These proceedings contain selected papers associated with the lectures presented at BAIL 2010 (Boundary and Interior Layers – Computational and Asymptotic Methods). This conference was held from 5 to 9 July 2010 at the University of Zaragoza, Spain. The 64 participants came from many different countries, namely: Argentina, China, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, Russia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, the UK, and the USA. The BAIL series of conferences are the result of an initiative by Professor John Miller, who organized the first three in Dublin in 1980, 1982, and 1984. Subsequent conferences were then held in Novosibirsk (1986), Shanghai (1988), Copper Mountain, Colorado (1992), Beijing (1994), Perth (2002), Toulouse (2004), Göttingen (2006), and Limerick (2008). The next BAIL Conference will be in Pohang, South Korea, in 2012. Totally 61 lectures were presented at the BAIL 2010, of which 5 were plenary lectures, 17 were given at the mini-symposia Finite Element Methods Using Layer-Adapted Grids and Robust Methods for Time-Dependent Singularly Perturbed Problems, and 39 were contributions on other subjects. The main objective of the BAIL conferences is to bring together researchers interested in boundary and interior layers. This includes mathematicians and engineers who work on their theoretical and numerical aspects, and also those researchers concerned with their application to a variety of areas such as fluid dynamics, semiconductors, control theory, chemical reactions, and porous media. The lectures presented at the conference showed the diversity of investigations related to these topics. The proceedings provide a unique overview of research into various aspects of singularly perturbed problems and in particular the efficient resolution of boundary and interior layers using numerical methods. They also include examples of applications of this class of problems. All papers in the proceedings were subjected to a standardized refereeing process. We would like to thank the authors for their cooperation in the publication of their work in this volume of LNCSE and also the anonymous referees for their work and dedication, without which it would have been impossible to produce this publication. Finally, we wish to thank the sponsors of the conference: the Spanish Government's project MTM2009-07637-E, the Government of Aragón, the University of Zaragoza, and the Instituto Universitario de Matemáticas y Aplicaciones. Our


The Santa Barbara Channel region, the westernmost part of the Transverse Range Province, is the submerged offshore extension of the Ventura basin. It is a topographic depression containing more than 15,250 metres of strata ranging in age from Early Cretaceous to Holocene. Core samples reveal that only the Late Neogene sedimentary section is exposed along the El Capitan Gaviota portion of the shelf. This includes the Miocene Monterey Formation, the Late Miocene/Early Pliocene Sisquoc Formation, the Pliocene "Repetto" Formation, the Plio-Pleistocene "Pico" Formation, and Holocene marine sediments. Continuous seismic surveying investigations show the area to be a continuation of the southward-dipping homoclinal structure of the Santa Ynez Range. Superimposed on this structure are the Molino, Gaviota Offshore, and Elwood Offshore fold trends. Associated with the east--west anticlinal trends are subparallel frontal faults and north--south cross or tear faults. Petroleum development of all three trends has occurred. Folding may have started as early as late Oligocene time with episodic growth through Holocene time. The structure is controlled by a single north--south compressive force with two components of stress, one shallow and one deep in the earth9s crust. Patchy distribution of the unconsolidated overburden sediments is controlled by paleotopography of an erosional bedrock surface. Minor scouring of the unconsolidated material with subsequent redeposition is apparent. During the last twenty years a 1 metre average decrease in overburden cover has occurred.


Climate change and the ongoing destruction of the earth's ecosystems have increasingly been depicted as a security issue with the noble but not unproblematic goal engendering an urgent response. These climate and environmental security discourses have been extensively critiqued on both empirical and normative grounds. But is there an ethically defensible and even emancipatory alternative to envisioning the relationship between the environment and security? Matt McDonald in his new book - Ecological Security: Climate Change and the Construction of Security - argues that there is and lays out comprehensive normative framework for doing so. To interrogate McDonald's case for what he calls "Ecological Security", this forum brings together four leading researchers from Anthropology, Geography, International Relations, and Peace and Sustainability Studies. While all contributors are broadly positive regarding goals of the book, each identifies weaknesses in the approach that move from suggestions on how refine the framework on the one hand to questioning whether the framework risks proving counter-productive on the other.


The students of nursing are being prepared for the care of the dying during the theoretical part of their studies. However, a real encounter with death always presents a strong emotional experience. Given the fact that the knowledge base and skills needed to provide care to a dying patient are formed and acquired already during studies, it is necessary to analyse the views of nursing students on end-of-life care. The aim of the survey was to determine the views of nursing students in clinical practice on death, dying and end-of-life care. The method of content analysis was implemented to analyse the data obtained during supervision of nursing students doing their clinical practice. The analysis of the data identified several topics (death, students with the dying, students with themselves, etc.) and categories such as fear, the reality of life, new beginning, family support, communication, professional and personal growth, etc. The results obtained are being used to improve the education of students of nursing.


Phytophthora infestans is a rapidly evolving and highly adaptable pathogen. It is the cause of late blight, one of the most devastating diseases in potato production. Depending on whether both mating types are present or not, P. infestans can undergo both asexual and sexual reproduction. In most parts of the world the asexual part of the life cycle is the dominant reproduction system resulting in dominant clonal lineages. However, earlier reports indicate that sexual recombination of the late blight pathogen occurs in the Nordic countries. This thesis includes studies on how this will affect the population biology of P. infestans. The results show that the genotypic variation of P. infestans in the Nordic countries is high. The highest variation was observed within fields, and no dominating clonal lineages were found. In a field trial planted with artificially inoculated seed, the genotypes originating from the infected tubers had a minor impact on the population of P. infestans during the season. Immigrating genotypes, which probably originated from potato crops infected by oospores, proved to be more important for the epidemiology of the disease. The presence of the alternative host (hairy nightshade) was shown to result in an increased oospore production and a higher aggressiveness of late blight on potato. From the results it can be concluded that oospores play a major role in the population biology of the late blight pathogen in the Nordic countries. Furthermore, in a study of the variation in effector genes of P. infestans, indication of selection pressure towards losing intact Avr4 genes was found. In all studied isolates this frame shift mutation was observed which means that all isolates would be able to infect plants with the R4 resistance gene.

The population biology of the late blight pathogen in the Nordic countries is complex and differs from that in many other parts of the world. The difficulties to control this disease are numerous and the nature of the Nordic population of P. infestans threatens to further add to this problem.


By examining Bangladesh's principal forest policy documents from a discourse perspective, this study argues that the State's policy response to the "problems" and "development of the forestry sector" has been rhetorically loaded but politically cautious, covert and calculated. Under the conditions of governmentality, the policy prescriptions are presented as technical instruments for promoting efficiency in the forestry sector. The power and politics inherent in this exercise are constantly cloaked; yet these are pervasive, and find expression in their ability to serve certain practical purposes.


In this paper, we examine the robust beamforming design to tackle the energy efficiency (EE) maximization problem in a 5G massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO)-non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) downlink system with imperfect channel state information (CSI) at the base station. A novel joint user pairing and dynamic power allocation (JUPDPA) algorithm is proposed to minimize the inter user interference and also to enhance the fairness between the users. This work assumes imperfect CSI by adding uncertainties to channel matrices with worst-case model, i.e., ellipsoidal uncertainty model (EUM). A fractional non-convex optimization problem is formulated to maximize the EE subject to the transmit power constraints and the minimum rate requirement for the cell edge user. The designed problem is difficult to solve due to its nonlinear fractional objective function. We firstly employ the properties of fractional programming to transform the non-convex problem into its equivalent parametric form. Then, an efficient iterative algorithm is proposed established on the constrained concave-convex procedure (CCCP) that solves and achieves convergence to a stationary point of the above problem. Finally, Dinkelbach's algorithm is employed to determine the maximum energy efficiency. Comprehensive numerical results illustrate that the proposed scheme attains higher worst-case energy efficiency as compared with the existing NOMA schemes and the conventional orthogonal multiple access (OMA) scheme.


Background: To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of transvaginal sonography (TVS) in infertile patients and compare its results with hysteroscopy, as the gold standard. Materials and Methods: A total of 679 infertile women who underwent both TVS and diagnostic hysteroscopy were retrospectively investigated. TVS was performed in the mid-follicular phase (days 5-8) of their cycles. Sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values were calculated for TVS. Results: Hysteroscopy diagnosed endometrial polyps in 197 out of 679 cases (24.5%). TVS confirmed the hysteroscopy findings in 174 of 197 (88.3%) cases. The sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of TVS compared to hysteroscopy in the detection of endometrial polyps were 88.3%, 91.9%, 81.6% and 90.8%, respectively. Conclusion: TVS is both a cost-effective and non-invasive method for the diagnosis of intrauterine lesions such as polyps. When used in conjunction with a saline infusion, it can be a proper alternative for diagnostic hysteroscopy that saves time and enables the surgeon to perform the operative hystroscopy procedure with greater accuracy.


Background patients with congenital cardiopathies are the main group at risk for infective endocarditis (IE) in the pediatric population. Fungal etiology is responsible for 2%–4% of all IEs, and the Trichosporon genus is an increasingly prevalent cause of infections in human beings. Case presentation We describe a 9-year-old male with multiple surgical procedures to correct congenital cardiopathy defects, including insertion of RV-PA conduit, who was admitted due to suspicion of pneumonia and needed a surgical approach after being diagnosed with a mycotic pseudoaneurysm in the right ventricle's outflow tract, with dilation of the RV-PA conduit. The conduit was removed and antifungal treatment was started with Voriconazole after the agent was identified (T. asahii), with satisfactory therapeutic response. Approximately 4 years later, the patient was readmitted, presenting with intermittent fever, associated with nocturnal diaphoresis, dry cough, anxiety and chest pain. Vegetations consistent with T. asahii were evidenced in the RV-PA conduit, and a surgical approach was once again necessary. Discussion diagnostic methods and treatment of T. asahii endocarditis aren't yet standardized, and recurrent surgical approaches are needed due to the inefficacy of antifungal treatment.


Abstract Exotic pet practice is an exciting but demanding field in veterinary medicine. The decision to enter this field should be made only after careful consideration of some of the unique challenges and responsibilities of this type of practice. This article covers the considerations to be made when choosing species to see as patients, specific challenges for the exotic pet practitioner, legal and ethical issues regarding exotic species, sources of patients, development of a network for referral veterinarians, and a discussion of education for the veterinarian, staff, and clients. Also covered are suggestions for additions to the physical plant as well as recommendations for surgical, anesthetic, treatment, and examination equipment. There is an extensive list of additional recommended sources of information in the forms of texts, publications, organizations, and internet sites included at the end of the article.


This paper illustrates the implementation of our proposed voice assistant that provides assistance to disabled personalities over the website. ARA-the voice assistant is a software agent that can interpret human speech and respond via synthesized voices. The most popular voice assistants which can all be found on smart phones and dedicated speakers. As voice assistants become more widely used, but have complex functionality and only open when we click the mic option, this will start on voice command, easier for the people who are blind or have cognitive disabilities. ARA will read out the content of the website and then using speech to text and text to speech modules along with selenium, our software can automate any website. The designed voice assistance connects with the intended applications to provide results that the user has demanded. The objective of this paper is to illustrate how voice assistants are used in everyday life with minimal efforts and to explore whether there is potential for making them accessible for people with disabilities.


Conventional controllers, such as PD or PID controllers, are widely used in industrial applications, since it is simple, cheap and robust. Such controllers exhibit poor performance when applied to systems containing non-smooth nonlinearity. In this paper, the authors present a neural-network based learning controller for systems having a non-smooth nonlinearity with unknown parameters, specifically, a deadzone. The control scheme consists of a conventional PD controller and CMAC network. The authors illustrate the effectiveness of their scheme using computer simulation examples.<<ETX>>


We consider the problem of scheduling the storage and retrieval of containers in the storage area of a container terminal. Some arcs in the underlying directed network must be visited; other arcs may be---but need not be---visited. We can, therefore, consider this problem to be a special case of the directed rural postman problem. We show that this problem can be reformulated as an asymmetric Steiner traveling salesman problem. This reformulation can be efficiently solved to optimality by a combination of optimal assignments in bipartite networks for parts of the problem and dynamic programming for the connections between those parts.


The author examines ways that college instructors might be able to reach down to the grade-school level to inspire young students to follow a path to engineering schools and ultimately to the engineering profession. A practical example is given that will demonstrate how one can make that path visible and exciting by providing means by which these youngsters can have measures of success with 'hands on' activity. It is the author's belief that once these young people become focused on engineering, it will be difficult to keep them out of engineering classrooms of the future.<<ETX>>


This paper presents a secure reinforcement learning (RL) based control method for unknown linear time-invariant cyber-physical systems (CPSs) that are subjected to compositional attacks such as eavesdropping and covert attack. We consider the attack scenario where the attacker learns about the dynamic model during the exploration phase of the learning conducted by the designer to learn a linear quadratic regulator (LQR), and thereafter, use such information to conduct a covert attack on the dynamic system, which we refer to as doubly learning-based control and attack (DLCA) framework. We propose a dynamic camouflaging based attack-resilient reinforcement learning (ARRL) algorithm which can learn the desired optimal controller for the dynamic system, and at the same time, can inject sufficient misinformation in the estimation of system dynamics by the attacker. The algorithm is accompanied by theoretical guarantees and extensive numerical experiments on a consensus multi-agent system and on a benchmark power grid model.


ABSTRACT In the last decade, jealousy research has focused on the Facebook jealousy; however, few studies have identified its relationship to aggression. The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between Facebook jealousy and aggression, and some personal and relational variables. A sample of 846 participants (516 females, 330 males) aged 18–66 years from Turkey completed the Facebook Jealousy Questionnaire, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and Buss–Perry Aggression Questionnaire. From an evolutionary perspective, gender differences in jealousy could be explained through evolution-based differences in parental investment, and that males exhibit increased jealousy in response to sexual infidelity, whereas females become jealous in response to emotional infidelity. A forced-choice question (with a choice of sexual infidelity or emotional infidelity as the more jealousy evoking) was asked to the participants in order to determine gender differences on sexual and emotional jealousy. Results indicated no significant gender differences in Facebook Jealousy scores. Self-esteem and age negatively predicted Facebook jealousy. All aggression sub-types significantly predicted Facebook jealousy. Consistent with the evolutionary perspective and previous evidence, chi-square analysis showed that males' and females' responses to the forced-choice question differ significantly.


The concept of Associated Enterprises is essential for the application of the arm's length principle, which is the internationally recognized tax standard for transfer pricing. The arm's length principle is the underlying principle of Article 9 of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Model Tax Convention (OECD Model) and of transfer pricing laws of many countries. Virtually all tax treaties are based on the arm's length principle. As stated by Article 9 OECD Model, the arm's length principle is applied to Associated Enterprises. The concept of Associated Enterprises consists of three elements: participation in management, control and capital. Despite the importance of the notion of Associated Enterprises, there is a lack of clarity on its meaning, in particular concerning the term 'control'. This study provides an in-depth analysis of the concept of Associated Enterprises in Article 9 OECD Model.


In January, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics significantly reduced its projections for medium-term labor force participation. The revision implies that recent participation declines have largely been due to long-term trends rather than business-cycle effects. However, as the economy recovers, some discouraged workers may return to the labor force, boosting participation beyond the Bureau's forecast. Given current job creation rates, if workers who want a job but are not actively looking join the labor force, the unemployment rate could stop falling in the short term.>


Structure based drug design is a technique that is used in the initial stages of a drug discovery program. The role of various computational methods in the characterization of the chemical properties and behavior of molecular systems is discussed. The field of bioinformatics has become a major part of the drug discovery pipeline playing a key role for validating drug targets. By integrating data from many inter-related yet heterogeneous resources, informatics can help in our understanding of complex biological processes and help improve drug discovery. The determination of the three dimensional properties of small molecules and macromolecular receptor structures is a core activity in the efforts towards a better understanding of structure-activity relationships.


Motion estimation across low-resolution frames and the reconstruction of high-resolution images are two coupled subproblems of multi-frame super-resolution. This paper introduces a new joint optimization approach for motion estimation and image reconstruction to address this interdependence. Our method is formulated via non-linear least squares optimization and combines two principles of robust super-resolution. First, to enhance the robustness of the joint estimation, we propose a confidence-aware energy minimization framework augmented with sparse regularization. Second, we develop a tailor-made Levenberg-Marquardt iteration scheme to jointly estimate motion parameters and the high-resolution image along with the corresponding model confidence parameters. Our experiments on simulated and real images confirm that the proposed approach outperforms decoupled motion estimation and image reconstruction as well as related state-of-the-art joint estimation algorithms.


49 Anakinra IL1 RA Open Safety and Tolerability Trial to Evaluate a Subcutaneous Injection Solution of 100 mg of Anakinra in Combination With Riluzol in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Unknown NCT01277315 II Interventional Safety/Efficacy Open label Treatment Charite University, Berlin Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology Germany Thomas Meyer 20 Subcutaneous Injection Solution of 100 mg of Anakinra Number and Severity of adverse events; [ Time Frame: 1 month ] feb-11 jun-12 feb-11 The rationale of this clinical trial is based on the anti-inflammatory effect of Anakinra. One of the key mediators of inflammatory response is Interleukin-1. Anakinra is a recombinant produced Interleukin-1 receptor antagonist. This gives Anakinra antiinflammatory attributes that presumably reduce motor neuron degeneration and disease progression.


In this paper, the author investigates connections between teacher content knowledge and the construction of sketches through an examination of teacher-constructed applets. Specifically, the author analyzes the mathematics that teachers needed to know to design sketches in GeoGebra to support student understanding of a proportional reasoning problem aligned to 6th grade Common Core math standards.


There is internationally no standardized therapy of the uncomplicated duodenal ulcer, including the inability to work. In order to obtain a representative behaviour concerning the duration of the inability to work prescribed by specialists for general medicine, internal medicine and surgery, an interrogation was performed. An evaluation of 729 questionnaires shows the following tendency: 1. The younger the attending physician is the longer is the time of inability to work prescribed and the more frequent such a certificate is given. 2. General practitioners in rural districts on an average prescribe a longer time of inability to work. 3. The higher is the qualification of the specialist for internal medicine the shorter is the duration of inability to work attested. 4. In the assessment of the duration of the inability to work the attending physicians increasingly accommodate themselves rather to the symptoms than to the radiological or to the endoscopic control of healing.


The geometrid genus Archephanes Turner, which includes one described species, zalosema Turner, is reviewed. Previously thought to be restricted to Tasmania, the genus has a south eastern Bassian distribution, below latitude 36°S. It inhabits the moist forests and sub-alpine regions of south eastern Australia from sea level to over 1000 m. The distinctive and colourful larvae feed exclusively on the foliage of Tasmannia lanceolata (Poiret) A. C. Smith, 1969 (Winteraceae). The life-cycle is described and immature stages illustrated for the first time.


The objective is to design distributed coordination strategies for a network of agents in a cyber-physical environment. In particular, we concentrate on the rendezvous of agents having double-integrator dynamics with the addition of a damping term in the velocity dynamics. We start with distributed controllers that solve the problem in continuous-time, and we then explain how to implement these using event-based sampling. The idea is to define a triggering rule per edge using a clock variable which only depends on the local variables. The triggering laws are designed to compensate for the perturbative term introduced by the sampling, a technique that reminds of Lyapunov-based control redesign. We first present an event-triggered solution which requires continuous measurement of the relative position and we then explain how to convert it to a self-triggered policy. The latter only requires the measurements of the relative position and velocity at the last transmission instants, which is useful to reduce both the communication and the computation costs. The strategies guarantee the existence of a uniform minimum amount of times between any two edge events. The analysis is carried out using an invariance principle for hybrid systems.


Philosophy and the Frontiers of the Political is the title of a biographical-theoretical interview between Emanuela Fornari and Etienne Balibar. The interview falls into three parts. The first part retraces the theoretical and intellectual climate in which Balibar received his education in the early 1960s: in this context the study of classical thinkers such as Spinoza went hand in hand with a radical rethinking of the relations between politics and philosophy, conducted in the context of an attempt to provide a critical reconstruction of Marxism that drew upon the revolutionary perspective of structuralism. Through his friendship and association with his teacher Louis Althusser, Balibar developed a specific conception of philosophy as a "Kampfplatz," or battle-field, where we must struggle to forge a significant relationship between theory and practice, or between philosophy and politics. The second part of the interview focusses on questions of European nationalism and "neo-racism," and the way in which these questions come to explode the classical perspective of Marxism. In this context Balibar discusses his intellectual relations with Jacques Derrida and with Immanuel Wallerstein, and his attitude to the latter's theory of the "system-world." Balibar explains how his own conception of the relation between ideological formations and processes of accumulation can be described as a disjunctive synthesis: as a heterogeneous union of problems that have no determining "final instance." Finally, the third part of the interview is dedicated to a discussion of "cosmopolitics" and the role of Europe in the transition from the modern system of nation states to the new transnational and postnational constellation. Balibar's approach essentially undertakes to reactivate, in the context of global modernity, a Machiavellian conception of "conflictual democracy" which identifies the very core of the democratic principle in the constant interaction between the logic of conflict and the logic of institutions.


A 51-year-old woman diagnosed with follicular variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma underwent a total thyroidectomy followed four weeks later by an ablative dose of 3.7 GBq of 131I. A whole body scan 5 days after ablation showed an intense uptake within the thyroid bed and a focal uptake located in the right lung base or liver dome. Computed tomography examination revealed a hypodense hepatic node in segment VII resembling a liver metastasis. Histological examination after ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration characterized the lesion as a liver abscess. The abscess regressed after antibiotic therapy. Liver metastases from papillary thyroid carcinoma are uncommon. On the other hand, false positive findings of 131I whole body scans have been described. A focal hepatic uptake might represent a metastasis (rare in papillary carcinomas) or be related to other causes (cysts, inflammation or infection, non-thyroidal neoplasms, etc.).


The term "organic food" denotes products that have been produced in accordance with the principles and practices of organic agriculture. Organic agriculture and food processing practices are wide ranging and overall seek to foster the development of a food production system that is socially, ecologically and economically sustainable. Organic food is increasingly attracting consumers who are confident that this food has higher nutritional quality, and is safer and more wholesome than conventional products. Scientific evidence of the nutritional superiority of organic food compared to food from conventional methods is limited. However, organic food has an important position within the concept of sustainable development. Since one of Croatia's goals should be to become a destination for environmentally and socially responsible travellers who in general tend to consume organic food, organic food should find its place within ecotourism and rural tourism. Due to its agro-ecological diversity and natural resources, Croatia possesses great potential for organic food production. Designing a tourism offering which includes organic food would not only contribute to the development of rural areas but would also help to raise the environmental awareness of tourists, thus fostering environmental sustainable development.


The current research was aimed to investigate the effectiveness of psychological treatment on the life quality and coping styles of Shishe abusers, based on the matrix model. The current study was semi-experimental. The statistical population of this research consisted of Shishe abusers in the city of Rasht. The research sample included 20 people who were selected through in access method and were randomly divided into two experimental and control groups. The World Health Organization's Life Quality Scale and Parker and Andler's Coping Styles Scale were administered to both groups in form of pretest and posttest. Findings: Findings revealed that participants' scores in therapeutic sessions were significantly higher compared to those in the control group in regard to subscales of problem oriented and emotion oriented coping styles. Also, in relation to life quality subscales, it was determined that experimental group scores in subscales of interpersonal relations, physical health and life requirements were significantly higher than those in the control group. It appears that a psychological therapy, based on a matrix model, cam cause to promote peoples' life quality level and thus offer more effective techniques for coping with negative stresses and emotions.


The authors study the cooling system of the frame of a weakly-clogged rotary heat exchanger of small-size gas turbine engine which ensures lower temperature non-uniformity and thus leak through the seals of the heat exchanger.


The aims of this study were to evaluate the quality of feedstuff as concentrate feed raw material, the quality of feed concentrate, and customer satisfaction toward concentrate quality produced by the cooperative. The parameters observed were nutrient contents (moisture, ash, crude protein, crude fat, and crude fibre) and physical quality (density, bulk density, and compacted bulk density). Farmer satisfaction was measured using customer satisfaction index (CSI) and gap analysis. The data obtained consisted of primary data (nutrient content of feedstuff and physical quality) and secondary data (nutrient content of concentrates) that were then analysed descriptively. Total respondents in the satisfaction analysis were 100 farmers. The results of this study indicated that feedstuff nutrient content varied, even though corn gluten feed (CGF) was in the range of Indonesian National Standards (SNI). The highest density and bulk density were limestone, and the highest compacted bulk density was salt, while the lowest physical quality was coffee chaff. Nutrient content of concentrate complied with SNI except for crude fat content. Meanwhile, the physical quality of the concentrate was still within the normal range. Farmer satisfaction was in the satisfied category with the highest gap values absence of foreign objects.
Key words:        concentrate feed, CSI, farmer satisfaction, feedstuff, quality


The problems of robust Hinfin tolerant control for a class of discrete systems with state and time delays and actuator faults are studied. The T-S fuzzy model with time delays is adopted to repress a class of discrete systems. By established actuator fault model, the state feedback controller is designed. A sufficient condition for the asymptotic stability of closed-loop system is given based on Lyapunov stability theory and linear matrix inequality method, which can guarantee robust stability of system with actuator faults and disturbances. Simulation results show the effectiveness of the proposed approach.


An automated guided vehicle (AGV) is a material handling system that uses independently operated, self-propelled vehicles (Robots) that are guided along defined pathways. AGVS are simply robots that suit for automating material handling in batch and mixed model production system. The AGV's can be of different types and are used in hospitals, industries, warehouses, etc. The RFID technology in its enhanced form has brought advantages that are related to resource optimization, increased efficiency within business processes, and enhanced customer care, overall improvements in business operations and industries. Here an attempt is made to build a prototype of an "AGV" system, comprising of robot and numerous cheap RFID tags deployed on the ground to automate the training process and, more importantly, to frequently update radio maps. This not only significantly reduces human labors but also improves positioning accuracy and lead the material through the robot by following the proper path. The AGV works on mechanical, electrical and electronic components (sensors and circuit board). These sensors controls, co-ordinates and guide the vehicle in order to transfer material from one place to another. The present project deals with the design and manufacture of AGV which carries the desired load kept on it, using RFID Tags.


There is, in principle, a fundamental difference between Nazi racial antisemitism and the traditional anti-Judaism of Christianity. The church's official view has been that conversion transforms a Jew into a Christian, whereas the Nazi view was that a Jewish convert to Christianity remained a Jew. Nevertheless, the distinction between racial and religious antisemitism has often been less clear-cut than is often claimed by those who claim that Christian churches bear no responsibility for the Holocaust. That is not to say that it is illusory, just that it has often been less clear-cut than is often claimed. During the Holocaust and the decades that preceded it, Christian clergy often stressed the same themes as the Nazis, notably with respect to the Jews being "parasitic" capitalists exploiting Christians, as well as communists seeking to overthrow the governments and traditional Christian values of Europe (Passelecq and Suchecky 1997, pp. 123–36). We shall see that these clerics often also spoke of Jews in racial, as well as religious terms. Conversely, the Nazis often exploited traditional Christian themes, such as the diabolical nature of the Jew, the image of the Jew as "Christ-killer," and the contrast between "carnal" (materialistic) Judaism and spiritual Christianity. In other words, the Nazis effectively exploited two millennia of Christian demonization of the Jew. Most scholars who have studied the role of the Christian churches during the Holocaust are well aware of most of these facts (Barnett 1992; Bergen 1996; Ericksen and Heschel 1999a; Kertzer 2001). Yet many comparative studies of religion and violence ignore the role played by Christian churches during the Holocaust—apparently on the assumption that the most horrific mass murder in human history was a purely secular phenomenon. In fact, some prominent scholars, including the best-selling authors Karen Armstrong and—incredibly—Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, go so far as to attribute the Shoah to the demise of religious values in Europe (Armstrong 2014; Sacks 2015)! This article is an attempt to correct these mistaken assumptions.


There is an interest in identifying localised
effects when investigating durability of devices.
The combination of tests might also have an
influence on test results. This is investigated
for single junction amorphous silicon modules.
The modules were put under accelerated
testing including thermal cycling, light soaking
and annealing test. I-V measurement and LBIC
system as characterisation tools are used to
investigate the possible degradation occurring
in the devices both before and after certain
stages of the test. Results have shown that
there is a difference between modules which
have experienced light soaking before being
exposed to thermal cycling, indicating that the
initial light soaking resulted in a UV activation
of the material, which then changed the
durability of the lamination.


Ovarian cancer is the fifth most common cancer affecting women and at present, stands as the most lethal gynecologic malignancy. The poor disease outcome is due to the nonspecific symptoms and the lack of effective treatment at advanced stages. Thus, it is of utmost importance to understand ovarian carcinoma through several lenses and to dissect the role that the unique peritoneal tumor microenvironment plays in ovarian cancer progression and metastasis. This review seeks to highlight several determinants of this unique tumor microenvironment, their influence on disease outcome and ongoing clinical trials targeting these determinants.


Monolithic inductors are widely used in microwave ICs and RFICs. Design considerations for inductors on low-resistivity substrates have been described. A /spl pi/-equivalent model, used to account for various loss mechanisms, can be helpful in understanding differences in the definition of L and Q for single-ended and differential structures that exist in the literature. Specific uses for the equations in this article have been outlined. The L and Q for an example monolithic, differential inductor were extracted from measured two-port S-parameters using equations for differential configurations on low-resistivity substrates.


Development of potato cultivars with high levels of broad spectrum resistance is a key long-term management strategy against late blight disease caused by Phytophthora infestans. Six progeny lines of hybridization between transgenic potato Katahdin SP951 with non-transgenic Granola and Atlantic were selected based on agronomical characteristics and resistance to late blight disease. The study aimed to analyze the number of insertions and stability of inserted RB gene in the transgenic potato lines. The research was carried out through plant DNA extraction, southern blot analysis and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Southern blot analysis was used to detect the number of inserts integrated into potato genome, while PCR analysis was used to detect stability of RB gene from generation to generation. The results showed that the progenies obtained from hybridization between Atlantic and transgenic Katahdin SP951 (lines No. 20 and 27) and between Granola and transgenic Katahdin SP951 (line No. 69) contained one copy number of RB gene, according to the probing of nptII. The result is similar to that of inserted RB gene found in the parental transgenic Katahdin SP951. The presence of RB gene in four different generations (G0, G1, G2 and G3) showed stable integration of the gene into the plant genome. The single copy number of RB gene will repress the occurrence of silencing gene expression. The stability analysis of RB gene can determine that the gene is still present in plant genome after several generations.


The article considers the enzymatic activity and some other ecological and biological properties of zonal soils of the Crimea (cambisol, Chromic cambisol, different subtypes of chernozems). We have revealed significant differences in catalase, dehydrogenase, polyphenol oxidase, peroxidase, invertase for soils of the Crimea, which can not be explained only by the content of soil organic matter. Despite the low humus content of the soil, some have a high level of some enzymes. The level of enzyme activity depends on the reaction medium, the content of carbonate and other soil properties. We have also revealed that the agricultural use of brown soils under vineyards leads to a significant change in their properties and enzymatic activity


A randomized design trial was used to evaluated effects of cottonseed hulls (CSH) and bermudagrass hay (BGH) particle size in feedlot diets fed to female Rambouillet lambs (n = 10/treatment) on dry matter intake (DMI), physiological parameters, and growth performance. After 14 days of adaptation, lambs were individually fed 80% concentrate diets during two distinct 21-d periods with either CSH or BGH as the roughage source, respectively. Diets were identical except for the roughage particle size (3/8, 1/4, or 3/16-inch hammermill screens); control diets contained unground CSH or course-ground BGH. Data were analyzed by period using a model including treatment as main effect and animal as repeated measure. No differences in initial and final BW were observed. Lamb DMI (g/d) did not vary (P > 0.10) among the different particle sizes. However, there was a linear decrease (P = 0.007) in DMI as a percentage of BW when CSH particle size increased, while no difference was observed for BGH (P > 0.55). Rumen fluid pH was not affected by roughage particle size (P > 0.19) in either Period. No differences (P > 0.10) in rumen fluid FAs concentration were observed related to CSH despite a quadratic trend (P = 0.07) in acetate concentration. Total VFA (P = 0.01), acetate (P = 0.008), and propionate (P = 0.04) concentrations in ruminal fluid from lambs fed diets containing BGH quadratically increased, while butyrate linearly decreased (P = 0.03). There was a trend for a quadratic increase (P = 0.09) in blood serum ammonia when CSH particle size increased. Blood serum urea during both periods and ammonia during Period 2, did not vary with roughage particle size. Results suggested that particle size is dependent upon type of roughage. Generally, in high concentrate lamb feedlot diets a course particle size (3/8" screen) is recommended.


The globe is still far away from a consistent implementation of a fully-fledged harmonized banking regulatory framework. The reason for this heterogeneity mainly results from (a) historically grown and hence different country-specific traditions in banking regulation and supervision, (b) different national emphasis of regulatory sub-goals such as efficiency or the protection and promotion of national financial markets and (c) different institutional settings and conditions. In this context, studies on the banking industry's assessment of supervisory processes and instruments shed a brighter light on the question of how effectively and efficiently international banking regulatory frameworks like the New Basle Capital Accord ("Basel II") or the Capital Requirements Directive (CRD) for Europe are implemented by each nation state. By this means evaluation studies help to reveal the most important country-specific obstacles to har-monization emerging from different supervisory practices. In November 2005 the Federal Government of Germany commissioned an economic analysis to evaluate the banking sector's assessment concerning supervisory processes and instruments carried out by Germany's official authorities BaFin and Bundesbank. This study should determine options to further optimizing supervision, reducing regulatory burden and bureaucracy or even more restricting supervision. The results of this representative survey were finally published at the end of 2006. This paper initially presents the most important findings by analyzing significant dif-ferences of assessments between various banking groups, empirically evaluates significant drivers of a bank's overall satisfaction with banking supervision and then drafts out a selection of proposals for an improvement in banking regulation and supervision in Germany. Finally, aspects of further research are discussed.


Codon usage bias plays an important role in the regulation of gene expression. A couple of measures are widely used to quantify the codon usage in genes. On the other hand, no quantitative endeavour has been made to compare the pattern of codon usage diversity within and between different genes of  Camellia sinensis and Brassica campestris . Nucleotide composition and its relationship with codon usage bias were analyzed. Additionally, the rare codons were identified by computing the recurrence of event of all codons in coding sequences of C. sinensis and B. campestris . The host cell, Escherichia coli used universally, failed to express smoothly many eukaryotic genes. For this, the authors prognosticated the codons showing the highest and the lowest expressivity of the coding sequences of  C. sinensis and B. campestris , in E. coli K12 strain to improve the expression level of the genes. Key words : Codon usage bias, gene expressivity, codon usage pattern, residual value, synonymous codon.


The extent to which universities should prepare graduates for the workplace has been a particular focus of policy impacting across higher education over the last 20 years as a result of a number of factors: changes to ways in which higher education is funded in the UK and the subsequent cultural shift towards students being perceived as consumers of degree courses; ease of access to the results of metrics by which universities can be compared; the pace of technological change in the workplace and the impact that this has had on the requirements of employers when recruiting graduates.

Various reports have focused on attempting to distil the key qualities and skills that employers are looking for when recruiting graduates. How such skills related to employability can or should be enhanced as part of a degree experience are the source of debate at a policy level and amongst academic staff.

In the midst of this perceived cultural shift in higher education it is important to explore the perspectives of key stakeholder groups: individuals working at policy level, academic staff, students and employers. This study explores these issues in a particular setting, BSc Music Technology-oriented courses. Such highly vocational degrees offer an opportunity to investigate perceptions in the context of courses that typically highlight the development of skills and attributes carefully aligned to the requirements of employers.

Following a qualitative methodology, this research investigates the perspectives of stakeholders through semi-structured interviews, focus groups and a survey.

One of the key findings of this study is that there is a disconnect between espoused policy which emphasises ever greater integration between industry and higher education and the reality as experienced by academics, students and employers.

The findings highlight the need for improved channels of communication and in particular, the value of informal interactions.


A mixed solvent of monoethanolamine and thioglycolic acid is successfully used to dissolve Se powder to prepare a highly reactive and soluble Se solution at room temperature in air. The as-prepared Se solution is very stable for more than half a year without any observed precipitation even in air. We used the Se precursor solution to synthesize various metal selenide nanomaterials such as Sb2Se3 nanorods, CuSe nanoplates and CuInSe2 nanocrystals by using a facile and environmentally-friendly triethylene glycol process. The structure, morphology, chemical composition and optical properties of the synthesized metal selenide nanomaterials are characterized. Moreover, the CuInSe2 nanocrystals are used to prepare ethanol-based colloidal ink and then deposited thin films by a dip-coating process. The synthesized CuInSe2 nanocrystal thin films are annealed at 550 °C in a selenizing atmosphere. A power conversion efficiency of 2.65% has been achieved by using the CuInSe2 thin films after selenization as a light-absorbing layer under AM 1.5 illumination.


We introduce M-estimators for location and concentration parameters of von Mises-Fisher distributions on unit spheres. These include the directional mean, normalized spatial median, spherical median, and the mle of the concentration parameter. We find the influence functions and asymptotic distributions of such estimators and give necessary and sufficient conditions under which the M-estimators become SB-robust. SB-robust M-estimators, which are optimal in a sense similar to Hampel, are proposed. We discuss both simultaneous estimation of location and concentration and estimation of one parameter when the other is known. The behavior of the optimal estimators, together with several alternatives, under extreme contamination and moderate sample sizes is studied using simulation. An example, previously studied by Fisher, Lewis, and Embleton (1987, Analysis of Spherical Data, Cambridge Univ. Press, Cambridge, UK), dealing with remanent magnetization is reanalyzed using these techniques.


Using remineralization materials to grow hydroxyapatite (HAP) crystals on the surfaces is a common strategy for the repair of early demineralized tooth enamels. As the efficacy is often impaired by harsh dynamic oral environments, e.g., continuous flow of saliva and friction of moving maxillofacial muscles, a rapid remineralization is expected to avoid or diminish these influences. But there has been a great dilemma to address this expectation, as the stabilizers used for preparation and storage of these materials, in turn, could resist their transformation during remineralization. Here, by dissolving the ions of calcium and phosphate in mixed solvents of glycerol and water, we found a stable species with ultrasmall size (1-2 nm), termed glycerol stabilized calcium phosphate cluster (GCPC), which can perform a fast enamel repair via the water-triggered transformation in both static or dynamic environments. The high permeability and water-responsive character allow GCPC to easily enter the nano-/micro-sized enamel defect sites and transform into HAP nanorods immediately, going through a special intermediate—amorphous calcium phosphate nanowire, whose subsequent crystallization product (the nanorods) stands vertically to them and enamel surface. Both in vitro and in vivo studies display that, GCPC forms a compact HAP repair layer within a short time (30 min), which is much faster than the conventional materials (hours or days), and recovers mechanical properties to the values close to those of sound enamel. Moreover, a double-blind, randomized, crossover clinical trial based on in situ model further demonstrates an excellent remineralization efficiency of GCPC in the real human oral environment. Given its rapid repair capacity, simple preparation process, low cost and remarkable biocompatibility, GCPC is promising for large-scale preparation and clinical applications in dental remineralization.


Background Chronic Low Back Pain (CLBP) is a major public health problem responsible of disability and use of health services. Sexual difficulties in CLBP patients seem to be wide-ranging and probably different between men and women. A few published studies have focused on analyzing the impact of CLBP on sexual life of patients with gender comparison. Objectives Thus, we aimed to compare the impact of CLBP on sexual life of Moroccan patients between men and women in our context of Arabic Muslim country and to identify factors that may contribute to alter sexual functioning in the 2 genders. Methods 50 women and 50 men (mean age 43.28±7.5 years) suffering from CLBP and sexually active were included. None of those patients was affected by any of other chronic diseases which could disturb sexual life. Men and women were adjusted for age, duration and functional impact of CLBP. CLBP characteristics and aspects of impact of CLBP on sexuality were assessed. Sexual quality of life was measured by the sexual quality of life questionnaire (SQOL-M for men, SQOL-F for women). A score of 100% means an excellent SQOL. Results Eighty one percent of our patients complained about sexual difficulties related to CLBP. Men estimated having a sexual life more disturbed than women (90 vs. 72%; p=0.022). They were less satisfied than women with their sexual life after the CLBP (2.90 vs. 3.76; p=0.04). Decrease of libido was more reported by women (20 vs. 4%; p=0.01). The SQOL was more decreased in men than women (38.95±17.2 vs. 50.35±15.7; p=0.001). In women, SQOL was significantly correlated with age (r= -0.276; p=0.05) and back pain (r= -0.271; p=0.05). In men, SQOL was correlated with age (r= -0.425; p=0.02), disease duration (r= -0.61; p<0.001), back pain (r= -0.337; p=0.01) and functional impact of CLBP (r= -0.30; p=0.03). In multiple linear regressions, decreased SQOL was associated with an advanced age (p=0.02) and a chronic pain (p=0.002) in men but there was no significant contributors to a decreased SQOL in women. Conclusions Sexual life is significantly disturbed by CLBP. These disturbances appear more important in men than women. Older men suffering from a chronic back pain were more concerned by a deteriorated sexual quality of life. For this, sexual function should be taken into account in management of CLBP. Further studies on large samples are needed to confirm those results. Disclosure of Interest None Declared


Layered Ni-rich oxides (LiNixCoyMnzO2) are considered as the most promising cathode materials for lithium ion batteries because of their high discharge capacity, high Li+ ion deintercalation/intercalation potential, and low cobalt content. However, because of the similar ionic radius of Li+ (0.76 A) and Ni2+ (0.69 A), the Ni-rich cathodes often suffer from poor cycling stability because of the serious cation mixing, and the poor interfacial/structural stability during the electrochemical process. In this work, the effects of sintering temperature, sintering time and excess lithium amount on the structure, morphology and electrochemical performance of a novel spherical high Ni-rich cathode material LiNi0.68Co0.10Mn0.22O2 cathode are systematically investigated. The results indicate that a sintering temperature of 780 °C with a sintering time of 16 h and an excess lithium amount of 5 wt% could achieve a more stable and lower cation mixing degree LiNi0.68Co0.10Mn0.22O2 cathode. It delivers a reversible discharge capacity as high as 197.4 mA h g−1 at C/10, and exhibits a capacity retention of 95.9%, 90.2% and 83.5% at C/3, 1C and 3C after 200 cycles at cut-off voltages of 2.7–4.4 V, respectively. These results demonstrate that the optimized LiNi0.68Co0.10Mn0.22O2 is a promising cathode material for high energy density lithium ion batteries.


Critical levels of selected cigarette smoke constituents have been expressed in terms of maximum numbers of pre-1960 cigarettes that a smoker may consume daily without increasing his mortality risk substantially above that of a nonsmoker. This could still imply an important risk, although it may be difficult to detect. We relate these levels to the yields of 27 current low tar and nicotine commercial cigarettes, as measured at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. In addition, the yields of these selected constituents concomitant with the yield of 1 mg of nicotine are provided as a guide for the smoker who titrates or adjusts his smoking pattern to accommodate a fixed daily intake of nicotine.


A fatigue-damage parameter for in-phase and out-of-phase loading is proposed. A proposed fatigue-damage parameter has been developed to assess the various materials fatigue lives for (i) constant-amplitude fatigue stressing where the stresses are at the same and different frequencies, and (ii) variable-amplitude loading conditions. In this parameter, the normal and shear stress and strain ranges have been calculated from the largest stress and strain Mohr's circles. The total damage accumulation in a block-loading history has been calculated from the summation of the normal and shear energies on the basis of a cycle-by-cycle analysis. The normal and shear energies used in this parameter are divided by the tensile and shear-fatigue properties, respectively, and the proposed parameter, unlike many other parameters, does not use an empirical fitting factor. The proposed parameter successfully correlates fatigue lives of several materials for: a) various in-phase and out-of phase fatigue-loading conditions, b) tests in which a mean stress was applied normal to the maximum shear plane, and c) out-of-phase tests in which there was additional hardening.


The existing traditional method for retrieving the energy meter data and billing is not convenient and time consuming, hence in this paper we suggest a billing strategy via SMS which is convenient and reduces the manpower. This system is a boon for remote monitoring and automatic tariff updating. This system gives the information regarding meter reading, power cut, total load used and tempering on request or regularly in particular interval through SMS. This information is being sent and received by concerned energy Provider Company with the help of Global System for Mobile communication (GSM) network. Hence this system not only reduces the labor cost and also increase meter reading accuracy and saves both time and money.


Experience at the East Wilmington oil field has shown that discrepancies may be expected with control points calculated from the directional surveys of highly deviated wells, compared to similar points in nearby straight holes. Drop-type multiple-shot surveys commonly differ from wireline single-shot surveys of the same well. The "average angle" method of survey computation is used by THUMS to reduce the margin of error. Even with this refinement, multiple shot surveys in high-drift wells are thought to have a possible error of ±20 ft (6.1 m) vertically and ±100 ft (30.5 m) horizontally for a well of 6,000 ft (1,828.8 m) measured depth. Structure and isopach maps are affected by this error, and the development geologist must use individual judgment in eliminatin or "averaging" suspect control points.


This study used autopsy tissue samples to develop multi-stage radio-pathomic models of tumor probability in glioma patients. Three models were trained to predict cell density, extracellular fluid density, and cytoplasm density segmented from autopsy samples using T1, T1C, FLAIR, and ADC intensity. A fourth model was then trained to predict tumor probability from pathological annotations using the cellularity, extracellular fluid, and cytoplasm segmentations as input. The combined models were then able to non-invasively estimate tumor probability using MRI. These maps identified regions of tumor beyond the contrast-enhancing region and discriminated between areas of tumor and vasogenic edema within FLAIR hyperintensity.


Why is education potentially subversive? How does ethnocentrism facilitate an oppressive status quo? Who actually benefits from war? Questions such as these were integral to the work of writer Kuroshima Denji (1898-1943), one of modern Japan's most dedicated antimilitarist intellectuals. He was wholeheartedly committed to fundamental change and produced numerous literary works expressing his passionate opposition to armed force as an instrument of imperialism. His only full-length novel, superbly translated here as Militarized Streets, was censored by both Japan's imperial government and the U.S. occupation authorities. Best known for his "Siberian stories" of the late 1920s - vivid descriptions of agonies suffered by Japanese soldiers and Russian civilians during Japan's invasion of the newly emerged Soviet Union - Kuroshima also wrote powerful narratives dealing with the hardships, struggles, and rare triumphs of Japanese peasants. The present volume comprises much of Kuroshima's most highly acclaimed work for the first time in English.


In any educative system, orientation is considered as an indicator of quality. In High School the orientation is essential because of the possibility of choosing an occupation together with the difficulties of the attributive insertion. According to this situation, this investigation's objective is to validate the Multiple Learning Abilities Auto �efficiency Inventory that has been unfold specialists from The National University of Cordoba - Argentina who wanted to evaluate the auto conviction that individual possess in order to achieve different activities related to the different learning abilities put forward by Gardner in a context of professional development. The inventory was applied to 1285 student in 13 different schools from fourth and third secondary level in Sucre city. Psycho metric studies were made to determine this tool's veracity and validity. The results show that the Different Learning Abilities Auto efficiency Inventory has acceptable psycho metric properties of veracity and validity.


Abstract Minimum number alive (MNA) is commonly used to assess population size with capture-mark-recapture data. However, MNA uses information from prior and subsequent capture sessions to assess the population at each point in a longitudinal study. Therefore, it is subject to negative bias that is greatest at the beginning and end of the study and least in the middle. Stochastic simulations performed with constant population size and capture rate showed that MNA peaked at the middle of the study. The tapering bias was greatest when survival rate between capture sessions was high. If indices (rather than statistical estimators) are used to assess population size, then the number of individuals captured should be chosen in preference to MNA.


out given theoretical hypotheses&dquo; (p. viii) . Furthermore, as is to be expected from the nature of Professor Donaldson's past work, he insists on the necessity to consider the interrelations of internal and external aspects of the new dollar. Somewhat contradictory to these views, The Dollar is divided into two parts, dealing with domestic and international aspects respectively. Each part in turn is divided into three chapters: monetary policy, theory, and effects. This book ought to be useful to a large circle of readers, as it contains in compact form the story of the monetary ventures of the New Deal, at home and abroad, together with analogous endeavors abroad. Professor Donaldson limits his comparisons to those between the New Deal standards and &dquo;the&dquo; gold standard before the war. It would have been useful to widen this comparison, for then speculations as to stabilization would have become much easier. It would have become evident that the departure from prewar monetary practices took place along lines whose directions are well discernible long before the World War. The author does not care to speak of an increasing demonetization of gold. But would this term not be helpful in seeing that the New Deal monetary policy is a link in a chain of developments which might be said to begin in the middle of the nineteenth century when the GovernorGeneral of the Dutch East Indies placed bills of the colonial government, drawn on the Colonial Ministry in Holland, at the disposal of the market at a fixed rate of exchange ? (Cf. Prof. Wagemann, &dquo;The Policy of Currency Management,&dquo; Supplement, Weekly Report of the German Institute far Bus. Research, Dec. 1, 1937.) From then on, by way of colonial exchange standards, the exchange policies of various national banks, especially those of AustriaHungary and France, and the postwar exchange standards, we arrive at the New Deal arrangements as direct descendants of a long line of ancestors. Professor Donaldson shows evidence that the monetary endeavors of the New Deal in a measure did reach their objectives; externally more so than internally. He is, however, careful to point out that monetary policies have their limitations (p. 15~). The theoretical part of the book, essentially a review of current doctrines (the Swedish theorists are largely left out), would have been of greater use to the reviewer if its connection with the other parts had been made clearer. This section gives


Upper airway dyspnea represents a challenge in diagnosis and management regardless of etiology. The emergency physician must work through a wide differential diagnosis. The most common causes are inflammatory, immunoallergic and infectious. Initial treatment includes maintenance of a safe and open airway, oxygen therapy, aerosolized epinephrine and steroid injections. Once the patient is stabilized, a detailed case history and a complete status are compulsory to guide diagnosis and adapt the treatment. Close collaboration between emergency physician, anesthesiologist and ENT specialist is mandatory.


Combining metal and polymer into hybrid composite materials is finding increasing interest in many industries. Special attention is being paid to increase the adhesion between the metal and polymer interface. In this paper, the current research progress of surface treatment methods for improving the interfacial adhesion of stainless steel and resin is reviewed. It involves the stainless steel surface treatment method, resin surface treatment method, and adhesion test methods of stainless steel and resin. The methods of improving the interfacial adhesion of stainless steel and resin are summarized and prospected according to the research status.


OBJECTIVE
This study was designed to identify the deficiencies of the history taken by final medical students at the University of Bahr Elghazal, Khartoum, Sudan, during the academic year 2000 through to 2001.

METHODS
Throughout the academic year the author observed the students while taking history. Each student was asked to give a fully written case history. I assessed the basic skills of history taking (questioning, facilitation, clarification, jargon use, initiation of interview and keeping to time limits). I also assessed the amount and accuracy of data obtained. The findings were rated on a 3-point scale (good, fair, poor).

RESULTS
For the 45 students assessed, the deficiencies of history taking obtained included poor questioning (66.6%), poor facilitation (51.1%), poor clarification (40%), use or acceptance of jargons (42.2%), failure of proper initiation of interview (37.8%), failure of keeping to time limits (33.3%), failure of identification of major symptoms (33.3%), poor analysis of symptoms (53.3%), lack of control of the interview (31.1%), poor elucidation of previous events (48.9%) and poor coverage of social aspects (62.2%).

CONCLUSION
The history obtained by our medical students is deficient and they generally lack the basic skills of interviewing. Many factors contribute to this, (namely deficient training, lack of staff and deficit of teaching hospitals). The author discussed possible solutions to remedy the history taking deficiencies.


Biochemistry on Earth makes use of the key elements carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur (or CHONPS). Chemically accessible molecules containing these key elements would presumably have been necessary for prebiotic chemistry and the origins of life on Earth. For example, feedstock molecules including fixed nitrogen (e.g., ammonia, nitrite, nitrate), accessible forms of phosphorus (e.g., phosphate, phosphite, etc.), and sources of sulfur (e.g., sulfide, sulfite) may have been necessary for the origins of life, given the biochemistry seen in Earth life today. This review describes potential sources of nitrogen-, sulfur-, and phosphorus-containing molecules in the context of planetary environments. For the early Earth, such considerations may be able to aid in the understanding of our own origins. Additionally, as we learn more about potential environments on other planets (for example, with upcoming next-generation telescope observations or new missions to explore other bodies in our Solar System), evaluating potential sources for elements necessary for life (as we know it) can help constrain the potential habitability of these worlds.


PURPOSE
In this article, multi-factors on the utilization of dental services was assessed in Chinese residents by Logistic regression model.

METHODS
A household oral health interview survey was conducted among Chinese residents. A study of multi-factors on the utilization of dental services in Chinese residents was analyzed by Logistic regression model.

RESULTS
The data 1558 residents in 587 houses had been collected from 6 sampling spots by the household oral health interview survey. Significant difference was found in three hypothesis test of Logistic regression model over 15 year old of residents.

CONCLUSIONS
The utilization of dental services was decided by multi-factors in Chinese residents. The main factors to influence residents visiting dentist were dental price, living area and dental caries.


As the deep development of spatial information sharing service, it brings forward high request to usability and expansibility of supporting system. Based on large-scale scalable server cluster, cloud computing brings hopes to resolves the existing difficult problems in the domain of geospatial information service. In this paper, we imported cloud computing technology including MapReduce model and Hadoop platform into the domain of geographic information system (GIS). Those key technology problems in the application of GIS such as spatial data storage, spatial index and spatial operation were described and studied in detail. We evaluated the performance and efficiency of spatial operation in Hadoop experiment environment with the real world data set. It demonstrates the applicability of cloud computing technology in computing-intensive spatial applications.


Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) 2, a food/feed contaminant in the tropics, stimulated the activity of goat erythrocyte membrane ion motive calcium adenosine triphosphatase (Ca-ATPase). The stimulatory action was concentration-dependent, typical of a saturation kinetic effect. The degree of stimulation varied from 20% to more than 90% between the lowest (0.1 M) and highest (1000 M) contentrations. AFB1 induced changes in the apparent kinetic parameters, Km and Vmax, of the erythrocyte membrane-bound enzyme. This could affect erythrocyte structure, and thus, the erythrocyte function in oxygen and delivery to the cells. Keywords: Aflatoxin B1, goat, erythrocyte membrane, Ca-ATPase


We propose a portfolio-balance model of the yield curve in which inflation is determined through an interest rate rule that satisfies the Taylor principle. Because arbitrageurs care about their real wealth, they only absorb an increase in the supply of nominal bonds if they are compensated with an increase in their real rates of return. At the same time, because the Taylor principle implies that short-term nominal rates are adjusted more than one for one in response to changes in inflation, the real return on nominal bonds depends positively on inflation. In equilibrium, inflation increases when there is an increase in the supply of nominal bonds to compensate arbitrageurs for the additional supply they have to hold.


An incomplete planning domain theory can cause an inconsistency problem in a noisy domain. To solve the problem of applying two opposite operators to the same state, we present a novel method to learn a negative precondition as control knowledge. Even though the control knowledge is unknown to a machine, it is implicitly known as opposite concept to a human. To learn the human concept, we propose a new technique to mechanically generate a graph composed of opposite operators from a domain theory and extract opposite literals. We show that the opposite concept is a special type of mutex used in Graphplan. A learned concept can simplify the operator by removing a redundant precondition while preventing inconsistencies.


We develop and test a proxy for the level of informed trading based on trading prior to Price Sensitive Announcements (PSAs). Significant price movements prior to the release of PSAs trigger an Informed Trading Alert (ITA). We calculate our Informed Trading Proxy (ITP), which is the ratio of ITAs to PSAs, for the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) and three Chinese exchanges. From 2003 to 2008, we see almost a tripling in the incidence of informed trading prior to the release of PSAs on the ASX. Using ITP as a proxy for market integrity these results suggest that the integrity of the ASX market has reduced over the period 2003 to 2008. Notwithstanding, the integrity of the ASX marketplace appears higher relative to that of three Chinese peer exchanges.


Abstract Monoamine oxidase (MAO) is a particle‐bound flavoenzyme principally located in the outer mitochondrial membrane, which catalyzes the oxidative deamination of a variety of the amine transmitters in the central nervous system. There have been many reports from different groups around the world over the last 20 years that indicated a lower platelet MAO activity was associated with alcoholism. As there are multiple influences upon measured MAO activity, this article attempts to address each of the issues in turn for potential confounding of the reported association. These issues include: the duration of abstinence from alcohol, the substrate used for analysis, gender issues, association with different subtypes of alcoholics, the influence of other psychopathology, personality traits of alcoholics, the question of smoking, and proposed modes of transmission of MAO activity. The initial promise about MAO activity being a possible marker for alcoholism or a least a genetically predisposed subgroup has receded as the number of negative typology‐based studies increases. The failure to account for a major confounding variable, e.g. smoking and other minor but possibly vital confounds in almost all these studies leaves the whole hypothesis open to criticism. However, the possible association between personality traits that might predispose to some if not all substances of addiction to low MAO activity may make it possible to reframe the hypothesized association in the setting of a generalized predisposition to addictions in particular, and to psychopathology in general. Nonetheless the association remains of great interest and may yet yield vital genetic and clinical information.


The abundance of activity trackers and biosignal sensors as well as the evolution of IoT and communication technologies have considerably advanced the concept of Quantified-Self. Nowadays there are several frameworks and applications that realize the concept, focusing though strictly on specific areas, from daily use to professional activities such as sport and healthcare. This work proposes a versatile, cross-domain solution for building quantified-self applications exploiting the capacities for open-design, modularity and extensibility of the AGILE IoT gateway.


Abstract The proliferation of sensor networks, mobile and pervasive computing has provided the technological push for a new class of participatory-sensing applications, based on sensing and aggregating user-generated content, and transforming it into knowledge. However, given the power and value of both the raw data and the derived knowledge, to ensure that the generators are commensurate beneficiaries, we advocate an open approach to the data and intellectual property rights by treating user-generated content, as well as derived information and knowledge, as a common-pool resource. In this paper, we undertake an extensive review of experimental, commercial and social participatory sensory applications, from which we identify that a decentralised, community-oriented governance model is required to support this approach. Furthermore, we show that Ostrom's institutional analysis and development framework, in conjunction with a framework for self-organising electronic institutions, can be used to give both an architecture and algorithmic base for the requisite governance model, in terms of operational and collective-choice rules specified in computational logic. This provides, we believe, the foundations for engineering knowledge commons for the next generation of participatory-sensing applications, in which the data generators are also the primary beneficiaries.


Studies of prosodic rhythm in a minority Ontario French using rhythm metrics did not demonstrate the effect of contact with English; moreover, they demonstrated an even more syllabletimed (French) pattern in this contact variety than in majority Canadian and European ones. To understand these results and further explore regional variation in Canadian French and the effect of linguistic contact, syllabic typology, length and duration of the stress group, syllable duration ratios, and vowel intensity are explored here through a comparison of a minority variety with a majority Canadian French (Quebec). Spontaneous samples show the same syllabic typology and distribution, stress group length and duration, similar syllable ratios, and a regular rhythmic pattern in both Canadian varieties. The analysis of intensity of stressed syllables, however, suggested divergence of the datasets from both traditional description of French and from each other. Thus, intensity accompanies primary stress in Ontario but not in Quebec, and both varieties use intensity to mark secondary stress. These results suggest a convergence to the neighboring English language and need to be confirmed in a controlled


Electric vehicles' rapid commercialization increases the relative importance of wind noise, especially for cabin interior noise. In this study, systematic numerical methods are developed to assess the wind noise insulation performance of side-window rubber seals in a design stage. First,
 the simplified automotive cabin model (SACM) is constructed to test the rubber seals' sound insulation performance due to external flow disturbance generated by jet flow. The pressure signals due to the jet flow are measured inside and outside the SACM. The difference between the two signals
 is used as sound insulation performance criteria, so-called insertion loss (IL). Second, a numerical methodology is developed to predict the IL. The surface pressure field on the side window due to jet flow is predicted by using the high-accurate Lattice Boltzmann Method. The predicted surface
 pressure fluctuations are applied as input load causing side-window vibration. The interior sound is then computed by using the calculated window vibration as input. The validity of numerical methods is confirmed by comparing the predicted results with the measured ones. Finally, the present
 methods' ability as a design tool is confirmed by comparing the IL of the pad-added rubber seal with that of the regular seal.


This article discusses some of the issues associated with effective instruction for students with severe disabilities who are enrolled in general education classes. It is argued that developing a valid technology of instruction will require the field to reconceptualize our current model of teaching and learning for this group of students. Specifically, we must begin to view student learning as the combined effects of instructional methods used for all students in the class and those used to meet the unique needs of each student. Achieving these aims will require a two pronged approach. First, general and special educators in inclusive programs must adopt and implement teaching practices that can accommodate the diverse educational needs of all students in the class. Second, teachers must begin to employ strategies that infuse opportunities for students with severe disabilities to receive instruction on targeted routines, activities, and skills unthin the on-going activities of the class.


This study was conducted in Alzzazah area which lies approximately 25 km East of El-Dmazein city, the capital of the Blue Nile State, Sudan. This study was carried out at the end of the autumn 2015. The aim of the study was to evaluate the impacts of continuous grazing on the rangeland of the study area. To determine this effect, two range sites were selected to represent the rangeland in the study area; a grazed one and a protected one by enclosure. At each site, eight line transects were systematicly distributed. Parker loop method was used to determine botanical composition and ground cover. Quadrate method was applied to determine plant density, frequency, biomass production and carrying capacity. The obtained data were organized and analyzed using standard range management equations and SAS statistical package. The result showed that the continuous grazing increased the bare soil percentage and decreased the vegetation cover. Also, it had negative impacts on botanical composition, biomass productivity and range carrying capacity. It was concluded that continuous grazing has a negative impact; it led to change the botanical composition of range plants of undesirable species with low nutritive value. So it can be considered as one of the main factors responsible of rangeland degradation in the study area.


In situ bioremediation is ongoing at a former manufacturing facility in Portland, Oregon. Shallow groundwater at the site was impacted by chlorinated solvents, primarily trichloroethene and degradation products cis-1,2-dichloroethene and vinyl chloride. In situ chemical oxidation treatment was completed in 2003 via the injection of sodium permanganate in source areas. Subsequent stimulation of in situ biological treatment via reductive dechlorination was evaluated and found to be viable. Emulsified vegetable oil with vitamin B12 and other nutrients (EOS ® 598 B42) was injected in March and April 2005. Injections were completed over a depth range of 25 to 40 feet (7.6 to 12.2 m) using push probe equipment with an air diaphragm pump. Treatment costs are provided. Regular groundwater monitoring has been conducted following the initiation of the bio- remediation treatment. Nearly two years of post-injection groundwater monitoring data are presented. These data show that the emulsified oil continues to provide increased total organic carbon concentrations in the injection area wells and that concentrations of chlorinated ethenes in the treatment zone have decreased more than 99%. This success has been achieved despite some parameters (e.g., ORP) being outside of optimal ranges for reductive dechlorination. Continued groundwater sampling will be conducted to monitor the longevity of the emulsified oil product and the progress toward achieving site remediation goals.


Peutz–Jeghers' syndrome is a rare hereditary disease inherited by an autosomal dominant type, manifested by a characteristic clinical picture of skin lesions and hamartomas of the gastrointestinal tract. Complications of the disease include bleeding from polyps, anemia, intussusception and intestinal necrosis, as well as a high likelihood of developing malignant tumors. For the first time the syndrome was described at the beginning of the last century, and it is of interest to dermatologists, gastroenterologists, oncologists and surgeons due to the clinical heterogeneity of intestinal and skin manifestations. The article describes a clinical case of a 5-year-old girl with the Peutz–Jaegers syndrome. The patient complained of periodic dull abdominal pain that worsened after eating solid food. During the examination of the skin and mucous membranes the doctors discovered rashes on the face: perioral area, on the red border of the lips and on the mucous membrane of the lips, inside the cheeks, hard palate. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGDS) revealed a polyp on a pedicle in the prepyloric part – it was removed during repeated EGDS under endotracheal anesthesia. Fibrocolonoscopy revealed hyperpigmentation of the dome of the cecum. To confirm the diagnosis, the doctors carried out DNA testing which found a mutation of the STK11 gene. Pigmentation of the perioral area is an early symptom of Peutz–Jeghers' syndrome suggesting optimal examination. Early recognition of the syndrome in children is important in the context of reducing the risk of developing intestinal obstruction, bleeding, and cancer complications in the future.


Introduction Growing evidence suggests that multiple factors, such as insulin resistance, nutritional factors, gut microbiota, and hormones released from the adipose tissue, act together on genetically predisposed individuals. We aimed to investigate whether various single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) play a role in the development of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and severity of liver damage in the Anatolian population. Methods Two hundred and sixteen patients with biopsy-proven NAFLD and 150 control participants, aged 18–70 years, were consecutively enrolled in this multicenter study. Blood samples were genotyped for the PNPLA3 (rs738409), IL28B (rs12979860, rs12980275, rs8099917), PPAR-&agr; 227 ALA, PPAR-&ggr; pro 12 ALA, SOD2 C47T, and LOX-1 IVS4–14 polymorphisms using the custom-made LightSNiP assays on a LightCycler 480 II instrument. Results Genotypic distributions of PNPLA3 rs738409 SNPs were different between NAFLD and control participants, but not for other SNPs. The PNPLA3 rs738409 GG polymorphism was associated with a 27-fold increased risk of development of NAFLD (odds ratio=27.8, 95% confidence interval: 3.5–218.4; P=0.002). Patients with the PNPLA3 GG genotype had higher nonalcoholic fatty liver disease activity score levels compared with patients with the PNPLA3 CC genotype (P<0.005). NAFLD patients without fibrosis had a higher frequency of IL28B rs12979860 TT and rs12980275 GG genotypes compared with NAFLD patients with fibrosis (P<0.005). Conclusion The present study proposes that polymorphisms in the PNPLA3 gene have highly predictive value in the development of NAFLD and are independently associated with the severity of liver histology in patients with NAFLD. The results of this study suggest that IL28B rs12979860 TT or rs12980275 GG may play an important protective role against the development of advanced fibrosis and even cirrhosis.


This paper describes a method for experimental development of a novel fixed abrasive nano-grinding plate (FAG-plate) which is proposed for lapping some rigid brittle materials, such as quartz crystal and silicon. The FAG plate is developed with ultraviolet-cured resin by rapid prototyping technology. The analysis shows that such FAG-plate can keep its grinding ability constant and continuous and it can make the roughness of machined surface reach to nanometer level. Based on experimental comparisons with conventional free abrasive slurry lapping plates, the lapping process using FAG-plate has several distinct advantages. One is that the machining efficiency is significantly improved. The second is that it improves the surface roughness of machined work-pieces, although it decreases the flatness tolerance of materials. Furthermore, the fixed abrasive nano-grinding plate is made by the new bonding materials- ultraviolet curing resin and thus the fabrication of FAG-plate is convenient and economical.


Human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC)-released ADAMTS-13 (a disintegrin and metalloprotease with thrombospondin repeats) and HUVEC-secreted von Willebrand factor (VWF) strings were investigated under static conditions that allow the accumulation and analysis of ADAMTS-13. The latter was released constitutively from HUVECs and cleaved the secreted and cell-anchored VWF strings progressively during 15 minutes in Ca(2+)/Zn(2+)-containing buffer. HUVEC ADAMTS13 mRNA expression was approximately 1:100 of VWF monomeric subunit expression. In contrast to multimeric VWF stored within Weibel-Palade bodies and secreted rapidly in response to cell stimulation, ADAMTS-13 was released directly from the Golgi to the cell exterior without an organelle storage site. The constitutive release of ADAMTS-13 continued at the same slow rate regardless of the presence or absence of histamine stimulation of HUVECs. Consequently, the percentage of VWF strings cleaved by ADAMTS-13 at VWF Y(1605)-M(1606) decreased as the rate of VWF string secretion was increased by cell stimulation. Blockade of HUVEC ADAMTS-13 activity by antibodies to different ADAMTS-13 domains made it possible to detect the attachment of ADAMTS-13 all along the lengths of HUVEC-secreted VWF strings. Constitutive ADAMTS-13 released from endothelial cells may contribute to the maintenance of cell surfaces free of hyperadhesive VWF multimeric strings.


Purpose: Progression to acute myeloid leukemia (AML) from myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) is almost always fatal. To explore the best treatment strategies for this serious complication, we analyzed the survival outcome of patients with MPNs who progressed to AML based on treatment received at our institution. Patients and Methods: A total of 273 patients who were diagnosed with AML secondary to MPNs between 1989 and 2016 were retrospectively analyzed. Progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were calculated. Results: The patients progressed to AML from essential thrombocythemia (ET, N=60), polycythemia vera (PV, N=49), primary myelofibrosis (PMF, N=105), post-ET/PV MF (N=37), and MPN-unclassifiable (N=22). The median age of the patients was 67 (range: 28-92). The median time to AML transformation from MPN diagnosis was 64.5 months (range: 0.9-477.7 months). Complex karyotype was seen in 99 patients at the time of transformation (38%). With a median follow up of 16.5 months (range: 2.7-115.7 months), 247 patients had died (88% from AML, 6% from treatment-related mortality, 6% with other cause including infection and GVHD). Ninety-nine patients received hypomethylating including agent (HMA), 71 a high-dose cytarabine regimen, 52 a low-dose cytarabine regimen, 28 other treatments, and 24 patients did not receive any treatment due deterioration of the patientfs condition or patientfs decision. The median PFS and OS after progression to AML were 2.6 months and 7.0 months, respectively. There was no significant improvement in PFS and OS by date of diagnosis (1989 to 2016). Also, complete response (CR) rate and survival outcome were not significantly different by type of treatment (Figure A) or prior MPN subtype. Overall, 46 patients (27 in CR, 14 not in CR, 4 unknown due to the transplant outside) proceeded to allogeneic transplant (allo-SCT), and the median overall survival after transplant was 15.3 months (6.1-29.4 months). Although it was not statistically significant, patients who achieved a CR before allo-SCT had longer OS than those who received allo-SCT without achieving a CR (35.1 vs 8.9 months; Figure B). Complex karyotype was associated with both shorter PFS (Hazard ratio: 2.2, 95%CI: 1.6-2.9) and OS (Hazard ratio: 2.0, 95%CI: 1.5-2.6). Summary: Survival outcome for AML secondary to MPN remains very poor, and there has been no improvement in survival outcome since 1989. Further studies are urgently needed to test new treatment strategies and to detect residual disease post allo-SCT. Considering dismal outcome after transformation, studies are also needed to explore strategies to prevent this fatal complication. Disclosures DiNardo:Daiichi Sankyo: Research Funding; Abbvie: Research Funding; Agios: Research Funding; Celgene: Research Funding; Novartis: Research Funding. Konopleva:Reata Pharmaceuticals: Equity Ownership; Abbvie: Consultancy, Research Funding; Genentech: Consultancy, Research Funding; Stemline: Consultancy, Research Funding; Eli Lilly: Research Funding; Cellectis: Research Funding; Calithera: Research Funding. Cortes:ARIAD: Consultancy, Research Funding; BMS: Consultancy, Research Funding; Novartis: Consultancy, Research Funding; Pfizer: Consultancy, Research Funding; Teva: Research Funding.


Business model (BM) innovation is vital for today's businesses. However, BM innovations can be irreversible, and therefore, in comparison to product, service or process innovation, entail bigger risk and ambiguity. Understanding the way in which BM innovation exerts influences over firm's performance would help business-owners to be more effective. Based on a systematic literature review, a model to examine how BMI impacts firm performance through mediating and moderating factors was developed. Based on in-depth analysis of 37 articles, we identified twenty moderating factors classified in four groups, i.e., Firm-Characteristics, Industry-Characteristics, BM Implementation, and BM Practices, and ten mediating factors, categorized in three sub-groups, i.e., Revenue Growth, Efficiency Growth, and Enhancing the Organizational Capabilities. This paper offers the grounding for empirical research as well contribute to the development of tools to assess the effectiveness of the BMI.


Science research culture in basic education can be associated with science investigatory projects (SIPs). In relation to this, the paper establishes a theory on the development of SIP culture in basic education utilizing theory generation through axiomatic deductive approach based on steps prescribed by R. Padua (personal communication, November 17, 2014) which creates the theory that basic education institutions contribute to high productivity in SIPs. Simply because humans and non-human resources along with quality Science instruction are needed to yield such productivity. These attributes, resources, and Science instruction foster SIP culture. These are crucial aspects as schools capacitate students and teachers, produce the SIPs, and eventually disseminate these projects in science fairs.


We consider two problems in the design and operation of energy-efficient buildings. The first is the prediction of energy consumption of a building from that of similar buildings in its geographical neighborhood. The second problem concerns the localization of faults in building sub-systems with a focus on faults that lead to anomalous energy consumption. For both problems, we propose algorithmic techniques based on machine learning to address them. Simulation results using EnergyPlus show the promise of the proposed methods.


We present a no-reference video quality model and algorithm that delivers standout performance for High Dynamic Range (HDR) videos, which we call HDR-ChipQA. HDR videos represent wider ranges of luminances, details, and colors than Standard Dynamic Range (SDR) videos. The growing adoption of HDR in massively scaled video networks has driven the need for video quality assessment (VQA) algorithms that better account for distortions on HDR content. In particular, standard VQA models may fail to capture conspicuous distortions at the extreme ends of the dynamic range, because the features that drive them may be dominated by distortions {that pervade the mid-ranges of the signal}. We introduce a new approach whereby a local expansive nonlinearity emphasizes distortions occurring at the higher and lower ends of the {local} luma range, allowing for the definition of additional quality-aware features that are computed along a separate path. These features are not HDR-specific, and also improve VQA on SDR video contents, albeit to a reduced degree. We show that this preprocessing step significantly boosts the power of distortion-sensitive natural video statistics (NVS) features when used to predict the quality of HDR content. In similar manner, we separately compute novel wide-gamut color features using the same nonlinear processing steps. We have found that our model significantly outperforms SDR VQA algorithms on the only publicly available, comprehensive HDR database, while also attaining state-of-the-art performance on SDR content.


This paper examines article use in the L2-English of adult and child speakers of Russian, an article-less language. In earlier work on articles in adult L2-English, Ionin, Ko and Wexler (2004) proposed that speakers of article-less L1s fluctuate between dividing English articles on the basis of definiteness vs. specificity, as a result of direct access to semantic universals. The present paper examines whether similar fluctuation is present for child L2-English learners. Results of an elicitation study with L1-Russian child and adult learners of English show that both groups of learners exhibit sensitivity to definiteness as well as specificity. At the same time, it is found that the behavior of child L2-learners is more consistent with natural language data than that of adult L2-learners. It is proposed that both children and adults have domain-specific knowledge of semantic universals, but that adults, unlike children, also use explicit strategies. This proposal is considered in light of the literature on explicit vs. implicit knowledge.