We describe the rationale, concept, design and implementation of a fixed-motion (non-adjustable) mechanism for insect-like flapping wing micro air vehicles in hover, inspired by two-winged flies (Diptera). This spatial (as opposed to planar) mechanism is based on the novel idea of a double spherical Scotch yoke. The mechanism was constructed for two main purposes: (i) as a test bed for aeromechanical research on hover in flapping flight, and (ii) as a precursor design for a future flapping wing micro air vehicle. Insects fly by oscillating (plunging) and rotating (pitching) their wings through large angles, while sweeping them forwards and backwards. During this motion the wing tip approximately traces a 'figure-of-eight' or a 'banana' and the wing changes the angle of attack (pitching) significantly. The kinematic and aerodynamic data from free-flying insects are sparse and uncertain, and it is not clear what aerodynamic consequences different wing motions have. Since acquiring the necessary kinematic and dynamic data from biological experiments remains a challenge, a synthetic, controlled study of insect-like flapping is not only of engineering value, but also of biological relevance. Micro air vehicles are defined as flying vehicles approximately 150 mm in size (hand-held), weighing 50–100 g, and are developed to reconnoitre in confined spaces (inside buildings, tunnels, etc.). For this application, insect-like flapping wings are an attractive solution and hence the need to realize the functionality of insect flight by engineering means. Since the semi-span of the insect wing is constant, the kinematics are spatial; in fact, an approximate figure-of-eight/banana is traced on a sphere. Hence a natural mechanism implementing such kinematics should be (i) spherical and (ii) generate mathematically convenient curves expressing the figure-of-eight/banana shape. The double spherical Scotch yoke design has property (i) by definition and achieves (ii) by tracing spherical Lissajous curves.


Suppose a finite dimensional semisimple Lie algebra g acts by derivations on a finite dimensional associative or Lie algebra A over a field of characteristic 0. We prove the ginvariant analogs of Wedderburn — Mal'cev and Levi theorems, and the analog of Amitsur's conjecture on asymptotic behavior for codimensions of polynomial identities with derivations of A. It turns out that for associative algebras the differential PI-exponent coincides with the ordinary one. Also we prove the analog of Amitsur's conjecture for finite dimensional associative algebras with an action of a reductive affine algebraic group by automorphisms and anti-automorphisms or graded by an arbitrary Abelian group not necessarily finite. In addition, we provide criteria for G-, Hand graded simplicity in terms of codimensions.


The regression discontinuity model has recently become a commonly applied framework for empirical work in economics. Hahn, Todd, and Van der Klaauw (2001) provide a formal development of the identification of a treatment effect in this framework and also note the potential bias problems in its estimation. This bias difficulty is the result of a particular feature of the regression discontinuity treatment effect estimation problem that distinguishes it from typical semiparametric estimation problems where smoothness is lacking. Here, the discontinuity is not simply an obstacle to overcome in estimation; instead, the size of discontinuity is itself the object of estimation interest. In this paper, I derive the optimal rate of convergence for estimation of the regression discontinuity treatment effect. The optimal rate suggests that the appropriate choice of estimator the bias difficulties are no worse than would be found in the usual nonparametric conditional mean estimation problem (at an interior point of the covariate support). Two estimators are proposed that attain the optimal rate under varying conditions. One estimator is based on Robinson's (1988) partially linear estimator. The other estimator uses local polynomial estimation and is optimal under a broader set of conditions.


: Toxemia and peripheral blood of dogs were studied after irradiation with doses of 2.9, 10, 40, and 80 Gy. Destructive changes were revealed in the blood part of which could not be counted by conventional methods. Toxemia was well pronounced as early as 3 h after irradiation with high doses.


Probabilistic programming languages (PPLs) are a powerful modeling tool, able to represent any computable probability distribution. Unfortunately, probabilistic program inference is often intractable, and existing PPLs mostly rely on expensive, approximate sampling-based methods. To alleviate this problem, one could try to learn from past inferences, so that future inferences run faster. This strategy is known as amortized inference; it has recently been applied to Bayesian networks and deep generative models. This paper proposes a system for amortized inference in PPLs. In our system, amortization comes in the form of a parameterized guide program. Guide programs have similar structure to the original program, but can have richer data flow, including neural network components. These networks can be optimized so that the guide approximately samples from the posterior distribution defined by the original program. We present a flexible interface for defining guide programs and a stochastic gradient-based scheme for optimizing guide parameters, as well as some preliminary results on automatically deriving guide programs. We explore in detail the common machine learning pattern in which a 'local' model is specified by 'global' random values and used to generate independent observed data points; this gives rise to amortized local inference supporting global model learning.


There are potentially important safety effects of increasing or decreasing sales of used imported vehicles in Australia and New Zealand. Approximately half of the current New Zealand light passenger fleet originated as used vehicles from overseas. Australia currently has a used import program managed under the Commonwealth Government concessional vehicle scheme: used imports currently constitute less than 2% of the total vehicle imports annually. As a proportion of the licensed fleet, concessional vehicles make up a mere 0.2%. This paper uses estimates of the safety of such vehicles in Australia and New Zealand compared to those sold new to predict safety effects of policies around vehicle importation. Compared to business-as-usual, several scenarios were tested to inform policy considerations. Using New Zealand fleet data 2003-2014 decoded into vehicle clusters and identified according to origin (sold new or imported used), both primary and secondary safety were assessed. For Australia, data on crashed drivers, their injuries and vehicles driven were analysed from Police reported crash data for the years 2008-2012 for Western Australia, South Australia, New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria. This dataset also identified concessional imports. Data from 2012 was used as the baseline crash year in modelling safety effects of scenarios. For the New Zealand fleet, for any given year of manufacture and market group, there was little difference in the safety of vehicles according to their origin. So merely changing the proportions of used imported vehicles in the fleet of a given age would have little effect on safety per se. If, however, there were other effects from reducing access to used imports, such as increased motorcycle usage, there could be significant reductions in safety. For Australia, expanding the used import program effectively increased the average age of the fleet, with secondary safety deteriorating under the scenarios tested with estimated increases in deaths and serious injuries between 4% with a 100-fold increase in the number of concessional vehicles and 15% if the majority of vehicles were concessional. Analysis showed that it would be possible to theoretically reduce serious road trauma by up to 13% through a used vehicle import program but only if used imports were restricted to only the very safest vehicles available which is unlikely to be achievable.


The carnyx, an animal-headed bronze horn, once echoed across Iron Age Europe. Now, after centuries of silence, this book presents a full picture of this dramatic instrument for the first time. It considers the rare surviving fragments, with a detailed study of the Deskford carnyx from north-east Scotland, alongside depictions from Iron Age and Classical art.
The carnyx is studied in the context of musical instruments, metalworking technology, Celtic art styles, hoards and sacrificial offerings, Iron Age connections across Europe, and how the Greeks and Romans used material culture to depict "barbarians" in triumphal art. Research shifts from details of a single carnyx to a European scale in order to obtain a rounded picture of this striking instrument. Often called Celtic, the carnyx was far more than this. This study questions how useful such broad terms are, and shows the instrument's spread to other cultural groupings – German, Dacian, and as far away as India.


Deep Neural Networks (DNNs) are commonly used for various traffic analysis problems, such as website fingerprinting and flow correlation, as they outperform traditional (e.g., statistical) techniques by large margins. However, deep neural networks are known to be vulnerable to adversarial examples: adversarial inputs to the model that get labeled incorrectly by the model due to small adversarial perturbations. In this paper, for the first time, we show that an adversary can defeat DNN-based traffic analysis techniques by applying \emph{adversarial perturbations} on the patterns of \emph{live} network traffic.


Describes the development of a special-purpose test rig for the measurement of stiffness and damping characteristics of computer keyboard keys. The ultimate aim of this project is to gain a more complete understanding of the tactile "feel" of computer keyboard keys by quantifying their mechanical impedance. To achieve this goal, a computer-controlled test rig that can measure key displacement, velocity, and contact force has been designed. The objectives of the measurement and data analysis, and a description of the hardware and software configuration, including the data acquisition method and motion control system, are presented.


family history and pleads the right of the student to be allowed the exercise of a little discretion provided that he appreciates the information of real value that can be obtained. In the personal history he sees more need for care and discernment especially in finding clues to :etiology and the hidden factors in obscure conditions that the present fashion delights to consider under the term psychosomatic medicine. In certain circumstances "historytaking demands the finesse of a diplomat with the sympathy of a father-confessor in the understanding that the sorrow that has no vent in tears makes other organs weep". The danger to be avoided is, of course, the attributing to psychological causes of symptoms that have a straightforward organic basis. In his concluding remarks Abrahams, after discussing in some detail the value of minute examination of certain symptoms and circumstances, warns that in the phraseology of a sister profession, medical history may be regarded as circumstantial evidence; we are rarely provided with obvious clues, still more seldom with the opportunity to convict in flagrante delicto. In this respect the examining physician is judge, jury and prosecuting ann defending counsel all in one. The point that must be borne in mind is that "circumstantial evidence, however approbated, may well be fallacious". The solution seems to lie in the very old system of the application of common sense.


The authors conducted an experimental study to examine the effects of collaborative strategic reading and metacognitive strategic learning on the reading comprehension of students in seventh- and eighth-grade English/language arts classes in two sites (Texas, Colorado) and in three school districts. Students were randomly assigned to classes and then classes were randomly assigned to treatment or business-as-usual comparison groups. If a teacher had an uneven number of classes, we assigned extra classes to treatment. The total number of classes randomized was 61, with 34 treatment and 27 comparison. Treatment students received a multicomponent reading comprehension instruction (collaborative strategic reading) from their English/language arts/reading teachers that included teaching students to apply comprehension strategies in collaborative groups for 18 weeks, with approximately two sessions per week. Findings indicated significant differences in favor of the treatment students on the Gates-MacGinitie Reading Comprehension Test but not on reading fluency.


Hanna Segal is one of the best-known living British psychoanalysts. She was one of the first European psychoanalysts to receive the prestigious Sigourney Award for contributions to psychoanalysis. Her first two books on Melanie Klein are classic texts and she is one of the most influential figures within the British Psychoanalytical Society. Her substantial body of work embraces a large number of published papers and five books. She has made seminal contributions to the understanding of psychosis, the theory of symbolism, aesthetics, literature and politics.Reason and Passion is compiled in honour of Hanna Segal, with papers by a group of internationally renowned psychoanalysts reflecting numerous aspects of her clinical and theoretical work. Set in the context of a biographical introduction by the editor, each paper makes a personal contribution to furthering the theoretical and clinical ideas in her thinking. These ideas have been widely influential in the work of the Tavistock Clinic and thereby in the whole field of mental health.This is the first of two volumes in the Tavistock Clinic Series examining her clinical and theoretical work.


Today there is an ever-increasing consumer demand for safe and high-quality foods of prolonged life. Several quality/safety management systems (e.g., ISO 9000, Total Quality Management, and HACCP) were developed for the food industry. The importance of implementing such systems for rather biochemically unstable products like cheese, a product characterized by great variety worldwide, is apparent. The application of HACCP in the cheese-making industry proved to be beneficial and profitable because the industry managed to cut down the raw material (milk) and final product (cheese) losses and to build up consumer confidence by producing safe cheese of enhanced and consistent quality.


We describe a method of dynamic assessment of patellar tracking intraoperatively during a Fulkerson osteotomy. We utilize an electrically conductive catheter intraopertively to directly stimulate the femoral nerve to cause quadriceps muscle contraction. The resultant active knee extension allows dynamic assessment of patellofemoral tracking prior to and after final Fulkerson fixation. This dynamic intraopertive technique allows us to approximate in vivo patellofemoral motion better than with passive motion assessment.


We investigated quantitatively the ultrastructural localization of the alpha-subunit of Na+,K(+)-ATPase in rat retinal pigment epithelial cells by the protein A-gold technique, using an affinity-purified antibody against the alpha-subunit of rat kidney Na+,K(+)-ATPase. Immunoblot analysis showed that the antibody bound specifically to the alpha- and alpha(+)-subunits of Na+,K(+)-ATPase in the whole retina [the sensory retina plus retinal pigment epithelium (RPE)]. Rat eyes were fixed by perfusion with 4% paraformaldehyde containing 1% glutaraldehyde and embedded in Lowicryl K4M. Ultra-thin sections were incubated with affinity-purified antibody against the alpha-subunit of rat kidney Na+,K(+)-ATPase and subsequently with protein A-gold complex. Light microscopy with a silver enhancement procedure revealed Na+,K(+)-ATPase localized to both the apical and the basal plasma membrane domains of the RPE. Quantitative immunocytochemical analysis by electron microscopy showed a higher density of gold particles on the apical surface than on the basolateral one. Microvilli are so well developed on the apical surface of the RPE that the apical surface profile is much longer than the basolateral one. This means that Na+,K(+)-ATPase is mainly located on the apical surface of the RPE cells.


In this memoir, then, I have described in detail the eye and optic tract of Muse a vo mitoria. The pseudo-cones I have found to be composed of four cells with their nuclei situated internally, each one containing a large watery or albuminous vacuole, which serves the same purpose, and is morphologically homologous with the crystalline cone of the "eucone" eyes. There are six retinulte cells, each possessing a nucleus situated in that part of it which lies immediately behind the pseudocones, and in some cases an additional nucleus, situated about half way down. I have figured for the first time the interommatidiai tracheal vesicles which have been previously observed by several investigators. In the optic tract I have described three ganglia--the opticon, epi-opticon, and periopticon. The last of these is composed of a number of small cylindrical elements of a tissue composed of a sponge work of nerve-fibrilae, which I have called a "neurospongium." The opticon and the epi-opticon are present in all insects and in most of the higher Crustacea. The peri-opticon appears comparatively late in development, but is never found even in the adults of Periplaneta and Nepa. The peri-opticon, when present, is usually composed of a number of cylindrical elements, which partially fuse in Aeschna and completely in Eristalis, Bombyx, and the Crustacea. In Eristalis the peri-opticon is traversed by a number of delicate tracheal vessels. The terminal optic anastomosis of Nepa is more complicated than it is in Periplaneta, and seems to be an intermediate stage between the simple anastomosis and the true peri-opticon of Musca. A similar series of intermediate stages between the simple anastomosis and a true peri-opticon has been traced in the development of these parts in the Bee. The development and comparative anatomy of the periopticon of insects is interesting, as it may indicate the mode in which central ganglia were first formed from primitive nerve-fibrils and cells. My researches seem to me to corroborate the opinion of the majority of previous investigators, that the retinulas are the true nerve-end cells. My researches were carried on entirely in the morphological laboratory at Oxford, and I have to thank Professor Moseley for much valuable help and advice, and to Professor Lankester for many valuable suggestions.


One of the main issues of the advances in optoacoustic (OA) applications is to reduce the high costs and the big sizes of solid state lasers. High-power diode lasers (HPDLs) have been demonstrated to be a valid alternative reducing enormously the expenses, besides other advantages such as smaller sizes and higher modulation frequencies. However, in some cases it is possible to furtherly reduce their costs. We present a cost-effective OA system based on the combination of several 905-nm HPDLs with direct coupling into a fiber bundle. These HPDLs have an internal pulse driver, based on an n-channel Mosfet and two charging capacitors, which needs an external Mosfet driver circuit and a voltage supply in order to improve the optical pulse shape and energy. We compare the performances and the prices of this OA system with another similar HPDL-based OA system built with commercial elements. Results indicate good OA signal generation (~15.6 mVpp) with pulse energy of 12.3 μJ and, especially, a cost reduction by a factor of ~15 if compared to the other HPDL-based system.


In this research an in vitro technique was developed for production and propagation of intergeneric hybrids from immature seeds produced by crossing the domestic sunflower Helianthus annuus and the wild species Tithonia rotundifolia (Mill.) S. F. Blake. For embryo rescue in tissue culture the greatest success was obtained with the sequential use of three Murashige-Skoog based media: a) with amino acids and growth regulator BAP for germination, b) without amino acids and with BAP for micropropagation, and c) without vitamins and growth regulator ANA for root development. The amino acids were added as a source of organic nitrogen. From a single seedling a total of 130 healthy plantlets were obtained. Twenty of them were taken for acclimatization, and only one reached an incomplete flowering stage. Therefore, standardizing acclimatization conditions is still required. In particular, it is necessary to establish treatments that allow a clear definition of the specific conditions for the acclimatization of the hybrid, through the test of different substrate mixtures and nutritive solutions under controlled environmental conditions. It is recommended to try the use of retardants and amino acids, as well as modifications in light intensity.


Mutations within a number of genes have been associated with variations in fertility in various mammals. However, to date there have been no such associations reported for cattle. Herein, we describe three single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the luteinizing hormone/choriogonadotropin receptor gene of cattle (Bos taurus). These polymorphisms include two missense mutations and one sense mutation, and all are located in areas of conserved synteny. When assessed in terms of haplotypes, these SNPs were significantly associated with variations in cattle fertility and production traits, most notably on calving interval, days to first service and production index (the UK economic index of milk yield measured in poundGB).


Over the last thirty years, happiness research in p sychology, economics and philosophy has been discussing the proper meaning of happiness and its main determinants. Moreover, the idea has spread within academic and political circl es that it may be legitimate for institutions to engage in "politics of happiness". This article presents a critique of the project of promoting happiness through public policies.


Microgrids have become more and more popular their usefulness as a renewable energy resource has been recognized. The core ability and promise of microgrids is addressing the environmental concerns due to climate change that have been growing during recent years. The innovation of microgrids is that they are designed to operate either in island mode or interconnected with the main grid system. However, when the microgrid operates in islanded mode, faults may occur which can cause system collapse or even blackout. Load curtailment schemes can be utilized to decrease the quantity of associated load to a level that can be securely supported by accessible generation in isolated mode. The main goal of this research is to evaluate the optimal amount of shedding power considering sustainable power sources, with the help of primary and secondary adjustments of the generator to restore the frequency to the allowed range. Particle Swarm Optimization algorithm is applied in this paper to determine the distributed shedding power on each demand load bus which can improve the voltage quality of the isolated microgrid system. The effectiveness of the proposed method is demonstrated through the simulation of IEEE 16bus microgrid. Keywords-load shedding; islanded microgrid; primary and secondary adjustment; particle swarm optimization


Timing jitter and I/Q imbalance are each important impairments in very high data rate orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) systems because they cause intercarrier interference (ICI) which limits the achievable bit error rate. In this paper we analyze the interaction between timing jitter and I/Q imbalance and show that this interaction introduces extra ICI terms. It is shown that the ICI is independent of received subcarrier index and has equal real and imaginary components. It is also shown that the relative contributions of I/Q imbalance and timing jitter to ICI depend on the parameter values, with I/Q imbalance dominating when timing jitter is relatively small and timing jitter dominating for larger jitter values. In all cases the extra ICI caused by the interaction is negligible. The analytical results are compared with simulation results showing close agreement.


Recent work in bidirectional heuristic search characterize pairs of nodes from which at least one node must be expanded in order to ensure optimality of solutions. We use these findings to propose a method for improving existing heuristics by propagating lower bounds between the forward and backward frontiers. We then define a number of desirable properties for bidirectional heuristic search algorithms, and show that applying the bound propagations adds these properties to many existing algorithms (e.g. to the MM family of algorithms). Finally, experimental results show that applying these propagations significantly reduce the running time of various algorithms.


One of the most difficult and pressing problems in computational cell biology is the inference of gene regulatory network structure from transcriptomic data. Benchmarking network inference methods on model organism datasets has yielded mixed results, in which the methods sometimes perform reasonably well and other times fail to outperform random guessing. In this paper, we analyze the feasibility of network inference under different noise conditions using stochastic simulations. We show that gene regulatory interactions with extrinsic noise appear to be more amenable to inference than those with only intrinsic noise, especially when the extrinsic noise causes the system to switch between distinct expression states. Furthermore, we analyze the problem of false positives between genes that have no direct interaction but share a common upstream regulator, and explore a strategy for distinguishing between these false positives and true interactions based on noise profiles of mRNA expression levels. Lastly, we derive mathematical formulas for the mRNA noise levels and correlation using moment analysis techniques, and show how these levels change as the mean mRNA expression level changes.


Two key components contribute to task completion time: execution cost and communication cost. The communication cost is induced by data transfers from one task to another residing on separate nodes. To reduce communication cost, interdependent tasks are allocated to closely located nodes. However, once tasks are allocated, nodes can move within a Grid. The node mobility within a Grid can increase communication distance and may result into multi-hop communication between nodes executing dependent tasks. The multi-hop communication increases communication cost and thus task completion time. In order to avoid multi-hop communication between dependent tasks, we have developed an adaptive and distance-based resource allocation scheme which exploits the characteristics of an application and nodes, and applies migration heuristics to reduce communication cost. The scheme is validated in a simulated environment using various workloads and parameters.


Far-edge analytics refers to the enablement of data mining algorithms in far-edge mobile devices that are part of mobile edge cloud computing (MECC) systems. Far-edge analytics enables data reduction in mobile environments, hence reducing the data transfer rate and bandwidth utilization cost for mobile-edge communication. In addition, far-edge analytics facilitates local knowledge availability to enable personalized mobile data stream mining applications. Existing literature mainly addresses classification and clustering problems in far-edge mobile devices, but the problem of frequent pattern mining (FPM) remains unexplored. This paper presents the results of an experimental study on the performance profiling of frequent pattern mining algorithms. We developed a real mobile application for performance analysis and profiling of 21 FPM algorithms with various real data sets in terms of execution time, storage complexity, sparsity, density, and data set size. According to the experimental results, large-sized data sets with high sparsity increase computational and storage cost in far-edge mobile devices. To address these issues, we propose a framework and discuss the relevant research challenges for seamless execution of FPM algorithms in MECC systems.


Introduction. To investigate the indications for performing a second large loop excision of the transformation zone (LLETZ) biopsy and to compare the associated colposcopic and pathological findings and treatment morbidity compared with 1 LLETZ. Methods. This is a case-control study that reviewed case notes and histology reports on women who had undergone 1 LLETZ biopsy (control group) and women who had undergone 2 biopsies (index group). A comparison of referral cytology, colposcopic findings, and pathological and clinical outcomes was performed. Results. Of the women who went on to have 2 LLETZ biopsies, 88% had histologically proven high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) or invasion on their first biopsy. A significantly greater proportion of high-grade cytologic and histologic diagnoses were associated with the first LLETZ compared with the second LLETZ biopsy, 76.5% and 69.1% versus 39.5% and 30.9%, respectively. A significantly greater proportion of women in the control group were referred with low-grade cytology (28.0%) and were diagnosed with human papillomavirus/low-grade CIN on histology (31.7%) compared with the first cytologic and LLETZ results in the index group, 9.9% and 8.6%, respectively. Complications were low in both groups; the immediate complication rate was 4% after the first LLETZ compared with 1% after the second LLETZ. Conclusions. Most second LLETZ biopsies are performed in women with a history of biopsy-proven high-grade CIN and are not associated with an increased risk of immediate complications.


This thesis is a study of the fifteenth- and sixteenth-century manuscript and print contexts of Older Scots romance. Building on recent developments in Middle English romance scholarship and Older Scots book history, it seeks to contextualise the surviving corpus of Older Scots romances in light of their unique material witnesses and contemporary cultural milieu. Chapters 1 to 8 focus respectively on the following Older Scots romances: the Octosyllabic Alexander , the Buik of King Alexander the Conquerour , Florimond , Lancelot of the Laik , King Orphius and Sir Colling , Golagros and Gawane and Rauf Coilȝear , the Scottish Troy Book , and Clariodus . The conclusion assesses and evaluates the most significant and recurring features of these chapters and reveals how they cumulatively deepen our understanding of the book-producing and book-owning culture of fifteenth- and sixteenth-century Scotland. The conclusion also looks forward to new witness- conscious editions of Older Scots romance that endeavour to represent as far as possible a text's unique and idiosyncratic manuscript and print contexts. In each chapter I examine the set romance's primary contexts of composition, including authorship, date, and first audience, as well as its secondary publication contexts. A full palaeographical, codicological and bibliographical description of each manuscript and print is provided, with details of when, where and by whom each witness was produced. Information about when and where that witness was read is also given, with details of the owners and readers where known. Significant attention is paid to the use of titles, rubrication and mise-en-page to reveal the trends and bibliographical codes in copying and presentation. Where appropriate, the compilation choices made by scribes and readers are also analysed. Careful assessments of these are shown to aid modern thematic and comparative literary interpretation. Most notably, each chapter of this thesis also provides much-needed new information about fifteenth- and sixteenth-century Scottish literary communities. Several significant and often-overlapping circles of scribes, readers and owners are revealed. The familial, professional and geographical associations between these groups of producers and consumers are traced and consequently new book- publishing and book-owning networks are documented. In further original work, a number of hitherto unknown texts, scribes and readers are also successfully identified.


Bukit Cinta Rawa Pening is one of the attractions located in Ambarawa subdistrict, Semarang Regency which has high potential to be developed into a national and even world class tourist attraction if managed professionally. The purpose of this research is to analyze the internal and external conditions faced by Bukit Cinta Rawa Pening tourist attraction, and to formulate the development strategy that needs to be done by the manager of Bukit Cinta Rawa Pening tourism object in developing its potential.
This research used SWOT method. This method is used to analyze the potential that exist in Bukit Cinta Rawa Pening tourist attraction from External factors i.e. opportunities and threats and Internal factors i.e. strengths and weaknesses. All aspects are analyzed based on two different types of respondents, i.e. Key Person and Visitors. Respondents Key Persons as many as 5 respondents consisting of the government and the manager or officer of the tourist attraction and the visitor consists of visitors who have visited or are visiting the attraction, as well as the surrounding community nearby the tourist attraction. As for visitors of Bukit Cinta Rawa Pening tourist attraction as much as 95 respondents.
From the results of research, it was found that the most urgent internal factors in developing the Bukit Cinta Rawa Pening tourist attractions on the strength indicator is a water tour package surrounds Rawa Pening Lake with 17.8%. As for the indicator of weakness is water facilities less varied, especially for children by 20%. As for external factors, on the indicator of opportunity is a positive impression of visitors help to introduce the potential of tourism attractions by 20%, and on the threat indicator is shallowed water and the water hyacinth'shigh growth of 15.6% resulting in evaluation of internal and external factors linkage that is the strength of the organization in the fourth position is to support a diversification strategy.Also SWOT recommends for S-O strategy is to utilize the entire boat tour optimally to capture the sympathy of tourists; W-O strategy: improve boat tour facilities by utilizing group capital and banking facilitation; S-T strategy: take advantage of boat boat operator skills to cope with water hyacinth's high growth; W-T strategy: improve boat tour service for travelers convenience by removing water hyacinth plant.


A method of operating a display device comprising a display panel comprises receiving main and side image pixel data respectively representing a main image (S1) and a side image (S2). For each of a plurality of pixel groups (S3), where each pixel group comprises at least one pixel of the main image pixel data and at least one spatially corresponding pixel of the side image pixel data, a predetermined mapping is performed (S4) using the pixel data of the pixel group as input. The mapping holds output pixel data for the input pixel data which is known to produce an average on-axis luminance with substantially no dependence on the side image pixel data of the group and an average off-axis luminance with substantially no dependence on the main image pixel data of the group. The signals used to drive the display panel are determined from the output pixel data (S5).


The paper highlights the major role played by foreign direct investment/ FDI flows in two ways – inflows or outflows – for Chinese firms by securing strategic assets to enhance their competitive advantage. The underlying rationale of the acquisition of such assets through FDI is specific to China. Therefore, we scrutinize the characteristics and determinants of FDI in its two dimensions


In this paper, the interplay between various competing orders among three ethnic groups on the margins of the Ethiopian state that have overlapping presence along the Ethiopia-Kenya border is analysed. The paper probes into complex and intertwined causes of inter-group conflicts by going beyond the commonly asserted resource scarcity and ethnicity assumptions, arguing that any attempt to establish sustainable peace becomes futile without assessing inter-group conflict within a context including historical, environmental, political, economic, cultural and institutional dimensions. The paper also conceptualises the state as an active player in inter-group relations, as it plays a fundamental role in instigating and/or resolving conflicts based on its political, economic and strategic interests. Taking the case of inter-group conflicts among three groups inhabiting border areas along southern Ethiopia and northern Kenya, and by employing actor-oriented perspectives, the paper argues that the involvement of competing interests and claims on the side of the Ethiopian state, local communities and individuals, both in the instigation of conflicts and peacebuilding processes further complicates the situation. It concludes that inter-group conflict and attempts at peacebuilding in the region are to a large extent influenced by national political dynamics, changes in traditional institutions and cross-border relations.


Background: Antioxidant compounds are widely used in health protection. Homoeopathic mother tinctures are commonly prescribed for prevention and cure of many illnesses. Objective: The present study focused to determine the antioxidant potential of six commonly prescribed mother tinctures. i.e. Syzygium jambolanum, Damiana, Cinchona officinalis, Chelidonium majus, Convallaria majalis, Coca. Materials and Methods: Antioxidant activity was estimated by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) inhibition assay. A volume of 0.1 mM solution of DPPH was used while mother tinctures (5, 2.5, and 1.25 μl volumes) were used for estimating antioxidant activity. Quercetin was taken as a standard control in antioxidant activity. Total phenolic content was measured by Folin–Ciocalteu reagent assay. Total phenolic content of mother tinctures was measured in comparison to gallic acid. Results: Results of the study showed the significant antioxidant activity and high total phenolic content of all tested mother tinctures in the following order: Syzygium jambolanum, Damiana, Cinchona officinalis, Chelidonium majus, Convallaria majalis, Coca. Conclusion: Antioxidant potential of mother tinctures is related to total phenolic content present in them, and their role in prevention and cure of diseases may link through their antioxidant activity. Among six selected mother tinctures, S. jambolanum has highest antioxidant potential.


If rare earth magnets are arranged in a Halbach array, flux concentration occurs at one side of the array. This principle can be utilized in electric machines to augment the air-gap flux density or even to omit flux carrying iron parts. Highly utilized electric machines are operated at elevated temperatures requiring an appropriate selection of the material. However, the uncommon magnet orientation required in a Halbach array entails an augmented temperature degrading effect in the magnets. The effect is studied in three test cases with linear arrangements of Halbach arrays by means of 2-D and 3-D Finite Element Analysis and is validated through measurements.


In this advanced technology era, the use of technology in translation becomes more and more obvious which may, in turn, change the role of the translators. Printed resources have been gradually replaced by online resources; nevertheless, using online resources can be time consuming if managed inappropriately. This is a research-based article aiming at finding out how the student translators manage online resources in solving translation problems while translating the texts from English into Bahasa Indonesia. The research uses a qualitative method taking three students of Master Degree Program of Linguistics Department majoring translation studies at the University of Sumatera Utara without any professional experience on translation business as the research participants. They were asked to translate two texts from English language into Bahasa Indonesia. The data were the translation process and the translated texts produced by the student translators. Translog and Camtasia Studio 8 were used in collecting the data. The findings of the research show that (i) the student translators used online resources to solve the translation problems in terms of terminology and structure, and (ii) a good online resources management in doing self-corrections results in a good translation quality. The research findings suggest the involvement of online resources in translation process.


In this corrspondence, we investigate the application of linear and neurodynamic models to solve the critical problem of obtaining the most cost-effective electrical load forecast for an industrial site. This is done from the perspective of an energy service company (ESCo). The ESCos' business model is based on the notion of making money by providing a means to enable their commercial customers to lower their electric bills. This in turn is based on the idea that the energy supplier's cost of doing business is reduced if its commercial customers can provide a reliable load forecast. A portion of that cost savings is passed on to the user as a discount in the selling price. Since it is not cost effective for the customer to install extensive monitoring instrumentation, the load forecast must be made on the basis of a model that is determined by applying systems identification techniques to the user's consumption pattern. By a single-point observation of the electrical energy consumption in a dairy plant at quarter-hour intervals over a two-year period, we were able to identify a model and use it to devise a straightforward strategy for nontrivial cost savings to the user and a profitable line of service for the ESCo. The performance of several models is compared. The results for the weekly-based models are reported and the effective cost reduction along with the implementation time to set up the service package are quantified and verified in the proposed final business plan. The project produces overall revenues of roughly euro13 600 over a five-year contracting period


Aims To assess patient delay differences between early and late stage breast cancer among women in Uganda. Study Design A retrospective analytical study. Place and Duration of the Study A study conducted at a tertiary teaching hospital. Selected patients' data available for the period between 2008 and 2011 were included in this study. Methodology We included 201 women with histologically confirmed breast cancer. The variables analysed included age, residence, histological subtype, stage at presentation and time delays. Ethical approval was obtained. Results The mean age for the early and late presenters was 49 and 46 years respectively (p=0.065). Rural women were more likely to present late. Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) and HER2+ were the majority cancer subtypes for the late presenters. On average women waited for 29 months before they presented for specialized cancer treatment (median 12 months; range 1-120 months). The duration of symptoms didn't differ between the two groups (p=0.295) and 75% of early stage presenters, reported at least 6 months after noticing symptoms. Only 9% of the TNBC patients presented under 3 months in comparison to 14 % for HER2+, 33% for Luminal B and 36% for luminal A. Overall 23% (39/168) presented with early stage disease. Conclusion Delay in seeking appropriate breast cancer care in Uganda was excessive, a sign of a neglected disease. Tumor biology factors seem to play a role in late stage presentation. Research in factors that lead to prolonged delay in accessing care in a resource poor context are needed urgently.


Relational theories of gender conceptualize masculinity and femininity as mutually constitutive. Using a relational approach, I analyzed ethnographic and interview data from male and female black adolescents in Grades 8 through 10 enrolled in ''Diversify,'' an urban-to-suburban racial integration program (n = 38). Suburban students (n = 7) and Diversify coordinators (n = 9) were also interviewed. All the bussed students, male and female, were racially stereotyped. Yet as a group, the Diversify boys were welcomed in suburban social cliques, even as they were constrained to enacting race and gender in narrow ways. In contrast, the Diversify girls were stereotyped as ''ghetto'' and ''loud'' and excluded. In discussing these findings, the current study extends previous research on black girls' ''loudness,'' identifies processes of racialization and gendering within a set of wealthy suburban schools, and offers new theoretical directions for the study of racially integrated settings.


In this paper, we describe adaptation of a simple word guessing game that occupied the hearts and minds of people around the world. There are versions for all three Baltic countries and even several versions of each. We specifically pay attention to the Latvian version and look into how people form their guesses given any already uncovered hints. The paper analyses guess patterns, easy and difficult word characteristics, and player behaviour and response.


The main objective of this study was to characterize the tet(X) genes, which encode a monooxygenase that catalyzes the degradation of tetracycline antibiotics, carried by the resistant strains FP105 and FP233-J200, using whole-genome sequencing analysis. The isolates were recovered from fin lesion and kidney samples of diseased rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss, during two Flavobacteriosis outbreaks occurring in freshwater farms located in Southern Chile. The strains were identified as Epilithonimonas spp. by using biochemical tests and by genome comparison analysis using the PATRIC bioinformatics platform and exhibited a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of oxytetracycline of 128 µg/mL. The tet(X) genes were located on small contigs of the FP105 and FP233-J200 genomes. The sequences obtained for the tet(X) genes and their genetic environment were compared with the genomes available in the GenBank database of strains of the Chryseobacterium clade belonging to the Flavobacterium family, isolated from fish and carrying the tet(X) gene. The Tet(X) proteins synthesized by the Chilean Epilithonimonas strains showed a high amino acid similarity (range from 84% to 100%), with the available sequences found in strains belonging to the genus Chryseobacterium and Flavobacterium isolated from fish. An identical neighborhood of tet(X) genes from both Chilean strains was observed. The genetic environment of tet(X) observed in the two strains of Epilithonimonas studied was characterized by the upstream location of a sequence encoding a hypothetical protein and a downstream located alpha/beta hydrolase-encoding gene, similar to the observed in some of the tet(X) genes carried by Chryseobacterium and Flavobacterium strains isolated from fish, but the produced proteins exhibited a low amino acid identity (25–27%) when compared to these synthesized by the Chilean strains. This study reports for the first time the carriage of the tet(X) gene by the Epilithonimonas genus and their detection in fish pathogenic bacteria isolated from farmed salmonids in Chile, thus limiting the use of therapies based on oxytetracycline, the antimicrobial most widely used in Chilean freshwater salmonid farming. This results suggest that pathogenic strains of the Chryseobacterium clade occurring in Chilean salmonid farms may serve as important reservoirs of tet(X) genes.


Background/Aims: The purpose of this study was to investigate the involvement of GABAergic mechanisms in the antihyperalgesic effect of carbamazepine and oxcarbazepine by examining the effect of bicuculline (GABAA receptor antagonist) on these effects of antiepileptic drugs. Methods: Rats were intraplantarly (i.pl.) injected with the proinflammatory compound concanavalin A (Con A). A paw-pressure test was used to determine: (1) the development of hyperalgesia induced by Con A; (2) the effects of carbamazepine/oxcarbazepine on Con A-induced hyperalgesia, and (3) the effects of bicuculline on the carbamazepine/oxcarbazepine antihyperalgesia. Results: Intraperitoneally injected bicuculline (0.5–1 mg/kg, i.p.) exhibited significant suppression of the systemic antihyperalgesic effects of carbamazepine (27 mg/kg, i.p.) and oxcarbazepine (80 mg/kg, i.p.). When applied intraplantarly, bicuculline (0.14 mg/paw, i.pl.) did not produce any change in the peripheral antihyperalgesic effects of carbamazepine (0.14 mg/paw, i.pl.) and oxcarbazepine (0.5 mg/paw, i.pl.). Bicuculline alone did not produce an intrinsic effect in the paw-pressure test. Conclusion: These results indicate that the antihyperalgesic effects of carbamazepine and oxcarbazepine against inflammatory hyperalgesia involve in part the GABAergic inhibitory modulation of pain transmission at central, but not at peripheral sites, which is mediated via GABAA receptor activation.


In this paper, we present an object representation based on the semantics and functionality of interactive digital items - virtual objects - within a Virtual Environment (VE). We consider every object participating in a VE application not only as a 3D shape, but as a dynamic entity with multiple visual representations and functionalities. This allows for dynamically scaling and adapting the object's geometry and functions to different scenarios. Some test applications are described to demonstrate the benefits of the semantics-based representation of interactive virtual environments, including autonomous characters and collaborative environments.


Hemiodus is the largest genus of the South American freshwater fish family Hemiodontidae, with 23 valid species. However, the species‐level diversity of Hemiodus remains uncertain since morphological studies have indicated additional species. Also, the phylogenetic relationships among species and species boundaries within this genus are still unresolved. Herein, we sequenced the barcode (COI) gene of 19 species of Hemiodus on which undertook molecular species delimitation methods (automatic barcode gap discovery [ABGD], generalized mixed Yule coalescent [GMYC] and Poisson tree process [PTP]) and the standard DNA barcoding procedure to establish species boundaries and cast light on putative new species in the genus. We also provide a COI‐based phylogenetic hypothesis for Hemiodus by maximum‐likelihood (ML) analysis, the first at species level. The results of ABGD, GMYC and PTP indicate that around 30 MOTUs (range: 28–32) exist for Hemiodus within our data set of 19 valid species with concordance among strategies (i.e. equal results) in delimiting 24 MOTUs. Using classical DNA barcoding procedures, we settled on 28 MOTUs for Hemiodus. Undescribed morphospecies (i.e. feasible for description or taxonomic validation), as well as cryptic species (i.e. lineages with high genetic distance but indistinguishable in external morphology), are proposed. Even with the limitations of a single‐locus phylogeny, the ML tree recovered many species and species groups as clades, corroborating, thus, their taxonomic separation. Overall, our results highlight the existence of an overlooked diversity of mitochondrial lineages in Hemiodus that can represent cryptic or poorly scrutinized species. Moreover, this study provides a molecular backbone for future studies on the systematics and evolution of Hemiodontidae taxa.


Age >60 years (y) is independently associated with poorer outcomes in AML. An increasing incidence of s-AML and t-AML as well as age-related genetic abnormalities increase the likelihood of resistance to treatment. After intensive chemotherapy (IC), complete remission (CR/CRi) rates of 48-51% and a day (d) 90 mortality of 19-27% are reported (Niederwieser et al, ASH 2016). In pts >65y, azacitidine (AZA), a hypomethylating agenet, yields CR/CRi rates of 27.8% and a one-year survival (OS) of 46.5% (Dombret et al, Blood 2015). In the RAS-AZIC (DRKS00004519) study, a multicenter, investigator-initiated, combined phase I/II trial, AZA was integrated with IC in an individualized response-based approach in pts >60y with newly diagnosed AML. The rationale was a treatment sequence with a low probability of toxicity and a high probability of efficacy. Outcomes are presented. Patients and methods: In the phase I part, upfront AZA (75 mg/m2/day s.c) for 7 d followed by IC (Mitoxantrone 10 mg/m2/day d 1-3 and cytarabine 1g/m2/BID d1,3,5,7) on d17 was declared admissible through a 3+3 design (n=9). Between June, 2014 and May, 2016, 103 pts received priming with AZA followed by IC or AZA in phase II (Fig. 1) based on bone marrow (BM) blasts d15 ( 45%) and CR/CRi d56, previousely identified as predictors for long-term response to AZA in AML (Al-Ali et al, Leuk Lymph 2012). AZA maintenance was offered to pts in remission until relapse or allogeneic HCT. Primary objective was d90 response (OR) [CR/CRi/PR] in the 109 pts who received the maximal tolerated priming dose of AZA. Safety, d90 mortality, OS, EFS; RFS were further end points. Protocol treatment was considered non-inferior to standard IC if, on an intention-to-treat basis, an OR >61% was reached. Adverse events (AEs) were reported according to the NCI CTCAE 4.03. All pts gave written informed consent. Results: Median age was 70 (61-85) y. A median of 6 comorbidities/patient were reported [hypertension, n=55 (50%); cardiac disorders, n=47 (43%); diabetes mellitus, n=26 (24%); history of non-myeloid neoplasia, n=22 (20%)]. Median baseline BM blasts and WBC were 50% and 4.3 (range 0.4-153)x109/L respectively. Type of AML was de novo AML (63.3%), s-AML (23.9%), and t-AML (12.8%). Genetic risk according to the 2010 ELN stratification was high in 28%, int-I and II each in 23.4%, favorable in 14%; and not evaluable in 11.2%. All pts received first-line AZA, 90% and 78% of pts received protocol assigned treatment based on d15 BM blasts and d56 response respectively [AZA1+AZA2, n=24 (22%); AZA1+AZA2+IC1, n=30 (27.5); AZA1+ IC1, n=35 (32.2%); AZA1+ IC1+IC2, n=9 (8.3%)]. Hematologic and non-hematologic AEs lead to a postponement of response-adapted IC1 in 5.4% and 8% of pts respectively. Overall, infections were the most frequent non-hematologic AE [> grade 2 in 26.5%, 21%, and 53.5% of pts under AZA1, AZA2, and IC respectively]. Day 90 OR and mortality were 63.3% [CR/CRi 56.9%; PR 6.4%] and 10% respectively. OR was 73%, 80%, 52%, and 50% in favorable, int-I, int-II, and high-risk genetics respectively (p=0.07). One-year OS, EFS, and RFS were 63.8% (95% CI, 55% to 73%), 46% (95% CI, 36% to 55%), and 50% (95% CI, 38% to 62%) respectively. Age, baseline BM blasts, WBC, type of AML, FLT3/NPM1 mutational status,and d15 blasts 45% had no impact on OR and OS. In pts >75y, OS was 69% compared to 59.3% in pts 70 years. The well-known negative impact of pretreatment variables such as increasing age or type of AML on outcome could, at least partly, be ameliorated with treatment. The results of this trial emphasize that age alone should not be the determinant of treatment decisions. Disclosures Jaekel: Celgene: Other: Travel support. Maschmeyer: Boehringer-Ingelheim: Honoraria; AstraZeneca: Honoraria; Astellas: Honoraria; Janssen-Cilag: Honoraria; Basilea: Honoraria; Bristol-Meyers Squibb: Honoraria; Celgene: Honoraria; Merck-Serono: Honoraria; Pfizer: Honoraria, Travel support; Gilead: Honoraria; Amgen: Honoraria; Bristol-Meyers Squibb: Other: Travel support. Al-Ali: Gilead: Consultancy, Honoraria; Alexion: Honoraria; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding.


An in-season early crop yield forecast before harvest can benefit the farmers to improve the production and enable various agencies to devise plans accordingly. We introduce a reliable and inexpensive method to predict crop yields from publicly available satellite imagery. The proposed method works directly on raw satellite imagery without the need to extract any hand-crafted features or perform dimensionality reduction on the images. The approach implicitly models the relevance of the different steps in the growing season and the various bands in the satellite imagery. We evaluate the proposed approach on tehsil (block) level wheat predictions across several states in India and demonstrate that it outperforms existing methods by over 50\%. We also show that incorporating additional contextual information such as the location of farmlands, water bodies, and urban areas helps in improving the yield estimates.


In this paper, we present an assessment of methods for estimating and comparing the thermodynamic performance of working fluids for organic Rankine cycle power systems. The analysis focused on how the estimated net power outputs of zeotropic mixtures compared to pure fluids are affected by the method used for specifying the performance of the heat exchangers. Four different methods were included in the assessment, which assumed that the organic Rankine cycle systems were characterized by the same values of: (1) the minimum pinch point temperature difference of the heat exchangers; (2) the mean temperature difference of the heat exchangers; (3) the heat exchanger thermal capacity ( U ¯ A ); or (4) the heat exchanger surface area for all the considered working fluids. The second and third methods took into account the temperature difference throughout the heat transfer process, and provided the insight that the advantages of mixtures are more pronounced when large heat exchangers are economically feasible to use. The first method was incapable of this, and deemed to result in optimistic estimations of the benefits of using zeotropic mixtures, while the second and third method were deemed to result in conservative estimations. The fourth method provided the additional benefit of accounting for the degradation of heat transfer performance of zeotropic mixtures. In a net power output based performance ranking of 30 working fluids, the first method estimates that the increase in the net power output of zeotropic mixtures compared to their best pure fluid components is up to 13.6%. On the other hand, the third method estimates that the increase in net power output is only up to 2.56% for zeotropic mixtures compared to their best pure fluid components.


In this study, a comprehensive characterization of iron oxide nanoparticles synthesized by using a simple one-pot thermal decomposition route is presented. In order to obtain monodisperse magnetite nanoparticles with high saturation magnetization, close to the bulk material, the molar ratios between the starting materials (solvents, reducing agents, and surfactants) were varied. Two out of nine conditions investigated in this study resulted in monodisperse iron oxide nanoparticles with high saturation magnetization (90 and 93% of bulk magnetite). The X-ray diffraction analyses along with the inspection of the lattice structure through transmission electron micrographs revealed that the main cause of the reduced magnetization in the other seven samples is likely due to the presence of distortion and microstrain in the particles. Although the thermogravimetric analysis, Raman and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopies confirmed the presence of covalently bonded oleic acid on the surface of all the samples, the particles with higher polydispersity and the lowest surface coating molecules showed the lowest saturation magnetization. Based on the observed results, it could be speculated that the changes in the kinetics of the reactions, induced by varying the molar ratio of the starting chemicals, can lead to the production of the particles with higher polydispersity and/or lattice deformation in their crystal structures. Finally, it was concluded that the experimental conditions for obtaining high-quality iron oxide nanoparticles, particularly the molar ratios and the heating profile, should not be chosen independently; for any specific molar ratio, there may exist a specific heating profile or vice versa. Because this synthetic consideration has rarely been reported in the literature, our results can give insights into the design of iron oxide nanoparticles with high saturation magnetization for different applications.


An optimization formulation is proposed to minimize sound pressures in a two-dimensional cavity by controlling the attachment area of viscoelastic unconstrained damping materials. For the analysis of structural- acoustic systems, a hybrid approach that uses finite elements for structures and boundary elements for cavity is adopted. Four-parameter fractional derivative model is used to accurately represent dynamic characteristics of the viscoelastic materials with respect to frequency and temperature. Optimal layouts of the unconstrained damping layer on structural wall of cavity are identified according to temperatures and the amount of damping material by using a numerical search algorithm.


The events in North Africa in the spring of 2011 again attracted the attention of the world public opinion to social media because of their use by opposition for initiatinga social change. The paper raises the question whether social media might play any role in international communication. To answer the question, the case of public diplomacy as a form of political international communication of Central and Eastern European newcomers to the European Union is analyzed. Social media are seen as tools supporting the old networks built thanks to classical tools of diplomacy and contributing to the development of new digital networks. However, the analysis of using of social media by ministries and ministers of foreign affairs as hubs or knots of networks in public diplomacy does not convince as to their any contribution to the development of the relational model of public diplomacy in the region. More optimism might be derived from the online presence of the Belsat television, a channel broadcasting in Belarusian from Poland to Belarus in order to achieve social changes though international broadcasting and social media.


A mathematical model of the acute cardiovascular response to isocapnic hypoxia is presented. It includes a pulsating heart, the systemic and pulmonary circulation, a separate description of the vascular bed in organs with the higher metabolic need, and the local effect of O(2) on these organs. Moreover, the model also includes the action of several reflex regulatory mechanisms: the peripheral chemoreceptors, the lung stretch receptors, the arterial baroreceptors, and the hypoxic response of the central nervous system. All parameters in the model are given in accordance with the physiological literature. The simulated overall response to a deep hypoxia (28 mmHg) agrees with the experimental data quite well, showing a biphasic pattern. The early phase (8-10 s), caused by activation of peripheral chemoreceptors, exhibits a moderate increase in mean systemic arterial pressure, a decrease in heart rate, a quite constant cardiac output, and a redistribution of blood flow to the organs with higher metabolic need at the expense of other organs. The later phase (20 s) is characterized by the activation of lung stretch receptors and by the central nervous system hypoxic response. During this phase, cardiac output and heart rate increase together, and blood flow is restored to normal levels also in organs with lower metabolic need. The model may be used to gain a deeper understanding of the role of each mechanism in the overall cardiovascular response to hypoxia.


Human adenovirus-based vectors have emerged as a new promising vehicle for in vivo gene transfer-mediated therapy. However, the full potential of this methodology has not been fully realized because of the nonspecific tissue distribution of adenoviral vectors. Adenovirus infection is initiated by forming a complex between the fiber protein and a ubiquitously expressed host cell membrane protein, coxsackie B virus and adenovirus receptor (CAR). Therefore, ablating the adenovirus vector's ability to bind to the CAR is the first step in redirecting adenoviral tropism. To ablate CAR binding, we mutated the Bbeta sheet of the fiber knob, generating CAR-binding ablated replication-incompetent (dl-K420A-Z) and replication-competent (YKLK420A) adenoviral vectors. The in vitro transduction efficiency of dl-K420A-Z was significantly reduced in comparison to dl-LacZ carrying the wild-type fiber in CAR-positive cells but not in CAR-negative cells, suggesting that the mutation introduced in the Bbeta sheet of the fiber knob could disable the CAR-dependent transduction pathway. The in vivo transduction was also dramatically reduced in the liver and other organs for mice treated with dl-K420A-Z, compared with a cognate control vector, dl-LacZ. Concomitant with this attenuated gene transfer efficiency in vivo was a substantial reduction in the amount of general toxicity observed in the YKL-K420A-treated mice. Diminished toxicity was surmised from quantitative measurement of serum level of enzymes for liver and kidney function, hematologic chemistries, histopathology, and differences in lethality. Significant decrease in serum transaminases (alanine transferase [ALT] and aspartate transferase [AST]) was observed in mice treated with YKL-K420A. In addition, the lethality was lower in the YKLK420A- treated groups compared to the YKL-1-treated groups at all doses examined. Furthermore, the hepatopathologic analysis revealed that YKL-1 induced focal zonal necrosis and hepatocyte degeneration, while YKL-K420A induced mild spotty necrosis. In summary, this decreased vector tropism of CAR-binding ablated adenoviruses in normal tissues may increase the amount of virus available for infecting tumor cells and thus increase the antitumor efficacy with fewer unwanted side effects.


This paper presents a voltage-mode high speed driver to transmit serial AER data in scalable multi-chip AER systems. To take advantage of the asynchronous nature of AER (Address Event Representation) streams, this implementation allows an energy efficient burst-mode operation. This is achieved by switching on/off the driver in data pauses to reduce static power consumption. Impedance matching is calibrated continuously to track temperature variations, obtaining an optimal performance without degrading the data rate. Power management techniques for switching drivers are discussed and an internally compensated high speed regulator is presented. The system has been designed in a 0.35µm CMOS technology to transmit data rates up to 500Mbps using Manchester enconding. Layout extracted simulation results are presented, which include all interconnect parasitics. Estimated peak rate is 15Meps for 32 bit events. Simulated power consumption of transmitter and receiver at peak rate is 33.2mW, while below 100 Keps is 1.3mW.


Blood pressure (BP) is a key measure of cardiovascular function, and accurate measurement is important to ensure proper clinical evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment. We compared intra-arterial (direct) and cuff auscultation (manual) measurement techniques at rest and during 2 levels of submaximal constant-load exercise (9 min at 40% and 75% maximum watts). Sixty-four adults (aged 29.0 ± 0.7 years; 48% male; height, 173.7 ± 1.2 cm; mass, 73.0 ± 1.7 kg; body mass index, 24.1 ± 0.4 kg·m(-2); body surface area, 1.87 ± 0.03 m(2)) participated in the study. At rest, low, and moderate intensity, direct measurement demonstrated higher systolic BP (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP) (bias for SBP: 22, 31, and 27 mm Hg and for DBP: 5, 7, and 17 mm Hg; rest, low-, and moderate-intensity, respectively; p < 0.01). At rest, the correlation and agreement between the 2 methods was modest (SBP: r = 0.56, bias = +22.1 mm Hg; DBP: r = 0.53, bias = +4.9 mm Hg; p < 0.001). There was good correlation and agreement with SBP at low and moderate intensity; however, DBP demonstrated a weaker relationship (SBP: r = 0.74 and 0.74, bias = +30.2 and +26.8 mm Hg; DBP: r = 0.39 and 0.28, bias = +7.1 and +13.4 mm Hg; for low and moderate intensity, respectively; p < 0.001). Further, manual measurement demonstrated a greater slope from rest to moderate exercise for the relationship between pulse pressure (PP) and cardiac output (13.6 ± 0.4 vs 12.3 ± 0.4, p = 0.03). As exercise intensity increases, manual DBP tends to bias low compared with direct DBP, which, when combined with parallel increases in SBP, leads to no differences in PP between methods at moderate exercise. Because PP is used to calculate other cardiovascular parameters (mean arterial pressure, systemic vascular resistance), measurement technique and exercise intensity should be considered when using cardiovascular variables as outcome measures.


OBJECTIVE
The authors investigated volumetric alterations of the anterior hippocampal formation in patients experiencing a first episode of schizophrenia relative to healthy comparison subjects.

METHOD
From contiguous 1.5-mm coronal magnetic resonance images, the hippocampal formation was divided into posterior and anterior segments, and the anterior hippocampal formation was separated from the amygdala. Volumes of the posterior and anterior hippocampal formation and amygdala were computed in 46 (31 male and 15 female) patients experiencing a first episode of schizophrenia and in 34 (21 male and 13 female) healthy comparison subjects. Twenty-four patients were antipsychotic naive at the time of the scan.

RESULTS
Patients had significantly reduced total (right plus left) anterior hippocampal formation volume relative to healthy comparison subjects but did not differ in volumes of either the posterior hippocampal formation or amygdala. Similar findings were obtained when analyses were restricted to the antipsychotic-naive subgroup of patients.

CONCLUSIONS
These findings suggest that volumetric abnormalities of the hippocampus-amygdala complex may be specific to the anterior hippocampal formation in patients experiencing a first episode of schizophrenia and are consistent with hypotheses regarding abnormal frontolimbic connectivity playing a role in the pathophysiology of the disorder.


This article elaborates one Black queer subject's sense of self and gestures toward the potential theoretical intervention this subjectivity poses. However, it begins by situating Black queerness in conceptual and geographic space. It proposes the usefulness of an anthropologically informed embodied listening practice for Black Queer Studies and foregrounds situated, speaking Black queer subjects in the articulation of a Black Queer Diaspora Studies. Finally, it approaches a wider geo‐conceptual metaphor for the transdisciplinarity required if we are to take seriously the seductive invitation to speculate Black and queer at once.


Introduction: Although the effectiveness of many mobilization methods in chronic low back pain (CLBP) was shown, these effects were not monitored in the long term. This study aimed to identify the immediate, short, and long-term effects of mulligan mobilization with movement (MWM) in CLBP. Material and methods: The study was designed in randomized-placebo controlled with 36 patients. Pain, range of motion (ROM), flexibility, endurance, functionality, and disabilities were evaluated in both groups. Sustained natural apophyseal glide (SNAG) was applied to the lumbar region, straight leg raise (SLR) with traction to the hip, and internal rotational mobilization techniques and home exercise program were applied in Group 1 (n=19); and the same techniques were applied as sham mobilization in Group 2 (n = 17), for 5 weeks for both. The evaluations were made post-interven tion, at the 5th week, 3rd month, and 6th months. The evaluation was also made for pain in the 12th month. Results: Significant differences were observed between the groups at the end of the treatment, except for The Biering-Sorensen test (SOR) and Sit and Reach Test (SRT) (p < 0.05). Although Real MWM showed its immediate effects on pain, internal rotation, and hip flexion ROMs (p < 0.05); its effect on flexibility, disability, functionality, endurance, and lumbar flexion ROM, SLR ROM were seen in the long term (p < 0.0001). These effects continued for flexibility, disabil ity, functionality and endurance until the 6th month. Conclusions: The long-term benefits of the MWM Technique, applied to the lumbar region including the hip tech niques and its superiority to Sham MWM are the results of this study.


We determined in the peritoneal cavity (p.c.) of epithelial ovarian carcinoma patients during a 4-day treatment cycle of low-dose recombinant human interleukin-2 (rIL-2): (a) pharmacokinetics of IL-2, (b) endogenous cytokine production, and (c) numbers and percentages of peritoneal exudate lymphocytes. We administered 6 x 10(5) IU/m2 of rIL-2 (0.03 mg/m2 Proleukin rIL-2) intraperitoneally (i.p.) over 30 min on each of 4 days. One and one-half liters of D5 0.25 NS was injected i.p. before each rIL-2 infusion. Multiple peritoneal fluid samples were obtained from each of four patients on day 1 and day 4 for detection of IL-2, endogenous cytokines, and soluble IL-2 receptor (IL-2R-alpha). IL-2 concentrations in the peritoneal fluid were determined by bioassay and interferon (IFN)-gamma, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, IL-10, transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta 2, and sIL-2R-alpha by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Numbers of cells per microliter and lymphocyte subpopulation percentages after staining with a panel of monoclonal antibodies were determined on day 1, day 4, and subsequent off-treatment days. IL-2 disappearance in the p.c. was well described by a pharmacokinetic model having constant-rate infusion and biexponential disposition. About 90% of the IL-2 disappearance occurred during the beta-phase, during which IL-2 concentrations were sustained at approximately 10-30 ng/ml (day 1 and day 4) and the median t1/2 beta was 21.5 and 9.2 h on days 1 and 4, respectively. In four of four patients, p.c. production of IL-10 was observed on day 1 and day 4 (maximum 387 pg/ml). Maximum levels of IFN-gamma and sIL-2R-alpha were observed on day 4. (IFN-gamma 217 pg/ml; sIL2-R-alpha: 3486 U/ml). No increases in TNF-alpha or TGF-beta 2 were observed. Large increases in p.c. CD3+, CD4+, CD8+, CD16+, and CD56+ cells were observed. We conclude that biologically active levels of IL-2 are generated in p.c. fluids after i.p. administration of rIL-2 at 0.03 mg/m2.


With the goal of net-zero expected to be accomplished in recent decades, the development of a thermoelectric generator, one of the energy harvesting technologies, is important. Along with efforts to discover more cost-effective thermoelectric materials, geometric and structural optimization of thermoelectric generators is essential to maximize power and efficiency. This work demonstrates a segmented thermoelectric generator, one of the advanced structures of a thermoelectric generator, modeling using artificial neural networks. After training the artificial neural networks, we have achieved 98.9% accuracy compared to COMSOL simulation results under constant temperature difference while speeding up the computational speed over a few thousand times. This new approach illustrates the advantages of the modeling of segmented thermoelectric generators.


The need for high-precision microflow control is increasingly evident across various fields. For instance, microsatellites employed in gravitational wave detection require flow supply systems with a high accuracy of up to 0.1 nL/s to achieve on-orbit attitude control and orbit control. However, conventional flow sensors are unable to provide the necessary precision in the nanoliter per second range, and thus, alternative methods are required. In this study, we propose the use of image processing technology for rapid microflow calibration. Our method involves capturing images of the droplets at the outlet of the flow supply system to rapidly obtain the flow rate, and we used the gravimetric method to verify the accuracy of our approach. We conducted several microflow calibration experiments within the 1.5 nL/s range and demonstrated that image processing technology can achieve the desired accuracy of 0.1 nL/s while saving more than two-thirds of the time required to obtain the flow rate within an acceptable margin of error compared to the gravimetric method. Our study presents an efficient and innovative approach to addressing the challenges of measuring microflows with high precision, particularly in the nanoliter per second range, and has the potential for widespread applications in various fields.


Repository-based development of software systems has gained more attention recently by addressing new challenges such as security and dependability. However, there are still gaps in existing modeling languages and/or formalisms dedicated to define model repositories and the way how to reuse them in the automation of software development. Thus, there is a strong requirement for defining a model repository description language not only as a modeling approach, but also as a suitable instrument to support system and software engineers in the activity of search and retrieval of appropriate models beyond keywordbased search. Moreover, modeling approaches allow using tools for the specification and the exploitation of the designed artifacts (e.g. analysis and evaluation). The goal of this paper is to advance the state of the art in model repository description for software and systems engineering. In particular, we have designed a flexible and extensible modeling language, by means of an OMG style metamodel, to specify model repositories for modeling artifacts, and we have defined an operational architecture for development tools. In particular, we show the feasibility of our own approach by reporting some preliminary prototype providing a model-based repository of security and dependability (S&D) pattern models.


Over the last decades, people in societies all over the world have moved from barely being able to survive to living in a state of abundance. While this development is of course very positive, it has also led to unhealthy lifestyles. Statistics on unhealthy eating habits in the UK and the USA (England, 2014; Stark Casagrande et al., 2007) tell us that only a small proportion of peoples diet meet the general dietary recommendations (consuming less saturated fat, added sugars and salt and eating enough fruit and vegetables). In addition, recent statistics on the degree to which peoples diet are active in these countries, as well as in others are low. In England, 66% of men and 56% of women claim to meet the recommendations of being active for at least 30 minutes five times a week (Centre, 2013). Similar results (including higher levels of self-reported activity and lower levels of measured activity) have been found for activity of USA residents (Tucker et al., 2011). Eventually, these unhealthy lifestyles will negatively affect the wellbeing of many people and lead to ever-increasing costs and demands in healthcare. Specifically, there is a dramatic increase in so-called lifestyle diseases such as obesity and diabetes (Lee et al., 2012). Although low levels of inactivity and unhealthy eating habits are not the only factors contributing to this trend, they do play a major role. Lifestyle changes could counter this trend and, consequently, multiple efforts have been made to raise people's awareness of the importance of living a healthier life. Traditionally, health interventions have taken the form of mass media campaigns aimed at raising awareness of health issues and of the benefits of living a healthy lifestyle. More recently, more innovative means of designing for healthy behaviour have been sought that include monitoring and coaching systems and the design of environments that encourage an active lifestyle. In this chapter, I will give an overview of the different means to design for healthy behaviour and I will introduce a design framework that is based on a dominant theory in the psychology of health behaviour change, the transtheoretical model of behaviour change developed by Prochaska and colleagues (TTM, Prochaska & Velicer, 1997). This design framework challenges designers to look at health behaviour change as a process and offers strategies to design products that guide people through a process of behaviour change until they have durably changed their behaviour.


In this paper, the non-linear dynamics of a new Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) actuator that possesses impressive payload lifting capabilities are presented. This actuator consists of 48 SMA wires mechanically bundled in parallel forming one powerful muscle. It was designed to lift up to 100 lbs., which is approximately 300 times its weight. This SMA actuator was tested in open loop experiments with different loads and different inputs, such as step, ramp, sinusoid, and half sinusoid, and its dynamic characteristics were evaluated. An important observation made during the dynamic analysis was the unpredictability of the actuator's response when low to moderate voltages are applied. This characteristic strongly suggests chaotic behavior of the actuator, which could potentially cause control difficulties in fine and high accuracy tasks. An investigation into chaos was conducted using time histories, phase plots, and Poincaré maps. As shown in the diagrams presented in this paper, system response to larger input voltages is periodic, whereas lower input voltages produce responses that strongly indicate chaotic behavior.


Various 1,3-diketones, β-ketoesters, cyclic ketones, aryl alkyl and dialkyl ketones were effectively brominated with an aqueous H2O2–HBr system "on water" at room temperature without the need for a catalyst or organic solvent. The resultant brominated ketones were isolated in yields of 69–97% with high selectivity for monobromination vs. dibromination. Reactivity was manipulated by using more diluted aqueous solutions of H2O2 and HBr and the use of an excess of HBr where necessary. Dilution also increases selectivity of ring bromination vs.
 α-bromination of aryl ketones with an activated phenyl ring. Finally, an aqueous H2O2–HBr system was used for a tandem oxidation–bromination process and alcohols were transformed into α-bromoketones. This simple but effective "on water" bromination of ketones with an aqueous H2O2–HBr system is characterised by the use of inexpensive reagents, a lower impact on the environment and the absence of organic waste that make it a good alternative to existing bromination methods.


Mixed mode surveys, i.e. a combination of various survey modes (e.g. face-to-face, web, mail, fixed telephone, mobile telephone), is increasingly used in probability based sample surveys due to the need of optimising the survey process from the cost and quality point of view. The cheap survey modes (like web surveys) usually face lower coverage and response rates and correspondingly also higher biases. On the other hand, higher coverage and response rates are usually correlated with more expensive survey modes (like personal interviewing). In addition, in mixed mode surveys the solicitation stage can be entirely separated from the data collection, e.g. we can use a mail letter to invite respondents to a web questionnaire. Large number of possible mode combinations may thus appear, especially if three, four or five waves of follow-ups are used. Consequently, the corresponding costs & errors model is a very complex one. In this paper, we first theoretically describe a general approach to the problem of balancing costs and errors in a mixed-mode survey environment. Then, we demonstrate initial results of a pilot study, where mean square error (i.e. the compound bias and sampling error) as a measure of data quality was observed at fixed survey costs for several mixed-mode research designs. Finally, we present the approach used to address this problem in the future research.


The article explains and outlines the basic aspects of unnatural narrative, identifying central strategies and effects of the unnatural. It differentiates unnatural or antimimetic elements from mimetic and nonmimetic ones and notes the differing effects that unnatural elements can have on a given narrative. It notes some limitations of existing narratological theory and offers methods for transcending those limitations. After tracing out the history and development of key concepts and terms and explaining the basic model of unnatural narrative theory, this target essay goes on to provide an overview of the history, genres, and ideological associations of unnatural narratives themselves, clarify some common misunderstandings, and point out some differing conceptions among unnatural narratologists. It then discusses the major contributions of unnatural narrative studies, notes current advances in the field, and speculates on future developments.


Buckling capacity of compression members may change due to inadvertent changes in the member section dimensions or material properties. This may be the result of repair, modification of section properties or degradation of the material properties. In some occasions, enhancement of buckling capacity of compression members may be achieved through splicing of plates or utilization of composite materials. It is very important for a designer to predict the buckling resistance of the compression member and the important parameters that affect its buckling strength once changes in section and/or material properties took place. This paper presents an analytical approach for determining the buckling capacity of a compression member whose geometric and/or material properties has been altered resulting in a multi-step non-uniform section. This analytical solution accommodates the changes and modifications to the material and/or section properties of the compression member due to the factors mentioned. The analytical solution provides adequate information and a methodology that is useful during the design stage as well as the repair stage of compression members. Three case studies are presented to show that the proposed analytical solution is an efficient method for predicting the buckling strength of compression members that their section and/or material properties have been altered due to splicing, coping, notching, ducting and corrosion.


The phenomenon of real estate has been an essential aspect in the growth and development of every economy through the contribution and the potential that it brings to every state in their effort to increase and preserve their cultural heritage. As the word goes "once a fixture, always a fixture", this aspect of real estate has not only being beneficial to the government of a country, but also to its citizens who finds it as an important asset in their livelihood be it through ownership, purchase, retail and even mortgaged of these property. Due to the constant need of the population, there have been these high demands for the construction of real estate through infrastructure, residential buildings, students' accommodation, market warehousing and other relevant infrastructures. The government of India has not been left out in promoting and encouraging the development and potential in the real estate sector. The building of huge infrastructure, students' accommodation, market warehouses, rental services and building have been the objective of the government in ensuring that the living condition of its citizens should be cater for. The problem is not just only providing or making these services available to the local population, or other user. The issue is whether this real estate in the country will meet the taste of time through the provision of the necessary facilities and services needed by the local population. The increase in the local population and the high cost that a citizen has to incur in having access to this real estate has been a course for concerned. The question is to ascertain whether engaging in this real estate, the government of India takes into consideration the living standard of its citizens, the income network and even the affordability of the real estate. The situation about the maintenance and the sustainability of such real estate should be of prime concern. The government when putting in place reforms for real estate, do they take into consideration the stake of the society in question? The challenges procuring the real estate sector in India has been of great worries not only to consumers, but also to government, academicians, industry and even research institute who has question the future of this valuable sector in the economy due to the various huddles faced.


The causal relationship between iron deficiency and physical work capacity is evaluated through a systematic review of the research literature, including animal and human studies. Iron deficiency was examined along a continuum from severe iron-deficiency anemia (SIDA) to moderate iron-deficiency anemia (MIDA) to iron deficiency without anemia (IDNA). Work capacity was assessed by aerobic capacity, endurance, energetic efficiency, voluntary activity and work productivity. The 29 research reports examined demonstrated a strong causal effect of SIDA and MIDA on aerobic capacity in animals and humans. The presumed mechanism for this effect is the reduced oxygen transport associated with anemia; tissue iron deficiency may also play a role through reduced cellular oxidative capacity. Endurance capacity was also compromised in SIDA and MIDA, but the strong mediating effects of poor cellular oxidative capacity observed in animals have not been demonstrated in humans. Energetic efficiency was affected at all levels of iron deficiency in humans, in the laboratory and the field. The reduced work productivity observed in field studies is likely due to anemia and reduced oxygen transport. The social and economic consequences of iron-deficiency anemia (IDA) and IDNA have yet to be elucidated. The biological mechanisms for the effect of IDA on work capacity are sufficiently strong to justify interventions to improve iron status as a means of enhancing human capital. This may also extend to the segment of the population experiencing IDNA in whom the effects on work capacity may be more subtle, but the number of individuals thus affected may be considerably more than those experiencing IDA.


Background: Because routine nursing quality indicators are not suitable to evaluate pediatric oncology nursing care, this study aimed to identify a set of quality indicators for pediatric oncology nursing care in mainland China. Method: This prospective investigation utilized a modified Delphi technique and an analytic hierarchy process. A survey questionnaire was developed using a literature review and semi-structured interviews. Fifteen invited experts evaluated the importance of potential indicators through three rounds of Delphi survey by email in 2018. The importance weight of each indicator was identified through analytic hierarchy process. Results: In the Delphi survey, the average authoritative coefficient was 0.93–0.96 for each round of the inquiry. After three rounds of survey, 29 quality indicators were identified as important nursing outcomes for assessing the quality of pediatric oncology nursing care in mainland China. The importance rating mean score of indicators ranged between 4.67 and 5.00 on a 5-point scale, and the variation coefficient ranged between 0 and 0.19. Expert-assigned indicator importance weight varied between 0.0040 and 0.0870. Conclusion: This study identified an indicator system with 29 nursing-sensitive quality indicators that may represent potential indicator candidates for quality assessment of pediatric oncology nursing practice in mainland China.


The novel superparamagnetic nature of magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) has received significant attention in the wide variety of fields. However, the prerequisites to use these MNPs, particularly in biomedical applications are biocompatibility and high saturation magnetization (Ms). Thus, the development of a sustainable approach for the synthesis of biocompatible MNPs, which utilizes the redox properties of natural compounds from plant extracts, is highly desired. Herein, we have examined the growth of phase selective MNPs synthesized using Azadirachta indica (Neem) extract as a reducing and capping agent. The physical and biological properties of MNPs synthesized with the modified green hydrothermal method at different reaction times and temperatures were investigated. It was observed that the reaction time and temperature strongly modulated the magnetic and structural characteristics of MNPs. At lower reaction time and temperature of 200 °C for 2 h, primarily iron oxalate hydrate (Fe(C2O4).2(H2O)) was formed. Further, with increasing reaction temperature, the phase transformation from iron oxalate hydrate to pure magnetite (Fe3O4) phase was observed. The MNPs prepared with optimum conditions of 220 °C for 4 h show superparamagnetic nature with improved Ms value of 58 emu g−1. The antibacterial study of MNPs against gram-positive bacteria Staphylococcus aureus showed that the MNPs inhibits the growth of bacteria with the least inhibitory MNPs concentration of 6 μl. Thus, the MNPs obtained by this modified biogenic approach will widen the scope and their applicability in future biomedical applications.


Recombinant VWF was co-expressed with recombinant FVIII in CHO cells. In order to obtain fully processed, mature rVWF, rVWF was exposed to recombinant CHO-cell-derived furin for VWF pro-peptide removal. Fermentation for both rVWF and furin and downstream processing were performed under serum-free conditions. Mature rVWF was highly purified by a series of conventional chromatography steps to a purity of > 95%. rVWF was formulated in a protein-free buffer. Several large scale batches of rVWF were produced and characterized in comparison to Humate-P, Wilfactin and a highly purified plasma-derived (pd)VWF, an experimental pd VWF product obtained from cryoprecipitate. Residual pro-VWF levels were approximately 2% of total VWF antigen compared with 0.12, 0.05 and 0.13 for the rVWF product, experimental pd VWF, Humate-P and Wilfactin, respectively. VWF pro-peptide levels were approximately 0.5 pmol per unit VWF antigen, compared with 0.6 and 0.9 for Humate-P and Wilfactin, respectively; in the experimental pd VWF pro-peptide was below the limit of detection. Residual FVIII content was approximately 0.02 units (chromogenic assay) per unit VWF antigen, compared with 0.4 units in Humate-P, and 0.04 units in Wilfactin, and ≤ 0.01 in the experimental pd VWF product. Ristocetin cofactor activity was around 0.7 VWF:RCo units per unit antigen for all rVWF and pd VWF products tested. Collagen-binding activity was also similar between rVWF and pd VWF controls (around 0.8 – 0.9 units per unit). FVIII-binding capacity of rVWF was compared by setting the mean pd VWF as 100% and was found to also be ± 100%. The VWF affinity for FVIII was similar in rVWF and pd VWF (Biacore). rVWF showed high molecular weight multimers in low resolution agarose gels, with a pre-dominance in the high molecular weight range. In contrast to pd VWF, rVWF showed homogenous multimer bands without triplet structure formation due to the non-exposure to ADAMTS13 during the manufacturing process. The pharmacokinetic properties of rVWF were compared with pd VWF in VWF knock-out mice. The half-life or rVWF in VWD mice was 4.3 and 3.5 hours for 2 batches investigated, which seems longer than the half-lives obtained for pd VWF, 2.9 hours for Humate-P and 2.2 hours for a highly purified pd VWF control. Both VWF preparations stabilized endogenous murine FVIII which rose over time to the levels observed in normal C57BI/6J mice. Overall, these results showed that the properties of mature, furin-processed rVWF in vitro and in vivo are equivalent to those of plasma-derived VWF.


This study examines the incidence and determinants of over- and underqualification among documented migrant workers in the Swiss labour market using cross-matched data from two sources of comprehensive information. At the same time, our statistical analysis aims at investigating the existence of gender differences in terms of brain waste. The main findings show firstly that the incidence of job-education mismatch is higher among first generation immigrants. Secondly, the duration of residence in the host country plays an important role in the probability of being over- or underqualified. Thirdly, our results support the relatively disadvantaged situation of immigrant women with young children in finding a job commensurate with their education. The conclusion gives some policy recommendations on how to make the best possible use of foreign qualifications of documented migrant workers and avoid any form of deskilling in the host labour market.


The effect of treating experimental toxoplasmic retinochoroiditis with clindamycin (7-chlorolincomycin) phosphate was evaluated in 14 rabbits. Clinical improvement was evident in 71.4% of the treated eyes but in only 28.6% of the untreated eyes. Toxoplasma organisms could not be isolated from treated eyes but could be isolated from 78.6% of the untreated eyes. Histopathologic examination showed normal retinal architecture was preserved in three fourths of the treated eyes and inflammatory changes were only mild to moderate. In contrast, more than two thirds of the untreated eyes showed marked to severe retinochoroiditis with complete disruption of the normal retinal architecture and severe tissue destruction. These data indicate that clindamycin is effective in the treatment of experimental toxoplasmic retinochoroiditis in rabbits. Investigation of the potential value of this antibiotic for the treatment of ocular toxoplasmosis in humans should be pursued.


The aim of this work is to analyze the space and time variations of the depositing dust in Bihor county; in the present work we have tried an analysis of their evolution as well as an analysis of the factors that generate or impose them. Thus, the evolution of the depositing dust has been noticed in the 14 monitoring points for the period 1994-2010. After having analyzed the monitoring points it comes out that the value of the depositing dust. fits within the limits of the maximum admitted concentration of 17 g/m 2 /month.