Inspection of the references cited in this review indicates that much work has occurred in the area of thyroid and pregnancy during the last decade. Significant advances in our understanding of the immunology of pregnancy and the effect of thyroid disease on this process have taken place. The role of hCG in the physiology of pregnancy and its relevance to thyroid function has been an emerging theme. There is still no clear explanation for the association between thyroid antibodies and infertility or miscarriage. During the last decade a general concensus has developed in relation to the management of hyperthyroidism in pregnancy although there are still variations in antithyroid drug use at this time. The aetiological classification of congenital hyper- and hypothyroidism utilizing new technologies has opened up a new perspective on these disorders. Attention has been drawn to the importance of treating maternal hypothyroidism with adequate thyroid replacement therapy and to the possibility of impaired child neuropsychological development consequent on low maternal thyroid hormone concentration in early gestation in non iodine deficient areas. Significant advances have been made during the last decade in the description of the clinical features and in our understanding of the pathogenesis of postpartum thyroid disease. The importance of long-term follow up of selected patient groups has also been emphasized.


This study has examined the effect of the cytokine interleukin 1 (IL-1) on metastasis formation by the human melanoma A375M in nude mice. We have found that human recombinant IL-1 beta (a single injection greater than 0.01 micrograms per mouse i.v. given before tumor cells) induced an augmentation of experimental lung metastases from the A375M tumor cells in nude mice. This effect was rapidly induced and reversible within 24 h after IL-1 injection. A similar effect was induced by human recombinant IL-1 alpha and human recombinant tumor necrosis factor, but not by human recombinant interleukin 6. 5-[125I]odo-2'-deoxyuridine-radiolabeled A375M tumor cells injected i.v. remained at a higher level in the lungs of nude mice receiving IL-1 than in control mice. In addition, IL-1 injected 1 h, but not 24 h, after tumor cells enhanced lung colonization as well, thus suggesting an effect of IL-1 on the vascular transit of tumor cells. These findings may explain the observation of enhanced secondary localization of tumor cells at inflammatory sites and suggest that modulation of secondary spread should be carefully considered when assessing the ability of this cytokine to complement cytoreductive therapies.


This study evaluated the efficiency of Turkish textile, apparel and leather sector. Measure-specific DEA was employed using seven measures in two stages described as profitability and marketability. Efficiencies were calculated not only within the sector, but also together with two other sub-sectors in Turkish manufacturing industry, as food, beverages and tobacco, and chemicals, petroleum, rubber and plastics. The performances of the best-practice frontier companies were also evaluated by calculating the benchmark shares by taking all sub-sectors into account. The findings revealed that the textile, apparel and leather sector can be taken as a reference for its marketability performance.


An experimental study has been conducted to investigate the effects of forcing amplitude on the tone-excited non-premixed jet flame of the resonance frequency. Visualization techniques are employed using the laser optic systems, which are RMS tomography, PLIF and PIV system. There are three lift-off histories according to the fuel flow rates and forcing amplitudes; the regime I always has the flame base feature like turbulent flame when the flame lift-off, while the flame easily lift-off in the regime II even if a slight forcing amplitude applied. The other is a transient regime and occurs between the regime I and regime II, which has the flame base like the bunsen flame of partial premixed flame. In the regime I and II, the characteristics of the mixing and velocity profile according to the forcing phase were investigated by the acetone PLIF, PIV system. Particular understanding is focused on the distinction of lift-off history in the regime I and II.


Traffic prediction is a classical spatial-temporal prediction problem with many real-world applications such as intelligent route planning, dynamic traffic management, and smart location-based applications. Due to the high nonlinearity and complexity of traffic data, deep learning approaches have attracted much interest in recent years. However, few methods are satisfied with both long and short-term prediction tasks. Target at the shortcomings of existing studies, in this paper, we propose a novel deep learning framework called Long Short-term Graph Convolutional Networks (LSGCN) to tackle both traffic prediction tasks. In our framework, we propose a new graph attention network called cosAtt, and integrate both cosAtt and graph convolution networks (GCN) into a spatial gated block. By the spatial gated block and gated linear units convolution (GLU), LSGCN can efficiently capture complex spatial-temporal features and obtain stable prediction results. Experiments with three real-world traffic datasets verify the effectiveness of LSGCN.


Intelligent agents are goal-driven and autonomous, and can communicate and interact with each other. Moreover, they can evaluate information obtained online from heterogeneous sources and present information tailored to an individual's needs. This article covers different facets of the intelligent agent paradigm and applications, while also exploring new opportunities and trends for intelligent agents.


Existing learning based solutions to 3D surface prediction cannot be trained end-to-end as they operate on intermediate representations (e.g., TSDF) from which 3D surface meshes must be extracted in a post-processing step (e.g., via the marching cubes algorithm). In this paper, we investigate the problem of end-to-end 3D surface prediction. We first demonstrate that the marching cubes algorithm is not differentiable and propose an alternative differentiable formulation which we insert as a final layer into a 3D convolutional neural network. We further propose a set of loss functions which allow for training our model with sparse point supervision. Our experiments demonstrate that the model allows for predicting sub-voxel accurate 3D shapes of arbitrary topology. Additionally, it learns to complete shapes and to separate an object's inside from its outside even in the presence of sparse and incomplete ground truth. We investigate the benefits of our approach on the task of inferring shapes from 3D point clouds. Our model is flexible and can be combined with a variety of shape encoder and shape inference techniques.


Reliable data about the stock of physical capital and infrastructure in developing countries is typically very scarce. This is particular a problem for data at the subnational level where existing data is often outdated, not consistently measured or coverage is incomplete. Traditional data collection methods are time and labor-intensive costly which often prohibits developing countries from collecting this type of data. This paper proposes a novel method to extract infrastructure features from high-resolution satellite images. We collected high-resolution satellite images for 5 million 1km x 1km grid cells covering 21 African countries. We contribute to the growing body of literature in this area by training our machine learning algorithm on ground-truth data. We show that our approach strongly improves the predictive accuracy. Our methodology can build the foundation to then predict subnational indicators of economic development for areas where this data is either missing or unreliable.


Room temperature vulcanized silicone rubber (RTV-SR) is widely applied to outdoor insulation in power system. It is aged under the conditions of outdoor environment. Temperature is one of the ageing factors. So the resistance to high and low temperature of RTV is important to its ageing performance. In the paper, two kinds of RTV nanocomposite are achieved, and the resistance to high and low temperature is tested with the help of TG (thermogravimetry)/DTG (differential thermogravimetry) and DSC (differential scanning calorimeter). The decomposing temperature and glass transition temperature of RTV nanocomposite are obtained. The test results show that RTV nanocomposite has better resistance to both high and low temperature, which may lead to better ageing performance of RTV material. The mechanisms are also discussed.


Accurate data on invasive Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) disease from countries other than the United States and western Europe are limited, and none are available from the Middle East. We report the results of a nationwide prospective epidemiological study in Israel whose purpose was to provide a background for decisions regarding the need for Hib conjugate vaccinations. During the 2 study years, 344 patients less than 13 years of age with a positive blood or CSF culture for Hib were seen in 25 medical centers in which pediatric patients were hospitalized. The overall incidence of Hib disease was 34 per 100,000 persons less than 5 years old, an incidence in the range of those reported for western Europe. Twenty-two percent of patients were less than or equal to 6 months old, 69% were less than or equal to 12 months, 87% were less than or equal to 18 months, and 93% were less than or equal to 24 months. Thus, our findings represent a unique epidemiological pattern: the age distribution of our patients resembles that of immunologically compromised populations or of persons living in less-industrialized areas, but the incidence of disease is similar to that found in western Europe. In view of these data, the Israeli Ministry of Health decided to license conjugate vaccines for immunization of infants beginning at 2 months of age.


Plantar Fasciitis (PF) is a disorder of connective tissue that supports the longitudinal arch of the foot. The fascia runs along the sole with insertion to the heads of the metatarsal bones and origin in the calcaneus. It is one of the most frequent diagnoses for patients in general and foot clinics, and one of the common causes for heel pain which may develop into chronic heel pain, change the way we walk and lead to foot, knee, hip or back problems. PF is the most common type of plantar fascia injury. The purpose of this study is to describe the natural history of PF, including the ethnicity, early and main symptoms, aggravating factors, comorbidities and treatments for PF, based on the patient-reported data from active PF community in an online crowdsourcing platform, StuffThatWorks. Analyses were made in order to discover characteristics which have a clinical importance. Totally 3835 patients were included in this retrospective observational study. The results show that crowdsourcing is a valid approach for data collection, as expected results with regard to clinical aspects such as age-of-onset, early and main symptoms were witnessed. Furthermore, the patient-reported data show three characteristics which have a very high clinical relevance: high level of physical activity, being overweight and age. In addition, leads for future studies were established.


In this work, we have investigated the liquid lithium silicate by the method of molecular dynamics simulation (MD) using the Born-Mayer pairwise potentials under compression. The simulations have been carried out by systems including various pressure values from 5 to 30 GPa. The microstructure of lithium silicate was clarified through the thorough analysis of short-range order (SRO) and intermediate range order (IRO). The short-range order was investigated through factors such as pair radial distribution functions (PRDFs), coordination distributions, angular distributions. The results show that the structure of the system has a transformation from low-coordination to high-coordination under the influence of compression. Besides, the analysis of intermediate range order shows that the structure network in model consists of SiOx and LiOx units connected to others via an Oxygen atom. In the case for the intermediate range order, the fraction of OTy bond calculated under compression shows that their bonding angle and bond length are very little dependent on the pressure changes. Furthermore, the dynamics of liquid lithium silicates calculated through the diffusion coefficients of the atoms shows that there is a dependence of atomic mobility on pressure. The obtained results of simulations are in good agreement with previous experimental and simulated data.


Depth maps captured with time-of-flight cameras have very low data quality: the image resolution is rather limited and the level of random noise contained in the depth maps is very high. Therefore, such flash lidars cannot be used out of the box for high-quality 3D object scanning. To solve this problem, we present LidarBoost, a 3D depth superresolution method that combines several low resolution noisy depth images of a static scene from slightly displaced viewpoints, and merges them into a high-resolution depth image. We have developed an optimization framework that uses a data fidelity term and a geometry prior term that is tailored to the specific characteristics of flash lidars. We demonstrate both visually and quantitatively that LidarBoost produces better results than previous methods from the literature.


An experiment was established at Manati, Puerto Rico, on a Bayamon fine sandy loam to determine the inf1uence of three different planting distances and fertilizer applications on yield of the new pineapple variety PR 1-67. The three distances compared in the experiment varied only along the lines of double rows and consisted of intervals of 12, 18 and 24 in, equivalent to 13,403, 8,944 and 6.701 plants per acre, respectively. Fertilizer applications were 1.5075 ton/acre for the 12-in spacing, 1.006 ton/acre for the 18-in spacing and 0.7545 ton/acre for the 24-in planting distance in the first crop; and .4188, .2795, and .2094 ton/acre, respectively, for the second crop. The best planting distance and fertilizer application for the plant crop was 24 in between rows and 12 in within the row with 1.5075 tons/acre of 13-3-12 fertilizer.


Although multiple studies have addressed the effects of codon usage on gene expression, such studies were typically performed in unspliced model genes. In the human genome, most genes undergo splicing and patterns of codon usage are splicing-dependent: guanine and cytosine (GC) content is highest within single-exon genes and within first exons of multi-exon genes. Intrigued by this observation, we measured the effects of splicing on expression in a panel of synonymous variants of GFP and mKate2 reporter genes that varied in nucleotide composition. We found that splicing promotes the expression of adenine and thymine (AT)-rich variants by increasing their steady-state protein and mRNA levels, in part through promoting cytoplasmic localization of mRNA. Splicing had little or no effect on the expression of GC-rich variants. In the absence of splicing, high GC content at the 5' end, but not at the 3' end of the coding sequence positively correlated with expression. Among endogenous human protein-coding transcripts, GC content has a more positive effect on various expression measures of unspliced, relative to spliced mRNAs. We propose that splicing promotes the expression of AT-rich genes, leading to selective pressure for the retention of introns in the human genome.


S.A. Thornton The Japanese Period Film: A Critical Analysis McFarland & Company Inc., 2008; 253 pages Much like the importance of the year 1868 as a historical marker for the opening of Western influence to Japan, the year 1951 is important for the opening of Japanese film culture to the West. It was that year that Kurosawa Akira's Rashomon won first prize at the Venice Film Festival and introduced Western audiences to the Japanese period film and Japanese culture. According to Donald Ritchie, the consequent popularity of the film surprised the Japanese who believed that a "historical film" would be unacceptable in the West. Part of that concern could be attributed to the content and form of the historical narratives that were steeped in Japanese history and narrative traditions. For the Japanese the period film, whose history extended well before Kurosawa's film, was a means of examining the present through the past. By so doing it employed motifs and historical characters and events that the Japanese felt were not accessible to Western audiences. S.A. Thornton's book provides a historical analysis of the Japanese period film through its narrative conventions and major motifs. The author contends that the period film was established in Japan between 1923 and 1939 when the economic and political situation in Japan "created a specific need for a period piece in film" (38). Thornton argues throughout the book that the period film was part of a narrative tradition that used the past to inform the present. The author's aim was to provide a "short manual on how to read the narrative of Japanese period films" (6). The book expands on that notion by detailing how cultural institutions such as Buddhism, Confucianism, Kabuki and Noh theatre, and contemporary literature contributed to the rich narrative tradition of the Japanese period film. Central to Thornton's thesis is the development of the period piece in both storytelling and theatre as a means of commenting on the present in terms of the past. The Ako Ronin incident ("47 Ronin") provides one example. Shortly after the mass suicides of the forty-seven vassals in 1703, a staging of the event in Edo was closed after only three performances. Subsequent Kabuki productions displaced the incident to an earlier historical period and were successfully staged without occurrence. As the period film developed it was able to inherit these narrative traditions of setting a contemporary issue in the historical past. The Japanese Period Film is organized into three major sections: The Narrative Set in the Past; Realism in the Narrative; and The Scene in Japanese Narrative. In each section the author provides insightful discussion of key films, their historical basis, and their narrative progenitors in Japanese literature and drama. The majority of the book is devoted to pre-1970 films and follows a basic chronological order. In the first section, after providing some basic iconographie elements of the period film, Thornton discusses the characteristics of the Japanese hero within this narrative tradition. The Japanese hero has three fundamental characteristics: he is a real, historical character; he is connected with a political center such as Edo, Kyoto, or Kamakura; and he is foremost a tragic hero. These characteristics, the author notes, make the Japanese hero "particularly suitable as the subject of the period film, whose function is criticism of society" (51). …


The research investigates the impact of discourses of authenticity on the development and application of statutory definitions of Gypsies and Travellers in England and Wales since 1959, and the subsequent consequences for access to accommodation for these communities. These definitions are concerned with land use, equalities, housing, and homelessness legislation. The basis of these definitions is found in statute and policy and decision makers ranging from local authorities through to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) are responsible for their development and application. Each of these definitions has different consequences with regard to access to accommodation. The research examines a chronological analytical narrative of the development and application of these definitions over a 53 year period, which consists of an examination of relevant case law, policy, law and other useful sources. Interviews with key informants involved in the development and application of statutory definitions serve to reinforce the interpretation of the evidence. The evidence is assessed using the notions of discourses of authenticity, which are constructed as the discourse regarding the authenticity of an individual or group as Gypsies or Travellers as prescribed by other individuals, groups or institutions and the implications of this ascription. There has not been a comprehensive analysis of the relationship between the discourse around the authenticity of Gypsies and Travellers and statutory definitions in modern times. This research bridges the gap in the existing literature by undertaking a comprehensive analysis of the development, application and consequences of statutory definitions in the light of the existing knowledge on discourses of authenticity with regard to Gypsies and Travellers.


Effect of Nutritional Deficiency on Ruffed Grouse Condition and Reproductive Success Aaron B. Proctor Maternal body fat condition (i.e., percent carcass fat) is often a focal point in determining reproductive success in female galliforms. Previous research has centered around habitat-related nutritional parameters affecting body condition and the influence on reproductive capacity. Past studies have shown that ruffed grouse (Bonasa umbellus) maintain higher mean body fat levels throughout the Appalachians and variation in body condition exceeds that found in northern grouse. In the Appalachians, ruffed grouse with diets devoid of energy-rich hard mast have lower body fat condition. It has been hypothesized that females in poorer condition will have lower productivity in the Appalachians. We conducted a 2-year study of captive Appalachian ruffed grouse (subspecies Bonasa umbellus monticola) to assess the effects of 4 treatment rations varying in dietary energy and crude protein on female body condition throughout the prebreeding and reproduction periods using total body electrical conductivity (TOBEC) technology. Females on low protein rations maintained higher carcass fat levels than females on high protein treatments, although high protein treatments led to less fat loss during reproduction. Highenergy rations produced females with higher fat levels prior to reproduction; however, adult females on high-energy treatments lost more fat during reproduction than low-energy treatments. We posit that the presence of low-protein, high-energy feed items in diets of Appalachian ruffed grouse potentially lead to higher percent body fat, whereas high-protein diets support leaner grouse. We also determined the effect of body fat condition on onset of laying, egg quality, clutch size, and chick mass at hatch. Our experimental treatment rations stratified females into differing fat condition classes, ranging from 3.9–43.5% body fat. Although egg composition differed among condition classes, we found no evidence of a relation between fat condition and egg composition. Female grouse were capable of producing comparable eggs, clutches, and chicks across varying planes of body fat condition. Our results suggest that the effect of increased fat reserves in Appalachian ruffed grouse does not directly influence fecundity. We propose that any influence female condition has on fecundity and chick survival is enacted after the nesting effort is complete.


Background Thyroid function has been extensively evaluated in patients with chronic kidney disease, however the results are variable. Objective The study was designed to investigate the thyroid dysfunction in uremic patients clinically and biochemically. Methods The study was conducted in the department of medicine and dialysis unit in AL-Kadhimiya Teaching Hospital in Baghdad. Three groups were taken sixteen patients with end stage renal disease undergoing regular hemodialysis, 22 patients with chronic renal failure treated conservatively and 21 healthy volunteers with no previous history of thyroid disease and their renal function were normal(control group), serum TT3, TT4 and TSH were estimated in all patients and control group by RIA Kits. The results were tabulated and statistically analyzed using Chisequare and t-test. Results Fifty nine persons included in this study divided into three groups (regular hemodialysis 16, conservative treatment 22 and the control group were 21). Goiter was demonstrated in 12.5% in hemodialysis group, 4.54% of the conservatively treated group. Uremic patients kept on conservative treatment or on regular hemodialysis showed significant reduction of TT3 and TT4 in comparison to the control group, however the level of TSH didn't show significant alterations, and there were no significant deference in TT3 andTT4 between the patients on conservative management and those maintained on regular hemodialysis. Conclusions Low TT3 and TT4 are often observed in clinically euthyroid patients with chronic renal failure. These abnormalities do not appear to change significantly after the institution of regular dialysis, on other hand TSH values in clinically euothyroid patients with chronic renal failure were within the normal range, this normal TSH may indicate functional euthyroid status.


Lithium-metal anode has fundamental problems concerning formation and growth of lithium dendrites, which prevents practical applications of next generation of high-capacity lithium-metal batteries. The synergistic combination of solid polymer electrolyte (SPE) crosslinked with naturally occurring terpenes and lithium-powder anode is promising solution to resolve the dendrite issues by substituting conventional liquid electrolyte/separator and lithium-foil anode system. A series of SPEs based on polysiloxane crosslinked with natural terpenes are prepared by facile thiol-ene click reaction under mild condition and the structural effect of terpene crosslinkers on electrochemical properties is studied. Lithium powder with large surface area is prepared by droplet emulsion technique (DET) and used as anode material. The effect of the physical state of electrolyte (solid/liquid) and morphology of lithium-metal anode (powder/foil) on dendrite growth behavior is systematically studied. The synergistic combination of SPE and lithium-powder anode suggests an effective solution to suppress the dendrite growth owing to the formation of a stable solid-electrolyte interface (SEI) layer and delocalized current density.


Current shortcomings in both the overall injector design process and its underlying combustion stability assessment methodology are rooted in the use of empirically based or low fidelity representations of complex physical phenomena and geometry details that have first order effects on performance, thermal environments and combustion stability. The result is a design and analysis capability that is often inadequate to reliably arrive at a suitable injector design in an efficient manner. Specifically, combustion instability has been particularly difficult to predict and mitigate. Large hydrocarbon-fueled booster engines have been especially problematic in this regard. Where combustion instability has been a problem, costly and time-consuming redesign efforts have often been an unfortunate consequence. This paper presents an overview of a recently completed effort at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center to advance the state-of-the-practice for liquid rocket engine injector design. Multiple perturbations of a gas-centered swirl coaxial (GCSC) element that burned gaseous oxygen and RP-1 were designed, assessed for combustion stability, and tested. Three designs, one stable, one marginally unstable and one unstable, were used to demonstrate both an enhanced overall injector design process and an improved combustion stability assessment process. High-fidelity results from state-of-the-art computational fluid dynamics CFD simulations were used to substantially augment and improve the injector design methodology. The CFD results were used to inform and guide the overall injector design process. They were also used to upgrade selected empirical or low-dimensional quantities in the ROCket Combustor Interactive Design (ROCCID) stability assessment tool. Hot fire single element injector testing was used to verify both the overall injector designs and the stability assessments. Testing was conducted at the Air Force Research Laboratory and at Purdue University. Companion papers provide details of the overall injector design process, full- and sub-scale testing, ROCCID-based stability assessments and the CFD simulations.


ABSTRACT III-Nitride wide band gap semiconductors are well known for optoelectronic and electronic applications. They however have disadvantages, for example, the high cost of Indium, difficulties of p-type doping and phase separation in their alloys. In this work, the novel II-Ge-N2 semiconductors that are related to III-N by replacing the group-III with a group-II (Mg and Cd) and a group-IV (Ge) are investigated. The lattice parameters of the II-Ge-N2 are predicted by a full potential linear muffin-tin orbital (FP-LMTO) approach within the generalized gradient approximation (GGA). The results are also compared with those of ZnGeN2. Furthermore, the formation energies of the new materials and their competing compounds, such as Zn3N2, Mg3N2, Cd3N2 and Ge3N4, are calculated from the constituent elements. The chemical potential diagrams for stability, which are constructed from the calculated formation energies, facilitate us to determine the allowed ranges of the chemical potentials of the elements where the compounds are stable at zero temperature and pressure.


It is well known that physical activity can improve cardiovascular risk factors, but it is also true that strenuous activity may result detrimental for the athlete health. Among the emerging markers of cardiovascular risk, plasma homocysteine (Hcy) plays a prominent role, since it has been shown its significant increase in competitive athletes. Some research has concluded that Hcy levels may be influenced by the duration, intensity and type of exercise, whereas other studies have identified lifestyle factors, such as smoking, eating habits, alcohol consumption, age, elevated blood pressure and genetic factors, as factors that contribute to increased plasma concentrations of Hcy. Polymorphisms in the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase gene (MTHFR) (677C/T, 1298A/C) are reported to modulate homocysteine levels. The aim of this work was to identify a genetic profile of risk for cardiovascular disease in two populations of competitive athletes, football players (n = 19) and those engaged in athletics (n=37). The distribution of MTHFR A1298C and C677T polymorphisms was examined by Real-time PCR allelic discrimination on genomic DNA isolated from lymphocytes of whole peripheral blood. The serum levels of Hcy were determined by HPLC method, while vitamin B12 and folate by RIA technique. The data showed that 50% of the subjects in both groups are carrier of MTHFR C677T polymorphism either in heterozygous or homozygous state. In addition, all subjects had mild hyperhomocysteinemia (13-27 micromol/L). The highest mean levels of Hcy were recorded in the football players, and the differences compared to those engaged in athletics were very significant (21.8 ± 11.6 vs. 13.5 ± 6.6, p <0.05). The increase of Hcy could be ascribed mainly to the diet style of the recruited subjects, characterized by a high consumption of red meat and very low intake of B vitamins. Moreover, this increase may also be explained in relation to the type of exercise required in football, that is considered an intermittent intensity sport. The preliminary results of this study suggest that screening for the MTHFR variants C677T and A1298C should be included in the panel of screening for cardiovascular risk in competitive athletes.


The purpose of this article is to investigate the rheological deformation behavior of soft rocks subject to the combination of externally applied compressive pressure and water-softening effects. To achieve this goal, a series of mechanical tests on soft rocks were performed by using a customized meso-mechanical triaxial test system consisting of a bidirectional servo confining pressure loading subsystem and a water pressure chamber. The system has the capability of simulating the actual compressive stress and water environment of soft rocks in engineering practice. The experimental results show that, under compressive stresses, water-softening effects could significantly increase the deformation rate of the soft rocks, ultimately lead to a larger deformation of the rocks. To further understand the combination of compressive pressure and water-softening effects on the deformation behavior of the soft rocks, an elastoplastic damage model was developed. It shows that the model can reproduce the experimentally observed deformation behavior of soft rocks. In addition, it reveals that, with the rock-water interaction, the deformation process of the compressed soft rocks can be described as the change from the attenuation state to the steady state of rheological deformation.


Abstract Most phaeochromocytomas and pancreatic neuroendocrine tumours are sporadic in nature however the presence of multiple neuroendocrine tumours raises the suspicion of a hereditary endocrinopathy. Hibernomas, benign tumours that morphologically resemble brown fat, do not possess a clear aetiology and a link with other neuroendocrine tumours remains unclear. We report an unusual case of a concurrent sporadic phaeochromocytoma, pancreatic neuroendocrine tumour and a sacral hibernoma. A 61 year old female presented with a 3 month history of abdominal pain which led to the discovery of a lesion in her right adrenal gland and a soft tissue mass at the pancreatic tail on a CT Abdomen. The adrenal lesion was biochemically suggestive of a phaeochromocytoma (plasma normetanephrine 4930 pmol/L, plasma 3-methoxytyramine 580 pmol/L, urinary noradrenaline 5564 pmol/day, urinary dopamine 4720 nmol/day). A 68Ga-DOTATATE-PET-CT scan revealed DOTATATE avid lesions in the right adrenal gland, tail of pancreas and right sacral ala. Following preoperative medical therapy, the patient underwent a right adrenalectomy and a resection of the distal pancreatic lesion.Histopathology confirmed a phaeochromocytoma with no conscipicouous mitotic activity, and the pancreatic tail lesion was consistent with a well-differentiated neuroendocrine tumour (NET) (Ki-67 score <3%). Following normalisation of the serum catecholamines, a biopsy of the sacral lesion was undertaken, which returned positive for a hibernoma. Genetic testing revealed no identifiable genetic mutations.This case reports the synchronous presence of a phaeochromocytoma, pancreatic NET and sacral hibernoma with no identifiable genetic mutation. To date, the association between hibernomas and neuroendocrine tumours has not been fully established, but a few case reports suggest a possible association between MEN1 and hibernomas.


In this article, we present the part that we can call "dogmatic" of the Salesian Educational and Pastoral Project (PEPS) of the Salesian schools of Lubumbashi and the Kafubu Valley. We present the characteristics of their milieu of insertion, the historicocharismatic reference of these schools, their vision, the values they advocate, their mission and objectives, their target group and their strategies. We believe that we have made a documentary analysis leading to a brief presentation of these elements that can serve as a framework for the development of any educational project and especially that which is pastoral and in addition Salesian. We leave to the finalization of each school, the setting of the specific objectives and their concretization in terms of distribution and assignment of tasks, setting indicators, timing, deadlines and evaluation criteria.


Since 1988, the role of Next Steps executive agencies has been crucial in delivering central government services. Agencies were established to improve service delivery, with changes being supported by an increasing focus on quantification. The Government argued that performance measures and targets are vital in supporting management in planning and controlling the operation of an agency, and that they are also important in providing a basis for reporting to those outside its immediate management, an aspect of discharging accountability. This article discusses the connections between targeting and reporting performance in agencies and, through an empirical study of business plans, corporate plans and annual reports, shows the extent of such linkages. The article provides evidence that key targets in planning documents of agencies provide a useful platform for external reporting, although improvements can still be made.


The issue of medical errors, or adverse events caused within a health care context or by a health care provider, is largely under-researched. While the experience and perspective of health care professionals regarding medical errors have been explored, little attention is paid to the health care consumers regarding their perceptions and experiences. Therefore, there is a need to better understand the public's views on medical errors to enhance patient safety and quality care. The current study sought to examine Australian public perceptions and experiences, especially concerning what errors had occurred, the perceived sources of the errors, and if the errors had been reported. This paper reports the qualitative findings of an online survey for Australian residents who have accessed or received medical services at any time in Australia. Responses from 304 surveys were analyzed and discussed, including demographic information and key themes about medical errors, which were categorized into engagement and patients' voices being heard, the quality of care being provided, and the system's accountability. Based on the findings, the study highlights the importance of effective health professional–patient communication, enhanced capacity to deliver high quality care, and improved mechanism for error reporting and resolution where patients feel safe and confident about positive changes being made.


In this paper, we elaborate on the ergodic sum rate of multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) Nakagami-m fading channels with linear minimum mean square error (MMSE) receivers. For dual transmit antenna configurations, we present new, closed-form upper bounds on the ergodic sum rate of MMSE receivers. Moreover, we derive exact expressions for the two key parameters dictating the sum rate behavior in the low signal to noise ratio (SNR) regime, i.e., minimum energy per information bit to reliably convey any positive rate and the wideband slope. Our analytical results demonstrate the sub-optimality of linear MMSE receivers and provide useful insights into the impact of model parameters (e.g. number of antennas, fading parameters).


This essay builds on the conference on "Mission in the 21th century: New models and strategies in a world of diversity" held in Livingstone, Zambia from 25 March to 1 April 2004. It offers some background to the tension between mission as "evangelism" and as "development" which was addressed at this conference. It then describes some of the insights emerging from this conference, with specific reference to the description of mission as "crying and struggling with others to live today with dignity." It provides some perspectives on this description on the basis of an exegesis of the second half of the Lord's prayer. The conclusion to the essay suggests that further reflection is required on the relationship between soteriology and missiology.


This paper examines the relationships between the knowledge management enablers and knowledge creation externalisation in the hospitality industry such as hotel, travel and trekking agencies in Nepal. The study is based on primary data with 382 responses. The self-administered questionnaires were used to collect the perceptive opinions from the respondents. The study concludes that the key knowledge management enablers such as collaboration, trust, learning, centralisation and information technology do influence to the knowledge creation externalisation positively. Managers should promote collaboration, trust, learning and information technology facilities for employees to create knowledge in organisation.


The nature of the equilibrium between liquid-like and solid-like clusters is reviewed, in terms of the conditions under which sharp transitions may or may not occur. These conditions may be expressed in terms of characteristics of the potential surface of the cluster. The connection between solid-liquid phase equilibrium of clusters and the first-order melting and freezing transition of bulk matter is discussed, both in terms of how the sharp melting point of bulk matter evolves from the corresponding temperature of larger and larger clusters, and in terms of the connection between the finite range of solid-liquid coexistence of clusters and the range within which metastable supercooled or superheated bulk material may exist.


BACKGROUND
The natural course of prominent central subretinal hemorrhages may lead to central scotomas with loss of central visual function due to toxic and mechanic damage to the photoreceptor cells. We report results after operative removal of acute submacular hemorrhages in five patients.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
In five patients with central subretinal hemorrhage we removed the subretinal bloodclot by means of endosurgery through pars plana and retinotomy. As internal tamponade we used SF6 gas/air mixture (4 patients) and silikon oil (1 patient). The cause of the subretinal hemorrhage was disciform senile maculadegeneration in 4 patients and rupture of an arterial macroaneurysm in one patient. The postoperative course was free of complications in four patients. One patient developed retinal detachment, the retina could be reattached by episcleral buckling procedure.

RESULTS
Out of the four patients with disciform maculadegeneration three had an improvement of visual acuity of more than two lines postoperatively. In one patient the visual acuity showed only a minimal improvement. There was no decrease of visual acuity in any patient. There was a marked improvement of vision in the patient without preexisting maculadegeneration, whose bleeding was caused by a ruptured arterial macroaneurysm. Two out of five patients developed in due course a proliferative vitreoretinopathy. Visual acuity was not decreased by proliferative vitreo-retinopathy and until now there has been no indication for surgical intervention.

CONCLUSIONS
Indications for surgical removal of central subretinal bleedings are in our opinion that the hemorrhage must be prominent and include the macula, that the hemorrhage is not older than one week and that visual acuity was better before hemorrhage. After careful consideration the surgical extraction of central subretinal bleeding via pars plana and retinotomy can be recommended and may be useful in some patients.


BACKGROUND
Intracranial complications of sinusitis are always a subject of actuality. They present diagnostic and therapeutic problems.

AIM
To study the clinical characteristics and treatment modalities for intracranial complications of sinusitis while insisting on their severity.

METHODS
Retrospective study concerning 7 patients who had intracranial complications secondary to sinusitis.

RESULTS
Our study was about 3 men and 4 women. The mean age of patients was 24 years. Neurologic signs were the most common symptoms. The diagnosis was confirmed by CT scan and lumbar puncture. The different complications were empyema in 5 cases and meningitis in 2 cases. Treatment included parenteral antibiotic therapy and surgery. The neurosurgical management has been achieved in 3 cases. Control was obtained in 4 cases, the mean receding was 18 months.

CONCLUSION
Intracranial complications of sinusitis must be evoked, especially in cases of febrile headache or facial oedema. CT scan must be realized in slightest doubt. The treatment must be started precociously allowing a cure without after-effects.


Various mechanisms of the formation of naphthalene and its substituted derivatives have been investigated by ab initio G3(MP2,CC)∕B3LYP∕6-311G∗∗ calculations of potential energy surfaces for the reactions of one and two C(2)H additions to styrene combined with RRKM calculations of product branching ratios under single-collision conditions. The results show that for the C(2)H + styrene reaction, the dominant routes are H atom eliminations from the initial adducts; C(2)H addition to the vinyl side chain of styrene is predicted to produce trans or cis conformations of phenylvinylacetylene (t- and c-PVA), whereas C(2)H addition to the ortho carbon in the ring is expected to lead to the formation of o-ethynylstyrene. Although various reaction channels may lead to a second ring closure and the formation of naphthalene, they are not competitive with the direct H loss channels producing PVAs and ethynylstyrenes. However, c-PVA and o-ethynylstyrene may undergo a second addition of the ethynyl radical to ultimately produce substituted naphthalene derivatives. α- and β-additions of C(2)H to the side chain in c-PVA are calculated to form 2-ethynyl-naphthalene with branching ratios of about 30% and 96%, respectively; the major product in the case of α-addition would be cis-1-hexene-3,5-diynyl-benzene produced by an immediate H elimination from the initial adduct. C(2)H addition to the ethynyl side chain in o-ethynylstyrene is predicted to lead to the formation of 1-ethynyl-naphthalene as the dominant product. The C(2)H + styrene → t-PVA + H∕c-PVA + H∕ o-ethynylstyrene, C(2)H + c-PVA → 2-ethynyl-naphthalene + H, and C(2)H + o-ethynylstyrene → 1-ethynyl-naphthalene + H reactions are calculated to occur without a barrier and with high exothermicity, with all intermediates, transition states, and products lying significantly lower in energy than the initial reactants, and hence to be fast even at very low temperature conditions prevailing in Titan's atmosphere or in the interstellar medium. If styrene and C(2)H are available and overlap, the sequence of two C(2)H additions can result in the closure of a second aromatic ring and thus provide a viable route to the formation of 1- or 2-ethynyl-naphthalene. The analogous mechanism can be extrapolated to the low-temperature growth of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in general, as a step from a vinyl-PAH to an ethynyl-substituted PAH with an extra aromatic ring.


Performance-based building engineering requires the synchronization of performances between non-structural and structural components. However, non-structural components are not generally taken into account in structural modelling. In this study, it is aimed to examine the seismic damage effects of non-structural components (NCs) on earthquake performance of RC buildings. For this purpose, 5 multi-story RC building collapsed in a strong earthquake is modelled as three dimensional (3D) using SAP2000 software. Brick, bookcase, bedroom, armchair, washing machine, dish washer, refrigerator is selected as NC in 3D analyses. NCs are modelled as anchored and unanchored to RC building and these NCs are modelled in the RC building taking into account UBC 2018, IBC 2018, ASCE/SI 7-30 code, New Zealand code, and Eurocode 8 code. Considering these standards for anchored / non-anchored / non-NC situations, earthquake analyses are performed separately for far fault and near fault. According to 3D nonlinear seismic analyses, it is clearly seen that NCs strongly affect earthquake behaviour of RC buildings. Besides, it is strongly recommended that non-structural elements should not be ignored while modelling a RC building. Then, it is understood that anchoring or not anchoring non-structural elements to RC structures seriously changes nonlinear seismic behaviour of these structures.


A direct procedure for determining settlement of shallow foundations, combining the modified hyperbolic function for nonlinear stress and strain ratio with correlations from penetration test results, is presented in the paper. The 10% load, i.e. 1% of settlement to equivalent foundations diameter ratio, is used in correlations. Laboratory tests are not needed in this novel procedure, which is a considerable advantage for coarse-grained soils. A very good correspondence was established between the load-based settlement curve calculated in this way, and the settlements measured in sand during load testing of five square foundations of variable size.


Most of routing protocols in VANETs are position-based due to their well scalability. The forwarding decisions of such protocols are simply based on the location information of forwarders' neighborhood and the destination node. Due to high mobility of vehicles, location-service protocols are required to provide the destination location. Location services protocols can be categorized as flooding-based and quorum-based. They are unrealistic for VANETs. In the former approaches, global network flooding require extreme high cost, while in the latter approaches, quorums' hand-off is impossible because of high volume of exchange data. In this paper, we present a routing by utilizing locality of vehicles' traces (i.e., left location information). Besides, by the aid of high mobility of vehicles and news exchange (new information about vehicles' location), vehicles' location information can be spread to improve the possibility of meeting a vehicle which has the location information of the destination. Our protocol is realistic and practical because neither global network flooding nor quorums are required. The simulation results show that our protocol works efficiently for VANETs in city environments and has higher successful query rate and lower cost.


We evaluate manufacturing firms' responses to changes in the real exchange rate (RER) using detailed firm-level data for a large set of countries for the period 2001-2010. We uncover the following stylized facts: In export-oriented emerging Asia, real depreciations are associated with faster growth of firm-level TFP, higher sales and cash-ow, and higher probabilities to engage in R&D and to export. We find negative effects for firms in other emerging economies, which are relatively more import dependent, and no significant effects for firms in industrialized economies. Motivated by these facts, we build a dynamic model in which real depreciations raise the cost of importing intermediates, affect demand, borrowing-constraints and the profitability of engaging in innovation (R&D). We decompose the effects of RER changes on productivity growth across regions into these channels. We estimate the model and quantitatively evaluate the different mechanisms by providing counterfactual simulations of temporary RER movements and conduct several robustness analyses. Effects on physical TFP growth, while different across regions, are non-linear and asymmetric.


We present a study on grocery detection using our object detection system, ShelfScanner, which seeks to allow a visually impaired user to shop at a grocery store without additional human assistance. ShelfScanner allows online detection of items on a shopping list, in video streams in which some or all items could appear simultaneously. To deal with the scale of the object detection task, the system leverages the approximate planarity of grocery store shelves to build a mosaic in real time using an optical flow algorithm. The system is then free to use any object detection algorithm without incurring a loss of data due to processing time. For purposes of speed we use a multiclass naive-Bayes classifier inspired by NIMBLE, which is trained on enhanced SURF descriptors extracted from images in the GroZi-120 dataset. It is then used to compute per-class probability distributions on video keypoints for final classification. Our results suggest ShelfScanner could be useful in cases where high-quality training data is available


To the Editor. —In a review of 144 young adults with nonhemorrhagic cerebral infarcts, Adams and co-workers 1 suggested a direct relationship between right-to-left shunts demonstrated on contrast echocardiography and paradoxical brain embolism in six patients without any other evidence of cardiac or systemic disease. According to the authors' opinion, Valsalva's maneuver could be the predisposing factor for such events. We think this is a very questionable statement. Paradoxical brain embolism usually occurs in the setting of acute cor pulmonale caused by massive pulmonary embolism or in patients with cyanotic congenital heart disease. 2 Such conditions were not present in the patients described by Adams et al. 1 It is also possible that right-to-left shunts occur in healthy individuals through a patent foramen ovale with Valsalva's maneuver, 3 but this phenomenon should not be expected to cause paradoxical brain embolism in the absence of another concomitant factor that favors deep venous thrombosis.


A physical experiment approach was conducted to observe the deformation of doubleporosity soil under vibration effect. The double-porosity soil characteristic was created using kaolin soil. An experiment on a soil sample fitted with accelerometer was conducted on a vibratory table to obtain peak ground acceleration and peak surface acceleration. After the vibration process, the deformable double-porosity soil was verified through field emission scanning electron microscopy tests. As seen in the microscope images, large surface cracks were observed due to the weakness of aggregated kaolin soil structure with its 25% water content. However, the 30% water content soil had small surface cracks due to its stronger soil structure. It was found that the deformable double-porosity soil had more fractured pores compared to the intact soil sample. From the acceleration response analysis, it was seen that both samples had amplification and dis-amplification shaking. In conclusion, the fractured double-porosity, as expected, has high permeability become a dominant factor in fluid migration. Meanwhile, the unconstrained soil and large fracture structure fabric showed significantly different porosity. The percentage of water content plays an important role in the structure of fractured double-porosity soil.


This work demonstrates the potential of thermally actuated micro-electromechanical resonators to be used as highly sensitive and fast sensors distinguishing between different gases and gas mixtures based on their thermo-physical properties. This approach is especially suitable for detection of hydrogen due to its extremely high thermal conductivity compared to other gases. On the other hand, as observed in our experiments, the resonant frequency of thermally actuated silicon micromechanical resonators is very sensitive to the thermal conductivity of its surrounding gases. This is expected to be mainly due to the induced changes in the static temperature of the resonator as the heat transfer coefficient changes with thermal conductivity of the surrounding gas. Frequency shifts as high as 3800ppm where measured for I-shaped resonators when their surrounding gas was changed from air to 100% hydrogen. Frequency deviation of 2200ppm was measured for a self sustained micromechanical thermal-piezoresistive oscillator upon its exposure to a hydrogen-air mixture with 100ppm hydrogen concentration.


Bárbara I., Gallardo T., Cremades J., Barreiro R., Maneiro I. and Saunders G.W. 2013. Pseudopolyides furcellarioides gen. et sp. nov. (Gigartinales, Rhodophyta) an erect member of the Cruoriaceae based on morphological and molecular evidence. Phycologia 52: 191–203. DOI: 10.2216/12-040.1 Pseudopolyides furcellarioides gen. et sp. nov. (Gigartinales, Rhodophyta) was described from the Atlantic coasts of the northern Iberian Peninsula based on morphological and molecular evidence. This plant was found growing in the lower intertidal to the upper subtidal of moderately exposed rocky coasts, the bases anchored to rocks and often covered by sand. Thalli were perennial, terete, dichotomously branched and erect from a mammillate crustose holdfast. Fronds were multiaxial with a compact filamentous medulla, a densely pseudoparenchymatous inner cortex and an anticlinal outer cortex. Gametophytes were dioecious and isomorphic to tetrasporophytes. Spermatangia were superficial on swollen branch tips. Gonimocarps were spindle-shaped and directed to the thallus interior, while tetrasporangia were zonate. The habit and internal structure resembled those of both Polyides rotundus (characterized by crustose holdfasts, dichotomous or trichotomous branching and similar longitudinal section) and Furcellaria lumbricalis (distinguished by internal gonimocarps and zonate tetrasporangia). All three species occasionally occurred sympatrically in the Iberian Peninsula and were easily misclassified. Molecular phylogenetic analyses placed Pseudopolyides furcellarioides within the previously monogeneric Cruoriaceae, making it the first non-crustose representative of this family.


We synthesize and review retrospective analyses of federal air quality regulations to examine the contributions of the Clean Air Act (CAA) to the vast air quality improvements seen since 1970. Geographic heterogeneity in stringency affects emissions, public health, compliance costs, and employment. Cap-and-trade has delivered greater emission reductions at lower cost than conventional mandates, yet has fallen short of textbook ideals. Market power also influenced the CAA's benefits and costs. New benefit categories have been identified ex post, but specific technology requirements have not yet been rigorously evaluated. Comparisons of aggregate benefits and costs of the CAA are beyond present capabilities. (JEL D61, K32, Q51, Q53, Q58)


Historically, the debate over the judicial role has centered on the constitutional and administrative law decisions of the United States Supreme Court, with an occasional glance at the Federal Courts of Appeals. It has, moreover, been concerned solely with the "in-court" behavior of Article III appellate judges as they carry out their power and duty "to say what the law is" in the context of resolving "cases and controversies." This Article seeks to deepen the discussion of the appropriate role of Article III judges by broadening it to trial, as well as appellate, judges; and by distinguishing between an Article III judge's "decisional" activities on the one hand, and the judge's "hortatory" and other activities on the other. To that end, the Article focuses on a cohort of deeply respected federal district judges-many, although not all, experienced Clinton appointees in the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York–who, over the last decade, have challenged conventional norms of judicial behavior to urge reform of fundamental aspects of the federal criminal justice system. These "new" judicial activists have made their case for reform in the pages of their judicial opinions, often in dicta; in articles and speeches; and through advocacy within and beyond the judicial branch. This Article summarizes this activity, places it in historical context, and assesses its value as well as its risks.


(Received 14 February 2003; revised manuscript received 20 October 2003; published 20 February 2004) Under heating, α-AlF 3 undergoes a structural phase transition from rhombohedral to cubic at temperature T around 730 K.The density-functional method is used to examine the T=0 energy surface in the structural parameter space, and finds the minimum in good agreement with the observed rhombohedral structure. The energy surface and electronic wave functions at the minimum are then used to calculate properties including density of states, Γ-point phonon modes, and the dielectric function. The dipole formed at each fluorine ion in the low-temperature phase is also calculated, and is used in a classical electrostatic picture to examine possible antiferroelectric aspects of this phase transition.


Linear copolymers that have pendant coumarin-2 and coumarin-343 chromophores were prepared as analogues to previously synthesized light-harvesting dendrimers. The chromophore ratios within these polymers were maintained similar to those of the various generation dendrimers to investigate the effect of polymer architecture on the energy-transfer efficiency between the coumarin-2 donors and coumarin-343 acceptors. Both physical and photophysical properties of these polymers were analyzed and compared to those of the analogous dendrimers. Energy-transfer efficiencies were relatively high in the polymers; however, deleterious excimer formation between the coumarin-343 chromophores diminished the quantum yield of fluorescence of the polymers when compared to the analogous dendrimers. Overall, it was found that the ultimate performance of the dendritic light-harvesting antennae was superior to that of the polymeric analogues, but the polymers were more practical in terms of synthetic accessibility. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 39: 1366–1373, 2001


The quasienergies and the steady states of a two-level atom coupled to a quantized cavity mode and driven by a classical periodic field are solved in the case that the detunings among the atom, the cavity mode and the field are small. We also constitute two sets of orthonormal wavefunctions based on the steady states we obtained from the system and present a unitary evolution operator. Finally, the specific calculations show that the approximate solution is a useful tool for the further investigation of the properties of the driven Jaynes–Cummings model with small detunings.


Relativistic fluid dynamics finds application in astrophysics, cosmology and the physics of high-energy heavy-ion collisions. In this thesis, we present our work on the formulation of relativistic dissipative fluid dynamics within the framework of relativistic kinetic theory. We employ the second law of thermodynamics as well as the relativistic Boltzmann equation to obtain the dissipative evolution equations.
We present a new derivation of the dissipative hydrodynamic equations using the second law of thermodynamics wherein all the second-order transport coefficients get determined uniquely within a single theoretical framework. An alternate derivation of the dissipative equations which does not make use of the two major approximations/assumptions namely, Grad's 14-moment approximation and second moment of Boltzmann equation, inherent in the Israel-Stewart theory, is also presented. Moreover, by solving the Boltzmann equation iteratively in a Chapman-Enskog like expansion, we have derived the form of second-order viscous corrections to the distribution function. Furthermore, a novel third-order evolution equation for shear stress tensor is derived. Finally, we generalize the collision term in the Boltzmann equation to include non-local effects. We find that the second-order dissipative equations derived using this modified Boltzmann equation contains all possible terms allowed by symmetry.
In the case of one-dimensional scaling expansion, we demonstrate the numerical significance of these formulations on the evolution of the hot and dense matter created in ultra-relativistic heavy-ion collisions. We also study the effect of these new formulations on particle (hadron and thermal dilepton) spectra and femtoscopic radii.


This paper describes the changes incorporated in experimental versions of the two basic mechanics courses in the McCormick School of Engineering at Northwestern University to increase the design and computer content. These Statics and Strength of Materials classes include linear algebra, an introduction to matrix methods of structural analysis including truss elements in one and two dimensions, and the constant strain triangle. Design analysis projects are also added to the courses. We describe the new material, what has been eliminated, and our reasons for these choices. Examples of computer projects, students' reactions, and plans for the future are also summarized.


Surface-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (SALDI-TOF-MS) using GaP nanoparticles (NPs) prepared by a gas evaporation method was investigated on poly(ethylene glycol)s (PEGs). The mass spectra of PEG and survival yield measurements suggested that larger GaP NPs have a quite high soft ionization ability.


Monocarbonyl iodonium ylides, generated in situ from (Z)-(2-acetoxyvinyl)iodonium salts via an ester exchange reaction with EtOLi, undergo alkylidene transfer reactions to activated imines yielding 2-acylaziridines in good yields. The stereochemical outcome of this aziridination was shown to be dependent on both the activating groups of the imines and the reaction solvents: that is, the aziridination of N-(2,4,6-trimethylbenzenesulfonyl)imines in THF affords cis-aziridines as a major product while that of N-benzoylimines in THF-DMSO or THF gives the trans isomer stereoselectively.


Background: The new concepts and technologies continue to change the dynamics of endodontic practices in the world. Rapid and significant changes in techniques, instrument design, and the type of metals used to manufacture endodontic instruments which have been made during the last few years in an attempt to overcome canal preparation errors. The purpose of this study is to measure and compare canal transportation and centering ability of Self Adjusting File with two rotary nickel-titanium (Ni-Ti) systems, ProTaper and BioRaCe at different levels.
Material and Methods: Forty five distal roots of mandibular first molars with moderate curvature were selected using Schneider method. Roots were divided randomly into 3 groups of 15 each and were scanned using Computed Tomography (Initial scan). After canal preparation with ProTaper (group A), BioRaCe (group B), and Self Adjusting File (group C) the roots were rescanned (Final scan), the degree of canal transportation and centering ability were assessed at apical (4 mm), middle (6 mm), coronal (9 mm) sections using computed tomography. The collected data were statistically analyzed using ANOVA and Least Significant Difference tests.
Results: There were no statistically significant differences among the groups at level 4 mm and level 9 mm (P ? 0.05). However, at level 6 mm there was a highly significant difference between (A) and (B) groups (P ? 0.01) and there was a significant difference between (A) and (C) groups (P ? 0.05). There were no statistically significant differences among different levels of (A) and (C) groups (P ? 0.05), while (B) group showed a highly significant difference between 4 mm and 9 mm levels and between 6 mm and 9 mm levels (P ? 0.01). Regarding canal centering ability, there was no statistically significant difference among the three groups at different levels (P ? 0.05)., while (B) group showed a significant difference between 4 mm and 9 mm levels (P ? 0.05), and a very highly significant difference between 6 mm and 9 mm levels (P ? 0.001).
Conclusion: The study demonstrated that canal preparation with the three designs of Ni-Ti instruments produced canal transportation. Self Adjusting File group showed less canal transportation than ProTaper group. There was a comparable value of canal centering ability among different levels in each group except in BioRaCe group.


Conversational recommendation systems (CRS) engage with users by inferring user preferences from dialog history, providing accurate recommendations, and generating appropriate responses. Previous CRSs use knowledge graph (KG) based recommendation modules and integrate KG with language models for response generation. Although KG-based approaches prove effective, two issues remain to be solved. First, KG-based approaches ignore the information in the conversational context but only rely on entity relations and bag of words to recommend items. Second, it requires substantial engineering efforts to maintain KGs that model domain-specific relations, thus leading to less flexibility. In this paper, we propose a simple yet effective architecture comprising a pre-trained language model (PLM) and an item metadata encoder. The encoder learns to map item metadata to embeddings that can reflect the semantic information in the dialog context. The PLM then consumes the semantic-aligned item embeddings together with dialog context to generate high-quality recommendations and responses. Instead of modeling entity relations with KGs, our model reduces engineering complexity by directly converting each item to an embedding. Experimental results on the benchmark dataset ReDial show that our model obtains state-of-the-art results on both recommendation and response generation tasks.


Seventeen 100 m long streams stretches, none of an order higher than three, were sampled to both sides of the main channel of Rio Paranapanema in the States of Sao Paulo and Parana, southeastern and southern Brazil. Each stream stretch had its midpoint located with a GPS satellite receiver and had its fish fauna sampled via a standardized environmental data and fish collection methodology (primarily utilizing electrofishing) with the aim of providing the following information about each stream: 1) the taxonomic composition of the fish fauna and the contribution of each species in that stream in terms of both number of individuals and biomass; 2) a photographic documentation of the live coloration of representative speci-mens of each collected species; and 3) the description of each sampled environment, with colored photographic illustra-tions and details of the main biotic and abiotic parameters. Overall 3,683 fishes were collected, belonging to six orders, 16 families, 37 genera, and 52 species, with a total biomass of 16.8 kg. Of the collected species, approximately 36% were Siluriformes, 36% Characiformes, 11% Gymnotiformes, 10% Perciformes, 4% Cyprinodontiformes, and 2% Synbranchiformes. The most abundant species in terms of total number of individuals were Astyanax altiparanae (15.2%) and Astyanax sp. 1 (12.3%); The species with the largest biomasses were Astyanax altiparanae (28%) and Geophagus brasiliensis (13%). In terms of abundance and biomass collected for each family, the Characidae was clearly the predominant family followed by the Loricariidae, Pimelodidae, and Cichlidae. Among the sampled stream stretches, locality 14 with 24 species and locality 13 with five species yielded the highest and lowest richness in terms of species numbers, respectively. This coincides with the values obtained for the Shannon-Wienner index of specific diversity (H´ = 0.99 and 0.32, respectively). The median species richness for all streams stretches was 11. In the species richness estimate by extrapolation for all 17 sampled stream stretches, a value of 69 species was obtained (with a standard error of four) indicating the need for an additional moderate sampling effort to reach the asymptote of the curve. Of the 52 collected species, eight (approximately 15% of the total) are clearly new to science and five other species (approximately 10% of the total) are of indefinite taxonomic status and require further analysis. Three of the captured species are introduced (approximately 6% of the total). Analysis of the trophic and spatial structure of the studied fish fauna indicates that the 10 numerically dominant species in the sampled streams can be grouped into four guilds that are in decreasing order of numeric importance: nektonic omnivores; benthonic invertivores; periphytovores; and benthonic omnivores. An identification key for all the species of fish collected during this study it is provided.


A people-centric public transportation system is often ignored due to the lock-in effect of vehicle-oriented development. The system eventually affects pedestrians' accessibility to and from a transit stop and station, as they are the main public transport users. To resolve this issue, this study identified and measured pedestrians' accessibility to determine the location of a bus stop in Pasir Gudang within 3- kilometres (3-km) based on three parameters, which are pedestrian, syntactical and spatial as identified through literature reviews. To analyse the pedestrian parameter, data for pedestrian volume and static activity analysis were collected using gate count method proposed by Space Syntax University College London's (UCL) Laboratory. Next, under the syntactical parameter, axial lines of street network in Pasir Gudang were drawn and analysed using DepthMap's axial segment for the proposed 3-km, 1.2km, 800-metres (800m) and 400-metres (400m) coverage. From an axial segment analysis, a 400m metric integration is shown to be suitable and appropriate accessibility coverage for pedestrians (significant at 0.05 level) in the study area. Then, based on the spatial parameter, a buffer analysis of 400 metres identified 46 zones within the 3-km studied area. Next, the 46 zones were then spatially analysed based on its mixed land use index and functional front index analysis using a land use map provided by the Pasir Gudang Municipal Council (MPPG). The correlation analysis results between the three parameters showed that 16 of the 46 zones were identified suitable for bus stop planning, which were significant at 0.05 and 0.01 level. The findings also showed that the pedestrian parameter in Pasir Gudang is more highly correlated to the spatial parameter compared to the syntactical parameter. This evidently showed that the pedestrian pattern of Pasir Gudang is more influenced by land use as compared to street integration. Furthermore, the three parameters discussed should be considered in order to find an optimised location for a bus stop, besides designing a better, liveable and successful street for an urban city. Accordingly, the findings of this research is expected to provide an evidence-based design approach to plan and design better transit stops for a people-centric public transportation system in the city.


Abstract In this paper, the current methods that are used for deriving the Gaussian cost function in four-dimensional variational (4D VAR) data assimilation, are extended to lognormal and mixed, lognormal and Gaussian, random variables (rv). It is also shown that transforming a lognormal rv into a Gaussian rv to use in a Gaussian based 4D VAR results in the analysis state being similar to a median in lognormal space. An alternative version of the functional approach is derived so that the minimum of this alternative cost function is the mode in lognormal space. However, the current approaches do not allow for a generalized probability density function (pdf) approach, to overcome this a general probability model is derived so that the mode is found for any pdf from Bayesian networks and conditional independence properties. It is shown that the current Gaussian cost function and the lognormal can be found by the probability model method. The paper is finished by comparing the median approach with the modal approach in the Lorenz 1963 model for both weak and strong constraint 4D VAR and show that the mode is a more reliable analysis statistic than the median under certain circumstances.


Titanium-silicon dioxide (TiO2-SiO2) nanocomposite thin films have been synthesized by sol-gel process as a photoanode in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC). The photovoltaic performances, i.e. JSC, VOC, FF, and η were explored using I–V measurement. The effects of electrolyte type (iodolyte, PAN-based gel polymer: E1 and E2) and the preparation of photoanode (annealed temperature) on the performance of DSSC was significantly studied using factorial design methodology. It reveals that in factorial design, both main factors (electrolyte type and annealed temperature) and the interaction between these two factors were found statistically significant. It means that the effects of electrolyte type and annealed temperature, are the significant variables influencing the energy efficiency, as well as the two-factor interactions of electrolyte type and annealed temperature. The determination coefficient (R2 ) also in good alliance, which confirms that there exist a high association between these factors with the energy efficiency of DSSC. The optimum conditions of the energy efficiency occurs for a PAN-based gel polymer E2 when the photoanode was annealed at 350C, exhibits a highest energy efficiency of 1.5%.


The results of local-instability tests of h-section plate assemblies and compressive stress-strain tests of extruded 75s-t6 aluminum alloy, obtained to determine flat-plate compressive strength under stabilized elevated temperature conditions, are given for temperatures up to 600 degrees F. The results show that methods available for calculating the critical compressive stress at room temperature can also be used at elevated temperatures if the applicable compressive stress-strain curve for the material is given.


The fundamental premise of both the Indonesian national and Islamic education systems is to form intelligent, faithful, and pious human beings or students. This study aimed to analyze the concept of monotheism-based integral education that can lead students, teachers, and school members to recognize, understand, practice, and enjoy Islam as a real view of life. This study was a literature review of previous research articles published between 2017 and 2021 and available from the lens.org. The results indicated that monotheism-based integral education is a conscious, structured and systematic effort to succeed in the mission of human creation based on the guidance of revelation and that this monotheism-based integral education can successfully produce kamil people.
Keywords: integral education, based on Tauhid


We present results of the first gender classification experiments on Slovene text to our knowledge. Inspired by the TwiSty corpus and experiments (Verhoeven et al., 2016), we employed the Janes corpus (Erjavec et al., 2016) and its gender annotations to perform gender classification experiments on Twitter text comparing a token-based and a lemma-based approach. We find that the token-based approach (92.6% accuracy), containing gender markings related to the author, outperforms the lemma-based approach by about 5%. Especially in the lemmatized version, we also observe stylistic and content-based differences in writing between men (e.g. more profane language, numerals and beer mentions) and women (e.g. more pronouns, emoticons and character flooding). Many of our findings corroborate previous research on other languages.


Abstract Gastric polyps are frequently reported in patients undergoing upper endoscopic procedures. In this retrospective study, the association between hyperplastic polyps and celiac disease in Northern Sardinia was estimated. Age, gender, body mass index, and medications taken in the 2 preceding months, including proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs), H2 receptor blockers (anti-H2), Helicobacter pylori status, endoscopic findings, and histology from charts of patients undergoing esophago-gastro-duodenoscopy were reviewed. Polyps were classified as hyperplastic, fundic gland, inflammatory, and adenomatous. 3.7% (423/11379) patients had celiac disease. Prevalence of gastric polyps was 4.2% (3.8% among celiac vs 4.2% nonceliac patients). Inflammatory polyp was the most common histotype (55.8% and 56.2%) followed by fundic gland polyps (31.4% and 43.7%), hyperplastic (8.7% and 0%), and adenomas, in celiac and nonceliac patients, respectively. Fundic gland polyps were more common in PPI users (odds ratio: 4.06) than in nonusers (2.65, P = 0.001) among celiac and nonceliac patients. Age older than 50, female gender, esophago-gastro-duodenoscopy year, and PPI use were associated with the presence of polyps, whereas active H pylori infection was not. Gastric polyps were common in Sardinian patients undergoing esophago-gastro-duodenoscopy. However, the previously reported association between hyperplastic polyps and celiac disease was not confirmed in our study.


Lipid bilayers are two-dimensional fluids. Here, the effect of monovalent ion concentration on the mixing, and consequently the organization, of 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DOPC)/1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphate (DOPA) bilayers has been examined. Epifluorescence microscopy was used to visualize the organization. Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching and attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy were used to assess the fluidity of the lipids. At high ionic strength the DOPC and DOPA lipids appear uniformly mixed. Upon lowering the ionic strength, rapid separation is observed. The DOPA-rich regions appear fractal-like and exhibit hysteresis in their properties. The lipids freely exchange between the two regions. These experiments clearly demonstrate the significant effect that electrostatics can have on membrane organization.


This paper analyzes optimal contracts in a linear hidden-action model with normally distributed returns possessing two moments that are governed jointly by two agents who have negative exponential utilities. They can observe and verify each others' effort levels and draft enforceable side-contracts on effort levels and realized returns. Standard constraints, resulting in incentive contracts, fail to ensure implementability, and we examine centralized collusion-proof contracts and decentralized team contracts, as well. We prove that the principal may restrict attention to team contracts whenever returns from the project satisfy a mild monotonicity condition.


ABSTRACT Controversial pianist and pedagogue Lennie Tristano (1919–1978) stands out as one of jazz's most polarizing figures. His color-blind artistic ideology, Eurological improvisatory approach, and repeated condemnations of established African American artists problematizes jazz's Afrocentric narrative while undermining his own canonic relevance. Time and again he challenged the idiomatic importance of figures like Coleman, Davis, Rollins, and Coltrane, unconvinced of their musics' value and skeptical of their abilities to engage in "honest" music-making. These criticisms were informed, I argue, by unorthodox interpretive criteria largely overlooked by Tristano scholars to date. Here I assert that Tristano's critical toolkit was comprised of analytical devices inspired by Neo-Freudian psychoanalytic theories of neurotic human selfhood. I also propose that his improvisational philosophy was informed by Freudian psychoanalytic concepts; and his students' by the works of Neo-Freudian bio-psychoanalyst Wilhelm Reich. To do so, I identify public statements, published writings, interview responses, and criticisms by and from members of the Tristano School that indicate a collective familiarity with Freudian psychoanalytic theory, an interest in its musico-improvisational implications, and evidence of active attempts to incorporate it into their own improvisational approaches.


The purpose of this paper is to analysis on periodical changes of rural houses of Korean-Chinese people residing in Yanbian area, China focused on periodical changes of floor plans according to Chinese government's policies and regulations influencing on rural houses. Changes of floor plans are classified into four periods ; immigrating·settled period, 1960-1970s, 1980-1990s, and after 2000. Total number of 67 cases were analyzed that data was collected 48 cases of literature studies and 19 cases of field study in Yanbian, China. The results are as followings. In immigrating·settled period, floor plans of the rural houses have tended to be continued the pattern of the Korean traditional rural houses Nevertheless China was changed socialism system, rarely floor plans were influenced by the system during this period From 1960s to 1970s, the livestock and rural mechanization are influenced by the `People's Commune` policy. The `Bam` and `Mill` were converted into `warehouse`. The residential part consists of one Jeongji (space mixed dinning and kitchen) and one to three of Ondolbang (room). From 1980s to 1990s influenced by the policies of `Cultural Revolution`, `Birth Control` and `Chinese Economic Reform`, the Korean traditional customs like `elders first` and distinction between the male and female have been gradually vanished. Meanwhile, spaces of the rural houses have consisted of Jeongji, big Utppang (room), and warehouse. Each space is opened and mutual. Since 2000, influenced by the policy of a `new Socialist Countryside Construction`, the bathroom and kitchen are added in interior spaces, the life style in rural houses has been changed as for both the sedentary style and western style.


Collecting bird eggs is an established method of biomonitoring for specific pollution hazards. One of the most critical problems with this method is the extreme biological variability in bird eggs, but standardizing the collection and preservation of eggs can reduce these problems. Furthermore, standard practices are required so that the results can be compared among studies because mistakes cannot be corrected by laboratory analysis. Therefore, a standard procedure for collecting and preserving bird eggs may be necessary. The objective of this review is to investigate the current standard of quality assurance in the field by analyzing 86 peer-reviewed papers describing egg collection and use for aquatic birds. We show that little attention has been paid to standardizing how eggs are collected and stored in the field. Important information is often absent, including crucial aspects of sample collection and preservation, such as the freshness of the eggs, the position of the eggs in the laying sequence, the selection criteria, random sampling, and the duration and temperature of transport. Potential standards are suggested and discussed as a foundation for the development of quality assurance standards in the field.


Automatic recognition of races is major component of human-machine interactions. Recognition of races can reduce number of images that captured security camera to find any criminal whose race is known. It is useful especially for airports, border gates and other social domains. In this paper, three major races class which are Caucasion, Mongoloid and Negroid are observed. Local binary patterns (LBP) are used for feature extraction process, and weighted chi square statistics are used for recognition process. To classify races, models that are created by using morphing are used. The test results show that the system performance is approximately 99%.


More public money should be spent on ensuring a high quality of early child development to create a fairer society and reduce health inequalities, an evidence based review has concluded.

Teaching parents the importance of cuddling their babies and talking to young children can help reduce behavioural problems and aid cognitive development, enabling better progress at school, said Michael Marmot, professor of epidemiology and pubic health at University College London, who led the independent review on tackling health inequalities in England over the next 10 years, commissioned by the government.

Of the six recommendations in his review this is the priority, he said. With better education, people are better able to find their way through modern society, find employment, and have control over their lives, he added.

"The message of our report is that if you can create a …


Expression of the human folylpoly-γ-glutamate synthetase (FPGS) gene is controlled by tissue/lineage specific and proliferation-dependent mechanisms. Levels of FPGS mRNA, protein, and enzyme activity are 2–3 fold higher in B-precursor (Bp) ALL cell lines and primary cells when compared to T-lineage ALL. These differences correlate with intracellular accumulation of long chain methotrexate (MTX) polyglutamates (PG), and more important with clinical sensitivity to MTX. However, significant heterogeneity of FPGS expression exists within hematopoietic cells of the same lineage, suggesting additional factors influence FPGS expression in Bp- and T-ALL. cDNA microarray data was analyzed for expression of folate-related genes (DHFR, FPGS, RFC, MTHFR, and γ-GGH) in six prognostic leukemia subtypes (T-ALL, hyperdiploid (> 50 chromosomes), BCR-ABL, E2A-PBX1, TEL-AML1, and MLL) (Yeoh et al, Cancer Cell, 2002). It was found that only the FPGS gene exhibited significant heterogeneity of expression compared the others analyzed. Therefore, we investigated the effect of distinct non-random genomic translocations on FPGS gene expression to determine whether gene fusions may be responsible for the heterogeneity of FPGS expression in ALL cells. Using quantitative fluorescence real-time RT-PCR, we first detected reduced levels of FPGS mRNA expression in the RCH-ACV (Bp-ALL, t(1:19)/E2A-PBX1) and REH (Bp-ALL, t(12:21)/TEL-AML1) human leukemia cell lines expressing non-random chromosomal gene fusions when compared to control (NALM6). To determine if expression of fusion proteins encoded by the E2A-PBX1 and TEL-AML1 translocations lead to decrease FPGS promoter activity and mRNA expression, we used a FPGS-luciferase reporter gene assay. The CHO FPGS null mutant cell line AUXB1, was triple transfected with constructs expressing luciferase (pFPGS-luc), β-galactosidase (pCMVβ), and E2A-PBX1 (pCMVKJ7) or TEL-AML1 (pTEL-AML1) and assayed for luciferase and β-galactosidase activity. Expression of E2A-PBX1 and TEL-AML1, determined by quantitative RT-PCR and Western blot, resulted in 45% and 30% decrease in the level of normalized FPGS-luciferase activity, respectively. These data indicate that FPGS gene transcription is decreased by both translocations, either by direct binding to regulatory elements or indirectly via downstream pathways influenced by E2A-PBX1 and TEL-AML1. Therefore, to confirm these findings and to identify genes or pathways in Bp-ALL regulated by E2A-PBX1 and TEL-AML1 gene fusions, we constructed NALM6 stable cell lines expressing E2A-PBX1 or TEL-AML1 using vectors pCI-neo/E2A-PBX1 and pCI-neo/TEL-AML1. In both NALM6 stable cell lines the level of FPGS mRNA expression was decreased by more than 50% compared to wild type (NALM6). Total RNA was then extracted from NALM6, NALM6/E2A-PBX1, and NALM6/TEL-AML1 cells and analyzed by cDNA microarray. Gene expression profile analysis from existing databases and our NALM6/E2A-PBX1 and NALM6/TEL-AML1 stable cell lines identified genes differentially expressed compared to NALM6 control. These included transcription factors (CSDA, AKAP12, ARL2, PBX1, TEL), cell cycle regulators (CDK2P1), signal transduction (PIK3C3), proliferation and cell migration (PTPRK), zinc finger binding protein (PHF2), among others. This study is the first to demonstrate the causal relationship between the presence of E2A-PBX1 and TEL-AML1 gene fusions and altered FPGS expression and may explain the differential sensitivity to MTX exhibited by these childhood ALL phenotypes.


Purpose: the aim of this study was to examine factors affecting consumers' purchase decision of over-the-counter (OTC) medicines from community pharmacies in Ethiopia. Design/methodology/approach: A quantitative research design was used to test the effect of various factors on consumer purchase decision of OTC medicines. Descriptive and explanatory research approaches were used to describe and investigate the relationship between dependent and independent variables. Both primary and secondary data were collected using self-administered questionnaire and Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23 was used to analyze the data. Findings: the researchers found that, pharmacist's recommendation, price, and country of origin of OTC medicines have positive and significant effect on consumers' purchase decision of OTC medicines. Even though, previous experience and families' and friends' recommendation have positive effect on consumers' purchase decision of OTC medicines, is not statistically significant.  Originality/value: Few studies have been conducted on OTC medicines from pharmacy practice perspective and their result showed that there are significant numbers of consumers using OTC medicines. In the best of authors' knowledge, however; no research has been conducted on OTC medicines from consumer behavior perspectives, especially, purchase decision in Ethiopia. Keywords: Community Pharmacy, OTC Medicine, and Purchase Decision DOI: 10.7176/JMPB/65-02 Publication date: April 30 th 2020


Abstract Modern constructive type theory is based on pure dependently typed lambda calculus, augmented with user-defined datatypes. This paper presents an alternative called the Calculus of Dependent Lambda Eliminations, based on pure lambda encodings with no auxiliary datatype system. New typing constructs are defined that enable induction, as well as large eliminations with lambda encodings. These constructs are constructor-constrained recursive types, and a lifting operation to lift simply typed terms to the type level. Using a lattice-theoretic denotational semantics for types, the language is proved logically consistent. The power of CDLE is demonstrated through several examples, which have been checked with a prototype implementation called Cedille.


Space weather refers to electromagnetic disturbances in the near-Earth environment as a result of the Sun-Earth interaction. Severe space weather events such as magnetic storms can cause disruption to a wide range of technologies and infrastructure, including communications systems, electronic circuits and power grids. Because of its high potential impact, space weather has been included in the UK National Risk Register since 2011. Space weather monitoring and early magnetic storm detection can be used to mitigate risk in sensitive technological systems. The aim of this project is to investigate the electromagnetic disturbances in the near-Earth environment through developing statistical models that quantifies the variations and uncertainties in the near-Earth magnetic field.

Data of the near-Earth magnetic field arise from in-situ satellite measurements and computer model outputs. The Cluster II mission (Escoubet et al., 2001a) has four satellites that provide in-situ measurements of the near-Earth magnetic field at time-varying locations along their trajectories. The computer model consists of an internal part that calculates the magnetic field sourced from Earth itself and an external part that estimates the magnetic field resulting from the Sun-Earth interaction. These magnetic fields, termed as the internal field and the external field, add up to the total magnetic field. Numerical estimates of the internal field and the external field are obtained respectively from the IGRF-11 model (Finlay et al., 2010) and the Tysganenko-96 (T96) model (Tsyganenko, 2013) given the times and the locations as inputs. The IGRF model outputs are invariant to space weather conditions whereas the T96 model outputs change with the input space weather parameters. The time-varying space weather parameters for T96 model include the solar wind ram pressure, the y and the z-components of the interplanetary magnetic field, and the disturbance storm time index. These parameters are the estimated time series of the solar wind conditions at the magnetopause, i.e. the boundary of the magnetosphere on the day-side, and the disturbance level at the Earth's surface. Real-time values of the T96 model input parameters are available at hourly resolution from https://omniweb.gsfc.nasa.gov/.

The overall aim of the thesis is to build spatio-temporal models that can be used to understand uncertainties and constraints leveraged from 3D mathematical models of space weather events. These spatio-temporal models can be then used to help understand the design parameters that need to be varied in building a precise and reliable sensor network. Chapter 1 provides an introduction to space weather in terms of the near-Earth magnetic field environment. Beginning with an overview of the near-Earth magnetic field environment, Chapter 2 describes the sources for generating in-situ satellite measurements and computer model outputs, namely the Cluster II mission, the IGRF model, and the T96 model. The process of sampling the magnetic field data from the different data sources and the space-time dependence in the hourly sampled magnetic field data are also included in this Chapter. Converting the space-time structure in the magnetic field data into a time series structure with a function relating the position in space to time, Chapter 3 explores the temporal variations in the sampled in-situ satellite measurements. Through a hierarchical approach, the satellite measurements are related to the computer model outputs. This chapter proposes statistical methods for dealing with the non-stationary features, temporal autocorrelation, and volatility present in the time series data.

With the aim of better characterising the electromagnetic environment around the Earth, Chapter 4 develops time-series models of the near-Earth magnetic field utilising in-situ (CLUSTER) magnetic field data. Regression models linking the CLUSTER satellite observations and two physical models of the magnetic field (T96 and IGRF) are fit to each orbit in the period 2003-2013. The time series of model parameter estimates are then analysed to examine any long term patterns, variations and associations to storm indices. In addition to explaining how the two physical models calibrate with the observed satellite measurements, these statistical models capture the inherent volatility in the magnetic field, and allow us to identify other factors associated with the magnetic field variation, such as the relative position of each satellite relative to the Earth and the Sun. Mixed-effect models that include these factors are constructed for parameters estimated from the regression models for evaluating the performance of the two computer models. Following the calibration of the computer models against the satellite measurements, Chapter 5 investigates how these computer models allow us to investigate the association between the variations in near-Earth magnetic field and storms. To identify the signatures of storm onsets in different locations in the magnetosphere, change-point detection methods are considered for time series magnetic field signals generated from the computer models along various feasible satellite orbits. The detection results inform on potential sampling strategies of the near-Earth magnetic field to be predictive of storms through selecting achievable satellite orbits for placing satellite sensors and detecting changes in the time series magnetic signals.

Chapter 6 provides of a summary of the main finding within this thesis, identifies some limitations of the work carried out in the main chapters, and include a discussion of future research. An Appendix provides details of coordinate transformation for converting the time and position dependent magnetic field data into an appropriate coordinate system.