This research demonstrates laser-assisted fabrication of high-efficiency diffraction gratings in fused-silica glass samples. Initially, femtosecond laser pulses are used to engrave diffraction gratings on the glass surfaces. Then, these micro-patterned glass samples undergo CO2 laser polishing process. unpolished diffraction gratings encoded in the glass samples show an overall diffraction efficiency of 18.1%. diffraction gratings imprinted on the glass samples and then polished four times by using a CO2 laser beam attain a diffraction efficiency of 32.7%. We also investigate the diffraction patterns of the diffraction gratings encoded on fused-silica glass surfaces. The proposed CO2 laser polishing technique shows great potential in patterning high-efficiency diffraction gratings on the surfaces of various transparent materials.


Rajah' is one of the ancestor's legacy which use by Madura's people, expecially who in Islamic boarding school of holy book until nowdays. 'Rajah' is still believed as one of amulet to keep a traditional holy book's from termite, one species of the insect. This study wants to know and to investigate the opinion of Madura's people about 'rajah' to their credibility to keep the traditional holy book's based on genetic structuralism's perspective. The results of this study are: a) the facts of humanity expresses when people put rajah in their holy books, their holy books will not be eaten by termite; b) collective subject represents teacher's order to write rajah; c) worldview elaborates the function of rajah will work if the user believe in it; d) the structure of literary reflects one's believe in the truth happening after they use rajah; and e) the dialectical method of understanding explanations refers to all available concepts. Thus, we can understand from facts of humanity, worldview, and structure of literary.


Background: Older adults with syncope are commonly treated in the emergency department. Clinical decision rules have been developed to assess syncope patients, but there have been no application or comparative studies in older Chinese cohorts until now. This study aimed to compare the values of five existing rules in predicting the short-term adverse outcomes of older patients. Methods: From September 2018 to February 2021, older Chinese patients (≥60 yr) with syncope admitted to our hospital were investigated and evaluated by the Risk Stratification of Syncope in the Emergency Department (ROSE) rule, the San Francisco Syncope Rule (SFSR), the FAINT rule, the Canadian Syncope Risk Score (CSRS) and the Boston Syncope Criteria (BSC). After a one-month follow-up, the sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive predictive values (PPV), negative predictive values (NPV), positive likelihood ratios (PLR), and negative likelihood ratios (NLR) of each aforementioned rule were calculated and compared. Results: A total of 171 patients, with a mean age of 75.65±8.26 years and 48.54% male, were analysed in the study. Fifty-eight patients were reported to have experienced short-term adverse incidents during the month. The neurally mediated syncope group showed a significant sex-specific difference in adverse incidences but the cardiac syncope group did not. There were some factors associated with significant differences in adverse incidences, such as a history of hypertension, congestive heart failure, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder, as well as the levels of SpO2, B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) and troponin T (TnT), while the levels of haemoglobin and creatinine suggested potential significance. In order of the ROSE, SFSR, FAINT, CSRS and BSC rules in the analysis, the sensitivities were 81.03%, 77.59%, 93.10%, 74.14% and 94.83%, the specificities were 86.73%, 84.96%, 38.94%, 60.18% and 56.64%, the NPVs were 89.91%, 88.07%, 91.67%, 81.93% and 95.52%, and the NLRs were 0.22, 0.26, 0.18, 0.43 and 0.09, respectively. Conclusions: This study revealed that the five mentioned rules for syncope risk stratification, with their own characteristics, all showed crucial significance for screening older adults. Therefore, physicians in the emergency department should flexibly understand and judge older patients' potential risks according to the actual clinical situations.


The purpose of this study was to identify difference of sweat constituents between sex and sweat method during aerobic exercise and sauna. to accomplish this project a total of 16 middle aged men(n=8) and women(n=8) were participated in the study as subjects. The subjects were amateur tennis players living in S-ku in Seoul. Each subject had warm-up period including jogging and stretching and played games. During games, while sweating, they scratched their skins with bottles given before games. In sauna they used dry room to prevent error effects due to water particles around in the air in wet room. They collected sweat as much as 20㎖ each both in exercise and in sauna. The result were as follows: 1) Among electrolytes the concentration of K^+ and SO₄^2+ were significantly higher in men than in women. 2) There were no significant difference of the concentration of Na^+, Mg^2+, Ca^+, and Cl^- between men and women. 3) The concentration of 6 electrolytes (listed above) were significantly higher during aerobic exercise than during sauna.


This study is about survey questions on happiness using verbal response options, such as 'very happy' and 'fairly happy'. The aim is to estimate what degrees of happiness are denoted by such terms in different questions and languages. These degrees are expressed in numerical values on a 0 to 10 scale, which are then used to compute 'transformed' means and standard deviations.
Native speakers read survey questions on happiness that have been used in their country. For each question separately, they rate the relative value of each of the response options in their language. They do that using an electronic 'Scale Interval Recorder'. On their computer screen, participants see a vertical bar scale that they can partition into sections by shifting separation lines. The response options are presented next to the scale and move with the bars. Their task is to move the separation lines until they feel that the intervals on the scale correspond with the degree of happiness denoted by each of the verbal response options. The aim is to cover 74 languages.
This study will allow a better use of the available survey data on happiness


Although most mainstream political actors in the European Union have criticised the actions of Russia during the Ukraine crisis, not all parties have been critical of Vladimir Putin. Angelos-Stylianos Chryssogelos writes on Putin's popularity among several far-right and far-left parties within the EU. He notes that while some of this support reflects compatible ideological positions, the real common ground between these parties and Putin's regime is a belief in the use of populist politics to oppose foreign influence. He argues that the extent to which this style of politics has proved successful illustrates the challenges facing European democracy.


In this paper, a distributed model predictive control (DMPC) strategy is proposed based on agent coordination, in which subsystems couple through the inputs. At first, the initial feasible solution of each agent can be achieved by solving local optimization problems in which the state constraints of neighbor subsystems are considered at each sampling time. And then the global optimal solution can be obtained through agent coordination. In the negotiating process, the innovative global optimization objective is determined for the sake of reducing iteration time and improving the convergence speed efficiently. Finally, the accuracy and efficiency of the proposed scheme is put to test through simulation.


Organic solid-state chemistry mainly deals with crystalline materials; their synthesis, structures, properties and applications. In the pharmaceutical area, altering the solid state chemistry of materials can lead to improvements in desired physicochemical properties, such as solubility, bioavailability, stability etc.1-3 Cocrystallization is one method to achieve these improvements.4 Crystallisation of diastereomeric salts derived from a racemic compound with an enantiopure resolving agent (e.g. chiral amine base with a racemic carboxylic acid) is a very effective and well-established method for the resolution of enantiomers from racemic mixtures. In contrast, the use of cocrystallisation with an enantiopure coformer as a strategy for resolution has been reported only very rarely, despite the obvious benefit of broader applicability, for example not requiring an ionisable functional group in the compound. This work has investigated chiral cocrystallization by examining two series of phenylalkanamides. The size of the alkyl groups on the chiral carbon and the position of the amide functional group relative to the chiral centre (either α or β) has been varied. During this work, it became evident that the use of cocrystallisation to effect resolution is very challenging, in keeping with the small differences in energy between different forms.5 Unanticipated rare phenomena were observed including kryptoracemic cocrystals, in which both enantiomers crystallize in Sohncke space group.6 We also found that non-classical kryptoracemic cocrystals present another potential hurdle during chiral resolution trials using cocrystallization. These results provide fascinating insights into the ways in which enantiomers of chiral racemic materials interact in the solid state. [1]. Duggirala, N. K. et al. (2016). Chem. Comm. 52, 640-655. [2]. Cruz-Cabeza, A. J. et al. (2015). Chem. Soc. Rev. 44, 8619-8635. [3]. Steed, K. M. & Steed, J. W. (2015). Chem. Rev. 115, 2895-2933. [4]. Ross, S. A. et al. (2016). Chem. Comm. 52, 8772-8786. [5]. Springuel, G. et al. (2014). Cryst. Growth Des. 2014, 14, 3996– 4004 [6]. Khandavilli, U. B. R. et al. (2016). Chem. Commun. 52, 8309-8312.


One of the problems that over the years has been affecting the student population of Old Providence and Santa Catalina, has been the process of literacy, generating a poor level in the academic performance of the students, as well as the dropout of many. This difficulty has been reflected in the internal and external tests periodically applied to students, showing the urgent need to implement and revive the school of parents, as an immediate strategy to guide and support the Educational intermediation and the integration of the families in the strengthening of the literacy of the children of the Junín Educational Institution-IEJ. As a result of this problem, the need for this research entitled "Integration of the Parents into Didactic Mediation Processes for the Learning of Literacy in Elementary Students of the Junín Educational Institution" was born, in order to provide the necessary tools for parents to be able to support their children in the literacy process. In the same way, to include the community of teachers to enable the intermediation of parents in school activities and be able to provide advice and support to their children in an effective way. In this research, the principal actors (students, parents, and teachers) were surveyed, which results provided relevant information for the fulfillment of the objectives of this work.


A series of experiments by air purification on fibrous filtering nozzles was made. It is experimentally shown that the fibrous filter can operate in a wide rate range. The degree of trapping of fine aerosols of glass was 99% at a linear rate of 0.01 m/s. the degree of capture decreased to 85% at the increasing of filtration rate up to 0.06 m/s. Dustiness of the air ranged from 3 to 5 g/m3 at the course of the experiment. Hydraulic resistance changed from 5 to 25 mm of water column. The calculated data of resistance and falling of pressure on fibrous filters are given; these data were received on the equations from various sources in comparison with experimentally obtained data. According to the results of series of experiments the amendment of the well-known Fuchsian equation is calculated for calculation of the resistance of fibrous air filter. This amendment considers a form and defects of surface of the fibers received by centrifugal-spinneret method.


While search engines have demonstrated improvements in both speed and accuracy, their response time is prohibitively long for applications that require immediate and accurate responses to search queries. Examples include identification of multimedia resources related to the subject matter of a particular class, as it is in session. This paper begins with a survey of collaborative recommendation and prediction algorithms, each of which applies a different method to predict future search engine usage based on the past history of a search engine user. To address the short- comings identified in existing techniques, we propose a proactive search approach that identifies resources likely to be of interest to the user without requiring a query. The approach is contingent on accurate determination of similarity, which we achieve with local alignment and output-based refinement of similarity neighborhoods. We demonstrate our proposed approach with trials on real-world search engine data. The results support our hypothesis that a majority of users exhibit search engine usage behavior that is predictable, allowing a proactive search engine to bypass the common query-response model and immediately deliver a list of resources of interest to the user.


This paper presents 3D tongue surfaces reconstructed from sixty cross-sectional slices of the tongue. Surfaces were reconstructed for sustained vocalizations of 18 American English sounds. Electropalatography (EPG) data also were collected for the sounds to compare tongue surface shape with tongue-palate contact patterns. The ultrasound data were grouped into four tongue shape categories. These classes were front raising, complete channel, back raising, two-point displacement. The first three categories contained both vowels and consonants, the last only consonants. The EPG data indicated three categories of tongue-palate contact: bilateral, cross-sectional, combination of the two. Vowels used only the first pattern, consonants used all three. The EPG data provided an observably distinction in contact pattern between consonants and vowels. The ultrasound tongue surface data did not. The conclusion was that the tongue actually has a limited repertoire of shapes, and positions them against the palate in different ways for consonants vs. vowels to create narrow channels, divert airflow and produce sound.


Abstract Late blight, caused by Phytophthora infestans, is a devastating disease of potatoes and tomatoes that causes significant crop losses worldwide. Late blight diversity has been increasing since 2009 in many areas of Canada on both potatoes and tomatoes. Although the US-8 genotype of P. infestans has dominated pathogen populations in much of Canada for the past 15 years, novel genotypes have emerged in recent years. A comprehensive survey of late blight samples collected across Canada in 2011 indicated that although the US-8 genotype of P. infestans still dominated pathogen populations in Prince Edward Island, new US-23 and US-24 genotypes had become established in other parts of Canada. The US-11 and US-22 genotypes dominated populations of the pathogen from specific areas of Alberta and Ontario, respectively. Clonal propagation and migration contributed to long-distance transport of P. infestans genotypes and in some situations, both A1 and A2 mating types of the pathogen were found in the same production region. This finding is of concern because it increases the potential for sexual recombination within pathogen populations, leading to the production of oospores that can survive in the absence of host tissue and create new strains of P. infestans. Evidence for recombination in the P. infestans population was detected in Ontario on tomato. Segregation of Gpi allozymes and mating type appeared to occur independently of the RG57 loci, producing several new P. infestans genotypes. Prediction and management of late blight will need to be evaluated and modified to accommodate these new potentially aggressive P. infestans genotypes.


Introduction: Old age is normal, inevitable biological phenomenon through which everyone has to pass and nothing can be done to stop it! 1 But off course we can extend it and live longer by changing our life styles and adopting the good habits like daily aerobic exercise avoiding smoking and alcohol etc. WHO theme for this year is Ageing and Health i.e. "Good Health adds years to life!" 2 The world is rapidly ageing. This represents both challenges and opportunities for us. The ageing process is a natural one, and it is said that old age is a incurable disease. Sir James Sterling Ross says: you do not heal the old age, you protect it, promote it, & extend it! 1 The ageing of population represents an opportunity for societies. If older people can retain their health, and if they live in an environment that promotes their active participation, their experience, skills and wisdom will be without any doubts a resource for societies. So this article highlights the current situation of old age people with their health problems and the way to live it gracefully!


This study focused on the perceptions of six superintendents regarding the state of the profession as of 2012, and it reports their thoughts and suggestions as to what preparation is needed by superintendents for the 21st century. The participating superintendents, who were all members of the Western States Benchmarking Consortium, were employed in six school districts in five states. Data were collected through surveys and telephone interviews. The findings of this study clearly indicate a lack of cohesion between what superintendents learned in their university professional preparation programs and what they practice in their day to day activities. The superintendents involved in this study tended to favor a hybrid approach – rigorous theoretical insight grounded in real world practice. Since superintendents typically spend a good deal of their time solving challenging problems including funding shortfalls, competition from other educational institutions, and the constant scrutiny of the media; their preparation needs to provide opportunities to develop their leadership skills and solve real world problems in an environment where they can take risks. Mentoring and participation in professional consortiums were recommended as key elements for the preparation of the twenty-first century superintendent. This study contributes to the discussion of how to best prepare school leaders for the current and future demands of superintendency.


Carbon nanofibers containing palladium nanoparticles were prepared simply by electrospinning a polymer solution containing palladium chloride and the subsequent thermal treatment in argon. It is demonstrated that palladium oxide formed in air stabilization transforms into nanoparticles through an interaction with carbon materials. Since the palladium nanoparticles covering the outer surface of nanofibers homogeneously are small enough to have high catalytic activity, this material could find applications as efficient catalysts and hydrogen sensors.


Abstract : Nonlinear internal solitary waves generated within Luzon Strait move westward across the northern South China Sea, refract around Dongsha Atoll, and dissipate on the Chinese continental shelf after a journey of over 500 km lasting more than four days. In the last 10 years a great deal of observational, theoretical, and modeling effort has been directed toward understanding and predicting these solitary waves and their effects on the oceanography of the northern South China Sea. This paper reviews a variety of modeling approaches (two- and three-dimensional, kinematic, hydrostatic, and nonhydrostatic) that have been employed to gain insight into the generation mechanisms and physics of the South China's Sea's nonlinear solitary waves with the goal of predicting wave characteristics such as phase speed, amplitude, and arrival time.


This paper describes an experimental setup for evaluating the physiological effects of radiofrequency (RF) emitted from a Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) module with a 24 dBm at 1950 MHz for specific absorption rate (SAR1g) of 1.57 W/kg. This provocation study was executed in a double-blind study of two volunteer groups of 10 self-reported electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS) and 10 non-EHS subjects under both sham and real exposures in a randomly assigned and counter-balanced order. In the preliminary results, WCDMA RF exposure of 30 min did not have any effects on physiological changes in either group.


This study aims at investigating Saudi university English as a foreign language (EFL) teaching assistants' linguistic, pedagogic and technological needs. The sample of the study involves (52) female and (32) male teaching assistants all working in the department of English language and literature at Imam Mohammad ibn Saud Islamic University (IMSIU) in the second semester of the academic year 2016-2017. The study employed a questionnaire to answer the research questions. The results demonstrated that Saudi teaching assistants are in dire need to improve their competences. Based on their responses, technological competence ranks as the most needed skill which indicates that they were willing to implement Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) in their classroom. The study also showed that linguistic competence was the second most needed competence while the pedagogic competence is the third most needed skill to be mastered. Saudi teaching assistants need systematic assessment of the linguistic, pedagogic and technological competences as the core criteria for success in the teaching process.


Near-neutral stress corrosion cracking (SCC) is an operational integrity problem experienced by pipeline transporation companies since the 1970's. Current in-line inspection (ILI) technology allows for the detection of SCC in pipelines using ultrasonic measurement. However, these tools have size limitations (not available for small diameter pipelines) and can only accurately detect cracks above a certain threshold dimension. Predictive modeling of SCC has been used when direct detection was not feasible. To date, predictive models have focused mainly on establishing quantitative relationships between environmental factors and SCC formation or growth. In general, models used to predict SCC growth have been more successful than models used to predict the location of SCC formation. A model to predict locations of SCC formation has been developed, in conjunction with a pipeline operator, by statistically analyzing data related to locations where SCC was either found or not found during investigative digs on a particular pipeline. Data acquired at the investigative dig sites (such as soil conditions, drainage patterns and local geography) was incorporated into the analysis. In addition, data acquired for the entire length of the pipeline (such as geometry, metal loss features, close-interval cathodic protection readings and operating pressures) was combined with the dig site data in the analysis process. The combined data set was analyzed using statistical regression techniques and various multi-variable logistic regression models were created. Misclassification analysis and regression tress were used to determine the most accurate model for application to the pipeline. The model was then applied to the pipeline to determine probabilities of SCC at specified increments along its length (approximately every 20 metres). Ten locations with high SCC probabilities were selected for verification excavation. In addition, one site with a lower SCC probability was chosen for excavation. Of the ten high-probability locations, SCC was discovered at seven sites. At the lower probability site, SCC was not discovered. The combined success rate of themodel was 73%, a significant improvement over predictive models previously applied to the pipeline. Additional investigative digs are planned to further test the model and to compare its predictions to SCC detected by a recently developed ultrasonic ILI tool. By examining the occurrence of SCC using statistical methods, the ability to make an unbiased prediction of the probability of SCC along a pipeline of interest has been achieved. The pipeline operator has gained an increased ability to assess the likelihood of SCC along its pipeline, showing due diligence in mitigating the risks associated with this pipeline integrity concern.Copyright © 2004 by ASME


Diapause is a critical eco-physiological adaptation for winter survival in the West Nile Virus vector, Culex pipiens, but little is known about the molecular mechanisms that distinguish diapause from non-diapause in this important mosquito species. We used Illumina RNA-seq to simultaneously identify and quantify relative transcript levels in diapausing and non-diapausing adult females. Among 65,623,095 read pairs, we identified 41 genes with significantly different transcript abundances between these two groups. Transcriptome divergences between these two phenotypes include genes related to juvenile hormone synthesis, anaerobic metabolism, innate immunity and cold tolerance.


【This study investigated college students' time management behavior and time satisfaction according to the use of the time-matrix. Data were collected from 400 college students in Seoul by a self-administered questionnaire. Collected data were subjected to descriptive and comparative statistical analyses using the software SPSS(version 12.0). The conclusions of this study were as follows; 1. The use of time-matrix was categorized into 4 task groups: (1) not urgent but important, (2) urgent but notimportant, (3) neither urgent nor important, (4) urgent and important. 2. Time-management-behavior of planning was categorized into 3 components: standard setting, reality overlapping and implementing into 3 components(i.e., checking, adjusting, facilitating condition). 3. In all domains except overlapping, 'not urgent but importance' was the most popular managerial behavior. 4. However, 'neither urgent nor important' was voted the most popular in terms of managerial satisfaction. This study provides useful knowledge on managerial time-use categorization. Furthermore also contributes towards the knowledge base of time-managerial behaviors and dispels stereotypical-thinking that only bing busy all the time using is an indication of good time management behavior. Finally, this study advocates use of the time-matrix to achieve efficient time management.】


Many professional cluster systems consist of nodes with different hardware configurations. Such heterogeneous environments require different load-balancing techniques than homogenous environments. The c-load-collision-protocol is able to achieve good results for data-management purposes. Using this protocol, we propose a way for load-balancing in interactive rendering environments. For this work, we implemented a parallel rendering system and took different picking strategies into account to compare the results. The advantage of our approach compared to other approaches is that we group the available nodes of a cluster into two different categories, based on the hardware abilities. Some nodes are used solely for rendering, while others serve as secondary storage and to assist the former ones by performing auxiliary calculations.


Background

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a rapidly growing tumor associated with a propensity for vascular invasion and metastasis, but the mechanism of HCC growth is not fully understood. The objective of this study is to investigate the role of the transcriptional repressor slug in HCC growth and its detailed mechanism.
Methods

Lentivirus-mediated slug overexpression as well as CRISPR/Cas9-mediated slug knockout were conducted in hepatic or HCC cells. Then cell growth was evaluated in culture dishes as well as nude mice xenografts. Transcriptome analysis was used to explore the detailed mechanism of slug-induced HCC growth.
Results

Slug significantly facilitated HCC growth in vitro and in vivo. Mechanism dissection via transcriptome analysis revealed that slug transcriptionally upregulated PIK3CD and PIK3R3 expression and then activated the Akt/CDK6 signaling pathway. Administration of either the PI3K/Akt signaling inhibitor MK2206 or the CDK4/6 inhibitor PD-0332991 abrogated slug-induced HCC growth. In addition, administration of MK2206 also suppressed slug expression in HCC cells. Immunohistochemistry staining indicated that Akt activity and CDK6 expression were significantly associated with slug expression in human HCC tissues.
Conclusions

Our study determined the promoting role of slug in HCC growth and revealed that the positive feedback between slug and Akt conferred HCC growth via CDK6 expression. The CDK4/6 inhibitor PD-0332991 might be a promising drug for slug/Akt-induced HCC growth.


The second edition of Modern Construction Envelopes was originally based on the two books by Andrew Watts, Modern Construction Roofs and Modern Construction Facades . Both volumes were gathered into one single volume and consolidated in terms of content, which permits the consideration of facades and roofs as envelopes. Using current examples by renowned architects, Watts presents the constructive and material-related details. This presentation is based on a text, photos, and standardized detail drawings, as well as 3D representations of the components. The new edition has 3D views that are easier to understand than the first edition, with sharper images and more key explanations.


Fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors written by femtosecond laser pulses in polyamide-coated low bending loss optical fibers are successfully embedded in carbon composite structures, following laminating and light resin molding processes which optimize the size of each ply to address esthetic, drapability, and structural requirements of the final components. The sensors are interrogated by a tunable laser operating at around $1.55 ~\mu \text{m}$ , and their response to temperature and strain variations is characterized in a thermally controlled chamber and by bending tests using suspended calibrated loads and a laser scanning system. Experimental results are in good agreement with simulations, confirming that the embedding process effectively overcomes potential issues related to FBG spectral distortion, birefringence, and losses. In particular, the effects of the composite material nonhomogeneity and FBG birefringence are investigated to evaluate their impact on the monitoring capabilities. A bimaterial mechanical beam model is proposed to characterize the orthotropic laminates, pointing out better accuracy in estimating the applied load with respect to the classical homogeneous beam model. A comparative analysis, performed on different instrumented carbon composite samples and supported by theory, points out the repeatability of the FBG sensors' embedding process and the effectiveness of the technology for real-time accurate strain measurement. Based on such measurements, damages and/or changes in local stiffness can be effectively detected, allowing for structural health monitoring (SHM) of composite structures for applications in specific industrial fields such as automotive and aerospace.


REPORT OF A CASE In October 1982, a 41-year-old man was seen because of multiple soft tumors on the upper half of his body. These tumors were up to 3 cm in diameter. His parents were not consanguineous. His family, including his 18- and 19-year-old children, had no history of similar lesions. At 16 years of age, our patient first noticed subcutaneous nodules on his neck. Since then, the number and size of the nodules increased. When he was 20 years of age, there were many nodules on his head, neck, trunk, and upper extremities. The nodules continually discharged oily material and became inflamed and tender. Following a diagnosis of steatocystoma multiplex, 25 cysts on his head were surgically excised with 750 mL of blood loss. The oily material was sterile. About 75 smaller cysts on the trunk were excised and drained, and the walls of cyst were treated with


* About the Editor * Contributors * Foreword (Claude Earl Fox) * Preface * Acknowledgments * PART I: INTRODUCTORY MATERIALS * Chapter 1. The Nomenclature of the Community: An Activist's Perspective (Joshua L. Ferris) * Introduction * Coming Out * Stereotypical Lifestyles * Gender Identity * Conclusion * Questions to Consider * Chapter 2. The Role of Public Health in Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Health (Patricia D. Mail and Walter J. Lear) * Introduction * What Is "Public Health"? * Research and Public Health * The LGBT Health Movement Emerges and Thrives * The HIV Pandemic Challenges the LGBT Health Movement and Public Health * Community Health Programs and Services * The U.S. Public Health Service * LGBT Health Objectives for the Nation * Future Directions and Research Needs * Chapter 3. Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Public Health Research (Randall L. Sell and Vincent M. B. Silenzio) * Introduction * Background * What Is "Sexual Orientation" and "Gender" and Why Are Definitions Important? * How Are LGBT People Identified for Public Health Research? * A Framework for the Investigation of LGBT Public Health * Limitations of Research Methods for Investigating LGBT Health * Discussion * Questions to Consider * PART II: ACADEMIA * Chapter 4. Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Cultural Competency for Public Health Practitioners (Katherine L. Turner, Wayne L. Wilson, and M. Kate Shirah) * Introduction and Background * Context for Terminology and Definitions * Rationale * An LGBT Cultural Competency Framework * LGBT Awareness, Sensitivity, and Competency Training * Conclusion * Questions to Consider * PART III: THE COMMUNITY * Chapter 5. Lesbian and Bisexual Women's Public Health (Amy Baernstein, Wendy B. Bostwick, Kathleen R. Carrick, Patricia M. Dunn, Kim W. Goodman, Tonda L. Hughes, Nina Markovic, Jeanne M. Marrazzo, and Helen A. Smith) * Introduction * Sexually Transmitted Diseases and Infections * Alcohol Use and Abuse * Tobacco Use * Cardiovascular Disease * Reproductive Cancers * Intimate Partner Violence and Lesbians * Questions to Consider * Chapter 6. Public Health and Gay and Bisexual Men: A Primer for Practitioners, Clinicians, and Researchers (Scott D. Rhodes and Leland J. Yee) * Introduction * Who Are Gay and Bisexual Men? * The Health of Gay and Bisexual Men * Infectious Diseases Among Gay and Bisexual Men * Noncommunicable Diseases Among Gay and Bisexual men * Homophobia and Health * An Effective HIV-Prevention Strategy * Suggested Approaches and Considerations for Practitioners, Clinicians, and Researchers * Conclusion Questions to Consider * Chapter 7. The Whole Person: A Paradigm for Integrating the Mental and Physical Health of Trans Clients (Sheila C. Kirk and Claudette Kulkarni) * Introduction * Relevant Terms * Mental and Emotional health * Mental Health Needs of Transsexuals * Physical Health * Male-to-Female Transsexuals * Female-to-Male Transsexuals * Conclusion * Selected Resources * Questions to Consider * Recommended Readings * PART IV: HEALTH CARE DELIVERY SYSTEM * Chapter 8. Barriers to Health Care Access (Manuel Hernandez and Shawn L. Fultz) * Introduction * Institutional Barriers to LGBT Health Care * Provider-Based Barriers to LGBT Health Care * Patient-Based Barriers to LGBT Health Care * Provid


Highly purified capsular polysaccharides from groups A, B, and C meningococci and from two strains of Escherichia coli did not aggregate human or dog platelets in vitro. Nor was there any detectable effect on platelet aggregation induced by adenosine diphosphate (ADP), epinephrine, or collagen. The results do not support the hypothesis that capsular polysaccharides are involved in the pathogenesis of thrombocytopenia often seen in severe infections with these bacteria.


Calcium carbonate is a widely used raw material by many industries. It can be precipitated through microbial process within soil pores as cementitious bonding agent between grains for geotechnical applications. It is called microbially induced calcium carbonate precipitation (MICP). Designing an appropriate biogrout material for injection into soil is essential for controlling the amount, type, time, and place of the biocement production within pores. For this purpose, understanding the active reactions and the kinetics of bacterial growth and urea hydrolysis is necessary. A conductometric method and spectrophotometry were used in this study to, respectively, monitor the urea hydrolysis reaction progress and bacterial growth in S. pasteurii-inoculated urea-NB-NH4Cl solution at different level of the environmental factors that are initial cell concentration, urea concentration, and temperature. Variation in conductivity of the solution versus logarithmic scale of time was depicted as microbial ureolysis characteristic curve (MUCC) through which lag duration, specific rate, and potential of urea hydrolysis at each condition were obtained. Central composite face-centered (CCF) design, which is one of the response surface methodologies, was employed to statistically fit polynomial models explaining the bacterial growth and the characteristics obtained from MUCCs in terms of the environmental factors and their interactions. An optimization analysis based on the urea-normalized responses was also carried out.


In this paper, the rapid liquefaction of a corncob was achieved by plasma electrolysis, providing a new method for cellulosic biomass liquefaction. The liquefaction rate of the corncob was 95% after 5 min with polyethylene glycol and glycerol as the liquefying agent. The experiments not only showed that H+ ions catalyzed the liquefaction of the corncob, but also that using accelerated H+ ions, which were accelerated by an electric field, could effectively improve the liquefaction efficiency. There was an obvious discharge phenomenon, in which the generated radicals efficiently heated the solution and liquefied the biomass, in the process of plasma electrolytic liquefaction. Finally, the optimum parameters of the corncob liquefaction were obtained by experimentation, and the liquefaction products were analyzed.


The use of bias with automated learning systems has become an important area of research. The use of bias with evolutionary techniques of learning has been shown to have advantages when complex structures are evolved. This is especially true when the semantics of the evolving population of structures is not explicitly represented or analysed during the evolution. This paper describes a framework which brings together two types of bias, namely search bias (the way new structures are created) and language bias (the form of possible structures that may be created). The resulting system extends genetic programming (GP) by allowing declarative bias with both the form of possible solutions that are created and the method by which they are transformed .


Composting and mixing organic and inorganic materials are among the abilities of earthworms. The survival of earthworms is influenced by several environmental factors, including media temperature, media pH, media moisture, media texture, and media nutrient content. Shellfish shells are underutilized waste that is increasing in quantity as more people consume food from the sea. This study aims to analyze the productivity of earthworms (Pheretima sp.) using a combination of cow dung and green shellfish shells as a cultivation media. The study uses a Completely Randomized Design (CRD) method with four treatments and three replications, and the obtained results are analyzed using the Tukey test. The observed parameters are temperature, moisture, pH, total body weight, population, cocoon count, and media depletion. The results of the study show a significant (P<0.05) on the use of green shellfish shells in all measured parameters. The treatment P1 increase the body weight of earthworms (Pheretima sp.) by 33.3 grams and resulted in a media loss 262.67 grams. The use of green mussel shell flour at a concentration of ≥ 10% can increase the productivity of soil worms.


The authors build on the resource-based view of the firm, new product development and intellectual capital perspectives to analyse the influence of human capital on product innovation performance at Portuguese innovative SMEs. By conducting a questionnaire within a network of Portuguese innovative SMEs and performing both a partial least squares and a regression analysis of the data, this study aims to clarify if human capital at the firm level influences its product innovation performance, and also if such influence is equally relevant among the distinct human capital elements that are considered for the purpose of this study. The findings indicate that human capital does have a significant and positive relationship with product innovation performance in Portuguese innovative SMEs. Moreover, the results also indicate that not all human capital elements have a significant impact on such performance. "Commitment to the product innovation process" stands out as the only human capital factor that significantly affects product innovation performance. At a time when intellectual capital and product innovation management are both considered to be major determinants of sustainable competitive advantage, and consequently critical to gain a competitive edge (and even survive) in today's unstable business environment, this study contributes to acknowledge the relevance of intellectual capital management, and human capital management in particular, to achieve better product innovation performance in innovative SMEs. Keywords Intellectual capital, Human capital, Product innovation, New product development, Portugal, innovative SMEs.


A tidal disruption event (TDE) takes place when a star passes near enough to a massive black hole to be disrupted. About half the star's matter is given elliptical trajectories with large apocenter distances, and the other half is unbound. To form an accretion flow, the bound matter must lose a significant amount of energy, with the actual amount depending on the characteristic scale of the flow measured in units of the black hole's gravitational radius ( ∼ 10 51 ( R / 1000 R g ) − 1 ?> erg). Recent numerical simulations have revealed that the accretion flow scale is close to the scale of the most bound initial orbits, ∼ 10 3 M BH , 6.5 − 2 / 3 R g ∼ 10 15 M BH , 6.5 1 / 3 ?> cm from the black hole, and the corresponding energy dissipation rate is ∼ 10 44 M BH , 6.5 − 1 / 6 ?> erg s−1. We suggest that the energy liberated during the formation of the accretion disk, rather than the energy liberated by subsequent accretion onto the black hole, powers the observed optical TDE candidates. The observed rise times, luminosities, temperatures, emission radii, and line widths seen in these TDEs are all more readily explained in terms of heating associated with disk formation rather than in terms of accretion.


While many studies demonstrate that herbivores alter selection on plant reproductive traits, little is known about whether antiherbivore defenses affect selection on these traits. We hypothesized that antiherbivore defenses could alter selection on reproductive traits by altering trait expression through allocation trade‐offs, or by altering interactions with mutualists and/or antagonists. To test our hypothesis, we used white clover, Trifolium repens, which has a Mendelian polymorphism for the production of hydrogen cyanide—a potent antiherbivore defense. We conducted a common garden experiment with 185 clonal families of T. repens that included cyanogenic and acyanogenic genotypes. We quantified resistance to herbivores, and selection on six floral traits and phenology via male and female fitness. Cyanogenesis reduced herbivory but did not alter the expression of reproductive traits through allocation trade‐offs. However, the presence of cyanogenic defenses altered natural selection on petal morphology and the number of flowers within inflorescences via female fitness. Herbivory influenced selection on flowers and phenology via female fitness independently of cyanogenesis. Our results demonstrate that both herbivory and antiherbivore defenses alter natural selection on plant reproductive traits. We discuss the significance of these results for understanding how antiherbivore defenses interact with herbivores and pollinators to shape floral evolution.


The behaviour of free-ranging groups of Callithrix aurita and Callithrix flaviceps, small-bodied omnivorous marmosets, was monitored at two sites (Cunha and Caratinga, respectively) in south-eastern Brazil during equivalent periods in consecutive years. Quantitative behavioural data were collected using a standard scan-sampling protocol, with scans being taken at 5-min intervals throughout the daily activity period. Data were collected during the wet season months of January and February at Cunha in 1993 and 1994, and during the dry season months of July and August at Caratinga in 1985 and 1986. In both cases, wet-season precipitation levels were considerably higher during the first year. Activity budgets, daily ranging and the foraging behaviour of both species were compared between years. Significant between-year differences were observed in several behaviour categories in both species, and were consistent with seasonal and longitudinal variation in resource abundance. In C. aurita, apparent changes in fruiting patterns resulted in a significant increase in exudate feeding in the second year, both in relative and absolute terms, but little change in prey foraging. By contrast, a marked reduction in arthropod prey in 1986 resulted in major changes in most aspects of C. flaviceps behaviour, with the exception of plant feeding. While consistent with behaviour patterns in other marmoset species, the numerous significant differences observed in the present study further highlight the problems associated with the evaluation of intertaxon differences in the behaviour and ecology of primates, in particular marmosets, on the basis of relatively short-term studies of a few individuals, often at only a single study site.


We address the problem of estimating the mass of a quantum particle in a gravitational field and seek the ultimate bounds to precision of quantum-limited detection schemes. In particular, we study the effect of the field on the achievable sensitivity and address the question of whether quantumness of the probe state may provide a precision enhancement. The ultimate bounds to precision are quantified in terms of the corresponding quantum Fisher information. Our results show that states with no classical limit perform better than semiclassical ones and that a non-trivial interplay exists between the external field and the statistical model. More intense fields generally lead to a better precision, with the exception of position measurements in the case of freely-falling systems.


Purpose
This study aims to map the "Desktop Research" (DR) output in Pakistan, as part of the growing field of research globally. It also ascertains the productive institutions and prolific authors along with their collaboration patterns.

Design/methodology/approach
Bibliometric techniques were used to quantitatively analyze the DR published in Pakistan. The publications from 1981 to 2021 were retrieved from Scopus. A total of 1,802 publications were retrieved and used for analysis.

Findings
Results indicated an unpredictable increase in DR output from approximately 100 to 400 records during the past five years. The year 2020 was most productive in DR research showing the excess use of secondary data by researchers in COVID-19. The focus of researchers towards DR was consistently rising. Medical journals were found to publish DR extensively. Majority of the publications were contributed by collaborative work and researchers of the USA were found as the most collaborative with Pakistani authors. Publications of single category journals, open access journals and international collaboration get more citations.

Research limitations/implications
The results of the analysis rely only on a single database, Scopus, for retrieving the publication data.

Practical implications
The study has practical implications for the policymakers and higher education development organizations to introduce the DR as a course in academic schools.

Originality/value
To the best of the authors' knowledge, this study is the first to review DR in the context of Pakistan through bibliometric analysis. This comprehensive overview provides a better understanding of the development of the field and possible practice implications.


Social media tools are used by firms to create and capture business value. In this study, we synthesize emerging literature on social commerce, social media, and the diffusion of innovation to identify the role that organizational, managerial and environmental characteristics of SMEs play in the adoption of Twitter. To test the model, we administered a survey to 453 SME mangers from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and India. The results of logistic hierarchical regression indicate that firm innovativeness, age and geographic location have a significant impact on Twitter adoption by SMEs. Implications for research and practice are discussed.


This article explores the notion of heroism in Victorian war literature by analyzing the figure of the soldier-hero in two imperial war memoirs: Captain Mowbray Thomson's The Story of Cawnpore: The Indian Mutiny and John Pearman's The Radical Soldier's Tale. While The Story of Cawnpore is an emblematic example of what we call the Victorian hero myth, that is, the effective merging of traditional heroism, war as adventure and imperialism in mid-to late-nineteenth century Britain – The Radical Soldier's Tale appears to posit an alternative to this widely accepted view, challenging its assumed universality and immutability. By analyzing Pearman's innovative revision of heroism, in contrast to Thomson's more conventional representation of the theme, this article attempts to illustrate both the traditional construction and a possible re-reading of the subject taking place in the same period. In order to do so, we focus on the three main aspects around which the representation of the nineteenth-century soldier-hero is articulated: the consolidation of traditional heroic manhood in the context of imperial war, the complex social justification of war and the demonization of the Other as a way of validating the heroic self. Particular attention is given to the fact that Pearman's shift towards a more complex appreciation of the heroic subject appears to anticipate similar patterns occurring in the literature written during and after World War One.


After the discovery of "population" in modern society, domination over the body has been enacted by a set of interventions which are called regulatory control, or bio-politics by Michel Foucault. From the eighteenth century onwards, bio-politics has involved any kind of intervention which acts as means for forming the population according to the wills of those with power. This has led to an era of bio-politics in which fertility in particular has become regulated in accordance with political economy. Hence the body, especially the female body, has been reduced to an economic object by detaching her identity, personal aspirations and desires. In turn, sexuality becomes a subject of economic interventions through pronatalist and/or antinatalist politics. In either way, those interventions should be methodologically regarded as instruments of bio-politics. This paper specifically focuses on pronatalist and antinatalist politics as bio-political instruments in the well-known Romanian case and the Chinese case by drawing upon the Foucauldian perspective of bio-politics.


In this work, we successfully fabricated 3D network vanadium oxide (VOx) and manganese oxide (MnOx) nanofibers on conductive paper (PVA–acetamide–LiClO4-graphite/paper, PGP) as electrodes linked with an eco-friendly PVA–acetamide–LiClO4 (PAL) deep eutectic solvent-based gel electrolyte for high-voltage wearable asymmetric supercapacitors (HVWASCs). An ecologically compatible deep eutectic solvent-based electrolyte with self-supporting electroactive species has been generally accepted as a unique type of cost-effective and green electrolyte that possibly involves a bulk concentration of the electroactive species and a large working potential window, thereby achieving a high performance. The HVWASCs are able to work with a large operating voltage of 4.2 V, and supply outstanding energy and power densities (245 W hkg−1 at 0.18 W kg−1 and 95.3 kW kg−1 at 98 W h kg−1). The HVWASCs demonstrate remarkable cycling stability and durability after 6000 cycles, including bending and twisting (capacitance retention of 91.5%). The HVWASCs are a superior prospective candidate for wearable/flexible electronic devices and Internet of Things (IoT) applications.


Semantic similarity based retrieval is playing an increasingly important role inmany IR systems such asmodernweb search, questionanswering, similar document retrieval etc. Improvements in retrieval of semantically similar content are very significant to applications like Quora, Stack Overflow, Siri etc. We propose a novel unsupervised model for semantic similarity based content retrieval, where we construct semantic flow graphs for each query, and introduce the concept of "soft seeding" in graph based semi-supervised learning (SSL) to convert this into an unsupervised model. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our model on an equivalent question retrieval problem on the Stack Exchange QA dataset, where our unsupervised approach significantly outperforms the state-of-the-art unsupervised models, and produces comparable results to the best supervisedmodels. Our research provides amethod to tackle semantic similarity based retrieval without any training data, and allows seamless extension to different domain QA communities, as well as to other semantic equivalence tasks.


This paper describes new test methods and some typical test results for ar ecently developed external insulation in Japan. The paper starts with the introduction of the results of the tests that were conducted specially on the external insulation for 1100 kV/lOGW ac transmission line and ±500 kV/12.8 GW dc overhead line section, recently constructed in Japan using heavy duty insulators, giant bushings, efc. Various special tests were made on the external insulation in order to investigate the performance at such high service voltages since those had never been used before, and secondly because of the high reliability required and the importance of the lines. Introduced next are test methods and some related results on long term performance for the new type of insulators, such as semiconducting glaze and polymer insulaton. Also included in the paper are the development of some special test methods and results on line arresters for transmission and distribution lines, which have been accepted widely in Japan.


Imitation learning is a primary approach to improve the efficiency of reinforcement learning by exploiting the expert demonstrations. However, in many real scenarios, obtaining expert demonstrations could be extremely expensive or even impossible. To overcome this challenge, in this paper, we propose a novel learning framework called Co-Imitation Learning (CoIL) to exploit the past good experiences of the agents themselves without expert demonstration. Specifically, we train two different agents via letting each of them alternately explore the environment and exploit the peer agent's experience. While the experiences could be valuable or misleading, we propose to estimate the potential utility of each piece of experience with the expected gain of the value function. Thus the agents can selectively imitate from each other by emphasizing the more useful experiences while filtering out noisy ones. Experimental results on various tasks show significant superiority of the proposed Co-Imitation Learning framework, validating that the agents can benefit from each other without external supervision.


A series of stations located along the transect between Barcelona and the Balearic Islands were sampled to study the composition of the phytoplankton community, during June 1984, March 1 985, June 1 985 and June 1 986. In March, the concentration of phytoplankton cells presented a maximum in the upper part of the water column. The Catalan front, near the continental slope of the Catalan coast side, separated a diatom-dominated assemblage in the coastal zone from a flagellate-dominated assemblage offshore. In the spring cruises, the most characteristic feature of the phytoplankton distribution was the presence of a deep chlorophyll maximum (DCM) which corresponded to increased phytoplankton cell numbers. The influence of the front on the phytoplankton distribution was well marked in early June ( 1 984), but in the cruises carried out later in the season, warm waters extended over the frontal zone. The distribution of the phytoplankton assemblages showed some regularities: during the spring cruises, diatom assemblages with Chaetoceros spp., Nitzschia spp. and Thalassiosira spp. formed patches in the DCM layer, while a flagellate and dinoflagellate assemblage occupied the upper part of the water column. In May 1 984 and May 1 986 a third assemblage with Coscinodiscus radiatus, Dictyochafibula and Oxytoxum margalefi formed a background population in the DCM level. Thus, in spite of high environmental variability, persistent groupings of species could be recognized.


Landscape spatial structure of Odra valley ecological corridor in the west side of the Opole region Restoration of ecological corridors is one of the most important goals of the present conservation efforts. Two methodological concepts are implemented in delimitation of corridors: migratory (functional) and stabilising (structural). Accordingly to migratory concept, the ecological corridor is a linear, distinguished from outside areas structure, with higher biodiversity ratio in comparison to the surroundings. The main goal of the paper was to assess the landscape biodiversity of the Odra valley through the measurement of several indicators of spatial structure. The analyses were conducted using the following formula: B k = P n + L n – (P z + L z-n ), Where: B k – landscape biodiversity indicator, P n – surface of natural ecosystems, L n – border line length between natural ecosystems, P z – surface of degraded ecosystems, L z-n – border line length between natural and degraded ecosystems. The starting data for evaluation were standardised. In result of the investigation several conclusions were assumed: - the spatial extent of the Odra valley ecological corridor is much smaller that it was depict in earlier elaboration, - the highest landscape biodiversity occurs on flooding terraces of the valley, - the terrain between water embankments has the crucial role in maintaining the natural ecological processes, - the ecological corridor of the Odra valley has relict character, - the most frequent types of habitats within researched corridor are meadows and pastures Molinio - Arrhenatheretea , then forests Fagetalia sylvaticae . The rarest are rushes Phragmitetea , - the highest landscape biodiversity occurs at 15 km of the researched area between Nysa Klodzka outlet and Brzeg, - for landscape biodiversity the most significant are the areas around the mouths of the Stobrawa and Nysa Klodzka rivers, - the most important threats for the functionality of the corridor are the urbanised areas in the city of Brzeg and also Popielow-Stare Siolkowice and Kościerzyce – Pisarzowice – Szydlowice villages, - the increase consciousness of the significant role of ecological corridors in the network of protected areas requires further researches on formalised methods of delimitation and valorisations of ecological corridors.


We prove the theorem mentioned in the title, for ${\mathbb{R}}^n$, where $n \ge 3$. The case of the simplex was known previously. Also, the case $n=2$ was settled, but there the infimum was some well-defined function of the side lengths. We also consider the cases of spherical and hyperbolic $n$-spaces. There we give some necessary conditions for the existence of a convex polytope with given facet areas, and some partial results about sufficient conditions for the existence of (convex) tetrahedra.


As the innovative data collection technologies are applying to every aspect of our society, the data volume is skyrocketing. Such phenomenon poses tremendous challenges to data centers with respect to enabling storage. In this paper, a hybrid-stream big data analytics model is proposed to perform multimedia big data analysis. This model contains four procedures, i.e., data pre-processing, data classification, data recognition and data load reduction. Specifically, an innovative multi-dimensional Convolution Neural Network (CNN) is proposed to assess the importance of each video frame. Thus, those unimportant frames can be dropped by a reliable decision-making algorithm. In order to ensure video quality, minimal correlation and minimal redundancy (MCMR) are combined to optimize the decision-making algorithm. Simulation results show that the amount of processed video is significantly reduced, and the quality of video is preserved due to the addition of MCMR. The simulation also proves that the proposed model performs steadily and is robust enough to scale up to accommodate the big data crush in data centers.


The aim of this study was to investigate a possible relation between skeletal phenotypes and virtual mounting data in orthognathic surgery patients. A retrospective cohort study including 323 female (26.1 ± 8.7 years) and 191 male (27.9 ± 8.3 years) orthognathic surgery patients was conducted. A k-means cluster analysis was performed on the mounting parameters: the angle α between the upper occlusal plane (uOP) and the axis orbital plane (AOP); the perpendicular distance (AxV) from the uOP to the hinge axis; and the horizontal length (AxH) of the uOP from upper incisor edge to AxV, with subsequent statistical analysis of related cepalometric values. Three clusters of mounting data were identified, representing three skeletal phenotypes: (1) balanced face with marginal skeletal class II or III and α=8∘, AxV = 36 mm and AxH = 99 mm; (2) vertical face with skeletal class II and α=11∘, AxV = 27 mm and AxH = 88 mm; (3) horizontal face with class III and α=2∘, AxV = 36 mm and AxH = 86 mm. The obtained data on the position of the hinge axis can be applied to any digital planning in orthognathic surgery using CBCT or a virtual articulator, provided that the case can be clearly assigned to one of the calculated clusters.


Introduction: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a widespread disease. Sleep quality is significantly impaired in many patients with COPD and may be further diminished when certain symptoms as cough and dyspnea are present. Numerous studies have been focused on sleep quality previously but no one has observed the relationship between sleep quality and cough. Objetive: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between sleep quality and cough in COPD patients hospitalized due to acute exacerbation. Methods: Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was used to estimate sleep quality, and cough was evaluated with Leicester Cough Questionnaire (LCQ). Results: We recruited fifty COPD patients hospitalized due to acute exacerbation. Mean age was 71 years old. The results are shown in table 1: Conclusion: These findings suggest that patients with worse sleep quality have worse punctuation in cough questionnaire. More studies are needed to improve the knowledge of this association.


Angiostrongylus cantonensis, the causative agent of eosinophilic meningoencephalitis was reported from bandicoot rats in Kerala. The presence of A. cantonensis in bandicoot rats in Kerala is quite appalling as it is considered as an emerging pathogen. Since human rat contacts are ineluctable, chances of transmission are very high. Regular surveillance and awareness programmes are recommended.


Magma intrusion rate is a key parameter in eruption triggering but is poorly quantified in existing geodetic studies. Here we examine two episodes of rapid inflation in this context. Two noneruptive microseismic swarms were recorded at Semisopochnoi Volcano, Alaska in 2014–2015. We use differential SAR techniques and TerraSAR‐X images to document surface deformation from 2011 to 2015, which comprises island‐wide radial inflation totaling ~25 cm (+/−1 cm) line of sight displacement in 2014–2015. Multiple source geometries are tested in an inversion of the deformation data, and InSAR data are best fit by a spheroid trending to the northeast and plunging to the southeast, with a major axis of ~4 km and minor axes of ~1 km, directly under the central caldera of Semisopochnoi. In 2014, a modeled influx of 0.043 km3 of magma caused line of sight displacement of ~17 cm. This magma was stored at a depth of ~8 km, until 2015 when 0.029 km3 was added. Along with the definition of inflation source parameters, the recorded seismic events are relocated using differential travel times. These relocated events outline a linear aseismic area within a larger zone of shallow (<10 km) seismicity. This aseismic region aligns with the centroid of the deformation model. Based on these geodetic and seismic models, the plumbing system at Semisopochnoi is interpreted as a spheroidal magma storage zone at a depth of ˜8 km below a linear feature of partial melt. The observed deformation and seismicity appear to result from rapid injection into this main storage region.


Advancements in medical science and technology, medicine and public health coupled with increased consciousness about nutrition and environmental and personal hygiene have paved the way for the dramatic increase in life expectancy globally in the past several decades. However, increased life expectancy has given rise to an increasing aging population, thus jeopardizing the socio-economic structure of many countries in terms of costs associated with elderly health-care and well- being. In order to deal with the growing need for elderly health-care services, it's essential to develop affordable, unobtrusive and easy-to-use health-care solutions. In this paper, we focused on smart diaper-moisture detection system using IOT. It is a paper based expendable dampness initiated Wi-Fi specialized gadget that could be fused into the conventional cellulose-based diaper. The Wi-Fi enabled sensor unit is done for minimal expense producing, low radiation uses Wi-Fi to send notification to authorized person. There are various approaches to distinguish and quantify dampness where a few models already exist, despite the fact that most strategies require dynamic hardware. When the diaper gets genuinely wet, the dampness sensor turns into source that takes care of an oscillator circuit. The power of the transmitted Wi-Fi connection is far below the levels where it could cause any harm to human.


ICT solutions within a Smart City environment are often hailed as the low carbon, efficient and low-cost solution – but is this sufficient? These solutions often neglect user behaviour and treat users as passive consumers or even obstacles. Energy related ICT behaviour change is also starting to appear more frequently at the forefront of policy agendas and research funding calls as a prime focus for reducing energy consumption and improving efficiency across all energy intensive sectors. Research shows that improving and widening user engagement has the potential to foster greater acceptance and impact. Recent research has focused on behaviour change towards more sustainable energy use, often involving users co-designing interventions. As such, ICT is a prominent tool, with its application including feedback tools, apps, interactive dashboards and gamification. Frequent barriers are user engagement with ICT tools, both initially and over the long term, with research consistently showing that users are hard to engage, face a complex array of competing demands and easily become disengaged with energy programs and interventions.
 This paper presents a summary of some of the common problems relating to user engagement with energy interventions faced by many research projects, as well as presenting findings from eTEACHER, an EU H2020 project, aimed at empowering energy end-users by enabling behaviour change via a set of ICT solutions. eTEACHER, aims to employ principles of user-involvement and engagement to enhance the design of an ICT-based tool promoting energy conservation in buildings. eTEACHER has applied the 'Enabling Change' framework as a novel approach to ensure user engagement and stakeholder involvement. Results and reflections are offered from eTEACHER's implementation of the Enabling Change framework and the engagement of building users within the eTEACHER pilot buildings, surrounding the design and implementation of an ICT-based tool. Reflections are given throughout on rethinking how we engage with citizens and our success in identifying, engaging and eliciting feedback from building users. The real-world issues and constraints are explored alongside, and opportunities are identified for improving energy efficiency using an evidence-based intervention design in practice and discusses how ICT can aid the empowerment of building users towards their own energy use.


Leo 1031, a chlorambucil ester of prednisolone, has been administered to 20 patients with generalized lymphocytic lymphoma (LL) fo various histologic types. The average daily dose was 40 mg orally; the treatment was given continuously for 1-17 months (mean 7). Complete remission was obtained in five patients and partial remission in ten. The best results were obtained in patients with a nodular type of LL. Significant leucopenia was induced in two patients; no thrombocytopenia has occurred in any patient. In two patients a cushingoid habitus developed after 8 and 4 months, respectively. Leo 1031 may be of value as the single drug in the treatment of some types of LL. A combination therapy will Leo 1031 and vincristine has been tried in 5 of these patients; in 2 as initial therapy and in 3 later in association with relapse. Further trials to assess the value of Leo 1031 as part of a combination schedule are desirable.


ABSTRACT Background Previous studies noted that racial/ethnic minority groups were less likely than non-Hispanic White beneficiaries to be included in the assessment of medication utilization measures of Medicare Part D Star Ratings due to restrictive inclusion criteria for measure calculation. This study explored whether adding a measure with less stringent inclusion criteria to Star Ratings can reduce disparities in measure assessment among beneficiaries with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD). Methods This cross-sectional study utilized 2017 Medicare databases linked to Area Health Resources Files. Multivariable logistic regression was used to compare disparities before and after adding the new measure. Results By adding the new measure, disparities in the odds for assessment inclusion between non-Hispanic White beneficiaries and Black, Hispanic, Asian, and Other beneficiaries were respectively reduced by 97% (odds ratio, or OR = 1.97, 95% Confidence Interval or CI = 1.89–2.05), 72% (OR = 1.72, 95% CI = 1.58–1.87), 115% (OR = 2.15, 95% CI = 1.87–2.46), and 44% (OR = 1.44, 95% CI = 1.28–1.62). Conclusions To improve the selection of medication utilization measures in Star Ratings among beneficiaries with ADRD, policymakers should investigate the optimal composition of measures to better align the interests of patients, providers, and health plans.


We examine the effects of domestic and international environmental nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) on pro-environmental policy adoption using cross-national data. We address three views: (1) a bottom-up perspective, prioritizing the role of domestic NGOs; (2) an interaction imagery, stressing alliances or reinforcing pressures between domestic and international NGOs; (3) a top-down view, emphasizing the part of international NGOs. We use event history analysis to model the cross-national adoption of three major pro-environmental policy reforms between 1970 and 2010: omnibus environmental laws, environmental impact assessment reporting requirements, and national environmental ministries. Results show that international NGOs are strongly associated with pro-environmental reforms, with very large effects. By contrast, domestic NGOs are generally not associated with policy adoption in global analyses. In a subsample of democratic countries, we find smaller effects of domestic NGOs for some outcomes. We find no evidence that international NGOs amplify the effects of domestic ones. While there are compelling historical examples of bottom-up and interaction processes, the broad pattern of environmental policy adoption across the world is better explained by global rather than domestic organizational dynamics.


Cellular Automata have been extensively used as a two-dimensional simulator of the photoresist etching process. This simulator has been verified experimentally for 248 nm photolithography. In this work the Cellular Automata simulator is extended in three dimensions in order to deal with problems arising in 193 nm photolithography and beyond. The three-dimensional simulator is tested using well known etch-rate distribution functions and its results are compared with experimental results found in the literature.


This work allows the thermodynamics, thermoeconomic and economic analysis of the cogeneration system of an industrial plant. Two settings were studied: the current that produces electricity only for its own, and secondary,  a plant working at high pressure and high temperature using extraction steam turbines to drive an electricity generator and produce 32 MW and a backpressure turbine capable of producing 12 MW. In this case, a high investment is necessary and therefore, a considerable amount of energy sales. The thermodynamic analyses allow the evaluation of some performance indices. The thermoeconomic analysis proposes the distribution of costs based on thermodynamic concepts, enabling the evaluation of reflection of the investment costs and fuel in the cost of products (steam and electricity). The economic analysis acts as a deciding factor for acceptance or project rejection.

 Key words: Cogeneration, economic, thermodynamics, thermoeconomic.


An L-band 2×16 phased array antenna with printed dipole and integrated balun using multi-layering technique has been proposed. The design satisfies some targeted specification such as having a gain of 20 dB and a steering coverage of 90° at the center frequency 1.28 GHz. A sixteen-element linear antenna array is designed and fabricated. Simulation and experimental results of active reflection at port 1, 9 and 16, including gain performance at boresight, and side lobe losses (SLL) levels are presented.


This study aims to determine the impact of the geographical conditions of an area on the phenomenon of sirri marriage through a qualitative study. Data analysis was carried out inductively from the results of observations, in-depth interviews and FGDs. The results of the study indicate that the phenomenon of unregistered marriage occurs in Sumber Malang, Situbondo, East Java as a result of the geographical conditions of the area. The topographical conditions of the area in the form of mountainous areas with an altitude of 500-1,250 meters above sea level, very steep with a slope of 45%, rocky and dry soils make the Sumber Malang area difficult to develop economically. This is because agricultural cultivation is difficult to develop. Furthermore, the accessibility of areas that are difficult to reach because they are far inland, narrow roads, no public transportation, far from the center of economic activity have caused people in this area to choose to stay in their environment. Topography and regional accessibility have an impact on adolescent marriage behavior in the Sumber Malang community. Adolescents and parents view unregistered marriage as something that is done to avoid sin, the certainty of a relationship, economic motives (because the cost of marriage is considered expensive by the community) and as a result of the remote location of the area; because the teenager only has a circle of friends in Sumbermalang. There are two patterns of sirri marriage that occur, namely teenagers will marry sirri and live together and teenagers will marry sirri then stay with their parents and still continue their education. The implication of this research is to provide an illustration that geographical space can affect the pattern of marriage that occurs in society. Based on this, the relevant government can provide adequate access to education at the research sites.
 Keywords : Sirri's Marriage; geographical condition; topography; accessibility

Copyright (c) 2022 Geosfera Indonesia and Department of Geography Education, University of Jember
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Introduction: Kidney transplantation is considered the best treatment of rehabilitation for chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients, because it increases quality of life and survival when compared to other modalities of renal replacement. However, after kidney transplantation may occur clinical and surgical complications. Objectives: To evaluate the main causes of adverse events associated with renal graft and their impact on cost after kidney transplantation in the public system in Brazil. Methodology: Follow-up, descriptive, retrospective, exploratory, cause and effect study with economic evaluation. We used data from the Departamento de Informatica do Sistema Unico de Saude (DATASUS). We identified patients with register of kidney transplant in the states of northern and northeastern Brazil in 2013 and had adverse event associated with renal graft. These patients were followed up through the registers on DATASUS, specifically using the Sistema de Informacao Hospitalar SIH/SUS from 2013 to 2017. Results: A total of 183 patients with a renal graft-related adverse event during the first four years of kidney transplantation who required hospitalization for treatment. Patients up to six months after transplantation had a higher frequency of readmissions and longer hospitalization. The impact of the cost of treating these patients on the total cost of readmissions was US$ 302,952.05. Conclusion: Through the data analysis from SIH/SUS, it was possible to identify that the complications related to renal graft had significant impact of cost on the value of readmissions after kidney transplantation. Key words: Adverse Events, Graft Rejection, Health Care Costs, Health Expenditures, Kidney Transplantation.


An observational, descriptive and cross-sectional study of 18 patients with diagnosis of acute chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, to whom the protocol of non invasive mechanical ventilation was applied and who were admitted in the Intensive Care Unit of "Dr. Ambrosio Grillo Portuondo" Provincial Hospital in Santiago de Cuba, was carried out from January, 2012 to the same month of 2014, in order to describe the effects of this ventilation. After 24 hours of the treatment, breathing, heart frequencies and mean blood pressure decreased, with an increase of Glasgow coma scale, and the obtained hemogasometric values evidenced favorable changes. The mentioned ventilation constituted an effective therapeutic option in these patients.


s 343 Folia Primatol 2004;75:341–354 consumption is occasional or limited for Microcebus, Cheirogaleus and Mirza, gum is the dominant food source for Phaner and Allocebus. Craniofacial shape variations were analysed using geometric morphometrics: methods based on landmarks identification (Procrustes superimpositions) were chosen for skull shape analysis, and methods based on outline decomposition (elliptical Fourier functions) for the study of mandible shape. The morphospaces obtained at the level of the infraorder appear to be highly constrained by dietary habits, especially in the case of the mandibles. At the finer level of the Cheirogaleidae family, the analyses permit us (1) to separate craniomandibular shape variations associated with the two dietary categories and (2) among the omnivorous category, to distinguish the fluctuations associated with the percentage of gum consumption. Craniofacial Variation and Adaptive Diversity in Early Hominids: Some Morphometric Aspects


Abstract This paper describes a project that assessed the potential for mercury (Hg) release to air and water from soil amended with combustion products to simulate beneficial use. Combustion products (ash) derived from wood, sewage sludge, subbituminous coal, and a subbituminous coal-petroleum coke mixture were added to soil as agricultural supplements, soil stabilizers, and to develop lowpermeability surfaces. Hg release was measured from the latter when intact and after it was broken up and mixed into the soil. Air-substrate Hg exchange was measured for all materials six times over 24 hr, providing data that reflected winter, spring, summer, and fall meteorological conditions. Dry deposition of atmospheric Hg and emission of Hg to the atmosphere were both found to be important fluxes. Measured differences in seasonal and diel (24 hr) fluxes demonstrated that to establish an annual estimate of air-substrate flux from these materials data on both of these time steps should be collected. Air-substrate exchange was highly correlated with soil and air temperature, as well as incident light. Hg releases to the atmosphere from coal and wood combustion product-amended soils to simulate an agricultural application were similar to that measured for the unamended soil, whereas releases to the air for the sludge-amended materials were higher. Hg released to soil solutions during the Synthetic Precipitation Leaching Procedure for ash-amended materials was higher than that released from soil alone. On the basis of estimates of annual releases of Hg to the air from the materials used, emissions from coal and wood ash-amended soil to simulate an agricultural application could simply be re-emission of Hg deposited by wet processes from the atmosphere; however, releases from sludge-amended materials and those generated to simulate soil stabilization and disturbed low-permeability pads include Hg indigenous to the material.


Sustained physical activity and exercise are central to healthy ageing. Yet, the majority of aged people are insufficiently physically active. Digital wellness technologies are potential in promoting exercise behaviors among aged people, but more detailed research on their potential to promote behavior change is limited. To address this gap, the purpose is to investigate how partaking in a digital wellness progr am influences the stage of exercise behavior change among aged people and to test whether self-efficacy for exercise can differentiate the program participants in terms of the stages of change. The investigation builds on the stages of exercise behavior change derived from the transtheoretical model of behavior change and on self-efficacy for exercise. The results suggest that partaking in a digital wellness program can be effective in promoting exercise behavior change among aged people and show that self -efficacy for exercise may differentiate aged people at


Glycosaminoglycan N-acetylglucosaminyl N-deacetylases/N-sulfotransferases are structurally related enzymes that play an important role in the biosynthesis of heparan sulfate and heparin. They are dual catalytic, single membrane-spanning polypeptides of approximately 850-880 amino acids that catalyze the N-deacetylation of N-acetylglucosamine of glycosaminoglycans followed by N-sulfation of the same sugar. On the basis of homologies of these proteins with other N-acetylglucosaminyl N-deacetylases involved in the biosynthesis of chitin and putative deacetylases from bacteria, we have constructed two soluble chimeras between protein A and the amino- and carboxyl-terminal halves of the above mastocytoma holoenzyme. The carboxyl-terminal chimera half (amino acids 479-880) was able to catalyze the N-sulfation of glucosamine of heparan sulfate with a similar affinity for its two substrates, adenosine 3'-phosphate 5'-phosphosulfate and heparan sulfate, as the holoenzyme. However, the reaction only occurred at 30 degreesC and not at 37 degreesC, both temperatures at which the holoenzyme was active. The Vmax of the chimera was 10-20-fold slower than that of the holoenzyme. Soluble chimeras between protein A and amino acids 43-521 and 43-680 of the holoenzyme were unable to catalyze the N-deacetylation of the bacterial N-acetylglucosaminyl-glucuronic acid polymer K5 under conditions where the holoenzyme was active. The recent appearance in genome data banks of homologs to the N-sulfotransferase domain and now the direct demonstration that this domain catalyzes this reaction raises the possibility that both N-deacetylation and N-sulfation activities of the holoenzyme might have emerged as gene fusions during evolution.


This study aims to determine the contribution of competency measurement techniques and read working drawings on learning outcomes practicum class XI machining machining techniques at SMK 1 Psychology. The population in this study were 65 students and the samples taken are a number of populations. The instrument used to collect data in the form of tests , and documentation . The data have been collected subsequently processed to test the validity of the test , reliability , description of research results , and the correlation between variables . After testing instrument , the test has a very high reliability , that is equal to 0.898 and 0.826 . The results of the analysis of the data suggests that 15.38 % of students competence in measurement techniques are not yet competent in the criteria , 40 % of working drawings are reading competence on criteria not competent , then the results of the machining lab study 13.85% were not competent in the criteria . Hypothesis testing performed demonstrated learning outcomes machining lab has a dependence on competency measurement techniques by 16.1 % , while the reading competence of working drawings of 19.3 % and the effective contribution of the two independent variables is equal to 27.2 %


This study examines the potential relationship between eating disorders and antisocial behaviors through the lenses of the general theory of crime and general strain theory. We utilized the data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health, a longitudinal study of a nationally representative sample of juveniles in grades 7 to 12 in the United States between 1994 and 2008. We constructed three separate measures of eating disorders and examined their relationships with both petty theft and aggressive behaviors. Results indicated that previous traumatic experiences (such as sexual abuse) are consistent risk factors for eating disorders, and that eating disorders can increase antisocial involvements. Moreover, eating disorders can diminish self-control and agitate depressed moods, which may increase the likelihood of both petty theft and violent conduct, and this effect can extend to later adulthood as well.


This paper proposes an Image Contrast Enhancement (ICE) method based on using an Improved Chicken Swarm Optimization (ICSO) algorithm to enhance images while at the same time preventing over-enhancement. In the optimization process, a new practical objective function is employed to reach three main goals, preserving the main details, generating an image with a uniform histogram, and reducing the spikes in the modified histogram. In the proposed approach, the RGB color channels are optimized individually. The performance of the proposed method is suitable for enhancing the contrast of low- and high-contrast images. A subjective experiment is designed to visually evaluate and compare the results with other ICE methods. The simulation results on the CSIQ, TID2013, and SEID datasets show that the proposed method outperforms numerous traditional and state-of-the-art ICE techniques both subjectively and objectively. The most important advantage of the newly proposed technique is that there is an agreement among observers on when over-enhancement occurs regardless of whether the Initial processed image was of low or high contrast.


ABSTRACT Yang, H.X.; Chen, X., and Chen, L.P., 2020. Teaching improvement in studio on feasibility study of sewage disposal project. In: Guido Aldana, P.A. and Kantamaneni, K. (eds.), Advances in Water Resources, Coastal Management, and Marine Science Technology. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 104, pp. 94–100. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. The major of environmental engineering is to train applied interdisciplinary talents, the feasibility study ability of project is the core that management specialty students must master. How to improve the project assessment ability to sewage disposal projects, and promote the teaching methods of studios are common concern of teachers and students. Based on the studio teaching mode of the existing sewage disposal project, this paper investigates the satisfaction of the student in studio and does an analysis with the PLS-SEM. The reliability and validity of questionnaire data were verified by SPSS statistical analysis. Through the analysis, the paper built a model and made parameter estimation by PLS 2.0 software. According to the result of a comprehensive evaluation, the perceived quality was found to have the strongest correlation with satisfaction. Finally, some suggestions for improvement of the studio teaching were given.


Objective: To purify Mannan-binding lectin (MBL) from human serum and detect its binding ability to several kinds of bacteria common in infectious diseases of children. Methods: MBL was purified from human serum by affinity chromatography on mannan-Sepharose 4B column. Its binding ability to eight species, 97 strains of bacteria was detected by enzyme-linked lectin assay (ELLA). Results: MBL has different binding ability to bacteria and shows strong binding ability to Klebsiella ornithinolytica and Escherichia coli, but shows relatively lower binding ability to Staphylococcus haemolyticus, Enterobacter cloacae and Staphylococcus epidermidis. To different isolates of Klebsiella pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae and Staphylococcus aureus,MBL shows quite different binding ability. Conclusions: MBL has different binding ability to different bacteria, and has relatively stronger binding ability to Gram-negative bacteria. Its binding ability to different isolates of certain kinds of bacteria is quite different.


We study research and development productivity (RDP) transmission between 4,123 global firms across three supply chain tiers. Collecting 153,090 yearly supply chain dyad partnerships from Bloomberg, we construct a two-sided econometric model of supply chain R&D. In our empirical specification, the dependent variable measures return on R&D, and the independent variables measure supply chain partner and network effects. In our sample data, we find that a 1% R&D productivity improvement of (i) an upstream partner can increase a downstream agent's R&D productivity by 0.14%, and (ii) a downstream partner can increase an upstream agent's R&D productivity by 0.28%. Our findings show that having R&D-productive partners plays a significant role in transforming an agent's R&D into revenues. Similarly, we estimate a network's average R&D productivity elasticity on an agent as 0.23%. We further find that R&D productivity spreads more within smaller, integrated, domestic, and intra-industry networks. In our two-stage estimation, we address supply chain network endogeneity resulting from entanglement, simultaneity, and partner selection. Our findings provide operational and financial insights for R&D practitioners.


We report a single-shot-based projective readout of a semiconductor hybrid qubit formed by three electrons in a GaAs double quantum dot. Voltage-controlled adiabatic transitions between the qubit operations and readout conditions allow high-fidelity mapping of quantum states. We show that a large ratio both in relaxation time vs tunneling time (≈50) and singlet-triplet splitting vs thermal energy (≈20) allows energy-selective tunneling-based spin-to-charge conversion with a readout visibility of ≈92.6%. Combined with ac driving, we demonstrate high visibility coherent Rabi and Ramsey oscillations of a hybrid qubit in GaAs. Further, we discuss the generality of the method for use in other materials, including silicon.


Recent results in the use of disilanes as silylating reagents for near-surface imaging with deep-UV (248 nm) and EUV (13.5 nm) lithography are reported. A relatively thin imaging layer of a photo-cross-linking resist is spun over a thicker layer of hardbaked resist that functions as a planarizing layer and antireflective coating. Photoinduced acid generation and subsequent heating crosslinks and renders exposed areas impermeable to an aminodisilane that reacts with the unexposed regions. Subsequent silylation and reactive ion etching afford a positive-tone image. The use of disilanes introduces a higher concentration of silicon into the polymer than is possible with silicon reagents that incorporate only one silicon atom per reactive site. The higher silicon content in the silylated polymer increases etching selectivity between exposed and unexposed regions and thereby increases the contrast. Additional improvements that help to minimize flow during silylation are also discussed, including the addition of bifunctional disilanes. We have resolved high aspect ratio, very high quality 0.20 pm line and space patterns at 248 nm with a stepper having a numerical aperture (NA)= 0.53, and have resolved 20.15 pm line and spaces at 13.5 nm.


The radicals induced by irradiation of glycine with high energy electrons have been investigated by the electron spin resonance technique. At a dose rate of 130 kilorad/sec it was found that an exposure to doses greater than 50 megarads leads to a decrease in the number of radicals with increasing dose. The shape of the signal was also found to change. By heating and cooling the samples during irradiation it was shown that the effects observed were due to thermal annealing. Possible theoretical explanations are discussed.


The management of sediment in aquatic ecosystem has been an important issue for water managers throughout history. The changing nature of sediment issues, due to increasing human populations, the increasing prevalence of man and recognition of the important role of sediment in the transport and fate of contaminants has meant that sediment management today faces many complex technical and environmental challenges. Sediment management is complex, involving a careful balance of science, policy and economics. So, there is not a single correct way to address a problem, but, rather, the approach should be driven by the ecological, political and economic goals of interested parties. When sediments are managed to achieve ecological goals (i.e. reclamation of the seabed next to former industrial areas), the main focus is on sediment contamination analysis, removal and treatment or disposal, thus involving sediment quality more than quantity. Trevi SpA, together with the Department of Industrial Engineering (DIN) of Bologna University designed, realized and tested a new dredging prototypal device, called Sludge Buster (SB), that has been designed for application where excavation accuracy and environmental impact minimization have particular relevance (i.e. contaminated sites). On the other hand, when sediments are managed to achieve socioeconomic goals (like navigational dredging or flood defense), the focus is on managing sediment quantity, because it is the presence or absence of sediment that is affecting final objective (for example, excess sediments in navigation channels) However, uncontaminated sediments have some ecosystems implications in terms of turbidity and/or habitat loss. In these cases, the movement of sediments is a given (if permitted), involving also management of removal, placement, disposal and/or treatment options. Trevi SpA, together with DIN designed, realized and a first commissioned a prototypal Pneumatic Flow Mixing (PFM) method plant. PFM method is a process for sediments transport and on-line consolidation (Oota et al., 2009).


Deep reinforcement learning is a promising approach to learning policies in uncontrolled environments that do not require domain knowledge. Unfortunately, due to sample inefficiency, deep RL applications have primarily focused on simulated environments. In this work, we demonstrate that the recent advancements in machine learning algorithms and libraries combined with a carefully tuned robot controller lead to learning quadruped locomotion in only 20 minutes in the real world. We evaluate our approach on several indoor and outdoor terrains which are known to be challenging for classical model-based controllers. We observe the robot to be able to learn walking gait consistently on all of these terrains. Finally, we evaluate our design decisions in a simulated environment.