— A checklist of the vascular flora of the upper Walker River is presented. Listed are 1078 taxa from this 4000 km^ area. The upper Walker River encompasses a portion of the boundary between the Intermountain and Sierra Nevada floristic regions, and hence displays much floristic diversity within a relatively small area. Due to its location along the east slope of the Sierra Nevada, the Walker River drainage is unique in that it contains much elevational variation eastward into the Intermountain Region. This elevational extension is due to the presence of large mountain ranges including the Sweetwater Mountains, the Bodie Hills, and the Wassuk Range. As a result of this elevational variation, there is much overlapping of the two floristic regions. Additionally, the easternmost exposures of the Sierran granodiorites occur within the Walker River basin and may enhance the eastward migration of Sierran plants. The 90 percent floristic similarity (Sorenson's) between the Sweetwater Mountains, lying to the east of the Sierra, and the east slope of the Sierra Nevada (within the Walker River drainage) indicates the Sweetwaters to be more affiliated with the Sierran flora instead of the Intermountain flora. The upper Walker River drainage includes an area of approximately 4000 km 2, located at the north end of Mono Coimty, California, the southern ends of Douglas and Lyon counties, Nevada, and the western edge of Mineral County, Nevada. The western boundary of this drainage generally follows the crest of the Sierra Nevada from the Conway SummitVirginia Lakes area, northward to the Topaz Lake-Monitor Pass area. The eastern boundary is delimited by the Bodie, Masonic, and Pine Grove hills and the southwest slopes of the Pine Nut Range. The Sweetwater Moimtains and the Wellington hills lie between these hills and the Sierra Nevada. East slope Sierran vegetation present here has been generally described by Billings (1951) and Rundel et al. (1977). The area is dominated by mixed conifer forests composed of Pinus jeffreyi and Abies concolor at the low elevations, and Abies magnifica, Tsuga mertensiana, Pinus monticola, and P. albicaulis at the higher elevations. The alpine vegetation of the Sierra is uniquely adapted for extreme svmimer drought (Chabot and Billings 1972). To the east of the Sierra, Intermountain vegetation (high elevation sagebrush steppe situated above woodlands composed of Pinus monophylla and Juniperus osteosperma) predominates. This vegetation has also been briefly described by Billings (1951). The Sweetwater Mountains, situated between the Intermountain and Sierran floristic regions, display characteristics of both. The vascular flora of the upper Walker River is modestly represented in literature. Works such as Hinton (1975), Reveal (1968), Cox (1972), Reveal and Ertter (1980), Hardham and True (1972), Strother (1974), Munz (1968), Bameby (1964), Dempster and Ehrendorfer (1965), Halse (1981), and others cite specific collections made within this area. Davis (1979) compiled a plant list and keys to the plants occurring on the east central Sierra (Owens Lake to Lake Tahoe) and associated desert ranges. This work was based solely on distributions given in existing floras. Sharsmith (1940) includes the Walker River portion of the Sierra Nevada as the northernmost boundary of the Sierra alpine floristic region. This area includes Leavitt Peak south to Dunderberg Peak. Thome (1982) defines the upper Walker River basin as the northern boundary of the transmontane Californian floristic region. Major and Taylor (1977) conducted a vegetation study of the alpine zone of the Sweetwater Mountains. They list 43 species from the area. Taylor (1977) indicates a 40-50 'Department of Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada 89557. Present address: P.O. Box 13494, Reno, Nevada 89507.


Severe left ventricular dysfunction increases the surgical risk of aortic valve replacement on aortic valvular stenosis. Several risk factors of hospital mortality have been reported in heterogeneous series. The aim of this study was to identify mortality risk factors of aortic valve replacement in patients with severe aortic stenosis and severe left ventricular dysfunction. To avoid biases of associated diseases, our study has been focused on isolated aortic stenosis. 46 patients, with AS and severe left ventricular dysfunction who underwent AVR were enrolled in this retrospective study. The mean age was 59 ± 12.70 years. 69.6% of patients were in class III or IV NYHA. The mean left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was 32.3 ± 5.3%, and the mean EuroSCORE was 12.20 ± 8.70. The hospital mortality was 15.20%. The morbidity was marked mainly by low output syndrome in 30.4% of cases. A logistic regression in univariate analysis reveals functional class, renal failure, congestive heart failure and LVEF as factors related to the risk of hospital mortality. Multivariate logistic regression analysis found renal failure (OR = 11.94, CI [2.65 -72.22], p = 0.03) and congestive heart failure (OR = 25.33, CI [3 43 -194.74], p = 0.009) as independents risk of hospital mortality. The mean follow-up was 59.6 ± 21 months. Late mortality was 5%. Congestive heart failure and preoperative renal failure are the main independents hospital mortality's risk factors of aortic valve replacement in patients with severe aortic stenosis and severe left ventricular dysfunction. Late mortality might be inversely related to the LV recovery.


This paper contends that the ongoing economic reforms' are a political ideology to shore up support for the use of power of the ruling resident mm Indians (RNI). To understand an ideology one has to understand the power behind it. The existing power base is shifting from industrial x; financial capital As finance defines the power base, it promotes the ideology that makes financial capital respectable and desirable. The ruling RNI government knows well that these economic reforms define an ideology. Since they always had control of government, only minimal changes in the economy were needed. Hence, real functioning of the economy has not changed while its performance has become more depressing. A positive change will need a paradigm shift of ideas. Its underlying principle has to be integrative and not divisiveness.


This paper establishes an algebraic relation between two methods recently reported; normalized convolution and normalized differential convolution. These are general methods for filtering incomplete or uncertain data and are based on the separation of both data and operator into a signal part and a certainty part. General filtering can be performed without preprocessing input data with an interpolation step. The methods allow both data and operators to be scalars, vectors or tensors of higher order. Normalized differential convolution has been used in a wide range of applications. Examples are estimation of gradient estimation in irregularly sampled data, estimation of differential invariants in sparse image flow fields and image edge effect reduction. It was previously shown that normalized convolution produces a description of the neighbourhood which is optimal in a least square sense. The algebraic relation to normalized differential convolution presented in this paper proves that the latter method is also optimal in the same sense as well.<<ETX>>


Strong circumstantial evidence suggests that lightning has initiated methane explosions in abandoned and sealed areas of underground coalmines. The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) investigated several of these occurrences within recent years. The investigated explosions occurred at significant depths, ranging from 500 ft to 1200 ft. Data from the National Lightning Detection Network indicate a definite correlation between the times and locations of the explosions with those of specific lightning strikes. This paper addresses the question, "Can lightning cause potential differences capable of igniting methane-and-air mixtures at overburden depths at which underground coal mining occurs?" A mine depth of 600 ft was selected for this initial study. Computer simulations were performed, with and without the presence of a metal-cased borehole extending from the surface to the mine level. CDEGS/sup TM/ software from Safe Engineering Services & Technologies, Ltd (SES) was used for the simulations.


Essentially, philosophies of education in education and the education per se have a pragmatic significance in socio-political life of it subject. Philosophies of education are not solely appointed to provide theories or to set principles in education but also destined to advance practices following the realities and needs of life particularly in society – the common denominator of Philosophy of education is to train good citizen and human beings. It is to say that one of the essential features of philosophy of education is to keep education in track in the rapid pace of flux of time by being flexible, responsive, and sensitive to the various concern and issue of a particular status quo. Philosophy of education is understood as a critical view that goes as deep as its roots about everything that happens. 21st century is being characterized as the 'disinformation' or 'fake' news era due to the negative consequence of the social media and the environment where the learner's dwells, on the same manner ecological issue become a serious issue. Thus, 21st century education should attend to the progress and demand [concern] of the time. Pondering on a two prominent Philosophy of education viz. Perennialism and Progressivism, this article aims to find out and divulge an effective methodology and principle on education that cater a response to the demand of the status quo by breeding the above-mentioned philosophy of education. The breed of Philosophy of education will be called Perennial-Progressivism with acronym P2. These philosophies of education would not that be effective if it will be used in isolated instances – use a particular philosophy of education on a certain context due to contextual gap of the notions and the context. Likewise, there are shortcomings that a particular philosophy of education possesses which on the other hand is in the demand of the context. However, a combination or a mix breed of at least two philosophies of education that has been scrutinized and made it relevant to the needs and demand of the context would be an effective one given such considerations.


A 12-bit Vernier ring time-to-digital converter (TDC) with time resolution of 8 ps for digital-phase-locked-loops (DPLL) is presented. This novel Vernier ring TDC places the Vernier delay cells and arbiters in a ring format and reuses them for the measurement of the input time interval. The proposed TDC thus achieves large detectable range, fine time resolution, small die size and low power consumption simultaneously. A pre-logic unit is developed to measure both positive and negative phase errors for DPLL applications. The TDC achieves a large detectable range of 12 bits with core area of 0.75 × 0.35 mm2 in a 0.13 μm CMOS technology. The total power consumption for the entire TDC chip is only 7.5 mW with a 1.5 V power supply, while operating at a clock frequency of 15 MSPS.


The eastern Kansas sedimentary deposits of the Wood Siding Formation and the Onaga Shale are recognized as products of Late Pennsylvanian-Early Permian cyclic sedimentation. Reconstruction of depositional events associated with the units is important in understanding cyclic sedimentation in the Mid-Continent. In Kansas, the Wood Siding Formation-Onaga Shale outcrop belt trends nearly parallel to the Nemaha anticline in an approximately northeast-southwest direction. Detailed field studies of 26 stratigraphic sections (nine measured and described in detail) in the northeastern part of this belt provide the basis for interpretation of the depositional environments of the two formations. Results of this study indicate that variations in water depth/distance from shore, controlled by late Paleozoic structural features and eustatic sea level changes, were the major factors controlling sedimentation. On the basis of lithologic and paleontologic characteristics, four fifth-order transgressive-regressive (T-R) units, with periodicities of 300,000 to 500,000 years, have been identified within the Wood Siding Formation and the Onaga Shale. At least five sixth-order T-R units, with periodicities of 50,000 to 130,000 years or less, have also been identified within the two formations. The boundaries between sixth-order T-R units are represented by thin, laterally persistent marine units or by climate change surfaces. Paleogeographic reconstructions,more » based on the correlation of sixth-order T-R units, provide strong evidence for a northeast-southwest-trending shoreline during Wood Siding-Onaga time. The most marine sedimentary rocks are in the southern part of the study area and contain a diverse marine fossil assemblage. Channel facies with pyritized and coalified plant fossils are more common in the northern part of the outcrop belt and suggest marshy to swampy depositional conditions.« less


This paper presents an overview of theories concerning the development of RSI (repetitive strain injury), related to muscle disorders. Movement is a noisy process. The level of noise is affected by factors such as fatigue and psychosocial stress. In order for precision movements to be made in such situations, an increased level of muscle activity is required. Positive feedback loops through γ-motoneurones may be responsible for these increases in muscle activity. The Cinderella hypothesis suggests that damage may take place even when muscle activity is of low intensity, due to locally high levels of muscle load. An increase in calcium concentration in muscle cells during long periods of muscle activity may act as a mechanism of this damage. Optimisation of task demands and the prevention of continuous activation of the same groups of muscles appear to be effective measures in the prevention of RSI.


A challenge in land change science is to assess the causes and consequences of LULC change and associated pattern–process relations. Increasingly, land change organizations are examining land use at local to global scales for historical, contemporary and future periods through scenarios that assess population–environment interactions. Spatial analytical tools in GIScience are being used to link people and environment and to search for the distal and proximate factors that affect local to global land use patterns. Spatial simulation models that rely upon complexity theory as the framework and agent-based models as the analytical approach offer the capability to inform through experimentation about land issues important to science and society. Using a stylized landscape where a selected set of key social, geographical and ecological elements are spatially organized, we describe how land dynamics can be examined through agent-based models as educational tools that are useful in the classroom, boardroom and public forums.


Introduction. This study sought to discern the impact of test anxiety on English language learners' test performance. Method. Fifty female learners at intermediate and upper-intermediate levels of English were divided into two groups – Multiple-Choice (MC) and Error Identification (EI) – according to their scores in vocabulary tests given in the pre-treatment phase. A questionnaire was then administered to assess the level of anxiety brought about by these tests. During a 20-week period the EI group received lesson plans designed based on error-identification activities, while the MC group was offered instructions including multiple-choice items. After the treatment, the same tests and questionnaire were administered. Results and Discussion. The findings showed that the level of test anxiety was higher in the EI group compared with the MC group. The positive role of familiarization and the negative impact of debilitative anxiety were observed through this study. The findings of the current study can be transferred to other high-stake proficiency tests.


Balanced ternary number representation and arithmetic, based on the symmetric radix-3 digit set {−1, 0, +1}, has been studied at various times in the history of computing. Among established advantages of balanced ternary arithmetic are representational symmetry, favourable error characteristics and rounding by truncation. In this study, we show an additional advantage: that of lower-error truncated multiplication with the same relative cost reduction as in truncated binary multipliers.


SIR,-In the reports of the festivities to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the passing of the first Midwives Act and the birth of the Central Midwives Board, it is surprising to see so little reference to Sir Francis Champneys, who did so much to promote the Bill and was the first chairman of the Central Midwives Board from 1902 until his death in 1930. However great his part in promoting the Bill, and I understand from some of those who worked with him that his was the main driving force,behind it, it was his administrative ability, patience, firmness, and tact as chairman of the Central Midwives Board which made possible the implementation of the Act and the development of the great profession of midwives as we know it to-day. Prior to the passing of this Act, midwives, as a whole, were drawn from a poor social class, often quite illiterate, and their training was of the scantiest, while in many instances the handy woman without any training was in charge. The Act of 1902 forbade any woman to attend a confinement unless she was on the Register of the C.M.B., and laid down a period of resident training in a maternitv hospital and the passing of an examination for those who aspired to this.


BACKGROUND Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) can be induced by several factors. However, AMI induced by Kounis syndrome (an allergic reaction) is extremely rare and is highly susceptible to misdiagnosis. CASE SUMMARY A 70-year-old man presented after suffering an allergic reaction that caused chest pain triggered upon eating ice cream. Troponin I was found to be elevated, and an electrocardiogram showed ST-segment elevation. The diagnosis was AMI. He underwent two coronary angiographies, with one intravascular ultrasound during hospitalization showing no evidence of atherosclerotic coronary artery disease. The final diagnosis was vasospastic myocardial infarction due to Kounis syndrome. The patient was then treated with hydrocortisone and intravenous antihistamines, and his chest pain symptoms resolved. CONCLUSION Allergic reactions (such as Kounis syndrome) can cause serious damage to the heart. Physicians should be alert to the consequences and avoid misdiagnosis.


Peanuts are one of the most susceptible crops to aflatoxigenic fungi, such as Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus, and is often contaminated with aflatoxins (AFs). AF contamination of peanuts is a major human and animal health hazard that has an economic impact worldwide. Numerous control and management strategies have been developed to reduce the levels of AFs in peanuts and sorting is the final stage in the process targeted at decreasing AF levels. Previous studies have shown that handpicking and electric color sorting are not entirely effective in reducing AF levels because of the occurrence of apparently healthy but internally moldy kernels with high AF levels. A previous study (Hirano, et al. 1998) showed that near infrared (NIR), the ratio of transmittance energies at two wavelengths of 700 to 1100, was applicable for efficiently removing internally moldy kernels. However the use of this procedure was limited to a sample that contained artificially inoculated kernels and low levels of AFs. This present study evaluated the performance of spectrometric sorting in naturally and highly AF-contaminated peanut lots on a commercial scale. The NIR spectrometric sorting clearly showed that AFs could be effectively decreased to levels of < 10 µg/kg even when the lot was highly contaminated with > 700 µg/kg of AFs by rejecting deteriorated kennels, including those that were internally moldy.


42 patients with bronchial asthma underwent combined treatment according to 8 methods of classical Chinese medicine. Partial and complete immediate and long-term responses were achieved in 81% of the patients with asthma diagnosed by Chinese criteria as cold and mixed. Satisfactory results were recorded in 19% of hot bronchial asthma cases.


Activin stimulates expression of GnRH receptor (GnRHR) and FSH beta-subunit in gonadotropes. Inhibin antagonizes activin actions on the gonadotropes, but its molecular mechanism of action remains poorly understood. It has been suggested that inhibin exerts its antagonistic effects by competing with activin for the binding of the activin receptor complex. Betaglycan has recently been identified as an inhibin-binding accessory protein in this process. Because both inhibin and TGFbeta bind betaglycan, we examined whether TGFbeta can modify inhibin's antagonism of activin-induced transcription in gonadotrope cells. Two activin-responsive reporter constructs were used, the first containing 5.5 kb of the ovine FSHbeta promoter (oFSHbetaluc), and the second containing three copies of the activin-responsive sequence of the GnRHR promoter (3XGRAS-PRL-lux). These constructs were transfected into the gonadotrope cell line LbetaT2. The oFSHbetaluc and 3XGRAS-PRL-lux activities stimulated by 0.5 nM activin A were decreased by up to 50% in a dose-dependent manner by inhibin A. TGFbeta(1) and TGFbeta(2) (0-4 nM), alone or in the presence of activin A, did not significantly affect the promoter elements. However, with increasing doses of TGFbeta(1) or TGFbeta(2), inhibin A antagonism of activin A activity was partly or completely reversed. Competition studies with radiolabeled inhibin A showed that TGFbeta(1) and TGFbeta(2) competed with [(125)I]inhibin for the binding to LbetaT2 cells (IC(50) = 280 pM and 72 pM, respectively). Immunoprecipitation studies of [(125)I]inhibin A cross-linked receptor complexes confirmed that TGFbeta(1) and TGFbeta(2) competed with inhibin A for the binding of betaglycan. These results suggest that TGFbeta competition with inhibin for binding to betaglycan interferes with inhibin's suppression of activin-induced FSHbeta and GnRHR promoters in LbetaT2 cells. We propose that under certain circumstances, TGFbeta may facilitate activin biological activity by hindering the access of inhibin to its coreceptor betaglycan.


ABSTRACT Exercise modality, volume, intensity, as well as physical fitness and nutritional factors may modulate the immune response. The purpose of this investigation was to verify the effects of chronic oat bran su-pplementation on immune cells in trained rats submitted to an extenuating test. Wistar rats (two months old), +200g weight, divided into three groups (n = 9, per group) were used: 1) a sedentary control (C) 2) trained for eight weeks submitted to an exhaustion test (EX), and 3) trained for eight weeks submitted to an exhaustion test with 30% oat bran supplementation (EXA). Training consisted of 60 daily minutes of swimming, five days a week, during eight weeks. The analyses conducted were: total leukocytes, lym-phocytes from lymph nodes, peritoneal macrophages and peritoneal macrophages phagocytic capacity. Statistical analyses were done by the two-way ANOVA test, followed by Tukey's post hoc test (p ≤ 0.05). EX group presented leukocytosis when compared to control; however, EXA group did not. In exercised group, comparison with EXA has shown lower leukocytosis in relation to EX. No significant alteration was observed for tissue lymphocytes in any of the exercised groups. The number of peritoneal macrophages as well as phagocytic capacity of this cell was higher in exercised groups. In oat bran supplemented group the phagocytic capacity was higher as compared to exhaustion group without oat bran. Soluble fibers sup-plementation has shown benefic results with regard to immune alterations induced by exhaustive exercise, and increased peritoneal macrophages phagocytic capacity in rats trained for eight weeks submitted to an exhaustion test.Keywords: physical exercise, immune system, soluble fibers, phagocytic capacity.


Objective: CDw75 is an α(2,6)-sialylated antigen associated with a poor prognosis in gastric cancer. In the present study, we examined if CDw75 expression in colorectal cancer (CRC) predicts tumour recurrence.Besides, we evaluated CDw75 expression in different colorectal tissue specimens to clarify their role in tumour development and progression. Methods: We analyzed CDw75 expression in 34 specimens of healthy disease-free colorectal mucosa, 19 specimens of inflammatory colorectal mucosa, 73 colorectal adenomas, 35 specimens of healthy tissue and 101 specimens of tumoural tissue from CRC patients. Results: None of the healthy disease-free and inflammatory colorectal mucosa specimens showed the presence of the epitope. CDw75 was expressed in 26% of the colorectal adenomas. In healthy and tumoural tissue from CRC patients, CDw75 was detected in 22.9% and 82.2% of the specimens, respectively. CDw75 expression in tumoural tissue was correlated with growth pattern (p = 0.044), Dukes stage (p = 0.002), TNM stage (p = 0.020) and distant metastasis (p = 0.005). Survival analysis showed that CDw75 expression is not associated with tumour recurrence.Conclusion: CDw75 expression in CRC is not a prognostic factor for predicting disease-free survival. Nevertheless, CDw75 expression may be agood marker of tumour progressionand of the malignant potential of CRC.


In this paper, we describe the heat-capacity changes under heating as a process defined by phonon–vibrational exciton interactions. Following Davidov, we describe an α-helix as three noninteracting linear molecular crystals. Further development is achieved by solving the Boltzman's transport equation in the second quantization approximation for the quasi-particles: phonons and vibrational excitons. Heat capacity is defined in terms of the distribution function changes with temperature. We found out that heat absorption is realized through the transfer energy from the molecular vibrations to the internal vibrational degrees of freedom in the physiological temperature range. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.


Studies of dietary intake are based on the assumption that the methods used are valid and provide measures of habitual intake. It is only recently that data from whole-body calorimetry and doubly-labelled water studies of energy expenditure have yielded insights into the validity and interpretation of energy intake data. In this paper we review the evidence from these and other studies that have led to researchers' current level of understanding of how best to analyse and interpret reported energy intake data. We also discuss what we consider should be the focus of future research needed to refine experimental protocols and evaluate data.


We recently derived a CD4-independent virus from HIV-1/IIIB, termed IIIBx, which interacts directly with the chemokine receptor CXCR4 to infect cells. To address the underlying mechanism, a cloned Env from the IIIBx swarm (8x) was used to produce soluble gp120. 8x gp120 bound directly to cells expressing only CXCR4, whereas binding of IIIB gp120 required soluble CD4. Using an optical biosensor, we found that CD4-induced (CD4i) epitopes recognized by mAbs 17b and 48d were more exposed on 8x than on IIIB gp120. The ability of 8x gp120 to bind directly to CXCR4 and to react with mAbs 17b and 48d in the absence of CD4 indicated that this gp120 exists in a partially triggered but stable state in which the conserved coreceptor-binding site in gp120, which overlaps with the 17b epitope, is exposed. Substitution of the 8x V3 loop with that from the R5 virus strain BaL resulted in an Env (8x-V3BaL) that mediated CD4-independent CCR5-dependent virus infection and a gp120 that bound to CCR5 in the absence of CD4. Thus, in a partially triggered Env protein, the V3 loop can change the specificity of coreceptor use but does not alter CD4 independence, indicating that these properties are dissociable. Finally, IIIBx was more sensitive to neutralization by HIV-positive human sera, a variety of anti-IIIB gp120 rabbit sera, and CD4i mAbs than was IIIB. The sensitivity of this virus to neutralization and the stable exposure of a highly conserved region of gp120 suggest new strategies for the development of antibodies and small molecule inhibitors to this functionally important domain.


Abstract Prediction is an important part of language processing. An open question is to what extent people predict language in challenging circumstances. Here we tested the limits of prediction by asking bilingual Dutch native speakers to interpret Dutch sentences into their English counterparts. In two visual world experiments, we recorded participants' eye movements to co-present visual objects while they engaged in interpreting tasks (consecutive and simultaneous interpreting). Most participants showed anticipatory eye movements to semantically-related upcoming target words in their L1 source language during both consecutive and simultaneous interpretation. A quarter of participants during simultaneous interpretation however did not move their eyes, an extremely unusual participant behaviour in visual world studies. Overall, the findings suggest that most people predict in the source language under challenging interpreting situations. Further work is required to understand the causes of the absence of (anticipatory) eye movements during simultaneous interpretation in a substantial subset of individuals.


The design quality assurance (QA) process impacts the engineering design performance in many aspects, such as in design process cycle time, rework cost, customer satisfaction, etc. Thereby it is necessary to develop systematic methods and tools for modelling, analysing and improving design QA processes. This report addresses three aspects of QA processes: a process representation approach; a DSM-based (Design Structure Matrix) process inter- action analysis method; and an ontology driven software toolkit to provide semantics-based quality assurance services in defining, analysing, and con- trolling the QA processes for engineering design performance improvement. The approaches, tools and quality assurance services developed in this project have been applied to case studies of QA process management in the consumer electronics design.


In the present article, the free vibration analysis of a multi-layer rectangular plate with two magneto-rheological (MR) fluid layers and a flexible core is investigated based on exponential shear deformation theory for the first time. In exponential shear deformation theory, exponential functions are used in terms of thickness coordinate to include the effect of transverse shear deformation and rotary inertia. The displacement of the flexible core is modeled using Frostig's second order model which contains a polynomial with unknown coefficients. MR fluids viscosity can be varied by changing the magnetic field intensity. Therefore, they have the capability to change the stiffness and damping of a structure. The governing equations of motion have been derived using Hamilton`s principle. The Navier technique is employed to solve derived equations.  To validate the accuracy of the derived equations, the results in a specific case are compared with available results in the literature, and a good agreement will be observed.  Then, the effect of variation of some parameters such as magnetic field intensity, core thickness to panel thickness ratio and MR layer thickness to panel thickness ratio  on natural frequency of the sandwich panel is investigated.


The purpose of this paper is to outline an important limit of the hypotheticaldeductive method for trying to solve the "realism/anti-realism" problem. In order to do it, I make a critical commentary on the "status questions" in the current philosophy of science, suggesting at the same time a line of research to be enhanced.


Fetal lung interstitial tumor (FLIT) is a rare primary lung mass in neonates. Classical incisions, such as posterolateral thoracotomy or median sternotomy, do not provide optimal exposure of the operative field for the resection of pediatric thoracic giant tumors. Herein, we report a rare case of a FLIT in a full-term male neonate, with complete resection achieved using a hemi-clamshell approach, which provided the required visualization of the operative field. The neonate was transferred to our hospital because of mild respiratory distress, which developed 18-hour after normal vaginal delivery. A mass in his right chest, without a midline shift, was observed on chest radiographs. Computed tomography showed a well-circumscribed solid anterior cervicothoracic mass, with a uniform density and no apparent cysts, diagnosed as a primary thoracic giant tumor. Once the patient was clinically stabilized, we proceeded with right upper lobectomy, using a hemi-clamshell approach, full sternotomy, and anterolateral thoracotomy, on postnatal day 22. Histopathologic examination revealed an 8.5 × 6.5 × 4.0 cm solid mass within the right upper lobe, which was diagnosed as a FLIT. His postoperative recovery was uneventful. The patient was followed up for 1 year, with no complaints or symptoms and no postoperative shoulder dysfunction. Gross total resection of primary thoracic giant tumors can be accomplished in neonates with optimal exposure of the chest cavity using a hemi-clamshell approach.


Strains of Campylobacter jejuni, isolated from human gastro-intestinal infection and inoculated orally into 1-day-old chicks, colonised the alimentary tract (caecum) well. There was evidence of invasion from the intestine to the spleen. Oral inoculation with some but not all strains of C. jejuni 24 h earlier (within 12 h of hatching) prevented establishment by challenge strains administered orally 1 day later. One strain which was less able to colonise the gut was less inhibitory than other strains. Precolonisation of newly hatched chicks with a strain of Salmonella typhimurium had no inhibitory effect on establishment by the challenge strain of C. jejuni and may even have exacerbated it. Inhibition of multiplication of a nalidixic acid-resistant mutant of a C. jejuni strain was prevented when it was added to a stationary-phase broth culture of the antibiotic-sensitive parent strain and the mixed culture re-incubated.


The discovery and development of multicoloured fluorescent proteins has led to the exciting possibility of observing a remarkable array of subcellular structures and dynamics in living cells. This minireview highlights a number of the more common fluorescent protein probes in plants and is a testimonial to the fact that the plant cell has not lagged behind during the live-imaging revolution and is ready for even more in-depth exploration.


The implications of a scaling argument employed by Bishop (see abstr. A10294 of 1974) are extended to consider the effects of external and demagnetizing fields on the stability of cylindrical domain wall configurations. It is found that the magnetostatic energy must be included to ensure stability at finite radius.


Rationale: cGVHD is a major complication of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Although a calcineurin inhibitor plus corticosteroids has remained the standard of care (SoC) for moderate/severe cGVHD, efficacy is limited. ECP, in which autologous buffy coat leukocytes are exposed to ultraviolet A light after treatment with 8-methyoxypsoralen (UVADEX) and then reinfused, yields excellent responses with reliable safety in T-cell-mediated diseases, including corticosteroid-refractory cGVHD. Response criteria for cGVHD assessment were modified in 2005 with the advent of the NIH Consensus Criteria. We conducted a randomized phase II study evaluating the addition of ECP to SoC in patients (pts) with new-onset NIH moderate to severe cGVHD. Methods: Sixty pts ≥18 years with new-onset (≤3 years of HSCT) moderate (intent to treat [ITT] population, n=28) or severe (ITT population, n=25) cGVHD per NIH Consensus Criteria were randomized 1:1 to 26 wks of SoC with corticosteroids and cyclosporine A (CsA) or tacrolimus (Tac) vs SoC + ECP between 2011 and 2015. Corticosteroids were started at 1.0 mg/kg prednisone or equivalent daily, not to exceed 2.0 mg/kg. Doses were tapered to 0.5 mg/kg/day by wk 8 (±1 wk), 0.25 mg/kg/day by wk 16 (±1 wk), and 0.125 mg/kg/day by wk 24 (±1 wk); this dose was maintained until wk 28. CsA/Tac dosing was consistent with local institutional practice. Pts received ECP as follows: wk 1, 3 treatments; wks 2-10, 2 treatments/wk; wks 11-18, 2 treatments/wk q2w; and wks 19-26, 2 treatments/wk q4w. Pts were assessed every 2 or 4 wks for 28 wks; optional long-term follow-up (LTFU) was conducted in some pts. The primary endpoint was overall response rate (ORR), defined as clinically-assessed complete response (CR) or partial response (PR) by NIH Consensus Criteria at wk 28. Response was assessed by investigators and non-independently by blinded assessors. Secondary endpoints included total skin score (TSS) changes, investigator-assessed cGVHD, quality of life (QOL), cumulative corticosteroid dose, and safety. Failure-free survival (FFS; lack of GVHD recurrence, new immunosuppressive therapy, relapse, or death) was evaluated in LFTU. The study design was prospective and randomized; it had no prespecified hypothesis to test and was not powered to do so. Results: Of the 60 pts, 53 (SoC + ECP, 29; SoC, 24) were eligible for efficacy. ITT analysis showed the ORR was 74.1% in the SoC + ECP arm and 60.9% in the SoC arm using the 2015 NIH Consensus Criteria for cGVHD at wk 28 by blinded assessors. Investigator-assessed ORR was 66.7% and 56.0% in the SoC + ECP and SoC arms, respectively, indicating moderate agreement with the NIH criteria. ORRs were not remarkably different across the moderate (SoC + ECP vs SoC: 75% vs 50%) and severe (SoC + ECP vs SoC: 72.7% vs. 69.2%) subgroups as measured by blinded assessor. In contrast, investigator-measured ORRs in the moderate and severe subgroups were SoC + ECP vs SoC: 66.7% vs 60%, and SoC + ECP vs SoC: 72.7% vs 40%, respectively. Mean change in TSS from baseline to wk 28 and mean cumulative corticosteroid dose up to wk 28 were similar between arms. Among the 28 LTFU pts (SoC + ECP, n=16; SoC, n=12), median FFS was 11.9 and 7.8 mos in the SoC + ECP and SoC arms, respectively. All 60 pts were eligible for safety. Overall, 96.6% and 90.3% of pts in the SoC + ECP and SoC arms, respectively, experienced treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs). The number of total events was higher in the SoC arm. The most frequently reported TEAEs in SoC + ECP pts were hypertension, cough, dyspnea, and fatigue; the most frequently reported TEAE in SoC pts was back pain. No TEAEs were considered to be related to UVADEX or the ECP instrument. Overall, 17 pts experienced 35 serious adverse events (SAEs); events in 13 pts were considered related to SoC treatment. No SAEs were considered related to the ECP instrument or UVADEX. Six pts from each arm were withdrawn from the study due to SAEs. Four deaths occurred in the SoC + ECP arm; none were considered to be related to the instrument, ECP therapy, or UVADEX. Of those pts, 2 had moderate and 2 had severe cGVHD. Conclusion: These results indicate that ECP with UVADEX is safe and well-tolerated in pts with new-onset NIH-graded moderate to severe cGVHD. However, a remarkable short-term treatment benefit could not be confirmed using the current descriptive design based on a small sample size. Further evaluation of ECP in more pts with longer follow-up is warranted. Disclosures Jagasia: Therakos: Consultancy, Research Funding; Mallinckrodt: Consultancy; Janssen: Consultancy, Research Funding. Greinix: Bristol Myers Squibb: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Sanofi: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Mallinckrodt: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Novartis: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Amgen: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Celgene: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau. Scheid: Sanofi: Consultancy, Honoraria; Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria; BMS: Consultancy, Honoraria; Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria; Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria. Socie: Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Consultancy. Chin: Mallinckrodt: Employment. Boodee: Mallinckrodt: Employment. Mitri: Mallinckrodt: Employment.


traditional assembly line balancing problem considers the manufacturing process of a product where production is specified in terms of a sequence of tasks that need to be assigned to workstations. Each task takes a known number of time units to complete. Also, precedence constraints exist among tasks: each task can be assigned to a station only after all its predecessors have been assigned to stations. The assembly line balancing problem arises and has to be solved when an assembly line has to be configured or redesigned. It consists of distributing the total work load for manufacturing any unit of the product to be assembled among the workstations along the line. In this paper Rank positional weight method for Type I of the Simple Assembly Line Balancing Problem (SALB P) and multi product assembly line balancing problem (MALBP) for the hybrid system are described. Type I of SALBP (SALBP- 1) and MALBP consist of assigning tasks to work stations such that the number of stations is minimized for a given production rate and cycle time. In this paper, the problem is motivated by a vehicle-sequencing problem at a North India Automobile truck assembly plant. The programmed is coded in C# (C sharp). In this problem, precedence constraints between the tasks have to be considered.


Hazard analyses of food preparation practices were conducted in three households in a new settlement in the rocky, dusty hillsides at the outskirts of Lima, Peru. These analyses consisted of watching all steps of preparation, recording temperatures throughout these steps, and collecting samples of the food and testing them for common foodborne pathogens and indicator organisms. The residents had migrated from different regions of the country; consequently, they prepared different foods. These included soya cereal, milk formula, rice and carrots for feeding a baby who had diarrhea, soups, mashed potatoes with spinach, carrot and beet salad, cow's foot soup, beans, rice and a mixture of beans and rice. The temperatures attained were high enough to kill vegetative forms of foodborne pathogens, but not their spores. During the interval between cooking in the morning and serving at either lunch or supper time, foods were held either on unheated ranges or in unheated ovens. This interval was long enough to permit some bacterial multiplication, but apparently not to massive quantities. Just before the evening meal, foods were reheated to temperatures that usually exceeded 70°C. Rice, however, was either served cold or if reheated, the center temperature rose a few degrees only. Critical control points for preparation of family meals are cooking, holding between cooking and serving, and reheating. Critical control points for milk formula for babies are using recently-boiled water for the formula, cleaning and boiling bottles and nipples, and, of particular importance, time of holding at room temperature.


The multi-species transport of ions in sea-water in the concrete wall of immerged tube tunnels was investigated. Concrete immerged tunnels have a long designed life, which are exposed externally to sea-water and internally to traffic air. This particular exposure condition has an important impact on the long-term durability. A thermo-hydro-ionic(THI) model for the ions transport through the tunnel wall that concerns the mass, heat and electrical charge conservations was proposed. The THI model was applied to an ongoing project of immerged tube tunnel on the south-eastern coast of China for a designed life of 120 years for different working cases. The simulated results show that the moisture transport is superimposed by internal drying and external sea-water penetration. The temperature gradient has an more significant effect on the transport processes, compared to the external hydraulic pressure. The external leaching depth is small, the corrosion initiation range attains 0.65 m and the corrosion current is 0.1 μA/cm2.


Searching for common ground in philosophy, science and theology, it seems to us that it would be reasonable to maintain the position of realistic pragmatism that Charles Sanders Peirce had called pragmaticism. In the pragmaticist manner, we typify the knowledge and select the types of knowledge that might be useful for understanding the problems that are of interest to us. We pose a question of how it would be possible to obtain practically useful information about reality, first from the perspective of natural sciences, and then from that of theology; that is, to diversify the ways of knowledge and just maybe, to move toward a productive dialogue between science and religion.


Can endorsements persuade voters to transcend politicized identity cleavages to support candidates from other groups? We argue that the persuasive power of cleavage-bridging endorsements depends on the ability of politicians to elicit in-group trust on behalf of out-group candidates. The activation of in-group trust increases the likelihood of voting for out-group candidates by changing both instrumental and affective assessments about the nature of the voter-candidate relationship. To assess these claims, we provide evidence from Kenya, where simulated radio news segments experimentally manipulated the ethnic relationship among voters, endorsers, and candidates. We find that voters who hear endorsements from in-group politicians are significantly more likely to vote for out-group candidates and view them as trustworthy. We further find that the trust premium transferred from in-group endorsers to out-group candidates leads voters to regard them as nondiscriminatory representatives who care about their well-being.


With a new foreword by Bruce Kapferer, Professor of Anthropology, James Cook University* A reprint of the seminal anthropological work of the 1960s. Originally published by Manchester University Press.Victor Turner will be remembered as the anthropologist who developed the concept of the 'social drama', a method used extensively by anthropologists to describe and analyse the social life of a community. In essence, this technique involves analysing social crises within a community over a period of time in order to gain a better understanding of the key principles that govern the social life of the community.This book -- Turner's first 'social drama' study -- focuses on the village life of the Ndembu of Zambia who were then under British rule. The social constraints, such as the matrilineally-inherited headmanship system, and the various releases from these constraints, provoked periodic crises which caused great disruption and pain. These crises made visible the contradictions between the principles governing social life and the conflicts experienced between individuals and groups when enforcing these principles. Seven social dramas are discussed - all from one family over a period of twenty years -- each substantiated by sociological and demographic research.


Studies of, and solutions to, flooding have tended to focus on scientific and technical approaches to what is viewed as a "natural" disaster. A social constructivist perspective, on the other hand, argues that disasters, such as flooding, are a consequence of decisions and activities that impact nature; therefore, understanding and changing social practices is critical to reducing risk. We conducted a case study of the social construction of flooding in the Town of High River, the community most impacted by the 2013 floods in the province of Alberta, Canada. We examine three situations that exacerbated High River's vulnerability to flooding: (a) lack of legislative changes (b) insufficient updating of flood hazard maps, and (c) absence of flood risk notification on land titles. We analyze these situations through the recently developed threaded situation analysis (TSA) approach, demonstrating that it allows for a more comprehensive analysis than similar analytical frameworks. As part of this analysis we examine why certain social practices languish or are suppressed while others become dominant and capture actors' willful attempts to influence practices. Although numerous scholars have critiqued centralized (top-down) approaches to flood risk governance (FRG), our article contributes to the disaster scholarship by unraveling the social construction of the 2013 Alberta flooding disaster and providing evidence of how decentralized (bottom-up) practices can impede changes that are critical for reducing flooding vulnerability.


We present a multi-camera system based on Bayesian modality fusion to track multiple people in an indoor environment. Bayesian networks are used to combine multiple modalities for matching subjects between consecutive image frames and between multiple camera views. Unlike other occlusion reasoning methods, we use multiple cameras in order to obtain continuous visual information of people in either or both cameras so that they can be tracked through interactions. Results demonstrate that the system can maintain people's identities by using multiple cameras cooperatively.


In 2007 an Oregon law reform commission charged a large work group of more than 20 attorneys, child support and child welfare agency administrators, judges, and lobbyists with proposing a comprehensive revision of the state's paternity laws, the first in more than 30 years. The group began with the 2002 Uniform Parentage Act as a model but quickly abandoned it, finally settling on a proposal that was enacted into law with few revisions. This article describes the issues and compromises that underlie the law, particularly clashing visions of the appropriate criteria for legal fatherhood, tensions between the interests of adults and children, and the role of judicial discretion in resolving these issues.


As an emerging trend, virtualization is more and more widely used in today's computing world. But, the introduc-tion of virtual machines bring trouble for the power man-agement (PM for short), since the operating system can not directly access and control the hardware as before. Solu-tions were proposed to manage the power in the server con-solidation case. However, such solutions are VMM-centric: the VMM gathers the PM decisions of the guests as hints, and makes the final decision to manipulate the hardware. These solutions do not fit well for the virtualized desktop environment, which is highly interactive with the users.
 In this paper, we propose a novel solution, called Cli-entVisor, to manage the power in the virtualized desktop environment. The key idea of our scheme is to leverage the functionalities of the Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) operating system, which actually interacts with the user, to manage the power of the processor and the peripheral de-vices in all possible cases. VMM coordinates the PM deci-sions of the guests only at the key points. By prototype implementation and experiments, we find our scheme re-sults in 22% lower power consumption in the static power usage scenario, and about 8% lower in the dynamic sce-nario than the corresponding cases of Xen. Moreover, the experimental data shows that the deployment of our scheme will not deteriorate the user experience.


The ethanolic extract of Daucus carota seeds (DCE) was investigated for anti-inflammatory and analgesic activity at the doses [per oral (p.o.)] of 100, 200 and 400 mg/kg body weight. For evaluation of inflammation carrageenan-, histamine- and serotonin-induced paw edema served as acute models and formaldehyde-induced arthritis served as a chronic model in rats. The acetic acid-induced writhing response and formalin-induced paw licking time in the early and late phases of mice were used to assess analgesic activity. The higher doses of DCE (200 and 400 mg/kg, p.o.) were inhibiting carrageenan, histamine and serotonin-induced paw edema as well as formaldehyde-induced arthritis successfully. In addition, DCE (200 and 400 mg/kg, p.o.) significantly attenuated the writhing responses induced by an intraperitoneal injection of acetic acid and late phase of pain response induced by an subplantar injection of formalin in mice.


As space exploration progresses, renewed attention has been given to advanced Lunar exploration technologies. The main objective is to address many open questions about the Moon, such as its origin or chemical components, as most of the current hypotheses are just inferences based on limited evidences. Unmanned subsurface investigation technologies for the Moon are of special significance for future exploration as it may enhance our knowledge of space science. This paper aims to develop a subsurface robotic explorer for the Moon in order to bury an instrument, such as a long period seismometer, for acquiring subsurface information. In previous work, the authors have showed the effectiveness of a novel screw drilling mechanism for burrowing an exploration robot with no-reaction to the body. This paper addresses anew a fundamental dynamics model for a robotic screw explorer. The model includes the geometric model of a conical screw drill and the soil mechanics, allowing us to mathematically estimate a frictional moment around the perimeter of the screw. This theoretical analysis is governed by complex soil behaviors and has not been thoroughly discussed previously. Hence, this challenging study can provide key insight into this matter. The validity of the model developed here is also presented in this paper.


Video based surveillance systems have been widely used on freeway for traffic monitoring, as the cameras can provide the most intuitionistic information. In order to manage all the traffic videos automatically, in this paper, a distributed real-time auto-surveillance system is presented. The freeway traffic videos are taken as input video from Pan Tilt Zoom (PTZ) camera, and then produces an analysis of the states and activity of the vehicles in the region of interested (ROI), if there is any abnormal instance, an alarm and corresponding traffic video are sent to awake surveillants. To achieve this functionality, our system relies on three main procedures. The first one initializes the system. It detects the ROI of the scene, and performs the camera calibration to remove the perspective effect of the incoming image. The second one segments moving vehicles from the images, eliminate shadow and tracks them real-time. In the third procedure, activities of vehicles are analyzed based on a series of preset situations which would happen on freeway. The detail information of each vehicle and the global statistical information are checked to find out any abnormal instance, and then triggered an alarm. We present details of the system, together with experiment results which demonstrate the accuracy and time responses.


ABSTRACT
 A group of novel benzimidazole and pyrazinobenzimidazole derivatives 5-8 was designed for evaluation of their in vitro cytotoxicity studies using MTT-based assay against three cancer cell lines, such as human hepatoma cell line (HepG2), human breast cancer cell line (MCF-7) and kidney of African green monkey (Vero B). Compounds 5a and 5c-e exhibit the highest and broad spectrum activities against all of the three cell lines tested when compared with reference drug 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU). 1-(1H-Benzimidazol-2-yl)-3-phenylprop-2-en-1-one 5a showed superior and great potency and lethal effect over HepG2, MCF-7 and Vero B cell lines with IC50 values of 2, 1.8 and 3.5µg/ml, respectively, comparable to 5-FU (IC50 values of 62, 12 and 13µg/ml, respectively). Moreover, compound 7b showed potent activity against MCF-7 and Vero B cell lines with IC50 values of 2 and 2.5µg/ml, respectively. Docking study of compounds 5a and 7b into the ATP binding site of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) revealed comparable binding manner to an EGFR inhibitor, Erlotinib.


Developed especially for the specific requirements and standards of construction and automotive industries for vehicles and machines to work in the field, modern controller in construction machinery is usually made up of several different electric control units (ECUs) based on the embedded system. The different ECUs configure the control area network (CAN) in construction machinery by CAN-bus. They work independently as measuring, driving or operating control device for sensor-actuator management and execute a number of tasks independently or cooperated with each other in real time. Data exchange between the ECUs or controllers could be realized via the RS232 or the CAN-Bus interface. Equipped with the embedded system in controller, in complex task of construction, machineries and vehicles will be integrated management and distribution rationalized by the remote control center using telecommunications technology via networks, so that the process could be controlled real-time and circulated in order.


Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) has been credited with a variety of beneficial effects in the premature newborn infant. It has been thought that deficiency of vitamin E is at least partly responsible for the anemia which often occurs 4 to 6 wk after premature birth, and routine dietary supplementation with vitamin E is frequently recommended. However, critical analysis reveals that published controlled studies of vitamin E supplementation do not agree on the magnitude or even the existence of this protective effect against anemia. Analysis of commonly used feeding practices suggests that the dietary ratio of alpha-tocopherol to polyunsaturated fatty acids is generally sufficient to prevent manifestations of vitamin E deficiency without supplementation. Large parenteral doses of vitamin E have been purported to protect premature infants exposed to oxygen-enriched environments and mechanical ventilation from the complications of retrolental fibroplasia and bronchopulmonary dysplasia. Subsequent studies, however, have not yet substantiated encouraging early reports of these protective effects. At present, there seems to be no clearly established need for supplementing the premature infant's usual dietary intake of vitamin E.


We measure time correlators of a spin qubit in an optically active quantum dot beyond the second order. Such higher-order correlators are shown to be directly sensitive to pure quantum effects that cannot be explained within the classical framework. They allow direct determination of ensemble and quantum dephasing times, T_{2}^{*} and T_{2}, using only repeated projective measurements and without the need for coherent spin control. Our method enables studies of purely quantum behavior in solid state systems, including tests of the Leggett-Garg type of inequalities that rule out local hidden variable interpretation of the quantum-dot spin dynamics.


Abstract Species richness of six pasture arthropod assemblages (total arthropod species, total herbivore species, sucking and chewing herbivores, total predatory species and spiders) were regressed against several geographical variables (area, distance from the nearest mainland, maximum elevation and geological age of the islands) of three Azorean islands (S. Maria, Terceira and Pico). The species were sampled by the fixed-quadrat size sampling method and the results obtained are consistent with the geological age hypothesis, i.e. the species richness of the six indigenous arthropod assemblages increases with the geological age of the islands, both at local and regional scales. Higher values of indigenous and endemic species richness were consistently found on the older island (S. Maria), and the lowest values on the most recent island (Pico). Moreover, when considering the age of Faial (an older island probably once connected with Pico) as a estimate of the age of Pico, correlations between species richness and island age were improved, thereby strengthening the relationship. The older island (S. Maria) has more specialized herbivores and a greater proportion of herbivores in relation to predatory arthropods. Ecological and biogeographical studies in the Azores should take into account the effects of the time each island has been available for colonization and evolution.


We discuss some of the opportunities and problems which may confront the field of automated reasoning in the years ahead. We focus on various issues related to the development of a Universal Automated Information System for Science and Technology, and the problem of developing institutional support for long-term projects.


Abstract Alteration of the flow characteristics in coronary vessels is correlated with coronary heart disease (CHD). In particular, wall shear stress (WSS) appears to be a hemody-namic key factor in the genesis of CHD. Since computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is a well-known method for the inves-tigation of WSS, it may be a valuable tool for the prediction of CHD. Latest imaging techniques, such as optical coher-ence tomography (OCT) in conjunction with angiography deliver precise 2D data sets of patient-specific vessel geome-try, which can be used for CFD analysis. Current CFD stud-ies utilize patient-specific geometries, but are lacking well defined physiologic inflow conditions. In this study, we present an inflow mapping method for patient-specific arterial vessels, which is capable of consider-ing the influence of bifurcations located proximal of the OCT-data set. At first, the patient-specific vessel was recon-structed. For this purpose the OCT-based vessel cross sec-tions were arranged along an angiographic based vessel pathway. Secondly, we simulated the flow field in a generic bifurcation model by means of CFD. Thereafter the flow field of a side branch was extracted and transferred (mapped) to the inlet of the patient-specific vessel. To evaluate the influence of the physiological inlet the WSS distribution of the same patient-specific vessel was calculated using an axial-symmetric inflow condition. Analy-sis of the simulation data yielded deviations of the WSS distribution in the proximal vessel segment. A bifurcation, located upstream of the relevant vessel segment strongly affects the flow in the OCT-based vessel reconstruction and has a strong influence on the results of the numerical analy-sis. Therefore, it is important to implement not only the pa-tient-specific geometry, but also an inlet boundary condition adapted to the upstream velocity distribution reflecting the actual proximal flow situation of the vessel.


Hereditary factors may have a part to play in the development of bicuspid aortic valve. This report concerns a pair of identical twins, probably monozygotic, who required aortic valve replacement as a result of aortic stenosis occurring in bicuspid aortic valves. This supports the contention that there may be a genetic influence in the development of bicuspid aortic valve, though environmental factors may be of greater importance.


BACKGROUND
The chemotherapy of advanced non-small cell lung cancer is in a Bottleneck. The target therapy of Anti-angiogenesis gradually shows an advantage in the therapy of patients with advanced NSCLC. To investigate the short-term efficacy, safety and the quality of life of the target therapy of rh-Endostin combined with chemotherapy in patients with advanced NSCLC.

METHODS
Sixty-two advanced NSCLC patients were randomly divided into either the trial group with chemotherapy plus rh-Endostin or control group with chemotherapy alone. The efficacy and toxicity were evaluated after 2 cycles according to RECIST criteria.

RESULTS
The trial groups efficiency rate was 46.87%, while the control group was 26.66%, there was no significant differences of two groups (Chi-square=1.912, P=0.166). The clinical benefit rate was 81.25% in the trial group and 53.33% in control group. There was significant difference of the clinical benefit rate between the trial group and the control group (Chi-square=4.3185, P=0.0377). The score of quality of life in the trial group was significantly higher than that the control group after the treatment (Chi-square=11.233, P=0.0008). There was no significant difference of incidence of toxicities between the trial group and the control group (P>0.05).

CONCLUSIONS
Rh-Endostin combined with chemotherapy was effective, reasonable, safe and well tolerated for advanced NSCLC.


Nowadays, scholars dedicate a substantial amount of their work to the querying and browsing of increasingly large collections of research papers on the Internet. In parallel, the recent surge of novel interdisciplinary approaches in science requires scholars to acquire competencies in new fields for which they may lack the necessary vocabulary to formulate adequate queries. This problem, together with the issue of information overload, poses new challenges in the fields of natural language processing (NLP) and visualization design that call for a rapid response from the scientific community. In this respect, we report on a novel visualization scheme that enables the exploration of research paper collections via the analysis of semantic proximity relationships found in author-assigned keywords. Our proposal replaces traditional string queries with a bag-of-words (BoW) extracted from a user-generated auxiliary corpus that captures the intentionality of the research. Continuing along the lines established by other authors in the fields of literature-based discovery (LBD), NLP, and visual analytics (VA), we combine novel advances in the fields of NLP with visual network analysis techniques to offer scholars a perspective of the target corpus that better fits their research interests. To highlight the advantages of our proposal, we conduct two experiments employing a collection of visualization research papers and an auxiliary cross-domain BoW. Here, we showcase how our visualization can be used to maximize the effectiveness of a browsing session by enhancing the language acquisition task, which allows for effectively extracting knowledge that is in line with the users' previous expectations.


In the field of maternal and child health the concept of the high-risk pregnancy has been used in many studies. However, it is still beset by problems that must be solved if any real progress is to be made. The ideal of a simple, reliable screening technique has not yet been achieved. Present methods are not only complex, they are not well validated. High-risk factors must be quantified if the values of various regimens of obstetric care are to be measured and if prognostic success is to be attained. Moreover, efforts at prediction should not cease with the current pregnancy but should extend to subsequent reproductive performance. This long-range approach to prognosis could not only improve patient care during the current pregnancy but could also become an essential factor in achieving optimal results throughout reproductive life. An extensive bibliography of studies of high-risk pregnancies is presented.


This article explores whether the route via which the money form is changed (i.e., money–cash–money versus money–token–money) and the timing at which the money is earned (i.e., before performance versus after performance) play a role in influencing people's willingness to part with money. Two studies, with 125 and 253 subjects, respectively, showed that the route indeed had an effect on the spendability of the dollar in hand and that the timing of earning did affect the proclivity to spend the earned money. These results add to a growing body of evidence for the possible violation of the fundamental economic assumption of fungibility. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


PURPOSE
This mixed-methods study aimed to obtain information regarding speech-language pathologists' (SLPs) perspectives about treatment of lateralization errors (LEs), challenges to implementing evidence-based LE treatment practice, and the sources SLPs' use to find evidence to treat LEs. This information can assist our understanding of ways to facilitate the uptake of evidence-based practice into the everyday treatment of clients with this disorder.

METHOD
A convergent parallel mixed-methods design was used to collect data from SLPs (N = 214) using 24 questions from an online survey distributed through electronic mailing lists and Speech and Hearing State Associations. Quantitative data were analyzed using frequencies and averages; themes and subthemes of qualitative data were analyzed using a content analysis approach with no a priori codes. Quantitative and qualitative results were compared and integrated.

RESULTS
Participants believed that LEs required individualized treatment before the age of 5 years, were largely caused by structural and neuromuscular factors, and required an understanding of orofacial and dental structure and function. Challenges to implementing LE treatment included a lack of skills and knowledge specific to LEs, competing demands on clinicians' time and resources, and a research-practice gap. Sources of evidence frequently used to obtain information about LE treatment were colleagues, trainings, workshops, and American Speech-Language-Hearing Association journals.

CONCLUSIONS
Clinicians believe that LE treatment is challenging and requires skill training. Future research in LEs will need to consider the real-world decisions clinicians must make when treating this disorder as well as clinicians' everyday constraints and challenges.


The increase in the number of mobile users increases in the requirement of the spectrum. When effective and efficient channel allocation procedures are introduced, the requirement can be reduced. As the users move from one location to the other and wish to continue their communication without any interruption, handoff process needs to be handled transparently such that the user is not aware of the change in the control of base stations. Hence, a deep learning-based channel reservation mechanism is proposed in this paper along with a channel allocation procedure.


Abstract : This thesis studies strategic leadership within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) The study centered on a search for a leadership strategy that may be helpful for DHS leaders given their inherent organizational, functional, and technological challenges The research entailed an in-depth review of existing literature along with interviews/focus groups with senior executives external to DHS, senior executives within DHS, and DHS managerial-level professionals This thesis argues that DHS leaders would benefit from an organizationally sponsored leadership strategy that supports DHS's pursuit to secure the United States' homeland. The findings of this research are based on key themes that were formed as a result of the research. These themes are presented as key findings and, in some cases, recommendations for how DHS leaders may be able to enhance both individual and organizational performance as DHS carries on into the future. The findings support that there are leadership strategies that can help DHS to achieve a higher level of organizational and mission-oriented performance. The leadership strategy that is recommended as a result of this research is for DHS to establish a leadership strategy that is not only linked to its overall business strategy, but is inherently part of its business strategy


The present paper explores various approaches to the development of cognitive process dimensions in financial literacy. Applying the regression model, the study has examined the strength of the relationship between the actual financial competence of 413 Brazilian's students aged 18-21, studying economic disciplines, and their school performance. The research has produced the following conclusions: (a) a weak dependence of actual skills on school performance; (b) inherently associated consequence of school performance is not corresponding to the actual financial skills; (c) a low level of financial competence in the dimensions - Remember, Understand and Apply.


To probe the suggestion that D-1 (DA1) dopamine receptors might possess an accessory pi-binding site in a location complementary to a suitably oriented aromatic ring (i.e., in an axial orientation approximately orthogonal to the catechol nucleus) in agonists such as 2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-1-phenyl-1H-3-benzazepine-7,8-diol (1) and 3',4'-dihydroxynomifensine (2) that are selective for this subtype, cis- and trans-2,3,4,8,9,9a-hexahydro-4-phenyl-1H-indeno[1,7-cd]azepine-6,7-diol were prepared. These compounds are 5,6-ethano-bridged derivatives of the D-1 selective dopamine receptor agonist 1. Introduction of the bridge reduces the conformational mobility of the parent molecule. Comprehensive conformational analyses by molecular mechanical methods indicated that both the cis and trans isomers could attain a conformation that places the phenyl substituent in an axial orientation. X-ray analysis of the trans isomer showed an axial disposition of the phenyl ring; however, NMR studies suggest that this conformation is fixed in the trans isomer, but not in the cis. The dopamine receptor binding affinity and intrinsic activity of the cis isomer were considerably greater than those of its trans counterpart; the cis isomer also demonstrated a high degree of selectivity for the D-1 subtypes. One possible explanation of these results, suggested by the molecular modeling studies, is that both the axial orientation of the phenyl postulated to be required for binding to the receptor and a putatively requisite location of the nitrogen in approximately the plane of the catechol ring can be attained only by the cis isomer in which the tetrahydroazepine ring is in a twist conformation. Conversely, these results might simply suggest a preference of the D-1 receptors for benzazepine agonists having the phenyl group in an equatorial orientation. Still another possibility is that the D-1 receptor binding site is in a sterically hindered area accessible only to compounds that are relatively planar. However, it requires an axial 1-phenylbenzazepine for strong binding. Thus, a conformationally flexible cis isomer could more readily achieve the different conformations required to both gain access to and bind with the D-1 site.


We describe a solution of the problem of finding rational trigonometric functions with fixed denominator that deviate least from zero on several subintervals of the period. The resulting representation is used to prove inequalities that estimate the derivatives of rational trigonometric and algebraic functions with fixed denominator in terms of their values on several intervals. Particular cases of these inequalities include the well-known inequalities of Videnskii, Rusak, Totik and others.


Adhesion and/or endocytosis of calcium oxalate crystals to the three kinds of tubular cells (Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells, rat and human kidney) were demonstrated morphologically to presume the initial formation of kidney stone. After removal of the nonadhesion crystals, the cells were subsequently recultured in the vertical position. At various times thereafter, the interactions between COM crystals and MDCK cells were evaluated morphologically by SEM. COM crystals adhered to the surface of MDCK cells immediately, and the crystals were then endocytosed. The microvilli of the cells appeared to play an important role in these processes. At later times, some complexes that consist of aggregated calcium oxalate crystals and cell debris were observed sporadically. Kidney tissues were obtained from male Sprague-Dawley rats which were injected with sodium oxalate intraperitoneally. Experimentally induced calcium oxalate crystals were evaluated histologically using polarized light microscopy. Some crystals in the cortical portion were attached to the tubular epithelium or internalized into the luminal membrane. Whereas in the papilla, the aggregated crystals were observed lying free from the degenerated tubular lumen along with the cell debris. Human kidney tissues were obtained from 38 patients with calcium oxalate nephrolithiasis who underwent nephrolithotomy or partial nephrectomy before the era of ESWL. The specimens were examined for calcium crystals within the tubular lumen, attached to the tubular walls or internalized into the tubular cells, by polarized light microscopy. Approximately 50% of the specimens observed crystals attached to the tubular cell epithelium and some of them were seen inside the tubular cells. In conclusion, crystal-cell interaction resulted in movement of crystals from the lumen into the cells by an action of microvilli from the results of MDCK cells. However, it was not clear from the results in rats or human kidney tissue that crystal adhesion and/or endocytosis might be vital in the crystal growth in the kidney.


The O6-alkylguanosine adduct O6-carboxymethyldeoxyguanosine (O6-CMdG) has been detected at elevated levels in blood and tissue samples from colorectal cancer patients and from healthy volunteers after consuming red meat. The diazo compound l-azaserine leads to the formation of O6-CMdG as well as the corresponding methyl adduct O6-methyldeoxyguanosine (O6-MedG) in cells and is therefore in wide use as a chemical probe in cellular studies concerning DNA damage and mutation. However, there remain knowledge gaps concerning the chemical basis of DNA adduct formation by l-azaserine. To characterize O6-CMdG formation by l-azaserine, we carried out a combination of chemical and enzymatic stability and reactivity studies supported by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry for the simultaneous quantification of O6-CMdG and O6-MedG. We found that l-azaserine is stable under physiological and alkaline conditions as well as in active biological matrices but undergoes acid-catalyzed hydrolysis. We show, for the first time, that l-azaserine reacts directly with guanosine (dG) and oligonucleotides to form an O6-serine-CMdG (O6-Ser-CMdG) adduct. Moreover, by characterizing the reaction of dG with l-azaserine, we demonstrate that O6-Ser-CMdG forms as an intermediate that spontaneously decomposes to form O6-CMdG. Finally, we quantified levels of O6-CMdG and O6-MedG in a human cell line exposed to l-azaserine and found maximal adduct levels after 48 h. The findings of this work elucidate the chemical basis of how l-azaserine reacts with deoxyguanosine and support its use as a chemical probe for N-nitroso compound exposure in carcinogenesis research, particularly concerning the identification of pathways and factors that promote adduct formation.


Three-dimensional(3D) numerical analyses have been conducted to study the behaviour of a single pile to adjacent tunnelling conducted in the lateral direction of the pile. In the numerical analyses, the interaction between the tunnel, the pile and the soil next to the pile has been analysed. The study includes the pile settlement, the relative shear displacement between the pile and the soil, the shear stresses at the soil next to the pile and the axial force on the pile. In particular, the shear stress transfer mechanism along the pile related to the tunnel advancement has been rigorously analysed. Due to changes in the relative shear displacement between the pile and the soil next to the pile during the tunnel advancement, the shear stress and the axial force distributions along the pile have been changed. Downward shear stress developed above the tunnel springline (Z/L=0.0-0.7~0.8), while upward shear stress is mobilised below the tunnel springline (Z/L=0.7~0.8-1.0) resulting in compressive force on the pile, where Z is the pile location and L is the pile length. Maximum compressive force of about 0.475P a was developed on the pile after completion of tunnel advancement, where P a is the allowable pile capacity. Some insights into the pile behaviour to tunnelling obtained from the numerical analyses will be reported and discussed.


In the present study, we histologically and morphometrically investigated species differences in renal structure using laboratory rodents (mice, gerbils, hamsters, rats, and guinea pigs). Morphometric parameters were as follows, 1) diameter of the cortical renal corpuscles, 2) diameter of the juxtamedullary renal corpuscles, 3) percentage of the renal corpuscles with a cuboidal parietal layer, 4) number of nuclei in proximal convoluted tubules (PCTs) per unit area of cortex, 5) semi-quantitative score of the periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) -positive granules in PCTs, and 6) semi-quantitative score of the PAS-positive granules in proximal straight tubules (PSTs). Significant species differences were detected for each parameter, and particularly severe differences were observed in the PAS-positive granules of PCTs and PSTs. Granular scores varied among species and sexes. Vacuolar structures that did not stain with PAS or hematoxylin-eosin were observed in the renal proximal tubules. The appearance and localization of these vacuolar structures differed remarkably between species and sexes.


Normalization of serum lipid levels should be initiated as soon as possible in patients with myocardial, cerebrovascular, or peripheral vascular disease. Clinical trials indicate that coronary artery disease and overall mortality rates can be reduced and atherosclerosis stabilized or reversed by lipid-lowering therapy. Treatment should lower low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels to 130 mg/dL or less and total triglyceride levels to 150 mg/dL or less and increase high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels to at least 52 mg/dL in men and 66 mg/dL in women. Nonlipid coronary risk factors should be eliminated when possible. Lipid-lowering therapy may consist of dietary modification and drug treatment with colestipol hydrochloride (Colestid), cholestyramine (Cholybar, Questran), lovastatin (Mevacor), gemfibrozil (Lopid), and nicotinic acid (Nicolar).


Abstract CXCR7 was recently identified as the second member of the chemokine receptor family to bind stromal derived factor-1α (SDF-1α), a chemokine which is known to influence the establishment of cancer metastasis. Whilst expression of CXCR7 is highly restricted in non-malignant cells, it is widely expressed in many different tumor cell lines. In prostate cancer, a disease known to be highly regulated by the other SDF-1α -binding receptor CXCR4, CXCR7 has been found to regulate cell growth and invasion. In vivo prostate tumor biopsies show a pattern where CXCR7 expression increases with invasive grade, as previously reported for CXCR4. However, there is limited knowledge on the role of CXCR7 and its function in prostate cancer. In this study, we aim to more thoroughly characterize CXCR7 function across prostate cancer cell lines, in particular its regulation of cell growth and behavior. We will also assess its expression and function in response to its ligands and inhibitors, alongside CXCR4, in order to assess how these receptors are regulated in relation to each other. For this we employ western blotting expression studies, immunocytochemical visualization, and metabolic-based proliferation assays. Further, we will study the regulation of both CXCR7 and CXCR4 in 3D culture models of prostate cancer cell lines. Our preliminary data from 2D culture suggests that less invasive prostate cancer cell lines express higher levels of CXCR7 than more invasive cell lines, contrary to reports in vivo where CXCR7 expression was seen to increase with invasive grade. We have chosen to assess these aspects in 3D cultures of prostate cancer cell lines to determine whether culturing in 3D permits a phenotype more reflective of what has been reported for CXCR7 expression in prostate cancer in vivo. Further elucidation of CXCR7 function with respect to CXCR4 will shed light on how these receptors contribute to regulation of the metastatic process in prostate cancer – a process known to be heavily regulated by CXCR4. As CXCR4 has been established as a therapeutic target in prostate cancer, a more detailed knowledge of the CXCR7 receptor with which it shares a partial redundancy may indicate whether combinatorial therapies may be more effective in combating prostate cancer progression. Citation Format: Debra L. Kiss, Louisa CE Windus, Vicky M. Avery. Regulation of the chemokine receptors CXCR7 and CXCR4 in 3-D culture models of prostate cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Advances in Prostate Cancer Research; 2012 Feb 6-9; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(4 Suppl):Abstract nr C50.


Accounts of virtual organization have been couched in terms of concepts and metaphors that do not inherit from the features of a coherent theory of virtuality. Arguing that virtuality is inherent in modernity, this article focuses on three major drivers behind the current wave of virtualization of organizational work practices to explore the interplay of the virtual and the concrete. Using three vignettes as an illustration, the article discusses how organizations, through writing, make the presence of humans contingent; through technology, displace human action into artifacts, machines, or electronic devices; and through institutions, virtualize (conflicting and sometimes collaborative) human relations and proximal encounters. However, the process of virtualization does not only deterritorialize existing skills and relations, but it also generates new skills, which in their turn impose a reterritorialization process.


In order to implement miniaturized robots different possibilities for electromechanical actuation at the microscale must be evaluated according to their function on the robot, as well as, size, mechanical strength and deformation, resolution, power supply, energy and degrees of freedom required. The piezoelectric actuators are among the most suitable possibilities to incorporate microactuators in miniaturized robots.This article presents an overview of piezoelectric actuation and the evaluation of a simple x-y micropositioning actuator for a miniaturized robot using COMSOL Multiphysics.


This paper describes a conditon monitoring systems for helicopter main gearbox using wavelet packet transform (WPT) and wavelet neural network (WNN). According to the fault characteristics of main gearbox, a fault diagnosis method that combining WPT and WNN with threshold is proposed. First the noise is removed from vibration signals, then the denoising signals are decomposed by WPT, extract standard deviation coefficients of each level as the input of WNN, the learning rates and momentum factors are used to adjust the network, the method of batch training is applied and it can diagnose fault quickly, which can monitor the condition of main gearbox. Theoretical and practical application shows that this method is effective and feasible, its diagnostic speed is rapid and result is accuracy, which provides a new technical reference for the development of helicopter fault diagnostic systems.


We investigated the basis set convergence of high-order coupled-cluster interaction energy contributions for 21 small weakly bound complexes. By performing CCSDT(Q) calculations in at least the aug-cc-pVTZ basis set, and CCSDT calculations in at least aug-cc-pVQZ (aug-cc-pVTZ for one system), we found the convergence to be quite slow. In particular, the 6-31G*(0.25) and 6-31G**(0.25,0.15) bases advocated by Hobza et al. (J. Chem. Theory Comput. 2013, 9, 2151; ibid. 2013, 9, 3420) are unsuitable for the post-CCSD(T) effects, with average errors for the CCSDT(Q)-CCSD(T) interaction energy contribution of about 80% for 6-31G**(0.25,0.15) and 110% for 6-31G*(0.25). Upgrading the basis set to aug-cc-pVDZ reduces the average error to about 35% and extremely demanding CCSDT(Q)/aug-cc-pVTZ calculations are necessary for further improvement in accuracy. An error cancellation between basis set incompleteness effects at the CCSDT-CCSD(T) and CCSDT(Q)-CCSDT levels occurs for most (but not all) complexes, making it unproductive to carry out CCSDT calculations in a larger basis set than the more demanding CCSDT(Q) calculations. We also found that the frozen natural orbital approximation at the CCSDT and CCSDT(Q) levels works well only if the thresholds for discarding least occupied natural orbitals are very tight (significantly tighter than the thresholds recommended for molecular correlation energies in the original work of Rolik and Kállay, J. Chem. Phys. 2011, 134, 124111), making the performance gains quite limited. The interaction energy contributions through CCSDT(Q) are both a necessity and a bottleneck in the construction of top-accuracy interaction potentials and further improvements in the efficiency of high-order coupled-cluster calculations will be of great help.


This paper introduces a new music signal processing method to extract multiple fundamental frequencies, which we call specmurt analysis. In contrast with cepstrum which is the inverse Fourier transform of log-scaled power spectrum with linear frequency, specmurt is defined as the inverse Fourier transform of linear power spectrum with log-scaled frequency. Assuming that all tones in a polyphonic sound have a common harmonic pattern, the sound spectrum can be regarded as a sum of linearly stretched common harmonic structures along frequency. In the log-frequency domain, it is formulated as the convolution of a common harmonic structure and the distribution density of the fundamental frequencies of multiple tones. The fundamental frequency distribution can be found by deconvolving the observed spectrum with the assumed common harmonic structure, where the common harmonic structure is given heuristically or quasi-optimized with an iterative algorithm. The efficiency of specmurt analysis is experimentally demonstrated through generation of a piano-roll-like display from a polyphonic music signal and automatic sound-to-MIDI conversion. Multipitch estimation accuracy is evaluated over several polyphonic music signals and compared with manually annotated MIDI data.


High entropy alloys (HEAs) with multi-component solid solution microstructures have the potential for large-scale industrial applications due to their excellent mechanical and functional properties. However, the mechanical properties of HEAs limit the selection of processing technologies. Additive manufacturing technology possesses strong processing adaptability, making itthe best candidate method to overcome this issue. This comprehensive review examines the current state of selective laser melting (SLM) of HEAs. Introducing SLM to HEAs processing is motivated by its high quality for dimensional accuracy, geometric complexity, surface roughness, and microstructure. This review focuses on analyzing the current developments and challenges in SLM of HEAs, including defects, microstructures, and properties, as well as strengthing prediction models of fabricated HEAs. This review also offers directions for future studies to address existing challenges and promote technological advancement.


We propose a new plug-and-play priors (PnP) based MR image reconstruction method that systematically enforces data consistency while also exploiting deep-learning priors. Our prior is specified through a convolutional neural network (CNN) trained without any artifact-free ground truth to remove under-sampling artifacts from MR images. The results on reconstructing free-breathing MRI data into ten respiratory phases show that the method can form high-quality 4D images from severely undersampled measurements corresponding to acquisitions of about 1 and 2 minutes in length. The results also highlight the competitive performance of the method compared to several popular alternatives, including the TGV regularization and traditional UNet3D.


This paper presents an algorithm developed to provide automatic motion detection and object tracking embedded within intelligent CCTV systems. The algorithm development focuses on techniques which provide an efficient embedded systems implementation with the ability to target both FPGA and DSP devices. During algorithm development constraints on hardware implementation have been fully considered resulting in an algorithm which, when targeted at current FPGA devices, will take full advantage of the DSP resource commonly provided in such devices. The hierarchical structure of the proposed algorithm provides the system with a multi-level motion estimation process allowing low resolution estimation for motion detection and further higher resolution stages for motion estimation. An initial MATLAB prototype has demonstrated this algorithm capable of object motion estimation while compensating for camera motion, allowing a moving object to be tracked by a moving camera


. In a seminal paper, Sarason generalized some classical interpolation problems for H ∞ functions on the unit disc to problems concerning lifting onto H 2 of an operator T that is defined on K = H 2 (cid:1) φH 2 ( φ is an inner function) and commutes with the (compressed) shift S . In particular, he showed that interpolants (i.e., f ∈ H ∞ such that f ( S ) = T ) having norm equal to (cid:3) T (cid:3) exist, and that in certain cases such an f is unique and can be expressed as a fraction f = b/a with a,b ∈ K . In this paper, we study interpolants that are such fractions of K functions and are bounded in norm by 1 (assuming that (cid:3) T (cid:3) < 1, in which case they always exist). We parameterize the collection of all such pairs ( a,b ) ∈ K × K and show that each interpolant of this type can be determined as the unique minimum of a convex functional. Our motivation stems from the relevance of classical interpolation to circuit theory, systems theory, and signal processing, where φ is typically a finite Blaschke product, and where the quotient representation is a physically meaningful complexity constraint.


Since almost a quarter of the global forest area is owned or managed by
communities, especially in the Southern countries, increasing the access to certification
for communities and small-medium forest enterprises should be a priority in the
international agenda. Recent researches and initiatives suggest the chance to link FSC
certification with Fair Trade (FT) principles to differentiate community forest products on
the market in order to bring more benefits to forest dependent people.
Hence, the present study aims to give a practical contribution to improve the
knowledge around the possible links between FSC and FT certification.
Particularly, the main goal is to investigate whether and how the link between
FSC and FT certification systems might work as a market based tool to promote and
distinguish community forest products. In doing so, the study explores which are the
more viable scenarios and standards integration processes that may be used to obtain
FT (with a special attention to Sustainable Fair Trade Management System (SFTMS) of
the World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO)) and FSC Dual Certified Forest Products.


WILLIAM SMITH O'BRIEN is now remembered primarily as leader of the disastrous rising of 1848. As such, he is often written off as a romantic nationalist, an idealist whose rash act led him to suffer transportation to Australia. Such a perception overlooks his significance in the 1840s, when for a while he stood second only to Daniel O'Connell in terms of public support. In this book Robert Sloan examines O'Brien's political development from an early conservatism, to liberal unionism, to Repeal, and then to leadership of the Young Ireland movement. O'Brien spent the 1830s campaigning unsuccessfully for reforms in Ireland as an alternative to Repeal. This proved a disillusioning experience, and while he had been opposed initially to O'Connell and his organisation, he was gradually drawn to support them. On his side, O'Connell valued him as a bridge between the Repeal movement and the liberal unionists and later as a Protestant landlord advocate of Repeal, although recognising that O'Brien could be something of a loose cannon in his determination to act as he thought right, whatever the cost. Nevertheless, in the polarising climate of the late 1840s, as O'Brien identified more closely with Young Ireland, he sought a measure of conciliation with the O'Connellites and almost up to the end tried to avoid the rising he eventually led. Ultimately he was, in Sloan's words, 'the victim and never the master of circumstances' (p. 303). Sloan has written a thoroughly researched and readable account of O'Brien's political evolution. Although there might perhaps have been a little more analysis of the ideas that drove him, it is a valuable contribution to our understanding of the politics of the period and O'Brien's role therein.