In order to reduce the searching space of shape context matching method and improve the speed of silhouette matching, a matching method based on partial body silhouette is proposed. In this method body silhouette is divided into segmentations according to the principle of human body composition, and then match the representative silhouettes under the restrictions of limbs silhouette characteristic. The similarity of the whole silhouette is evaluated by means of the statistical analysis of the similarity of every part. Experimental results show that the method can effectively improve the speed of the body silhouette matching.


Korean lacquer art is prized for its artistic and technical perfection and its specific, distinctive aesthetics. The works of the Goryeo (918-1392) and the Joseon (1392-1910) dynasties, with their mother-of-pearl inlays, serve as particularly vivid examples of the ingenious manufacturing processes of Korean lacquer craft. These works also represent the multifaceted development of this art form over the centuries.


In this work, porous carbon-vanadium oxynitride (C-V2NO) nanostructures were obtained at different nitridation temperature of 700, 800 and 900 °C using a thermal decomposition process. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern of all the nanomaterials showed a C-V2NO single-phase cubic structure. The C-V2NO obtained at 700 °C had a low surface area (91.6 m2 g−1), a moderate degree of graphitization, and a broader pore size distribution. The C-V2NO obtained at 800 °C displayed an interconnected network with higher surface area (121.6 m2 g−1) and a narrower pore size distribution. In contrast, at 900 °C, the C-V2NO displayed a disintegrated network and a decrease in the surface area (113 m2 g−1). All the synthesized C-V2NO yielded mesoporous oxynitride nanostructures which were evaluated in three-electrode configuration using 6 M KOH aqueous electrolyte as a function of temperature. The C-V2NO@800 °C electrode gave the highest electrochemical performance as compared to its counterparts due to its superior properties. These results indicate that the nitridation temperature not only influences the morphology, structure and surface area of the C-V2NO but also their electrochemical performance. Additionally, a symmetric device fabricated from the C-V2NO@800 °C displayed specific energy and power of 38 W h kg−1 and 764 W kg−1, respectively, at 1 A g−1 in a wide operating voltage of 1.8 V. In terms of stability, it achieved 84.7% as capacity retention up to 10,000 cycles which was confirmed through the floating/aging measurement for up to 100 h at 10 A g−1. This symmetric capacitor is promising for practical applications due to the rapid and easy preparation of the carbon-vanadium oxynitride materials.


The production of Wagner's operas is fiercely debated. In this groundbreaking stage history Patrick Carnegy vividly evokes the--often scandalous--great productions that have left their mark not only on our understanding of Wagner but on modern theatre as a whole. He examines the way in which Wagner himself staged his works, showing that the composer remained dissatisfied with even the best of his productions. After Wagner's death the scenic challenge was taken up by the Swiss visionary Adolphe Appia, by Gustav Mahler and Alfred Roller in Vienna, and by Otto Klemperer and Ewald Dulberg in Berlin. In Russia the Bolsheviks reinvented Wagner as a social revolutionary, while cinema left its indelible imprint on the Wagnerian stage with Eisenstein's Die Walkure in Moscow in 1940. Hitler famously appropriated Wagner for his own ends. Patrick Carnegy unscrambles the interaction of politics and stage production, describing how post-war German directors sought a way to bury the uncomfortable past. The book concludes with a critique of the iconoclastic interpretations by Patrice Chereau, Ruth Berghaus, and Hans-Jurgen Syberberg.


Because of recent medical advances, the number of children with chronic medical conditions who survive into adulthood has increased. The transition of care from pediatric to adult specialists and subspecialists has been rarely studied, yet it is an important aspect of care. To define issues in the pediatric patients at the University of Virginia, survey data was collected from adult nephrologists in the state. A total of 105 surveys were mailed to adult providers in Virginia. From 62 responses, 60% of adult providers did not feel completely comfortable caring for a patient with a pediatric-specific diagnosis. To efficiently receive information on new patients, adult providers preferred an abbreviated medical summary or phone call from pediatric providers. Additionally, interviews were conducted with 6 pediatric patients and their families. Patients reported a good grasp of their diagnosis and treatment, expressed an interest in learning chronic-illness coping strategies, and expressed interest in obtaining community-resource information. This study reiterated the need for additional insurance options for this at-risk population. Development of individualized transition plans and transition services are recommended to support young adult patients with chronic medical conditions as they transition into adulthood.


The use of covariance models in finding non-coding RNA gene members in genome sequence databases has been shown quite effective in many studies. However, it has a significant drawback, which is the very large computational burden. A combined covariance model is proposed to reduce the search complexity when a genome sequence is searched for more than one ncRNA gene family. The covariance models that are combined are selected using a hierarchical clustering algorithm. This study shows that when a small number of original covariance models are combined, the combined covariance model can find members from all original ncRNA families thus successfully reducing the search time.


Background and aims: Evidence based care is an approach to clinical problem-solving in which merging the results of several studies and information on specialty clinical care as well as patients' wishes and values leads to effective decision making, to avoid seeking frequent care facilitating the patient cares, empowering healthcare workers, maintaining and improving the health of patients and the families. Results of the conducted studies suggest that using such an approach requires information literacy skills. Therefore, the present study aimed to assess information literacy of the faculty members and PhD students of Nursing and Midwifery School of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences about evidence based care. Methods: In this cross-sectional survey 53 PhD students and faculty members were selected using census sampling method. Data gathering tool was a researcher-made questionnaire. This inventory was developed regarding valid scientific literature on information literacy and evidence-based care with 68 items and 5 standards of literacy prepared within some steps. After confirming the validity, its reliability was concluded by Cranach's Alpha (0.89). Data was analyzed using SPSS/22. Results: Average information literacy skill level for faculty members and students related to evidence-based care and information literacy standards was higher than the average index, except for "information exchange" standard (50±10). The highest and lowest mean scores in evidence based care were for, respectively, questions formation (respectively, 96.18±18.6.17 and 48.51±14.69) and evaluation results (respectively 95.56±6.66 and 45.94±14.08). For information literacy standards there were calculated for (respectively) finding information as the highest score for (respectively, 95.56±6.66 and 72.44±13.62) and the lowest for information exchange (respectively, 74.19±11.83 and 48.51±11.35). Conclusion: According to the results of this study and also regarding to this subject that PhD students' and faculty members' information literacy level was above the average; it is recommended to develop optimal measures to promote evidence based decision making.


Abstract In this paper an adaptive fuzzy H∞ robust tracking control scheme is developed for a class of uncertain nonlinear Multi-Input and Multi-Output (MIMO) systems. Firstly, fuzzy logic systems are introduced to approximate the unknown nonlinear function of the system by an adaptive algorithm. Next, a H∞ robust compensator controller is employed to eliminate the effect of the approximation error and external disturbances. Consequently, a fuzzy adaptive robust controller is proposed, such that the tracking error of the resulting closed-loop system converges to zero and the tracking robustness performance can be guaranteed. The simulation results performed on a two-link robotic manipulator demonstrate the validity of the proposed control scheme.


How did it become possible to exchange apparently valueless pieces of paper for goods? This paper provides an equilibrium account of the transition between barter and fiat money regimes. The explanation relies on the intervention of a self-interested government which must be able to promise credibly to limit the issue of money. To achieve credibility, the government must offset the benefits of seigniorage by internalizing some of the macroeconomic externalities generated by the issue of fiat money. The government's patience and the extent of its involvement in the economy are key determinants of whether the transition can be accomplished.


In this paper I present Levinas' account of excendence in On Escape and Existence and Existents and show its continuity with his subsequent discussions of transcendence in Time and the Other, Totality and Infinity, and Otherwise than Being. I argue that Levinas' critique of the traditional idea of identity plays a decisive role in establishing the continuity between these various accounts as it provides the key to unlocking his account of transcendence as a formal structure. However, the meaning of trascendence lies not in the structure but in its concretization. Although Levinas initially presents fecundity as the concretization of transcendence, he ultimately identifies it as ethics. This development explains why Levinas himself preferred to think of himself as a thinker of transcendence or the holy rather than to be identified with ethics.


On-body sensor-based human activity recognition (HAR) lags behind other fields because it lacks large-scale, labeled datasets; this shortfall impedes progress in developing robust and generalized predictive models. To facilitate researchers in collecting more extensive datasets quickly and efficiently we developed SenseCollect. We did a survey and interviewed student researchers in this area to identify what barriers are making it difficult to collect on-body sensor-based HAR data from human subjects. Every interviewee identified data collection as the hardest part of their research, stating it was laborious, consuming and error-prone. To improve HAR data resources we need to address that barrier, but we need a better understanding of the complicating factors to overcome it. To that end we conducted a series of control variable experiments that tested several protocols to ascertain their impact on data collection. SenseCollect studied 240+ human subjects in total and presented the findings to develop a data collection guideline. We also implemented a system to collect data, created the two largest on-body sensor-based human activity datasets, and made them publicly available.


The use of a fast, direct, Luminal Water Fraction fitting technique is compared with a more commonly used iterative method on data from 76 prostate cancer patients with biopsy Gleason grade available. The fast method shows a similar Receiver Operating Characteristic Area Under the Curve (ROC-AUC) when used to classify an image region as clinically significant or non-significant cancer.


Abstract Aim. To evaluate the relation of proprotein convertase subtilisin-kexin type 9 (PCSK9) levels to coronary artery disease (CAD). Methods. A total of 1031 consecutive individuals (552 CAD and 479 controls) were prospectively enrolled. The associations of plasma PCSK9 levels with the incidence and severity of CAD were investigated. Further, mediator analysis was performed to detect the potential mechanisms of the associations. Results. No difference in PCSK9 levels between CAD patients and controls was detected (median 224.75 versus 224.64 ng/mL, P > 0.05). However, the CAD group had higher PCSK9 levels than the control group when adjusting for the confounding factors (228.03 ± 1.01 versus 219.28 ± 1.02 ng/mL, P = 0.019). PCSK9 levels were also associated with the severity of CAD assessed by the Gensini score (GS) system (P for trend < 0.05). Logistic regression analysis showed that PCSK9 levels were associated with an increased CAD risk (OR 3.296 and 5.130 for the incidence and severity, respectively). Importantly, mediator analysis indicated that the effects of PCSK9 levels on CAD were mediated by lipid (around 20%) and inflammation (around 15%). Conclusions. PCSK9 levels were positively associated with the severity of CAD; the relatively important mechanisms including lipid and inflammation pathways were partly involved in this association.


Building a certification authority that is both decentralized and fully reliable is impossible. However, the limitation thus imposed on scalability is unacceptable for many types of information systems, such as e-government services. We propose a solution to build an highly reliable certification authority, based on a distributed hash table and a dedicated protocol ensuring a very low probability of arbitrary failure. Thus, in practice, false positives should never occur. This talk briefly presents the protocol and shows its verification in two steps: (1) a formal model to assess that the protocol behaves as expected in an "ideal world" where communications are reliable, and, (2) a probabilistic analysis to evaluate the probability of failure of the certification.


This paper surveys the microeconomic evidence on the determinants of and returns to education and health in sub-Saharan Africa. A year of education is associated with 3-14% increases wages and productivity. The introduction or removal of user fees can have dramatic effects on take-up of health and education services.


Proximal neuromuscular alterations are hypothesized to contribute to the patient- and disease-oriented deficits observed in CAI individuals. The objective was to compare the efficacy of two 4-week intervention programs with or without proximal joint exercises. Twenty-three individuals with CAI completed this single-blinded randomized controlled trial. Outcome measures included the Star Excursion Balance Test (SEBT) and the Foot and Ankle Ability Measure (FAAM). A time main effect was observed for the FAAM-ADL (p = .013), FAAM-Sport (p = .012), and posteromedial (p = .04) and posterolateral (p = .003) SEBT reach directions. No group main effect or time by group interaction was found. Four weeks of supervised rehabilitation improved self-reported function and dynamic balance in people with CAI.


A gradient of glyoxalase I allele frequencies is described in Italian populations. The association between longitude and allele frequency is assessed through simple and multiple correlation, and gene flow is suggested as a major factor in the origin of such a pattern.


Encoders of AOM/AV1 codec consider an input video sequence as succession of frames grouped in Golden-Frame (GF) groups. The coding structure of a GF group is fixed with a given GF group size. In the current AOM/AV1 encoder, video frames are coded using a hierarchical, multilayer coding structure within one GF group. It has been observed that the use of multilayer coding structure may result in worse coding performance if the GF group presents consistent stillness across its frames. This paper proposes a new approach that adaptively designs the Golden-Frame (GF) group coding structure through the use of stillness detection. Our new approach hence develops an automatic stillness detection scheme using three metrics extracted from each GF group. It then differentiates those GF groups of stillness from other non- still GF groups and uses different GF coding structures accordingly. Experimental result demonstrates a consistent coding gain using the new approach.


Protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) is a multifunctional serine/threonine phosphatase that is critical to many cellular processes including development, neuronal signaling, cell cycle regulation, and viral transformation. PP2A has been implicated in Ca2+-dependent signaling pathways, but how PP2A is targeted to these pathways is not understood. We have identified two calmodulin (CaM)-binding proteins that form stable complexes with the PP2A A/C heterodimer and may represent a novel family of PP2A B-type subunits. These two proteins, striatin and S/G2 nuclear autoantigen (SG2NA), are highly related WD40 repeat proteins of previously unknown function and distinct subcellular localizations. Striatin has been reported to associate with the post-synaptic densities of neurons, whereas SG2NA has been reported to be a nuclear protein expressed primarily during the S and G2 phases of the cell cycle. We show that SG2NA, like striatin, binds to CaM in a Ca2+-dependent manner. In addition to CaM and PP2A, several unidentified proteins stably associate with the striatin-PP2A and SG2NA-PP2A complexes. Thus, one mechanism of targeting and organizing PP2A with components of Ca2+-dependent signaling pathways may be through the molecular scaffolding proteins striatin and SG2NA.


Due to the sophisticated imaging process, an identical scene captured by different cameras could exhibit distinct imaging patterns, introducing distinct proficiency among the super-resolution (SR) models trained on images from different devices. In this paper, we investigate a novel and practical task coded cross-device SR, which strives to adapt a real-world SR model trained on the paired images captured by one camera to low-resolution (LR) images captured by arbitrary target devices. The proposed task is highly challenging due to the absence of paired data from various imaging devices. To address this issue, we propose an unsupervised domain adaptation mechanism for real-world SR, named Dual ADversarial Adaptation (DADA), which only requires LR images in the target domain with available real paired data from a source camera. DADA employs the Domain-Invariant Attention (DIA) module to establish the basis of target model training even without HR supervision. Furthermore, the dual framework of DADA facilitates an Inter-domain Adversarial Adaptation (InterAA) in one branch for two LR input images from two domains, and an Intra-domain Adversarial Adaptation (IntraAA) in two branches for an LR input image. InterAA and IntraAA together improve the model transferability from the source domain to the target. We empirically conduct experiments under six $\text{Real} \rightarrow \text{Real}$ adaptation settings among three different cameras, and achieve superior performance compared with existing state-of-the-art approaches. We also evaluate the proposed DADA to address the adaptation to the video camera, which presents a promising re-search topic to promote the wide applications of real-world super-resolution. Our source code is publicly available at https://github.com/lonelyhopeIDADA.


This paper presents the first investigation of the effect of lithium coating on the optics of Doppler backscattering. A liquid lithium limiter has been applied in the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST), and a Doppler backscattering has been installed in the EAST. A parabolic mirror and a flat mirror located in the vacuum vessel are polluted by lithium. An identical optical system of the Doppler backscattering is set up in laboratory. The power distributions of the emission beam after the two mirrors with and without lithium coating (cleaned before and after), are measured at three different distances under four incident frequencies. The results demonstrate that the influence of the lithium coating on the power distributions are very slight, and the Doppler backscattering can work normally under the dosage of lithium during the 2014 EAST campaign.


This paper presents the first digitally designed sequential power amplifier (DSPA) module setup for the 900 MHz range. The demonstrator applies an H-bridge (peak PA) as well as a single-ended digital power amplifier (main PA) both utilizing a 4-stage GaN-based voltage-mode class-DIS PA MMIC. Maximum output power of H-bridge is 6.7 W while the main PA delivers 4.9 W for 40 V final-stage drain supply voltage (VDD). The amplifiers are combined with a simple 3 dB power combiner to achieve sequential PA operation for high efficiency over a wide power back-off (PBO) range. While varying VDD_peak and applying digital Doherty operation to the peak PA the DSPA reaches several maxima in drain efficiency over a 12 dB PBO range. The same is true for VDD-tuning of the main PA. The flexible efficiency peak tuning makes the DSPA suitable for operation with different modulated signals varying in encoded PBO and signal bandwidth. At 5 dB, 8 dB and 10.5 dB PBO the DSPA achieves a final-stage drain efficiency of 67%, 74% and 71%, respectively. Due to the digital design of both PAs the very compact DSPA can be easily reconfigured for other frequency bands by only changing output filters and coupler.


Presently one challenge facing electronics operating in outer space is that trapped protons and electrons from Earth's radiation belts and cosmic rays may cause semiconductor devices material ionization during which extra ionized charges inside the device in one single node accumulate to the threshold and SEE (Single Event Effects) occurred, even causing device burned. This paper illustrate the new method of SEE testing using pulsed laser, from which pulsed laser automatic scanning experiment was used to SEE research of DDS (Direct Digital Synthesizer), and SEL (Single event Latch-up), SEFI (Single Event function interruption), and Large frequency jitters had observed in chip scanning process. It is concluded that pulsed laser is a valid supplement for heavy ion accelerator in the test of SEE, and also can testify single event phenomenon in device quickly and help positioning sensitive nodes.


This study presents the thermal impact of heat spreader co-planarity on the flip chip package with heat spreader. The co-planarity of heat spreader changes the thermal performance of the flip chip package significantly, especially the junction-to-case thermal resistance of the package. A numerical study using ANSYS Icepak was conducted to investigate the thermal degradation of heat spreader with concave and convex deflection up to 0.12 mm. The result indicates that the concave deflection causes improvement while convex deflection causes degradation in junction-to-case thermal resistance of the flip chip package. The outcome of the study recommends the co-planarity tolerance for the heat spreader shall not be greater than 0.07 mm for a 60 mm x 60 mm flip chip package with the dissipation power of 150 W.


Objective: To explore the application of PDCA circulatory model in hospital digestive endoscopic nursing and its application. Methods: 48 patients were randomly selected from the control group, and the patients were treated with a routine nursing operation. Eight patients with digestive endoscopy were selected as the observation group. On the basis of the implementation of general care and then increase the PDCA cycle model, and then the two groups of patients with a detailed comparison of care and research. Results: The nursing quality and satisfaction of the observation group were higher than those of the control group, and the contrast difference was significantly improved (P < 0.05). Conclusion: The full application of PDCA circulatory model in digestive endoscopic nursing can effectively improve the quality of care for patients, and also improve the satisfaction of patients to a certain extent.


PURPOSE
The aim of this study is to determine the effects of Erigeron Breviscapine (EB) in suture distraction osteogenesis (DO) in the maxillary protraction models of rabbit.

METHODS
In distraction study, the rabbits were randomly divided into 2 groups based on protracted or unprotracted (n=16, 8 in each). The cephalograms were taken in the 0 and the 28th day. In EB study, all samples were protracted and were randomly divided into 2 groups based on injection of EB or NaCl. The width of serial tetracycline fluorochrome was labeled and measured during 28 days (n=16, 8 in each). In the 7th and the 14th day, the tissues of the premaxillary bone suture were harvested and processed for immunohistochemistry of TGF-beta (n=12, 6 in each). Group t test was performed by using SPSS10.0 software package.

RESULTS
It was found that the cephalometric parameters of the sagittal maxilla were significantly increased in the protraction group after 28 days (P<0.05). The width of tetracycline fluorochrome was significantly increased in the EB group after 28 days (P<0.05). In the same time, there was stronger expression in EB group than in NaCl group (P<0.05). There was stronger TGF-beta expression in the 7th day EB group than in the 14th day NaCl group (P<0.05). There were abundant fibroblast and blood vessels in the active DO. There were not typical active osteoblasts in the border of the bone sutures.

CONCLUSIONS
Maxillary protraction models of rabbit is successfully established. EB can accelerate DO. One reason of EB accelerating DO may be angiogenesis and improvement of microcirculation.Direct osteogenesis of EB is also possible. Supported by Science and Technology Development Project of Shanxi Province [Grant No.2002K11-G7(3)].


Title: More nipple cup drinkers to fewer pigs on the day of weaning into a conventional nursery results in reduced aggression and more visits to the drinker. Background: Piglets develop their drinking behaviour over the first few days after weaning. Enhancing drinking opportunities for nursery pigs can affect growth, health, welfare, and overall profit. The objectives of this study were to determine how 1, 2, or 3 drinkers per pen affected drinker visit numbers, length of visits at the drinker, and aggressive interactions in the drinker vicinity on placement day for nursery pigs. Methods and Findings: One-hundred and fifty crossbred gilts (21 ± 4 days of age at weaning) weighing 5.38 ± 2.65 Kg were enrolled and assigned to pens by body weight with 25 pigs per pen. Six pens were used with 2 pens per treatment. Each pen contained 1, 2, or 3 stainless steel nipple cup drinkers. Four measures were collected: number and length of visits to the drinker which started each time the individual nursery pig's head was in the drinker and terminated when the pig's head moved out of the drinker for a period lasting 5 s or more and number and length of aggressive interactions in the drinker vicinity defined as any fight, bully, head-knock, or chase which occurred in a radius of 0.61 m or less from the edge of the drinker. Total number and length of visits to the nipple cup drinker were greatest for treatment 2 (2 drinkers per pen; 1,894 ± 289 visits and 21,413 ± 6,236 s) and lowest for treatment 1 (1 drinker per pen; 1,129 ± 88 visits and 13,277 ± 1,117). Pigs in treatment pens given 3 drinkers had the lowest total number (676 ± 269 interactions) and the shortest length (4,614 ± 1,912) of aggressive interactions in the vicinity of the drinkers. Conclusion: Offering multiple drinkers provided more frequent and longer water access along with decreased aggression near the water source which could improve nursery pig welfare on placement day.


The normalized performance indicated by the product of βNH89>2 was achieved by a combination of the lower hybrid current driving (LHCD) and the ion Berstein wave (IBW) heating in the HT-7 tokamak. More than 80% of the plasma current was sustained by the LHCD and the bootstrap current. Large edge pressure gradients were observed. The magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) instabilities were often driven to terminate the discharge or reduce the discharge performance, when the IBW resonant layer was near the rational surface. The resonant layer of the safety factor q = 2 is located at 0.6 a with a = 27 cm being the minor radius. The width of magnetic island (the poloidal mode number m = 2) was about 2 cm. The plasma energy was reduced quickly by 30% by MHD instabilities. The behaviour of MHD instabilities is reported. A large sawtooth activity (m = 1) was observed before inducing MHD (m = 2).


Tumor lysis syndrome (TLS) has rarely been observed in solid tumors. We report on a case of a patient with advanced invasive thymoma who developed tumor lysis syndrome after chemotherapy. The potential complications of TLS should be considered in treatment of extensive thymoma.


NASA's 1968 Apollo 8 mission had been planned as a preliminary heat in the U.S. vs. USSR race to land a man on the moon. An untried Saturn V rocket was supposed to send lunar landers to the moon for testing. However, news of the Soviets' development of spacecraft suitable for carrying humans to the moon and delays in development of the U.S. lunar lander changed the scope of the mission. Now NASA would send a crew of three into orbit around the moon before the Russians could put their rocket to use. Space-struck readers are doubtless well apprised of the Apollo 11 moon landing, but here Sandler offers them an equally nail-biting true adventure as Frank Borman, Jim Lovell, and Bill Anders become the first persons to lose communication with their planet, see the Earth from beyond orbit, view the dark side of the Moon, undergo a perilous reentry, and live to tell the tale. Sandler deals equally well with technical and personal narrative threads, explaining the challenges of navigation and reentry and attending to the very different personalities crammed into the tiny command capsule (Anders, the scientist, could hardly tear himself away from the view; Borman, the anti-Russian flyboy, just wanted to get the job done and claim victory). He also pays serious attention to the cultural impact of the mission, whose photographs of Earthrise inspired a fresh way of looking at the home planet and of appreciating its fragility, thus advancing not only the space program but also the ecology movement. Multi-page insets make frequent appearances, impinging on the pacing of the text, but readers will easily settle into flipping past distractions or bookmarking them for a later visit. Source notes, bibliography, and index are included; the extensive photographs will be in color in the bound book. EB


In the article, the contemporary human being's search for values is primarily linked to the folkloristic reflection of Lithuanian cultural landscape. Following the framework of hermeneutics and based on the folkloristic symbolism of landscape in Lithuanian folklore (mainly in the oldest layer of folk songs), the manifestations of a long-lasting solidarity between community and nature are discussed. The focus has been placed on the small community – the family and its immediate relationship with the surrounding nature. In the introductory part of the article, the notion of ritualism is discussed which is based on the universally acknowledged concept of the rites of passage (les rites de passage). Within the context of this concept, the depiction of the public events of family life (the rituals of marriage and death) constituted a solid premise for the investigation of the so-called common places (loci communes) in Lithuanian folk poetry, which in this regard are usually represented by landscape-related narrative segments and symbolism. Folkloristic interpretations of the prominent elements of Lithuanian landscape (trees, water, stones) have been selected for the investigation. The introduction also reveals the importance of a family over an individual in the exploration of a human being's relationship with the surrounding nature. The first part of the article 'The Reflections of Anthropomorphic Reception of Trees' asserts that in the folk songs marked by archaic stylistics, the poetic narrative of trees contains abundant mythopoetic allusions to the constant identification of a human being (usually, a family member) with a tree, as well as other metamorphoses and motifs which attest their mutual dependence. This poetic tradition influences the poetry created by individual authors to this day. The article briefly introduces the meaning of a tree in the world of ancient Lithuanian beliefs and customs and notices the major changes in the purpose of the image of a tree in the late tradition of romances. The second part of the article analyses the long-term trajectories of mythopoetic depiction of water and stones in folklore. It is well known that any traditional culture has accumulated a wide range of meanings which pertain to different forms of water and connote rebirth, renewal, as well as fertility and life. Therefore when the article emphasizes the tropes of being near water, drowning in watery depths, which through the lens of myth and ritual embody the act of love (marriage) in Lithuanian singing folklore, it should be noted that this variation of meaning found in Lithuanian folklore constitutes an organic part of the whole of international aquatic symbolism. The mythicised story of a live stone as reflected in folklore could be partially associated with the folkloristic reception of trees and water. Animation of a stone is revealed through the attribution of the qualities of a live being to a stone (in the legends, they move, communicate with each other, live in families). Contrarily, the lifelessness (immobile state) of a stone is mythicised in cases where people who deviate from moral laws are turned into stones. The mythologem of a stone as the landmark signifying the boundary between this and the other world, as well as the association of stones with sacrality and sacred places visited by deities, is widespread. It is ascertained that the narrative of the sacrality of stones did not cease in the period of Christianity.Therefore, the landscape approach applied in this study provided a possibility to observe how, in folklore, the meanings of different components of landscape organically combine into a cohesive union which operates on the principles of synergy. A conclusion may be drawn that folklore unequivocally asserts the idea of a continuous coexistence of a human being and nature and exalts the perception of nature as an essential spiritual value.


In the introduction to his controversial book, The Ends of Power, former White House Chief of Staff, H.R. Haldeman describes Watergate as being an expression «of the dark side of President Nixon». Later in the book Haldeman cites former Special Counsel Charles Colson as a key man who «encouraged the dark impulses in Nixon's mind». Stephen Ambrose has written that Nixon «never abandoned his black impulses to lash out at the world...», while Henry Kissinger offered the view that «the thoughtful analytical side of Nixon was most in evidence during crises, while periods of calm seemed to unleash the darker passions of his nature». Christopher Wilkinson -talking directly about Oliver Stone's film-has focused on the movie's analogy of a «beast» that «also became a metaphor for the dark side of Nixon himself».


Abstract 9,10-Anthracenedione, 1,4-bis[[2-[(2-hydroxyethyl)amino]-ethyl]amino]-diacetate (NSC 287513), at concentrations ranging from 0.05 to 10.0 µg/ml, altered the cell cycle kinetics of Chinese hamster, Friend leukemia, and SK-L7 cells cultivated in vitro ; the drug had little effect on cycle progression of normal phytohemagglutinin-stimulated lymphocytes. The major effect, following a 2- to 18-hr exposure to drug, was a block of cell cycle progression at the G 2 -M phases as determined by flow cytometry. Although the mode of blocking action was concentration dependent, the results were similar for both a 2- and 18-hr drug treatment. Blocked cells typically had an increased amount of cellular RNA and in some cases abnormally large nucleoli. The terminal point of action in Friend leukemia cells occurred about 3 hr prior to mitosis, or within the last quarter of S phase. Unique to Friend leukemia cells was the observation that after drug treatment, at concentrations of 0.05 to 0.2 µg/ml for 2 to 18 hr followed by cell transfer to normal media, approximately 30% of the cells entered the cycle at a higher ploidy level. Survival curves on treated log phase Chinese hamster cells indicated that the cell kill response was straight line exponential; 50% survival (measured by colony formation) occurred following a 2-hr treatment at 0.7 µg/ml. Stationary-phase-treated Chinese hamster cells were much more resistant to the drug action; 50% survival was observed following a 2-hr treatment at 10 µg/ml. The data suggest that, although the drug-induced cycle block is specific to the G 2 phase, the drug-induced kill is not cycle phase specific.


Introduction. Chapter 1: Historical Background: Stages in the Relationship. Chapter 2: New Labour Worldview and the Middle East. Chapter 3: New Labour: New Policy-Making Process. Chapter 4: Britain's Role in the Peace Process: 1997 to 2001. Chapter 5: The Road to War in Iraq. Chapter 6: Reaping the Whirlwind: the Fallout from the Invasion of Iraq for British Relations across the Middle East. Part I: Inside Iraq. Part II: Around the Region. Chapter 7: Realpolitik and the Peace Process after 9/11. Chapter 8: Still Flying the Flag: Britain and the Arab Gulf States. Chapter 9: Conclusions. Index.


The eastern foothills in the Colombian Eastern Cordillera have been an important oil-producing region since the discovery of the Cupiagua and Cusiana fields. Three organic-rich units are considered to be the main source rocks. The Aptian Fómeque and the Cenomanian-Coniacian Chipaque Formations comprise a siliciclastic to locally carbonate shallow marine shelf succession with type-II kerogen, whereas the Paleocene Los Cuervos Formation consists of marginal marine to nonmarine siliciclastic rocks with type-III kerogen. We modeled the petroleum systems of these three source units to characterize the hydrocarbon generation-accumulation processes within the basin. The structural record of the Eastern Cordillera shows that the most important tectonic event began in early Oligocene with contractional deformation along the Soapaga through Guaicaramo faults during early Miocene, culminating during the Pliocene with the Cusiana and Yopal faults. These variable rates of burial and exhumation resulted in contrasting time-temperature histories for each of the source rocks. The Fómeque Formation reached the oil window during the Paleocene in the south and the Eocene to the north. In contrast, the Chipaque Formation generation started during Early Oligocene in the south and by Late Oligocene to the north. Conversely, maturation for the Los Cuervos Formation was uniform along the foothills, reaching the oil window during Late Oligocene. Charge history modeling suggested that the Albian sandstones reservoirs were filled between Oligocene to Miocene. In contrast, the proven reservoirs in the area (the Upper Cretaceous, Paleocene, and Eocene sandstones) were filled by late Miocene, with a second episode of recent charge in the Eocene reservoirs, and perhaps active, from the Los Cuervos Formation. The results of this work proved that petroleum system modeling is useful not only to characterize generation-migration processes but it also can be used as a prediction tool in structurally complex areas such as the Colombian foothills.


Abstract. Extra-solar planets can be efficiently detected in gravitational microlensing events of high magnification. High accuracy photometry is required over a short, well-defined time interval only, of order 10-30 hours. Most planets orbiting the lens star are evidenced by perturbations of the microlensing light curve in this time. Consequently, telescope resources need be concentrated during this period only. Here we discuss some aspects of planet detection in these events.


Information and communication become one of the most important needs for everyday life. Because of the increasing demand for information that can be accessed in various media, it requires a reliable design to be able to provide the best service to the client, although the demand and server load increasingly in line with the increasing demand of the client. If using a single server that serves client requests, of course this can not be said reliable because it could be a time the server will experience downtime and can not serve client requests. To overcome this problem applied high availability methods using pacemaker tools that provide high availability for the server so that if one server dies then there is another server that takes over the function of the server. Further data replication techniques used to replicate data between servers with other servers using glusterfs tools. The results show that when failover takes 3.8 seconds for node 2 to take over the function of node 1. And when a failback occurs, it takes 2.8 seconds for node 1 to take over the function of node 2 .


Our study investigated how superficial and systematic processing influences people's memory and attitudes. In our experiment, all subjects read 2 sets of excerpts from hypothetical political campaign advertisements with or without political party labels as the independent variable. We measured the level of processing and the subjects' attitudes towards each candidate and their arguments. Previous research suggests that political party labels in fluence  people's attitudes about political issues and trigger the use of superficial processing, we expected a person who identified with one party to express favorable attitude evaluations of a candidate of the same party and less favorable attitude evaluations of a candidate in another party. If subjects did not identify with either the Republican or Democratic Party, we predicted that they would rate the candidates and their excerpts neutrally. We further hypothesized that subjects in the labeled groups, subjects who read excerpts either labeled Dem ocratic  or Republican, would process information superficially (earning low memory test scores), while people in the no-label group would process information systematically (earning high memory test scores). Our results are inconclusive about the effect labels have on processing, but suggest that attitude evaluation is impacted by the strength of group affiliation. Implications of our findings are discussed and compared to previous research.


Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights, guarantees the right to a fair trial, including the right of all defendants to participate effectively in their trial. Although psychiatrists and psychologists frequently report that defendants in the youth court are'unfit to plead', this concept has no formal application in the youth court. This article will examine how the criminal justice system responds to young people who are not capable of effectively participating in their own criminal proceedings as a result of their youth and immaturity inhibiting their understanding and participation in the trial proceedings.


This letter proposes a new mode-based method for estimating the channel characteristics of a near-field multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO). When an antenna array composed of a short electric dipole and a small solenoidal loop is used, a 2×2 near-field MIMO can be effectively constructed according to the orthogonality of the TM10 and TE10 modes. By using the proposed method, the transmission characteristics of the MIMO and the mutual coupling effect at the antenna array can be easily calculated. In addition, the capacity of the MIMO can also be calculated by using the analysis results.


There is a growing interest in implantable drug delivery systems (DDS) in pharmaceutical science. The aim of the present study is to investigate whether it is possible to customize drug release from implantable DDSs through drug–carrier interactions. Therefore, a series of chemically similar active ingredients (APIs) was mixed with different matrix-forming materials and was then compressed directly. Compression and dissolution interactions were examined by FT-IR spectroscopy. Regarding the effect of the interactions on drug release kinetics, a custom-made dissolution device designed for implantable systems was used. The data obtained were used to construct models based on artificial neural networks (ANNs) to predict drug dissolution. FT-IR studies confirmed the presence of H-bond-based solid-state interactions that intensified during dissolution. These results confirmed our hypothesis that interactions could significantly affect both the release rate and the amount of the released drug. The efficiencies of the kinetic parameter-based and point-to-point ANN models were also compared, where the results showed that the point-to-point models better handled predictive inaccuracies and provided better overall predictive efficiency.


AIMS
To examine the two year clinical outcomes in dual-vessel disease from the SPIRIT III trial comparing the XIENCE V(r) everolimus-eluting stent (EES) to the TAXUS Express2(tm) paclitaxel-eluting stent (PES).

METHODS AND RESULTS
From a total of 1,002 randomised subjects, 103 and 51 patients in the EES and PES groups respectively underwent stenting of two lesions in two vessels (one lesion per epicardial vessel). Two-year event rates were lower in one compared to two-vessel treated patients regardless of stent type. For EES vs. PES, major adverse cardiac events (MACE=cardiac death, MI or TLR) was clinically reduced 35.0% in the single vessel patients (6.5% vs. 9.6%, p=0.09) and was significantly reduced 64% in dual vessel patients (11.9% vs. 30.1%, p=0.006). There was no significant interaction between stent type (EES vs. PES) and the number of stented vessels (two vs. single) for either 2-year TVF and MACE (interaction p values were 0.69 and 0.16, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS
In the SPIRIT III randomised trial, patients with both single and dual vessel treatment with EES showed improved clinical outcomes at two years compared to those treated with PES. Follow-up to five years is ongoing.


Three years ago, I embarked on a PhD research study to understand what types of criminal opportunities the Internet offers for so-called transit crimes—that is, trafficking activities—and how these opportunities affect their organization. Previous criminological studies had already considered the role of the Internet as a crime facilitator, but they did not linger on these specific aspects. Script analysis—namely, a way to identify the sequence of actions which are carried out for a determinate criminal activity to occur—has been used as a tool in order to organize and analyze data. Data were gathered through media news, investigative and judicial material, and semi-structured interviews. This case study has two main goals: first, it introduces to the reader the basics of script analysis, which is a powerful analytical tool when looking at criminal opportunities, and shows how this tool has been used in an innovative way to answer to specific research questions. Second, it illustrates some practical and methodological problems encountered in carrying out my PhD research, and it presents the solutions found. By providing an account of these challenges, this case study leads to more general considerations on difficulties related to data access and collection in criminological research.


This study is to analyze the internal flow at the inside of computer case which is commonly used. The inner configuration are modelled and simulation analysis is done by ANSYS-CFX. Dead volume is happened according to the positioning of VGA and HDD. The advanced model is suggested by removing this volume and making the smooth cooling flow. This model is formed with the constraint conditions same as the existing model. As compared with the existing model, flow configuration is different and the average temperature becomes lower through flow analysis about the advanced model.


The literature on resource dependency in the last three decades is long on theoretical and empirical effects of natural resources on an economy, but short on practical policy prescriptions to deal with these effects. The recommended policies normally range from adjusting fiscal policy to deal with commodity volatility, adapting monetary policy to reduce the external shocks, and keeping the real exchange rate competitive. This paper makes the argument that these policies are targeted toward the symptoms of natural resource dependency, and not the underlying cause of concern about this dependency, which is, how to replace these resources when they are depleted. This point is all the more important considering that the poorest, resource dependent countries have negative genuine savings rate, i.e., they are living off their natural resource assets. Furthermore, traditional policies also miss another important feature of resource rich countries: the need to create jobs because the sector that generates wealth does not employ many workers.


DARPP-32 (dopamine- and cAMP-regulated phosphorprotein, Mr = 32,000 as determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis) is an inhibitor of protein phosphatase-1 and is enriched in dopaminoceptive neurons possessing the D1 dopamine receptor. Purified bovine DARPP-32 was phosphorylated in vitro by casein kinase II to a stoichiometry greater than 2 mol of phosphate/mol of protein whereas two structurally and functionally related proteins, protein phosphatase inhibitor-1 and G-substrate, were poor substrates for this enzyme. Sequencing of chymotryptic and thermolytic phosphopeptides from bovine DARPP-32 phosphorylated by casein kinase II suggested that the main phosphorylated residues were Ser45 and Ser102. In the case of rat DARPP-32, the identification of these phosphorylation sites was confirmed by manual Edman degradation. The phosphorylated residues are located NH2-terminal to acidic amino acid residues, a characteristic of casein kinase II phosphorylation sites. Casein kinase II phosphorylated DARPP-32 with an apparent Km value of 3.4 microM and a kcat value of 0.32 s-1. The kcat value for phosphorylation of Ser102 was 5-6 times greater than that for Ser45. Studies employing synthetic peptides encompassing each phosphorylation site confirmed this difference between the kcat values for phosphorylation of the two sites. In slices of rat caudate-putamen prelabeled with [32P]phosphate, DARPP-32 was phosphorylated on seryl residues under basal conditions. Comparison of thermolytic phosphopeptide maps and determination of the phosphorylated residue by manual Edman degradation identified the main phosphorylation site in intact cells as Ser102. In vitro, DARPP-32 phosphorylated by casein kinase II was dephosphorylated by protein phosphatases-1 and -2A. Phosphorylation by casein kinase II did not affect the potency of DARPP-32 as an inhibitor of protein phosphatase-1, which depended only on phosphorylation of Thr34 by cAMP-dependent protein kinase. However, phosphorylation of DARPP-32 by casein kinase II facilitated phosphorylation of Thr34 by cAMP-dependent protein kinase with a 2.2-fold increase in the Vmax and a 1.4-fold increase in the apparent Km. Phosphorylation of DARPP-32 by casein kinase II in intact cells may therefore modulate its phosphorylation in response to increased levels of cAMP.


Neural networks have been proven to be vulnerable to a variety of adversarial attacks. From a safety perspective, highly sparse adversarial attacks are particularly dangerous. On the other hand the pixelwise perturbations of sparse attacks are typically large and thus can be potentially detected. We propose a new black-box technique to craft adversarial examples aiming at minimizing $l_0$-distance to the original image. Extensive experiments show that our attack is better or competitive to the state of the art. Moreover, we can integrate additional bounds on the componentwise perturbation. Allowing pixels to change only in region of high variation and avoiding changes along axis-aligned edges makes our adversarial examples almost non-perceivable. Moreover, we adapt the Projected Gradient Descent attack to the $l_0$-norm integrating componentwise constraints. This allows us to do adversarial training to enhance the robustness of classifiers against sparse and imperceivable adversarial manipulations.


Purpose of review Ureteral stricture disease commonly affects the cancer patients. This report will review the recent literature regarding both the causes and treatment options currently available for the cancer patients with ureteral obstruction. Recent findings Open ureteral reconstruction continues to have durable long-term results, whereas robotic approaches to repair have also demonstrated technical feasibility with equivalent short-term outcomes. Summary Stricture formation in the distal ureter is a common consequence of treatment for patients with pelvic malignancies. In experienced hands, minimally invasive approaches to ureteral reconstruction have proven to be feasible with short-term outcomes that are equivalent to more traditional, open techniques. Additionally, laparoscopic or robotic surgeries offer added benefits of earlier convalescence, decreased blood loss, as well as decreased pain. Nevertheless, open ureteral repair remains a viable option with durable long-term outcomes.


We consider a general equilibrium model in asset markets with a countable set of states and expected risk averse utilities. The agents do not have the same beliefs. We use the methods in Le Van - Truong Xuan (JME, 2001) but one of their assumption which is crucial for obtaining their result cannot be accepted in our model when the number of states is countable. We give a proof of existence of equilibrium when the number of states is ini¬ nite or i¬ nite.


Inflammasomes are key multiprotein intracellular complexes that mediate host defense against pathogenic microorganisms by activating caspase-1-dependent cytokine secretion and cell death. In mice, specific nucleotide-binding domain, leucine-rich repeat-containing family, apoptosis inhibitory proteins (NAIPs) sense components of the type III secretion system (T3SS) and flagellar apparatus. Upon sensing of bacterial components, NAIPs recruit the nucleotide-binding domain, leucine-rich repeatcontaining family, CARD domain-containing protein 4 (NLRC4). The resulting NAIP/NLRC4 inflammasome then recruits and activates caspase-1. Active caspase-1 mediates processing and secretion of IL-1 family cytokines and a proinflammatory cell death termed pyroptosis. In mice, bacterial ligands for four of seven distinct NAIPs are known: NAIP1 recognizes the T3SS needle protein, NAIP2 recognizes the T3SS inner rod protein, and both NAIP5 and NAIP6 recognize flagellin. In contrast, humans encode a single functional NAIP, raising the question of whether human NAIP senses one or multiple bacterial ligands. In this dissertation we show that, in contrast to murine NAIPs, promiscuous recognition of multiple bacterial ligands is conferred by a single human NAIP. We found that NAIP, but not NLRC4, appears to dictate the specificity or promiscuity of bacterial ligand recognition. In addition, our studies define a role for human NAIP in the inflammasome response to Salmonella Typhimurium infection. Overall, we provide a basis for understanding the mechanisms underlying human-specific innate immune responses against gramnegative bacterial infections. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Graduate Group Cell & Molecular Biology First Advisor Sunny Shin


RPM enables rapid prototyping of different multiprocessor architectures. It uses hardware emulation for reliable design verification and performance evaluation. The major objective of the RPM project is to develop a common, configurable hardware platform to accurately emulate different MIMD systems with up to eight execution processors. Because emulation is orders of magnitude faster than simulation, an emulator can run problems with large data sets more representative of the workloads for which the target machine is designed. Because an emulation is closer to the target implementation than an abstracted simulation, it can accomplish more reliable performance evaluation and design verification. Finally, an emulator is a real computer with its own I/O; the code running on the emulator is not instrumented. As a result, the emulator looks exactly like the target machine (to the programmer) and can run several different workloads, including code from production compilers, operating systems, databases, and software utilities. >


The aim of this study was to evaluate fear condition responses in sheep and goat and to relate this to the neuroarchitecture of their amygdala. Forty adult sheep (Uda breed) and 40 adult goats (Red Sokoto breed) were fear‐conditioned by associating the sound of a car horn (neutral stimuli) with water spray (aversive stimuli) and the fear response was determined by direct observation of the behavior of the sheep and goats and measuring their flight distances and escape time. Eight groups were studied, each comprising of 10 animals (five sheep and five goats). Goats and sheep were tested alternately in the morning of every day of the week for three consecutive weeks, in which 4 days was used for habituation and 3 days for testing. Histologically, neurons in the central and basolateral complex of the amygdala were studied and analyzed using Nissl and golgi staines. Behaviorally, goats elicited an active avoidance response expressed as flight with concomitant intense flight distances (p < .001) compared to sheep. Although, sheep had larger brain parameters, it showed attenuated basolateral amygdala cytoarchitecture consistent with reduced fear perception and response. Goats had significantly more densely distributed pyramidal and spiny stellate neurons in the basolateral amygdala while sheep showed more non‐pyramidal and aspiny neurons. These results provide interesting practical perspectives on how adaptions in the amygdala coincides with alterations in fear conditioning in domestic animals and may be the basis for the higher incidence of the sheep in automobile accidents than goats in developing countries especially Africa.


Decreases in blood pressure are well known to increase the release of vasopressin. Studies were carried out to investigate whether vasopressin responses to postural changes in blood pressure are maintained in diabetic patients with orthostatic hypotension [DM-OH(+)] as well as non-diabetic patients with orthostatic hypotension [nonDM-OH(+)] and these responses were compared with those observed in normal subjects and diabetic patients without orthostatic hypotension [DM-OH(-)]. After 30 min in the supine position, the upright posture for 40 min was maintained and then the supine for 10 min. Blood pressure and heart rate (HR) were measured every 5 min and plasma vasopressin levels (plasma AVP) were determined every 10 min. In normal subjects and DM-OH(-), mean arterial blood pressure (MABP) did not change, but HR increased significantly by the upright position. Plasma AVP did not change in these groups. On the other hand, in DM-OH(+) MABP fell abruptly and remained to decrease during the upright posture. The HR responses in this group, however, were similar to those in normal control and DM-OH(-). Plasma AVP in DM-OH(+) significantly increased only at 30 min during upright. These increases were significantly greater than those in normal and DM-OH(-). There were significant correlation in changes in MABP (delta MAP) and plasma AVP (delta AVP) in DM-OH(+) (delta AVP = -0.13 MABP + 1.5, r = -0.32, p < 0.01). Relationship between delta MABP and delta AVP in nonDM-OH(+) was similar to that in DM-OH(+). It is concluded that AVP responses to orthostatic hypotension in diabetic and non-diabetic neuropathies were attenuated, but heart rate responses in these patients ware well reserved.


This research represents the first phase of the plan is carried out within a period of 2 years, which seeks to formulate a model of biochar use in the management of the physical and chemical properties of rainfed land in an effort to increase the productivity of the land. This research is a survey research collaboration, laboratory and field experiment, with the purpose : 1 ) Creating a mapping rainfed areas in Jembrana and precipitation development from 2008-2012 ; 2 ) Analyze the nature of the chemical, physical and biological properties of soil and so macro and micro elements on corn in rainfed land ; 3 ) Designing of biochar application model for material rainfed land planted with corn after rice, and 4 ) Analyze the characteristics of rice husk biochar and biochar chicken manure. By mapping through satellite, the widest loation of rainfed located at Melaya District. Amount of rainfall in the district of Jembrana in 2012 as many as 1472 mm , the highest rainfall in November and December, amounting to 236.30 mm and 264 rain mm. This condition is much lower than in 2011 was 2669.24 mm. Obtained from the analysis of soil properties : a small soil moisture content , soil slightly acid pH, organic C and low total of N , high CEC and KB, while micro nutrient uptake in corn crops such as Mg, Fe, Na, Cu and Co are relatively high. Value analysis of rice husk biochar characteristics quantitatively and qualitatively higher than biochar. So the form of biochar application materials of chicken manure into rainfed land will be able to chicken manure mending the soil physical and chemical properties. Â


Dendritic cells (DCs) are highly specialized antigen-presenting cells that play a key role in the activation of naive T cells. With an aim to explore whether in-situ administration of DCs following argon–helium cryosurgery could enhance specific antiglioma immunity in mice, we evaluated the validity of this approach in a murine subcutaneous GL261 glioma model. C57BL/6 mice models bearing subcutaneous GL261 glioma were established and then divided into four groups, namely, no-treatment group (n=14), DC group (n=14), cryosurgery group (n=15), and cryosurgery+DC group (n=15). Compared with the other groups, cryosurgery combined with DCs injection reduced tumor sizes and significantly prolonged survival. In addition, the combined treatment resulted in significantly increasing percentages of CD3+, CD3+CD4+ cells, the ratio of CD3+CD4+/CD3+CD8+, and the level of serum interleukin-12 10 days after treatments. Furthermore, in the combined treatment group, Th1 cells were significantly higher than those in the other groups, and the splenic cytotoxic T lymphocyte of mice showed significantly increasing specific cytotoxicity against GL261 cells. These results indicated that in addition to the destruction of tumor, cryosurgery combined with DCs injection enhanced systemic antitumor immunity, suggesting the potential usefulness of the combined treatment in the clinical management of gliomas.


In last few years, SiPMs have emerged as a viable alternative to PMTs used in the imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes. In addition to their higher photon detection efficiency, SiPMs provide attractive features like possible increase in observation duty cycle owing to their safe operation under partial moonlight conditions. Design and development of 256 pixel SiPM based camera for a 4m class Cherenkov telescope is currently at an advanced stage. This camera is proposed to cover a field of view of 5◦ × 5◦, with a pixel size of ∼ 0.3◦. The camera being developed, is planned to be mounted in the focal plane of one of the vertex elements of TACTIC telescope system which is currently operational at Mt Abu, in the north-western part of India. The associated camera electronics will also be mounted in focal plane of telescope behind the SiPM pixels. The camera will have modular structure, with each module consisting of 16 pixel sensors and the associated front end electronics. The signal generated from the pixels on registration of a Cherenkov event will be passed to "back-end" electronics for trigger generation, digitization @1GSPS and the subsequent data recording. A 16-pixel prototype module has already been developed and tested in our laboratory. A "minicamera" consisting of 64 pixels has also been assembled and is currently at advanced stage of testing. After completion of the successful testing of the "mini-camera", field tests at the telescope site will be conducted. Salient features of the SiPM based camera, results from the tests conducted by us and status report will be presented.


A model is presented to describe scaling of the transverse and longitudinal mode purity of the gain-switched output of a TEA CO2 laser. The finite-grain build-up time plays an important part in the model. Statistical fluctuations in the spontaneous emission from which the pulse develops lead to major pulse-to-pulse variations in mode intensities. Heterodyne measurements of relative intensities of modes are found to support the model.


We have started an ambitious program to determine if the full diversity of extinction laws is real or if some of it is due to calibration or methodological issues. Here we start by analyzing the information on NIR extinction in a 2MASS stellar sample with good quality photometry and very red colours. We calculate the extinction at 1 $\mu$m, $A_1$, and the power-law exponent, $\alpha$ ($A_\lambda = A_1 \lambda^{-\alpha}$), for the 2MASS stars located in the extinction trajectory in the $H-K$ vs. $J-H$ plane expected for red giants with $A_1 > 5$ mag. We test the validity of the assumption about the nature of those stars, whether a single or multiple values of $\alpha$ are needed, and the spatial variations of the results. Most ($\sim$83%) of those stars can indeed be explained by high-extinction red giants and the rest is composed of extinguished AGB stars (mostly O-rich), blended sources, and smaller numbers of other objects, a contaminant fraction that can be reduced with the help of Gaia} DR2 data. Galactic red giants experience a NIR extinction with $\alpha\sim 2.27$ and an uncertainty of a few hundredths of a magnitude. There is no significant spread in $\alpha$ even though our sample is widely distributed and has a broad range of extinctions. Differences with previous results are ascribed to the treatment of non-linear photometric effects and/or the contaminant correction. Future research should concentrate in finding the correct functional form for the NIR extinction law. In the appendix we detail the treatment of non-linear photometric effects in the 2MASS bands.


Current RAID systems are limited by the performance of the slowest disk drive in the array. This paper proposes several new techniques for mapping data to the different drives in such a way that the higher performance disks receive a greater share of a files data than the lower performing disks. The techniques presented here statically determine the mapping strategy for the entire RAID. This determination is made at the creation of the RAID and remains the same through-out the life of the device. Preliminary studies show a modest 7% improvement for reading and writing large files (256 MB) in their entirety. More suprising is the reduction in bandwidth due to system overhead. The SCSI bus in the system studied is capable of maintaining 80 MB/s of traffic, but our results show a maximum read bandwidth of 65 MB/s and a maximum write bandwidth of only 45 MB/s.


Objective of the work:assessment and analysis of the risk to the health of the population of Novokuznetsk from the effects of atmospheric emissions from stationary sources of rail transport.Research methods:the volume of the maximum permissible emissions of the structural units of the OJSC "Russian Railways" in the city of Novokuznetsk was analyzed. The calculation of the maximum and average annual concentrations of toxic substances from each source for selected exposure points was made according to the "Methods for calculating the dispersion of emissions of harmful (polluting) substances into the atmospheric air" using the "ECO Center Standard" program. Health risks were calculated in accordance with the "Guidelines for the assessment of the public health risk when exposed to chemicals polluting the environment: "G 18.104.22.1680-04" and methodology A. P. Scherbo "Environment and health: approaches to risk assessment" were compared with acceptable values.Main results of the study:priority pollutants entering to the city's atmosphere from stationary sources of OJSC "Russian Railways" and determining the risk of chronic intoxication are dioxide ferric, nitrogen dioxide, carbon oxide, hydrofluoride, sulfur dioxide. Soot as a carcinogen is not dangerous for public health. The highest total risk of chronic intoxication is observed in the area of the railway station. The greatest contribution to the formation of the risk of chronic intoxication is made by emissions from the sources of the wagon repair depot. The levels of immediate risks from exposure to all selected pollutants are zero. Determining of the levels of health risks taking into account the background concentrations of toxic substances revealed that the highest levels of immediate risks at all design points are observed from the influence of carbon oxide. The proposed activities aimed at reducing risk levels.Conclusion:stationary sources of the structural units of Russian Railways in Novokuznetsk contribute to air pollution in the city without having a significant impact on the health of the population.


Localized juvenile periodontitis (LJP) is not commonly encountered in dental practice. Yet, when it is encountered, prompt and effective therapy is required to combat the severity of disease and its rapid progression. Failure to understand its diagnosis and etiology leads to failures in management of LJP. The clinical features, etiology, and pathogenesis of LJP are reviewed to provide the clinician with a sufficient understanding to appropriately manage or refer LJP patients.


Developing computer vision sensing systems that work robustly in everyday environments will require that the systems can recognize structured interaction between people and objects in the world. This document presents a new theory for the representation and recognition of coordinated multi-agent action from noisy perceptual data. The thesis of this work is as follows: highly structured, multi-agent action can be recognized from noisy perceptual data using visually grounded goal-based primitives and low-order temporal relationships that are integrated in a probabilistic framework. The theory is developed and evaluated by examining general characteristics of multi-agent action, analyzing tradeoffs involved when selecting a representation for multi-agent action recognition, and constructing a system to recognize multi-agent action for a real task from noisy data. The representation, which is motivated by work in model-based object recognition and probabilistic plan recognition, makes four principal assumptions: (1) the goals of individual agents are natural atomic representational units for specifying the temporal relationships between agents engaged in group activities, (2) a high-level description of temporal structure of the action using a small set of low-order temporal and logical constraints is adequate for representing the relationships between the agent goals for highly structured, multi-agent action recognition, (3) Bayesian networks provide a suitable mechanism for integrating multiple sources of uncertain visual perceptual feature evidence, and (4) an automatically generated Bayesian network can be used to combine uncertain temporal information and compute the likelihood that a set of object trajectory data is a particular multi-agent action. The recognition algorithm is tested using a database of American football play descriptions. A system is described that can recognize single-agent and multi-agent actions in this domain given noisy trajectories of object movements. The strengths and limitations of the recognition system are discussed and compared with other multi-agent recognition algorithms.


Forests exhibit much variation in light environments, and this can affect communication among animals, communication between animals and plants, photosynthesis, and plant morphogenesis. Light environments are caused by, and can be predicted from, the geometry of the light paths, the weather conditions, and the time of day. The structure of forests leads to four major light habitats when the sun is not blocked by clouds: forest shade, woodland shade, small gaps, and large gaps. These are characterized by yellow—green, blue—gray, reddish, and "white" ambient light spectra, respectively. When the sun is blocked by clouds, the spectra of these four habitats converge on that of large gaps and open areas, so the single light environment during cloudy weather will be called open/cloudy. An additional light environment (early/late) is associated with low sun angles (near dawn or dusk); it is purplish. Each light environment is well defined and was found in forests of Trinidad, Panama, Costa Rica, Australia, California, and Florida. Scattered literature references suggest similar patterns elsewhere in North America, Europe, and Java. Perceived colors of animals, flowers, and fruits depend upon the interaction between ambient light color and the reflectance color of the animal or plant parts. As a result, an animal or plant may have a different appearance in each environment, i.e., a color pattern may be relatively cryptic in some light environments while relatively conspicuous in others. This has strong implications for the joint evolution of visual signals and vision, as well as microhabitat choice. Plant growth and form may also be affected by variation in the color of forest light.


Isotopic analysis of archaeological white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) bone allows us to examine ancient human land-use through changes in deer diet. These opportunistic edge browsers are ubiquitous Mesoamerican agricultural crop pests. We attempt to quantify diachronic change in deer diet, and thereby browse availability, through analyses of stable carbon isotopes in deer collagen from a large, temporally diverse zooarchaeological deer bone assemblage from the Petexbatun region, Peten, Guatemala. Our finding of temporal uniformity in C4 plant consumption suggests stability in the surrounding biotic communities and in the land-use practices of the ancient Maya.


After introducing a new management philosophy called Theory of Constraints (TOC), Dr Eli Goldratt applied it to the field of accounting, and formed a new set of measures for cost accounting. These measures are Throughput Contribution, Inventory and Operating Expenses. This paper applied the constraint-based cost accounting to three kinds of strategies decisions including contraction, cost and market, and uses the Gedunken experiment to do a contrastive research between the cost accounting based on TOC and the full-absorption cost accounting. The experiment proves that the cost accounting based on TOC outperforms the traditional cost accounting, and greatly improves organizational performance.


We investigate how a Higgs mechanism could be responsible for the emergence of gravity in extensions of Einstein theory, with a suitable low energy limit. In this scenario, at high energies, symmetry restoration could 'turn off' gravity, with dramatic implications for cosmology and quantum gravity. The sense in which gravity is muted depends on the details of the implementation. In the most extreme case gravity's dynamical degrees of freedom would only be unleashed after the Higgs field acquires a non-trivial vacuum expectation value, with gravity reduced to a topological field theory in the symmetric phase. We might also identify the Higgs and the Brans–Dicke fields in such a way that in the unbroken phase Newton's constant vanishes, decoupling matter and gravity. We discuss the broad implications of these scenarios.


Although two thirds of the world's euphausiid species occur in the Indian Ocean, environmental factors influencing patterns in their diversity across this atypical ocean basin are poorly known. Distribution data for 56 species of euphausiids were extracted from existing literature and, using a geographic information system, spatially-explicit layers of species richness and average taxonomic distinctness (AveTD) were produced for the Indian Ocean. Species richness was high in tropical areas of the southern Indian Ocean (0–20° S), and this high richness extended southwards via the Agulhas and Leeuwin boundary currents. In contrast, the land-locked northern Indian Ocean exhibited lower species richness but higher AveTD, with the presence of the monotypic family Bentheuphausiidae strongly influencing the latter result. Generalised additive modelling incorporating environmental variables averaged over 0–300 m depth indicated that low oxygen concentrations and reduced salinity in the northern Indian Ocean correlated with low species richness. Depth-averaged temperature and surface chlorophyll a concentration were also significant in explaining some of the variation in species richness of euphausiids. Overall, this study has indicated that the patterns in species richness in the Indian Ocean are reflective of its many unusual oceanographic features, and that patterns in AveTD were not particularly informative because of the dominance by the family Euphausiidae.


This paper describes the performance of an adaptive array as a countermeasure to multipath fading for a 256 kbps Gaussian-filtered minimum shift keying (GMSK) mobile communication system operating in the 1.5 GHz band. An adaptive array having four antenna elements is implemented using the digital beam forming concept. The constant modulus algorithm (CMA) is employed for the adaptation process to ease the implementation. Measurements in central Tokyo of the bit error rate (BER) performance and an array pattern arising in the multipath environment are presented. Analysis of the array pattern confirms that the array succeeds in directing nulls to the delayed signals. BER performance shows an improvement in E/sub b//N/sub 0/, compared with that of a single antenna system, of 17.5 to 22 dB at a BER of 1.0*10/sup -2/ in a frequency-selective fading channel. >


In this paper, modelling designing and simulation of a Ward Leonard layout system is done using robust control theory. In order to increase the performance of the Ward Leonard layout system with H  optimal control synthesis and H  optimal control synthesis via -iteration controllers are used. The open loop response of the Ward Leonard layout system shows that the system needs to be improved. Comparison of the Ward Leonard layout system with H  optimal control synthesis and H  optimal control synthesis via -iteration controllers to track a desired step speed input have been done. Finally, the comparative simulation results prove the effectiveness of the proposed Ward Leonard layout system with H  optimal control synthesis controller in improving the percentage overshoot and the settling time.


Murakami Haruki's novel Sputnik Sweetheart (2001) is concerned with the condition of language and its restoration. For Murakami, as well as other contemporary Japanese thinkers, anxiety over the condition of language and communication was brought to the fore by the nearly consecutive occurrence of violent events in the winter of 1995. The shock of these events was compounded by the already weakened state of national confidence as a result of the economic collapse. The following argument traces Murakami's attempt to imagine a transformation and recovery of language that is predicated on an encounter with achiragawa (the other side). I argue that Murakami's depiction of this encounter draws on a certain psychology of shock as a condition whereby mechanisms of disavowal are short-circuited and that which has been repressed in the unconscious or split off from awareness is allowed to surface momentarily. In this theorization, shock is a particularly modern phenomenon born of the effects of a technologically mediated existence. In its capacity to reveal that which has been obscured by habituation and adaptation to the conditions of everyday life, shock is a dangerous yet liberating moment of encounter with a real.


Offering a current reflection on Raphael Walden's 1977 article, 'The Subjective Element in the Formation of Customary International Law', this contribution seeks to illustrate that considerable clarity has been achieved over the decades with regard to several long-standing questions associated with customary international law, not least those surrounding opinio juris. Accumulated practice and constructive scholarship have supplied insights into, and indeed answers to several of the controversies that have bedevilled the theory of this central source of international law. While it may inherently defy exact formulations, and some theoretical questions remain, customary international law is thus today not only as present in the international legal system as it has always been but is also better understood.


We describe a new challenge aimed at discovering subword and word units from raw speech. This challenge is the followup to the Zero Resource Speech Challenge 2015. It aims at constructing systems that generalize across languages and adapt to new speakers. The design features and evaluation metrics of the challenge are presented and the results of seventeen models are discussed.


A new method for formulating and solving parameter estimation problems based on Fenchel duality is presented. The partial differential equation is considered as a contraint in a least squares type formulation and is realized as a penalty term involving the primal and dual energy functionals associated with the differential equation. Splitting algorithms and mixed finite element discretizations are discussed and some numerical examples are given.


The optical response of a two-dimensional periodic array of metallic nanoparticles on a dielectric waveguide is investigated by means of numerical calculations using the on-shell layer-multiple-scattering method. We find that the strong interaction between particle-plasmon and waveguide modes influences drastically the extinction spectrum of the system. Our results explain successfully available experimental data and provide a transparent physical picture of the underlying processes.


Angioplasty, stenting, endovascular stent grafts, and other minimally interventional techniques are becoming common techniques used for a myriad of vascular pathology. As the technology, comfort level, and technical expertise improve, the envelope of overuse is being approached or possibly superceded. We present an unusual complication of pancreatitis, pseudoaneurysm of the abdominal aorta, which was successfully treated with an endovascular stent graft.


Recent research on sizing router buffers in high speed networks promises the realization of core network with buffer enough to store just a few packets. However, such networks work well with traffic efficiently paced to reduce both short-term and long-range burstiness. In this work, we propose an efficient pacing scheme at the edge network that works for packets with or without pre-determined deadlines and smoothen the traffic according to the occupancy of the router buffer. The proposed algorithm paces the traffic both according to the delay and queue length constraints. It is thus shown to possess the advantages of both delay-based pacing and queue length-based pacing algorithms in the literature and yet overcome their shortcomings. We demonstrate through simulations that the proposed pacing algorithm significantly reduces the loss rate even when the traffic contains significant UDP traffic compared to the best known pacing schemes in the literature.


There are various definitions for spinal instability and its exact clinical usefulness is uncertain. Facetectomy has been considered a potential source of instability via conventional approaches. Studies have suggested that if the ligament structure of the spine is maintained then instability may not occur with an endoscopic facetectomy. This study is a prospective analysis of 10 patients who underwent unilateral endoscopic facetectomy for the treatment of severe foraminal stenosis to determine whether endoscopic facetectomies result in instability. The patients underwent pre and postsurgical x-rays that were evaluated via a specialized computer program that determined whether or not there was any altered mobility between the 2 sets of x-rays. These were compared with controls to determine whether instability was present. Of the 10 endoscopic facetectomy patients, none had any statistically significant change in sagittal rotational or translational motion when compared to controls. Thus, endoscopic removal of a unilateral facet joint does not necessarily cause spinal instability possibly because of the reduction in tissue damage associated with an endoscopic approach and the maintenance of the ligament structure of the spine.


The submandibular, or Risdon approach, is an extraoral approach for treating fractures of the mandibular body and angle. Despite the fact that the intra-oral approach has been used recently for open reduction and internal fixation, the submandibular approach is applied to more difficult fracture patterns such as comminuted, atrophic, and defect fractures. This approach allows better manipulation of the fragments, good control of the lingual cortex and inferior border, and application of selected hardware. Here we demonstrate how to perform a submandibular approach in a cadaver.


This article argues that Eletrocactus, a rock band based in Fortaleza, Ceara, Brazil, attempts to construct a new regional imaginary by citing pre-existing musical signs of their city, state and nation while also creating new musical vocabularies. In doing so, they participate in various discourses concerning local, regional and national identity. For the members of the band, their music generates feelings of self-recognition and promotes the preservation and production of local culture. Engaging a theory of musical semiotics, this article analyzes recordings and presentations of the band Eletrocactus viewed in the context of Ceara's regionalist musical history, including the role of vibrant v.8 n.1 danielle m. cruz, michael b. silvers the maracatu cearense tradition, the Pessoal do Ceara and the Movimento Cabacal. As such, the songs of Eletrocactus re-imagine Fortaleza, Ceara, the Northeast, and Brazil.


High photoactivator concentration nanosheets Eu0.56Ta2O7 have been prepared by the soft chemical exfoliation reaction of the layered perovskite Li2-xHxEu0.56Ta2O7 with a tetrabutylammonium hydroxide aqueous solution. In-plane X-ray diffraction and TEM and AFM observation results indicate that the Eu0.56Ta2O7 nanosheet is crystalline and retains the layered perovskite structural feature of the bulk precursors. The most intense emission is observed from the 5D0 → 7F2 transition of Eu3+. The intensity of this emission by the host excitation exceeds 18 times that by the direct Eu3+ excitation.


The goal of this investigation is to understand the factors that influence the continuous evolution of cities. We explore the process leading urban settlements of diverse regions to exhibit different urban features that result in different energy demand patterns. We developed a three-level holistic framework to characterize this process. i.) As depicted in the first level of the framework, the value formulation level consists of interactions between institutions and social norms which determine a value system comprising the attitudes, preferences and priorities of the city inhabitants. ii.) At the decision-making level, which is the second step of our process, the value system guides the formulation of policies. The implementation of policies is followed by publicand/or private-sectors' development interventions that translate into land use patterns as well as technology development and deployment. iii.)These interventions determine the resulting urban features; such as urban built form as well as energy and transportation infrastructural development and performance. The resulting urban features pose a constraint to the continuous reiterations of the process and to the level of cities' resilience, creating a loop mechanism that we call path dependence. We finally propose possible intervention approaches, shortand long-term actions, to affect the evolutionary process and enhance urban sustainability considering regional factors.


SYNOPSIS A case study concerning the adoption of vibroflotation technique in a loosely filled up granular soil has been presented. The technical feasibility of the process of compaction has been established before execution of the work and the post compaction process consisted of monitoring the work by plate load tests and static cone penetration tests. The settlements of the foundations resting on the compacted granular soil have been monitored and they are well within the permissible limits. Hence this technique of compaction has been proved to be economical when compared to the adoption of deep foundation, like, the pile foundation.


This paper presents an efficient method to diagnose single and double bridging faults. This method is based on Delta Iddq probabilistic signatures, as well as on the Viterbi algorithm, mainly used in telecommunications systems for error correction. The proposed method is a significant improvement over an existing one, based on maximum likelihood estimation. The (adapted) Viterbi algorithm takes into account useful information not considered previously. Simulation and experimental results are presented to validate the approach.


Abstract. To interpret new high resolution climate records it becomes more and more important to know about the succession of climate events. Such knowledge is hard to get especially when dealing with different types of climate archives. Even for ice cores a direct synchronization between ice cores from Greenland and Antarctica has not been possible so far due to the lack of time markers occurring in both hemispheres. Fortunately, variations in the time series of global gas records can be used as indirect time markers. Here we discuss in detail the steps that are necessary to synchronize ice cores via global gas records exemplified on the synchronization of the EPICA ice core from Dronning Maud Land to a Greenland record from North GRIP.


I study the rate of Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) within about a million years after the assumed common envelope evolution (CEE) that forms the progenitors of these SNe Ia, and find that the population of SNe Ia with short CEE to explosion delay (CEED) time is ≈few × 0.1 of all SNe Ia. I also claim for an expression for the rate of these SNe Ia that occur at short times after the CEE ($t_{\rm CEED} \lesssim 10^6 {~\rm yr}$), which is different from that of the delay time distribution (DTD) billions of years after star formation. This tentatively hints that the physical processes that determine the short CEED time distribution (CEEDTD) are different (at least to some extent) from those that determine the DTD at billions of years. To reach these conclusions I examine SNe Ia that interact with a circumstellar matter (CSM) within months after explosion, so-called SNe Ia-CSM, and the rate of SNe Ia that on a time-scale of tens to hundreds of years interact with a CSM that might have been a planetary nebula, so-called SNe Ia inside a planetary nebula (SNIPs). I assume that the CSM in these populations results from a CEE, and hence this study is relevant mainly to the core-degenerate (CD) scenario, the double-degenerate (DD) scenario, the double-detonation (DDet) scenario with white dwarf companions, and to the CEE-wind channel of the single-degenerate (SD) scenario.


In this paper we show that economies that adopted the inflation targeting (IT) regime have been able to "disinflate" less costly. The effect of IT on the sacrifice ratio is not only statistically significant, but also economically very important. This result is all the more interesting given the lack of robust empirical evidence in favor of IT. By significantly reducing the short-run costs of disinflation, IT may render the attainability of lower inflation levels politically more feasible.


Background: The treatment of acute lung injuries caused by the inhalation of methyl chloroformate remains a difficult clinical problem, with a poor prognosis and a high mortality. Case presentation: After inhalation injuries from methyl chloroformate poisoning, bronchoscopy plays an important role in the diagnosis and treatment of patients. A low tidal air volume and earlier application of steroids are also essential for successful treatment. The grading of acute exposure guideline levels (AEGLs) can direct the selection of a therapeutic regimen for patients with methyl chloroformate poisoning. Conclusions: By analyzing the reported acute methyl chloroformate inhalation poisoning cases in China during 1989 to 2017, this study aims to value occupational protection in production activities, accumulate clinical experiences, and provide guidance for the treatment of such cases in the future.


Auditory presentation of verbal items leads to larger recency effects in recall than visual presentation. This enhanced recency can be eliminated if a stimulus suffix (an irrelevant sound) follows the last item. Four experiments tested the hypothesis that recency and suffix effects in serial recall result from a speech-specific process. It was demonstrated that serial recall of musical notes played on a piano exhibited substantial recency effects. These recency effects were reduced when the list items were followed by either a piano chord or the word start. However, a white-noise suffix had no effect on recency. This pattern of data is consistent with current work on auditory perception and places constraints on theories of recency and suffix effects.


This edited collection, focused mainly on the role of the news media in the making of the Rwandan genocide, is a welcome addition to the rapidly growing corpus of scholarly books on what many regard as the most horrific event in Africa's history. In the first decade or so after the genocide, publications on the subject were dominated by general histories and journalistic accounts, understandably so. More recently, books spotlighting particular aspects or concentrating on specific themes relating to this mass killing are becoming more common. Because the mass media played such an important part in the shaping of the genocide and in framing responses to it, both the academic and the teacher in me are pleased at the opportunity of being able to add a wide-ranging compilation of essays on this specialized topic to my bookshelf. This volume of over 30 contributions draws mainly on papers presented at a symposium hosted by the School of Journalism and Communication at Carleton University, Ottowa on 13 March 2004, a little more than three weeks before the official 10th anniversary commemoration of the Rwandan genocide. The rest of the chapters were either commissioned or have been reprinted from other sources. The collection brings together authorities from a broad spectrum of disciplines. The list includes scholars specializing in genocide studies, Rwandan history and politics, as well as diverse aspects of media and communication studies. It also features a number of Rwandan and western journalists who covered the event, in addition to a few lawyers and legal scholars. The book is divided into five parts. The first, an introductory section, contains a useful, if sketchy, contextual chapter by Gerald Caplan that provides historical and political background as well as comment on the genocide's regional repercussions. The chapter reproduces his executive summary in Rwanda: The Preventable Genocide (2000), the Organization for African Unity's report on the mass killing. In a short chapter titled 'The Media Dichotomy', Romeo Dallaire presents an overview of the media situation at that time from his perspective as commander of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda. The dichotomy referred to by Dallaire consists of the distinction he draws between the role of the local media, which were used to facilitate and expedite the slaughter, and that of the international media, which 'virtually ignored or misunderstood what was happening' (p. 12). This distinction mirrors a key organizing principle of this book in that the next two sections, which contain two-thirds of the contributions, are divided along similar lines. R E V I E W S