This paper presents upstream nozzle trailing edge coolant ejection on downstream uncooled blades. Pressure sensitive paint (PSP) mass transfer technique provides detailed phantom cooling effectiveness distribution on a modeled land-based turbine rotor blade surfaces. Cavity purge and tip leakage flows are excluded, and a uniform blade inlet temperature is adopted in the current study. Experiments have completed in a low speed wind tunnel facility with a five blade linear cascade. The inlet Reynolds numbers based on chord length are 100,000 and 200,000. Nozzle trailing edge coolant ejection on rotor blade is simulated by a spoked wheel-type rotating facility with 32 hollow rods equipped with coolant ejection from 128 holes per rod. Coolant to mainstream density ratio maintains at 1.5 to match engine conditions. Nozzle coolant discharge velocity to nozzle mainstream velocity ratio varies from 0.4 to 1.4. Velocity ratios from 0.4 to 0.6 are closest to typical engine conditions. Coolant to mainstream mass flow rate ratio (MFR) is from 0.67% to 2.94%. Higher phantom cooling effectiveness occurs on suction and pressure surfaces at the velocity ratio from 0.4 to 0.6 and over 1.0, respectively. Velocity ratio effect impacts on phantom cooling effectiveness distribution more than MFR effect. Most of trailing edge coolant migrates toward blade inner and outer spans than blade mid-span. Further investigation of the trailing edge coolant ejection including cavity purge and tip leakage flows is essential for understanding real applications.Copyright © 2015 by ASME


ABSTRACT During the 17th and 18th centuries the Dutch were quite active in exploring the western and northern coastlines of the Great Southland. Of one of these expeditions, conducted by Maerten van Delft in 1705, intelligence is limited and it is infrequently mentioned in the canon of Australia's exploration. The only extant documents of the expedition are an anonymous manuscript chart and a report of the voyage by two Councillors of the VOC in Batavia. This article provides a brief outline of the voyage, then examines the toponyms and appellations in the report and those on the manuscript chart, endeavours to reconcile the differences between the two, and finally attempts to provide motivations for the names as well as to pinpoint their locations and present-day names.


Sepsis is a severe and dysregulated inflammatory response to infection characterized by end-organ dysfunction distant from the primary site of infection. Development of acute kidney injury (AKI) during sepsis increases patient morbidity, predicts higher mortality, has a significant effect on multiple organ functions, is associated with an increased length of stay in the intensive care unit, and hence consumes considerable healthcare resources. When compared with AKI of nonseptic origin, septic AKI is characterized by a distinct pathophysiology and therefore requires a different approach. Despite impressive advances in several fields of medicine, the pathophysiology, diagnostic procedures, and appropriate therapeutic interventions in sepsis are still highly debatable. Numerous immunomodulatory agents showing promise in preclinical studies fail to reduce the overwhelmingly high mortality rate of sepsis and provoke AKI when compared with other critically ill patients. Major impediments to progress in understanding, early diagnosis, and application of appropriate therapeutic modalities in sepsis-induced AKI include limited histopathologic information, few animal models that closely mimic human sepsis, and a relative shortage of specific diagnostic tools. Here we discuss the most recent advances in understanding the fundamental mechanisms of sepsis-induced AKI, characteristics of relevant animal models available, and potential therapies.


This letter proposes a secure orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) waveform based on two physical-layer secrecy enhancing methods. The first method is time-domain pre-coding that involves interleaving and scaling based on a key shared between two legitimate parties adopting the OFDM waveform. The second method is a random change of the cyclic prefix (CP) size resulting in the randomization of the OFDM symbol time. The CP size is also changed based on a key agreed upon between the legitimate parties. The proposed methods not only increase the detection complexity at the eavesdropping node, but also suppress any cyclic features that distinguish OFDM waveforms. The evaluation of the proposed methods is carried out by deriving a closed-form expression for the ergodic secrecy rate of the system. Then, the effect of pre-coding on the quality-of-service performance is analyzed. The proposed methods achieve a considerable secrecy performance gain when proper equalization is implemented at the legitimate receiver.


800x600 This paper attempts to demonstrate that in Emmanuel Levinas' thinking, justice is the necessary opening – and dissolution- of the "I" which makes fecundity – procreation – possible, and that in that same measure makes possible that the Logos transforms into a "desire to say" and the world into a "among us". At the same time it wants to demonstrate that this notion of justice is directly related to the ideas of expression and nudity. Due to which the "Other" imposes itself in front of the "same" (the "I"), as man, singular and vulnerable, and that in the same measure it is linked to the notion of the Face and its particular mode of manifestation. In this respect, we propose that justice. As long as necessary condition, can fund an ethically constituted world, where an "erotic order" mandates over logic orderings. Normal 0 21 false false false ES X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4


App markets are stirring a paradigm shift in the way software is provisioned to the end users. The benefits of this model are plenty, including the ability to rapidly and effectively acquire, introduce, maintain, and enhance software used by the consumers. This paradigm shift, however, has given rise to a new set of security challenges. In parallel with the emergence of app markets, we have witnessed increased security threats that are exploiting this model of provisioning software. The key obstacle is the ability to rapidly assess the security and robustness of applications submitted to the market. The problem is that security testing is generally a manual, expensive, and cumbersome process. This is precisely the challenge that we have begun to address in a project targeted at the development of a framework that aids the analysts in testing the security of Android apps. The framework is comprised of a tool-suite that given an application automatically generates and executes numerous test cases, and provides a report of uncovered security vulnerabilities to the human analyst.


In several studies from northern Europe, north America and Australia, melanocytic nevi are correlated with pigmentary traits and with intense sun exposure in a way similar to malignant melanoma. However, it is unclear if these data can be extrapolated to populations in other geographic locations and with different prevalent phenotypes. Our study was conducted among schoolchildren aged 13–14 years in 16 Italian cities. The parents of 3,127 children of a total of 3,160 (99%) consented to our study. A structured questionnaire was used to collect information about sun exposure and lifetime history of sunburns. Children were also examined by trained dermatologists to assess pigmentary traits and to make a count of melanocytic nevi. The median nevus density was higher among boys than girls. Areas that are usually chronically exposed to the sun exhibited a higher density of nevi compared to intermittently and rarely exposed areas. A higher density of nevi was found in children with lighter skin, blond hair and blue eyes. Red‐haired children had a remarkably lower nevus density compared to the other color categories. The density of nevi increased with an increased number of reported episodes of sunburns. The results concerning nevi ≥6 mm in diameter paralleled those obtained for the total nevus density. However, at variance with total nevus density, a significant relation was also observed between larger nevi and freckling. Our study confirms that, in Italian schoolchildren, there is a relation between pigmentary traits, history of sunburns and the density of melanocytic nevi. Melanocytic nevi and malignant melanoma share a similar risk factor profile. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


In the paper the problem of universal semantic language is discussed in the context of optimizing the acquisition of the lexicon of Russian as a 2-nd language, that presupposes its comparison with the lexical system of one's own language. Using the words denoting human character traits as an example we show, that for constructing such a metalanguage it is important not only to single out universal ontological concepts, but also to devise methods of analysis and modes of representation of lexical meanings, that have no clear ontological conceptual counterparts.


The RhIII complex [(PNP)Rh(CN)(CH3)][I] 5, obtained by oxidative addition of methyl iodide to [(PNP)Rh(CN)] 2, reacts selectively in two pathways: In aprotic solvents C-I reductive elimination of methyl iodide followed by its electrophilic attack on the cyano ligand takes place, giving the methyl isonitrile RhI complex [(PNP)Rh(CNCH3)][I] 3, while in protic solvents C-C reductive elimination of acetonitrile takes place forming an iodo RhI complex [(PNP)RhI] 9. Reaction of 2 with ethyl iodide in aprotic solvents gave the corresponding isonitrile complex, while in protic solvents no reactivity was observed. The selectivity of this reaction is likely due to a hydrogen bond between the cyano ligand and the protic solvent, as observed by X-ray diffraction, which retards electrophilic attack on this ligand.


Insular involvement in temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) has gradually been recognized since the widespread use of stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG). However, the correlation between insular involvement and failed temporal lobe surgery remains unclear. In this study, we analyzed the surgical outcomes of TLE patients who underwent temporal and insular SEEG recordings and explored the predictors of failed anterior temporal lobectomy (ATL) in these patients with temporal seizures. Forty-one patients who underwent ATL for drug-resistant TLE were examined using temporal and insular SEEG recordings. The clinical characteristics, SEEG data, and postoperative seizure outcomes of these patients were analyzed, and multivariate analysis was used to identify the predictors of surgical outcome. In this series, the ictal temporal discharges invaded the insula in 39 (95.1%) patients. Twenty-three (56.1%) patients were seizure-free (Engel class I) after ATL with at least 1 year follow-up. Only temporal-insular spreading time (TIST) was an independent predictor of postoperative seizure-free outcomes (P = .035). By creating receiver operating characteristic curves for TIST, 400 milliseconds was identified as the cutoff for classification. All patients were classified into 2 groups (TIST ≤ 400 milliseconds and TIST > 400 milliseconds) based on the cutoff value; the difference in seizure-free rates between the 2 groups was significant (P = .001). The very early insular involvement in TLE may be associated with poorer seizure outcomes after ATL. Our findings may be helpful for estimating the appropriate operative procedures and will be valuable for evaluating the prognosis of TLE patients with temporal-insular SEEG recordings and temporal lobectomy.


An ultra-wideband (UWB) bandpass filter (BPF) with two sharply rejected notch bands based on a folded stepped impedance resonator (SIR) is investigated. The proposed UWB BPF comprises four folded shunt quarter-wavelength short-circuited stubs, and two coupled SIRs with metallised via holes to ground. The SIRs are studied and employed to generate the desired two notched bands. The predicted results are compared with measured data and good agreement is reported.


ABSTRACT:This essay argues that George Granville's adaptation of The Merchant of Venice (1701) exploited the significance of imperiled liberty to Shakespeare's original play. The drama around Shylock acquired both a new shape and sharpened significance, the essay proposes, in relation to changing ideas about individual and collective freedom—questions that recent developments supplied with both acutely personal and more broadly politicized significance for early eighteenth-century theatergoers. Building upon precedents including John Dryden's Amboyna (1673) and Thomas Southerne's Oroonoko (1695), the adaptation of Shakespeare's play that held the stage for the opening decades of the eighteenth century appeared at a moment of expanding global commerce as well as the pervasive unfreedom, bondage, and violence that was the corollary of that trade. At a moment when appeals to English liberty were ever more trenchantly asserted, even as unfreedom became more pervasive and stringently enforced, the adapted play channeled the dynamics of Shakespeare's drama, this essay sets out to show, into an affirmative staging of the English subject, in which freedom appeared as an undisputed but precariously maintained birthright in ways that looked back to Magna Carta and ahead to the American Declaration of Independence.


Call center workers talk and use the telephone vigorously on their work. This activity can cause voice disorder or disfonia. The aim of study is to find out the proportion of voice disorder on call center and back office and association factors which can cause voice disorder. This study is a comparative cross sectional design with relaitive risk analysis. Data collected were sociodemographic characteristics, ability of respondent, body mass index, job; humidity, temperature, and environment noise, and the association of risk factors with voice disorder. From 82 respondents (call center and back office), it was found that the proportion of voice disorder are 78% on call center and 51% on back office. Call center suffered from voice disorder 3.39 times bigger than back office (p 0.01 OR 3.39, CI 1.18 – 9.95), there isnot association between risk factors with voice disorder. Keywords: voice disorder, call center, acoustic parameter


Unconventional gas reservoirs are now the targets for meeting the demand for gas. These reservoirs are at the depth of more than 10,000 ft (even over 15000 depth as well) and are difficult to be exploited by conventional methods. For the last decades hydraulic fracturing has become the tool to develop these resources. Mathematical models (2D and pseudo-3D) have been developed for fracture geometry, which should be realistically created at the depth by surface controllable treatment parameters. If the reservoir rock is sandstone, then proppant fracturing is suitable and if the rock is carbonates, then acid fracturing is applicable. In both cases, proper design of controllable treatment parameters within constraints is essential. This needs proper optimization model which gives real controllable parametric vales. The model needs the most important analyses from geomechanical study and linear elastic fracture mechanics of rock containing unconventional gas so that fracture geometry makes maximum contact with the reservoirs for maximum recovery. Currently available software may lack proper optimization scheme containing geomechanical stress model, fracture geometry, natural fracture interactions, real field constraints and proper reservoir engineering model of unconventional gas resources, that is, production model from hydraulically fractured well (vertical and horizontal). An optimization algorithm has been developed to integrate all the modules, as mentioned above, controllable parameters, field constraints and production model with an objective function of maximum production (with or without minimization of treatment cost). Optimization is basically developed based on Direct Search Genetic and Polytope algorithm, which can handle dual objective function, non-differentiable equations, discontinuity and non-linearity. A dual objective function will meet operator's economic requirements and investigate conflict between two objectives. The integrated model can be applied to a vertical or horizontal well in tight gas or ultra-tight shale gas deeper than over 10,000 ft. A simulation (with industrial simulators) was conducted to investigate and analyse fracture propagation behavior, under varying parameters with respect to the fracture design process, for tight gas reservoirs. Results indicate that hydraulic fracture propagation behavior is not uninhibited in deep reservoirs as some may believe that minor variations of variables such as in-situ stress, fluid properties etc. are often detrimental to fracture propagation in some conditions. Application of this model to a hypothetical tight and ultra-tight unconventional gas formations indicates a significant gas production at lower treatment cost; whereas the resources do not flow without any stimulation (hydraulic fracturing).


The article provides an overview of bird remains assigned to the genus Pyrrhocorax Tunstall, 1771 from nine cave sites of Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene age within the Crimean Peninsula (Ukraine). A large sample of chough bones from the Emine-Bair-Khosar Cave (722 bones) is processed and the results obtained are presented here for the first time. Re-identification of the remains revealed the presence of the Alpine chough Pyrrhocorax graculus in the studied region instead of two species of the genus Pyrrhocorax as previously believed. The material processed was assigned to an extinct subspecies – Pyrrhocorax graculus vetus – based on a series of measurements taken from various skeletal elements (in particular, coracoideum, humerus, ulna, radius, carpometacarpus, femur, tibiotarsus, and tarsometatarsus). The previous assumptions of the coexistence of two chough species in the Crimea during the Late Pleistocene made it possible to consider climate in this region as relatively warm. Our results indirectly revealed that the climate of the Crimean Peninsula at the verge of the Late Pleistocene and Holocene was rather cool and therefore unsuitable for the red-billed chough.


Machine learning algorithms have been successfully used to approximate nonlinear maps under weak assumptions on the structure and properties of the maps. We present deep neural networks using dense and convolutional layers to solve an inverse problem, where we seek to estimate parameters of a FitzHugh-Nagumo model, which consists of a nonlinear system of ordinary differential equations (ODEs). We employ the neural networks to approximate reconstruction maps for model parameter estimation from observational data, where the data comes from the solution of the ODE and takes the form of a time series representing dynamically spiking membrane potential of a biological neuron. We target this dynamical model because of the computational challenges it poses in an inference setting, namely, having a highly nonlinear and nonconvex data misfit term and permitting only weakly informative priors on parameters. These challenges cause traditional optimization to fail and alternative algorithms to exhibit large computational costs. We quantify the prediction errors of model parameters obtained from the neural networks and investigate the effects of network architectures with and without the presence of noise in observational data. We generalize our framework for neural network-based reconstruction maps to simultaneously estimate ODE parameters and parameters of autocorrelated observational noise. Our results demonstrate that deep neural networks have the potential to estimate parameters in dynamical models and stochastic processes, and they are capable of predicting parameters accurately for the FitzHugh-Nagumo model.


The adverse effects caused by PM2.5 have drawn extensive concern and it is of great significance to identify its spatial distribution. Satellite-derived aerosol optical depth (AOD) has been widely used for PM2.5 estimation. However, the coarse spatial resolution and the gaps caused by data deficiency impede its better application at the urban scale. Additionally, obtaining accurate results in unsampled spatial areas when PM2.5 ground sites are insufficient and distribute sparsely is also a challenging issue for PM2.5 spatial distribution estimation. This paper aimed to develop a model, i.e., spatially local extreme gradient boosting (SL-XGB), combining the powerful fitting ability of machine learning and optimal bandwidths of local models, to better estimate PM2.5 concentration at the urban scale by using Beijing as the study area. This paper adopted simplified high-resolution MODIS aerosol retrieval algorithm (SARA) AOD at 500 m resolution as the major independent variable, hence, ensuring the estimation can be operated at a fine scale. Moreover, the extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost) model was adopted to fill the gaps in SARA AOD, thus improving its availability. Then, based on full-covered SARA AOD and other multisource data, the SL-XGB model, integrating multiple local XGBoost models and particular optimal bandwidths, was trained to estimate PM2.5 concentration. For comparison, SL-XGB and two other models, XGBoost and geographically weighted regression (GWR), were evaluated by 10-fold cross validation (CV). The sample-based CV results reveal that the SL-XGB performed the best as assessed through R2 (0.88), root mean square error (RMSE = 24.08 μg/m3) and mean prediction error (MPE = 16.90 μg/m3). Additionally, SL-XGB also performed the best in the site-based CV with a R2 of 0.86, a RMSE of 26.15 μg/m3 and a MPE of 17.97 μg/m3, which shows its good spatial generalization ability. These results demonstrate that SL-XGB can better simultaneously handle non-linear and spatial heterogeneity issues despite spatially limited data at the urban scale. As far as the PM2.5 concentration distribution was concerned, it presented a gradient increase in PM2.5 concentrations from the northwest to the southeast in Beijing, with abundant spatial details. Overall, the proposed approach for PM2.5 estimation showed outstanding performance and can support preventive pollution control and mitigation at the urban scale.


Background: This study investigated which factors are associated with the therapeutic relationship in Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy for psychosis (CBTp). Method: Measures were taken between sessions two to nine in 24 therapist-client dyads. Clients and therapists completed the Working Alliance Inventory and measures of client (gender, age, ethnicity, positive and negative symptoms of psychosis, length of illness, admissions, social contacts, employment, cognitive insight, reaction to hypothetical contradiction), therapist (empathy, expertness, attractiveness, trustworthiness, number of years qualified and previous CBTp clients seen, confidence in CBTp), and therapy (number of sessions and CBTp interventions carried out, presentation of a formulation) factors. Results: On average, clients and therapists rated the therapeutic relationship as good, with clients giving higher ratings. None of the client variables was related significantly to the quality of the relationship. However, a number of therapist and therapy factors were linked to a better therapeutic relationship, namely clients' ratings of therapist empathy, expertness, attractiveness, and trustworthiness and, at trend level, a greater number of sessions and of CBTp interventions, and the presentation of a formulation. Conclusions: These results suggest that therapists are able to develop a good therapeutic relationship with clients with psychosis, regardless of the severity of the psychosis and the confidence and experience of the therapist, although non-significant findings need interpreting with caution due to the lack of a full range of therapeutic alliances. The findings also suggest that the basic tenets of CBTp, such as empathy and collaborative goals, may be important factors for the development of the therapeutic relationship.


Immobilised magnetic nanoparticles are extensively used owing to their superparamagnetic nature, surface interaction, and binding specificity with the appropriate portentous substances. The present research focuses on the development of a portentous, robust carrier, which integrates the silica-coated amino-functionalised magnetic nanoparticle (AF-MnP) with the plant extracts of Cynodon dactylon (L1) and Muraya koenigii (L2) for the stable and enhanced removal of hazardous hexavalent chromium pollutant in the wastewater. Vibrating sample magnetometer (Ms - 45 emu/g) determines the superparamagnetic properties; Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy determines the presence of functional groups such as NH2, Si-O-Si, C=C; high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, field emission scanning electron microscope and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy determine the size of the green adsorbents in the range of 20 nm and the presence of elements such as Fe, N, and Si determines the efficacy of the synthesised silica-coated AF-MnP. The AF-MnP-L1 shows the maximum adsorption capacity of 34.7 mg/g of sorbent calculated from the Langmuir isotherm model and the process follows pseudo-second-order kinetics. After treatment, the adsorbents can be easily separated from the solution in the presence of an external magnetic field and are reused for nine cycles after acid treatment with the minimal loss of adsorption efficiency.


abstract While several studies detail the experiences of university students with racial and gender harassment, bullying, and microaggressions, few explore these phenomena among Black women faculty members in higher education transnationally. This article makes a novel contribution by examining Black women's agentic responses to marginalising experiences in higher education. Black women's extraordinary efforts to succeed in westernised universities built on the subjugation of and from the labour of their ancestors, awareness-raising about their negative experiences, and strategies to change colleagues' behaviours defy 'business as usual' in higher education. Neoliberalism, Gender and Curriculum Transformation in Higher Education is a multi-site project led by Professor Relebohile Moletsane (Moletsane & Mabokela 2019), who partners with Black women to support their academic and scholarly success. This article reviews results of a survey administered to participants to document their experiences and explore the interventions designed by Moletsane's Feminist Decoloniality as Care (FEMDAC) investigators at universities in South Africa and America. This article describes four ways in which researchers effectively operationalise feminist decoloniality as care, by: 1) truth-telling about the impact of neoliberal institutions on the daily lives of Black women academics; 2) locating the source of academic woundedness not solely in the individual behaviours of bad actors but in systemic oppression; 3) creating opportunities for women to see the similarities in their experiences transnationally and to recognise ways in which institutional structures marginalise them; and 4) mutual support, a team mentoring approach, and reproducing Black excellence.


Activation of human interleukin 3 (IL-3) and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) receptors, ectopically expressed in FDCP-mix multipotent cells, stimulates self-renewal or myeloid differentiation, respectively. These receptors are composed of unique alpha subunits that interact with common beta(c) subunits. A chimeric receptor (hGM/beta(c)), comprising the extracellular domain of the hGM-CSF receptor alpha subunit (hGM Ralpha) fused to the intracellular domain of hbeta(c), was generated to determine whether hbeta(c) activation is alone sufficient to promote differentiation. hGM-CSF activation of hGM/beta(c), expressed in the presence and absence of the hbeta(c) subunit, promoted maintenance of primitive phenotype. This indicates that the cytosolic domain of the hGM Ralpha chain is required for differentiation mediated by activation of the hGM Ralpha, beta(c) receptor complex. We have previously demonstrated that the alpha cytosolic domain confers signal specificity for IL-3 and GM-CSF receptors. Bioinformatic analysis of the IL-3 Ralpha and GM Ralpha subunits identified a tripeptide sequence, adjacent to the conserved proline-rich domain, which was potentially a key difference between them. Cross-exchange of the equivalent tripeptides between the alpha subunits altered receptor function compared to the wild-type receptors. Both the mutant and the corresponding wild-type receptors promoted survival and proliferation in the short-term but had distinct effects on developmental outcome. The mutated hGM Ralpha promoted long-term proliferation and maintenance of primitive cell morphology, whereas cytokine activation of the corresponding hIL-3 Ralpha mutant promoted myeloid differentiation. We have thus identified a region of the alpha cytosolic domain that is of critical importance for defining receptor specificity.


We investigate optimal boundary control of the steady-state Navier–Stokes equations. The control goal is to increase the lift while maintaining a drag constraint. The resulting problem has control as well as state constraints. We use as control space L 2(Γ), which makes it necessary to work with very weak solutions of the Navier–Stokes equations. Moreover, the low regularity of y ∈ L p (Ω) n states forces to reformulate cost functional and state constraint, which results in a problem with nonlinear and mixed control-state constraint. We derive first-order necessary and second-order sufficient optimality conditions for this optimal control problem. Moreover, we report on numerical experiments on the solution of the first-order optimality system.


ABSTRACT The 2000 Republican nomination battle illustrates the waning importance of campaign momentum to winning the presidential nomination and the increasing significance of early fundraising and organization. The reform movement of the 1970s established a new presidential nomination structure, which placed a premium on building momentum by winning early contests such as the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary. However, so many recent front-runners survived early defeats, suggesting the conventional wisdom needs to be revisited. In 2000, frontrunner George W. Bush, survived two substantial "bumps in the road" to go on and win his party's nomination faster than anyone in the post-reform period. This research explores how the resources obtained before the onset of the primaries prevented seemingly important early losses in New Hampshire and Michigan from denying Bush the nomination. The data examined include five measures of campaign organization obtained from quarterly and monthly reports filed with the Federal Election Commission by candidate campaigns: (1) money raised, (2) cash reserves, (3) state organizations, (4) paid staff, (5) payroll expenses and consultant fees.


An intelligent community spaces architecture (COMNet), which supports the activation of communities through the application of P2P network technology, is proposed. COMNet can form network communities without requiring a broker. We call this a broker-less model. In this paper, we propose a distributed trust-control technology as one of the component groups of COMNet. This technology is important to the formation of reliable network communities. We propose a few trust algorithms and two types of reputation algorithm using information from other entities as elements of distributed trust-control technology. Copyright © 2004 AEI


It is the fortune of war that great renown is the lot of those who happen to be among the first of the wounded or the killed. But after these first few the names are lost in numbers. To this rule the members of the Medical Corps and notably of the Medical Reserve Corps of the United States Army have been a glorious exception. They were literally the first at the front, they were the first to shed their blood for their country. Hundreds of them were sent silently to the support of the British as early as May and June of last year, and from that time to this they have paid their toll of dead and wounded—they have been gassed, they have suffered the interminable daily hardships of mud and privation, of gas and shell fire. Their valiant action, their fidelity to duty are unrecorded. We may well


This paper deals with the geometrical properties of an ellipsoidal object (aspect ratio, volume, orientation) estimation with an underwater sensor inspired by the uncommon sense of the electric fish. The proposed method first locates the object independently of its geometrical properties thanks to the MUSIC (MUltiple SIgnal Classification) algorithm and then, estimates the geometrical properties using an optimization method and the object's electrical response model. The simulation results show the relevance of the method.


In reading this revised volume, one has a sense of being in a world of reflection that is a modernised scholastic version of the Manuale Theologiae Moralis. The volume, in two parts, treats the theological virtues and worship in the first, and the commandments in the second. Since Peschke presents such a diverse range of topics, the area covered is necessarily broad. While one could accept the limited scope and purpose of this manual, there are, however, a number of weaknesses which I found to be problematic. The rearrangement of the chapters with the addition of one on responsible care for creation does little to disguise the fact that this is a scantily revised 1985 edition. For example, there is no discussion of the just-war theory after the Gulf war or any serious examination of economic life in the light of the encyclical Centesimus annus (1991), in which Pope John Paul II addresses the topic at considerable length. With few exceptions, only in the 29-page bibliography are there any references to works published after 1988. That an introductory textbook break new ground is not necessary, perhaps not


approved: Jay S. NoIler Farmlands, grasslands, and savannas in semi-arid sub-Sahelian Africa have the potential to store carbon (C) in soil. There is a great need to manage ecosystems to increase C storage in semipermanent soil pools. This will improve soil quality, impede desertification and by reducing atmospheric CO2 levels, will slow climate change. Several previous studies highlight the role of trees as a source of C to the soils of Senegal's Peanut Basin. This study is the first to recognize the role of Guiera senegalensis and Piliostigma reticulatum (two native shrub species widely found in natural and agro-ecosystems in sub-Sahelian Africa), as key vegetative C sink in this landscape. This dissertation reports on three components of study. First, investigation of factors mediating distribution and total abundance of these shrubs shows that shrub distribution is controlled by geological substrate, mean annual temperature, mean annual rainfall and terrain profile convexity. Relative abundance of shrubs within their communities is influenced by mean annual rainfall, maximum annual temperature and elevation (for G. senegalensis) and mean annual rainfall, mean annual temperature, elevation and profile convexity (for P. reticulatum). The second study reports on the biomass C stocks of the shrubs and the relative influence of the shrubs and trees on spatial dependence of soil C levels. Estimates of peak-season biomass C ranged from 0.9 to 1.4 Mg C ha-1 with an overall mean of 1.12 Mg C ha-1 (SEM = ±0.079) where G. senegalensis dominates and from 1.3 to 2.0 Mg C ha-1 (mean = 1.57 Mg C ha-1; SEM = ±0.18) where P. reticulatum dominates. Geostatistical analyses showed that shrubs had greater influence on landscape-level soil C levels than trees. The third study presents the regional C stocks and development of a method that couples the CENTURY model and GIS to model C dynamics for G. senegalensis in a portion of the basin. There is approximately 247000 Mg of biomass C at peak-season for the studied section and CENTURY model projections indicate that C sequestration in the area is hinged on long-term effectiveness of fire suppression (through residue burning) with actual rates depending strongly on scenarios of management and soil type. Signature redacted for privacy.


Deformation within accreting and subducting sediments may occur through ductile as well as brittle modes, producing deformation fabrics defined by the preferred orientation of sedimentary particles. The method of X-ray pole figure goniometry is used to determine the clay-mineral fabric in hemipelagic sediments collected from Hole 808C within the Nankai accretionary prism toe during ODP Leg 131. Total finite ductile strains are estimated assuming the theory of March (1932) relating grain preferred orientation to strains. The resulting strains, adjusted to reflect volume changes in the sediments, suggest that accreting sediments have experienced up to 10% lateral ductile shortening while subducting sediments show little evidence for any lateral shortening. This suggests that the décollement serves as an important boundary between subducting and accreting sediments in the vicinity of Site 808. Vertical strains obtained here are lower than expected, especially for the deepest samples, possibly due to the effects of bioturbation during primary deposition and compaction, or to the breakdown of the March model at high strains. The results also suggest that sediment response to tectonic stress may vary with position, based on reversals in depth trends for strains and strain parameters at mid-depth. Further work is needed to expand these findings. This study shows that the method of X-ray pole figure goniometry can be useful for recognizing spatial variations in deformation fabrics and ductile strains in sediments within the toes of accretionary prisms.


The book is an ambitious attempt to answer important questions for resource dependent countries in general and Brunei in particular regarding the role and effectiveness of national planning in the drive for economic diversification. It reviews the history of economic planning in Brunei from the First National Development Plan to the present one. Economic planning should bring forward dynamics of change and help provide a clear direction to government policies and expenditure programs and initiate effective measures to set in motion the required structural and institutional changes to enable both the government and the private sector to make their full contribution. The book also contains extensive case studies on other resource dependent countries' experiences and applies statistical techniques to relevant data in an attempt to measure the extent of Dutch Disease in Brunei. This is an original research and as such it makes a significant contribution to the understanding of the resource curse, or Dutch Disease, phenomenon. The book gives an extensive literature review of Dutch Disease.


There have been significant increases in stream flow in many rivers of the Upper Midwestern United States since 1980. Increased summer flows may negatively impact ecological processes, including aquatic organisms' life cycles. The smooth softshell (Apalone mutica) and wood turtle (Glyptemys insculpta) are threatened by alteration of stream flow regime and other changes to river ecosystems in the Upper Midwest. We hypothesized that prolonged duration of high summer flows would reduce time available for nesting. We assessed hydrologic change using the Indicators of Hydrologic Alteration program and stream gauge data, characterized physical properties of sandbars, surveyed turtle nesting sites and assessed historical channel change using aerial photos in GIS on five Upper Midwest rivers. A river stage-sandbar area relationship was developed to determine the effect of prolonged summer flow duration on turtle nesting opportunity for the 1940–2009 time period. Suitable water levels have declined since 1980 in the agricultural watersheds of southern Minnesota likely delaying hatching and reducing survival, particularly for aquatic turtles such as A. mutica. In contrast to the agricultural watersheds, there was no significant change in the northern forested rivers' stream flow and sandbar availability during the nesting season. Management to reduce summer stream flow in agricultural watersheds and protection of known nest sites could benefit threatened aquatic turtle populations.


In 1880, Stokes famously demonstrated that the singularity that occurs at the crest of the steepest possible water wave in infinite depth must correspond to a corner of $120^{\circ }$ . Here, the complex velocity scales like $f^{1/3}$ where $f$ is the complex potential. Later in 1973, Grant showed that for any wave away from the steepest configuration, the singularity $f=f^{\ast }$ moves into the complex plane, and is of order $(f-f^{\ast })^{1/2}$ (Grant J. Fluid Mech., vol. 59, 1973, pp. 257–262). Grant conjectured that as the highest wave is approached, other singularities must coalesce at the crest so as to cancel the square-root behaviour. Despite recent advances, the complete singularity structure of the Stokes wave is still not well understood. In this work, we develop numerical methods for constructing the Riemann surface that represents the extension of the water wave into the complex plane. We show that a countably infinite number of distinct singularities exist on other branches of the solution, and that these singularities coalesce as Stokes' highest wave is approached.


Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is a non-invasive means of detecting numerous compounds, thus enabling real-time studies to be carried out on such topics as energy metabolism, intracellular pH and main intermediate metabolism pathways. This method has been used for several years to study perfused livers and rat livers in vivo, but its application to man has just begun. We describe some of its principal uses, with emphasis on the possibilities it offers to investigate the metabolic pathways. With the rapid advances made in this field, and particularly spectroscopic imaging, NMR spectroscopy should prove valuable in four main branches of research: understanding of physiological and pathological metabolic mechanisms, diagnosis with the possibility of functional tests, follow-up and assessment of new medical treatments, and pharmacology.


Several substituted phenylene- and biphenylenemercurials
have been prepared and their degree of
polymerization checked using mass spectrometry: in all
cases only the trimeric species were obtained. The
chemistry of some of these organomercurials was thoroughly
investigated and also a complete X-ray structural analysis
of the orthorhombic form of biphenylenemercury carried out. [Continues.]


Comments in online news could be the contemporary enactment of the eighteenth-century cafés that founded public sphere. This article assesses to what extent do these forms of digital discussion fit in Habermas' principles for democratic debate, using his discursive ethics as a demanding normative benchmark. The sample of more than 15,000 comments was selected from the online versions of five national newspapers of record from different political and journalistic contexts: The Guardian (United Kingdom), Le Monde (France), The New York Times (United States), El País (Spain), and La Repubblica (Italy). The ethical guidelines and legal frameworks set up by the newspapers as well as their moderation strategies were considered to understand the different settings of the conversations. Two models of audience participation emerge from the analysis, one where communities of debate are formed based on mostly respectful discussions between diverse points of view and another of homogenous communities, in which expressing feelings about current events dominates the contributions and there is less of an argumentative debate.


studied by Plioplys el al were found in Western blots of frontal cortex and, therefore, should not be confused with the Purkinje cell specific reactivity of the antibody found in patients with paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration. Other examples of autoantibodies specific for neurological paraneoplastic syndromes include: (1) an antineuronal antinuclear antibody which has been found in sera from patients with small cell lung cancer and neurological paraneoplastic diseases but not in any of more than 400 controls' and (2) an autoantibody that reacts with retinal ganglion cells which only have been found in patients with small cell lung cancer and retinal degeneration.6 7 Finally, Plioplys et al used total homogenates of different parts of the brain in their Western blots which, in our experience, have yielded an especially high incidence of nonspecific banding.2 Non-specific immunoreactivity can be significantly reduced by using isolated neurons.2


BACKGROUND
Automated clinical decision support has shown promise in reducing medication errors; however, clinicians often do not comply with alerts. Because renal insufficiency is a common source of medication errors, the authors studied a trial of alerts designed to reduce inpatient administration of medications contraindicated due to renal insufficiency.

METHODS
A minimum safe creatinine clearance was established for each inpatient formulary medication. Alerts recommending cancellation appeared when a medication order was initiated for a patient whose estimated creatinine clearance was less than the minimum safe creatinine clearance for the medication. Administration of medications in patients with creatinine clearances less than the medication's minimum safe clearance were studied for 14 months after, and four months before, alert implementation. In addition, the impact of patient age, gender, degree of renal dysfunction, time of day, and duration of housestaff training on the likelihood of housestaff compliance with the alerts was examined.

RESULTS
The likelihood of a patient receiving at least one dose of contraindicated drug after the order was initiated decreased from 89% to 47% (p < 0.0001) after alert implementation. Analysis of the alerts seen by housestaff showed that alert compliance was higher in male patients (57% vs. 38%, p = 0.02), increased with the duration of housestaff training (p = 0.04), and increased in patients with worsening renal function (p = 0.007).

CONCLUSION
Alerts were effective in decreasing the ordering and administration of drugs contraindicated due to renal insufficiency. Compliance with the alerts was higher in male patients, increased with the duration of housestaff training, and increased in patients with more severe renal dysfunction.


Transformation of principal dynamic modes (PDMs) under epileptogenic conditions was investigated by computing the Volterra kernels in a rodent epilepsy model derived from a mouse whole hippocampal preparation, where epileptogenesis was induced by altering the concentrations of Mg2 + and K+ of the perfusate for different levels of excitability. Both integrating and differentiating PDMs were present in the neuronal dynamics, and both of them increased in absolute magnitude for increased excitability levels. However, the integrating PDMs dominated at all levels of excitability in terms of their relative contributions to the overall response, whereas the dominant frequency responses of the differentiating PDMs were shifted to higher ranges under epileptogenic conditions, from ripple activities (75–200 Hz) to fast ripple activities (200–500 Hz).


Disasters disrupt the physical and social environments that shape health and social problems. Post disaster issues related to the distribution of emergency aid have not been studied systematically but are likely to affect communities after a disaster. The common issues that elderly people face post disaster situations are financial issues, sexual health issues, emotional concerns, physical abuse and related issues. Social isolation puts people in a situation where they are predisposed to be more vulnerable to the risks of a disaster. Here the author specifically elaborates on the various issues of the senior citizens associated with disasters. The example from recent natural disasters in India such as Tsunami disaster in 2004, Uttarakhand disaster in 2013, landslide disasters in various parts of the Kerala and other states in the last few years, and the recent Chennai floods clearly show the significance of the issue that needs to be addressed. Community networks and programmes that addressed abuse and related issues before the disaster should be identified, revitalized and strengthened through training and support. A strong net work starting from neighbourhood groups can go a long way in formulating, and implementing care group activity. The Government too should pass laws against the abuse of elderly and abusers punishable with stiff punishments. Already, there are laws in place which protect senior citizens, if their children abandon them. These laws need to be strictly implemented. Also, newer laws which give more comprehensive protection to senior citizens need to be enacted especially suitable to the pre and post disaster context.


Using several specially designed discharge chambers embodying point-point, point-plane and point-sphere electrode systems, and filled with dielectric liquid, a zone of low luminescent intensity was detected between the electrode corona and the point in the liquid at which the discharge channel originated. This dark zone is evidently the location of the mechanisms which are the critical precursors of breakdown in the liquid, and is referred to as the critical region. It is of a general ellipsoidal shape, and for the gap lengths of 3 to 7 mm employed, has major and minor axes of about 100 and 50 pm respectively.


Environmental change may alter the communication systems of birds by imposing shifts in their acoustic signals. In tropical forests, vocally active species usually avoid overlapping signals in acoustic space by calling within narrow frequency ranges, whereas in forest islands a less saturated acoustic space may allow variation in acoustic signals. Some signals are also adapted to optimize its propagation in the prevailing habitat. Despite a growing understanding of what drives acoustic variation, it is unclear if human-induced insularization of natural landscapes can unleash alterations in avian communication systems. We investigated the variability of acoustic signal properties in 2 suboscines birds (Lipaugus vociferans and Tyranneutes virescens) in islands within an artificial lake created by the damming of the Uatuma River, in Brazilian Amazonia. We tested if signal variability was related to variation in acoustic community proxies (island area and isolation), and vegetation structure by surveying 13 variable-sized forest sites and 2 mainland continuous forest sites. Bandwidth variation in L. vociferans songs was related to island area and isolation (N = 67 inds), but these relationships were not observed in T. virescens songs (N = 69 inds). Additionally, the lowest and peak frequencies of songs of both species were higher in islands with greater tree basal area. In both species, temporal properties of songs were not associated with variation in island characteristics. Our study suggests that land-use changes may lead to alterations in particular traits of acoustic signals for species for which songs are innate.


This paper compares a new method of simulation organization, called the significant event method, with an old one, called the clock pulse method, using as examples two automobile traffic models. The significant event method is found to be more efficient than the clock pulse method at low levels of system interaction and less efficient at high levels. A simple mathematical model for the trade-off in the relative running time of the two methods is developed. The model aids in choosing between the two simulation methods for a particular experiment. It is concluded that the significant event method can be of value in the simulation of some systems when computational efficiency is of sufficient importance.


Denaturation of antigen E in 8 M urea or by reduction-carboxymethylation treatment resulted in loss of antigenic determinants in native molecules. The denatured antigen preparations, as well as the α and β polypeptide chains isolated from the antigen upon its dissociation failed to combine with rabbit or human IgG antibody against the native antigen, or to induce erythema wheal reactions in ragweed-sensitive individuals. The denatured antigens and the polypeptide chains, however, enhanced anti-DNP antibody response of DNP-ragweed (DNP-Rag)-primed rabbit lymph node cells to DNP keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH). When the primed lymph node cells were treated with DNP-KLH for 24 hr, and then cultured in the presence of one of these modified antigens, both IgG and IgE anti-DNP antibodies were formed in vitro. The activity of the modified antigens to stimulate carrier-specific helper cells was comparable to that of native antigen. All of the modified antigens induced DNA synthesis of peripheral lymphocytes of ragweed-sensitive patients but not the lymphocytes of normal individuals. The results indicated that denatured antigen E as well as α and β polypeptide chains possess determinants specific for T cell receptor.


In recent years there has been growing concern around student wellbeing and in particular student mental-health. Numerous newspaper articles (Ferguson, 2017; Shackle, 2019) have been published on the topic and a BBC 3 documentary (Byrne, 2017) was produced on the topic of student suicide. These have coincided with a number of United Kingdom Higher Education sector initiatives and reports, the highest profile of these being the Universities United Kingdom "#StepChange" report (Universities UK, 2017) and the Institute for Public Policy Research "Not By Degrees" report ("Not by Degrees: Improving Student Mental Health in the UK's Universities" 2017). Simultaneously, learning analytics has been growing as a field in the United Kingdom, with a number of institutions running services predominantly based on student retention and progression, the majority of which make use of the Jisc Learning Analytics service. Much of the data used in these services is behavioral data: interactions with various IT systems, attendance at events and/or engagement with library services. Wellbeing research indicates that since changes in wellbeing, are indicated by changes in behavior, these changes could be identified via learning analytics. Research has also shown that students react very emotively to learning analytics data and that this may impact on their wellbeing. The 2017 Universities United Kingdom (UUK) #StepChange report states: "Institutions are encouraged to align learning analytics to the mental health agenda to identify change in students' behaviors and to address risks and target support." (Universities UK, 2017). This study was undertaken in the 2018/19 academic year, a year after the launch of the #StepChange framework and after the formal transition of Jisc's learning analytics work with partner HEIs to a national learning analytics service. With further calls for whole institutional responses to address student wellbeing and mental health concerns, including the recently published University Mental Health Charter this study aims to answer two questions. Firstly, is there evidence of the #StepChange recommendation being adopted in current learning analytics implementations? Secondly, has there been any consideration of the impact on staff and student wellbeing and mental health resulting from the introduction of learning analytics? Analysis of existing learning analytics applications have found that there is insufficient granularity in the data used to be able to identify changes in an individual's behavior at a required level, in addition this data is collected with insufficient context to be able to truly understand what the data represents. Where there are connections between learning analytics and student support these are related to student retention and academic performance. Although it has been identified that learning analytics can impact on student and staff behaviors, there is no evidence of staff and student wellbeing being considered in current policies or in the existing policy frameworks. The recommendation from the 2017 Stepchange framework has not been met and reviews of current practices need to be undertaken if learning analytics is to be part of Mentally Healthy Universities moving forward. In conclusion, although learning analytics is a growing field and becoming operationalized within United Kingdom Higher Education it is still in its reactive infancy. Current data models rely on proxies for student engagement and may not truly represent student behaviors. At this time there is inadequate sophistication for the use of learning analytics to identify student wellbeing concerns. However, as with all technologies, learning analytics is not benign, and changes to ways of working impact on both staff and students, wellbeing professionals should be included as key stakeholders in the development of learning analytics and student support policies and wellbeing considerations explicitly mentioned and taken into account.


This study investigates the effects of information and communication technologies (ICTs), permeability, flexibility, and spillovers of work into home and home into work on job burnout and job and family satisfaction. Results from a random sample of 612 office workers show that individuals who reported being satisfied with their jobs tended to feel that the Internet could help them accomplish work-related tasks, that traditional media could help them relax after work, and had a highly permeable boundary between their home domain and a highly flexible work environment. On the other hand, people who experienced low job satisfaction faced high work spillovers into home life and high burnout. The findings underscore that the connectedness of ICTs is not the main issue for assessing the consequences associated with ICTs. Rather, individual control over what passes through the boundaries shapes the consequences people experience.


Intracranial chondroma is a rare benign cartilaginous tumour with an incidence of less than 1% of all primary intracranial tumours. The authors are reporting here a case of intracranial chondroma in a 40-year-old man who presented with 5-month history of headache and gradual diminution of vision. A tentative diagnosis of chondroma was made on imprint cytology which was confirmed on histopathological examination.


Santiago de Murcia In her letter in EM Jan 82 p. 125 Monica Hall mentions a large number of com positions by Francois Le Cocq, Francois Campion, Robert de Visee and Fran cesco Corbetta that Santiago de Murcia inserted into his Passacalles y obras (1732). Although I am sure that she arrived at her conclusions independent of my own research, last year these same correspondences were brought to light in my 'Santiago de Murcia: Spanish Theorist and Guitarist of the Early Eighteenth Century', 2 vols. (PhD diss., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1981). Unfortunately, Ms Hall incorporates several errors into her brief letter. She mentions 13 pieces by Le Cocq in Murcia's Passacalles; there are, in fact. 16. In most of these instances Murcia preserves the basic structure of the original, but in a few cases he sig nificantly alters and reshapes the model. He expands several movements bor rowed from Le Cocq's Suite in G minor by inserting recurring motives and harmonic passages that forge the suite into a unified whole. The 11 pieces Richard Pinnell lists as being by Cor betta (a figure that Ms Hall accepts) should be pruned to only six—the remaining five are actually by Campion and Le Cocq. The correspondences between Murcia and his contemporaries do not stop with Le Cocq, Campion, De Visee and Corbetta; I have discovered that all 59 of the contredanses in Murcia's Resumen de acompanar la pane con la guitarra (Antwerp, 1714) are taken from the publications of the French dance master Raoul-Auger Feuillet. Further more, thematic similarities between several preludes hint that Murcia may have been familiar with the music of Henry Grenerin and Antoine Carre. A detailed table of these correspondences can be found in my dissertation and my forthcoming article 'Santiago de Mur cia: the French Connection in Baroque Spain', Journal of the Lute Society of America, 15 (1982).


The use of in vitro assays of cell-mediated immunity has provided evidence of a defect in thyroid antigen-specific T suppressor cells in the peripheral blood of patients with autoimmune diseases. We employed a direct assay of T lymphocyte migration inhibition in an attempt to demonstrate cell-mediated immune responses to thyroid antigens in untreated patients with hyperthyroid Graves' disease and examined the influence of (1) a variety of antigen preparations, (2) different assay conditions, and (3) the HLA-DR3 status of normal subjects on this system. There was no significant difference in the migration of lymphocytes from 13 untreated patients with hyperthyroid Graves' disease to a crude 800 X g supernatant antigen preparation of normal human thyroid when incubated at either 20 or 37 C compared with the response of 13 normal subjects. The mean migration index was 57 +/- 22 (+/- SD) in the Graves' patients compared with 65.2 +/- 19.9 in the normal subjects at 20 C and 83 +/- 16.9 in the Graves' patients compared with 86.6 +/- 15.1 in the normal subjects at 37 C. Similarly, there was no significant difference in the migration indices obtained with T cells from Graves' patients and normal subjects using an 800 X g supernatant prepared from the thyroid glands of 2 patients with Graves' disease, incubated at 20 or 37 C (44.0 +/- 22.5 in the Graves' patients compared with 45.7 +/- 12.8 in the normal subjects at 20 C and 67.9 +/- 20.8 in the patients compared with 72 +/- 12.6 in the controls at 37 C). In contrast, the migration indices calculated for 20 C incubation were significantly lower than the corresponding value at 37 C using 800 X g normal thyroid antigen (P less than 0.05) and 800 X g Graves' thyroid antigen (P less than 0.01) in both patient and control groups. An identically prepared uterine antigen produced a similar reduction in the migration indices at 20 C compared with those at 37 C in 6 normal donors (P less than 0.05), but no temperature effect was found when 8 normal subjects were tested with purified protein derivative of tuberculin. The responses of 12 normal individuals to 800 X g supernatants of the normal and Graves' thyroid antigens were not influenced by the HLA-DR3 antigen.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)


We have performed 284 OLT and from 1990 we accept donors older than 50 years. We analyzed 100 consecutive OLT from 1990 in relation to donor age and we divided them in three groups: A) 10 liver transplants with donors < 16 years old; B) 76 liver transplants with donors between 16 and 49 years old, and C) 14 liver transplants with donors > 49 years old. The follow-up was more than 6 months. The liver preservation was carried out with Belzer solution and the immunosuppression was performed with cyclosporine A, corticoids and azathioprine. The C group donors were more stable haemodynamically (less dopamine dosage-p < 0.001- and less hours with arterial hypotension-p < 0.05-) and they died less of craneoencephalic traumatism than A group donors (p < 0.01). The C group donors didn't have more frequence of liver esteatosis or greater graft harvest lesions (p = n.s.). The cold ischaemia time was greater in C group vs A (p < 0.05) and its pretransplant clinical status was more serious than in A and B groups (p < 0.05). There were no significant differences between groups in relation to recipient status, frequence of hepatic artery or portal vein thrombosis, frequence of acute rejection, chronic rejection or biochemical graft evolution at first month. There were more primary graft non functions in B vs A (p < 0.05) and retransplants in B vs A and C (p < 0.01).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


DuPont is joining with the State of Delaware and the University of Delaware to form Delaware Innovation Space, a business incubator at the DuPont Experimental Station research labs, where DuPont has excess space. DuPont is donating a building and labs valued at about $15 million plus $2.0 million worth of equipment and $1.3 million in start-up funding. The state will contribute $5.0 million in start-up funding; the university will pitch in $1.5 million. The partners hope the facilities will keep ex-DuPonters and other entrepreneurs in the state of Delaware.


Vibration energy harvesting using ambient vibrations is gaining importance day by day due to the search for alternative energy generators for small electronic devices. Cantilever beams with piezoelectric actuators mounted on it as unimorph or bimorph structures are often used for this purpose. When these systems are vibrated, the strain produced in the piezoelectric actuators will be directly proportional to the amount of energy generated. If a structure vibrates at its resonant frequency, the strain produced will be maximum and therefore more power can be generated. A Dynamic Magnifier enhances the induced strain in the energy harvesters and thereby helps to fit more modal frequencies in narrow bandwidth. In this paper, the effect of different cross-sections of the Dynamic Magnifier on vibration energy harvesting is studied; the modal frequencies of piezoelectric cantilever beam with and without magnifier are described. The results clearly showed that as the cross-sectional area decreases, the natural frequencies fall in a smaller range and the efficiency of a vibration energy harvester can be enhanced. The best cross section of the Magnifier beam is identified in the end.


Craftand arts-based procedures, as examples of aesthetic communication, have the potential to inspire new ways of being and doing in the context of student support activities in higher education environments. In this article, we share our experiences of using craftwork and arts-infused activities to examine our practice. In our research undertaking, we collaborated creatively in order to scrutinise and question our taken-for-granted and usual student support practices. The purpose of our inquiry was to engage with specific craftand arts-based procedures in order to discover how transformation of practice, prompted by creative activism, could be realised. To achieve this, we developed an innovative, Crafting Connections, procedure. This hands-on technique adds to the creative repertoire available to scholars and practitioners. Material sense making employing this craftwork process and artsbased activities facilitated the exploration of student support practices. Using visual activism and a transformative activist stance as theoretical perspectives, images, crafted artefacts, and collage work were scrutinised. This positioned us to make an argument for the coalescing of understanding and prompting of transformed practice informed by creative action and insight. Through craftand arts-based practitioner inquiry activities, we gained insights regarding ways of creating a transformative learning space for students and staff to grow towards their goals and realise their intentions in a mutually beneficial manner. Our reflections further revealed that it is essential for staff to balance nurturing with respect for agency as a key action in the student support process. 1 Ethical clearance number: H19-EDU-ERE-006


PURPOSE
To characterize the phenotype of autosomal dominant oculo-oto-dental (OOD) syndrome, map the disease locus in a five-generation British family, and evaluate a candidate gene.

METHODS
Full clinical assessments in all affected patients included slit lamp and retina examination, refraction, A-scan ultrasound, audiograms, and dental assessments. Genomic DNA from all family members was genotyped, by polymerase chain reaction, for polymorphic genetic markers covering the entire genome. Two-point LOD scores were generated using a linkage analysis suite of computer programs. The gene for eyes absent 2 (EYA2) was screened for mutations by direct automated sequencing and Southern blot analysis.

RESULTS
All the affected individuals examined had iris and retina coloboma associated with high-frequency, progressive, sensorineural deafness and globodontia. This is the only genetic disease known to result in pathologically enlarged teeth. The locus for OOD (OOD1) was mapped to 20q13.1. A maximum two-point LOD score of 3.31 was obtained with marker locus D20S836 at a recombination fraction of theta; = 0.00. Two critical recombinations in the pedigree positioned this locus to a region flanked by marker loci D20S108 and D20S159, giving a critical disease interval of 12 centimorgans (cM). Mutation screening of one candidate gene, EYA2, revealed no disease-associated mutations or polymorphic variants.

CONCLUSIONS
This is the first genetic localization for the OOD phenotype (ODD1). The disease-causing gene is localized within a 12-cM critical region of chromosome 20q13.1. The identification of the disease gene is not only relevant to the study of vision and hearing defects, but also highlights an exceptional gene involved in the development of human dentition.


A CASE was recently reported where stoppage of guanethidine treatment of hypertension in a diabetic patient resulted in a marked increase in insulin requirements and blood sugar levels (Gupta & Lillicrap, 1968). This patient had been previously receiving 20 mg guanethidine daily for 4 months for control of hypertension. An additional 24 units of soluble insulin were needed daily after guanethidine was discontinued. This raised the possibility of a significant anti-diabetic action of guanethidine. This communication describes results of a trial designed to evaluate it.


The aim of this study was to determine the concentration of selected transition metals, i.e. iron (Fe), copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn) in the livers of laying hens free from and infested with the red mite (Dermanyssus gallinae) and to explain the effects of the invasion of this parasite on the content of those elements. The study was carried out on 24 Hy-Line Brown hens bred in battery cages. The birds were divided into two groups, free from and infested with D. gallinae. Concentration of analysed metals was determined using atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Based on this experiment, it was proved that a long-term (52 weeks) exposure of hens to D. gallinae resulted in a significant (P < 0.05) decrease of Fe, Cu and Zn in the liver. The mean content of analysed metals in the group infested with the parasite amounted to 31.42 mg Fe/ kg, 2.71 mg Cu/kg and 22.64 mg/kg, whereas in the non-infested group it was 38.51 mg Fe/kg, 3.12 mg Cu/kg and 26.53 mg Zn/kg. No significant (P < 0.05) alterations in haematological indicators were found between the examined groups of birds. The results may suggest that 3 weeks of recovery in hens are sufficient to bring about a considerable increase in concentration of analysed transition metals in the liver. Copper, zinc, iron, birds, red mite


A Hybrid approach of Land-use/land-cover (LU/LC) classification has been carried out in the study using Resource Sat-2 LISS-III Satellite data having a resolution of 23.5 m. With the help of ERDAS Imagine image processing software, unsupervised classification process of the satellite image has been made to obtain the required land use/land cover classes. During the classification study, a common mixed class assigned as Common Observed Classes (COC) used for the separation of the required classes to obtain undefined mixed land use/land cover classes with the help of ArcGIS model plate tool. Furthermore, more accuracy gained inthe classification of separated mixed land cover classes by revising unsupervised classification processes. After that pre-defined unsupervised land cover classes and COC unsupervised classes were merged by using ArcGIS model plate tool to generate a new classified image with enhanced accuracy. Finally, the comparison between both supervised and COC hybrid unsupervised classes was made and better results are seen in hybrid unsupervised classification. Therefore, application of this new approach in land use/land cover studies, ground cover mapping, forest management, water resources management, sustainable urban development, agricultural studies, natural resources management and manmade resources development management planning change deduction etc. will provide better results as compared to other classification approaches techniques.


Using an isolated fat cells (IFC) perifusion system and bovine growth hormone (bGH), we demonstrate that the lipolytic response in normal rat IFC is markedly enhanced after preincubation with bGH. In contrast, when IFC are prepared from diabetic animals or in the spontaneous diabetic BB rat (SDR-BB), no such preincubation is necessary. These IFC respond immediately to bGH with maximal release of glycerol. Using a binding assay established for rat growth hormone (rGH) receptors, we measured the number of GH receptors in IFC from these rats. We demonstrate a 75% increase in GH receptors after preincubation with GH in normal rat IFC, and a 125% increase in GH receptors in diabetic IFC, without preincubation. These data support the concept that enhanced sensitivity to GH is an important feature of diabetes in rats and that this sensitivity is at least in part controlled by up-regulation of GH receptors.


Combining the expertise of both researchers and practitioners specialising in the area of child sexual assault, this book provides an innovative, evidence-based approach to working with children and young people affected by sexual assault. It is an essential guide for general counsellors, school counsellors, psychologists, youth workers, chaplains, mental health practitioners and other allied health professionals, to provide them with the necessary information and skills to support children and young people affected by sexual assault. Its purpose is to build the confidence of these frontline workers and to reassure them that they do in fact possess the necessary skills to continue to work with their client once the issue of sexual assault has been raised.


To determine the effect of admission body weight on blunt trauma victims, a chart review of all patients greater than 12 years of age admitted to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital between January 1 and July 31, 1987 was undertaken. The charts of 351 patients were reviewed; 184 records contained admission height and weight. These 184 patients made up the study group and age, gender, injuries, Injury Severity Score (ISS), ventilator days (VD), complications, length of stay (LOS), and outcome were noted. Body Mass Index (BMI) (weight (kg)/(height(m))2, was calculated for each patient. The average ISS was 21.87 (range, 1-66) and the average BMI was 25.15 kg/m2 (range, 16-46 kg/m2). The overall mortality for the population was 9%. The population was grouped according to BMI: average (less than 27 kg/m2), overweight (27-31 kg/m2), and severely overweight (greater than 31 kg/m2). The mortality of 5.0% and 8.0% in the average and overweight groups was not different. The severely overweight group had a higher mortality at 42.1% compared with the other two groups (p less than 0.0001). The groups did not differ in age, ISS, LOS, nor VD. Age, BMI, and ISS were subjected to regression analysis. By this method BMI and ISS were independent determinants of outcome (p less than 0.0001). There was an increase in complications, mainly pulmonary problems, in the SO group (p less than 0.05). The three groups were subdivided into survivors and nonsurvivors. The nonsurvivors had a longer average LOS at 26.6 days compared with nonsurvivors in the overweight (5.0 days) or severely overweight (8.62 days) groups (p less than 0.007). The severely group was characterized by a rapid deterioration and demise that was unresponsive to intervention. ISS did not differ among nonsuvivors. Among survivors the severely overweight group had a lower ISS, 9.73. This was different from the overweight group (21.57) and from the average group (20.21) (p less than 0.04).


Abstract:  Oxidative brain damage, such as excitotoxicity and stroke, leads to primary neuronal destruction. The primary damage is further potentiated by macrophages and microglial cells, which are attracted and invade into the zone of damage resulting in secondary neuronal death. Since the essential trace element selenium has anti‐inflammatory properties, we analyzed the effects of selenium on these inflammatory cells. Here, we show that the essential trace element selenium abrogates the stress‐induced migration of microglial cells. Thus, the antimigratory effects of selenium may attenuate the secondary cell death cascade by preventing microglial invasion.


As a post-genomics tool, metabolomics is a young and vibrant field of science in its exponential growth phase. Metabolome analysis has become very popular recently, and novel techniques for acquiring and analyzing metabolomics data continue to emerge that are useful for a variety of biological studies. The bioremediation field has a lot to gain from the advances in this emerging area. Thus, this review article focuses on the potential of various experimental and conceptual approaches developed for metabolomics to be applied in bioremediation research, such as strategies for elucidation of biodegradation pathways using isotope distribution analysis and molecular connectivity analysis, the assessment of mineralization process using metabolic footprinting analysis, and the improvement of the biodegradation process via metabolic engineering. We demonstrate how the use of metabolomics tools can significantly extend and enhance the power of existing bioremediation approaches by providing a better overview of the biodegradation process.


Chapter headings and selected papers: Preface. Keynote Papers. Non-destructive testing for steel bridges in Japan (C. Miki, H. Shirahata). Magnetic / Electric. Inversion of borehole magnetic survey data for estimating the depth of pile (Y.H. Cha, J.H. Suh). Steel Structures. Fatigue crack propagation monitoring in steel structures with intelligent systems (M.S. Rahman et al.). Integrated Test. Investigation on several non-destructive inspection methods about strength degradation of reinforced concrete beam (T. Tomokiyo et al.). Moisture. Moisture measurements in building materials with microwaves (H. Kaariainen et al.). Strength. New test method for pullout strength for the hardend concrete using post settled pullbolt (M. Arazoe et al.). Acoustic Emission. Evaluation of fatigue damage in reinforced concrete slab by acoustic emission (S. Yuyama et al.). Ultrasonic. Measurements of thickness and crack depth in concrete by ultrasonic methods (T. Yamaguchi, T. Yamaguchi). Various Tests. Determination of thermophysical parameters of building components and buildings (A. Donath). Impact Echo. Automated impact-echo and method improvement: 2- and 3-D imaging of concrete elements (C. Colla et al.). Radar. GPR calibration facility (I.L. Al-Qadi et al.). Quality. A quality control method of thick embankment by a falling weight test (K. Oniki et al.). Corrosion/Cover. Macrocell sensor systems for monitoring of the corrosion risk. Author index. Keyword index.


Measuring biosecurity perceptions, awareness and behaviour: A New Zealand case studyTauranga Moana has been named the 'biosecurity capital' of New Zealand, as part of the government's 'Biosecurity 2025' Initiative to enlist all New Zealanders as biosecurity risk managers. This will involve large-scale citizen science, for reporting, eradication and management of pest and disease threats. We measure baseline awareness, perceptions and behaviour about biosecurity among two key citizen science groups, the local community at Mount Maunganui (surrounding Tauranga's port) and school children. An online survey was completed by 324 members of the local community, while 120 school children completed a survey about their biosecurity knowledge and behaviours after using a biosecurity education kit. Results indicate that while both groups report a relatively high level of understanding about the concept of biosecurity, and acknowledge it as extremely important, knowledge of current pest threats and correct biosecurity behaviours could be improved. Mount Maunganui community members rate their understanding of biosecurity as better than the average New Zealander, but are less likely to have taken regular biosecurity action in the past year. For school children, improved biosecurity efforts could be evidenced by more active pest monitoring, and greater discussion about biosecurity outside of school (e.g. with their family at home). Key enablers for achieving more impactful citizen science for biosecurity among these groups are targeted education, and practical advice about what they can do to help.


This paper reports on experiments in TEXTOR with electron cyclotron resonance heating (ECRH) of radiatively improved (RI) mode discharges. With ECRH the energy content of RI-mode discharges can be increased without the normally observed power degradation in confinement time. The experiments are described and the effects of ECRH on global confinement and local plasma parameters of RI-mode discharges are discussed; the favourable scaling of energy content is due to a zone of low electron thermal transport just outside the sawtooth inversion radius. Moreover, the heating effect of ECRH in the RI-mode is compared with the effect in L-mode; this comparison sheds some light on the physics of electron thermal transport in RI-mode discharges.


Environmental problems arising from ground vibration and air blast have been faced and discussed in various industries such as mining, construction, quarry, pipe line etc. where blasting is unavoidable and the solution methods have been sought in order to make the problems as small as possible. With increasing environmental constraints on the levels of disturbance induced by blasting operations nearby residents, there is a growing need to be able to design in cautious blasting with greater precision. Therefore, the determination of maximum amount of explosive per delay for a certain distance especially in large blasts is of great importance for the minimisation of these environmental problems, as well as the estimation of particle velocity. This paper presents the result of ground vibration measurements induced by bench blasting performed during excavation activity for construction of an organised industrial region located close to Istanbul. Within the scope of this study, in order to predict peak particle velocity level for this site that granite encountered as major rock unit, bench blasting operations were carried out and ground vibration components were measured for all blasting events. During the study 149 ground vibration data with varying blast design and charging pattern were generated. At the end of a statistical analysis of 149 data sets, an empirical relationship between peak particle velocity and scaled distance, which gives the 50% line and the upper bound 95% prediction limit, was established with reasonable correlation coefficient and suggested to evaluate the vibration impact both past term and future blasting operations for the current site.


Societal responses to climate change risks and hazards increasingly involve interorganizational collaboration across policy areas, sectors, and levels of government. Different views exist in the literature regarding changes in such collaborative arrangements; whereas some argue that maintaining stability of collaborative networks is a precursor for effective crisis management, others maintain that network adaptation is necessary to cope with complex risks and rude surprises. This controversy turns the spotlight on the more fundamental question of what influences changes in collaborative networks in this area. Using survey data on municipality managers in Sweden, this study presents evidence of a dramatic increase in annual change of interorganizational ties while the total magnitude of ties to different types of actors has essentially remained constant over time. To explain these developments, the study builds from resource dependency theory (RDT) and explores the relationship between resources, environmental turbulence, and network change. The findings suggest that RDT has limited explanatory value in this case; no association was found between resources, turbulence, and network change. An alternative hypothesis is introduced suggesting that changes in networking strategies are a function of outside pressure to collaborate and uncertainty about collaborative practices and the benefits of collaboration, which feed an experimental approach to networking.


In comparison to other biomedical signals, electroencephalography (EEG) signals are quite complex in nature, so it requires a versatile model for feature extraction and classification. The structural information that prevails in the originally featured matrix is usually lost when dealing with standard feature extraction and conventional classification techniques. The main intention of this work is to propose a very novel and versatile approach for EEG signal modeling and classification. In this work, a sparse representation model along with the analysis of sparseness measures is done initially for the EEG signals and then a novel convergence of utilizing these sparse representation measures with Swarm Intelligence (SI) techniques based Hidden Markov Model (HMM) is utilized for the classification. The SI techniques utilized to compute the hidden states of the HMM are Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), Differential Evolution (DE), Whale Optimization Algorithm (WOA), and Backtracking Search Algorithm (BSA), thereby making the HMM more pliable. Later, a deep learning methodology with the help of Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) was also developed with it and the results are compared to the standard pattern recognition classifiers. To validate the efficacy of the proposed methodology, a comprehensive experimental analysis is done over publicly available EEG datasets. The method is supported by strong statistical tests and theoretical analysis and results show that when sparse representation is implemented with deep learning, the highest classification accuracy of 98.94% is obtained and when sparse representation is implemented with SI-based HMM method, a high classification accuracy of 95.70% is obtained.


To improve the performance of ultrasonic motor drive, proper compensation design is needed. Inductance series compensation is a popular compensation method. Because of the nonlinearity of piezo crystal, expect effect of the inductance series compensation is not easy to be obtained. Based on the analysis in theory, this paper study on the influence of different value of inductance on the ultrasonic motorpsilas performance. At last, design principle of the inductance series compensation circuit is given out.


Stereospecific metalation of (Z)- and (E)-1,4-decadiene with BuLi or BuLi-Me3COK followed by dimethoxyborylation and oxidn. gave (Z,E)-, (E,Z)-, and (E,E)-isomers of 2,4-decadien-1-ol (I), and the 4th isomer, (Z,Z)-I, was prepd. by hydrogenation of 2,4-decadiyn-1-ol. The isovalerates of all 4 I isomers and of (E,Z)-2,4-undecadien-1-ol were prepd. (E,Z)-I isovalerate is a natural flavor component. [on SciFinder (R)]


In healthy individuals, immune-checkpoint molecules prevent autoimmune responses and limit immune cell-mediated tissue damage. Tumors frequently exploit these molecules to evade eradication by the immune system. Over the past years, immune-checkpoint blockade of cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen-4 and programed death-1 emerged as promising strategies to activate antitumor cytotoxic T cell responses. Although complete regression and long-term survival is achieved in some patients, not all patients respond. This review describes promising, novel combination approaches involving immune-checkpoint blockade in the context of the cancer-immunity cycle, aimed at increasing response rates to the single treatments. Specifically, we discuss combinations that promote antigen release and presentation, that further amplify T cell activation, that inhibit trafficking of regulatory T cells or MSDCs, that stimulate intratumoral T cell infiltration, that increase cancer recognition by T cells, and that stimulate tumor killing.


Sustainability as a concept has begun to be more fully integrated into the American undergraduate design curricula. Our design students are more aware than previous generations of the increasing need for more thoughtful and responsible use of materials and resources, however it seems that apathy and politics prevent full acceptance of sustainable models of creation. Moreover, our educators must quickly become more skillful in environmentally and socially responsible design methodologies to create a completely new curriculum focused on developing a sustainable profession and world that connects with the students of the current generation. Chapman (2005) discusses how one may feel when disposing of a product, as if it is a failed relationship. The user-product affinity can provide the designer with an insight and awareness of authentic needs that can lead to more impactful, responsible and ultimately more sustainable user-product relationships. This paper critiques and further explores how the movement of Ecomodernism can offer a groundbreaking set of guidelines to teach more responsible design at the university level. Ecomodernism includes key pedagogical themes including: collaboration, outside, community, research, communicate, grounded and creative. These concepts are present in emerging sustainable product design curriculum that tend to focus on a greater connection to materials and processes. However Ecomodernism goes further by mandating greater collaboration between disciplines that aim to create outcomes that are not definitively defined at the beginning of the design process. What is missing from Ecomodernism and current design curricula is the need to educate our students to also develop empathic and emotional connections to the designed artifact on top of using sustainable materials and processes. Effective design needs to satisfy needs that are functional (utilitarian) and supra-functional (less tangible) to ensure product outcomes fully respond to the users needs. Equally, manufacturing products in a sustainable material goes only so far in ensuring more sustainable products. An emotional bond to the product is needed. Industry has also become increasingly aware of more environmentally responsible manufacturing processes and invested significant time and capital to improve the efficiencies of their processes. Those companies making significant strides to minimize their impact on our ecosystems are rightly more respected by their current customers (and hopefully future ones as well). However after purchasing a product, the consumer is faced with value-based questions – "How long should I keep the product?" "Is it worth keeping even if it isn't in 'style'"? These questions are important to dissect and discuss. Royte (2005) described our current design process as "(w)e throw things away to make things that we throw away." What if we kept more of our objects because they evoke our emotions, help create our life stories and capture our important intimate memories? This paper will explain how and why the Ecomoderism model of teaching sustainable design needs to include a stronger connection to our full range of human emotions and highlight important designers who are employing this criterion in professional practice.


Mast cells are well known as pivotal players in the development of allergic diseases. Their most acknowledged mechanism of activation is cross-bridging of the IgE receptor. However, in recent years, the complex structure and function of these cells have been recognized as well as their diverse pathophysiological contributions. This review attempts to delineate the various ways in which mast cell proliferation and activation are involved in disease processes.


Salmonella osteomyelitis is extremely rare; only a few cases have been reported in healthy adults. We describe a case of salmonella osteomyelitis in an otherwise healthy 20-year-old Japanese woman who presented with distal tibial pain. X-ray and magnetic resonance imaging showed a lesion suspected to be a bone cyst. Osteomyelitis was diagnosed when pus was observed during an open biopsy. The bacterial culture examination yielded salmonella. Surgical drainage and antibiotic treatment were performed, after which no recurrence was observed. To our best knowledge, this is the first report of salmonella osteomyelitis of the distal tibia in an otherwise healthy individual.


One of the main issues in manufacturing rotors for integer slot surface-mounted permanent magnet (PM) synchronous motors is the rotor skew. Motor manufacturers typically prefer to avoid skewing due to the added complexity and the difficulty in controlling the accuracy of the skewing and achieving the required outcome. This article proposes a design that minimizes torque ripple without using any kind of skewing in the rotor using asymmetric ac windings with unconventional stator slot-pole combinations. First, feasible slot and pole combinations are reviewed for PM synchronous motors. Theory behind unconventional asymmetric and unbalanced ac winding PM motors is presented. A lumped-parameter magnetic equivalent circuit for such unconventional stator is provided for a 1.7-kW PM motor. Detailed 2-D finite element analysis (FEA) is performed and compared with the lumped parameter model. A prototype motor is manufactured, and open-circuit as well as full-load tests are performed. Good agreement between the analytical, FEA, and test results is obtained.


Abstract. The knowledge on climate variability in parts of Southern Africa is limited because of the low availability of historic and present-day ground-based observations (Niang et al., 2014). However, there is an increased need of climate information for research, climate adaptation measures and climate services. To respond to the challenges of climate change and related issues, Angola, Botswana, Germany, Namibia, South Africa and Zambia have initiated the interdisciplinary regional competence centre SASSCAL, the "Southern African Science Service Centre for Climate Change and Adaptive Land Management". As part of the initiative, Germany's national meteorological service (Deutscher Wetterdienst, DWD) cooperates with the meteorological services of Angola, Botswana and Zambia in order to improve the management and availability of historical and present-day climate data in these countries. The first results of the cooperation between the German and the Angolan Meteorological Services are presented here. International assessments have shown that improvements of the data management concepts are needed in several countries. The experience of this cooperation can therefore provide hints for comparable activities in other regions.


Attosecond pulses can be used to generate coherent superpositions of cationic electronic states in molecules through photoionisation. These can drive coherent electronic dynamics, which may decay within a few femtoseconds due to nuclear motion. In this work, we study the impact of the photoelectron on decoherence in the valence electron system of molecules following attosecond photoionisation. To this end, we include the photoelectron as a classical point charge in a quantum–classical simulation of light-induced ultrafast molecular dynamics and consider ionisation by sub-femtosecond pulses with distinct qualities. By disentangling the contributions of photoelectron and nuclei to the overall electronic decoherence, we find that the photoelectron causes partial decoherence within the first 50 attoseconds. This timescale is noticed to be independent of the ionising pulse. Full electronic decoherence is only seen when the spatial extension of the nuclear wave packet is considered.


This paper focuses on recognition and tracking of maneuvering vehicles in dense traffic situations. We present an asynchronous multi obstacle multi sensor tracking method that fuses information from radar and monocular vision. A low level fusion method is integrated into the framework of an IMMPDA Kalman filter. Real world experiments demonstrate that the system combines the complementary strengths of the employed sensors.


Objectives We sought to identify metabolic changes potentially related to rheumatoid arthritis (RA) pathogenesis occurring in the blood prior to its diagnosis. Methods In a US military biorepository, serum samples collected at two timepoints prior to a diagnosis of RA were identified. These were matched to controls who did not develop RA by subject age, race and time between sample collections and RA diagnosis time to stored serum samples. Relative abundances of 380 metabolites were measured using liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. We determined whether pre-RA case versus control status predicted metabolite concentration differences and differences over time (trajectories) using linear mixed models, assessing for interactions between time, pre-RA status and metabolite concentrations. We separately examined pre-RA and pre-seropositive RA cases versus matched controls and adjusted for smoking. Multiple comparison adjustment set the false discovery rate to 0.05. Results 291 pre-RA cases (80.8% pre seropositive RA) were matched to 292 controls, all with two serum samples (2.7±1.6 years; 1.0±0.9 years before RA/matched date). 52.0% were women; 52.8% were White, 26.8% Black and 20.4% other race. Mean age was 31.2 (±8.1) years at earliest blood draw. Fourteen metabolites had statistically significant trajectory differences among pre-RA subjects versus controls, including sex steroids, amino acid/lipid metabolism and xenobiotics. Results were similar when limited to pre seropositive RA and after adjusting for smoking. Conclusions In this military case–control study, metabolite concentration trajectory differences in pre-RA cases versus controls implicated steroidogenesis, lipid/amino acid metabolism and xenobiotics in RA pathogenesis. Metabolites may have potential as biomarkers and/or therapeutic targets preceding RA diagnosis.