Albacore (Thunnus alalunga) in the North Atlantic Ocean is currently managed as a single well-mixed stock, although this assumption remains contentious. We measured stable isotopes (δ13C and δ18O) and trace elements (Mg, Mn, Sr, Ba) in otoliths of albacore collected from two feeding grounds, namely the Bay of Biscay and Atlantic offshore waters, and compared them among sampling locations and life history stages. Measurements in otolith core, post-core and edge were used to determine whether albacore from these two regions have the same nursery origin and migratory patterns. We found no clear evidence of distinct nursery grounds based on otolith core chemistry, but Sr:Ca and Mg:Ca were different in the post-core portions of albacore from the two locations, suggesting residency in different regions during the early juvenile stage. Otolith edge chemistry, particularly stable isotopes and Sr:Ca, proved to be a valuable tool for classifying individuals to their capture locations. Annual cycles of Sr:Ca ratios were visible along life history transects, likely reflecting migratory patterns between water masses of differing salinity, but the timing of Sr:Ca cycles differed between the two groups. Differentiation in trace element concentrations in the otolith post-core and the timing of Sr:Ca cycles suggest the occurrence of two migratory contingents of albacore in the north-east Atlantic Ocean.


ABSTRACT We measure demand growth for all salmon-importing regions of the world using an index approach for the 2002–2011 period. Our results demonstrate that there are substantial variations in demand growth by region and over time. Russia and Brazil exhibit the highest demand growth, with average annual growth rates of approximately 20%. More established markets, such as the United States and Japan, demonstrate the lowest annual demand growth, at approximately 3%. During the sample period, the average annual rate of aggregated global demand growth is approximately 9%, whereas total global demand growth is approximately 94%. JEL Codes: D12, Q22.


A data set is considered imbalanced if the distribution of instances in one class (majority class) outnumbers the other class (minority class). The main problem related
to binary imbalanced data sets is classifiers tend to ignore the minority class. Numerous resampling techniques such as undersampling, oversampling, and a combination of both techniques have been widely used. However, the undersampling and oversampling techniques suffer from elimination and addition of relevant data which may lead to poor classification results. Hence, this study aims to increase classification metrics by enhancing the undersampling technique and combining it
with an existing oversampling technique. To achieve this objective, a Fuzzy Distancebased
Undersampling (FDUS) is proposed. Entropy estimation is used to produce fuzzy thresholds to categorise the instances in majority and minority class into membership functions. FDUS is then combined with the Synthetic Minority
Oversampling TEchnique (SMOTE) known as FDUS+SMOTE, which is executed in sequence until a balanced data set is achieved. FDUS and FDUS+SMOTE are compared with four techniques based on classification accuracy, F-measure and Gmean. From the results, FDUS achieved better classification accuracy, F-measure and G-mean, compared to the other techniques with an average of 80.57%, 0.85 and 0.78, respectively. This showed that fuzzy logic when incorporated with Distance-based Undersampling technique was able to reduce the elimination of relevant data. Further, the findings showed that FDUS+SMOTE performed better than combination of
SMOTE and Tomek Links, and SMOTE and Edited Nearest Neighbour on benchmark data sets. FDUS+SMOTE has minimised the removal of relevant data from the majority class and avoid overfitting. On average, FDUS and FDUS+SMOTE were able to balance categorical, integer and real data sets and enhanced the performance
of binary classification. Furthermore, the techniques performed well on small record
size data sets that have of instances in the range of approximately 100 to 800.


The apparent shift of the C33 elastic parameter has been measured as a function of temperature. It was found that at low temperatures the parameter varies linearly with the fourth power of the absolute temperature: C33(T)=C33(0) (1−βT4), where β=5·82 × 10−11 degk−4. The measurement gave some information on the anharmonic elastic parameters. A continuous-wave method at a frequency of 375 MHz was used. The principle of the electronic system is described, as it might be useful in other work on elastic parameters for solids.


The research was carried out comprising one rainy season and two dry seasons. The objective was to evaluate the influence of irrigation on stocking rate (SR), weight gain (WG) intake, nutrient intakes and in vivo digestibility in elephantgrass and mombacagrass, under rotational grazing. Combinations of the two grasses and two irrigation levels (with and without) were evaluated. Data from dry season and rainy season were analyzed separately. Irrigation was performed restore up 100% mean evapotranspiration (ET0) of the last ten-year. A total of 40 and 16 crossbred steers European × Zebu was used as tester experimental animals in the rainy and dry seasons, respectively. Similar put-and-take animals were used as to adjust grazing pressure of the green leaves biomass. In the rainy and dry seasons, irrigation has enabled the rise in the stoking rate in both forages. In the dry season, irrigation reduced the weight gain in both forages, while in the rainy season, increased the weight gain in the mombacagrass. Irrigation did not affect intake in any of the periods evaluated, but affect the digestibility of dry matter, which reduced in the rainy season and increased in the dry season. The highest stocking rates were obtained in the mombacagrass, while, in the elephant grass, higher values were obtained for weight gain, intake and digestibility. The means stocking rates during the rainy and dry season for the elephant grass with and without irrigation and for the mombacagrass with and without irrigation were 5.6, 4.5, 7.7, and 4.9 anim/ha and the values of WG of 0.64, 0.68, 0.50 and 0.60 kg/day. The effect of irrigation is more evident in the stocking rate than in weight gain of animals, and in intensive grazing production systems, animal productivity (kg/ha) is similar for mombacagrass and elephantgrass.


The use of reinforced concrete (RC) for major structural systems has increased in the recent years. Many structures such as bridges, nuclear containment systems and high
rise buildings require sophisticated analysis and design procedures. RC girders for bridges have been widely used in the construction of many interstate systems and can be found in the bridge inventory of most transportation agencies.
 Numerical modelling of RC slab-girder bridges is used for realistic analysis of bridge superstructure. However, in the analysis of composite structures, interface structural modelling of various-type elements such as beam, truss, plate, membrane and solid element should be taken into account in order to achieve accuracy. This can be carried out by introducing suitable interface elements and taking interface translation and rotational degrees of freedom into consideration.
 The development and application of the interface element to model the interface behaviour between concrete and FRP are still very limited. Some of the available literature reviewed has shown that shell element has been extensively used to model FRP materials. However, little information is available regarding the use of plate bending element for FRP materials, and hence, there is a need to formulate an
interface element which is compatible with the bending characteristics of this material. Therefore in this study, new interface elements have been developed,while modified constitutive law have been applied and new computational algorithm is utilised. The new elements are the Truss-link element to model the interaction between concrete and reinforcement bars, the interface element between two plate
bending elements and the interface element to represent the interfacial behaviour between FRP, steel and concrete.
 With the tremendous advancement in the computer technologies, three dimensional (3D) finite element (FE) models have been used to study the behaviour of reinforced
concrete beams, with and without externally bonded fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) plates. The current investigation focused on the development of effective and suitable modelling of reinforced concrete beam with and without strengthening. The modelling includes physical and constitutive models, from which the nonlinear finite-element (FE) codes were developed with pre- and post-processing. The programme was written using FORTRAN language and it works under FORTRAN-95 Power Station.
 The accuracy and efficiency of the finite element programmes were achieved by analyzing several examples from the literature. For instance, the finite element
discretisation of different numerical examples was used for the verification purposes and also computational efficiency. The application of the 3D FE code was further
enhanced by carrying out the numerical analysis of the RC beams post-tensioned in the critical shear region, analysis of single lap joint, three dimensional finite element
analysis of FRP strengthened RC beams, as well as analysis of the anchored reinforcing bars under monotonic pull-out load and the 3D nonlinear finite element analysis of girder bridge.
 During these applications, the distributions of deflection, slip of bars inside the concrete, normal and shear stresses of concrete, axial and shear stresses in the FRP plates, normal and shear stresses of single lap joint and slip of bars due to pull-out test were monitored. Acceptable distributions of slip, deflection, shear and axial stresses in the FRP plate have also been found. These results show that the new elements, which include Truss-linkage element and interface elements, are effective
and appropriate to be used for structural component modelling.


This paper presents a method for harmoniously coordinating roles between generators and faster-acting energy storage systems (ESSs), e.g., batteries, to improve their frequency response and regulation services to the grid, particularly at the high wind penetration. This paper theoretically demonstrates that the proposed droop with the state of charge (SOC) feedback (DaSOF) provides a unified frequency control framework for distributed and energy-constrained ESS, seamlessly fitting the conventional primary and secondary frequency control practice. The ESS autonomously takes charge of high-frequency components of a frequency deviation and thus complements the frequency controls of the incumbent generators. By securing the SOC of the ESS at the desired level, the method provides the capability to provide other ancillary services from the energy-constrained ESS. These coordinated roles are represented and validated through time- and frequency-domain analyses. Rigorous case studies using DIgSILENT/PowerFactory demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed method to support the high level of variable renewable energy, which should help in improving the value of operating the ESS and scale up renewable energy.


Forecasting the number of visits to Points-of-Interest (POI) in an urban area is critical for planning and decision-making for various application domains, from urban planning and transportation management to public health and social studies. Although this forecasting problem can be formulated as a multivariate time-series forecasting task, the current approaches cannot fully exploit the ever-changing multi-context correlations among POIs. Therefore, we propose Busyness Graph Neural Network (BysGNN), a temporal graph neural network designed to learn and uncover the underlying multi-context correlations between POIs for accurate visit forecasting. Unlike other approaches where only time-series data is used to learn a dynamic graph, BysGNN utilizes all contextual information and time-series data to learn an accurate dynamic graph representation. By incorporating all contextual, temporal, and spatial signals, we observe a significant improvement in our forecasting accuracy over state-of-the-art forecasting models in our experiments with real-world datasets across the United States.


This study was undertaken to investigate body iron stores in so‐called remunerated blood donors as well as to evaluate the sensitivity of hemoglobin determination in detecting iron deficiency in two populations of blood donors. The authors studied 522 male donors who were divided into three groups: Group I, first‐time volunteer donors with hemoglobin levels greater than or equal to 13 g per dl; Group II, remunerated donors with hemoglobin levels greater than or equal to 13 g per dl; and Group III, remunerated donors rejected because their hemoglobin levels were less than 13 g per dl. Iron stores were evaluated with an enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay for plasma ferritin. In Group I, 4.5 percent were iron‐deficient with a mean ferritin value of 55.3 ng per ml; in Group II, 59.7 percent were iron deficient with a mean ferritin level of 17.4 ng per ml, and in Group III, 82.5 percent were iron‐deficient and the mean ferritin level was 8.4 ng per ml. The last values represent the highest percentage of iron deficiency and the lowest mean ferritin value thus far reported. In Group I, hemoglobin determination had a sensitivity of 95 percent in detecting iron deficiency, but in Group II had only 40 percent sensitivity. These results indicate that a more accurate and reliable test, such as a plasma or serum ferritin determination, may be necessary to detect iron deficiency in blood donors when they donate more than five times per year, particularly those who are remunerated.


With the development of digital technology, machine learning has paved the way for the next generation of tinnitus diagnoses. Although machine learning has been widely applied in EEG-based tinnitus analysis, most current models are dataset-specific. Each dataset may be limited to a specific range of symptoms, overall disease severity, and demographic attributes; further, dataset formats may differ, impacting model performance. This paper proposes a side-aware meta-learning for cross-dataset tinnitus diagnosis, which can effectively classify tinnitus in subjects of divergent ages and genders from different data collection processes. Owing to the superiority of meta-learning, our method does not rely on large-scale datasets like conventional deep learning models. Moreover, we design a subject-specific training process to assist the model in fitting the data pattern of different patients or healthy people. Our method achieves a high accuracy of 73.8% in the cross-dataset classification. We conduct an extensive analysis to show the effectiveness of side information of ears in enhancing model performance and side-aware meta-learning in improving the quality of the learned features.


Urethane/acrylic hybrid latex particles are prepared by miniemulsion polymerization for an application as soft adhesives. The polymerization of the acrylic monomers and grafting of an isocyanate functionalized PU on a hydroxyl functionalized monomer (HEMA) take place simultaneously, resulting in a complex PU/acrylic network while avoiding any macroscopic phase separation. Its structure can be tuned by changing the extent of grafting and a specific model is applied to analyze the final polymer microstructure. The resulting materials have a low level of adhesion but display an exceptionally high resistance to shear. Two parameters are varied: the fraction of HEMA in the monomer composition and the diol concentration.


Mutations in IFN- and MHC-signaling genes endow immunotherapy resistance. Colorectal cancer patients infrequently exhibit IFN- and MHC-signaling gene mutations, and are generally resistant to immunotherapy. In exploring the integrity of the IFN- and MHC-signaling in colorectal cancer, we found that optineurin was a shared node between the two pathways, and predicted colorectal cancer patient outcome. Loss of optineurin occurred in early stage human colorectal cancer. Immunologically, optineurin deficiency attenuated IFNGR1 and MHC-I expression, impaired T cell-immunity, and diminished immunotherapy efficacy in murine cancer models and cancer patients. Mechanistically, IFNGR1 was S-palmitoylated on Cys122, and AP3D1 bound with and sorted palmitoylated-IFNGR1 to lysosome for degradation. Unexpectedly, optineurin interacted with AP3D1 to prevent palmitoylated-IFNGR1 lysosomal sorting and degradation - thereby maintaining IFNy- and MHC-I-signaling integrity. Furthermore, pharmacologically targeting IFNGR1-palmitoylation stabilized IFNGR1, augmented tumor immunity, and sensitized checkpoint therapy. Thus, loss of optineurin drives immune evasion and intrinsic immunotherapy resistance in colorectal cancer.


ABSTRACT: Accounting experts, like other experts hired for litigation cases, are subject to Daubert challenges. While the use of Daubert challenges was primarily in jury trials, a recent U.S. Tax Court case, Boltar LLC v. Commissioner, used the Daubert standards to discredit an "absurd" appraisal. To avoid the potential detrimental reputational and potential financial consequences and adverse effects on the clients, accounting experts must be aware of Daubert challenges and the standards by which their testimony will be judged. In this article, we discuss the Daubert challenge and the standards by which a judge will evaluate an expert's testimony in considering the admissibility of, or weight placed on, the expert's testimony. We also discuss some best practices and discuss the potential growing application of Daubert challenges in bench trials, as well as the potential that similar challenges may exist outside of the U.S. jurisdictions.


A fully differential dual input CMOS transconductor, with high linearity and low distortion, is proposed. To achieve high performance characteristics at low supply voltage, three design considerations are described from the viewpoint of DC-offsets, linear range, and distortions. A 1.8 V 10 MHz fully-differential 3/sup rd/-order Chebyshev Gm-C low pass filter, using this transconductor, is designed and fabricated using a 0.18 /spl mu/m CMOS process. Measured results in a nominal condition (Vc=1.05 V) show 11.3 MHz of bandwidth, 43.7 dBr of stop-band attenuation at 40 MHz, 0.38 dB of pass-band ripple, and 74.4 dB of dynamic range. In addition, the IIP3 obtained at the optimum resistance of the resistor utilized as a distortion canceller is 16.3 dBm. The filter consumes 2.34 mA at 1.8 V power supply.


As antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) design is evolving with novel payload, linker, and conjugation chemistry, the need for sensitive and precise quantitative measurement of conjugated payload to support pharmacokinetics (PK) is in high demand. Compared to ADCs containing noncleavable linkers, a strategy specific to linkers which are liable to pH, chemical reduction, or enzymatic cleavage has gained popularity in recent years. One bioanalytical approach to take advantage of this type of linker design is the development of a PK assay measuring released conjugated payload. For the ADC utilizing a dipeptide ValCit linker studied in this report, the release of payload PF-06380101 was achieved with high efficiency using a purified cathepsin B enzyme. The subsequent liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC/MS) quantitation leads to the PK profile of the conjugated payload. For this particular linker using a maleimide-based conjugation chemistry, one potential route of payload loss would result in an albumin adduct of the linker-payload. While this adduct's formation has been previously reported, here, for the first time, we have shown that payload from a source other than ADC contributes only up to 4% of total conjugated payload while it accounts for approximately 35% of payload lost from the ADC at 48 h after dosing to rats.


The present study was carried out to investigate the empathetic tendencies of children with regard to keeping a pet at home and playing a musical instrument. The study was carried out with a total of 139 children, 72 girls and 67 boys, attending the third-fourth and fifth grades of a foundation primary school located in the city center of Denizli in Turkey. In the study, a Personal Information Form as developed by the researchers was used with an aim to obtain information about the child and family, and the "KA-Sİ Empathetic Tendency Scale for Children and Adolescents - Children's Form" was used in order to determine the empathetic tendency of children. Parametric (t-Test, One-Way Variance Analysis (ANOVA) and non-parametric (Mann-Whitney, Kuruskal Wallis) tests were applied based on whether the data demonstrated a normal distribution or not, in order to determine if the empathetic tendencies of children differ by the variables of keeping a pet and playing a musical instrument at home. As a result of the research; it was found that the variables of keeping a pet at home and playing a musical instrument were associated with a significant difference in the mean scores of children's empathetic tendency (p <0.05).Children can be given responsibilities about keeping pets, which makes important contribution to empathetic skill; children can be oriented to musical activities in line with their interests, and studies can be conducted with an aim to raise awareness of parents and the close environment.


ABSTRACT Static electricity is an imbalance of electric charges within or on the surface of a mate-rial. All packed items that are particularly sensitive to static discharge must be protected by antistatic treatment. Otherwise, static electricity generated by an electrical insulator may cause serious damages to some sensitive electronics. In order to remove or prevent a buildup of static electricity, packed items must be treated with the application of an anti-static agent, which helps any excess charge to be evenly distributed. Functional pulp tray used for packing of electronic goods was developed with application of an antistatic agent. As the concentration of the antistatic agent increased, charging voltage and surface re-sistance of molded pulps decreased. The increase of humidity in surrounding atmosphere around molded pulps led to the decrease of accumulation of static charges. In conclusion, the surface treatment of the antistatic agent not only reduced or eliminated buildup of static electricity in the surface, but also prevented generation of tiny dirts from molded tray. Keywords: Static electricity, electric charges, pulp tray, molded pulp, antistatic agent


As an alternative use of natural marine resources, processing waste from whitemouth croaker was used as raw material for the production of fish protein hydrolysate (FPH). The biometric characterization of the raw material was determined, and the optimal conditions of the protease established using DH (degree of hydrolysis) as the criterion. Bromatological analyses were performed according to AOAC methods. The DH were determined by the TCA (trichloroacetic acid) method and expressed as a percentage of solubilized protein after hydrolysis compared to the total protein in raw material. The average yields of viscera, heads and carcasses were 7.4, 36.3 and 56.3%, respectively. The optimal conditions for enzyme action on the viscera were: 55°C, hydrolysis time of 90 min, and enzyme concentration of 0.4 mg mL -1 . For the muscle, the conditions established were: 45°C, 90 min, and 0.8 mg mL -1 . The dry matter of hydrolysate from viscera yielded 73.5% supernatant (soluble fraction) and 27.5% precipitate (insoluble fraction), while that from muscle yielded 45.7% and 54.3%, respectively. The hydrolysate from viscera presented 86.0% proteins, 0.4% lipids and 4.4% ashes in the soluble fraction, and 51.0% proteins, 25.8% lipids and 5.1% ashes in the insoluble fraction. The hydrolysate from muscle presented 86.0% proteins, 0.4% lipids and 9.0% ashes in the soluble fraction, and 87.0% proteins, 4.4% lipids and 2.4% ashes in the insoluble fraction. A lower degree of hydrolysis of hydrolysate from muscle than that produced from viscera was observed, demonstrating the different interactions between the enzyme and the residues studied.


A direct method is developed for investigating the transient stability of power systems, based on the approximation of the stability boundary by tangent hypersurfaces at certain unstable equilibrium points. This is a development of the tangent hyperplane method of Yee and Spalding. It is compared with the hyperplane method by application to three representative systems and is found to give improved results and to overcome some limitations. Other approaches to estimation of the stability region are also studied, which provide some indication of the shape of the separatrix and the transient behaviour of the state trajectories.


The Interactive Graphics Intersection Design System (IGIDS) has been developed at the Center for Transportation Research at The University of Texas at Austin in cooperation with the Texas Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration. IGIDS is a package of drawing, analysis, and data manipulation tools for use by the designer of street intersections. These tools are aids to the designer in reviewing and revising existing designs or in the design of new intersections. This report serves as the IGIDS reference manual. It describes the structure of the IGIDS database and contains descriptions of each IGIDS command.


A year by an election time, the phenomenon of politicians jumping across different political parties occurs. With only several parties participating in the election (ten in 2014, twenty in 2019), this situation seems never subtle. It is also mainly caused by a number of politicians from political parties who failed to participate in the election are out looking for a "new home" to contest in the upcoming election. This phenomenon occurs in almost all democracies, but what happens in Indonesia needs to be noted particularly due to the dynamic and massive movement pattern.


Diabetes mellitus is not only a medical, but also a public issue. The number of people with diabetes is increasing every year. Diabetes causes complications of diseases. In addition to infertility issues and foot injuries that worsen the health condition, patients develop diabetic retinopathy, diabetic neuropathy, chronic kidney disease, cardiovascular diseases (strokes, ischemic heart diseases, peripheral vascular diseases). Accordingly, training courses for patients and focus on the health of the patients themselves are very important. The object of the research is training of persons with diabetes mellitus and skills favourable to health that help to prevent complications. The aim of the article is to reveal the process of learning of patients with diabetes and the application of skills favourable to health, which help to prevent complications in life. Tasks: 1) determine what kind of training courses are organized in Lithuania for persons with diabetes mellitus; 2) determine what kind of knowledge about health and disease control is provided by medical personnel; 3) reveal what kind of knowledge about health and what skills patients adapt in everyday life. Methods of research: theoretical – analysis of scientific literature, generalization; empirical – questionnaire survey, data analysis was performed by using the SPSS 23.0 program. The t-test was used to compare averages between groups, significant difference was considered to be p < 0,05. Data analysis was performed by applying calculations of non-parametric and parametric criteria. There were 61 patients with diabetes mellitus, aged from 13 to 78 years, who participated in the research. The research sought to reveal what training courses are organized for persons with diabetes mellitus and how patients themselves preserve their health. During the research, participants were questioned about the training courses they have attended; how patients with diabetes mellitus control their disease; and whether they follow the principles of a healthy lifestyle. Empirical research revealed that there are short-term training courses for patients with diabetes mellitus organized in Lithuania. The majority of participants noted that trainings are carried out for several hours or 7 days. Training courses that are carried out for patients with diabetes cover topics of a healthy lifestyles: balanced diet, physical activity, personal hygiene, blood sugar monitoring and insulin use; however, participants emphasize that such trainings should include more health aspects and that they prefer to have regular training courses. The research revealed that most training courses for patients with diabetes mellitus are carried out by a nurse, an endocrinologist and a dietician. Medical staff provides patients with diabetes with basic knowledge about health that includes a healthy lifestyle, foot care and recommendations for treatment (monitoring of blood suga,insulin use). It has been determined that patients with diabetes mellitus partially adapt the received knowledge. The research revealed that only 23.8 percent of participants with diabetes keep to a healthy diet plan, only 14.3 percent are physically active, and 39.7 percent care for their feet. Participants of the research lack knowledge about a healthy lifestyle and skills favourable to health that help to prevent complications. Only a small number of participants of the research with diabetes mellitus behave consciously and are prone to preserve their health by following recommendations of doctors. Therefore, patients with diabetes in Lithuania need regular and continuous training programs that would cover aspects of a healthy lifestyle (healthy and balanced diet, promotion of physical activity, personal hygiene). It is recommended to develop training programs that would include active training methods and videos, which would help patients with diabetes mellitus to more easily and independently acquire necessary health skills.


This study aims to find empirical evidence of the effect of intellectual capital and competitive advantage on financial performance in manufacturing companies listed on the Indonesian stock exchange in 2016-2018. By using the Public - Value Added Intellectual Coefficients (VAICTM) model, this study examines the relationship between the value-added efficiency (VAICTM) of the company's three main resources in the form of (capital used efficiency (CEE), human capital efficiency (HCE) and structure capital efficiency (SCE). )) competitive advantage to the company's financial performance as proxied through Return on Assets (ROA) and Return on Equity (ROE). Data were drawn from 72 manufacturing companies listed on the IDX in 2016-2018. The results show that Capital Employed Efficiency (CEE) affects the financial performance of ROA and ROE proxies, Human Capital Efficiency (HCE) does not affect the proxy performance of ROA but affects the proxy performance of ROE, Structural Capital Efficiency (SCE) affects the financial performance of ROA proxies. and ROE, the Value-added Intellectual Coefficient (VAICTM) does not affect the financial performance of ROA proxies, but it does affect the financial performance of ROE proxies, and Competitive Advantage (CA) has no effect on the financial performance of ROA and ROE proxies.


Cell Biology
Mitochondria, the power plants of the cell, come in a stunning variety of shapes and sizes. One reason for this is that depending on the physiological state of the cells, mitochondria can fuse with one another and then separate from one another in an ongoing process of fusion and fission. When cells are deprived of nutrients, they will often induce autophagy—a process that allows for the degradation of bulk cytosol and whole organelles, including mitochondria, to provide raw materials to maintain essential cellular activities. Gomes et al. wanted to understand how and whether the dynamic state of mitochondria is affected by, and in turn affects, autophagy. When autophagy was induced, mitochondria were observed to elongate, because mitochondrial fission was inhibited by the phosphorylation of a pro-fission protein, dynamin-related protein 1. These elongated mitochondria were able to resist autophagy and could maintain cell energetics despite nutrient deprivation. Conversely, blocking mitochondrial fusion precipitated starvation-induced cell death.

Nat. Cell Biol. 13 , 10.1038/ncb2220 (2011).


In this material, the authors would like to highlight a visible parallel between technology on the basis of information modeling (starting with the BIM, the construction industry) and technologies, providing management as a state activity and the economy as well as involved in the industrial sector (GIS asset management and public administration and ending with other information technologies, component parts included in the concept of the Digital economy). The class of such technologies we have discussed earlier in our publications. By virtue of bulk material, and presentation logic, we have divided it into two parts (Part 1 and Part 2). This article is the first part of our material.


The suboptimal control problem for the system with state time-delay is studied in this paper. First, According to the performance of exponential decay we make a transformation of original optimal control problem. We can convert the original optimal problem into a two point boundary value (TPBV) problem with no time-delay through introducing a sensitivity parameter. Then, we can obtain the optimal control law by summing an infinite series. The feasibility of the method is verified by experiment simulation. And the experimental result can reach our anticipated effects.


The paper describes the use of interactive Virtual Prototypes (iVP) for the specification of consumer products and for the evaluation of the perceived quality of the product already in its conceptual form. iVPs are based on multimodal interaction including force-feedback and sound in addition to 3D stereoscopic visualization. The fidelity of the prototypes has been evaluated in comparison with the corresponding real products, when used for performing the same tests. Differently from the traditional use of Virtual Prototypes, which aims at evaluating the product design, we have used iVPs for the interaction design of a new product, i.e. it has been used as a means to define the design parameters used for the specification of a new product.


ABSTRACT Hantaviruses primarily infect the endothelial cell lining of capillaries and cause two vascular permeability-based diseases. The ability of pathogenic hantaviruses to regulate the early induction of interferon determines whether hantaviruses replicate in endothelial cells. Tula virus (TULV) and Prospect Hill virus (PHV) are hantaviruses which infect human endothelial cells but fail to cause human disease. PHV is unable to inhibit early interferon (IFN) responses and fails to replicate within human endothelial cells. However, TULV replicates successfully in human endothelial cells, suggesting that TULV is capable of regulating cellular IFN responses. We observed a >300-fold reduction in the IFN-stimulated genes (ISGs) MxA and ISG56 following TULV versus PHV infection of endothelial cells 1 day postinfection. Similar to results with pathogenic hantaviruses, expressing the TULV Gn protein cytoplasmic tail (Gn-T) blocked RIG-I- and TBK1-directed transcription from IFN-stimulated response elements (ISREs) and IFN-β promoters (>90%) but not transcription directed by constitutively active IFN regulatory factor-3 (IRF3). In contrast, expressing the PHV Gn-T had no effect on TBK1-induced transcriptional responses. Analysis of Gn-T truncations demonstrated that the C-terminal 42 residues of the Gn-T (Gn-T-C42) from TULV, but not PHV, inhibited IFN induction >70%. These findings demonstrate that the TULV Gn-T inhibits IFN- and ISRE-directed responses upstream of IRF3 at the level of the TBK1 complex and further define a 42-residue domain of the TULV Gn-T that inhibits IFN induction. In contrast to pathogenic hantavirus Gn-Ts, the TULV Gn-T lacks a C-terminal degron domain and failed to bind tumor necrosis factor (TNF) receptor-associated factor 3 (TRAF3), a TBK1 complex component required for IRF3 activation. These findings indicate that the nonpathogenic TULV Gn-T regulates IFN induction but accomplishes this via unique interactions with cellular TBK1 complexes. These findings fundamentally distinguish nonpathogenic hantaviruses, PHV and TULV, and demonstrate that IFN regulation alone is insufficient for hantaviruses to cause disease. Yet regulating the early IFN response is necessary for hantaviruses to replicate within human endothelial cells and to be pathogenic. Thus, in addition to IFN regulation, hantaviruses contain discrete virulence determinants which permit them to be human pathogens.


A palladium-catalyzed annulation of acyl fluorides with norbornene is described. This study reports the first example of an annulation of acyl fluorides in the presence of a transition-metal catalyst. Polycyclic ketones are obtained from the cleavage of the C-F and C-H bonds of the acyl fluoride and the rearrangement of the carbonyl moiety by decarbonylation and CO reinsertion.


The rapid evolution of ultrafast optics technology over the past two decades has opened the window to a broad range of applications in biology and medicine. Compact, reliable, and turn-key ultrafast laser systems are enabling cutting-edge science to take place in everyday laboratories and clinics. Led by the discovery of two-photon excitation fluorescence microscopy nearly 20 years ago, the biological imaging community is exploring unique image contrast mechanisms and pushing spatial and temporal resolution to new limits. Concurrent with advancements in imaging are developments in the precision application of extremely high peak intensities available in ultrashort pulses for disrupting or manipulating targeted locations in biological systems on the submicron scale while leaving surrounding tissue healthy. The ability for scientists to selectively discriminate structures of interest at the cellular and subcellular levels under relevant physiological conditions shows tremendous promise for accelerating the ...


In 1993, the State of Massachusetts enacted the Educational Reform Act to improve student performance and to increase school accountability. One of the curriculum frameworks of this initiative is titled Science and Technology/Engineering. One of the strands within that framework, Technology/Engineering, outlines standards in seven curriculum areas to be assessed at the high school level on the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS). This framework is somewhat controversial but supported by numerous surveys focusing on national needs. The movement of traditional Industrial Arts programs to a Technology/Engineering approach in both delivery and content has created a new set of problems with questions raised about the preparedness of existing Technology Education teachers to teach pre-engineering and engineering curricula. In addition there have been questions raised about the lack of female enrollment in engineering and technology classes. This paper describes the collaboration of Amherst Regional High School (ARHS) with faculty at the University of Massachusetts and Hampshire College in addressing issues impinging the success of engineering and technology curricula. More specifically, this collaboration has focused on: reviewing and enhancing high school teacher's core knowledge of engineering design, the curricular changes made based on this study/research, and research of gender equity issues in engineering and technology curricula. Plans to recruit and retain female students in the technology/engineering area at both secondary and university levels are described; including, cross-institutional projects with an emphasis on assistive technologies and universal design, and a variety of outreach activities between institutions. A structure that provides for on-going collaboration between the local high school and area colleges is also provided.


Neither the experimental nor analytical techniques currently used to study vehicle rollover accidents accurately represent most actual rollovers. Until recently, crash tests to study rollovers have used either snubbed dollies or guided ramps to cause rollovers. Real world rollovers, however, are caused by a variety of mechanisms, including impacting curbs or obstacles, sliding through soil or sod, and dropping off embankments. Analytical methods proposed to model rollover events represent idealized curb trip situations and provide unrealistically low estimates for the lateral speeds needed to cause rollovers. This paper presents the results of a continuing investigation into the mechanics of real world vehicle rollovers. Rollover tests with vehicles tripped by a curb, sliding in soil, and thrown from a dolly are presented. The mechanics of the different trip modes is discussed and a simple analytical model to represent the trip mode behavior presented.


The authors describe work undertaken at Fermilab in which several sophisticated tools have been brought together to provide an integrated systems engineering environment specifically aimed at designing data acquisition systems. Results of simulation experiments in which the effects of varying trigger rates, event sizes, and event distributions, over processors are clearly seen in terms of throughput and buffer usage in an event-building switch are also presented. In the context of the switch-based data acquisition system, it was possible to identify potential bottlenecks, determine buffer depths, aid system diagnosis, and better understand the interaction between different subunits as well as the system as a whole. >


Polyploidization has played a key role in the evolution of plant lineages. The effect of formation pathway on neopolyploid morphology and fertility, however, is unknown. This thesis compares one-step and two-step allopolyploids with Brassica carinata, Brassica juncea or Brassica napus as the maternal parent and Sinapis arvensis as the paternal parent. One-step allopolyploids formed twice as frequently, though once a homoploid hybrid formed two-step allopolyploids were ten times as frequent as one-step allopolyploids. The two-step allopolyploids were more fertile and more reproductively isolated from parental species. The two types of allopolyploids differed morphologically, but in both types, polyploidy had a large initial effect on morphology while the effect of hybridity endured. Both types of allopolyploids, but especially the one-step allopolyploids, showed an unexpectedly high rate of DNA downsizing. In conclusion, allopolyploids formed through different formation pathways differ significantly in fertility, morphology, and genome stability.


The 48-hour passive cutaneous anaphylaxis (PCA) and passive anaphylactic bronchoconstriction in rats induced by an IgE-like antibody against DNP-Ascaris were inhibited by intravenous treatment with traxanox sodium in a dose dependent manner. In both experiments, traxanox sodium was more potent than disodium cromoglycate (DSCG), especially as an inhibitor of bronchial anaphylaxis. In the PCA test of rats using a double sensitization technique according to the Orr's method, traxanox sodium was demonstrated not to inhibit antigen-antibody combination, but to inhibit the release of chemical mediators at a stage following antigen-antibody combination. Traxanox sodium inhibited the complement dependent immune hemolysis, but not the hypotonic hemolysis in vitro. However it failed to inhibit the Forssman anaphylaxis in the guinea pig in vivo. Traxanox sodium (50-250 mg/kg p.o.) showed an inhibitory effect on the direct passive Arthus reaction (DPAR) of the rats. Furthermore, it delayed the onset of the hyperacute form of experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE) and reduced mortality in the rats. DSCG was less effective on DPAR and EAE. In conclusion, traxanox sodium is considered to have a wider spectrum of anti-allergic activity than DSCG since it has a suppressive effect not only on the type I allergic reaction, but also on the type III and IV allergic reactions.


This historical case study considers the reciprocity between interpersonal relationships and the immediate, structural, and demand-laden therapeutic environment in which they occur. This study draws its data from the daily diaries kept between 1814 and 1840 by the lay superintendents of the Friends Asylum for the Insane in Philadelphia. The demands of a therapeutic environment for stability and productivity, in addition to demands for safety and healing, fundamentally altered the nature of the individual relationships between patients and staff. Therefore, current practitioners must not assume the stability of their later 20th century formulations about therapeutic relationships. Rather, they must perform a careful calculus of risks and rewards as they consider the intersection of relationships, reality, and therapeutic environments.


Preface 1. Elementary theory of nilpotent Lie groups and Lie algebras 2. Kirillov theory 3. Parametrization of coadjoint orbits 4. Plancherel formula and related topics 5. Discrete cocompact subgroups Appendix Bibliography Symbol index Subject index.


Adversarial attacks against deep learning-based object detectors (ODs) have been studied extensively in the past few years. These attacks cause the model to make incorrect predictions by placing a patch containing an adversarial pattern on the target object or anywhere within the frame. However, none of prior research proposed a misclassification attack on ODs, in which the patch is applied on the target object. In this study, we propose a novel, universal, targeted, label-switch attack against the state-of-the-art object detector, YOLO. In our attack, we use (i) a tailored projection function to enable the placement of the adversarial patch on multiple target objects in the image ( e.g ., cars), each of which may be located a different distance away from the camera or have a different view angle relative to the camera, and (ii) a unique loss function capable of changing the label of the attacked objects. The proposed universal patch, which is trained in the digital domain, is transferable to the physical domain. We performed an extensive evaluation using different types of object detectors, different video streams captured by different cameras, and various target classes, and evaluated different configurations of the adversarial patch in the physical domain. at:


ABSTRACT "Thermincola potens" strain JR is one of the first Gram-positive dissimilatory metal-reducing bacteria (DMRB) for which there is a complete genome sequence. Consistent with the physiology of this organism, preliminary annotation revealed an abundance of multiheme c-type cytochromes that are putatively associated with the periplasm and cell surface in a Gram-positive bacterium. Here we report the complete genome sequence of strain JR.


Hirsutella is a hyphomycete that has been used as biopesticide. Many compounds with antimycobacterial activity have been reported. However, there were fewer reports about fermentation condition for the Hirsutella and activity of its exopolysaccharides. In the present investigation, the fermentation condition and medium for mycelia growth and exopolysaccharides production were optimized and the antibacterial activity of exopolysaccharides (EPS) from Hirsutella sp. was studied. The optimized conditions and medium were as follows: initial pH 5.5, potato extract 20% (w/v), sucrose 2.5%, peptone 0.5%, K2HPO4 0.2%, MgSO4 0.05% and fermentation for 4 days. The highest production of EPS and mycelium biomass yield reached 2.17 and 10.06 g/l, respectively. The content of sugar and protein of EPS were 92.7 and 5.2%, respectively. The monosaccharide component of EPS was mannose, galactose and glucose with a molar ratio of 4.0:8.2:1.0. Its molecular weight was 23 kDa. The antibacterial effect of EPS was observed that they were most effective against gram-positive bacterium, especially Bacillus subtilis and Micrococcus tetragenus. The MIC of exopolysaccharides to B. subtilis and M. tetragenus was 1 and 2.5 mg/ml, respectively. These results are helpful to expand the application of Hirsutella sp. as a biological pesticide.


It is often claimed in the scholarly literature that Plotinus departs from Plato in mostly dispensing with the concept of anamnēsis (recollection). The essay is aimed at disproving such a claim. The supportive argument will proceed in five stages. First, a brief outline will be given of the role that recollection plays in the Phaedrus, a dialogue to which Plotinus returns time and again. Second, a critical reading will be offered of the most salient passages in the Enneads where Plotinus makes use of the notion. Third, the function of anamnēsis, in Plotinus' understanding of the term, will be shown to enable the embodied human soul to become aware of the presence in herself of riches she had previously been unaware of possessing, namely logoi of a reality higher than herself. Fourth, in building a normative element into the concept of anamnēsis, Plotinus, it will be argued, made it a key factor in the inward process through which human souls can reverse the self-forgetfulness that had led them to become alienated from their ontological source in Intellect. Fifth, despite having profoundly modified Plato's concept of anamnēsis, Plotinus, it will be concluded, remained at one with him in presenting the apprehension of beauty as the stimulus most likely to lead the human soul back to her true self in Intellect.


The work presented in this thesis provides novel insights in several aspects of the molecular biology of archaea, bacteria and their viruses. Three fundamentally different groups of viruses are associated with the three domains of life. Archaeal viruses are characterized by a particularly high morphological and genetic diversity. Some archaeal viruses, such as Sulfolobus islandicus rod-shaped virus 2 (SIRV2), have quite remarkable infection cycles. As described in Chapter 1, infection with SIRV2 results in the formation of large virus associated pyramids (VAPs) on the host cell surface. The structures open in the final step of the infection cycle, creating large apertures to release the rod-shaped viruses that have matured in the cytoplasm. This virus release mechanism is unique and does not resemble egress mechanisms of bacterial and eukaryotic viruses. Analysis of the protein composition of SIRV2 infected cells, as outlined in Chapter 2, revealed the strong accumulation of the virus encoded protein PVAP in membranes after infection, suggesting involvement in VAP formation. The VAPs can be isolated as discrete particles, as demonstrated in Chapter 3. Electron microscopic survey of these particles showed that they are baseless pyramids with a heptagonal perimeter. This geometry is exceptional and especially the sevenfold symmetry is very rare in nature (20S proteasome, myosin). The structures can have various sizes, probably reflecting different developmental stages. This suggests that they grow by the gradual expansion of the triangular facets. Analysis of the protein composition of the structures revealed the exclusive presence of PVAP and anti-bodies raised against this protein labeled specifically the VAPs on thin sections of infected cells as observed in electron microscopy. PVAP is sufficient for VAP formation, which was demonstrated by expression of the protein and successful assembly of pyramidal structures, in the archaeon S. acidocaldarius and the bacteria Escherichia coli. Further analysis of PVAP truncation mutants as outlined in Chapter 4, showed that besides the 10 C-terminal amino acids, all domains of the protein are essential for VAP formation. PVAP can form oligomers of several sizes, including those of a heptamer, which probably act as nucleation points for VAP formation on the cell membrane. Analysis of the truncation mutants indicated that both the C and N terminal domain are important for interaction between monomers. Detailed observation with whole cell cryo-electron tomography of VAPs formed in the natural and heterologous system, revealed the presence of two layers in the structure. The outer one is continuous with the cell membrane. The inner layer facing the cytoplasm, presumably represents a protein sheet formed by tight interactions between the C-terminal domain of PVAP connected with a short linker region to the membrane. The sheets are slightly bended, giving the complete structure the appearance of a teepee. At the junction of two triangular sheets, the structure is perforated, creating predetermined breaking points. Furthermore, in this chapter data is presented which underlines the unique nature of this protein, since it is able to form VAPs successfully in archaeal, bacterial and eukaryotic membranes, which all fundamentally differ in protein and lipid composition. In case of expression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, VAPs are formed on all membranes, including those of mitochondria, suggesting that the protein inserts spontaneously in membranes. Thus, PVAP serves as a universal membrane remodeling system, which might be exploited for biotechnological purposes, such as the development into a universal system for the controlled opening of ~100 nm apertures in any lipid bilayer. Production of VAPs is one of the dramatic consequences that SIRV2 infection has on the host cell. Whole transcriptome sequencing allowed determination of a global map of virus and host gene expression during the infection cycle, which is presented in Chapter 5. Directly after infection, transcription of viral genes starts simultaneously from both genome termini. All possible protein interactions between all SIRV2 proteins were assayed with yeast two-hybrid and these results were used to advance current knowledge on SIRV2 genes functions, of which the majority is still unidentified. The host cells respond to viral infection by adapting expression of more than 30% of its genes. Genes involved in cell division are down regulated, while those playing a role in anti-viral defense are activated. Specifically, for the first time massive activation of toxin anti-toxin and CRISPR-Cas systems is observed in an archaeal system. The different degree of expression and activation of the various systems highlights the specialized functions they perform. The CRISPR-associated multi-subunit ribonucleoprotein complexes that are crucial for the CRISPR mediated anti-viral defense, generally have an uneven stoichiometry, i.e. the 4-6 different protein subunits are present in different quantities. Just as most functionally related bacterial and archaeal genes, the cas genes are clustered in operons, which allow for co-expression (as has indeed been observed in the transcriptome analysis described in Chapter 5). This is advantageous when equal amounts of gene products are required, such as is the case for protein complexes with even stoichiometry. However, a substantial number of important protein complexes contain uneven stoichiometry. Employing comparative genomics, in Chapter 6, it is shown that differential translation is a key determinant of modulated expression of genes clustered in operons and that codon bias generally is the best in silico indicator of unequal protein production. In addition, analysis of protein production from genes with synonymous mutations from synthetic operons, provides evidence that initiation of translation can occur at intercistronic sites. The widespread occurrence of modulation of translation efficiency, suggests that this is a universal mode of control in bacteria and archaea that allows for differential production of operon-encoded proteins.


Blastomycosis, a fungal infection caused by Blastomyces dermatitidis, was once thought to be endemic only to the Central and Great Lakes regions of the United States of America. We present the first reported case series of patients documenting the diagnosis of blastomycosis in the Pacific region. In both cases, exposure to endemic areas was retrospectively identified.


Abstract Numerical calculation of infrared emission from hot plume is of great significance for flight monitoring and detections. In this paper, the SNB (statistical narrow band) model established with parameters derived from the high-resolution spectral database HITEMP 2010 is used to perform the hot plume infrared signature simulations. Accuracy of the model is examined by the exact LBL (line by line) method, which proves the model's reliability to predict radiative properties of combustion gases. In the application part, the SNB model is used to analyze infrared signatures of aircraft plumes cruising at different flight altitudes. The results show that cruising at a higher-altitude will obviously reduce the plume infrared emission. Besides, the plume infrared emissive energy mainly concentrates in a special wavenumber interval and can be strongly absorbed by atmosphere.


Abstract 1169 Poster Board I-191 In April 2009, a novel swine-origin influenza A (H1N1) virus (S-OIV) was identified in Mexico. Since then, several cases have been reported, with subsequent cases observed in many other countries. Clinical presentation may range from mild symptomatic patients to cases of severe clinical presentation and death due to pneumonia and respiratory failure. Definition of high risk groups are thought to be similar to those defined for seasonal influenza, including young children and elderly patients, pregnant women and patients with chronic medical conditions, especially immunocompromised hosts. Hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) recipients are at high risk for infectious complications, including severe viral infections. To our knowledge, there are no reported cases of S-OIV infection in HSCT recipients to date. The clinical features and the possible consequences of this novel influenza virus in this setting remain unknown. We describe two HSCT recipients with confirmed influenza H1N1 virus infection and a benign clinical course after oseltamivir treatment. The first case is a 12 year-old male patient with diagnosis of acute myelogenous leukemia in second complete remission who underwent an unrelated umbilical cord blood transplant with two 4/6 HLA-mismatched cord blood units. Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) prophylaxis consisted of the association of cyclosporine and mycophenolate mofetil. Additionally, he was also being treated for an invasive aspergillosis with oral voriconazole. On day+3 after transplant, he developed fever, rhinorrhea, and dry cough. A nasal wash and a nasal swab were positive for influenza A by direct immune fluorescence and for influenza A H1N1 by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Computed tomography of the nasal sinus and thorax were unremarkable. Oseltamivir therapy (75 mg po twice daily for 10 days) was initiated the same day with progressive improvement of symptoms. Oseltamivir was well tolerated and there was no interference with serum levels of cyclosporine. The second case is a 30 year-old female patient with gray zone non-Hodgkin lymphoma in relapse after autologous stem cell transplant that underwent an HLA-matched related HSCT in September 2008. She relapsed 6 months after the transplant. Cyclosporine was withdrawn. Ten days later, she developed fever rhinorrhea, and myalgia. Influenza A H1N1 was confirmed by RT-PCR of a nasal wash specimen. Treatment with a 5-day course of oseltamivir (75 mg po twice daily) was initiated and the patient had a favorable clinical course, with no complications. These two cases of confirmed influenza H1N1 virus infection in HSCT recipients with a benign clinical course highlight the need for a better understanding of the clinical course and management of this novel viral agent in severely immunocompromised hosts. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


The conventional wisdom argues that the growth stocks are more risky to earn higher premium. However the empirical evidence points out that the value stocks, which are classified based on the Book-to-Market ratio, tend to have higher premium. To solve for this tension, this paper proposes a novel but simple transformation of the Book-to-Market ratio, the intensity of Book-to-Market ratio to captures the dynamics of growth options. Our results show the intensity of Book-to-Market ratio has a strong negative relation with future cross–sectional stock returns even after controlling for main return predictors including Book-to-Market ratio. Therefore, consistent with conventional wisdom, our results confirm that growth stocks tend to earn higher expected premium and more risky than value stocks.


Copper and zinc are essential micronutrients, whose imbalance may be involved in the development and progression of cancer. However, the role of copper and/or zinc imbalance in the prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is currently unclear. Our objective was to investigate the association between serum levels of copper, zinc and their ratio (copper/zinc) at diagnosis with HCC survival. We included 989 patients with incident HCC in this prospective cohort study, who were enrolled in the Guangdong Liver Cancer Cohort (GLCC) study within 30 days of diagnosis between September 2013 and February 2017. Serum copper and zinc were measured using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Primary outcomes were liver cancer‐specific survival (LCSS) and overall survival (OS). Cox proportional hazards models were used to calculate the multivariable hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence interval (CI). Higher serum copper levels were strongly associated with worse LCSS (Q4 vs. Q1: HR = 1.87, 95% CI: 1.22–2.86; p < 0.01 for trend) and OS (Q4 vs. Q1: HR = 2.06, 95% CI: 1.36–3.11; p < 0.01 for trend). The calculated copper/zinc ratio was positively associated with LCSS (Q4 vs. Q1: HR = 1.31, 95% CI: 0.89–1.92; P = 0.04 for trend) and OS (Q4 vs. Q1: HR = 1.43, 95% CI: 0.99–2.08; P = 0.01 for trend). No overall associations were observed between serum zinc levels and LCSS or OS in the entire cohort. The results suggest that higher serum copper and copper in relation to zinc levels (i.e., higher copper/zinc ratio) may be associated with worse HCC survival, but serum zinc levels may be not associated with HCC survival.


To ascertain whether the percentage of men who suffer with cluster headaches and are classified as sensing types according to Jung's theory of psychological types was comparable to the percentage (74%) of Sensing types that was found by Gallagher, et al. among women who experience migraine headaches, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® was administered to 25 male cluster-headache patients. There were 19 (76%) male Sensing types, and this was comparable to the percentage of Sensing types for migrainous women. The results are discussed as supporting previous contentions that Sensing types may be prone to developing psychosomatic symptoms related to stress.


Piketty (2014 Piketty, T. 2014. Capital in the Twenty-First Century. Cambridge, MA: Belknap Press of Harvard University.10.4159/9780674369542[CrossRef], [Google Scholar]) wrote a thought provoking book on capital, how it evolved over the decades and the role of housing in it. Maclennan and Miao (2016 Maclennan, Duncan, and Julie Miao. 2017. "Capital, Housing and Inequality in the 21th Century." Housing Theory and Society.[PubMed], [Google Scholar]) further elaborate on the work of Piketty and the role of housing, and on possible implications for housing policy. There is a whole range of literature demonstrating that housing more and more changed from a roof over the head into a key asset for households, and a key element in "asset based welfare" policies. The liberalization of financial markets improved access to home ownership and with that to the possibility to build housing equity. For many decades, in many countries encouraging home ownership was the key priority in housing policy and this priority was accompanied by the "dream of home ownership as an equaliser" in societies. However, the dream of the housing markets and home ownership as equalizer and a solution for welfare states is far from reality. Maclennan and Miao (2017 Maclennan, Duncan, and Julie Miao. 2017. "Capital, Housing and Inequality in the 21th Century." Housing Theory and Society.[PubMed], [Google Scholar]) therefore, conclude that it is time for a new "political economy for housing policy". This contribution reflects on the paper "Capital, housing and inequality in the 21st century" of Maclennan and Miao, and with that explores new principles for policies on housing. It advocates more emphasis on the roof over the head part of housing in housing policy and for tax policies to deal with intergenerational social equality including housing equity.


A comprehensive laboratory evaluation of the Tetracore RedLine Alert test, a lateral flow immunoassay (LFA) for the rapid presumptive identification of Bacillus anthracis, was conducted at 2 different test sites. The study evaluated the sensitivity of this assay using 16 diverse strains of B. anthracis grown on sheep blood agar (SBA) plates. In addition, 83 clinically relevant microorganisms were tested to assess the specificity of the RedLine Alert test. The results indicated that the RedLine Alert test for the presumptive identification of B. anthracis is highly robust, specific, and sensitive. RedLine Alert is a rapid test that has applicability for use in a clinical setting for ruling-in or ruling-out nonhemolytic colonies of Bacillus spp. grown on SBA medium as presumptive isolates of B. anthracis.


As many popular text genres such as blogs or news contain opinions by multiple sources and about multiple targets, finding the sources and targets of subjective expressions becomes an important sub-task for automatic opinion analysis systems. We argue that while automatic semantic role labeling systems (ASRL) have an important contribution to make, they cannot solve the problem for all cases. Based on the experience of manually annotating opinions, sources, and targets in various genres, we present linguistic phenomena that require knowledge beyond that of ASRL systems. In particular, we address issues relating to the attribution of opinions to sources; sources and targets that are realized as zero-forms; and inferred opinions. We also discuss in some depth that for arguing attitudes we need to be able to recover propositions and not only argued-about entities. A recurrent theme of the discussion is that close attention to specific discourse contexts is needed to identify sources and targets correctly.


The Gillespie Stochastic Simulation Algorithm (GSSA) and its variants are cornerstone techniques to simulate reaction kinetics in situations where the concentration of the reactant is too low to allow deterministic techniques such as differential equations. The inherent limitations of the GSSA include the time required for executing a single run and the need for multiple runs for parameter sweep exercises due to the stochastic nature of the simulation. Even very efficient variants of GSSA are prohibitively expensive to compute and perform parameter sweeps. Here we present a novel variant of the exact GSSA that is amenable to acceleration by using graphics processing units (GPUs). We parallelize the execution of a single realization across threads in a warp (fine-grained parallelism). A warp is a collection of threads that are executed synchronously on a single multi-processor. Warps executing in parallel on different multi-processors (coarse-grained parallelism) simultaneously generate multiple trajectories. Novel data-structures and algorithms reduce memory traffic, which is the bottleneck in computing the GSSA. Our benchmarks show an 8×−120× performance gain over various state-of-the-art serial algorithms when simulating different types of models.


Fish Lais ( Ompok hypopthalmus ) is one of the fish that live in the waters of the river swamp Rugan, Palangkaraya. Type of food and the availability of food in the water will determine the distribution of fish Lais. Total composition of the food supply will also determine the species composition of fish in the waters and eventually also will affect the growth of fish. The purpose of this study was to determine the percentage and type of food in the stomach Lais fish caught in the river swamp Rungan Palangkaraya city. This study was carried out for 4 months, from January to April 2014, samples were taken every month Lais fish, fish caught and dissected to identify the contents of the stomach, the type of food in the stomach of fish Lais expressed in percent. The results showed that the type of fish food Lais for January are: fish = 60%, not identified = 31%, insects = 9%. Month of February 2014 kinds of food are insects = 56, = 22% shrimp, fish = 11% and = 11% unidentified. March 2014, the type of food is fish = 48%, insects = 36%, 16% and not identified for April Lais percentage of fish food is insects = 73%, not identified = 26%, fish = 1%. Water quality in the river swamp waters are pH between 4.5 to 6 Rungai, 1.7 to 5.1 m water depth, DO 32-36 mg / l, and the water temperature 26 - 27oC.


ABSTRACT In the semi-arid regions of northern Jordan, soil surface colors show gradual variation from west to east. The dominant soil color in the northwest is a dark reddish brown. Toward the east, lighter brown colors dominate, and colors change further to light yellow in the east. These changes coincide with a climatic gradient (mean annual precipitation). Earlier studies showed a close and possibly causal correlation of soil colors (redness), soil weathering intensity, and mean annual precipitation. However, these conclusions were based on a limited number of soil samples. Our study, in contrast, shows the regional variability of soil colors in the context of geomorphological conditions and the climatic gradient. Two thematic maps of soils surface colors depending on verified supervised classification of Landsat-8 and Sentinel-2 data were created. Results show a remarkable similarity of Support Vector Machines (SVM) classification of Landsat-8 and Sentinel-2 in the area, and confirm a strong correlation of red soil color distribution, mean annual precipitation, and geomorphological aspects (depressions leading to higher water availability and thus soil weathering intensity). Accordingly, this approach offers suitable tools for a quantitative investigation of soil color distribution under the consideration of climatic gradients and varying geomorphological conditions.


Influenza A and B viruses carry two surface glycoproteins, the haemagglutinin (HA) and the neuraminidase (NA). Both proteins have been found to recognise the same host cell molecule, sialic acid. HA binds to sialic acid‐containing receptors on target cells to initiate virus infection, whereas NA cleaves sialic acids from cellular receptors and extracellular inhibitors to facilitate progeny virus release and to promote the spread of the infection to neighbouring cells. Numerous studies performed recently have revealed that an optimal interplay between these receptor‐binding and receptor‐destroying activities of the surface glycoproteins is required for efficient virus replication. An existing balance between the antagonistic HA and NA functions of individual viruses can be disturbed by various events, such as reassortment, virus transmission to a new host, or therapeutic inhibition of neuraminidase. The resulting decrease in the viral replicative fitness is usually overcome by restoration of the functional balance due to compensatory mutations in HA, NA or both proteins. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Abstract The study is about Automated Teller Machine (ATM) adoption of users in Commercial Bank of Ethiopia in Mekelle branch. The study has the following objectives; finding out the most commonly used type of ATM include banking service; assessing the users' frequency of usage of ATM; examining the attitude of users towards ATM banking service; and determining the ranks of each attributes that determines the adoption rate of ATM. A sample of 123 ATM adopters were taken through convenience sampling for the study. Data was also collected using structured questionnaire and analyzed through Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 20 using descriptive statistical tools. The result has shown that ATM adopters in the bank use only limited types of services predominantly cash withdrawals. It was also found that mean of mean for the five attributes that determine the adoption of a new technology becoming below 4.00. This indicates there is no strong agreement of the users on each attributes of ATM technology. In addition the attitude of ATM adopters towards ATM were found to be positive.


In this paper, we present Adomian decomposition method to solve linear fuzzy fractional integro-differential equation with fuzzy initial conditions. Results are compared with the results obtained using Fuzzy Laplace transform method.


Introduction: Many hypotheses have been postulated in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia. Among these, the theory of placental ischaemia giving rise to Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) and thus causing oxidative stress is still being explored. This oxidative stress by the ROS may be further accentuated in the presence of hyperlipidaemia via the production of various lipid peroxidation products. Aim: To assess the serum lipid profile parameters and serum Malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in normotensive pregnant and preeclamptic patients and to study the association of deranged lipid profile with oxidative stress in patients of preeclampsia. Also, to correlate these parameters with the severity of preeclampsia. Materials and Methods: The present study was a case-control study carried out in the Department of Biochemistry, Government Medical College and Hospital, Aurangabad, Maharashtra, India, from January 2014 to October 2015. The study included 50 normotensive pregnant women (control group) and 100 preeclamptic women further grouped into 50 cases of mild preeclampsia and 50 cases of severe preeclampsia with >20 weeks of gestation. Serum lipid profile, along with markers of oxidative stress viz., serum MDA were estimated in all groups. Data were analysed applying unpaired t-test and Pearson's correlation test among various lipid profile parameters and serum MDA levels in the two groups of cases. Results: There was no significant difference in age and Period Of Gestation (POG) at the time of sample collection between all three groups. There was a significant rise in serum Total Cholesterol (TC) (210±20 and 240±41 mg/dL in group II and group III), Triacylglycerol (TAG) (180±22 and 190±24 mg/dL in group II and group III), Low Density Lipoprotein-Cholesterol (LDL-C) (140±20 and 170±40 mg/dL in group II and group III), Very Low Density Lipoprotein-Cholesterol (VLDL-C) (35±4.4 and 38±4.8 mg/dL in group II and group III) in the study group as compared to controls. Also, the serum levels of MDA were found to be significantly increased in the study groups as compared to controls. Conclusion: Deranged lipid profile status was found to be significantly associated with oxidative stress in preeclampsia.


We discuss here the constraints on the Dark Matter (DM) nature that can be obtained from a multi-frequency study of the annihilation of DM particles in cosmic structures on large scales. We discuss specifically the predictions of SUSY neutralino models.


Previous research (e.g., Barr & Hall, 1992) suggests that imagery is used differentially throughout an athlete's competitive season. The influence of time of season (early vs. late) and type of sport (team vs. individual) on athletes' use of imagery was examined. Male and female varsity athletes representing 10 sports completed the Sport Imagery Questionnaire (Hall, Mack, Paivio, & Hausenblas, in press) early and late in a competitive season. Results indicated that cognitive specific (CS) imagery significantly increased for fencing, field hockey, rugby, soccer, and wrestling. Motivational Specific (MS), Motivational General-Mastery (MG-M), and Motivational General-Arousal (MG-A) imagery showed a significant increase from Times 1 to 2 for rugby, soccer, and wrestling. Most sports demonstrated a significant increase in MS imagery. For all sports, except badminton, cognitive general (CG) imagery increased. Results indicate that imagery use changes during the competitive season, but this depends on the sport.


We compared crown expansion rates and branching pattern among four coexisting canopy tree species in a 450-year-old Pseudotsuga menzies;; - Tsuga heterophylla forest in southwestern Washington State, USA. Branch terminal shoot elongation and new shoot production were low at all canopy levels for trees of all species taller than 45 m despite favorable light conditions in the upper canopy. This indicated that the negative effects of physiological aging and increasing size are more important in controlling crown expansion rate than local light conditions. Branch terminal shoot elongation rates were high for the upper-crown branches of short trees despite low irradiance. There may be little crown competition among tall trees in this forest, whereas for the short trees, allocation to shoot elongation in the upper-crown is important for crown expansion and survival. Branching patterns were similar among P. menzies;;, A. amabilis, and A. grandis. These three species showed excurrent, symmetrical branching patterns with few internodal shoots and less differentiation among shoots in their elongation rate and bifurcation ratio. In contrast, T. heterophylla showed a reiterating branching pattern where distal shoots on each annual increment were longer and had higher bifurcation ratios than the proximal shoots. When compared with young trees, old trees of T. heterophylla maintain a similar branching pattern, whereas, branching pattern of old P. menzies;; trees is markedly different from that of young trees. The changes in branching pattern from young to old P. menzies;; trees reflect morphological acclimation to changing stand light conditions as shade-tolerant species irwade the stand. This, combined with initial dominance in the upper-canopy where crown competition is less intense, may contribute to the long-term survival of P. menziesii in old-growth forest.


Recent developments in human factors research have lead to new understanding in a number of areas, understanding that has the potential to change lighting practice. These developments have been in the areas of lighting quality, scotopically enhanced lighting, illuminance choices, mesopic photometry and light and health. This paper summarizes developments in each of these areas and examines their implications for lighting practice.


Objective:  To compare 10 year cardiovascular risk in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients and control group using different cardiovascular risk scores and to assess the usefulness of these scores in rheumatoid arthritis

Methods: Case control study conducted at FFH and HFH from 1st September 2019 to 29th February 2020. Patients 40 to 80 years of age were selected. 196 patients all females were included, 98 patients diagnosed RA according to American College of Rheumatology (ACR) 2010 criteria (RA group). 98 patients which are non RA matched healthy controls (control group). Blood was taken for lipid profile, erythrocyte Sedimentation rate, creatinine levels, rheumatoid factor and anti-cyclic citrullinated peptides. Weight, height, Glomerular filtration rate were measured. Framingham risk score, Systemic Coronary risk evaluation, QRISK2, and American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association was calculated for both groups using online calculator.

Results: Mean age of RA patients was 52.87±10.42. Most common comorbidity in RA patients was found to be hypertension 82(42%), 100(48.78%) were overweight with mean BMI of 25.35±4.96. RA group have mean high FRS, QRISK2, ACC/AHA and SCORE i.e 14.84±7.36, 17.89±17.98, 10.00±13.94 and 2.31±2.40 than control group.QRISK2 scores identify more high risk patients than other scores

Conclusion: Large proportion of RA patients had high risk of cardiovascular disease as compared to healthy controls on the basis of FRS, QRISK2, ACC/AHA and SCORE. QRISK2 scores is better predictor of categorizing cardiovascular risk as high risk than other scores used in the study.


Abstract While participating in the discourse of world religions, Japanese biographers published accounts of Muhammad's life in many genres of academic and popular books during the Meiji and Taisho eras (1868–1926). This article unravels how these biographical accounts played a crucial role in facilitating a geographical imaginary of Asia/the East which incorporated both Japan and West Asia. Situated in a radically different context from the Victorian biographers who inspired them, Japanese biographers constantly compared Muhammad to historical figures familiar to them, most notably Buddha and Nichiren, and reinterpreted the life of Muhammad, relying exclusively on European-language sources. In particular, in contrast to another strand of pan-Asianism that stressed peacefulness as an inherent quality of the East, the biographers identified Muhammad's perceived militancy and the miracles he performed as signs of the values shared by Japan and Islamic civilization. Using the person of Muhammad as a concrete piece of evidence, Japanese biographers reimagined an Eastern civilizational space that could stretch from Tokyo to Mecca.


This paper investigates the optimal signaling schemes and capacities of non-coherent correlated multiple-input single-output (MISO) channels in fast Rayleigh fading. We consider both channels under per-antenna power constraints as well as channels under joint per-antenna and sum power constraints. For per-antenna power constraint channels, we first establish the convex and compact properties of the feasible sets, and demonstrate the existence of optimal input distribution and the uniqueness of optimal effective magnitude input distribution. By exploiting the solutions of a quadratic optimization problem, we show that the Kuhn–Tucker condition on the optimal inputs can be simplified to a single dimension. As a result, we can apply the Identity Theorem to show the discrete and finite nature of the optimal effective magnitude distribution, with a mass point located at the origin. By using this distribution, we then construct a finite and discrete optimal input vector distribution. The use of this input allows us to determine the capacity gain of MISO over SISO via the phase solutions of a constrained quadratic optimization problem on a sphere, which can be obtained using a proposed penalized optimization algorithm. We also extend the results to MISO channels subject to the joint per-antenna and sum power constraints. Under this consideration, it is shown that not all per-antenna constraints are active. While the finiteness and discreteness of the optimal effective magnitude and the optimal input vector distributions still hold, the optimal phases and the optimal power allocation among the transmit antennas need to be determined simultaneously via a quadratic optimization problem under inequality constraints. These solutions can finally be used to obtain the MISO capacity gain.


We have obtained modelled ISAR data for a ZSU-23-4 air defence unit using a high-fidelity 600,000 facet model and the RAPPORT RCS prediction code. These ISAR data are compared with results from the FERMAT RCS prediction code using the same facet model of the ZSU23-4. In order to analyse how well the prediction results can represent measured ISAR data the modelled data are compared with measured ARL ISAR data of a ZSU-23-4 where the same parameters and resolution have been used. In addition we compare the modelled data with measured ISAR data from other targets than the ZSU-23-4 in order to check whether the measured and modelled data of the same target are more similar compared to data from other targets. We found that modelled and measured data certainly have common characteristics but that they are not similar enough to replace measured by modelled data for the purpose of target discrimination.


Trees are essential elements of an urban space. The presence of trees in urban areas is not only appreciated as physical attribute, but beyond this, it serves a fundamental function in balancing and conserving urban ecosystem. Especially in tropical countries like Indonesia which receive high levels of solar radiation, trees contribute to the protection of urban areas from the impact of excessive micro-climatic conditions. But, the presence of trees sometimes resulted in the accidents for the residences because of broken branches and human injuries. This situation leads the city to prepare a tree inventory system, which is beneficial in giving the information about tree conditions and thus the information that would be useful for tree maintenance activities. The tree inventory on application for the city of East Jakarta was built for this purpose, comprising a tree inventory and easy access to the database. The application connects the database source with the GIS map, so that the users could retrieve information for each kind of data.


Rectal erosions after ventral rectopexy (VR) is an uncommon but challenging adverse event and can be associated with partial migration of the mesh into the intestinal cavity. Re-do surgery is difficult and often provides colostomy and/or anterior rectal resections. However, no alternative solutions are described in the available literature. An 82-year-old woman presented to our hospital for rectal erosion and intraluminal migration of the mesh placed at a 1-year laparoscopic VR. We performed an innovative totally endoscopic approach, using thulium laser and two endoscopes, that led to a successful removal of the mesh. The described mini-invasive technique can be an effective alternative to surgery in tertiary referral centres.


A more complete inventory of inoculum sources would help our understanding of epidemics of Fusarium head blight (FHB). We hypothesize that Fusarium species can colonize and survive on leaves in the US northern Great Plains. In 2001, two hard red spring wheat cultivars Alsen (resistant to FHB) and Oxen (susceptible) were planted in a wheat stubble or plowed area in three replicate subplots, each 1 X 2 m. Twenty healthy (asymptomatic) and diseased (with necrotic leaf spots) leaf samples of each cultivar were collected from the 4leaf to the early milk stage. Leaf samples were collected on 6/7, 6/14, 6/21, 6/28, and 7/5. The leaves were cut into 2 cm pieces. Ninety-eight leaf pieces of each sample were plated on Komada's medium. Forty-nine of 98 leaf pieces were surface disinfected with 5% sodium hypochloride prior to plating. The leaf pieces were incubated at 22 C with an alternating cycle of 12 h light and 12 h dark for 10 days. Different colony types of Fusarium species were counted and transferred onto 1⁄2 strength PDA for species identification. Twelve Fusarium species were isolated: acuminatum, avenaceum, equiseti, graminearum, moniliforme, proliferatum, poae, sporotrichioides, subglutinans, scirpii, and semitectum. Fusarium graminearum and Fusarium sporotrichioides were the most prevalent species after Fusarium equiseti throughout the season. Fusarium graminearum was isolated from healthy disinfected leaves (0-6%, depending on date sampled), healthy nondisinfected leaves (2-12%), diseased disinfected leaves (2-18%), and diseased nondisinfected leaves (4-52%). Fusarium sporotrichioides was isolated from healthy disinfected leaves (0-14%), healthy nondisinfected leaves (0-16%), diseased disinfected leaves (0-18%), and diseased nondisinfected leaves (2-42%). Fusarium avenaceum was isolated from both healthy (0-6%) and diseased (0-10%) leaves but F. poae was observed only on diseased leaves (0-22%). Diseased leaves produced pathogenic Fusaria at a higher frequency than healthy leaf samples but a difference between the plowed and stubble areas was not detected. The results indicate that Fusarium species associated with FHB, such as graminearum, sporotrichioides, avenaceum, and poae, can survive parasitically and saprophytically on leaves throughout the season; furthermore, these leaves may contribute additional inoculum for FHB development in the northern Great Plains. Management of foliar pathogens may help in reducing FHB intensity by decreasing the amount of inoculum. 2001 National Fusarium Head Blight Forum 100 Epidemiology and Disease Management EFFECT OF FUSARIUM GRAMINEARUM INFECTION DURING WHEAT SEED DEVELOPMENT ON SEED QUALITY Jason M. Argyris*, Dennis M. TeKrony, and David VanSanford Department of Agronomy, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40546-0091 *Corresponding Author: PH: 859-257-2651; E-mail: email@example.com


The neural cell adhesion molecule L1 (L1CAM) plays a key role during embryonic development of the nervous system and is involved in memory and learning. Mutations in the L1 gene are responsible for four X linked neurological conditions: X linked hydrocephalus (HSAS), MASA syndrome, complicated spastic paraplegia type 1 (SP-1), and X linked agenesis of the corpus callosum. As the clinical picture of these four L1 associated diseases shows considerable overlap and is characterised by Corpus callosum hypoplasia, mental Retardation, Adducted thumbs, Spastic paraplegia, and Hydrocephalus, these conditions have recently been lumped together into the CRASH syndrome. We investigate here whether a genotype-phenotype correlation exists in CRASH syndrome since its clinical spectrum is highly variable and numerous L1 mutations have been described. We found that (1) mutations in the extracellular part of L1 leading to truncation or absence of L1 cause a severe phenotype, (2) mutations in the cytoplasmic domain of L1 give rise to a milder phenotype than extracellular mutations, and (3) extracellular missense mutations affecting amino acids situated on the surface of a domain cause a milder phenotype than those affecting amino acids buried in the core of the domain.


Low levels of engagement in Internet‐based interventions are common. Understanding users' experiences with these interventions is a key to improving efficacy. Although qualitative methods are well‐suited for this purpose, few qualitative studies have been conducted in this area. In the present study, we assessed experiences with an Internet‐based intervention among cancer survivors who made minimal use of the intervention.


We describe a procedure for modifying horizontal eye movement measurements in a way that effectively removes signal contributions due to the eccentric location of the eyes relative to the center of rotation of the head. This procedure helps standardize measured signals so that data collected under different experimental conditions and from different subjects may be compared directly. We also present techniques for accurately determining specific parameters of head geometry that are required by the procedure. This method may be used for modifying eye movement responses to visual target motion, head motion, or both, and does not assume continual fixation of the visual target. Also, this method may be employed when either curved (iso-distance) or flat display screens are used for presenting the visual stimuli.


Objective To examine whether increases in physician volume in primary healthcare facilities are associated with reduced utilisation of hospital outpatient and inpatient services after China facilitated the establishment of the hierarchical medical system. Design We used a two-way fixed-effects regression to examine the association between the annual number of physicians in primary healthcare facilities and that of patient visits per physician, inpatient admissions and total expenses per outpatient visit in public hospitals during 2010–2014 and 2015–2019. Variables were log transformed to ensure the normal distribution of the data. Setting Province-level data of all 31 provinces in mainland China from 2010 to 2019 were collected from the China Health Statistics Yearbook published by the China Health Commission. Participants All 31 provinces in mainland China. Primary and secondary outcome measures The annual number of outpatient visits per physician, hospital admission and total expenses per outpatient visit in public hospitals. Results During 2015–2019, we found that, on average, a 1% increase in the number of primary healthcare physicians was accompanied by a 0.19% (95% CI −0.33% to −0.05%) reduction in the annual number of visits per physician in public hospitals, and a 0.31% (95% CI −0.52% to −0.10%) reduction in patient visits in city-administered hospitals. No significant associations were found between 2010 and 2014. We also did not observe any significant associations between primary healthcare physician volume and hospital admissions or outpatient expenses during neither 2010–2014 and 2015–2019. Conclusions In the context of the hierarchical medical system, enhancing physician volume in primary healthcare facilities helps reduce outpatient visits in public hospitals, especially city-administered hospitals. However, more efforts are required to be continuously made to improve primary healthcare capacity to avoid preventable hospital admissions and outpatient expenses.


Writing is one of the language skills which is hard for the students to do, because this activity expects them to create written product in which they demonstrate certain ideas structurally which involve the correct grammar, spelling, vocabulary and punctuation. In competence based curriculum, students are demanded to produce written texts based on certain genres. One of the genres they should create is a descriptive text. Unfortunately, sometimes students get stuck in describing something. Because of these difficulties, some efforts have been done to solve the problems. One of them is by using pictures. The teacher used pictures to motivate students to write.
The purpose of this study is to find out how well the pictures give contribution to the students in writing descriptive text.
An experimental design was used to gather the data, while a quantitative approach was used to analyze them. The study was taken by the eighth year students of SMP N 13 Semarang. It was conducted in two classes, experimental class and control one. The treatment was given to the experimental class; here I took class VIII B, whereas the control one, class VIII C, received the normal treatment.
The result of the analysis showed that pictures contribute greatly to the students in writing a descriptive text. It can be shown by the differences of the mean score of the post-test obtained by experimental class and control class. The mean score of post-test of the experimental class was 81.3, and the control class got 73.2. It can be inferred that pictures was very effective helping the students in writing a descriptive text.
Referring to my experience in conducting the research, I offer several suggestions. First, I suggest other English teachers to use pictures as their teaching media. Second, the schools should provide more sophisticated visual aids to help students in learning English.


The activities associated to the mining industry are a major source of risk to the environment, but especially for the local community. In Romania, mining of precious metals (gold, silver and copper) have changed the landscape permanently, having a profound impact both locally and regionally. To determine the behavior of the material inside the tailings ponds dams in case of a major seismic event, two ponds were chosen as study cases, both belonging to Rosia Montana mining region: Valea Salistei tailings pond and Gura Rosiei tailings pond. Rosia Montana mining region is one of the most important Romanian mining regions is the Golden Quadrilateral of the Apuseni Mountains, which it delivered over time significant quantities of nonferrous metals, especially gold and silver. For the two study cases the dams' stability was evaluated by classical methods (analytical and numerical), each method using two hypothesis: static and pseudo-static (seismic). The aim of the study is to monitoring the values of the safety factors when the dams of the tailings ponds are affected by an major seismic event and to observe the potential sliding surfaces through the dam's body, the shear deformations distribution and the total displacements and distribution from the resulted graphics on two random sections chosen for each of the case studies. Keywords— environment monitoring, seismic, tailing pond, stability.


Pollen allergies are considered as a global epidemic nowadays, as they influence more than a quarter of the worldwide population, with this percentage expected to rapidly increase because of ongoing climate change. To date, alerts on high-risk allergenic pollen exposure have been provided only via forecasting models and conventional monitoring methods that are laborious. The aim of this study is to develop and evaluate our own pollen classification model based on deep neural networks. Airborne allergenic pollen have been monitored in Augsburg, Bavaria, Germany, since 2015, using a novel automatic Bio-Aerosol Analyzer (BAA 500, Hund GmbH). The automatic classification system is compared and evaluated against our own, newly developed algorithm. Our model achieves an unweighted average precision of 83.0 % and an unweighted average recall of 77.1 % across 15 classes of pollen taxa. Automatic, real-time information on concentrations of airborne allergenic pollen will significantly contribute to the implementation of timely, personalized management of allergies in the future. It is already clear that new methods and sophisticated models have to be developed so as to successfully switch to novel operational pollen monitoring techniques serving the above need.