Deep-learning-based intelligent services have become prevalent in cyber-physical applications including smart cities and health-care. Collaborative end-edge-cloud computing for deep learning provides a range of performance and efficiency that can address application requirements through computation offloading. The decision to offload computation is a communication-computation co-optimization problem that varies with both system parameters (e.g., network condition) and workload characteristics (e.g., inputs). Identifying optimal orchestration considering the cross-layer opportunities and requirements in the face of varying system dynamics is a challenging multi-dimensional problem. While Reinforcement Learning (RL) approaches have been proposed earlier, they suffer from a large number of trial-and-errors during the learning process resulting in excessive time and resource consumption. We present a Hybrid Learning orchestration framework that reduces the number of interactions with the system environment by combining model-based and model-free reinforcement learning. Our Deep Learning inference orchestration strategy employs reinforcement learning to find the optimal orchestration policy. Furthermore, we deploy Hybrid Learning (HL) to accelerate the RL learning process and reduce the number of direct samplings. We demonstrate efficacy of our HL strategy through experimental comparison with state-of-the-art RL-based inference orchestration, demonstrating that our HL strategy accelerates the learning process by up to 166.6×.


This paper presents the Quadshot, a novel aerial robotic platform with Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) capability. Highly dynamic maneuverability is achieved via a combination of differential thrust and aerodynamic surfaces (elevons). The relaxed stability, flying wing, tail-sitter configuration, Radio Controlled (RC) airframe is actively stabilized by onboard controllers in three complementary modes of operation, i.e. hover, horizontal flight and aerobatic flight. In hover mode the vehicle flies laterally, similar to a quadrotor helicopter, can maintain accurate position for aiming payload and land with pinpoint accuracy when equipped with a GPS unit. In horizontal and aerobatic modes it flies like an airplane to cover larger distances more rapidly and efficiently. Dynamic modeling and control algorithms have been discussed before for quadrotors [1]-[4] and classical aircraft configurations, as have other VTOL concepts such as tilt-rotors (eg. the V-22 Osprey) and tail-sitters (eg. the Sydney Univ. T-wing and the Convair XFY-1 Pogo) [5]-[6]. The important contributions of this paper are the combined use of differential thrust in multiple axes and aerodynamic surfaces for flight control, the assisted transition between hover and forward flight control modes with pitch rotation of the entire airframe and the elimination of failure-prone mechanisms for thruster tilting. The development and use of highly extensible Open Source Software and Hardware from the Paparazzi project in a transitioning vehicle is also novel. The vehicle is made highly affordable for both researchers and hobbyists by the use of the Paparazzi Open Source Software [16] and its Lisa embedded avionics suite. Careful attention to the mechanical design promotes large scale manufacturing and easy assembly, further bringing down the cost. The materials selected create a highly durable airframe, which is still inexpensive. Modular airframe design enables quick modification of actuators and electronics, allowing a greater variety of missions. The electronics are also designed to be extensible, supporting the addition of extra sensors and actuators. Custom designed airfoils provide good payload capacity while maintaining 3D aerobatic flight capability; the wing design ensures adequate stability for manual glide control in non-normal situations. This paper covers the software, mechanical and electronic hardware design, control algorithms and aerodynamics associated with this airframe. Experimental flight control results and the design lessons learned are discussed.


ON THEIR OWN: THE SINGLE WOMAN, FEMINISM, AND SELF-HELP IN BRITISH WOMEN'S PRINT CULTURE (1850-1900) Melissa Walker Advisor University of Guelph, 2012 Susan Brown Cultural and historical accounts of self-help literature typically describe its development and focus in terms of the autonomous, public male subject of the nineteenth century. This literary study recognizes that as masculine self-help discourse became widely accessible in the mid nineteenth century, mid-Victorian feminist novels, periodicals, and tracts developed versions of self-help that disrupted the dominant cultural view that the single female was helpless and "redundant" if she did not become a wife and mother. I argue that the dual focus of Victorian self-help discourse on the ability to help oneself and others was attractive for Victorian feminist writers who needed to manipulate the terms of the domestic ideal of woman as influential helpmeet, if women's independence and civic duty were to be made culturally palatable. Chapter One focuses on how Dinah Mulock Craik drew on self-help values popularized in mid-century articles and collective biographies by Samuel Smiles, while rejecting the genre of biography for its invasiveness into female lives. By imagining a deformed single artist heroine in the context of her 1851 bildungsroman, Olive, Craik highlighted and contested the objectification of women within Victorian culture while reproducing other forms of female difference based on dominant constructions of class, sexuality, and race. Chapter Two extends formal and thematic considerations of self-help discourse to a comparison of masculine colonial accounts of classclimbing and the projection of a self-reliant, yet deeply unstable, domestic female by Maria Rye and the Female Middle-Class Emigration Society. Chapter Three exerts critical pressure on the tension between individual and mutual help by charting the debate that raged between liberal individualism and collectivism in the labour movement, particularly in The Women's Union Journal. Returning to a focus on the binary of female aberrance and normalcy within Victorian culture, Chapter Four analyzes late-century case studies of nervous illnesses alongside Ella Hepworth Dixon's 1894 New Woman novel that promoted self-help for women as desirable yet unattainable in a society still largely structured around the domestic ideal. At its broadest, this dissertation explores points of convergence and departure between Victorian masculine and feminine self-help texts, and touches on reverberations of this Victorian discourse in today's selfhelp works directed at women in Western culture.


In order to evaluate three species of diatoms as the live food sources for rearing larvae of sea urchin, Strongylocentrotus intermedius, six different feed experiments were conducted for 35 days. We measured sizes, survival rates on elapsed day after hatching and required days of each larval stages of sea urchin in the different feeding experiments. Sizes of the larvae of sea urchin cultured with Isochrysis+Chaetoceros, Isochrysis, Chaetoceros and Pavlova were 735 ㎛, 718 ㎛, 701 ㎛ and 642 ㎛, respectively. The highest daily growth rates of the larvae of sea urchin showed Isochrysis within 6 armed and Chaetoceros after 6 armed. Survival rates of the larvae of sea urchin cultured with Chaetoceros, Isochrysis+Chaetoceros, Isochrysis and Pavlova were 37.2%, 35.0%, 32.4%, and 18.4%, respectively. The required days from fertilization to the 8 armed (Senior) stage in the larvae of sea urchin, fed Chaetoceros, Isochrysis, Pavlova, chaetocerost+pavlova, pavlova+lsochrysis and lsochrysis+chaetoceros were 24, 27, 33, 28, 30 and 25 days, respectively.


The feasibility of integration of cellulosic ethanol production with the manufacture of cellulose nanofibers (CNF) and cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) was evaluated using eucalyptus cellulose pulp as feedstock and employing the biochemical route alone. For the enzymatic hydrolysis step, experimental central composite design (CCD) methodology was used as a tool to evaluate the effects of solids loading (SL) and enzymatic loading (EL) on glucose release and cellulose conversion. Glucose concentrations from 45 to 125 g/L were obtained after 24 h, with cellulose conversions from 35 to 96%. Validation of the statistical model was performed at SL of 20% and EL of 10 mg protein/g, which was defined by the desirability function as the optimum condition. The sugars released were used for the production of ethanol by Saccharomyces cerevisiae, resulting in 62.1 g/L ethanol after 8 h (yield of 95.5%). For all the CCD experimental conditions, the residual solids presented CNF characteristics. Moreover, the use of a new strategy with temperature reduction from 50 to 35°C after 24 h of enzymatic hydrolysis enabled CNC to be obtained after 144 h. The CNC showed a crystallinity index of 83%, length of 260 nm, diameter of 15 nm, and aspect ratio (L/D) of 15. These characteristics are suitable for many applications, such as reinforcement in polymeric materials and other lower volume higher value bio‐based products. The findings indicate the viability of obtaining ethanol and CNC using the biochemical route exclusively, potentially contributing to the future implementation of forest biorefineries. © 2017 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 33:1085–1095, 2017


Abstract Conodont biofacies of the Lublin and Łysogóry–Radom basins in SE Poland have been analysed in five cored borehole sections in a narrow interval of the middle Givetian Polygnathus ansatus Zone, corresponding to the global Taghanic transgression. Assemblages exhibiting various proportions of dominant genera, Icriodus (I) and Polygnathus (P), as well as particular P species and a few accessory taxa, reflect both temporal transgression dynamics and lateral facies changes. The latter comprise transition from a brackish lagoon with intermittent open-marine influence, to a carbonate shoal and offshore marly shelf, generally characterized by P–I biofacies, but with a varying proportion of constituent genera and polygnathid species. Comparison of the Polish record with stratigraphically well-constrained, quantitative biofacies evidence worldwide allowed the construction of a 2D nearshore–offshore model for the Euramerican epicontinental faunas connected with Taghanic transgressive facies. The I/P ratio has a diagnostic value for specific sub-environments (very nearshore/shallow-water and drowned platform) but for other settings the Polygnathus ansatus to Polygnathus linguiformis ratio appears more useful. The Moroccan faunas display specific biofacies patterns tentatively explained by different climatic conditions. The conodont biofacies concept has a limited application for palaeogeographically isolated settings, including pelagic-oceanic areas of microcontinents or submarine rises. In other cases (Eastern Australia), palaeobiogeographical bias precludes direct comparisons with the Euramerican model.


The effect of interface modulus and strength on properties of steel fiber reinforced concrete (SFRC) and the stress transferring procedure through interface have been studied on mesolevel in this paper by conducting numerical simulation on fiber pullout test. Both mechanical properties of interface and stress transferring behavior are crucial to the overall mechanical properties of the whole composite. Interface stress behavior, mechanism of the fiber reinforcement, toughness and failure-resistance have been analyzed and discussed. Furthermore, characteristics and patterns of stresses near the interface have also been investigated. The shear stress distribution has been found asymmetric when load applied. In addition, the effect of embedding depth of fiber has also been studied.


The increasing complexity of systems-on-chip (SoCs) has led to the critical "design productivity gap" problem. Several strategies are being employed to cope with this problem, including an IP-based design flow, as well as platform-based designs for application domains. These approaches have critically increased the amount of on-chip communication. Since on-chip communication architectures have a significant impact on system performance, power dissipation and time-to-market, system designers, as well as the research community have focused on the issue of exploring, evaluating, and designing SoC communication architectures to meet the targeted design goals. On the other hand, aggressive scaling of VLSI technology has resulted in nanoscale effects that adversely affect interconnect performance, reliability, power dissipation, and predictability; new approaches to on-chip communication architectures (e.g., networks-on-chip) need to be devised in order to overcome these effects. The tutorial is structured into four parts, covering: i) scaling trends in nanometer interconnects and related methodology challenges; ii) architectural modeling and analysis of communication traffic and synthesis of current on-chip bus-based communication architectures iii) high-performance bus protocols and topologies, including design examples; and iv) emerging network-on-chip (NoC) paradigms for next generation designs. The tutorial begins by highlighting the key emerging issues in the domain of interconnect modeling and analysis. The implications of various nanoscale effects on VLSI interconnect performance, reliability, power dissipation and parasitic extraction are also presented. Promising new technologies including 3-D ICs and carbon nanotube (CNT) interconnects are outlined which have the potential to meet these interconnect challenges in the nanometer era. The second part of the tutorial will cover modeling abstractions suitable for communication centric designs, analysis techniques for estimating bus communication traffic, and synthesis of current protocols and standards such as OCP-IP, VSIA, and AMBA. The third part of the tutorial will cover the use of advanced architectural concepts in bus-based communication architecture design, and will include design examples from the industry. Finally, the last part of the tutorial will introduce the basic concepts on networks-on-chip and the challenges involved in the deployment of this on-chip communication paradigm.


The effect of topical unilateral application of lofexidine, an alpha 2-agonist, on ocular regional blood flow was tested in anesthetized rabbits using radiolabeled microspheres. A significant reduction in blood flow was found only in the ciliary body of the treated eye at 1 hr after lofexidine treatment. However, the IOP of both eyes was decreased significantly at 30 and 60 min post lofexidine treatment. Yohimbine (i.v.) blocked this IOP lowering effect, but only partially prevented the blood flow response. In addition, no significant difference was found in either basal or amphotericin-B stimulated short-circuit current or potential difference of the isolated rabbit iris-ciliary body after 30 minutes of lofexidine treatment. These observations suggest that the IOP lowering effect of lofexidine appears to be mediated by alpha 2-receptors but unrelated to the reduction in the ocular blood flow and net electrogenic ion transport.


We have used the ab initio technique of UHF/LANL 1 MB to study the interactions between absorbed oxygen atoms and molecules with their host nickel lattice. The host lattice is approximated by a small cluster of nickel atoms that are arranged as face-centered-cubic, except for a tubular void described by the absence of three or four lattice elements. The oxygen absorbates are placed, one at time, within this cavity. We conclude that, for tubular cavities, the interaction between the nickel lattice and the oxygen absorbates is stronger than the interactions between pairs of oxygen atoms, suggesting that the absorbates are mostly atomic (as apposed to diatomic) in character, while the (energetically) most preferred number of oxygen atoms to reside inside an n-site, tubular hollow of nickel is simply (n − 1). © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.


Middleware has emerged as an important architectural component in supporting distributed applications. The role of middleware is to present a unified programming model to application writers and to mask out problems of heterogeneity and distribution. It is motivated by the convergence of the embedded sensor and mobile communication revolutions in the automobile industry. The vehicle fleet is morphing into a vast mobile sensor fleet. The authors provide a middleware architecture and implementation that addresses the needs of a distributed system of mobile sensors comprised of vehicles and intersections producing traffic-related data for traffic safety and operations. The authors discuss the technical challenges that the middleware addresses and describe a prototype implementation. Traffic management, intersection safety and vehicle-to-vehicle safety applications are three applications described and implemented on the middleware. The authors conclude their paper with conducting performance measures that relate to the cost of overhead incurred from using the middleware. The measurements show the middleware is efficient enough for the road safety and congestion relief applications presented.


A 10-year survey for serologic titers to brucellosis and leptospirosis in mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus), elk (Cervus canadensis), and antelope (Antilocapra americana) in Colorado is summarized. Over 10,000 blood samples were tested against Brucella abortus and 4,747 samples were tested against Leptospira pomona. A total of 1,761 blood samples were tested against L. canicola, L. grippotyphosa, L. hardjo, L. icterohemorrhagiae. All results were considered negative.


The incidence of diarrhea due to six categories of diarrheogenic Escherichia coli was determined in two pediatric cohorts in a low socioeconomic level community in Santiago, Chile, with access to chlorinated water. An age cross-sectional cohort of 340 children aged birth to 47 months was assembled. A newborn cohort was assembled by enrolling 10-12 newborns monthly for 12 months. Episodes of diarrhea were detected by twice weekly household visits. E. coli from stool cultures of cases and matched controls were hybridized with DNA probes specific for enterotoxigenic, enteroinvasive, enteropathogenic, enterohemorrhagic, enteroaggregative, and diffuse adherence E. coli. Overall, the incidence of diarrhea was low (2.1 episodes/infant/year). Nevertheless, a putative E. coli enteropathogen was found in a large proportion of diarrheal episodes, particularly during the summer. In both cohorts, enterotoxigenic E. coli were important pathogens. Enteropathogenic E. coli were incriminated during the first year of life in the newborn cohort, where they were found significantly more often in cases (p = 0.021) than in controls; beyond this age, isolation rates were similar. In contrast, the relative risk of isolation of diffuse adherence E. coli increased with age in the age cross-sectional cohort, where, overall, the difference in rate of isolation between cases and controls was significant (p = 0.0024). Enteroinvasive and enterohemorrhagic E. coli were isolated infrequently. Enteroaggregative E. coli were encountered equally in cases and controls. Facile transmission of E. coli enteropathogens is occurring in this community despite the availability of potable water.


Fructose malabsorption is characterized by the inability to absorb fructose efficiently. Consequently fructose reaches the colon and is broken down by bacteria to short-fatty-acids, CO2 and H2. Recently we found that fructose malabsorption was associated with signs of depression. It was therefore of interest to find out whether fructose malabsorption is associated with abnormal tryptophan metabolism. Breath hydrogen concentrations were measured in 50 after an oral dose of 50 g fructose allowing to classify them as normals (n = 15) or fructose malabsorbers (n = 35). Blood samples were taken for tryptophan and kynurenine measurements. Fructose malabsorbers showed significantly lower plasma tryptophan concentrations and significantly higher depression scores compared to normals. Fructose malabsorption is associated with lower tryptophan levels which may play a role in the development of depressive disorders.


This article proposes and demonstrates a new classification system of fish population level effects of hydropeaking operations in rivers. The classification of impacts is developed along two axes; first, the hydromorphological effect axis assesses the ecohydraulic alterations in rivers introduced by rapid and frequent variations in flow and water level, second the vulnerability axis assesses the site‐specific vulnerability of the fish population. Finally, the population level impact is classified into four classes from small to very large by combining the two axes. The system was tested in four rivers in Norway exposed to hydropeaking, and they displayed a range of outcomes from small to very large impacts on the salmon populations. The river with a relatively high base flow and ramping restrictions scored better than rivers with the lower base flow or limited ramping restrictions, indicating that hydropeaking effects can be mitigated while maintaining high hydropower flexibility. Most effect factors could easily be calculated from timeseries of discharge and water level, whereas the use of hydraulic models to estimate potential stranding areas may require more work. The vulnerability factors are mainly qualitative and depend more heavily on expert judgments and are thus more uncertain. The system was deemed suitable for the purpose of supporting management decisions for rivers exposed to hydropeaking operations. It evaluates the severity of the additional pressures due to hydropeaking operations and proved useful to identify mitigating measures. While the system was developed for Atlantic salmon river systems, it could be adapted to other species or systems.


We outline and investigate a set of benchmark simplified models with the aim of providing a minimal simple framework for an interpretation of the existing and forthcoming searches of dark matter particles at the LHC. The simplified models we consider provide microscopic QFT descriptions of interactions between the Standard Model partons and the dark sector particles mediated by the four basic types of messenger fields: scalar, pseudoscalar, vector and axial-vector. Our benchmark models are characterized by four to five parameters, including the mediator mass and width, the dark matter mass and the effective coupling(s). In the gluon fusion production channel we resolve the top quark in the loop and compute full top-mass effects for scalar and pseudoscalar messengers. We show the LHC limits and reach at 8 and 14 TeV for models with all four messenger types. We also outline the complementarity of direct detection, indirect detection and LHC bounds for dark matter searches. Finally, we investigate the effects which arise from extending the simplified model to include potential new physics contributions in production. Using the scalar mediator as an example, we study the impact of heavy new physics loops which interfere with the top-mediated loops. Our computations are performed within the mcfm framework, and we provide fully flexible public Monte Carlo implementation.


A series of new diamidino-, diisopropylamidino-, and diimidazolinyl-substituted derivatives of phenyl benzothiazolyl and dibenzothiazolyl furans and thiophenes were successfully prepared and evaluated for their antiproliferative activity on tumor cell lines in vitro, DNA binding propensity, and sequence selectivity as well as cellular distribution. A strong antiproliferative effect of the tested compounds was observed on all tested cell lines in a concentration-dependent response pattern. In general, imidazolinyl-substituted derivatives and/or the thiophene core were in correlation with increased antiproliferative activity. Two compounds (2b and 3b) were chosen for biological studies due to their differential antiproliferative properties. The DNA binding properties of this new series of compounds were assessed and evidenced their efficient minor groove binding properties with preferential interaction at AT-rich sites. Both compounds also present nuclear subcellular localization, suggesting that their cellular mode of action implies localization in the DNA compartment and direct inhibition of DNA replication and induction of apoptosis.


Capacity planning is a pivotal activity that is in compliance with company's long-term business goals, meanwhile also guides the short-term production scheduling, material and resource preparation, in-bound and out-bound logistics. Because of current strong globalization trend, manufacturers are more willing to go to regional or globalism by setting-up plants closer to customers in order to reduce operation costs. Accordingly, mid-term capacity planning paradigm has shifted from algorithm-based solutions for single production site to collaboration-oriented planning in multiple manufacturing plants. By studying the planning processes under multi-site circumstance, this paper proposes a common capacity model, which can play as a mediator to facilitate the dissemination of capacity related information and event, and benchmarking among plants. Ontology based solution is the key for the creation of the common capacity model. Two types of ontology - object ontology and behaviour ontology - will be discussed in this paper for multi-site capacity planning. The paper will also introduce two case studies to highlight the need for multi-site capacity planning from industry.


Deep learning offers state of the art solutions for image recognition. However, deep models are vulnerable to adversarial perturbations in images that are subtle but significantly change the model's prediction. In a white-box attack, these perturbations are generally learned for deep models that operate on RGB images and, hence, the perturbations are equally distributed in the RGB color space. In this paper, we show that the adversarial perturbations prevail in the Y-channel of the YCbCr space. Our finding is motivated from the fact that the human vision and deep models are more responsive to shape and texture rather than color. Based on our finding, we propose a defense against adversarial images. Our defence, coined ResUpNet, removes perturbations only from the Y-channel by exploiting ResNet features in an upsampling framework without the need for a bottleneck. At the final stage, the untouched CbCr-channels are combined with the refined Y-channel to restore the clean image. Note that ResUpNet is model agnostic as it does not modify the DNN structure. ResUpNet is trained end-to-end in Pytorch and the results are compared to existing defence techniques in the input transformation category. Our results show that our approach achieves the best balance between defence against adversarial attacks such as FGSM, PGD and DDN and maintaining the original accuracies of VGG-16, ResNet50 and DenseNet121 on clean images. We perform another experiment to show that learning adversarial perturbations only for the Y-channel results in higher fooling rates for the same perturbation magnitude.


Rice, Oryza sativa L., is the world's most important cereal food crop in terms of caloric intake. It contains about 72070 glucoside and 10% protein (Standard Thbles of Food Composition, Agency of Science and Thchnology, Japan 1986). In terms of total world grain production it is exceeded only by wheat. Rice is a warm area crop and is grown most extensively in the humid tropical and subtropical regions of the world. In temperate climates, and at high elevations, rice is grown as a summer crop. About 90% of the world's rice is grown in the People's Republic of China, India, Japan, Korea and southeastern Asia, outside of Asia, less than 10% is produced in the USA, Brazil, Mrica and southern Europe (FAO 1985). Soybean, Glycine max (L.) Merr., is the world's most important crop as a source of plant protein and oil. It contains about 35% protein, 19% lipid and 24% of glucoside (Standard Thbles of Food Composition, Agency of Science and Technology, Japan 1986). The USA now accounts for about 48% of the world production of soybeans. China and Brazil account for another 33% of the world's total production. The remaining production is scattered among various countries in Asia and South America (FAO 1985). The application of tissue, cell and protoplast culture involving genetic manipulation for crop improvement has been investigated on these crops allover the world. The recently developed technique of rice protoplast culture has led to successful callus formation and the regeneration of whole plants (Deka and Sen 1976; 1Sai et al. 1978; Wakasa et at. 1984; Toriyama and Hinata 1985; Fujimura et at. 1985; Yamada et al. 1985, 1986; Coulibaly and Demarly 1986; Abdullah et al. 1986; Kyozuka et at. 1987). In the case of soybean, there has been successful division of the protoplasts in culture with the subsequent formation of calli (Kao et at. 1970; Zieg and Outka 1980; Niizeki and Kita 1981; Xu et al. 1982; Lu et at. 1983; Chowhury and Widholm 1985). However, there has been no success in the regeneration of whole plants from protoplasts, although adventitious embryogenesis and whole plant regeneration is now available from tissue cultures of soybean (Gamborg et al. 1983a; Barwale et at. 1986; Wright et al. 1986). Cell division of somatic hybrids originating from fused protoplasts has been observed in some combinations of plant species between different families (Kao


Previous studies based on observations and models are uncertain about the biophysical impact of af- and deforestation in the northern hemisphere mid-latitude summers, and show either a cooling or warming. The magnitude and direction is still uncertain. In this study, the effect of three different albedo parameterizations in the regional climate model COSMO-CLM (v5.09) is examined performing afforestation experiments at 0.44° horizontal resolution across the EURO-CORDEX domain during 1986-2015. Idealized de- and af-forestation simulations are compared to a simulation with no land cover change. Emphasis is put on the impact of changes in radiation and turbulent fluxes. A clear latitudinal pattern is found, which results partly due to the strong land cover conversion from forest- to grassland in the high latitudes and open land to forest conversion in mid-latitudes. Afforestation warms the climate in winter, and strongest in mid-latitudes. Results are indifferent in summer owing to opposing albedo and evapotranspiration effects of comparable size but different sign. Thus, the net effect is small for summer. Depending on the albedo parameterization in the model, the temperature effect can turn from cooling to warming in mid-latitude summers. The summer warming due to deforestation to grassland is up to 3 °C higher than due to afforestation. The cooling by grass or warming by forest is in magnitude comparable and small in winter. The strength of the described near-surface temperature changes depends on the magnitude of the individual biophysical changes in the specific background climate conditions of the region. Thus, the albedo parameterization need to account for different vegetation types. Furthermore, we found that, depending on the region, the land use change effect is more important than the model uncertainty due to albedo parameterization. This is important information for model development.


Using a generic electromagnetic model based on the spherical vector harmonics, we provide the Cramer-Rao lower bound (CRB) for direction-on-arrival (DOA) and polarization estimation with arbitrary multiport antennas. By reciprocity, the receiving multiport antenna is characterized in terms of the transmission matrix from incident voltage waves to multipole coefficients of the outgoing spherical vector waves. Explicit results of the CRB for the Gaussian case is given in terms of the transmission matrix, the spherical vector harmonics and its spatial derivatives. Numerical examples are included to illustrate the results


Abstract. This article takes a close look at the Justice and Home Affairs-related activities conducted under the European Neighbourhood Policy in the Ukrainian–Russian borderland. It argues that European Union initiatives directed at the management of Ukraine?s eastern border with Russia are driven by two related strategic objectives: 1) to confer greater visibility on the social and economic transactions taking place in the Ukrainian–Russian borderland, and 2) to alter the border regime, and by implication the border politics, between Ukraine and Russia in order to make it more compatible with EU interests in the eastern neighbourhood. In this context, the growing informationalization of the border by means of databanks, liaison officers and the involvement of private/quasi-public agencies is discussed, as is the conveying of EU norms, standards and best practices through legislative and technical approximation. By considering the strategic implications of EU involvement in the policing of the Ukrainian–Russian borderland, the article entertains the possibility that the 'immigration diplomacy' practised by the EU in the eastern neighbourhood can be made to serve more traditional foreign policy ends.


Wastewater containing cobalt and copper comprised of plating wash water, plant wash water, and equipment cooling and wash water is generated in the electroplating industry. These metals can be detrimental to humans, animals, plants, and the environment. Thus, it is necessary to treat electroplating wastewater to remove these toxic metals. Carbonate and hydroxide precipitation were utilized for the removal of Co(II) and Cu(II) from synthetic electroplating wastewater by jar tests in this work. The effects of solution pH, precipitant-to-metal ratio, and type of precipitant on the precipitation efficiency of cobalt and copper from the single- and co-contaminated systems were investigated. Carbonate precipitation achieved higher removal efficiency for both target metals in the single- and co-contaminated wastewater streams. Furthermore, it can operate at relatively low pH range of about 7.0-8.0. Cobalt in both pollutant systems was almost completely removed at pH 10.0 using both precipitant systems. Copper was found to be easily removed which was possibly brought about by precipitation-adsorption mechanism. The extent of the co-removal of cobalt with copper is significantly pH dependent. The effect of precipitant-to-metal ratio for cobalt and copper treatment varied in single- and co-contaminated streams. Carbonate precipitation led to lower sludge density than that of hydroxide precipitation.


OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of micro-ribonucleic acid (miR)-101 on the proliferation and apoptosis of gastric mucosal epithelial cells through nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2)/antioxidant response element (ARE) signaling pathway.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Human gastric epithelial AGS (CRL-1739) cells were cultured in vitro. MiR-101 down-regulation or over-expression was achieved by transfection of inhibitors, or miRNA mimics, respectively. The apoptosis rate was detected by flow cytometry. Meanwhile, the targets of miR-101 were verified by the Dual-Luciferase reporter gene assay. Furthermore, the changes in protein levels were measured via Western blotting (WB).

RESULTS
Up-regulation of miR-101 significantly promoted the apoptosis of gastric mucosal epithelial cells. The 3'-untranslated region (3'-UTR) of Nrf2 was highly conserved to combine with miR-101. The Luciferase reporter gene assay showed that transfection of miR-101 mimics could remarkably inhibit the relative Luciferase activity in cells. In addition, miR-101 overexpression markedly down-regulated the messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein expressions of Nrf2 in cells.

CONCLUSIONS
MiR-101 plays an important role in regulating the proliferation and apoptosis of gastric mucosal epithelial cells by targeting the Nrf2-ARE signaling pathway.


Abstract Drinking water distribution networks (WDNs) are a crucial infrastructure for life in cities. Deterioration of this ageing, and partly hidden from view, infrastructure can result in losses due to leakage and an increased contamination risk. To counteract this, maintenance strategies are required to maintain the service level. Information on the most critical elements of a WDN, with respect to the functioning of the system as a whole, is essential for prioritising maintenance or rehabilitation activities. In this study a Graph theory based method is developed and applied for efficiently identifying the most critical elements. The main advantage of this method is that it avoids the need to perform elaborate hydrodynamic model calculations. Instead, the structure of the network is the main starting point. The results show that the structure of the network is more decisive than the hydraulics with respect to the criticality of the system's performance as a whole. Results depict that the suggested approach is applicable not only to the main (primary) network, but also to the capillaries which are normally beyond the scope of the traditional methods applied so-far because of the complexity of the networks and the required calculation time.


Various surgical cutting coagulation devices are used during breast surgery. A pilot study was set up to determine if ultracision would reduce complications of intraoperative blood loss and seroma formation. Acute blood loss was significantly reduced in the harmonic scalpel group in comparison with the control group. However, there was little difference between the two groups in terms of hospital stay, volume or duration of postoperative drainage or subsequent aspiration of seroma.


Leishmaniasis is a health-threatening vector-borne disease in almost 90 different countries. While a prophylactic human vaccine is not yet available, the fact that recovery from leishmaniasis establishes lifelong immunity against secondary infection suggests that a vaccine is attainable. In the past, deliberate infection with virulent parasites, termed Leishmanization, was used as a live-vaccine against cutaneous leishmaniasis and effectively protected against vector-transmitted disease in endemic areas. However, the practice was discontinued due to major complications including non-healing skin lesions, exacerbation of skin diseases, and the potential impact of immunosuppression. Instead, tremendous effort has been made to develop killed, live attenuated, and non-living subunit formulations. Many of these formulations produce promising experimental results but have failed in field trials or against experimental challenge with infected sand flies. Recently, experimental models of leishmanization have unraveled the critical role of parasite persistence in maintaining the circulating CD4+ effector T cells responsible for mitigating the inflammatory response early after sand fly challenge and mediating protective immunity. Here, we put forward the notion that for effective vaccine design (especially non-living vaccines), the role of antigen persistence and pre-existing effector CD4+ T cells should be taken into consideration. We propose that dendritic cell-based vaccination strategies warrant greater attention because of their potential to act as long-term antigen depots, thereby emulating this critical requirement of naturally acquired protective immunity against infected sand fly challenge.


This article traces a history of disgust from the moment the word is first attested in English. It tracks the grammar of disgust and its relationship to an emerging socioaesthetics of taste in an urban scene. And it explores some of the literary texts that take disgust as their subject: Ben Jonson's Poetaster and "On the Famous Voyage," Edmund Spenser's Faerie Queene, with reference to William Shakespeare's Measure for Measure. The largest claim is that in the early modern period a rhetorical theory of the passions that treats them as situated social events decisively shaped the forms of literary production with results that are still with us today.


BACKGROUND AND METHODS
Follow-up questionnaires were sent to all Canadian medical schools in 1994 and 1996 in order to evaluate changes that had taken place in the teaching of physician-patient communication skills since recommendations were made by a national "Workshop on the Teaching and Assessment of Communication Skills in Canadian Medical Schools" in 1992.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS
Fifteen of 16 schools responded. All 15 reported major changes in the teaching of physician-patient communication over the preceding four years or planned changes in the very near future. However, barriers to improving the communications curriculum still existed. The most frequently cited barrier was the lack of trained faculty to teach communication skills; this was followed in frequency by poor coordination over the four years of medical school with lack of scheduled time in the clerkship years. There were identified needs to train faculty to teach communication skills and to extend formal teaching of the subject into the clerkship. Concurrent with these changes, the accreditation process for Canadian medical schools now requires the teaching and evaluation of communication skills.


In nonneuronal tissues, activation of oxytocin receptors (OTRs), like other Galpha(q/11) type G-protein-coupled receptors (Galpha(q/11)/GPCRs), increase prostaglandin (PG) expression. This is not known for the OTRs expressed by central OT neurons. We examined mechanisms underlying OT's effects on supraoptic nucleus (SON) OT and vasopressin (VP) neurons in hypothalamic slices from lactating rats. OT application (10 pM, 10 min) significantly increased firing rates of OT and VP neurons, both of which expressed OTRs. Indomethacin, an inhibitor of PG synthetases, blocked these increases. OTR (but not a V1 receptor) antagonist blocked OT effects without blocking the excitatory effect of PGE2. Tetanus toxin blocked OT effects on fast synaptic inputs and firing activity of SON neurons but not OT-evoked depolarization, suggesting involvement of both pre- and postsynaptic neurons. Indomethacin also blocked the excitatory effects of phenylephrine, another Galpha(q/11)/GPCR activating agent but not those of PGE2, a non-Galpha(q/11)/GPCR activating agent in the SON. OT or phenylephrine, but not glutamate or KCl, enhanced cyclooxygenase 2 expression at cytosolic loci in SON neurons and nearby astrocytes, as revealed by immunocytochemistry. This OT effect was not blocked by TTX. Western blot analyses showed that OT significantly increased cyclooxygenase 2 but not actin expression. OT promoted the formation of filamentous actin (F-actin) networks at membrane subcortical areas of both OT and VP neurons. Indomethacin blocked enhancement of F-actin networks by OT but not by PGE2. These results indicate that PGs serve as a common mediator of Galpha(q/11)/GPCR-activating agents in neuronal function.


Doc: PROPOSAL SUMMARY FORM L2/02-316R A. Administrative 1. Title Proposal to encode Ancient Greek Musical Symbols in the UCS 2. Requester's name Thesaurus Linguae Graecae Project (University of California, Irvine) 3. Requester type Expert contribution 4. Submission date: 5. Requester's reference 6. Completion This is a complete proposal. B. Technical - General 1. The proposal is for addition of a new character block: If yes, proposed name: Archaic Greek Musical Notation (1D200-1D24F) 2. Number of characters in proposal: 3. Proposed category Category B.2 4. Proposed Level of Implementation: Level 1 for characters 1-66 and 70. Level 3 for characters 67-69. 5a. Character names provided? Yes. 5b. Character names in accordance with guidelines Yes. 5c. Character shapes reviewable? Yes. 6a. Who will provide the appropriate computerized font for publishing the standard? David Perry, James Kass, TLG Project 6b. Font currently available? Yes. 6c. Font format True Type 7a. Are references (to other character sets, dictionaries, descriptive texts etc.) provided? Yes. 7b. Are published examples of proposed characters attached? Yes. 8. Does the proposal address other aspects of character data processing? No.


Background Interhospital transfer of stroke patients (drip and ship concept) is associated with longer treatment times compared with primary admission to a comprehensive stroke center (mothership concept). In recent years, studies on a novel concept of performing endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) at external hospitals (EXT) by transferring neurointerventionalists, instead of patients, have been published. This collaborative study aimed at answering the question of whether EXT saves time in the workflow of acute stroke treatment across various geographical regions. Methods This was a patient level pooled analysis of one prospective observational study and four retrospective cohort studies, the EVEREST collaboration (EndoVascular thrombEctomy at Referring and External STroke centers). Time from initial stroke imaging to EVT (vascular puncture) was compared in mothership, drip and ship, and EXT concepts. Results In total, 1001 stroke patients from various geographical regions who underwent EVT due to large vessel occlusion were included. These were divided into mothership (n=162, 16.2%), drip and ship (n=458, 45.8%), and EXT (n=381, 38.1%) cohorts. The median time periods from onset to EVT (195 min vs 320 min, p<0.001) and from imaging to EVT (97 min vs 184 min, p<0.001) in EXT were significantly shorter than for drip and ship thrombectomy concept. Conclusions This pooled analysis of the EVEREST collaboration adds evidence that performing EVT at external hospitals can save time compared with drip and ship across various geographical regions. We encourage conducting randomized controlled trials comparing both triage concepts.


Industrialized building of residential houses - which here means off-site production of large elements - has been a controversial area at least since the Second World War. During the last 50 years industrialized house building in Sweden has had two faces. The first is a series of failed large scale projects that tried to introduce a more industrialized approach to the building of multi-family houses. The last two of these failures were NCC-Komplett and Open House. The second face consists of a number of manufacturers of single family houses that for more than 50 years continuously has produced what in Sweden is called "catalogue houses". The theoretical framework used in the article is based on the combination of standard economic theory and transaction cost theory presented in the book "Economics, organization and management "by Paul Milgrom and John Roberts (1992). Based on case studies the aim of the paper is to explain these successes and failures using a "stress test" approach focusing on how the different systems can handle stresses in the form of changes in the business cycle, changes in tastes, technological problems and problems with suppliers. The conclusion was that that the new systems for industrialized housing were not designed in such a way that it could handle different types of stress. The successful producer of catalogue houses:: - Spread risk among a larger number of involved actors – e.g. salespersons and local contractors that assembled the product. In this way they also created stronger incentives. - This company had more direct contact with the market and could both learn from and influence demand to a higher degree. - This company used established techniques and also more products bought from supplier and subcontractors with which company A had long term relations. Perhaps the conclusion should also in this area be that revolutions are very difficult. Introducing a radically new way of producing that would in a short period of time change the way houses are produced is then doomed to fail. More interesting developments are then to experiment with smaller steps, where e.g. somewhat larger components are bought from subcontractors.


The discovery of the GATA binding protein (GATA factor) transcription factor family revolutionized hematology. Studies of GATA proteins have yielded vital contributions to our understanding of how hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells develop from precursors, how progenitors generate red blood cells, how hemoglobin synthesis is regulated, and the molecular underpinnings of nonmalignant and malignant hematologic disorders. This thrilling journey began with mechanistic studies on a β-globin enhancer- and promoter-binding factor, GATA-1, the founding member of the GATA family. This work ushered in the cloning of related proteins, GATA-2-6, with distinct and/or overlapping expression patterns. Herein, we discuss how the hematopoietic GATA factors (GATA-1-3) function via a battery of mechanistic permutations, which can be GATA factor subtype, cell type, and locus specific. Understanding this intriguing protein family requires consideration of how the mechanistic permutations are amalgamated into circuits to orchestrate processes of interest to the hematologist and more broadly.


Electric discharge machining drill (EDM-drill) is an efficient process for the fabrication of micro-diameter deep metal hole. As there is non-physical contact between tool (electrode) and workpiece, EDM-drill is widely used to machine the hard machining materials such as high strength steel, cemented carbide, titanium alloys. The electro-thermal energy forces the electrode to wear out together with the workpiece to be machined. The electrode wear occurs inside of a machining hole. and It causes hard to monitor the machining state, which leads the productivity and the quality to decrease. Thus, this study presents a methodology to estimated the electrode wear amount while two coefficients (scale factor and shape factor) of the logarithmic regression model are evaluated from the experiment result. To increase the accuracy of estimation model, the linear transformation method is adopted using the differences of initial electrode wear differences. The estimation model is verified through experiment. The experimental result shows that within minute error, the estimation model is able to predict accurately.


Author(s): Hecht, Susanna | Abstract: Susanna Hecht is Professor of Urban Planning at the UCLA School of Public Affairs. Her research interests include the political economy of tropic al rain forest development; women in development; international environmental politics; and environmental history. Her books include The Scramble for the Amazon and the "Lost Paradise" of Euclides da Cunha and her prize-winning classic Fate of the Forest. She received a CSW Faculty Development grant in 2010 to support her research on Elizabeth Agassiz, Emilie Snethlage, and Odile Coudreau.


be more likely to have advanced disease and worse outcomes like pneumonia. Despite the lack of association observed between pneumonia and the combination of LABA and ICS vs LABAs alone, our article never questioned the association between ICSs and pneumonia. We merely suggested that real-world older, frailer patients might have risk factors for pneumonia hospitalization that overshadow the risk of ICSs, particularly when compared with their benefits. We believe this situation is worth considering, especially if clinicians wish to customize optimal care for different types of patients. More studies like ours that examine both the risks and benefits of medication in the same population would make this possible.


Based on our previous analysis of neutral glycolipids in the human endometrium, the present authors already reported that the concentrations of glucosylceramide, lactosylceramide and globotriaosylceramide (Gb3Cer), in which both fatty acids and sphingosines in the ceramides are hydroxylated, exhibit a marked increase during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle. It is also well known that poorly differentiated endometrial adenocarcinoma exhibits a more rapid progression and a worse response to therapy than well-differentiated endometrial adenocarcinoma. To examine the molecular background of well-differentiated and poorly differentiated cancers, the levels of neutral glycolipids in tumor tissues from endometrial carcinoma displaying different degrees of differentiation were measured. The composition of neutral glycolipids in tumor tissues was determined, and ceramide structures that were specifically expressed in well-differentiated endometrial carcinomas were investigated using biochemical analytical methods, including lipid extraction, enzyme digestion, thin-layer chromatography (TLC), gas-liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry. Well-differentiated adenocarcinoma contained numerous structurally unknown glycolipids that exhibited slower migration than globotetraosylceramide (Gb4Cer). In the case of Gb3Cer, three bands appeared on TLC in well-differentiated cancer, but only two bands appeared in the poorly-differentiated cancer. This difference was associated with the fatty acid composition of ceramide, since non-hydroxy fatty acids with ≥20 carbon atoms were increased in well-differentiated cancer, while α-hydroxy fatty acids were increased in poorly differentiated cancer. Similarly, there were two bands on TLC of Gb4Cer from well-differentiated cancer, but only one band in poorly differentiated cancer, and the long-chain base of ceramide was observed to contain phytosphingosine in well-differentiated cancer. It was demonstrated in endometrial cancer that the structure of ceramide molecules changes with the extent of tumor differentiation. These findings suggest that hydroxylated ceramides contribute to the well-differentiated phenotype of endometrial adenocarcinoma.


The effectiveness of dobutamine (Dob) in preventing bone loss during 14 days of hindlimb suspension (Sus) was tested in exercise-trained (Ex; n = 25) and sedentary (Sed; n = 22) rats (age 155 days). One-half of each group was given Dob (2 mg . kg-1 . day-1) or saline (Sal). Histomorphometric measurements at midfemur revealed a 17% smaller cortical bone area (CBA) and a 32% lower periosteal mineral apposition rate (MAR) in suspended vs. nonsuspended Sed/Sal rats. Dob abolished this decline in CBA in Sed/Sus rats, probably via an attenuation of the decrease in periosteal MAR; similar but nonsignificant effects on cross-sectional moment of inertia were observed. Nonsuspended Ex rats had no change in bone CBA when CBA is indexed to body weight. Sus appeared to uncouple the relationship between soleus weight and CBA. Dob attenuated the 43% decline in soleus weight after Sus in Ex but not in Sed rats. In summary, vigorous Ex before Sus does not affect loss of bone mass due to unloading; Dob effectively maintains CBA in Sed rats subjected to suspension.


The partial success of tumor immunotherapy induced by checkpoint blockade, which is not antigen-specific, suggests that the immune system of some patients contain antigen receptors able to specifically identify tumor cells. Here we focused on T-cell receptor (TCR) repertoires associated with spontaneous breast cancer. We studied the alpha and beta chain CDR3 domains of TCR repertoires of CD4 T cells using deep sequencing of cell populations in mice and applied the results to published TCR sequence data obtained from human patients. We screened peripheral blood T cells obtained monthly from individual mice spontaneously developing breast tumors by 5 months. We then looked at identical TCR sequences in published human studies; we used TCGA data from tumors and healthy tissues of 1,256 breast cancer resections and from 4 focused studies including sequences from tumors, lymph nodes, blood and healthy tissues, and from single cell dataset of 3 breast cancer subjects. We now report that mice spontaneously developing breast cancer manifest shared, Public CDR3 regions in both their alpha and beta and that a significant number of women with early breast cancer manifest identical CDR3 sequences. These findings suggest that the development of breast cancer is associated, across species, with biomarker, exclusive TCR repertoires.


Motivation
Blood cell formation has been recognized as a suitable system to study celular differentiation mainly because of its experimental accessibility, and because it shows characteristics such as hierarchical and gradual bifurcated patterns of commitment, which are present in several developmental processes. Although hematopoiesis has been extensively studied and there is a wealth of molecular and cellular data about it, it is not clear how the underlying molecular regulatory networks define or restrict cellular differentiation processes. Here, we infer the molecular regulatory network that controls the differentiation of a blood cell subpopulation derived from the granulocyte-monocyte precursor (GMP), comprising monocytes, neutrophils, eosinophils, basophils and mast cells.

Results
We integrate published qualitative experimental data into a model to describe temporal expression patterns observed in GMP-derived cells. The model is implemented as a Boolean network, and its dynamical behavior is studied. Steady states of the network can be clearly identified with the expression profiles of monocytes, mast cells, neutrophils, basophils, and eosinophils, under wild-type and mutant backgrounds.

Availability and implementation
All scripts are publicly available at https://github.com/caramirezal/RegulatoryNetworkGMPModel.

Contact
firstname.lastname@example.com.

Supplementary information
Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.


You must have seen the warning a thousand times: Too few young people study scientific or technical subjects, businesses can¿t find enough workers in those fields, and the country's competitive edge is threatened. It pretty much doesn't matter what country you're talking about-the United States is facing this crisis, as is Japan, the United Kingdom, Australia, China, Brazil, South Africa, Singapore, India¿the list goes on. In many of these countries, the predicted shortfall of STEM (short for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) workers is supposed to number in the hundreds of thousands or even the millions.


In this paper, we analyse the relationship between union density and economic growth using a Granger causality analysis and shocks analysis with vector autoregression model. We find that the Granger causality goes from the growth rate to the unionization rate in four of the 11 European countries under study. France bucks the trend: it is the only country in which union density influences economic growth, moreover in a positive way.


Effects of SiO2 encapsulation and rapid thermal annealing on the optical properties of a GaNAs/GaAs single quantum well (SQW) are studied by low-temperature photoluminescence (LTPL). After annealing at 800 degrees C for 30 s, a blueshift of the LTPL peak energy for the SiO2-capped region is 25 meV and that for the bare region is 0.8 meV. The results can be attributed to the nitrogen reorganization in the GaNAs/GaAs SQW. It is also shown that the nitrogen reorganization can be obviously enhanced by the SiO2 cap-layer. A simple model is used to describe the SiO2-enhanced blueshift of the LTPL peak energy. The estimated activation energy of the N atomic reorganization for the samples annealing with and without SiO2 cap-layer are 2.9 eV and 3.1 eV, respectively.


This paper formulates the performance evaluation of service quality among a set of competing service companies as a fuzzy multiattribute decision making problem, and presents a preference-based approach for obtaining an overall service performance index for each company. The data required are obtained by customer surveys. Subjective assessments of service attribute weights and performance ratings of individual companies are represented by fuzzy numbers, using linguistic terms. Respondents have the option to define the value range of linguistic terms for use in their assessments. Based on the concept of the degree of optimality, the preference-based approach uses the /spl alpha/-cut concept to allow the incorporation of the decision-maker's confidence level on respondents' fuzzy assessments. For a given confidence level, the decision-maker's attitude toward risk can be incorporated to reflect the decision maker's preference on crisp value intervals derived from fuzzy assessments.


Background— Surgery for grown-up (age ≥18 years) patients with congenital heart disease (GUCH) is frequently performed by surgeons without specialization in pediatric heart surgery. We sought to define national practice patterns and to determine whether outcomes for GUCH patients are improved if they are treated by specialized pediatric heart surgeons (PHSs) compared with non-PHSs. Methods and Results— We identified index cardiac procedures in patients with 12 congenital heart disease diagnostic groups using the Nationwide Inpatient Sample 1988 to 2003. PHSs were defined as surgeons whose annual practice volumes were made of >75% annual pediatric heart cases. GUCH operations were defined as operations within these 12 diagnoses occurring in patients ≥18 years of age. We identified 30 250 operations, yielding a national estimate of 152 277±7875 operations. Of these, 111 816±7456 (73%) were pediatric operations, and 40 461±1365 (27%) were GUCH operations. PHSs performed 68% of pediatric operations in all diagnostic groups, whereas non-PHSs performed 95% of GUCH operations within the same diagnostic groups (P<0.0001). In-hospital death rates for GUCH patients operated on by PHSs were lower than death rates for GUCH patients operated on by non-PHSs (1.87% [95% CI, 0.62 to 3.13] versus 4.84% [95% CI, 4.30 to 5.38%]; P<0.0001). Survival advantage increased with increasing surgeon annual pediatric volume (P=0.0031). Conclusions— Pediatric patients within specific diagnostic groups are more likely to undergo operation by PHSs, whereas GUCH patients within the same diagnostic groups are more likely to undergo operation by non-PHSs. In-hospital death rates are lower for GUCH patients operated on by PHSs. GUCH patients should be encouraged to obtain surgical operation by PHS.


OBJECTIVES
To assess the clinical implications of autoantibodies directed against different parts of the Mi-2 beta autoantigen in patients with myositis.

METHODS
A systematic assessment of the clinical, laboratory, and histological characteristics of 48 anti-Mi-2 positive patients from six European centres was made. Anti-Mi-2 autoantibodies were determined with an ELISA using four overlapping fragments spanning the entire amino acid sequence of the autoantigen. Data were compared with results for a large group of anti-Mi-2 negative patients with myositis published previously.

RESULTS
Anti-Mi-2 autoantibodies were found in dermatomyositis, polymyositis, and inclusion body myositis. In general, myositis with anti-Mi-2 autoantibodies was characterised by relatively mild disease, sometimes accompanied by extra-muscular symptoms, including arthralgia, arthritis, Raynaud's phenomenon, and interstitial lung disease. Cardiac disease was not seen, and treatment response was fair. No differences were found between patients with autoantibodies to different fragments of the Mi-2 beta antigen, except for a potentially increased risk of cancer in patients with antibodies directed to the N-terminal fragment of the autoantigen.

CONCLUSIONS
Anti-Mi-2 autoantibodies are not a marker of a specific subtype of myositis. No significant differences between patients with autoantibodies to different fragments of the Mi-2 beta autoantigen are found, with the possible exception of an increased risk of cancer in patients with antibodies to the N-terminal fragment.


The number of venture-funded technology startups in Africa and the amount of venture capital investment has been on a steady rise in the recent past. We are now at a point in the evolution of the various startup ecosystems around the continent where we have had startups going through multiple rounds of venture funding, some increasing their valuations to unicorn status (that is, being valued at over $1 billion). Others have gone through exit and liquidation events. That said, startups and the venture capital funding model are still a relatively new phenomenon on the continent and there is scant research on startups in Africa in general, less so on how African ventures scale and how they adapt their operations and management, including their governance structures, to adapt to growth. This has all the more been highlighted by recent corporate governance failings among African technology startups resulting in crises. This study sought to investigate the corporate governance (CG) of African technology startups; the study also sought to establish how this might influence their valuation at successive funding rounds.


Gardening has become a relevant contributor to the quality of life of suburbanites, as a source of leisure, to build a relationship with nature or to express a particular social identity. Nevertheless, water scarcity in the Mediterranean region has increased concerns about how demand should be managed to face future uncertainties, and watering the gardens has become an element for discussion in urban planning. This contribution presents the findings of a survey of permanent residents and secondary homeowners (n = 230) in the suburban areas surrounding the city of Girona in the northeast of Catalonia (Spain). The area is a popular national and international tourist destination and a preferred place for second-home owners. We explore the main socio-demographic drivers for choosing an alternative watering source and we analyse if water-harvesting tank sizes properly meet net irrigation requirements. Results show that many water-harvesting tanks are oversized. The percentage of unemployed or retired household members, the estimated irrigation water needs of the garden and the education level directly influence the search for alternative sources of water. Moreover, social variables like interest in gardening, water conservation attitudes and household income indirectly influence the search for alternative sources of water.


Background Alterations in lipid metabolism promote tumor progression. However, the role of lipid metabolism in the occurrence and development of gastric cancer have not been fully clarified Method Here, genes that are related to fatty acid metabolism and differentially-expressed between normal and gastric cancer tissues were identified in the TCGA-STAD cohort. The intersection of identified differentially-expressed genes with Geneset was determined to obtain 78 fatty acid metabolism-related genes. The ConsensusClusterPlus R package was used to perform differentially-expressed genes, which yielded divided two gastric cancer subtypes termed cluster 1 and cluster 2. Results Patients in cluster 2 was found to display poorer prognosis than patients in cluster 1. Using machine learning method to select 8 differentially expressed genes among subtypes to construct fatty acid prognostic risk score model (FARS), which was found to display good prognostic efficacy. We also identified that certain anticancer drugs, such as bortezomib, elesclomol, GW843682X, and nilotinib, showed significant sensitivity in the high FARS score group. RGS2 was selected as the core gene upon an analysis of the gastric cancer single-cell, and Western blotting and immunofluorescence staining results revealed high level of expression of this gene in gastric cancer cells. The results of immunohistochemical staining showed that a large amount of RGS2 was deposited in the stroma in gastric cancer. A pan-cancer analysis also revealed a significant association of RGS2 with TMB, TIDE, and CD8+ T-cell infiltration in other cancer types as well. RGS2 may thus be studied further as a new target for immunotherapy in future studies on gastric cancer. Conclusion In summary, the FARS model developed here enhances our understanding of lipid metabolism in the TME in gastric cancer, and provides a theoretical basis for predicting tumor prognosis and clinical treatment.


Background and aims: Creativity and its impact on students' performance is an important factor in the success and effectiveness of services in clinical settings. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between clinical efficacy and creativity of nursing students.
Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out on 200 students who were interns and externs at the School of Kerman Nursing and Midwifery from October to May 2014, 2 semesters, who were selected by available sampling. The data were collected using three questionnaires: Demographic information, Torrance creativity and efficacy clinical practice based on the nursing process. Pearson correlation and Regression methods were used to analyze data with the use of SPSS software.
Results: Average score of creativity and self-efficacy score were respectively 102.71±9.6 and 107.83±8.04. 97 percent of students had medium and strong clinical self-efficacy. Pearson correlation test showed a positive relationship between the total creativity and self-efficacy score (P<0.0001). The highest score is in the fluid field of creativity which was 34.3±9.22, and the highest mean score of self-efficacy related to patient's assessment was 34.89±6.9 and the lowest score was related to patient evaluation level which was 17.43±4.46.
Conclusion: The results of the study revealed a significant positive and strong correlation between creativity and clinical self- efficacy. Therefore, in addition to predicting students' curriculum units to foster creativity, emphasizing expansion into detail domain, it must be put special emphasis on nursing process in clinical environments. Because it can possibly be effective on their clinical self-efficacy as an important clinical skill in patient's care.


Zirconia-rich subsolidus phase relationships in the Zr0,Sc,O, and ZrO,-In,O, systems were investigated. Phase inconsistencies in the Zr0,-Sc,O, system resulted from a diffusionless cubic-to-tetragonal ( t ' ) phase transformation not being recognized in the past. Through three different measuring techniques, along with microstructural observations, the solubility limits of the tetragonal and cubic phases were determined.


The consumption of the coffee beverage generates large amounts of sludge that can be converted into organic compost when composted. It evaluated levels of composted coffee grounds in the production of carrots. The experiment was conducted at the Goiano Federal Institute - Campus Urutai, GO. A completely randomized design with 5 treatments was used: 0%, 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% of composted sludge and four replicates. The following parameters were evaluated: root length, plant height, MFR, root diameter, weight of (MSPA) and weight of (MSR). The results were analyzed using the SISVAR software, performed the analysis of variance and when significant differences were found the Tukey test was used to compare the averages, at 5%. The higher percentage of sludge provided greater development in most of the analyzed parameters. It was concluded that composite coffee grounds in the substrate, the plants showed good development, obtaining positive results.


Studied the process of child psychotherapy by means of an analyses of therapist verbal behaviors. Audio-video recordings were made of nine intermittent psychotherapy sessions with 2 child clients, aged 8 and 12. A randomized mastertape of 4-minute segments was rated for empathic understanding and respect by means of the Carkhuff scales. Transcripts were categorized by means of the Hill Counselor Verbal Response Category System, and a preliminary set of 12 grammatical variables. Transcripts were minutized, and all the therapist variables were intercorrelated and factor-analyzed. According to the research expectations, high levels of interrater reliabilities for the Carkhuff scales and relatively high agreement levels for Hill's system were found. Analyses of the therapist variables demonstrated the nature of the therapeutic interventions as well as the pattern of change across successive psychotherapy sessions. The overall verbal response behavior of each therapist was summarized best through the factor analyses. Communalities and individual differences between the therapists were discussed. Future directions for the study of therapist variables in child psychotherapy process research were indicated.


Fructose 1-phosphate is a metabolite that plays a regulatory role in liver and is best measured using an assay based on its conversion to fructose 1,6-bisphosphate by a bacterial fructose-1-phosphate kinase (Fru1PK). The open reading frame encoding Escherichia coli Fru1PK has been introduced in an expression plasmid (pET3a) based on the T7 promoter-driven system, which was used to overexpress the enzyme. The conditions for the production of soluble Fru1PK were optimized. The purification procedure used involved ammonium sulfate precipitation and chromatography on DEAE-Sepharose and was aimed mostly at stabilizing the enzyme and at freeing Fru1PK from bacterial contaminants that could interfere in the fructose 1-phosphate assay. From a 1-liter culture, more than 50 mg protein is obtained. This preparation can be used in an enzymatic assay that measures specifically fructose 1-phosphate in tissue extracts.


Abstract Smolensk Catastrophe is not only about the question of clarifying facts, but also the one of responsibility stemming from them on the grounds of European Convention on Human Rights, and being more precise from its art. 2: The right to life. The article includes both negative obligations, such as the prohibition of depriving an individual of life, as well as positive ones regarding the establishing of effective regulations in criminal law, providing legal and administrative procedures aiming at e.g. preventing the acts of life deprivation, including the ones referring to procedural obligations concerning the conduct of a proper and effective investigation. Responsibility is shared by both parties of the Convention: Russia and Poland. The first of them ought to be responsible for depriving the Catastrophe casualties of their lives, not only in the event of an attack and explosion, but also in the context of TU 154 renovation, the manner of organizing the visit, dividing it between 7th and 10th April 2010, the level of securing the quality of service at the North Smolensk airport, conducting the investigation and keeping the evidence (the wreck, black box, etc.), which made it impossible for Poland to conduct the effective investigation. Poland, on the other hand, is responsible for the lack of applying appropriate legal and administrative procedures, as well as preventive and controlling measures, inappropriate conduct of aviation investigation by Military Prosecutor Office, as well as the lack of an effective investigation indicated in art. 2 of the Convention. Poland ought to be held responsible also for the manner of organizing the visit. The responsibility of a state on the basis of the Convention includes detecting, pursuing and punishing individuals responsible for actions and cessations determined as a punishable offence of negligence and not fulfilling ones duties. Therefore there certainly was the situation of breaching the material and procedural obligations stemming from art. 2 of the Convention.


A coarse-grained model has been developed for asymmetrically substituted poly(silylenemethylene)s in which the side chain is a flexible spacer terminated by a biphenyl unit. Each monomer unit is represented by four coarse-grained beads that interact via a Lennard–Jones potential and are subject to the first- and second-order interactions deduced from the atomistically detailed model. Metropolis Monte Carlo simulations were performed for isolated syndiotactic, isotactic, and atactic chains. Snapshots from the equilibrated coarse-grained chain on the discrete space of a high coordination lattice were reverse-mapped to atomistically detailed structures in continuous space. At 373 K, the chains were disordered independent of the stereochemical composition. The occupancy of bond pairs depended on the stereochemical composition, with the trans-gauche (tg) sequence being favored by the isotactic chain. When the simulation was performed with the backbone constrained to specific periodic structures, the g helix was the lowest energy structure for either the atactic or isotactic chains. For the syndiotactic chain, the g and gt helices were favored. The appearance of the g helix as the favored periodic structure of the isolated chain was consistent with the chain conformation reported previously for the smectic phase of this polymer in the bulk state. The g helix was disrupted when the backbone was allowed to access nonhelical conformations, even though these conformations may have been slightly higher in energy. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 43: 886–896, 2005


In recent years, the adoption of the precise approach for coordinating socio-economic growth and environmental protection to attain sustainable development has become an urgent challenge to be addressed in China. The current development of environmental governance and the efficiency of government financial expenditure on environmental protection (EPEE) deserves enormous attention. With the aid of the provincial panel data, this study emphasized on the use of the SBM super-efficiency model based on unexpected output to quantify the efficiency of China's government expenditure on environmental protection from 2013-2018 and constructed the Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression model to investigate the influencing factors of the government expenditure on environmental protection. The results of the efficiency measurement portray that the aggregate EPEE in China is unsatisfactory. The efficiency value for the western region is greater than that of the central and eastern regions, while the values obtained from the eastern region are above that of the central region. Population size and urbanization level have negative implications on the efficiency value, while the regional economic development level positively promotes the efficiency of the government expenditure on environmental protection. Finally, the corresponding countermeasures and suggestions for policy implementation are outlined accordingly.


This is an impressively produced book in an atlas format, but offering more than the usual atlas in its content. As well as colour photographs of the naked eye appearances of various conditions and the histological appearances there are numerous highly relevant radiographs and clearly drawn colour diagrams. A simple but effective expedient is the use of simple line drawings beside the photographs instead of labelling the actual pictures and x-rays. This gives clarity and at the same time enables the reader to pick out features in x-rays or in illustrated microscope fields for themselves. The standard of colour illustration is in general high. The text is slightly variable in that some important topics, for example, the mucopolysaccaridoses, are dealt with only briefly, and of necessity most topics are described in general terms. It would be simple to pick out for criticism individual small points, but some defects must result inevitably from the constraints of length of text, and there are other important comments which reflect the considerable experience of the authors in this field: for example, the statement that the differentiation of aneurysmal bone cyst and telangiectatic osteosarcoma may be difficult is helpful and reassuring to the reader facing that problem for the first time. The contents of the book are set out in what sometimes leads to anomalous groupings. There are chapters on 'Normal bone,' 'Disturbances in formation and breakdown of bone' (two), 'Injury and repair,' 'Deposition of metabolic products and haematologic disorders,' 'Arthritis' (three, including the spine), 'Infections,' 'Hamartomas and benign tumourous conditions' (two), Neoplasms' (two), and 'Miscellaneous orthopaedic conditions.' Within these headings multiple enchondromata, for example, appear under harmartomas/tumorous conditions, while solitary enchondroma is a neoplasm, and osteoid osteoma is similarly under harmartomas/tumorous conditions, while osteoblastoma is a neoplasm. The bibliography gives a few references to further reading matter rather than a comprehensive literature review, which would in any case not be appropriate to this type of book. Students and trainees in orthopaedics, radiology, pathology, and oncology will find this a helpful introduction to an area in which it is difficult to obtain basic information. The use of large numbers of radiographs is especially appropriate to the subject matter, and there are clinical photographs and pictures of macroscopical appearances which should prove useful to those unfamiliar with orthopaedic pathology. PETER A. REVELL


PURPOSE
X-Ray CT has the potential to provide precise and accurate data from which the mechanical properties of bone can be calculated. Such data would be useful in understanding the response of bone tissue to implants. Various artifacts can, however, degrade accuracy of the data. The aim of this study was to measure the artifactual errors produced in CT of a simulated femoral bone-titanium composite and to propose a method to correct for them.

METHOD
A composite phantom that simulates cortical bone and a titanium implant was designed and constructed. The phantom was scanned and the image data were analyzed over a range of thresholds with image analysis software developed for this study. The outer (OD) and inner (ID) diameter and the CT number of the cortical bone, with and without titanium, were measured over a range of cortical thicknesses.

RESULTS
While ID can be accurately measured by choosing the proper threshold (800 HU), OD, even at optimal threshold, will be underestimated by approximately 2%. If a proper threshold is selected, CT number can also be accurately determined. Errors of up to 5%, however, are produced by titanium unless corrected by proper threshold selection.

CONCLUSION
Intramedullary titanium is not a deterrent to obtaining accurate measurements of cortical bone dimensions and properties. Proper choice of thresholds for image analysis of CT scan data can yield accuracy and precision of < or = 2%.


: Sweet potato [ Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.] is a multipurpose plant due to the different uses for its roots, leaves, and branches. The objective of this study was to evaluate the ornamental potential of sweet potato accessions from the Germplasm Bank of Embrapa Hortaliças, Brasilia, DF, Brazil. The morphological characterization and evaluation of the ornamental potential used five accessions with distinct leaf shape (CNPH 980, CNPH 1205, CNPH 895, CNPH 796, CNPH 1284) and 12 qualitative and quantitative descriptors [plant type (PT), leaf lobe type (LLT), immature leaf color (ILC), leaf lobe number (LLN), branch color (BC), shape of central leaf lobe (SCLL), petiole pigmentation (PP), mature leaf size (MLS), mature leaf color (MLC), leaf shape (LS), branch yield (BY), and root yield (RY)]. In the evaluation of the ornamental potential, each criterion was scored from 10 (minimum) to 100 (maximum). Leaf lobe number was the trait that pleased the evaluators the most, and the greater the number of lobes, the greater was the ornamental potential. CNPH 980, CNPH 1205, and CNPH 1284 stood out for this trait. CNPH 1284 (almost divided leaf type) had the greatest score and was considered, by the evaluators, as the accession with the most harmonious aesthetics, indicating a great ornamental potential for the consumer market. All accessions studied presented considerable ornamental potential and could be used in floral arrangements or garden beds.


La version française de cet article peut être consultée à: http://ssrn.com/abstract=3189740. Today, the world is experiencing the full brunt of an energy crisis because our energy resources are a global challenge. From their discovery, their exploitation, and their storage to their distribution and their usage, they pose tremendous risks and threats both to our health and the environment. The challenge also stems from the facts that: technology does not create energy, transforming energy is expensive, and energy transitions – for example, switching from fossil fuels to, say solar energy – take time. The demand for energy is here to stay because the two fundamental factors that fuel it are inherent to mankind. These are population growth and economic activities. The world population is increasing at an astonishing rate of 1.1 percent per year or 83 million people per year. It's projected that the current world population of 7.3 billion is expected to reach 8.5 billion by 2030; 9.7 billion in 2050 and 11.2 billion in 2100. Energy is the cornerstone of our survival. Unfortunately, the picture is not perfect considering that each source of energy has its downsides and challenges. Among recent controversies: risk of accidents and leaks posed by offshore drilling, the Keystone pipeline, the Fukushima nuclear plant accident, health and environmental risks of coal mining, hydrologic fracturing, nuclear wastes, rising costs of mineral resources, and rising carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere. Putting a meaningful price on CO₂ emissions is viewed by many as integral to achieving the 2° C climate goal. The current picture, however, reveals significant challenges relating to the geographic coverage of carbon markets, the prevailing price levels and, in some cases, the need for market reform. Carbon emissions trading schemes in operation in 2014 covered 3.7 Gt (11 %) of global energy-related CO₂ emissions and had an aggregate value of $26 billion. The average price was around $7 per ton of CO₂. In contrast, 4.2 Gt (13%) of global energy related CO₂ emissions from the use of fossil fuels receive consumption subsidies, with the implicit subsidy amounting to $115 per ton of CO₂, on average… It's important to note that climate change could also trigger a massive reduction in global population. People need land, water, food, and shelter and often satisfy these needs by destroying wild nature. But it is not just a matter of sheer numbers, for the amount of resources consumed by each person is what really makes a difference to our impact on the planet.


This article reviews survey research on intimate partner violence (IPV) in the U.S. general population. Results from survey research conducted over the past quarter century are briefly summarized. Three additional national studies related to injuries, crime victimization, and homicide among intimate partners in the United States are also considered. The article emphasizes the progress that has been made in general population survey research related to IPV. It concludes with a discussion of the current controversies and future directions for survey research of IPV in the U.S. general population.


Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic autoimmune central nervous system (CNS) disease characterized by inflammation, demyelination and axonal damage. The most important goal in MS treatment is to provide neuroregeneration. However, current treatments only work to slow the progression of MS. Ocrelizumab is a humanized anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody used in the treatment of MS. In this study, it was aimed to investigate the effects of Ocrelizumab on the proliferation and differentiation potential of dental pulp-derived stem cells (DP-SC). For this purpose, three different (1.5 µg/mL, 15 µg/mL and 150 µg/mL) doses of Ocrelizumab were added to the normal culture medium, and then proliferation analyzes at 24, 48 and 72 hours were performed with the WST-1 assay. Ocrelizumab treatment for 24 and 48 hours was observed to dose-dependently reduce the proliferation of stem cells. At 72 hours, the efficacy of the drug on proliferation was lost at low doses. Similarly, a dose-dependent decrease in the expression of stemness marker, Rex1, was detected. The expression of the adipogenic differentiation marker ADFP, osteogenic differentiation marker RUNX2, chondrogenic differentiation marker SOX9, and neurogenic differentiation marker TUBB3 were evaluated to determine the influence on the differentiation potential of stem cells under the drug effect. While RUNX2, SOX9 and TUBB3 expressions increased in a dose-dependent manner, there was a decrease in ADFP expression in parallel to the drug dose. According to the results of the study, ocrelizumab might have the potential to support the regenerative effects by supporting the differentiation of DP-SCs in osteogenic, chodrogenic and neurogenic.


Deep learning has been widely adopted in natural language processing applications in recent years. Many existing studies show the vulnerabilities of machine learning and deep learning models against adversarial examples. However, most existing works currently focus on evasion attack on text data instead of positioning attack, also named backdoor attack. In this paper, we systematically study the backdoor attack against models on text data. First, we define the backdoor attack on text data. Then, we propose the different attack strategies to generate trigger on text data. Next, we propose different types of the triggers based on modification scope, human recognition and special cases. Last, we evaluate the backdoor attack and the results show the excellent performance of with 100% backdoor attack success rate and sacrificing of 0.71% on text classification task.


In this paper, we aim at solving pixel-wise binary problems, including salient object segmentation, skeleton extraction, and edge detection, by introducing a unified architecture. Previous works have proposed tailored methods for solving each of the three tasks independently. Here, we show that these tasks share some similarities that can be exploited for developing a unified framework. In particular, we introduce a horizontal cascade, each component of which is densely connected to the outputs of previous component. Stringing these components together allows us to effectively exploit features across different levels hierarchically to effectively address the multiple pixel-wise binary regression tasks. To assess the performance of our proposed network on these tasks, we carry out exhaustive evaluations on multiple representative datasets. Although these tasks are inherently very different, we show that our unified approach performs very well on all of them and works far better than current single-purpose state-of-the-art methods. All the code in this paper will be publicly available.


We study the jamming process arising in granular systems subjected to decreasing external vibration, which has features similar to the cooling of glass-forming liquids. We modify the friction between grains and observe that jamming occurs 'more easily' for grains with higher surface roughness. To understand the observed behavior we present a detailed analysis of the elastic and tribological phenomena at the length scale of the grains in contact and provide a qualitative model, where the Hertzian nonlinear elastic contact between grains plays a relevant role.


The present study was conducted to probe The Effect of Input-flood through Listening English Movies on Receptive Skills. In this study the researcher analyzed the progress during the listening of movies according to the notes and diaries that recorded during the experiment. Progress on the results of the IELTS test, which includes listening and reading skills were compared. At first, the researcher was tested. Progress was compared based on the results of the listening and reading parts of the two IELTS tests that come at the beginning and of listening to movies. The results of analyzing diaries and comparing the scores of the two tests showed that Input-flood through listening English movies had impact on increasing listening skills, but no significant impact on reading skills.


While the historic management of food allergy includes avoidance strategies and allergic reaction treatment, oral immunotherapy (OIT) approaches have become more commonly integrated into therapeutic approaches. International guidelines, phase 3 trials and real‐world experience have supported the implementation of this procedure. However, OIT is an elective, rarely curative procedure with inherent risks that necessitates an increased degree of health literacy for the patients and families. Families assume the responsibility of amateur healthcare providers to ensure the daily safe administration of the allergenic food. As such, it is incumbent upon physicians to ensure that families are prepared for this role. A thorough educational and shared decision‐making approach is necessary during the counselling and consent process to adequately inform the families. Educated discussion about the efficacy and patient‐centred effectiveness, therapeutic alternatives and family goals is required to align physician and patient expectations. A frank discussion about the struggles, practical challenges, risks and contraindications can help to develop an understanding of the risk mitigation strategies employed to maintain safety. Physicians should develop a proactive approach to educate families about this, at times, burdensome procedure. This educational approach should encourage ongoing support starting prior to consent through the maintenance visits. By preparing families for their unique management role, physicians can help ensure the safe and successful integration of OIT into the therapeutic offering for the management of food allergies.


We identified and explained the contractual choices of Mexican coffee traders in selling their product and analyzed the traders´ performance. The data were obtained from personal interviews with 53 intermediaries in four coffee producing regions of the states of Oaxaca and Veracruz, Mexico. Marketing margins were used as an indicator of traders' performance. The results indicate that being a roaster, having a wet processing plant and selling cherry coffee negatively affects the use of contracts whereas being vertically integrated has a positive effect. The results also suggest that being registered in the National Coffee System (which only a minority of the interviewed traders were) increases the margin for the trader. Selling cherry coffee, participating in a competitive environment and having a contract decreases these margins (at 5% significance) and may thus enhance the performance of the supply chain and benefit the producers


Abstract Laboratory experiments were conducted to determine the effects of various factors on interactions for refuge sites of two stream-dwelling benthic organisms. The effect of a piscivore, the smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu), on intraspecific and interspecific interactions involving crayfish (Crustacea: Cambaridae: Cambarus longulus) and hellgrammites (Insecta: Megaloptera: Corydalus cornutus) was examined. Three possible interactions were recognized in all experiments: (1) the refuge occupant was evicted by an intruder; (2) the refuge occupant excluded the intruder from the refuge; (3) the occupant and the intruder shared the refuge. The size of both crayfish and hellgrammites had a statistically significant effect on the outcome of interspecific and intraspecific interactions, larger individuals being more successful at excluding or evicting smaller individuals from a refuge. The effect of size on the interactions, however, was tempered by the effects of prior occupancy of the refuge (owner-intruder models), allowing smaller individuals of both species to maintain occupancy of the refuge when faced with a larger intruder in about one-third of all trials. There was no significant effect of gender on the outcome of interactions between male and female crayfish. The presence of a fish (Micropterus dolomieu) significantly altered the outcome of interspecific and intraspecific interactions. Not only were both species more likely to gain access to the refuge as an intruder, but the occupant was less likely to be evicted, resulting in a greatly increased incidence of sharing of the refuge in the presence of the fish. Refuge sharing by crayfish never occurred unless a fish was present. Refuge sharing by hellgrammites was an especially important interaction in the presence of fish.


The article is based on data from ethnographic field research that was conducted in Vilnius and the Vilnius are in 2017–2020 and in Sofia in 2019. To meet the aims of this research comparing interactions between neighbours in the cities of Sofia and Vilnius respectively, I analysed two types of neighbourhood: the formal, which is determined by territorial proximity and the necessity of mutual assistance; and the informal, which is based on friendly feelings and the desire to spend leisure time and celebrate together. However, the specific features of field research in these cities highlighted another aspect of the neighbourhood, namely, how it functions in public and private spaces. A majority of respondents associated friendship with visiting one another at home, while birthdays were the most common celebration for spending time together. Older respondents, mostly those who were from villages, remember how neighbours would interact in the village environment and how they brought this concept of neighbourhood to the city, naturally comparing it with the situation there and pointing out generational differences. However, in the opinion of the majority, the city environment changed the nature of interactions between neighbours and created a unique concept of neighbourhood that was based on close social links, which sometimes developed into friendship.


This article is a redescription of Pimelodella longipinnis, an enigmatic catfish previously known only from its holotype and with uncertain type locality. The species is redescribed based on recently collected materials from streams of the Mata Atlântica bioregion, in Santos municipality, São Paulo State, Brazil. Pimelodella longipinnis is assigned to a putatively monophyletic group, the Pimelodella leptosoma-group, diagnosed by the presence of a supraoccipital process not reaching the anterior nuchal plate, with a gap of ca. 20-25% of the supraoccipital process total length, and whose tip notably surpasses the midpoint of the complex vertebra in dorsal view. We also present a list of fish species described from a shipping sent to the American Museum of Natural History from the former Museu Paulista (now Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de São Paulo), of which P. longipinnis was part.