temperature dependence of photosynthesis in the leaves across seasons. In control leaves, photosynthetic rates were higher in LL than in HL. Reponse to warming was different between HL and LL; an increase in growth temperature increased photosynthetic rates at higher leaf temperatures in HL but decreased in LL. Lower photosynthetic rate in the warming treatment in LL was partly explained by lower leaf mass per area and leaf nitrogen content per unit leaf area. Optimal temperature that maximizes photosynthetic rate (Topt) linearly increased with increasing growth temperature (GT) in HL, whereas it was saturating against GT in LL, suggesting that Topt in Q. serrata has an upper limit. The variation in Topt was explained by the activation energy of the maximum carboxylation rate (EaV). Our results suggest an upper limit in temperature acclimation of photosynthesis, which may be one of the determinants of southern limitation of the distribution.


This thesis is concerned with two sections: the first deals with the synthesis of quinolinones via a tandem VNS reaction. The second examines the aminocatalysis of the Baylis-Hillman reaction Chapter 1: Provides an overview of aromatic chemistry. Focus is on the separate mechanisms of the substitution of aromatic compounds. An overview of VNS chemistry is also included to provide a basis for the investigations carried out. Chapter 2: Describes the synthesis of a small library of 6/s-rutroaromaric compounds using the VNS reaction. An investigation into the cyclisation of the &w-nitroaromatic compounds to a range of biologically interesting quinolinones is also described. Chapter 3: Introduces the concept of aminocatalysis and gives an overview of recent developments in the field including the Baylis-Hillman reaction, the reaction chosen for asymmetric catalyst development. Chapter 4: Is split into three sections the first describes an interesting solvent effect encountered during the course of the investigation. The second investigates the effect of the structure of secondary amines on the enantioselectivity of the reaction via iminium ion formation. The third section describes the investigation of the structure of Lewis bases on the enantioselectivity of the reaction.


The present study deals with the scope of action available to a social worker when analyzing, assessing and proposing measures regarding young persons experiencing social problems. The interest in the subject area emanates from the fact that the number of youth placed in different forms of round the clock out-of-home care in Sweden increases, whereas research in the subject shows that such placement gives few positive results and sometimes even has negative consequences for their development.The study investigates how the preconditions of the social worker influence their scope of possible action, in particular as regards their place of work, the situation of the individual dealt with, and the profession itself being one based both on scientific evidence and knowledge gained by experience. Lipsky's theory on "street-level bureaucracy" and Hasenfelds theory on human servicing organizations form the theoretical framework of the present study. The empirical input comes from interviews with focus groups of active social workers.The analysis of the interviews shows that social workers generally feel that they have a broad scope of action as far as the regulatory framework and office management are concerned. They have, however, less room of manoeuvre when it comes to the resources of their place of work and their ability to use the whole range of possible measures may be limited by an insufficient level of experience and a weak management structure. According to the interviews social workers feel that the situation of the juvenile clients themselves constitutes the most limiting factor. It is evident that placements in out-of-home care are almost exclusively done for protective reasons, when the social worker sees no other possibility to break a seriously destructive way of life.


This paper proposes an efficient video object segmentation algorithm based on change detection and background updating that can quickly extract the moving object from video sequence. Firstly, the change detection is used to analyze temporal information between successive frames to obtain the change region. Then, the combination of frame difference mask and background subtraction mask is adopted to acquire the initial object mask and further solve the uncovered background problem and still object problem. Moreover, the boundary refinement is introduced to overcome the shadow influence and residual background problem. Finally, objective evaluations of the proposed algorithm demonstrate that the spatial accuracy can be maintained above 95% for most normal cases.


High entropy oxide (HEO) is a new class of lithium‐ion battery anode with high specific capacity and excellent cyclability. The beauty of HEO lies in the unique tailorable properties with respect to tunable chemical composition, which enables the use of infinite element combinations to develop new electrode materials. This study synthesizes a series of Co‐free spinel‐type HEOs via a facile hydrothermal method. Based on quaternary medium‐entropy (CrNiMnFe)3O4, the fifth elements of V, Mg, and Cu are added, and their ability to form single‐phase HEOs is investigated. It is demonstrated that the chemical composition of HEOs is critical to the phase purity and corresponding charge–discharge performance. The oxygen vacancy concentration seems to be decisive for the rate capability and reversibility of the HEO electrodes. An inactive spectator element is not necessary for achieving high cyclability, given that the phase purity of the HEO is wisely controlled. The single‐phase (CrNiMnFeCu)3O4 shows a great high‐rate capacity of 480 mAh g−1 at 2000 mA g−1 and almost no capacity decay after 400 cycles. Its phase transition behavior during the lithiation/delithiation process is characterized with operando X‐ray diffraction. A (CrNiMnFeCu)3O4||LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2 cell is constructed with 590 Wh kg−1 (based on electrode materials) gravimetric energy density.


The association between negative maternal attributions and child conduct problems is well established in correlational studies. However, little is known about how these variables influence each other over time. The present study examined patterns of prediction over time between maternal attributions and pre-school conduct problems. Sixty mothers and their 3-year-old children with a range of levels of conduct problems were interviewed when the child was just 3, and then again when the child was just 4. Childhood conduct problems were assessed using the parental account of childhood symptoms and parental attributions were assessed using a modification of Walker's Parental Attribution Questionnaire. Results indicate that even as young as age 3, child conduct problems are associated with negative maternal attributions. In longitudinal analyses, children's conduct problems at age 3 predicted mothers' attributions at age 4, but mothers' attributions did not predict children's conduct problems over the same time period. The data are consistent with the notion that negative attributions may be a result, rather than a cause, of having a difficult-to-manage child. This has implications for current proposed mechanisms that link maternal attributions and child conduct problems, and thus for interventions for these problems. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Based on the study of patterns used in many fast algorithms for the block-matching motion estimation (BMME), a new search pattern, LP (line search pattern), was introduced in this paper. LP is also a simplified square search pattern as TP(Triangle search Pattern). By combing LP with DP(diamond search pattern), a fast BMA (BMME Algorithm), DLS (diamond-line search), was also proposed in this paper. Experimental results show that DLS can reduce the computational complexity of the BMME remarkably while incurring little, if any, loss in quality.


Abstract
 This study reports a survey conducted to find the South American palm weevil Rhynchophorus palmarum (L.) and the red palm weevil R. ferrugineus (Olivier) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), 2 invasive species of palm trees. The study was performed in the Rio Grande Valley of south Texas and near the border with Tamaulipas state, Mexico. A total of 40 traps were inspected biweekly from 26 Sep 2011 to 20 Sep 2012 and 4 traps were inspected from 20 Sep 2012 to 4 Sep 2013. To attract R. palmarum and R. ferrugineus, the lures 2-methylhept-5-en- 4-ol and 4-methyl-5-nonanol were used, respectively. We used these lures in combination with sugar and the ethyl acetate aggregation kairomone for both species, plus an ethylene glycol kill solution. Two specimens of R. palmarum were found and identified next to a commercial palm plantation on 11 Mar and 5 May 2012 near the city of Alamo, Texas, but no R. ferrugineus was detected during the entire study. Nematodes found in the 2 R. palmarum specimens were dauer juveniles of the order Rhabditida, and in one of these weevils only 1 nematode of an undetermined species within the family Aphelenchoididae was found. It is of great importance that Bursaphelenchus cocophilus Cobb Baujard (Nematoda: Parasitaphelenchinae), the nematode causal agent of coconut red ring disease, was not found within these insects. This is the first detection of R. palmarum in Texas, and the second in the United States.


INTRODUCTION
Currently, the American Joint Commission on Cancer (AJCC) staging system is used for prognostication for oesophageal cancer. However, several prognostically important factors have been reported but not incorporated. This meta-analysis aimed to characterize the impact of preoperative, operative, and oncological factors on the prognosis of patients undergoing curative resection for oesophageal cancer.

METHODS
This systematic review was performed according to PRISMA guidelines and eligible studies were identified through a search of PubMed, Scopus, and Cochrane CENTRAL databases up to 31 December 2018. A meta-analysis was conducted with the use of random-effects modeling to determine pooled univariable hazard ratios (HRs). The study was prospectively registered with the PROSPERO database (Registration: CRD42018157966).

RESULTS
One-hundred and seventy-one articles including 73,629 patients were assessed quantitatively. Of the 122 factors associated with survival, 39 were significant on pooled analysis. Of these. the strongly associated prognostic factors were 'pathological' T stage (HR: 2.07, CI95%: 1.77-2.43, P < 0.001), 'pathological' N stage (HR: 2.24, CI95%: 1.95-2.59, P < 0.001), perineural invasion (HR: 1.54, CI95%: 1.36-1.74, P < 0.001), circumferential resection margin (HR: 2.17, CI95%: 1.82-2.59, P < 0.001), poor tumor grade (HR: 1.53, CI95%: 1.34-1.74, P < 0.001), and high neutrophil:lymphocyte ratio (HR: 1.47, CI95%: 1.30-1.66, P < 0.001).

CONCLUSION
Several tumor biological variables not included in the AJCC 8th edition classification can impact on overall survival. Incorporation and validation of these factors into prognostic models and next edition of the AJCC system will enable personalized approach to prognostication and treatment.


This paper investigates the sustainability initiatives of the accounting profession in support of sustainable development. This is important because the post-Rio sustainability agenda involves the role of accounting in directing corporate behaviour; however, a review of critical literature indicates censure of accounting as being apathetic to society and environment. To see whether this criticism still holds, using a desktop research approach, the paper proceeds to investigate the sustainability initiatives contained in the web portals of selected accounting bodies. Findings indicate appreciable levels of initiatives to sustainable development; however, lack of standards, regulations and uniform accounting schemes still poses a challenge such that contemporary sustainability accounting appears more like a weak approximation of the triple bottom line. It concludes that accounting requires a more pragmatic response to sustainable development, as this would facilitate government and institutional policies towards sustainability, and recommends that vital aspects of response should include carbon accounting standards, regulated sustainability accounting and the formation of 'engineering accounting' in order to address the challenges of climate change and carbon trading. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.


Many of the biological functions attributed to cell surface proteoglycans are dependent on the interaction with extracellular mediators through their heparan sulphate (HS) moieties and the participation of their core proteins in signaling events. A class of recently identified inflammatory mediators is secreted cyclophilins, which are mostly known as cyclosporin A-binding proteins. We previously demonstrated that cyclophilin B (CyPB) triggers chemotaxis and integrin-mediated adhesion of T lymphocytes mainly of the CD4+/CD45RO+ phenotype. These activities are related to interactions with two types of binding sites, CD147 and cell surface HS. Here, we demonstrate that CyPB-mediated adhesion of CD4+/CD45RO+ T cells is related to p44/42 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) activation by a mechanism involving CD147 and HS proteoglycans (HSPG). Although HSPG core proteins are represented by syndecan-1, -2, -4, CD44v3 and betaglycan in CD4+/CD45RO+ T cells, we found that only syndecan-1 is physically associated with CD147. The intensity of the heterocomplex increased in response to CyPB, suggesting a transient enhancement and/or stabilization in the association of CD147 to syndecan-1. Pretreatment with anti-syndecan-1 antibodies or knockdown of syndecan-1 expression by RNA interference dramatically reduced CyPB-induced p44/p42 MAPK activation and consequent migration and adhesion, supporting the model in which syndecan-1 serves as a binding subunit to form the fully active receptor of CyPB. Altogether, our findings provide a novel example of a soluble mediator in which a member of the syndecan family plays a critical role in efficient interaction with signaling receptors and initiation of cellular responses.


Sampling frequency is one of the most crucial factors in the design of groundwater quality monitoring systems. Monitoring systems in general have two major objectives: (1) to describe natural processes and long-term changes and (2) to serve as alarm-systems and detect single pollution events. A comparison between two data sequences of different sampling frequency - weekly and monthly - is made through an example of the groundwater quality monitoring system in the karstic region of the Transdanubian Mountains in Hungary. Hydrogeochemical time series were first decomposed into their components: trend, periodicity, autocorrelation, and rough in succession. In order to identify outliers within the rough, Exploratory Data Analysis (EDA) was applied. Optimal sampling frequency was determined based on the analysis of the above components. Results have shown that: (1) seasons shorter than two months do exist in the studied time series which cannot be captured by monthly sampling; (2) for monitoring seasonal processes samples should be collected at the Nyquist frequency (at least two samples per period); for pollution detection autocorrelation lag-time (or semi-variogram range in time) should determine the sampling distance; in the lack of autocorrelation property the analysis of outliers should guide the sampling design; (3) cross-correlation analysis between precipitation and the observed parameters indicative of pollutant travel time yields valuable additional information on the pollution sensitivity of the hydrogeological system.


Background: The TRAM flap has proven to be the autogenous tissue of choice for breast reconstruction. The progressive improvement of the aesthetic results in long-term follow-up of patients with well-executed TRAM flap breast reconstructions is observed to be highly satisfactory for both patients and the surgeon. Aims and Objectives: In this article, I aimed to present long term results of cases with pedicles TRAM flap reconstruction. Material and Methods: Between January 1999 and July 2001 period, 22 pedicled TRAM flap breast reconstructions were performed to 21 patients with breast carcinoma. The mean age of the patients was 42 (28-53) years. In this study, the contralateral rectus abdominis muscle was preferred as a pedicle in patients who had received adjuvant radiotherapy- (10 patients) and vertical or oblique flap inset was applied in most of them- (9 patients). In patients without adjuvant radiotherapy but with infraclavicular tissue losses, or with small opposite breast, again vertical or oblique flap inset was preferred- (4 patients). In all patients with vertical or oblique flap inset, the contralateral rectus abdominis muscle was used as a pedicle- (13 patients). In patients with full and attractive opposite breast, horizontal flap inset was preferred- (7 patients). In patients with horizontal flap inset, ipsilateral rectus abdominis muscle was used as a pedicle unless the patient had received adjuvant radiotherapy- (6 patients); contralateral rectus abdominis muscle was used as a pedicle if the patient had received adjuvant radiotherapy- (1 patient). Results: The follow-up period is 18-20 years for this series. During the early postoperative days, highly satisfactory results have been obtained. Eighteen of the cases were totally satisfied. Three of the cases had dissatisfactions mostly related to complications. During 18 to 20 years period follow-up of 12 patients has been performed regularly. Oncologic tracing, the degree of maintenance of the breast shape of the flap and symmetry, softness, and naturality of the reconstructed breast, maturational changes in surgical scars, abdominal strength, sensational changes over the flap skin, color and shape changes over nipple areola complex have all been periodically observed. Conclusion: TRAM flap is still the gold standard among all breast reconstruction modalities. Progressive improvement in all measures such as breast, symmetry, softness, and naturality of the reconstructed breast, maturational changes in surgical scars, abdominal strength, sensational changes over the flap skin are very satisfactory for patients and the surgeon.


The mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitors (mTORIs) everolimus and temsirolimus are approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of various forms of advanced cancer, and the mTORI sirolimus is approved as an immunosuppressive agent for the prophylaxis of organ rejection in patients receiving renal transplants. The oral lesions associated with mTORI toxicity are distinct from the well-documented chemotherapy- and radiotherapy-induced mucositis, but they may often be misdiagnosed by medical oncologists or transplant physicians, potentially resulting in inappropriate management of this complication. mTORI-associated oral mucosal injury appears to be dose related, and its onset is consistently earlier than conventional mucositis associated with chemotherapy or radiation therapy. Although the lesions appear to resolve within approximately 2 weeks and do not seem to recur as severely with subsequent courses of therapy, the reduction in a patient's quality of life as a result of oral pain that affects the intake of nutritional foods should be taken into consideration. We report three cases that illustrate the complexity involved in the early assessment, referral, and appropriate management of mTORI-associated oral mucosal injury. Corticosteroids appear to be very useful in managing and perhaps preventing these lesions, whereas this approach has never shown efficacy in conventional chemotherapy-related mucositis. Early intervention to reduce the mTORI-associated oral mucosal injury is important to diminish the need for dose alterations of mTORIs and, therefore, to improve patient outcomes.


ABSTRACT Introduction: The aim of this review is to introduce the audience to exercise training (ET) as a therapeutic tool in coronary heart disease (CHD) and to discuss the role of and advances in cardiac rehabilitation (CR) as a means of effectively delivering ET. Areas covered: The physiological mechanisms behind ET effects on the cardiovascular (CV) system as well as the implementation of ET in CR and the effects of CR on CV morbidity, risk factor modification, and mortality will be reviewed. Additionally, the clinical and financial impact of CR in today's healthcare systems will be discussed. Expert opinion: It is well-established that CR continues to be under-utilized despite significant benefits to patients and healthcare systems alike. Innovation in the structure of CR (such as the implementation of high-intensity protocols) and in accessibility (home and tele-health CR programs) is already helping improve efficacy and increase utilization of CR. However, the efficacy of home/remote delivery protocols is not well established and they comprise a minority of available CR services. More data and efforts are needed to improve such protocols and maximize the reach of remote delivery systems in order to effectively deliver CR services to more eligible individuals at lower costs.


Tris (8-hydroxyquinoline) aluminium (Alq3) nano-structured films are fabricated by the gas evaporation method, and their fluorescent properties are investigated in detail. Compared with the conventional amorphous Alq3 films, the fluorescent efficiency of the nanostructure films is enhanced to a certain extent.


Cell-mediated immune responses to herpes simplex virus 1 and type 2 virion and non-virion antigens were assessed in patients and in controls with oral leukoplakia, carcinoma and recurrent herpes labialis. Enhanced proliferation was found in lymphocytes from patients with recurrent herpes labialis or with leukoplakia showing epithelial atypia, and depressed responses were found in carcinoma. Very significantly positive correlations were shown between the responses to each of the herpes virus antigens. A specific increase in cell-mediated immunity to herpes virus in epithelial atypia was confirmed, but separation of the nonvirion from virion antigen is necessary before specific cell-mediated immune responses to the non-virion antigen can be assessed.


Macro social work is social work. History tells us that the profession was birthed from diverse traditions were grounded in different assumptions, spurring different ways of knowing and doing. This versatility is a hallmark of the field and it will serve macro social work well into the future. A profession that seeks to sustain, advocate and change, with the intent of increasing quality of life, will always need practitioners who can recognize diverse world views, understand multilayered contexts, deal with limitless inter-connections, and be invigorated by conflict.


High frequency urban minibus services are appearing in substantial numbers in Britain. They are appearing in all types of urban areas from smaller towns, where entire conventional bus services are being replaced, to parts of metropolitan conurbations. The development of the "minibus revolution" is documented here, and the operational and financial performances of minibuses are compared with those of the conventional services which they have replaced. Detailed factual information has been assimilated to illustrate the more general characteristics of minibus operation. However, within this overview the diversity of operational styles is also explored, thereby enabling an examination of the limits of minibus operation. A range of case study towns is used as a basis for these considerations. Operators providing services in these towns were interviewed on several aspects of minibus operation. The research on these specific locations was supplemented by a general literature review. This material was used to synthesise a hypothetical situation consistent with general observations, for the purpose of financial analysis. The concept of "balancing elasticity" is defined which indicates the ridership increase required (upon conversion of conventional services to minibuses) to cover the increase in operating costs. For a service breaking-even before conversion, a service elasticity of about +0.4 is required - based on bus miles - to maintain break-even status with no fare changes. This review also deals with the launching of minibus services, ridership issues (including passenger attitudes), fares policy, vehicle matters, and working conditions and wage rates. The financial analysis shows that the reduction in round trip time observed, and (to a lesser extent) the lower wage rates secured with minibuses, are more important factors governing financial performance than unit capital and unit maintenance costs, lifespan, or vehicle availability. (TRRL)


OBJECTIVE
To compare therapeutic effects of acupuncture and medication on primary simple premature ejaculation.

METHODS
One hundred and eleven cases were randomly divided into an acupuncture group (n = 56) and a medication group (n = 55). The acupuncture group was treated by acupuncture with acupoint group I Xinshu (BL 15), Ganshu (BL 18), Pishu (BL 20), Shenshu (BL 23) and acupoint group II Guanyuan (CV 4), Zhongji (CV 3), Sanyinjiao (SP 6), Taixi (KI 3), Taichong (LR 3) alternately selected, one acupoint group daily. The medication group was treated with oral administration of Sailete tablets, 20 mg each tablet, one tablet each night. After they were treated for one course, their therapeutic effects were compared.

RESULTS
The total effective rate was 82.1% in the acupuncture group and 63.6% in the medication group; the cumulative score after treatment was 12.56 +/- 3.84 in the acupuncture group and 11.50 +/- 3.77 in the medication group, with a significant difference between the two groups in the therapeutic effect (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION
Acupuncture has a better therapeutic effect on primary simple premature ejaculation.


INTRODUCTION
Oxidative stress plays a critical role in the progression of diabetes, arthritis, cancer, eryptosis, cardiovascular disease, and thrombosis. Currently, antioxidants from natural sources are in high demand due to their beneficial role in the management of said diseases.

AIM
The purpose of the study was to evaluate the protective effect of sorghum protein buffer extract (SBE) on sodium nitrite-induced oxidative stress and thrombosis.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Protein characterization of SBE was done using SDS-PAGE. Oxidative stress in RBC was induced using sodium nitrite (NaNO2) and the key stress markers such as lipid peroxidation (LPO), protein carbonyl content (PCC), and the level of antioxidant enzymes (SOD and CAT) were measured. The anticoagulant effect of SBE was identified by employing in-vitro plasma recalcification time, activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), prothrombin time (PT), and in-vivo mouse tail bleeding time. SBE antiplatelet activity was examined using agonist adenosine diphosphate (ADP) and epinephrine-induced platelet aggregation. Non-toxic property of SBE was identified using in-vitro direct haemolytic, haemorrhagic, and edema forming activities using experimental mice.

RESULTS
SBE revealed similar protein banding pattern under both reduced and non-reduced conditions on SDS-PAGE. Interestingly, SBE normalized the level of LPO, PCC, SOD, and CAT in stress-inducedRBCs. Furthermore, SBE showed anticoagulant effect in platelet rich plasma by enhancing the clotting time from the control 250 s to 610 s and bleeding time from the control 200 s to more than 500 s (p<0.01) in a dose dependent manner. In addition, SBE prolonged the clot formation process of only APTT but not PT. SBE inhibited the agonists ADP and epinephrine induced platelet aggregation. SBE did not hydrolyze RBC cells, devoid of edema and haemorrhage properties.

CONCLUSIONS
This study demonstrates for the first time the anticoagulant, antiplatelet, and antioxidant properties of SBE. Thus, the observed results validate consumption of sorghum as good for health and well-being.


The present study is aimed at identifying the impact of emotional intelligence on academic achievement among students at the Al-Quds University. Emotional intelligence was evaluated using a 33-item scale as an index introduced by Schutte et al. (1998). The test was administrated to three hundred and seventy stratifiedly selected full-time undergraduate students at Al-Quds University. The data was statistically analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). The findings revealed that the students at Al-Quds University indicated a high level of emotional intelligence. Of the students surveyed, 75.2% revealed being emotionally intelligent. The results demonstrated statistically significant differences in the emotional intelligence scores among the students according to their gender, religion and place of residency. Emotional intelligence emerged as a significant predictor of academic achievement. The implications of the findings and directions for future empirical research are discussed briefly.


Original title: Chinese Nederlanders

This report presents the first national picture of the
position of the Chinese community in the Netherlands. A large-scale survey was
conducted among persons of Chinese origin living in the Netherlands, with the
aim of answering questions on a wide range of topics which shed light on how
the Dutch Chinese community is faring. The report devotes attention among other
things to their position in education, on the labour market and on the housing
market. It also describes their proficiency in the Dutch language, their health
status, interethnic contacts and ties to both the Netherlands and their own
ethnic group. A key question concerns the progress made by the second
generation of Chinese migrants compared to their first-generation
counterparts.

This study was carried out at the request of the Housing,
Communities and Integration Directorate at the Dutch Ministry of the Interior
and Kingdom Relations.

Merove Gijsberts has worked in the Education and
Minorities research group at SCP since 2002. She carries out research on the
position of non-Western migrants and their children and is editor of the
periodic Annual Integration Report (Jaarrapport Integratie).

Willem Huijnk studied Sociology at Radboud
University Nijmegen. He obtained his doctorate at Utrecht University in 2011
with a study on family ties and interethnic relationships. He is presently
employed in the Education and Minorities research group at SCP.

Ria Vogels is a cultural anthropologist. She has
worked in the Education and Minorities research group at SCP since 1999. Her
earlier publications include works on the social position of the Chinese
community in the Netherlands.


This series is aimed at dental nurses who want to develop their skills and share some of their knowledge or experience with other dental practitioners by writing an article for professional publication


Herein proposed is a simple system to realize hands-free labeling and simultaneous detection of two human cell lines within a microfluidic device. This system was realized by novel covalent immobilization of pH-responsive poly(methacrylic acid) microgels onto the inner glass surface of an assembled polydimethylsiloxane/glass microfluidic channel. Afterwards, selected thiophene labeled monoclonal antibodies, specific for recognition of CD4 antigens on T helper/inducer cells and CD19 antigens on B lymphocytes cell lines, were encapsulated in their active state by the immobilized microgels. When the lymphocytes suspension, containing the two target subpopulations, was flowed through the microchannel, the physiological pH of the cellular suspension induced the release of the labeled antibodies from the microgels and thus the selective cellular staining. The selective pH-triggered staining of the CD4- and CD19-positive cells was investigated in this preliminary experimental study by laser scanning confocal microscopy. This approach represents an interesting and versatile tool to realize cellular staining in a defined module of lab-on-a-chip devices for subsequent detection and counting.


Precise train localization is essential for railway operation, train control, track management and collision avoidance. Therefore, the positioning of railway vehicles is a safety critical application.
Nowadays, these applications rely on track-side equipment and suppose a high cost in development and maintenance. By contrast, train-side mounted sensors, such as Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) can achieve railway positioning at a low cost. In particular, the European satellite navigation system Galileo enables safety related applications by new Safety-of-Life (SoL) services.
However, GNSS suffers from line-of-sight problem and its availability and accuracy are dependent of the number of visible satellites. Moreover, stand-alone GNSS can not provide the required precision in parallel track scenarios. Therefore, in order to achieve a reliable and robust localization for trains, additional train-side sensors and information of a railway map are combined with GNSS measurements.
In this thesis, a probabilistic approach for train localization is proposed by using a Bayesian filter. In particular, a particle filter estimates the topological position of the
train in the railway network from raw GNSS measurements (i.e., pseudoranges and Doppler shift frequency), Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) data and the track map, resulting in a tightly coupled integration. The proposed approach is compared to a loosely coupled integration that uses the PVT solution of the GNSS receiver combined with IMU and the map.
Finally, an evaluation of the tight and loose approach with data recorded in a railway environment is performed. Results are very encouraging and suggest high reliability of the proposed method even in low visibility situations.


We showed previously that 218 and 110 bp N gene segments of tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) that were fused to the non-target green fluorescent protein (GFP) gene were able to confer resistance to TSWV via post-transcriptional gene silencing (PTGS). N gene segments expressed alone did not confer resistance. Apparently, the GFP DNA induced PTGS that targetted N gene segments and the incoming homologous TSWV for degradation, resulting in a resistant phenotype. These observations suggested that multiple resistance could be obtained by replacing the GFP DNA with a viral DNA that induces PTGS. The full-length coat protein (CP) gene of turnip mosaic virus (TuMV) was linked to 218 or 110 bp N gene segments and transformed into Nicotiana benthamiana. A high proportion (4 of 18) of transgenic lines with the 218 bp N gene segment linked to the TuMV CP gene were resistant to both viruses, and resistance was transferred to R(2) plants. Nuclear run-on and Northern experiments confirmed that resistance was via PTGS. In contrast, only one of 14 transgenic lines with the TuMV CP linked to a 110 bp N gene segment yielded progeny with multiple resistance. Only a few R(1) plants were resistant and resistance was not observed in R(2) plants. These results clearly show the applicability of multiple virus resistance through the fusion of viral segments to DNAs that induce PTGS.


We are running out of fossil fuels, so we are searching for alternatives. In automobile industry the alternatives using are HYBRID CARS. Here we are going to discuss gasoline based hybrid electric car. This car uses less fuel and it causes less pollution. As the fossil fuel cost increasing and green house effects are increasing day by day, the hybrid cars are competing with convectional cars. A hybrid electrical vehicle is a type of hybrid vehicle and electric vehicle which combines an internal combustion engine propulsion system with an electric propulsion system. The presence power train is intended to achieve either a better fuel economy than a conventional vehicle, or better efficiency. The most common form of hybrid electrical vehicle is hybrid car although hybrid trucks and buses also available. The gasoline car meets all the requirements but produces a relatively large amount of pollution and generally gets poor gas mileage. An electric car however produces almost no pollution but it can only go 50 to 100 miles (80 to 161 km) between charges. And the problem has been that the electric car is very slow and very inconvenient to recharge. A gasoline electric car combines these two set ups into one system that leverages both gas power and electrical power. The structure of hybrid car harnesses to increase efficiency and gives performance that is required. The key to a hybrid car can be gasoline engine is much smaller than the one in convectional car and therefore more efficient. We can improve the fuel economy And we can get better mileage. Already the hybrid cars are in market and their sales are improving drastically, so, this car will be leading in automobile industry.


This paper analyzes the relationship between the meanings of the particular aesthetic judgments (I) pronounced by any person on artwork and the artwork itself. The purpose is to state the following hypothesis: it is false that a consumer is stupid and unable to recognize the quality work of art and meaning of, it is more, all the phrases enunciated in natural language is not a conjecture, but that recognize and reflect the quality of the work.

A work of art like any other human product, is likely to be measured and therefore valued, fact, despite the opinion of the artists. Preliminary results obtained lead us to that decision there are common patterns for each of the elements of the art world, which also requires the formulation of a much more simple and elegant.


Introduction The efficacy of preclinical ultrasound at providing a quantitative assessment of mouse models of vascular disease is relatively unknown. In this study, preclinical ultrasound was used in combination with a semi-automatic image processing method to track arterial distension alterations in mouse models of abdominal aortic aneurysm and atherosclerosis. Methods Longitudinal B-mode ultrasound images of the abdominal aorta were acquired using a preclinical ultrasound scanner. Arterial distension was assessed using a semi-automatic image processing algorithm to track vessel wall motion over the cardiac cycle. A standard, manual analysis method was applied for comparison. Results Mean arterial distension was significantly lower in abdominal aortic aneurysm mice between day 0 and day 7 post-onset of disease (p < 0.01) and between day 0 and day 14 (p < 0.001), while no difference was observed in sham control mice. Manual analysis detected a significant decrease (p < 0.05) between day 0 and day 14 only. Atherosclerotic mice showed alterations in arterial distension relating to genetic modification and diet. Arterial distension was significantly lower (p < 0.05) in Ldlr−/− (++/−−) mice fed high-fat western diet when compared with both wild type (++/++) mice and Ldlr−/− (++/−−) mice fed chow diet. The manual method did not detect a significant difference between these groups. Conclusions Arterial distension can be used as an early marker for the detection of arterial disease in murine models. The semi-automatic analysis method provided increased sensitivity to differences between experimental groups when compared to the manual analysis method.


Simulation of Naturally Fractured Reservoirs. State of the Art: Part 2 - Matrix-Fracture Transfers and Typical Features of Numerical Studies — Naturally fractured reservoirs contain a significant amount of the world oil reserves. The production of this type of reservoirs constitutes a challenge for reservoir engineers. Use of reservoir simulators can help reservoir engineers in the understanding of the main physical mechanisms and in the choice of the best recovery process and its optimization. Significant progress has been made since the first publications on the dual-porosity concept in the sixties. This paper and the preceding one (Part 1) present the current techniques of modeling used in industrial simulators. The optimal way to predict matrix-fracture transfers at the simulator cell scale has no definite answer and various methods are implemented in industrial simulators. This paper focuses on the modeling of physical mechanisms driving flows and interactions/ exchanges within and between fracture and matrix media for a better understanding of proposed flow formula and simulation methods. Typical features of fractured reservoir numerical simulations are also described with an overview of the implementation of geomechanics effects, an application of uncertainty assessment methodology to a fractured gas reservoir and finally a presentation of a history matching methodology for fractured reservoirs.


Background Generalized joint hypermobility (GJH) is often seen and widely underestimated regarding complexity of diagnosis and treatment. The prevalence of GJH was reported between 10% and 18%, with women more often affected (1). Diagnosis is mainly based on the Beighton score (BS), which is based on increased range of motion (ROM) in specific joints like knee, elbow and fingers (2). However, little is known about the importance of conditional factors like muscle strength or balance in persons with GJH, and their influence on pain and disability. Objectives Aim of this study was to find factors discriminating between hypermobile women with and without symptoms, and women with normal mobility. Methods A total of 195 women (mean age 25.5 years) were included in this cross-sectional study, whereby 67 were normomobile, 56 symptomatically hypermobile and 47 asymptomatically hypermobile. Hypermobile women had BS of 6 or higher and classification according to symptoms was based on self-reported pain during 6 months. Measurements comprised passive anterior translation of the tibia, passive ROM of the knees, BS, muscle strength, balance during single-leg standing, as well as muscle activity (MA) and ground reaction forces (GRF) during gait and stair climbing. The main parameters of every measurement were included in a principle component analysis (PCA) and all factors with eigenvalue>1 were extracted (3). Main components of these factors were derived from the variables to describe possible discriminating factors between groups. Results 17 principle components showed eigenvalue>1 and were included in further analysis. Together they accounted for 80% of variance between groups. The five most important factors (eigenvalue>3) accounted for 46% of variance. These factors were composed as follows: #1 (13.7% of variance) consisted of GRF parameters during gait and on stair, #2 (11.0%) was balance as well as quadriceps and hamstrings MA during gait and on stair, #3 (8.4%) included strength of knee extensors and balance, #4 (6.2%) was composed of MA of lower leg muscles on stair, strength of knee flexors, body weight and BMI and #5 (5.7%) was based on passive ROM of knee, BS and passive tibial translation. Conclusions PCA could not reduce the variables on few factors. Contrariwise, 17 factors remained and the five most important could explain less than 50% of the variance between groups. Furthermore, yet these five factors consisted of several variables derived from different measurements. In general MA was not very important and passive ROM occurred not before factor #5, as well as BS. The high number of extracted factors might be a sign of the complex nature of hypermobility. BS and passive ROM seemed not to be the primary factors to discriminate between women with hypermobility and with normal mobility. The measurements were probably not enough demanding for young women to clearly discriminate symptomatic hypermobile women from asymptomatic hypermobile women. References Simmonds & Keer, Manual Therapy. 2007:298-309. Remvig et al. The Journal of Rheumatology. 2007:798-803. Field: Discovering Statistics using SPSS, London, 2013. Acknowledgements The project was supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation (# 13DPD6 127285) and approved by the Ethics Committee of Canton Bern, Switzerland (Number 229/2008). Disclosure of Interest None declared


Highly fractionated granites and related magmatic-hydrothermal ore-forming processes can be traced by elemental ratios such as Nb/Ta, K/Rb, Y/Ho, Sr/Eu, Eu/Eu*, Zr/Hf, and Rb/Sr. The lanthanide "tetrad effect" parameter (TE1,3) can also be a useful geochemical fingerprint of highly fractionated granites. This work assesses its application as an exploration vector for granite-related mineralization in the Central Iberian Zone by examining TE1,3 variations with different elemental ratios and with the concentrations of rare metals and fluxing elements (such as F, P, and B). The multi-elemental whole-rock characterization of the main Cambrian–Ordovician and Carboniferous–Permian granite plutons and late aplite–pegmatite dykes exposed across the Segura–Panasqueira Sn-W-Li belt show that the increase in TE1,3 values co-vary with magmatic differentiation and metal-enrichment, being the Carboniferous–Permian granite rocks the most differentiated, and metal specialized. The Argemela Li-Sn-bearing rare metal granite and the Segura Li-phosphate-bearing aplite–pegmatite dykes deviate from this geochemical trend, displaying TE1,3 < 1.1, but high P2O5 contents. The results suggest that mineralized rocks related to peraluminous-high-phosphorus Li-Sn granite systems are typified by TE1,3 < 1.1, whereas those associated with peraluminous-high-phosphorus Sn-W-Li (lepidolite) and peraluminous-low-phosphorus Sn-Ta-Nb granite systems display TE1,3 > 1.1, reaching values as high as 1.4 and 2.1, respectively.


Abstract Analyses of consolidation state, fabrics and physical properties were conducted on rock samples from the Plio-Pleistocene Boso forearc basin, central Japan. Consolidation tests identified that the trend in consolidation yield stress was systematically 8 MPa smaller than expected for the overburden from the sediment thickness of the Kazusa Group. An excess fluid pressure interval was also identified in the lower part of the basin fill, where several large-scale (several kilometres in length and several tens of metres thick) mass-transport deposits (MTDs) are intercalated. This interval is characterized by high porosity and small consolidation yield stresses, indicating that consolidation had been retarded by the excess fluid pressure. The estimated excess fluid pressure was c. 5–7 MPa. In addition, outcrop-scale fluidization and minor liquefaction features were identified within and below the high fluid pressure interval. The excess fluid pressure reduced the effective stress in the Boso forearc basin and, subsequently, the stability of the slope, allowing small tectonic events to generate submarine landslides. Therefore, the formation of these large-scale MTDs was probably related to the excess fluid-pressure generation.


We obtain a class of locally symmetric Kähler Einstein structures on the cotangent bundle of a Riemannian manifold of negative sectional curvature. Similar results are obtained in the case of a Riemannian manifold of positive sectional curvature. The obtained class of Kähler Einstein structures depends on one essential parameter and cannot have constant holomorphic sectional curvature.


In October, 2000, the U.S. Department of Energy, through contractor Advanced Resources International, launched a multi-year government-industry R&D collaboration called the Coal-Seq project. The Coal-Seq project investigated the feasibility of CO2 sequestration in deep, unmineable coalseams by performing detailed reservoir studies of two enhanced coalbed methane (ECBM) recovery field projects in the San Juan basin. The two sites were the Allison Unit, operated by Burlington Resources, into which CO2 was injected, and the Tiffany Unit, operating by BP America, into which N2 was injected (the interest in understanding the N2-ECBM process has important implications for CO2 sequestration via flue-gas injection). The objectives of the field studies were to understand the reservoir mechanisms associated with CO2 and N2 injection into coalseams, demonstrate the effectiveness of the ECBM and sequestration processes, demonstrate an engineering capability to model them, and to evaluate ECBM/sequestration economics. In support of these efforts, laboratory and theoretical studies were also performed to understand multi-component isotherm behavior, and coal permeability changes due to swelling with CO2 injection. This paper presents the results of The Allison Unit study, in which a detailed reservoir characterization of the field was developed, the field history was matched using the COMET2 reservoir simulator, future field performance was forecast under various operating conditions, and an economic analysis performed. INTRODUCTION In October, 2000, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), through contractor Advanced Resources International (ARI), launched a multi-year government-industry R&D collaboration called the Coal-Seq project. The Coal-Seq project investigated the feasibility of CO2 sequestration in deep, unmineable coalseams by performing detailed reservoir studies of two enhanced coalbed methane recovery (ECBM) field projects in the San Juan basin. The two sites were the Allison Unit, operated by Burlington Resources, into which CO2 was injected, and the Tiffany Unit, operated by BP America, into which N2 was injected (the interest in understanding the N2-ECBM process has important implications for CO2 sequestration via flue-gas injection). The objectives of the field studies were to understand the reservoir mechanisms of CO2 and N2 injection into coalseams, demonstrate the effectiveness of the ECBM and sequestration processes, demonstrate an engineering capability to model them, and to evaluate ECBM/sequestration economics. In support of these efforts, laboratory and theoretical studies were also performed to understand multi-component isotherm behavior, and coal permeability changes due to swelling with CO2 injection. This paper presents the results of The Allison Unit study, in which a detailed reservoir characterization of the field was developed, the field history was matched using the COMET2 reservoir simulator, future field performance was forecast under various operating conditions, and an economic analysis performed. 2 THE ALLISON UNIT CO2-ECBM PILOT – A RESERVOIR AND ECONOMIC ANALYSIS SITE DESCRIPTION The Allison Unit ECBM pilot is located in San Juan County, southern New Mexico, in close proximity to the border with Colorado (Figure 1). While the Unit consists of many wells, the pilot area for CO2 injection consisted of 16 coalbed methane (CBM) producer wells, 4 CO2 injectors, and one pressure observation well (POW #2). The study area well pattern is illustrated in Figure 2. At the center of the study area is a five-spot of CBM producers on nominal 320 acre spacing (wells 130, 114, 132 and 120 at the corners, and well 113 in the center), with the four CO2 injectors roughly positioned on the sides of the five-spot between the corner producer wells (creating a nominal 160 acre spacing between injectors and producers). POW #2 is located on the eastern border of the central pattern, and the remaining CBM producers surround this central pattern. The producing history for the study area is shown in Figure 3. The field originally began production in 1989, with CO2 injection occurring between April, 1995 and August, 2001. Several points are worth making regarding the producing history: o Upon commencement of the injection operations, the five producer wells in the central five-spot pattern were shut in. The purpose was to facilitate CH4/CO2 exchange in the reservoir. After about six months, CO2 injection was suspended for about another six months, during which time the five shut-in producers were re-opened. These activities can be clearly identified in Figure 3; their impact on long-term production performance however, if any, is unclear. o Shortly after CO2 injection began, a program of production enhancement activities unrelated to the CO2-ECBM pilot was implemented. Those activities included well recavitations, well reconfigurations (conversion from tubing/packer completions to annular flow with a pump installed for well dewatering), line pressure reductions due to centralized compression, and also the installation of on-site compression. These activities largely coincided with the dramatic increase in production observed beginning in mid-1998. In addition, a plot of injection rate and pressure history for injector well # 143 is shown in Figure 4. Injection was performed at a constant surface pressure, and rate was allowed to vary. Note the reduction in injection rate during early time, presumably due to coal swelling and permeability reduction. The rebound in injectivity during later times is believed due to overall reservoir pressure reduction and resulting matrix shrinkage that occurred near the injector wells. RESERVOIR DESCRIPTION The Allison Unit wells produce from three Upper Cretaceous Fruitland Formation coal seams, named the Yellow, Blue and Purple (from shallowest to deepest) using Burlington Resources' terminology. A summary of basic coal depth, distribution, thickness, pressure, and temperature information is provided in Table 1. Sorption isotherms for both CH4 and CO2 were measured for six coal samples taken from three wells within the study area. Average CH4 and CO2 isotherms based on these data for each coal interval, on a raw basis and at an average density of 1.5 grams per cubic centimeter (g/cc), are shown in Figures 5 and 6. In May, 2000, pressure buildup tests were performed on 12 wells in the Allison Unit, eight of which were inside the study area. Analysis of these data provided estimates of effective gas permeability, skin factor, and reservoir pressure. Two adjustments of the results were made to 1) derive absolute permeability from the effective gas permeability results and 2) correct to initial conditions – accounting for both pressuredependent permeability and matrix shrinkage. The resulting permeability map of the field is shown in Figure 7. Permeability values ranged from 30-150 millidarcies (md), with higher permeabilities


Textures are one of the basic features in visual searching and computional vision In literature most of the attention has been focussed on the texture fea tures with minimal consideration of the noise models In this paper we investigate the problem of texture classi cation from a maximum likelihood perspective We take into account the texture model the noise dis tribution and the inter dependence of the texture fea tures Our investigation shows that the real noise dis tribution is closer to an exponential than a Gaussian distribution and that the L metric has a lower mis detection rate than L or the Kullback discriminant Furthermore we provide a direct method for deriving an optimal distortion measure from the real noise dis tribution which experimentally provides consistently improved results over the other metrics We conclude with results and discussions on an international tex ture database


We study the $K$-armed contextual dueling bandit problem, a sequential decision making setting in which the learner uses contextual information to make two decisions, but only observes \emph{preference-based feedback} suggesting that one decision was better than the other. We focus on the regret minimization problem under realizability, where the feedback is generated by a pairwise preference matrix that is well-specified by a given function class $\mathcal F$. We provide a new algorithm that achieves the optimal regret rate for a new notion of best response regret, which is a strictly stronger performance measure than those considered in prior works. The algorithm is also computationally efficient, running in polynomial time assuming access to an online oracle for square loss regression over $\mathcal F$. This resolves an open problem of Dud\'ik et al. [2015] on oracle efficient, regret-optimal algorithms for contextual dueling bandits.


This paper provides an interpretation of interaction design patterns from the perspective of design-oriented research in information systems. It is concluded that interaction design patterns do not meet certain ideals for contemporary information systems design theory: Rigor, practical utility, novelty/innovation, acknowledgement of the social setting, and cumulative research. The lack of explicit ideals governing the formulation of interaction design patterns is discussed, and implications for research are drawn.


OBJECTIVE
Several epidemiological studies suggested that treatment with angiotensin II type 1 receptor blocker provided a risk reduction of developing type 2 diabetes. The aim of this study was to investigate whether and how chronic candesartan treatment can attenuate the deleterious influence of hyperactive local intra-islet renin-angiotensin system in diabetes state and relieve hyperglycemia using diabetic (db/db) mice.

METHODS
8-week-old db/db mice were randomized to candesartan cilexetil 1 mg/kg, candesartan cilexetil 10 mg/kg, manidipine 10 mg/kg, or placebo via gavage for 6 weeks. Their age-matched nondiabetic littermates db/m mice were given with placebo and acted as non-diabetic controls. After 6 weeks of treatment, intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test, immunohistochemical staining of oxidative stress markers, insulin, and electron microscopy observation of the pancreatic islet cells were performed.

RESULTS
Chronic candesartan treatment provided a slight improvement of glucose tolerance, but greatly rescued islet beta-cell mass. Candesartan treatment also notably decreased staining intensity of oxidative stress markers, as well as candesartan-treated animals exhibited improved granulation and less remarkable endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi bodies. Furthermore, candesartan treatment greatly relieved the swelling of mitochondria to nearly normal.

CONCLUSIONS
After diabetes is initiated, candesartan treatment does not reverse the state of diabetes, but it slightly improves glucose tolerance, and protects beta-cell function by attenuating oxidative stress and ultrastructure disruption. These benefits are independent of blood pressure lowering. The characteristics of candesartan may make itself a novel therapeutic means for protecting from progressive beta-cell failure in diabetes.


ABSTRACT Tissue injury-induced neutrophil recruitment is a prerequisite for the initiation and amplification of inflammatory responses. Although multiple proteases and enzymes involved in post-translational modification (PTM) of proteins regulate leukocyte recruitment, an unbiased functional screen of enzymes regulating inflammatory leukocyte recruitment has yet to be undertaken. Here, using a zebrafish tail fin amputation (TFA) model to screen a chemical library consisting of 295 compounds that target proteases and PTM enzymes, we identified multiple histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors that modulate inflammatory neutrophil recruitment. AR-42, a pan-HDAC inhibitor, was shown to inhibit neutrophil recruitment in three different zebrafish sterile tissue injury models: a TFA model, a copper-induced neuromast damage and mechanical otic vesicle injury (MOVI) model, and a sterile murine peritonitis model. RNA sequencing analysis of AR-42-treated fish embryos revealed downregulation of neutrophil-associated cytokines/chemokines, and exogenous supplementation with recombinant human IL-1β and CXCL8 partially restored the defective neutrophil recruitment in AR-42-treated MOVI model fish embryos. We thus demonstrate that AR-42 non-cell-autonomously modulates neutrophil recruitment by suppressing transcriptional expression of cytokines/chemokines, thereby identifying AR-42 as a promising anti-inflammatory drug for treating sterile tissue injury-associated diseases.


Objectives: To study the distribution of human papillomviruses (HPV) in women in Kuwait using hybrid capture assay and their correlation with the severity of cervical lesions based on cytological diagnosis and to establish the relationship if any between the quantity of the viral load and the degree of severity of cervical lesions. Methods: Study sample included 181 women in the age range of 20–68 years, attending the Out-Patient Department of Gynaecology of the Al-Farwaniya Hospital and six polyclinics in Kuwait during the years 1997–1998. Cervical smears were interpreted according to the modified Bethesda System. HPV DNA was detected using a chemiluminescent-based Digene hybrid capture assay. Results: Of the 181 women studied, the cytodiagnosis was as follows: normal and inflammation 139 (76.8%), atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASCUS) and atypical glandular cells of undetermined significance (AGUS) 26 (14.4%) and squamous intra-epithelial lesion (SIL) 16 (8.8%). High-risk HPV DNA had a very low prevalence in women with normal and inflammation cytology, i.e. 1.4% in contrast to women with SIL lesions which had a positivity of 68.8%. ASCUS and AGUS group had 7.7% high-risk HPV DNA positivity. The quantity of viral load was directly related to the increase in the severity of the lesions. Conclusion: High-risk HPV DNA was detected in a significantly higher proportion of women with SIL lesions as compared to those with normal cytology (p < 0.0001). Furthermore, the viral load of high-risk HPV DNA was directly related to the severity of the cervical lesions, relative light unit ratios being >20 in the majority of SIL lesions.


The archaeological site of Tlatoani at Tlayacapan is located in the Mexican Highlands, in the present-day state of Morelos. The site is an extant settlement located at the top of the Tepoztlan mountain range, and has been occupied since the Late Preclassic period (AD 150–500). At the height of its occupation in the Epiclassic and Early Postclassic periods (AD 600–1150), Tlayacapan was situated on the top of the hill. The radiocarbon investigations reported herein revealed some further distinct findings, although no clear absolute chronology was demonstrated. A dog skull was found inside the oldest foundation stage, and dated between cal AD 646 and 765, the middle of the Epiclassic period. Human remains found in the first grave belonged to three individuals. A male skeleton was dated to AD 1158–1227. Fragments of an incomplete skeleton of a child and an incomplete skeleton of a second male were placed on top of the first male skeleton and were dated in the range AD 1030–1156. A fourth skeleton found nearby in the second grave gave a similar date of AD 1164–1253. These burials were in accordance with the Middle America cosmovisional system, where bodies were buried beneath the household space. It is evident from the 14C dates of the skeletons that the burial sites beneath the household space had been reused by exhuming and reburying skeletons that had been previously buried there. A comparison of dates on fractions of collagen and bioapatite of the same bones was possible. Two of the samples were in good agreement between these fractions, whereas the other three samples are close but just outside the 2σ range.


The incidence and mortality rates of melanoma have increased at annual rates of 2%-3% for the last 30 years. Disseminated disease is largely refractory to cytotoxic chemotherapy and is almost universally fatal. Several recent advances in melanoma biology offer new strategies for potentially treating this aggressive malignancy. This review focuses on three significant advances involving tumor initiation, etiology, and progression. New experimental models reveal a direct role for UV-B light in initiating melanomas in human skin. Studies on E- and N-cadherin elucidate the importance of local homeostatic mechanisms in regulating tumor progression. Finally, several discoveries concerning apoptotic mechanisms in melanoma suggest strategies for future treatments.


The causal theory of perception is opposed by anti-causalists, who claim that the notion of causality is not part of our ordinary concept of perception, and sometimes raise the possibility of deviant causal chain counter-examples in an attempt to undermine the causal theory. I argue that such examples in fact cause more difficulties for anti-causalist accounts of perception. Anti-causalists are unable to explain how the examples can be recognized as deviant, and why such cases are incompatible with perception. They have a general problem in providing a satisfactory account of hallucination. A comparison with certain complex cases of illusion suggests that our grasp of the concept of perception does indeed involve some kind of understanding of the kinds of causal chains appropriate to genuine perception.


Finger gesture recognition is gaining great research interest for wearable device interactions such as smartwatches and AR/VR headsets. In this paper, we propose a hands-free fine-grained finger gesture recognition system AO-Finger based on acoustic-optic sensor fusing. Specifically, we design a wristband with a modified stethoscope microphone and two high-speed optic motion sensors to capture signals generated from finger movements. We propose a set of natural, inconspicuous and effortless micro finger gestures that can be reliably detected from the complementary signals from both sensors. We design a multi-modal CNN-Transformer model for fast gesture recognition (flick/pinch/tap), and a finger swipe contact detection model to enable fine-grained swipe gesture tracking. We built a prototype which achieves an overall accuracy of 94.83% in detecting fast gestures and enables fine-grained continuous swipe gestures tracking. AO-Finger is practical for use as a wearable device and ready to be integrated into existing wrist-worn devices such as smartwatches.


In this research, it was aimed to determine some mineral contents of sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.), sudangrass (Sorghum sudanense Staph.), Sorghum x sudangrass hybrid (Sorghum bicolor x Sorghum sudanense Stapf) and corn (Zea mays L.) cultivars grown as the second crop. Field experiments of the study was conducted under the ecological conditions of Siirt province in the Southeastern region of Turkey between 2016 and 2017. The plant material of the study consisted of two sorghum varieties (Master BMR and Rox), one sudangrass variety (Gozde-80), three sorghum x sudangrass hybrid (Forage King, Sugar Graze-II and Greengo) and three corn varieties (OSSK-644, Samada-07 and DKC6101). In the study, field trials were established with three replications according to randomized complete blocks experiment design. Phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg) analyzes were performed on the cultivars. According to the averages of two years of research, it was determined that P, K, Ca, Mg, Ca/P and K/Ca+Mg ratios of dry feed obtained from sorghum and corn varieties varied between 0.25-0.30%, 1.31-2.20%, 0.61-0.81%, 0.210-0.262%, 2.26-2.88, and 1.25-2.54 respectively. Sorghum and corn varieties were sufficient to meet the needs of animals in terms of forage K content; however, P, Ca and Mg ratios were below the limit values that should be in feed rations. Keywords: Phosphorus, Potassium, Calcium, Magnesium, Sorghum bicolor L., Zea mays L. DOI: 10.7176/JSTR/5-12-24