MPP3 and CRB1 both interact directly with PALS1/MPP5 and through this scaffold protein may form a large protein complex. To investigate the role of MPP3 in the retina we have analyzed conditional mutant Mpp3 knockout mice. Ultrastructural localization studies revealed that MPP3 is predominantly localized in apical villi of Müller glia cells. Retinas lacking MPP3 developed late onset retinal degeneration, with sporadic foci of rosette formation in the central part of the retina. Retinal degeneration in Mpp3 cKO mice was accelerated by exposure to moderate levels of white light. Electroretinography recordings in aging mice under both scotopic and photopic conditions ranged from normal to mildly subnormal, while the magnitude correlated with the strength and extent of morphological alterations. Loss of MPP3 resulted in significant loss of PALS1 at the subapical region adjacent to adherens junctions, and loss of MPP3 in Pals1 conditional knockdown retinas significantly accelerated the onset of retinal degeneration. These data suggest that MPP3 is required for maintaining proper levels of PALS1 at the subapical region, and indicate that the MPP3 gene is a candidate modulator of the Crumbs complex. GLIA 2013;61:1629–1644


We have investigated anti-cancer properties of Natto, a traditional Japanese food made from soybeans fermented with bacillus subtilis . The protein related ingredient was partially purified from Natto using an ammonium sulphate fractionation and added to HeLa cells. As a result, all cancer cells perished the next day. On the other hand, if only a protein related extract from boiled beans and fermented soybean bacterium was added, there were no changes in cell growth. We purified and investigated amino acid sequence of anti-cancer peptide from Natto using Butyl Sepharose column chromatography of 5-kDa peptide. The peptide appeared to be a new antibacterial peptide.


Abstract : Multibody system dynamics is based on classical mechanics and its engineering applications ranging from mechanisms, gyroscopes, satellites and robots to biomechanics and vehicle engineering. Multibody systems dynamics is characterized by algorithms or formalisms, respectively, ready for computer implementation. The simulation of multibody systems demands for adequate dynamic models and takes into account various phenomena. Classical dynamics does not regard all nonlinear effects that appear as a result of the action of multibody systems, as well as their mutual interaction. The virtual prototyping and dynamic modeling of such systems are, from an economical point of view, perspective fields of scientific investigations having in mind the huge expenses for their design and manufacturing. Complex multibody systems composed of rigid and flexible bodies performing spatial motion and various complex tasks are up-to-date objects of virtual prototyping. As a result simulation and animation featuring virtual reality are most important. Recent research fields in multibody dynamics include standardization of data, coupling with CAD systems, parameter identification, real-time animation, contact and impact problems, extension to electronic and mechatronic systems, optimal system design, strength analysis and interaction with fluids. Further, there is a strong interest on multibody systems in analytical and numerical mathematics resulting in reduction methods for the rigorous treatment of simple models and special integration codes for Ordinary Differential Equation (ODE) and Differential Algebraic Equation (DAE) representations supporting the numerical efficiency. New software engineering tools with modular approaches improve the efficiency still required for the more demanding needs in biomechanics, robotics and vehicle dynamics.


The precise knowledge of age is necessary for assessing a child's nutritional status. We show the magnitude and the effects of age error in real and hypothetical situations, and discuss possible compensative strategies. Using data collected in different years, we found that 79.8% of 1056 Ugandan children had some age knowledge, but there was a mean shift of 7.5 (±8.8) months between ages obtained from different sources. Using a free software for calculating the effect of bias and random error, we showed the variation in malnutrition prevalence in hypothetical cases.


There is a recognised trend of manufacturing companies offering not only products, but also services and even complete solutions to business problems. Research has highlighted economic, market demand and competitiveness factors as responsible for the reshaping of business strategies that this has involved. This study analyses the extent to which another factor, technology, has been a significant factor in the switch from product oriented to service-oriented strategies. A case study of the aero engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce is used to analyse the impact of technology, which is found to have led manufacturers to reshape their business strategies. The study finds that developments in one technology in particular, namely digital electronics, have been a powerful enabling factor facilitating the implementation of service strategies. This provided original equipment manufacturers like Rolls-Royce with a competitive advantage relative to conventional service providers, by enabling them to acquire new knowledge management capabilities.


OBJECTIVES
Speech recognition (SR)-tests have been developed for children without considering the linguistic complexity of the sentences used. However, linguistic complexity is hypothesized to influence correct sentence repetition. The aim of this study is to identify lexical and grammatical parameters influencing verbal repetition accuracy of sentences derived from a Dutch SR-test when performed by 6-year-old typically developing children.

DESIGN
For this observational, cross-sectional study, 40 typically developing children aged 6 were recruited at four primary schools in the Netherlands. All children performed a sentence repetition task derived from an SR-test for adults. The sentence complexity was described beforehand with one lexical parameter, age of acquisition, and four grammatical parameters, specifically sentence length, prepositions, sentence structure, and verb inflection. A multiple logistic regression analysis was performed.

RESULTS
Sentences with a higher age of acquisition (odds ratio [OR] = 1.59) or greater sentence length (OR = 1.28) had a higher risk of repetition inaccuracy. Sentences including a spatial (OR = 1.25) or other preposition (OR = 1.25) were at increased risk for incorrect repetition, as were complex sentences (OR = 1.69) and sentences in the present perfect (OR = 1.44) or future tense (OR = 2.32).

CONCLUSIONS
The variation in verbal repetition accuracy in 6-year-old children is significantly influenced by both lexical and grammatical parameters. Linguistic complexity is an important factor to take into account when assessing speech intelligibility in children.


In September of 2009, one of the most rigorous, comprehensive, and complex transportation projects ever to be undertaken in the United States was initiated. Dubbed the LBJ Express, this project is estimated to be over $3.2B in value, with over $2.1B in construction cost alone. Approximately 17 miles in total project length, depicted as Figure 1, the project includes reconstruction of over 10.7 miles of Interstate Highway 635 (known as the Lyndon B. Johnson or LBJ Freeway), as well as over 5.8 miles of elevated bridges and new frontage roads along Interstate Highway 35E. The project includes 13 total miles of new managed toll lanes, on which drivers may pay a dynamic, market-based toll through particular segments of the corridor, with the price changing based on real-time traffic load, but guaranteeing the driver a travel speed of 50 mph. This Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) was implemented through a Comprehensive Development Agreement (CDA), through which the LBJ Infrastructure Group (LBJIG) will design, build, and maintain the roadway for a period of 52 years. The LBJIG partnership is comprised of Cintra US, Meridiam Infrastructure (investor in PPPs and developer of public facilities), the City of Dallas Police and Fire Pension System (investor in the project), and Trinity Infrastructure, LLC (Trinity) which is tasked with the design and construction of the project over a five year period). Other stakeholders include the Texas Department of Transportation, the Texas Transportation Commission, the Federal Highway Authority, the City of Dallas, the City of Farmers Branch, and last but certainly not least, the Public, the biggest stakeholder. The project is on schedule and projected to be substantially complete by the spring of 2016.


The scattering amplitude on the mass shell is used to construct a "coarsened current operator" which has many properties in common with the conventional field-theoretical current. The properties investigated here are: asymptotic additivity, charge conservation, transformation property under the S-operator as well as under C, P and T. The operator mentioned is defined for weak and electromagnetic interactions and may serve the same purpose as the current operator. This is indicated in a derivation of the Adler-Weisberger sum rule.


Seventeen glacially sheared stumps in growth position and abundant detrital wood fragments were exposed by stream avulsion at the terminus of the Saskatchewan Glacier in 1999. The stumps lay buried beneath the glacier and over 5 m of glacial sediment until historical recession and stream incision exposed the 225- to 262-year-old stand of subalpine fir, Englemann spruce and whitebark pine trees. Crossdating and construction of two radiocarbon-controlled floating tree-ring chronologies showed that all the subfossil stumps and boles exposed at this location were killed during a Neoglacial advance of the Saskatchewan Glacier 2,910 6 60 to 2,730 6 60 14C years B.P. These findings support the Peyto Advance as a regional glaciological response to changing mass balance conditions.


The development of innovation management practices toward openness and emerging socio-economic models have changed the roles and supporting activities of innovation intermediaries. This paper aims to review the extant research to explore the role of innovation intermediaries, map the current knowledge and outline a future research agenda. Utilizing the novel quantitative literature review approach of bibliographic coupling, examining 164 journal articles, the paper presents a robust analysis of the intellectual streams and key concepts underpinning innovation intermediaries. This is the first time that a quantitative review method has been used to analyses this research area and it provides an opportunity for new insights to complement previous qualitative reviews. This paper makes a contribution to the on-going debate by proposing a framework that explains the role of innovation intermediaries: knowledge broker, knowledge transfer enabler, orchestrator, and open innovation facilitator, and the functions embedded with the roles at different levels of unit analysis, i.e., firm, industry, and national. The paper concludes by discussing the theoretical and practical implications of the framework and details key areas for future research.


In modern theoretical chemistry, the importance of the analytic evaluation of energy derivatives from reliable wave functions can hardly be overestimated. This monograph presents the formulation and implementation of analytical energy derivative methods in ab initio quantum chemistry. It includes a systematic presentation of the necessary algebraic formulae for all of the derivations. The coverage is limited to derivative methods for wave functions based on the variational principle, namely restricted Hartree-Fock (RHF), configuration interaction (CI) and multi-configuration self-consistent-field (MCSCF) wave functions. The monograph is intended to facilitate the work of quantum chemists, and will serve as a useful resource for graduate-level students of the field.


: Paired stimulation of callosal neurons in the lateral gyrus causes inhibition of the second EP in every part of the cortex with callosal connections. Paired stimulation of callosal neurons in the suprasylvian gyrus causes facilitation of the second EP in the contra- as well as ipsilateral cortex. The possible role of recurrent collaterals in brain functioning is discussed.


The economic importance of polyolefins is undeniable with the annual production of polyethylene, polypropylene and related materials currently falling in the range of 100 Mt. Ever since supported transition metal-based catalysts were first used in the early 1950s to produce polyethylene under favorable process conditions, extensive research has been conducted to obtain a better structural and mechanistic understanding of these catalyst systems. Despite the undertaken efforts, several fundamental scientific questions, concerning the influence of the reaction conditions, heat and mass transfer, as well as the localized build-up of pressure on the activities and morphologies of supported olefin polymerization catalysts, remain. This PhD thesis describes how an analytical toolbox, consisting of various microscopy and spectroscopy techniques, was used to study the structure, composition and temperature of industrial-grade silica-supported ethylene polymerization catalysts, such as supported metallocene-based and Ziegler-Natta catalyst materials. Both families of heterogeneous catalysts were characterized in the early stages of active site genesis and polymer formation to elucidate structure-activity-morphology correlations at the single particle level. The acquired insights can ultimately contribute to the optimization of established catalyst systems, thereby improving both the catalyst productivity and the product quality. With the recycling of polymers gaining momentum, the potential of the previously mentioned toolbox for the characterization of heterogeneous catalysts in the field of chemical polyolefin recycling is also discussed.


Objective: The fate of embryonic middle ear mesenchyme from a postgestational infant ear has been speculative. Recently a volume analysis of human neonatal temporal bones demonstrated that embryonic mesenchyme disappeared by redistribution and thinning to surface a growing middle ear space. 1 If this model is accurate, interaction with amniotic fluid and the gestational environment should not influence mesenchymal behavior. Therefore an opossum marsupial model was compared with human data. Methods: The temporal bones of opossum pups (20 to 36 days of age) were sectioned for histologic analysis. Computations were made for the volume of the middle ear air cavity (VAC), volume of the bone cavity (VBC), volume of mesenchyme (VM), and percentage of the middle ear occupied by mesenchyme (%M), which were plotted against height using regression statistics. These data were compared with human neonatal (0 to 30 days of age) temporal bones. Results: In both the opossum and the human the VAC and the VBC increased in parallel with growth of the body. In the opossum the VAC and VBC both grew at 0.148 mm 3 /mm of body length. In humans, both the VAC and VBC grew 6.1 mm 3 /cm of body length. The VM in the opossum remained constant at 0.98 mm 3 , regardless of body length. In humans the VM remained constant at 71.7 mm 3 , regardless of body length. Therefore the %M proportionately decreased inversely with increasing ear size in both the opossum and the human neonate. Conclusion: This study supports a simple and credible explanation for the illusion of mesenchymal disappearance in the neonatal middle ear. The mesenchymal connective tissue redistributes to cover a larger surface area in a persistently enlarging cavity. These findings occur in different species, whether gestation is completed in an intrauterine or an extrauterine environment.


Design of logic networks, in single-rail input logic, with a minimum number of NOR gates for parity functions of an arbitrary number of variables is described. This is partly based on minimum networks for parity functions of a small number of variables which are designed by the integer programming logic design method. Although it is generally difficult to design minimum networks for functions of an arbitrarily large number of variables, we have previously designed minimum networks for adders of an arbitrary number of variables. The minimum networks for parity functions of an arbitrary number of variables discussed in this paper is another case. Many unique properties of minimum NOR networks for parity functions are shown. Minimum networks with NAND gates for parity functions can be easily obtained from those with NOR gates because of duality relationship between NAND and NOR.


Abstract The presence of landscape disturbances increases the establishment of exotic plants inside natural areas. Here, we examine the effect of human disturbances to prairie landscapes on the distribution and abundance of Kentucky bluegrass and smooth brome, exotic grasses that threaten the integrity of prairie ecosystems throughout the northern Great Plains. Using plant inventory data from Riding Mountain National Park in Manitoba, Canada, we investigated how roads, trails, and the intensity of historic livestock grazing affect the distribution and abundance of exotic grasses. On the basis of our results, both Kentucky bluegrass and smooth brome were more abundant in areas closer to roads. Kentucky bluegrass was also more abundant in areas farther from trails and those historically grazed by cattle. Our research demonstrates that the effect of landscape disturbances on exotic grasses varies between species and suggests that patterns of invasion may reflect different introduction histories. Given our findings, conserving the integrity of northern fescue prairies should account for human disturbances of landscapes and their effects on the proliferation of exotic plants into areas of native prairie. Nomenclature: Smooth brome, Bromus inermis Leyss. BROIN, Kentucky bluegrass, Poa pratensis L. POAPR. Management Implications: Our research demonstrates that human disturbance of prairie landscapes, including roads, trails, and historic livestock grazing, affect the distribution and abundance of Kentucky bluegrass and smooth brome in northern fescue prairies. Conservation managers concerned about the proliferation of these invaders throughout the Great Plains can use distances from roads and grazing history to prioritize their inventory and management. For example, by focusing their attention on road margins, managers may be able to reduce the proliferation of Kentucky bluegrass and smooth brome into adjacent areas of native prairie. Our work also illustrates the persistent effect of historic livestock grazing on the abundance of Kentucky bluegrass and suggests that managers could reduce its proliferation by focusing on source areas located within historic grazing disturbances. Future management of northern fescue prairies will require limiting or restoring human disturbances of prairie landscapes in areas where the conservation of native biodiversity is a management priority.


Three-dimensional integrated circuits (3D ICs) have many advantages over traditional integrated circuits. Although 3D ICs have such advantages, there are many difficulties to be overcome. Testing for 3D ICs is regarded as the most difficult challenge. High power density in 3D ICs causes rising temperature, which may cause test yield loss. In this paper, we propose a thermal-aware test scheduling technique for 3D ICs. Our experimental results show that the maximum temperature in the test schedule of our proposed technique is under the temperature limit while the test length overhead is only 19%.


Report of the first uniportal wet lab run in South Africa. This included four university centers involving live surgery. Lobectomies as well as other video assisted procedures were performed. The results are the introduction of thorascopic programs in all four centers. The next stage in this program is to extend the outreach to the other centers in the country as well as in the neighboring countries. During 2016 a beginning will be made in Namibia as well as in Botswana.


The purpose of the study is to demonstrate the lead-lag effect of physical factor and functional factor in urban spatial structure. For investigating the relationship, spatial configuration is selected for physical factor and economical activity for functional factor. Detailed research process and method are as follows. First, space syntax was used to analyze the change of spatial configuration since 1970s. To do this, the l hierarchy of spatial configuration was ranked by global integration analysis of all the districts of Seoul. Second, the change of functional factor of economic activity was analyzed with the annual employment statistics Third, regression and time series analysis were conducted to analyze the time-lag in the lead-lag effect. The regression analysis was done using ArcGIS and looked quantitatively into the correlation between physical factor and functional factor from 1970 to 2010. The analysis found that it, for a period of time, physical factor has an impact on functional factor. Urban spatial configuration has the lead-lag effect on functional factors, by showing the time-lag. This study will provide implications in urban planning and policy guideline.


In this work, we present a numerical analysis of a method which combines a deterministic and a probabilistic approaches to quantify the migration of a contaminant, under the presence of uncertainty on the permeability of the porous medium. More precisely, we consider the flow equation in a random porous medium coupled with the advection-diffusion equation. Quantities of interest are the mean spread and the mean dispersion of the solute. The means are approximated by a quadrature rule, based on a sparse grid defined by a truncated Karhunen-Loeve expansion and a stochastic collocation method. For each grid point, the flow model is solved with a mixed finite element method in the physical space and the advection-diffusion equation is solved with a probabilistic Lagrangian method. The spread and the dispersion are expressed as functions of a stochastic process. A priori error estimates are established on the mean of the spread and the dispersion. Keywords: Uncertainty quantification, elliptic PDE with random coefficients, advection-diffusion equation, collocation techniques, anisotropic sparse grids, Monte Carlo method, Euler scheme for SDE.


BACKGROUND
We hypothesized that breathing helium-hyperoxia (HeO2) would significantly improve 6-min walking test (6MWT) distance in COPD subjects.

METHODS
This was a blinded, randomized crossover study. At visit 1, we assessed pulmonary function, exercise capacity, and 6MWT distance. Visits 2 and 3 consisted of four 6MWTs in which the following different inspired gases were used: room air (RA) by mask; 100% O2 by mask (mask O2); 100% O2 by nasal prongs (nasal O2); and 70% He/30% O2 by mask (HeO2). Walking distance, shortness of breath, leg fatigue, O2 saturation, and heart rate (HR) were assessed.

RESULTS
Sixteen COPD subjects participated (mean FEV(1)/FVC ratio [+/- SD], 48 +/- 8%; mean FEV1, 55 +/- 13% predicted). Subjects walked farther when breathing HeO2 (564 m) compared to RA (497 m; p < 0.001), mask O2 (520 m; p < 0.001), or nasal O2 (528 m; p < 0.001). Despite the increased distance walked while breathing HeO2, there was no increase in shortness of breath or leg fatigue. There was desaturation when breathing RA (8%; p < 0.001) and nasal O2 (5%; p < 0.001), which was reduced when breathing HeO2 (3%; difference not significant) and mask O(2) (0%; difference not significant). There were no significant differences in HR in the four 6MWTs.

CONCLUSIONS
The use of HeO2 increased 6MWT distance in COPD subjects more than either mask O2 or nasal O2 compared to RA. The increased walking distance was not associated with increased shortness of breath or leg fatigue. The results suggest that clinical benefit would be obtained by administering HeO2 during exercise, which may have significant clinical implications for the management of COPD patients.


ABSTRACT In the late 1960s, the first Tehran Master Plan (TMP) was envisioned by a constellation of local and foreign experts. The TMP, which has been extensively studied, is usually credited to big-name planner and architect Victor Gruen. Scholars have neglected the contributions of local professionals in shaping the plan. Many depict the TMP as the product of Cold War geopolitics and a scheme directly exported to Tehran to facilitate top-down modernization promoted by the pro-American Shah. This popular narrative flattens the complexity of transnational urbanism and obscures the transformative role performed by locals therein. Through archival studies and conducting interviews with local planners involved in the TMP, this paper aims to discover the complex nexus between national and international actors and unravel how Iranian planners collaborated with foreign counterparts to negotiate Tehran's urban problems and project the future of the city. This paper argues that Gruen served as a figurehead to validate the formation of the first planning document for Tehran by young local planners who had their own planning agenda. The conclusion argues that the transnationalism of planning practices in Iran grew out of an attempt to institutionalize a modern planning regime compatible with global standards while nurturing local experts.


This paper deals with variational optimal-control problems on time scales in the presence of delay in the state variables. The problem is considered on a time scale unifying the discrete, the continuous, and the quantum cases. Two examples in the discrete and quantum cases are analyzed to illustrate our results.


Discrimination of Temporally Remote Causal Relations by Pigeons: Effects of Signals that Mediate the Temporal Gaps Toshikazu Kuroda The discriminative effect of the response-reinforcer relation may contribute to the change in response rates that occur when reinforcement is delayed. The present study investigated this possibility using a discrete-trials conditional discrimination procedure. Each trial began with a sample component where a variable-interval schedule was assigned either to a left or right key. The key peck that ended the schedule, which served as the sample response, in different conditions initiated delays with a signal fully mediating the delay interval, delays with a signal present only during the first second of the interval, or delays with the absence of signal. The delay in turn was followed by a choice component where one alternative was correct if the sample response had been a left-key response and the other alternative was correct if the sample had been a right-key response. Correct discrimination of the location of the sample response resulted in reinforcement. Accuracy was high with a full signal; slightly lower with a partial, relative to a full, signal; and lowest without a signal. Thus, responses producing delayed reinforcers were detected, but only when a stimulus change accompanied the response. The results parallel the way response rates change when behavior is maintained under a conventional reinforcement schedule as a result of adding delays prior to reinforcement at each type of delay. This suggests a possible role for the discriminative effect of the response-reinforcer relation in the control of behavior by (delayed) reinforcement.


The performance of wireless sensor networks in terms of coverage, connectivity, lifetime and robustness is greatly influenced by the initial physical placement of the sensor nodes. In this paper we propose a novel deployment method for sensor nodes, when a large number of nodes is distributed from the air in a monitoring region that is inaccessible from the ground. In our deployment method, each sensor node is equipped with a parachute and a device to switch between its two falling behaviours (gliding and falling) in the air. After being dropped from midair, sensor nodes stochastically coordinate their falling behaviour in order to distribute themselves uniformly in the monitoring region. In addition, each sensor node exchanges messages with neighbouring nodes while being airborne and it changes its falling behaviour according to the density of the neighbouring nodes in order to reduce non-uniform areas. Through simulation evaluations, we confirm that our proposal can achieve a high uniformity in the placement of the nodes compared to a traditional airdrop method.


Presented is a new approach for laminar-flow water condensation that produces saturations above 1.5 while maintaining temperatures of less than 30°C in the majority of the flow and providing an exiting dew point below 15°C. With the original laminar flow water condensation method, the particle activation and growth occurs in a region with warm, wetted walls throughout, which has the side-effect of heating the flow. The "moderated" approach presented here replaces this warm region with two sections—a short, warm, wet-walled "initiator," followed by a cool-walled "moderator." The initiator provides the water vapor that creates the supersaturation, while the moderator provides the time for particle growth. The combined length of the initiator and moderator sections is the same as that of the original, warm-walled growth section. Model results show that this new approach reduces the added heat and water vapor while achieving the same peak supersaturation and similar droplet growth. Experimental measurements confirm the trends predicted by the modeling. Copyright 2014 American Association for Aerosol Research


Abstract The understanding of protein folding and assembly is of central importance for the design of proteins and enzymes with novel or improved functions. Minimalistic model systems, such as coiled‐coils, provide an excellent platform to improve this understanding and to construct novel molecular devices. Along those lines, we designed a conformational switch that is composed of two coiled‐coil forming peptides and a central binding epitope. In the absence of a binding partner, this switch adopts a hairpin‐like conformation that opens upon receptor binding. Variation of the coiled‐coil length modulates the strength of the intramolecular constraint. The two conformational states of this switch have been linked with characteristic fluorescent properties, which enables the detection of the receptor in real‐time.


Objective This study describes treatment patterns, healthcare resource utilization (HCRU), and costs associated with persistence, switching, and dosing of branded celecoxib in osteoarthritis (OA) patients. Methods This retrospective claims database analysis used MarketScan® Commercial Claims and Encounters (MarketScan) data from 2009 to 2013. Included patients were adult (≥ 18 years), incident celecoxib users with ≥ 1 OA claim. The treatment switch analysis analyzed outcomes in patients persistent on celecoxib versus switched to a generic nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID). The dosing analysis stratified patients as under-dose (<200 mg per day) and standard dose (≥200 mg per day). HCRU, costs, and treatment duration were compared in persistent versus switched and standard dose versus under-dose patients using descriptive, multivariate logistic regression, and Kaplan–Meier analysis. Results A total of 65,530 patients met the inclusion criteria. During follow-up, 83% discontinued celecoxib without switching, 10% were persistent, and 5% switched to a generic NSAID. Ninety percent received a standard dose of celecoxib. Switched (versus persistent) patients had significantly higher all-cause hospital admissions, length of stay, emergency room (ER) visits, and office visits per person year (PPY), all P <0.001; and under-dosed (versus standard dose) patients had significantly higher hospital admissions (P<0.001), length of stay (P<0.001), and ER visits (P= 0.021) PPY. Persistent versus switched patients had lower mean total all-cause costs PPY ($20,378 vs $23,949, P<0.001). Standard dose versus under-dose patients had lower mean total all-cause costs ($23,680 vs $26,955 PPY, P<0.001), and not statistically significant higher mean total OA-related costs ($5698 vs $5524 PPY, P=0.441). Conclusion Patients that switched from branded celecoxib to a generic NSAID or received an under-dose of branded celecoxib had higher average overall HCRU and costs. OA-related inpatient and outpatient cost savings may offset the higher drug cost of celecoxib for persistent patients.


There are many traditional art studios that grow and develop in Indonesia. However, not all succeed in maintaining artistic activities, so that over time many became extinct. This causes the studio members to lose the means to develop their creative potential. This also creates problems for artists who depend on activities in the studio. However, there are several studios that still exist and are even growing in the midst of the expanding arts of this global era. This cannot be separated from the traditional studio management that is implemented. This research used a multi case study approach with data collection techniques of interviews, observations and document study. To ensure data validity, this study applied source and method triangulation. The results showed that the existence of the studio depends on its managerial activity.
Keywords: management patterns, traditional art, artistic passion


We report the successful implementation of a fully automated tomographic data collection system in scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) mode. Autotracking is carried out by combining mechanical and electronic corrections for specimen movement. Autofocusing is based on contrast difference of a focus series of a small sample area. The focus gradient that exists in normal images due to specimen tilt is effectively removed by using dynamic focusing. An advantage of STEM tomography with dynamic focusing over TEM tomography is its ability to reconstruct large objects with a potentially higher resolution.


Catalogue for an exhibition in which Mavrogordato and Newdigate present installations referring to the 11th century Bayeux Tapestry as source material. Kiendl points out differences in the artists' use of weaving, while touching on subjects of war, history, environmental degradation, sexual politics and technology. Maestro's essay highlights the subversive quality of Newdigate's "Ciphers from the Muniments Room" – a scripto-visual work dealing with issues of war, death and remembrance. She suggests that Newdigate's piece critiques patriarchy and phallocentric language by placing value upon materiality and the sensuous intelligence of the hands. Dyer's interpretation of Mavrogordato's embroidered images of female body parts addresses issues of "dis-ease," sex, violence and death (within the context of women's health). Brief biographical notes on artists and authors. 15 bibl. ref.


Despite the tremendous success of deep neural networks in medical image segmentation, they typically require a large amount of costly, expert-level annotated data. Few-shot segmentation approaches address this issue by learning to transfer knowledge from limited quantities of labeled examples. Incorporating appropriate prior knowledge is critical in designing high-performance few-shot segmentation algorithms. Since strong spatial priors exist in many medical imaging modalities, we propose a prototype-based method—namely, the location-sensitive local prototype network—that leverages spatial priors to perform few-shot medical image segmentation. Our approach divides the difficult problem of segmenting the entire image with global prototypes into easily solvable subproblems of local region segmentation with local prototypes. For organ segmentation experiments on the VISCERAL CT image dataset, our method outperforms the state-of-the-art approaches by 10% in the mean Dice coefficient. Extensive ablation studies demonstrate the substantial benefits of incorporating spatial information and confirm the effectiveness of our approach.


We propose that a highly malignant brain tumour is an opportunistic, self‐organizing and adaptive complex dynamic biosystem rather than an unorganized cell mass. To test the hypothesis of related key behaviour such as cell proliferation and invasion, we have developed a new in vitro assay capable of displaying several of the dynamic features of this multiparameter system in the same experimental setting. This assay investigates the development of multicellular U87MGmEGFR spheroids in a specific extracellular matrix gel over time. The results show that key features such as volumetric growth and cell invasion can be analysed in the same setting over 144 h without continuously supplementing additional nutrition. Moreover, tumour proliferation and invasion are closely correlated and both key features establish a distinct ratio over time to achieve maximum cell velocity and to maintain the system's temporo‐spatial expansion dynamics. Single cell invasion follows a chain‐like pattern leading to the new concept of a intrabranch homotype attraction. Since preliminary studies demonstrate that heterotype attraction can specifically direct and accelerate the emerging invasive network, we further introduce the concept of least resistance, most permission and highest attraction as an essential principle for tumour invasion. Together, these results support the hypothesis of a self‐organizing adaptive biosystem.


AIM
Undifferentiated nasopharyngeal carcinoma (UNPC) is a chemosensitive tumour; a randomized study evaluating neoadjuvant chemotherapy with bleomycin/epidoxorubicin/cisplatin (BEC) in addition to conventional radiotherapy has resulted in a better disease-free survival in the chemotherapy arm. The bleomycin infusion in the BEC regimen has necessitated hospitalization for the infusion, and resulted in serious pulmonary toxicity. This study has aimed to omit the bleomycin, and test the efficacy and toxicity of cisplatin (C) and a higher dose of epidoxorubicin (EPI) in patients with locally advanced UNPC.

METHODS
Seventy-one patients with locally advanced UNPC were treated with three cycles of C 100 mg/m2 day 1, and EPI 100 mg/m2 day 1 every 3 weeks followed by conventional radiotherapy of 70 Gy.

RESULTS
Neoadjuvant chemotherapy was well tolerated. There was only 1-week delay in 14.3% of the patients and no dose modification. Grade III-IV neutropenia occurred in 18.9% of the cycles: none of the patients developed neutropenic fever. No patient progressed during chemotherapy, the complete response rate was 26.8% (95% CI = 16.9-38.6) and the partial response rate was 59.1% (95% CI = 46.8-70.7) for an objective response rate of 85.9% (95% CI = 75.6-93.0) at the end of the three cycles of chemotherapy. After the completion of radiotherapy, the complete response rate increased to 81.7% (95% CI = 70.7-89.9) and the objective response increased to 91.5% (95% CI = 82.5-96.8). The median disease-free interval and the median survival have not been reached. The 5-year disease-free and overall survival rates are 53.0% (95% CI = 43.7-62.0) and 57.2% (95% CI = 48.3-65.2), respectively.

CONCLUSION
Neoadjuvant C and EPI, easily administered in the outpatient setting, is an effective and well-tolerated regimen in the treatment of locally advanced UNPC.


Dimethylsulfoxide reductase, a bacterial molybdenum oxotransferase, belongs to the Type-III Clade of the dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) reductase family of molybdenum enzymes and catalyses the conversion of DMSO to dimethylsulfide (DMS) with an accompanying two electron transfer. The molybdenum cofactor within DMSO reductase contains an organic component known as molybdopterin (MGD) which is a modified pterin providing an ene-dithiolene side chain responsible for ligating the Mo. The active site of the DMSO reductase contains two MGD ligands, a single oxo group and the amino acid ligand Serine in a trigonal prismatic geometry. A continuous wave (CW) EPR spectrum attributable to the Low-g Type-I Mo(V) species and a sulfur centered radical were observed upon dithionite reduction of dimethylsulfoxide reductase from the photosynthetic bacterium Rhodobacter capsulatus (Lan et al., 2007a&b), of the naturally abundant and 95Mo enriched Low-g Type-I Mo(V) CW EPR spectrum reveals that while the magnitudes of the principal components of the g and A matrices resemble the Slow Mo(V) center found in desulfo xanthine oxidase, their orientation is quite different and the largest 95Mo hyperfine component is associated with the smallest g value rather than the largest g value. The coordination sphere of the Low-g Type-I Mo(V) species consists of an an ene-dithiolene (P-MGD), Ser-147 and a protonated oxo group, which form the base of a square pyramid. In conjunction with the results obtained from a multifrequency CW EPR and density functional theory (ORCA) of a series of thiomolybdenyl complexes (Drew et al., 2007a&b), the g and triclinic A(95Mo) matrices are consistent with the unpaired electron located in a |dx2-y2> ground state molecular orbital in which the x and y axes are located between Mo-ligand bonds. In addition to the Low-g Type-I Mo(V) species, the CW EPR spectrum exhibits an orthorhombic signal (gz = 2.0545, gy = 2.0182, gx = 1.999) with small 95Mo (A2 = 5.0x10-4 cm-1) hyperfine coupling on the gy resonance. Both 3-pulse ESEEM and HYSCORE spectra revealed the presence of one or more weakly coupled protons and isotropic hyperfine coupling (Aiso(14N) = 6.7 MHz) to a single nitrogen nucleus. The CW- and pulsed-EPR results are consistent with an unpaired electron centered on sulfur atom (S1) of Q-MGD which is delocalized onto the pyranopterin ring system. These results implicate sulfur centered radicals in the stabilization of the charge on the molybdenum ion in DMSO reductase and/or electron transfer between the native electron donor DorC and the Mo center via the Q-MGD. Analysis of the continuous wave and pulsed electron paramagnetic resonance spectra and EPR potentiometric titration experiments reveal that the Mo(V) High-g Unsplit Type-2 species is the intermediate species formed during the catalytic reduction of DMSO reductase from Rhodobacter capsulatus. The spin Hamiltonian parameters for the Mo(V) High-g Unsplit Type-2 species obtained from naturally abundant and 95Mo enriched DMSO reductase reveal that the unpaired electron is present in a |dz2> ground state molecular orbital and that the geometry of the active site Mo centre is trigonal prismatic. Since the tigonal prismatic geometry of the Mo centre is retained upon reduction of the resting (Mo(VI)), to Mo(V) and Mo(IV) the active site within DMSO reductase is an example of an entatic state. The Mo(V) High-g Split species, previously proposed to be catalytically relevant in the reductive direction, has been shown to be involved in the oxidative half reaction.


We investigate under which conditions the three-dimensional (3D) multicomponent Abelian-Higgs (AH) field theory (scalar electrodynamics) is the continuum limit of statistical lattice gauge models, i.e., when it characterizes the universal behavior at critical transitions occurring in these models. We perform Monte Carlo simulations of the lattice AH model with compact gauge fields and N-component scalar fields with charge q ! 2 for N = 15 and 25. Finite-size scaling analyses of the Monte Carlo data show that the transitions along the line separating the confined and deconfined phases are continuous and that they belong to the same universality class for any q ! 2. Moreover, they are in the same universality class as the transitions in the lattice AH model with noncompact gauge fields along the Coulomb-to-Higgs transition line. We finally argue that these critical behaviors are described by the stable charged fixed point of the renormalization-group flow of the 3D AH field theory.


Complex real-time software systems require an active fault management capability. While testing, verification and validation schemes and their constant evolution help improve the dependability of these systems, an active fault management strategy is essential to potentially mitigate the unacceptable behaviors at run-time. In our work we have applied the experience gained from the field of Systems Health Management towards component-based software systems. The software components interact via well-defined concurrency patterns and are executed on a real-time component framework built upon ARINC-653 platform services. In this paper, we present the lessons learned in architecting and applying a two-level health management strategy to assemblies of software components.


The Concrete Centre is dedicated to helping architects, designers, engineers, constructors, developers and clients get the best out of concrete and hence improve their own efficiency. With a remit to technically develop and promote appropriate concrete solutions, the Centre provides a focal point for innovation, research, development and technical excellence. This is achieved by developing design guidance on a wide range of topics such as structural design, fire, sustainability, acoustics, thermal properties and durability, and providing a comprehensive education and training programme to provide in-depth knowledge and examination of concrete issues and developments. The use of concrete in the UK wind energy sector to date has been limited predominantly to onshore foundation applications. This contradicts experience from elsewhere, where application of concrete for pylons and offshore applications, such as foundations, is commonplace. As such, The Concrete Centre is committed to challenging the UK wind industry's current thinking on wind tower design and to illustrate how the benefits of concrete construction can be realised more fully. For more information on the use of concrete in wind tower applications and the services that the Centre offers, including publications, seminars and technical support and advice from our regional teams, please visit www.concretecentre.com Gifford is a leading engineering design consultancy with over 50 years experience of strategic planning, design development and construction design of major projects for the built and natural environment. Project experience covers: highways, rail and marine transport infrastructure; industrial and commercial facilities including shipyards, and production plants; energy infrastructure for storage facilities, power stations and wind farms; buildings of all kinds; urban regeneration; environmental management, mitigation and restoration; resources management including waste management. Founded on the basis of invention of new prestressing systems for concrete and on the innovative design of prestressed concrete structures, the firm has maintained a tradition of innovation in emerging materials, technologies and fields of engineering. These have included prefabricated building systems, hovercraft, wave energy systems, wind turbine blades, strengthening techniques for structures and low energy buildings. Resources include a network of UK and overseas offices with over 600 staff covering disciplines and specialisms relating to civil, structural, building and environmental engineering and science, analysis and modelling, project information production and project management. PREFACE Considered opinion supporting concrete as an efficient high performance structural material, in the rapidly growing UK programme for wind energy generation, recently led to the need for verification of this potential. In 2003, …


Objective. Adipose tissue (AT) macrophages are increased in obesity and associated with low grade inflammation. We aimed to characterize the phenotype of AT macrophages in humans in relation to obesity and insulin resistance. Design. Gene-expression levels of general macrophage markers (CD68 and CD14), proinflammatory markers/M1 (TNF-α, MCP-1, and IL-6), and anti-inflammatory markers/M2 (CD163, CD206, and IL-10) were determined by RT-PCR in subcutaneous AT samples from lean and obese subjects. Insulin resistance was determined by HOMA-IR. Results. All the macrophage markers were elevated in the AT from obese compared to lean subjects (P < 0.001). To determine the phenotype of the macrophages the level of CD14 was used to adjust the total number of macrophages. The relative expression of CD163 and IL-10 was elevated, and TNF-α and IL-6 were reduced in AT from obese subjects (all P < 0.05). In a multivariate regression analysis CD163 was the only macrophage marker significantly associated with HOMA-IR (β: 0.57; P < 0.05). Conclusion. Obesity is associated with elevated numbers of macrophages in the AT. Unexpectedly, the macrophages change phenotype by obesity, with a preponderance of M2 and a decrement of M1 markers in AT from obese subjects. Moreover, CD163 was the only macrophage marker associated with HOMA-IR after multiple adjustments.


Pulse radiolysis of the cyclic amides N-methylpyrrolidinone (NMP), N-ethylpyrrolidinone (NEP), 1,3-dimethyl-2-imidazolidinone (DMI) and 1,3-dimethyl-2-oxo-hexahydropyrimidine (DMH) and the non-cyclic amide tetramethylurea (TMU) yielded absorption spectra in the near infrared that are attributed to solvated electrons. Addition of a variety of alkali-metal salts caused no detectable change in the absorption spectrum of e-s and no new absorptions attributable to alkali-metal anions were detected. The effect of dose on the decay of e-s in NMP was studied in detail. The yields of e-s in these amides were estimated by using trans-stilbene as an electron scavenger. Absorption spectra, which are not removed by saturation with N2O and CO2, are observed in the wavelength range 300-500 nm.


The NATO-STO Centre for Maritime Research and Experimentation (CMRE) has proposed to approach the problem of monitoring marine trafic in defined sea areas by using passive acoustics on a mobile underwater platform, in particular by hosting a smal volumetric acoustic array on an underwater glider. Passive underwater acoustic technologies applied to mobile autonomous underwater platforms such as gliders may alow: minimum environmental impact, covertness, long endurance, wide area coverage, near real-time, continuous ('24/7') monitoring and availability of several functionalities, ranging from detection to classification of acoustic noise sources. Gliders are particularly appropriate for this kind of application, as their utmost features are: (a) persistence; (b) discreteness; (c) portability; (d) scalability; (d) remote control. In the context of the EU FP7 PERSEUS project, CMRE's objectives were to detect and estimate the direction of arrival of boats through passive acoustics, by processing acoustic data in real time, directly on board the glider, through the application of appropriate algorithms, and then sending results to the PERSEUS Command&Control station for data fusion and visualization. Keywords—passive acoustics; underwater glider; volumetric acoustic arrays; real-time data processing


One of the problems related to management of competitiveness of the organizations operating in the service sector is poor methodological development of the issues of structure and content of the competitive strategy. The article reviews the most common approaches to understanding of the competitive strategy essence, namely, an approach known as «Porters competitive strategies», Kotlers approach and the «biological» approach. The assessment of these approaches from the position of their application in the service sector on the example of retailing is provided. The notion of competitive strategy is clarified, and some of the principles of commercial organization competitiveness management, which are to be considered when devising a competitive strategy, are presented. On the basis of the process approach an iterative model of competitive strategy is proposed. The approach depicts the authors vision of the structure and main types of decisions taken when devising, adopting and implementing the competitive strategy.


A practical methodology to reduce traffic conflicts at work zones was developed and evaluated in the field. The proposed system uses variable advisory speed limits that are determined with a two-stage speed reduction scheme. The system is designed to lower the speed of the upstream traffic approaching the work zone bottleneck to the same level as the downstream flow. The system was implemented at one of the I-494 work zones in the Twin Cities, Minnesota, for a 3-week period in 2006. Data collected from the field indicated a 25% to 35% reduction of the average 1-min maximum speed difference along the work zone area during the 6:00 to 8:00 a.m. morning peak periods after the system was implemented. The reduction in speed difference also resulted in an approximate 7% increase of the total throughput volume measured at the downstream work zone boundary during the 6:00 to 7:00 a.m. periods. The volume increase during the 7:00 to 8:00 a.m. periods was not significant. Estimation of the driver compliance rate, by comparing the speed differences upstream and downstream of the advisory speed limit signs, showed 20% to 60% correlation levels during the morning peak periods.


Hepatitis C virus infection is a worldwide problem and its natural, unfavorable course is still a challenge for the hepatologist. The standard of treatment is combined therapy with interferon-alpha and ribavirin. This therapy is related to a wide spectrum of side effects that significantly reduce quality of life. Approximately 90% of patients suffer from at least one adverse effect; 15% will therefore have reduced drug dose and 5% will discontinue treatment. The most common acute side effects are flu-like symptoms and chronic effects are hematological, neuropsychiatric, and endocrinological (mainly the thyroid). The latest classification divides interferon-induced thyroid diseases into two groups: autoimmune (Hashimoto disease, Graves-Basedow disease, positive antithyroid autoantibodies in euthyroid patients) and non-autoimmune (destructive thyroiditis, non-autoimmune hypothyroidism). The most common complication of cytokine therapy is the induction of antithyroid autoantibodies de novo without thyroid dysfunction. It seems that destructive thyroiditis with typical biphasic course is more common in therapeutic regimens with ribavirin than in interferon-alpha monotherapy. Clinically overt pathologies very often have very discrete symptoms which cause diagnostic and therapeutic dilemmas. Interferon-induced thyroid disorders are usually mild and sometimes self-limiting; nevertheless, every overt thyroid disease requires endocrinological consultation and possible treatment. In this review the most important current information related to hepatitis C, interferon alpha and ribavirin therapy, and thyroid disorders is collected. A new classification of interferon-induced thyroid disease is proposed.


This article presents a developmental science approach to changing attitudes and rectifying prejudice and discrimination. This is crucial because stereotypes and prejudicial attitudes are deeply entrenched by adulthood; the time for intervention is before biases are fully formed in adulthood. Adults as well as children are both the recipients and the perpetrators of prejudice as reflected by social exclusion based on group membership. Determining the factors that inhibit or reduce the negative outcomes of prejudice and exclusion is of paramount importance. Research reveals that young children are aware of in-group and out-group differences very early but what becomes full-fledged prejudice, in fact, emerges slowly during childhood and adolescence. At the same time, morality, an understanding of fairness and equality, emerges during this same time period. On the positive side, evidence reveals that in certain contexts, children understand the unfairness of prejudicial attitudes and social exclusion designed to inflict harm on others. On the negative side, prejudicial attitudes, even when not intentional, have detrimental consequences for children as targets of biased attitudes. This article describes research on social reasoning, moral judgments, group identity, group norms, and intergroup contact in childhood to shed light on the catalysts and obstacles that exist for the goal of promoting the development of positive intergroup attitudes from early childhood to adulthood. Implications for policy and intervention are provided.


Genome size varies considerably among organisms, largely as the result of differences in the content of non‐coding and/or repetitive DNA, such as introns, pseudogenes, or transposable elements, as well as whole‐genome duplications. Genome size is known to correlate with metabolic rates. Because polyphagy also affects the metabolism, a correlation between diet specialization and genome size can be expected. To test this hypothesis, a study was undertaken with five closely related species of stem borers which are easy to rear under artificial conditions, namely Busseola fusca (Fuller), Busseola segeta (Bowden), Busseola nairobica Le Ru, Sesamia calamistis Hampson, and Sesamia nonagrioides Lefebvre (all Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). However, as the number of species was too low for correlating diet with genome size in Lepidoptera in general, literature data from 16 Lepidoptera species were used in addition. The results pointed to a relationship between genome size and the insect's host plant range in Lepidoptera, but below the family level only, with larger genomes in polyphagous compared to specialist species. In addition, the genome size appeared to be influenced not only by host plant range but also by environmental/climatic conditions. Studies to test this hypothesis should be done strictly below the family level.


Studies of labor in China have taken an exciting turn in recent years with the publication of numerous rich and revealing portraits of workers, their jobs, and their place in Chinese politics and in the global economy. As thousands of migrant workers employed in auto parts suppliers for Toyota and Honda went on strike in May and June of 2010, some headlines heralded a political coming of age for China's migrant workers. While it's too early to assess the impact of these strikes, it is clear that migrant workers have gained a level of organizational sophistication and political awareness to make demands for higher wages, better working conditions, and in some cases, elections for union representatives. All of the books cited below offer readers who are new to the field of Chinese labor some perspective in which to understand the strikes of 2010 and the broader place of Chinese labor in the contemporary politics and society of China.


This study reads Nostromo as Conrad's alternative version of the nineteenth century European representation of the history of Costaguana. The novel exposes the failed attempt of implantation of European history into the South American country. This reading argues that Conrad's challenge to progressive history involves three different but interrelated approaches. First, he attempts to demonstrate how the dominant discourse of history accords and conflicts with other discourses. The novel illustrates how the agents of the history of progress are obsessed with making discourses to confirm and justify their causes. As the turbulent history of Costaguana exposes, the quest for "silver" is at the heart of struggles. Finally Conrad examines the fates of people who take part in making the history of progress and demonstrates that they are disillusioned by the ideology of progress which is constructed to justify their quest for material interests. Two central characters of the novel, Gould and Nostromo, are presented as the subject of progressive history who are disillusioned by their ideals. Thus Conrad's own interpretation of the "history" of Costaguana suggests that the history is enmeshed within the dynamic interplay between conflicting voices articulated in various social discourses. Locating them in changing contexts, the narrator allows them to collide with others. His narrative presentation of these struggles for dominance creates a living environment for diverse social discourses, voices and ideological positions.


We have validated the performance of a prototype coordinate measurement system based on multilateration by comparing it to a laser tracker, i.e. a well-proven instrument widely used in the industry. After establishing the uncertainty budget of the different systems, we performed position measurements with both instruments on common targets. Using the estimated uncertainties associated with the measurements, we found that the multilateration system provided lower position uncertainties than the laser tracker: on average 18 µm versus 33 µm for distances up to 12 m. The uncertainties represented by confidence ellipsoids are compatible between the two systems: for confidence regions of 95% probability, they overlap as expected, i.e. in 94% of the cases. We also measured the length of a 0.8 m long reference scale bar with the multilateration system at an error of only 2 µm. This cross-comparison is a new and key step in the characterization of this SI-traceable multilateration system.


Tropospheric ozone is a greenhouse gas and pollutant detrimental to human health and crop and ecosystem productivity. Since 1990 a large portion of the anthropogenic emissions that react in the atmosphere to produce ozone have shifted from North America and Europe to Asia. This rapid shift, coupled with limited ozone monitoring in developing nations, has left scientists unable to answer the most basic questions: Is ozone continuing to decline in nations with strong emission controls? To what extent is ozone increasing in the developing world? IGAC's Tropospheric Ozone Assessment Report (TOAR) has been designed to answer these questions and this presentation will show the results from the TOAR-Climate initiative, focusing on the present-day distribution and trends of global tropospheric ozone from satellite observations. Five satellite products based on OMI (2 products using two different retrieval methods) and IASI (also 2 products using two different retrieval methods) and the OMI/MLS combined product were intercompared. An important result is the close agreement among the five products regarding the quantification of the total mass of all tropospheric ozone, the so called tropospheric ozone burden (TOB). The mean estimate for TOB between 60° N and 60° S is 296 Tg, with all products agreeing within ± 4%. However, on a regional basis the five satellite products have notable differences and there is no agreement in terms of ozone trends over the past decade. Continuing work is exploring the causes of these differences.


Introduction: greenhouses need microclimate control systems to grow agricultural crops. The method of carbon dioxide injection, which is currently used by agricultural companies, causes particular problems. Co-generation power plants may boost the greenhouse efficiency, as they are capable of producing electric energy, heat and cold, as well as carbon dioxide designated for greenhouse plants. Methods: the co-authors provide their estimates of the future gas/electricity rates growth in the short term; they have made a breakdown of the costs of greenhouse products, and they have also compiled the diagrams describing electricity consumption in case of traditional and non-traditional patterns of power supply; they also provide a power distribution pattern typical for greenhouse businesses, as well as the structure and the principle of operation of a co-generation unit used by a greenhouse facility. Results and discussion: the co-authors highlight the strengths of co-generation units used by greenhouse facilities. They have also identified the biological features of carbon dioxide generation and consumption, and they have listed the consequences of using carbon dioxide to enrich vegetable crops. Conclusion: the co-authors have formulated the expediency of using co-generation power plants as part of power generation facilities that serve greenhouses.


It in one of the best ebook. It can be rally exciting throgh studying period. Your lifestyle span will likely be enhance when you full looking over this book. -Katarina Jacobi Jr. A must buy book if you need to adding bene t. Better then never, though i am quite late in start reading this one. I am very happy to inform you that this is basically the very best book we have study during my own life and could be he finest ebook for possibly. -Rodger Hane Absolutely among the nest ebook I have actually read through. I could possibly comprehended everything out of this composed e pdf. I am easily will get a satisfaction of studying a composed ebook. -Stephan Towne


We show how one can obtain a class of quadratic Wasserstein metrics, that is to say, Wasserstein metrics of order 2, on the set of faithful normal states of a von Neumann algebra $A$, via transport plans, rather than through a dynamical approach. Two key points to make this work, are a suitable formulation of the cost of transport arising from Tomita-Takesaki theory and relative tensor products of bimodules (or correspondences in the sense of Connes). The triangle inequality, symmetry and $W_{2}(\mu,\mu)=0$ all work quite generally, but to show that $W_{2}(\mu,\nu)=0$ implies $\mu=\nu$, we need to assume that $A$ is finitely generated.


Introduction. Presently, there are several problems in the field of dry powder fire suppression that require the indepth study of the physics and technology of fire suppression processes using these substances. One of the ways to find the solution to these problems is the efficiency analysis (theoretical and experimental) of frequently implemented fire extinguishing patterns involving fire suppression systems spraying dry powder, when the term of interaction between the dry fire extinguishing powder and the burning material is close to the duration of principal fire extinguishing patterns, or thermal and heterogeneous inhibition of active flame centres.Purpose and objectives. The purpose of the work was to assess the efficiency of principal fire extinguishing patterns (thermal and heterogeneous inhibition of active flame centres) amid non-stable heat exchange processes and heterogeneous inhibition of active combustion product particles by powder particles.Methods. The pre-set objective was achieved through theoretical modeling of patterns of thermal fire extinguishing and heterogeneous inhibition of active flame centres by dry chemical powder particles.Results. It was established that fire suppression with the help of general purpose dry chemical powder under non-steady conditions is the more effective, the smaller the effective size of powder particles, the longer the time of their stay in the combustion area and the shorter the characteristic period of heat transfer to powder particles and heterogeneous inhibition of active flame centres.Conclusions. The results optimize conditions and patterns of dry fire extinguishing powder application to a combustion area to achieve the highest extinguishing effect and to conduct a targeted search for new dry chemical powders having pre-set thermal and physical specifications.


The decrease in Arctic sea ice extent is associated with an increase of the area where sea ice and open ocean interact, commonly referred to as the Marginal Ice Zone (MIZ). In this area, sea ice is particularly exposed to waves that can penetrate over tens to hundreds of kilometres into the ice cover. Waves are known to play a major role in the fragmentation of sea ice in the MIZ, and the interactions between wave-induced sea ice fragmentation and lateral melting have received particular attention in recent years. The impact of this fragmentation on sea ice dynamics, however, remains mostly unknown, although it is thought that fragmented sea ice experiences less resistance to deformation than pack ice. In this presentation, we will introduce a new coupled framework involving the spectral wave model WAVEWATCH III and the sea ice model neXtSIM, which includes a Maxwell-Elasto Brittle rheology. We use this coupled modelling system to investigate the potential impact of wave-induced sea ice fragmentation on sea ice dynamics. Focusing on the Barents Sea, we find that the decrease of the internal stress of sea ice resulting from its fragmentation by waves results in a more dynamical MIZ, in particular in areas where sea ice is compact. Sea ice drift is enhanced for both on-ice and off-ice wind conditions. Our results stress the importance of considering wave–sea-ice interactions for forecast applications. They also suggest that waves likely modulate the area of sea ice that is advected away from the pack by ocean (sub-)mesoscale eddies near the ice edge, potentially contributing to the observed past, current and future sea ice cover decline in the Arctic.


In this paper, we present a finite-element simulation of an adaptive piezoelectric fluid-membrane lens for which we modelled the fluid-structure interaction and resulting membrane deformation in COMSOL Multiphysics®. Our model shows the explicit coupling of the piezoelectric physics with the fluid dynamics physics to simulate the interaction between the piezoelectric and the fluid forces that contribute to the deformation of a flexible membrane in the adaptive lens. Furthermore, the simulation model is extended to describe the membrane deformation by additional fluid forces from the fluid thermal expansion. Subsequently, the simulation model is used to study the refractive power of the adaptive lens as a function of internal fluid pressure and analyze the effect of the fluid thermal expansion on the refractive power. Finally, the simulation results of the refractive power are compared to the experimental results at different actuation levels and temperatures validating the coupled COMSOL model very well. This is explicitly proven by explaining an observed positive drift of the refractive power at higher temperatures.


Equatorial noise in the frequency range below the lower hybrid resonance frequency, whose structure is shaped by high proton cyclotron harmonics, has been observed by the Cluster spacecraft. We develop a model of this wave phenomenon which assumes (as, in general, has been suggested long ago) that the observed spectrum is excited due to loss cone instability of energetic ions in the equatorial region of the magnetosphere. The wavefield is represented as a sum of constant frequency wave packets which cross a number of cyclotron resonances while propagating in a highly oblique mode along quite specific trajectories. The growth (damping) rate of these wave packets varies both in sign and magnitude along the raypath, making the wave net amplification, but not the growth rate, the main characteristic of the wave generation process. The growth rates and the wave amplitudes along the ray paths, determined by the equations of geometrical optics, have been calculated for a 3‐D set of wave packets with various frequencies, initial L shells, and initial wave normal angles at the equator. It is shown that the dynamical spectrum resulting from the proposed model qualitatively matches observations.


Evidence of auditors' failure to provide an independent opinion has reopened debates on measures to ensure auditor independence. We examine the effectiveness of oversight on two prominent determinants of auditor's biased opinion – financial incentives and a personal relationship with the client. We conduct a between-subject experiment involving an accounting choice task. We find a significant effect of a personal relationship on the auditor's choice after controlling for financial incentives. Oversight has a significant negative effect on auditor's choice arising from financial incentives, whereas a personal relationship significantly reduces the effectiveness of oversight. Our results show that, in addition to oversight, other solutions that break up personal ties are needed to ensure auditor independence. DOI: 10.15458/85451.7


The unique longitudinal study "Tracking Opportunities and Problems (TOPP)" began following nearly 1,000 children and their families in Norway in 1993. Few studies have ever accumulated such extensive information from such a large number of families. Eight waves of data on many aspects of child and family life have been collected from children aged 18 months to 18 years. The TOPP Study has provided new knowledge about and insight into the precursors, developmental paths and predictors of both good adaptation and mental health problems of children, as well as into parenting and family relationships.


With the rapid development and continuous improvement of image processing technology, the intelligent management of traffic management system for vehicles has accelerated the speed of road safety information, in which the car license plate as the identification of vehicle identity, the identification of its character information is the key to the license plate recognition system. In order to solve the problem of the traditional license plate recognition algorithm such as long development period, this study adopts the HALCON as a programming platform, the acquisition of image preprocessing to enhance image contrast, through the affine transformation to complete correction of tilt of the image, and at the completion of the design after character segmentation OCR based on neural network classifier to complete accurate recognition of Chinese characters, letters and Numbers. The experiment shows that the system has the ability to adapt to the environment and can recognize the license plate information efficiently and accurately.


Little is known about the food habits of black bears (Ursus americanus) in Alabama. A major concern is the amount of human influence in the diet of these bears as human and bear populations continue to expand in a finite landscape and bear-human interactions are increasing. To better understand dietary habits of bears, 135 scats were collected during late August to late November 2011–2014. Food items were classified into the categories of fruit, nuts/seeds, insects, anthropogenic, animal hairs, fawn bones, and other. Plant items were classified down to the lowest possible taxon via visual and DNA analysis as this category composed the majority of scat volumes. Frequency of occurrence was calculated for each food item. The most commonly occurring foods included: Nyssa spp. (black gum, 25.2%), Poaceae family (grass, 24.5%), Quercus spp. (acorn, 22.4%), and Vitis spp. (muscadine grape, 8.4%). Despite the proximity of these bear populations to suburban locations, during our sampling period we found that their diet primarily comprised vegetation, not anthropogenic food; while 100% of scat samples contained vegetation, only 19.6% of scat samples contained corn and no other anthropogenic food sources were detected. Based on a Fisher's exact test, dietary composition did not differ between bears living in suburban areas compared to bears occupying more rural areas (P = 0.3891). Thus, bears in Alabama do not appear to be relying on humans for food, although further research and monitoring is warranted.


HPR1000 is an advanced nuclear power plant with the significant feature of an active and passive safety design philosophy, developed by the China National Nuclear Corporation. It is based on the large accumulated knowledge from the design, construction as well as operations experience of nuclear power plants in China. The passive containment cooling system (PCS) of HPR1000 is an important and innovative passive safety system to suppress the pressure in the containment during LOCA. In this paper, the detailed design process of PCS is reviewed, and an integrated experiment facility for the study on the coupling behavior between PCS and thermal hydraulic characteristics in the containment is described, and arrangement of measuring points including temperature, pressure, gas composition and so on are introduced in detailed. Also, the experimental energy released and energy vent to ensure the similarity of containment pressure response, thermal stratification and PCS heat removal is introduced. According to this versatile experiment facility can conduct real-engineering system test which is designed to support the PCS development. In addition, this valuable experience in the design and manufacture of integrated experiment facility can provide important technical support and guidance for the China next generation advanced PWR as well as safety related system.


The current project is mainly focussed on the application of liquisolid (LS) technique in the enhancement of dissolution pro ile of lurbiprofen. Flurbiprofen is a NSAID indicated for acute and chronic osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and spondylitis. It is selected as model drug as it is a BCS Class II drug and has very poor aqueous solubility of 10.45± 3.2μg/ml. Hence, this study was designed to improve the dissolution rate of lurbiprofen using LS technique. Initially, saturation solubility studies were performed to select liquid vehicle showing higher solubility of drug to obtain liquid medication. PEG 600 was selected as non-volatile solvent, used at three different drug concentrations of 33.33, 40 and 50 % w/w to form LS formulations. Further, they were converted to powder by means of Avicel PH 102 and Aerosil 200 as carrier and coating materials to prepare LS formulations. Rheological tests were performed for the LS powder systems to study the low properties. Later, several LS formulations were prepared, encapsulated in hard gelatin capsules. These capsules containing LS systems were subjected to evaluation tests and in vitro drug release studies. The results of dissolution pro ile of formulation CF3 showed maximum release of 98%within 30 minutes which was two folds higher than that of conventional capsule. FTIR studies revealed no drugexcipient interaction. DSC, SEM and PXRD studies revealed that drug in the system was completely soluble and available in molecularly dispersed state. Finally, it can be concluded that LS technique proved to enhance the dissolution pro ile of Flurbiprofen.


In studies of dynamic changes in crystals in which induced metastable species may have lifetimes of microseconds or less, refinements are most sensitive if based on the changes induced in the measured intensities. Agreement factors appropriate for such refinements, based on the ratios of the intensities before and after the external perturbation is applied, are discussed and compared with R factors commonly applied in static structure crystallography.


This case provides a view into a college student entrepreneur's assessment of an entrepreneurial opportunity versus a standard career pathway. The case charts his course for exploring a new business venture and follows his analysis of prospective career opportunities.


Modern management strategies have revolutionized the treatment of patients with acute and chronic heart failure (HF). Physicians should identify the risks and benefits of each drug or interventional option being considered for the treatment of HF. Inhibition of the neurohormonal axis with angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and beta-blockers has significantly improved morbidity and mortality of patients with chronic HF. An aggressive approach targeted at improving hemodynamics and end-organ function is warranted during acute exacerbations or decompensated heart failure. Immediate recognition and management of potentially reversible causes and simultaneous initiation of supportive therapy to augment the cardiac output are key elements to the successful treatment of acute heart failure.


Summary form only given. We present a simple technology for the fabrication of CNTs films cathode by utilizing method of rubbing CNT powders onto the polished substrates. The metallic substrates were polished by 10000 mesh white fused alumina powder at first. Then, the CNTs were rubbed on them. After that process, the metallic substrates were covered by CNTs films uniformly and firmly, as characterized by scanning electron microscope and scotch tape peeling tests. The field-electron-emission properties of such films cathodes were investigate under the vacuum of 10-5 Pa. The experimental results showed that the field-emission image of the films was nearly uniform and the emission current was considerably large. The turn-on field (the field at an emission current density of 10μA/cm ) was 3.4V/μm. The emission current density of 1.31mA/cm was obtained at the electric field of 6.1 V/μm, and emission current was almost stable in more than 60 minutes under about ImA/cm .


ATRX (the alpha thalassemia/mental retardation syndrome X-linked protein) is a member of the switch2/sucrose nonfermentable2 (SWI2/SNF2) family of chromatin-remodeling proteins and primarily functions at heterochromatic loci via its recognition of "repressive" histone modifications [e.g., histone H3 lysine 9 tri-methylation (H3K9me3)]. Despite significant roles for ATRX during normal neural development, as well as its relationship to human disease, ATRX function in the central nervous system is not well understood. Here, we describe ATRX's ability to recognize an activity-dependent combinatorial histone modification, histone H3 lysine 9 tri-methylation/serine 10 phosphorylation (H3K9me3S10ph), in postmitotic neurons. In neurons, this "methyl/phos" switch occurs exclusively after periods of stimulation and is highly enriched at heterochromatic repeats associated with centromeres. Using a multifaceted approach, we reveal that H3K9me3S10ph-bound Atrx represses noncoding transcription of centromeric minor satellite sequences during instances of heightened activity. Our results indicate an essential interaction between ATRX and a previously uncharacterized histone modification in the central nervous system and suggest a potential role for abnormal repetitive element transcription in pathological states manifested by ATRX dysfunction.


Transgenes in plants affect life history traits including seed survival and germination. With stochastic matrix models we predict population-level consequences of transgene induced life history changes. We assess systematically which changes in life history traits, resulting from genetic modification, may increase the risk of invasion and persistence of feral crops or increase fitness in case of introgression from arable fields into conspecific, feral populations. We apply our method to feral populations of oilseed rape. Like many annual weeds, oilseed rape depends critically on disturbance; in undisturbed habitats it is generally outcompeted by perennials. The associated inherent variability and unpredictability render deterministic models inappropriate. With a stochastic matrix model we study population growth rate, elasticities and quasi-extinction times. Our results indicate that changes in survival in the seed bank impact population growth and persistence most. Less important are dormancy, fecundity and seedling survival. The predicted distribution of extinction times is highly skewed, with some patches persisting for decades.


Mexican-born women in the U.S. are at high risk of depression. While acculturation is the primary analytical framework used to study immigrant mental health, this research suffers from (1) a lack of specificity regarding how cultural models of living and being take shape among migrants converging in new destinations in the U.S., and (2) methods to empirically capture the impact of cultural positioning on individual health outcomes. Instead of relying on proxy measures of age at arrival and time in the U.S. to indicate where an individual is located on the acculturation spectrum, this study uses cultural consensus analysis to derive the substance and structure of a cultural model for la buena vida (the good life) among Mexican immigrant women in Birmingham, Alabama, and then assesses the extent to which respondents are aligned with the model in their everyday lives. This measure of 'cultural consonance' is explored as a moderating variable between age at arrival in the U.S. and number of depressive symptoms. Results demonstrate that for those who arrived at an older age, those with lower consonance are at the highest risk for depression, while those who are more aligned with la buena vida are at lower risk.


Homochiral metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have gained much attention because of their chiral properties and disposition for chiral separation. However, the fabrication of high-quality homochiral MOF membranes remains challenging because of the difficulty in controlling growth of MOF membranes with chiral functionalities. A homochiral zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) membrane is reported for efficient chiral separation. The membrane is synthesized by incorporating a natural amino acid, l-histidine (l-His), into the framework of ZIF-8. The homochiral l-His-ZIF-8 membrane exhibits a good selectivity for the R-enantiomer of 1-phenylethanol over the S-enantiomer, showing a high enantiomeric excess value up to 76 %.


A case of microscopically proven bilateral ectopic pregnancy (EP) is described. Salpingectomy and linear salpingostomy were performed. Shortly after recovery from surgery for EP, another conception occurred.


This work examines the corrosion inhibitory behavior of Xylopia aethiopica stem bark and root bark extracts respectively on corrosion of mild steel in 2M HCl solution and their quantum chemical analysis using gravimetric technique and quantum computational modeling. The corrosion rates of the mild steel coupons in blank HCl solutions were found to increase with increase in concentration of the corrodent, period of immersion and rise in temperature. On the other hand, the corrosion rate decreased in the acid solution containing the test extracts and the decrease became more pronounced on increase in the concentrations of Xylopia aethiopica stem bark and root bark extracts respectively. The decrease in corrosion rate indicates that the extracts inhibited corrosion of mild steel in the acid solution and inhibition efficiency increased with increase in extract concentrations. The inhibition is attributed to adsorption of the test extract constituent molecules on the mild steel surface, forming a film layer that protects the metal surface from the corrodent. Results of quantum chemical computational analysis proved that, 3-dimethyl- 1-vinylcyclohexene among the constituent compounds of Xylopia aethiopica bark extract would be the most likely organic compound to share electrons with the metal surface for possible adsorption bond. The adsorption of the extract molecules on the mild steel surface fitted into Langmuir adsorption isotherm with slope values of 0.86 and 0.98 for Xylopia aethiopica root bark and stem bark extracts respectively, and regression correlation (R2) values of 1.0 and 0.99 for root and stem extracts respectively.


Nature-based solutions (NBS) focus on the material functioning of ecosystems as part of a transformative response to societal challenges. NBS represent a growing response to climate change with a range of interventions emerging across the world to address the causes and effects of climate change. The adoption of NBS is claimed to address a range of Sustainable Development Goals, including empowerment of marginalised people (Goals 10 and 15). In this thesis, I investigate these claims within the context of climate change adaptation. More specifically, I ask if and how ecosystem-based approaches (EBA) to climate change adaptation, as a type of NBS, empower vulnerable and marginalised groups. Four papers are presented that draw respectively on systematic review, conceptual synthesis, empirical, and comparative study. The empirical findings are from two sites in Sri Lanka with a range of climate vulnerabilities. Paper I systematically reviews adaptation case studies to show how empowerment can arise in an adaptation context amidst broader power relations. Paper II demonstrates theoretically the bounded and overlapping roles of EBA and empowerment. In Paper III, I show that EBA have the potential to support people's empowered adaptive strategies amidst broader transformation of social-ecological relations, but this potential is presently constrained. In the studied cases, the dominant mode of EBA action as intervention limited the ability to support people's empowered adaptive strategies. Across these papers, I demonstrate that frames embedded in EBA shape the institutional and material dimensions of these actions, becoming central to their capacity to support empowerment. Frames are discursive dimensions of power, or dominant modes of expression, that prefigure outcomes for who is empowered or disempowered through EBA initiatives. In Paper IV, I find that frames of EBA appear to reinforce assumptions of the passive dependency of marginalised people on Ecosystem Services. Further, the way that EBA is framed in biophysical terms may empower external experts and interventions, and lend authority to the knowledge claims of natural scientists. The papers collectively show that current frames of EBA do not make visible the social processes of adaptation or the predominant manner in which EBA is implemented as an intervention. These blind spots have consequences for empowerment since these frames hide people's diverse and situated social-ecological knowledge, subjectivities, and agencies – aspects which better represent the ways in which people and ecologies emerge in co-evolutionary processes, including through responses to climate change. Confronting the issue of people being left out of the picture in NBS to climate change will entail a sizeable shift in the science and practice of these approaches. This turn would be facilitated by sustainability scientists acknowledging their position in power relations, confronting governance and equity issues in nominally benign solutions, and letting go of problematic assumptions about the relationships between people and nature. (Less)


This paper presents the benefits and costs of providing students with unlimited access to programmable boards in digital design education, allowing hands-on experiences outside traditional laboratory settings. Studies were conducted at three universities in two different countries-Rose Hulman Institute of Technology, Terre Haute, IN; Washington State University, Pullman; and Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, Romania-to measure the effect on student learning and student performance of students having their own programmable hardware systems and unrestricted access to the most commonly used design tools. The results of the studies, supported by assessment data from various sources, suggest that the overall learning process is improved, and students gain a better knowledge of modern technologies and design methods if they are given full time access to programmable logic boards.


The importance of light weight materials are increasing especially for transporting applications as different types of vehicles. Though, the cost for production may increase due to higher material cost this can be beneficial in other parts of the product life cycle, especially the operation phase. By using light weight materials the structural weight decreases, which can be utilized either as reduced fuel consumption, increased payload, increased speed or increased range. This have been demonstrated in a number of projects especially concerning ship structures were both life cycle cost and environmental analysis has shown the benefits with light weight materials in composite sandwich structures and aluminium structures. In this study a bus structure originally manufactured in steel is investigated. The new lightweight structure is produced in sandwich technique with face in glass fibre polyester and different core materials, PET, PVC and PS depending on location in the structure. Life cycle cost analysis, LCCA, has been made to compare the steel structure with the sandwich structure. Included phases of the life cycle are production, operation and disposal. The result from the analysis results in a decrease of life cycle cost by 3 to 4% depending on the fuel price and the fuel consumption. The production cost for the sandwich structure is slightly higher, 4%, than the steel structure. This is explained by the higher material costs for the sandwich structure. By identifying the break-even point it is clearly shown that a decrease by two year, from year 4,5 to 6,5, is the result when doubling the fuel price, 1 €/litre to 2 €/litre. This is explained by the weight decrease of 5% for the total weight giving lower fuel consumption for the light weight structure by 5%.


This paper focuses on the 3D MHD modeling of a very high-pressure (20 bar) arc plasma at industrial level; the torch is a 'Kvaerner-type' one, made of two concentric graphite electrodes and where spots are displaced with an external magnetic field. Different phenomenologies in arc movement were observed, ranging from a gliding arc on electrodes surfaces to hopping arc foots and notably impacting electrodes erosion and the overall efficiency in the plasma process. Besides those dynamics which are indebted to torch configuration, current and flow rates, arc stability is also investigated with a theoretical model based on an energy principle. This research work provides new insight on the dynamics and stability of the arc inside the Kvaerner-type torch along with an unprecedented understanding of the very high pressure arc under concentric-electrodes-configuration, highlighting strong deformations due to pressure-driven instabilities for the high power arc.


Realizing automatic object search by robots in an indoor environment is one of the most important and challenging topics in mobile robot research. If the target object does not exist in a nearby area, the obvious strategy is to go to the area in which it was last observed. We have developed a robot system that collects 3D-scene data in an indoor environment during automatic routine crawling, and also detects objects quickly through a global search of the collected 3D-scene data. The 3D-scene data can be obtained automatically by transforming color images and range images into a set of color voxel data using self-location information. To detect an object, the system moves the bounding box of the target object by a certain step in the color voxel data, extracts 3D features in each box region, and computes the similarity between these features and the target object's features, using an appropriate feature projection learned beforehand. Taking advantage of the additive property of our 3D features, both feature extraction and similarity calculation are considerably accelerated. In the object learning process, the system obtains the feature-projection matrix by weighting unique features of the target object rather than its common features, resulting in reducing object detection errors.


This contribution to the study of the factors' allocation modes of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) by firms of emerging economies gets over the dual approach concentrated on the lack of uses of equipment and on their consequences. Authors focus on the dynamics of use, as opposed to the dynamics of adoption. The main assumption of this contribution is that the differentials of competitiveness related to ICT are less dependant on the level of the investments than on the level of their use. This approach introduces notions like individual learning, cooperation dynamics, general purpose technologies, information and coordination levels.


Argumentation is an omnipresent foundation of our daily communication and thinking. The ability to form convincing arguments is not only the fundament for persuading an audience of novel ideas but also plays a major role in strategic decision-making, negotiation, and productive civil discourse. However, students often struggle to develop argumentation skills due to a lack of individual and instant feedback in their learning journey, since providing feedback on the individual argumentation skills of learners is very time consuming and not scalable if conducted manually by educators. Following a design science research approach, we propose a new class of argumentation learning systems that provide students with individual and ongoing tutoring to support them in learning how to argue. We build our socio-technical design on a combination of user-centered design principles, a conceptualization of argumentation structures in student-written text, and Natural Language Processing and Machine Learning classifiers to provide individual feedback. To investigate if the new system class of AI-based argumentation tutoring systems helps students to improve their argumentation skills, we evaluated the novel artifact class in two empirical studies in comparison to traditional argumentation learning systems. In a laboratory experiment (study 1), as well as in a field experiment in a large-scale lecture over three months (study 2), we found that AI-based argumentation tutoring systems based on our design principles, argumentation schemes, and algorithms improve the short- and long-term argumentation skills of students significantly compared to the traditional argumentation learning approaches.