The fabrication and characterization of distributed feedback (DFB) quantum cascade lasers emitting at λ ≈ 8.5 μm are reported. The first-order DFB grating structure was defined using the holographic lithography technique. Reliable dynamic single-mode emission with a side-mode suppression ratio of 20 dB and a tuning coefficient of −0.277 cm−1/K from 93 to 210 K is obtained in continuous wave mode by using high-reflectivity coating on the rear facet. The output power is over 100 mW at a temperature of 80 K.


Three wrapping materials (kraft paper + straw, kraft paper and news paper) and five cold storage durations (0, 8, 16, 24 and 32-day) were investigated for dry matter content of plum (cv. Shablon) during cold storage at -1°C temperature and 98% relative humidity. The experiment was laid out in Factorial Completely Randomized Design (FCRD) with four replications for each one of factors. The data collected were subjected to Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and Duncan's Multiple Range Test (DMRT) at 1% probability was performed to compare the means of different treatments. The statistical results of the study indicated that wrapping material and cold storage duration significantly (P = 0.01) affected dry matter content. Results of the study also indicated that dry matter content increased by increasing cold storage duration. In addition, news paper was the best wrapping materials for conserving dry matter content.


Novelty pruning is a planning technique that focuses on exploring states that are novel, i.e., those containing facts that have not been seen before. This seemingly simple idea has had a huge impact on the state of the art in planning though its effectiveness is not entirely understood yet.We relate novelty to dominance pruning, which compares states to previously seen states to eliminate those that are provably worse in terms of goal distance. Novelty can be interpreted as an unsafe approximation of dominance, where states containing novel facts are relevant because they enable new paths to the goal and, therefore, they are less likely to be dominated by others. This provides a framework to understand the success of novelty, resulting in new variants that combine both techniques.


We examine the electromagnetic radiation from a charged particle in a circular orbit around a weakly magnetized Schwarzchild black hole. A charged particle emits radiation as it orbits a Schwarzschild black hole. The presence of an external uniform magnetic field introduces changes to the dynamics of the particle. For circular orbits, the magnetic field permits changes in orbital velocities for the same orbital radius. This change can affect the particle's radiation as it goes around the black hole. We provide the power spectrum of the radiation for different magnetic field strengths. We have calculated that a negatively charged particle with a faster orbit due to a stronger magnetic field has a power spectrum with a distribution in the higher l and m modes. We observed the overall distribution shift to the higher l and m modes. The faster orbit also causes a larger energy loss.


. The main objective of this work was to investigate the effect of glycerol at different compositions on physical properties, morphology and water absorption of protein based thermoplastic from fish waste. Fish waste containing fish head, bones and fins were collected from local fish product processing plant before further cooking, pressing, drying and milling. Compound formulation was done using twin screw extrusion and compression moulding. Samples at different glycerol compositions (Control, 20 pph and 35 pph) were characterized using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and water absorption. The addition of glycerol showed two broad bands between 1500-1700 cm −1 and 3000-3500 cm −1 which correlates with the amount of α-helix and β-sheets structure of the protein. The fracture surfaces at control changed from uneven surfaces with large particles to smooth surfaces. Plastic deformation was observed at control and 20 pph but was absence at high glycerol content. Increasing the glycerol content was found to influence the water resistance properties of fish protein by reducing the absorption capability due to amount of α-helix and β-sheets structure.


This study aims to investigate the effect of economic development, measured by per capita incomes, on women's well-being by relating a country's per capita GDP with several dimensions that affect women's affluence and well-being within the economic, social, and political context. The analysis is based on the theoretical framework of the modernisation-neoclassical approach. Regression analysis is conducted on data from a sample of the countries in the low- and middle-income category to determine the effect of economic development on several indicators of women's well-being. The results provide strong evidence that economic growth was associated with improvements in some economic and social indicators of women's well-being in low- and middle-income countries. However, the results do not reveal any strong association between economic development and women's political participation. Some policy implications are drawn.


The use of smart devices (e.g., smartphones, smartwatches) and other wearables to deliver digital interventions to improve health outcomes has grown significantly in the past few years. Mobile health (mHealth) systems are excellent tools for the delivery of adaptive interventions that aim to provide the right type and amount of support, at the right time, by adapting to an individual's changing context. Micro-randomized trials (MRTs) are an increasingly common experimental design that is the main source for data-driven evidence of mHealth intervention effectiveness. To assess time-varying causal effect moderation in an MRT, individuals are intensively randomized to receive treatment over time. In addition, measurements, including individual characteristics, and context are also collected throughout the study. The effective utilization of covariate information to improve inferences regarding causal effects has been well-established in the context of randomized control trials (RCTs), where covariate adjustment is applied to leverage baseline data to address chance imbalances and improve the asymptotic efficiency of causal effect estimation. However, the application of this approach to longitudinal data, such as MRTs, has not been thoroughly explored. Recognizing the connection to Neyman Orthogonality, we propose a straightforward and intuitive method to improve the efficiency of moderated causal excursion effects by incorporating auxiliary variables. We compare the robust standard errors of our method with those of the benchmark method. The efficiency gain of our approach is demonstrated through simulation studies and an analysis of data from the Intern Health Study (NeCamp et al., 2020).


The survey by Walton et al. [1] has clearly highlighted the wide variations in anaesthetic practice of epidural analgesia in high risk patients. The problem for clinicians is that neither the risks nor the benefits have been quantified. The meta-analysis by Rodgers et al. [2] showed a 30% reduction in mortality with neuraxial blockade, as stated by the authors. However, the effect on total mortality was not clearly lower in trials in which neuraxial blockade was combined with general anaesthesia than in trials in which neuraxial blockade was used alone. Another weakness of this metaanalysis is that it incorporates older studies, conducted before improvements in morbidity and mortality, when the influence of neuraxial block on thromboembolism, in particular, was important. With improvements in anaesthetic and surgical techniques, the effect of neuraxial block may be less relevant. The risk–benefit analysis should also consider the potentially catastrophic consequences of epidural analgesia. The sick elderly patient undergoing major surgery may be at a greater risk of developing an epidural abscess. This may be one of the reasons why 30% of anaesthetists did not opt to insert an epidural catheter in the ASA 3 emergency case, given the apparent lack of evidence for benefit. On the other hand, epidural analgesia does have important benefits in terms of pain relief and patient satisfaction. The onus is on the clinician to justify its use, taking into account the wishes of the patient.


A bug or error is a common problem that any software or computer program may encounter. It can occur from badly writing the program, a typing error or bad memory management. However, errors can become a significant issue if the unsafe program is used for critical systems. Therefore, formal methods for these kinds of systems are greatly required. In this paper, we use a formal language that performs deductive verification on an Ethereum Blockchain application based on smart contracts, which are self-executing digital contracts. Blockchain systems manipulate cryptocurrency and transaction information. Therefore , if a bug occurs in the blockchain, serious consequences such as a loss of money can happen. Thus, the aim of this paper is to propose a language dedicated to deductive verification, called Why3, as a new language for writing formal and verified smart contracts, thereby avoiding attacks exploiting such contract execution vulnerabilities. We first write a Why3 smart contracts program; next we formulate specifications to be proved as absence of RunTime Error properties and functional properties, then we verify the behavior of the program using the Why3 system. Finally we compile the Why3 contracts to the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM). Moreover, we give a set of generic mathematical statements that allows verifying functional properties suited to any type of smart contracts holding cryptocurrency, showing that Why3 can be a suitable language to write smart contracts. To illustrate our approach, we describe its application to a realistic industrial use case.


Human resources is a company's very valuable asset that should always be kept level of OCB to improve their performance. The purpose of this study to determine the impact of work life polices, empowerment, training and development, job satisfaction on employee performance with OCB as mediation variable in using 140 permanent lectures majoring in management and economics in Batam as respondents. The data analysis technique used is multiple regression analysis, path analysis and Sobel test to test the effect of intervening variable. This study found that OCB can indirectly affect the relationship between work life polices, empowerment, training and development, job satisfaction on employee performance. This result illustrate that the performance of employees will increase as improved OCB, so it is important for the company to pay more attention to the work life polices, empowerment, training and development, job satisfaction so that the employee's satisfaction is always maintained.


Background: This study was undertaken to determine whether unilateral hallux valgus progresses unilaterally and to evaluate the demographics, etiologies, and radiographic findings associated with symptomatic unilateral hallux valgus deformities. Methods: Patients treated for hallux valgus between January 2004 and December 2008 were identified, and of these, 33 patients with unilateral deformities were enrolled. Progression of deformities in normal feet were evaluated at last follow-up visit, and the clinical information and radiographic measurements of those with a deformed normal foot or an unchanged normal foot were compared. Results: Thirty-three patients (3.4%) had a unilateral hallux valgus deformity on preoperative radiographs. The mean length of follow up was 4.7 years (range, 2.4-11). Twenty-four cases had no deformity of the normal foot at last follow-up (the unchanged group), but 15 cases had developed hallux valgus deformity (the deformed group). No significant intergroup differences were found in terms of metatarsus adductus angle (P = .412), Meary angle (P = .771), talocalcaneal angle (P = 1.000), or calcaneal pitch angle (P = .267). However, members of the deformed group were significantly younger at disease onset (P = .045), exhibited a curved first metatarsal head (P = .046), and had a larger initial hallux valgus angle (P < .001). Conclusions: The frequency of bilateral symptomatic hallux valgus was found to be over 97.3%, and significant differences were found between the deformed and unchanged groups in terms of age of onset, metatarsal head shape, and hallux valgus angle. Level of Evidence: Level III, case-control study.


Background: Insomnia is the most recognized sleep disorder. The time of the COVID-19 pandemic brings with it new challenges. During the COVID-19 pandemic, maintaining sleep hygiene is highly recommended as it helps to strengthen the immune system, and people infected with COVID-19 may be more prone to sleep problems.The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of insomnia among people aged 18-25 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: The study involved 302 individuals. It was conducted using Google Forms. The mean age of the respondents was 23 ± 1.84 years. The research instruments used in the study were the Athenian Insomnia Scale (AIS), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and the author's questionnaire concerning sociodemographic data. Results: Insomnia was found in 29.5% (n = 89) of the respondents. Higher mean values (8 ± 4.19) in the AIS were noted in the group of people with higher education and those currently studying. Moderate depression was demonstrated in 12.6% (n = 38) of the subjects. One third (30.1%; n = 91) of the respondents indicated greater sleep problems during the COVID-19 pandemic than before. Conclusions: Insomnia and depression are significant problems in the study group of 18-25 year olds. Therefore, psychological and psychiatric care should be extended to this group of young people.


Agricultural system is a complex community sheltering different ecological units. The units of this complex structure are in balance with each other showing fluctuations to ensure effective regulations from time to time depending on the abundance of both undesirable and beneficial organisms. This balance is a major case for biological activity playing an important role to maintain biological diversity. Once this natural balance is impaired due to abiotic and biotic factors occurring in biosystems, the economic and environmental problems appear becoming significant for the economical dimension in agriculture. The most important components showing deficiencies in systemically agro ecostructure problems result from soil fertility, pest and disease management. Large interactions, which are concomitantly persisting with biological processes, are on plant and animal biodiversity, which have been affected by miss-treatments in crop protection and plant nutrition. Hence, food-web and biodiversity are indirectly seriously damaged in nature, such as recycling of nutrients and changes of microclimate. In this chapter, we have discussed the major effects of crop protection on biodiversity in detail regarding the persistence of biodiversity that needs to be mediated, considering the preserving of eco - logical properties and sustainable maintenance of biological integrity in agroecosystems .


Proceedings: AACR Annual Meeting 2014; April 5-9, 2014; San Diego, CA

The present study was undertaken to determine whether sulforaphane-derived reactive oxygen species (ROS) might cause growth arrest and apoptosis in human bladder cancer 5637 cells. Our results show that the reduced viability of 5637 cells by sulforaphane is due to mitotic arrest, but not the G2 phase. The sulforaphane-induced mitotic arrest correlated with an induction of cyclin B1 and phosphorylation of Cdk1, as well as a concomitant increased complex between cyclin B1 and Cdk1. Sulforaphane-induced apoptosis was associated with the activation of caspase-8 and -9, the initiators caspases of the extrinsic and intrinsic apoptotic pathways, respectively, and activation of effector caspase-3 and cleavage of PAPR. However, blockage of caspase activation inhibited apoptosis and abrogated growth inhibition in sulforaphane-treated 5637 cells. This study further investigated the roles of ROS with respect to mitotic arrest and the apoptotic effect of sulforaphane, and the maximum level of ROS accumulation was observed at 30 min after sulforaphane treatment. However, a ROS scavenger, N-acetyl L-cysteine, notably attenuated sulforaphane-mediated apoptosis as well as mitotic arrest. Overall, these results suggest that sulforaphane induces mitotic arrest and apoptosis of 5637 cells via a ROS-dependent pathway.

Citation Format: Yung Hyun Choi. Induction of reactive oxygen species-dependent mitotic arrest and apoptosis by sulforaphane in human bladder cancer 5637 cells. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 5106. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-5106


Recent reinforcement learning (RL) methods have achieved success in various domains. However, multi-agent RL (MARL) remains a challenge in terms of decentralization, partial observability and scalability to many agents. Meanwhile, collective behavior requires resolution of the aforementioned challenges, and remains of importance to many state-of-the-art applications such as active matter physics, self-organizing systems, opinion dynamics, and biological or robotic swarms. Here, MARL via mean field control (MFC) offers a potential solution to scalability, but fails to consider decentralized and partially observable systems. In this paper, we enable decentralized behavior of agents under partial information by proposing novel models for decentralized partially observable MFC (Dec-POMFC), a broad class of problems with permutation-invariant agents allowing for reduction to tractable single-agent Markov decision processes (MDP) with single-agent RL solution. We provide rigorous theoretical results, including a dynamic programming principle, together with optimality guarantees for Dec-POMFC solutions applied to finite swarms of interest. Algorithmically, we propose Dec-POMFC-based policy gradient methods for MARL via centralized training and decentralized execution, together with policy gradient approximation guarantees. In addition, we improve upon state-of-the-art histogram-based MFC by kernel methods, which is of separate interest also for fully observable MFC. We evaluate numerically on representative collective behavior tasks such as adapted Kuramoto and Vicsek swarming models, being on par with state-of-the-art MARL. Overall, our framework takes a step towards RL-based engineering of artificial collective behavior via MFC.


In this review the current situation of gene therapy is described in hematological diseases, immunological conditions, and cancer. In all of them, the principal objective of various approaches with gene therapy is transduction of therapeutic genes in most of target cells. In chronic or immunological diseases, a stable expression of therapeutic genes is also required; in tumor cells, the efficiency or percentage of transduced cells make conditional on the treatment success. Consequently, vectors are one of the basic elements to optimize gene therapy approaches and protocols in view of the facts that we know that with liposomes less than 10% of cells are transduced, that retrovirus only infect cells in replication, and that adenovirus give rise to an important inflammatory response and a transitory transduction of the therapeutic gene. In addition recent approaches in cancer gene therapy with selective replication virus, suicidal genes, etc., are discussed.


Although adequate nutrition is essential for optimal neural activity and survival, mild energy restriction may improve cognition and prolong longevity. Energy status is monitored by the cellular AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) system, whereas leptin regulates total energy balance. We investigated the roles of AMPK and leptin in cognition and survival under diet restriction (DR). Hippocampal AMPK activity increases with energy restriction. Modest activation (DR to 60%) induces neurogenesis and improves cognition. However, DR to 40% augmented AMPK activity, reduced cognition and catecholamines, and increased neural apoptosis and mortality. Leptin signaling is preserved only in DR to 60%, countering the effects of AMPK "overactivation" by preventing neuroapoptosis, restoring noradrenergic activity and behavioral performance, and increasing longevity. The balance between leptin and AMPK is crucial in determining neuronal fate, cognitive ability, and survival. Should these findings extend to Man, then controlled activation of AMPK may improve neurodegenerative diseases, and leptin may have a new role in treating stress-associated malnutrition.


We report five cases of early rupture of cornual pregnancy with history of previous salpingectomy and cornual resection following in-vitro fertilization (IVF) and embryo transfer. We discuss the predisposing factors, diagnostic and therapeutic modalities in these patients. A high index of suspicion is required for an early diagnosis. It is imperative that the physicians who care for the patients be fully aware of the possibility of such a complication in a high risk population; therefore, appropriate counselling and close follow-up might help to avoid such obstetrical catastrophes, by termination of pregnancy, either surgically or medically.


We describe a patient with a right coronary arteriovenous fistula in whom magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was useful in establishing the diagnosis. In a 36-year-old woman, T1 spin echo MRI demonstrated a massively dilated coronary arteriovenous fistula connecting the right coronary artery to the right atrium. The cine field echo technique showed a continuous shunt flow within the fistula as documented by the flow void throughout the cardiac cycle. These findings were confirmed by cardiac catheterization. We conclude that MRI is useful not only in detecting a coronary arteriovenous fistula but also in identifying its origin and the drainage site.


The paper deals with the problem of approximation of probability distributions of random variables defined in positive area of real numbers with coefficient of variation different from unity. While using queueing systems as models for computer networks, calculation of characteristics is usually performed at the level of expectation and variance. At the same time, one of the main characteristics of multimedia data transmission quality in computer networks is delay jitter. For jitter calculation the function of packets time delay distribution should be known. It is shown that changing the third moment of distribution of packets delay leads to jitter calculation difference in tens or hundreds of percent, with the same values of the first two moments expectation value and delay variation coefficient. This means that delay distribution approximation for the calculation of jitter should be performed in accordance with the third moment of delay distribution. For random variables with coefficients of variation greater than unity, iterative approximation algorithm with hyper-exponential two-phase distribution based on three moments of approximated distribution is offered. It is shown that for random variables with coefficients of variation less than unity, the impact of the third moment of distribution becomes negligible, and for approximation of such distributions Erlang distribution with two first moments should be used. This approach gives the possibility to obtain upper bounds for relevant characteristics, particularly, the upper bound of delay jitter.


Recently, there has been considerable interest and effort to the possibility to design and implement conscious robots, i.e., the chance that robots may have subjective experiences. Typical approaches as the global workspace, information integration, enaction, cognitive mechanisms, embodiment, i.e., the Good Old-Fashioned Artificial Consciousness, henceforth, GOFAC, share the same conceptual framework. In this paper, we discuss GOFAC's basic tenets and their implication for AI and Robotics. In particular, we point out the intermediate level fallacy as the central issue affecting GOFAC. Finally, we outline a possible alternative conceptual framework toward robot consciousness.


The kinetics of anti-T. spiralis newborn larvae (NBL) immunity and its dose effects were studied in vivo. Rats were either immunized with newborn larvae i.v. or muscle larvae per os and challenged with newborn larvae either i.v. or i.p. on day 7 up to day 27 after immunization. Immunity was assessed by examining the muscle larvae burden or the larval recovery from the peritoneal cavity. Recovered newborn larvae were further examined for cell adherence and viability. Results indicate that as early as 9 days after infection and only 3 days after newborn larvae production in vivo, specific anti-newborn larvae immunity was developed. Peritoneal cells as well as blood cells adhered to the cuticles of the larvae and killed them. When different doses of immunization were examined, it was found that 2,000 muscle larvae per os induced the strongest immunity as compared to 500, 5,000 or 6,000. Such immunity maintained its strength when challenge infection with newborn larvae reached 50,000 dosage and it declined significantly when the dose reached 100,000. This indicates that the immune cells and antibodies are not re-deployed.


We present a novel offline-online method to mitigate the computational burden of the characterization of posterior random variables in statistical learning. In the offline phase, the proposed method learns the joint law of the parameter random variables and the observable random variables in the tensor-train (TT) format. In the online phase, the resulting order-preserving conditional transport can characterize the posterior random variables given newly observed data in real time. Compared with the state-of-the-art normalizing flow techniques, the proposed method relies on function approximation and is equipped with a thorough performance analysis. The function approximation perspective also allows us to further extend the capability of transport maps in challenging problems with high-dimensional observations and high-dimensional parameters. On the one hand, we present novel heuristics to reorder and/or reparametrize the variables to enhance the approximation power of TT. On the other hand, we integrate the TT-based transport maps and the parameter reordering/reparametrization into layered compositions to further improve the performance of the resulting transport maps. We demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed method on various statistical learning tasks in ordinary differential equations (ODEs) and partial differential equations (PDEs).


This study investigated if there are differences between Korean and Chinese consumers among the determinants of consumer complaint intention, type of complaint intention, and traits of complaining behavior. Sample subjects used in this study were female college students in Jeollabukdo and Jeollanamdo, Korea and Yunnam, China. Questionnaire data from 780 college students(Korea: 441, China: 339) were analyzed through a reliability analysis, factor analysis, frequence, mean, and multiple regression analysis. The results of the study were as follows. First, complaint intention of college students was divided into 3 factors, voice, private, and third party. Second, the findings of regression analysis for the total sample showed that the determinants of the factor 'voice' were the country, salespeople, product involvement, complaint cost, psychological tension, and social benefit. Whereas, the determinants of the factor 'private' were the producer, product involvement, psychological tension, and social benefit. Also, the determinants of the factor 'third party' were the country, oneself, salespeople, complaint cost, personal norms, and social benefit. Third, significant differences were indicated in the determinants of the 'voice', 'private' and 'third party' factors of complaint intention between Korean and Chinese consumers. Fourth, the complaint intention factors of 'voice' and 'third party' of Chinese consumers were higher than Korean consumers. Fifth, the attributions to dissatisfaction of Korean consumers were higher than Chinese consumers, and the product involvement, possibility for success, and consumer complaint attitudes of Chinese consumers were revealed to be higher than Korean consumers. 이옥희 / 한중 패션제품 소비자 불평행동의도에 미치는 영향요인 분석( ) I . 113


This paper deals with the theory of skin effect in semiconductor materials including the effect of displacement currents, which are generally neglected in the skin-effect theory for metallic conductors. In the case of flat plates, formulas are derived for the field distribution, the impedance and the eddy-current power losses, considering symmetrical electric as well as magnetic fields. Impedance as a function of frequency is measured for germanium in the microwave cm-range. The measured values agree with the theoretical results. The equivalent depth of penetration is calculated and compared with the skin depth for metals. All theoretical results are represented in graphs for different values of the ratio γ, i.e., the displacement current divided by the conduction current. The formulas are extended to the case of complex permeability, corresponding to hysteresis.


With the increased popularity of Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) and an increasing development in the research fields of Complex and Dynamical Networks (CDN) in the last decade, up to now there have been no applications or systems used both prosperities between WSN and CDN. In this paper, the author creates an improved system—Intelligent Gain System (IGS) and intends to outline the framework of IGS based on the scale-free model of CDN. In view of hardware improvements, WSN would typically be used for longer periods of time and for multiple purposes [1]. In some cases they may even undergo evolutionary development and continuous adaptation. But how to enhance networks robustness with the increasing numbers of sensor nodes, which have directly led to more and more complex in networks, was presented in recent researches on WSN. To improve the networks robustness and communicated effectiveness of IGS, the topology of IGS based on the scale-free model of Complex and Dynamical Networks was introduced. The author suggests that the assessment for IGS should include the effectiveness and robustness. It was concluded that the comprehensive design applied in both between WSN and CDN would enhance further the communicated effectiveness and the network robustness. Index Terms Intelligent Gain System (IGS), CDN-Complex and Dynamical Networks (CDN), Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN), Robustness, Communication


Participating in sports constitutes an important aspect of human activity. It has been argued that the tendency to take part in sports has evolved in a way as to enable men to signal their otherwise unobserved physical abilities to an interested audience of men and women. Based on this evolutionary logic, three hypotheses are derived: first, it is hypothesised that there is an age-cohort effect, namely that members of younger age groups participate more often in sports than members of older age groups. It is further hypothesised that there is an interaction effect between age cohort and sex, with younger men participating more often in sports than younger women, and with both sexes converging at older age cohorts. Finally, it is hypothesised that, since part of the motivation for doing sports is sexual, age-cohort effects will also be found in individual motives for participating in sports. For instance, younger individuals will be more motivated than older ones to participate in sports in order to enhance their appearance. Evidence from a sample of 27 European countries provides support for all three hypotheses.


Implied volatility is an important element in risk management and option pricing. Black-Scholes model assumes a constant volatility, however, the evidence from financial market shows that the volatility is not constant but change with strike and time to maturity. In this paper, the time to maturity is fixed and we will construct the implied volatility function of strike or moneyness. We can use regression method for estimation, but the data from financial market contains some noise and we need to apply smoothing techniques to estimate this implied volatility function. The standard nonand semiparametric regression methods don't guarantee the resulting IV functions are arbitrage free, so we will insert our estimation result to Black and Scholes model and calculate the state price density (SPD). In a Black-Scholes model it is lognormal distribution with constant volatility parameter. In practice as volatility changes the distribution deviates from log-normality. We estimate volatilities and SPDs using EUREX option data on the DAX index by using different smoothing techniques. Our estimation will be carried out through the strike direction and moneyness direction. We will briefly introduce Local polynomials as one method. The most important smoothing techniques we will applied in this paper is B-splines, with the usage of roughness penalty, which allows a flexible choice on the degree of smoothness, and is promising for future research work on the arbitrage free constraint of implied volatility.


Science progresses by building upon previous discoveries. It is commonly believed that the impact of scientific papers, as measured by citations, is positively correlated with the impact of past discoveries built upon. However, analyzing over 30 million papers and nearly a billion citations across multiple disciplines, we find that there is a long-term positive citation correlation, but a negative short-term correlation. We demonstrate that the key to resolving this paradox lies in a new concept, called"capacity", which captures the amount of originality remaining for a paper. We find there is an intimate link between capacity and impact dynamics that appears universal across the diverse fields we studied. The uncovered capacity measure not only explains the correlated impact dynamics across the sciences but also improves our understanding and predictions of high-impact discoveries.


Checking our radial keratotomy database, we have been able to conclude that contact lens wear after RK is exceptional (0.6%), possible, easy. It further appears clearly that centripetal way of cutting is by far to be preferred above downhill-centrifugal cutting.


The aim of the study to report a case of spontaneous toxicity in a 5 year old Crossbred Jersey cow with a history of accidental ingestion of Ricinus communis oil cake during the month of November 2017. The animal had anorexia and profuse watery yellowish mucoid diarrhoea. On clinical examination the animal showed dullness and depression, congested conjunctival mucous membrane, tachycardia and doughy rumen with absence of rumen motility. The whole blood and sera samples were collected for haemato-biochemical analysis. The haematological values showed mild haemoconcentration with normocytic normochromic anaemia. There was no abnormality in biochemical values. Electrocardiography revealed sinus tachycardia. On ultrasound examination the liver and kidney showed normal contour and intestinal loops showed increased wall thickness without distension. The animal was treated with activated charcoal, egg white, fluid therapy, purgatives, antioxidants (Ascorbic acid) and low dose of sodium bicarbonate. The animal recovered uneventfully after three days of treatment. Recovery is generally less common in ricin poisonings.


Peer mentoring has been used for many years by the Nelson R. Mandela School of Medicine to integrate new students into the academic and social culture of the institution. In 2001, an unusual situation arose. A problem‐based learning (PBL) curriculum was introduced and the first cohort in this programme was mentored by senior traditional curriculum students. The present study, by canvassing the 2002 PBL mentors, set out to determine whether the mismatch in curricula impacted on students' mentoring experiences. There was overwhelming agreement that curriculum did matter—it is only when mentors are able to share the same experiences as mentees, can they fully understand student problems. Notwithstanding this and other difficulties (e.g. timetable clashes), some 2001 mentees did form bonds with their traditional curriculum mentors. Some even identified them as role models. The 2002 PBL mentors also indicated that they had undergone considerable personal development as a result of their experiences.


Successful exploration in the Red Sea requires a thorough understanding of the structural controls on reservoir and source-rock distribution. Pre-rift reservoirs are one major exploration objective, mainly comprising fluvial to shallow-marine clastics of Early Eocene, Paleocene and Cretaceous age. In the giant October and Ramadan fields in the Gulf of Suez, hydrocarbons sourced from the Upper Cretaceous "Brown Limestone" are produced from pre-rift reservoirs ranging from Cretaceous to pre-Carboniferous in age. Across the Red Sea region, the present-day distribution of pre-rift reservoirs and source rocks is controlled by both depositional paleogeography and the subsequent post-depositional structural history. The underlying Neoproterozoic basement fabric exerts a fundamental structural control on preservation of prerift sediments. During the initial rifting phase in the Late Eocene to Oligocene, pre-rift sediments were preserved in hanging wall blocks formed by extensional reactivation of two major sets of sub-vertical lineaments: Najd shears trending (azimuth) 125–130o, and faults trending N-S. Along the Saudi Arabian coastal plain, pre-rift sediments are found in hanging walls located in the SW quadrant of the intersection of these two sets of basement lineaments. Accommodation zones in the Red Sea region formed during the initial rift phase, and their location and trend is again related to the underlying Neoproterozoic basement fabric. The orientation of the Duwi accommodation zone in the northern Egyptian Red Sea is directly linked to the underlying Najd shear trend. Similarly, the newly identified Jeddah accommodation zone in Saudi Arabia (mapped from 2-D seismic data) follows the same Najd shear trend observed in the surrounding basement rocks. Discovery and analysis of the Jeddah accommodation zone will enable more accurate structural mapping of pre-rift fault blocks in the subsurface, together with more accurate prediction of potential syn-rift (Miocene) reservoirs.


The performance of a priority-based dynamic capacity allocation suitable for wireless ATM systems is presented. The scheduling of ATM cell transmission in each uplink TDMA frame is based on a priority scheme with priority given to real-time traffic over nonreal-time traffic. Real-time traffic exceeding the uplink capacity is lost while nonreal-time traffic that cannot be served is stored in a first-in first-out (FIFO) queue. An analytical model is developed to evaluate the cell loss ratio (CLR) of both real-time and nonreal-time traffic. Aggregate voice, video, and data traffic is modeled by three two-state Markov-modulated Poisson processes (MMPPs). Analytical results for different system capacities and various traffic loads and scenarios are discussed. Simulation results with on-off sources and approximating MMPP sources are also presented.


Retrograde pyelography in 140 transplanted kidneys within 3 days of the operation showed a high frequency (29%) of pyelorenal backflow. Pyelotubular backflow, ordinarily a rare form of backflow, was seen in one-third of the patients whose transplants were removed within 60 days because of rejection, but in only 4% of the patients with surviving grafts. Pyelosinus backflow was found in 61% of the patients with signs of urinary obstruction, but in only 9% of the other patients. No relationship was found between pyelosinus backflow and graft rejection, or between pyelotubular backflow and urinary obstruction. Pyelotubular backflow may be an early radiographic sign of impending and serious rejection.


Abstract Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a new virus that has higher contagious capacity than any other previous human coronaviruses (HCoVs) and causes the current coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. Sialic acids are a group of nine-carbon acidic α-keto sugars, usually located at the end of glycans of cell surface glycoconjugates and serve as attachment sites for previous HCoVs. It is therefore speculated that sialic acids on the host cell surface could serve as co-receptors or attachment factors for SARS-CoV-2 cell entry as well. Recent in silico modeling, molecular modeling predictions and microscopy studies indicate potential sialic acid binding by SARS-CoV-2 upon cell entry. In particular, a flat sialic acid-binding domain was proposed at the N-terminal domain of the spike protein, which may lead to the initial contact and interaction of the virus on the epithelium followed by higher affinity binding to angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor, likely a two-step attachment fashion. However, recent in vitro and ex vivo studies of sialic acids on ACE2 receptor confirmed an opposite role for SARS-CoV-2 binding. In particular, neuraminidase treatment of epithelial cells and ACE2-expressing 293T cells increased SARS-CoV-2 binding. Furthermore, the ACE2 glycosylation inhibition studies indicate that sialic acids on ACE2 receptor prevent ACE2–spike protein interaction. On the other hand, a most recent study indicates that gangliosides could serve as ligands for receptor-binding domain of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. This mini-review discusses what has been predicted and known so far about the role of sialic acid for SARS-CoV-2 infection and future research perspective.


Background One research activity established a community-based first response system including CPR. Participants were aged 10 years and over and each age group demonstrated that they could successfully learn CPR and retain the skills over time. Another research activity involved teaching children 4 years old and over basic swimming skills and safe rescue. Follow-up research on the children showed that many conducted rescues. The average age of rescuer and rescuee was 9 years and 3 years respectively. Some rescues were not successful as the victim lacked a pulse and respiration. This demonstrated a need for children younger than 10 years old to be able to resuscitate young children. The objective of the study was to develop a group of young community first responders between the ages of 7 and 9 years to provide first aid and CPR in order to demonstrate whether first responders in that age group were able to provide emergency response when required Methods Ten community swimming instructors (CSIs) were trained to teach first aid and CPR to children 7–9 years. The CSIs participated in a two-day intensive training-of-trainers activity. A standard first aid course including CPR was taught to the children using child manikins following swim training in the SwimSafe program. Results A total of 811 children participated in the training programme. The male:female proportion was 51.2 percent and 48.8 percent. A total of 82.5 percent of participants passed the first aid and CPR certification process. Passing rates were similar for both sexes and the highest passing rates were noted in 7 year old boys (85.0 percent) and girls (87.0 percent). Conclusion Children aged 7–9 years old can learn the skills of first aid and CPR. Further research is needed to demonstrate that skills are retained over time and that once trained, these young children can provide successful first response activities in emergencies that include CPR.


BACKGROUND
Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) is the most frequent neoplasm in patients with AIDS, responsible for death in about 20-30% of the affected patients.

OBJECTIVE
To determine the frequency of opportunistic infections (OI) and change of CD4+ cell counts in patients with KS treated with chemotherapy compared to a group of matched-pair patients without chemotherapy.

METHODS
In a prospective study, the clinical courses of 35 HIV-infected patients with KS treated with chemotherapy were compared with 35 matched-pair patients without chemotherapy.

RESULTS
During the observation period of 6 months, 11 OI occurred in 10 patients of the chemotherapy group and 5 OI in 5 patients of the control group. With respect to the changes of CD4+ cell counts, no significant differences could be observed.

CONCLUSION
The risk for OI in HIV-infected patients with KS is increased while receiving chemotherapy. This should be reflected upon when chemotherapy is taken into consideration.


The poaching which accounts for the vast majority of rhinoceros' deaths today and the illegal wildlife trade associated with it is now globally recognised as a very serious crime that is threatening the extinction of many endangered animal species in Africa and Asia. The international lucrative illicit trade in rhino horns is one of those crimes involving the dwindling population of one of the most iconic endangered animals still left in the world. The current rhino poaching crisis that began around 2008, continues despite the fact that the numbers of rhinos have slightly gone down partly due to the local and international criticisms against Vietnam, the most popular destination for illegal rhino horn. The African continent has taken some positive steps towards ameliorating the problem which is very complex, and is bankrolled by global organized crime syndicates. This paper uses a theory of change to investigate the problem, stimulate further debate and prompt local and international actors to take actions aimed at the conservation of rhinos for future generations.


Colombia is recognized as an important agricultural producer of pineapple and flowers. One of the most significant phytosanitary problems of these crops is pathogenic nematodes and it is necessary to find biocontrol alternatives for their management. This study evaluated the effect of Purpureocillium sp., strain UdeA0106, over the number of nematodes. Soil from pineapple and flower crops was collected on expanded polystyrene containers and suspension of the fungi was multiplied in a bioreactor (1x108 conidia/mL), then homogenized and finally applied. The control consisted of the containers with soil and sterile distilled water (SDW) and 4 to 6 repetitions were evaluated on each crop. The number of individuals of each genus on 100g of soil was analyzed using R studio®, Kruskal-Wallis, and van der Waals tests were applied to evaluate significant differences between strain and control (P=0.05). The results showed that the strain did not affect the saprophytic nematodes but decreased the number of Meloidogyne spp., Paratylenchus spp., Helicotylenchus spp., and Tylenchus spp; no biocontrollers had been reported before for the last two genera.


The direct position determination (DPD) method can improve the location accuracy compared with the traditional two- step location methods due to omitting the intermediate procedure of estimating the measurement parameters. However, the DPD methods presented so far are signiflcantly more complex than the two-step approach. To overcome the shortcomings of the published DPD algorithms, a novel multi-target direct localization approach is flrstly proposed by exploiting the jointly sparse property in the discrete spatial domain. The main idea of this paper is that the location estimation can be obtained by flnding the sparsest solution according to the predeflned overcomplete basis. Furthermore, the locations of targets can be obtained from noisy signals, even if the number of targets is not known a priori. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm has superior positioning accuracy to other DPD methods and improves computational e-ciency greatly.


Pediatric elbow fractures can be challenging to man- age. Compression of the medial column in Gartland Type I and Type II supracondylar fractures must be reduced to prevent varus deformity. Gartland Type III fractures may be stabilized with two lateral pins or a medial lateral cross-pin technique. Non-displaced lateral condyle fractures require vigilant follow-up. Open reduc- tion of displaced lateral condyle fractures should avoid posterior dissection. T-condylar fractures in children rarely have the articu- lar comminution found in adults. Monteggia fractures in children can be managed well if recognized and treated promptly. Resto- ration of the ulnar length often reduces the radial head. Angulated proximal radius fractures need to be reduced in order to restore the ability to supinate and pronate. It is important to recognize and understand the diagnostic features of each type of fracture in order to determine the best course of treatment.


Involving teachers and students in an interaction with their community can provide opportunities to develop literacies from a critical viewpoint. From this perspective, an active exploration and transformation of socio cultural realities can be promoted. This article will serve as a reflection on the theory of community-based pedagogies as a means of fostering pre-service language teachers' commitment in the construction of an alternative curriculum. Additionally, it calls for the appreciation of cultural context as a text for shaping and reconstructing the world, where learners explore their everyday understandings and practices, and teachers become authors of a curriculum that engages with material realities (Luke & Woods, 2009). Thus, it promotes inquiry in early teaching experiences as a source for creating new alternatives and functional understandings through problem posing involving diversity, creativity, and reflections as the main core in the curriculum (Short & Burke, 1991). Moreover, it supports valuing local knowledge (Canagarajah, 2005) as the foundation of an inclusive learning environment that empowers prospective teachers to envision their practice as an emancipatory exercise that demands relating the community to the classroom dynamic. Finally, it concludes that exploring socio cultural assets with the aim of enriching the EFL curriculum can inspire a context-sensitive practice that transforms both pre-service teachers and students' lived experiences.


We consider the $\Pi$-free Deletion problem parameterized by the size of a vertex cover, for a range of graph properties $\Pi$. Given an input graph $G$, this problem asks whether there is a subset of at most $k$ vertices whose removal ensures the resulting graph does not contain a graph from $\Pi$ as induced subgraph. Many vertex-deletion problems such as Perfect Deletion, Wheel-free Deletion, and Interval Deletion fit into this framework. We introduce the concept of characterizing a graph property $\Pi$ by low-rank adjacencies, and use it as the cornerstone of a general kernelization theorem for $\Pi$-Free Deletion parameterized by the size of a vertex cover. The resulting framework captures problems such as AT-Free Deletion, Wheel-free Deletion, and Interval Deletion. Moreover, our new framework shows that the vertex-deletion problem to perfect graphs has a polynomial kernel when parameterized by vertex cover, thereby resolving an open question by Fomin et al. [JCSS 2014]. Our main technical contribution shows how linear-algebraic dependence of suitably defined vectors over $\mathbb{F}_2$ implies graph-theoretic statements about the presence of forbidden induced subgraphs.


This paper proposes a novel monitoring and control system for achieving real-time monitoring and control of a hybrid wind-PV-battery renewable energy system. The proposed system constitutes a supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system that employs campus network of National Cheng Kung University integrated with a programmable logic controller (PLC) and digital power meters. The proposed system is capable of performing real-time measurement of electrical data that can be effectively transferred to a remote monitoring center using intranet. The studied simulated wind-PV-battery system consists of two wind induction generators (IGs), an AC-to-DC converter, a DC-to-AC inverter, a PV module, and a battery unit. A novel fuzzy controller of the PLC is also designed to switch excitation capacitors of the IGs to control the performance of output voltage and power factor of the IGs. It can be concluded from the simulated and experimental results that the proposed monitoring and control system can achieve real-time supervisory control and data acquisition of remote various forms of renewable energy system.


Within a narrow range of low concentrations (0.03-0.12 microgram/ml) polysialogangliosides containing unsaturated fatty acids in the lipid moiety of the molecule activate in vitro the proliferation of lymphocytes, synthesis of interleukin 2 and generation of highly active natural killers which are capable (in a [51Cr] test) of killing syngeneic, allogenic and xenogeneic tumor cells growing in vitro or maintained in mice (YAC-1, K562, Mch-11, SA-1, P-815, EL-4, Ehrlich carcinoma cells). We have developed biomethodology which allows one to introduce adequate concentrations of potent polysialogangliosides and phospholipids into specific macro- and microcompartments of immune system using two essentially different carriers. In experiments on mice this procedure leads to irreversible regression of subcutaneous nodules of syngeneic leukemias and sarcomas (EL-4, YAC, SA-1, Mchs-11) and of Ehrlich carcinoma with an initial size up to 1 cm, as well as to regression or prolonged inhibition of syngeneic cancers (Lewis and AMS-1) with nodules sizes up to 4-5 mm. Added cyclophosphamide increases this effect.


There is nothing legal that comes close to orgasm, pleasure-wise. Yet very little is known about the brain mechanisms responsible for this extraordinary experience. In the last decade some progress has been made thanks to medical scanners that can be used to measure brain activity in healthy subjects. Here I critically review the available evidence on orgasm and the human brain.


It is the purpose of this paper to discuss briefly the need for time-sharing, some of the implementation problems related to distributed systems resource management, an experimental time-sharing system which has been developed for the Master Token Resource Management System, and finally a scheduling algorithm, to schedule the resource for use. It gives a fair use of resources amongst the competitors and techniques which may be employed to enhance the system capabilities. It presents a strategy to minimize system overload by reducing multiple tokens and using a single token as unified approach for management.


A minimal model for molecular-beam-epitaxy in the submonolayer at room temperature is investigated by simulations and analytically. Aggregation of diffusing monomers leads to immobile islands which further grow by absorbing deposited and diffusing atoms. In the intermediate stage of growth, islands assume a fractal shape similar to diffusion-limited-aggregates. It is shown that the maximum density of islands in the submonolayer decreases approximately as a 1/3-power of the beam intensity F, in agreement with a prediction based on rate equations. A detailed analysis of adatom-adatom and adatom-island collisions explains some discrepancies between simulation data and simple rate-equation results.


Failures in the establishment of chromosomal, gonadal and phenotypic sex can cause intersexuality in dogs. Thus, diagnosis of chimaerism, mosaicism, sex reversal syndrome, and male or female pseudohermaphroditism in intersex individuals has to be based on the inspection of the chromosomes, gonads and the phenotypic appearance of the reproductive organs. In a study over two years, seven dogs of different breeds suspected to be intersexes were cytogenetically investigated. A sry-negative XX-sex reversal syndrome was diagnosed in a Jack Russel Terrier. In a mixbred dog a persistent Mullerian duct syndrome (PMDS) was found and a Border Terrier Dog showed an XX/XY chromosomal chimaerism. In further four dogs of different breeds, a female constitution of sex chromosomes was seen. As a sign of intersexuality each of these dog showed an enlarged clitoris. A differentiation between XX-sex reversal syndrome and female pseudohermaphroditism was not possible because there was no information on the internal genital tract and gonads available.


Background: In Portuguese law, police officers are the link between security and the treatment of people with serious mental disorders who require compulsory admission. The perceptions of police officers are in part based on their individual characteristics, and may influence their capability in managing patients they are transporting. However, little is known about police officers experience of this process. Methods: In-depth semi-structured interviews explored the experiences and per- ceptions of police officers from Porto Police Department in Portugal. All interviews were audio recorded, transcribed and analyzed through thematic analysis. Results: Ten police officers agreed to take part in this study. The interviewed police officers consisted of nine men and one woman, had an average length service of 22.6 years and all had more than 10 years of service. The interviews highlighted that the activity of the police under the Mental Health Law is shaped by whether the person who they are transporting has a mental health disorder and requires psychiatric admission. The police officers reportedly adjusted their behavior to give patients more attention, comfort and empathy. However, they describe these interactions as one of the most time consuming and challenging activities for the police. Importantly, they acknowledged family members as crucial for police officers to be able to gain direct access to patients and knowledge about them. Police officers showed to perceive people with mental illness as unpredictable, dangerous and without discernment, and identified some aspects of the process that could be improved, such as hospital admission waiting times. Police officers felt they required more skilled support to deal with unwell patients. Conclusions: This study highlights the perceptions and experiences of police officers about the process of compulsory admission, and identifies areas of unmet needs. These findings help to raise awareness of their needs, improving this process, and ensuring a more humane and effective approach.


Aim: The effect of cigarette smoke on the aorta of Wistar rats was investigated for possible enzymatic destruction.

 Methods: Thirty six Wistar rats 200±10g were randomly grouped into 3 of 12 rats in each group. One group was exposed to cigarette smoke (Benson and Hedges containing 1.1mg nicotine) once daily at 18.00hours. The second group was exposed to smoke from cotton wool of equal weight as of the cigarette. The third group was the control and was not exposed to smoke. The animals had feeds and water ad libitum. The rats were sacrificed on 14th and 28th days, the aortae excised, homogenized in 0.2M sucrose and assayed for Glucose 6 Phosphate Dehydrogenase (G6PDH), Lactase Dehydrogenase (LDH) and Alkaline Phosphatase (ALP).

 Results: A significant decrease in ALP and LDH and an insignificant increase in G6PDH over a period of 14 days were observed. However, the activities of the three enzymes were significantly decreased over a period of 28 days.

 Conclusion: Exposure to cigarette smoke can affect certain enzymes of the wall of the descending aorta.

  Key words: Descending aorta, G6PDH, LDH, ALP


Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) belongs to the human herpes virus family that infects more than 90% of the population. EBV is associated with a number of lymphoproliferative and autoimmune diseases. Use of the drugs, which would not only inhibit the reproduction of the virus, but also would stimulate the elimination of tumor cells, is important for the treatment of virus-associated tumors. In the current research the antiviral effects of the herbal extracts Proteflazid and Neoflazid were studied on the models of latent, acute and chronic EBV infections in Raji and B95-8 lymphoblastoid cells. Neoflazid was more toxic towards Raji cells than Proteflazid: the CC50 indices were 8 µg/ml and 36 µg/ml respectively. Toxicities of these compounds in B95-8 cells were almost the same and their CC50 indices were close to 25 µg/ml. Both drugs showed high antiviral activity against EBV lytic infection in Raji cells and EC50 was 0.02 and 0.083 µg/ml for Proteflazid and Neoflazid, respectively, and selectivity indinces were 1800 and 96. They were less effective in B95-8 cells and even at a concentration of 10 µg/ml these compounds inhibited virus replication by only 10-19%.
We checked the ability of Proteflazid to induce apoptosis and found that the drug stimulated the apoptotic cell death in latent and lytic EBV infections at cytotoxic concentrations (30 µg/ml). The non-toxic concentration (5 µg/ml) induced apoptosis more actively (by 10%) during EBV lytic infection in cells B95-8 than in the case of latent infection in Raji cells.


Successive applications of liquid swine waste to the soil can increase the contents of total organic carbon and nutrients and change acidity-related soil chemical properties. However, little information is available on the effects of swine waste application in solid form, as of swine deep-litter. The objective of this study was to evaluate alterations of organic carbon and acidity-related properties of a soil after eight years of pig slurry and deep-litter application. In the eighth year of a field experiment established in Braco do Norte, Santa Catarina (SC) on a sandy Typic Hapludalf samples were taken (layers 0-2.5; 2.5-5; 5-10; 10-15; 15-20 and 20-30 cm) from unfertilized plots and plots with pig slurry or deep-litter applications, providing the simple or double rate of N requirement of Zea mays and Avena strigosa in rotation. Soil total organic carbon, water pH, exchangeable Al, Ca and Mg, and cation exchange capacity (CECeffective and CECpH7.0), H+Al, base saturation, and aluminum saturation were measured. The application of pig slurry and deep-litter for eight years increased total organic carbon and CEC in all soil layers. The pig slurry and deep-litter applications reduced active acidity and aluminum saturation and increased base saturation down to a depth of 30 cm. Eight years of pig slurry application did not affect soil acidity.


ABSTRACT We evaluated a quantitative enzyme immunoassay (trak-C) for hepatitis C virus core antigen (HCV core Ag) by testing serum specimens from 820 injection drug users in Thailand with anti-HCV antibodies. The HCV genotypes in this population include genotypes 3 and 6, which have not been extensively tested with this assay. Among these specimens, 629 (76.7%) yielded positive results, with HCV core Ag concentrations predominantly spanning (35.7%) or above (58.2%) the measurable range of 1.5 to 100 pg/ml. To assess reproducibility, we retested 30 specimens representing six core Ag ranges; the mean coefficient of variation for each range was ≤9.7% (highest for 1.5 to 25 pg/ml). We also tested 204 specimens of the 820-specimen set for HCV RNA: while 146 (71.6%) were core Ag positive, 168 (82.4%) had detectable HCV RNA, of which 96% were typeable as genotype 3 (39%), 1 (31%), or 6 (26%) by nested reverse transcription-PCR. Among RNA-positive specimens, 86.9% had core Ag; 94% of the RNA negatives were core Ag negative. While there was no apparent bias for detecting core Ag representing the tested genotypes, median quantified results were higher for types 1a and 6 than for genotype 3 (P = 0.01); similarly, the median core Ag concentration was higher in HCV-human immunodeficiency virus-coinfected subjects than in HCV-monoinfected subjects. Our results demonstrated a good correlation between core Ag and HCV RNA in this population with high frequencies of genotypes 3 and 6. Because most core Ag concentrations were greater than those in the measurable range, we recommend a 10-fold dilution of the specimen before quantification. Reproducibility, low technical requirements, and high throughput should make this assay useful for clinical or research monitoring of HCV levels during active infection.


This paper proposes a real-time method for 3D eye performance reconstruction using a single RGBD sensor. Combined with facial surface tracking, our method generates more pleasing facial performance with vivid eye motions. In our method, a novel scheme is proposed to estimate eyeball motions by minimizing the differences between a rendered eyeball and the recorded image. Our method considers and handles different appearances of human irises, lighting variations and highlights on images via the proposed eyeball model and the <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX"> $L0$</tex-math><alternatives><inline-graphic xlink:href="wen-ieq1-2641442.gif"/></alternatives></inline-formula>-based optimization. Robustness and real-time optimization are achieved through the novel 3D Taylor expansion-based linearization. Furthermore, we propose an online bidirectional regression method to handle occlusions and other tracking failures on either of the two eyes from the information of the opposite eye. Experiments demonstrate that our technique achieves robust and accurate eye performance reconstruction for different iris appearances, with various head/face/eye motions, and under different lighting conditions.


This paper presents an input-output feedback linearization (FL) control technique for rotating induction motors, which takes into consideration the magnetic saturation of the iron core. Starting from a new formulation of the dynamic model taking into consideration the magnetic saturation expressed in a space-state form in the rotor-flux-oriented reference frame, the corresponding FL technique has been developed. To this aim, a particular care has been given to the choice of nonlinear functions interpolating the magnetic parameters versus the rotor magnetizing current and the corresponding magnetic characteristic. The proposed FL technique has been tested experimentally on a suitably developed test setup and compared, under the same bandwidths of the speed and flux closed loops, with both the FL technique not taking into consideration the magnetic saturation and with the industrial standard in terms of high performance control of the induction motor: field-oriented control. A further comparison with the unique example present in the scientific literature of the FL control technique including the magnetic saturation has been shown, highlighting consistent improvements achievable by the proposed FL in terms of reduced computational demand and better dynamic performance.


We extend a result of Ramare and Rumely, 1996, about the Chebyshev function θ in arithmetic progressions. We find a map e(x) such that | θ(x; k, l) - x/φ(k) | 0), whereas e(x) is a constant. Now we are able to show that, for x ≥ 1531, |θ(x; 3, l) - x/2 | x/2 ln x.


An ad hoc wireless network is an infrastructureless network composed of mobile hosts. The primary concerns in ad hoc networks are bandwidth limitations and unpredictable topology changes. Thus, efficient utilization of routing packets and immediate recovery of route breaks are critical in routing and multicasting protocols. A multicast scheme, on-demand multicast routing protocol (ODMRP), has been recently proposed for mobile ad hoc networks. ODMRP is a reactive (on-demand) protocol that delivers packets to destinations on a mesh topology using scoped flooding of data. A number of enhancements can be applied to improve the performance of ODMRP. In this paper, we propose a mobility prediction scheme to help select stable routes and to perform rerouting in anticipation of topology changes. We also introduce techniques to improve transmission reliability and eliminate route acquisition latency. The impact of our improvements is evaluated via simulation.


The hyperhydricity, formerly called vitrification, is considered a physiological, biochemistry and morfologic disorder due to abnormal accumulation of water inside the cells and tissues. Plants grown in vitro are undoubtedly under continuous stress condition which results in metabolic changes characteristic of oxidative stress. Anatomically plants or shoots affected often become swollen, with pale green, translucent sheets, glass-like, low relative number of cells / cell area and hipolignification. Physiological changes occur in major metabolic pathways including photosynthesis, respiration and transpiration resulting in reduced efficiency of these metabolic pathways. Morphological, physiological and biochemical disorders are triggered by physical factors related to the environment of cultivation vessels and consistency of the culture medium or by chemical factors such as culture medium components, especially the growth regulators in high concentrations. The hyperhydricity occurs at various levels of severity, reaching result in irreversible loss of morphogenic capacity and the establishment of a state of neoplastic cells, however, in most cases hyperhydricity is considered reversible. This review focuses on the current knowledge about the phenomenon of hyperhydricity addressing morphological, physiological, biochemical, and reversibility of the process.


There are a growing number of reports comparing wireless capsule endoscopy (CE) to other diagnostic tests for use in patients with Crohn's disease. A meta-analysis of these studies in this issue of the Journal showed that the "diagnostic yield" of detecting lesions suggestive of active Crohn's disease is much higher with CE compared to other tests. Routine use of CE in Crohn's disease will increase true-positive testing, but also will increase the number of false-positive tests. Since the penalty of false-positive testing is very high (unnecessary use of toxic and expensive medications, and the stigma of being diagnosed with a serious chronic disease), CE should be used only in limited clinical situations. In particular, CE may be helpful in Crohn's disease patients without a stricture whose physician needs an added measure of certainty that active disease is present.


The thesis focussed on the need to understand the nature of design processes in innovative,
multi-domain, organisational information systems design. A cross-disciplinary, interpretive
investigation of organisational IS design was based upon multiple literatures: information
system development and methodologies, human-computer interaction, situated action, social
psychology, psychology of programming, computer-supported co-operative work, computer
science, design 'rationale' and organisational behaviour. Three studies were performed:
1. A case study of a user-centred design project, employing grounded theory analysis.
2. A postal survey of IS development approaches in large UK companies.
3. A longitudinal field study, involving participant observation over a period of 18 months in
a cross-domain design team, employing ethnography, discourse analysis and
hermeneutics.
The main contributions of this research were to provide rich insights into the interior nature of
IS design activity, situated in the context of the organisation (a perspective which is largely
missing from the literature); to provide conceptual models to explain the management of
meaning in design, and design framing activity; to produce a social action model of
organisational information system development which may form the basis for communicating
the situated nature of design in teaching; and to suggest elements of a process model of design
activity in multi-domain, organisational information system development. The implications of
the research findings for IS managers and developers are also considered a significant
contribution to practice.
Detailed findings from these studies relate to:
I. Disparities between the technology-centred view of organisational IS development found
in the literature and the business and organisation-based approaches reported in the
survey.
2. The role of pre-existing 'investment in form' in shaping the meaning of design processes
and outcomes for other team members and its implications for the management of
expertise and for achieving double-loop leaming.
3. The detailed processes by which design is framed at individual and group levels of
analysis. These findings indicated a mismatch between "top down" models of
organisational IS design and observed design "abstraction" processes, which were
grounded in concrete analogies and local exemplars; this finding has significant
implications for organisational design approaches, such as Business Process Redesign.
4. The distributed nature of group design, which has implications for achieving a 'common
vision' of the design and for the division of labour in design groups. Intersubjectivity with
respect to process objectives may be more critical to design success than intersubjectivity
with respect to the products of design. -
5. The political nature of design activity: it was concluded that an effective design process
must manage conflict between the exploration of organisational possibilities and
influential, external stakeholders' expectations of efficiency benefits.
6. Design suffers from legitimacy problems related to the investigation of a "grey area"
between explicit system design goals and boundary and emergent definitions of design
goals and target system boundaries; this issue needs to be managed both internally to the
design-team and externally, in respect of stakeholders and influential decision-makers.
It is argued that the situated nature of design requires the teaching of design skills to be
achieved through simulated design contexts, rather than the communication of abstract
models. It is also suggested that the findings of this thesis have implications for knowledge
management and organisational innovation. If organisational problem-investigation processes
are seen as involving distributed knowledge, then the focus of organisational learning and
innovation shifts from sharing organisational knowledge to accessing distributed
organisational knowledge which is emergent and incomplete.


Thermal lens spectroscopy has been experimentally compared to the conventional Beer's law method in situations where the sample under study possesses substantial light-scattering properties. Large errors in the measured absorbance were found with the conventional transmission-based approach. However, the thermal lens method was found to provide significant experimental immunity from the effect of light scattering on the measurement process. Both the absorbance and light-scattering properties of the samples tested were varied over a range in excess of an order of magnitude. The thermal lens method provided absorbance values for all samples tested which were as good as those obtained for samples that did not possess scattering characteristics. The results demonstrate that the immunity from light-scattering perturbations is substantial, thereby eliminating the need to match the scattering properties of standards and unknowns for accurate quantitation. The experimental results are compared to theoretical predictions and found to be in good agreement.


This study investigates the use of DNase and washing steps in removing dead cells' DNA during sample preparation and their effect on the detection of viable cells using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The results indicated that the DNA from heat-killed cells could be completely removed by DNase; thus, would not be detected by PCR. Inclusion of washing steps in centrifugation during sample preparation fails to remove DNA from heat-killed cells, but it reduces the amount of DNA from dead cells as well as viable cells. DNase could selectively remove DNA of heat-killed cells in the water sample without influencing the PCR amplification of viable cells' DNA. The inclusion of washing steps in the centrifugation procedure was ineffective, because viable cells might be lost during washing steps. This method allows the detection of viable bacteria and subsequently contributes to research concerning environmental samples.


This paper presents a novel method to empower the people with solutions to monitor their energy expenditure and balance their weight against food intake. In addition, enabling users to share this knowledge with their physicians enhances the physician's ability to help their patients. In this paper, an application was developed to track user's physical activity and estimate the energy expenditure using 3-axis accelerometer in a smartphone with android operating system. To implement this system, the accelerometer data was collected from different users as they performed activities like walking and running by wearing the phone in the pants pocket and then classified the user activities on the basics of frequency component present in the acceleration data. Also an application was developed to estimate the energy expenditure in Android SDK during a period of 24 hours. The significance of this work is that, since this lets us to get useful information about the daily routines of millions of users and their energy expenditure just by having them carry their smartphones in their pockets. Keywords: Energy Expenditure, 3-axis accelerometer, Smartphone, Android, Physical Activity, Android SDK


Summary. The statistical capability of the mb :M, discriminant for the discrimination of earthquake and explosion populations is examined by application of discriminant functions to a group of 83 explosions and 72 earthquakes in Eurasia. Equations are derived for the probability that an event is an earthquake or an explosion. The positive sign of DIS in the decision index equation, DIS, = 34.3383 - 11.9569 mb, + 7.1 161 M,,, indicates that the event i is an earthquake. Its negative sign indicates that event i is an explosion. The probability of correct classification for an event, Pi, is reiated to its DIS, value, by Pi = [l t exp (DIS,)]-', where a large, positive DIS indicates a high probability that an event is an earthquake and a large, negative DIS indicates a high probability that an event is an explosion. The discrimination line Ms = 1.680 mb ~ 4.825, or rnb = 0.595 M, t 2.872 very successfully separates the explosion population from the earthquake population. The points on this line have an equal chance of being an earthquake or an explosion; moreover, for any event, the distance parallel to the M,-axis from the point representing that event in the mb:M, plane to this line is a measure of the probability for the correct classification of that event.


pS2 is an estrogen-induced mRNA species that was originally identified in the breast cancer cell line MCF-7. Exposure of the cells to basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) at the concentration of 10-100 ng/ml for 48-72 h resulted in a marked increase in the concentration of pS2 protein in the medium. The polymerase chain reaction with reverse transcriptase revealed that bFGF increased the amount of intracellular pS2 mRNA: immunocytochemical studies showed that exposure to the factor increased the amount of intracellular pS2 protein. Simultaneous addition of cycloheximide with bFGF completely abolished induction of pS2 protein, although it did not affect the induction of pS2 mRNA. Actinomycin D did not affect the stimulatory effect of bFGF on synthesis/secretion of pS2 protein. bFGF effectively abolished decay of the pS2 mRNA level caused by actinomycin D. These results suggest that the induction of the synthesis/secretion of pS2 protein by bFGF occurs at the post-transcriptional level, most probably due to the stabilization of pS2 mRNA. Another finding, that bFGF and estradiol have a synergistic effect on induction of pS2 protein, suggests the possibility that these two inducers act by a different but partly overlapping mechanism.


The purpose of this study was to develop models for predicting the probable completion cost and time of building projectsusing contractors' prequalification assessment, the initial contract sum and the proposed contract duration.Data on Contractors' Prequalification Assessment (CPA), Initial Contract Sum (ICS), Planned Contract Duration (PCD), Project Completion Cost (PCC) and Actual Contract Duration (ACD) for 77 completed building projects were sourced from Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP). Multi-colinearity test was conducted on the variables in order to avoid multiple correlations among the data before subjecting them to Multiple Regression Analysis (MRA). The goodness of fit of the models derived as defined by the value of R2 was found to be 98.2% and 92.80% for cost and time; thus signifying thatabout 2% and 7% of the residual variations in the independent variables were not included in the cost and time models respectively. The result of the research would therefore be a bold step at selecting competent contractors who can deliver projects to time and within budgeted cost in Nigeria.


Introduction: Negotiating "Cool Japan" in Research and Teaching Mark McLelland Death Note, Student Crimes, and the Power of Universities in the Global Spread of Manga Alisa Freedman Scholar Girl Meets Manga Maniac, Media Specialist, and Cultural Gatekeeper Laura Miller Must We Burn Eromanga? On Trying Obscenity in the Courtroom and the Classroom Kirsten Cather Manga, Anime and Child Pornography Law in Canada Sharalyn Orbaugh The "Lolicon Guy:" Some Observations on Researching Unpopular Topics in Japan Patrick W. Galbraith All Seizures Great and Small: Reading Contentious Images of Minors in Japan and Australia Adam Stapleton "The Love that Dare Not Speak its Name": Chinese Danmei Communities in the 2014 Anti-Porn Campaign Lin Yang and Yanrui Xu Negotiating Religious and Fan Identities: "Boys Love" and Fujoshi Guilt Jessica Bauwens-Sugimoto Is there a Space for Cool Manga in Indonesia and the Philippines? Postcolonial Discourses on Transcultural Manga Kristine Michelle Santos and Febriani Sihombing Appendix: The Rise and Fall of the King of Lolicon: An Interview with Uchiyama Aki Patrick Galbraith


Abstract Extracellular vesicle (EV) secretion enables cell–cell communication in multicellular organisms. During development, EV secretion and the specific loading of signalling factors in EVs contributes to organ development and tissue differentiation. Here, we present an in vivo model to study EV secretion using the fat body and the haemolymph of the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster. The system makes use of tissue‐specific EV labelling and is amenable to genetic modification by RNAi. This allows the unique combination of microscopic visualisation of EVs in different organs and quantitative biochemical purification to study how EVs are generated within the cells and which factors regulate their secretion in vivo. Characterisation of the system revealed that secretion of EVs from the fat body is mainly regulated by Rab11 and Rab35, highlighting the importance of recycling Rab GTPase family members for EV secretion. We furthermore discovered a so far unknown function of Rab14 along with the kinesin Klp98A in EV biogenesis and secretion.


ABSTRACT In the article, the treatment of pre-treated laundry wastewater by adsorption method was studied through the experimental design. The composites of the polyaniline-supported activated carbons produced from sunflower seed hulls (PAn/SH) were used as adsorbents. Characteristics of the adsorbents were determined with the help of scanning electron microscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and elemental analysis. Experimental design was used to determine the effects of pH (4–12), reaction time (5–150 min), adsorbent amount (0.3–1.5 g) and mixing rate (50–200 rpm) on the process efficiency. Monitoring of the efficiency was held in terms of detergent and chemical oxygen demand removals. Response surface methodology based on the four-variable-three-level Box–Behnken design was used to interpret the adsorption properties of laundry wastewater on COD and detergent removal efficiencies. The removal efficiencies of the adsorption process were evaluated regarding to the experimental design and also Pareto analysis was applied for profiling the percentage effect of the independent variable on the response for the study. Accordingly, the most effective factors were computed as the amount of adsorbent (82%) in detergent removal and the mixing rate (31%) in COD removal, where pH was the second effective factor for both. The highest efficiencies of the MBAS and COD removals were achieved as 95% and 74% in the 24th run, respectively. In the treatment of laundry wastewater by adsorption method, using PAn/SH produced from the sunflower seed hulls as an adsorbent will be an alternative method.


This report describes the results of a project to investigate the Chalk-till groundwater system
in East Anglia and to estimate rates of recharge to the Chalk aquifer through thick Lowestoft
Till (chalky boulder clay). The project has involved drilling two cored boreholes, monitoring
groundwater levels, sampling Chalk and till fracture waters and porewaters, numerical
modelling of groundwater levels and the development of a conceptual model of the Chalk-till
groundwater system.
The main findings of the report are that:
• the till has a significant impact on recharge quantity and distribution to the underlying
Chalk aquifer. Beneath the interfluves recharge appears to be lower than previous
estimates of 20 – 40 mm/a (Klink et al., 1996; Soley and Heathcote, 1998), maybe as
low as 5 mm/a;
• the Chalk groundwater beneath the interfluves is old (probably a minimum of several
hundreds of years) and has negligible nitrate concentrations. This groundwater makes
only a relatively small contribution to the active circulation system in the valleys;
• recharge rates to the Chalk aquifer at the edge of the till are greater than the effective
rainfall (rainfall minus actual evapotranspiration) because of the contribution of large
volumes of runoff from the till sheet. This water characterises the modern (post-
1960s), high-nitrate, groundwaters of the main Chalk valleys with potentially short
travel times from recharge to discharge. The arable land on the till sheet has had field
drains installed and these contribute to the bulk of the runoff; as a consequence nitrate
concentrations in the runoff are high;
• the Chalk-till groundwater system and the spatial distribution of recharge to the Chalk
aquifer determine the shape and dimensions of the catchment areas of abstraction
boreholes. This in turn controls the proportion of modern water pumped by abstraction
boreholes, which has implications for the concentration of nitrate in pumped water.
One consequence of the redistribution of recharge by the till is that boreholes close to
the edge of the till sheet are likely to pump a greater proportion of modern recharge
than previously believed and these are likely to produce water with higher nitrate
concentrations;
• the Chalk groundwaters at the edge of the till sheet are vulnerable to pollution because
of the potentially high recharge rates (due to runoff recharge) and the relatively
shallow depth to the water table. As a consequence, travel times through the
unsaturated zone may be short.


Most of the literature available on Kurdish poetry emphasize that modern Kurdish poetry was developed in the 1910s, and more precisely since 1918, in Sulaymaniyah by poets including Sheikh Nuri Sheikh Salih and Goran. However, signs of the development of Kurdish poetry can be also observed earlier, especially in the works of such poets as Haji Qadir. The present study, adopting a descriptive-analytical method, seeks to modify these indicators based on the newly-found documents and evidence. A relatively less known poet has composed Kurdish poetry in a new style at an earlier time and a different place. An American-Norwegian priest, named Ludvig Olsen Fossum, published his work in Mahabad in 1912, including a few Kurdish poems in a new style following the syllabic metrical system.


With its rooted history and rich heritage Turkish instrumental poetry, has been a mirror reflectingthe folk culture by placing many issues from past to present. Many personal and social facts, materialistic and spritual values have found a place themselves in this mirror. Women have been one of these values and have mostly been dealt with praise and source of positive features. In this study, however, the presence of women criticism in reed poetry is emphasized. With in this context, especially thevast majority of bards have been males until the last century, how women criticism is manifested and what kind of situation it poses wtih regardsto satire, irony and humor is brought to the attention. In the light of data obtained from various poets and texts, the criticism of women is evaluated and commended under related titles. As a result, it is determined that satire is preferred to irony and irony is preferred to humor.


The paper seeks to address two specific questions. First, does the existence of polluted waters impact on the levels of satisfaction experienced by visitors to Chinese lakes? Second, does the local tourism industry (represented by a sample of hotel managers) correctly assess the importance of place attributes as assessed by visitors? The data presented are obtained from a sample of 913 visitors to four polluted lakes that are holiday or day visit locations and from 121 managers of hotels in those same areas. The evidence suggests that polluted areas can still function successfully as tourist locations because visitors in these instances view the lakescapes as part of a wider attraction that includes a built environment but that the hotel industry over-emphasises the importance of that built structure as a contributor to tourist place experience. Limitations to the research include the role played by an aesthetic gaze, which may have more importance within a Chinese culture than among Western counterparts because, particularly for the older Chinese, concepts of harmonization with nature are directed through the visual senses and references to classical literature rather than physical participation in water-based sports.


Classroom management is one of the crucial topics to be discussed in education. Classroom management refers to teaching and learning environments in which the physical setting is organized, procedures such as classroom rules and routines are set to monitor student behavior, and it provides students with optimum learning opportunities. This study is a qualitative study in which the researchers examined the classroom management behaviors of K�8 teachers with different credential s. Nineteen voluntary teachers teaching in various private and public schools in Ankara construct the sample of the study. Data reveal that teachers plan their classroom management behaviors according to five themes, namely, the physical setting, planning the first days and motivation, rules and routines, coping with misbehaviors, and establishing teacherparent cooperation. SUMMARY Purpose and significance: Classroom management is considered as one of the most important skills for the teachers to be obtained as effective classroom management means optimizing learning time and providing opportunities for success through avoiding misbehaviors. Nevertheless, although teachers have built certain knowledge and have certain dispositions about what classroom management is, it has been rarely explored what approaches teachers adopt and what their needs are about classroom management during their teaching practices in Turkey. Based on this argument, the purpose of this study was to examine K�8 teache rs' classroom management practices and their experiences through a qualitative study to explore teachers' classroom management needs. Methods: A qualitative research design was employed to conduct this study. Sample consisted of volunteer participants conveniently selected among 19 teachers teaching K�8 classrooms. Teachers were teaching i n six public (n=9) and four private (n=10) schools. Among 19 teachers, all of them were female. Teacher experiences ranged from five to ten years. In order to collect data, a semistructured interview schedule was used to explore the classroom management approaches the teachers used and the experiences they went through. The instrument was developed by the first two authors and pilot tested with eight teachers prior to data collection. A set of probing items were included in the schedule to ensure that all necessary information was explored. The dimensions included in the interview were about demographics, physical environment of the classroom, classroom management planning for first days and the learning environment, and teachers' experiences with unwanted behaviors. Results: Data were analyzed and reported based on five categories. Findings related to the physical environment indicated that the classrooms' physical structure was too small for almost all levels, and most teachers in our sample were unable to use materials that enabled studentc entered activities. Especially, in public preschools, teachers found themselves more in the center of the classrooms as the authority. Moreover, to enhance effective learning, teachers established activities in which they got to know the children personally and made plans to build curiosity for the subject matter to motivate students. Second, teachers set up rules and routines to prevent any unwanted behaviors to maximize learning opportunities. Third, the teachers stated that unwanted behaviors were inevitable, fourth, they considered how they dealt with those misbehaviors, and fifth, teachers emphasized on the importance of teacherparent collaboration and lack of parent support overall. Discussion and conclusions: Findings of this study highlight several needs for teachers to enhance effective classroom management. First, teachers are challenged with small physical classroom contexts which tend to disable teachers to build a constructivist studentcentered learning. T eachers are found to be the main decisionmakers in setting rules, and routines, and need the cooperation of all stakeholders, especially parents, to enforce those rules and receive help to enhance student learning. In terms of motivation, teachers are more interested in building curiosity and meaning to the subject matter and plan their classroom management plans based on developing cognitive skills rather than emotional and movement skills. Based on the findings we conclude that teachers included in this study are more likely to have traditional type of orientations towards classroom management.


The Papers of Sir William Johnson. Prepared for publication by the ' Division of Archives and History, AI. EXA•DER C. FI.•CK, director and state historian; volume Vii. Albany: The University of the State of New York. 1031. Pp. xiii, 1160. Tins volume of the Johnson papers covers the period from June, 1760 to February, 1771, when Sir William was virtually at the height of his power. His interests were so comprehensive during these years that letters from a great variety of personages are to be found: from British statesmen and military men, such as Hillsborough and Gage; from officials in other colonies, Benjamin Franklin and LieutenantGovernor John Penn of Pennsylvania, Governor Campbell of Nova Scotia, and Guy Carleton of Canada; from New York politicians, Moore, Delancey, Rivington, and Colden; and from fur traders and Indian agents, Jelles Fonda, Daniel Claus, Alexander McKee, Peter Hasenclever, and Thomas Wharton. A corresponding range of subjects is covered, from imperial control and military affairs to matters of provincial politics, and Indian relations, including such questions as land grants, boundaries, licenses, local and western trade, and Indian conferences.


The orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), controls flexible behavior through stimulus value updating based on stimulus outcome associations, allowing seamless navigation in dynamic sensory environments with changing contingencies. Sensory cue driven responses, primarily studied through behavior, exist in the OFC. However, OFC neurons' sensory response properties, particularly auditory, are unknown, in the mouse, a genetically tractable animal. We show that mouse OFC single neurons have unique auditory response properties showing pure deviance detection and long timescales of adaptation resulting in stimulus-history dependence. Further, we show that OFC auditory responses are shaped by two parallel sources in the auditory thalamus, lemniscal and non-lemniscal. The latter underlies a large component of the observed deviance detection and additionally controls persistent activity in the OFC through the amygdala. The deviant selectivity can serve as a signal for important changes in the auditory environment. Such signals if coupled with persistent activity, obtained by disinhibitory control from the non-lemniscal auditory thalamus or the amygdala, will allow for associations with a delayed outcome related signal, like reward prediction error, and potentially forms the basis of updating stimulus outcome associations in the OFC. Thus the baseline sensory responses allow the behavioral requirement based response modification through relevant inputs from other structures related to reward, punishment, or memory. Thus, alterations in these responses in neurological disorders can lead to behavioral deficits.


Inhomogeneities in myocardial structure and action potential duration (APD) lead to dispersion of APD throughout the heart. APD gradients in the range of 20-125 ms/cm have been reported to produce functional block. In this study, a multicellular fiber model was used to examine the effect of structural and ionic inhomogeneities on the likelihood of premature stimuli to produce functional block. With the use of both the Fenton-Karma and Luo-Rudy phase II membrane models, functional block is found to occur in tissue with a maximum gradient <45 ms/cm and depends on the spatial extent. In general, the narrower the extent the larger the magnitude needed for block. A simple relationship for predicting block is presented that only requires information about the conduction velocity (CV) restitution properties of the tissue and the APD gradients. Analysis reveals that the effects of a steep CV restitution slope may be beneficial in overcoming intrinsic cellular heterogeneity for a single premature beat.