The quality of adaptive treatment planning depends on the accuracy of its underlying deformable image registration (DIR). The purpose of this study is to evaluate the performance of two DIR algorithms, B‐spline‐based deformable multipass (DMP) and deformable demons (Demons), implemented in a commercial software package. Evaluations were conducted using both computational and physical deformable phantoms. Based on a finite element method (FEM), a total of 11 computational models were developed from a set of CT images acquired from four lung and one prostate cancer patients. FEM generated displacement vector fields (DVF) were used to construct the lung and prostate image phantoms. Based on a fast‐Fourier transform technique, image noise power spectrum was incorporated into the prostate image phantoms to create simulated CBCT images. The FEM‐DVF served as a gold standard for verification of the two registration algorithms performed on these phantoms. The registration algorithms were also evaluated at the homologous points quantified in the CT images of a physical lung phantom. The results indicated that the mean errors of the DMP algorithm were in the range of 1.0~3.1mm for the computational phantoms and 1.9 mm for the physical lung phantom. For the computational prostate phantoms, the corresponding mean error was 1.0–1.9 mm in the prostate, 1.9–2.4 mm in the rectum, and 1.8–2.1 mm over the entire patient body. Sinusoidal errors induced by B‐spline interpolations were observed in all the displacement profiles of the DMP registrations. Regions of large displacements were observed to have more registration errors. Patient‐specific FEM models have been developed to evaluate the DIR algorithms implemented in the commercial software package. It has been found that the accuracy of these algorithms is patient‐dependent and related to various factors including tissue deformation magnitudes and image intensity gradients across the regions of interest. This may suggest that DIR algorithms need to be verified for each registration instance when implementing adaptive radiation therapy. PACS numbers: 87.10.Kn, 87.55.km, 87.55.Qr, 87.57.nj


The RD53A read-out chip (65 nm CMOS) is a large-scale demonstrator for ATLAS and CMS phase 2 pixel upgrades. It is one of the key elements of the serial powering scheme for the next generation of pixel detectors. The susceptibility of the RD53A chip with respect to external EM noise has an impact on the integration strategies (grounding and shielding schemes) and operating conditions of future Pixel detectors. This paper presents a detailed analysis of the RD53A chip susceptibility to RF conducted disturbances in order to understand and address noise issues of RD53A Chip before the pixel upgrade installation.


Escalation of drug resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis ( MTB ) furnishes a formidable challenge to the global control of tuberculosis (TB) (1). Delineation of the underlying mechanisms of anti-TB drug resistance is germane to the discovery of strategies in tackling this worldwide health care crisis. Aside from the development of new anti-TB drugs to circumvent the drug resistance scenarios to improve patient treatment outcomes, it appears pertinent to explore whether modulation of host factors or responses could help to ameliorate the probability of drug-resistant TB.


Earthquakes in the Eastern Alps are characterized by strongly elongated isoseismals, documenting significantly more efficient propagation of seismic waves towards the foreland (F) than into the orogen (O). In an effort to understand this phenomenon we analysed the local to regional wavefield of a single earthquake with ML4.2 / mb3.6 and epicenter WSW of Vienna (Alland) using instrumental data with unprecedented dense coverage (including AlpArray) and rich macroseismic observations. This earthquake with characteristic asymmetry of isoseismals and with the source located in the basement of the European plate just beneath the frontal thin-skinned thrust of the Penninic units is considered a representative example of the stronger historical and potential future earthquakes from this regionally important seismogenic source area. The analysis of macroseismic intensities and PGA, PGV and spectral content within time windows tied to Sg+Lg wavetrains and other interpreted phases indicates a very good match of smoothed high precision instrumental and high resolution macroseismic wavefields, which allows their joint interpretation. In the F-direction, a very small decrease of intensity and PGA values at an epicentral distance range between 30-50 km and 130-180 km is well approximated by intensity prediction equations derived for central and eastern North America. On the other hand, a sudden drop of respective values is observed at a distance of 20-30 km in the O-direction, correlating with the seismically active fault zone of Mur-Mürz line. The geographic distribution of regional distance-corrected PGA perturbations (dPGA) reveals several well-defined domains with internally limited variance whose boundaries partly correlate with known major geologic structures. Special attention has been paid to description of contrasts between the Foreland domain (Bohemian Massif + autochthonous sediments), the North Alpine domain (between the frontal thrust and Mur-Mürz line + its WSW continuation, i.e. close to southern limits of stable European plate) and the South Alpine domain (south of the former to the southern limits of the region of interest at latitude 46.2°N). The ratio of mean dPGA values observed in these three neighbouring domains is 1.00 : 0.27 : 0.05, respectively. Furthermore, significant contrast between the three domains is observed in terms of spectral content. High frequency signal above 10Hz is characteristic for the Foreland domain and strongly reduced in the South Alpine domain, suggesting that the structures related to the margin of stable European plate act here as an efficient high-cut frequency filter. While map isolines of high frequency spectral amplitude are strongly elongated in F-direction, in agreement with PGA and macroseismic intensity, for frequencies below ~5Hz the isolines of spectral amplitude are quasi-isometric around the epicenter at least within distance of ~120 km. Combination of several mechanisms is considered to explain the wave energy propagation, including intrinsic attenuation at fault zones, blockage at waveguide inhomogeneities and Q(f) contrasts between the crustal domains. Numerous other interesting observations from the whole region including the Carpathian and Pannonian domains, demonstrate the strong potential of densely sampled earthquake wavefields for studies of crustal structure and seismic hazard in the generally low-rate seismicity areas.


OBJECTIVE
Impairment of heart rate turbulence (HRT) and heart rate variability (HRV) are associated with poor prognosis in chronic heart failure (CHF). Although previous studies have demonstrated that patients with a left bundle branch block (LBBB) have a better outcome with cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT), the effect of QRS morphology on HRV and HRT is not known. We aimed to evaluate the effect of QRS morphology on HRV and HRT after CRT implantation in patients with CHF.

PATIENTS AND METHODS
Patients who had been implanted a CRT device with cardioversion-defibrillation feature were included to the study. Forty-three patients with LBBB (group 1) were compared with 21 patients without LBBB (group 2). HRV and HRT parameters were compared before and one month after CRT implantation.

RESULTS
We compared the echocardiographic and electrocardiographic changes in both groups after CRT. Cardiac output (CO) was found to be significantly much more increased in group 1 (1.1 ± 0.4 vs. 0.6 ± 0.4, p = 0.001). Similarly, except SDNN and LF, all HRT and HRV parameters were significantly changed in the patients with LBBB (TO 1.4 ± 0.3 vs. 1.2 ± 0.2, p = 0.001; TS -1.8 ± 0.7 vs. -0.9 ± 0.7, p = 0.001; RMSSD -15.7 ± 9.9 vs. -6.3 ± 6.2, p = 0.001; PNN50 -7.0 ± 4.6 vs. -1.7 ± 1.1, p = 0.001; HF -13.3 ± 6.7 vs. -4.3 ± 3.5, p = 0.001; LF/HF 1.9 ± 0.4 vs. 1.5 ± 0.2, p = 0.001) compared to those without LBBB. Lineer regression analysis showed that the CO (β = 0.2, t = 2.8, p = 0.007) and QRS configuration (β = 0.6, t = 0.5, p = 0.001) were independent parameters affecting TO.

CONCLUSIONS
HRV and HRT are improved after CRT but these improvements are more remarkable in patients with LBBB. CO, QRS configuration (but not duration) were two independent parameters affecting TO, LF and LF/HF ratio after CRT.


In practical images, ideal step edges are actually transformed into ramp edges, due to the general low pass filtering nature of imaging systems. This paper discusses the application of the expansion matching (EXM) method for optimal ramp edge detection. EXM optimizes a novel matching criterion called discriminative signal-to-noise ratio (DSNR) and has been shown to robustly recognize templates under conditions of noise, severe occlusion, and superposition. We show that our ramp edge detector performs better than the ramp detector obtained from Canny's criteria in terms of DSNR and is relatively easier to derive for various noise levels and slopes.


This paper examines the sources of inequality of income opportunity in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand. It is based on data collected from a survey over three clusters in disparate geographical regions of the state. The econometric analyses show that the rural sector lags in household income opportunities not just due to lesser access to educational opportunities, but also due to non-educational factors, and because the same education provides unequal incomes between the sectors. The analysis also reveals other sources of inequality such as the age and gender composition of the households. Moreover the implications of such factors vary between hilly and plain areas. The study highlights the need to address the quality of education and to design policies specific to regional demands.


No-tillage direct seeding of rice is consumed less labor and oil energy by no plowing and rotary tillage. And it has other advantages of soil and water conservation and accumulation of organic matter on paddy surface due to crowded water foxtail (Alopecurus aequalis var. amurensis). When no-tillage seeding of rice, many water foxtail occurred in winter paddy field. In this experiment their covering degrees were 97.6% and 95.2% in clay loam and sandy loam paddy soils, respectively. Because of this, Stellaria alsine var. undulata, Cardamine flexuosa, Rorippa indica and Ixeris chinensis etc. annual and perennial wintering weeds occurrence was reduced. And annual weeds Chenopodium serotinum and Polygonum hydropiper that occurred early in spring were also reduced. As well as Echinochloa crusgalli var. praticola, Cyperus difformis, Monochoria vaginalis and Lindernia procumbens etc. summer annual weeds that occurred after irrigation were also reduced. In conclusion, no-tillage direct seeding of rice has another advantages of weed management by water foxtail.


Research on intergenerational occupational mobility in The Netherlands has shown that the association between the occupational positions of parents and their offspring has decreased over time. This article elaborates on the idea that the occupational stratification includes both a cultural and an economic hierarchy and that the process of intergenerational mobility follows different patterns in these two dimensions. The main hypothesis is that the intergenerational transmission of cultural status is related more strongly to the indirect channel, via educational attainment, than the transmission of economic status, and that the equalization of educational opportunities has especially affected the cultural transmission of social status. Data from 'The Netherlands' Mobility File are used, and the occupational mobility of 5,921 men and 3,457 women between 35 and 65 years of age is analyzed for cohorts who entered the labor market between 1923 and 1984. The findings are that the direct transmission of both cultural and economic status has virtually disappeared by the end of the observation period, for both men and women. For men, the indirect channel via education has decreased in the cultural dimension but not in the economic dimension. For women, the trends in the total effects of fathers' cultural and economic status are much weaker than those for men, which is caused by an increase of the indirect channel via education in both dimensions.


(1) Background: As the chemical and physicochemical properties of marine sediments are closely related to natural and anthropogenic events, it is a real challenge to use their specific assessment as an indicator of environmental pollution discharges. (2) Methods: It is addressed in this study that collection with intelligent data analysis methods, such as cluster analysis, principal component analysis, and source apportionment modeling, are applied for the assessment of the quality of marine sediment and for the identification of the contribution of pollution sources to the formation of the total concentration of polluting species. A study of sediment samples was carried out on 174 samples from three different areas along the coast of the Varna Gulf, Bulgaria. This was performed to determine the effects of pollution. As chemical descriptors, 34 indicators (toxic metals, polyaromatic hydrocarbons, polychlorinated biphenyls, nutrient components, humidity, and ignition loss) were used. The major goal of the present study was to assess the sediment quality in three different areas along the Gulf of Varna, Bulgaria by the source apportionment method. (3) Results: There is a general pattern for identifying three types of pollution sources in each area of the coastline with varying degrees of variation between zone A (industrially impacted zones), zone B (recreational areas), and zone C (anthropogenic and industrial wastes). (4) Conclusions: The quantitative apportionment procedure made it possible to determine the contribution of each identified pollution source for each zone in forming the total pollutant concentrations.


BACKGROUND
Research on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and herbicide exposure in Vietnam War veterans is limited.

METHODS
Survey data were collected from 3193 US Army Chemical Corps veterans on herbicide exposure and self-reported physician-diagnosed COPD. Three spirometric patterns were used to define airflow obstruction (AFO): (i) FEV1 /FVC < 70% ("fixed ratio"); (ii) FEV1 /FVC < lower limit of normal ("LLN"); and (iii) (FEV1 /FVC < LLN and FVC ≥ LLN and FEV1 <LLN) or (FEV1 /FVC<LLN and FEV1  ≥ LLN) ("specific obstruction"). Associations between herbicide exposure and self-reported COPD and spirometric-AFO were determined using regression.

RESULTS
COPD prevalence varied (self-reports: 20.1%; spirometry: 29.8%, 12.9%, 8.4% by fixed ratio, LLN, and specific obstruction definitions, respectively). Spirometric parameters did not differ by exposure. Self-reported COPD and herbicide exposure were significantly associated (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.82, 95% confidence intervaI: 1.48,2.24). No association was found between spirometric-AFO and herbicide exposure.

CONCLUSIONS
A significant association was found between herbicide exposure and self-reported physician-diagnosed COPD but not when COPD diagnosis was based on spirometry.


Computational artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms are increasingly used to support decision making by governments. Yet algorithms often remain opaque to the decision makers and devoid of clear explanations for the decisions made. In this study, we used an experimental approach to compare decision making in three situations: humans making decisions (1) without any support of algorithms, (2) supported by business rules (BR), and (3) supported by machine learning (ML). Participants were asked to make the correct decisions given various scenarios, while BR and ML algorithms could provide correct or incorrect suggestions to the decision maker. This enabled us to evaluate whether the participants were able to understand the limitations of BR and ML. The experiment shows that algorithms help decision makers to make more correct decisions. The findings suggest that explainable AI combined with experience helps them detect incorrect suggestions made by algorithms. However, even experienced persons were not able to identify all mistakes. Ensuring the ability to understand and traceback decisions are not sufficient for avoiding making incorrect decisions. The findings imply that algorithms should be adopted with care and that selecting the appropriate algorithms for supporting decisions and training of decision makers are key factors in increasing accountability and transparency.


Thin stainless steel sheet has been widely used for the small sized and high strength mechanical parts. The materials are initially experienced either the TA (Tension Annealing) or heat treatment after cold rolling, then processed for the final products. Not only stainless steel but thin sheet materials basically have anisotropy in their physical and mechanical properties because of unidirectional rolling history. A few results were reported on the effect of the annealing temperature on those properties. In this paper, the effect of temperature annealing in the air on the anisotropy of mechanical properties of stainless steel thin sheet such as surface roughness, W-bending, Vickers hardness, Young's modulus, spring bending elastic limit and pulley-bendingtype fatigue limit were described.


Abstract This examination provides a history of the problematic characterisation of Early German Romanticism (or Frühromantik) as subjectivist, and challenges this characterisation in light of recent scholarship. From its earliest critical reception in the early nineteenth century, the movement suffered from a set of problematic characterisations made by popular philosophical figures. Goethe, Hegel, Heine, Kierkegaard and others all criticised the movement for holding a dangerous subjective egoism. This characterisation remained with the Frühromantik throughout the twentieth century until it was challenged by recent re-evaluations offered by figures such as Dieter Henrich, Manfred Frank, Friedrich Beiser and Andrew Bowie. Their work has opened new possibilities for the re-interpretation of Frühromantik and our understanding of the movement's religious thought.


Oral histoplasmosis in a 30-year-old male with no history of travel outside India is described. An ulcerating lesion was located on the hard palate. A chest X-ray was normal. Based on physical examination, regional lymph nodes, liver and spleen were not involved. The diagnosis was established by demonstrating yeast-like budding cells in a biopsy of the lesion and by isolating Histoplasma capsulatum in pure culture. The identity of the isolate was confirmed by a chemiluminescent DNA-probe assay and the exoantigen test. A review of the Indian literature from 1968 to 1992 revealed the occurrence of 25 authentic cases of histoplasmosis in India. In 19 cases, lesions were confined to the oral cavity confirming prior observation that histoplasmosis in Indian patients tends to occur primarily in extrapulmonary sites, particularly the oral cavity.


Research on accelerating big-data applications can be divided into job scheduling and flow scheduling. Job scheduling focuses on the timely and spacial placement of jobs on execution units. Flow scheduling, on the other hand, concentrates on routing of flows originating from actively running jobs. Although both job scheduling and flow scheduling work on accelerating big-data applications, their view on the problem and the available information is very different. We propose a new simulation tool to evaluate ideas that jointly solve the job and flow scheduling problem for big-data applications. Our tool combines the Yarn Scheduler Load Simulator with the distributed network emulator MaxiNet. With our work, the interdependency between the network and the jobs running on top of it can be included into the evaluation of new ideas, leveraging research on big-data applications with joint job and flow scheduling.


ABSTRACT The purpose of this article is to discuss how to improve the ways the Taiwanese Ground Forces use the common operational picture (COP) for training to improve the efficacy of tactical training and understanding of the combat field. Augmented Reality (AR) has made huge progress in the past decade and is widely applied in education, industrial sector, medical industry, military industry. More attention is focused on training simulations for soldiers and improving battlefield perception systems. The application of AR in tactical training is still an emerging realm of research but has a huge potential. Related studies have shown the application and technical limitations of AR technology in the military field. Then, using a user-oriented research method, a tactical training system based on 3D augmented reality is proposed and constructs a system prototype to combine virtual information with the real environment and provide the advantages of intuition, interaction, and information visualization. The experiment had an experimental group and control group, and an independent sample "t" was tested for evaluation and comparison. The experimental results show that the understanding of battlefield situations and tactical actions in the AR-based tactical teaching system has changed significantly. The system prototype and experimental content provide useful contributions to the tactical teaching of the Army Academy, and it can be used as a reference for the development of AR in future military applications.


Pulmonary sequestration is nonfunctioning, abnormal pulmonary tissue existing inside or outside the visceral pleura. It is not connected to the tracheobronchial tree. In this study, the results of 8 patients, who were diagnosed with pulmonary sequestration and treated during hospitalization in Gülhane Military Medical Academy between 1996 and 2003, were reported. Sex, age, symptoms, diagnostic approach, operative findings, procedures and postoperative outcomes were reviewed. No postoperative complications were seen. In the long-term follow-up all patients were seen to be asymptomatic. We believe surgical resection is mandatory in order to avoid infection and destruction of the normal pulmonary parenchyma even in asymptomatic cases. Furthermore, when infection occurs, major resection such as lobectomy may be necessary rather than segmentectomy or wedge resection, which involves removal of minimal pulmonary parenchyma.


CHILEAN JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH 76(1) JANUARY-MARCH 2016 7 7 Rice Breeding Program (RBP) of the Instituto de Investigaciones Agropecuarias (INIA) at Chillán, Chile, has a rice (Oryza sativa L.) germplasm collection that consists of 1200 accessions, mainly temperate japonica rice accessions, well adapted to the local conditions. Most of the new introduced accessions adapt very poorly to Chilean agroecological conditions because of requirements of long days and cold tolerance. The objectives of this study were to use microsatellites to evaluate level of polymorphism of a representative sample of this collection and determine its genetic diversity and relationships with cultivated germplasm from different geographical origin. A total of 249 genotypes were analyzed with 30 selected polymorphic microsatellites. Total number of alleles scored across 249 genotypes was 183 with an overall mean of 6.1 alleles per locus, ranging 2-14. The mean major allele (most common) frequency was 0.61 and mean minor allele frequency was 0.028. The overall mean gene diversity across 30 SSR loci was 0.52. Mean heterozygosity was 0.01, and mean polymorphism information content (PIC) value was 0.47. The accessions were organized by structure analysis into three main groups and revealed a fairly consistent genetic relationship with dendrogram and Principal Coordinates Analysis (PCoA). The temperate japonica accessions can be further subdivided into three subpopulations where long and short Chilean varieties were grouped into different clusters. The three populations showed different level of admixture, admixture probably due to previous breeding work through years. Results indicate that polymorphism levels of Chilean rice temperate japonica collection has similar magnitude as temperate japonica germplasm reported in the literature.


Abstract Objective Osteochondroma (OC) is the most common benign bone neoplasm. It infrequently occurs in the cranial cavity as a calcified lesion and very rarely presents in the sellar region. The present study summarizes the knowledge about OCs of the sellar region. Methods We searched the literature search for the clinical appearance of OCs and other calcified pathologies occurring in the sellar region. Results A total of 21 English-language articles published from 1961 to 2015 documented cases of calcified lesions in the sellar region including cerebral aneurysm, chondroid chordoma, chondroma, craniopharyngioma, OC, odontome, osteoma, pituitary adenoma, pituitary stone, Rathke cleft cyst, retinoblastoma, schwannoma, and xanthogranuloma. Among them, six were OC cases: three in the parasellar region and three in the sellar-suprasellar region. Patients with sellar-suprasellar OCs presented with visual loss and hypopituitarism; patients with parasellar OCs did not show these symptoms. OCs appeared as irregular and multilobulated calcifications on X-ray and computed tomography. On magnetic resonance imaging, OCs showed variable intensity on T1-weighted sequences and consistently heterogenous intensity on T2. Four patients underwent transcranial tumor resection, and the transsphenoidal route was selected for one. Five of the six resulted in a partial resection or internal decompression with a satisfactory outcome. Conclusions Calcified tumors occurring in the sellar region may be OCs, especially if they appear as irregular multilobulated calcification.


We propose a complex analysis of the exchange rate pass-through in an open economy. We assess the level, linearity, and symmetry of exchange rate pass-through to import and consumer prices in Poland and discuss their implications for monetary policy. We show that the pass-through is incomplete, even in the long run. There is pricing to market behavior in both the long and short runs. We do not find strong evidence of nonlinearity in import prices' reaction to the exchange rate and reject the hypothesis of an asymmetric response to appreciations and depreciations. On the other hand, we find an asymmetry of consumer price index responses to the output gap, direction and size of exchange rate changes, and magnitude of exchange rate volatility. The asymmetry is mostly visible after exogenous shocks. We reject the hypothesis of an asymmetric reaction of prices in a high- and low-inflation environment.


Nitrogen fixation (Nif)-derepressed mutants of Klebsiella pneumoniae consumed, under optimum conditions, 7.5 to 8.5 mol glucose per mol N2 fixed. The nitrogenase system of these mutants catalysed the production of about 1.3 mol H2 per mol N2 reduced. Almost one-third of the energy as ATP and reductant used by nitrogenase in vivo may be lost in H2 production, since an ATP/2e ratio of approximately 4 was obtained. Nitrogenase-catalysed H2 production was not substantially suppressed by increasing the partial pressure of N2 from 0.2 atm (20 kPa) to 1 atm (101 kPa). In the absence of N2, H2 production catalysed by nitrogenase increased about threefold. It is concluded that nitrogenase-catalysed H2 production is of major importance in the overall efficiency of biological N2 fixation in vivo.


After depositing silk fibroin (SF) thin films by pulsed IR-laser deposition, extraordinarily large particulate units up to several micrometers were observed. They include debris from the target and severely agglomerated protein units. Occurrence of those large particles was found to be minimum on the vertical substrate. We tried to eliminate large particulate units by two post-treatment operations, i.e. dry gaseous blow-off (GBO) and rinsing in water under simultaneous ultrasonication (WSU). Change in the surface structure by these post-treatments was observed by optical and electron microscopes with varying area from 1mm square down to 1μm square. GBO turned out to be suitable to eliminate the lightly attached particulates of 1-10μm, mostly those pulled out from the target while preserving morphological and chemical properties of smallest units underneath. WSU, on the other hand, pelt off more strongly attached surface irregularities. However, morphological change with an increase in the surface roughness in the range of 1nm was also observed after WSU. The latter might be associated with possible sonochemical effects.


An appropriate diagnostic evaluation is essential for the most appropriate treatment to be performed. Currently, macroprolactinemia is the third most frequent cause of nonphysiological hyperprolactinemia after drugs and prolactinomas. Up to 40% of macroprolactinemic patients may present with hypogonadism symptoms, infertility, and/or galactorrhea. Thus, the screening for macroprolactin is indicated not only for asymptomatic subjects but also for those without an obvious cause for their prolactin (PRL) elevation. Before submitting patients to macroprolactin screening and pituitary magnetic resonance imaging, one should rule out pregnancy, drug-induced hyperprolactinemia, primary hypothyroidism, and renal failure. The magnitude of PRL elevation can be useful in determining the etiology of hyperprolactinemia. PRL values >250 ng/mL are highly suggestive of prolactinomas and virtually exclude nonfunctioning pituitary adenomas (NFPAs) and other sellar masses as the etiology of hyperprolactinemia. However, they can also be found in subjects with macroprolactinemia, drug-induced hyperprolactinemia or chronic renal failure. By contrast, most patients with NFPAs, drug-induced hyperprolactinemia, macroprolactinemia, or systemic diseases present with PRL levels <100 ng/mL. However, exceptions to these rules are not rare. Indeed, up to 25% of patients harboring a microprolactinoma or a cystic macroprolactinoma may also have PRL <100 ng/mL. Falsely low PRL levels may result from the so-called "hook effect," which should be considered in all cases of large (≥3 cm) pituitary adenomas associated with normal or mildly elevated PRL levels (≤250 ng/mL). The hook effect may be unmasked by repeating PRL measurement after a 1:100 serum sample dilution.


This article examines why peasant communities in South West Cameroon have contested a U.S.-based company's intentions to establish an agro-industrial palm oil plantation in their region. Land investments in the form of agro plantations, if not properly conceived, negotiated, and implemented, pose a series of threats to the ecological, cultural, and economic stability among peasant farming communities, who depend on land and forest resources for their livelihood. Using Nguti as a case study, this article argues that local communities do not oppose investment in land but they contest projects that attempt to alienate them from their sources of livelihood without providing alternatives. The study also demonstrates how local communities, despite being critical of the project, struggle with the company through their relations with government, to demand new social contracts and/or memoranda that could offer them greater opportunities as economic partners. The article concludes that for palm oil plantations to be economically equitable, local communities' incorporation is necessary to safeguard rural livelihoods and to ensure that provisions are made for adequate compensation and alternative sources of livelihood.


The aim of this study was to make an inventory of the existing cases in formal education (school sector, vocational education and higher education) where a curriculum or syllabus is shared across borders (e.g. state, national, linguistic and cultural). Based on the analysis of the desk research and a case study, further considerations was given to the potential cross border sharing of curricula/syllabi could have for Open Educational Resources, either existing or prospective. The study was conducted in three parts. The first involved scoping and classifying cross-border syllabi/curricula initiatives and their drivers. This was followed by a detailed case study of the US Common Core State Standards Initiative and its impact on OER. These two parts are brought together in this final report and the research findings and they issues they raise are discussed. Finally, the report identifies potential areas for investigation to leverage synergies between cross-border syllabi/curricula and OER in the context of formal education in the EU. The report calls for visionary multi-stakeholder initiatives in the area of cross-border curricula and education that could offer viable collaboration on Open Educational Resources. This could benefit not only single Member States, but also create an outlook that, in the longer term, might form a pillar of the development of a European connected digital single market, for example for boosting digital skills and learning.


Atrazine is selective for maize, sugarcane and sorghum and may interfere with successor crops such as sunflower and soybean. Despite this problem, there are few studies about the residual effect of this herbicide in these crops. Thus, the objective of the research was to evaluate the residual effect of atrazine through bioavailability of the herbicide in sandy and clayey soils, using soybean and sunflower as bioindicators. The design was completely randomized with four replications and a 2 × 7 + 1 factorial scheme, that is, two doses (2,000 and 2,500 g ha-1), seven application times (0, 15, 30, 45, 60, 75 and 90 days between application (DBA) of herbicide and bioindicator sowing) and one control without application. Dry mass and chlorophyll content of the bioindicators were evaluated at 20 days after sowing. The accumulation of dry mass of the bioindicators in the two types of soil was reduced at 90 DBA. The chlorophyll content at 0 DBA was zero for soybean and sunflower, due to the reduction of dry mass by approximately 100%. It was concluded that the residual effect of atrazine at a dose of 2,500 g ha-1 was higher in clayey soils due to the low bioavailability of the product in the soil solution. Therefore, it is recommended to sow sunflower and soybean in both soils after 90 DBA, because atrazine interferes with the chlorophyll content and percentage of dry mass reduction.


We discuss the strategy of search for fast optical transients accompanying gamma‐ray bursts by means of continuous monitoring of wide sky fields with high temporal resolution. We describe the design, performance and results of our cameras, FAVOR and TORTORA. Also we discuss the perspectives of this strategy and possible design of next‐generation equipment for wide‐field monitoring which will be able to detect optical transients and to study their color and polarization properties with high time resolution.


Objective- Albuminuria is an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease in diabetes mellitus. We determined whether albuminuria associates with alterations in the proteome of HDL (high-density lipoprotein) of subjects with type 1 diabetes mellitus and whether those alterations associated with coronary artery calcification. Approach and Results- In a cross-sectional study of 191 subjects enrolled in the DCCT (Diabetes Control and Complications Trial)/EDIC study (Epidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and Complications), we used isotope dilution tandem mass spectrometry to quantify 46 proteins in HDL. Stringent statistical analysis demonstrated that 8 proteins associated with albuminuria. Two of those proteins, AMBP (α1-microglobulin/bikunin precursor) and PTGDS (prostaglandin-H2 D-isomerase), strongly and positively associated with the albumin excretion rate ( P<10-6). Furthermore, PON (paraoxonase) 1 and PON3 levels in HDL strongly and negatively associated with the presence of coronary artery calcium, with odds ratios per 1-SD difference of 0.63 (95% CI, 0.43-0.92; P=0.018) for PON1 and 0.59 (95% CI, 0.40-0.87; P=0.0079) for PON3. Only 1 protein, PON1, associated with both albumin excretion rate and coronary artery calcification. Conclusions- Our observations indicate that the HDL proteome is remodeled in type 1 diabetes mellitus subjects with albuminuria. Moreover, low concentrations of the antiatherosclerotic protein PON1 in HDL associated with both albuminuria and coronary artery calcification, raising the possibility that alterations in HDL protein cargo mediate, in part, the known association of albuminuria with cardiovascular risk in type 1 diabetes mellitus (Graphic Abstract).


In recent years much interest has developed about the dynamics of forest type transitions, especially the transitions of land to and from southern pine plantations. This article presents 50-yr-forest type projections developed from two approaches to specifying the type transition matrices. One approach used transition matrices derived with remeasured plot data for six forest types using USDA Forest Service Forest Inventory and Analysis data. These data tracked transitions that occurred either naturally or artificially on inventory plots during one remeasurement cycle. The second approach relied on expert opinion surveys that predicted trends in the future of forest management. The transition matrices were developed from the responses regarding managers' intentions to regenerate stands following harvest. The survey was developed for the 2000 Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act Timber Assessment (2000 RPA). The timber inventories in eight states in the southcentral United States are projected with these methods of handling type transitions, and the results are compared to the 2000 RPA, which used a combination or hybrid approach to type transitioning. All three techniques conclude the area of planted pine is expected to increase well into the future. They are contradictory, however, in predicting the area other forest types will occupy, especially natural pine and upland hardwoods. Projections based on recent history give us one result; projections based on managers' intentions show another. South. J. Appl. For. 27(3):190–197.


To facilitate training of endodontic operations, we have developed an interactive virtual environment to simulate endodontic shaping operations. This paper presents methodologies for dynamic modeling, visual/haptic display and model validation of endodontic shaping. We first investigate the forces generated in the course of shaping operations and discuss the challenging issues in their modeling. Based on the special properties and constraints associated with both pulpal tissue and endodontic files, we propose a dynamic model to simulate endodontic shaping, which is a smoothed particle based model derived for the pulpal tissue coupled with a finite element model for the endodontic files. The virtual environment has been implemented with both graphic and haptic interfaces. Furthermore, the effectiveness of the proposed model has been validated by experimental results through a novel robotic endodontic measurement system.


ABSTRACT Context. Soil salinity mitigation with nanoparticles enriched biochar (Bc) can be a better strategy to resolve the uprising threat against food security. Aim. The present study was designed to prepare silicon nanoparticles enriched biochar (Si-En-Bc) and zinc nanoparticles enriched biochar (Zn-En-Bc), which may not only reduced the toxic effects of NaCl stress on initial growth of radish crop but also improved its physiology and defensive mechanism. Method. Seeds were germinated in pots with six treatments under normal and NaCl stress, (100 mM NaCl), Zn-En-Bc (1% w/w), and Si-En-Bc (1% w/w). Twenty days old seedlings were harvested and their fresh weight and various germination and biochemical parameters were tested. Key results. A significant reduction in malondialdehyde (MDA) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) contents was observed with Si-En-Bc + NaCl relative to NaCl stress. It might be due to the significant increase in the antioxidants such as superoxide dismutase (SOD) (42%), ascorbate peroxidase (APX) (38.7%), catalase (CAT) (30.9%) and shoot phenolics (59%) with Si-En-Bc + NaCl over NaCl stress. Application of Zn-En-Bc also caused a maximum increase in root and shoot Zn concentration (76.8 and 54.9%, respectively) under NaCl stress. Conclusions. Hence, Si-En-Bc proved to be the best treatment for the radish plant to complete its early growth stage under NaCl stress while Zn-En-Bc not only compensated NaCl stress but also enhanced Zn availability. Implications. This study implies that Si-En-Bc or Zn-En-Bc should be applied to the salt affected soil before the crop sowing so seedling can grow under the ameliorative effects of applied amendments. Also, Si-En-Bc or Zn-En-Bc should be tested on a degraded soils at larage scale such as field level.


We present a general framework for the calculation of soft functions for SCET_I observables through next-to-next-to-leading order (NNLO) in the strong coupling constant. As an example of our formalism we show how it can be used to obtain the complete NNLO soft function for the $N$-jettiness event shape variable. We present numerical results for two examples with phenomenological impact: the one-jettiness soft function for both electron-proton and proton-proton collisions.


The Northern Region Young Persons' Malignant Disease Registry records information on young people under 25 years old diagnosed with cancer in the Northern Region of England. Incidence and survival rates were calculated for children and young adults diagnosed with cancer between 1968 and 1995. There were 2099 (M:F 1.28:1) children (age 0–14 years) and 2217 (M:F 1.23:1) young adults (15–24 years) diagnosed with a first cancer between 1968 and 1995. The age-standardized rate (ASR) for childhood cancer was 121 per million 0 to 14 year-olds per year. For young adults the ASR was 175 per million 15 to 24 year-olds, per year. Incidence of childhood cancer increased over time at a rate of 12 extra cases per million children, per decade (P< 0.001). In young adults incidence rates increased by 16 extra cases per million 15 to 24 year-olds, per decade (P< 0.001). For childhood cancer 5-year survival was 42% for those diagnosed 1968–1977, 57% for 1978–1987 and 71% (95% CI 67–75) for 1988–1995. Survival for young adults over the three periods was 45%, 62% and 73% (95% CI 70–78) respectively. The cumulative risk of developing cancer before the age of 25 is 1 in 285. Over the 28-year period there were significant improvements in survival and modest increases in incidence in both children and young adults. © 2000 Cancer Research Campaign


Using a pencil of r-matrices on the algebra g(X)C((z)) the authors prove that the KdV hierarchies have an Adler-Kostant-Symes construction on the underlying current algebra Cinfinity (S1,g(X)C((z))). The coadjoint orbits are reduced by Hamiltonian symmetries. The reduction process reproduces the gauge group and the bi-Hamiltonian structure. analyse the momentum maps of these reductions, obtaining the level sets and the little group. This provides a gauge fixing. Conformal symmetry of these KdV hierarchies is analysed, an expression for the energy momentum tensor is obtained. Their analysis is restricted to theories with Lax operators linear in the loop variable z.


Shifting the emphasis within feminist criticism from the act of speech to the act of hearing, this article argues that, in The Scarlet Letter, The House of the Seven Gables, and Blithedale Romance, Nathaniel Hawthorne reveals how the public sphere depends on the voices of dispossessed women even as it attempts to silence them.


This paper explores the relationship between trade openness in ECOWAS countries using panel data. This is evidenced from the significance of foreign remittances over time and its potential in boosting trade relation. The theoretical framework is rooted in the Mercantilists approach which advocate the positive impact of remittance flows on exports thereby increasing the ability to finance imports. The pooled OLS, fixed effect and random effect estimations are adopted. Results show indirect impact of remittance flows on openness to trade for the fixed and random effect estimations while there exists a positive influence of remittance flow on trade openness in the pooled OLS estimation. Economic boom, gross capital formation and money supply impact positively on trade openness. A weakening institutional quality is demonstrated by the negative impact of it on trade orientation. Therefore, it is important that distribution of remittances be well guided, stiff trade policy including bureaucratic bottlenecks should be regulated and adequate infrastructure be put in place to further boost the region's trade relation.


Spontaneous symmetry breaking is a cooperative phenomenon for systems with infinitely many degrees of freedom and it plays an essential role in quantum field theories. Lattice O(N) model is studied within the Hamiltonian approach using an adiabatic approximation. It is shown that the low-lying spectrum of the system in the broken phase can be understood by using the adiabatic, or Born-Oppenheimer approximation, which turns out to become an expansion in the inverse power of volume. In the infinite volume limit, the symmetry is broken while in the finite volume the slow rotation of the zero-momentum mode restores the symmetry and gives rise to the rotator spectrum, which has been observed in realistic Monte Carlo simulations.


The gut microbiota has a profound effect on human health and is modulated by food and bioactive compounds. To study such interaction, in vitro batch fermentations are performed with fecal material, and some experimental designs may require that such fermentations be performed with previously frozen stools. Although it is known that freezing fecal material does not alter the composition of the microbial community in 16S rRNA gene amplicon and metagenomic sequencing studies, it is not known whether the microbial community in frozen samples could still be used for in vitro fermentations. To explore this, we undertook a pilot study in which in vitro fermentations were performed with fecal material from celiac, cow's milk allergic, obese, or lean children that was frozen (or not) with 20% glycerol. Before fermentation, the fecal material was incubated in a nutritious medium for 6 days, with the aim of giving the microbial community time to recover from the effects of freezing. An aliquot was taken daily from the stabilization vessel and used for the in vitro batch fermentation of lentils. The microbial community structure was significantly different between fresh and frozen samples, but the variation introduced by freezing a sample was always smaller than the variation among individuals, both before and after fermentation. Moreover, the potential functionality (as determined in silico by a genome-scaled metabolic reconstruction) did not differ significantly, possibly due to functional redundancy. The most affected genus was Bacteroides, a fiber degrader. In conclusion, if frozen fecal material is to be used for in vitro fermentation purposes, our preliminary analyses indicate that the functionality of microbial communities can be preserved after stabilization.


We demonstrate a novel approach for the extension of self-referenced spectral interferometry to the temporal characterization of few-optical cycle pulses. The new experimental setup is characterized by low dispersion and a collinear geometry. 4-fs pulses have been characterized by performing single-shot measurements, with high dynamic range on a broad temporal region. An independent measurement of the pulse duration, obtained by using attosecond streaking, allowed us to cross-check the experimental technique.


Low‐level jets (LLJs) are well established as critical features of regional climates globally. However, across sub‐Saharan Africa, LLJs have received relatively little attention, in part due to a lack of data. Utilizing high‐resolution reanalysis data, this paper develops the first climatology of a neglected feature of the southern African circulation – the Limpopo LLJ – and investigates its role in delivering water vapor to the continental interior. We demonstrate that the LLJ has a clear diurnal cycle and is a regular feature of the circulation throughout the year, forming on 80.9% of days. The pressure gradient between southern Mozambique and the continental interior acts as a first‐order control on the annual cycle of jet strength, which peaks in October, achieving average maximum windspeeds of 15.8 m.s−1 at the core. Water vapor transport follows the same clear diurnal cycle, with at least 72% occurring over 18:00–08:00, and is closely related to jet strength: On average the strongest jet events advect 1.04 × 1012 kg (1.02 × 1012 kg) more moisture each night than the weakest in October‐December (January‐March). Strong jet events are typically linked to ridging anticyclones along the east coast of South Africa and are associated with increased rainfall in central and southern Botswana and northern South Africa the following day.


The objective of this study is to investigate the impact of salinity on resource use efficiency in wheat production in central Iraq using a cross-sectional database of 270 farmers. A parametric approach used to estimate a frontier of production. Stochastic Frontier analysis (SFA) is proposed for analysis resources use efficiency in irrigated wheat production system with respect to soil electric conductivity value. The results showed that, inputs such fertilizer and water were underutilized, while other inputs such as agricultural chemical, seed, labour, and mechanization were over-utilized. Based on scale elasticity value, yield of wheat could be increased by 13.9, 8.5, and 5 % on average in low, moderate and, high soil salinity respectively, through the efficiency improvement of inputs use. Thus, soil salinity reduction plan for reclaimed, semireclaimed, and un-reclaimed need to be established in order to increase resources use efficiency and productivity in the Iraqi irrigated wheat areas.


This paper has presented a systematic optimization procedure which integrates uniform design of experiment, Kriging interpolation, compromise programming, and generalized reduced gradient nonlinear optimization to optimize the process parameters of an injection-molded plastic wheel which has two optimization objectives. Firstly, uniform design of experiment is applied to plan a set of experiments. Secondly, injection molding simulation software Moldflow is employed to analyze the maximum warpage and ejection time of each experiment. Thirdly, Kriging interpolation is used to create the surrogate model of maximum warpage and the surrogate model of ejection time. Fourthly, compromise programming (CP) is applied to integrate two objectives into one compromise objective. Finally, generalized reduced gradient (GRG) nonlinear optimization is applied to optimize the compromise objective. With the systematic procedure presented in this paper, maximum warpage and ejection time of the plastic wheel are improved by 7.7% and 11.91%, respectively.


This study aims to analyze the movement characterized as Local Productive Arrangement (LPA) by Family Agro-industry and Diversity in the Médio Alto Uruguai and Rio da Várzea, located in the State of Rio Grande do Sul, in order to identify the type of territorial innovation model it represents. It is a case study and for its development, interviews were conducted with members of the governance of this productive arrangement, in addition to participant observation and documentary analysis. It was understood that the constitution of this APL took place as an alternative for economic and social development for rural families and their agro-industries, and its characteristics resemble it partly to industrial districts and partly to clusters. As for the similarity to industrial districts, specialization attributes were identified in a given sector, geographical approximation, understanding of innovation as a determinant of market differentiation, public support, competitive advantages and reduction of production costs. In terms of approaching the clusters, the decisive presence of the public entity for its implementation was identified, a competitive trend among agro-industries, demand for products, labor and infrastructure for production, in addition to the involvement of several entities, among them, universities.


Learning by imitation can provide agents with a natural and effective means for transferring knowledge when brain-to-brain connection is infeasible. Natural mechanisms for imitation demonstrate strong abstraction and conceptualization capabilities, however, computational models that have been proposed for imitative learning barely address these fundamental features. Inspired by functions of human brain constituents and exploiting ideas enthused by mirror neurons and the multi-store model of memory, we propose a new model for learning by imitation capable of developing relational concepts. In our model, memory gradually organizes sensory data into concepts through reinforcement learning and consolidation, while mirror neurons maintain an extendible repertoire of familiar actions connected to corresponding concepts. We also discuss the relation between modeling behavior of concept-oriented agents in terms of mathematical functions and relevant biological evidence of mirror neurons. Eventually, we evaluate our method in a phoneme acquisition experiment through real interaction with humans.


Association of cutaneous scleroderma and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) has been reported in a few cases. We report a new case of multiple SCC which occurred in sclerotic patches on the leg. The role of factors explaining this association is discussed as immunosuppression or ulcerations.


Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most deadly cancers worldwide with only few therapeutic options for patients with advanced disease. There is growing evidence indicating that activation of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway plays an important role in HCC and therefore represents a promising target for novel therapeutic approaches. The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare the antitumour activity of the mTOR inhibitor RAD001, the dual mTOR and PI3‐kinase inhibitor BEZ235 and the PI3‐kinase inhibitor BKM120 in vitro and in vivo.


This paper analyses the achievable signal quality of a novel system architecture for small cell units with integrated millimetre-wave wireless backhaul over realistic link lengths. The small cell unit is mainly based on a simple frequency conversion from backhaul to access frequencies. Therefore, the data signal on the backhaul link is solely a frequency shifted version of the 3GPP compliant signal on the access link. The sufficient linearity and phase noise performance at 60 GHz was proven in an outdoor long-distance trial by measurements of an L TE signal easily meeting the 3GPP requirements for the access link. Moreover, a successful outdoor test of our full end-to-end L TE mobile communication system with a commercial user device demonstrated the required high data rates.


Urinary concentrations of the platelet-specific protein beta-thromboglobulin (beta-TG) were measured in patients with essential hypertension. Values obtained for patients with normal renal function fell within the same population as those for a control group of normal individuals, but nevertheless 21% of these patients had urinary beta-TG values above the upper limit of the normal range. Values for patients with renal insufficiency were significantly different from the other groups, and 44% of these individuals had abnormally elevated urinary beta-TG concentrations. These elevated values may reflect an increased plasma concentration of beta-TG in patients with renal impairment or they could be an indicator of renal damage.


Introduction Endoscopic resection of right-sided colonic polyps carries a higher risk of complications including bleeding and perforation. This risk is heightened in the resection of polyps that are tethered, flat or on background of colitis (complex polyps). In the West, complex polyps in the right colon are frequently managed by endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) or surgery although recurrence rates can be as high as 20%. Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is an effective technique in the resection of complex polyps. However, ESD is technically challenging with a long learning curve and carries a significant perforation rate (6% in Eastern series and 17% in Western series) leading to a poor uptake of this technique in the West.[i]We aim to examine the safety and efficacy of a novel technique of knife assisted snare resection (KAR) in resecting complex polyps in the right colon. Methods Data of all KARs undertaken by a single endoscopist in our institution from 2009 to 2015 were prospectively compiled in a pre-designed database and interrogated by independent researchers blinded to the technique. Polyps in the right colon (distal transverse to caecum) were included in the analysis. Polyp characteristics and procedure details were prospectively recorded. Endoscopic follow-up was performed to identify recurrence. Results A total of 52 patients with complex polyps 10–80 mm in size were resected by KAR. The mean follow up time was 35 months. 42% of the polyps were >40 mm in size, and 51% were scarred from previous attempts. The majority of the polyps resected (91%) exhibited flat morphology (Paris Classification IIa, IIa+IIb, IIa+IIc). Table 1 shows the patient baseline and lesion characteristics. There were 2 cases of delayed bleeding (4%) neither of which required surgery. The endoscopic cure rate was 96% after single procedure, improving to 98% with further attempts.Abstract PTH-032 Table 1 Patient baseline and lesion characteristics Age years, (mean) 46-83 (70) Sex (M:F) 2.7:1 Mean polyp size, mm (range) 35 (7–80) En Bloc Resection, n (%) 24 (45%) Scarring, n (%) 28 (51%) Histology, n• Adenoma• SSP• DALM• Cancer 361234 Conclusion This is the first reported Western series of KAR of complex polyps in the right colon. Our data demonstrates that this novel technique is safe and effective for resection of complex polyps in the right colon. The recurrence rates are superior to EMR and complication rates are lower than ESD. As the learning curve for KAR is shorter than that for ESD, we believe that this technique is ideal for the Western setting. Reference 1 Saito Y, Uraoka T, Yamaguchi Y, et al. A prospective, multicenter study of 1111 colorectal endoscopic submucosal dissections. Gastrointest Endosc. 2010;72:1217–1225 Disclosure of Interest None Declared


In this study we address the Li-ion de-insertion/insertion mechanisms from/into the lattice of the mixed olivine LiCo1/3Fe1/3Mn1/3PO4 (LCFMP). This mechanism is driven by a subtle interplay of structural, electronic and thermodynamic features. We aim at dissecting this complex landscape that is tightly connected to the long-term electrochemical performance of this material as a positive electrode in lithium-ion cells. To this end, we report advanced structural characterization, based on ex situ synchrotronradiation diffraction on samples at different lithium contents. We couple this analysis with first-principles simulations, for a direct vis-a-vis comparison. Our results show that (1) the mixing of the three transition-metal (TM) cations in the olivine lattice leads to a solid solution, providing the olivine lattice with the necessary flexibility to retain its single-phase structure during cell operation; (2) the electronic features of the three TMs are responsible for the observed electrochemical performance; (3) the de-lithiation of the olivine lattice is a thermodynamically driven process. Last but not least, our integrated experimental and theoretical results reveal the subtle features behind the formation of antisite defects that selectively involve Li–Co couples. In conclusion, our study provides the necessary scientific foundations to understand the structure–property–function relationships in LCFMP olivines, paving the way for further development and optimization of this material for application in Li-ion batteries.


The temperature dependence (1.7-300 K) of the DC magnetic susceptibilities chi for the systems MpMg1-pO (M=Co,Ni) with p<pc (where pc approximately=0.14 is the percolation threshold) are reported. Two sets of samples were studied for both dopants: two lightly doped samples with p<0.01 and two more heavily doped samples with p=0.06 to 0.12. For the lightly doped samples, results are analysed in terms of contributions from single magnetic ions, exchange-coupled pairs and any contributions from the spin-orbit coupling. For Co2+ in MgO, a contribution from spin-orbit coupling leads to a temperature-dependent magnetic moment ( mu T=3.84 mu B at 5 K to 5.15 mu B at 300 K) and an apparent Curie-Weiss variation, whereas for Ni2+ in MgO, the paramagnetic chi P follows the Curie-law variation. From this analysis, concentrations of the dopants are determined. Further, the temperature independence of chi PB/ chi PA for two doping levels A and B at low concentrations is used to show that any contributions from exchange-coupled pairs are negligible. The more heavily doped samples show non-linear variations of chi P-1 against T, presumably due to contributions from magnetic clusters of different sizes.


Pre-trained models have achieved success in Chinese Short Text Matching (STM) tasks, but they often rely on superficial clues, leading to a lack of robust predictions. To address this issue, it is crucial to analyze and mitigate the influence of superficial clues on STM models. Our study aims to investigate their over-reliance on the edit distance feature, commonly used to measure the semantic similarity of Chinese text pairs, which can be considered a superficial clue. To mitigate STM models' over-reliance on superficial clues, we propose a novel resampling training strategy called Gradually Learn Samples Containing Superficial Clue (GLS-CSC). Through comprehensive evaluations of In-Domain (I.D.), Robustness (Rob.), and Out-Of-Domain (O.O.D.) test sets, we demonstrate that GLS-CSC outperforms existing methods in terms of enhancing the robustness and generalization of Chinese STM models. Moreover, we conduct a detailed analysis of existing methods and reveal their commonality.


BACKGROUND
To evaluate the diagnostic method of occult metastasis to mediastinal lymph nodes (MLNs) in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

METHODS
The mRNA expression of mucin 1(MUC1) gene, an epithelial-tissue-specific gene, was detected in dissected mediastinal lymph nodes by RT-PCR assay. Seventy-eight MLNs which had no malignant evidence on routine histopathologic examination were assessed in 19 patients with stage pN0-1 disease. Five regional lymph nodes from 5 patients with benign pulmonary diseases and 5 MLNs proved malignant by histopathology from 5 patients with NSCLC were also studied as negative and positive control respectively.

RESULTS
The mRNA of MUC1 was not detected in any specimen of negative control group, whereas the mRNA was detected in all MLNs of positive control group. The mRNA in 6 out of 78 MLNs from 19 patients with pN0-1 disease was also detected, and occult metastasis was diagnosed.

CONCLUSIONS
Detection of MUC1 mRNA expression might be helpful to diagnose occult metastasis in MLN in patients with lung cancer, and RT-PCR is superior to routine histopathologic examination in staging NSCLC.


Test case generation tools for REST APIs have grown in number and complexity in recent years. However, their advanced capabilities for automated input generation contrast with the simplicity of their test oracles, which limit the types of failures they can detect to crashes, regressions, and violations of the API specification or design best practices. In this paper, we present AGORA, an approach for the automated generation of test oracles for REST APIs through the detection of invariants—properties of the output that should always hold. In practice, AGORA aims to learn the expected behavior of an API by analyzing previous API requests and their corresponding responses. For this, we extended the Daikon tool for dynamic detection of likely invariants, including the definition of new types of invariants and the implementation of an instrumenter called Beet. Beet converts any OpenAPI specification and a collection of API requests and responses to a format processable by Daikon. As a result, AGORA currently supports the detection of up to 105 different types of invariants in REST APIs. AGORA achieved a total precision of 81.2% when tested on a dataset of 11 operations from 7 industrial APIs. More importantly, the test oracles generated by AGORA detected 6 out of every 10 errors systematically seeded in the outputs of the APIs under test. Additionally, AGORA revealed 11 bugs in APIs with millions of users: Amadeus, GitHub, Marvel, OMDb and YouTube. Our reports have guided developers in improving their APIs, including bug fixes and documentation updates in GitHub. Since it operates in black-box mode, AGORA can be seamlessly integrated into existing API testing tools.


AimTo assess the degree and determinants of COVID-19 Vaccine among NigeriansMaterials and methodsFollowing appropriate ethical protocol, a population-based cross-sectional study conducted from November 2020 to January 2021 using a pretested, self-administered questionnaire from a previous study adapted to suit the Nigeria setting and distributed among Nigerians aged 18 years and above. The country was grouped in to three regions: East, North and West representing the major ethnic groups in Nigeria. Participants were recruited based on six different catchments: residential, marketplace recreational areas, cooperate organizations, schools, and Faith-based organizations. Information obtained include socio-demographics, medical history related pertinent to COVID-19, level of knowledge, risk perception, and attitudes towards of COVID-19 and the vaccine amongst others. Descriptive and inferential statistics were done on the variables and results were summarized into percentages and associations noted.ResultsA total of 358 responses were obtained out of the 120 questionnaires distributed in each of the three regions of which. The mean age of respondents was 32years (± 11.2SD). Igbo and Yoruba were the major ethnic groups comprising 38% and 31% of study participants respectively. Three-quarter had tertiary education, 43% of them were civil servants and professionals, 34% of them were unemployed, and 8.9% of them were roadside traders. Majority (66.2%) were willing to accept the approved vaccine with male gender, identifying as Christian, Hausa ethnicity and living in the northern Nigeria had a significant positive association with COVID-19 vaccine uptake.Conclusiontwo out of three Nigerian adults indicated interest in accepting the corona virus vaccine. This calls with critical stakeholders and leaders at all levels to be involved in public education based on sound evidence and the discouragement of the spread of conspiracy theories to eliminate the negative associated factors will reduce vaccine hesitancy and increase COVID-19 vaccination rates in Nigeria.


This study is borne out of observations over the past decade that citizens of Botswana were increasingly feeling resentful of labour immigrants in the country. A survey questionnaire was administered to a sample of 781 male and female Batswana (citizens of Botswana) in three urban centres in Botswana. The purpose was to obtain opinions of Batswana about immigrants. The paper begins by examining the meaning of xenophobia. The results indicate that Batswana are xenophobic; it appears that this attitude is influenced by a combination of nationalism and economic factors. There is a strong desire to preserve the "fruits" of economic prosperity for citizens alone. Europeans and North Americans are most preferred in terms of being accepted as part of the Botswana society and among those who may apply to become citizens of Botswana. The second most preferred are Africans. Asians, especially Indians, are the least preferred. Indeed, Botswana citizens of Indian descent are viewed with considerable suspicion and dislike by other citizens of the country. Primarily for this reason, Asians seem to be the worst victims of xenophobia in Botswana. Short- and specific-term residences by immigrants are preferred over permanent residence. Some citizens are prepared to take every possible action to discourage immigrants from staying in the country; few would employ violent methods to achieve this goal.


Colloidal semiconductor nanocrystals or quantum dots (QDs) attract extensive interest in nowadays science. For the characterization of their materials properties and their use in applications, the synthesis of QDs with sharp size distributions at a desired mean size is of fundamental importance. In widely used colloidal synthetic strategies based on hot injection, size control is achieved by adjusting the reaction time. Although highly successful, these procedures have an intrinsic drawback: sizes below the size reached at the end of the reaction driven growth regime (post-focused size) are only obtained at the expense of a reduced reaction yield. Here, we propose two strategies for controlling the post-focused size, either by adjusting the initial nucleation rate or the solubility of the reactive monomer. We first explore these concepts by means of a QD synthesis model that is based on the assumption that nucleation and growth of QDs involves a monomer species, formed at a specific rate from the initial precursors. Next, the modeling predictions are verified using a synthesis for CdSe QDs. This involves the confirmation of the basic model assumption, i.e., the formation of a monomer species, and the demonstration of size tuning at full yield from diameters of 2.8 to 4.1 nm. Our strategy thus makes it possible to prepare monodisperse batches of different sized QDs at high yield, which is a key result for synthesis reproducibility and efficient reaction upscaling.


Although 97%–98% of the climate researchers most actively publishing in the field accept the basic tenets of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (IPCC) findings [Anderegg et al., 2010], there is a consistent undercurrent of doubt among the general public (A. Leiserowitz et al., Global warming's six Americas in May 2011, online report, 57 pp., Yale Project on Climate Change Communication, Yale University, New Haven, Conn., 2011). To some extent, this doubt is fueled by high-profile climate change deniers who offer "the real view" of climate science [Oreskes and Conway, 2010]. Our campuses recently hosted two such speakers: Ivar Giaever at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) and Christopher Monckton (also known as Lord Monckton) at Union College. (Monckton's presentation can be seen athttp://union.campusreform.org/group/blog/live-webinar-lord-monckton-at-union-college.)


Background Early and appropriate antibiotic treatment improves the clinical outcome of patients with septicemia; therefore, reducing the turn-around time for identification (ID) and antimicrobial susceptibility test (AST) results is essential. We established a method for rapid ID and AST using short-term incubation of positive blood culture broth samples on solid media, and evaluated its performance relative to that of the conventional method using two rapid ID systems and a rapid AST method. Methods A total of 254 mono-microbial samples were included. Positive blood culture samples were incubated on blood agar plates for six hours and identified by the MicroFlex LT (Bruker Daltonics) and Vitek-MS (bioMeriéux) systems, followed by AST using the Vitek2 System (bioMeriéux). Results The correct species-level ID rates were 82.3% (209/254) and 78.3% (199/254) for the MicroFlex LT and Vitek-MS platforms, respectively. For the 1,174 microorganism/antimicrobial agent combinations tested, the rapid AST method showed total concordance of 97.8% (1,148/1,174) with the conventional method, with a very major error rate of 0.5%, major error rate of 0.7%, and minor error rate of 1.0%. Conclusions Routine implementation of this short-term incubation method could provide ID results on the day of blood culture-positivity detection and one day earlier than the conventional AST method. This simple method will be very useful for rapid ID and AST of bacteria from positive blood culture bottles in routine clinical practice.


Background and Objectives: Cytological examination of body cavity effusions is important in diagnosing neoplastic and nonneoplastic conditions. Study of conventional smear of effusions is a rapid method of analyzing the part of fluid. However, the residual material may be evaluated by cell block preparation. Hence, the present study is undertaken to assess diagnostic efficacy of cell block preparation (CB) by combined approach of conventional smear (CS) cytology and cell block preparation in serous effusion. Methods: Serous fluid samples were analyzed from January 2012 to December 2014. Conventional smears and cell block sections were prepared as per the standard procedure and were interpreted separately noting the cellularity, obscuring background, cellular architecture and cytomorphological details. Statistical significance was determined by Chi-square test. Diagnostic accuracy, sensitivity and specificity of conventional smear cytology and cellblock study was calculated. Results: A total of 110 samples were analysed, of which pleural, peritoneal and pericardial fluids were 49%, 46% and 5% respectively. By conventional smear cytology benign, suspicious and malignant cases were 76%, 14.5% and 9.5% respectively. By cell block study benign and malignant cases were 75.5% and 24.5% respectively. Additional 15.5% of cases were diagnosed as malignant by cell block study. Conclusion: Cellular yield, architectural pattern and morphological features were better appreciated in cell block preparation than in conventional smear cytology which increased sensitivity of diagnosis. Hence cell block serves as useful adjuvant to conventional smears.


One of the most significant phenomena of e-commerce is the emergence of a new form of business—the virtual store. Virtual stores provide great efficiency in the retail value chain and their existence has paved the way for the diffusion of electronic commerce. Understanding the determinants of consumer acceptance, virtual stores will provide important theoretical contributions to the area of business-to-consumer (B-to-C) electronic commerce and lead to the development of more effective and meaningful strategies for virtual stores. This chapter presents a study of 253 online consumers. The study resulted in a theoretical model that explains a large portion of the factors that lead to a user's intention to use and actual use of a virtual store. In addition to providing new theoretical grounds for studying the virtual store phenomena, this chapter also supplies virtual stores with a number of operative critical success factors to remain competitive in the volatile electronic marketplace. These success factors, namely, product offerings, information richness, usability of storefront, perceived trust and perceived service quality, are discussed in detail in the chapter. This chapter appears in the book, Intelligent Enterprises of the 21st Century, edited by Jatinder Gupta and Sushil Sharma. Copyright © 2004, Idea Group Inc. Copying or distributing in print or electronic forms without written permission of Idea Group Inc. is prohibited. 701 E. Chocolate Avenue, Suite 200, Hershey PA 17033-1240, USA Tel: 717/533-8845; Fax 717/533-8661; URL-http://www.idea-group.com IDEA GROUP PUBLISHING


Geophysical and geological studies of basic volcanic bodies with high contrast of density and magnetic susceptibility in comparison with the hosting environment can help to understand internal structure of such bodies. Řip hill, which forms an isolated volcanic pipe emplaced in Cretaceous sediments, has been selected as an ideal object for such study. Řip hill consists of olivine poor nephelinite (Ulrych et al., 1998). Its high density (almost 3,2 g/cm3) and susceptibility (in order of magnitude X*10-2 SI) significantly contrast with the properties of hosting Cretaceous sedimentary rocks (relatively low density and magnetic susceptibility). In spite of its high density, this isolated volcanic body is depicted by a negative anomaly in the generally available maps of Bouguer anomalies. This is the case also for many other Cenozoic volcanic bodies in Bohemian Massif (Polanský, 1980). For that reason we have made new gravity and magnetic susceptibility measurements on the top of the hill and in the surrounding area. In addition, geological mapping and structural measurements were made to clarify the architecture of the volcanic pipe. All these data lead to better understanding of structure and evolution of Cenozoic volcanic bodies in the Bohemian Massif.


This was a prospective study to determine the functional results in patients with obstetric palsy treated with the Sever L'Episcopo procedure using a simple five-grade scale consisting of the ability to reach the abdomen (grade 0), upper thorax (grade I), mouth (grade II), forehead (grade III), and occiput (grade IV), which translates into an improvement in basic daily activities. Forty-nine procedures were done in 48 patients (one bilateral) with a preoperative and postoperative evaluation of each case. Range of motion was also recorded for each patient both preoperatively and postoperatively. The overall results showed an improvement of two grades in 61% of our patients. The improvement in range of motion averaged 64 degrees for active abduction and 42 degrees for active external rotation. Functional goals must be the principal concern. With this method of evaluation, we can measure (in a simple way) improvement in the activities of daily living.


Background We used Mendelian randomization analysis to investigate the causal relationship between maternal homocysteine level, as represented by maternal methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) C677T genotype, with the birth weight of offspring. Methods We recruited women at 24 to 28 weeks' gestation who visited Ewha Womans University Hospital for prenatal care during the period from August 2001 to December 2003. A total of 473 newborns with a gestational age of at least 37 weeks were analyzed in this study. We excluded twin births and children of women with a history of gestational diabetes, gestational hypertension, or chronic renal disease. The association of maternal homocysteine concentration with the birth weight of infants was analyzed using 2-stage regression. Results MTHFR C677T genotype showed a dose–response association with homocysteine concentration for each additional T allele (Ptrend < 0.01). Birth weight decreased from 120 to 130 grams as maternal homocysteine level increased, while controlling for confounding factors; however, the association was of marginal significance (P = 0.06). Conclusions Our results suggest an adverse relationship between maternal homocysteine level and birth weight. A reduction in homocysteine levels might positively affect birth outcomes.


Călin-Ioan TALOȘ 1 1 Lecturer, "Emanuel" University of Oradea, Oradea, the county of Bihor, email@example.com . Abstract: Posthumanism points out the onset of a new existential episode for the humankind. In the epilogue of the first episode one can notice the advance of humanity in knowledge and innovation without, however, identifying a similar progress with regard to altruism and compassion. Wars are still threatening us even in this century, and hard feelings are at home everywhere around us. We have now reached the dawn of an era found under the auspices of artificial intelligence. Shoshana Zuboff draws our attention to "surveillance capitalism", pinpointing the existence of the deliberate social inequality. Nick Bostrom, Ray Kurzweil and Max Tegmark emphasize the possibility that machines may acquire "singularity", a situation in which machines will produce machines that are made according to their own will and independent of the human being, in fact against them, and Yuval Noah Harari announces the next stage in human evolution, anticipating the condemnation of homo sapiens. All these realities and predictions signal the evil that man can do to his neighbour and to himself, implicitly. To what extent can the progress of innovation be accompanied by a progress in the practical implementation of moral values such as love and compassion? How can we think in such a manner that the advance in innovation will not become a weapon against man, but an instrument for his own benefit? In this article I am proposing a brief comparative analysis of Y. N. Harari's naturalist philosophy of meaning and the phenomenology of love in C.S. Peirce's philosophy, with the purpose of representing thought paradigms that may considerably contribute to a compassion-driven technological transformation.


The potential energy surfaces (PESs) for the electronic ground state and the three lowest excited states of the H + F2
 reaction have been studied by ab initio multireference singles and doubles configuration interaction (MRCI-SD) calculations. Our main focus is laid on the description of the angular dependence of the barrier region on the ground state surface. In general, except for the cases of increased symmetry, the barrier arises from avoided-crossing interactions of the two lowest 2A′ states. In the collinear case it is the interaction between the two lowest Σ states which is responsible for the barrier. Due to the weak interaction of these
 well-separated and not even neighboring states the barrier is relatively low. For broadside approach of H onto F2 in C2v symmetry the avoided crossing transforms into a symmetry induced conical intersection between the lowest 2A1 and 2B1 states. With our largest calculation we obtain a height of 0.130 eV (0.078 eV including the Davidson correction) for the collinear barrier, and of 1.12 eV (0.86 eV) for the broadside barrier at the conical
 intersection. We also consider semiempirical PESs frequently used for simulations of the H + F2 reaction. In comparison to our MRCI-SD results, a diatomics-in-molecules PES shows a qualitatively different angular dependence of the barrier in the broadside
 range. The implications of the barrier topography
 for the interpretation of experimental findings are discussed.


OBJECT
The facial nerve in vestibular schwannomas (VSs) is located on the ventral tumor surface in more than 90% of cases; other courses are rare. A split facial nerve course with two distinct bundles has thus far been described exclusively for medial extrameatal tumors.

METHODS
Between 1996 and 2005, 16 consecutive cases of 241 surgically treated VSs were observed to have distinct splitting of the facial nerve. The mean tumor size measured 27 mm. In one third of the cases, intrameatal tumor extension with obliteration of the fundus was documented. All patients underwent extensive intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring using multichannel electromyography recordings. Patients were reevaluated 12 months after surgery. In all 16 patients, distinct splitting of the facial nerve was demonstrated. The major portion of the facial nerve followed a typical course on the ventral tumor surface. The smaller nerve portion in all cases ran parallel to the brainstem up to the level of the trigeminal root exit zone and crossed on the cranial tumor pole to the internal auditory canal. The two nerve portions rejoined at the level of the porus acusticus. The smaller portion carried fibers exclusively to the orbicularis oris muscle, whereas the major portion supplied all three branches of the facial nerve.

CONCLUSIONS
In VSs, an aberrant course with distinct splitting of the facial nerve adds considerably to the surgical challenge. Long-term facial nerve results are excellent with extensive neurophysiological monitoring, which allows the differentiation and identification of aberrant facial nerve fibers and avoids additional risks to facial nerve preservation.


Abstract : A survey of data from the first year of the P78-2 SCATHA satellite operations showed that a highest level spacecraft frame charging (phi sub f) both in sunlight (-340 V) and in eclipse (> -8 kV) occurred on 24 April 1979. Analysis of the data indicates that if the sunlight charging environment had been present during eclipse, the vehicle would have charged in excess of 15 kV which is above any known charging level observed to date for the SCATHA satellite. Therefore, the environment at the peak of the sunlight charging at approx. 0650 UT 24 April 1979 was chosen for this worst case study. The environment at this time is characterized by an injection of high energy (30-335 keV) electron fluxes whose combined current correlates with phi sub f with a correlation coefficient of 0.95. The fluxes were highly anisotropic, maximizing perpendicular to the magnetic field. The low energy (< 4 keV) electron population had a density < 1/cc and the low energy ions were near background. The measured electron distribution functions, when fit to double Maxwellians by a least squares technique, show that throughout the sunlight charging the high and low temperatures remained nearly the same, while the density of the high energy component followed the charging levels. The injection occurred simultaneously with the rapid return of the magnetospheric magnetic field to a more dipole-like configuration.


4-Nitrophenyl triflate (1) as well as 4-nitrophenyl nonaflate (2) are excellent perfluoroalkanesulfonyl transfer agents. An important feature of the present method is its chemoselectivity. The aliph. hydroxy function was inert under the reaction conditions studied , and consequently phenols can be selectively triflated in the presence of alc. Frontier MO calcns. were used to rationalize the exptl. results. [on SciFinder (R)]


This paper proposes a method to estimate the posterior distribution of a Boltzmann Machine. Due to high feature extraction ability, a Boltzmann Machine is often used for both of supervised and unsupervised learning. It is expected to be suitable for multimodal data because of its bi-directional connection property. However, it needs a sampling method to estimate the posterior distribution, which becomes a problem during an inference period because of the computation time and instability. Therefore, it is usually converted to feedforward Neural Networks, which means to lose its bi-directional property. To deal with these problems, this paper proposes a method to estimate the posterior distribution of the Boltzmann Machine fast and stably without converting it to feedforward Neural Networks. The key idea of the proposed method is to estimate the posterior distribution using a Simulated Annealing on non-uniform temperature distribution. The advantage of the proposed method against normal sampling method and conventional Simulated Annealing is shown through experiments with artificial dataset and MNIST. Furthermore, this paper also gives the mathematical analysis of Boltzmann Machine's behaviour with regard to temperature distribution.


In this paper, it was purposed to analyze the chaotic pattern of inflation-unemployment relation for the period from January, 1960 to April, 2019 in Turkey. For modelling this relation, oil prices were considered as an exogenous variable in examination of chaotic causal relation between inflation and unemployment. This model was applied in two stages: Firstly, the chaotic structure of the variables were determined by using Lyapunov Exponents and Henon Map and secondly by Hristu-Varsakelis and Kyrtsou(2010) [1] and Bai(2018) [2] Chaotic Causality Tests, the chaotic causal relations among the variables were decided. Because, these estimations are crucial especially for analyzing complex economic system of countries.In this paper, it was purposed to analyze the chaotic pattern of inflation-unemployment relation for the period from January, 1960 to April, 2019 in Turkey. For modelling this relation, oil prices were considered as an exogenous variable in examination of chaotic causal relation between inflation and unemployment. This model was applied in two stages: Firstly, the chaotic structure of the variables were determined by using Lyapunov Exponents and Henon Map and secondly by Hristu-Varsakelis and Kyrtsou(2010) [1] and Bai(2018) [2] Chaotic Causality Tests, the chaotic causal relations among the variables were decided. Because, these estimations are crucial especially for analyzing complex economic system of countries.


The application of the X-ray standing wave (XSW) technique in the case of imperfect crystals meets serious theoretical and interpretational problems. However, well-known advantages of the XSW technique make it especially interesting to the study of the ordering of impurities and of various processes leading to changes in this ordering in various likes of imperfect crystals. In this work we try to answer the question how imperfection of a crystal may influence the changes in fluorescence yield during the XSW measurement. Two likes of imperfect crystals are studied: Si(111) implanted with high energetic Bi+ ions, and Ζn1-xCoxSe single crystal with natural (111) face. The discussion of obtained results shows that general features of the X-ray standing wave field are conserved despite the considerable imperfections of the crystals. The results seem to support the applicability of the XSW technique to the study of imperfect materials, although some further theoretical effort would be required. PACS numbers: 61.10.-i


We conducted a multicenter, double-blind, randomized, parallel, placebo-controlled trial in 190 patients to evaluate the safety and efficacy of three dosages of topiramate (600, 800, and 1,000 mg/day) as adjunctive therapy for patients with refractory partial epilepsy. During an 18-week double-blind treatment period, median percent reductions from baseline in average monthly seizure rates were 1% for placebo, 41% for topiramate 600 mg/day and topiramate 800 mg/day, and 38% for topiramate 1,000 mg/day. There was a 50% or greater reduction from baseline in seizure frequency in 9% of patients in the placebo group and in 44% for topiramate 600 mg/day, 40% for topiramate 800 mg/day, and 38% for topiramate 1,000 mg/day. No placebo patients were improved by 75 to 100% in seizure frequency, whereas 20% of the topiramate patients were improved to this degree. All intent-to-treat drug-placebo comparisons including seizure reduction, percent responders, and investigator and patient global evaluations significantly (p <or=to 0.02) favored topiramate. Treatment-emergent adverse events consisted mainly of neurologic symptoms commonly observed during antiepileptic drug (AED) therapy. Sixteen percent of patients on topiramate discontinued therapy due to adverse events. Results of this study indicate that topiramate is a highly efficacious and generally well tolerated new AED. When large groups of patients are compared, incremental efficacy in the add-on setting is not observed at topiramate dosages above 600 mg/day; however, higher doses may prove beneficial to individual patients who tolerate them. NEUROLOGY 1996;46: 1678-1683


Hands-on and practical learning has been key to cybersecurity education and training success. Cyber Defense Exercises (CDX) are a common approach to training, testing, and verifying technical and soft skills. However, full-scale CDX implementation is also an expensive training event. In order to advance such exercises to the next level, CDX organizers should further focus on educational, psychological, and cross-domain relationships. The paper discusses and proposes a multidimensional approach for CDX that balances cognitive, emotional, and social aspects critical for successful interdisciplinary learning. We share our experience incorporating knowledge from well-known psychology theories to CDX. We derive and describe seven elementary ingredients if a CDX is to meet the interdisciplinary and critical thinking needs of defensive cyberspace operations.


Forecasting is an important subject for different applications in Metrology and Environment fields. The most simple and basic approach for analyzing time series is decomposition. This study is based on the trend component for significant parameters which were obtained through regression models fitted to the polynomial functions of power k for time t. In this regard monthly data of six metrological parameters precipitation amount (Rf), minimum temperature (Tmin), maximum temperature (Tmax), relative humidity (Rh), wind speed (Ws) and atmospheric pressure (Ap) for the period of 25 years (1990-2014 or 300 data points) of Karachi city, Pakistan were considered for forecast. The forecast values will be obtained by multiplying the values of these four components (trend, seasonal, irregular and cyclic) and were compared to the original values to justify the model. The reliability of forecasted values will be checked by using goodness of fit test by means of chi squire statistics χ2, which indicates that all the parameters follow the test except precipitation. After justification we found that our models are accurate and reliable.


The effectiveness of biofertilizer is influenced by the type of microbial constituent and the carrier media. This study is aimed to determine the effect of carrier media on microbial viability, mustard growth and productivity, and the type of carrier media with the best response to mustard. This study used three kinds of carrier media, consisting of molasses, rice water, and sucrose. Microbes used were Candida G3.2 and W3.8, with the addition of Azotobacter A10. The results showed that all biofertilizer carrier media improved microbial viability, with the highest TPC which was obtained by rice water with the value of 1.19x1014 cfu/ml, sucrose with the value of 1.18x1014 cfu/ml and molasses with the value of 9.65x1013 cfu/ml at 7 days of incubation times. Biofertilizer carrier media also gave the positive effect that was indicated by the increase of mustard growth and productivity. Molasses is the best carrier media that provides a high response in mustard growth and productivity, with the value of plant height which is 24.250 cm, the number of the leaf is 5.250, the leaf area is 2959.8 mm2 and the dry weight is 3.90 gram.


An important phenomenon occurring in human population is the variation in their physical morphology. The physical dimensions of human body are influenced by geographical, racial, age and gender factors. Physical anthropometry provides the technique by which human body dimensions can be evaluated and measured. The aim of the study was to determine age specific sex differences in height, weight, BMI and skin fold thickness among children aged 5- 12 years from Kazaure emirate, Jigawa State, Nigeria. The objective of the study was to investigate sexual dimorphism in the measured variables. A total of 1212 primary school pupils aged 5-12 years (659 males and 553 females) were involved. All the anthropometric variables were taken using standard protocols. An independent t-test was used to determine gender differences using SPSS version 20.0and P ≤ 0.05 considered a level of significance. The results showed a significant gender difference in height and weight at age of 8 years (P = 0.009) and (P< 0.001), respectively. For bicep skin fold thickness (BSF), the gender difference was observed at 7 to 12years of age with (P< 0.001). Similar pattern in triceps TSF) and suprailiac (SISF), showed significant difference at age six (P< 0.001) and (P =0.01), respectively. All ages showed differences in subscapular skin fold thickness (SSF)(P< 0.001). In the SSF, female had higher mean value while for height and weight the reverse trend was the case. In conclusion, the gender differences in SSF may be linked with higher adipose tissue in female than in the male counterparts in childhood. Keywords: Anthropometry, BMI, Skin fold thickness, age, sex, Nigeria


Abstract The Kerguelen Archipelago is made up of a stack of thick piles of Tertiary flood basalts intruded by transitional to alkaline igneous centres at various times since 30 Ma ago. In the SW, the Rallier-du-Baty Peninsula is mostly occupied by two silicic ring complexes, each with an average diameter of 15 km, comprising dissected calderas cross-cut by subvolcanic cupolas. Previous radiometric determinations yield ages ranging from 15.4 to 7.4 Ma in the southern centre, and 6.2 to 4.9 Ma in the northern one. The felsic ring dykes were injected by coeval mafic magmas, forming, successively, swarms of early mafic enclaves, disrupted synplutonic cone sheets, and late cone-sheets. After the emplacement and subsequent unroofing of the plutonic ring complexes, abundant and thick trachytic pyroclastic flows and falls were emitted from the younger caldera volcanoes, while hawaiite and mugearite lava flows were erupted from marginal maars and cones. Huge trachyte ignimbritic flows filled the glacial valleys in the central Peninsula, and capped lacustrine deposits and older lava flows, while related pumice falls are widespread throughout the archipelago. This powerful plinian eruption took place after the network of glacial valleys was established, but before the Little Ice Age that occurred during the last centuries. In the south of the peninsula, even younger trachytic formations are exposed, and fumarolic vents are still active. The growth mechanisms of a caldera-related ring complex can be explained as a repetitive sequence of two eruptive episodes. The first episode of hydrofracturing, induced by volatile exsolution within the evolving magma chamber, creates a vertical circular fracture zone, along which highly vesiculated magmas are emitted during explosive eruptive events occurring at the surface in a caldera volcano. It is followed by a second episode of cauldron-subsidence of a crustal block down to the degassed magma chamber, induced by pressure release. Downward movement of the crustal block favours the emplacement at shallow depths within the older caldera-filling formations, of discrete magmatic sheets characterized by a 16-km mean diameter and a 1-km mean thickness, corresponding to an average unit volume of 200 km3. Actually, the estimated volumes of the different igneous episodes within the Rallier-du-Baty nested ring complex vary from 60 to 900 km3, and correspond to the production during 15 Ma of about 2800 ± 850 km3 of new materials and a net crustal growth of about 100 ± 30 × 103 m3 per year.