The purpose of this paper is to empirically examine the contribution of trade liberalisation upon poverty via its impact on per-capita income levels. In addition we compare this with the relative contribution of institutional capacity to prosperity, as well as the role of human capital accumulation in that respect. We employ several concepts of institutional quality, trade policy and openness variables following various definitions prevalent in the literature. For example, we take into account the six different classifications of institutions identified by Kaufman et al (2002), namely rule of law, political stability, regulatory quality, government effectiveness, voice and accountability and control of corruption. On the international economic integration front, we have carefully chosen three specific measures of openness. The ratio of nominal imports plus exports to GDP is the conventional openness indicator, we use two others: overall trade penetration and overall import penetration. Neither of these measures are direct indicators of trade policy of a country, pointing only towards the level of its participation in international trade. There are indicators of trade restrictiveness acting as measures of trade policy, including import tariffs as percentage of imports, tariffs on intermediate inputs and capital goods, trade taxes as a ratio of overall trade and total import charges can all be considered as good proxies of trade restrictiveness and have also been employed in this study. Other measures which capture restrictions in overall trade are non-tariff barriers. Additionally, we have also used composite measures of the overall trade policy stance to examine how openness influences per-capita income. Our study employs 6 institutional and 11 openness variables in an attempt to undertake a comprehensive analysis of how institutional quality and exposure to increased international trade affects the economic performance of a country. Unlike in the comparable study by Rodrik et al (2004) we have (a) included a role for human capital, (b) employed six institutional variables compared to one only in Rodrik et al (rule of law), (c) included trade policy variables and not just openness indicators and (d) expanded the set of openness measures employed. To summarise our findings, we discover that opening up domestic markets to foreign competition by revoking trade restrictions and trade barriers can be good for economic performance. Secondly, developing human capital is as important as superior institutional functioning for economic wellbeing. Indeed, the accumulation of human capital stocks via increased education might lead to improved institutional functioning, and the utilisation of policies like trade liberalisation. Policies aimed at educational improvement yield a double dividend: they improve institutions in the longer-run and in the shorter-run they will allow for greater gains to the economy from trade liberalisation. With regard to the role of international integration versus institutions we have found that openness counts for little per se in explaining income differences across countries. This is because it is an outcome and not a cause. Trade policies, and liberalisation, on the other hand, are not insignificant in explaining cross-country per-capita income variation. With regard to trade policies we can safely say that the overall policy stance, particularly those associated with black market premia in foreign exchange markets and export taxes, are most important in explaining differences in income across countries. The presence of these two phenomena are also closely related to poor institutional performance. Tariffs and quotas on imports, however, are of secondary importance, indicating that they are less growth retarding.


We report measurements of the tunneling density of states (DOS) of ultrathin Al films in which superconductivity is quenched by a parallel magnetic field, Hk . 48 kG. The normal state DOS not only displays the usual logarithmic zero bias anomaly (ZBA) but also a new anomaly, superimposed on the ZBA, that appears at bias voltages V , 2mBHkye, the electron Zeeman splitting. Measurements in tilted fields reveal that the Zeeman feature collapses with increasing perpendicular field component, suggesting that it is associated with the Cooper electron-electron interaction channel. [S0031-9007(96)00791-0]


In recent years, deep learning (DL) has shown great potential in the field of dermatological image analysis. However, existing datasets in this domain have significant limitations, including a small number of image samples, limited disease conditions, insufficient annotations, and non-standardized image acquisitions. To address these shortcomings, we propose a novel framework called DermSynth3D. DermSynth3D blends skin disease patterns onto 3D textured meshes of human subjects using a differentiable renderer and generates 2D images from various camera viewpoints under chosen lighting conditions in diverse background scenes. Our method adheres to top-down rules that constrain the blending and rendering process to create 2D images with skin conditions that mimic in-the-wild acquisitions, ensuring more meaningful results. The framework generates photo-realistic 2D dermoscopy images and the corresponding dense annotations for semantic segmentation of the skin, skin conditions, body parts, bounding boxes around lesions, depth maps, and other 3D scene parameters, such as camera position and lighting conditions. DermSynth3D allows for the creation of custom datasets for various dermatology tasks. We demonstrate the effectiveness of data generated using DermSynth3D by training DL models on synthetic data and evaluating them on various dermatology tasks using real 2D dermatological images. We make our code publicly available at https://github.com/sfu-mial/DermSynth3D.


Abstract Prominence eruptions are one of the most spectacular manifestations of our Sun's activity. Yet there is still some mystery surrounding their relevant physical conditions. What are their plasma parameters? How different are they from those of quiescent prominences? How do they relate to those within coronal mass ejections? We briefly review some recent results in non-LTE radiative transfer modelling which contribute to our knowledge of the plasma properties in eruptive prominences. We discuss in particular how these results, combined with observational data analysis, can help us in determining the plasma parameters in eruptive prominences.


Social networks have been rapidly grown over the last years. The critical socio-technical information they move through may be exploited to improve network performance. This is of utmost importance, especially in Next Generation Networks (NGNs) which provide numerous services with increased bandwidth requirements. In this paper, resource allocation in a bottleneck NGN link is investigated. A utility based technique is proposed where the utility function employed is modified; so as to incorporate the information obtained from an overlaid social network as expressed by an appropriately defined by the users average popularity. Then, the users resource allocation problem is formulated as an optimization problem under inequality constraints. Due to the increased complexity of the problem, the optimal bandwidth allocation is estimated numerically. The relevant results demonstrate the high impact of the social distance parameter on bandwidth allocation.


Thalidomide is attracting new interest. Since the discovery of its remarkable efficacy in erythema nodosum leprosum, the drug has been used successfully in a variety of dermatologic and other diseases whose apparent common thread is immune dysregulation. Meanwhile, immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory activities of thalidomide, particularly its inhibition of tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), have been identified and elucidated. The drug has also been found to inhibit angiogenesis. Recent clinical trials have shown thalidomide effective in graft-versus-host disease, Behçet's syndrome and aphthous ulcers and wasting associated with HIV infection. Provocative findings in other diseases, including primary HIV infection, HIV-associated diarrhoea, inflammatory bowel disease, cancer and sepsis, have suggested additional clinical applications. Use of thalidomide in women capable of childbearing is controversial. However, guidelines have emerged for prevention of teratogenicity and peripheral neuropathy, the drug's other major adverse effect. With appropriate safeguards, thalidomide may hold benefit for patients with a broad variety of disorders in which existing treatments are inadequate. Its current use may represent only a small part of its therapeutic potential.


Europium incorporated ZnO-chemically converted graphene (CCG) nanocomposites (ZEG) were synthesized by adopting a solvothermal process at 95 °C from the precursors of varying europium nitrate to zinc acetate molar ratios (R = 0.00, 0.05, 0.10, 0.15) in a fixed content of graphene oxide. Eu level (R value) in the precursors was found to play a role on tailoring the crystallite/particle size of hexagonal ZnO, as evidenced from X-ray diffraction/transmission electron microscopy analysis. The presence of chemical interaction/complexation between the oxygen functionalities of CCG and inorganic moieties (ZnO/Zn2+ and Eu ions) of nanocomposites were studied by FTIR, Raman, UV-Vis spectral and XPS measurements. The nanocomposites possessed meso pores as confirmed from BET nitrogen adsorption isotherm, and the sample ZEG(10) (R = 0.10) was found to possess the highest specific surface area. In spite of an UV emission at ∼385 nm, an orange emission (appeared at 595 nm) along with other visible emissions was observed from the photoluminescence spectra of nanocomposites. However, the intensity of the orange emission (λex = 400 nm) was found to be maximum in the ZEG(10) sample, which produced relatively bright orange fluorescent images of human breast cancer cells (MCF7) under confocal laser scanning microscope. This indicated the internalization of the nanomaterials within the cells. As obtained from the MTT assay, the samples (R ≥ 0.10) exhibited comparatively low in vitro cytotoxicity (higher cell viability) on the cancer cells. The low cytotoxicity could be explained on the basis of the ID/IG (intensities of D and G bands of graphene) value of CCG, as realized from the Raman spectral measurement. The nanocomposite ZEG(10), having relatively large surface area, bright cell imaging capability and better cell viability, could be employed for cancer cell targeted optical imaging and drug delivery.


What is generalised anxiety disorder?

The story in this book is based on an anxiety disorder called generalised anxiety disorder.

Most children worry every now and again about school or friends or something or other. However, some children worry excessively about nearly everything.

They worry about what happened that day and what might happen tomorrow. They worry about negative social outcomes and negative physical outcomes. Their worry seems uncontrollable. They are often tense, watchful, restless, irritable and have difficulty concentrating.


This paper presents the generalized response of electronic nose sensors to odorant and reviews the range of sensors used in electronic nose (e-nose) systems. The response of the sensor is analyzed as first order time response. This paper outlines the operating principles and important features of each sensor type as well as the applications in which the different sensors have been utilized. It also outlines the advantages and disadvantages of each sensor for application in a cost-effective e-nose system.


Silicon CCDs have limited sensitivity to particles and photons with short penetration depth, due to the surface depletion caused by the inherent positive charge in the native oxide. Because of surface depletion, internally-generated electrons are trapped near the irradiated surface and therefore cannot be transported to the detection circuitry. This deleterious surface potential can be eliminated by low-temperature molecular beam epitaxial (MBE) growth of a delta-doped layer on the Si surface. This effect has been demonstrated through achievement of 100% internal quantum efficiency for UV photons detected with delta-doped CCDs.
In this paper, we will discuss the modification of the band bending near the CCD surface by low-temperature MBE and report the application of delta-doped CCDs to low-energy electron detection. We show that modification of the surface can greatly improve sensitivity to low-energy electrons. Measurements comparing the response of delta-doped CCDs with untreated CCDs were made in the 50 eV-1.5 keV energy range. For electrons with energies below 300 eV, the signal from untreated CCDs was below the detection limit for our apparatus, and data are presented only for the response of delta-doped CCDs at these energies. The effects of multiple electron hole pair (EHP) production and backscattering on the observed signals are discussed.


Parasitoid wasps have long been considered as model organisms for examining optimal resource allocation to different fitness functions, such as body size and development time. Unlike insect predators, which may need to consume many prey items to attain maturity, parasitoids generally rely on a limited amount of resources that are obtained from a single source (the host). This review discusses a range of ecophysiological constraints that affect host quality and concomitantly the evolution of development strategies in parasitoids. Two macroevolutionary differences in host usage strategies (idiobiosis, koinobiosis) are initially described. Over many years, particular attention has been paid in examining a range of quantitative host attributes such as size, age, or stage, as these affect idiobiont and koinobiont parasitoid development. Parasitoids and their hosts, however, constitute only a small part of an ecological community. Consequently, host quality may be affected by a broad range of factors that may operate over variable spatial and temporal scales. Intimate factors include aggressive competition with other parasitoids and pathogens for access to host resources, whereas less intimate factors include the effects of toxic plant compounds (allelochemicals) on parasitoid performance as mediated through primary and/or secondary hosts. It is suggested that future experiments should increase the levels of trophic complexity as these influence the evolution of life history and development strategies in parasitoids. This includes integration of a suite of direct and indirect mechanisms, including biological processes occurring in different ecological realms, such as above‐ground and below‐ground interactions.


Aim: To examine the relationship of duration of symptoms with the disease outcomes in patients with COPD. Background: COPD patients have varying degree of symptoms. We hypothesized that duration of symptoms may be useful to understand the disease progression. Methods: This observational study carried out in England. The patients were recruited and followed up between September 1999 and December 2002 and then 2007-2008, respectively. Patient's demographics were recorded. Medical Research Council Dyspnoea (D) score were used to measure degree of breathlessness and spirometry were utilized to evaluate the severity of disease. Patients were asked about the COPD symptoms and for how long they have these symptoms including shortness of breath, cough, and the duration of their symptoms. Results: A total of 269 subjects were recruited. Of those 227 were with the diagnosis of COPD and 42 as non COPD or control group. The data is normally distributed. The study results show that there is a strong correlation between duration of symptoms and physiological variables both at baseline and at follow up. These include age (p=0.04), pack years (p=0.02), MRC score (p=0.04) and FEV1 (p<0.001).When GOLD stages of severity were used to explore the relationship; it becomes evident that patients with higher GOLD stage had longer duration of symptoms. Conclusion: These findings indicate the possible role of considering duration of symptoms as a useful marker of disease progression and its relationship with other disease outcomes in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients.


Nonequilibrium chemical phenomena are known to play an important role in single molecule microscopy and spectroscopy. Herein, we explore these effects through ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD)-based Raman spectral simulations. We target an isolated aromatic thiol (thiobenzonitrile, TBN) as a prototypical molecular system. We first show that the essential features contained in the ensemble-averaged Raman spectrum of TBN can be reproduced by averaging over 18 short AIMD trajectories spanning a total simulation time of ∼60 ps. This involved more than 90 000 polarizability calculations at the B3LYP/def2-TZVP level of theory. We then illustrate that the short trajectories (∼3.3 ps total simulation time), where the accessible phase space is not fully sampled, provide a starting point for understanding key features that are often observed in measurements targeting single molecules. Our results suggest that a complete understanding of single molecule Raman scattering needs to account for molecular conformational flexibility and nonequilibrium chemical phenomena in addition to local optical fields and modified selection rules. The former effects are well-captured using the described AIMD-based single molecule Raman spectral simulations.


We build an agent-based model to study how fiscal multipliers can change over the business cycle. Our approach considers the economy as a complex evolving system. In that, fiscal state-dependent multipliers are emergent disequilibrium phenomenon stemming from the interaction among an ecology of heterogeneous agents. We study fiscal multipliers in response to dfferent microeconomic shocks hitting the economy. We show that defficit-spending fiscal policy dampens the effect of a shock and lowers its persistence. Moreover, we show that the size and dynamics of the fiscal multi- plier is inversely related to the evolution of credit rationing in the aftermath of the shock. We also investigate the effects of two different balanced budget rules. In the first type of such experiments, government expenditure is constrained to be equal to tax revenues of each period. In the second one the tax rate is eventually raised to balance a given level of government expenditure. We show that fiscal multipliers are very low with both balanced-budget rules. Finally, we show that fiscal multipliers are higher into more leveraged economies.


The P2X7 receptor is a trimeric ligand-gated cation channel activated by extracellular adenosine 5′-triphosphate. The study of animals has greatly advanced the investigation of P2X7 and helped to establish the numerous physiological and pathophysiological roles of this receptor in human health and disease. Following a short overview of the P2X7 distribution, roles and functional properties, this article discusses how animal models have contributed to the generation of P2X7-specific antibodies and nanobodies (including biologics), recombinant receptors and radioligands to study P2X7 as well as to the pharmacokinetic testing of P2X7 antagonists. This article then outlines how mouse and rat models have been used to study P2X7. These sections include discussions on preclinical disease models, polymorphic P2X7 variants, P2X7 knockout mice (including bone marrow chimeras and conditional knockouts), P2X7 reporter mice, humanized P2X7 mice and P2X7 knockout rats. Finally, this article reviews the limited number of studies involving guinea pigs, rabbits, monkeys (rhesus macaques), dogs, cats, zebrafish, and other fish species (seabream, ayu sweetfish, rainbow trout and Japanese flounder) to study P2X7.


The infusion of ammonium acetate has been shown to cause an increased respiratory rate and results in respiratory alkalosis in unanesthetized dogs. Convulsions and electrocardiographic changes also accompanied the respiratory alkalosis which resulted from the infusion of ammonium. Administration of 10% carbon dioxide greatly increased the animals9 tolerance to infused ammonium acetate. Submitted on September 29, 1955


Person names and location names are essential building blocks for identifying events and social networks in historical documents that were written in literary Chinese. We take the lead to explore the research on algorithmically recognizing named entities in literary Chinese for historical studies with language-model based and conditional-random-field based methods, and extend our work to mining the document structures in historical documents. Practical evaluations were conducted with texts that were extracted from more than 220 volumes of local gazetteers (Difangzhi, $$$). Difangzhi is a huge and the single most important collection that contains information about officers who served in local government in Chinese history. Our methods performed very well on these realistic tests. Thousands of names and addresses were identified from the texts. A good portion of the extracted names match the biographical information currently recorded in the China Biographical Database (CBDB) of Harvard University, and many others can be verified by historians and will become as new additions to CBDB.1


Ultramafic and related mafic rocks can conveniently be classified in terms of the tectonic environment in which they were emplaced. Among those bodies emplaced in an orogenic environment one can distinguish synvolcanic bodies, both intrusive and extrusive, emplaced before the peak of orogenesis; alpine bodies (ophiolites) emplaced during orogenesis; and Alaskan-type complexes emplaced in the waning stages of orogenesis. Large stratiform complexes (Bushveld type), plateau-type sills (Dufek type), and medium- and small-sized picritic intrusions are characteristic of a cratonic environment. Synvolcanic bodies belong to two distinct magma suites: (1) the highly magnesian komatiitic suite, characterized by spinifex-textured ultramafic flows, a low FeO/(FeO + MgO) ratio for a given Al 2 O 3 content, and relatively low TiO 2 contents; and (2) a less magnesian tholeiitic suite, lacking spinifex texture and having a higher FeO/(FeO + MgO) ratio and TiO 2 content.The Alaskan complexes differ from each of the other economically interesting types in the alkalic nature of their magma (Irvine, 1974) and therefore the total absence of orthopyroxene in the rocks. Stratiform complexes such as Bushveld and Stillwater are at the other end of the spectrum. They have a high normative orthopyroxene to clinopyroxene ratio and crystallize in this order: olivine, orthopyroxene, and plagioclase plus augite or plagioclase and then augite. Magmas responsible for some of the other important bodies fall between these two end members, although they are all tholeiitic and contain normative orthopyroxene.Platinum-group element concentrations occur as discrete platinum-group minerals or as solid solutions in sulfides, arsenides, and sulfarsenides associated with synvolcanic bodies, stratiform complexes, and picritic intrusions. Alpine and Alaskan-type rocks contain only very low grade concentrations of sulfides, but platinum-group element concentrations occur as placer deposits derived from Alaskan-type bodies and, to a lesser extent, from alpine bodies.In the sulfide ores of the Merensky, Pechenga, Sudbury, and Noril9sk deposits, the Pt/(Pt + Pd) ratio decreases systematically with an increasing Cu/(Cu + Ni) ratio. Since the latter ratio is thought to increase with progressive differentiation of the host silicate magma, it is suggested that the trend of the decreasing Pt/(Pt + Pd) ratio is also related to differentiation. Ores associated with komatiites are major exceptions to the trend exhibited by the tholeiites, the komatiite ores having both a low Cu/(Cu + Ni) and a low Pt/(Pt + Pd) ratio. It is suggested that this is due to the fact that komatiites originate at unusually great depths in the mantle, depths at which mantle sulfides (rich in Pd) have accumulated and are hence incorporated in the magmas.


This paper discusses the student-focused learning activities employed by a number of computing lecturers at the University of Worcester to encourage learning amongst 2nd and 3rd year undergraduates. These activities include on-line discussions, variations on group discussion and presentational activities, students undertaking and analysing computer simulations, and the completion of a structured series of programming activities. The paper introduces the background to these learning activities, documents them and then analyses the approach adopted by members of staff. This is followed by a review of the feedback from both students and academic staff. Finally, the paper comments on the awareness of the academics of the term 'Constructive Alignment'.


PT. Aston System Indonesia is company engaged on the printer sale and purchase. PT. Aston System Indonesia requires a performance measurement to measure the performance of the business units. Currently, Measurements is still focused on the financial term . Good performance can be measured by profit and non-profit assessment. Performance Prism can help PT. Aston System Indonesia to generate stakeholder satisfaction and contribution to be an objectives, strategies, processes, and capabilities. The level of success can be measured with a Performance Indicator(PI). The result of this design shows 38 PI which scattered in 11 objectives, 23 strategies, 16 processes, and 24 capability and associated with the four stakeholders. Based on a weighting of performance indicators, 10 indicators of performance that has the highest weight selected as key performance indicators (Key Performance Indicators or KPI) such as Warranty claims ( 0082), customer satisfaction index ( 0078), Accuracy pay the supplier ( 0.075), ratio inaccuracy order completion time ( 0073), the availability of stock ( 0.063), Data Updates ( 0057), a fast moving product ( 0.047), percentage increase in salary ( 0044), Giving cashback / discount ( 0.040) and the percentage attendance ( 0.030


Rapid urbanization of developing cities creates challenges for governments to update and maintain the city infrastructure. One particular challenge is to plan for road capacities that will sustain the growing demand for surface transportation on the road network. For these cities, a sophisticated road infrastructure that includes sensors (e.g., loop detectors and traffic cameras) and/or probe vehicles equipped to detect pavement roughness are ideal for traffic infrastructure management. However, the cost of such tools for developing cities is often prohibitively expensive. For these reasons, road infrastructure management strategies that are able to leverage low-cost technologies and data resources are highly sought after in these areas. We refer to these strategies as frugal innovations. In this paper we explore a frugal approach for monitoring road quality in Nairobi, Kenya. Our aim is to use characteristics of speed distributions to detect the presence of pavement distresses (including speed bumps) for Nairobi, Kenya's road network. We first derive link speeds from mobile GPS traces, and then perform graphical as well as quantitative distributional comparisons of the speed distributions on travel network links with speed bumps present, compared to links without speed bumps present. Our results support our hypotheses that distributional comparisons on travel speeds can indeed serve as useful tools to detect the presence of speed bumps and other road distresses.


Abstract: Studies using live attenuated virus vaccines in the simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) rhesus macaque model have demonstrated broad protection against experimental challenge. Protection in these studies was found to be critically dependent on the length of time postvaccination, suggesting that protective immunity involves a necessary maturation of immune responses. The current study characterizes the evolution of protective envelope‐specific antibody responses from monkeys inoculated with the highly attenuated SIV/17E‐C1 virus vaccine. For comparison, the same antibody assays were used to characterize the properties of SIV envelope‐specific antibodies elicited by inactivated whole virus and envelope subunit vaccines that failed to provide protection from experimental virus challenge. Results of these studies identify a continuous and complex maturation of envelope‐specific antibody responses during the first six to eight months postinfection. Furthermore, the time required for maturation of SIV envelope‐specific antibodies parallels the time required for the development of protective immunity against experimental challenge with heterologous strains of SIV. While no single immune correlate of protection has been identified, we suggest that a combination of antibody parameters may serve as prognostic indicators in the development of candidate AIDS vaccines.


ABSTRACT The aim of the authors in this study was to determine the psychometric properties of the Greek adaptation of the High-Risk Pregnancy Stress Scale (HRPSS) in a sample of high-risk hospitalized pregnant women. The sample consisted of 133 high-risk pregnant women with gestational age from 9 to 37 weeks. Data were collected between February and June of 2014. HRPSS was "forward–backward" translated from English to Greek. Principal axis factoring with promax rotation was used to test the factor structure of the HRPSS. Measures of state anxiety (STAI) and depressive symptoms (EPDS) were used to assess the convergent validity of the HRPSS. Exploratory factor analysis suggested three factors: concerns of pregnancy, movement restriction, and isolation and restriction of external activities. Construct validity was confirmed by computing correlations between the HRPSS and constructions of anxiety and depressive symptoms. Internal consistency reliability was satisfactory (α = 0.813). The original factor structure of the HRPSS was only partly replicated. The results of the exploratory factor analysis suggested that a three-factor solution instead of a two-factor solution would be the most adequate. The HRPSS is an appropriate measure for assessing the levels of concerns regarding pregnancy outcome, movement restriction, isolation, and external activity restrictions in Greek high-risk pregnant women.


Colon capsule endoscopy (CCE) is being actively evaluated as an emerging complementary or alternative procedure for evaluation of the colon. The yield of CCE is significantly dependent on the quality of bowel preparation. In addition to achieving a stool-free colon the bowel preparation protocols need to decrease bubble effect and aid propulsion of the capsule. An extensive English literature search was done using PubMed with search terms of colon capsule endoscopy, PillCam and bowel preparation. Full-length articles which met the criteria were included for review. A total of 12 studies including 1149 patients were reviewed. There was significant variability in the type of bowel preparation regimens. Large-volume (3–4 liters) polyethylene glycol (PEG) was the most widely used laxative. Lower volumes of PEG showed comparable results but larger studies are needed to determine efficacy. Sodium phosphate was used as an effective booster in most studies. Magnesium citrate and ascorbic acid are emerging as promising boosters to replace sodium phosphate when it is contraindicated. The potential benefit of prokinetics needs further evaluation. Over the past decade there has been significant improvement in the bowel preparation regimens for CCE. Further experience and studies are likely to standardize the bowel preparation regimens before CCE is adopted into routine clinical practice.


The study is an analysis of data gathering and data processing practices pertaining major PC digital distribution and streaming platforms, that is Valve's Steam and Amazon's Twitch.tv. Selected case studies from diff erent than Western perspectives on gaming culture and the use of technology were introduced to assess the globalized state of the industry. The study consists of three parts: fi rst, it deals with the notion of digital spatiality. Second, it scrutinizes the persuasiveness of the multi-layer visual interfaces. Third, it moves into spaces beyond gameplay and addresses the double nature of modern dataveillance techniques which mediate between the visible and non-visible elements of the analyzed gaming service platforms. The methodological scaff olding of the work is based on digital surveillance studies and software studies approaches rooted in the visual aspect of the GUIs (graphical user interfaces).


Abstract We study the backwards Markov chain for the Bak–Sneppen model of biological evolution and derive its corresponding reversibility equations. We show that, in contrast to the forwards Markov chain, the dynamics of the backwards chain explicitly involve the stationary distribution of the model, and from this we derive a functional equation that the stationary distribution must satisfy. We use this functional equation to derive differential equations for the stationary distribution of Bak–Sneppen models in which all but one or all but two of the fitnesses are replaced at each step, subject to certain conditions on the relative locations of the replaced species. This gives a unified way of deriving Schlemm's expressions for the stationary distributions of the isotropic four-species model, the isotropic five-species model, and the anisotropic three-species model.


Traction drives are among the simplest of all speed changing mechanisms. Although they have been in industrial use for more than 50 years, their operating characteristics and performance capabilities are not widely known. This paper briefly traces their technical evolution from early uses as main transmissions in automobiles at the turn of the century to modern, high-powered traction drives capable of transmitting hundreds of horsepower. Recent advances in technology are described which enable today's traction drive to be a serious candidate for off-highway vehicles and helicopter applications. Improvements in materials, traction fluids, design techniques, power loss and life prediction methods will be highlighted. Performance characteristics of the Nasvytis fixed-ratio drive are given. Promising future drive applications, such as helicopter main transmissions and servo-control positioning mechanisms are also addressed.


BACKGROUND
Herniation through drain sites is a rare but recognized complication of surgical drainage and are actually considered to be a type of incisional hernia. Incisional hernias form following surgery through the incision site or previous drain sites, or through laparoscopic trocar insertion sites.

PATIENTS AND METHODS
In this paper, we present 13 such patients with incisional hernia of the main laparotomy wound and at the drain site, and 1 patient with an isolated drain-site hernia. A laparoscopic meshplasty with a simple suturing of the drain-site defect was performed.

DISCUSSION
Incisional hernias are reported to occur in approximately 4%-10% of patients following open surgical procedures. There are several studies that have proven the efficacy of laparoscopic repair of incisional hernias, when compared to open procedures. The main predisposing factor regarding incisional hernias is probably the presence of a sepsis during the previous laparotomy, which was why the drainage tube was kept in the first place.

CONCLUSIONS
The laparoscopic approach is useful for repairing the main incisional hernia, as well as drain-site hernias, simultaneously. We cut costs by avoiding tacking devices and use intracorporeal suturing instead.


In mediation analysis, the effect of an exposure (or treatment) on an outcome variable is decomposed into two components: a direct effect, which pertains to an immediate influence of the exposure on the outcome, and an indirect effect, which the exposure exerts on the outcome through a third variable called mediator. Our motivating example concerns the relationship between maternal smoking (the exposure, $X$), birthweight (the mediator, $M$), and infant mortality (the outcome, $Y$), which has attracted the interest of epidemiologists and statisticians for many years. We introduce new causal estimands, named $u$-specific direct and indirect effects, which describe the direct and indirect effects of the exposure on the outcome at a specific quantile $u$ of the mediator, $0 < u < 1$. Under sequential ignorability we derive an interesting and novel decomposition of $u$-specific indirect effects. The components of this decomposition have a straightforward interpretation and can provide new insights into the complexity of the mechanisms underlying the indirect effect. We illustrate the proposed methods using data on infant mortality in the US population. We provide analytical evidence that supports the hypothesis that the risk of sudden infant death syndrome is not predicted by changes in the birthweight distribution.


Phytohormones are chemical substances that induce physiological responses in plants in minute concentrations. Apart from the classical five phytohormones viz., auxins, gibberellins, cytokinins, ethylene and abscisic acid, there are other well-known phytohormones like brassinosteroids, methyl jasmonates, salicylic acid, strigolactones etc., that have a profound role during abiotic stress tolerance. Plants are prone to various abiotic stresses like heat, chilling, freezing, drought, flooding, oxidative, salt, allelochemicals, radiation, light, wind, heavy metals stresses etc. Among the various abiotic stresses in plants, salt stress is an important aspect that hinders growth, metabolism and final yields of plants. The roles of above mentioned phytohormones which can alleviate the salt stress are slowly unfolding. The present review deals with the role of the phytohormones on the alleviation of salt stress in plants.


: Cloud computing is a new consumption and delivery model for IT services. The cloud has become an attractive platform for enterprises to deploy and execute their business services for business to business (B2B) and government to government (G2G) collaborations, etc. There are many concerns about cloud computing especially in terms of security, privacy and trust. These main issues have prevented businesses from fully accepting cloud platforms. Cloud computing demands three primary security requirements: confidentiality, integrity, and availability. In this paper we discuss some these issues by reviewing a recently proposed model [1] that interestingly handles secure messaging among services deployed within the same cloud or on different clouds. Then, we report on our ongoing work which is based on enhancing and developing this model. This is mainly achieved by adding a new service layer which is responsible for offering a high level of trust between collaborative parties. The added layer facilitates the integration of this model with the Public-Key Infrastructure (PKI). The main objective of the developed model is to increase the trust of the whole system by preventing any unauthorized party from joining the connectivity service. Indeed, our system can prevent any involved organization from launching masquerade attacks.


In recent years RFID emerged as powerful and disrupting technologies (Krotov and Junglas, 2008), which can have a major impact on enterprise business practices, changing the way business processes are designed (Lefebvre et al., 2005). It is perhaps the biggest thing to hit the IT world since the Internet (Heinrich, 2005). In fact, it has been coined as "the next big thing for management" (Wyld, 2006), the "key to automate everything" (Want, 2004) enabling "the next wave of the IT revolution" (Srivastava, 2004), and fostering a higher level of electronic integration between supply chain members (Bendavid et al., 2009). RFID represents far more than a technological hype and has deep implications for organizations B2B E-Commerce practices. It is still an emerging phenomenon with a relatively rapid speed of adoption and its diffusion global, spanning over industries in different continents. In 2008 the value of the entire RFID market was estimated to $5.29 billion, up from $4.93 billion in 2007 (IDTechEx, 2008). Although the current slow-down in the economic environment is impacting the worldwide RFID market for RFID hardware, software and services, according to VDC Research Group (2008), compared to earlier estimates, the market forecasts have to be lowered ABSTRACT


Introduces a singular value-based method for reducing a given fuzzy rule set. The method conducts singular value decomposition of the rule consequents and generates certain linear combinations of the original membership functions to form new ones for the reduced set. The present work characterizes membership functions by the conditions of sum normalization (SN), nonnegativeness (NN), and normality (NO). Algorithms to preserve the SN and NN conditions in the new membership functions are presented. Preservation of the NO condition relates to a high-dimensional convex hull problem and is not always feasible in which case a closed-to-NO solution may be sought. The proposed method is applicable regardless of the adopted inference paradigms. With product-sum-gravity inference and singleton support fuzzy rule base, output errors between the full and reduced fuzzy set are bounded by the sum of the discarded singular values. The work discusses three specific applications of fuzzy reduction: fuzzy rule base with singleton support, fuzzy rule base with nonsingleton support (which includes the case of missing rules), and the Takagi-Sugeno-Kang (TSK) model. Numerical examples are presented to illustrate the reduction process.


Individual buried CdTe/CdMgTe quantum dots (QDs) with diameters down to 140 nm have been realized using a novel technique of selective intermixing. SiO2 masks are defined by high-resolution electron beam lithography and a subsequent annealing step causes a lateral selective interdiffusion between Cd and Mg atoms beneath the SiO2 masks. This results in a lateral modulation of the bandgap with a confinement potential of up to 270 meV. Photoluminescence studies of single QDs confirm the quasi-three-dimensional confinement of excitons, which is evidenced by a pronounced linewidth narrowing, the formation of biexcitons and the observation of excited state emission.


A cross-sectional study to examine a current phenomenon of great concern among the medical communities in developing countries is rising multi-drug resistant organisms and the challenges of curing the infections in children. In this study, we evaluated the multi drug resistant strains of Escherichia coli (E. coli) isolated from urinary tract infection in children in southern sindh, Pakistan. Multi-drugs strains of E. coli in Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) with protein malnutrition, Iron deficiency anemia and Vitamin B12 and Folic Acid deficiency anemia was conducted among female children in southern sindh, Pakistan. A total of 150 female children aged up to 5 years were studied. The data were collected using structured questionnaires, anthropometric measurements and laboratory analysis of blood and Urine samples. The results showed that 47.4% of the female children were infected with multi-drugs resistance Escherichia coli, while 18.3% had significantly underweight, stunting and wasting respectively. Urinary tract infection with multi-drugs resistance strains Escherichia coli was statistically identified as a strong predictor of significant wasting in this study population.


Theoretical studies of the resistive equilibrium and stability of an EXTRAP Z-pinch are reported. Extending the previous analysis we reassess properties of the resistive equilibrium in EXTRAP with the emphasis on the time dependence of the latter. We also qualitatively consider the role of resistive instabilities in EXTRAP, showing that the typical timescale of the filamentation of the discharge (i.e., the non-linear development of the tearing instability) is comparable, at present, to the discharge duration. On the other hand, we emphasize that this phenomenon may still be consistent with the experimental observation of the Bennet's equilibrium. The processes of the current start-up and ramp-up are also analysed for EXTRAP and it is shown that the peculiarities of these processes may lead to the compression oscillations around an evolving rather stable equilibrium. Finally, some consequences of the average minimum-B concept for EXTRAP are discussed and it is shown that this issue virtually reduces to the appearance of the negative curvature of the magnetic field at the periphery. The maximum attainable value of β at the periphery of the pinch is obtained, as required by the ballooning stability criterion. The influence of the finite resistivity on the ballooning mode is also estimated.


Summary: Injection of epidermal growth factor (EGF) into 24-day rabbit fetuses (5 μg, im or ip) induced accelerated maturation of the lung. On sacrifice at day 27, there was greater distensibility and stability on deflation associated with the appearance of a complement of type II cells approaching that of the rabbit at term. EGF treatment had no demonstrable effect on body weight or lung weight in this group of animals. Saline-injected control fetuses were not affected significantly.Speculation: EGF is capable not only of promoting epithelial cell growth but also differentiation in the fetal rabbit lung. It may be an important hormone in the maturation of the lung and capable of protecting the prematurely delivered fetus against the development of hyaline membrane disease.


This paper describes a dynamic, general equilibrium model designed to assess whether contractual imperfections in the form of limited enforcement can account for international differences in the organization of production. In the model, limited enforcement constrains agents to operate establishments below their optimal scale. As a result, economies where contracts are enforced more efficiently tend to be richer and emphasize large scale production. Calibrated simulations of the model reveal that these effects can be large and account for a sizeable part of the observed differences in the size distribution of manufacturing establishments between the United States, Mexico and Argentina.


Organic farming is an approach to agriculture that emphasises environmental protection, animal welfare, food quality and health, sustainable resource use and social justice objectives, and which utilises the market to help support these objectives and compensate for the internalisation of externalities. Since the early 1990s, the organic sector has grown rapidly across Europe and globally, thanks to a combination of strong consumer demand, developing regulatory frameworks, direct financial support and insecurity in the conventional agricultural sector. The sector's success in utilising the market to support the broader public good goals has been seen as a role model for mixing market and public support mechanisms in agriculture, but the market has also come to dominate in many circumstances, threatening the achievement of the underlying goals and the integrity of the organic approach. With market growth slowing across Europe, has organic farming achieved its potential? Or is this just an illustration of the limits of relying on markets to support the delivery of public goods – another example of market failure in the making?


Renal tubular acidosis (RTA) is not uncommon in patient with chronic autoimmune hepatitis (AIH), but usually remains latent. Here, we report a case of renal tubular acidosis RTA who presented with AIH. She was also diagnosed to have partial bowel malrotation. A 9-year-old girl, a case of distal RTA, presented with jaundice, abdominal distension and altered sensorium. She was diagnosed to be AIH, which was successfully treated with steroids and azathioprine. Coexistent midgut partial malrotation with volvulus was diagnosed during the treatment. She was treated successfully with anti-tuberculous treatment for cervical lymphadenitis. Autoimmune hepatitis should not be ruled out in each case of RTA presenting with jaundice. How to cite this article Modi TK, Parikh H, Sadalge A, Gupte A, Bhatt P, Shukla A. Autoimmune Hepatitis with Distal Renal Tubular Acidosis and Small Bowel Partial Malrotation. Euroasian J Hepato-Gastroenterol 2015;5(2):107-109.


It is a long-standing and remarkable problem as to when and how red S0 galaxies were formed in clusters of galaxies. We here propose that the major mechanism for the S0 creation is galaxy merging between two spirals with unequal mass. Our numerical simulations demonstrate that galaxy merging exhausts a large amount of the interstellar medium of two gas-rich spirals, owing to the moderately enhanced star formation, and subsequently transforms the two into one gas-poor S0 galaxy with a structure and kinematics strikingly similar to the observed ones. This secondary S0 formation with enhanced star formation explains the smaller fraction of the S0 population recently observed in some distant clusters of galaxies. Unequal-mass galaxy mergers thus provide an evolutionary link between a larger number of blue spirals observed in intermediate-redshift clusters and the red S0's prevalent in the present-day ones.


Since Restriction of Hazardous Substance (RoHS) Regulation came into effect in year 2006 due to the hazardous effects of lead to human's health and toxicity for environment, Ball Grid Array (BGA) semiconductor chip are widely used for many electronic applications including portable, automotive and telecommunication products that require stringent thermal and mechanical requirements. However, dropped balls in lead-free BGA products due to poor solder joint strength caused by reliability stress are a major concern in the semiconductor industries. A new technology with polymer core inside the solder ball (polymer core/Cu/Sn) is integrated to improve the solder joint strength. The polymer core inside the solder ball is function to dissipate the stress better as compared to the lead-free solder ball. The diffusion rate of Cu is faster than the diffusion rate of Sn, thus Kirkendall voids are tends to form in between the interface at the Cu and Sn layer, especially after subjected to the high temperature reliability stress. This would affect the solder joint strength and causing drop ball issue. To overcome this, an additional of 1 μm Ni layer is coated on the Cu (polymer core/Cu/Sn/Ni) to reduce the diffusion from Cu to Sn, to avoid Kirkendall voids formation. This research work studies the performance of the solder ball shear strength and IMC thickness of two types of polymer core solder balls applied to BGA device. In this research, polymer core solder balls were went through under AC (Autoclave) and TC (Temperature Cycle) reliability test up to 144 hours and 1000 cycles, respectively. Solder ball shear strength test was conducted via Dage 4000 series bond tester and IMC thickness measurement via cold mount cross-section. From the results of the two types of polymer core solder ball, observed that, the ball shear strength were decreased with increased of aging time, while IMC thicknesses were increased with increase of aging time. This is probably due to the rapid Cu diffusion into the Cu core interface resulting in lower shear strength and thicker IMC. From this research work, it can be concluded that the polymer core solder ball with an additional Ni layer showed better performance than the polymer core solder ball without Ni layer, after subjected to the AC and TC reliability test. This is due to the Ni layer could limit the Cu diffusion into the solder thus resulting in good solder joint strength and drop reliability performance as well as reduced crack issues caused from Kirkendall voids.


The Internet has changed consumer behaviour, having an impact on local retail. At the same time, the number of smartphone users is continuously increasing, making mobile applications more and more important. By using Bluetooth beacons – small radio transmitters that can be placed anywhere and are processed by relevant apps – shopping can be facilitated and made more enjoyable. Even though some supermarkets, especially in the USA, are already using beacons, their use is not common and less researched in Germany. Pilot projects only refer to usage data and reaction times while customers are rarely asked for their opinion. This project analyses potentials of usage and customer acceptance of concepts based on beacons in retail via an online consumer survey, discusses the conception of an app, and provides a subsequent qualitative evaluation. As a starting point for our concept development and app implementation, the initial online survey of 203 participants emphasises the importance of user-friendly settings as well as costumers' interest in informative communication. Throughout all steps of our design case study, concerns for data privacy as well as the interest in transparency were apparent and regarded accordingly. The field experiment stresses users' perceptions of potentially useful functions, and highlights design-related aspects for improvement, offering useful implications for the future design of shopping apps. 100 Thematic Focus : Socio-Informatics Media in Action


We have fabricated fluorescing polystyrene/dicyanopyrazine-linked porphyrin (PS/4-TDCPP) nanofibers using the electrospinning technique. UV-vis spectroscopy shows a strong Soret band and two relatively weak Q bands from the PS/4-TDCPP films and fibers, and reveals that the 4-TDCPP molecules are homogeneously dispersed in the films and fibers. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) reveals the effect of solvent and collecting distance on the morphology of the electro-spun PS/4-TDCPP fibers. Fibers spun from a 50% dimethlyformamide (DMF), 50% methylethylketone (MEK) solution have ultra-fine structures with an average diameter of 300 nm. In the case of fibers from pure DMF and DMF:MEK (1:3) solutions, beads are formed along the length of the fibers. Variation of the collecting distance from 20 to 30 cm does not induce significant differences in the morphology of the electro-spun PS/4-TDCPP fibers. However, at a collecting distance of 15 cm, many beads are formed along the fibers. Acid-sensing capability of the PS/4-TDCPP fibers is demonstrated by fluorescence microscopy.


Post-Lisbon initiatives to address the democratic deficit that attempted to reach greater institutional balance was not synchronous with overall framework, and coexistent with the provisions reminiscent of the diminished role of the European Parliament in the past. Fostered intergovernmental drift lead to the weakening of the Commission vis-a-vis the Council and the European Parliament. Progressive loss of supranationalism tends to shift at another end of this process, offering loss of viability of the union. This is especially detrimental at the time of challenges which necessitates reinstating the role of the Commission. This can be done by providing the right of legislative initiative to the Parliament, preventing it from further encroachment, and by integration of the Council formed of executives with the executive Commission allowing to reach traditional separation of powers. This can potentially mitigate the intergovernmental drift and turning the union into intergovernmental organization.


Two trends are currently driving the need for supply chain firms to form closely integrated relationships: collaboration and digitisation. One of the ways to achieve digitisation of supply chain operations is to implement Inter-Organisational Information Systems (IOIS) with selected supply chain partners for a much more efficient, streamlined and orchestrated supply chain operations. Whilst IOIS can be implemented to support various cross-functional business processes (ranging from operational information exchange to pursuing strategic initiatives such as sharing ideas, identifying new market opportunities, and pursing a continuous improvement approach), in the context of this thesis, the purpose of IOIS implementation is to facilitate the inter-firm procurement-related operations with downstream supply chain firms.

The study undertaken in this research project was initiated in response to an industry requirement to investigate the implementation of IOIS against a backdrop of improved Supply Chain Management and integration practices by large contractor organisations. A case study research strategy was adopted to investigate the IOIS project related, IOIS (system) related issues encountered in ex-ante and ex-post implementation stages of the IOIS. The study concludes that it is the non-technical factors that are critical to the successful delivery of IOIS projects and provides a guideline on IOIS implementation by large contractor organisations. The findings of this research project have been published in a number of peer-reviewed papers.


This thesis presents the results of research on the validation of models used to evaluate the intrusion of subsurface volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into buildings, often referred to as the "soil vapour transport to indoor air pathway". Evaluation of this exposure pathway is important in the context of risk-based corrective action for contaminated sites. The study scope addresses both the fate and transport of VOCs in the unsaturated zone, and intrusion of VOCs through the subsurface building envelope (i.e., foundation). The primary approach adopted to investigate and validate models was to obtain extensive field monitoring data on V O C vapour transport and intrusion, obtained at a former petro-chemical plant site ("Chatterton" site). The Chatterton site, located near Vancouver, B.C., Canada, is contaminated with benzene, toluene and xylenes (BTX). To facilitate measurement of B T X intrusion, a small building (greenhouse) with controlled properties was constructed. A number of experiments were conducted to evaluate vadose zone processes and vapour intrusion for different greenhouse depressurization conditions. When the greenhouse was not subject to sustained fan-induced depressurization, there was significant aerobic biodegradation of B T X vapours between approximately 0.4 m and 0.8 m depth below the greenhouse, and subslab B T X vapour concentrations were low. When the greenhouse was depressurized to -10 pascals (Pa), the subslab B T X vapour concentrations were elevated, and significant vapour intrusion was measured using both tracer and flux chamber techniques, which was inferred to be a result of an upward B T X vapour flux that exceeded biodegradation capacity based on oxygen availability. A comprehensive analysis of case studies providing information on soil vapour intrusion was completed. This analysis, together with the Chatterton site results, were evaluated for key trends and factors affecting soil vapour intrusion. The vapour attenuation factors estimated based on field case studies were compared to those predicted using several screening level models, including the Johnson and Ettinger Model, a widely used model for this exposure pathway. The validation of screening models using field data is complicated in that model predictions can vary greatly depending on the model and input parameters used. Further, soil vapour fate and transport and intrusion into buildings is a complex process affected by numerous factors (soil properties, house conditions, and environmental factors); therefore, vapour intrusion will vary significantly depending on site specific conditions. The results of the model comparisons to field data indicated that screening level models, typically used for this exposure pathway, were found to generally yield conservative results (i.e., overpredict vapour intrusion); however, there were a few important exceptions. A multi-dimensional numerical model for vapour transport, which incorporated diffusion, biodegradation, sorption and soil gas advection, was also developed. Good comparisons between model predicted and measured vapour attenuation were obtained based on conditions observed at the Chatterton site.


Abstract : The absence of a band-gap and the lack of an adequate synthesis method of high quality graphene on silicon substrates have held back the applications of graphene in electronics and integrated micro- and nano-systems. This research pioneers a novel approach to the synthesis of high-quality and highly uniform few-layer graphene on silicon wafers, based on solid source growth from hetero-epitaxial SiC films. Using a Ni/Cu catalytic alloy high-quality, uniform bilayer graphene directly was realized on silicon wafers, at temperatures compatible with conventional semiconductor processing. The highest ever reported doping for graphene (approx. 1015/cm2), which also corresponded to record low sheet resistance was observed using this process. The p-type metal sheet is grown in-situ on silicon substrates, with processes fully compatible with semiconductor industry and its conduction is unmatched by any classical metal of only 1 nm thickness. This densely intercalated graphene bilayer offers both electrical and mechanical (adhesion) reliability, largely overlooked so far but both essential to qualify for any use in nanodevices. The extremely high doping may open a new area of basic physics investigation. The research illustrates how exceptional properties of the catalytic graphene on silicon substrates can advance a wide spectrum of practical applications ranging from efficient metal replacement at the nanoscale for MEMS/NEMS to miniaturized devices for on-chip energy storage.


In recent years the understanding on the limits of the smallest possible droplet of the Quark Gluon Plasma has been called into question. Experimental results from both the Large Hadron Collider and the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider have provided hints that the Quark Gluon Plasma may be produced in systems as small as that formed in pPb or dAu collisions. Yet alternative explanations still exist from correlations arising from quarks and gluons in a color glass condensate picture. In order to resolve these two scenarios, a system size scan has been proposed at the Large Hadron Collider for collisions of ArAr and OO. Here we make predictions for a possible future run of ArAr and OO collisions at the Large Hadron Collider and study the system size dependence of a variety of flow observables. We find that linear response (from the initial conditions to the final flow harmonics) becomes more dominant in smaller systems whereas linear+cubic response can accurately predict multi-particle cumulants for a wide range of centralities in large systems.


Conjugates of monoclonal antibodies with radioactive nuclides are frequently used in radioimmunotherapy. Because the conjugation procedure may adversely alter the antibody, the immunoreactivity of the antibody must be determined. In this study, we expand the mathematical description of cell-binding assays for the determination of immunoreactivity to include the amount of unlabeled antibody. We describe the relevant equations and constraints and develop a mathematical description of the underlying measurements. The dependence on antibody, on antigen or cell concentration, on the dissociation constant, and on the specific activity is taken into account. The functional dependence of bound labeled antibody on the experimental parameters is given, and the consequences for parameter estimation are discussed. In order to correctly interpret the experimental data for the immunoreactivity, one requires a mathematical model without unnecessary assumptions together with an appropriate nonlinear regression fit.


Cognition, language, and the speech motor system have robust interactions. The purpose of this study was to examine the specific interactions between working memory and speech motor performance in a dual-task activity. Nineteen healthy young adults read sentences of increasing length and complexity in two counterbalanced conditions: control (no concomitant task) and experimental (while performing a dual working memory task). Lip aperture values, production durations, and accuracy of speech were measured. Results indicated that the working memory has a significant effect on speech motor coordinative patterns and the percentage of syllable errors. Additionally, sentence length and complexity significantly affects speech motor coordinative patterns, percentage of syllable errors, and production duration. These findings suggest that the speech motor system is affected by increased cognitive demands, likely due to limitations of cognitive resource allocation. Clinical implications for the assessment and treatment of motor speech disorders in aging populations are discussed. WORKING MEMORY AND MOTOR SPEECH INTERACTIONS iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express gratitude to my thesis advisor, Neeraja Sadagopan, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, for her guidance and engagement throughout this study. Furthermore, I would like to thank my thesis committee members, Gail Ramsberger, Sc.D., CCC-SLP and Kathryn Hardin, M.A., CCCSLP, for their insightful comments and questions. WORKING MEMORY AND MOTOR SPEECH INTERACTIONS


This investigation was undertaken to compare five different in vitro cytotoxicity assays for their power in revealing vanadium-mediated toxicity in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO)-K1 cells. The cells were exposed to sodium metavanadate (NaVO3) in the range of 10–1000 µM for 24 h and thereafter the cytotoxic effects of NaVO3 were measured by colorimetric in vitro assays: the neutral red (NR) test, the 2,3-bis[2-methoxy-4-nitro-5-sulfophenyl]-2H-tetrazolium-5-carboxyanilide inner salt (XTT) assay, the resazurin assay, the sulforhodamine B (SR-B) assay, and by microscopic assessment of cell viability using the trypan blue (TB) staining method. Among the assays used, the NR test was the most sensitive, since it revealed metavanadate cytotoxicity at the lowest NaVO3 dose (=50 µM). Also, NaVO3 cytotoxicity expressed as inhibitory concentration (IC) showed the lowest values for the NR test. Three other tests XTT, resazurin, and SR-B assays showed intermediate sensitivity revealing the cytotoxicity of NaVO3 at 100 µM. The corresponding IC10 and IC50 values calculated for the XTT, resazurin, and SR-B tests were similar. The TB staining method was the least sensitive, since it recorded metavanadate cytotoxicity at the highest NaVO3 concentration tested (=600 µM). Based on the cytotoxicity end points measured with the above assays, it can be concluded that lysosomal/Golgi apparatus damage (measured by NR assay) may be the primary effect of NaVO3 on CHO-K1 cells. The disintegration of mitochondria (assessed with the XTT and resazurin assays) probably follows lysosomal impairment. Plasma membrane permeability (staining with TB) occurs at a late stage of NaVO3-induced cytotoxicity on CHO-K1 cells. The results obtained in this research work show that the NR test can be recommended as a very sensitive assay for the assessment of NaVO3 cytotoxicity in the CHO-K1 cell culture model. Considering the convenience of assay performance along with adequate sensitivity, the XTT and resazurin assays can also be advocated for NaVO3 cytotoxicity assessment.


Banks are regulated and supervised according to technical criteria, and banking contracts are enforced according to abstruse laws, but those criteria and laws are not created and enforced by robots programmed to maximize social welfare. They are the outcomes of a political process – a game, as it were – whose stakes are wealth and power. There is, in fact, no getting politics out of bank regulation, because public officials have inherent and unavoidable conflicts of interest when it comes to the banking system. First, governments simultaneously regulate banks and look to them as a source of finance. Second, governments enforce the credit contracts that discipline debtors on behalf of banks (and in the process assist in the seizing of debtor collateral), but they rely on those same debtors for political support. Third, governments allocate losses among creditors in the event of bank failures, but they may simultaneously look to the largest group of those creditors – bank depositors – for political support.


In response to the real-time imaging detection requirements of structural defects in the R region of rib-stiffened wing skin, a defect detection algorithm based on phased-array ultrasonic imaging for wing skin with stiffener is proposed. We select the full-matrix–full-focusing algorithm with the best imaging quality as the prototype for the required detection algorithm. To address the problem of poor real-time performance of the algorithm, a sparsity-based full-focusing algorithm with symmetry redundancy imaging mode is proposed. To address noise artifacts, an adaptive beamforming method and an equal-acoustic-path echo dynamic removal scheme are proposed to adaptively suppress noise artifacts. Finally, within 0.5 s of imaging time, the algorithm achieves a detection sensitivity of 1 mm and a resolution of 0.5 mm within a single-frame imaging range of 30 mm × 30 mm. The defect detection algorithm proposed in this paper combines phased-array ultrasonic technology and post-processing imaging technology to improve the real-time performance and noise artifact suppression of ultrasound imaging algorithms based on engineering applications. Compared with traditional single-element ultrasonic detection technology, phased-array detection technology based on post-processing algorithms has better defect detection and imaging characterization performance and is suitable for R-region structural detection scenarios.


In electrohydrodynamic (EHD) flow boiling and condensation heat transfer applications an interdependence exists between two-phase flow patterns and the applied voltage, and subsequently the electric field distribution established. Unlike singlephase flow, in liquid/gas or phase change processes the electric field established is continuously changing as the flow pattern changes due to interfacial vaporization or condensation. To further complicate the variation in this dynamic field effect, the interaction between the electric field and the fluid introduce an electrical force that can also cause a redistribution of the phases. In an effort to understand and analyze this interaction, the electric field distribution must he determined. To contribute to this effort, the evaluation of the static electric field distribution is performed for various flow regimes to provide a qualitative assessment regarding the direction of phase migration and possible flow pattern transition and to determine the net EHD force acting on the flow for an instant in time, i.e. for a given p.hase distribution.


Large-scale three-dimensional cadmium sulfide (CdS) spheres composed of hexagon-based pyramids were synthesized through a facile solution-phase reaction from CdCl2, thioacetamide, and a polymer, where the polymer acted as both a dispersant and coating agent. The reaction conditions influencing the synthesis of these three-dimensional (3D) CdS nanostructures such as reaction temperature, reaction time, the concentration of the polymer, and the kinds of precursors used were investigated. The phase composition, the morphology, and the structure of CdS nanostructures were examined by X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectra, field emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. The possible formation mechanism of the novel CdS spheres was proposed based on the above analysis. The room-temperature Raman spectrum and photoluminescence spectra of the obtained CdS nanocrystals were also studied.


Dependence of resonance frequency of current oscillations generated by Gunn diodes (TED) on the basis of graded gap semiconductors on length of the graded gap layer (lV), active region length (la) and the voltage (U) applied to the diode is determined. The studies have been carried out using three-level model of intervalley electron transfer (IET) in the graded gap semiconductor.


Can frequency-domain analysis be made from time-domain measurements taken over networks with poor temporal characteristics, that is, poor or no guarantees about when commands or data will be delivered, such as the public Internet? Our answer to this question is ldquoyes.rdquo Provided that the times that samples are taken are measured accurately, Fourier analysis can be performed, even when the samples are taken at nonuniform intervals. Due to the tendency of packet delays in networks to have long-tailed probability distributions, it is also desirable not to make assumptions concerning the probability distribution of the time intervals between samples. We show that the combination of network time synchronization and stabilization of measurement apparatus using the IEEE 1588 Protocol and the methods for Fourier analysis of nonuniformly spaced data from the literature are sufficient to provide spectra from measurements taken with networked sensors. The key steps of our method are an accurate timestamping of the measurements followed by a Fourier transform. The Fourier transform may be accomplished by either resampling the measurements into a constant rate so that fast Fourier transforms may be used or performing a least squares fit of a sine/cosine basis to the data. Both approaches were tested using measurements taken over the public Internet using measurement apparatus synchronized using IEEE 1588.


Background: Dyslipidemia is a factor that affects the occurrence and development of many chronic diseases. With its prevalence increasing each year, dyslipidemia has caused substantial disease and economic burdens in China and around the world. Appropriate health management is imperative for people with risk factors for dyslipidemia. We established a new model of health management services (integration of general practice and personalized disease prevention in health management, IGPDP) to more appropriately manage people with risk factors for dyslipidemia. Methods: The experiment was conducted in Shenyang, Liaoning Province, China. We selected 5 administrative districts with populations of more than 100,000. Twenty-three community health service centers with a daily average of more than 50 outpatients were selected. A total of 5,032 subjects with risk factors for dyslipidemia who met the inclusion criteria were included in this study. Using prospective cohort study methods, the subjects were followed up for 24 months. The subjects were randomly divided into the control and test groups, and they received traditional health management services or IGPDP. We analyzed and compared changes in disease prevention, health protection, and health promotion between the two groups.Results: In terms of disease prevention, we found that after the intervention, subjects' behavioral risk factors (smoking habits, diets, sedentary lifestyles) and health literacy improved. In terms of health protection, we observed a decrease in Body mass index (BMI), a gradual improvement in blood lipid levels, and an overall increase in quality of life scores. In terms of health promotion, after the intervention, the proportion of the subjects who were willing to accept the contracted services of general practitioners increased.Conclusion: IGPDP can effectively cultivate healthy lifestyles, improve health literacy, reduce biological risk factors, decrease risk of dyslipidemia, and improve quality of life of subjects. IGPDP is conducive to improving the quality of the service of general practitioners, increasing the trust of the general public, and facilitating the establishment of a hierarchical medical system.


The annual distribution of births of rhesus monkey in zoos in the southern hemisphere and changes in sex skin coloration in one colony were examined. Most (79%) of the births occurred between October and January and the sex skin reached its greatest development during spring and early summer (i.e. at the time of mating). These results demonstrate a 6-month reversal from the breeding activity of rhesus monkeys in the northern hemisphere.


The theory and experimental results for integrated electret-based silicon sensors for the detection of sound and pressure are presented. A silicon electret microphone for use in hearing-aids is described. It has an experimentally determined sensitivity of 19 mV/Pa in the frequency range of 50 Hz to 10 kHz. The realization of a pressure sensor for application in catheter-tip blood-pressure measurements is discussed. This type of electret sensor appeared to have a pressure sensitivity of 1.6 mu V/Pa in the required frequency range of 0 to 100 Hz. >


This paper presents the results of the research carried out on sanidine crystals
from Zvegor, Republic of Macedonia. 572 crystals were collected for research: 326
single crystals and 23 randomly intergrown crystals, 100 right-handed and 123 lefthanded
Carlsbad twins. Results show that left- and right-handed Carlsbad twins are
almost equally represented at this locality. Goniometric measurements showed the
appearance of six forms: {010}, {110}, {130}, {001}, { 1 11} and { 201}. XRPD
analysis of the sanidine - crust (Fds_C), showed that it consists of a mixture of three
different phases: calcite as a dominant phase, illite and sanidine. The mixture of these
phases could be a result of the feldspar crystal alteration which was primary of sanidine
composition. The alteration could have been due to influence of solutions which also
affected other components of the rock. It could also be a result of a post crystallization
reaction of sanidine with the altered rock. XRPD analysis shows that the core of the
sample (Fds_S) is sanidine


Convenient indoor positioning has become an urgent need due to the improvement it offers to quality of life, which inspires researchers to focus on device-free indoor location. In areas covered with Wi-Fi, people in different locations will to varying degrees have an impact on the transmission of channel state information (CSI) of Wi-Fi signals. Because space is divided into several small regions, the idea of classification is used to locate. Therefore, a novel localization algorithm is put forward in this paper based on Deep Neural Networks (DNN) and a multi-model integration strategy. The approach consists of three stages. First, the local outlier factor (LOF), the anomaly detection algorithm, is used to correct the abnormal data. Second, in the training phase, 3 DNN models are trained to classify the region fingerprints by taking advantage of the processed CSI data from 3 antennas. Third, in the testing phase, a model fusion method named group method of data handling (GMDH) is adopted to integrate 3 predicted results of multiple models and give the final position result. The test-bed experiment was conducted in an empty corridor, and final positioning accuracy reached at least 97%.


Four influential models, capable of predicting human responses to hot and cold environments and potentially suitable for use in practical applications, were evaluated by comparing their predictions with human data published previously. The models were versions of the Pierce Lab 2-node and Stolwijk and Hardy 25-node models of human thermoregulation, the Givoni and Goldman model of rectal temperature response, and ISO/DIS 7933. Experimental data were available for a wide range of environmental conditions, with air temperatures ranging from -10 to 50 degrees C, and with different levels of air movement, humidity, clothing and work. The experimental data were grouped into environment categories to allow examination of the effects of variables, such as wind or clothing, on the accuracy of the models' predictions. This categorization also enables advice to be given regarding which model is likely to provide the most accurate predictions for a particular combination of environmental conditions. Usually at least one of the models was able to give predictions with an accuracy comparable with the degree of variation that occurred within the data from the human subjects. The evaluation suggests that it is possible to make useful predictions of deep-body and mean skin temperature responses to cool, neutral, warm and hot environmental conditions. The models' predictions of deep-body temperature in the cold were poor. Overall, the 25-node model provided the most consistently accurate predictions. The 2-node model was often accurate but could be poor for exercise conditions. The rectal-temperature model usually overestimated deep-body temperature, although its predictions for very hot or heavy exercise conditions could be useful. The ISO model's allowable exposure times would not have protected subjects for some exercise conditions.


Evolutions in minimally invasive surgical techniques and advances in sentinel node navigation surgery (SNNS) have had considerable impact on current insights into surgical treatment of gastric cancer. Extensive data on this method of surgical application have accumulated but have been principally derived from single-institute studies. Isosulfan blue and patent blue violet have been the most frequently used dye tracers in the past; however, indocyanine green has now is increasingly popular. The double-tracer method, where dye and radioisotope tracers are used together, seems to be more effective than any single tracer. Among newly emerging adjunct techniques and promising alternative in particular are infrared ray electronic endoscopy, florescence imaging, nanoparticles, and near-infrared technology. Hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining is still the method of choice for the detection of sentinel lymph node (SLN) metastases. Immunohistochemical staining can be used to support H&E findings, but the equipment costs of ultrarapid processing systems are currently slowing down their worldwide spread. We believe minimally invasive function-preserving resection of the stomach, together with lymphatic basin dissection navigated by SLNs, can represent the ideal approach for SNNS to detect clinically node-negative early gastric cancer, although this remains to be elucidated. Patients with cT3 or more advanced disease should still be treated by means of standard D2 dissection.


The aim of the experiment was to analyse the oncostatic effect of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug INDO, hormone MEL and combination of both substances in DMBA-induced mammary carcinogenesis in female SD rats. Chemoprevention started 10 days before the application of the first dose of DMBA to 35-day-old rats. INDO was administered in tap water (20 microg/ml of water) for 3 days in a week (days 2, 4 and 6), MEL solution in the concentration of 20 microg/ml of tap water was administered between 3 p.m. and 8 a.m. for 4 days in a week (days 1, 3, 5 and 7); during other days the animals drank tap water only. In combined chemoprevention, rats were drinking solutions of INDO and MEL according to the above-mentioned scheme. DMBA in the dose of 10 mg/rat was administered intragastrically using a probe to all rats 3 times on postnatal days 45, 50 and 55. There were four experimental groups: group 1--without chemoprevention, group 2--INDO treatment, group 3 --MEL treatment, group 4--application of INDO + MEL. The experiment lasted 26 weeks from the first administration of DMBA, when the final incidence and frequency of tumours per animal and group, as well as latency and average volume of tumours were evaluated. The content/concentration of malondialdehyde (MDA) was determined in selected tissues as a criterion of lipoperoxidation, considering its potential influencing by chemoprevention. The tumour incidence in controls was 100%; INDO reduced the incidence (36.84%) and frequency per group and animal, decreased the mean volume of tumours and prolonged the latency. Chemoprevention using combination of INDO with MEL was successful like that with INDO; however, it did not influence the tumour volume. MEL decreased the incidence to 42.11% and pronouncedly reduced the tumour frequency per group. INDO, administered alone or in combination with MEL, reduced an increased content/concentration of MDA in the liver, bone marrow and serum of tumour-bearing rats. INDO, MEL and INDO + MEL had a pronounced chemopreventive effect and showed to be a favourable combination in prevention of experimental mammary carcinogenesis.


Renal cancer, specifically called renal cell carcinoma in the case of VHL disease, is a tumor of the renal cortex. It is the most common type of kidney cancer. The tumors associated with VHL inactivation are generally vastly vascular and are known to overproduce angiogenic factors such as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Besides, studies show that renal cell carcinoma is also linked with paraneoplasticerythrocytosis due to the overproduction of erythropoietin (Epo). Both VEGF and Epo are prototypical hypoxiainducible mRNAs (i.e. their induction mostly occurs under the conditions illustrated by scarce oxygenation). The above contemplations have led to the sighting that the cells who lack pVHL (VHL protein) constitutively results in overproduction of hypoxia-inducible mRNAs and the restoration of pVHL function results in down-regulation of hypoxiainducible mRNAs in the presence of oxygen. Thus, overproduction of hypoxia-inducible mRNAs is an attribute of pVHL-defective cells. Most genes, regulated by hypoxia, such as VEGF and Epo are under the control of a transcription factor called hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF). HIF is known to alter many target genes when it has been stabilized due to the dearth of pVHL. HIF plays an essential role in pVHL-defective tumor formation. This fact has led to an increase in the likelihood that the drugs which are intended against HIF or its downstream objectives might, in the near future, play a part in the management of renal cell carcinoma. Besides, many drugs have been developed that aim at HIF-responsive gene products. Many of these therapies have exhibited noteworthy doings in the clinical trials of renal cancer and indicate substantive progresses in the conduction, treatment and management of this disease.


The role played by non-complement binding antibodies after kidney transplantation is still not satisfactorily elucidated. A growing number of publications suggest that the detection of antibodies to donor HLA antigens by more sensitive methods than the standard complement-dependent cytotoxicity test is often associated with acute and chronic immunological complications and generally worse graft prognosis. In this review, we briefly discuss several recent reports on the clinical significance of non-cytotoxic anti-HLA antibodies, which might have important implications for patient immunosuppression and management after organ transplantation.


Mobile edge computing (MEC) is essential for next-generation mobile network applications that prioritize various performance metrics, including delays and energy consumption. However, conventional single-objective scheduling solutions cannot be directly applied to practical systems in which the preferences of these applications (i.e., the weights of different objectives) are often unknown or challenging to specify in advance. In this study, we address this issue by formulating a multi-objective offloading problem for MEC with multiple edges to minimize expected long-term energy consumption and transmission delay while considering unknown preferences as parameters. To address the challenge of unknown preferences, we design a multi-objective (deep) reinforcement learning (MORL)-based resource scheduling scheme with proximal policy optimization (PPO). In addition, we introduce a well-designed state encoding method for constructing features for multiple edges in MEC systems, a sophisticated reward function for accurately computing the utilities of delay and energy consumption. Simulation results demonstrate that our proposed MORL scheme enhances the hypervolume of the Pareto front by up to 233.1% compared to benchmarks. Our full framework is available at https://github.com/gracefulning/mec_morl_multipolicy.


Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a severe disease that leads to increased pulmonary vascular resistance and right heart failure. Noninvasive methods are needed to detect changes in the pulmonary artery circulation during PAH establishment and/or treatment. Pulmonary blood flow velocity can be evaluated by dynamic MR angiography, although the relevance of such data in the context of PAH remains to be demonstrated. A novel dynamic MR angiography technique was used in this work to measure blood flow velocity in the pulmonary arteries of the same living animals, before and after the establishment of chronic hypoxia‐induced PAH. Chronic hypoxia decreased significantly the blood flow velocity (43.8 ± 4.9 vs 24.3 ± 8.7 cm/s) on electrocardiography‐triggered time‐resolved angiograms. In parallel, chronic hypoxia‐induced PAH was confirmed from invasive measurements of the mean pulmonary arterial pressure (32.1 ± 4.8 vs 12.5 ± 2.2 mmHg) and the ratio of the right ventricle weight to the left ventricle plus septum weight (Fulton index: 0.54 ± 0.06 vs 0.27 ± 0.04). This study demonstrates the potential interest of dynamic MR angiography for the investigation of experimental models and for the evaluation of treatment efficacy. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Chemical polishing (CP) was selected to develop a practical surface treatment of stainless steel that will be generally used in ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) technology because CP can treat materials wholly in any shape at the final step of parts fabrication process.Using short samples of SUS304L stainless steel the solution and the polishing condition were optimized from outgassing rate and reproducibility. The polished surfaces were characterized by Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Atomic force microscopy (AFM).The chemically polished (CP) chamber was compared with those treated by conventional electrolytic polishing (EP) and glass beads blasting (GBB). In pump-down curves, the outgassing rate of CP samples was the same as that of EP one and 10% of GBB one. At the ultimate pressure at 28°C after 150°C × 20 h baking the outgassing rate of the three chambers with different surface treatments showed a same value, 1 × 10-9 Pa·m·s-1.The technical purpose to use the CP for UHV material surface treatment is satisfied by this result and the cost of CP is less than that of EP because it doesn't need electricity.


Spheroids initiated directly from human primary gliomas were used to investigate the effects of EGF, bFGF, NGF and PDGF(bb) on cell proliferation, migration and invasion into foetal rat brain tissue. EGF increased tumour spheroid volume in 10 of 13 glioblastomas studied, whereas 5 of 11 tumours responded to bFGF. NGF increased the spheroid volume in 2 of 5 tumours. In 8 tumours, PDGF(bb) had no effect on tumour spheroid volume. An increase in BUdR‐labelling indices confirmed that cell proliferation was responsible for the volume increase observed in stimulated spheroids. EGF stimulated cell migration in 5 and bFGF in 3 of 8 tumours studied. NGF stimulated cell migration in 1 of 5 glioblastomas, whereas 1 of 3 glioblastomas responded to PDGF(bb). The effects of growth factors on the invasion of spheroids prepared from the glioblastoma biopsy specimens were also studied in vitro using foetal rat brain aggregates as target tissue. EGF stimulated invasion in 7 of 8 glioblastomas studied, whereas bFGF stimulated invasion in 2 of these tumours. NGF or PDGF(bb) did not increase the invasiveness of the glioblastoma tissue. Our results represent the net effect of the growth factors on a complex tumour‐cell population. We conclude that exogenously administered growth factors, EGF in particular, increase the cell proliferation as well as migratory and invasive capacities of cultured primary brain tumour biopsies in vitro.


In this study, we investigated numerically the plasmon response of a dimer configuration composed of a couple of split and concentric Au nanoshells in a complex orientation. We showed that an isolated composition of two concentric split nanoshells could be tailored to support strong plasmon resonant modes in the visible wavelengths. After determining the accurate geometric dimensions for the presented antisymmetric nanostructure, we designed a dimer array that shows complex behavior during exposure to different incident polarizations. We verified that the examined dimer was able to support destructive interference between dark and bright plasmon modes, which resulted in a pronounced Fano-like dip. Observation of a Fano minimum in such a simple molecular orientation of subwavelength particles opens new avenues for employing this structure in designing various practical plasmonic devices. Depositing the final dimer in a strong coupling condition on a semiconductor metasurface and measuring the effective refractive index at certain wavelengths, we demonstrate that each one of dimer units can be considered a meta-atom due to the high aspect ratio in the geometric parameters. Using this method, by extending the number of dimers periodically and illuminating the structure, we examined the isotropic, polarization-dependent, and transmission behavior of the metamaterial configuration. Using numerical methods and calculating the effective refractive indices, we computed and sketched corresponding figure of merit over the transmission window, where the maximum value obtained was 42.3 for Si and 54.6 for gallium phosphide (GaP) substrates.


Photoswitches
Photoswitching molecules can enable targeted delivery of drugs in the body, but the body is best penetrated by near-infrared radiation (wavelengths between 700 and 900 nanometers). Most photoswitching processes in molecules require shorter wavelengths, and high light intensities are needed to trigger two-photon processes. Dong et al. extensively substituted azobenzene molecules so that they were soluble in water and could photoswitch from the trans isomer after single-photon irradiation at 720 nanometers. The half-life of the resulting cis isomer was 1 second. The benzene rings were substituted with methoxy and pyrrolidine groups, as well as a fused dioxane ring, so that the molecule remained protonated at physiological pH while exhibiting good stability in water.

J. Am. Chem. Soc. 10.1021/jacs.7b06471 (2017).


Abstract This paper describes the basics of quantum computing and then focuses on the implementation of the Bernstein-Vazirani algorithm, which can be seen as an extension of the Deutsch-Josza problem (that solves the question on whether a function is balanced or not). The idea behind the B-V algorithm is that someone can find a secret number (sequence of bits) using only one measurement, unlike the classical counter-part, that requires n measurements, where n is the number of bits of the secret number. The implementation of this algorithm, using the Python programming language, along with the Qiskit framework (an open-source library for quantum operations from IBM), illustrates how to create and simulate a circuit for such an algorithm. The circuit is dynamically generated for the required number (which in practice is received from a different source) and is used to measure the probability of each qubit. The algorithm can also be extended for different types of data and can be used for signal or image processing, as well as applications in cryptography.


Magnetite (Fe3O4) forms the basis of most dispersions studied in the field of magnetic fluids and magnetic colloids. Despite extensive theory and simulations on chain formation in dipolar fluids in zero field, such structures have not yet been imaged in laboratory-made magnetite dispersions. Here, we present the first direct observation of dipolar chain formation in zero field in a ferrofluid containing the largest synthetic single-domain magnetite particles studied so far. To our knowledge, this is the only ferrofluid system available at present that allows quantifying chain length and ring-size distributions of dipolar structures as a function of concentration and particle size.


Self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of alkanethiols and disulfides on gold form organic interfaces with properties largely controlled by the end groups of the molecules composing the film. SAMs provide a unique link between the science of organic surfaces and technologies that seek to exploit their adaptable character. Many techniques are useful for probing the structure of SAMs although only scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) at picoamperes reveals the details of the packing of their end groups at the sub-angstrom level. This review demonstrates that STM effectively tests new types of control over the microscopic structure–property relationships characteristic of SAMs on gold that should prove useful to their application.