Chlorella virus DNA ligase (ChVLig) has pluripotent biological activity and an intrinsic nick-sensing function. ChVLig consists of three structural modules that envelop nicked DNA as a C-shaped protein clamp: a nucleotidyltransferase (NTase) domain and an OB domain (these two are common to all DNA ligases) as well as a distinctive β-hairpin latch module. The NTase domain, which performs the chemical steps of ligation, binds the major groove flanking the nick and the minor groove on the 3′-OH side of the nick. Here we performed a structure-guided mutational analysis of the NTase domain, surveying the effects of 35 mutations in 19 residues on ChVLig activity in vivo and in vitro, including biochemical tests of the composite nick sealing reaction and of the three component steps of the ligation pathway (ligase adenylylation, DNA adenylylation, and phosphodiester synthesis). The results highlight (i) key contacts by Thr-84 and Lys-173 to the template DNA strand phosphates at the outer margins of the DNA ligase footprint; (ii) essential contacts of Ser-41, Arg-42, Met-83, and Phe-75 with the 3′-OH strand at the nick; (iii) Arg-176 phosphate contacts at the nick and with ATP during ligase adenylylation; (iv) the role of Phe-44 in forming the protein clamp around the nicked DNA substrate; and (v) the importance of adenine-binding residue Phe-98 in all three steps of ligation. Kinetic analysis of single-turnover nick sealing by ChVLig-AMP underscored the importance of Phe-75-mediated distortion of the nick 3′-OH nucleoside in the catalysis of DNA 5′-adenylylation (step 2) and phosphodiester synthesis (step 3). Induced fit of the nicked DNA into a distorted conformation when bound within the ligase clamp may account for the nick-sensing capacity of ChVLig.


An air-sea interaction research program (STREX) has been carried out in the Gulf of Alaska to investigate characteristics of the boundary layers of the atmosphere and ocean in middle-latitude storms. Observations were made by ships, aircraft, satellites, and buoys in 10 storms. This paper summarizes the objectives and the observations obtained in STREX, and identifies some of the research problems being studied by meteorologists and oceanographers who participated in the program.


In recent years, video streaming services over TCP, such as YouTube, have become more and more popular. TCP New Reno, the current TCP standard, performs greedy congestion control, which increases the congestion window size until packet loss occurs. Therefore, because TCP transmits data at a much higher rate than the video playback rate, the probability of packet loss in the network increases, which in turn takes bandwidth from other network traffic. In this paper, we propose a new transport-layer protocol, called TCP Stream, which solves the problem of TCP in video streaming. TCP Stream performs a hybrid congestion control that combines the loss-based congestion control, which uses packet loss as an index of congestion, and the delay-based congestion control, which uses delay as an index of congestion. Simulation and experimental results show that TCP Stream transmits data at the adjusted rate, unlike TCP New Reno, and does not steal bandwidth from other network traffic.


Using the method of Haberis and Lipińska (2020), this paper explores the effect of forward guidance (FG) in a two-country New Keynesian (NK) economy under the zero lower bound (ZLB). We simulate the effect of different length of FG or the zero interest rate policy under the circumstance of the global liquidity trap. We show that the size of the intertemporal elasticity of substitution plays an important role in determining the beggarthy-neighbor effect or the prosper-thy-neighbor effect of home FG policy on the foreign economy. And in the former case, by targeting a minimum welfare loss of the individual country alone but not global welfare loss, two central banks can perform interesting FG bargaining in which they cooperatively adopt the same length of FG or strategically deviate from cooperation. JEL codes: E52; E58; F41


Glucagon-like peptide 2 (GLP-2) therapy was shown previously to reduce inflammation-related gut damage from coccidiosis in dairy calves, and feeding of artificial sweetener stimulates GLP-2 secretion from intestinal L cells. The purpose of this study was to determine whether GLP-2 treatment or artificial sweetener feeding beginning 1 wk before an experimental inoculation with the coccidian parasite Cryptosporidium parvum can reduce infection-related intestinal damage in Holstein bull calves. Newborn calves were assigned to 1 of 4 treatment groups of 6 calves each, including noninfected control calves injected s.c. every 12 h with control buffer (CON), infected control calves injected s.c. every 12 h with control buffer (INF), infected calves injected s.c. every 12 h with 50 µg/kg of body weight of GLP-2 (GLP2), and infected calves injected s.c. every 12 h with control buffer and supplemented in the diet with Sucram (Pancosma, Geneva, Switzerland) at 400 mg/kg of dry matter of milk replacer (SUC). Treatments were initiated on d 1, and calves in INF, GLP2, and SUC were orally dosed on d 8 with 12,500 C. parvum oocysts. Fecal scores were recorded daily, plasma was collected on d 1, 8, 12, 15, and 18 to evaluate markers of inflammation, and fecal samples were collected on d 1, 8, and every other day thereafter to determine the presence of oocysts. Calves were euthanized on d 18 for collection of intestinal tissues and histological and gene expression analyses. Relative to CON, calves in INF exhibited an increase in diarrhea severity, increased plasma serum amyloid A concentration on d 15 and 18, reduced intestinal villus height, increased villus apoptosis and crypt cell proliferation, and increased intestinal mRNA expression of MARVELD2 and GPX2. However, calves in SUC and GLP2 had reduced diarrhea severity and fecal C. parvum oocyst shedding, reduced plasma serum amyloid A concentration on d 15 and 18, and, depending on the intestinal segment, increased villus height, reduced crypt cell proliferation, and reduced mRNA expression of MARVELD2, GPX2, and other tight junction proteins relative to INF. Lastly, GLP2 and SUC exhibited increased intestinal mass-to-length ratio and decreased length-to-empty body weight ratio relative to INF. Our findings suggest that GLP-2 and Sucram treatments administered before a low-level C. parvum exposure may contribute to fewer effects on intestinal integrity, morphology, and inflammation in response to infection, and shorter, denser intestines.


As the importance of high-throughput screening (HTS) continues to grow due to its value in early stage drug discovery and data generation for training machine learning models, there is a growing need for robust methods for pre-screening compounds to identify and prevent false-positive hits. Small, colloidally aggregating molecules are one of the primary sources of false-positive hits in high-throughput screens, making them an ideal candidate to target for removal from libraries using predictive pre-screening tools. However, a lack of understanding of the causes of molecular aggregation introduces difficulty in the development of predictive tools for detecting aggregating molecules. Herein, we present an examination of the molecular features differentiating datasets of aggregating and non-aggregating molecules, as well as a machine learning approach to predicting molecular aggregation. Our method uses explainable graph neural networks and counterfactuals to reliably predict and explain aggregation, giving additional insights and design rules for future screening. The integration of this method in HTS approaches will help combat false positives, providing better lead molecules more rapidly and thus accelerating drug discovery cycles.


Nyamplung (Calophyllum inophyllum) oil is one of the promising raw materials because of its high oil content. Previous researches were limited to its characterization and conversion into biodiesel. In this work, triacylglycerols (TAG) was separated from the crude oil via batchwise solvent extraction. By using a mixture of petroleum ether–methanol (methanol 25%) and a solvent-to-oil mass ratio of 5, high recovery and purity of TAG were obtained. It was found that free fatty acids (FFA) content was decreased from 8.51 to 2.16% and 0.35% after one- and eight-stage extraction, respectively. Moreover, TAG content increased significantly from 78.30 to 91.46% and 98.53% after one- and eight-stage extraction, respectively. It was shown that the proposed method can replace degumming, neutralization, and bleaching steps in chemical refining process. Although the proposed method requires a large amount of organic solvents that are flammable and environmentally unfriendly, the solvents can be recovered easily.


Complexity metrics for object-oriented systems are plentiful. Numerous studies have been undertaken to establish valid and meaningful measures of maintainability as they relate to the static structural characteristics of software. In general, these studies have lacked the empirical validation of their meaning and/or have only succeeded in evaluating partial aspects of the system. In this study we have determined, through limited empirical means, a practical and holistic view by analyzing and comparing the structural characteristics of UML class diagrams as those characteristics relate to or impact maintainability. Class diagrams are composed of three kinds of relation, association, generalization, and aggregation, which make their overall structure difficult to understand. We propose combining these three relations in such a way that enables a comprehensive measure of complexity. Theoretically, this measure is applicable among different class diagrams (including different domains, platforms or systems) to the extent that the measure is widely comparative and context free. Further, this property does not preclude comparison within a specific class diagram (or family) and is therefore very useful in evaluating a given class diagram's strengths and weaknesses. We are reporting empirical results that provide a small measure of validity to enable an objective appraisal of both complexity and maintainability without equating the two. Therefore, to evaluate our structural complexity metric, we determined the level of understandability of the system by measuring the time needed to reverse engineer source code into class diagrams including the number of errors produced while creating the diagram. The number of errors produced offers one indicator of maintainability. The results, as compared with other complexity metrics, indicate that our metric shows promise especially if proven to be scalable. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


The national association of French employers and industry, MEDEF, seems to be an example of strong and unifi ed interest organization, especially since its reform in 1998. Through a study of the collective action of fi rms in France, this article sheds doubt on such an impression. In fact, a central employers' and industry association only constituted itself in France in response to state and trade union activism and struggled throughout history once these external threats lost importance. Like all encompassing business associations, MEDEF comprises a great variety of groups of business actors and constantly has to manage its internal interest heterogeneity. An analysis of the historical and institutional context of its latest reform demonstrates that the recent media campaign should not be understood as a display of actual strength and coherence; rather it is the last resort of collective action that MEDEF can claim legitimately as its responsibility.


Actinomycosis is a very rare disease caused usually by one of a group of oppurtunistic otherwise harmless commensals that may be complicated by one or more of another group of co-pathogens. Because of its rarity, there is a chance of missing its diagnosis & proper treatment leading to substantial morbidity & mortality. Maltreated patients are at risk of developing life threatening complications. This article is intended to review the present status of aetiology, pathology, clinical features, complications & management of actinomycosis. Keywords Actinomyces israeli; Actinomyces gerencseriae; Actinomyces naeslundii; Actinomyces odontolyticus; Actinomyces viscosus; Actinomyces turicensis; Actinomyces meyeri; Propionibacterium propionicus; Peptostreptococcus; Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans; Prevotella; Fusobacterium; Bacteroides; Staphylococcus; Streptococcus; Enterobacteriaceae; actinomycetes. DOI: 10.3329/medtoday.v22i1.5606 Medicine Today Vol.22(1) 2010. 43-47


RNA interference (RNAi) is a recently developed reverse genetic tool to knockdown expression of specific genes in eukaryotes. Successful implementation of this technology requires the design of double stranded RNAs identical to specific regions of the target gene. However, not every possible small interfering RNA (siRNA) is able to reduce target gene expression. Recently, Elbashir et al has established empirical criteria for siRNA sequence selection that significantly improved the success rate for RNAi attempts. We have developed OptiRNAi, a computational tool, which uses the Elbashir et al criteria to predict appropriate sequences for siRNA production. The output of the program provides researchers with a number of potential siRNA targets, a score that reflects how well the sequence fulfills the empirical criteria, and the location of the target sequence in the input. Specificity of these siRNAs for the target of interest can then be assessed by the investigator using the embedded Blast server optimized for RNAi design. Thus, OptiRNAi is a labor saving tool for RNAi design using criteria that are more stringent than other available tools.


A scanning tunneling microscope (STM) is used to fabricate insulating trenches on a Si(111)-7×7 surface, and these trenches are used to control the current through the surface states. When the STM tip is moved along the surface with a high current of approximately 100 nA, surface silicon atoms are extracted and a trench pattern is formed. Tunneling-spectroscopy data indicate that the surface states are eliminated in the trench region. Because the trench hinders conduction of electrons through the surface states, properly designed trench patterns can regulate the current path near the surface. By surrounding the surface with the trench, the effects of the Schottky barrier between the surface states and the bulk are observed in the STM images. The conduction path through the surface states is investigated by fabricating various trench patterns.


In recent years there has been a proliferation of scholarship on protests and other forms of collective action in China. Important insights have been gained into how conflicts between social groups and local governments begin, which strategies and instruments protesters apply, and under which circumstances protests are likely to succeed or fail. However, comparatively little is known about the mobilizing structures and how such collective action can be sustained over a long period of time, in some instances over several years. Such perseverance would be remarkable even in a democracy, but it is more so in an authoritarian system where the risks of participating in collective action are higher and the chances to succeed much smaller. This article compares the development of public protests in two research locations and identifies four factors instrumental to overcoming the formidable challenges of sustaining collective action in China: the continuing existence of substantial grievances; the re-activation of strong social ties; the presence of unifying frames; and an adaptive protest leadership. The comparison shows that the last factor is particularly crucial: while the two villages were similar in all other respects, leadership in village B was far more adaptive than in village A, which goes a long way towards explaining why collective action could be sustained twice as long in village B.


In this work, composites of ZnO and NiO nanofibers with n- and p-type conductivity, respectively, were studied. It is shown that the conductivity of the studied composites strongly depends on the arrangement of ZnO and NiO nanofibers. In the case of a mixture of ZnO and NiO nanofibers (with their random arrangement relative to each other and electrical contacts), conduction can occur only along ZnO fibers, which have a higher conductivity compared to NiO. However, the presence of the ZnO/NiO p-n heterojunction leads to the formation of depleted regions in ZnO, as a result, the conductivity of the mixture becomes several orders of magnitude lower than the conductivity of ZnO nanofibers. In the case of a two-layer composite, in which one layer consists of NiO nanofibers and the other layer consists of ZnO nanofibers, charge carriers move through the p-n NiO/ZnO heterojunction, which leads to a rectifying current-voltage characteristic and opens up broad prospects for the use of such systems in electronic devices. Keywords: metal oxides, zinc oxide, nickel oxide, heterostructures, conductivity.


The genetic and cytogenetic events underlying the development of myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) as well as the mechanisms leading to progression of MDS into acute myeloid leukemia (AML) are largely unknown. Activating mutations in receptor tyrosine kinases like FLT3 or members of the RAS family have been implicated in this process. Recently, mutations of RUNX1 (AML1) have been detected in MDS as well as in AML. As the development of AML is considered as a multistep process, in which mutations of genes with proliferative potential (class I) cooperate with gene mutations in hematopoietic transcription factors (class II), we hypothesized that similar mechanisms might be responsible for the progression of MDS into s-AML. Therefore, we investigated a cohort of 21 MDS patients (pts) (14 male, 7 female; median age at diagnosis of MDS=67.1/range 49.1–76.5), with WHO categories: MDS RARS (n=1), MDS RCMD-RS (n=1), MDS RAEB-1 (n=8), MDS RAEB-2 (n=3), MDS/AML (n=1), CMML-1 (n=1), MDS/MPS overlap (n=1), MDS not further classifiable (n=4) and one patient with reactive condition in morphology only, but del(5q) in chromosome banding analysis. In all cases specimens at the time of progression into s-AML following MDS were available and all specimens were characterized for RUNX1 mutations (entire coding region), FLT3-ITD, MLL partial tandem duplications (MLL-PTD), NPM1-exon 12 mutations and NRAS (codons12/13 and 61) mutations. Furthermore, in all cases chromosome banding analyses (CBA) was performed. At diagnosis of MDS, a normal karyotype (NK) was present in 11/21 cases, whereas cytogenetic aberrations were detected in the remaining 10 cases (del(5q) (n=2), del(20q) (n=1), +8 (n=2), complex (n=2), −Y (n=1), t(1;3)(p36;q21) (n=1) and t(1;14) (p34;q32), −7 (n=1)). The following molecular aberrations were detected at diagnosis of MDS: RUNX1 (n=5), MLL-PTD (n=1), NRAS (n=1), NPM1 (n=1), but never FLT3-ITD. Only one pt had two of these molecular aberrations in combination at the MDS stage (RUNX1/NPM1). After progression to s-AML, 3 of the 11 pts with NK at the MDS stage had developed cytogenetic aberrations (+8 (n=1), +11 (n=1), del(5q), del(7q) (n=1)). The other 10 already at the MDS stage cytogenetically aberrant cases remained unchanged. Thus at the s-AML stage there were 8 pts with NK and 13 with cytogenetic aberrations. At this stage the cohort was again characterized for molecular aberrations and following gains were detected: RUNX1 (n=3), MLL-PTD (n=2), NRAS (n=1), NPM1 (n=1) and FLT3-LM (n=2). The median time between diagnosis of MDS and s-AML was 207 days (d) (range 27–960 d). However, no significant difference could be detected for pts with RUNX1 mutations at the MDS stage (n=5, mean=210 d) vs. the remaining cohort (n=16, mean=266 d) (p=0.536, t-test) and pts with NK at the MDS stage (n=11, mean=200 d) vs. pts with cytogenetic aberrations (n=10, mean=324 d) (p=0.190). The pattern of acquisition of the different aberrations was complex and therefore the cohort was divided in three different subgroups based on the cytogenetic profile: cytogenetically stable, NK: this group included pts without molecular aberration at all stages (n=5), pts with RUNX1 mutation at the MDS stage (n=2), where one acquired secondary a MLL-PTD and the other a FLT3-ITD and one pt, who acquired a RUNX1 mutation at progression. cytogenetically stable, AK: 3 pts without molecular aberrations, 4 pts with molecular aberrations (RUNX1, RUNX1/NPM1, MLL-PTD, NRAS), where the pt with RUNX1/NPM1 acquired FLT3-ITD at progression and 3 pts, who acquired molecular aberrations at progression (RUNX1, NPM1, NRAS). cytogenetically unstable: 2 pts without aberrations at MDS, who progressed with an AK with or without RUNX1 mutation and one pt with a RUNX1 mutation, who progressed with an additional AK plus MLL-PTD. In conclusion, RUNX1 mutations, when present at the MDS stage, seem to play a role in the progression to s-AML following MDS. Cooperating molecular events for progression to s-AML are the acquisition of FLT3-ITD (n=2) and MLL-PTD (n=2). FLT3-ITD was never detected at the MDS stage in our cohort and seems to be a strong indicator for the progression to s-AML, whereas MLL-PTD can be already detected at earlier stages. Finally, the combination of RUNX1 mutation with FLT3-ITD or MLL-PTD was always associated with progression.


This paper describes a computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) case study in engineering education carried out within the context of a network management course. The case study shows that the use of two computing tools developed by the authors and based on free-and open-source software (FOSS) provide significant educational benefits over traditional engineering pedagogical approaches in terms of both concepts and engineering competencies acquisition. The Collage authoring tool guides and supports the course teacher in the process of authoring computer-interpretable representations (using the IMS learning design standard notation) of effective collaborative pedagogical designs. Besides, the Gridcole system supports the enactment of that design by guiding the students throughout the prescribed sequence of learning activities. The paper introduces the goals and context of the case study, elaborates on how Collage and Gridcole were employed, describes the applied evaluation methodology, and discusses the most significant findings derived from the case study.


This paper provides a study about the factors influencing the purchasing of low emission vehicles. In order to achieve the objectives of the paper, and in the light of the pool of literature and availability of data, the authors relied on qualitative methods to offers a comparison between Egypt as a developing country and Slovenia as a developed country, through analysing a survey that involves an Egyptian sample and Slovenian samples, it also studies the effect of different push and pull methods on different buyers in order to help the governments as well as the manufacturers to understand the most significant factors that affects the purchasing behaviour of LEV in the future. The results of this paper show the important vehicle performance factors, financial considerations and Environmental considerations along with the gender and age of the consumer and show that consumers are more interested in the total price of the car than in different taxes.


Being able to identify locations associated to a Web resource is essential for providing location-based Web applications. However, geographical information in Web documents is rarely supplied in a machine-readable way and therefore not easily discoverable. As a consequence, it is necessary to extract geographical keywords from Web documents and to associate locations with them. This method is called location tagging. In this paper we present a location tagging approach for unstructured documents which utilizes multiple external location providers. Detected locations are ranked according to their relevance for the document, in order to identify a document's geographical focus, which is its most representative location. We present an exemplary implementation of our proposed approach using two location providers and evaluate our method's applicability.


Fits to high precision fusion cross-sections even for ZP ZT < 1000 appear to need a value of the diffuseness parameter a of the Woods-Saxon potential of '1 fm, which is much larger than the commonly accepted value of ' 0.65 fm. However, use of large values of a necessarily makes the potential pocket very shallow for realistic values of the nuclear potential depth. For larger values of angular momenta the pocket disappears, and a fusion barrier energy or radius can no longer be defined. In the absence of a potential pocket, fusion does not occur in the commonly used realistic coupled channels code CCFULL where fusion is calculated by applying an incoming wave boundary condition at the position of the minimum of the attractive pocket. For this reason, realistic coupled channels calculations with large values of a have needed unrealistically deep nuclear potentials. Once the potential depth is constrained to reasonable values, the data cannot be explained by simply changing the diffuseness of the nuclear potential. This indicates the necessity to go beyond the potential model, and incorporate dynamical effects as the two nuclei move towards fusion, even for light systems with ZP ZT < 1000.


Adolescence is a critical period of the lifespan, characterised by major physical, chemical and emotional changes. The need for a nutritionally adequate diet is of paramount importance to ensure optimum growth and development. Eating behaviours that are learned early in life are maintained in adulthood. Nutritional inadequacies influence not only adolescents' health but also risk for major chronic diseases in adulthood. As teens become more independent, they make more of their own food choices. Factors that adolescents viewed as influencing their food choices include hunger, appeal of food, time considerations of adolescents and parents, convenience of food, food availability, parental influence on eating behaviours, benefits of foods, situation-specific factors, mood, body image, habit, cost, media and vegetarian lifestyle. The present book has reviewed comprehensively key features of adolescent eating patterns which includes meal skipping, snacking, fast food consumption, inadequate intake of fruits, vegetables, and dairy and other calcium-rich foods, and unconventional dietary patterns such as adopting specific weight loss diet.


The asymmetric unit of the title compound, [Pt(C23H17N2)Cl], contains two independent molecules with distinct dihedral angles between the central pyridyl and methylbenzene rings [7.77 (2) and 24.07 (2)°]. Short intermolecular distances [3.582 (6) and 3.600 (6) Å] between the outer pyridine and the PtNC3 and PtN2C2 rings, respectively, indicate the existence of π–π interactions, which link the molecules into stacks along the a axis. The crystal structure is further stabilized by weak C—H⋯π interactions.


Abstract This paper aims at investigating the link between fraud and business cycle in Nigeria using primary data sourced from questionnaires administered on both fraudsters and fraud managers. This is premised on the ground that Nigeria is in recession and has been recently described as fantastically corrupt. Understanding the link between fraud and economic behaviour would give an in depth understanding of fraud levels in the different phases of the Nigerian economy and would help the fraud management system in Nigeria which is believed to have great consequences on the nation's economy. Our result shows that though there is a significant relationship between fraud and business cycle in Nigeria, the level of fraud committed does not solely depend on either expansion or recession exists in the economy, rather, there is an identified range of fraud that might be increased in adverse economy.


Over the past few years, motivational research on language learning has focused on how learners see language knowledge as a medium and part of their inherent identity. This article presents a study that explores the significance of personal growth as a motivator for Indonesian university students learning Arabic and English. The research employs qualitative interviews to collect data and thoroughly examines the role of personal growth in student motivation. In analysis methods, the study emphasizes its comprehensive approach to investigating personal growth's role in student motivation while thoroughly examining the collected information.  Next, this article will present the main findings and argue that personal growth and the desire of Indonesian students to broaden their horizons strongly motivate them to further their education in Saudi Arabia. Finally, the article ends by finding that language and culture courses should be designed around relevant topics related to students' experiences and memories, thus allowing reflection and course content to present new ideas to students who sometimes might challenge their views.


Congenital cystic adenomatoid malformation (CCAM) in adolescents or adults is extremely rare. In this case study, a 17‐year‐old boy was admitted to our clinic for the treatment of a giant bulla in the lower lobe of the right lung. Preoperative imaging studies led to the diagnosis of cystic lung disease. The patient underwent wedge resection of the right lower lobe with VATS, and histological examination confirmed the presentation of type 1 CCAM. A thoracoscopic lobectomy was performed after the second surgery because of postoperative air leakage.Herein, we report a case of CCAM in an adolescent. VATS was a suitable procedure for the operation. Between the parenchyma‐saving resection and lobectomy for CCAM, we believe that the lobectomy is the better treatment option when the extent of the disease cannot be determined clearly or it is extremely large. Therefore, strategies for deciding between parenchyma‐saving resection and lobectomy for the treatment of CCAM should be developed.


The present study was performed to determine whether glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) stimulates differentiation of nestin-selected embryonic stem cells into insulin-producing cells. Our experimental strategy began with the production of a highly enriched population of nestin-positive cells from embryoid bodies. These cells differentiated into insulin-producing cells after addition of GLP-1. Islet-like cell clusters (ICCs) formed in inducing culture. These nestin-positive cell-derived ICCs expressed numerous beta-cell lineage genes, including insulin; Glut-2; pancreatic duodenal homebox-1 protein (PDX-1); islet amyloid polypeptide (IAPP); neurogenin 3 (ngn3); and alpha, gamma, and delta cell gene markers. Cells of ICCs showed increased insulin protein expression, glucose-dependent insulin release, and coexpression of insulin and C-peptide. In addition, ICCs were characterized by coexpression of nestin/insulin and nestin/PDX-1. The levels of pancreas-related gene and protein expression and insulin secretion in the GLP-1 group were stronger than those in the normal controls. GLP-1 has been shown to be involved in stimulating the signaling pathways downstream of the transcription factor PDX-1, by increasing its protein and messenger RNA levels. In vivo, ICCs displayed the ability to reverse hyperglycemia in diabetic severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) mice. We concluded that GLP-1 induced differentiation of nestin-positive progenitor embryonic stem cells into insulin-producing cells, which was achieved by upregulation of PDX-1 expression. This method may have future applications in stem cell therapy of diabetes.


Hunan Province is a major citrus-producing province in China with a total planted area of 213,000 ha. Several graft-transmitted diseases occur here, namely huanglongbing (greening), exocortis, tristeza and tatter leaf. The Hunan Virus-Free Propagation System was established in the early 1980s jointly by the China Department of Agriculture and the Hunan Department of Agriculture. Fifty-six cultivars selected from different areas of Hunan and some imported varieties have undergone thermotherapy, shoot-tip grafting and indexing. From these, 30 pathogen-free cultivars are maintained in a primary source mother block which has produced 170,000 containerized plants for secondary source blocks and 1.5 million plants for commercial plantings. Hunan Province is one of the major citrus-producing provinces in China with a total planted area of 213,000 ha in 1994. Important commercial cultivars include satsuma mandarin, Ponkan mandarin, navel and other sweet oranges, kumquat and pummelo. Since the early 1980s, new orchards have been established with high quality varieties of navel orange, Bingtang orange, Valencia, Ponkan mandarin and fragrant pummelo. Unfortunately, grafttransmissible diseases were spread because of the lack of a control system. For example, Bingtang orange mother trees were infected with both exocortis and tatter leaf (6). The Hunan Virus-free Propagation System was, therefore, established jointly by the China Department of Agriculture (CDA) and the Hunan Department of Agriculture (HDA).


1.1 Background Contraceptive use by women with learning disabilities differs from that of nondisabled women of a similar age. Women with learning disabilities start contraception earlier and often use it when they are not sexually active. Hence, there is a need to hear directly from these women about their experiences of contraceptive decision‐making. However, accessing women to discuss a sensitive topic such as contraception poses significant challenges to researchers. 1.2 Materials and Methods The study was qualitative in nature and involved conducting semi‐structured interviews with 19 women. This paper reports on the methodological challenges and findings from the project which have wider implications for research on sensitive topics with hard‐to‐reach groups. It reflects critically on the challenges of accessing women with learning disabilities to participate in research on contraception. 1.3 Results Twelve of the 19 participants in our project were recruited through two organisations. Working in partnership with organisations that had a keen interest in the research and endorsed it at senior level enabled us to overcome recruitment challenges. However, working in this way raised gatekeeping issues that impacted upon data collection and may have affected our substantive findings. 1.4 Conclusions Working in partnership with organisations can be an effective and practical way of recruiting participants that researchers may otherwise find hard to reach. However, organisational partnerships can be hard to develop and take time. We argue that it is important to reflect openly and honestly about the methodological and ethical issues that may arise when working closely with organisations in sensitive research.


Year 2009 Impervious/Impacted Surface data updated with ancillary vector sources and interpreted, manual, updates from 2009 imagery. See COMPLETENESS section in data quality for status of update progress. Refer to metadata for IMPSURF_2000 for all other background information on original impervious surface development.


The high level of heterogeneity in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and the lack of systematic measurements complicate predicting outcomes of early intervention and the identification of better-tailored treatment programs. Computational phenotyping may assist therapists in monitoring child behavior through quantitative measures and personalizing the intervention based on individual characteristics; still, real-world behavioral analysis is an ongoing challenge. For this purpose, we designed EYE-C, a system based on OpenPose and Gaze360 for fine-grained analysis of eye-contact episodes in unconstrained therapist-child interactions via a single video camera. The model was validated on video data varying in resolution and setting, achieving promising performance. We further tested EYE-C on a clinical sample of 62 preschoolers with ASD for spectrum stratification based on eye-contact features and age. By unsupervised clustering, three distinct sub-groups were identified, differentiated by eye-contact dynamics and a specific clinical phenotype. Overall, this study highlights the potential of Artificial Intelligence in categorizing atypical behavior and providing translational solutions that might assist clinical practice.


To elucidate the mechanism of development of asthma, we tried to develop a model which elicited a late asthmatic response by a combination of systemic and inhaled sensitization with ovalbumin in guinea pigs. Eighty-seven percent of animals elicited both an immediate and late asthmatic response after the third antigen inhalation. Airway eosinophilia and airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) induced after the third challenge were more severe than those after the first challenge. There was a good correlation between airway eosinophilia and AHR in this model under experimental modulation of the number of eosinophils, such as by interleukin 5 or antieosinophil antibody injection. These results demonstrate that eosinophils play an important role in the development of late asthmatic response and AHR.


Membrane proteins are relatively challenging targets for structural and other biophysical studies. Insufficient expression in various expression systems, inherent flexibility, and instability in the detergents that are required for membrane extraction are the main reasons for this limited success. Therefore, identification of suitable conditions and membrane protein variants that can help stabilize functional protein for extended periods of time is critical for structural studies. Here, we describe a western blot-based assay that simplifies identification of thermostabilizing conditions for membrane proteins. We show successful testing of a variety of parameters such as additive lipids, ligands and detergents.


The "non-violation nulli…cation or impairment" doctrine is among the more unique and perplexing features of WTO law. We examine the scope and application of the non-violation doctrine in the GATT/WTO, and identify two striking differences in the observed usage of non-violation claims relative to use of the more familiar violation claims. First, rulings on non-violation claims are rare in comparison to violation claims. And second, the success rate of those non-violation claims that are fi…led and ruled upon is very low compared to that of violation claims. We show that an extension of Maggi and Staiger (2011) can deliver differences in equilibrium usage of violation and non-violation claims that mirror these broad features. And we use the extended model to suggest that, even though non-violation claims are rarely observed and when observed are rarely successful, they can still serve a valuable (off-equilibrium) role in the GATT/WTO. Finally, our formal model abstracts from several broader issues associated with non-violation claims; we discuss a number of these at an informal level and suggest possible reforms of the non-violation clause and directions for further research. For example, we offer some possible reasons why non-violation claims should fail (or at least prove exceedingly difficult) when they concern matters within a class of issues that have been extensively negotiated, and when they concern various "non-commercial" and politically sensitive issues. Likewise, we suggest a possible rationale for allowing the protection for market access expectations associated with a negotiating round to "expire" with the passage of time.


ABSTRACT This paper is very much on work in progress. Only this year did we decide to start research on HRM in small and medium sized enterprises (SME's) in the Netherlands. Personnel management in SME's has been little researched, yet SME's are very important for economic activity and many owners/managers struggle with personnel issues. In this paper we will introduce an outline of our research so far. The paper offers a literature overview leading to our research model, and discusses our research approach and tool. Some results of our pilot study are presented and discussed, even though the pilot itself was less successful than we hoped. 1. INTRODUCTION Research into human resource management activities of small and medium sized enterprises (SME's) and its effectiveness is scarce. In 2000, Heneman et. al. did an extensive literature research and concluded there were only 17 descriptive surveys and hardly any analyses on HR in SME's (Heneman et al, 2000). At the same time, well-motivated and well-trained workers are probably the most important assets for smaller companies to stay competitive (Moore & Petty, 2000). Most research on HR however has been directed at large to very large, internationally operating companies, and one can seriously doubt if the findings and recommendations of these studies will be valid for SME's as well. This bias in HR research is of course understandable. Larger companies have the resources and people available to implement and perform state of the art HR policies and practices and are thus more exciting research playgrounds. They usually have more, and more sophisticated HR in place. But neglecting SME's is inconvenient, given their position in most economies. In the US for instance, 99,7% of all companies have fewer than 500 employees (the US definition of SME's is all companies with fewer than 500 employees), a startling 78,8% have fewer than 10 employees (Heneman et al. 2000). The European definition of SME's is companies with fewer than 250 employees. If we use that definition, in the Netherlands 714.000 out of a grand total of 717.035 companies are SME's. Only about 1300 companies have more than 500 employees, whereas about 386.890 have no employees at all (CBS, Statline: peildatum 1 januari 2005). According to the Dutch organisation for SME's (MKB Nederland) companies with up to 250 employees (99% of all Dutch companies) provide 2.8 million jobs, more than half of the total of 4.8 million jobs in the Dutch private sector (www.mkb.nl, May 2005). 48% of the added value and 53% of yearly turnover of this sector is generated by these small and medium sized companies (Meijaard et al., 2002:7). The importance of HRM for larger companies has been researched extensively. Its relevance for company performance and personnel turnover was researched amongst others by Arthur (1994). Huselid (1995) conducted research showing the importance for financial performance and Delany and Huselid (1996), Huselid, Jackson and Schuler (1997) looked into the relationship with company performance. Effects on competitive advantage was performed by Lado and Wilson (1994), Barney (1991) and Kamoche (1996). Much attention has been directed at the importance of strategic HRM for achieving company goals (e.g. Wright, McMahan and Mc Williams, 1994, Wright and Snell, 1998; Gratton & Truss 2003). The attention for the importance of the HR practices for company performance, coupled to an assessment of the future role and position of the HR function, has led some authors to search for optimal HR architectures (Becker and Gerhart, 1996, Lepak and Snell, 1999) or to defining HR


This paper presents a division-summation (D-Σ) digital control applied to a three-phase active power filter (APF) with a three-leg inverter. The three-leg inverter shapes the source current sinusoidally by injecting harmonic currents to compensate the load current. The proposed D-Σ digital control approach summarizes the inductor-current variations over one switching cycle to derive control laws directly, which can overcome the limitation of abc to stationary d-q frame transformation. In the design and implementation, the inductances corresponding to various inductor currents were measured at the startup and stored in the microcontroller for scheduling loop gain cycle by cycle. Compared to conventional approaches, the proposed control can cover wide filter inductance variation and achieve wide bandwidth upto switching frequency. Measured results from a 5 kVA 3D APF have confirmed the analysis and discussion of the proposed control approach.


Shape memory alloy (SMA)-reinforced composite patches not only provide non-intrusive and flexible structural damage repair like normal polymer composite patches, but are also able to enhance the repair efficiency by applying active closure stress. The active closure stress is produced by shape recovery of pre-stretched SMA wires which are embedded in the composites. This paper describes the modelling of a cracked structure repaired by SMA wire-reinforced composite patches, and further evaluates the active closure stress. The issue of debonding at the interface between SMA wires and a polymer matrix is addressed to determine the maximum pre-strain that may be applied on SMA wires before they are embedded in composites. The minimum volume fraction of SMA wires required to produce the active closure stress specified in the design is then estimated, subject to a limitation no greater than 1.


The reporting of disasters has changed from official media reports to citizen reporters who are at the disaster scene. This kind of crowd based reporting, related to disasters or any other events, is often identified as 'Crowdsourced Data' (CSD). CSD are freely and widely available thanks to the current technological advancements. The quality of CSD is often problematic as it is often created by the citizens of varying skills and backgrounds. CSD is considered unstructured in general, and its quality remains poorly defined. Moreover, the CSD's location availability and the quality of any available locations may be incomplete. The traditional data quality assessment methods and parameters are also often incompatible with the unstructured nature of CSD due to its undocumented nature and missing metadata. Although other research has identified credibility and relevance as possible CSD quality assessment indicators, the available assessment methods for these indicators are still immature.

In the 2011 Australian floods, the citizens and disaster management administrators used the Ushahidi Crowd-mapping platform and the Twitter social media platform to extensively communicate flood related information including hazards, evacuations, help services, road closures and property damage. This research designed a CSD quality assessment framework and tested the quality of the 2011 Australian floods' Ushahidi Crowdmap and Twitter data. In particular, it explored a number of aspects namely, location availability and location quality assessment, semantic extraction of hidden location toponyms and the analysis of the credibility and relevance of reports. This research was conducted based on a Design Science (DS) research method which is often utilised in Information Science (IS) based research.

Location availability of the Ushahidi Crowdmap and the Twitter data assessed the quality of available locations by comparing three different datasets i.e. Google Maps, OpenStreetMap (OSM) and Queensland Department of Natural Resources and Mines' (QDNRM) road data. Missing locations were semantically extracted using Natural Language Processing (NLP) and gazetteer lookup techniques. The Credibility of Ushahidi Crowdmap dataset was assessed using a naive Bayesian Network (BN) model commonly utilised in spam email detection. CSD relevance was assessed by adapting Geographic Information Retrieval (GIR) relevance assessment techniques which are also utilised in the IT sector. Thematic and geographic relevance were assessed using Term Frequency – Inverse Document Frequency Vector Space Model (TF-IDF VSM) and NLP based on semantic gazetteers.

Results of the CSD location comparison showed that the combined use of non-authoritative and authoritative data improved location determination. The semantic location analysis results indicated some improvements of the location availability of the tweets and Crowdmap data; however, the quality of new locations was still uncertain. The results of the credibility analysis revealed that the spam email detection approaches are feasible for CSD credibility detection. However, it was critical to train the model in a controlled environment using structured training including modified training samples. The use of GIR techniques for CSD relevance analysis provided promising results. A separate relevance ranked list of the same CSD data was prepared through manual analysis. The results revealed that the two lists generally agreed which indicated the system's potential to analyse relevance in a similar way to humans.

This research showed that the CSD fitness analysis can potentially improve the accuracy, reliability and currency of CSD and may be utilised to fill information gaps available in authoritative sources. The integrated and autonomous CSD qualification framework presented provides a guide for flood disaster first responders and could be adapted to support other forms of emergencies.


BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE
Hepatocarcinogenesis was a multistage process involving a number of genes. Molecular biological studies indicated that abnormal expression of p53 gene family is correlated with the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This study was designed to investigate the expression difference and its clinicopathologic significance of eight kinds of p53-related oncogenes and tumor-suppressor genes in HCC and adjacent-tumor liver tissues using tissue microarray technique.

METHODS
The HCC tissue microarrays comprised 273 cases of HCC tissues, 144 adjacent-tumor liver tissues, and 10 normal liver tissues obtained from autopsy. The diameter of each specimen on tissue microarrays was 2.0 mm. Immunohistochemistry was employed to detect the expression of p16(INK4a), p21(WAF1), p33(ING1b), p53, p57(KIP2), p73, mdm2, and ATM genes in tumor and adjacent tumor liver tissue, respectively. The relationship between HBV infection rate and the expression of these genes was also analyzed.

RESULTS
Three paraffin-embedded HCC tissue microarrays were successfully constructed, composed of 136, 143, and 148 tissue dots, respectively. The positive staining rates of these eight genes in HCC and surrounding-tumor tissues were: (p16(INK4a)) 35.9% and 9.0%, (p21(WAF1)) 41.8% and 11.1%, (p33(ING1b)) 43.65% and 14.6%, (p53) 46.2% and 12.5%, (p57(KIP2)) 39.2% and 16.7%, (p73) 9.5% and 2.8%, (mdm2) 41.4% and 9.0%, (ATM) 6.6% and 1.4%, respectively. The expression of all these genes in HCC were stronger than that in the surrounding-tumor liver tissues (P< 0.05). The expression differences of these genes in HCC tissues with varied differentiated grades were not significant(P >0.05). Except p16(INK4a), p21(WAF1), and p73 genes(P >0.05), the expression of p33(ING1b), p53, mdm2, ATM, and p57(KIP2) genes in HCC with portal vein invasion were higher than those in HCC without portal vein invasion (p33(ING1b), p53, mdm2, ATM, P< 0.01; p57(KIP2), P< 0.05). The infection rate of HBV did not have a significant correlation to the expression of these eight genes (P >0.05).

CONCLUSION
Tissue microarray technique had the advantage of high-throughput in the detection of HCC-related oncogenes and tumor-suppressor genes, which can analyze larger amounts of specimens, more target genes, and cost less working time.


Organization of email messages takes an increasing amount of time for many email users. Research has demonstrated that users develop very different strategies to handle this organization. In this paper, the relationship between the different organization strategies and the time necessary to use a certain strategy is illustrated by a mathematical model based on keystroke-level analysis. The model estimates time usage for archiving and retrieving email messages for individual users. Besides explaining why users develop different strategies to organize email messages, the model can also be used to advise users individually when to start using folders, clean messages, learn the search functionality, and using filters to store messages. Similar models could assist evaluation of different interface designs where the number of items increase with time.


Purpose: The purposes of this study were to investigate extent of backpack use and incidence of musculoskeletal pain, and to identify the relationship between backpack use and musculoskeletal pain. Method: A descriptive correlational study was conducted in one elementary school and one middle school in D city. Participants were 273 children, aged 12-14, who completed a self-administered questionnaire. Body weight, height, and backpack weight of participants were measured. Results: Mean backpack weight was 3.78 Kg and relative backpack weight (RBW) was 7.42%. Of backpack users, 23.8% carried more than 10% of their RBW and 9.2% carried more than 15%. Only 44.3% organized the contents in their backpack correctly. For more than three fourth of the students (76.2%), the bottom of backpack in the standing position drooped more than 10 cm below the waistline, and 46.3% complained of musculoskeletal pain. Use of a waist belt was significantly related to musculoskeletal pain. Conclusions: A considerable proportion of school children were not following guidelines for safe backpack use. Although the relationship between backpack use and musculoskeletal pain in this study was not significant, the fact that 46.3% of the students experienced musculoskeletal pain is very meaningful information. Further research is required to identify the risk factors of musculoskeletal pain among children.


Using a reactive extrusion-molding process, we produced poly(lactic acid) (PLA) nanocomposites from L-lactide monomer in the presence of organic montmorillonites. On the basis of X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy analyses, we determined that the intercalation of the PLA between the clay layers in the mixing process, followed by disappearance of agglomeration, proceeded in the extrusion process. Although only a slight change in the chemical shifts in cross-polarization/magic angle spinning 13C-NMR was observed with the addition of the organic clay, the presence of the additive and the organic content of the nanocomposites affected the nuclear magnetic relaxation times [the 1H spin-lattice relaxation time (T1H) and the 13C spin-lattice relaxation time (T1C)] for different temperatures. The nanoclay suppressed increases in T1H at elevated temperatures and extended T1C values of C=O and CH around room temperature. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012


Objective: Development of an easy to administer, low-cost test of vestibular function. Methods: Members of the NIH Toolbox Sensory Domain Vestibular, Vision, and Motor subdomain teams collaborated to identify 2 tests: 1) Dynamic Visual Acuity (DVA), and 2) the Balance Accelerometry Measure (BAM). Extensive work was completed to identify and develop appropriate software and hardware. More than 300 subjects between the ages of 3 and 85 years, with and without vestibular dysfunction, were recruited and tested. Currently accepted gold standard measures of static visual acuity, vestibular function, dynamic visual acuity, and balance were performed to determine validity. Repeat testing was performed to examine reliability. Results: The DVA and BAM tests are affordable and appropriate for use for individuals 3 through 85 years of age. The DVA had fair to good reliability (0.41–0.94) and sensitivity and specificity (50%–73%), depending on age and optotype chosen. The BAM test was moderately correlated with center of pressure (r = 0.42–0.48) and dynamic posturography (r = −0.48), depending on age and test condition. Both tests differentiated those with and without vestibular impairment and the young from the old. Each test was reliable. Conclusion: The newly created DVA test provides a valid measure of visual acuity with the head still and moving quickly. The novel BAM is a valid measure of balance. Both tests are sensitive to age-related changes and are able to screen for impairment of the vestibular system.


Objectives: Describe Mexican patients with T1DM and find out if blood glucose (BG) testing frequency impacts glycemic targets (mean BG & estimated HbA1c [eHbA1c]).
 Methods: Included mySugr users with a self-reported diagnosis of T1DM and had at least 2 BG logs in at least 14 days (G2D14) in the month prior to their first log entry. G2D14 is the lowest adherence needed to calculate eHbA1c. Users were stratified as low (G2D14 + G3D14) and high testing (G4D14 + G5D14). Subgroup analysis according to baseline eHbA1c was performed. Using a logistic regression model, an exploratory analysis to identify factors associated with BG decrease was also considered.
 Results: 118,210 users (13% T1DM) were considered. Users in the highest testing subgroup (G5D14; n=276) in the first month before mySugr usage had a significantly lower baseline eHbA1c (-0.8 %; p < 0.01) compared with users in the lowest category (G2D14; n=254). For all users in the group G2D14 or above, eHbA1c decreased from baseline (1 mo. prior to mySugr usage) and stayed below baseline levels for the entire period of 5 mo. (n=253; mean differences: -0.3% at the first month of mySugr usage, -0.2% at the fourth month of mySugr usage; both changes significantly different from 0 with p < 0.05). No statistically significant difference in eHbA1c between the logging subgroups after 4 months of mySugr use was found. Nevertheless, high logging users with baseline eHbA1c > 8% had a non-significant higher reduction. In the logistic regression model, the factor with the strongest association with BG decrease was the baseline mean BG (log OR: 2.4).
 Conclusion: in our RwD setting, the use of mySugr was associated with reduced eHbA1c. Baseline BG was statistically associated with BG reduction intensity. Although no significant difference in eHbA1c improvement between the high and low logging groups was found during mySugr usage, the baseline analysis suggests that users with increased logging had significantly better glycemic control before starting mySugr.

 C. Vulcano: Employee; Roche Diabetes Care. H. Mikulski: Employee; Roche Diabetes Care. M. Mitter: Employee; Roche Diabetes Care. B. Ruch: Employee; Roche Diabetes Care.


BACKGROUND: Pyogenic infection with Streptococcus agalactiae is a potentially life-threatening disease associated with significant morbidity and mortality. This type of infection has seldom been reported as a complication of dilation and curettage after an incomplete abortion. CASE: A young woman presented to the emergency department with rapidly progressive left-sided lower back pain, general malaise, and chills evolving over the previous 48-hours after dilation and curettage for incomplete abortion. Streptococcus agalactiae was isolated in the blood. The patient developed pelvic osteomyelitis despite aggressive medical therapy and required prolonged treatment before significant clinical improvement was noted. CONCLUSION: Although very rare, serious pyogenic complications of dilation and curettage after incomplete abortion do occur and may present a diagnostic challenge.


At a Mexican nursery, we compost pine bark, inoculate it with beneficial microorganisms, and use it to grow conifer seedlings in containers for reforestation. In this article, I describe how we make composted pine bark (CPB), a technically and economically viable alternative to expensive, imported growth substrates. CPB is easy to produce and can be made on a small scale, generating permanent nursery and reforestation jobs and promoting the stability of Mexican forest plantation companies. We have found that using CPB minimizes use of fungicides in the nursery. I discuss how to inoculate composted bark with bacteria (Bacillus spp.) and fungi (Trichoderma spp.) to enhance suppression of root disease organisms.


The likelihood of being sued for malpractice is now so great that the practicing physician must recognize that it constitutes a definite occupational hazard. The incidence of malpractice claims increased tenfold during one decade, the 1930's, and the situation continues to grow worse. So frequent are these claims today that, in some localities, any patient with a less than perfect end-result is a potential malpractice claimant. If physicians were always able to obtain perfect results there would, of course, be no malpractice actions. But deaths, untoward and unexpected results, continuing disabilities, and complications occur and will continue to occur. There is always a chance that without negligence on the part of anybody some unfortunate result, sometimes fatal, will happen. The physician enjoys unique privileges and opportunities; on the other hand, he is burdened with special responsibilities and obligations. It is in his personal concern for his patient that the physician


A pure anaerobic infection of the abdominal wall of a 40-year-old man is described. The infection originated from an urachal remnant. Seven different bacterial strains were isolated. Even though no clostridia were involved, the infection caused extensive necrosis of the abdominal wall including both fascia and muscles.


In the last few years no other innovation has been able to influence the marketing environment like neuromarketing, the new science of consumer behaviour, which combines neuroscientific techniques with marketing in order to understand brain functions in terms of marketing activities. This combination helps to improve the understanding of the influence of emotions and senses on decision-making and buying-behaviour. The aim of this study is to investigate the potential and limitations of neuromarketing, by taking a close look into published data, conducted studies and expert opinions concerning this new field of science. The published data retrieved from studies using brain-imaging techniques found that emotions and human senses influence every second in human beings' perception and that consumers are not able to decide completely economically. Nevertheless, further research is recommended in order to gain a deeper understanding of the human brain and how it conducts
decision-making processes. Additionally, consumer neuroscience has high potential to become a commonly used technique, which sustainably supports traditional
market research. Neuromarketing seems to become a promising technique to provide consumers with desired products, services, web shops and advertising
design.


Multiple Myeloma is preceded by precursor states of monoclonal gammopathy of undermined significance (MGUS) and smoldering multiple myeloma (SMM). Studies have shown that progression to symptomatic MM five years after diagnosis is 1% for MGUS and 10% for SMM. However, based on the genomic background, this rate is highly variable, especially for SMM patients. Recent studies have evaluated the high-risk genomic features for SMM, but the genomic background of SMM patients who do not progress to MM after long-term follow-up (>= 5 years) has not been described.
 Here, we evaluated genomic changes enriched in non-progressor (NP) (no progression after 5 years of follow-up) precursor conditions (N=31) with those progressed within a short time (N=71) as well as newly diagnosed Myeloma (N=192). We also studied additional unique samples from 18 patients at their precursor stage as well as when progressed to Myeloma. We report a similar large-scale CN alteration in non-progressor SMM compared to progressor SMMs or MM at diagnosis. However, whole-genome sequencing data showed that the overall mutational load for non-progressor SMM samples was lower than Progressor MGUS/SMM (median SNV 5460 vs. 7018). This difference significantly increased for mutations affecting the coding regions. NP samples at diagnosis had 26% and 53% less coding mutations (missense, nonsense, and frameshift mutations) compared to progressor MGUS/SMM (p=0.008) and newly diagnosed MM (p < 0.001) respectively. We observed very low NRAS (3%, OR=8.86) and BRAF (3%, OR=2.17), mutation frequency in non-progressor SMM samples compared to newly diagnosed MM. We did not observe driver mutations in FAM46C, TTN, CYLD, TP53, KMT2C, IRF4, HIST1H1E that are otherwise frequently mutated in high-risk SMM or symptomatic MM. None of the non-progressor SMM samples had MYC alteration. We observed t(11;14), t(4;14), and t(14;16) translocations at similar frequency compared to newly diagnosed MM samples. We also observed a significant difference in non-recurrent focal deletions.
 Based on our recent data in newly-diagnosed MM, we quantified genomic scar score, and observed that non-progressor SMM have lower GSS (median=3,IQR=[1-9]) compared to progressor MGUS/SMM (median=11,IQR=[5-15] / median=9,IQR=[9-15], respectively) as well as MM samples at diagnosis (median=9, IQR= [5-16],p=0.002). We further validated this observation in an independent cohort with 69 SMM samples in whom progressor SMM patients had high GSS (median =4, IQR=[2-7.75]), compared to delayed progressor (> four years) or non-progressor SMM (median =1.5, IQR= [0-3.5]; p=0.029). Moreover, non-progressor SMM had significantly low utilization of APOBEC and DNA repair mutational processes.
 Next, we compared non- progressor SMM with progressor SMM using RNAseq data. We identified 1653 differentially expressed genes (DEG) (762 up-regulated and 891 down-regulated). Genes that were upregulated in non-progressor SMM samples were enriched in IL6/JAK/STAT3 and IL2/STAT5 signaling and the regulation of cytokine secretion. Whereas genes up-regulated in progressor SMM were enriched in MYC targets, DNA repair, and mTOR pathways. Moreover, genes that control the translational initiation, translational elongation, mitochondrial translation, and ATP control were among the top highly expressed genes in progressor SMM. We used our MGUS/SMM to MM paired samples and showed that the E2F target, MYC target, and G2/M checkpoint pathways are more active at MM. We measured the distance between progressor and non-progressor SMM as well as MM and found that non-progressor SMM is less similar to MM compared to progressor SMM.
 In conclusion, the global CNA and translocations are similar between progressor and non-progressor SMM and symptomatic MM and confirm their role in the development of precursor condition but not adequate for progression to MM, which requires additional hits. On the other hand, lower GSS score reflecting genomic stability along with lower SNVs, low DNA damage and APOBEC mutational processes, down-regulated MYC target genes, and low DNA repair activation define low-risk SMM. These results now provide the basis to develop a genomic definition of SMM.

 Fulciniti: NIH: Research Funding. Parmigiani:Phaeno Biotehnologies: Current equity holder in publicly-traded company; CRA Health: Current equity holder in publicly-traded company; Foundation Medicine Institute: Consultancy; Delphi Diagnostics: Consultancy; BayesMendel Laboratory: Other: Co-lead. Munshi:Janssen: Consultancy; Adaptive: Consultancy; Legend: Consultancy; Amgen: Consultancy; AbbVie: Consultancy; Karyopharm: Consultancy; Takeda: Consultancy; C4: Current equity holder in private company; BMS: Consultancy; OncoPep: Consultancy, Current equity holder in private company, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Patents & Royalties.


"Mahkota Dewa" fruit (Phaleria macrocarpa [Scheff.] Boerl.), is a traditional Indonesian plant-based remedy that has been used traditionally for generations in treating multiple illness and diseases. This investigation intends to assess the fecundity effects of P. macrocarpa supplementation in adult male rats through hormonal, physical and histological changes. Sixty male Sprague Dawley rats were randomly distributed into two by five experimental design with two supplementation periods (3 and 7 weeks) allotted to 5 different doses of extract (0, 24, 48, 240 mg PM aqueous extract/ kg bw and 80 mg of commercial PM product/ kg bw). The mean sperm count (455 cells/ml), body weight (301 g), histological assessment of spermatogonia cells (87 cells), and thickness of seminiferous tubule layer (79 µm) significantly increased (P < 0.05) in rats treated with 240 mg/ kg dose. However, there were no changes in both physical appearances of testes (size and volume) and testosterone hormone levels among the treatment groups. Our findings indicated that supplementation of P. macrocarpa significantly increased the fecundity of rats and the effect was dose and time-dependent. The study suggested that P. macrocarpa offered an attractive and alternative potential for improving the fertility in men.


Dengue is one of the most rapidly spreading vector-borne diseases in the world. It affects many countries, especially the ones in the tropical areas like Philippines, Cambodia, Malaysia, India, Indonesia, Thailand, Brazil, Argentina, Eastern Africa and Nigeria, just to name a few. Methods for exterminating the adult mosquitoes involve fumigation, bug zappers, mechanical pest control, and use of adulticides; all of which have been shown to be either inefficient, toxic or both. To circumvent the problems posed by the other methods, the usage of botanical or plant derive products can be done instead. In this study, the larvicidal activities of ethanolicC. frutescent fruit extract and its partially purified fraction – using normal phase column chromatography – were tested against two primary dengue vectors, A. aegyptiand A. albopictus. The LC50 and LC90 after 24 and 48 hours of exposure were approximated using probit analysis. It was found out that the partially purified fraction was more active than the crude extract, by having higher average percent mortality and lower LC50 and LC90. Phytochemical screening of the extract and fraction showed positive for tannins, alkaloids, coumarins, indoles and steroids in both and flavonoids in the crude extract only.


In recent years, numerous observers have raised concerns about "policing for profit," or the deployment of law enforcement resources to raise revenue rather than to provide public safety. However, identifying the causal effects of fiscal incentives on law enforcement behavior has remained elusive. In a regression discontinuity design implemented on traffic citation and accident data from Saskatchewan, Canada between 1995 and 2016, a fiscal rule reducing by 75% the share of traffic fine revenue captured by the province in towns above 500 in 1996 population is associated with increased rates of accidents, accident-involved vehicles, accident costs, and accident-related injuries in towns just above this threshold, relative to towns just below the threshold. Further, cited drivers in towns just below this threshold are given fewer days to pay their fines and are less likely to pay their fines on time, leading to higher risks of late fees and license suspensions. These findings suggest that fiscal incentives can indeed distort the allocation of law enforcement effort, with distributional consequences for both public safety and economic well-being.


Insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) is a major regulator of bone growth during childhood. However, beyond knowledge that IGF-I influences longitudinal growth, its associations to changes in the cross-sectional dimensions, the volume, or the material density of bone during growth are unknown. We assessed the relationships between serum IGF-I and measurements of cross-sectional area, cortical bone area, and cortical bone density at the midshaft of the femur in 197 normal healthy white children and adolescents (103 boys and 94 girls; aged 7.8-18.2 yr). Bone determinations were obtained using computed tomography, and levels of IGF-I were measured by RIA after an extraction procedure. IGF-I correlated significantly with both cross-sectional area (r = 0.49; P < 0.0001) and cortical bone area (r = 0.50; P < 0.0001), but did not correlate with the material density of cortical bone (r = -0.08). Multiple regression analyses showed that circulating levels of IGF-I were associated with cross-sectional area (P = 0.03) and cortical bone area (P = 0.04) values, even after correcting for the confounding effects of age, gender, weight, and femoral length. We conclude that IGF-I is a major determinant of the cross-sectional properties of bone, but does not influence the material density of bone, in the appendicular skeleton.


Aim. To conduct an express pest risk analysis of Grapevine Roditis leaf discoloration-associated virus (GRLDaV) for
Ukraine, a virus that has been related to a grapevine disease and was included in the EPPO Alert List in 2018. Methods. The
phytosanitary risk analysis was carried out on the basis of an analytical review of expert literature and in accordance with the
EPPO Decision-support scheme for an Express Pest Risk Analysis (EPPO, 2012) and with methodological recommendations
for Ukraine (Pylypenko et al, 2012). The possibility of further spread and the potential range of the virus were determined
using modern software packages AgroAtlas (Afonin and Li, 2011; Shumilin and Li, 2009), MapInfo Pro15.0 (ESTIMap®)
and IDRISI SELVA (Clarklabs®). Results. An express pest risk analysis of GRLDaV for Ukraine was carried out for the
first time. Outbreaks of the virus were first detected in the 1980ies in Greece (Rumbos, Avgelis, 1989) and from 2014–2018
in: Italy (Chiumenti et al, 2015, 2016; Maliogka et al, 2015), Turkey (Adan, 2016; Serçe et al, 2018) and Croatia (Vončina
et al, 2018). Climatic predictors were analyzed in the outbreaks of the countries where the causal agent of the disease was
identified. The potential range of GRLDaV in Ukraine has been established in case of importing infected planting material
with further spreading of the virus. Risk management measures are proposed, which envisage including GRLDaV in the list
of the Regulated Non-Quarantine Harmful Organisms of Ukraine. Conclusions. There is a possibility of introduction, further
spread, and harmfulness of Grapevine Roditis leaf discoloration-associated virus in Ukraine, which is due to the presence
of the host plant (grapevine, Vitis vinifera ssp. vinifera L.) and the corresponding climatic conditions of the southern and
(part of) western Ukraine, where grapevine is cultivated on an industrial scale. The introduction of GRLDaV into Ukraine
is possible as a result of the import of GRLDaV-infected grapevine planting material from the countries where the virus has
been reported and presumably is still present. The current Ukrainian phytosanitary measures cannot reliably prevent the risk
of intoduction of GRLDaV into Ukraine. The inclusion of GRLDaV in the List of the Regulated Non-Quarantine Harmful
Organisms of Ukraine with the recommendation of permission to import grapevine planting material certified for the absence
of GRLDaV (from the countries where the virus is reported) or mandatory testing of imported grapevine planting material
for the presence of GRLDaV (from areas where such certification is absent), can be an effective risk management measure. It
requires the producers and importers of grapevine planting material to include GRLDaV virus in their certification schemes
to prevent eventual further spreading of the virus. It is recommended to do a nation-wide survey to determine the likelihood
of the presence of GRLDaV in the region. Further research to identify possible natural virus vectors and to develop methods
of (latent) GRLDaV diagnostics are needed. Finally additional studies on prevention and control of the virus (including
breeding for resistance) are also required.


Classic trigeminal neuralgia (CTN) has been proven related to functional or morphological alterations in critical brain regions. To test the simultaneous changes of the topological properties of structural networks (SN), functional networks (FN), as well as their couplings, we constructed SN using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) data and FN using resting-state functional magnetic imaging (rs-fMRI) data from 29 CTN patients and 34 healthy controls (HCs). The patients showed the wide disruptions of global and local topological organizations in SN and FN, together with the abnormal coupling relationships. Our findings may provide novel perspectives for understanding the pathophysiological mechanisms of CTN.


i. The sect of the Nicolaitans is attacked in the three letters to Ephesus, to Pergamum, and to Thyatira, found in the second chapter of the apocalypse of John. From these letters we learn that the sect had been repudiated in Ephesus, but had several adherents in Pergamum; while in Thyatira the majority of the church had not proved sufficiently watchful and determined against it. The sect had penetrated into the church from without.


A total of 179 individuals with acute Chagas disease mainly transmitted by oral source, from Pará and Amapá State, Amazonian, Brazil were included during the period from 1988 to 2005. Blood samples were used to survey peripheral blood for T. cruzi hemoparasites by quantitative buffy coat (QBC), indirect xenodiagnosis, blood culture and serology to detection of total IgM and anti-T. cruzi IgG antibodies by indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA) and indirect hemagglutination assay (HA). All assays were performed pre-treatment (0 days) and repeated 35 (±7) and 68 (±6) days after the initiation of treatment with benznidazol and every 6 months while remained seropositive. The endpoint of collection was performed in 2005. Total medium period of follow-up per person was 5.6 years. Also, a blood sample was collected from 72 randomly chosen treated patients to perform polimerase chain reaction (PCR) method. Proportions of subjects with negative or positive serology according to the number of years after treatment were compared. In the endpoint of follow-up we found 47 patients (26.7%) serologically negative, therefore considered cured and 5 (2.7%) exhibited mild cardiac Chagas disease. Other 132 patients had persistent positive serologic tests. The PCR carried out in 72 individuals was positive in 9.8%. Added, there was evidence of therapeutic failure immediately following treatment, as demonstrated by xenodiagnosis and blood culture methods in 2.3% and 3.5% of cases, respectively. There was a strong evidence of antibody clearing in the fourth year after treatment and continuous decrease of antibody titers. Authors suggest that control programs should apply operational researches with new drug interventions four years after the acute phase for those treated patients with persistently positive serology.


Irritation and staining caused by equi-irritant doses of dithranol (anthralin) and 10-butyryl dithranol (butantrone) were observed for one week after a single 24-hour exposure under occlusion. The test chambers were applied on the uninvolved dorsal skin of 11 psoriasis patients. The estimates of erythema were made with a refined reading scale, and to test the visual discriminatory power they were compared with objective measurements of contact temperature and blood flow of the skin. A sensitive thermistor and a novel laser Doppler flowmeter were used. On the whole, erythema, contact temperature and superficial blood flow, as interdependent parameters of cutaneous inflammation, all showed a time-dependent statistically significant correlation to the dose of dithranol and 10-butyryl dithranol. The intercorrelations between erythema and blood flow and between erythema and temperature were statistically significant, too. With the doses used, staining of the skin did not hamper the measurement of superficial blood flow, but it did exaggerate visual estimates of erythema at the 4th and 7th day readings.


Beetles from genus Oncideres, known as twig girdler, have the habit of girdle branches of healthy trees, where they lay their eggs, to establish an appropriate environment to the development of the larvae. This study had the objective of characterize the injuries caused by O. impluviata in Piptadenia gonoacantha, quantify and position the eggs incisions in trees of this forest specie. The results showed that 63.16% of girdled branches were located on the upper third of the trees, with average girdle height above ground of 2.76±0.14 m. The average diameter and height of girdled branches were 1.32±0.04 cm and 1.18±0.03 m, respectively. The average number of incisions per branch was 5.9±1.24, which were located at higher frequency on the lower third of girdled branch. Can be concluded that the twig girdle beetle O. impluviata girdle mostly lateral branches located at the upper third of the tree and lay their eggs mostly on the lower third of the girdled branch, decreasing as advance to the upper third of the twig.


Under the paradigm of sustainable green growth at the national level, various researches and applications for energy saving in the construction field has been attempted. As a part of energy saving efforts, lightweight concrete was investigated for thermal insulation concrete with phase change material (PCM) which has high heat storage capacity. As a part of energy saving efforts, thermal insulation concrete was investigated and evaluated with lightweight aggregate impregnated by PCM which has high heat storage capacity. As a result, it is found that concrete with lightweight aggregate impregnated by PCM is effective to prevent its quality deterioration by reducing water absorption rate of lightweight aggregate. In addition, it has shown that concretes using lightweight aggregate and impregnated lightweight aggregate improve heat insulation property 33% and 40~43% compared with using normal aggregate, respectively. It is that the lightweight aggregate concrete with impregnated lightweight aggregate has 12~14% lower thermal conductivity than unimpregnated.


This paper presents a method of estimating camera pose in an unknown scene. While this has previously been attempted by adapting SLAM algorithms developed for robotic exploration, we propose a system specifically designed to track a hand-held camera in a small AR workspace. We propose to split tracking and mapping into two separate tasks, processed in parallel threads on a dual-core computer: one thread deals with the task of robustly tracking erratic hand-held motion, while the other produces a 3D map of point features from previously observed video frames. This allows the use of computationally expensive batch optimisation techniques not usually associated with real-time operation: The result is a system that produces detailed maps with thousands of landmarks which can be tracked at frame-rate, with an accuracy and robustness rivalling that of state-of-the-art model-based systems.


Soil temperature is an important factor fot growth and varies according to ambient conditions. In this paper, we study the soil temperature changes in concrete containers 80 cm in diameter and 40 cm in height due to ambient temperature. Temperature measurments were carried out at 0, 10, 20, 30 and 40 cm soil depth in containers with lime trees aged 1, 2 and 5 years. Both ambient temperature and soil temperature data were collected from a lime orchard in Chonburi, Thailand. The results indicated that thetemperature changes of soil at each depth were different and fluctuated widely in shallow soil in all containers. The average soil temperature of the 1-year-old lime tree was higher than that for 2 and 5-year-old trees at daytime but was nearly constant, and a similar trend in temperature variation was found during the nighttime in all depth of three trees. Straight-Line Regression Analysis with the Coefficient of determination, R2 showed that the ambient temperature and soil temperature had a strong correlation to surface soil at daytime (R2 = 0.76-0.78) and at nighttime in all depth (R2 = 0.87-0.96). This experiment provides primary data for determining soil temperature from ambient temperature for lime tree planting or the cultivation of other crop in concrete containers


We conducted an observational study of parent-child interaction in home activity settings (routines) of families raising young children with developmental disabilities and problem behavior. Our aim was to empirically investigate the construct validity of coercion in typical but unsuccessful family routines. The long-term goal was to develop an expanded ecological unit of analysis that may contribute to sustainable behavioral family intervention. Ten children with autism and/or mental retardation and their families participated. Videotaped observations were conducted in typical but unsuccessful home routines. Parent-child interaction in routines was coded in real time and sequential analyses were conducted to test hypotheses about coercive processes. Following observation, families were interviewed about the social validity of the construct. Results confirmed the presence of statistically significant, attention-driven coercive processes in routines in which parents were occupied with non-child-centered tasks. Results partially confirmed the presence of escape-driven coercive processes in routines in which parent demands are common. Additional analysis revealed an alternative pattern with greater magnitude. Family perspectives suggested the social validity of the construct. Results are discussed in terms of preliminary, partial evidence for coercive processes in routines of families of children with developmental disabilities. Implications for behavioral assessment and intervention design are discussed.


There is ample evidence regarding the health benefits of red wine consumption due to its content of phenolic compounds, as an alternative to improve the state of health and prevent various diseases, being the implementation of procedures that allow a greater extraction and stability of phenolic compounds during the elaboration a key aspect. The first part of this review summarizes some studies, mostly at the preclinical level, on the mechanisms by which phenolic compounds act in the human organism, taking advantage of their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antitumor, antithrombotic, antiatherogenic, antimicrobial, antiviral, and other activities. Although the migration of grape components into the must/wine occurs during the winemaking process, the application of new technologies may contribute to increasing the content of phenolic compounds in the finished wine. Some of these technologies have been evaluated on an industrial scale, and in some cases, they have been included in the International Code of Oenological Practice by the International Organization of Vine and Wine (OIV). In this sense, the second part of this review deals with the use of these novel technologies that can increase, or at least maintain, the polyphenol content. For example, in the pre-fermentative stage, phenolic extraction can be increased by treating the berries or must with high pressures, pulsed electric fields (PEF), ultrasound (US), e-beam radiation or ozone. At fermentative level, yeasts with high production of pyranoanthocyanins and/or their precursor molecules, low polyphenol absorption, and low anthocyanin-β-glucosidase activity can be used. Whereas, at the post-fermentative level, aging-on-lees (AOL) can contribute to maintaining polyphenol levels, and therefore transmitting health benefits to the consumer.


NOD B cell development is characterized by a defective homeostatic checkpoint in B cell maturation and selection. Having demonstrated that the progression of autoimmune diabetes requires antigen presentation by B-lymphocytes, we hypothesized that B cell depletion may prevent diabetes progression in NOD mice. Here, we employed two distinct approaches for in vivo B lymphocyte depletion:
 a cohort of adult hCD20 Tg NOD mice were treated with the B lymphocyte depleting mAb, Rituximab (anti-CD20) anda cohort of adult NOD mice were treated with a neutralizing Hamster anti-mouse mAb specific for the B cell survival factor, BLyS/BAFF.
 Treatment with both Rituximab (2mg/injection x3doses) and anti-BLyS mAb (100?g/injection x2 doses) led to B cell depletion within 10 days. BLyS/BAFF neutralization, using anti-BLyS, caused a profound depletion of mature/recirculating B cells in these mice and lasted for >30 days. Diabetes occurred within 2 weeks in all Rituximab treated female hCD20 Tg NOD mice (n=4); despite their early backcross generations (i.e., N4-6F1) onto the NOD genetic background. Conversely, adult female NOD/LtJ mice (n=20), B cell depleted using anti-BLyS/BAFF did not progress to diabetes for >30 days following treatment. Collectively, these results indicate that BLyS/BAFF neutralization may be required for the prevention of autoimmune diabetes following B lymphocyte depletion.


The silicon-rich silica films were prepared by a dual-ion-beam co-sputtering method from a composite Target in an argon atmosphere. The structure of the films studied by the aid of TEM and XRD is amorphous. The photoluminescence (PL) spectra were found to have a 4-luminescent band peak at 320 nm, 410 nm, 560 nm, and 630 nm, respectively, at room temperature. The intensity and the wavelength position of PL are dependent on annealing temperature (Ta), and the luminescent mechanism is analyzed.


among children classified at MACS level I for both unilateral and bilateral CP (p<0.001), and children with unilateral CP at MACS level I also had the highest rate of development. Children with unilateral CP reached 90% of their limit at 29.5 months of age for MACS level I (CI 23.9; 35.1), at 57.4 months (CI 46.3; 68.5) for level II and 154.9 months (CI 79.4; 230.5) for level III. For children with unilateral CP, the highest limit and rate of development was also found among children with the highest performance at 18 months of age. Among children with bilateral CP the change of performance was small, and the age when the children reached 90% of their estimated limit was at approximately 30 months for both MACS levels I, II and III. Conclusions/Significance: Manual ability levels may distinguish between various developmental trajectories for children with unilateral or bilateral CP. For children with unilateral CP, however, the performance at 18 month of age may be even more useful for prognostic purposes from a clinical perspective. Children with bilateral CP showed limited development on the BoHA during preschool age and may have utilized their potential already by three years of age.


Women play a significant role in the development of each and every economy. Today, the level of education is increasing, awareness spread about empowering the women, breaking feudal structure of society, increasing opportunity of job and also increasing privatisation which needs more expenditure on education, health facility etc. Women participation in different sectors was increasing as work force. Economic independency can be increasing the role of women in different sphere of life. So, the present study analysis the impact of greater stability of job on the level of participation of working women in economic, social and political decision making at household level. The decision making of women was used as tool of converting the economic empowerment into social and political empowerment. The study has been conducted in Sirsa district and the study is based mainly on primary data collected through well-structured scheduled and pre tested survey. For the analysis of the study, percentage method has been used. The present study revealed that the participation level of working women in organised sector are more than in unorganised sector which showed the positive impact of job stability on the participation level of working women in decision making process related to different activities.


In this paper, we propose a novel CALL (Computer-Assisted Language Learning) system, which is called POMY (POSTECH Immersive English Study). In our system, students can study English while talking to characters in a computer-generated virtual environment. POMY also supports haptic feedback, so students can study English in a more interesting manner. Haptic feedback is provided by two platforms, a haptic chair and a force-feedback device. The haptic chair, which is equipped with an array of vibrotactile actuators, delivers directional information to the student. The force-feedback device enables the student to feel the physical properties of an object. These haptic systems help the student better understand English conversations and focus on studying. We conducted a user experiment and its results showed that our haptic-enabled English study contributes to better learning of English.


We investigate the interfacial Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction (iDMI) and the perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) in the annealed inversion symmetry breaking structures (Pt/Co (CoFeB)/AlOx and Ta/CoFeB/AlOx) by Brillouin light scattering. The iDMI energy density of Pt/Co and Pt/CoFeB samples decreases while increasing annealing temperature, but the iDMI energy density of Ta/CoFeB sample slightly increases by increasing annealing temperature. By applying the thermal annealing process, PMA energies slightly increase at the Pt/Co interface; however, Pt/CoFeB, (Ta/CoFeB) structures are dramatically decreased (increased) by the annealing process. The effects of the annealing show complicate variation for iDMI and PMA for each structure; however, we find overall weak correlations between iDMI and PMA despite different materials and annealing process.


Unsteady self-excited forces are commonly represented by parametric models such as rational functions. However, this requires complex multiparametric nonlinear fitting, which can be a challenging task that requires know-how. This paper explores the alternative nonparametric modeling of unsteady self-excited forces based on relations between flutter derivatives. By exploiting the properties of the transfer function of linear causal systems, we show that damping and stiffness aerodynamic derivatives are related by the Hilbert transform. This property is utilized to develop exact simplified expressions, where it is only necessary to consider the frequency dependency of either the aeroelastic damping or stiffness terms but not both simultaneously. This approach is useful if the experimental data on aerodynamic derivatives that are related to the damping are deemed more accurate than the data that are related to the stiffness or vice versa. The proposed numerical models are evaluated with numerical examples and with data from wind tunnel experiments. The presented method can evaluate any continuous fitted table of interpolation functions of various types, which are independently fitted to aeroelastic damping and stiffness terms. The results demonstrate that the proposed methodology performs well. The relations between the flutter derivatives can be used to enhance the understanding of experimental modeling of aerodynamic self-excited forces for bridge decks.


Ohio River Valley is considered a potential site for CO2 storage since it is in close proximity to large CO2 emitters in the area. In a CO2 storage project, the temperature of the injected CO2 is usually considerably lower than the formation temperature. The heat transfer between the injected fluid and rock has to be investigated in order to test the viability of the target formation to act as an effective storage unit and to optimize the storage process. A coupled flow, geomechanical and heat transfer model for the potential injection zone and surrounding formations has been developed. All the modeling focuses on a single well performance and considers induced fracturing for both isothermal and thermal injection conditions. The induced thermal effects of CO2 injection on stresses, displacements, fracture pressure and propagation are investigated. Possibility of shear failure in the caprock resulting from heat transfer between reservoir and the overburden layers is also examined. Displacements will be smaller for the thermal model compared to isothermal model. In the thermal case, the total minimum stress at the wellbore decreases with time and falls below the injection pressure quite early during injection. Therefore, fracturing occurs at considerably lower pressure for the thermal model. The coupled thermal and dynamic fracture model shows that thermal effects of injection could increase the speed of fracture propagation in the storage layer depending on the injection rate. These phenomena are dependent primarily on the difference between the injection and reservoir temperature. An optimization algorithm for injection temperature is discussed based on limiting the maximum fracture length and minimizing the risk of leakage from thermal effects of CO2 storage while improving the injection capacity. Incorporation of thermal effects in modeling of CO2 injection is significant for understanding the dynamics of induced fracturing in storage operations. Our work shows that the injection capacity with cold CO2 injection could be significantly lower than expected, and it may be impractical to avoid induced fracture development. In risk assessment studies inclusion of the thermal effects will help prevent the unexpected leakage in storage projects. The methodology developed will play an important role in process optimization for maximizing the injection capacity while maintaining the safety of storage. Introduction Ohio River Valley, located adjacent to the Mountaineer power plant in New Haven, West Virginia, is considered for saline aquifer geological storage of CO2. This valley is in a relatively stable, intraplate tectonic setting and the regional stress state is in strike slip to reverse faulting regime with the maximum stress oriented northeast to east-northeast. (Lucier et al, 2006). Based on current sequestration pilot projects and enhanced oil recovery efforts, evidence suggests that geologic sequestration is a technically viable means to significantly reduce anthropogenic emissions of CO2 (Solomon, 2006; Preston et al., 2005; Wright, 2007) Once CO2 is injected, the pressure and temperature of the formation is affected by the mass and heat transfer between the injected and in place fluid. These changes have geomechanical consequences on stresses, displacements, fracture pressure and its propagation. Since injected induced geomechanical effects could lead to formation or reactivation of fracture network, rock shear failure and fault movements which could potentially provide pathways for CO2 leakage, geomechanical modeling plays a very important role in risk assessment of geological storage of CO2.