Abstract. Population declines of birds affiliated with grasslands and grass-shrub habitats have been identified as a critical conservation concern. The effects of woody encroachment into grassland-dominated systems, which may contribute to species declines, has been examined mainly in upland systems. We examined occurrence of bird species across a gradient of graminoid- to shrub-dominated wetlands in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and describe the habitat characteristics associated with their probability of occurrence at segment (100 × 100 m) and landscape (200 m buffer) scales. Because fire can suppress woody encroachment, we also examined the role of fire history, extending from <1 to >50 y on birds and habitat characteristics. We focused on seven species closely affiliated with grassland and grass-shrub habitats, but also found in wetlands: Sedge Wren (Asio flammeus), LeConte's Sparrow (Ammodramus leconteii), Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis), Bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus), Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas), Swamp Sparrow (Melospiza georgiana), and Alder Flycatcher (Empidonax alnorum). We used nonparametric, multiplicative regression models to relate habitat variables and fire history to probability of species occurrence. Unlike studies in upland grasslands, none of the top models included measures of litter or graminoid height, and the highest probability of occurrence often was where graminoid cover was at intermediate rather than highest levels. Measures of woody cover or structure were important to all seven species modeled. We observed few clear differences in habitat metrics across fire history categories beyond the first year of burning. Years since last burned was in the best model for four of the seven species, despite high variability of habitat metrics within fire history categories; those species were more likely to occur in segments burned 15–19 y earlier. Infrequent light- to moderate-severity fires in fens had little effect on focal species occurrence beyond the first year after burning and little long-term effect to suppress woody cover.


Recently, multimedia-based learning is widespread in educational settings. A number of studies investigate how to develop effective techniques to manage a huge volume of video sources, such as summarization and recommendation. However, few studies examine how these techniques affect learners' perceptions in multimedia learning systems. This article aims to examine learners' perceptions for summarization and recommendation, with an emphasis on the perspective of prior experience. In this study, we developed a multimedia content summarization and recommendation system, which can automatically extract summaries from raw video sources and recommend suitable video content to learners through emails. The results demonstrate that learners' prior experience and preferences for the presentation of document types affect their perceptions, including the enhancement of interests, the ease of information acquisition and the intention for the further use of the system. Finally, the findings are applied to develop a framework that can support for the design of multimedia learning systems.


Effect of provenances on seed germination, early survival and growth performance of Tamarindus indica L. in Ethiopia were evaluated. Seeds were collected from Dello Mena, Guba, Kurmuk and Metema Weredas. In this study seed pre-sowing treatments, effects of dry heat and moist heat treatments on seed germination as well as effect of provenances on early survival and growth performance of T. indica seedlings were evaluated. There were 1,800-2,600 seeds contained within 1kg of T. indica seeds within 94- 97% pure seeds among the four provenances. From 1kg of pure T. indica seeds 1,245-1,606 seedlings are raised at Laboratory. Nicked seeds showed the highest germination of 100% compared to other treatments within 12 months of storage in cold room having between 7 and 10.6% moisture content. Dello Mena, Kurmuk and Metema provenances had the highest germination percentage (100%) as compared to Guba provenance in producing viable seeds. The survival rate of seedlings recorded at the age of four varied from 81 to 94% among the provenances. Dello Mena provenance had the highest mean values of seedlings' shoot length, RCD, tap root length as well as fresh and dry leaves and roots weight. Guba provenance, in turn, scored the largest number of leaves, while Kurmuk had the largest number of secondary roots and the highest fresh and dry stems weight. This implies that Dello Mena provenance is the most recommended for raising T. indica seedlings in the Green House. This research output provides an evidence of the genetic variability among T. indica provenances and hence the potential for future tree improvement and domestication programme.


Adult T-cell leukemia (ATL) is the only T-cell lymphoproliferative disease,  known to be caused by a virus. While human T-lymphotropic virus type 1  (HTLV-1) is found to cause adult T-cell leukemia, other T-cell neoplastic  diseases do not correlate with human T-lymphotropic virus type 1. Adult  T-cell leukemia usually demonstrates an aggressive course and poor  prognosis. Human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 is transmitted via breast  feeding, sexual contact, shared needles, and infected blood products.  Moreover, some geographic areas are depicted to be endemic for human  T-lymphotropic virus type 1; northeast of Iran is known to be one. Here in,  a case of adult T-cell leukemia is discussed who presented by  hypercalcemia and paraparesia. Hepatosplenomegaly was detected in  physical examination and abdominal sonography revealed multiple paraaortic lymphadenopathy. Whole body bone scan demonstrated multiple hot  points in skeleton. Chest computed tomography (CT) scan revealed  leukemic infiltrations of both lungs. The leukocyte count of peripheral  blood was 34000-50000 per mm 3 , and excessive amounts of mature  lymphocytes were observed in peripheral smear. Flow cytometry of bone  marrow aspiration reported adult T-cell leukemia. The titer of human  T-lymphotropic virus type 1 antibody was elevated in enzyme-linked  immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method. Despite the patient was originated  from a non-endemic origin, all members of his family including his spouse and  children found to be positive for human T-lymphotropic virus type 1. This  manuscript describes the clinical course and diagnosis of a patient with adult  T-cell leukemia, and clinical suspicions during the course of the disease.


Thermography was employed in addition to scintiscanning in the preoperative diagnosis of 87 surgically treated cold thyroid nodes. A new thermographic method was used. Comparison with the scanning and clinical data and the histological finding showed it to be useful, so that its routine employment has been principally in the investigation of cold nodes in addition to hyperfunctioning nodes. The results obtained are of particular value, since they enable a resonably reliable differential diagnosis to be made of benign and malignant forms prior to surgery.


The effects of extensive prior exposure to snakes on subsequent observational conditioning of snake fear in rhesus monkeys were examined. Three groups of monkeys (n = 8 per group) were given one of three kinds of pretreatment: (a) An immunization group spent six sessions watching a nonfearful monkey behave nonfearfully with snakes; (b) a latent inhibition group spent six sessions by themselves behaving nonfearfully with snakes with total exposure time to snakes equal to that for the immunization group; and (c) a pseudoimmunization group spent six sessions watching a monkey behave nonfearfully with neutral objects. All groups were then given six sessions of observational conditioning in which they watched fearful monkeys behave fearfully with snakes. When subsequently tested for acquisition of snake fear, the pseudoimmunization and latent inhibition groups showed significant acquisition, but 6 out of 8 subjects in the immunization group did not. Thus, it seems that for a majority of subjects, prior exposure to a nonfearful model behaving nonfearfully with snakes can effectively immunize against the subsequent effects of exposure to fearful models behaving fearfully with snakes. The implications of these results for possible modes of preventing the acquisition of human fears and phobias are discussed.


In addition to the compilation of biodiversity inventories, checklists, especially if combined with abundance data, are important tools to understand species distribution, habitat use, and community composition over time. Their importance is even higher when ecological indicator taxa are considered, as in the case of moths. In this work, we investigated macro-moth diversity in a forest area (30 ha) in the Western Italian Alps, recently subjected to intense management activities. Indeed, an ecological corridor, which includes 10 clearings, has been shaped thanks to forest compensation related to the construction site of the Turin–Lyon High-Speed Railway. Here, we identified 17 patches (9 clearings and 8 forests), and we conducted moth surveys using UV–LED light traps. A total of 15,614 individuals belonging to 442 species were collected in 2020 and 2021. Two and fifteen species are new records for Piedmont and for Susa Valley, respectively. In addition to the faunistic interest of the data, this study—using a standardized method—provides geo-referenced occurrences, species-richness, and abundance values useful to compile a baseline dataset for future comparisons. Indeed, the replicable and easy shareable method allows us to make comparisons with other research and thus assess the impact of environmental changes.


Informal relationships often influence employees who intervene in an interpersonal conflict between colleagues. We investigate and report the effects of relational orientations (reciprocity orientation and communal orientation) on employee preference of choosing sides between an acquaintance and a friend in a workplace dispute in The Netherlands and China. A scenario study was conducted among 104 Dutch and 105 Chinese employees. As hypothesized, the results indicate that employees, especially Dutch employees, with an interest-concerned reciprocity orientation tend to side with the acquaintance who has a greater potential to return the favour. By contrast, employees, especially Chinese, with a sharing-concerned communal orientation tend to side with their workplace friend. Explanations and implications of the findings are discussed.


The recent announcement of the 2016 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, awarded to Yoshinori Ohsumi for the discoveries of mechanisms governing autophagy, underscores the importance of intracellular degradation and recycling. At the same time, it further cements yeast, in which this field decisively developed, as a prolific model organism. Here we provide a quick historical overview that mirrors both the importance of autophagy as a conserved and essential process for cellular life and death as well as the crucial role of yeast in its mechanistic characterization.


Background and Aim: Accurate bone measurements are essential to determine the optimal size and length of dental implants. The magnification factor of radiographic images may vary with the imaging technique used. The purpose of this study was to compare the accuracy of linear tomography and panoramic radiography in vertical measurements, as well as the accuracy of linear tomography in mandibular width estimation. Materials and Methods: In this test evaluation study, the vertical distances between the crest and the superior border of the inferior alveolar canal, marked with a metal ball, was measured by linear tomography and panoramic radiography in 23 sites of four dry mandible bones. Also the mandibular width was measured at the same sites. Then, the bones were sectioned through the marked spots and the radiographic measurements were compared with actual values. Results: The vertical magnification factor in tomograms and panoramic radiographs was 1.79 (SD=0.17) and 1.69 (SD=0.23), respectively. The horizontal magnification of tomograms was 1.47 (SD=0.17). A significant correlation was found between the linear tomographic and actual values, regarding vertical dimensions (p<0.001, r=0.968) and width (p<0.001, r=0.813). The correlation was significant but lower in panoramic radiographs (p<0.001, r=0.795). Applying the magnification values suggested by the manufacturer, the mean difference of vertical measurements between the tomographic sections was 2.5 mm (SD=3.4) but 3.8 mm (SD=1.65) in panoramic radiographs. The mean of absolute difference in mandibular width between the tomographic sections and reality was 0.3mm (SD=1.13). In the linear tomograms, 4.3% of vertical and 56.5% of the width measurements were in the ±1mm error limit. Only 4.3% of the vertical measurements were within this range in the panthomographs. The linear regression equation between the actual values and those obtained by radiography in vertical dimensions showed that 87.5% of tomograms and 51.8% of panoramics were located in the ±1 mm error limit. Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, the linear tomography is more accurate than panoramic radiography in mandibular height estimation. The accuracy of linear tomography in width estimation is within acceptable limits.


In this paper, a CMOS monolithic calibrated position-sensitive detector (PSD) for detecting light-spot position applications is newly proposed. A calibration technique is proposed in this work. With the calibration circuits, the proposed chip successfully detects the position of a small light in a real environment. Before performing the proposed calibration circuits, the maximum linear error is 54.55%. After calibration, the maximum linear error can be reduced to 3%. The light dynamic range of a light spot is 40 dB. The chip area is 2.87 × 2.72 mm2. The proposed chip is suitable for devices of measuring light-spot position.


Aim: To determine parent´s perceptions and concerns about inhaled therapy and their relation to disease control.
Methods:  A questionnaire was applied by interviewing parents of 119 asthmatic children attending the Pediatric Allergy or Pneumology outpatient clinic.
Results: Eighty-one (68%) parents expressed concerns and worries about the use of inhaled therapy in their children, either with controlled or partially/uncontrolled asthma (65% Vs 78% p=0.22). Regarding their beliefs about inhaled therapy, 11% (n=13) stated that they considered pMDI's/DPI's less effective than nebulizers. When questioned about the knowledge of their child's acute exacerbation therapy, 91.5% (n=109) reported knowing it, albeit only 40% (n=44) did answer it correctly. Nine parents said they were unaware of their children's reliever treatment.
Discussion: We expected to find parental concerns about inhaled therapy, but such a high percentage wasn´t expected. A substantial number of parents believe that their children can become addicted or dependent on the use of the inhaler. This finding reinforces the misconceptions parents do have regarding inhaled therapy. There is a higher proportion of parents with concerns in the group with partially/uncontrolled asthma, although it was not statistically significant. The majority of patients/parents reported knowing the reliever plan in an exacerbation, although most of them could not explain the plan correctly. These results are worrying, as they show parents have an inappropriate knowledge of reliever measures. Therefore, we suggest that improvements in education about inhaled therapy should be made, including the regular review of the inhalation technique and the reliever plan in every consultation.


The bottleneck of a production line is a machine that impedes the system performance in the strongest manner. In production lines with the so-called Markovian model of machine reliability, bottlenecks with respect to the downtime, uptime, and the cycle time of the machines can be introduced. The two former have been addressed in recent publications [1] and [2]. The latter is investigated in this paper. Specifically, using a novel aggregation procedure for performance analysis of production lines with Markovian machines having different cycle time, we develop a method for c-bottleneck identification and apply it in a case study to a camshaft production line at an automotive engine plant.


OBJECTIVES
The TAXUS(R) database was used to perform an integrated analysis across several large phase II and III trials to assess outcomes of polymer-based paclitaxel-eluting TAXUS stents in diabetic patients.

BACKGROUND
While drug-eluting stents have reduced the risk for restenosis, diabetic patients remain at higher risk.

METHODS
This post hoc analysis of clinical and angiographic outcomes combined individual patient data from four randomized, multicentre, controlled clinical trials (TAXUS II, IV, V, and VI) representing outcomes across two paclitaxel release formulations and stent platforms.

RESULTS
Breslow-Day analysis indicated homogeneous odds ratios across dose formulations and stent platforms, thus clinical data (9 months) were pooled from 3445 patients, including 814 diabetic patients. The randomized quantitative coronary angiography subset (n=2863) included 469 diabetic patients requiring oral medications only and 216 insulin-treated. Among patients receiving bare metal stents (BMS), those with diabetes had worse clinical and angiographic outcomes than non-diabetic patients. Target lesion revascularization rates were decreased in TAXUS patients relative to BMS controls by 59% (p=0.0001) among diabetic patients requiring oral medications, by 66% (p=0.006) among insulin-treated. Insulin-treated patients showed a significant TAXUS benefit for in-stent and in-segment percent diameter stenosis (p=0.0001, p=0.001, respectively) and late loss (p=0.001); a similar TAXUS benefit was seen in diabetic patients treated with oral medications (p<0.0001). Binary restenosis in-segment was significantly decreased 65% in both diabetic subsets (p=0.0001).

CONCLUSION
This post hoc analysis of data from four combined randomized TAXUS trials suggests the TAXUS benefit observed in non-diabetic patients is carried over into the high-risk diabetic population.


This paper presents a study of different implementations of arithmetic operations on FPGAs. Radiation vulnerability has been analyzed for each implementation using the fault injection platform NESSY. Results in terms of area, delay and reliability are presented. We propose to build a library of HDL templates taking into account the performed tests. This library is used during the design process with a synthesis tool that implements digital circuits as reliable as possible. Experimental results show that implementations using DSP slices are the ones which achieve better results.


Integral measurements of 237 Np fission rate ratio relative to 235 U fission rate have been performed at Kyoto University Critical Assembly. The fission rates have been measured using the back-to-back type double fission chamber at five thermal cores with different H/ 235 U ratio so that the neutron spectra of the cores were systematically varied. The measured fission rate ratio per atom was 0.00439 to 0.0298, with a typical uncertainty of 2 to 3%. The measured data were compared with the calculated results using SRAC/TWOTRAN and MVP based on JENDL-3.2, which gave the averaged C/E values of 0.93 and 0.95, respectively. Obtained results of C/E using 237 Np cross sections from JENDL-3/2, ENDF/B-VI.5 and JEF2.2 show that the latter two gave smaller results than JENDL-3.2 by about 4%, which clearly reflects the discrepancy in the evaluated cross section among the libraries. This difference arises from both fast fission and resonance region. Although further improvement is recommended, 237 Np fission cross section in JENDL-3.2 is considered to be superior to those in the other libraries and can be adopted for use in design calculations for minor actinide transmutation system using thermal reactors with prediction precision of 237 Np fission rate within 10%.


The word "community" occurs frequently in papers, academic works even important speeches, which show the highlights on the concept "community" shed by the scholars and leaders. On such an issue, this paper will draw a brief map of the changes of the concept "community" through etymological method at first, and then search the various semantic interpretations and usages in different fields so that an extending route of the concept "community" will be charted out. At last, the values of "community" as an academic concept will be summarized, and the new research prospect will be discussed.


Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is characterized by vasoconstriction and cell proliferation in the pulmonary vasculature. Guideline-driven interventions with infused prostacyclin treatment are the mainstay for patients with advanced symptoms. Infused prostacyclin therapy is complex. It is critical to manage prostacyclin therapy with precision because boluses or interruptions can be fatal. Education of patients and inpatient staff nurses is necessary to prevent negative outcomes. Nurses are an essential part of the multidisciplinary team caring for patients with PAH. The diagnostic evaluation and treatment of PAH are reviewed here, and challenges associated with the care of patients on prostacyclin therapy are discussed.


The outermost layer of atmospheric aqueous aerosol is covered with amphiphilic organic compounds. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the gas phase should encounter them first at the air/aerosol interface, rather than solute molecules homgeneously distributed in the bulk. It may control the whole reactivity of the aqueous aerosol and play key roles in birth, growth and degradation processes of atmospheric aerosols. Here we studied activities of quaternary alkyl trimethyl ammonium cations CH3(CH2 )n-1(CH3)3N + (n = 1, 4, 8, 10, 12, 14) at the surfaces of water using surface-sensitive spraying ionization mass spectrometry. The longer-chain alkyl ammonium cations are detected more prominently at the water surface of the equimolar solution, expressed as an exponential function of the alkyl chain length. We suggest the occurrence of competitive adsorption among the quaternary ammonium cations at water surface. Then, the surfactant effects on the gaseous uptake and subsequent reactions of VOCs was investigated. When isoprene is exposed to acidified water surfaces, proton transfer reaction from H3O + to isoprene occurs, which is followed by chain-propagation reactions. We found that the longer-chain ammonium cations suppressed isoprene oligomer signals but rarely hindered chain-propagation reactions even at larger concentrations, e.g., the higher surface coverage. It suggests that gaseous isoprene is directly added to the protonated species at water surface. We conclude that competitive adsorption between isoprene oligomers and the ammonium cations suppressed the acid-catalyzed reactions. Driving force leading to the adsorptive competition will be argued based on experiments performed by adding anionic and neutral surfactants.


Rab1 is the founding member of the Rab small GTPase family, which is well known to mediate membrane trafficking between the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and Golgi apparatus [1]. It is a highly conserved protein with two different isoforms, Rab1A and Rab1B in mammals, and predominantly localized on the membrane of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and Golgi apparatus. The ER-Golgi membrane system is increasingly recognized for its role in anchoring cell signaling, where some key regulatory proteins such as mitogen receptors and transcription factors as are synthesized, modified and transported to the cell surface or nucleus. Consistently, some recent studies show that Rab1 is a regulator of several central signal transduction pathways, particularly mTOR pathway. A genetic screens in yeast identified Rab1 to be critical is for mediating amino acid (AA) signaling to activate mTORC1 [2]. The function of Rab1 in mTORC1 signaling was further investigated in yeast, human embryonic kidney (HEK) 293, and colorectal and liver cancer cells [2, 3]. AA was found to stimulate Rab1A interaction with mTORC1 in the Golgi in a GTP-dependent manner, which further promotes the binding of Rheb to and activation of mTORC1 (Figure (Figure1).1). Golgi is known for transducing signals of nutrients such as cholesterol into the nucleus. That mTOR is also localized in the nucleus where it regulates gene expression [4] raises an interesting possibility that Rab1 is especially important for activating AA-mTOR signaling into the nucleus.

Figure 1

Role of RAB1 in amino acid-Mtorc1 signaling and oncogenic growth

Consistent with Rab1's growth regulatory functions, RAB1 is commonly deregulated in human cancer. Overexpression of RAB1A and RAB1B is found in colorectal cancer (CRC) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) [2, 3], as well as several other cancer types including tongue squamous carcinomas (TSCCs) [5]. RAB1A is overexpressed in 40 to 60% human colorectal and hepatocellular carcinomas, which is strongly associated with cancer progression and poor survival [2, 3]. Strikingly, the rate of overexpression in TSCCs is between 93 and 98% [5]. How RAB1A expression is deregulated has been investigated in HCC. In a study of 187 hepatitis B virus (HBV)-positive HCCs, increased gene copy number rather than changes in DNA methylation was found to be a contributor to RAB1A overexpression [3]. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have also been shown to regulate RAB1 expression in human cancer. For example, miR-15b-5p is down-regulated, which results in elevated expression of its target gene RAB1A in HCC [6].

Studies with in vitro and in vivo tumor models demonstrated that RAB1A is a potent oncogene. Moderate RAB1A overexpression is sufficient to transform NIH3T3 cells [2]. Compared with the activated H-RASV12 oncogene, RAB1A displays stronger transforming activity as measured by cell growth, colony formation and xenograft tumor assays. Rab1A overexpression specifically enhances mTORC1 signaling, tumor invasion and progression [2, 3]. Conversely, RAB1A knockdown selectively attenuates oncogenic growth and invasion of cancer cells with high RAB1A expression, while not significantly affecting those tumors with low RAB1A expression [2, 3]. Consistent with the role of Rab1A in AA signaling, RAB1A overexpression renders cancer cells more reliant on AA for their growth and survival, suggesting that these cancer cells have become addictive to AA-mTORC1 signaling pathway signaling [2, 3]. Indeed, cancer cells with high RAB1A expression are hypersensitive to rapamycin, a highly selective mTORC1 inhibitor [2, 3]. Rapamycin analogs term-sirolimus and everolimus are US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved drugs for treatment of renal and breast cancers. However, the overall response rate for these drugs is relatively moderate [7]. One major limiting factor is the lack of reliable biomarkers to predict the therapeutic response [7]. Thus RAB1 overexpression is potentially of value in tumor staging and prognostic analysis, as well as in guiding mTOR targeted therapy.


The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of profitability and leverage on Corporate Social Responsibility. The population in this study are all Sharia Commercial Banks registered in the Financial Services Authority from 2014-2016. The sampling technique used purposive sampling method and obtained 10 research samples. For the dependent variable (y) of this research is Corporate Social Responsibility. For independent variable (x) that is profitability and leverage. The method used is quantitative research method. For data source is secondary data by using data analysis with statistic used SPSS software program assistance Smart SPSS 20. The results of this study indicate that profitability has no significant effect on Corporate Social Responsibility. The study also concluded that Leverage significantly influence Corporate Social Responsibility.


Hundreds of thousands of patients die in ICUs each year, but few receive palliative care. Nurses play a central role in transitioning from aggressive treatment to comfort care.


As the research of dynamic optimization arising, memory-based strategy has gained public attention recently. However, few studies on developing dynamic multi-objective optimization algorithms and even fewer studies on multi-objective memory-based strategy were reported previously. In this paper, we try to address such an issue by proposing several memory-based multi-objective evolutionary algorithms and experimentally investigating different multi-objective dynamic optimization schemes, which include restart, explicit memory, localsearch memory and hybrid memory schemes. This study is to provide pre-trial research of how to appropriately organize and effectively reuse the changed Pareto-optimal decision values (i.e., Pareto-optimal solutions: POS) information.


Methods of joint trajectory generation for mechanical manipulators using X-spline and quartic spline functions are presented. A sequence of Cartesian knots, i.e. positions and orientations of the hand, are selected from the desired Cartesian path. Joint values corresponding to these selected knots are solved from the kinematic equation. Approximate joint paths are constructed by interpolating these joint positions. At any instant, two or more future knots need to be known in advance in order to determine the current joint trajectories. Approximate errors for Cartesian paths are discussed. An illustrative example is used for comparing these trajectories to other existent polynomial-type trajectories.


One of the most important performance requirements and most difficult to achieve is a uniform distribution of temperature in the exhaust gases of the gas turbine combustor. This is expected to be impaired by the trend of using heavier fuel oils. Measurements in a developed experimental combustor at various air pressures, inlet temperatures, air fuel ratios and fuel blends showed the importance of these operating parameters in optimizing the combustor design.


An acute injury to a coronary artery was recognized during the surgical construction of the Fontan circulation. Surgical manipulation of the site of injury was not successful in restoring normal myocardial blood flow. A stent was therefore placed intraoperatively under direct vision, with restoration of normal coronary arterial flow acutely and at short-term follow-up.


unconventional CBRNE threats, highlighting the most critical, vital, and paramount role of military diagnostic imagers, being at the forefront of today's asymmetric warfare. Background: Today, nation-states are engaged in 4th, 5th, and 6th generation warfare with non-state actors. The conventional and emerging CBRNE threats in this unconventional warfare pose significant challenges to both military and civilian medical planners and operators. This form of non-linear and unrestricted requires seamless and flawless communication, collaboration, and cooperation between the civil and military authorities of any nation state. Methods: Introduction of First Generation linear Warfare (massed manpower). World War 1, 2nd Generation Warfare (massed firepower), and evolution of combat radiology. World War II, 3rd Generation Warfare, (armored-maneuver). Iraq and Afghanistan, 4th Generation Warfare, and imaging spectrum of trauma in non-linear battlefield. Radiologists as defenders in radiological, nuclear, and blast related threats in asymmetric 4th Generation warfare. Introduction of 5th Generation (unrestricted) Warfare, Inhalational Anthrax, and Radiology. Introduction of 6th Generation (distant no-contact systems versus systems warfare, cyber warfare, manipulation of sea-air-land-space and time), and 7th Generation (environmental) warfare. Results: The civil and military medical responders previously trained in handling the casualties of 3rd Generation warfare have to start thinking out of the box, and steadfastly, and expeditiously adapt themselves to the asymmetric and unconventional CBRNE challenges of the modern day non-linear battlefield. The role of the diagnostic radiologist is more vital today than ever before. Conclusion: The importance of the radiology community in preparation of emerging unconventional threats cannot be overstated. Whether it's a stolen industrial unshielded radiation source, hidden in a mall, a homemade IED, or detonation of a 1-10 Kiloton improvised nuclear device, radiology has to be, and will be, at the forefront of prevention, mitigation, preparation, response, and consequence management of such a catastrophe.


The purpose of this paper is to empirically analyze Korea's trade patterns based on the gravity model and to suggest possible ways to expand trade by identifying important factors determining Korea's bilateral trade flows. The gravity model assumes that trade flows between two countries are positively related to their economic size and negatively related to the distance between them. By taking into account geographical factors, such as distance, population and adjacency, which had long been disregarded by international trade theorists, the gravity model is now recognized as one of the best models for explaining international trade volumes. In this paper, new explanatory variables, such as the Trade Conformity Index and APEC membership, were also included in order to examine the peculiarity of Korea's trade patterns whether they follow the Heckscher-Ohlin model or the Differentiated Product model and to estimate the influence of a regional economic bloc on Korean bilateral trade flows. According to the regression results of the analysis, it was found that Korea's bilateral trade patterns fit the basic gravity model well and that inter-industry trade, as explained by the Heckscher-Ohlin model, is prevalent in Korea's international trade. Therefore, in order to expand bilateral trade volumes, it appears to be more desirable for Korea to promote bilateral trade with countries in close proximity and having large economies. However, Korea's actual trade volumes with countries like Japan and China which, in terms of economic size and distance, present greater advantages, seem to fall short of the trade volumes predicted by the gravity model. This implies that there are significant trade barriers between Korea and these countries. Therefore, by promoting a deeper form of trade liberalization with both Japan and China, Korea is expected to fully exploit its trade potentials and maximize the gains from trade.


The State of Qatar went through a massive road construction program in the last decade as part of the ongoing development of its infrastructure and road transport network. Construction of roads in Qatar generally utilizes imported materials such as aggregate and binders as a result of the scarcity of local construction materials. Characteristics of asphalt mixtures are studied in this research program in order to evaluate mixtures properties in terms of aggregate packing, binder content, voids, mixture density, maximum density and Marshall Stability. Actual mixtures used in the Public Works Authority road projects were analyzed in the research program. Mixtures were prepared following the Qatar Construction Specifications (QCS, 2014). Combined aggregate gradations for different asphalt mixtures were compared with maximum density envelopes for different maximum aggregate sizes. Moreover, regression analysis was used to evaluate the strength of correlations established between different asphalt mixtures properties. The analysis of these mixtures is outlined in terms of general characteristics and consequently, recommendations are given to improve asphalt mixtures performance.


Magnetic induction measurements enable contactless monitoring of breathing and heart activity. Since this technique is in the scope of many research groups, there are several research devices available. Most of these devices are suitable for tomography approaches, e.g. edema detection or for monitoring technical processes, such as fluid in tubes or metal blocks. However, these devices are less useable for vital parameter monitoring. In this article, we present an new modular magnetic induction measurement system called MONTOS (Monitoring System) for this scenario. Since the implementation is fully digital, each module can easily be applied to several measurement conditions in vital parameter monitoring, i.e. Multi-Frequency measurement modes, Single-Excitation and Multiple-Measurements or Multiple-Excitation and Single-Measurement. Data output is realized via local area networks (LAN), thereby streaming the data to a monitoring computer. Finally, it will be demonstrated that impedance changes due to breathing of a human adult can be detected.


Optical rectennas extend the electromagnetic wave rectification process into the visible regime and provide a route toward high-performance photodetection and energy harvesting. Here, the promise of 2D materials toward on-chip optical rectennas is demonstrated. A self-aligned patterning process yields lateral MIM structures where a nanometer-sized air gap separates a 2D material contact from a metal electrode. This device can be scalably produced in large arrays using established microfabrication techniques. Different from previous approaches, the performance of the 2D rectenna can be adjusted through electrostatic gating. Optimization of the band alignment leads to strong rectification at wavelengths around 500 nm and clear polarization control. Comparison of wavelength-dependent rectenna performance with a photon-assisted tunneling model reveals a tenfold increase in photon-electron coupling over nanotube-based rectennas. The results highlight the potential of 2D material-based rectennas for future quantum computing applications.


One previously unexplained observation about numeral systems is the shared tendency in numeral expressions: Numerals greater than 20 often have the larger constituent number expressed before the smaller constituent number (e.g., twentyfour as opposed to four-twenty in English), and systems that originally adopt the reverse order of expression (e.g., fourand-twenty in Old English) tend to switch order over time. To explore these phenomena, we propose the view of Rapid Information Gain and contrast it with the established theory of Uniform Information Density. We compare the two theories in their ability to explain the shared tendency in the ordering of numeral expressions around 20. We find that Rapid Information Gain accounts for empirical patterns better than the alternative theory, suggesting that there is an emphasis on information front-loading as opposed to information smoothing in the design of large compound numerals. Our work shows that fine-grained generalizations about numeral systems can be understood in information-theoretic terms and offers an opportunity to characterize the design principles of lexical compounds through the lens of informative communication.


ineffective in increasing physical activity and improving healthy lifestyles. However, there is limited research on physical activity and health variables when implementing a negative reinforcement using a "buy-in" along with positive reinforcement system. PURPOSE: To determine how positive and negative reward system incentives affect physical activity amounts and health and performance outcomes. METHODS: 15 previously sedentary faculty and staff (n = 5 males and 25 females), age 48.7 + 1 participated in two separate 12 wk exercise interventions which met three times per week for one hour. Each session, the participants self-selected into one of five exercise groups offered. Participants were given and encouraged to wear a program accelerometer as much as possible every day. During the first 12 wk intervention, there was no incentivization for the participants. The second intervention consisted of a 12 wk incentivized program including, a new colored bracelet for the accelerometer when achieving 200 miles, a program t-shirt for completing 400 miles, a gift card for achieving 450 miles, and an award of a free next 12 wk session to the participant who completed the most miles of the entire group. RESULTS: Paired samples t-tests were performed to distinguish the difference between the delta of the 12 wks of the non-incentivized program and the 12 wks of the incentivized program. No significance was found for body weight, body fat percentage, resting heart rate, blood pressure, pushups, curl-ups, pushups, flexibility or miles moved between the two groups. CONCLUSION: The extrinsic motivation of incentivatization did not prove to increase physical activity or health-related variables compared to non-incentivization. A longer period of time may provide further evidence on incentivization of program to increase physical activity and related health factors. However, across time both groups increased their various health related variables.


In the Iraqi population, a high incidence (82.7%) of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has been reported among the suspected patient. Many investigators studied the microbial infectious present in Iraqi patients with RA; however, to the best of our knowledge, there is no previous study detected the CMV DNA and antibodies to RA disease. Hence, the current study aimed to investigate the presence of CMV DNA and antibodies in Iraqi RA patients. A total of 58 blood samples were collected from patients with clinical signs of rheumatoid arthritis, along with 32 samples of apparently healthy individuals as a control group. These samples were tested for rheumatoid factor (RF), CMV IgM antibodies and viral DNA during the acute and the chronic periods of the autoimmune disease. The results showed that 46.6% (27/58) and 13.8% (8/58) of rheumatoid arthritis patients had positive reactions for IgM-CMV and CMV DNA, respectively, as compared to healthy individual. The highest rate of the viral occurrence was recorded in the aged and female RA patients (24 and 21 cases, respectively). Moreover, the most significant increases in RA appearance and CMV reactivation cases were observed in patients with a mean age higher than 40 years old. This finding pointed out the prevalence of viral infections mostly in RA patients aged more than 40 years old, accompanied by increased RA cases. This study concludes that patients with positive CMV must be tested for rheumatoid factor, especially when the viral DNA is present. Moreover, we recommend measuring TNF-α and IFN-γ as the proinflammatory cytokines that play an important role to protect against viral infection and prevent their reactivation in all RA patients.


OBJECTIVE
To determine the clinical evaluation role of laryngeal electromyography (LEMG) and laryngeal somatosensory evoked potential (LSEP) in the recurrent laryngeal nerve paralysis by anterior elective cervical surgery.

METHODS
LEMG and LSEP were determined in 18 patients with recurrent laryngeal nerve paralysis by anterior elective cervical surgery at the 1st, 2nd and 4th week after operation. The comparison between the normal control (18 health adults) and the results of LEMG and LSEP were analyzed.

RESULTS
The latency prolonged and the amplitude decreased of LSEP in all patients as compared with the control group. Furthermore, reinneration potential increased gradually in all patients at the 1st, 2nd and 4th week after operation (P<0.05). The results of LEMG showed increase of denervation potential. The higher the amplitude of LSEP and LEMG, the better the prognosis of the recurrent laryngeal nerve paralysis.

CONCLUSION
LEMG and LSEP might evaluate regenerate the degree of recurrent laryngeal nerve injury caused by anterior elective cervical surgery and predict the prognosis of the recurrent laryngeal nerve paralysis.


A single, blunt impact to the rabbit patellofemoral joint has been shown to decrease the stiffness of retropatellar cartilage and increase the thickness of the underlying bone. Polysulphated glycosaminoglycan treatments, on the other hand, have been shown to inhibit the degradation of articular cartilage and possibly increase synthesis of collagen and glycosaminoglycans in experimental studies on diseased joints. The aim of the current study was to examine the effect of early treatments with polysulphated glycosaminoglycans on cartilage using an in vivo post‐trauma animal model. The study used 24 Flemish Giant rabbits in three groups: control, impacted, and impacted with treatment. Treatment consisted of intramuscular injections the day of insult and every 4 days thereafter for 6 weeks. At 30 weeks after trauma, mechanical tests were performed on the retropatellar cartilage to determine its mechanical stiffness. The patellae were also grossly evaluated for surface lesions on the retropatellar cartilage and histologically processed to measure the thickness of the subchondral bone. The rabbits that received no treatment had a statistically significant decrease in stiffness (modulus) for the cartilage of the impacted patellae compared with that of the contralateral, unimpacted patellae and compared with the cartilage of rabbits in the control group. The degradation in mechanical stiffness, however, was not observed in patellae of rabbits in the group receiving treatment. There was also a significant increase in the underlying thickness of the subchondral plate on the impacted patellae compared with that on the contralateral, unimpacted sides for rabbits in both the treated and nontreated groups. In conclusion, the polysulphated glycosaminoglycan treatments minimized a decrease in mechanical stiffness (modulus) of retropatellar articular cartilage 30 weeks after trauma. The mechanism by which the mechanical stiffness of the cartilage was preserved is unknown.


This study is concerned whith the ultrasonic imagery of elastic materials like cylinders or tubes by diffraction tomography technic. The aim of this work is then to solve a nonlinear inverse scattering problem. Various methods can be employed, generally involving a minimization of the differences between modeling data and measurements. The Distorted Born Iterative (DBI) method belongs to the class of algebraic reconstruction algorithms and have therefore been investigated in literature. Very promising results have been obtained both on synthetic and experimental data especially for electromagnetic inverse diffraction problems, but as far as the authors know few ultrasonic experimental results are available. This method was developed to increase the domain of application of the Born approximation to high contrast targets. Iterations are performed numerically solving a forward and an inverse problems at every iteration. This yields quantitative information about the scatterer, such as the speed of sound. In...


AbstractAlthough an abundance of literature exists regarding frequently lifted body areas, there are few reports about body contouring of the mons pubis. Therefore, this paper describes the first clinical results from a new technique, which surgically lifts the mons pubis using superficial fascial system suspension. Fifty patients underwent a lower body lift, including a superficial fascial system suspension of the mons pubis. After a mean follow-up period of 16.9 months (range, 6–31 months), patients were evaluated by standardized preoperative and postoperative photographs using the Pittsburgh Rating Scale. In addition, all patients completed a Likert-type scale questionnaire pertaining to body satisfaction and other bodily changes. Scores from the Pittsburgh Rating Scale improved significantly (P = 0.03) from 2.76 (0.43) [range, 1–3] preoperative to 0.5 (0.59) [range, 0–2] postoperative. Fifteen (30%) of the patients assessed the new contour as very good, 26 (52%) patients as good. Eight patients developed a temporary edema in the mons pubis and 1 patient developed an infected fascia suture granuloma, which had to be removed.A mons pubis lift with the aid of the superficial fascial system is a safe surgical technique, which can easily be integrated in body contouring surgeries of the torso.


Surface cracks in concrete are common defects that can cause significant deterioration and failure of concrete structures. Therefore, the early detection, assessment, and repair of the cracks in concrete are very important for the structural health. Among studies for crack depth assessment, self-calibrating surface wave transmission method seems to be a promising nondestructive technique, though it is still difficult in determination of the crack depth due to the variation of the experimentally obtained transmission functions. In this paper, the spectral energy transmission method is proposed for the crack depth estimation in concrete structures. To verify this method, an experimental study was carried out on a concrete slab with various surface-opening crack depths. Finally, effectiveness of the proposed method is validated by comparing the conventional time-of-flight and cutting frequency based methods. The results show an excellent potential as a practical and reliable in-situ nondestructive method for the crack depth estimation in concrete structures.


A fundamental problem of heterogeneous systems is that the macroscale behavior is not necessarily well-described by equations familiar to us at the meso- or microscale. In relatively simple cases like electrical conduction and elasticity, it is hue that the equations describing macroscale behavior take the same form as those at the microscale. But in more complex systems, these simple results do not hold. Consider fluid flow in porous media where the microscale behavior is well-described by Navier-Stokes' equations for liquid in the pores while the macroscale behavior instead obeys Darcy's equation. Rigorous methods for establishing the form of such equations for macroscale behavior include multiscale homogenization methods and also the volume averaging method. In addition, it has been shown that Biot's equations of poroelasticity follow in a scale-up of the microscale equations of elasticity coupled to Navier-Stokes. Laboratory measurements have shown that Biot's equations indeed hold for simple systems but heterogeneous systems can have quite different behavior. So the question arises whether there is yet another level of scale-up needed to arrive at equations valid for the reservoir scale? And if so, do these equations take the form of Biot's equations or some other form? We will discuss these issuesmore » and show that the double-porosity equations play a special role in the scale-up to equations describing reservoir behavior, for fluid pumping, geomechanics, as well as seismic wave propagation.« less


This study focused retrospectively on a selected cohort of 20 adolescents with early onset premature ovarian failure (POF) and no apparent underlying cause, in order to characterize the idiopathic ovarian failure at pediatric age. This characterization was based on medical history, pedigree analysis, phenotypical and audiological evaluation, final and target heights, pelvic ultrasonography, endocrine assessment, routine hematochemical analyses and complete autoimmune screening. We found that: a) idiopathic POF presented either before or after puberty onset and also with secondary amenorrhea; b) final height prognosis was impaired only in patients with prepubertal presentation of POF; c) ovarian pattern at ultrasonography and endocrine picture were similar those previously reported in patients with adult onset POF; d) clinical history and pedigree analysis, phenotypical and audiological examination and complete autoimmune screening failed to highlight the existence of any possible cause for POF in 15/20 patients; e) no alterations of total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol serum levels were detected in any patient. On the basis of these results we concluded that: a) final height of the adolescents with POF may be impaired only in patients in whom POF presents as a pubertal delay; b) other parameters do not generally differ from those described by previous reports on young adults with POF, except for serum lipid levels which were normal in the present cohort.


Abstract Abstract Symmetry is omnipresent in nature and we encounter symmetry routinely in our everyday life. It is also common on the microscopic level, where symmetry is often key to the proper function of core biological processes. The human brain is exquisitely well suited to recognize such symmetrical features with ease. In contrast, computational recognition of such patterns in images is still surprisingly challenging. In this paper we describe a mathematical approach to identifying smaller local symmetrical structures within larger images. Our algorithm attributes a local symmetry score to each image pixel, which subsequently allows the identification of the symmetrical centers of an object. Though there are already many methods available to detect symmetry in images, to the best of our knowledge, our algorithm is the first that is easily applicable in ImageJ/FIJI. We have created an interactive plugin in FIJI that allows the detection and thresholding of local symmetry values. The plugin combines the different reflection symmetry axis of a square to get a good coverage of reflection symmetry in all directions. To demonstrate the plugins potential, we analyzed images of bacterial chemoreceptor arrays and intracellular vesicle trafficking events, which are two prominent examples of biological systems with symmetrical patterns.


Since their introduction in the late 1970s, sequential extraction procedures have experienced a rapid increase in use. They are now applied for a large number of potentially toxic elements in a wide range of sample types. This review uses evidence from the literature to consider the usefulness and limitations of sequential extraction and thereby to assess its future role in environmental chemical analysis. It is not the intention to provide a comprehensive survey of all applications of sequential extractions or to consider the merits and disadvantages of individual schemes. These aspects have been covered adequately in other, recent reviews. This review focuses in particular on various key issues surrounding sequential extractions such as nomenclature, methodologies, presentation of data and interpretation of data, and discusses typical applications from the recent literature for which sequential extraction can provide useful and meaningful information. Also covered are emerging developments such as accelerated procedures using ultrasound- or microwave energy-assisted extractions, dynamic extractions, the use of chemometrics, the combination of sequential extraction with isotope analysis, and the extension of the approach to non-traditional analytes such as arsenic, mercury, selenium and radionuclides.


How can a poem be true? This autoethnographic study uses poetic inquiry to explore the boundaries between fiction and reality within poetic experience. A series of poems composed during, and about, the current COVID-19 pandemic, provides a means of understanding the experience of having one's everyday reality overturned by crisis. A central theme of the author's poems and accompanying reflections is how art can be used to explore psychological experiences, such as melancholia and depression, and, in turn how the experience of suffering can be used to facilitate artistic expression. Using poetic inquiry, the author examines the complex interplay between speaker and authorial intention, fiction and truth, text and the performance of writing, reading, and poetic interpretation.


Mega-sports events have a profound impact on promoting the urbanization process, optimizing the urban spatial structure, and improving the competitiveness of the host city. Taking the 19th Asian Games Hangzhou 2022 (AGH) as an example, we used remote sensing data and a scenario-based model to simulate land-use changes and developments from 2005 to 2025. By setting two scenarios, natural development and AGH-driven development, we explored the impact of AGH on urban development and its driving factors. The results show that (1) cultivated land areas decreased by 369.96 km2, while construction land areas increased by 488.33 km2 among the main land-use types in Hangzhou from 2005 to 2020. Urban areas quickly expanded with the West Lake as the center. (2) Urban sprawl intensity under the AGH-driven scenario is expected to increase by 0.91% compared to in the natural-development scenario, indicating that hosting AGH would accelerate the expansion of urban land, particularly in districts set with sports venues such as Binjiang, Xiaoshan, and Yuhang. The strategic trend of supporting the Qiantang River is obvious. (3) Under the influence of AGH, the centroid of urban construction land shifted towards the southeast, and the spatial direction was remarkable. The construction of venues and supporting facilities, and construction land for public rail transit, are the main direct driving forces of urban expansion. The AGH enhances the pace of urbanization, significantly altering the urban spatial structure and helping the city achieve a major transition from the West Lake Era to the Qiantang River Era. Furthermore, our research can provide insights into other cities that will host mega-sports events.


This review is centered on the use of waste plastics as an additive for road construction. This review discusses extensively the state-of-the-art methods that can be employed in achieving a waste plastic bituminous mixture. These approaches may help by contributing to the reduction of plastic wastes which constitute nuisance to the environment. Plastics are currently at the top of the international waste management agenda - a global problem, but with regional variations. Several studies have shown that plastic can stay on earth for thousands of years without deterioration and poses a great threat to the atmosphere and humanity when disposed improperly. Hence, there is the need to find a solution to such menace. The utilization of waste plastic to enhance service properties in road paving applications was considered a long time ago. Nowadays, it has become a real alternative and several literature reviews in many countries have confirmed the significance and beneficial effects of utilization of waste plastic in a bituminous pavement construction. The utilization of waste plastic for road construction can also contribute in minimizing the disposal problem and environmental hazard caused by non-biodegradable waste plastic.


To assess the bioavailability of As in soils and to provide a basic information for adequate management of As contaminated fields, paddy soils and rice grains near 5 closed mines were collected and analyzed for As using sequential extraction procedure. The As contents extracted with 1M HCl against total As content in soils were ranged from 5.4 to 41.9% (). However, these two contents of As in soils were not positively correlated with As concentration in rice grains. Major As fractionation of paddy soils was residual form ranging 38.1 to 84.1% except NS mine. Also, specially adsorbed fraction and fraction associated with amorphous Fe and Al oxyhydroxides, which are partially bioavailable As fractionation to the rice plant, were positively correlated with As in rice grains while fraction associated with crystalline Fe and Al oxyhydroxides and residual form were not correlated.


ABSTRACT An increasing number of clinical isolations of rapidly growing mycobacteria (RGM) at the National Taiwan University Hospital were noted from 1992 to 2001. Broth microdilution MICs of 15 antimicrobial agents were determined for 200 clinical isolates of RGM, including the Mycobacterium fortuitum group (69 isolates), M. chelonae (39 isolates), and M. abscessus (92 isolates). Our results showed that the resistance rates of these isolates to the currently available agents were remarkably high. Amikacin was active against nearly all RGM isolates. Clarithromycin was usually active against M. abscessus (79% susceptibility) and the M. fortuitum group (65% susceptibility). The majority of M. fortuitum group isolates were susceptible to ciprofloxacin (62%) and imipenem (61%). The susceptibilities to other conventional anti-RGM agents of these isolates were poor but differed markedly by species. The newer fluoroquinolones (levofloxacin, moxifloxacin, and gatifloxacin) and meropenem showed better in vitro activities against the M. fortuitum group isolates than against the other two species of RGM. Linezolid had fairly good activity against these RGM isolates, particularly against M. chelonae isolates (82% susceptible). Telithromycin had poor activity against these RGM isolates (the MICs at which 50% of the isolates tested are inhibited [MIC50s] were 32 to 64 μg/ml, and the MIC90s were >64 μg/ml).


This loose-leaf book is divided into six chapters: cataract, cornea, glaucoma, ocular motility, plastic and reconstructive surgery, and retina. These subjects are discussed by the 37 contributing authors along with the two editors. In each section the authors describe their preferred operation in detail, but unfortunately do not depict other surgical options. Following each surgical description are recent related journal article abstracts accompanied by pertinent comments from the contributing author. Complementing the text are many excellent illustrations. The chapter numbering system is somewhat complicated but necessary to allow for future replacement of pages in the looseleaf binder. The publisher plans to offer subscribers annual updates of replacement chapters or sections containing new text, illustrations, or abstracts with commentary. In addition, with this system the owner can file other pages of references, reprints, or notes as desired. This should permit the book to be kept up-to-date indefinitely. The unique arrangement of


Virtualization is an essential step before a bare-metal data center being ready for commercial usage, because it bridges the foreground interface for cloud tenants and the background resource management on underlying infrastructures. A concept at the heart of the foreground is multi-tenancy, which deals with logical isolation of shared virtual computing, storage, and network resources and provides adaptive capability for heterogeneous demands from various tenants. A crucial problem in the background is load balancing, which affects multiple issues including cost, flexibility and availability. In this work, we propose a virtualization framework that considers these two problems simultaneously. Our framework takes advantage of the flourishing application of distribute virtual switch (DVS), and leverages the blooming adoption of OpenFlow protocols. First, the framework accommodates heterogeneous network communication pattern by supporting arbitrary traffic matrices among virtual machines (VMs) in virtual private clouds (VPCs). The only constraint on the network flows is the bandwidth of server's network interface. Second, our framework achieves load balancing using an elaborately designed link establishment algorithm. The algorithm takes the configurations of the bare-metal data center and the dynamic network environments as inputs, and dynamically applies a globally bounded oversubscription on every link. Our framework concentrates on the fat-tree architecture, which is widely used in today's data centers.


BACKGROUND: Epidemiologic data on anesthesia-related complications occurring during labor and delivery are essential for measuring and evaluating the safety and quality of obstetric anesthesia care but are lacking. We aimed to fill this research gap by exploring the epidemiologic patterns and risk factors of anesthesia-related complications in a large sample of women giving birth in New York hospitals. METHODS: Using the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project State Inpatient Databases files, we identified all discharge records for labor and delivery from New York hospitals between 2002 and 2005. We then identified women who experienced any recorded anesthesia-related complication during labor and delivery as determined by International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification codes. The incidence of anesthesia-related complications was calculated by demographic and clinical characteristics. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to assess risk factors of anesthesia-related complications. RESULTS: Of the 957,471 deliveries studied, 4438 (0.46%) had at least one anesthesia-related complication. The majority (55%) of anesthesia-related events occurring during labor and delivery were spinal complications, followed by systemic complications (43%) and overdose or adverse effects (2%). Multivariate logistic regression revealed five risk factors of anesthesia-related complications: cesarean delivery (odds ratio [OR] 2.51, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.36-2.68), rural area (OR 1.33, 95% CI 1.21-1.46), Charlson-Deyo Comorbidity Index ≥1 (OR 1.47, 95% CI 1.28-1.69), Caucasian race (OR 1.37, 95% CI 1.24-1.52), and scheduled admission (OR 1.10, 95% CI 1.03-1.18). Anesthesia-related complications were associated with about a one-day increase in the average length of stay (3.89 ± 3.69 [mean ± sd] days vs 2.92 ± 2.38 days for deliveries without anesthesia-related complications, P < 0.0001) and a 22-fold increased risk of maternal mortality (OR 22.26, 95% CI 11.20-44.24). CONCLUSION: The incidence of anesthesia-related complications during labor and delivery seems to be low but remains a cause of concern, particularly in women undergoing cesarean delivery, living in rural areas, or having preexisting medical conditions.


Facultative expression of alternative male morphologies is thought to allow individual males to select the phenotype with the highest fitness gain given their competitive status relative to other males with which they compete for females. Choice of, or switching between, morphs commonly relies on developmental threshold responses. Evolutionary changes in developmental threshold responses are thought to provide an important avenue for phenotypic diversification and the evolution of morphological and behavioral novelties. However, the extent to which alternative male phenotypes and their underlying threshold responses actually evolve in natural populations is unclear. Likewise, the ecological factors that shape the evolution of threshold responses in natural populations are unexplored for most organisms, as are the consequences of such modifications for patterns of morphological diversity. I examined the ecological basis of rapid threshold evolution in exotic populations of the horn-polyphenic dung beetle Onthophagus taurus. Male O. taurus vary continuously in body size as a function of larval feeding conditions. Only males that exceed a critical threshold body size develop a pair of long horns on their heads, whereas males below this threshold remain hornless. Populations in two exotic ranges of this species, the eastern United States and western Australia, have diverged in the mean threshold body size, which has resulted in the evolution of highly divergent and novel horn length--body size allometries in these populations. Populations in a third and previously unstudied exotic range of O. taurus in eastern Australia exhibit threshold body sizes roughly intermediate between the eastern U.S. and western Australian populations. I tested three hypothesis to explain how differences in ecological and demographic factors can drive allometric divergences between populations, using data derived from comparative, standardized sampling of a large number of populations in each exotic range. Results suggest that differences in the intensity of both intra- and interspecific competition have contributed to the evolution of divergent thresholds in these populations. My results do not support the hypothesis that shifts in threshold body sizes to larger body sizes are a consequence of increases in the mean body size of competing males. I discuss my results in the context of Onthophagus mating systems and the evolutionary implications of threshold evolution. Copyright 2003.


Exposure of pine pollen to single oxygen, generated in an aqueous environment, resulted in a decrease in the relative quantities of unsaturated fatty acids that could be recovered by solvent extraction of surface and near surface pollen lipids. The involvement of excited oxygen was confirmed by substitution of deuterium oxide for water, which led to a twofold greater decrease in the unsaturated acids. The potential environmental and biomedical implications of these observations are discussed in terms of this model system.


Pitch is a viscoelastic polymer material consisting of aromatic hydrocarbons. It is used to produce carbon fibers with sheet-like crystal structures. The aim of the work presented in this paper was to evaluate the effects of pitch-based short carbon fibers on the workability, unit weight, and air content of freshly mixed mortar composite. Experimental investigation was carried out on five different types of mortar composite, including a control mortar. Four mortar composites were prepared including pitch-based short carbon fibers with 1–4% volume contents. The fresh mortar composites were tested to determine their slump, inverted slump cone flow (flow time, mass flow, and volume flow), unit weight, and air content. In addition, the correlation between the slump and flow time of various mortar composites was determined. It was found that the slump decreased with the increasing volume content of carbon fibers. The flow time of mortar composite increased, and therefore its mass flow and volume flow decreased with a greater volume content of carbon fibers. The slump was strongly correlated with the flow time, with a correlation coefficient of 0.9782. Furthermore, the unit weight of the fresh mortar composite decreased due to the incorporation of carbon fibers. However, amongst the different carbon fiber reinforced mortar composites, the mortar with 3% fiber volume content provided the highest unit weight. The air content results were consistent with the unit weight results. The change in air content of various mortar composites followed a trend reciprocal to that of unit weights. When the overall effects of carbon fibers were compared, it was observed that the fiber volume content higher than 3% resulted in a significantly low workability and provided a much lower unit weight with greater entrapped air content.


Nowadays, Korean farmers rely more on chemical fertilizers than low input sustainable agriculture drawn from the farm itself. In order to improve soil nutritional imbalance for environment friendly agriculture in greenhouse, we have carried out a relationship between fertilizer application level, and soil chemical properties for strawberry cultivation at 56 sites in Chungnam Province. Average amount of nitrogen as basal fertilization was 92.3 Mg which higher 2.6 times compared to standard amount of basal fertilizer. In case of compost application more than 30 Mg , excessive ratio compared to optimum level was higher 1.8 times for EC value, 3.0 times for available phosphate, 2.6 times for exchangeable potassium, 1.7 times for exchangeable calcium, and 1.6 times for exchangeable magnesium, respectively. Amounts of compost application significantly correlated with available phosphate (r=0.370, ), exchangeable potassium(r=0.429, ), exchangeable calcium(r=0.404, ), exchangeable magnesium(r=0.453, ), and exchangeable sodium(r=0.369, ), respectively. Our results suggest that soil nutrients management for sustainable agriculture was optimum fertilization based on soil testing for strawberry cultivation in greenhouse.


Through this article I aimed to undertake an analysis of illicit tax evasion, a term that I have taken as "tax fraud" and which I have considered as the "real" tax evasion, insisting on "tax fraud carousel ". This can be considered the newest form of fraud that our national fraudsters have applied with much "professionalism" right after Romania's accession to the European Union. This is why I will focus on the carousel fraud mechanism and describe the measures proposed to combat this phenomenon at


Sierra Leone relies heavily on histidine-rich protein 2-based diagnostics for malaria because of the high transmission of Plasmodium falciparum. During the 2015 recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV)-Zaire Ebola virus envelope glycoprotein (GP) vaccine trial, 77 participants with asymptomatic Plasmodium infection were enrolled, with all but four having P. falciparum malaria. Of the 73 participants with P. falciparum malaria, one infection (1 of 73, 1.4%; 95% CI, 0.03-7.4) showed P. falciparum with a pfhrp3 single deletion, and two P. falciparum infections (2 of 73, 2.7%; 95% CI, 0.03-9.6) showed pfhrp2/pfhrp3 dual deletions. This study shows evidence of pfhrp2- and pfhrp3-deleted parasites in Freetown, Sierra Leone. Additional studies for more precise estimates of prevalence are warranted.


Yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) mutants lacking CuZn-superoxide dismutase (CuZnSOD) are hypersensitive to oxygen and have significantly decreased replicative life span. Both these defects can be ameliorated by exogenous ascorbate. The effect of ascorbate on life span is complicated by auto-oxidation of its compound in the medium. If negative effects of auto-oxidation are prevented by exchange of the medium, ascorbate prolongs not only mean but also maximal replicative life span of the yeast in the atmosphere of air and of pure oxygen. These results demonstrate that life span shortening due to the lack of a vital antioxidant enzyme can be ameliorated by a low-molecular weight antioxidant.


The problem of combined parameter and state estimation was originally posed as a nonlinear filtering problem using the extended Kalman filter. This led to problems of divergence and excessive computation, especially for multivariable systems. A two-stage online parameter and state estimator for multivariable stochastic systems is proposed that avoids these difficulties. A special canonical form of the state-space equations that simplifies the parameter estimation problem is used. In the first stage the parameters of the system matrices and of the steady-state Kalman filter matrix are estimated by a normalized stochastic approximation algorithm assuming known states. These parameter estimates are then utilized for state estimation in the second stage using the linear Kalman filter. The two stages are then coupled in a bootstrap manner.


Exhausted-like CD8+ resident memory T cells in the lung limit immune activation–driven fibrosis. Keeping T cells on a tight leash Using influenza virus (IAV) as a model, Wang et al. have examined the ability of CD8+ T cells recognizing two epitopes of IAV, nucleoprotein peptide 366–374 (NP366–374) and polymerase peptide 224–233 (PA224–233), to give rise to resident memory T (TRM) cells in the lung. Although CD8+ T cell responses to both epitopes are comparable in primary infection, previous studies have shown NP366–374-specific responses to be dominant upon reinfection. Here, Wang et al. found that NP366–374-specific TRM cells express higher levels of PD1 and become more exhausted-like when compared with PA224–233-specific TRM cells after viral clearance, allowing them to be reactivated upon reinfection. Further, they show that maintenance of NP366–374-specific TRM in an exhausted-like state prevents inflammation-induced lung fibrosis. CD8+ tissue-resident memory T (TRM) cells provide frontline immunity in mucosal tissues. The mechanisms regulating CD8+ TRM maintenance, heterogeneity, and protective and pathological functions are largely elusive. Here, we identify a population of CD8+ TRM cells that is maintained by major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC-I) signaling, and CD80 and CD86 costimulation after acute influenza infection. These TRM cells have both exhausted-like phenotypes and memory features and provide heterologous immunity against secondary infection. PD-L1 blockade after the resolution of primary infection promotes the rejuvenation of these exhausted-like TRM cells, restoring protective immunity at the cost of promoting postinfection inflammatory and fibrotic sequelae. Thus, PD-1 serves to limit the pathogenic capacity of exhausted-like TRM cells at the memory phase. Our data indicate that TRM cell exhaustion is the result of a tissue-specific cellular adaptation that balances fibrotic sequelae with protective immunity.


: The method of differential staining of sister chromatids by means of 5-bromdesoxyuridine (BDU) was used to determine duration of the cellular cycle and its phases in a cell culture of Chinese hamster. The mitotic cycle lasted for 16 hrs, G1 for 5 hrs, S for 8 hrs and G2 for 3 hrs. These values do not differ from those obtained by the autoradiography. The given method permits quicker determination of the cellular cycle phases duration as compared with the autoradiography method.


The previous article in this series reported on the differences in urinary excretion of 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol (MHPG) in patients with various clinically defined subtypes of depressive disorders. We now report that further biochemical discrimination among depressive subtypes is provided by the following equation, derived empirically by applying multivariate discriminant function analysis to data on urinary catecholamine metabolits: Depression-type (D-type) score = C1(MHPG) + C2(VMA) + C3(NE) +C4(NMN + MN)/VMA + C0. In the original derivation of this equation, low scores were related to bipolar manic-depressive depressions, and high scores were related to unipolar nonendogenous (chronic characterological) depressions. Findings from a series of depressed patients whose biochemical data had not been used to derive this equation confirmed these differences in D-type scores among subtypes of depressions. The findings presented in this report further suggest that we can discriminate three biochemically discrete subgroups of depressive disorders.


This study compares participants' performance in extracting information from three-dimensional pie charts with individually extruded sectors in a single map frame against two-dimensional pie and bar charts in adjacent map frames. Specifically, we examine the response accuracy and response times of 181 adults who were asked to (1) identify the highest magnitude, (2) estimate a proportion, (3) perform both at the same time, and (4) solve a map-related task using the two chart setups. For each task, charts were shown on backgrounds with increasing visual complexity: a blank, a borders-only, and a choropleth map. Furthermore, we tested whether participants' performance improved through additional practice with the two chart types. We did not observe any differences in participants' aggregated response accuracy or response times between the tested three-dimensional and two-dimensional chart types for the (1) highest magnitude task and (2) proportion task. However, participants solved the (3) combination task with two-dimensional pie and bar charts on a blank background more accurately and were faster in fulfilling the (4) spatial task with three-dimensional pie charts. The first difference, however, leveled for participants who gained more practice and who accomplished the combination task on maps with higher visual complexity, whereas the second difference persisted even for more trained subjects.


Benkart, Sottile, and Stroomer have completely characterized by Knuth and dual Knuth equivalence a bijective proof of the Littlewood―Richardson coefficient conjugation symmetry, i.e. $c_{\mu, \nu}^{\lambda} =c_{\mu^t,\nu^t}^{\lambda ^t}$. Tableau―switching provides an algorithm to produce such a bijective proof. Fulton has shown that the White and the Hanlon―Sundaram maps are versions of that bijection. In this paper one exhibits explicitly the Yamanouchi word produced by that conjugation symmetry map which on its turn leads to a new and very natural version of the same map already considered independently. A consequence of this latter construction is that using notions of Relative Computational Complexity we are allowed to show that this conjugation symmetry map is linear time reducible to the Schutzenberger involution and reciprocally. Thus the Benkart―Sottile―Stroomer conjugation symmetry map with the two mentioned versions, the three versions of the commutative symmetry map, and Schutzenberger involution, are linear time reducible to each other. This answers a question posed by Pak and Vallejo.


WArP is a graded programme to search for Wimp dark matter with liquid argon. The WArP 100l detector is being assembled and should start data taking in the next few months. We expect to increase the sensitivity of about a factor 100 with respect to the 2.3 liters protoype, which has been operational since 2005, allowing for an intense R&D programme that has given us insight to crucial LAr properties. The current status of the experiment and the main results obtained with the prototype are reviewed.


Eight genotypes of sugarcane were evaluated during 1996, 1997 and 1998. Pooled analysis.of variance indicated non significant differences among the genotypes. The genotype x environment interaction was found to be non significant for seed yield. In general, all genotypes showed better mean cane yield performance over three seasons. Genotypes Co. 92007 was found stable with higher mean yield and had average response to the changes in the environmental conditions. The genotypes Co. 92001 and Coco 671 had higher yield potential and their performance under this irrigation command can be exploited


We present MS-SVConv, a fast multi-scale deep neural network that outputs features from point clouds for 3D registration between two scenes. We compute features using a 3D sparse voxel convolutional network on a point cloud at different scales and then fuse the features through fully-connected layers. With supervised learning, we show sig-nificant improvements compared to state-of-the-art methods on the competitive and well-known 3DMatch benchmark. We also achieve a better generalization through different source and target datasets, with very fast computation. Finally, we present a strategy to fine-tune MS-SVConv on unknown datasets in a self-supervised way, which leads to state-of-the-art results on ETH and TUM datasets. The code is publicly available at: https://github.com/ humanpose1/MS-SVConv .


The top-down effects of consumers and bottom-up effects of resource availability are important in determining community structure and ecological processes. I experimentally examined the roles of consumers — both detritivores and predators — and habitat context in affecting nutrient cycling using the detritus-based insect community in bromeliad leaf wells. I also investigated the role of multiple resources in limiting plant productivity using metaanalyses. The insect community in bromeliads only increased nitrogen release from leaf detritus in the presence of a predator trophic level. When only detritivores were present, the flow of stable isotope-labeled nitrogen from detritus to bromeliads was statistically indistinguishable from that in bromeliads lacking insects. I suggest that emergence of adult detritivores constitutes a loss of nitrogen from bromeliad ecosystems, and that prédation reduces the rate of this nutrient loss. Hence, insects facilitate nutrient uptake by the plant, but only if both predators and detritivores are present. Moreover, predators can affect nutrient cycling by influencing the spatial scale of prey turnover. This mechanism results in a pattern opposite to that predicted by classic trophic cascade theory. Increasing habitat complexity can have implications for nutrient cycling by decreasing the foraging efficiency of both predators and their prey, and by affecting the vulnerability of predators to intraguild prédation. Along a natural gradient in bromeliad size, I found that, depending on the relationship between community composition and habitat size, habitat complexity interacts with the changing biotic community to either complement or counteract the impact of predators on nutrient uptake by bromeliads. In contrast to the existing emphasis on single-resource limitation of primary productivity, meta-analyses of a database of 653 studies revealed widespread limitation by multiple resources, and frequent interaction between these resources in restricting plant growth. A framework for analyzing fertilization studies is outlined, with explicit consideration of the possible role of multiple resources. I also review a range of mechanisms responsible for the various forms of resource limitation that are observed in fertilization experiments. These studies emphasize that a wider range of predator and nutrient impacts should be considered, beyond the paradigm of single resource limitation or classic trophic cascades.


Abstract : Effective military and commercial use of Internet to conduct mission critical and commerce oriented transactions over shared networks is increasingly inhibited by the shortcomings of the very enabling technology of the Internet - the TCP/IP protocol. Without network performance, security and other management controls, TCP/IP networks can't meet the overall requirements of a network. To complicate the network policy management issues, new applications are exchanging increasingly larger amounts of digital data (image, audio, video, etc.), and some of them require stringent Quality-Of-Service (QOS) measured by delay and loss from the network. This places very diverse but demanding requirements on the network in terms of bandwidth and data delivery dependencies on the network. In many cases this network traffic diversity has led to major network performance and reliability problems as well as a resultant loss of productivity among network users. Typical 10Mbit Ethernet LANs or even 100Mbit switched LANs running TCP/IP are no longer adequate to handle the various types of next generation applications being written and the existing mission critical applications. The bottom line is that more than bandwidth is required and the existing network infrastructure installed base make it impossible to quickly change to a new standard such as ATM for all desktop connections. As a result there is a growing need for management tools capable of running a new generation of applications over existing infrastructure. These requirements have not gone unnoticed by Government and commercial enterprises, network infrastructure vendors or the standards bodies.


Abstract The rare human disorder chorea-acanthocytosis (ChAc) is caused by mutations in hVPS13A gene. The hVps13A protein interacts with actin and regulates the level of phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate (PI4P) in the membranes of neuronal cells. Yeast Vps13 is involved in vacuolar protein transport and, like hVps13A, participates in PI4P metabolism. Vps13 proteins are conserved in eukaryotes, but their molecular function remains unknown. One of the mutations found in ChAc patients causes amino acids substitution I2771R which affects the localization of hVps13A in skeletal muscles. To dissect the mechanism of pathogenesis of I2771R, we created and analyzed a yeast strain carrying the equivalent mutation. Here we show that in yeast, substitution I2749R causes dysfunction of Vps13 protein in endocytosis and vacuolar transport, although the level of the protein is not affected, suggesting loss of function. We also show that Vps13, like hVps13A, influences actin cytoskeleton organization and binds actin in immunoprecipitation experiments. Vps13-I2749R binds actin, but does not function in the actin cytoskeleton organization. Moreover, we show that Vps13 binds phospholipids, especially phosphatidylinositol 3-phosphate (PI3P), via its SHR_BD and APT1 domains. Substitution I2749R attenuates this ability. Finally, the localization of Vps13-GFP is altered when cellular levels of PI3P are decreased indicating its trafficking within the endosomal membrane system. These results suggest that PI3P regulates the functioning of Vps13, both in protein trafficking and actin cytoskeleton organization. Attenuation of PI3P-binding ability in the mutant hVps13A protein may be one of the reasons for its mislocalization and disrupted function in cells of patients suffering from ChAc.


Social Media (SM), in recent years, is emerging as a common platform for low cost information exchange, and has attracted a critical mass of users both at corporate and retail levels. Theoretically, SM can thus be used as a tool to strengthen e-procurement in the public sector. Towards this end, we have prepared a conceptual model drawing on literature reviews and some examples while identifying a set of expected benefits and challenges within four stages of e-procurement. Using the framework, a case study has been conducted involving Australian public procurement initiatives and 15 federal government senior officials engaged in e-procurement. They have been interviewed to shed light on the possibilities and challenges of using SM in the public e-procurement context. The findings of the study suggest a limited scope for SM usage in the Australian public sector eprocurement process. The implications of the findings are discussed and some recommendations offered.


PURPOSE
This paper reviews the currently used visual function diagnostic metrics, acuity, refractive error, and contrast sensitivity, and suggests ways to create new metrics using the information that has recently become available due to advances in measuring the higher-order aberrations of the eye. Particularly, emphasis is placed on finding metrics that address certain aspects of vision rather than on general metrics.

METHODS
Two metrics based on the modulation transfer function are introduced, the Visual Quality Factor (VQF), which is a value based on the modulation transfer function between the spatial frequencies of 3 and 12 cycles per degree (c/deg) giving a measure of the overall degradation of visual quality due to aberrations, and the Subjective Sharpness Factor (SSF), which is a value based on the modulation transfer function between the spatial frequencies of 15 and 40 c/deg, giving a measure of the decrease in perceived image "sharpness" due to aberrations. Two metrics based on the point spread function are suggested, Point Spread Quality (PSQ), which is a measure of the "compactness" of the point spread, and Multiplicity Factor, which is a measure of the multiplicity of perceived images by measuring the number of discrete peaks in the point spread function.

RESULTS
The VQF and SSF values for both monochromatic and polychromatic cases are analyzed with regard to the number of acuity letters lost using data from a published study.

CONCLUSIONS
The SSF is found to be the best overall correlate with acuity performance if the degradation of the letter stimuli is not excessive.


A small GTPase RhoA and its downstream effectors Rho-associated protein kinases (ROCK) signaling pathway activation mediate smooth muscle contraction. ROCKs inhibit myosin light chain phosphatase (MLCP) dephosphorylation and therefore reduce relaxation. However, nitric oxide (NO) that is produced and released from endothelial cells has an inhibitory effect on the ROCK pathway in vasculature. Studies in which ROCK activity was inhibited by variety of pharmacological agents (HA1077 or Y-27632) have shown that it has some critical effects on systemic diseases like hypertension or diabetes mellitus. Indeed this activity may show isoform specificity (ROCK1 or ROCK2) dependent on the pathology. Therefore, in vascular pathogenesis ROCK pathway with its isoforms also need to be considered due to its direct effects on the vasoconstriction.


Presented here is the theoretical basis of data fusion for the purpose of target identification using the belief function theory. The key feature is that we allow the knowledge sources to supply their information in the form of uncertain implication rules. How these rules can be elegantly handled within the framework of the belief function theory is described. A small scale, practical example for target identification is worked through in detail to clarify the theory for future users.


It is shown that an Osborn loop of order n has n/2 generators. Given the determining permutations, the rep- resentation Π is generated by R(2) ◦ R(2 + i) = R(3 + i)∀i = 1, 3, 5, ..., n − 3. The representation of Osborn loops of order 16 is presented and it is used as an example to verify the results.  It is also shown that the order of every element of the representation Π divides the order of the loop, hence, Osborn loops of order 16 are langrangelike.


Active queue management (AQM) schemes such as random early detection (RED) or explicit congestion notification (ECN) for TCP-based traffic are important components of the general packet radio service (GPRS) system performance because of potential traffic bottlenecks caused by, e.g., limited radio capacity. Poorly implemented or configured AQM may lead to intolerable end-to-end buffer delays in the serving GPRS support node (2G-SGSN) as well as reduced overall throughput when the system load increases. Although the usefulness of AQM in the fixed Internet is well known, the need for adequate AQM in GPRS or enhanced GPRS (EGPRS) has not been much documented. In this paper, we evaluate the performance of various AQM schemes by means of simulations and we show that RED and ECN are among the most efficient for reducing buffer delay and improving overall end-user experience


State estimation is a key problem wherever systems can only be observed partially, and is typically a prerequisite for effective control. The most widespread current use of state estimation is in electrical power networks, which combine distribution over wide areas with real-time requirements. A number of state estimators have been proposed, but studies of robustness against attacks has concentrated solely on the centralised case; here we discuss the hierarchical case particularly relevant for smart and micro-grid environments. Existing models are too coarse to provide the necessary insight to understand the robustness to different, also novel, types of attacks. These have so fare been studied only for centralised approaches, and are also relatively coarse in the forced states investigated. In this paper we therefore describe a multi-level hierarchical state estimator capable of describing sub-networks linked by tie-lines with minimal overlapping areas criteria, placing particular emphasis on the ability to achieve rapid algorithm convergence, also reporting on simulative validation of our results.


Professor HUANG Lin-na's experience in treatment of Tourette syndrome with Fang's scalp acupuncture were introduced. Professor HUANG believes that this disease is in category of tremor in TCM. Pathogenic wind is the key in its pathogenesis and liver, spleen and kidney are closely related. Hence, the treatment focuses on eliminating pathogenic wind and regulating the function of liver, spleen and kidney. The cerebrum is the regulation center in human body. The abnormal somatic function can be adjusted by acupuncture at the scalp area where the cerebral cortical function is projected. Fang's scalp acupuncture is suitable in treatment of Tourette syndrome. Such scalp acupuncture was introduced in this paper with the typical case reported so as to provide a new approach to clinical treatment.


Proper organ development depends on coordinated communication between multiple cell types. Retinoic acid (RA) is an autocrine and paracrine signaling molecule critical for the development of most organs including the lung. Both RA excess and deficiency lead to drastic alterations in embryogenesis, often culminating in embryonic or neonatal lethality. Therefore, RA levels must be spatially and temporally titrated to ensure proper organogenesis. Despite extensive work detailing the effects of RA deficiency in early lung morphogenesis, little is known about how RA levels are modulated during late lung development. Here, we investigate the role of the RA catabolizing protein Cyp26b1 in lung development. Cyp26b1 is highly enriched in lung endothelial cells (ECs) throughout the course of development. We find that loss of Cyp26b1 impacts differentiation of the distal epithelium without appreciably affecting proximal airways, EC lineages, or stromal populations. Cyp26b1−/− lungs exhibit an increase in cellular density, with an expansion of distal progenitors at the expense of alveolar type 1 (AT1) cells, which culminates in neonatal death. Exogenous administration of RA in late gestation was able to partially reproduce this defect in epithelial differentiation; however, transcriptional analyses of Cyp26b1−/− lungs and RA-treated lungs reveal separate, but overlapping, transcriptional responses. These data suggest that the defects observed in Cyp26b1−/− lungs are caused by both RA-dependent and RA-independent mechanisms. This work highlights critical cellular crosstalk during lung development involving a crucial role for Cyp26b1-expressing endothelium, and identifies a novel RA rheostat in lung development. HIGHLIGHTS Cyp26b1 is highly expressed in lung ECs throughout development Cyp26b1-null lungs fail to undergo proper differentiation of distal epithelium leading to an increase in progenitors and AT2 cells at the expense of AT1 cells Functional and transcriptional analyses suggest both RA-dependent and RA-independent mechanisms


The Academia Europaea had its origin in a proposal that came in 1984 from the UK Department of Education and Science. This led to a Foundation Meeting in Cambridge in September 1988 attended by 54 of the Founding Members. They set up the formal framework and this provided the basis of the first Plenary Meeting held in London in June 1989.