Background— Cells in human atherosclerotic lesions express the immune mediator CD40 and its ligand, CD40L, but the mechanisms and the mediators by which CD40L contributes to atherosclerosis are poorly defined. Here, we show how CD40L increases vascular inflammation and thrombosis via tyrosine nitration and inhibition of prostacyclin synthase (PGIS), an enzyme with antithrombotic, antiproliferative, and dilatory functions in the normal vasculature. Methods and Results— Exposure of cultured human aortic endothelial cells to clinically relevant concentrations of CD40L (20 to 80 ng/mL) dose-dependently increased the production of superoxide (O2·−), decreased nitric oxide (NO) bioactivity, and increased PGIS nitration. Furthermore, inhibition of CD40 expression by small interfering RNA blocked the effects of CD40L on O2·−, NO bioactivity, and PGIS nitration, which indicates a specific effect of CD40L. In addition, either depletion of mitochondria (&rgr;0 cells, ie, mitochondria-depleted cells, to prevent mitochondrial O2·−) or adenoviral overexpression of superoxide dismutase, as well as inhibition of NO synthase, abolished the CD40L-enhanced PGIS nitration, which implies that the mitochondria might be the source of O2·− and thus peroxynitrite (ONOO−). Furthermore, SQ29548, a thromboxane A2/prostaglandin H2 receptor antagonist, significantly reduced CD40L-enhanced expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1. Finally, administration of CD40L resulted in PGIS inhibition and nitration in the aortas of C57BL6 mice but less in mice overexpressing human superoxide dismutase, which suggests that ONOO− might be required for CD40L-enhanced PGIS nitration in vivo. Conclusions— We conclude that CD40L might contribute to the initiation and progression of atherosclerosis by increasing O2·−- and ONOO−-dependent PGIS nitration and thromboxane A2/prostaglandin H2 receptor stimulation.


Abstract Introduction Chronic otitis media can cause multiple middle ear pathogeneses. The surgeon should be aware of relation between ossicular chain erosion and other destructions because of the possibility of complications. Objective This study aimed to investigate the rates of ossicular erosion in cases of patients with and without facial nerve canal destruction, who had undergone mastoidectomy due to chronic otitis media with or without cholesteatoma. Methods We retrospectively analyzed three hundred twenty-seven patients who had undergone tympanomastoidectomy between April 2008 and February 2014. We documented the types of mastoidectomy (canal wall up, canal wall down, and radical mastoidectomy), erosion of the malleus, incus and stapes, and the destruction of facial and lateral semi-circular canal. Results Out of the 327 patients, 147 were women (44.95%) and 180 were men (55.04%) with a mean age 50.8 ± 13 years (range 8–72 years). 245 of the 327 patients (75.22%) had been operated with the diagnosis of chronic otitis media with cholesteatoma. FNCD was present in 62 of the 327 patients (18.96%) and 49 of these 62 (79.03%) patients had chronic otitis media with cholesteatoma. The correlation between the presence of FNCD with LSCC destruction and stapes erosion in chronic otitis media with cholesteatoma is statistically significant (p < 0.05). Conclusion Although incus is the most common of destructed ossicles in chronic otitis media, facial canal destruction is more closely related to stapes erosion.


This proposition presents a design and artistic research focused on the soil and aimed at generating active and poetic forms of reflection around the fragile interdependence of human and non-human lives in an increasingly precarious urban environment, emphasised by the current ecological crisis. In order to engage in such reflections, this practice-oriented research —led by designers, architects, artists and educators— explored and expected to make visible the transformation of peripheral urban areas of the Region of Valparaíso, in Chile. To do so, we focused on following the uses of the soil, identifying conflicts and values that emerge around these extraction sites through immersive sensitive experiences. These collective experiences titled 'Going to the Clay' had the objective of searching for clay pits in different sites as the means to establish sensitive connections with the soil and its matter. Thus, the sum of collective and creative explorations performed in the veins and clay pits of Valparaíso served to trace other relational ways of inhabiting, valuing, and working with the soil. We envisage this practice-oriented research project as a poetic alternative to critically question the modern technocratic logics of urbanisation that operate in the region through the commodification and overexploitation of the land.


Costus spectabilis is a rhizomatous geophyte used by traditional medicine to treat internal and external wounds, coughs, inflammation, arthritis, rheumatism, fever, maternal and neonatal infections. It is also recommended for its laxative, purgative, diuretic and ichthyotoxic properties. A phytochemical study of the leaves of Costus spectabilis, revealed the presence of flavonoids, alkaloids, sterols and triterpenes, coumarins, reducing compounds, oses and holosides. The combination of chromatographic (CC and TLC), 1D NMR spectral (1H, 13C), 2D (COZY and HMQC) and spectrometric (ESI-MS positive mode) techniques allowed the isolation and identification of kaempferol 3- O- (6- O- (α-L-rhamnosyl) β-D-glucoside or nicotiflorin of the methanol extract of the leaves of Costus spectabilis.


In a context of intense debate around the need to promote stronger research skills in politics graduates, this article explores an approach to teaching research methods which focuses on the discipline, student and research process. Through a case study, we show that adopting a discipline-embedded research-oriented approach ensures student engagement with methods teaching. Following the principle that students should experience primary research from the moment of choosing a research topic up to the stage of implementation and analysis of results, students engage with this module through their interest in the discipline and sense of ownership of their learning process.


Starting from a trimethylsilyl-substituted phosphine sulfide of 99:1 er (generated by n-BuLi/(-)-sparteine-mediated asymmetric lithiation of a dimethylphosphine sulfide), a two-step process of regioselective lithiation-trapping and silyl group removal has been used to prepare a range of P-stereogenic compounds, including precursors to diphosphine ligands (e.g., Mini-PHOS). This two-step protocol delivers products with the opposite configuration to that obtained by direct asymmetric lithiation-trapping of a dimethylphosphine sulfide using n-BuLi/(-)-sparteine.


Because of the ever-increasing consumption of crude oil, the role played by the natural gas as a raw material has become more and more important in chemical industry and the potential of methane used as a source for the production of ethylene has attracted much attention. In this paper, the LiClB2O3/MnO2 and Li2SO4-MnxOy/TiO2 catalysts for Oxidative Coupling of Methane (OCM) have been studied, and the results show that the catalysts exhibit high activity and selectivity. Furthermore, The influence of the components in the catalyst and the reaction conditions on OCM performance has been studied and a possible active new component, cubic Li4B7O12Cl, has been found.


ABSTRACT Recently, as a result of international treaties and domestic legislation, children's rights have moved to centre stage. In Scotland, under the terms of the Education (Scotland) Act 2016, those with additional support needs and disabilities (ASND) enjoy enhanced and legally enforceable rights, described by the Scottish Government as the most progressive children's rights regime in Europe. This paper assesses the extent to which children's rights have been prioritised during the COVID-19 crisis. Evidence is drawn from a qualitative study of the experiences of 16 families including a child with ASND during June and July 2020. We conclude that, particularly in the early days of the lockdown, scant regard was paid to the rights of children with ASND as education and care services were suddenly withdrawn. Existing inequalities were exacerbated, such as unequal access to IT, varying levels of support and differences in family resources. Families also reported some positive experiences, such as enjoying more time together and a release from school-generated stress. The paper concludes by arguing that the hiatus in educational provision is likely to have a negative impact on the educational progress and wellbeing of children with ASND, which will take determined efforts to rectify in the future.


Atypical/Nor98 scrapie cases in sheep were diagnosed for the first time in Norway in 1998. They are now identified in small ruminants in most European countries and represent an increasingly large proportion of the scrapie cases diagnosed in Europe. Atypical/Nor98 scrapie isolates have shown to be experimentally transmissible into transgenic mice and sheep but the properties of the TSE agent involved, like its biological and biochemical features, are so clearly distinct from the agent involved in classical scrapie that they have provided a challenging diagnostic for many years. No strain diversity has yet been identified among the atypical/Nor98 scrapie sample cases. The genetic predisposition of the sheep affected by atypical/Nor98 scrapie is almost inverted compared to classical scrapie, and the exact origin of this sporadic TSE strain is still speculative, but a spontaneous, non-contagious origin, like sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans, can not be excluded. Further transmission and epidemiological studies are needed to better address this hypothesis.


Because of the extreme complexity of physical phenomena at high pressure, only limited data are available for solver validation at device-relevant conditions such as liquid rocket engines, gas turbines, or diesel engines. In the present study, a two-dimensional direct numerical simulation is used to establish a benchmark for supercritical flow at a high Reynolds number and high-density ratio at conditions typically encountered in liquid rocket engines. Emphasis has been placed on maintaining the flow characteristics of actual systems with simple boundary conditions, grid spacing, and geometry. Results from two different state-of-the-art codes, with markedly different numerical formalisms, are compared using this benchmark. The strong similarity between the two numerical predictions lends confidence to the physical accuracy of the results. The established database can be used for solver benchmarking and model development at conditions relevant to many propulsion and power systems.


Nature First is an important book, if only because it preserves in perma nent form the essential text of McNamee's speech to the Fate of the Grizzly Conference in 1986, a watershed statement that will no doubt be seen, in the years to come, as a turning point in the modern conservation movement. In this handsome and well-made book, Tom McNamee, well known for his Pulitzer-nominated book The Grizzly Bear, proposes an American system of National Biosphere Reserves, areas in which "nature conservation would be the primary goal of land management." Existing jurisdictions would be m ain tained in these preserves but each "would be accountable to some guiding authority, perhaps a chief executive selected by the constituent agencies." Such a change is necessitated by the fact that there is a great "disparity between official borders and biological ones" in our major parks, a situation that has resulted in such management "chaos" that even in the vastness of Yellowstone National Park some scientists predict the grizzly bear may soon become extinct. This is a brilliant and sorely needed work and may in time prove as influential as Leopold's Essays on Conservation, Carson's Silent Spring , and Udall's The Quiet Crisis were in their day. "Nature is losing the war," McNamee writes, and "the wilderness we have left will not admit of much more compromise." The movement for a National Biosphere Reserve System, once a topic of graduate seminars, has found its natural leader and spokesper son in McNamee. "Evolution happens here; the history of the earth is made here," he writes of Two Ocean Plateau in a remote corner of Yellowstone National Park. His plan to save such areas through a nation-wide system is logical, practical, and timely. As he concludes:


The paper analyzes the amendments to the Constitution proposed by the President of the Russian Federation in connection with certain elements of the constitutional and legal status of the judge, evaluates the possible limits of the change of the Basic Law without distorting the fundamental principles and legal foundations of the Constitution, including ensuring the independence and autonomy of the judiciary and the principle of separation of powers. According to the amendments, the powers of the President and the legislature regarding their influence on the judiciary were considerably expanded. It seems that the changes in the legislation detailing the powers of the President to initiate the early termination of the powers of judges and the procedure itself, should be formulated in such a way that the powers of the President and the Council of the Federation in this regard neither overlap with the powers of the qualification boards of judges nor diminish the independence and autonomy of the judiciary. The author argues that judicial self-government plays an extremely important role in maintaining the balance between the branches of government, creating conditions for effective justice through guarantees of independence of judges. In this connection, the decision concerning early termination of the judges' powers on defamatory grounds without the participation of bodies of the judicial community, in the absence of elements of an adversarial process and without the possibility of appealing against such a decision, significantly diminishes the constitutional and legal status of the judge. As a result of the conducted research it is proved that amendments to the Constitution have redistributed powers between the branches of government, there are real risks of violation of the principle of independence and autonomy of the judiciary. The constitutional reform should result in making laws aimed at preserving the constitutional balance between the branches of government.


Summary This article reviews the family foster care model practised in the small Belgian town of Geel. A historical introduction is followed by a description of a family foster care project in its current form. Issues are raised as to whether the current culture of care pathways, managed care, payment by results and an emphasis on 'cure' are conducive to recovery as promoted by the recovery model. Finally, the lessons from Geel are summarised and it is argued that there is much that can be learned from this way of working to support the recovery movement.


A Pd-on-GaAs Schottky contact was prepared by depositing palladium using a tungsten heater, rather than electron-beam heating, onto a GaAs surface. The interface composition was investigated by sputter Auger electron spectroscopy. An intermediate layer resulting from the reaction of Pd and GaAs was observed under certain conditions. The Schottky barrier height estimated from the measurements of forward current-voltage (I-V) or reverse capacitance-voltage (C-V) characteristics was found to depend on the interface structure. The response of the Schottky contact to hydrogen was found to be correlated with the barrier height. We pointed out that hydrogen can be used as a probe to the interface structure, whether metallic Pd or an intermediate material of Pd-Ga-As is in contact with GaAs. The observation was consistent with both p- and n-type GaAs.


In this contribution, the spiritual and textual
innovations in the work of Teresa of Avila are
questioned. If we are not to consider Teresa
as a revolutionary writer, nor as a cultural
dupe, disciplined by the patriarchal power of
the catholic orthodoxy, what is it, that can
make her texts of interest for nowadays readers?
The author uses the concept of iterability
(Butler, 2000; and Derrida, 1972) and that
of repetition as a productive source (Lacan,
1976) to re-open the discussion on mystical
texts. She argues that Teresa's discursive
agency can be found in the re-appropriation
of certain rhetorical tropes such as the 'mystical
experience', and the '(inner) conversation'
as methods in a new configuration of science.
The mystical movement of the 16-th century
is mostly regarded as a literary genre, or at
best as an unfortunately disqualified form of
knowledge. With Mignolo (2000), Foucault
(1976) and De Certeau (1986) however, Teresa's
texts are diagnosed as a new locus of
enunciation, and as a particular local, regional
knowledge, incapable of unanimity, not
open for the procedures of falsification, but
still interesting. Teresa's texts can be seen as
a testimony of non-hegemonic experience,
but moreover they can provide inspiration for
the actual epistemological debate in social
science, post colonial studies and cultural
studies, were agency is to be re-interpreted
(Mahmood, 2005) and new methodes such as
'conversation' (Mignolo, 2000) are discussed.


This paper presents a new method, named implicit and explicit feature purification (IEFP), for age-invariant face recognition. Facial features extracted from a face image contain the information about the identity, age, and other attributes. For age-invariant face recognition, it is important to remove the irrelevant information, and retain the identity information only, in the facial features. Through the two proposed feature purification mechanisms, our framework can produce facial-feature embeddings that preserve identity information as much as possible and are insensitive to age variations. Specifically, on the one hand, a special network module is devised to implicitly purify the original facial features obtained from a face encoder. On the other hand, to obtain purer facial feature representations for age-invariant face recognition, irrelevant information within the implicitly purified features, such as the age, is further removed. This is realized by using a regularizer, based on information theory, to explicitly minimize the correlation between identity-related features and age-related features. Comprehensive ablation studies show that these two feature purification schemes can work independently, as well as collaboratively, to achieve better performance. Extensive evaluations on several benchmark data sets show that the IEFP method is on par with those competitors learned on far more favorable training samples, and it achieves the best performance in a fair comparison. Furthermore, we provide mathematical interpretation to explain the effectiveness of our approach, and find that it tends to generate low-rank, yet high-dimensional, representations for age-invariant face recognition.


This paper is the first to explore the development of Iranian rhetoric from former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to the current president Hassan Rouhani, in messages delivered to the international community. The study compares eight speeches given by Ahmadinejad at the UN, to two speeches given on the same platform by Rouhani. The speeches were explored by qualitative research of the prominent rhetorical strategies employed by each president, as well as by quantitative research of the frequently used words in each president's speeches. The findings reveal a radical change in Iran's rhetoric since Rouhani succeeded Ahmadinejad in 2013. The newly elected president adopted a moderate, modern and rational discourse regarding both Iran's attitude to the West and the Iranian nuclear program. The findings suggest that this change made the new president and the "new" Iran possible partners to negotiating with the West, and eventually enabled the historic nuclear deal in 2015.


Engaging in a bricolage of critical self-study allowed one school administrator to better understand his roles, responsibilities, and formation of identity within the context of a school system while envisioning the divergent possibilities of a yet-to-be-known future through the lens of love. The primary intention of this paper is to discuss alternative possibilities for educational leadership considered through an ancillary vision of walking alongside enacted through pedagogies of love. Pedagogies of love can be understood as more than the embodiment of romantic notions of the word. Pedagogies of love enact relationality: blending care, commitment, knowledge, responsibility, respect, and trust. Ever-evolving and situational, these pedagogies are understood as tentative. During the critical self-study process, personal affective experiences were reflexively interrogated to draw out and unpack themes regarding one lived teaching life. Personal positionings, over time, emerged as a crucial part of studying one's self as a means to explicate previously misunderstood privileges. The criticality of this self-study can be found in the ways that the relationships between power, authority, knowledge production, and contextual social relations are illuminated and mediated.


Aim. To assess the morbidity of elderly patients according to 3-year data of patient's visits to out-patient clinics and polyclinics in Kazan. Methods. 250 patients' charts were randomly picked at out-patient clinics and polyclinics in Kazan, containing data about diseases, forcing to seek for medical care from 2008 to 2010. Logical and system analysis, statistical grouping, a comparison method were applied. Results. The morbidity rate in elderly people according to the 3-year data was 7332.0 by 1000. Thus, every elderly patient had visited a doctor 2.4 times a year on average. The number of consultations with exacerbation of chronic diseases was 3.7 times more frequent compared to acute diseases. Most frequent reasons for seeking medical advice were cardiovascular diseases, with urogenital diseases on the second place and gastrointestinal diseases on the third place. Respiratory diseases and neoplasms were on the fourth and fifth places, respectively. Studying the number of visits depending on employment showed that it was significantly lower in employed elderly patients, and higher in employed females and unemployed males. Conclusion. The change of approaches to the management of elderly out-patients is needed, considering not only gender and sex differences, but also employment.


Background & Aims : There are numerous errors in food-drug administration through feeding tube. Appropriate performance of nurses can improve patient safety and prevention of complications. The aim of this study is to assess the effectiveness of small group teaching on the nurses' performance of food-drug administration. Materials & Methods : This was an experimental study that was done in Urmia Emam Khomeini hospital. 80 nurses were enrolled in the study by using census method. The intervention group was divided into four groups, and for each group, four training sessions (one and half hour) with the creation of thoughtful learning situation was held. Knowledge and performance in relation to food-drug administration were evaluated before, and one month after the training program. Results : The results showed that before training, status of nurses' knowledge was poor in the control (90/6 percent) and intervention groups (80 percent). After the implementation of training for the intervention group, 97/1 percent of status of nurses' knowledge in the intervention group was good. Before the training, most of the nurses did not have good performance in both groups. Implementation of the training for the intervention group caused improving the performance of the nurses. Conclusion : There are errors in the time of food-drug administration through feeding tube. This can cause adverse effects. Hence, improvement and use of proper techniques in food-drug administration can increase efficacy of drug feeding and nutrition, it can increase patient safety and reduce the occlusion number of tube feeding.


Recently, Klein, Ettenson and Morris showed that the country of origin and animosity toward a (previously or current) 'enemy' nation affect purchase behavior of foreign products independent of each other. To assess the generalizability of this model, an empirical test of this model was done in the context of Korea. The findings show (1) that animosity is negatively associated with willingness to buy while country of origin (i.e. favourable product quality judgements) is positively associated with willingness to buy and (2) that the animosity and country of origin relationships with purchase intention are independent of each other. Thus, it seems that the animosity model generally works in Korea. Managerial implications are also discussed briefly. This research was financially supported by Hansung University I. The Animosity Model of Foreign Product Purchase History of the world is full of dramatic examples of the damaging effects of hostility


The characterization of newly synthesized materials is a cornerstone of all chemistry and nanotechnology laboratories. For this purpose, a wide array of analytical techniques have been standardized and are used routinely by laboratories across the globe. With these methods we can understand the structure, dynamics and function of novel molecular architectures and their relations with the desired performance, guiding the development of the next generation of materials. Moreover, one of the challenges in materials chemistry is the lack of reproducibility due to improper publishing of the sample preparation protocol. In this context, the recent adoption of the reporting standard MIRIBEL (Minimum Information Reporting in Bio–Nano Experimental Literature) for material characterization and details of experimental protocols aims to provide complete, reproducible and reliable sample preparation for the scientific community. Thus, MIRIBEL should be immediately adopted in publications by scientific journals to overcome this challenge. Besides current standard spectroscopy and microscopy techniques, there is a constant development of novel technologies that aim to help chemists unveil the structure of complex materials. Among them super-resolution microscopy (SRM), an optical technique that bypasses the diffraction limit of light, has facilitated the study of synthetic materials with multicolor ability and minimal invasiveness at nanometric resolution. Although still in its infancy, the potential of SRM to unveil the structure, dynamics and function of complex synthetic architectures has been highlighted in pioneering reports during the last few years. Currently, SRM is a sophisticated technique with many challenges in sample preparation, data analysis, environmental control and automation, and moreover the instrumentation is still expensive. Therefore, SRM is currently limited to expert users and is not implemented in characterization routines. This perspective discusses the potential of SRM to transition from a niche technique to a standard routine method for material characterization. We propose a roadmap for the necessary developments required for this purpose based on a collaborative effort from scientists and engineers across disciplines.


Severe combined immunodeficient (SCID) mice given spleen cells from immunocompetent donors resolve their pre-existing Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP). However, SCID mice given infusions of thymus cells or spleen cells depleted of cells positive for either immunoglobulin or immune response-associated antigen did not resolve their PCP. Immunofluorescence staining and mitogen responses of spleen cells from the recipient SCID mice confirmed that all groups of mice contained functional T cells but only the mice, reconstituted with nondepleted spleen cells, contained B cells. These results indicate, that T cells alone are not sufficient to resolve PCP in SCID mice and that B cells probably must also be present.


This paper proposes a general approximation method for the solution to a second-order parabolic partial differential equation(PDE) widely used in finance through an extension of Leandre's approach (Leandre (2006,2008)) and the Bismut identiy(e.g. chapter IX-7 of Malliavin (1997)) in Malliavin calculus. We present two types of its applications, approximations of derivatives prices and short-time asymptotic expansions of the heat kernel. In particular, we provide approximate formulas for option prices under local and stochastic volatility models. We also derive short-time asymptotic expansions of the heat kernel under general timehomogenous local volatility and local-stochastic volatility models in finance, which include Heston (Heston (1993)) and (ƒE-)SABR models (Hagan et.al. (2002), Labordere (2008)) as special cases. Some numerical examples are shown.


The spatial association between fluorescently tagged biomolecules in situ provides valuable insight into their biological relationship. Within the limits of diffraction, such association can be measured using either Pearson's Correlation Coefficient (PCC) or Spearman's Rank Coefficient (SRC), which are designed to measure linear and monotonic correlations, respectively. However, the relationship between real biological signals is often more complex than these measures assume, rendering their results difficult to interpret. Here, we have adapted methods from the field of information theory to measure the association between two probes' concentrations based on their statistical dependence. Our approach is mathematically more general than PCC or SRC, making no assumptions about the type of relationship between the probes. We show that when applied to biological images, our measures provide more intuitive results that are also more robust to outliers and the presence of multiple relationships than PCC or SRC. We also devise a display technique to highlight regions in the input images where the probes' association is higher versus lower. We expect that our methods will allow biologists to more accurately and robustly quantify and visualize the association between two probes in a pair of fluorescence images. © 2018 International Society for Advancement of Cytometry


The purpose of the report is to investigate a dredged-material disposal site for silica sand exploitation. The study area, named "D" deposit, is located south of the Madeleine Islands in the Gulf of St Lawrence. The deposit was cored using a vibro-coring device. The cores were analyzed by mineralogical and chemical methods. Three sedimentary units were found in cores at the dredged-material dumpsite: (a) a buff-colored medium sand composing the cover layer, (b) a massive, grey, coarse sand interpreted as the dredged material, and (c) the underlying natural sediment made of reddish, semi-indurated sand. The sands from the "D" deposit have the chemical and physical characteristics of good, natural-bonded moulding sands. The reserves are estimated at 78,000 m 3 (proven) and 150,000 m 3 (possible) for the cored area, but the total could be considerably increased if other parts of the present-day dumpsite are considered. The report shows that clean dredged sediment may have a resource value. With increasing environmental constraints along coastlines, the utilization of marine dredged-material in shallow water can help to reduce the exploitation of beaches and nearshore sands and provide, at the same time, a good source of silica-sand.


An aberrant right subclavian artery can be diagnosed by PET/CT, as demonstrated in this case of a 70-y-old man undergoing PET/CT for staging of squamous cell carcinoma of the right lung. It is important to report this finding during the evaluation of oncologic patients, to prevent severe complications that may arise from various oncologic interventions.


Background The role of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) in product transitions has been debated. Methods We used nationally representative data from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study waves 1 (2013–2014) and 2 (2014–2015) to investigate the associations between e-cigarette initiation and cigarette cessation/reduction in the USA. We limited the sample to current cigarette smokers aged 25+ years who were not current e-cigarette users at wave 1. We modelled 30-day cigarette cessation and substantial reduction in cigarette consumption as a function of e-cigarette initiation between surveys using multivariable logistic regression. Results Between waves 1 and 2, 6.9% of cigarette smokers who were not current e-cigarette users transitioned to former smokers. After adjusting for covariates, cigarette smokers who initiated e-cigarette use between waves and reported they used e-cigarettes daily at wave 2 had 7.88 (95% CI 4.45 to 13.95) times the odds of 30-day cigarette cessation compared with non-users of e-cigarettes at wave 2. Cigarette smokers who began using e-cigarettes every day and did not achieve cessation had 5.70 (95% CI 3.47 to 9.35) times the odds of reducing their average daily cigarette use by at least 50% between waves 1 and 2 compared with e-cigarette non-users. Conclusions Daily e-cigarette initiators were more likely to have quit smoking cigarettes or reduced use compared with non-users. However, less frequent e-cigarette use was not associated with cigarette cessation/reduction. These results suggest incorporating frequency of e-cigarette use is important for developing a more thorough understanding of the association between e-cigarette use and cigarette cessation.


The author shows that the shorter the laser pulse the greater the enhancement of nonlinear optical response in semiconductor superlattices which can be expected even for systems far from resonant transitions to higher subbands. The mechanism responsible for this enhancement is analogous to Landau-Zener transitions.


The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships among Korean early adolescents' perceived negative parenting practices, trajectories of mobile phone dependency(MPD), and self-regulated learning(SRL), while taking into account gender differences. Early adolescents are required to acquire self-regulation in Korean cultural contexts of a strong emphasis on academic achievement and recent technological advancements. The study made use of data from the Korean Children and Youth Panel Study(KCYPS), and three waves of data collected from 1,953 adolescents in , and grade were analyzed. The results can be summarized as follows. Growth-curve longitudinal analysis indicates that their initial value of MPD through to grade had increased, but the initial value and rate of change were significantly different according to gender. Furthermore, the results of multiple group analysis revealed that some path weights appeared different according to gender. For male students, the rate of change in MPD did not have a significant effect on either SRL in or grade, whereas for female students, it predicted the existence of significant relationships with them. The implications of these findings were also discussed.


Introduction: Compound fractures are surgical emergencies which require both skeletal stability as well as adequate soft tissue coverage. Debridement of all the dead and necrotic tissue can result to large soft tissue defects. Vacuum assisted closure therapy is a newer modality which can overcome all these problems and accelerates wound healing when applied to open wounds. Aim and Objectives: To analyse and compare the results of vacuum assisted closure therapy and standard wound therapy in management of compound fractures. Materials and Methods: 30 patients having compound fractures upto grade IIIB (Gustilo and Anderson classification) were randomly treated either using SWT or VAC therapy between November 2014 to June 2016. There were 15 patients in each group. After initial wound debridement and provisional fracture fixation, therapy was started and continued till the wound got optimized for coverage either by split skin graft or flap. Results: The mean time taken by wound to get optimized for coverage in the VAC therapy group was 10.13 ± 2.55 days whereas in SWT group was 11.20±1.65 days. The mean rate of decrease in size of wound by VAC therapy was 1.5453 ± 0.5855% whereas by SWT was 1.0587 ± 0.3637%. Infection was seen in 02 patients in the VAC group and in 05 patients in the SWT group. Conclusion: VAC therapy is superior to SWT in terms of rate of decrease in size of wound, lesser infection rate and shorter time for wound to get optimized for coverage.


This paper proposes a novel CMOS built-in current sensor (BICS) for on-line current testing. Proposed BICS detects abnormal current in circuit under test (CUT) and makes a pass-fail signal through comparison between the CUT current and the duplicated inverter current. Since this BICS does not require the extra clock, the added extra pin is only one output pin. The BICS does not require test mode selection. Therefore the BICS can be applied to on-line current testing. The validity and effectiveness are verified through the HSPICE simulation of circuits with defects. When the CUT is an 8×8 parallel multiplier, the area overhead of the BICS is about 4.34%.


We previously evaluated the immunogenicity and efficacy of a virus-like replicon particle (VRP) vaccine expressing the SARS CoV S glycoprotein in mice. SARS S VRP were highly immunogenic and conferred protection upon challenge. To extend that work we have evaluated the immune responses induced by SARS S VRP in macaques immunized at 0, 4 and 24 weeks. PBMC were assayed at two week intervals by ELISPOT and ICS. Post prime, both CD4 and CD8 T cells were found that secrete IFN- γ, IL-2 and TNF- α. The percentage of CD4 cells secreting IFN- γ, IL-2 and TNF- α was substantially more than the percentage of CD4 cells secreting IL-4 post prime indicating a Th1 bias. Post boost, the number of CD4 cells secreting all measured cytokines were equivalent indicating that the SARS S VRP induced a balanced Th1/Th2 response after 2 inoculations. By week 8 a measured decline in the percentage of cytokine-secreting CD8 cells was observed. There were no significant differences in the numbers of T cells secreting cytokines with 2 different VRP dosages given as measured by ICS, however a dose response was seen by ELISPOT. Neutralizing antibodies (NAb) to SARS CoV were measured in sera following post prime and boost inoculations. Three of 4 animals in the low dose group had measurable NAb post boost (GMT = 101) whereas all 4 animals in the high dose group had serum NAb after two doses (GMT = 190). These data provide support to further development of a SARS S VRP vaccine.
 This study was supported by NIH grant #UC1-AI62582


Abstract : This research provides a description of Project IMPACT's time-sharing monitor, ZEUS, which extends the capabilities of an IBM 360 or 370 computer system. Its functions, capabilities, structure and operation are discussed. ZEUS provides capabilities needed for real-time, interactive computer applications using cathode ray tube displays. This document is intend primarily for systems programmers, and is part of a series that will completely document the IMPACT software subsystem. (Author)


This work describes an availability model of highly available systems to achieve Five-9`s availability. Modern railway systems have raised users` expectations of powerful "always on" services. The crucial characteristics of these highly available services are essential to many modern businesses area, such as telecommunications, railway systems, information operations, Web-based businesses, and so on. The architecture-based model of system availability is useful to assess the feasibility of meeting a high availability target. The Markov model approach is straightforward for relative system engineers to adapt when they model highly available system failure and the failure recovery process. This work proposed the improved availability model through UML2.0. It is shown that the architecture-based model of system availability is a good reasonable by its application of the railway systems.


This paper provides some useful tests for fitting a parametric single-index regression model when covariates are measured with error and validation data is available. We propose two tests whose consistency rates do not depend on the dimension of the covariate vector when an adaptive-to-model strategy is applied. One of these tests has a bias term that becomes arbitrarily large with increasing sample size but its asymptotic variance is smaller, and the other is asymptotically unbiased with larger asymptotic variance. Compared with the existing local smoothing tests, the new tests behave like a classical local smoothing test with only one covariate, and still are omnibus against general alternatives. This avoids the difficulty associated with the curse of dimensionality. Further, a systematic study is conducted to give an insight on the effect of the values of the ratio between the sample size and the size of validation data on the asymptotic behavior of these tests. Simulations are conducted to examine the performance in several finite sample scenarios.


In the last years the greenhouse effect has been significantly intensified due to human activities, generating large additional amounts of Greenhouse gases (GHG). The fossil fuels are the main causes of that. Consequently, the attention on the composition of the national fuel mix has significantly grown, and the renewables are becoming a more significant component. In this context, biomass is one of the most important sources of renewable energy with a great potential for the production of energy. The study has evaluated, through an LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) study, the attitude of alfalfa (Medicago sativa) as "no food" biomass alternative to maize silage (corn), in the production of biogas from anaerobic digestion. Considering the same functional unit (1 m3 of biogas from anaerobic digestion) and the same time horizon, alfalfa environmental impact was found to be much comparable to that of corn because it has an impact of about 15% higher than corn considering the total score from different categories and an impact of 5% higher of corn considering only greenhouse gases. Therefore, the analysis shows a similar environmental load in the use of alfalfa biomass in energy production compared to maize. Corn in fact, despite a better yield per hectare and yield of biogas, requires a greater amount of energy inputs to produce 1m3 of biogas, while alfalfa, which requires less energy inputs in its life cycle, has a lower performance in terms of yield. The results show the possibility to alternate the two crops for energy production from an environmental perspective.


The article examines the problem of foreign students' social pedagogical support in the context of the effectiveness of preparatory systems in the educational institutions, which determines the relevance of the scientific research – the definition of an effective methodology for analysing the level of structure of the adaptation system of foreign students' training in the educational institution. Due to the relevance of the research, the purpose of the article is to investigate the system of social and pedagogical support for foreign students in higher education institutions of the United States of America using the method of determining the levels of the organisational and structural system of elements of the acculturation triad. That's why a method of determining the levels of the organisational and structural system has been proposed, which provides the distribution of the analysed branching program into four levels. In addition, the research required the use of a systematic method (to determine the integrity and structure of the process of socio-pedagogical support), the method of classification (which allowed to distribute the preparatory programs by the elements of the acculturation triad) and the abstraction (aimed at a visual representation of the levels of organisational and structural system). It is emphasised that the support consists of elements of the acculturation triad, such as: educational and cultural, psychological, and linguistic. Each of these elements should be presented as a programme branch, coordinated by the preparatory centres. It was found that the number of levels at which the programmes of the analysed unit or educational institution are presented is directly related to the effectiveness of the process of foreign students' training. As an example of the analysis with the use of this method, the higher educational institutions representing the United States of America were selected (since this country (according to UNESCO) has the largest number of foreign students). As a result, the following HEIs were selected: University of Texas at Austin, Florida Institute of Technology, Ohio State University, and Yale University. The performed analysis allowed saying that the most branched organisational and structural system is presented (among the selected HEI) in the linguistic orientation of Yale University and is characterised by four levels of program branching. The lowest level (only highest) of branching was found in the educational and cultural direction of the Florida Institute of Technology. The presented methodology can be used in theoretical researches and practical analysis of the effectiveness of adaptation centres for foreign students

https://pp-msu.com.ua/web/uploads/pdf/Scientific Bulletin of MSU. Series Pedagogy and Psychology_2022_Vol. 8, No. 1_9-23.pdf


Abstract The role of so-called pest species in alternatively causing, or responding to, changing rangeland conditions remains contentious. Most scientists have concluded that high densities of plateau pikas (Ochotona curzoniae) on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, China, are a response to sparsely vegetation conditions, but demographic studies to support this hypothesis are lacking. During February–July 2009 we captured, weighed, and released plateau pikas monthly on 16 plots arrayed along a continuum of vegetation cover and pika density, both of which reflected differing land use for livestock management. We estimated apparent survival of adults using the Cormack–Jolly–Seber approach and recruitment of juveniles using the Pradel approach (in program MARK), modeling both as functions of habitat conditions, including vegetation cover. The probability of an adult pika captured in February being alive and present where initially captured in late July was ∼0.04; male and female survival rates were similar. Best-supported models of survival included vegetation cover and an index of late winter pika density; survival was negatively related to percent vegetation cover. Pika body condition varied monthly, and was negatively associated with percent vegetation cover during February–May, but positively associated in June. Pikas living where yaks had reduced vegetation cover displayed no lower recruitment, and higher survival, than where vegetation cover was higher. Thus, our results support the hypothesis that high pika density is a response to, rather than a cause of, "rangeland degradation." Reducing undesired high pika densities will require addressing root causes of undesirable rangeland conditions.


Clusters of galaxies are studied from a theoretical point of view, comparing with observational results whenever possible. The problem is approached both analytically as well as by means of high-resoultion numerical simulations. The dark matter halo, the hot intracluster gas, and the stellar component are investigated separately. Numerical clusters are consistent with a relatively simple scenario, in which these objects form around local maxima of the primordial density field, smoothed on Mpc sacales. Hot diffuse gas is in approximate hydrostatic equilibrium with the dark matter potential, and it is well described by a polytropic equation of state. Global X-ray properties are closely interrelated, and deviations from self-similarity are expected even when radiative processes are not considered. Star formation is severely reduced in the inner regions of clusters, due to the fact that infalling galaxies loose their hot gas reservoirs during the first orbit.


The tight-binding model has been spectacularly successful in elucidating the electronic and optical properties of a vast number of materials. Within the tight-binding model, the hopping parameters that determine much of the band structure are often taken as constants. Here, using ABA-stacked trilayer graphene as the model system, we show that, contrary to conventional wisdom, the hopping parameters and therefore band structures are not constants, but are systematically variable depending on their relative alignment angle between h-BN. Moreover, the addition or removal of the h-BN substrate results in an inversion of the K and K^{'} valley in trilayer graphene's lowest Landau level. Our work illustrates the oft-ignored and rather surprising impact of the substrates on band structures of 2D materials.


Burns are a common cause of accidental deaths and morbidity in children in the developing countries. Young children and the elderly are at greater risks and they suffer disproportionate mortality and morbidity. The commonest cause of burns in children in Gulu was due to hot water and porridge pulled over. This study was conducted to find out the epidemiology of burns in the post-conflict Gulu, Uganda. A cross-sectional study was conducted in the surgical ward of Gulu Hospital from January 2009 to December 2010. The socio-demographics, sites of injuries and causative agents were obtained and described from questionnaire on patients' records. Ethical approval was obtained from the administration of the Hospital. Burn patients (n=115) were admitted for various types of burns, 64.3% were children and 4.4% for >50 years. The clinical type of burns and time of occurrence were significantly associated with the age of the patient (χ 2 = 17.72, p-value = 0.041) and (χ 2 = 38.09, p-value = 0.002) respectively. 21.6% patients were offered first aid that could lead to burn wound infections. Burns is a common public health problem among children of Gulu and although they were numerically few, they comprised a patients' group that often required considerable resources because of the need for repeated operations, hygienic precautions, treatment of infections and supportive care to patients and their families.


Using a hand collected new data set, this paper examines in detail a classic account of stock market manipulation - the "stock pools" of the 1920s, which prompted the current anti-manipulation rules in the United States. We find abnormal trading volume during pools, consistent with market manipulation, but this trading led to only modest average price increases in the short run and no abnormal performance in the long run. Thus, there is no evidence that the stock pools harmed small investors. Given investigators' efforts to find cases of manipulation on the New York Stock Exchange during the 1920s, these findings suggest that manipulation was not a substantial problem.


Frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) are neurodegenerative diseases with TDP-43 mislocalization and aggregation. Genetic forms of FTLD and ALS are caused by pathogenic variants in various genes, such as PGRN (progranulin). To date, depletion of parkin E3 ubiquitin protein ligase, a key mitophagy regulator, has been reported in sporadic ALS patients and ALS mice models with TDP-43 proteinopathy. In this work, we show parkin downregulation also in fibroblasts derived from FTLD patients with four different PGRN pathogenic variants. We corroborate this finding in control fibroblasts upon PGRN silencing, demonstrating additionally the decrease of parkin downstream targets, mitofusin 2 (MFN2) and voltage dependent anion channel 1 (VDAC1). Importantly, we show that TDP-43 overexpression rescues PRKN levels upon transient PGRN silencing, but not in FTLD fibroblasts with PGRN pathogenic variants, despite upregulating PGRN levels in both cases. Further observation of PRKN downregulation upon TDP-43 silencing, suggests that TDP-43 loss-of-function contributes to PRKN decrease. Our results provide further evidence that parkin downregulation might be a common and systemic phenomenon in neurodegenerative diseases with TDP- 43 loss-of-function.


Background: Confining women to hospital bed with limited power of movement and involvement of decision making during labor process and restricting them to supine position in second stage of labor might contribute significantly to aversion to hospital delivery. Objective: To determine the different delivery positions women take during home delivery. Method: This was a cross sectional survey among 285 multiparous women who had vaginal delivery of life singleton babies. They were interviewed using questionnaire at Murtala Muhammad Specialist hospital Kano on choices of delivery position. Ethical approval was obtained from the ethical committee of the state. Data obtained were analyzed using SPSS Version 19. Qualitative data were summarized using frequencies and percentages. Chi (χ2) test was used for categorical data. A P value of ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The mean age (±SD) of the respondents was 28.9 ± 7.12 years. Majority of the women that delivered at home assumed the squatting position for delivery (60%) and were mainly assisted by traditional birth attendants (TBA) (41.3%). Over 50% of those that delivered at home were instructed to take the position they delivered in by their assistants at delivery while those that chose their position by themselves did that because they felt more comfortable in that position (85%). Over 80% of those that were instructed to take a position at delivery did not ask their assistant the reason for advising on that position. There was statistically significant association between educational level and right to decide in which position to deliver the baby (χ2=28.517, P = 0.000). Conclusion: Squatting position was the most assumed position following home delivery. There was statistically significant association between educational level and right to decide in which position to deliver the baby.


This paper presents the application of the gradient span analysis (GSA) method to the multipoint optimization of the two-dimensional LS89 turbine distributor. The cost function (total pressure loss) and the constraint (mass flow rate) are computed from the resolution of the Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations. The penalty method is used to replace the constrained optimization problem with an unconstrained problem. The optimization process is steered by a gradient-based quasi-Newton algorithm. The gradient of the cost function with respect to design variables is obtained with the discrete adjoint method, which ensures an efficient computation time independent of the number of design variables. The GSA method gives a minimal set of operating conditions to insert into the weighted sum model to solve the multipoint optimization problem. The weights associated to these conditions are computed with the utopia point method. The single-point optimization at the nominal condition and the multipoint optimization over a wide range of conditions of the LS89 blade are compared. The comparison shows the strong advantages of the multipoint optimization with the GSA method and utopia-point weighting over the traditional single-point optimization.


A 68-year-old man suffering from dyspnea since mid December 2009 presented at our hospital in the beginning of January 2010 because of gradual worsening of the problem. In chest X-ray and computed tomography (CT), the density existed in peribronchovascular and peripheral interstitium. This was followed by a trans-bronchial lung biopsy (TBLB), which led to the suspicion of a lymphagitis carcinomatosa. In the systemic CT, the prostate was found enlarged. Following a prostate biopsy, the final diagnosis was prostate cancer. This case is reported because of the rarity for a prostate carcinoma to be discovered with pulmonary lymphangitis carcinomatosa. doi:10.4021/jmc148w


The monolithic integration of III-V nanowires on silicon by direct epitaxial growth enables new possibilities for the design and fabrication of electronic as well as optoelectronic devices. We demonstrate a new growth technique to directly integrate III-V semiconducting nanowires on silicon using selective area epitaxy within a nanotube template. Thus we achieve small diameter nanowires, controlled doping profiles and sharp heterojunctions essential for future device applications. We experimentally demonstrate vertical tunnel diodes and gate-all-around tunnel FETs based on InAs-Si nanowire heterojunctions. The results indicate the benefits of the InAs-Si material system combining the possibility of achieving high Ion with high Ion/Ioff ratio.


[reaction: see text] In a convenient one-pot process, easily accessed propargyl vinyl ethers and aromatic amines are effectively converted into tetra- and pentasubstituted 5-methylpyrroles which can further be transformed into 5-formylpyrroles via IBX-mediated oxidation. The cascade reaction proceeds through a silver(I)-catalyzed propargyl-Claisen rearrangement, an amine condensation, and a gold(I)-catalyzed 5-exo-dig heterocyclization.


The placement of sulfide-bearing tailings and rock in submerged environments has long been recognized as a primary technique for control of acid drainage, and recent field investigations provide further evidence of its success. However, subaqueous disposal does not automatically ensure that acid generation is completely halted. In fact, there are reasons why acid generation might not cease in a submerged environment. Recent experimental data from a generic experiment and from the proposed Cinola Gold Project are reviewed to (1) obtain rates of pyrite oxidation under submerged conditions and (2) show that ferric iron apparently does not oxidize pyrite in the absence of dissolved oxygen. The rates are then used to estimate consumption of dissolved oxygen along groundwater flowpaths and to determine a first-order-rate relationship between reaction rate and dissolved oxygen for calculations of dissolved-oxygen diffusion. Three relatively simple examples show how to apply the concepts and equations. One example for oxygen diffusion shows that, for constant values of porosity and pyrite content, tailings will generate more acidity than coarse rock because of the steeper oxygen gradients within the tailings. The major conclusions drawn from this work are that site-specific conditions dominate in determining the eventual water chemistry and that environmental (hydrogeological) conditions of the disposal site should be well defined. In this way, the site-specific rates and concentrations can be determined and, if necessary, details of the subaqueous disposal can be refined for optimum performance. Morin, K.A. 1993. Rates of sulfide oxidation in submerged environments: Implications for subaqueous disposal. IN: Proceedings of the 17th Annual Mine Reclamation Symposium, Port Hardy, British Columbia, May 4-7, p.235-247. Mining Association of British Columbia. Page 236


INTRODUCTION
Preeclampsia with severe hypertension, which occurs in 5% to 8% of pregnancies, is a leading cause of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality in the US. Early recognition and treatment of hypertensive crises can significantly reduce poor outcomes. A protocol to ensure prompt treatment with antihypertensive medication (intravenous labetalol) was implemented at our institution.

OBJECTIVE
To determine adherence to this protocol on the Labor and Delivery Unit.

DESIGN
Retrospective chart review was performed for patients admitted to the Labor and Delivery Unit between April 2015 and June 2015. Charts were reviewed if the patient had a diagnosis of chronic hypertension, gestational hypertension, superimposed preeclampsia, preeclampsia with severe features, eclampsia, or stroke in pregnancy. Only patients with confirmed severe blood pressures, in which the protocol would be initiated, were included in the final analysis.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE
Overall compliance with the entire protocol.

RESULTS
Of 178 cases reviewed, 58 (32.6%) had confirmed severe blood pressures. Most patients (n = 46, 79.3%) received a diagnosis of preeclampsia with severe features, and most delivered via cesarean delivery (n = 38, 65.5%). No cases were compliant with the entire labetalol protocol. Of 58 patients, 2 (3.5) adequately repeated a confirmation blood pressure within 5 minutes, and 34 (58.6%) were adequately treated with intravenous labetalol according to protocol requirements.

CONCLUSION
Labetalol treatment was appropriately initiated in many cases; however, protocol adherence could greatly improve. Potential factors affecting protocol compliance include shift changes, communication issues, and conflicting protocols. Institutions should review protocol compliance to improve care.


INTRODUCTION: We propose a new radiographic classification of greater tuberosity changes seen in patients with atraumatic rotator cuff dysfunction. The aim of this study is to determine the predictive values and accuracy of this classification for the detection of rotator cuff tears using arthroscopic findings as the gold standard. STUDY DESIGN & METHODS: This was a retrospective study of 91 consecutive patients (47 male, 44 female; mean age 57 year old) who underwent shoulder arthroscopy for a clinical diagnosis of rotator cuff dysfunction. The presence and size of a rotator cuff tear for each patient had been documented at the time of surgery. The radiographs were anonymised and randomised for interpretation by 2 experienced shoulder surgeons and of 2 orthopaedic residents newly-educated on the use of the classification. The predicative values of the new classification for the diagnosis of rotator cuff tear were calculated. Inter-rater agreement values were obtained using the Fliess' kappa method. Statistical significance was set at p<0.05. RESULTS: Comparative statistics showed that Stage 0 or 1 were associated with the absence of a cuff tear. Stage 2 and 3 were strongly predictive of a rotator cuff tear. The mean predicative values of the new classification stage 2 and 3 for the detection of a rotator cuff tear were: sensitivity 93%, specificity 83%, positive predictive value 87%, and negative predictive value 92%. The accuracy of the experienced observer group was significantly higher than the inexperienced group (97% v 83%, p-value <0.01) and therefore the overall group accuracy was 89%. Inter-rater agreement for stages 1, 2 and 3 changes was substantial overall (Kappa value of 0.63) and almost perfect between the experienced assessors (Kappa=0.95). CONCLUSIONS: The new classification is a useful adjunct for the diagnosis of rotator cuff tears where adequate radiographs are available. It may be used as a screening test in a large number of patients with shoulder pain and select stage 2 and 3 patients for further rotator cuff imaging to assist preoperative planning.


This paper presents the key designing principles and attributes of a novel autonomic architecture for enabling efficient mobility and QoS-aware resource management over an integrated IPv6-enabled heterogeneous wireless environment (CDMA cellular/WLAN). The proposed architecture is founded on Generic Autonomic Network Architecture (GANA), a generic framework for realizing autonomic networks introduced in EFIPSANS EC FP7 project. Emphasis is placed on describing the autonomic components of the architecture, illustrating their interactions and justifying their designing properties towards creating a concrete autonomic paradigm that aims at fulfilling 3GPP/LTE self-optimization vision.


Currently, the performance problems of software systems gets more and more attentions. Among various diagnosis methods based on system traces, principal component analysis (PCA) based methods are widely used due to the high accuracy of the diagnosis results and requiring no specific domain knowledge. However, according to our experiments, we have validated several shortcomings existed in PCA-based methods, including requiring traces with a same call sequence, inefficiency when the traces are long, and missing performance problems. To cope with these issues, we introduce a segmentation based online diagnosis method in this poster.


In many practical inverse problems, one aims to retrieve a model that has infinitely many degrees of freedom from a finite amount of data. It follows from a simple variable count that this cannot be done in a unique way. Therefore, inversion entails more than estimating a model: any inversion is not complete without a description of the class of models that is consistent with the data; this is called the appraisal problem. Nonlinearity makes the appraisal problem particularly difficult. The first reason for this is that nonlinear error propagation is a difficult problem. The second reason is that for some nonlinear problems the model parameters affect the way in which the model is being interrogated by the data. Two examples are given of this, and it is shown how the nonlinearity may make the problem more ill-posed. Finally, three attempts are shown to carry out the model appraisal for nonlinear inverse problems that are based on an analytical approach, a numerical approach and a common sense approach.


Highlight: An evaluation of sampling techniques was conducted on a tall-grass prairie in eastern 0 klahoma. The point transect, a modified point transect, line transect, angle order, quarter, quadrat, and wandering quarter methods were used. Relative and total density values were determined and compared with actual values obtained by hand count. The above methods, with the exception of the quadrat, underestimated the relative density of splitbeard bluestem (Andropogon ternarius), a dominant and densely cloned species, and overestimated switchgrass (Panicum virgatum), a subdominant, single-s talked species. Relative and total density values obtained by the quarter method were significantly less accurate than those obtained by the other methods; no method was significantly more accurate. With recalculation excluding splitbeard bluestem data, relative densities obtained by most of the methods agreed more closely with actual values, and the quarter method was again significantly less accurate. Results indicated that degree of clone density of the dominants and subdominants, as well as sampling time, should be noted prior to the selection of a sampling method in a highly aggregated grassland type. The modified point transect or quadrat methods are considered to be most applicable if the dominants are densely cloned as in splitbeard bluestem; however, the point transect or line transect methods may be adequate if the dominants are sparsely-cloned as in big bluestem (Andropogon gerardi) or little bluestem (Andropogon scoparius).


Objective To assess the value of fraction of exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) measurements in the diagnosis of asthma in elderly patients. Methods The clinical symptoms of 202 elderly patients were assessed with the asthma module of the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood test, which had been modified for the elderly patients, and the diagnostic routine for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which was based on the Global initiative for chronic Obstructive Lung Disease criteria. Of the 202 patients assessed, 43 were subjected to pulmonary function evaluations (spirometry) and FeNO measurements. Results Of the 202 elderly patients, 34 had asthma (23 definite and eleven probable), 20 met COPD criteria, 13 presented with an overlap of asthma and COPD, and 135 did not fit the criteria for obstructive pulmonary disease. Among the 43 elderly patients who were subjected to FeNO measurements, ten showed altered results (23.2%) and 33 had normal results (76.7%). The average value of FeNO in patients with definite and probable asthma undergoing this procedure was 29.2 parts per billion whereas that in nonasthmatic patients was 17.5 parts per billion (P=0.0002). Conclusion We show a clear relationship between FeNO levels and asthma symptoms and previous asthma diagnoses in elderly patients.


Tidal salt marshes face numerous pressures that threaten their ecological integrity, and many salt marsh vertebrates have exhibited declines concomitant with the degradation of salt marsh habitats. We studied nest survival of MacGillivray's seaside sparrow Ammospiza maritima macgillivraii and Worthington's marsh wren Cistothorus palustris griseus in smooth cordgrass Spartina alterniflora and black needlerush Juncus roemerianus dominated salt marshes in northeast Florida, USA, during 2015−2017 to understand why both species have undergone range contractions. We evaluated the effects of tides, habitat features, and weather on nest survival. The probability of a nest surviving from laying to fledging young was low for both species (seaside sparrow: 0.03, 95% CI: 0.00, 0.10; marsh wren: 0.10, 95% CI: 0.04, 0.18), suggesting that nest survival may limit population growth. The most substantial threat to marsh wren and seaside sparrow nest survival was from greater than normal high tides. However, there was limited evidence of direct nest loss due to flooding. An analysis of only fledged and depredated nests suggests that higher tides influenced nest survival by increasing nest predation, substantially so for marsh wrens. Other factors negatively associated with marsh wren nest survival, albeit less strongly, included precipitation and the amount of black needlerush at and within 50 m of the nest. The effect of tide height on nest survival suggests that salt marsh birds in northeast Florida are vulnerable to continued sea-level rise, which is exacerbated by upland development that will hinder marsh migration. Monitoring and protecting northeast Florida's high-elevation, cordgrass-dominated marshes should be a priority.


Background: Promotion of Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) in nursing appears to be developing slowly. Research indicates that nurses' beliefs in EBP may play an even more significant role than knowledge and resources in making implementation feasible. To address this issue, measurement of nurses' beliefs regarding EBP is paramount. Aims and objectives: This study explores the internal consistency reliability and the construct factor structure of the Norwegian version of the original Evidence-Based Practice Beliefs Scale (EBP-BS). Methods: The study has a Non-experimental exploratory survey design. A Norwegian translation of the EBP-BS was tested in a convenience sample of 118 healthcare professionals (95% nurses) attending a continuing education program at a University College in Norway. The response rate was 95% (n = 112). The internal consistency of the scale was measured by Cronbach's alpha, and an explorative Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was used to explore the construct structure. Results: The overall internal consistency of the EBP-BS was acceptable. The PCA indicated a four-factor structure. The psychometric properties of two of the factors were too weak for expanding to a four-factor model. Based on our investigation of the EBP-BS, we suggest a two-factor structure model. The factors were named 1) General knowledge and confidence concerning EBP and 2) Task specific beliefs in EBP. This finding differs from previous results that indicated a unidimensional structure. Conclusion: As a starting point, reliable and valid measurement of nurses' beliefs about EBP is required in order to identify possible obstacles and to optimize implementation in the individual clinical setting. Our results indicate that the EBP-BS has a two-factor structure. Further exploration of the factor structure is needed. Further empirical research may contribute to the resolving of controversies concerning basic understandings of the concept of EBP.


A total of 79 fishes from Tasik Merah, Perak, Peninsular Malaysia were examined for their parasitic fauna. The fish species were Puntius schwanenfeldii (20), Puntius gonionotus (20), Hampala macrolepidoata (19) and Notopterus notopterus (20). Ten species of parasites were found from the two major groups of nematode and trematode. The nematodes were Capillaria sp. Spinictus inermis, Echinocephalus sp. Microtetrameres sp. and Cucullanus sp. The trematodes were Paradiplozoon malayense, Paradiplozoon barbi and Dactylogyrus sp. Factors that may determine the relationship between parasite intensity and fish sex were discussed.


We present the structure of an open microwell, i.e. a microwell open at both the top and bottom ends, which enables single-cells to be handled, processed and recovered after the experiment. The microwell has a novel architecture which allows particles to be trapped and forced to interact by means of a cylindrical negative dielectrophoretic cage. Particles are aligned along a horizontal axis where the electric field minimum is placed. Arrays of open microwells are fabricated using flexible printed circuit board (PCB) technology providing cheap and disposable devices. Levitation and precise positioning of both polystyrene beads and K562 cells were experimented, confirming the results of physical simulations. Assessment of cell viability after 20 min exposure to the electric field was performed through a standard calcein-release assay.


We investigated the impact of inflammatory signaling in airway epithelial cells on host defense against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a major cause of nosocomial pneumonia. In mice, airway instillation of P. aeruginosa resulted in NF-κB activation in the lungs that was primarily localized to the bronchial epithelium at 4 h, but was present in a variety of cell types by 24 h. We modulated NF-κB activity in airway epithelium by intratracheal delivery of adenoviral vectors expressing RelA (AdRelA) or a dominant inhibitor of NF-κB before P. aeruginosa infection. Bacterial clearance was enhanced by up-regulation of NF-κB activity following AdRelA administration and was impaired by treatment with a dominant inhibitor of NF-κB. The TNF-α concentration in lung lavage was increased by AdRelA treatment and beneficial effects of NF-κB up-regulation were abrogated in TNF-α-deficient mice. In contrast, NF-κB inhibition reduced MIP-2 expression and neutrophil influx following P. aeruginosa infection. Therefore, inflammatory signaling through the NF-κB pathway in airway epithelial cells critically regulates the innate immune response to P. aeruginosa.


A research-based-learning methodology was proposed for the thorough teaching of ongoing topics that would be centered around the students' abilities to apply core technical tools when resolving self-determined research problems. Although the proposed methodology is strongly influenced by the research practice, it was validated principally by the students' objectivity and critical-thinking competencies rather than their acquisition of the required research skills. The present work deals with the assessment of the students' research skills as an outcome of a wit-learning methodology. Specifically, the overall improvement in the quality of their research reports was observed and tracked by the teachers, and their understanding of the research goals and processes was assessed by means of a survey given to them at the beginning and the end of the course. The questions and answers of the surveys were intentionally neither suggested nor discussed during the course so that there could be a valid measurement of the results of the proposed wit-learning methodology. Survey results showed an improvement in the overall alignment (agreement) of the students' understanding of research with that of experienced researchers.


A variety of names are traditionally used to refer to the literary language as cultivated by the Belarusians and Ukrainians in the late Middle Ages. It is maintained that the emergence of the term prostaja mova/prostyj jazykъ was brought about by the (German) Reformation in the Polish Kingdom and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Based on a comparative analysis of the names of the prostaja mova attested in Ruthenian, Polish, and Lithuanian writings, the author surmises that the coinage and the use of the corresponding terms was primarily determined by the revival of the indigenous "linguistic democratism" dating back to the time of Constantine and Methodius.


A 49-year-old woman was seen in the outpatient clinic because of hindfoot pain. MRI demonstrated bone marrow edema syndrome (BMES) of the talus. The patient was diagnosed with transient osteoporosis and was successfully treated with a bisphosphonate and supported walking with a foot orthosis.


Light and electron microscopy were used to investigate the morphology of reproductive characters in a characid fish, Brittanichthys axelrodi. Spermatozoa were found in ovaries of females, thereby confirming insemination in this species. Bony hooks can be found on the fourth unbranched ray and branched rays 1–4 of the anal fin and the unique sigmoidally‐curved ray of the caudal fin in mature males. Testes have three distinct regions: an anterior spermatogenic region, an aspermatogenic middle region lined with a simple squamous epithelium and used for storage of mature spermatozoa, and a posterior region of coiled chambers lined with a high simple cuboidal epithelium. The most posterior region appears to be instrumental in the formation and storage of spermatozeugmata, unencapsulated sperm packets. Thus far, this tripartite testis morphology is unique among characids. The mature spermatozoon has an elongate nucleus (∼5 μm in length). A striated rootlet originates at the anterior end of the distal centriole and continues to the anterior tip of the cell. The striated rootlet wraps around the entire ventral area of the anterior part of the nucleus and appears to continue around the anterior tip of the nucleus and down the dorsal side as electron‐dense material. Several large, spherical mitochondria (∼0.6 μm in diameter) with lamellar cristae overlap the posterior end of the nucleus and continue beyond together with the cytoplasmic collar that contains the flagellum which lacks axonemal fins. Each spermatozeugma is lanceolate in shape when sectioned mid‐sagitally, with the core staining positively for mucopolysaccharides. In both sexes, the gonopore opens posterior to the anus, with the urinary pore having a separate opening posterior to the gonopore. Bands of skeletal muscle were found in the area of the male gonopore. These morphological features are likely linked to the reproductive mode of insemination, a trait that is so far as known, relatively rare among teleost fishes, but is proving increasingly frequent among certain groups of characid fishes. J. Morphol, 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


Polymorphism in the social Hymenoptera has been defined as the occurrence within a single colony of two or more distinct morphological forms, or castes, belonging to the same sex (Wilson 953). Wilson (953) has pointed out that polymorphism arises out of the occurrence of allometry (differential rates of growth o.f two parts of the body) over a sufficient range of intranidal size variation to produce morphologically distinct forms at the extremes of this size range. The underlying size variation is due in most cases to differences in larval nutrition (Michener 96x Wilson 97). Polymorphism is the morphological adaptation to the functional division of tasks among the members of a colony (Wilson 953). The most fundamental polymorphism is the separation of the reproductive caste (queens) from the non-reproductive caste (workers). This is followed, most notably in the ants, by the evolution of more or less distinct castes among the workers. Among the wasps polymorphism appears to be limited to the queenworker dimorphism, where it is most pronounced in the Vespinae (Wilson 97 ). Among many o.f the Polistinae there is no detectable difference, either in size or in morphology, between functional queens and workers (Richards and Richards I95). The present paper reports the occurrence of complete queen-worker dimorphism in colonies of the polistine species Stel,opolybia areata (Say) from Mexico.


In the title compound, C15H12N4OS, the dihedral angle between the nine-membered indolin-2-one ring system and the phenyl ring is 2.72 (7)°. Intramolecular cyclic N—H⋯O and C—H⋯S hydrogen-bonding interactions [graph set S(6)] are present, as are weak N—H⋯N interactions [graph set S(5)]. In the crystal, molecules form centrosymmetric cyclic dimers through pairs of N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds [graph set R 2 2(8)] and these are extended by C—H⋯S interactions. The crystal structure also features weak C—H⋯π interactions.


Zymogen granule (ZG) formation in acinar cells involves zymogen cargo sorting from trans-Golgi into immature secretory granules (ISGs). ISG maturation progresses by removal of lysosomal membrane and select content proteins, which enter endosomal intermediates prior to their apical exocytosis. Constitutive and stimulated secretion through this mechanism is termed the constitutive-like and minor-regulated pathways, respectively. However, the molecular components that control membrane trafficking within these endosomal compartments are largely unknown. We show that tumor protein D52 is highly expressed in endosomal compartments following pancreatic acinar cell stimulation and regulates apical exocytosis of an apically directed endolysosomal compartment. Secretion from the endolysosomal compartment was detected by cell-surface antigen labeling of lysosome-associated membrane protein LAMP1, which is absent from ZGs, and had incomplete overlap with surface labeling of synaptotagmin 1, a marker of ZG exocytosis. Although culturing (16-18 h) of isolated acinar cells is accompanied by a loss of secretory responsiveness, the levels of SNARE proteins necessary for ZG exocytosis were preserved. However, levels of endolysosomal proteins D52, EEA1, Rab5, and LAMP1 markedly decreased with culture. When D52 levels were restored by adenoviral delivery, the levels of these regulatory proteins and secretion of both LAMP1 (endolysosomal) and amylase was strongly enhanced. These secretory effects were absent in alanine and aspartate substitutions of serine 136, the major D52 phosphorylation site, and were inhibited by brefeldin A, which does not directly affect the ZG compartment. Our results indicate that D52 directly regulates apical endolysosomal secretion and are consistent with previous studies, suggesting that this pathway indirectly regulates ZG secretion of digestive enzymes.


Significance Recent studies have shown that humans have adapted to many different environments around the world. However, few studies have centered on Indigenous groups in the Americas. We present a comparative analysis of genetic adaptations in humans across North America using genome-wide scans for signals of natural selection in three populations inhabiting vastly different environments. We find evidence for adaptation to cold and high latitudes in an Alaskan population, whereas infectious disease was a strong selective pressure in the southeastern United States and central Mexico. Because there are few shared signals of selection between populations, these sweeps likely occurred after population differentiation in the Americas. This study fills an important gap in our knowledge of genetic adaptations in humans. While many studies have highlighted human adaptations to diverse environments worldwide, genomic studies of natural selection in Indigenous populations in the Americas have been absent from this literature until very recently. Since humans first entered the Americas some 20,000 years ago, they have settled in many new environments across the continent. This diversity of environments has placed variable selective pressures on the populations living in each region, but the effects of these pressures have not been extensively studied to date. To help fill this gap, we collected genome-wide data from three Indigenous North American populations from different geographic regions of the continent (Alaska, southeastern United States, and central Mexico). We identified signals of natural selection in each population and compared signals across populations to explore the differences in selective pressures among the three regions sampled. We find evidence of adaptation to cold and high-latitude environments in Alaska, while in the southeastern United States and central Mexico, pathogenic environments seem to have created important selective pressures. This study lays the foundation for additional functional and phenotypic work on possible adaptations to varied environments during the history of population diversification in the Americas.


Subsidence, resulting from underground coal mining can alter the structure of overlying rock formations changing hydrological conditions and potentially effecting ecological communities found on the surface. Of particular concern are impacts to endangered and/or protected swamp communities and swamp species sensitive to changes in hydrologic conditions. This paper describes a monitoring approach that uses UAVs with modified digital cameras and object-based image analysis methods to characterise swamp landcover on the Newnes plateau in the Blue Mountains near Sydney, Australia. The characterisation of swamp spatial distribution is key to identifying long term changes in swamp condition. In this paper we describe i) the characteristics of the UAV and the sensor, ii) the pre-processing of the remote sensing data with sub-decimeter pixel size to derive visible and near infrared multispectral imagery and a digital surface model (DSM), and iii) the application of object-based image analysis in eCognition using the multi-spectral data and DSM to map swamp extent. Finally, we conclude with a discussion of the potential application of remote sensing data derived from UAVs to conduct environmental monitoring.


To generate new images for a given category, most deep generative models require abundant training images from this category, which are often too expensive to acquire. To achieve the goal of generation based on only a few images, we propose matching-based Generative Adversarial Network (GAN) for few-shot generation, which includes a matching generator and a matching discriminator. Matching generator can match random vectors with a few conditional images from the same category and generate new images for this category based on the fused features. The matching discriminator extends conventional GAN discriminator by matching the feature of generated image with the fused feature of conditional images. Extensive experiments on three datasets demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed method.


The current study verified the impact of E-government readiness on The Institutional Performance and the extent of the relationship between these two variables, and the choice of the Nineveh Governorate Bureau as a field for research, as the study aims to show the role of E-government Readiness in enhancing Institutional Performance, and to show the interest of the researched institution (Nineveh Governorate Bureau) With these two variables, and knowing the level of employee feeling in the researched institution about the extent of availability of the E-government Readiness dimensions, and the extent of their agreement on its role in enhancing the performance of the researched institution, as the questionnaire form was adopted in collecting data, as this form included paragraphs related to the study variables, The study was applied on a random sample of (247) individuals represented by employees in the Nineveh Governorate Bureau, and the data collected was strengthened by personal interviews with some leaders and employees in the researched institution who are related to the subject of the study to ensure correctness, comprehensiveness and objectivity The data collected from the researched institution, and the study relied on the analytical descriptive approach, and a number of statistical methods were used. The most important results are The presence of a positive impact of E-government Readiness on Institutional Performance.


Objective: The objective of this study is to assess concordance between the subcostal and right lateral view for ultrasonographic inferior vena cava measurements including the end-inspiratory diameter, end-expiratory diameter and respiratory variation represented by the caval index in spontaneously breathing healthy adults. Methods: We recruited a convenience sample of 33 healthy adults. A phased array ultrasound probe was used to obtain inferior vena cava measurements from a subcostal view in the sagittal plane and from a right lateral view in the coronal plane with B-mode ultrasound. End-inspiratory diameter, end-expiratory diameter and caval index were obtained for each view. A two-tailed t-test was performed to compare the caval indices obtained by the two views. Bland–Altman analysis was used to obtain the limits of agreement for the inferior vena cava diameter and caval index across the two views. Results: Subcostal and right lateral caval indices across all participants were significantly different according to a paired t-test (p < 0.0001). The Bland–Altman analysis showed wide limits of agreement in end-inspiratory diameter (−0.97 and 0.50 cm) and in end-expiratory diameter (−0.94 and 0.90 cm). The right lateral view underestimated the inferior vena cava caval index relative to the subcostal view. Conclusions: The subcostal and right lateral views are not equivalent in obtaining inferior vena cava measurements in spontaneously breathing healthy adults. Current cut-off values for measurement-based applications of inferior vena cava ultrasound, including fluid responsiveness using caval indices, may not be accurate when values are obtained from the right lateral view in the coronal plane of the inferior vena cava in patients.


Nucleopolyhedroviruses (NPVs) are naturally occurring entomopathogens that show promise as bioinsecticides against pest caterpillars. Determining the potential of a NPV as an insecticide requires conducting many laboratory assays. These experiments typically require a large number of larvae and it may be necessary to collect eggs from laboratory or wild sources for several days before an adequate supply is obtained. Fortunately, in many species of Lepidoptera, it is possible to synchronize rearing by storing eggs at 4°C. Cabbage loopers (Trichoplusia ni Hübner) are widespread, highly destructive agricultural pests. Preliminary trials suggest that the single (S) nucleocapsid nucleopolyhedrovirus of cabbage loopers (TnSNPV) might be effective in controlling cabbage loopers (Jaques 1977); however, many additional studies are required before it can be commercially developed as a bioinsecticide.


Abstract The purpose of this study was to investigate the interaction of skin with natural grass and artificial turf at clinical, histological and immunohistochemical level. Therefore, 14 male volunteers performed slidings on dry natural grass, wet natural grass and artificial turf. Directly and 24 h after the slidings, a clinical picture and a 3-mm punch biopsy of the lesion were taken. Paraffin sections (6 µm) were hematoxylin-eosin stained. Immunohistochemistry was performed for CD3, hBD-2, K16, K10, Ki67 and HSP70. Clinically, a sliding performed on artificial turf caused less erythema but more abrasion compared to natural grass. At histological level, artificial turf or dry natural grass damaged the stratum corneum the most. Directly after the sliding, CD3, hBD-2, K16, K10, Ki67 and HSP70 expression was normal. 24 h after a sliding on artificial turf or dry natural grass, an increase of K16, hBD-2 and HSP70 expression was observed. In this pilot study it was not possible to clearly distinguish between skin damage induced by a sliding on artificial turf and natural grass. However, small differences at clinical and histological level seem to exist. This demonstrates the potential of the skin as readout system to evaluate artificial turf systems and mechanical skin damage.


This chapter provides some examples of the use of trust in everyday life. The way in which trusts underpin much of the modern law of property is often unnoticed or under-appreciated. For instance, the family home is, in most cases, held on trust. While trusts first emerged in an entirely different social environment, they have proved extremely adaptable to modern family and commercial contexts, and they play a key role in the modern law of charities. Those who invest in a pension or a unit trust are likely to find that the underlying assets behind their investment are held under a trust. Persons with considerable wealth may utilize trusts to help in tax planning.


NASA designs and builds systems that achieve incredibly ambitious goals, as evidenced by the Curiosity rover traversing on Mars, the highly complex International Space Station orbiting our Earth, and the compelling plans for capturing, retrieving and redirecting an asteroid into a lunar orbit to create a nearby a target to be investigated by astronauts. In order to accomplish these feats, the missions must be imbued with sufficient knowledge and capability not only to realize the goals, but also to identify and respond to off-nominal conditions. Fault Management (FM) is the discipline of establishing how a system will respond to preserve its ability to function even in the presence of faults. In 2012, NASA released a draft FM Handbook in an attempt to coalesce the field by establishing a unified terminology and a common process for designing FM mechanisms. However, FM approaches are very diverse across NASA, especially between the different mission types such as Earth orbiters, launch vehicles, deep space robotic vehicles and human spaceflight missions, and the authors were challenged to capture and represent all of these views. The authors recognized that a necessary precursor step is for each sub-community to codify its FM policies, practices and approaches in individual, focused guidebooks. Then, the sub-communities can look across NASA to better understand the different ways off-nominal conditions are addressed, and to seek commonality or at least an understanding of the multitude of FM approaches. This paper describes the development of the "Deep Space Robotic Fault Management Guidebook," which is intended to be the first of NASA's FM guidebooks. Its purpose is to be a field-guide for FM practitioners working on deep space robotic missions, as well as a planning tool for project managers. Publication of this Deep Space Robotic FM Guidebook is expected in early 2015. The guidebook will be posted on NASA's Engineering Network on the FM Community of Practice website so that it will be available to all NASA projects. Future plans for subsequent guidebooks for the other NASA sub-communities are proposed.


This paper responds to recent demands for greater discussion between physical and human geographers over common conceptualizations and entities. I argue that one possible way in which to conduct such a dialogue would be through considerations of reconceptualized modes of fieldwork practice across the discipline of geography and cognate disciplines. In consequence, I examine such concepts of fieldwork, encompassing diverse attempts such as an ethnographic politics of location and new visions of geomorphological practice. In so doing, I indicate some of the broader potentialities available to historians and philosophers of field science.


This text brings together writing and research on feminist experience in academia. It covers issues such as provision of care, maternalism in the academy and dynamics of interaction between women in higher eduction. There are challenging and provocative analyses of many questions: how large is the gap between rhetoric and reality in HE institutions? how do institutions behave towards disabled staff? how far is stereotyping still affecting the roles which women play in academia? what do women face when they combine motherhood with teaching or studying? coping mechanisms and survival tactics are brought under scrutiny, and the effect these have on the behaviour of female academics and their interactions with the institution of each other. This text should provide insight and evidence for researchers to further develop their own theories, and also many starting points for those wishing to undertake their own research. Written in collaboration with the Women in Higher Education Network.


We present a rigorous study of the computational complexity of an Interdependent Network Design Problem (INDP) solution model, which is at the core of future infrastructure restoration studies. The paper details how each constraint in the INDP formulation adds to the overall complexity, while also revealing strategies to tame the computational demands for large interdependent networks. It is shown how some algorithms that are used to enhance the Network Design Problem (NDP) (Poss 2011), including decomposition techniques, can be cleverly adapted to the INDP model. Computational examples are based on diverse yet idealized topologies, to illustrate the sensitivity of the INDP model to input parameters and constraints, as well as the underlying topological properties of the studied systems. The present study paves the way for future approaches to improve the INDP and its Mixed-Integer Programming (MIP) model, particularly in terms of its efficiency and capability to handle large size instances, and by extension, its ability to support practical infrastructure decision making and resilience analyses.