Background: Increase in neurologic diseases burden has increased the demand for neurology services globally, despite the shortcomings of shortage and maldistribution of neurologists worldwide, including Sub-Saharan Africa. This has placed significant pressure on the few available neurologists to provide optimal and effective services in our resource-challenged settings. Methods: Neurology referrals were prospectively reviewed over a period of 3 months. Sociodemographic characteristics of the patients, the initial diagnosis by the requesting team, the reasons for the consult/referral, the requesting personnel, duration of hospital stay before request, the time interval between receiving the request and review, the working and final diagnosis after the review, and the diagnostic outcome of neurologic review were analyzed using Predictive Analytics Software® version 18.0.0 for Windows (Chicago, Illinois, USA). Results: Fifty-three hand written in-patient requests were reviewed over the period of study given an average rate of 4.4/week. The mean age was 50.8 ± 16.1 years, and the median length of stay before a review was 1 day (interquartile range: 1–2.5 days). Diagnostic outcome of the reviews were; new diagnoses in 4 (11.3%), the incorrect diagnosis changed in 8 (15.1%), contribution to the differential diagnosis in 15 (28.3%), and contribution to management plans in 24 (45.3%) patients. The association between diagnostic outcomes and mortality in our study was not statistically significant (χ2 = 6.66, P = 0.08). Conclusion: Our study showed that in-patient neurologic reviews led to significant improvement in diagnostic and management plans. Appropriate policy guidelines should focus more on efficient ways of maximizing benefits of these reviews to patients without overburdening the few available neurologists in our environment.


Abstract The Mauritia flexuosa L.f. palm is known as the "tree of life" given its importance as fundamental food and construction resources for humans. The species is broadly distributed in wet habitats of Amazonia and dry habitats of the Amazon and Orinoco river basins and in the Cerrado savanna. We collected 179 individuals from eight different localities throughout these habitats and used microsatellites to characterize their population structure and patterns of gene flow. Overall, we found high genetic variation, except in one savanna locality. Gene flow between populations is largely congruent with river basins and the direction of water flow within and among them, suggesting their importance for seed dispersal. Further, rivers have had a higher frequency of human settlements than forested sites, contributing to population diversity and structure through increased human use and consumption of M. flexuosa along rivers. Gene flow patterns revealed that migrants are sourced primarily from within the same river basin, such as those from Madeira and Tapajós basins. Our work suggests that rivers and their inhabitants are a critical element of the landscape in Amazonia and have impacted the dispersal and subsequent distribution of tropical palm species, as shown by the patterns of genetic variation in M. flexuosa.


Background Treatment with regorafenib is an alternative thirdline therapy for patients with metastatic colon cancer. This new treatment option was marketed in 2013, so it should be checked if the efficacy and safety in routine clinical practice are equivalent to those reported in pivotal trials. Purpose To assess the efficacy and safety of regorafenib in the treatment of metastatic colon cancer in routine clinical practice in a tertiary hospital. Material and methods This was an observational, descriptive, retrospective study. All patients with metastatic colon cancer treated with regorafenib until June 2016 were included. Data were recorded from computerised clinical history and pharmaceutical dispensing software. The following variables were collected: age, gender, therapeutic indication, overall survival(OS), progression free survival(PFS), adverse reactions and dose reduction. The primary efficacy endpoint was OS and the secondary efficacy endpoint was PFS. For safety profile assessment, adverse reactions were studied. Results 10 patients, 6 (60%) men and 4 (40%) women, were studied. Mean age was 60.8 years. All patients were diagnosed with metastatic colon cancer. Mean OS was 5.25 months and mean PFS was 2.55 months. Notified adverse reactions were: hand–foot syndrome (4), diarrhoea (2), asthenia (6), decreased intake (4), mucositis (2) and emetic syndrome (2). All patients had at least one adverse event and 80% required a full dose reduction for toxicity and/or poor tolerance. Conclusion The results of this efficacy study of regorafenib in metastatic colon cancer therapy in routine clinical practice were inferior to those reported in pivotal trials (6.4 months OS in CORRECT or 8.8 months in CONCUR vs 5.25 months). The safety profile was similar to that described in the data sheet but the frequency of patients requiring dose reduction (80%) was higher than expected. In conclusion, comparing the efficacy of older alternatives (regorafenib PFS 1.9 months, panitumumab PFS 1.9 months, cetuximab PFS 3.7 months, best supportive care PFS 1.2 months), the use of an alternative in thirdline treatment for metastatic colon cancer should be based on its safety profile and patient tolerance. No conflict of interest


This paper compares two well-known modelling approaches for natural ventilation in a multi-zone building with thermal stratification and large openings. The zonal approach in this paper assumes a fully mixed condition in each zone, and considers the bi-directional flows through all large openings. The zonal model is integrated into a thermal analysis code to provide simultaneous prediction of both ventilation flow rates and air temperatures in each zone. The CFD approach uses a finite-volume method for turbulent flows. A simple pressure boundary condition is used at all external openings in CFD. There is reasonable agreement between the overall ventilation flow rates and average zonal air temperatures predicted by the two modelling approaches. It is found that the multi-zone approach predicts a lower neutral level for the building than predicted by CFD. This might be mainly due to the fact that the thermal stratification is neglected in the present multi-zone model. It is explained by a new emptying air-filling box model for natural ventilation of single-zone buildings.


This paper investigates the effect of radio frequency (RF) interference on the performance of very high-speed digital subscriber line (VDSL) system. It is shown that a blind equalization is extremely difficult in the presence of RF interference. A receiver structure, incorporating an adaptive notch filter (ANF) and hybrid DFE (H-DFE), is proposed to mitigate the effect of RF interference on the VDSL system. The use of an ANF before the DFE yields reliable blind equalization as well as performance improvement. It is also shown that the H-DFE structure employed in the proposed receiver outperforms the conventional DFE or the noise predictive DFE structure in the presence of RF interference.


The new psychoactive substance WIN 55,212-2 ((R)-(+)-[2,3-dihydro-5-methyl-3-(4-morpholinylmethyl)pyrrolo-[1,2,3-de]-1,4-benzoxazin-6-yl]-1-napthalenylmethanone) is a potent synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonist. The metabolism of WIN 55,212-2 in man has never been reported. Therefore, the aim of this study was to identify the human in vitro metabolites of WIN 55,212-2 using pooled human liver microsomes and liquid chromatography-high resolution-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-HR-MS/MS) to provide targets for toxicological, doping, and environmental screening procedures. Moreover, a metabolic stability study in pooled human liver microsomes (pHLM) was carried out. In total, 19 metabolites were identified and the following partly overlapping metabolic steps were deduced: degradation of the morpholine ring via hydroxylation, N- and O-dealkylation, and oxidative deamination, hydroxylations on either the naphthalene or morpholine ring or the alkyl spacer with subsequent oxidation, epoxide formation with subsequent hydrolysis, or combinations. In conclusion, WIN 55,212-2 was extensively metabolized in human liver microsomes incubations and the calculated hepatic clearance was comparably high, indicating a fast and nearly complete metabolism in vivo. This is in line with previous findings on other synthetic cannabinoids. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


The growth of cross-strait relations has garnered lots of concern for a very long time. However, it is noticeable that since Tsai Ing-wen was elected "president" of Taiwan in 2016, cross-strait relations have progressively reached an impasse. Tsai's political speeches since then have had a great impact on both the public and the development of cross-Strait ties. This paper chooses Tsai's political speeches to conduct a critical discourse analysis based on the Martin's Attitude System (2005). Nine political speeches that Tsai addressed publicly during her first term, from 2016 to 2021, are selected as study data. The goals of the study are to explore the features and functions of the attitudinal resources in these speeches as well as how these resources are realized to construe meanings, as well as what ideology Tsai implied behind the discourse. Throughout Tsai's appraisal resources, it is found that her evaluation of mainland China mainly involved implicit strategies, and most of them were negative, while her evaluation of Taiwan authorities mainly used explicit strategies, and most of them were positive. As a result, Tsai constructed different images of both sides of the Taiwan Strait.


The simulation of a robot with a high number of joints can easily become unstable. Numerical errors on the first joint of the chain are propagated to the other joints. This is a very common problem in humanoid robots. A way to plan the gait for these robots is using simulation and optimization techniques. This paper addresses a new approach to optimizing gait parameter sets using an adaptive simulated annealing optimization algorithm, combined with a new joint model that reduces its instability. The new model and the optimization are implemented in SimTwo (a developed physical robot simulator that is capable of simulating user defined robots in a three-dimensional space, since it includes a physical model based on rigid body dynamics) and results are shown that validate the approach.


'Chenab-70' cultivar of semi-dwarf wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) was grown under improved management conditions with several levels of N, P and irrigations. An incomplete factorial design included N levels of 0, 56, 112, 168, and 224 kg/ha and 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 irrigations. Each irrigation consisted of 7.6 cm applied water. Irrigations were optimally sequenced with crop growth stages as indicated by prior research in India and Pakistan. The resulting quadratic production functions indicate that yield levels now obtained by the best fanners can be obtained with one-third to one-half of the water currently being applied if irrigations are timed and controlled appropriately. Fertilizer response also exceeded that obtained by progressive farmers. Economically optimum application rates for water and N were rather restrictive with little opportunity for substitution. Finally, soil moisture measurements coupled with concurrent physiological and morphological observations are used to rationalize the persistence of indigenous cultural practices and to suggest new cultural practices to further enhance irrigation efficiency.


Significant effort has been spent over the years to improve the accuracy and reduce the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulation time required to predict performance for centrifugal compressors. Most of the emphasis has been on modeling the impeller and diffuser components. This paper presents an evaluation of volute modeling targeted at reducing simulation time while increasing the accuracy of the results. Providing accurate predictions of performance and operating range is critical to the equipment users as it allows reduction in design margins for plant equipment dependent on compressor performance (i.e. drivers, intercoolers and other auxiliary equipment).The volute is the component that collects the flow from the diffuser and guides it into the discharge nozzle. Due to the circumferential variation (tongue) in the geometry, this component has to be modeled in its entirety (360 degrees); which results in very large grid sizes. The impeller and diffuser, normally modeled as a sector or pie slice, result in significantly smaller meshes. The volute models require large numbers of computing nodes to be solved and tend to have convergence issues.The investigation, with the objective of reducing the amount of time required to run these simulations and improve the convergence of the runs, evaluated several mesh configurations that focused on grid density (element count), element aspect ratio and use of inflation layers. The domain evaluated consisted of several stationary components and one rotating component. The model started at the inlet guide vane section followed by the impeller, vanned diffuser, volute, and discharge nozzle. Commercial software ANSYS CFX was used to develop the meshes using tetrahedral/prism elements and complete steady-state CFD analyses.Detailed flow field characteristics (total and static pressure, velocity streamlines, etc.) and key performance parameters (loss coefficient, pressure ratio, etc.) were compared for the various configurations evaluated. In addition, experimental measurements were used to validate the CFD results. The configuration that resulted in the shortest cycle time with the best performance accuracy was selected as optimum. Accuracy is paramount for performance prediction and reduction in simulation time will allow more volute iterations to be investigated, which would help improve volute performance in centrifugal compressors.Copyright © 2014 by ASME


Earthquake swarms are typical of Western Bohemia and the Vogtland region. The 1985/86 earthquake swarm lasted about two months (Dec. 1985 – Jan. 1986). It split into four active periods. Several thousands of earthquakes were recorded. The strongest shock was on Dec. 21, 1985 at 10 h 16 m UTC. Its local magnitude was 5.1 (FRG, Federal Republic of Germany) and 4.6 (CIPE, Central Institute for Physics of the Earth, Potsdamn, GDR) and epicentral intensity I o = 7° MSK-64. A rich macroseismic and instrumental material provides new knowledge concerning the character of individual earthquakes and the swarm pattern. The swarm did not differ in character from the old ones.


Studying the comprehension of religious tolerance among students is of great importance for the sustainability of group cohesion in the future. No matter the amount of research that has been done, there is an unfulfilled void between the unresolved points of perception.In fact, the younger generation does not yet have the capacity to clarify the solutions offered throughout the shortest time to come in people's lives.The perspective of this study is to analyse the relation amid tolerance attitude, supply chain management system, ethical values and religion intolerance with the mediation effect of cultural appreciation. The purpose of this analysis is to critically examine and inspect awareness in order to find the latest solutions to problems created by the outbursts of the new multifaceted conflicts.The results of this study suggest that students tend to rise their religious tolerance through understanding the nature of religious tolerance in Islamic teachings characterized in history by the Prophet Muhammad (Reconciliation Peace and blessings Him).Some other students are prejudice to religion as they are more likely to be religious solely with a legal-style philosophy that prefers only liberal or conservative alternatives over the facts.Such results show that students are usually able to understand good religious understanding during course of an investigation as they understand the real presence of Islam in different religious communities.


In this paper, we propose a new model called the functional-coefficient autoregressive heteroscedastic (FARCH) model for nonlinear time series. The FARCH model extends the existing functional-coefficient autoregressive models and double-threshold autoregressive heteroscedastic models by providing a flexible framework for the detection of nonlinear features for both the conditional mean and conditional variance. We propose a Bayesian approach, along with the Bayesian P-splines technique and Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithm, to estimate the functional coefficients and unknown parameters of the model. We also conduct model comparison via the Bayes factor. The performance of the proposed methodology is evaluated via a simulation study. A real data set derived from the daily S&P 500 Composite Index is used to illustrate the methodology.


H03M CODING; DECODING; CODE CONVERSION IN GENERAL (using fluidic means F15C 4/00; optical analogue/digital converters G02F 7/00; coding, decoding or code conversion, specially adapted for particular applications, see the relevant subclasses, e.g. G01D, G01R, G06F, G06T, G09G, G10L, G11B, G11C, H04B, H04L, H04M, H04N; ciphering or deciphering for cryptography or other purposes involving the need for secrecy G09C)


Chemical derivatization by phenylglyoxal (PGX) was applied to the identification of arginine in the neuropeptides dynorphin A (1-6) and substance P. The obtained products were separated on a short reversed phase C18 column and analysed on-line with the photodiode array UV technique. The selective attachment of a chromogenic molecule into the arginine residue resulted in significant change in the absorbance spectra around 250 nm, depending on the number of PGX molecules attracted. Further analysis employed fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry (FAB MS) and C-terminal sequencing for detailed verification of the derivatives formed during modification with PGX. The results clearly demonstrated that the photodiode array technique, when combined with chemical modification of certain amino acids, provides new possibilities for the analysis of peptide structures.


Attitudes toward smoking among hospital patients and employees, smoking rates in specified areas, and the sales of tobacco products were assessed prior to a hospitalwide smoking discouragement program. Discouragement efforts consisted of the distribution of antismoking posters, educational materials, and displays, and placement of signs on the hazards of smoking at all hospital entrances and at the points of sale of cigarettes in the hospital canteen. Results show some significant decreases in the sale of tobacco products, changes in attitudes to become more critical of smoking, and changes in the smoking rate in the canteen eating area and main lobby.


Inspirals of stellar-mass compact objects into massive black holes are an important source for future gravitational wave detectors such as Advanced LIGO and LISA. The detection and analysis of these signals rely on accurate theoretical models of the binary dynamics. We cast the equations describing binary inspiral in the extreme mass ratio limit in terms of action-angle variables, and derive properties of general solutions using a two-timescale expansion. This provides a rigorous derivation of the prescription for computing the leading order orbital motion. As shown by Mino, this leading order or adiabatic motion requires only knowledge of the orbit-averaged, dissipative piece of the self-force. The two-timescale method also gives a framework for calculating the post-adiabatic corrections. For circular and for equatorial orbits, the leading order corrections are suppressed by one power of the mass ratio, and give rise to phase errors of order unity over a complete inspiral through the relativistic regime. These post-1-adiabatic corrections are generated by the fluctuating, dissipative piece of the first order self-force, by the conservative piece of the first order self-force, and by the orbit-averaged, dissipative piece of the second order self-force. We also sketch a two-timescale expansion of the Einstein equation, and deduce anmore » analytic formula for the leading order, adiabatic gravitational waveforms generated by an inspiral.« less


Invasive fungal infections (IFIs) are associated with high morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised patients. Although Aspergillus spp. remain an important cause of IFI, other moulds such as Fusarium spp., dematiaceous fungi and Mucorales have become increasingly prevalent among this patient population. Diagnosis and treatment of invasive mould infections remain a challenge. Because of the poor prognosis associated with IFIs, understanding the activity, efficacy and limitations of the available drugs is critical to select the appropriate antifungal agent on an individualised basis.


The article investigates religious experience in relation to the hermeneutics of desire and interreligious dialogue. After summarizing Schleiermacher's thought on religious experience, the article presents some ideas on religious experience in light of the insights of several contemporary thinkers. Robert Doran's proposal for a hermeneutics of desire is enlisted to help clarify the nature of religious experience. The article concludes by suggesting that further study of the notion of desire, especially as it relates to religious experience, holds out some promising possibilities for interreligious dialogue.


Unnecessary lab testing may lead to inaccurate diagnoses, inappropriate treatment or further testing, and increased strain on our health care system, and can expose patients to potential harm.
To identify lab tests that could be considered by Choosing Wisely Canada's Using Labs Wisely program, we convened a panel of experts that included physicians, medical laboratory professionals, patients, and decision-makers from across Canada. Our objective was to prioritize a list of high-volume laboratory tests that are often ordered unnecessarily in hospital settings.
Through a consensus-generating process, the expert panel prioritized 7 lab tests as candidates for reduction or elimination in hospital settings. These were 25-hydroxy vitamin D testing, vitamin B12 testing, thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) testing, free triiodothyronine (FT3) and free thyroxine (FT4) testing, international normalized ratio (INR) testing, and amylase testing.


Hyphae of Dactylella oviparasitica proliferated rapidly through MeIoidogyne egg masses, and appressoria formed when they contacted eggs. The fungus probably penetrated egg shells mechanically, although chitinase production detected in culture suggested that enzymatic penetration was also possible. In soil, D. oviparasitica invaded egg masses soon after they were deposited on the root surface and eventually parasitized most of the first eggs laid. Occasionally the fungus grew into Meloidogyne females, halting egg production prematurely. The fungus parasitized eggs in the gelatinous matrix or eggs freed from the matrix and placed on agar or in soil. Specificity in nematode egg parasitism was not displayed, for D. oviparasitica parasitized eggs of four Meloidogyne spp., Acrobeloides sp., Heterodera schachtii, and Tylenchulus semipenetrans. In tests in a growth chamber, parasitism by D. oviparasitica suppressed galling on M. incognita-infected tomato plants.


Reference price has been postulated in the consumer behavior literature to be an important determinant of new product acceptance in the marketplace. This study was undertaken to assess the influence of reference price on the acceptance of new healthcare transportation services among the elderly. Over five hundred elderly, chosen at random, were studied in a major metropolitan area. The proposed new healthcare transportation services were: a shuttle service (from the hospital to a satellite healthcare center) and an escort service (from the hospital to the patient's home). The results show that reference price is the main influence on the acceptance of the shuttle service superseding the effects of the traditional demographic variables of gender and marital status. However, reference price was not found to be an influence on the acceptance of the escort service. It appears that the use of reference price as a guide in the acceptance of a new product is not universal but rather contingent on the product being offered.


Optical properties of plasma lenses strongly depend on the magnetic field distribution. Its measurement with conventional magnetic probes is quite critical for such application. In this paper the measurement of the magnetic field in a Z pinch discharge, based on the Faraday effect in optical fibers, is described. It is shown that it is possible, using a quite simple and relatively low cost experimental setup, to detect the field dynamics inside the discharge tube assuring low disturbance, a large bandwidth, and a high signal to noise ratio. Applications to several kinds of plasma lenses and further development are discussed. >


An improved, prescient, scheme to deliver preencoded video streams at very low latency is presented. We dynamically manage the prediction dependency for a group of packets using a rate-distortion (R-D) optimization framework that adapts to the channel, so that the expected end-to-end distortion is minimized under a given rate constraint. In our system, the R-D characteristics of each prediction mode are precomputed at compression time and stored in an R-D preamble along with the multiple compressed versions of the stream. The distortion in the preamble is estimated using an accurate loss-distortion model, and the optimal prediction modes are computed with an iterative descent algorithm. Complexity is reduced at streaming time by using the preamble to compute the optimal modes instead of actually compressing the video. Experiments demonstrate that the proposed prescient scheme provides significant performance gains over simple intra-insertion, and consistent bitrate savings compared to the greedy scheme.


This paper analyzes family-owned banks in Thailand. Using the data before the financial crisis, we find that wealthy families extensively use pyramids to control a business empire which includes financial and non-financial firms. We analyze the entire family group structure and find that one-third of the banks were placed at the second tier near the apex and two-third of the banks were located at deeper tiers in the pyramids. The empirical results show that bottom tier banks have lower performance due to risky loans. This evidence is consistent with the view that when the controlling family maximizes growth and stability of the entire group, lower tier firms are assigned to undertake risky investment. This ownership setting can insulate the entire group from the adverse effect when the investment does not pay off because the family owns relatively low cash flow stake in lower tier firms.


Dendritic GABAB receptors (GABABRs) mediate a slow form of interhemispheric inhibition. Surprisingly, this inhibition has no detectable effect on the somatic membrane potential of layer 5 pyramidal neurons, whereas the action potential (AP) output is robustly decreased even when the input is proximal to the cell body. To elucidate the underlying mechanisms, we systematically mapped the AP frequency-current (F-I) relationship during dual patch-clamp recordings from soma and apical dendrite. The AP output function was governed by the synergistic interaction between dendritic and somatic compartments as the local input and transfer resistance from dendrite to soma (Kds) depended on the dendritic membrane potential. Thus, Kds doubled at an estimated rate of once per 28.7 mV depolarization due to HCN channel deactivation. In addition, dendritic L-type Ca2+ channels converted individual APs into dendritic Ca2+ spikes causing high-frequency bursts of APs (HFB) during large dendritic depolarization. Activation of dendritic GABABRs greatly reduced both nonlinear mechanisms. While direct block of L-type Ca2+ channels reduced the number of HFBs, K+ channel activation decreased voltage-dependent input and transfer resistances and decreased the AP rate under all conditions. These results highlight the powerful modulation of the input integration in pyramidal neurons by metabotropic receptor-activated K+ channels.


Abstract Clusterization has been named as one of the priorities of the development strategy of many European Union countries. Clusterization experts have already hypothesized that clusters of various economic activities are important not only in the formation of regional policy, but they also in a complex way stimulate the whole country's economic growth from job creation to the development of intellectual property to new innovative industries. These realities show that cluster activity and its results are important not only for cluster participants, but also for the economy of the country in which clusters operate. However, there are currently no reliable and effective tools to validate this hypothesis. In the analysis of the problem and in order to deepen the theoretical knowledge of the object under study, this paper analyses and summarizes systematic, logical and comparative scientific literature, scientific studies, strategic documents and legal acts. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to provide a theoretical overview of the currently available knowledge on service clusterization and sustainable economic development, to demonstrate the acute absence of relevant theoretical foundations and linkages that would allow to analyse these phenomena, and propose a methodological approach that would allow to expand this field of study.


The simple, accurate and precise UV-Spectrophotometric method has been developed and validated for quantitative determination of artemether in capsules. The method employed lN HCl as a solvent and used to derivatize a drug. The proposed method obeyed the Beer's law in the concentration range of 5-40 μg/ml. The linear regression showed good linear relationship with r2 = 0.998, slope and intercept were 0.0182 and 0.006622 respectively. Method was validated statistically where SD and RSD were found to be satisfactorily low. Percentage recovery of the drug for the proposed method was found in the range of 99.5-100.86% indicating no interference of the capsule excipients. The results of the capsule analysis were validated with respect to accuracy, precision and recovery studies which were found to be satisfactory. LOD and LOQ for artemether were found to be 2.30 μg/ml and 4.08 μg/ml respectively. The utility of the developed method has been demonstrated by analysis of commercial formulation containing this drug.


The knowledge of a future throughput value for a user equipment (UE) in Long Term Evolution (LTE) or any other transmission technology is very valuable. It can be used in rate adaptation algorithms so that radio channel congestions may be mitigated thus allowing for better quality of experience of the wireless user. Such control usually would happen at the application layer so that the control loops at different layers may work together and thus create a stable operating point. However, the metrics that are learned and predicted are available at the core of the radio link. In this paper we identify a suitable application-level link quality metric (which we call bitsU/prb) for prediction, and analyze the performance of the predictions at differing Rayleigh velocities. We find that the prediction of the application-level link quality can be 90 to 97 % accurate.


Given the trend toward digitalized knowledge management and the highly interactive Internet environments of Web 2.0, the digitalization of teaching resources and teachers' knowledge management have become important issues. In the field of digital learning, a growing number of studies are focusing on applying Web 2.0 technologies (e.g., blogs and social community software) to teaching (e.g., Fessakis et al., 2008; Kabilan et al., 2010; Mazman & Usluel, 2010). With diversified digital teaching contents, these technologies extend and integrate current teaching modes and help create many new online instructional strategies. In the future, teachers may need to use these growing and complex digital teaching materials, digital learning contents, and instructional strategies. To be utilizes by teachers, these resources must be efficiently and effectively integrated. From the perspective of knowledge management, teachers must also be able to share and integrate their teaching knowledge efficiently within their communities of professional development and, more importantly, effectively externalize and combine knowledge. Many studies have investigated issues of teacher community and teacher knowledge management (Barab, et al., 2001; Carroll et al., 2003; Hou et al., 2009a, 2009b; Hsu, 2004; Snow-Gerono, 2005; Stigler & Hiebert, 1999), including the application of new technologies to teacher knowledge management (Carroll et al., 2003; Lee et al., 2010). Many studies have also pointed out the necessity of schools adopting knowledge management (Hargreaves, 1999; Kuo, 2003; McKenzie et al., 2001; Richard, 2001). Most teacher knowledge is tacit, and the goal of knowledge sharing is not definite (Carroll et al., 2003); thus, teachers require more assistance and guidance when sharing knowledge. There also exist differences in knowledge sharing behaviors in different types of organizations (Bock et al., 2005; Yang, 2007; Yang & Chen, 2007); therefore, knowledge management strategies should be customized based on teachers' organizations and teaching contexts so as to facilitate teaching knowledge sharing and management of teacher communities. Professional development knowledge sharing is increasingly important for teachers because the digitization of teaching contents has resulted in knowledge content becoming more diverse,


Abstract The preparation of nano-modified concrete and its application in road pavement materials have broad application prospects for improving the wear resistance of road surfaces and reducing engineering costs. This article mainly studies the cost-effectiveness of nano-materials applied in road pavement engineering. This article uses ABC classification method to analyze the project cost. First, it analyzes the impact of each factor of the project cost on the project cost, finds the corresponding A, B, and C factors, so as to focus on the management of the A project cost factors. Then analyze the A-type cost factors of the A-type cost factors, find the A-type influencing factors of the A-type cost factors, and take reasonable measures for corresponding management and control, so as to ensure the effective control of the project cost. The research results show that the occupancy cost of asphalt concrete, concrete C30 and other materials is 82.784%, which is a class A material; the cumulative occupancy cost of materials such as steel bars and backfill gravel is 89.170%, 91.179%, which is a class B material. Type A materials are the main cost-controlling materials, which are directly related to the success or failure of the total cost control of materials. Type B material is a secondary cost factor of material cost, and relatively important control management should also be carried out. The experimental results of this article show that the combination of nanomaterial technology and cost control of road paving engineering construction projects can not only save the cost of road paving engineering construction, but also reduce many unnecessary wastes, and further strengthen the cost control of road paving engineering construction projects. The management level reduces the construction cost of road engineering.


The cotton fiber, as a single-celled trichome, is a biological model system for studying cell differentiation and elongation. However, the complexity of gene expression and regulation in the fiber complicates genetic research. In this study, we investigated the genome-wide transcriptome profiling in Texas Marker-1 (TM-1) and five naked seed or fuzzless mutants (three dominant and two recessive) during the fuzz initial development stage. More than three million clean tags were generated from each sample representing the expression data for 27,325 genes, which account for 72.8% of the annotated Gossypium raimondii primary transcript genes. Thousands of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified between TM-1 and the mutants. Based on functional enrichment analysis, the DEGs downregulated in the mutants were enriched in protein synthesis-related genes and transcription factors, while DEGs upregulated in the mutants were enriched in DNA/chromatin structure-related genes and transcription factors. Pathway analysis showed that ATP synthesis, and sugar and lipid metabolism-related pathways play important roles in fuzz initial development. Also, we identified a large number of transcription factors such as MYB, bHLH, HB, WRKY, AP2/EREBP, bZIP and C2H2 zinc finger families that were differently expressed between TM-1 and the mutants, and were also related to trichome development in Arabidopsis.


The European Union (EU) has been supporting its Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) through its trade powers for 40 years. This practice has evolved significantly over the years. This paper explores this evolution with respect to achieving sustainable fishing beyond EU waters. In particular, this paper examines two major ways in which the EU trade agreements impact sustainable fishing abroad. First, the discussion looks at the EU's use of trade agreements to leverage access to the fishing resources of third States. The paper finds this EU practice to be lacking the necessary coherence and transparency and it raises doubts about the balance between commercial and sustainability concerns. Second, the discussion looks at the fisheries cooperation provisions included in the various EU trade agreements. In that regard the paper examines the changing and evolving emphasis on sustainable fishing. The paper finds that the EU's trade agreements have evolved greatly. The contemporary EU trade agreements seek to ensure sustainable fishing as none before them have. As such the EU is successfully using them as vessels for implementing its external CFP. The EU does so by setting the agenda on the international plane and diffusing specific CFP norms through its trade agreements.


The purpose of this study was to determine consumer attitudes towards the attributes of fresh chicken meat and frozen chicken meat and to analyze the factors that influence consumers in purchasing decisions for fresh chicken meat and frozen chicken meat in the city of Bogor in the new normal era. This research was conducted in October-Desember 2020. Data obtained from 250 respondents who usually buy broiler chicken meat and is divided into several areas namely modern market, traditional market, and chicken selling places around the city of Bogor. The sample of respondents in the study was chosen purposively and the data collection technique used a survey method through direct interviews based on the questions contained in the questionnaire. The data were analyzed with descriptive analysis and Fishbein models. The result of the study concluded that: 1) Broiler meat consumers were mostly female of adult age and married, has the last education of senior high school, works as a housewife and has an income of less than IDR 1.000.000. 2) All broiler meat consumers carry out all stages of purchasing decisions. 3) The factors that influence the purchase of broiler chicken meat with the highest average score (4.42) are based on health factors. 4) Based on the Fishbein model, the highest average value (Ao) is found in fresh meat products, which means that respondents in the city of Bogor in the new normal era prefer fresh chicken meat products to frozen chicken meat products.


We consider the association between state political ideology and population mobility during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. We use first-party geo-behavioral data to estimate the average distance traveled by approximately 15,000,000 devices over 10 weeks (February 24, 2020 to April 27, 2020). Regression models with state clustered robust standard errors show lower shelter-in-place rates and higher mobility scores in states with larger percentages of voters who supported Trump in the 2016 presidential election. We also find that shelter-in-place rates increased and mobility scores declined at slower rates in states with greater Trump support. Shelter-in-place rates and average mobility scores were comparable in states governed by Republicans and Democrats. There was some evidence that shelter-in-place rates increased and average mobility scores declined at slower rates in states governed by Republicans. Overall, states with more Trump voters are more resistant to public health recommendations and state stay-at-home orders during the coronavirus pandemic.


The city of Edmonton, the fifth largest municipality in Canada, passed the Affordable Housing strategy in year 2015. The strategy formalizes the City's role in the effort to bring affordable housing to needy residents and outlines the framework to engage the stakeholders for effective implementation. The strategy's goals include increasing the supply of affordable housing in all areas of the City. This paper focuses on a critical analysis of this goal – especially the implementation phase of the policy. Combining evidence-based implementation has performed analysis, lessons learned from best practices across the globe and presented using the NATO model. Based on the critical analysis, this paper provides recommendations for an effective implementation of affordable housing policy, which can be adapted to other municipalities in Canada.


We develop a new quantile autoregression neural network (QARNN) model based on an artificial neural network architecture. The proposed QARNN model is flexible and can be used to explore potential nonlinear relationships among quantiles in time series data. By optimizing an approximate error function and standard gradient based optimization algorithms, QARNN outputs conditional quantile functions recursively. The utility of our new model is illustrated by Monte Carlo simulation studies and empirical analyses of three real stock indices from the Hong Kong Hang Seng Index (HSI), the US S&P500 Index (S&P500) and the Financial Times Stock Exchange 100 Index (FTSE100).


MESANG-NALLEY, W.M., R. HANDARINI and B. PURWANTARA. 2007. Viability of Timor deer stag (Cervus timorensis) spermatozoa extended in tris egg yolk diluent with different sources of carbohydrate and storage at room temperature. JITV 12(4): 311-317. The successful sperm preservation, influenced by the capability of its extender on the maintenance the sperm quality during storage. The carbohydrate such as glucose and fructose were the common sugar added on the mammalian sperm extender to support their live and motility. The sucrose was the main carbohydrate in Timor deer stag seminal plasma. The experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of carbohydrates in Tris egg yolk (TEY) extender on the motility and viability of stag sperm, stored in room temperature (27-28 o C). The semen was collected using electro ejaculator from five Timor deer stags at hard antler stage, 3-5 years old, body weight of 64-102 kg with normal testes. The semen was than evaluated macro-and microscopically and divided into 3 aliquots. Each of them was diluted with TEY-glucose (TEYG), TEY-fructose (TEYF) and TEY-Sucrose (TEYS) with the concentration of spermatozoa 100 x 10 6 ml -1 . The extended semen was than stored at room temperature. The sperm motility and viability were evaluated every 3 hours. Result of the experiment showed that the semen volume was 2.06 ± 0.63 ml, pH 7.03±0.13, yellow white until creamy in color and the consistency ranged from normal to thick. The mass movement between ++ to +++ and the sperm motility was 68.67 ± 7.4%. The average of sperm concentration was 842.35 ± 258.14x10 6 ml -1 , the viable sperm was 78.11 ± 3.61%, the sperm abnormality was 7.31 ± 2.98%. The percentages of sperm motility on TEYG (18.00 ± 17.63%) and TEYS (21.83 ± 15.92%) were higher compare to TEYF (4,00 ± 0,00%) extender in 24 hours observation. The percentage of sperm viability showed the same pattern. The sperm viability in TEYG (28.17 ± 20.06) and TEYS (24.00 ± 22.59%) (P<0.05) were significantly higher compare to TEYF (4.00 ± 0.00%). It is concluded that the deer stag sperm can use the three sugars for their nutrition source. The diluted sperm still can be used for artificial insemination after 12 hour storage.


The article considers the current system of state financial control in Ukraine, summarizes the key drawbacks of such a system is considered modern directions of reforming the current system and built the future system of state financial control with regard to the field of public internal financial control in such a system.


Glucocorticoid hormone is shown to markedly suppress DNA synthesis in a line of rat hepatoma cells in vitro. In the presence of 300 nM hydrocortisone or 30 nM dexamethasone the incorporation of radioactive thymidine falls to 50% of control levels by 36 hr, and at higher concentrations of hormone inhibition can be noted as early as 12 hr and is nearly complete by 24 hr. This inhibition of radioactive thymidine incorporation reflects a true suppression of DNA synthesis, is accompanied by a corresponding inhibition of cell proliferation, and is readily reversible upon subsequent removal of hormone. In contrast to previously described effects of the glucocorticoid hormones on various cells of lymphoid origin, the inhibition of DNA synthesis in these hepatoma cells is not accompanied by appreciable cell lysis or by degradation of preformed DNA, and even when [(3)H]thymidine incorporation into DNA is inhibited by 90% or more, incorporation of [(14)C]uridine into RNA proceeds with little change. These findings all parallel previous observations on the effects of glucocorticoid hormone on the livers of intact animals and suggest that studies on the mechanism of the inhibition of DNA synthesis in the present more isolated system may lead to a better understanding of the means by which these compounds inhibit liver growth in vivo. Despite the ready suppressibility of DNA synthesis in these hepatoma cells and in two other cell lines of liver origin, none of these cell lines was found to be inducible for tyrosine aminotransferase. The apparent dissociation between two "steroid-sensitive" phenomena is of interest and warrants further investigation.


Phocine distemper virus (PDV) is a morbillivirus that circulates within pinnipeds in the North Atlantic. PDV has caused two known unusual mortality events (UMEs) in western Europe (1988, 2002), and two UMEs in the northwest Atlantic (2006, 2018). Infrequent cross-species transmission and waning immunity are believed to contribute to periodic outbreaks with high mortality in western Europe. The viral ecology of PDV in the northwest Atlantic is less well defined and outbreaks have exhibited lower mortality than those in western Europe. This study sought to understand the molecular and ecological processes underlying PDV infection in eastern North America. We provide phylogenetic evidence that PDV was introduced into northwest Atlantic pinnipeds by a single lineage and is now endemic in local populations. Serological and viral screening of pinniped surveillance samples from 2006 onward suggest there is continued circulation of PDV outside of UMEs among multiple species with and without clinical signs. We report six full genome sequences and nine partial sequences derived from harbour and grey seals in the northwest Atlantic from 2011 through 2018, including a possible regional variant. Work presented here provides a framework towards greater understanding of how recovering populations and shifting species may impact disease transmission.


This work provides analytical solutions describing the post-shock structure of radiative shocks growing in astrophysics and in laboratory. The equations including a cooling function Λ ∝ ϵ ρζ xθ are solved for any values of the exponents ϵ, ζ and θ. This modeling is appropriate to astrophysics as the observed radiative shocks arise in optically thin media. In contrast, in laboratory, radiative shocks performed using high-power lasers present a radiative precursor because the plasma is more or less optically thick. We study the post-shock region in the laboratory case and compare with astrophysical shock structure. In addition, we attempt to use the same equations to describe the radiative precursor, but the cooling function is slightly modified. In future experiments we will probe the PSR using X-ray diagnostics. These new experimental results will allow to validate our astrophysical numerical codes.


Studies have previously shown that anthracene and naphthalene derivatives serve as compounds for trapping and chemically generating singlet molecular oxygen [O_2(^1Δ_g)], respectively. Simple and efficient synthetic routes to anthracene and naphthalene derivatives are needed, for improved capture and release of O_2(^1Δ_g) in cellular environments. Because of this need, we have synthesized a dihydroxypropyl amide naphthlene endoperoxide as a O_2(^1Δ_g) donor, as well as five anthracene derivatives as O_2(^1Δ_g) acceptor. The anthracene derivatives bear dihydroxypropyl amide, ester, and sulfonate ion end groups connected to 9,10-positions by way of unsaturated (vinyl) and saturated (ethyl) bridging groups. Heck reactions were found to yield these six compounds in easy-to-carry out 3-step reactions in yields of 50-76%. Preliminary results point to the potential of the anthracene compounds to serve as O_2(^1Δ_g) acceptors and would be amenable for future use in biological systems to expand the understanding of O_2(^1Δ_g) in biochemistry.


Here, we report on a 38-year-old man with unclear right heart failure. Imaging with cardiac MRI and combined PET/CT with F-FDG revealed a hypermetabolic mass extending from the right ventricle to the atrium. In addition, intense glucose utilization throughout the bone marrow was noted. Biopsies of both bone marrow and cardiac mass were performed and revealed precursor B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia with gross leukemic infiltration of the myopericardium, a rare manifestation of acute lymphoblastic leukemia at initial diagnosis.


In this paper I propose a different approach to inform our normative theorization about groups and collective identity with a view to overcoming the idea of culture, which is an over-comprehensive and controversial notion. I propose a shift from a categorization based on groups to one based on normatively relevant forms of sharing. Four main types of sharing are identified: ascriptive sharing; instrumental sharing; conviction-based sharing; affiliation-based sharing.


Proceedings: AACR 102nd Annual Meeting 2011‐‐ Apr 2‐6, 2011; Orlando, FL

Behavioral stress has been long implicated in cancer pathogenesis, yet mechanistic aspects of stress/tumor interactions are understudied. Several publications described effects of stress hormone epinephrine on tumor stroma components: vasculature and immune cells; however it was not clear whether epinephrine could influence cancer cells directly and if increase of epinephrine induced by behavioral stress could activate anti-apoptotic signaling in tumors and diminish efficacy of anti-cancer therapies. Here, we studied whether subjecting mice to behavioral stress increases resistance of PTEN-deficient prostate cancer to treatments with PI3K inhibitors.

We examined effects of behavioral stress on C4-2Luc prostate cancer xenografts that express firefly luciferase and could be non-invasively monitored by luminescent imaging. In these tumor xenografts PI3K pathway is constitutively active due to the loss of PTEN expression. Injection of PI3K inhibitors into C4-2Luc xenografts induced apoptosis and substantially reduced luminescence. Subjecting mice to immobilization stress for 1 hour increased plasma epinephrine levels up to 10-15 nM, inhibited apoptosis and prevented reduction of luminescence in C4-2Luc xenografts treated with PI3K inhibitors. Injections of epinephrine had similar to stress effects. Conversely, the effect of either stress or epinephrine was completely blocked by beta2-adrenergic receptor (ADRB2) selective antagonist ICI118,551, implying that effects of stress/epinephrine are mediated via ADRB2. Elevated phosphorylation of BAD and CREB and inhibition of apoptosis was observed in xenograft tumors of mice subjected to immobilization stress. Effects of stress on BAD and CREB phosphorylation were completely blocked by ADRB2 selective antagonist ICI118,551. To test the role of protein kinase A (PKA) in anti-apoptotic signaling by stress/epinephrine in vivo we generated C4-2Luc cells that inducibly express chimera of PKA inhibitor peptide PKI and GFP (PKI-GFP). Induction of PKI-GFP expression in prostate cancer xenografts blocked stress/epinephrine-induced activation of PKA as judged by lack of CREB phosphorylation. It also prevented stress/epinephrine-induced activation of anti-apoptotic signals that phosphorylated BAD. Furthermore, C4-2Luc xenografts that inducibly express GFP-PKI were not protected from apoptosis by epinephrine or stress.

In summary, we found that subjecting mice to behavioral stress resulted in increase of serum epinephrine level leading to activation of the ADRB2 and PKA pathway in prostate tumors. This ADRB2/PKA activation is necessary for in vivo BAD phosphorylation and protection of prostate tumors from apoptosis induced by PI3K inhibitors. Thus, elevated epinephrine levels could contribute to therapy resistance of prostate cancer.

Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 10. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-10


Background: Even though problems with usability constitute a major challenge to the implementation of new eHealth technology, the field web-based interventions is lacking usability guidelines for development and evaluation of web-based intervention platforms. Objective: The aim of present study is to create a set of eHealth-specific usability guidelines for the development and evaluation of web-based mental health interventions. Methods: Knowledge about usability was gathered from peripheral fields of e-learning, emotional design, and human-computer interaction in a top-down approach. This knowledge was synthesized into usability guidelines for web-based interventions, which were then case-tested on an existing web-based intervention for patients with health anxiety, using the heuristic evaluation method. Results: Nine broad guidelines were developed. The subsequent case-test of the web-based intervention showed that application of the guidelines was feasible and was able to identify several important usability issues with the intervention. Conclusions: Health professionals should be included in intervention design. Future usability assessment should focus on the different usability attributes. The relationship between usability and adherence needs further investigation.


The dominant role of technology in contemporary societies requires the public to rely on individuals with specialized knowledge to invent, design, manufacture and maintain increasingly complex artifacts and networks. As Stilgoe et al. (2006: 16) note, "Our everyday lives are played out through a series of technological and expert relationships." In spite of the increasing reliance on technologies and technical expertise, there has been an erosion of trust between the public and technical experts since the 1970s as contemporary environmental, social, and economic problems have revealed the limitations and unintended consequences of scientific and technological development. Thus, the role of technical experts in contemporary society is in flux. The emphasis in recent decades on creating more sustainable modes of life has only increased the tensions between scientific and technological development, environmental impacts, social conditions, and specialized knowledge.


The clastic sedimentary realm comprises a number of genetically distinct depositional systems, which are dominated by distinct depositional processes. A variogram and a Levy-stable probability distribution-based geostatistical method have been applied to analyze petrophysical properties from well logs and cores from a variety of depositional environments in sedimentary basins from Australia to quantify the heterogeneity and upscaling range of different depositional systems. Two reservoir sequences with contrasting sedimentary facies, depositional processes and a diagenetic history are investigated for their petrographic, petrophysical and log characters and their scaling behaviour. The microscopic derived petrophysical parameters, including visual porosity, grain size, sorting and amount of matrix, core plug measured porosity and permeability and log-derived V-shale, porosity and permeability, have been found to be well correlated (]R]=0.72 to 0.91) across all the scales for the reservoir sequence deposited under a single predominant depositional process and a gradational change of the energy regime (Bilyara-1). In contrast, for the reservoir sequence (East Swan-2), which was deposited in heterogeneous processes and underwent diagenetic alteration, the crosscorrelation of the petrophysical properties derived from the three different scales is extremely poor (|R|=0.01-0.54). Logderived porosity and permeability for a thinly bedded reservoir sequence with an individual bed thinner than one metre can therefore be affected by the intrinsic averaging effects of the logging tools.


Information determined by viewing a face includes familiarity, emotion, attractiveness, and gender. However, the specific facial characteristics that enable one to identify gender are largely unknown. Research suggests that femininity is a critical component of beauty; however, the most important identifiers of a woman's face are unknown. The objectives of this article were: 1) determine the area of the face most significant in identifying female gender, 2) determine if individuals with gender‐confirming surgery of the face are identified as male or female, 3) review the efficacy and safety of a series of feminizing forehead cranioplasties.


INTRODUCTION
Information on multimodal analgesic efficacy in patients undergoing a Bascom cleft lift operation is limited. The aim of this prospective consecutive study was to evaluate early post-operative pain in patients receiving a standardised multimodal analgesic regimen.

METHODS
A total of 48 patients undergoing a Bascom cleft lift operation were included over an 8-month period in a day-case set-up. The operation was performed under saddle block. In addition, patients received a standardised multi-modal analgesic regimen consisting of gabapentin, ketorolac, dexamethasone, acetaminophen (paracetamol) and ibuprofen. The intensity of pain was registered preoperatively and at 2, 24, 48 h, and 30 days post-operatively. Nausea, vomiting, dizziness, ability to void, morphine consumption and post-anaesthesia care unit (PACU) time were registered.

RESULTS
Thirty patients were available for analysis. Post-operative visual analogue scale pain scores were low (at 2, 24, and 48 h (median values: 0 (range: 0-40), 25 (0-70), and 30 (0-60), respectively), but changed significantly over time (p < 0.001). The median overall morphine consumption was 0 (range: 0-30). None of the patients experienced vomiting or dizziness. Only two patients reported mild nausea during the stay in the PACU.

CONCLUSION
This study suggests that the Bascom cleft lift operation is feasible with minimal post-operative pain when using a multimodal analgesic regimen together with saddle block.

FUNDING
not relevant.

TRIAL REGISTRATION
ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02196727. Regional Ethics Committee Reg. no.: H-3-2013-073. Danish Data Protection Agency Reg. no.: HVH-2013-031, with I-Suite no.: 02408.


A new call admission control (CAC) scheme is proposed. It is built upon a reserve channels CAC scheme, in which some reserve channels are allocated using the cost factor. This scheme also enjoys the strongpoint provided by the DTBR scheme, in which multiple thresholds are used to meet the specific quality-of-service (QoS) requirements. A wireless network cell serving two types of customers; narrowband customers (e.g. voice services), which require 1 channel and wideband customers (e.g. data services), which require b/sub w/ /spl ges/ 1 channel is considered. The proposed scheme is compared with the DTBR scheme to demonstrate that the R-DTBR is capable of providing the QoS guaranteed for each type of traffic, while at the same time leading to much better channel efficiency.


A study was made at the Bhabha Atomic Research Center to measure the hearing levels of persons working in a noisy environment. Two different workplaces, central air-conditioning plant and glass flowing shops, where a number of persons were exposed to noise levels exceeding 85 dB(A) were chosen. The occupational exposure to noise was determined using a sound level meter, an octave band filter and a personal noise dose meter. The hearing levels of persons exposed to these high levels of noise and a control group not exposed to occupational noise were measured by means of a pure-tone audiometer in a specially-build booth. These persons, aged between 20 to 60 years, were divided into four age groups for the study. The low ambient noise levels in the booth were measured using correlation technique since such low signals cannot be detected by an ordinary sound level meter. The audiometric findings and the results of the noise level survey are discussed in this paper.


The Natzweiler-Struthof camp is the only concentration camp in France, in Alsace. In 1941, when the construction of this camp began, the Nazi regime had already set up several concentration camps in annexed territory. The purpose of this camp was mainly to intern the resistance considered dangerous for the regime. From a chronological point of view, the camp integrated in May 1941 its first prisoners. They were condemned to carry out inhumane work until the evacuation of the camp on September 2, 1944. The Natzweiler-Struthof camp was associated with a granite quarry where we can still find concrete foundations of old buildings as well as three galleries excavated with explosives. The digitization work aims to archive, analyze and understand the organization and operation to result in a 3D reconstruction of the site. In 2018, the Struthof site began a major restoration project. For the first time in this camp, an archaeological diagnosis was then made with the aim of understanding the still existing facilities and assuming the presence of other elements now destroyed. To deepen the knowledge on this camp, the Regional Administration of Cultural Affairs authorized in 2020 to carry out prospecting accompanied by a study of the built-up in an area still empty of research: the quarry. Currently, this part of the camp shows the remains of three buildings and three galleries. To know more about these elements and indirectly about the life of the camp and its prisoners, this study shows the approach adopted to prepare the 3D modeling of buildings


Due to high power losses and relieve transmission line from overload operation, Nepal has to upgrade its transmission system. The main objective of this research paper is to investigate technical and financial aspects of uprating existing 132 kV line of Nepal by re-conductoring it with High Temperature Low Sag conductor. For this purpose, electrical, mechanical and financial aspectsare evaluated using Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)-738-SA model for conductor capacity derating, Hybrid numerical method for sag calculation and Monte Carlo simulation for sensitivity analysis respectively. The derated capacity of existing conductor and proposed High Temperature Low Sag (HTLS) conductors are calculated which are less than manufacturer's rating. The sag of Aluminium Core Steel Supported (ACSS)Dove, Thermal-Resistant-Aluminium Conductor Steel Reinforced (TACSR)-Dove and Super Thermal Resistant Aluminium Conductor Invar Reinforced (STACIR) is found to be greater than maximum permissible sag, while Aluminium Conductor Composite Core (ACCC)-Amsterdam, Gap Type-Super thermal Resistant ACSR (GZTACSR)-Hen and Aluminium Conductor Composite Reinforced (ACCR)-Oswego with permissible limit. ACCC is evaluated to be the most profitable conductor for reconductoring. The result shows that capacity of existing line can be increased upto 290% with additional profit.


Abstract In the last 25 years, helicopter extraction of timber has developed as an important harvesting alternative in mountainous areas. Typical helicopter operations include the extraction of valuable timber from stands with inadequate road networks, large areas of difficult to reach wind-throw, and sensitive sites where the negative impact on soil and water must be minimized. An empirical study provides information on the effect of silvicultural treatment and pilot experience on the productivity of the K-Max helicopter. The productivity model is a function of the average stem piece size, the horizontal distance between stump and landing, the silvicultural treatment, and the experience of the pilot. The productivity obtained when harvesting from a clear-cut was greater than from the 'femel-cut' (patch-cut) extraction site by 0.20 m3/min, or 21% at an average piece size of 1.5 m3. The inexperienced helicopter pilot had timber extraction experience but just 30 flight hours on the K-Max while the experienced pilot had 22,000 K-Max flight hours. The experienced pilot yielded a 0.37 m3/min increase in productivity, which is a 63% increase at an average piece size of 1.5 m3. This indicates that operator experience on a particular machine may be very important when comparing harvesting systems based on time studies.


This paper deals with optimal resources planning in a residential complex energy system, including FC (fuel cell), PV (Photovoltaic) panels and the battery. A day-ahead energy management system (EMS) based on invasive weed optimization (IWO) algorithm is defined for managing different resources to determine an optimal operation schedule for the energy resources at each time interval to minimize the operation cost of a smart residential complex energy system. Moreover, in this paper the impacts of the sell to grid and purchase from grid are also considered. All practical constraints of the each energy resources and utility policies are taken into account. Moreover, sensitivity analysis are conducted on electricity prices and sell to grid factor (SGF), in order to improve understanding the impact of key parameters on residential CHP systems economy. It is shown that proposed system can meet all electrical and thermal demands with economic point of view. Also enhancement of electricity price leads to substantial growth in utilization of proposed CHP system. Keywords-combined heat and power system (CHP); electricity tariff; energy management system; smart home I. NOMENCLATURE i Time interval , Battery i C Total cost of battery in the i th interval , Gas i C Total cost of purchasing gas in the i interval , FC i C Total cost of fuel cell in the i th interval ,i Pur Grid C Total cost of utility in the i th interval ,i Sell Grid C Total Revenue of utility in the i th interval U Length of time interval Gas B Cost of purchasing natural gas per kW , gas i P Heat power produced directly from gas MU Normalized price of electricity tariff Grid B Maximum value of utility purchasing electricity cost per kW , Grid i P Purchased power from utility by home Battery B Operation and maintenance cost of battery (kw) , Battery i P Output power of battery PLR Part Load Ratio , eFC i P Electrical power produced by fuel cell , FC i ή Efficiency of fuel cell. , eL i P Electrical load demand Load Q Thermal load power , FC i Q Heat power produced by fuel cell min W Minimum energy limit of battery max W Maximum energy limit of battery SOC Available energy in battery , , Battery dch max P Maximum limit of battery discharging rate , , Battery ch max P Maximum limit of battery charging rate dch ή Efficiency of battery discharging. ch ή Efficiency of battery charging  hourly self-discharge rate , FC U P  Upper limit of ramp rate of fuel cell , FC D P  Lower limit of ramp rate of fuel cell , FC min P Minimum limit of fuel cell generated power , FC max P Maximum limit of fuel cell generated power ch ή Efficiency of Battery charging , FC i r Electrical to thermal power ratio of fuel cell dch ή Efficiency of Battery discharging , T i G Reference Irradiation , c i T Environment Temperature SGF Sell to Grid Factor Engineering, Technology & Applied Science Research Vol. 7, No. 5, 2017, 1934-1939 1935 www.etasr.com Αhmadi et al.: Optimal Resources Planning of Residential Complex Energy ... I


This paper provides a method for generating flight path of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) that is intended to be used in visual inspection of dome-type nuclear containment building. The method basically employs 3-D model to extract accurate location coordinates. Two basic route patterns that provide guide lines in defining moving locations were defined for each side wall and dome section of the containment. The route patterns support sequential capturing of images as well. In addition, several simple equations and an algorithm for calculation of the moving location on the route were developed on the basis of 3-D geometric characteristics of the containment building. A prototype computer program has been implemented to validate the proposed method, and a case study shows the method can visualize covering area in 3-D model as well.


In this paper, the off-state breakdown characteristics of two different AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs), featuring a 50-nm and a 150-nm GaN thick channel layer, respectively, are compared. The HEMT with a thick channel exhibits a little larger pinch-off drain current but significantly enhanced off-state breakdown voltage (BVoff). Device simulation indicates that thickening the channel increases the drain-induced barrier lowering (DIBL) but reduces the lateral electric field in the channel and buffer underneath the gate. The increase of BVoff in the thick channel device is due to the reduction of the electric field. These results demonstrate that it is necessary to select an appropriate channel thickness to balance DIBL and BVoff in AlGaN/GaN HEMTs.


Limited exposure of intact HeLa cells to proteolytic enzymes results in the release of fragments of membrane glycoproteins in the form of glycopeptides. Enriched and partially purified fractions from these glycopeptides are potent inhibitors of protein synthesis in cell-free systems and in intact cells. A comparison of the in vivo and in vitro response revealed that a substantial proportion of protein synthesis in intact cells is resistant to inhibition. When HeLa cell surface glycopeptides (HSP) induced inhibition of protein synthesis was studied in synchronized cell cultures it was found that G1 phase cells are most sensitive to HSP. A cell cycle dependent alteration in the availability of HSP to protease release was also observed. Cells in S phase yield the greatest amount of HSP upon limited proteolysis. The data suggest that alterations in membrane structure at the termination of S phase result in a conversion of membrane glycoproteins from a protease sensitive to a protease resistant state.


There is concern that life is curtailed when patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) are institutionalized. To determine whether placement in a nursing home reduces their remaining years of life, we examined the experience of White patients with AD (n=890) enrolled in the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease (CERAD). Proportional hazards survival analysis using the landmark approach (with the landmark set to 12 months after CERAD entry and reevaluated at succeeding 6-month time intervals through 5 years) indicated that longevity at home and in the nursing home was comparable. Thus, in these patients enrolled at tertiary care medical centers, living at home or in a nursing home did not affect time to death. These data suggest that when home care is no longer feasible, families and nurses counseling them should not feel that they are curtailing life by placing an AD patient in a nursing home.


Far-field directional scattering and near-field directional coupling from simple sources have recently received great attention in photonics: beyond circularly-polarized dipoles, whose directional coupling to evanescent waves was recently applied to acoustics, the near-field directionality of modes in optics includes phased combinations of electric and magnetic dipoles, such as the Janus dipole and the Huygens dipole, both of which have been experimentally implemented using high refractive index nanoparticles. In this work we extend this to acoustics: we propose the use of high acoustic index scatterers exhibiting phased combinations of acoustic monopoles and dipoles with far-field and near-field directionality. All solutions stem from the elegant angular spectrum of the acoustic source, in close analogy to electromagnetism. A Huygens acoustic source with zero backward scattering is proposed and numerically demonstrated, as well as a Janus source achieving face-selective and position-dependent evanescent coupling to nearby acoustic waveguides.


Polypropylene (PP)/layered-silicate organoclay nanocomposites and their fibers were prepared by melt compounding and melt spinning, respectively, in the presence or absence of compatibilizer (PP-based maleic anhydride compatibilizer) to examine the effects of the organoclay dispersion and rheological behavior on the internal structure and tensile properties of the nanocomposite fibers. The compatibilized nanocomposites showed solidlike plateau behavior and strain hardening due to a three-dimensional network structure in the shear and uniaxial elongational flows. The tensile properties of the nanocomposite fibers were reduced compared with those of the pure PP fibers because some of the layered silicates were present as partially aggregated forms and the molecular weight of the compatibilizer was lower than that of the pure PP matrix. It was also found that the tenacity of the nanocomposite fiber increased and then decreased as the compatibilizer content increased because the compatibilizer affected the internal structure of the nanocomposite fibers. The positive effect of the compatibilizer was to generate a more effective exfoliated structure of organoclay in the polymer matrix. The negative effect was that the melt-spun nanocomposite fiber had a lower molecular weight than the pure PP fiber because the compatibilizer had a lower molecular weight. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008


Abstract Six species of Geophis occur in eastern Nuclear Central America: G. damiani, G. dunni, G. fulvoguttatus, G. hoffmanni, G. nephodrymus, and G. rhodogaster. These species are assigned to two species groups: the dubius group and the sieboldi group. Geophis nephodrymus is a species endemic to an isolated cloud forest locality in northwestern Honduras and was recently described based on a single specimen. Subsequently, an additional 16 specimens of G. nephodrymus were collected, demonstrating considerable morphological variation. This variation is characterized using features of morphology and color pattern. A key to the species of Geophis from eastern Nuclear Central America is provided. Of these six species, two meet the IUCN criteria for designation as Critically Endangered and two more as Endangered.


Eddy covariance data have been analyzed to investigate the influence of surface heterogeneity on turbulent transfer over farmland and industrial sites near Nakdong river, Korea, where both large and small scale heterogeneities co-exist. For this purpose, basic turbulent statistics, quadrant analysis and multi-resolution decomposition have been analyzed during the daytime. Basic turbulent statistics were compared with typical turbulent statistics in the surface layer. Such comparisons were in close agreement for momentum and heat at both sites but not for water vapor at industrial site. The correlation coefficient between water vapor and vertical velocity (r wq ) is relatively low and skewness of water vapor (sk q ) is very low at industrial site, possibly due to limited water source. For heat at both sites and water vapor at farmland, the quadrant analysis show similar behavior to that over homogeneous site but for water vapor at industrial site, the presence of river and limited water source at industrial site seems to influence on water vapor transfer by coherent eddy motion by increasing sweep contribution and decreasing ejection contribution. Multi-resolution decomposition analysis shows that large scale heterogeneity leads to low r Tq at large averaging time regardless of season at both sites and there are seasonal changes of r Tq in mid-averaging times at industrial site, possibly due to seasonal change of trees and grasses near the site.


The family of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) consists of fourteen members and has been implicated in regulation of virtually all cellular processes. MAPKs are divided into two groups, conventional and atypical MAPKs. Conventional MAPKs are further classified into four sub-families: extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1/2 (ERK1/2), c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK1, 2 and 3), p38 (α, β, γ, δ), and extracellular signal-regulated kinase 5 (ERK5). Four kinases, extracellular signal-regulated kinase 3, 4, and 7 (ERK3, 4 and 7) as well as Nemo-like kinase (NLK) build a group of atypical MAPKs, which are activated by different upstream mechanisms than conventional MAPKs. Early studies identified JNK1/2 and ERK1/2 as well as p38α as a central mediators of inflammation-evoked insulin resistance. These kinases have been also implicated in the development of obesity and diabetes. Recently, other members of conventional MAPKs emerged as important mediators of liver, skeletal muscle, adipose tissue, and pancreatic β-cell metabolism. Moreover, latest studies indicate that atypical members of MAPK family play a central role in the regulation of adipose tissue function. In this review, we summarize early studies on conventional MAPKs as well as recent findings implicating previously ignored members of the MAPK family. Finally, we discuss the therapeutic potential of drugs targeting specific members of the MAPK family.


Background There is good evidence that dedicated early arthritis clinics (EACs) improve referral lag time and reduce delay in establishing disease-modifying therapy. However it remains arguable whether such clinics improve relevant disease outcomes. Nationally, only 57% of units have dedicated EACs. Objectives We established Early Arthritis Service (EAS), centred on NICE RA quality standards, to reduce the time to diagnosis and the start of definitive therapy with an aim to accomplish good outcomes by the introduction of dedicated Early Arthritis Clinics (EACs). Methods The department set up an early arthritis service with introduction of six clinics (EACs) every week. An agreed treatment protocol incorporating ultrasound was developed to ensure standardised approach to early initiation of treatment, drug education and timely review. This is a retrospective study of all patients presenting to the service in the first year. Results Our catchment area covers a population of 3 50 000 with 40% ethnic minorities. Of 1884 patients referred, 482 (25.5%) were triaged into EACs based on set criteria. All were reviewed within 3 weeks. 247 (51%) were confirmed to have early arthritis. Mean age was 52.4 years (17–86y). 157 (63.5%) were women. 177 (71.6%) were White, 58 (23.5%) of Asian and twelve of other background. 159 (64.3%) had RA, 57 (23%) with PsA and 31 had other inflammatory arthritides. 25 (10%) had erosions at presentation. There was median 26 weeks delay (0.4–1043 weeks) from symptom onset to GP presentation. Median time for GP referral to the department was 4.0 days (0–84 days). Mean DAS28 at first visit was 4.65 (0.6–8.0, n=166). 95% commenced their DMARDs within 3 week of initial review. Other 5% who missed the target was owing to patient factors. Treating to target achieved DAS28 remission for 84 (53.5%) and low disease activity for a further 44 (34%). Median time to achieve remission or LDA was 20 weeks (0–52 weeks, n=128). Similarly, 40/57 (70%) of PsA patients achieved good PsARC response in median 24 weeks. Of 247, only 21 (8.5%) patients required escalation to biologic therapy. Conclusions Dedicated EACs help achieve good clinical outcomes in majority of patients. Nearly 87% of our cohort attained remission or low disease activity in less than six months. This was despite a significant delay in patients presenting to their GPs and moderately-high disease activity. 100% of our patients were treated to target facilitated by protocol driven escalation of therapy in these clinics. This is in contrast to the national audit findings whereby only 68% of patients were treated with disease modifying drugs within 6 weeks of referral and 89% had treatment to target. Patient experience also improved (94% would now recommend the service compared to 76% prior to the initiative). The project was a financial success with total savings for the year, accounting for most generous cost estimates, were £1 36 973. In addition, there was a 42% reduction in biologic use in this group compared to 2015. These savings are on top of wider economic and societal benefits achieved by inducing low disease activity or remission. Disclosure of Interest None declared


Besides the classical orthopedic examination, radiography and centesis of diseased synovial or other cavities, the obvious advantages of sonography in the diagnosis of soft tissue disorders were used in 10 clinical cases to improve the diagnosis of orthopedic diseases in cattle. These cattle showed various swellings of the carpus, antebrachium, tarsus, stifle, digital and pelvic region and arthritis, tenosynovitis, bursitis, abscesses and hematomas were observed. The clinical and radio- graphic findings as well as the results of centesis were compared with the sonographic ones. For the ultrasonic examination of bovine limbs, a 7.5 MHz linear-scan or a 5 MHz sector-scan were used. The examination technique and the most significant criteria for ultrasonic diagnostic are described. The ultrasonic findings have produced more information than the radiographic ones when only soft tissues and joint-recesses are affected. As a complimentary tool to the classical examination of locomotory system disorders in cattle, sonography provides accurate preoperative details of the extent and character of fluid accumulations and soft tissue swellings (edema, hemorrhage, synovial fluid, purulent exudation, coagulated fibrin masses); it helps to differentiate rapidly and on a noninvasive basis between affected structures and any subtile defects in neighboring tissues, it enables a more accurate centesis of evident fluid filled areas of synovial cavities or other swellings and reveals much more information than often insufficiently depicted by radiographs.


Enhancing the thermoelectric performance through an effective phonon scattering by point defects has long been proven to be successful in many materials. This type of phonon scattering relies on the mass and strain fluctuations between the host and guest atoms, both of which can be maximized when the dominant point defects are vacancies. Besides the intrinsic vacancies in some compounds by nature, the formation of solid solutions with a solvent having a smaller cation-to-anion ratio as compared to the matrix is expected to create vacancies because the crystal structure needs to be stabilized in that of the matrix compound. In this work, In2Te3 and Ga2Te3i, compounds with a smaller cation-to-anion ratio as compared to the CuGaTe2 matrix, are chosen as molecular solvents to form solid solutions. The resulting high concentration vacancies on the cation sites, which can act as the phonon scattering centers, significantly reduce the lattice thermal conductivity and therefore enhance the thermoelectric performance by up to ∼75% in the entire temperature range. This work demonstrates a useful strategy for enhancing thermoelectric performance by vacancy creation in solid solutions.


The transition for young adults with additional needs from school into the "real world" is an ongoing challenge for youth, their families, for schools, and the community in Australia. Teachers of these youth are under particular pressure because this student population is experiencing poor work and living outcomes on exiting school (Davies & Beamish, 2009; OECD, 2007). The Taxonomy for Transition Programming developed in North America by Kohler (1996) is accepted as the "gold standard" for transition best practice (DCDT, 2000). Data from a large Queensland study (Beamish, Davies, & Meadows, 2012) benchmark the validity and use of 46 teacher practices drawn from the Taxonomy. From these results, along with data from a more recent study, seven core practices across the five components of the Taxonomy were selected as "key" on the basis that each practice was meaningful, measureable, manageable, and that each practice mattered. This chapter provides an outline of the importance of each practice, and some indicators as to how secondary teachers might embrace these practices to build their capacity to advance the quality of their transition-focused education programs. Moreover, the chapter outlines current opportunities for teacher capacity building, and then recommends the type of teacher education and professional development programs that need to be offered. Finally, the chapter calls for further research to evaluate these training modes and programs in order to build sustainable teacher capacity and improve the post-school outcomes for youth with additional needs.


This paper describes the current design characteristics and performance capabilities of the US Army Missile Command's diode laser based infrared scene projector technology. The projector is now operational at the US Army Missile Command's Research, Development, and Engineering Center and is being integrated into several HWIL simulation facilities. The projector is based upon a linear array of Pb-salt diode lasers coupled with a high-speed optical scanning system, drive electronics and synchronization electronics. The projector design has been upgraded to generate 256 X 256 resolution scenes at 4 KHz frame rates, and the fabrication of a 544 X 544 projector is in progress. The projector system now includes real-time non-uniformity correction electronics and is interfaced with a real-time scene generation computer. In addition, a closed-cycle cryogenic cooling system has been added for increased dynamic range and maintenance-free operation. The system's modularity provides upgradability to meet specific performance requirements such as increased spatial resolution, different emission wavelengths, or dual-band scene projections. The projector's upgraded design and performance characteristics are presented in this paper, as well as sample images generated with the projector and captured by an InSb FPA sensor.


Changes in biochemical components and the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and ascorbate oxidase (AO) in germinating and non-germinating seeds of Ceiba pentandra were evaluated in the present study. Results show that the levels of proteins and total soluble sugars are high and reducing sugars and free amino acids are low in non-germinating seeds whereas the contrary was observed in 4 days old germinating seeds. Enzymatic antioxidants like SOD, CAT, POD, GPx and AO showed enhanced activities during seed germination. Our findings indicate that three days after germination of Ceiba pentandra seeds, their palatability significantly improve. The nutritive utilization of protein and carbohydrates along with efficient participation of antioxidant mechanisms, including the synergistic activities of the different types of SOD, CAT, POD, GPx and AO, might play an important role during seed germination. The conclusion of this inquiry is that the germinating seeds can serve as natural antioxidant agents, setting ahead the possibility of employing them for therapeutic purposes.


There are numerous ultra highrise buildings built or to be built in big cities in the Far East. Consequent to the World Trade Center catastrophe on September 11, 2001 in New York, fire safety provisions in buildings of height over 300 m are reviewed by many countries. Some projects are even suspended as new fire safety objectives are to be worked out, not just for protecting against accidental fires as used to be. Arson fires or even terrorist attack fires might have to be considered for those symbolic buildings in countries which are neither politically nor socially stable. Design and provisions in several aspects relevant to fire safety in buildings should be revisited to provide appropriate fire safety level to the built environment. In this article, some points of concern observed from the World Trade Center incident will be reviewed first. Several points on passive construction design including the fire resisting structure and egress system, active fire engineering system, and fire safety management will be considered for providing better building safety. Language: en


The Asian American blogosphere has developed to encompass a variety of voices regularly providing readers with news items, opinions, and personal narratives of life in Asian America. In this article I investigate the relationship between emotion and activism in order to better understand the potential for using blogs as part of a sustainable social movement, as well as to theorize the kind of labor that activism can entail. This study is based on interviews with 15 bloggers who have created or written for blogs that focus specifically on Asian American issues. Through an analysis of the bloggers' interviews and their blogging archive, I argue that emotion can play a foundational role in generating activist interventions and building the necessary community required for contributing to social change, but can also have a deleterious impact on the individuals involved. It is only through recognizing the ambivalent role of emotion within the affective labor of activism online that we can work toward more sustainable participation and impact.


The social significance and quality of scientific research largely depend on the usefulness of research results for the social and scientific community. The lack of funds and the desire to allocate funding to high-quality research projects make the assessment of the quality of research and the valorization of knowledge increasingly important. However, it is very difficult to apply criteria that can objectively assess scientific research, providing precise qualitative and quantitative data on which funding agencies could base their decisions. The product of scientific research is mainly information published in scientific journals. They are the basis for the dissemination of knowledge and the basic criteria for academic and scientific evaluation, fundraising for scientific research and career advancement. In addition to the evaluation of scientific publications, there is a wide range of other activities that reflect the scientific credibility of scientists, such as: number and quality of grants for scientific research projects, leadership in national or international academic societies, membership in editorial boards of reputable journals, doctoral dissertation mentorships and the like. Although these activities are important and give credibility to the scientist, the relevant scientometric systems cover only publications, neglecting other criteria of scientific importance in evaluation for purpose of academic advancement of a scientist, as well as competitions for grants for financial support of scientific research. The reason for this is the fact that these activities, regardless of their importance, are very heterogeneous, with specific characteristics, and require very diverse parameters for evaluation. Therefore, there are no universal evaluation criteria for these activities and their quality is generally assessed individually, depending on the purpose of the assessment. Regardless of the shortcomings, university ranking systems are important comparative parameters for assessing the quality of scientific and educational value of universities.


Cartilage tissue is a tough and slippery material with slow regeneration when injured. Anyhow many people, especially sportsmen, suffer from cartilage injuries usually through sudden overstraining of their joints. Up to now orthopedic surgery does not offer satisfying repair solution due to the slow regeneration of cartilage tissue.


We propose a method to estimate temperature distribution non-destructively using combination of near-field acoustical holography (NAH) method and optimization method. NAH method is valid to calculate forward and back propagations of ultrasonic wave in a uniform medium. To estimate of temperature distribution, we proposed a modified method of NAH, called sectional NAH (SNAH), for using NAH in an inhomogeneous medium. In SNAH, a calculation space is discretized into a number of sections, so that the temperature in each section becomes nearly uniform, and NAH calculation is performed in each section. Calculation results using SNAH in the inhomogeneous medium well agreed with the calculation result using finite element method (FEM). By using SNAH, the temperature distribution is estimated as bellows. Firstly, sound fields, which are complex amplitude of harmonic oscillation, in three planes are measured. Next, sound field at one of measured plane is calculated from the other measured sound fields, which are calculated from other measurement planes using SNAH, with an initial sound velocity distribution. Then, difference between calculated and measured sound fields is minimized by optimizing the sound velocity distribution using multi-start downhill simplex method. In this method, a temperature distribution is obtained as the sound velocity distribution. In simulations, temperature distributions given as linear and Gaussian distributions were estimated. Validity of our proposal methods is confirmed by simulations.


The notion that cancers are mosaics, composed of clones of cells has been fundamental to cancer biology for several decades. Clonal evolution may underpin clinical features of cancer, such as emergence of treatment resistance, the heterogeneous responses of metastatic disease within individual patients and divergence between primary and metastatic disease. Spatial and temporal variation in clonal composition poses significant challenges for diagnostic sampling and disease monitoring. We have recently developed next generation sequencing approaches to these questions and applied them to the understanding of mutational and clonal composition of primary triple negative breast cancers (TNBC). The notion that triple negative breast cancers form a distinct disease entity is already strongly challenged by expression analysis and small scale mutational analysis. Our results show that both the mutational composition and clonal structure of primary triple negative breast cancers is in fact a complete spectrum, exploding the notion of TNBC (currently defined), as a distinct disease. Clonal analysis suggests a means by which the genetic complexity might be reduced by following patient evolution over time and space. I will discuss the specific implications of the mutational and transcriptome landscapes of TNBC in relation to possible disease biologies. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2012;72(24 Suppl):Abstract nr ES2-3.


Clusters of GPUs are becoming commonly used to execute computationally demanding applications. Due to the frequent changes in GPU architecture, many clusters contain heterogeneous types of GPUs, leading to the problem of load distribution among the machines. In this work, we propose a load distribution algorithm for scientific applications executed in heterogeneous GPU clusters. The algorithm finds a distribution of data that minimizes the execution time of the application, by guaranteeing that all GPUs spend the same amount of time processing its assigned kernels and data. We use the algorithm to execute the simulation of large scale neuronal networks. We show that the algorithm effectively balances the load among the GPUs and reduces the execution time of the application.


The mostly clandestine nature of Morisco literature both in Spanish and Aljamiado has prompted critics to inquire to what extent and how it was influenced by the canonical literature of the Golden Age. Indeed, there are many interesting examples of how the literary trends of the times influenced the Moriscos. The question of whether Morisco literature influenced the more canonical tradition, on the other hand, is especially interesting if one considers a work such as Agonia del transito de la muerte (1537) by the Toledan Alejo de Venegas (1498/99-1562) as a Morisco text. Alvaro Galmes de Fuentes proposed just such a reading, but I argue that the evidence does not fully support his hypothesis, which must be revised along the lines I propose.