Accurate simulation of the fuel-air mixing environment is crucial for high-fidelity scramjet calculations. We compute the velocity fields in cavity and jet into supersonic freestream flow configurations typical of scramjet flame-holding applications at dierent scale resolutions using the partially-averaged Navier-Stokes (PANS) method. We start with a brief description of the PANS methodology and closure model attributes. Then, we work our way up to scramjet simulations by presenting a sequence of careful verification and validation studies in relevant canonical flows such as those over cavity and backward-facing step. After establishing the physical fidelity of PANS, we proceed to simulate flame-holding flows and investigate their characteristic features at high Mach numbers. a


Flavonoids are a group of plant antioxidants that are widely distributed in plants from the root and stem to the leaves, flowers, and fruits. They are generally present as glycosides, conjugated to sugars, although their aglycone forms may also exist. Flavonoid glycosides are hydrolysed from sugar moieties in the intestine. After release from sugars, the flavonoid aglycones undergo conjugation with other molecules to facilitate the excretion and shorten the half-life of flavonoids. Conjugation also reduces the antioxidant and potential pro-oxidant effects of flavonoids. Flavonoids have low intestinal bioavailability and rapid urinary and biliary excretion. However, the bioavailability of flavonoids varies between different kinds of flavonoids. The best rate of absorption among flavonoids is seen in gallic acid and isoflavones, followed by catechins, flavanones, quercetin, proanthocyanidins, and anthocyanins. Quercetin metabolites are excreted very slowly, whereas anthocyanins and catechins are excreted very rapidly. Information on bioavailability and metabolism of flavonoids can help designing the best intervention strategies. In conclusion, flavonoids have low intestinal bioavailability and rapid urinary and biliary excretion. The bioavailability of them varies between different kinds of flavonoids. The most rapid excretion rates belong to anthocyanins and flavanols while the slowest rates are for flavonols.


The existence of period-doubling bifurcation cascades and chaos in DC drives with full-bridge converter is well known. This paper reports for the first time the occurrence of coexisting attractors with a fractal basin of attraction in this relatively simple deterministic system. At some parameter values the trajectories converge on either a period-1 or a period-3 attracting set depending on the initial state of the system. The attempt to separate the basins of attractions of each attracting set revealed the existence of a riddled basin of attraction. This phenomenon has practical consequences in that it might render future prediction of the system's steady state behavior almost impossible. Using Filippov's method, we show analytically that the co-existing period-3 attractor is born due to a saddle node bifurcation that occurs at some critical parameter value, and thus it co-exists with the stable period-1 attractor.


We present a new analytical model of MAC layer for wireless ad hoc networks that takes into account channel bit errors and frame retry limits for a two-way handshaking mechanism. This model offers flexibility to address key design issues such as the effects of traffic parameters and possible improvements for wireless ad hoc networks. We illustrate that an important parameter affecting the performance of binary exponential back-off is the initial back-off window size. We show that for a low bit error rate the throughput increases and, at the same time, the delay and the average energy to transmit the frame is reduced. Results show also that the negative acknowledgment (NAK)-based model proves more useful for a high bit error rate.


We studied antibody response in 9 healthcare workers in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, who survived Middle East respiratory syndrome, by using serial ELISA and indirect immunofluorescence assay testing. Among patients who had experienced severe pneumonia, antibody was detected for >18 months after infection. Antibody longevity was more variable in patients who had experienced milder disease.


What factors influence community participation in the delivery of urban services? In particular, does security of tenure enhance the probability of participation as it provides individuals with incentives to act collectively in pursuit of a common objective? In addition, are collective efforts less likely to succeed when there is a high degree of heterogeneity in culture or endowments among community members? We use household level survey data for Bangalore, India, to show that tenure security has a significant impact on the willingness of residents to participate even when neighbourhoods are diverse in terms of their cultural background and welfare status. Our findings suggest that participation is possible in heterogeneous communities when participation is a means to a common objective and not a goal in itself.


Organ transplantation is a therapeutic option for some pathologies of irreversible character. In the world during the past few years the indications for renal transplant have been extended. Patients with diseases of ominous prognosis like Diabetes Mellitus (DM), Hypertensive Nefroesclerosis, Glomerulonefritis and renal cystic disease, causes of ESRD, and patients with associated pathologies like ventricular disfuncion, autoinmunes diseases, sickle cell anemia, obesity and hepatitis B according on the expresses antigen, could see in renal transplantation an option to increase their life expectancy and with better QOL. Everything by means of a safe procedure, Nowadays the mortality of the receptor is near the 0,03%. 1 the success of the transplant is indirectly proportional to the time of pretransplants dialysis dependency and the understanding of the pathophysiology of the ESRD improves the prognosis of these patients. 2 the ESRD patient raises to the anestesiologist a challenge in the anesthetic visualization of the clinical scenario and its implications. The following revision tries to include aspects of the perioperative assesment of renal transplantation in a clear and concise way, emphasizing in important aspects and naming some others briefly. It is an extensive subject, partially unexplored and where the evidence based medicine even has a long way to cross.


Background Screening for latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) is recommended for close contacts of active tuberculosis (TB) cases, new entrants from high incidence countries, and prior to anti-TNF treatment. NICE recommends chemoprophylaxis to reduce progression to active TB for patients under the age of 35, and for high-risk patients above this age. We hypothesised that rates of liver dysfunction are low and not strongly related to age, which would favour chemoprophylaxis in older patients. Methods We retrospectively identified all patients treated for LTBI in Leeds during 2012 from our pharmacy database. We recorded LFTs at baseline and during treatment. We identified all patients with evidence of liver dysfunction during treatment, defined as symptomatic and >3x upper limit of normal (ULN), or >5xULN. We compared rates of liver dysfunction in the under-35 and over-35 groups. Results 112 patients received chemoprophylaxis during 2012. Of these, 66 were aged under 35 years. Four patients (3.6%) developed deranged LFTs (ALT>3xULN) during treatment (three over-35). Of these, two (1.8%) developed ALT>5xULN (one from each age group) and required cessation or interruption of treatment. There was no significant difference between the under-35 and over-35 groups for either level of derangement. Conclusion This study shows little difference in hepatotoxicity between those below and above the 35-year age cut-off. This data supports chemoprophylaxis at higher ages. Further work is needed into other predictors of LFT derangement, including co-morbidities, other medications and genotypic factors. We plan to extend this analysis to all patients treated from 2007 onwards.


tissues, consists of two heavy chains (MHCs) and four light chains (MLCs), which combine to form a long coiled α-helical tail and two heads. Each head contains an actin-binding site and ATPase activity. The formation of the head structure involves the N-terminal half of two MHCs and one pair of light chains (Lowey, 1994). The light chains belong to the troponinC supergene family that also includes the Ca 2+-binding proteins calmodulin and parvalbumin (Periasamy et al., 1984). The light chains are classified into two classes: the alkaliand dinitrobenzoic acid (DTNB)-removable light chains (Weeds and Lowey, 1971). In skeletal muscle, there are two different types of alkali light chain, MLC1 and MLC3. An association between the alkali light chains and the MHC head region has been documented; it is believed to be involved in the interaction between myosin and actin, and a linear correlation has been reported between the MLC1:MLC3 ratio and the shortening velocity of the contractile apparatus (Lowey and Trybus, 1995). The DTNB-removable light chains are termed MLC2 and have a regulatory if not a catalytic role binding Ca 2+


We described a child who developed paroxysmal abnormal eye movement. At the age of 12 months, she had a high fever and a febrile seizure. On the next day she showed tonic upward deviation of the eyes for 1 to 2 seconds, and downward saccades on attempted downward gaze. The upward deviation was repeated for a period of 2 to 3 hours, and disappeared during sleep. The administration of L-dopa was not effective. The symptoms subsided gradually over 10 months without other neurological impairment. She walked alone at 1 year and 6 months. At the beginning of her walking she showed truncal ataxia, but it gradually disappeared and her development was normal at the age of 2 years and 6 months. These abnormal eye movements and another symptoms were similar to paroxysmal tonic upgaze of childhood (PTU) that has been first described by Ouvrier and Billson (1988) as intermittent upward deviations of eyes. In Japan there was only one report of this syndrome with periventricular leukomalacia and hypomyelination.


Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to review the International Manufacturing Technology Show in Chicago, with emphasis on innovations in applying automation to manufacturing and assembly.Design/methodology/approach – In‐depth interviews with exhibitors of automated assembly and manufacturing technology.Findings – Building of production machinery is moving toward offering automated assembly or production cells and away from building single purpose equipment. Robots are married to machine tools for much more than just tending.Originality/value – The paper shows how users in almost any manufacturing realm will find that automated assembly technologies are now addressing all types of production requirements. No longer is it necessary to think that only million off part runs can be produced in an automated manner. Machine tool builders are including testing, finishing, marking, assembly and other secondary operations within the basic machining unit for a wide range of production volumes. Automation can eve...


Judy Mikovits, the researcher who led the team that linked a mouse virus with chronic fatigue syndrome, has been arrested at her home in Ventura, California.

The arrest follows a lawsuit filed against her by her former employer, the Whittemore-Peterson Institute for Neuro-Immune Disease in Reno, Nevada, which alleges that after she had been fired by the institute in September she had removed laboratory notebooks and other information that the institute claims it owns ( BMJ 2011;343:d6541, 11 Oct, doi:10.1136/bmj.d6541).

Through her lawyer, Lois Hart, Dr Mikovits has denied the charges. "All of the allegations of theft, misappropriation, withholding of data and various intellectual property, and items, are incorrect and untruthful," Ms Hart wrote in a letter to …


Simultaneous multiwavelength measurements of a developing cloud system were obtained by NOAA Doppler lidar, Doppler radar, Fourier transform infrared interferometer, and microwave and infrared radiometers on 26 November 1991. The evolution of the cloud system is described in terms of lidar backscatter, radar reflectivity and velocity, interferometer atmospheric spectra, and radiometer brightness temperature, integrated liquid water, and water vapor paths. Utilizing the difference in wavelength between the radar and lidar, and therefore their independent sensitivity to different regions of the same cloud, the cloud top, base, depth, and multiple layer heights can be determined with better accuracy than with either instrument alone. Combining the radar, lidar, and radiometer measurements using two different techniques allows an estimation of the vertical profile of cloud microphysical properties such as particle sizes. Enhancement of lidar backscatter near zenith revealed when highly oriented ice crystals were present. The authors demonstrate that no single instrument is sufficient to accurately describe cirrus clouds and that measurements in combination can provide important details on their geometric, radiative, and microphysical properties.


Background Interleukin-6 (IL-6), a potent inflammatory cytokine, plays a key role in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), including osteoporosis not only in inflamed joints but possibly also in whole body. Since increase of type 1 collagen N-propeptide, a bone formation marker, is recognized in RA patients treated with tocilizumab, a humanized anti- IL-6 receptor antibody, IL-6 could be thought to have negative effect on osteoblast differentiation. However, previous reports regarding the effects of IL-6 on osteoblast differentiation in vitro are not consistent. Objectives The objectives of this study was to clarify the effect of IL-6 on osteoblast differentiation in vitro, with consideration of intracellular signaling pathways. Cross-talk between these pathways was also investigated. Methods Osteoblast differentiation was induced in murine MC3T3-E1 osteoblastic cells with or without addition of IL-6 (soluble IL-6 receptor was used to enhance the effect of IL-6). Osteoblast differentiation was assessed by alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, expression of osteoblastic gene such as Runx2 and osteocalcin, and mineralization. ERK and STAT3 pathway phosphorylation was evaluated by Western blotting in the presence or absence of IL-6 as well as each specific inhibitor, U0126 and Stattic, respectively, and their effect on osteoblast differentiation were assessed. Results IL-6 significantly reduced ALP activity, and expression of osteoblastic gene, Runx2 and osteocalcin, and also inhibited mineralization in a dose-dependent manner, which indicates a negative effect of IL-6 on osteoblast differentiation. Signal transduction analyses by Western blotting demonstrated that IL-6 significantly promoted phosphorylation of ERK and STAT3. The negative effect of IL-6 on ALP activity was restored by inhibition of ERK in a dose-dependent manner. On the other hand, the negative effect of IL-6 on ALP activity was enhanced by inhibition of STAT3. These results indicate that ERK has negative effect on osteoblast differentiation, whereas STAT3 has positive one. Moreover, ERK inhibitor enhanced IL-6-triggered STAT3 phosphorylation, and STAT3 inhibitor enhanced IL-6-triggered ERK phosphorylation, suggesting that ERK and STAT3 signaling pathway negatively regulates each other. Conclusions IL-6 can be thought to negatively regulate osteoblast differentiation through ERK pathway. On the other hand, STAT3 pathway could have a positive regulatory role in osteoblast differentiation. Predominant activation of ERK signaling pathway compared to STAT3 signaling pathway may result in inhibiting osteoblastic differentiation. Inhibition of ERK might be of potential use in the treatment of osteoporosis in RA. References Garnero, P., et al., Arthritis Rheum, 2010. 62(1): p. 33-43. Ernst, M. and B.J. Jenkins,Trends Genet, 2004. 20(1): p. 23-32. Disclosure of Interest None Declared


A case of long standing unreduced anterior dislocation of the knee for 2 months has been reported which was treated first with open reduction and external fixation at 70° flexion of knee followed by gradual extension of knee. Once full extension was achieved, the cylindrical cast was applied for 3 months. The final range of movement of knee at one year follow up was 5-70o along with painless weight bearing. To conclude, this conservative treatment could be one of the valuable option for the patients who can not undergo major surgery because of genreral health problem, or unable to afford for the surgery especially in developing countries, or not willing for arthrodesis. KEY WORDS: Knee joint; Dislocation; Conservative treatment


33 cases of schizophrenia received normal food and no premedication. After a clinical improvement which showed itself 3--6 weeks after the beginning of the chlorpromazine treatment, the 17-ketosteroids, the 17-ketogenic steroids and also the electrolytes were dertermined in the blood serum, the erythrocytes and the urine. 12 schizophrenics each received 25 mg of ACTH for three days puring the maximum chlorpromazine dosage. The separate results of examination were tabulated. The final results showed a restriction in the steroid synthesis, an increase in the excretion of potassium through the kidneys along with a decrease in the excretion of sodium. There was an appreciable drop in the sodium potassium concentration in the erythrocytes. It can be assumed that there is a connection between the variations in the membrane permeability to electrolytes and pharmacogenic dyskinesia.


A novel coumarin-based molecule, designed as a fluorescent surrogate of a thiacetazone-derived antitubercular agent, was quickly and easily synthesized from readily available starting materials. This small molecule, coined Coum-TAC, exhibited a combination of appropriate physicochemical and biological properties, including resistance toward hydrolysis and excellent antitubercular efficiency similar to that of well-known thiacetazone derivatives, as well as efficient covalent labeling of HadA, a relevant therapeutic target to combat Mycobacterium tuberculosis. More remarkably, Coum-TAC was successfully implemented as an imaging probe that is capable of labeling Mycobacterium tuberculosis in a selective manner, with an enrichment at the level of the poles, thus giving for the first time relevant insights about the polar localization of HadA in the mycobacteria.


AbstractThe aim of this study was to explore the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of village doctors regarding the prescribing of antibiotics for children under 15 years with upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) in rural China. Twelve focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted in Xianning, a prefecture-level city in rural China, during December 2014. We conducted 6 FGDs with 35 village doctors, 3 with 13 primary caregivers (11 parents), and 3 with 17 directors of township hospitals, county-level health bureaus, county-level Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or county-level Chinese Food and Drug Administration offices. Audio records of the interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using the thematic analysis approach. Participants believed that unnecessary antibiotic prescribing for children under 15 years with The occurrence of URTIs was a problem in village clinics in rural China. The discussions revealed that most of the village doctors had inadequate knowledge and misconceptions about antibiotic use, which was an important factor in the unnecessary prescribing. Village doctors and directors reported that the doctors' fear of complications, the primary caregivers' pressure for antibiotic treatment, and the financial considerations of patient retention were the main factors influencing the decision to prescribe antibiotics. Most of the primary caregivers insisted on antibiotics, even when the village doctors were reluctant to prescribe them, and they preferred to go to see those village doctors who prescribed antibiotics. The interviewees also gave their opinions on what would be the most effective measures for optimizing antibiotic prescriptions; these included educational/training campaigns, strict regulations on antibiotic prescription, and improved supervision. Findings emphasized the need to improve the dissemination of information and training/education, and implement legislation on the rational use of antibiotics. And it also provided helpful information to guide the design of more effective interventions to promote prudent antibiotic use and good antimicrobial stewardship.


Recombinant ricin A chain was irreversibly modified by Procion blue MX-R, a dichlorotriazinyl analogue of Cibacron blue F3G-A, at pH 7.5 and 4 degrees C in 90 h with over 95% loss of activity in an in vitro translation assay. The presence of total yeast RNA reduced the covalent attachment of Procion blue MX-R to ricin A chain. Quantitatively modified ricin A chain contained 2 mol Procion blue MX-R/mol 29-kDa subunit. Tryptic digestion and resolution of the peptides by reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography yields a blue peptide corresponding to Gln5-Arg26 of ricin A chain. Thus, a likely dye-binding site on recombinant ricin A was identified. This region is removed from the active-site cleft of recombinant ricin A but may be involved in its substrate binding.


Based on results from bench-scale flow-film-reactors (FFR) and aerated cascade photoreactors, a solar catalytic pilot plant has been built at the site of a textile factory. This plant has an illuminated surface area of 50 m2 and is designed for the treatment of 1 m3 h(-1) of wastewater. The preliminary results are presented and compared with a bench-scale FFR using textile wastewater and dichloroacetic acid. Equivalent degradation kinetics were obtained and it was demonstrated that the solar catalytic technology is able to remove recalcitrant compounds and color. However, on-site optimization is still necessary for wastewater reuse and for an economic application.


For years, seismic processing geophysicists used dip moveout (DMO) to alter the acquisition geometry. Our industry has found many uses for DMO because it converts the timing of nonzero-offset data to the timing of zero-offset data. More recently, theoreticians created data mapping as a generalization of the principle behind DMO. Data mapping converts data obtained at an observed offset and azimuth to data at a new offset and/or azimuth. The precise derivation of the data mapping resides in an arduous solution of the wave equation. Thus, data mapping transformations may appear magical. This article provides a simple, geometric understanding of the data mapping transformation.

Before turning to the more general 3-D case, we first present the 2-D case. For the 2-D case, data mapping transforms data obtained at one offset distance into data "observed" at a second offset distance. To understand this procedure, we will use one principle, one requirement, and two assumptions. The principle is linear superposition and the requirement is physical invariance. For conceptual convenience, we assume reflection coefficients do not change with offset, and we also assume a constant velocity earth.

The principle of linear superposition simplifies our task. As shown in Figure 1, it allows us to construct any input data from a linear superposition of spikes or impulses. In addition, data-mapped output is a linear superposition of data-mapped spike responses. Consequently, we need to understand only the data-mapping operation on a single spike at an arbitrary location. Figure 1.
Linear superposition simplifies data mapping.

The physical invariance restriction is obvious—the earth does not change as a result of altering the acquisition offset. Likewise, our image of that earth should not change. Depth migration should image the same subsurface using either the original data or the offset-transformed data.

The constant velocity assumption …


Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) (and other inflammatory joint diseases (IJD)) have an increased cardiovascular (CV) risk that, for RA, is comparable to that of diabetes. Therefore, screening, identification of CV risk factors and cardiovascular risk management (CV-RM) was recommended by the EULAR task force in 2009. Our recommendation in 2009 regarding the multiplication factor of 1.5 was derived mainly from relevant Standardized Mortality Ratios and was, to a large extent, empiric because information from large-scale prospective cohort studies was lacking. Our research agenda of 2009 determined that the multiplication factor of 1.5 should be revisited as better evidence became available potentially leading to a distinct approach to devising numerical adjustment factors. For instance, the QRISK2-2013, risk score based on routinely collected data from GPs across the UK, now includes RA as a risk factor with a hazard ratio of approximately 1.4. Furthermore, several RA-specific risk model are presently developed. Research Objectives 1) To review the presently available RA-specific cardiovascular risk prediction models and give evidence based advice about the most appropriate model(s), as well as on adjusting risk models for the general population so that they that can be used in patients IJD. 2a) To assess the value of imaging techniques for either improvement of CV risk prediction models, and b) give advice whether routine screening with echocardiography is necessary or routine screening before biologic therapy is initiated. 3) To give recommendations about lipid assessment, lipid lowering treatment and treatment targets, with specific attention for tocilizumab and rituximab and the possible interaction between statins and efficacy of rituximab. 4) To give recommendations about life style modifications. 5) To conduct a systematic literature update to a) determine the cardiovascular risk in AS and PsA and b) describe whether or not there is enough evidence to adapt the existing cardiovascular risk models for a more precise cardiovascular risk estimation in AS and PsA. 6) To update the previous recommendation about NSAID/COXIB use in patients IJD as well as other drugs such as corticosteroids, vitamin D and aspirin. Preliminary results 1) Validated RA-specific CV-risk models have not yet been published, hence the adjustment of existing risk models is still recommended 2) There are some suggestions that (imaging) biomarkers might improve risk prediction models. However, there are some practical constraints for implementation. Echocardiographic screening before initiation of biologic treatment is not recommended. 3) Statins are at least equally effective in RA patients when compared to non-RA controls. Statins do not influence rituximab efficicacy. 4) Exercise should be part of RA management, both to lower CV risk and improve disease outcomes. 5) There is now more evidence-base for an increased CV-risk in patients with AS and PsA that is comparable to RA, hence from this point of view CV-RM should be similar. Systemic inflammation enhances CV risk and adequate control of disease activity is necessary to reduce this CV risk. Cumulative disease activity counts more than disease duration per se. 6) Current evidence does not support a strong association between NSAIDs and CVD in patients with RA. The use of aspirin for the primary prevention of cardiovascular events in patients with IJD is not recommended. Conclusions The present update confirms and further extends the evidence that the CV-risk in IJD is increased. This underscores the need for CV-RM in these patients. As these updated recommendations are now based on a pan-European consensus it is expected that they will facilitate CV-RM in daily clinical practice. Disclosure of Interest None declared


He explained that his greatest wish was that I should graduate from college. He said that it had all been taken care of, and that whatever college I wished to attend was within my means. I knew that he had never been able to finish the sixth grade, and that he had created a world for us with his own hands. He had unlocked doors for me so that my life would be easier. I nodded that I would do as he wished. As I turned to leave, I found that I could not. I turned and smiled at him for the last time. He smiled weakly and said, "Hang a sock up for me tonight. I don't think I'll be able to make it home." As I passed the door of the room, I started to run-down the hall and past the beaten Christmas tree. All I could think of were the seven hundred and fifty lilies which had turned into ivory bugles of death.


Discusses the future prospects of artificial vision based on stimulating the visual cortex of the brain. Though early experiments show some promise a solution is a long way in the future.


Signal processing is now being used in many disciplines of engineering because of the omnipresence of desktop computers and sophisticated application environments. Many concepts involved in signal processing are difficult to learn because: they are embedded in discrete mathematics and not easy to visualize; and the background in which to embed the learning is lacking. This usually leads to erroneous implementation of a technique and difficulty in finding relevance of the material. In order to address these issues and teaching techniques such as frequency analysis and signal modeling, a series of interactive notebooks have been developed. These notebooks are written in the integrated environment of Microsoft Word and MATLAB. Each notebook presents a principle and demonstrates its implementation via script in MATLAB. The student is then asked to exercise other aspects of the principle interactively by making simple changes in the MATLAB script. The student then receives immediate feedback concerning what is happening and can relate theoretical concepts to real effects upon a signal. He is finally required to implement the learned procedure on a signal from a database of actual measurements. Signals measured from real-world applications are used as much as possible. Students enjoy learning in this environment because it helps them visualize immediately the results of the mathematical manipulations and enables them to explore interactively.


The purpose of this study was to examine the level of performance of
Islamic Banks in Indonesia based board direcotrs attributes and Investment
Account Holders. Then, this research ensures determinants on the disclosure.
Hypothesis testing is based on level bank performance in the Annual Report of
Islamic Banks.
Using the legitimacy theory, the research examined level bank
performance in Islamic Banks based on Islamic principles. Samples were taken
from 7 Islamic Banks in Indonesia for 7 years. The study design using multiple
regression analysis.
The test results showed IAH (Investment Account Holders) significantly
with bank performance of Islamic Bank. While that BS as number of board
members and the board composition does not significantly with Bank
Performance.


When considering force-controlled robots, one key-point to sense the arm-environment interaction is the availability of cheap but sufficiently precise multi-axis force sensors. Even if resonant sensors can overcome some well-known limitations such as noise and drift issues, designing multi-axial resonant force sensor is still non-intuitive due to dynamical nature and multiple modes interaction. This paper presents the development of an integrated three-component force sensing resonant structure, which may be used to simultaneously estimate, all the three components of the force applied on it, for the first time. The sensor principle relies on one single pre-stress composite plate where actuation and measurement are achieved with piezoelectric transducers. Feedback control based on Phase-Locked Loop is used to measure resonances, then estimate the applied forces. Multiple smart design strategies, such as modal superposition, spatial modal filtering using optimal transducers placement and intelligent signal conditioning, limit the electronic treatment and reduce the controller complexity. Experimental comparisons with other calibrated force sensors have shown that the applied force can be efficiently estimated with accuracy, demonstrating the interest of our approach to design integrated and inexpensive multi-axis force sensor solution for robotic applications.


The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between service orientation, customer service training and employee engagement of firms in the hospitality sector of the tourism industry.,A total of 231 responses from 13 large all-inclusive hotels in Jamaica are analyzed by using structural equation modeling.,Overall, service orientation positively affected customer service training and employee engagement. In addition, customer service training positively affected employee engagement. Furthermore, the results indicate that customer service training mediates the relationship between service orientation and employee engagement.,This study builds on the conceptual literature of engagement and adds to the limited empirical studies to date to highlight the importance of service-oriented culture and training activities on employee engagement.,The findings of the study generate an increased understanding of the importance of an engaged workforce and of specific customer service training practices that can foster engagement. This study also highlights that managers should be supportive of training and development activities within a broader context that considers specific desired workplace performance from employees.,The knowledge gap related to many frequently used organizational practices reported as having an impact on engagement is addressed. Addressing this problem extends existing literature and provides an evidence base for human resource managers and professionals in service organizations, specifically in hospitality firms.


Dark field electron microscopy of single crystal epitaxially deposited gold films has shown that some of the anomalous spots in the diffraction pattern from such films arise through a double diffraction mechanism involving two different twin orientations. The same sort of mechanism is shown to be a possible explanation of the so-called forbidden 110 ring previously observed in ring patterns from polycrystalline epitaxial gold films.


Based on evidence that learning new characters through handwriting leads to better recognition than learning through typing, some authors proposed that the graphic motor plans acquired through handwriting contribute to recognition. More recently two alternative explanations have been put forward. First, the advantage of handwriting could be due to the perceptual variability that it provides during learning. Second, a recent study suggests that detailed visual analysis might be the source of the advantage of handwriting over typing. Indeed, in that study, handwriting and composition –a method requiring a detailed visual analysis but no specific graphomotor activity– led to equivalent recognition accuracy, both higher than typing. The aim of the present study was to assess whether the contribution of detailed visual analysis is observed in preschool children and to test the variability hypothesis. To that purpose, three groups of preschool children learned new symbols either by handwriting, typing, or composition. After learning, children performed first a four-alternative recognition task and then a categorization task. The same pattern of results as the one observed in adults emerged in the four-alternative recognition task, confirming the importance of the detailed visual analysis in letter-like shape learning. In addition, results failed to reveal any difference across learning methods in the categorization task. The latter results provide no evidence for the variability hypothesis which would predict better categorization after handwriting than after typing or composition.


A hemolytic protein was purified from cultured mycelia of T. clypeatus. Some of the physico-chemical properties of the hemolysin were studied. The protein was analysed to be a lipoprotein and delipidation removed its hemolytic property. The monomeric protein subunit of the lipoprotein had a molecular weight of 64,000. Mode of action of the hemolysin were studied by observing protections of sugar and lipid components to hemolysin mediated lysis of red blood cells. It was observed that the hemolysin possibly interacted with the phospholipid components of the blood cells causing lysis.


Body image is the mental picture one has of one's physical being that develops from birth and continues throughout life and is related to different factors affecting its formation and dynamics. A crisis such as the creation of a stoma leads to an alteration in body image and an awareness of the meaning of the change in appearance and function of an individual. The individual's behavior is examined in several domains: physical, mental, emotional, social, sexual, and economical. When one domain is disturbed the others will be influenced. A person's rehabilitation after ostomy surgery is a continuous process of adaptation and is directed toward returning to a normal way of life. Many factors affect this adaptation to an alteration in body image and are relevant to the patient and family. These factors include, but are not limited to, the disease process, treatment(s), and medical and nursing care in the hospital and community. Knowledge about actual and potential problems associated with an alteration in body image enables the nurse to assess the meaning of the alteration in body image for the individual patient and family, provide counseling before and after the surgery, and intervene so that the individual will be able to adapt to an alteration in body image and return to one's previous activities of daily living and lifestyle.


This book offers a glimpse into an almost unknown but distinct community in Singapore and Malaysia: the Peranakan Indians. Overshadowed by the larger, more widespread and more influential Peranakan Chinese, this tightly knit community likewise dates back to early colonial merchants who intermingled with and married local Malays in Malacca. Most Peranakan Indians are Saivite Hindus, speak a version of Malay amongst themselves, and have a cuisine influenced by all three major cultures of Malaysia and Singapore (Malay, Indian, Chinese). Bringing together original interviews and archival material, this accessible book documents the all-but-forgotten history, customs, religion and culture of the Peranakan Indians of Singapore and Malacca.


In this thesis we have developed a classifier combination framework based on the Bayesian decision theory. We study the factors that lead to successful classifier combination and identify the scenarios that can benefit from specific combination strategies. The classifier combination problem is viewed as a second-level classification task where the scores produced by classifiers can be taken as features. Thus any generic pattern classification algorithm (neural networks, decision trees and support vector machines) can be used for combination. However, for certain classifier combination problems such algorithms are not applicable, or lead to performance which is worse than specialized combination algorithms. By identifying such problems we provide an insight into the general theory of classifier combination. We introduce a complexity categorization of classifier combinations, which is used to characterize existing combination approaches, as well as to propose new combination algorithms.
We have applied our proposed theory to identification systems with large number of classes as is often the case in biometric applications. Existing approaches to combination for such systems use only the matching scores of one class to derive a combined score for that class. We show both theoretically and experimentally that these approaches are inferior to methods which consider the output scores corresponding to all the classes. We introduce the identification model which accounts for the relationships between scores output by one classifier during a single identification trial. This allows the construction of combination methods which consider a whole set of scores output by classifiers in order to derive a combined score for any one class. We also explore the benefits of utilizing the knowledge of classifier independence in combination methods.


A 15 year-old boy was admitted for myocardial infarction, of spontaneous occurrence, complicated by atrio-ventricular block and cardiac failure. Three months later, a ventricular-wall aneurysm was demonstrated by angiography, and the coronary arteries found to be normal. Skin biopsy revealed very premature signs of ageing. The comments concerned the frequency and aetiology of these infarctions in adolescents, the pathogenic problems in relation with the absent coronary obstruction, and the interest of skin biopsy, the changes of which might suggest an abnormally premature ageing of the coronary artery wall, a possible starting point for thrombosis.


ABSTRACT A review of the existing information on the eolian contribution to marine sediments is given. Studies of dust collected over the World Ocean and the distribution of minerals in marine sediments have produced the majority of the evidence indicating the importance of wind transport. Sediments of the World Ocean most affected by wind transport include those of the Central Atlantic, North and South Pacific and Southeastern Indian Oceans. The eolian contribution is primarily reflected in the distribution of illite, kaolinite and quartz in marine sediments.


There are two main trends in present development of power systems. First is a wide utilization of renewable power resources. The second is decentralization of power generation. Hence, small power sources, very often RES sources, called dissipated power generators are developed. They are usually in range of megawatts starting form kilowatts. They operate automatically and are remotely controlled. In fact the sources are electronic devices. Microprocessor control units are used to control power production and perform remote control and power electronic converters are used to control power flow. So, many different kinds of power electronic devices are required. Another political and social trend is local balancing of power production and power consumption. It means that all power consumed in some are should be generated in the area. Hence small power systems are developed called microgrids. Microgrids consist of power sources, loads, control units and lines, like normal public grid. But the microgrid is limited to the small area, i.e. village, town, and automatically controlled. Again power electronic devices and control units decide about the microgrid performances. Development of required devices, both power electronic and controllers, are possible only with close cooperation of research units, like Warsaw University of Technology, and production firms, like APS Energia. APS Energia offers many power electronic converters and complete power plant and control and supervisory remote controllers for power industry. Some are especially developed for dissipated generation. The University's researchers design some devices and their principles of operation. APS Energia produces the devices. The main, presented in the paper are inverter with MPP tracking for PV systems, inverters for supplying AC loads from DC power systems, PEM fuel cell power generation units, battery chargers, high power inverters and rectifiers with sinusoidal input current, synchronization systems and remote control and monitoring devices. There are some examples of applications in the paper.


Medicinal plants with a high content of sterols and sterolins, such as Bulbine natalensis (rooiwortel) and Hypoxis hemerocallidea (African potato), are commonly and inappropriately used in South Africa for the treatment of HIV/AIDS due to the inaccessibility of antiretroviral drugs. This study investigated the presence of active compounds, such as sterols and sterolins, in the herbal medicines. The research was carried out in the Nelson Mandela Metropole area. The effect of microbial contaminants isolated from the medicines on sterols and sterolins of rooiwortel extracts was assessed. Sterols and sterolins were detected in rooiwortel, raw African potatoes and one ready-made mixture. Co-incubation of rooiwortel with bacteria (Bacillus spp. and Pseudomonas putida) and fungi (Aspergillus spp., Penicillium spp. and Mucor spp.) that were isolated from these samples increased the rate of degradation of sterols and sterolins over time, with slower degradation at 4°C than at 28°C. : traditional herbal medicine, biodegradation, microbial contaminants, active compounds


In all eukaryotes the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) has a central role in protein folding and maturation of secretory and membrane proteins. Upon translocation into the ER polypeptides are immediately subjected to folding and modifications involving the formation of disulfide bridges, assembly of subunits to multi-protein complexes, and glycosylation. During these processes incompletely folded, terminally misfolded, and unassembled proteins can accumulate which endanger the cellular homeostasis and subsequently the survival of cells and tissues. Consequently, organisms have developed a quality control system to cope with this problem and remove the unwanted protein load from the ER by a process collectively referred to as ER-associated degradation (ERAD) pathway. Recent studies in Arabidopsis have identified plant ERAD components involved in the degradation of aberrant proteins and evidence was provided for a specific role in abiotic stress tolerance. In this short review we discuss our current knowledge about this important cellular pathway.


Computational and interactive technologies are ubiquitous and have facilitated the incorporation of a set of semiotic systems that enable the creation of distinct meanings and formats in the understanding of the emergent messages. Experiencing and comprehending the same system through the constantly reminded of distinctive strategies and paths creates some challenges and aesthetic implications represented in the social, political, and cultural context.
Forms of collaboration and communication are described by actions carried out while receiving feedback and evaluating their result, making itself available through physical movement and interaction. We act to sense and construct meaning, so our brains create information and sense-making based on our body's movement, the environment's spatial organization, among other organized activities. In the same way, interactive systems are embodied, dynamic, performative, and they are regularly communicating with their environment, becoming autopoietic.
Interactive digital narratives are artifacts that connect states and structured events finding meaning in them, making sense of the world by assimilating it to narrative. They stand for a wide range of variations and readers interact with a computational system to develop the narrative, assuming the role of active participants. They disrupt conventional aesthetics because their nature has a set of affordances and dimensions, and their dynamics of interaction are involved in a processual, performative, and enactive way, shaping the form of narrative and affecting the reader's experience.
We will discuss some idiosyncratic characteristics that turn these artifacts into behaving systems from the analysis of how the supporting medium's properties shape the narrative and the action as fundamental features of interaction and construction of meaning. Centring on systems that have their own behavior we can discuss a phenomenological perspective on embodied experience and understand how readers perform on interactive digital narratives.


Taxation is a major instrument of fiscal policy which is used to achieve socio economic objectives. While the primary objective of taxation is to raise revenue to finance government expenditure, it should also be equitable. This study aims to identify the nature of distribution of income tax burden among the income groups in Sri Lanka and provides taxpayers and policymakers with important information on the equity or fairness of the income tax distribution in Sri Lanka. In the case of personal income taxes the burden is unevenly distributed among the registered taxpayers. The study finds that about 87.93 percent of resident individual income taxes shared by only 10.9 percent taxpayers. About 32.95 percent taxpayers pay almost 98.5 percent of income taxes. It depicts the peculiarity of Sri Lanka tax structure where about 43.76 percent of registered individual taxpayers share very insignificant (only 0.97 percent) tax liability. In the case of corporate taxes the major portion of the tax revenue is generated from a small group of companies and corporations. About 66.77 per cent corporate tax payers are paying no taxes for the government showing negative income and revealed as loss cases. About 99 per cent of income tax burden is placed on a small number of (about 13 per cent) corporate tax payers.  This study also gives some recommendations which act as remedies for a better tax system in Sri Lanka and would be relevant to other developing countries as well. Keywords: Equity of taxation, Economic Incidence, Income tax, Statutory Incidence, Tax Progressivity, Tax exemption.


Clinical signs of esophageal hiatal hernia in four dogs and one cat included regurgitation, vomiting, hematemesis, hypersalivation, dysphagia, and dyspnea. Thoracic radiographs, esophagram, and fluoroscopy were used to demonstrate cranial displacement of the esophagogastric junction and part of the stomach through the esophageal hiatus. Other findings included megaesophagus, esophageal hypomotility, gastroesophageal reflux, and pneumonia. Medical therapy failed to resolve the clinical signs. Reduction in size of the esophageal hiatus, fixation of the esophagus to the diaphragmatic crus (esophagopexy), and a left fundic gastropexy were performed. Surgical results were considered good to excellent.


Knowledge about the importance of oral health and oral hygiene practices, attitudes, and behavior among young adults shows the association of insufficient or irregular oral hygiene with the occurrence of gingival/periodontal diseases, caries, and consequently systemic disease occurrence including cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes mellitus, infections of the respiratory tract, adverse pregnancy outcomes, and neurological disorders. Public health dentists should be trained for oral health needs assessments as well as for the evaluation of community-based oral health improvement strategies among different population groups.


BACKGROUND & AIMS
Because the efficacy of UDCA on long-term outcome of primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) has not been completely elucidated, we have assessed the course and survival of patients with PBC treated with UDCA and compared with the survival predicted by the Mayo model and the estimated survival of a standardized population.

METHODS
(One hundred ninety-two patients [181 women] with PBC treated with UDCA [15 mg/kg per day] for 1.5-14 years.) Response to treatment was defined by an alkaline phosphatase decrease greater than 40% of baseline values or normal levels after 1 year of treatment. The predicted survival was obtained by the Mayo model and the estimated survival was taken from the standardized matched Spanish population.

RESULTS
Seventeen patients died or fulfilled criteria for liver transplantation (8.9%). The observed survival was higher than that predicted by the Mayo model and lower than that of the control population (P < .001). One hundred seventeen patients (61%) responded to treatment. The survival of responders was significantly higher than that predicted by the Mayo model and similar to that estimated for the control population (P = .15). By contrast, the survival of patients without biochemical response was lower than that estimated for the Spanish population (P < .001) although higher than that predicted by the Mayo model.

CONCLUSIONS
Biochemical response to UDCA after 1 year is associated with a similar survival to the matched control population, clearly supporting the favorable effects of this treatment in PBC. The suboptimal survival of nonresponders identifies the group for further treatments.


A nonlinear control system that can track the natural frequency of a MEMS resonator was developed in this study. Due to the evolution of fatigue damage, the natural frequency of the resonator decreases. To maintain the device at resonance, a phase-locked loop system is used to track the frequency decay and adjust the driving force accordingly. A model for the control system is introduced and the system behavior is analyzed using an averaging method. A quantitative criterion for selecting the control gain to achieve stability is derived from the analysis. Simulation results are shown to be in good agreement with the prediction of the theoretical analysis.


Optimization of the manufacturing conditions with more than one performance characteristics have been a thing of concern, especially for Response Surface Method (RSM) optimization. Hence, this study addressed this challenge by reanalyzing a data presented in a previous study using grey relational analysis (GRA) and regression analysis. Central Composite Design (CCD) of RSM with high and low values of manufacturing conditions; voltage (50, 70) V, current (8, 16) A, pulse ON time (6, 10) μs, and pulse OFF time (7, 11) μs. The manufacturing conditions for optimal biomedical Ti-13Zr-13Nb alloy were obtained to be 50V voltage, 8A current, 6 μs pulse ON time, and 11 μs pulse OFF time. It was also revealed that the mathematical model was very efficient because the modeled GRG was in consonant with the experimental one. In addition, it was also established that current was the most significant manufacturing condition with a contribution of 47.27%. Voltage, factors interactions and residual error were insignificant on the GRG value of the titanium alloy. In conclusion, it can be deduced that the a small value of voltage within the considered settings could be used to manufacture better grade Ti-13Zr-13Nb alloy and also the small value of residual error showed the high manufacturability of the material.


A diverse 5000-compound library was synthesized from commercially available diamines and screened for activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis in vitro, revealing 143 hits with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) equal to or less than 12.5 microM. New prospective scaffolds with antitubercular activity derived from homo-piperazine, phenyl- and benzyl-substituted piperazines, 4-aminomethylpiperidine, 4-aminophenylethylamine, and 4,4'-methylenebiscyclohexylamine were identified. Compound SQ775 derived from homopiperazine and compound SQ786 derived from benzylpiperazine had potent antimicrobial activity against M. tuberculosis in experimental animals in vivo.


Background: As China's porcelain capital, Jingdezhen has had a glorious history of producing ceramics for thousands of years. Nevertheless, the private ceramics sector industry is going through a development bottleneck nowadays. This research aims to utilize service design tools to co-create values with local ceramic practitioners, to improve marketing of ceramics and enhance user`s purchase experiences. Methodology: 1) Devised Likert's 7-point scale by open-ended interview approach to clarify the existing problems to collect quantitative data. 2) Analyzed the collected data by one-way ANOVA to identify the different opinions of 87 interviewed subjects. 3) Employed co-creation method and service design tools to design the online-offline service system. Findings: 1) Through qualitative and quantitative methods identified the target researched group was the young group (age range from 20 to 30). Their insights used to co-create and design an online-offline marketing system in four steps why, what, who and how. 2) Utilizing service design tools to clarify the service contents, main stakeholders, marketing models, touchpoints and how they are connected and interacting. Finally, designing an application to facilitate online purchase to improve user experience.


The integration of electric vehicles (EVs) in the power system is a challenging issue for the power system and network operators. The paper uses several Unit Commitments (UC) models which incorporate high levels of wind power production, applying different methods to tackle the renewables' uncertainty. The selected power system is IEEE RTS 96. The UC models are further extended to integrate the EVs. Our focus is to assess the EVs impact on the total operating cost and the power grid adequacy to handle the extra load, by examining different charging profiles and penetration levels of EVs with the different UC models. Simulation results show that an optimized charging strategy is considerably more efficient than the random charging strategy, both in the total operating cost and the ability to integrate more EVs. The comparison between the UC models show that the most robust UC model leads to higher total operating cost, due to its more conservative methodology to tackle the stochastic nature of wind. There exists a non-linear trade-off between power system robustness and the total operating cost, depending on each power system characteristics, affecting also the penetration level of EVs.


Using the uniform Lyapunov exponents for a compact hyperbolic set, the author gives an upper bound for the Hausdorff dimension of the compact hyperbolic set, provided the diffeomorphism satisfies pinching condition. This improves previous results.


We assess the impact of the United Kingdom's 2016 decision to leave the European Union on the Council of the European Union, where Brexit is likely to have the clearest observable implications. Using concepts and models from the spatial model of politics and network analysis, we formulate and test expectations regarding the effects of Brexit. We examine two of the most prominent datasets on recent decision-making in the European Union, which include data on cooperation networks among member states before and after the 2016 referendum. Our findings identify some of the political challenges that Brexit will bring, but also highlight the factors that are already helping the European Union's remaining member states to adapt to Brexit.


Monitoring of investment projects is carried out not only in the process of its implementation, but also during the period of their financing. The importance of pre-project monitoring is that it is better and more important than monitoring during project financing. As a result, it will allow investors to better meet their project implementation goals. Pre-project monitoring will include:

Searching for investment concepts;
initial project preparation;
Final formation of the project and its feasibility study;
Permanent review of the project and making decisions on it.

Going through these stages will ensure investment. In order to create such a situation, all aspects of the implementation of the investment idea must be carefully prepared and a business plan (investment project) developed accordingly. Such a project is in the best interest of potential investors, which means that the results of the research have yielded the desired results. A useful calculation of the results and analysis will allow you to make a decision (step by step) on choosing the best option (scheme) for project implementation and financing. The benefits of this phase approach are evident in demonstrating and increasing the cost of project preparation. This phase also enables the identification and selection of the most promising and effective projects, which will ensure the timely detection and rejection of unsuccessful projects and the prevention of large-scale wastage. This sort of projects is always important. Finding and selecting business ideas appropriate to investing is an important starting point for investing activities. This can eventually become the basis for mobilizing investment funds. For this purpose the initial preparation of the project must be carefully done. The task of the initial project preparation phase is to develop a suitable business plan for an investment project, that is, to address a common issue for any commercial activity. The mission of such a business plan is based on finding answers to two key questions:

How interesting is the concept of an investment project and is it logical to continue to work on it and to prepare valid data to evaluate the feasibility and financial viability of the project?
Are there any research and conceptual aspects that are important to the future success of this investment project?

At the final stage of the project's development and evaluation of its technical and economic and financial advantages, the feasibility study and analysis of the project should provide an alternate consideration of options and problems related to all aspects of the investment. Preparation of all types of information for final decision making is the core content of the final stage of the project and a thorough assessment of the financial advantage of the project. This step should only be possible if the required financial resources are sufficiently secure. The final and next step is the final review of the project and the final decision on the feasibility of financing the project, which provides for the evaluation that is the basis for the decision-making process of the project.


6-min walk distance (6MWD) has recently been shown to be associated with the risk of mortality in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF); however, the independent contribution of 6MWD to the prediction of mortality risk has not been evaluated in a large, well-defined population of patients with IPF. A Cox proportional hazards model was used to characterise the relationship between risk factors of interest and all-cause mortality in IPF patients who completed a week 24 study visit in a clinical trial evaluating interferon &ggr;-1b (n=748). Risk factors of interest included the independent predictors of mortality in the previously published clinical prediction model together with 6MWD and 24-week change in 6MWD. Baseline 6MWD <250 m was associated with a two-fold increase in the risk of mortality (hazard ratio 2.12, 95% CI 1.15–3.92) and a 24-week decline in 6MWD >50 m was associated with a nearly three-fold increase in mortality risk (hazard ratio 2.73; 95% CI 1.60–4.66). Inclusion of 6MWD data improved model discrimination compared with the original model (C-statistic 0.80 (95% CI 0.76–0.85) versus 0.75 (0.71–0.79)). Both 6MWD and change in 6MWD are independent predictors of mortality in patients with IPF. The addition of 6MWD to the clinical prediction model improves model discrimination compared with the original model. 6MWD indices independently predict mortality in IPF and improve performance of previous clinical prediction model http://ow.ly/tDdmP


Vibration signals are a widely used technique for machine monitoring and fault diagnostics. However, it is necessary to select a suitable pattern that represents the condition of the machine. Wavelet Packet Transform (WPT) provides a high potential for pattern extraction. Several factors must be selected and taken into account in the wavelet transform application such as the level of decomposition, the suitable mother wavelet, and which frequency bands (obtained from the decomposition process) contain the necessary information for the diagnosis system. The selection of the parameters commented above is a complex task that depends on many factors. Most of the works found in the literature select these factors based on experience, graphical methods, or trial and error methods. In this work, a method based on the relative wavelet energy is developed in order to automatically select the parameter defined by the WPT. The selection allows for the efficient extraction of the most suitable patterns for a later classification and fault detection process. In order to prove the soundness of the method proposed, a Jeffcott rotor model with four crack levels will be developed, and the vibratory signals provided by this model will be used for the monitoring condition.


Aiming at the problems of accurate and fast hand gesture detection and teleoperation mapping in the hand-based visual teleoperation of dexterous robots, an efficient hand gesture detection framework based on deep learning is proposed in this article. It can achieve an accurate and fast hand gesture detection and teleoperation of dexterous robots based on an anchor-free network architecture by using an RGB-D camera. First, an RGB-D early-fusion method based on the HSV space is proposed, effectively reducing background interference and enhancing hand information. Second, a hand gesture classification network (HandClasNet) is proposed to realize hand detection and localization by detecting the center and corner points of hands, and a HandClasNet is proposed to realize gesture recognition by using a parallel EfficientNet structure. Then, a dexterous robot hand-arm teleoperation system based on the hand gesture detection framework is designed to realize the hand-based teleoperation of a dexterous robot. Our method achieves high accuracy with fast speed on public and custom hand datasets and outperforms some state-of-the-art methods. In addition, the application of the proposed method in the hand-based teleoperation system can control the grasping of various objects by a dexterous hand-arm system in real time and accurately, which verifies the efficiency of our method.


Long, multicentre π-dimers of radical ions are weakly bound and can only be observed in solution at low temperature. However, recent supramolecular approaches induce the extra stabilisation required to preserve them at room temperature, by different means depending on the approach. In particular, π-[TTF]22+ dimers (TTF = tetrathiafulvalene) were detected upon oxidation of a TTF-based calix[4]arene in acetonitrile solution at room temperature, manifesting intramolecular [R-TTF]˙+[R-TTF]˙+ interactions (Chem. Commun. 2006, 2, 2233). In this work, the reasons behind the remarkable formation of these π-dimers in the calix[4]arene, [calix], molecule are unravelled by means of DFT calculations. We first demonstrate that the properties of the π-[R-TTF]22+ dimers are preserved in the [calix]2+. Most importantly, our results show that the π-dimerised and non-dimerised forms of the [calix]2+ are isoenergetic at room temperature, and that the activation energy for this process is ca. 9.5 kcal mol-1. Hence, both forms coexist in equilibrium at 298 K, as the intramolecular nature of the interaction ensures a high reaction rate. The role of the Na+ cation in preventing the π-[R-TTF]22+ dimerisation of the [calix]2+ receptor is also examined, unveiling that this effect is mostly due to the electrostatic repulsion induced by the cation. Finally, we provide a revision on room-temperature stable supramolecular long, multicentre π-dimers of radical ions, a class of systems with great potential as molecular switches.


Tourism is an economic activity of importance to national and state level development. The changing era and dimensions of tourism in Gujarat State has shown a significant bearing in the overall development of economy. Since post globalization period numbers of tourist visited to India have a multiplier effect, which in turn has resulted in increasing trend of foreign exchange earnings. Gujarat is being recognized as one of the most diverse state in India. The state is being recognized as one of the most advanced state in terms of industrial development, and also for fetching maximum tourist. The directors level and managerial level in the tourism industry have shown a tremendous information and the industry opened its gates for new projects and new ideas. The present study is an attempt to derive a significant relation and the bearing of tourism industry with the macroeconomic determinants of the state. The study is a blend of descriptive and analytical study and has used secondary data from various published resources. The economy of a state is being driven by the growth in various segments of industry and infrastructural scenario. The Gujarat state is being recognized as a tourist hub in recent times and has enormously supported, significantly contributed in sustainability of state.


After the NREN (National Research and Education Network) and the Nil (National Information Infrastructure) in U. S. are introduced, this work highlights, from the identified sources, the recent networking activities in America, Europe, Africa, and the Asian-Pacific region. It reports the current expansion of Internet connections in these continents. It then summarizes many concerns and solutions regarding to the development of the Nil and the Gil. Because of the rapid networking development, the swift expansion of Internet connections in many countries, and the feasible solutions recommended to solve many challenging issues, the work concludes that the Gil concept is being implemented and the new information age is dawn on the earth. The article is a slight revision of the paper presented at the 62nd International Federation of Library Associations hedl in Beijing on August 23-31, 1996.


Summary

1. Filamentous green algae (FGA) may represent an alternative state in high-nutrient shallow temperate lakes. Furthermore, a clear water state is sometimes associated with the dominance of FGA; however, the mechanisms involved remain uncertain.

2. We hypothesised that FGA may promote a clear water state by directly suppressing phytoplankton growth, mostly via the release of allelochemicals, and that this interaction may be affected by temperature.

3. We examined the relationships between FGA, phytoplanktonic chlorophyll a concentrations and zooplankton in a series of mesocosms (2.8 m3) mimicking enriched shallow ponds now and in a future warmer climate (0 and c. 5 °C above ambient temperatures). We then tested the potential allelopathic effects of FGA (Cladophora sp. and Spirogyra sp.) on phytoplankton using several short-term microcosms and laboratory experiments.

4. Mesocosms with FGA evidenced lower phytoplanktonic chlorophyll a concentrations than those without. Zooplankton and zooplankton : phytoplankton biomass ratios did not differ between mesocosms with and without FGA, suggesting that grazing was not responsible for the negative effects on phytoplanktonic biomass (chlorophyll a).

5. Our field microcosm experiments demonstrated that FGA strongly suppressed the growth of natural phytoplankton at non-limiting nutrient conditions and regardless of phytoplankton initial concentrations or micronutrients addition. Furthermore, we found that the negative effect of FGA on phytoplankton growth increased up to 49% under high incubation temperatures. The experiment performed using FGA filtrates confirmed that the inhibitory effect of FGA on phytoplankton may be attributed to allelochemicals.

6. Our results suggest that FGA control of phytoplankton growth may be an important mechanism for stabilising clear water in shallow temperate lakes dominated by FGA and that FGA may play a larger role when lakes get warmer.


In the first two years of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program almost 100,000 student loan borrowers have applied, and the Department of Education's contractor has denied roughly 99,000 of those applications. The administration blames Congress for an unduly complex program design, and borrowers for applying without understanding the eligibility rules. Given that PSLF has only four basic eligibility tests, and that applicants are college graduates who can presumably read and count, this narrative seems implausible to explain a 99% denial rate. Evidence from oversight agency reports, state attorney general and class action lawsuits, and thousands of borrower complaints logged by the CFPB tell a different story, a story of agency failure to implement and oversee the program, and of widespread contractor errors and misrepresentations. Until Congress, the Department or an independent agency (such as the CFPB) does a comprehensive audit of the program it is impossible to know the rate of erroneous denials or discharge failures caused by servicer misrepresentations and bad practices. Proper implementation of PSLF will require a combination of contract oversight and design, regulatory, and legislative fixes. In particular, USED must adequately compensate its servicer, relax its unduly strict on-time payment rule, make better use of technology and data sharing with the I.R.S. to confirm eligible public service employment, and offer borrowers effective audit and appeal rights to review servicer errors. Congress should allow all borrower payments under all payment plans on all types of Federal loans to count.


One of the most important tasks in traffic safety is investigating the relationship between motor vehicle crashes and the geometric characteristics of roadways. A large body of previous work provides meaningful results on the impact of geometric design on crash frequency. However, little attention has been paid to the relationship between roadway departure crashes and relevant roadside features such as lateral clearance, side slope condition, and driveway density. The lack of roadside data for use in estimating rigorous statistical models has been a major obstacle to roadside safety research for many years. This study investigated the relationship between single-vehicle roadway departure crashes and roadside features. Two types of models were developed: a negative binomial model of crash frequency and a multinomial logit model of crash severity. The study used field data collected in four districts in Texas. The results showed that shoulder width, lateral clearance, and side slope condition had a significant effect on roadway departure crashes. Crash frequency and severity increased when lateral clearance or shoulder width decreased and when the side slope condition became worse. Driveway density was not found to have a significant influence on crash frequency or severity.


Proceedings: AACR 102nd Annual Meeting 2011‐‐ Apr 2‐6, 2011; Orlando, FL

The Unfolded Protein Response (UPR) is a coordinated cellular homeostatic program initiated by the accumulation of unfolded or misfolded proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) lumen, with the ultimate fate of the cell depending on both the intensity and persistence of the stress. We have previously shown that tumor cell survival under hypoxic stress is dependent on the UPR kinase PERK, as the growth of PERK-null tumors is significantly inhibited in vivo. The transcription factor c-Myc, the target of chromosomal translocation and gene amplification during the development of many human cancers, upregulates genes involved in ribosome biogenesis and increases the rate of protein synthesis, therefore, we hypothesized the UPR is activated by c-Myc overexpression. Using in vitro and in vivo models of c-Myc expression, we demonstrate that c-Myc activates PERK-dependent phosphorylation of eIF2α and upregulates the downstream effectors, ATF4 and XBP1s. UPR activation contributes to cell survival during c-Myc induced transformation via the induction of autophagy, as measured by LC3 processing and p62 degradation. Inhibition of PERK dramatically reduces c-Myc induced transformation and tumor growth in nude mice. We are currently developing a lymphoma mouse model to test the strategy of PERK inhibition orthotopically. We have established a role for c-Myc in the cellular response to ER-stress and our results highlight a role for PERK inhibition in the treatment of malignancies characterized by c-Myc overexpression, such as lymphomas.

Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2078. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-2078


Compressed sensing (CS) based impulse radio ultra-wideband (IR-UWB) receiver has attracted much attention in recent years. This paper presents an architectural analysis of the CS-based IR-UWB receiver with focuses on investigating the random noise processes in the CS measurement procedure. We find that different noise sources (sky noise or amplifier noise) and different receiver architectures (parallel or serial) will results in different noise situation (correlated or uncorrelated) in the CS measurement procedure. Bit error rate (BER) simulation for a communication system and time-of-arrival (TOA) estimation for a ranging system in additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) channel as well as IEEE 802.15.4a CM1 channel are performed. It shows that CS-based signal detection in uncorrelated noise situation outperforms the correlated noise situation. This noise driven architectural analysis can be used as a design guideline for the CS-based IR-UWB receiver regarding different application scenarios.


Many local vegetable materials are under-exploited because of inadequate scientific knowledge of their nutritional potentials. For this reason, the nutritional, phytochemical, antioxidant and antibacterial activities of the acetone, methanol and water extracts of the leaves of Sonchus asper and Sonchus oleraceus were investigated. The proximate analysis showed that the plants contained appreciable percentage of moisture content, ash content, crude protein, crude lipid, crude fibre and carbohydrate. The plants are also rich in minerals, flavonoids, flavonols, proanthocyanidins, total phenols and low levels of saponins, phytate and alkaloids. The extracts of the 2 plants also showed strong antioxidant antibacterial properties.


Residues responsible for allostery, cooperativity, and other subtle but functionally important interactions remain difficult to detect. To aid such detection, we employ statistical inference based on the assumption that residues distinguishing a protein subgroup from evolutionarily divergent subgroups often constitute an interacting functional network. We identify such networks with the aid of two measures of statistical significance. One measure aids identification of divergent subgroups based on distinguishing residue patterns. For each subgroup, a second measure identifies structural interactions involving pattern residues. Such interactions are derived either from atomic coordinates or from Direct Coupling Analysis scores, used as surrogates for structural distances. Applying this approach to N-acetyltransferases, P-loop GTPases, RNA helicases, synaptojanin-superfamily phosphatases and nucleases, and thymine/uracil DNA glycosylases yielded results congruent with biochemical understanding of these proteins, and also revealed striking sequence-structural features overlooked by other methods. These and similar analyses can aid the design of drugs targeting allosteric sites.


The majority of research examining gender differences in alcohol impairment has found greater impairment in women. However, some studies report greater responsivity in men, particularly in situations involving competing response tendencies (e.g., inhibitory control and aggression tasks), suggesting that response conflict could account for these contradictory findings. Drawing on data from previous experiments conducted in our laboratory, the current study examined this hypothesis by comparing the alcohol sensitivity of gender groups on a broad range of behavioral tasks. Tasks were categorized as high or low conflict based on whether tasks involved competing response tendencies. Results showed that women displayed greater impairment from alcohol than men on low conflict tasks, and men were more impaired than women on high conflict tasks. These findings suggest that response conflict might play an important role in the occasional and contradictory observations in which men demonstrate more intense behavioral reactions to alcohol than women.


Terrestrial ecosystem models used for Earth system modelling show a significant divergence in future patterns of ecosystem processes, in particular the net land–atmosphere carbon exchanges, despite a seemingly common behaviour for the contemporary period. An in-depth evaluation of these models is hence of high importance to better understand the reasons for this disagreement. Here, we develop an extension for existing benchmarking systems by making use of the complementary information contained in the observational records of atmospheric CO 2 and remotely sensed vegetation activity to provide a novel set of diagnostics of ecosystem responses to climate variability in the last 30 yr at different temporal and spatial scales. The selection of observational characteristics (traits) specifically considers the robustness of information given that the uncertainty of both data and evaluation methodology is largely unknown or difficult to quantify. Based on these considerations, we introduce a baseline benchmark – a minimum test that any model has to pass – to provide a more objective, quantitative evaluation framework. The benchmarking strategy can be used for any land surface model, either driven by observed meteorology or coupled to a climate model. We apply this framework to evaluate the offline version of the MPI Earth System Model's land surface scheme JSBACH. We demonstrate that the complementary use of atmospheric CO 2 and satellite-based vegetation activity data allows pinpointing of specific model deficiencies that would not be possible by the sole use of atmospheric CO 2 observations.


This article focuses on the hierarchical structure of users of a synthetic progestin, Homodeor and its effects on the construction of a pharmacovigilance plan by a French health agency, at a time when an institutional desire is being expressed to work more closely with all patient associations. This case study is mainly on a qualitative survey led by interviewing agents, health professionals and user representatives, which aimed to explore the relationships and representations developed around this issue. Despite the diversity of progestin use, a hierarchy between the different user groups was gradually established. The pharmacovigilance measures were designed for a specific group of patients, presented as the ideal users of the drug. The case of Homodeor makes it possible to highlight the dynamics of competition between groups of patients, and more broadly, the challenges of taking minority groups into account in health policies in the light of their development context.


Discourse ethics and the liberal political culture reciprocally presuppose each other as laws need to be legitimized through discourse in a democracy. Habermas' discourse ethics attempts to provide a practical solution to the problems of the legitimation of normative claims in pluralistc societies. It does this by understanding deliberative democracy as being situated within the life-world of its participants. through which the consensus of validity claims can be carried out. This understanding of the role of discourse ethics will be applied to the situation in Indonesia and the Philippines.


The mycotaxa belonging to Erysiphales reported from Nepal since 1966, are revised based on 20 published papers. The recent moleculer and phyllogenetic analysis have done several changes in the nomenclature of several powdery mildew species reported earlier from Nepal.  Some were erroneously reported, while some species have undergone synonyms. Near about eighteen species of Oidium (anamorphic: imperfect stage) reported earlier still need collections, examination and study are not incorporated here. The present checklist provides corrections to misidentified species with their current (authentic) or valid names and some additons have been made based on publications. The list also records three endemic species. So, the revision includes 13 genera and 53 species parasitic on 76 flowering plants gathered from different areas of Nepalese Himalayan belt.


This article contributes to the on-going study of modern affective life by exploring the ways in which love was understood, invoked, and deployed within heterosexual courtships. 'Love' itself is approached as a highly mutable and flexible concept whose meanings and uses are contingent upon historical moment, gender, status, and generation. Whilst the article does not claim to offer a comprehensive history of love across the central years of the twentieth century, it suggests that some of the everyday meanings and uses of that emotion can be illuminated through consideration of this particular aspect of social life. Rather than placing discursive constructions centre stage, the article uses life history material to effect an analysis embedded in everyday practices. Courtship itself is understood as a transitional stage between youth and adulthood: a life stage during which the meanings and uses of 'love' were implicitly or explicitly confronted, where gender relationships were potentially unstable, and where aspiration and desire could conflict in the making of the self. Courtship therefore constituted an important rite of passage which could provide an opportunity to perform, reject, and refine new roles and responsibilities, whilst negotiating future status and identity. The article explores the power dynamics which underlined romantic encounters, but argues that through their everyday practice young women exercised real, if bounded, agency within this sphere of social life.


Assessing perceptual quality of musical audio signals usually requires a clean reference signal of unaltered content, hindering applications where a reference is unavailable such as for music generation. We propose training a generative adversarial network on a music library, and using its discriminator as a measure of the perceived quality of music. This method is unsupervised, needs no access to degraded material and can be tuned for various domains of music. Finally, the method is shown to have a statistically significant correlation with human ratings of music.


In this paper, a new evolving model with tunable attractiveness is presented. Based on the Barabasi–Albert (BA) model, we introduce the attractiveness of node which can change with node degree. Using the mean-field theory, we obtain the analytical expression of power-law degree distribution with the exponent γ (3, ∞). The new model is more homogeneous and has a lower clustering coefficient and bigger average path length than the BA model.


Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of Wrocław pl. M. Borna 9, 50-204 Wrocław, Poland Center for Exploration of Energy and Matter, Indiana University 2401 N. Milo B. Sampson Lane Bloomington, IN 47408, USA Department of Physics, Indiana University 727 E. Third St., Swain Hall West, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA Department of Physics, University of Basel, Klingelbergstr. 82, 4056 Basel, Switzerland Bogoliubov Laboratory for Theoretical Physics, JINR Dubna, 141980 Dubna, Russia


Biochemical processing involving enzymatic catalysis of hydrolysis reactions of oils and fats must overcome significant technological barriers before the full benefits of the technology can be realized. Owing to their selectivity and mild reaction conditions, lipases are becoming increasingly important as biocatalysts provided that their kinetics and optimum reaction conditions are well-understood. In this study we report on the development and validation of a kinetic model for the degradation of oils using Candida rugosa lipase, from which a better understanding of the influence of different reaction conditions on hydrolysis kinetics is elucidated. Variations of reaction temperature, mixing speed, enzyme loading and substrate concentrations yielded a maximum lipase activity of 25.67 lipase units (LU), and an activation energy of 4.32 Kcal/gmol. Significantly higher enzyme loading at 0.7 mg/ml was achieved, a 169% increase over most recently reported loading by other investigators. Optimum operating ranges for medium pH and substrate concentration were established to be 7.5 to 8.5, and 30 to 55%, respectively. Reported findings mark a significant improvements over previously reported much narrower ranges of 8.0 for pH and 30 to 43% for the substrate concentration under similar experimental conditions. Developed kinetics model closely predicted and matched experimental results, rendering it suitable for biochemical engineering design application.


This report is one in a series of digital maps, data files, and reports generated by the US Geological Survey to provide geologic process and mineral resource information for the Interior Columbia Basin Ecosystem Management Project (ICBEMP), a US Forst Service and Bureau of Land Management interagency project. The various digital maps and data files which were provided by the USGS, and which are available in this and other reports, are being used in a GIS-based ecosystem assessment which includes a comprehensive analysis of past, present, and future ecosystem conditions within the general area of the Columbia River Basin east of the Cascade Mountains.


Unchecked redevelopments are destroying our unique multi-cultural heritage. The subsistence of this built heritage is threatened by demolition, unsympathetic changes and rapid redevelopment pace. Escalating market value increasingly replaces these buildings with newer and higher density structures. Most often, the decisions pertaining to traditional shophouse redevelopment are based on guidelines inherited from the monocultural British system, whose perspectives narrowly represent the multi-cultural society in Malaysia. On top of that, involvement of direct stakeholders, namely owners and tenants, are minimal in the decision process. This paper is part of an ongoing research to provide an objective evaluation for traditional shophouse redevelopment, incorporating multiple stakeholders' preferences. It focuses on explming conflicts and values of the stakeholders using Multiple Criteria Analysis, or MCA technique. Using a common MCA technique, the Analytical Hierarchy Process, or ARP, stakeholders' preferences on a set of criteria for redevelopment decision are derived and compared. It is found that stakeholders' preferences are dissimilar even within their homogenous groups. This study contributes to discovering the potential of MCA to increase transparency in redevelopment decisions involving built heritage and multiple stakeholders.


Mobile robot-assisted book inventory such as book identification and book order detection has become increasingly popular in smart library, replacing the manual book inventory which is time-consuming and error-prone. The existing systems are either computer vision (CV)-based or RFID-based, however several limitations are inevitable. CV-based systems may not be able to identify books effectively due to low accuracy of detecting texts on book spine. RFID tags attached to books can be used to identify a book uniquely. However, in high tag density scenarios such as library, tag coupling effects of adjacent tags may seriously affect the accuracy of tag reading. To overcome these limitations, this paper presents a novel RFID and CV fusion system for Book Inventory using mobile robot (RC-BI). RFID and CV are first used individually to obtain book order, then the information will be fused by the sequence based matching algorithm to remove ambiguity and improve overall accuracy. Specifically, we address three technical challenges. We design a deep neural network (DNN) model with multiple inputs and mixed data to filter out interference of RFID tags on other tiers, and propose a video information extracting schema to extract book spine information accurately, and use strong link to align and match RFID- and CV-based timestamp vs. book-name sequences to avoid errors during fusion. Extensive experiments indicate that our system achieves an average accuracy of 98.4% for tier filtering and an average accuracy of 98.9% for book order, significantly outperforming the state-of-the-arts.


Abstract. Glaciers worldwide are shrinking at an accelerated rate as the climate changes in response to anthropogenic influence. While increasing air temperature is the main factor behind glacier mass and volume loss, variable patterns of precipitation distribution also play a role, though these are not as well understood. Furthermore, while the response of surface glaciers (from large polar ice sheets to small alpine glaciers) to climatic changes is well documented and continuously monitored, little to nothing is known about how cave glaciers (perennial ice accumulations in rock-hosted caves) react to atmospheric warming. In this context, we present here the response of cave and surface glaciers in SE Europe to the extreme precipitation events occurring between May and July 2019 in SE Europe. Surface glaciers in the northern Balkan Peninsula lost between 17 % and 19 % of their total area, while cave glaciers in Croatia, Greece, Romania and Slovenia lost ice at levels higher than any recorded by instrumental observations during the past decades. The melting was likely the result of large amounts of warm water delivered directly to the surface of the glaciers, leading to rapid reduction in the area of surface glaciers and the thickness of cave glaciers. As climate models predict that such extreme precipitation events are set to increase in frequency and intensity, the presence of cave glaciers in SE Europe and the paleoclimatic information they host may be lost in the near future. Moreover, the same projected continuous warming and increase in precipitation extremes could pose an additional threat to the alpine glaciers in southern Europe, resulting in faster-than-predicted melting.


Most OECD countries' value-added tax (VAT) systems apply reduced VAT rates to a selection of expenditure items in order to achieve distributional goals, and – to a lesser extent – social, cultural and employment-related goals. This thesis investigates the distributional effects of the VAT in OECD countries, and the merits of using reduced VAT rates to achieve distributional goals. The research adopts a microsimulation modelling approach that draws on household expenditure microdata from household budget surveys for an unprecedented 27 OECD countries. A consistent microsimulation methodology is adopted to ensure cross-country comparability of results.  Non-behavioural VAT microsimulation models are first built to examine the overall distributional impact of the current VAT systems in each country. The research assesses the competing methodological approaches used in previous studies, highlighting the misleading effect of savings patterns on cross-sectional analysis when VAT burdens are measured relative to income. Measuring VAT burdens relative to expenditure – thereby removing the influence of savings – is found to provide a more reliable picture of the distributional impact of the VAT. On this basis, the VAT is found to be either roughly proportional or slightly progressive in most of the 27 OECD countries examined. Nevertheless, results for a small number of countries (Chile, Hungary, Latvia and New Zealand) highlight that broad-based VAT systems that have few reduced VAT rates or exemptions can produce a small degree of regressivity. Results also show that even a roughly proportional VAT can still have significant equity implications for the poor – potentially pushing some households into poverty.  Behavioural VAT microsimulation models are then built for 23 OECD countries to investigate whether reduced VAT rates are an effective way to support poorer households, and whether the use of targeted cash transfers would be more effective. The behavioural microsimulation methodology follows the Linear Expenditure System based approach of Creedy and Sleeman (2006). Complementing this approach, a Quadratic Almost Ideal Demand System (QUAIDS) is estimated specifically for New Zealand, thereby providing the first estimates of a QUAIDS model based on New Zealand data.   Simulation results show that, as a whole, the reduced VAT rates present in most OECD countries tend to have a small progressive impact. However, despite this progressivity, reduced VAT rates are shown to be a highly ineffective mechanism for targeting support to poorer households: not only do rich households benefit from reduced rates, but they benefit more in aggregate terms than poor households do. When looking at reduced VAT rates applied to specific products, results are found to vary considerably. Reduced VAT rates specifically introduced to support the poor (such as reduced rates on food consumed at home and domestic utilities) are generally found to have a progressive impact, though rich households still receive a larger aggregate benefit than poor households. In contrast, reduced VAT rates introduced to address non-distributional goals (such as reduced rates on restaurants, hotels, and cultural and social expenditure) often have a regressive impact.  Additional simulation results show that an income-tested cash transfer will better target support to poorer households than reduced VAT rates in all countries. Furthermore, even a universal cash transfer is found to better target poorer households than reduced VAT rates. However, results also show that it is very difficult for an income-tested cash transfer to fully compensate all poor households for the removal of reduced VAT rates. This is due to the significant variation in the underlying consumption patterns across households. While a small number of poor households lose out from replacing reduced VAT rates with targeted cash transfers, those that receive support are instead determined by income and family characteristics as opposed to consumption tastes – thereby increasing horizontal equity. Furthermore, many households are lifted out of poverty as revenue previously transferred to richer households is now transferred to poorer households.   These results empirically confirm the theoretical expectation that, where available, direct mechanisms (whether via the income tax or benefit system) will better achieve distributional goals than reduced VAT rates. Countries that currently employ reduced VAT rates to achieve distributional goals should therefore consider removing these reduced rates and adjusting their income tax or benefit systems to achieve these distributional goals instead. Countries should also consider removing reduced VAT rates aimed at non-distributional goals where a more effective instrument is available to achieve the particular policy goal. At a minimum, the merits of these reduced VAT rates should be reassessed in light of their negative distributional impact.