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

Background

The role of MYC in multiple myeloma has been under debate, but evidence now point to an important role for this oncogene in disease initiation, progression and maintenance. The key role of MYC in maintenance of tumor cell survival makes MYC a potential target for therapy. Acting as a transcription factor, MYC binds to its obligate partner MAX. Small-molecule inhibitors that target MYC-MAX heterodimerization prevent DNA binding and hence the transactivation of MYC target genes.

Purpose

We have previously shown that in many myeloma cell clones inhibition of MYC activity leads to apoptosis, but to varying degrees. The relation between the cells' response to inhibition of MYC, and levels of MYC gene, RNA and/or protein has not been thoroughly investigated earlier. Thus, we wanted to explore this using a panel of myeloma cell lines and primary myeloma cells.

Methods

A panel of myeloma cell lines was treated with the MYC-MAX inhibitor 10058-F4 before assessment of relative cell growth using CellTiter Glo, that measures the cells' ATP content. To determine MYC expression we analyzed DNA copy numbers using PCR, mRNA content using Nanostring technology and protein levels using Western Blotting. To screen primary myeloma cells for sensitivity to MYC-inhibition, we used our newly developed method for screening of cell viability in cocultures with bone marrow stromal cells.

Results

Myeloma cell lines showed a great variation in number of MYC gene copy number as well as MYC mRNA and protein levels. Interestingly, there was a good correlation between DNA copy numbers and mRNA levels, indicating that in general the MYC gene copy number is determining for the level of MYC mRNA in myeloma cells. Moreover, protein levels also showed a relatively high degree of correlation with MYC mRNA. The relative sensitivity for MYC-inhibition for each cell clone was compared with MYC expression. We could not see a clear correlation between sensitivity to MYC-inhibition and MYC expression in cell lines. However, cell lines with high MYC gene copy number and MYC expression tended to be among the most sensitive cell lines to MYC-MAX inhibition. We also tested a number of primary myeloma cells for sensitivity to the MYC-MAX-inhibitor in a cell viability assay in the presence of stromal cells. The presence of pooled patient bone marrow stromal cells (BMSC) did not affect the sensitivity of patient cells to the 10058-F4 MYC-MAX-inhibitor. Results on the correlation of MYC expression and sensitivity of primary cells to inhibition of MYC activity will be presented.

Citation Format: Toril Holien, Kristine Misund, Glenn Buene, Oddrun E. Olsen, Katarzyna A. Baranowska, Anders Waage, Anders Sundan. MYC gene copy number determine MYC expression and sensitivity to a MYC-inhibitor in multiple myeloma cells. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 2351. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-2351


The effects of slider surface energy on slider dynamics were investigated with both a component-level experiment and a slider dynamics simulation with a 2-D head-disk interface model. The simulation results clearly show a reduction in the critical flying height, which was defined as the flying-height at the beginning of contact vibration, as same as a reduction in touchdown height observed in the experiment. According to the simulation results, the reduction of slider P2-mode vibration by the adhesion force in the near-contact region is considered to be effective in reducing slider touchdown height. Controlling slider surface energy is necessary for future low-flying head-disk interfaces.


We have investigated efficacy of meglumine acridonacetate (Cycloferon) infrequently sick children (FSC) on the basis of serum proteomic profile dynamics; we have also studied epidemiologic efficacy of interferon inductor as a mean of non-specific immunoprophylaxis. FSC were subjects to follow up during 4-10 years. We have used recommended regimens of drug administration. Were analyzed: anamneses of FSC, clinical symptoms, infectious index calculation, stratification of children into 5 groups of FSC and separation of children with truly frequent recurrent respiratory viral diseases. On the basis of proteomic blood analyzes the following parameters of efficacy of treatment with meglumine acridonacetate were defined: expression intensity of Rho- and Ras-signaling pathways proteins. Epidemiologic efficacy of the drug was 2,9 (from 2,4 to 3,4), rate of protection--62,8% (58,5-67,1%).


In this paper we address the problem of current drive by electron cyclotron (EC) waves in the presence of magnetic islands and transport. Our approach makes use of quasilinear theory by numerically solving the Fokker–Planck equation in cylindrical geometry. We take into account the actual geometry of the islands along the calculations as well as the changes in the plasma density profile due to the action of the radial particle transport. The particle transport is supposed to have a magnetic origin. The waves are assumed to be launched and propagated in the equatorial plane of the tokamak, as in the slab geometry. Our results show that the use of equilibrium profiles as usually done in the studies on neoclassical tearing mode control may not be a better choice and point to the need for taking into account the actual island geometry.


Morphological segmentation, which aims to break words into meaning-bearing morphemes, is an important task in natural language processing. Most previous work relies heavily on linguistic preprocessing. In this paper, we instead propose novel neural network architectures that learn the structure of input sequences directly from raw input words and are subsequently able to predict morphological boundaries. Our architectures rely on Long Short Term Memory (LSTM) units to accomplish this, but exploit windows of characters to capture more contextual information. Experiments on multiple languages confirm the effectiveness of our models on this task.


sive care unit for further management and close monitoring. Patient was eventually discharged well after a total of 8 hospital days. Conclusion: Subcutaneous emphysema is a common symptom associated with spontaneous pneumomediastinum. Both conditions are considered a sequelae to bronchial asthma in severe exacerbation. Although asthma in exacerbation is a common occurrence, spontaneous pneumodiastinum is an uncommon condition seen in the paediatric population. Diagnosis, however, may be made by simple radiographic imaging. Management is conservative and geared towards symptomatic relief. No deadly complications rooted from spontaneous pneumomediastinum has been reported.


The tourism industry is constantly growing. It has provided millions of people worldwide with jobs and careers opportunities and it has been shown in many studies that people travel much more these days than ever before (Doswell, 1997, p. 4-5). Furthermore, the entry and rise of Internet and the e-commerce have made it possible for today's generation to book their trip online. However, there exist some doubts among many researchers of whether the survival and the growth of traditional travel agency have been threatened by the upcoming of online retailer businesses. This study emphasize to investigate the role of different travel agencies in tourism industry and it tries to show how marketing mix approaches used by many travel agencies influences the consumer decision making of purchasing trips and accommodation from either online or traditional travel agency.
The main focus of this study lies on different marketing mix approaches, and the findings indicate to which degree the marketing mix affects decision-making. In addition quantitative method in form of a questionnaire was conducted by the authors to investigate the type of travel agency that is most common and more preferable by the targeted audience. In conclusion, the online travel agency among the targeted audience is more preferable, for its accessibility effectiveness, convenience, wider choices of products and services and available, etc. For those who preferred the services of traditional travel agency, our findings indicate that the most attractive elements are: the opportunity of physical interaction during business transaction, the chance of getting tailor-made products and services, and trustworthiness in personal information security.


In China, the PoYang Lake area, is a famous bird sanctuary. We used an Airborne Imaging Spectrometer to make a detailed investigation, and collected field spectra in order to learn its environmental condition. In this paper, we focus only on the spectral mixture model study, adopting a nonlinear spectral mixture model to modify the field spectra collected from the PoYang Lake area. The calculated results demonstrated that the nonlinear spectral mixture model adopted in this paper is better than the linear spectral mixture model in the prediction of the spectral mixture problem. This model may be helpful for extracting correct information of soil, rock, vegetation from the Airborne Imaging Spectrometer data acquired from PoYang Lake area.


During storage, red blood cells (RBC) become more susceptible to hemolysis and it has also been shown that RBC deformability, which is influenced by RBC nitric oxide synthase (RBC-NOS) activity, decreases during blood storage while a correlation between these two parameters under storage conditions has not been investigated so far. Therefore, blood from 15 male volunteers was anticoagulated, leuko-reduced and stored as either concentrated RBC or RBC diluted in saline-adenine-glucose-mannitol (SAGM) for eight weeks at 4°C and results were compared to data obtained from freshly drawn blood. During storage, decrease of RBC deformability was related to increased mean cellular volume and increased cell lysis but also to a decrease in RBC-NOS activation. The changes were more pronounced in concentrated RBC than in RBC diluted in SAGM suggesting that the storage method affects the quality of blood. These data shed new light on mechanisms underlying the phenomenon of storage lesion and reveal that RBC-NOS activation and possibly nitric oxide production in RBC are key elements that are influenced by storage and in turn alter deformability. Further studies should therefore also focus on improving these parameters during storage to improve the quality of stored blood with respect to blood transfusion.


INTRODUCTION ........................................................... 562 GENERAL FEATURES OF PROKARYOTIC RIBOSOMES ....... ............... 563 Diversity in Bacterial Ribosomes .................... ............................ 563 STRUCTURES OF THE PROKARYOTIC rRNA MOLECULES ...... ............ 564 Prokaryotic rRNA Molecules................................................... 564 rRNA Integrity and Ribosome Function ............ ............................. 565 Eukaryotic Analogy ........................................................... 565 Base Compositions ofrRNA from Prokaryotes .......... ......................... 565 Primary and Secondary Structures of the rRNA ......... ........................ 568 Question of Functional Heterogeneity in the rRNA Molecules ...... .............. 569 Phylogenetic Differences in the rRNA of Prokaryotes ........ .................... 570 Prokaryotic Origin for the Eukaryotic Organelles? ........ ...................... 572 GENES SPECIFYING rRNA ..................................................... 573 Gene Dosage for rRNA .......................................................... 573 Mapping the rRNA Genes in E. coli ...... ........ .............................. 573 Mapping the rRNA Genes in B. subtilis ......................................... 575 Isolation of the rDNA .......... ............................... 575 General Features of the Prokaryotic Ribosomes ................... .............. 591 Structures of the Prokaryotic rRNA Molecules .................................. 591 Genes Specifying rRNA ........... .............................. 591 Transcription of the rRNA Genes .......................................... 592 Post-Transcriptional Processing of rRNA ....................................... 592 TRANSCRIPTION OF THE rRNA GENES ....................................... 576 rRNA Transcriptional Unit ............... .......................... 576 Interaction of the RNA Polymerase with the rDNA .............. ................ 577 Initiation of rDNA Transcription .......................................... 578 Regulation ofrRNA Synthesis During Balanced Growth ....... ................. 579 Regulation of rRNA Synthesis During Perturbation of Balanced Growth ........ 581 Regulation ofrRNA Synthesis During Morphogenesis ....... .................... 582 POST-TRANSCRIPTIONAL PROCESSING OF rRNA ....... .................... 583 Hypothetical Tandem Transcript of the rDNA .......... ......................... 583 Immediate Precursors of the rRNA Molecules .......... ......................... 584 Function of the Precursor-Specific Sequences .......... ......................... 587 Post-Transcriptional Modification of Nucleosides ......... ...................... 588 Interaction of the rRNA with the Ribosomal Proteins ............................ 589 CONCLUDING COMMENTS ................... ........................ 590 SUMMARY ........................................... 591 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .............. ............................. 592 ADDENDUM IN PROOF 593 LITERATURE CITED ............................................................ 593


Efficiently regenerated single colonies from mixed multiply auxotrophic Bacillus subtilis protoplasts, fused with polyethylene glycol, reveal colonies carrying each of the parent types (biparentals) and recombinant colonies. The latter appear in high yields (up to 1% of certain recombinant classes); the yield of biparentals may be as large as 10%, in the range of the indicated physical fusion events. Many of the biparentals are diploids although, contrary to expectation, they are not complementing prototrophs, but show precisely the phenotype of one (either one) of the parent strains. Extensive pedigree analysis and subcloning of diploid lines show that they can propagate with varying stability on the appropriate parental selective medium to reproduce diploid progeny, parental segregants, and late-appearing recombinants, including some prototrophs. Thus, the principal product of intertype protoplast fusion is a diploid carrying two chromosomes, only one of which is expressed in each particular clone. The extinction of one parental genome is especially well demonstrated when it includes suppression of a normally dominant antibiotic sensitivity marker. In transformation experiments, DNA made from a selected diploid clone was able to transfer several of the unexpressed genes. The structural or topological character of DNA associated with the chromosome extinction remains unexplained.


This paper discusses possible uses of student course evaluations on a pair of courses developed to comply with the CDIO concept. It is seen that both similarities and differences in the evaluations can be found. These can in part be used to assess if the CDIO concept has been implemented as it was intended and possible adjustments can be suggested. The data consist of 33 observations with full information on 8 general course evaluation questions on each of the two courses. The data has been collected over three years (2008, 2009, and 2010). This makes it necessary to consider methods which are able to handle possible differences between years. We illustrate different ways to analyse the associations between the two courses by utilizing such data. Inferences about the mean differences between the courses are performed using analysis of variance techniques. In this context they may be considered as generalisations of the paired t-test. The generalisation to an analysis of variance makes it possible to handle differences between years. Inferences about the correlation structure of the data are performed using so-called canonical correlation analyses. A possible difference between years of the evaluations makes it necessary to consider adjusting the data for the year effect. We find that one course generally is evaluated as more satisfactory than the other on five of the questions. Also we find a very strong effect of year, indicating the need to remove the year effect before proceeding with the canonical correlation analysis. The canonical correlation analysis is only significant at a 10% level of significance for these data and resulting associations must therefore be interpreted with caution. The interpretation results in a combination of evaluation questions for one course which correlate well with another combination of evaluation questions for the other course.


Chronic disease such as tuberculosis (TB) is a major public health problem worldwide. The impact of TB on overall health status and socio economic well being is extensive. Generally TB afflicts the most economically active segment of the population. The world has taken a fresh look at TB in the year 2000. TB holds the spotlight as a social, political and economic issue rather than just a health problem. Despite the existence of a National Tuberculosis Programme (NTP) for four decades, the burden of TB in India is enormous. Since late 1998, India began rapid expansion of the World Health Organization recommended strategy, directly observed treatment, short-course (DOTS) and the present coverage is 100% of the population.1 Even though the programme provides free diagnostic and treatment services to all the patients registered, since tuberculosis affects the most productive age group, the resultant economic cost for society is high.


Understanding actinide chemistry is critical for nuclear waste treatment as well as for illuminating the role of f orbitals in bonding and reactivity. Researchers have made a leap forward in neptunium chemistry, preparing the first NpII and NpIII organometallic complexes (Nat. Chem. 2016, DOI: 10.1038/nchem.2520). Working at the Institute for Transuranium Elements, a team led by Polly L. Arnold of the University of Edinburgh combined radioactive NpCl4 and a macrocyclic ligand, trans-calix[2]benzene[2]pyrrole, to form a mononuclear NpIII complex with the Np bound to the nitrogens of the pyrrole groups and sandwiched between the aryl rings; a fifth bond goes to Cl. The researchers reduced the complex to form a similar NpII structure in which the Cl is replaced by a neutral molecule of the solvent, dimethoxyethane, bound through its oxygens via a bidentate linkage. The NpII complex decays to a binuclear NpIII complex. Analysis of the mononuclear NpIII complex indicates


An important paradigm in psychological science concerns the sources, measurements, and dimensions of individual differences in cognitive abilities, as well as issues pertaining to their development, consistency, and malleability The paradigm's history can be traced back for more than a century, at least to Francis Galton and James McKeen Cattell Problems of measurement have been identified with such names as Alfred Binet, Lewis Terman, and David Wechsler Dimensional analysis has been the concem of Charles Spearman, Cyril Burt, L L Thurstone, J P Guilford, R B Cattell, and many others Issues of the sources, consistency, and malleability of individual differences have been addressed by such figures as E L Thomdike, Barbara Burks, Mane Skodak, and Harold Skeels The paradigm has for vanous reasons never been considered to be central to the science, and until recently it has seldom been pursued with any vigor by expenmentahsts (Hunt, 1987) There have been difficulties m relating It to leaming, memory, perception, motivation, and other topics of interest in theoretical psychology (Estes, 1982) A recent report on the achievements of behavioral science (National Research Council, 1988) gave it scant attention as a field that needed support and further development Many of the problems with which differential psychologists have concemed themselves—^for example, the measurement of aptitudes and achievements, the methodology of factor analysis, and the assessment of genetic and environmental influences—have led to seemingly intractable controversies What IS more, some of these controversies have had parallels in important social issues Plomin, DeFnes, and


For centuries, rivers have experienced massive changes of their hydromorphic structures due to human activities. The Danube River, the second largest river in Europe, is a case in point for long‐term societal imprint. Resulting human‐induced pressures are a key issue for river management, aiming to improve the ecological conditions and guarantee the provision of ecosystem services. As the most international river basin in the world, the management of the Danube is particularly challenging and needs a well‐organized cooperation of 19 nations. The recent river basin management plan has identified pollution and hydromorphological alterations as most pressing problems, but it has also acknowledged newly emerging issues. In this article, we present 3 specific examples of highly relevant issues for the future river basin management of the Danube: (a) long‐term impacts in the catchment such as changes in flood patterns and potential ecological consequences; (b) complex feedback loops linking the spread of neozoa with intertwined stressor responses due to river engineering for different purposes; and (c) linkages between different assessment approaches based on European legal frameworks to analyse the specific pressures at different spatial scales. These examples highlight the need for a more integrated approach in future Danube River Basin management schemes. Furthermore, large‐scale effects such as climate change and interactions of multiple pressures need to be addressed in future management to increase resilience of the river system and to allow a sustainable ecosystem‐based management of rivers.


Hingu (Asafoetida) is a commonly used traditional spice in Asian cuisine since ancient times. The botanical source of Hingu is Ferula asafoetida (Bunge) Regel: Apiaceae family, native to the mountains of Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan. The useful part of the drug is the oleoresin gum extracted from the stem and rhizome of the Asafoetida plant. This study was designed to compile the classical uses of Hingu in Brihatrayi. In this study, 72, 56 and 62 references for uses of Hingu were founded in Charaka Samhita, Sushruta Samhita and Ashtanga Hridaya Samhita, respectively. According to these references, Hingu can apply in various dosage forms such as Kashaya, Curna, Vati, Gutika, Varti, Lepa, Leha, Taila, Ghrita, Anjana, Dhumapana and Dhupana. And also it is useful in a vast range of diseases belonging to various disciplines of Ayurveda, including Kaya Cikitsa, Kaumarabhritya, Shalya, Shalakya, Graha Cikitsa, Vajikarana, Visha Cikitsa, Striroga and Prasuti roga. It is mainly indicated in diseases of Annapacana (Gastrointestinal tract) and Shwasana (Respiratory tract) and also as a Rakshoghna dravya. Hence, it can be concluded that Hingu is a mostly prescribed herbal medicine in Brihatrayi. It is a more valuable herbal source in managing various diseases in human beings in all stages of their lifespan.


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The article analyzes the onomastics of the Indian characters, the portrayal of the Inca Empire of Huascar and Atahualpa, and the Christianization of Guacolda and Yupangui in Calderon's La Aurora en Copacabana. Rational and proactive, these two characters realize the illegitimacy of the Inca idolatry and embrace the true religion, long before the formal start of Peru's christianization. Thus, it is argued that this specific representation of the Indian may have been influenced by the close circles indianos of Miguel de Aguirre, who allegedly patronized this comedy.


Kazakhstan has faced severe economic challenges since it gained independence from the former Soviet Union in 1991. Kazakhstan's New Economy explores how the country might shed the outdated business practices that continue to hamper its growth. Jay Nathan first provides a historical overview of the economy and then delves deeper into the strengths and weaknesses of nine major industries, including oil and gas, banking, telecommunications, and transportation. Nathan's careful analysis and recommendations will provide valuable insight for anyone interested in Central Asia's economic growth. "An excellent resource on major industries in Kazakhstan."—Byrganym Aitimova, Minister of Education and Science, the Republic of Kazakhstan


The transformation of higher education has been a pressing concern for policy makers and practitioners. This article provides examples of the transformative potential of assessments designed within the framework of a multi-literacies and heteroglossic pedagogy in an Applied English Language course at a South African university. These assessments, which used multiple semiotic resources and created spaces for contesting voices, allowed students to bring their own expertise into the learning experience. This, it is argued, ultimately led to enhanced student voice and agency, two crucial components in transformative practices.


Digital media, diaspora and deterritorialisation have provided important ways to think about contemporary global flows and social ties. Digital diasporas as a unit of study have become especially relevant for social scientists, particularly anthropologists: In this paper, the author argues that digital diasporas represent both online communities and the ICT practices of those living abroad, which seemingly actualise the potential inherent in Castell's notion of the Network Society. Examining the material and social dimensions of these ties, however, this paper moves to critique the notion of networks as stabilised representations of diaspora/homeland connections. Drawing from the author's ethnographic research with tech professionals in Ghana, and with diaspora-based social media users in the U.S. and the Netherlands, the analysis posits that the asymmetry of Africa's sociotechnical infrastructures is central to understanding the enduring disjunctive nature of these flows. Through interviews and analysis, the author illustrates how these sociotechnical systems configure Ghana's global cyberculture.


We investigate the degree to which Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans reached small businesses in low- and moderate-income (LMI) communities. We use PPP loan data from the Small Business Administration that we geocode and link to census tracts. We assess the program's reach in a few ways and focus on the number of loans, rather than the amount of funds, that went to different areas in order to capture the program's impact on businesses with fewer than 50 employees—the vast majority of small businesses. We find evidence that the program did have a broad reach within LMI communities, but that it reached higher-income communities to a greater extent and areas with Black, Hispanic, and American Indian or Alaska Native majorities to a lesser extent.


This paper summarizes the data on the properties of Bacillus subtilis and their use in clinical practice. The uniqueness of Subalin is due to the combination of bacilli ability to inhibit the growth of pathogenic and opportunistic microorganisms, and to produce interferon, thereby the drug shows antibacterial, antiviral and immunomodulatory action. Application of the drug in combination with antibiotic enables to achieve high clinical efficacy, maximum eradication of pathogens, to prevent further recurrences.


ABSTRACT The purpose of the study is to examine professional identity of Turkish early childhood education teachers working in public and private preschools serving children from three to six years. The participants of the study, 1021 early childhood education teachers, were gathered through simple random sampling. The data for the study were gathered through A Professional Identity Scale (PRIS) (Kremer, L., & Hofman, J. E. (1985). Teachers' professional identity and burn-out. Research in Education, 34, 89–95.), which is adapted into Turkish through preliminary psychometric investigation of its validity and reliability. Based on correlation analysis, independent samples t-test and analysis of variance gender, age, years of experience in occupation, age group of children, monthly income, educational level and background, job position and marital status of teachers were examined. Findings suggest that teachers' professional identity was affected by such factors as gender, monthly income, educational level and background, job position, current work experience and marital status of teachers.


Abstract In premodern monsoon Asia, the legal worlds of major and minor traditions formed a cosmopolis of laws which expanded chronologically and geographically. Without necessarily replacing one another, they all coexisted in a larger domain with fluctuating influences over time and place. In this legal cosmopolis, each tradition had its own aggregation of diverse juridical, linguistic and contextual variants. In South and Southeast Asia, Islam has accordingly formed its own cosmopolis of law by incorporating a network of different juridical texts, institutions, jurists and scholars and by the meaningful use of these variants through shared vocabularies and languages. Focusing on the Shāfiʿī School of Islamic law and its major proponents in Malay and Arabic textual productions, this article argues that the intentional choice of a lingua franca contributed to the wider reception and longer sustainability of this particular legal school. The Arabic and Malay microcosmoi thus strengthened the larger cosmopolis of Islamic law through transregional and translinguistic exchanges across legal, cultural and continental borders.


Non-linear schemes are widely used in high-speed flows to capture the discontinuities present in the solution. Limiters and weighted essentially non-oscillatory schemes (WENO) are the most common non-linear numerical schemes. Most of the high-resolution schemes use the piecewise parabolic reconstruction (PPR) technique for their robustness. However, it may be impossible to achieve non-oscillatory and dissipation-free solutions with the PPR technique without non-linear switches. Most of the shock-capturing schemes use excessive dissipation to suppress the oscillations present in the discontinuities. To eliminate these issues, an algorithm is proposed that uses the shock-capturing scheme (SCS) in the first step, and then the result is refined using a novel scheme called the Discontinuity Preserving Scheme (DPS). The present scheme is a hybrid shock capture-fitting scheme. The present scheme has outperformed other schemes considered in this work, in terms of shock resolution in linear and non-linear test cases. The most significant advantage of the present scheme is that it can resolve shocks with three grid points. KeywordsShock capturing scheme, WENO, High-resolution schemes, Conservative schemes, Finite volume method.


This paper examines the impact of rising transaction tax on trade volume, price volatility and informativeness. We take advantage of a policy change in Singapore that effectively raised the transaction cost for real estate speculators in only one submarket. Based on a difference-indifferences analysis, we find that the policy change significantly reduced speculative trading activities in the treatment sample, raised its price volatility and reduced the price informativeness compared to the unaffected control sample. We further show that these findings are consistent with a relatively greater withdrawal by informed speculators than by destabilizing speculators after the transaction cost increase.


To examine the effectiveness of gene transfer of bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)-2 in vivo, we evaluated osteoinduction by an adenoviral vector, AxCAOBMP-2, under transient immunosuppression with an immunosuppression drug (cyclophosphamide), which was given at a dose of 125 mg/kg intraperitoneally the day before vector injection. Twenty-five microliters of AxCAOBMP-2 (8.75 x 10(8) pfu, Group I) and AxCALacZ (1.75 x 10(8) pfu, control group) and 5 microliter of AxCAOBMP-2 (1.75 x 10(8) pfu, Group II) were injected into a right calf muscle. On day 21, induced bone in each group was investigated radiologically, histologically, and biochemically. The finding of osteoinduction was only seen in the AxCAOBMP-2-treated groups with immunosuppression. The activity of osteoinduction in Group I was higher than that in Group II. These results suggest that gene therapy with AxCAOBMP-2 under transient immunosuppression may be useful for bone reconstruction.


Cloud computing, which provides adequate storage and computation capability, has been a prevalent information infrastructure. Secure data sharing is a basic demand when data was outsourced to a cloud server. Attribute-based proxy re-encryption has been a promising approach that allows secure encrypted data sharing on clouds. With attribute-based proxy re-encryption, a delegator can designate a set of shared users through issuing a re-encryption key which will be used by the cloud server to transform the delegator's encrypted data to the shared users'. However, the existing attribute-based proxy re-encryption schemes lack a mechanism of revoking users from the sharing set which is critical for data sharing systems. Therefore, in this paper, we propose a concrete attribute-based proxy re-encryption with direct revocation mechanism (ABPRE-DR) for encrypted data sharing that enables the cloud server to directly revoke users from the original sharing set involved in the re-encryption key. We implemented the new schemes and evaluated its performance. The experimental results show that the proposed ABPRE-DR scheme is efficient and practical.


State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) have a very important role in the implementation of the national economy in order to realize the welfare of the people. SOEs are seen as having a strategic role in fostering and developing private and cooperative businesses. The government through its regulations has mandated SOEs to participate in assisting the government in implementing the development policies that have been outlined, this is as mandated in Article 88 of Law no. 19 Year 2003 on SOEs, which in the article instructs SOEs to set aside a parcel of their net benefit for the reason of cultivating little businesses and cooperatives as well as cultivating the community around the company. The existence of the provisions of Article 88 means that SOEs are not only looking for profit, but also must play an active role in developing and fostering small businesses and cooperatives, so SOEs will have the responsibility Corporate social responsibility that can be sued is the same as other private companies in Indonesia.


The principles of geometric mechanics are extended to the physical elements of mechanics, including space and time, rigid bodies, constraints, forces, and dynamics. What is arrived at is a comprehensive and rigorous presentation of basic mechanics, starting with precise formulations of the physical axioms. A few components of the presentation are novel. One is a mathematical presentation of force and torque, providing certain well-known, but seldom clearly exposited, fundamental theorems about force and torque. The classical principles of Virtual Work and Lagrange-d'Alembert are also given clear mathematical statements in various guises and contexts. Another novel facet of the presentation is its derivation of the Euler-Lagrange equations. Standard derivations of the Euler-Lagrange equations from the equations of motion for Newtonian mechanics are typically done for interconnections of particles. Here this is carried out in a coordinate-free rmner for rigid bodies, giving for the first time a direct geometric path from the Newton-Euler equations to the Euler-Lagrange equations in the rigid body setting.


For various classes of work — for cranes, hoists, rolling mills, etc. — it is generally required that means be provided for stopping the motor quickly. When the electric power supply to the motor is taken off, the motor speed will gradually slow down, due to the friction load; however, the time required to bring the motor to a standstill by this method is generally too long, and other means have to be applied, stopping by brakes mechanically, electrically, or hand-operated, electric braking by alternating or direct current, etc.


Purpose The purpose of this study is to describe the usefulness of 18F-FDG PET/CT scanning in the diagnosis and follow-up of stage 0 Charcot foot (CNO) and CNO outcomes when therapeutic options are driven by this image modality. Patients and Methods We selected 25 out of 40 diabetic patients with an acute CNO, without any bone involvement at x-ray (stage 0 CNO). Diagnostic criteria were inflammatory clinical signs of the affected foot and skin temperature difference greater than 2°C compared with the contralateral foot (&Dgr;T). All patients underwent x-ray, MRI, and 18F-FDG PET/CT scanning (expressed as standardized uptake value, SUVmax) at baseline (T0). All patients underwent another 18F-FDG PET/CT within 1 month after &Dgr;T was less than 2°C [clinical recovery (T1)] and again every 3 months until SUVmax was less than 2 [final recovery (T2)]; at this time, MRI confirmed the end of the inflammatory condition. Results T0 &Dgr;T was 3.04 ± 1.65°C. All patients showed T0 SUVmax of the affected foot higher than the contralateral one (3.83 ± 1.087 vs. 1.24 ± 0.3; P < 0.001). At clinical recovery (T1), defined by &Dgr;T below 2°C, the inflammatory signs were no longer present (T0 vs. T1 &Dgr;T = 3.04 ± 1.65 vs. 0.9 ± 0.55°C; P < 0.0001). At T1, SUVmax was unchanged from T0 (3.80 ± 1.69 vs. 3.83 ± 1.09; P = ns). At final recovery (T2), &Dgr;T was 0.74 ± 0.29°C (similar to T1 &Dgr;T), while the SUVmax dropped from T1 to T2 (3.8 ± 1.69 vs. 1.72 ± 0.52; P < 0.0001). Standard therapy was total contact cast and removable cast walker until T2 (15.12 ± 5.45 mo). No patient developed foot bone fractures nor had relapses during follow-up (21.75 ± 16.7 mo). Discussion PET/CT scan allows the quantification of the inflammatory process; therefore, it may drive clinical decisions in the management of acute CNO better than clinical criteria. None of our patients developed foot bone fractures or had relapses during follow-up driven by PET/CT scan.


Purpose: To report our initial experience with a bifurcated endoprosthesis in the management of aortoiliac occlusive disease. Methods: From May 2001 to February 2004, 112 patients were referred to our institution for the management of aortoiliac disease. Among these, 5 (6%) patients (3 men; mean age 57.8 years) with severe ischemia owing to TASC C or D iliac occlusions were selected for endovascular treatment with a bifurcated stent-graft. An Excluder stent-graft was placed after preliminary recanalization (thrombolysis and/or balloon dilation) the day before. The patients were followed clinically and ultrasonographically every 3 months during the first year and semiannually thereafter. Results: Technical success was achieved in all patients. Endovascular aortoiliac bifurcation reconstruction restored iliac artery flow immediately in all cases. There were no procedurerelated complications. The mean ankle-brachial index (ABI) was significantly improved, from 0.66±0.04 before the procedure to 0.94±0.06 immediately after the procedure (p < 0.01). The aortoiliac reconstructions remained patent during the mean 17-month follow-up (range 3–36), and the ABIs were stable. There was no mortality or amputation required in this series. Conclusions: Endovascular placement of a bifurcated stent-graft appears to be technically feasible, effective, and safe in the management of aortoiliac occlusive disease.


Several thousand tons of pharmaceuticals and their transformation products (metabolites and degradation products) are introduced into the environment each year. They affect both human health and the environment, therefore, analytical procedures enabling the determination of a wide range of pharmaceuticals at trace levels with minimal effort, time, and energy are required. Nowadays, hyphenated techniques are commonly applied in pharmaceutical analysis. This article provides a brief overview of the state-of-the-art and future trends in the determination of pharmaceutical residues and their transformation products with a focus on the most popular techniques in the field, such as ultra or high-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC or HPLC) coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS), quadrupole time-of-flight (QTOF), and a hybrid quadrupole/linear ion trap (QqLIT) in different environmental matrices (water, soil/sediment). Attention is paid to different aspects, benefits, and limitations of the application of UPLC and mass spectrometry–based techniques.


This paper presents a theoretical investigation of the design of a new actuator type made of anisotropic colloidal particles grafted with stimuli-responsive polymer chains. These artificial muscles combine the osmotic actuation principle of stimuli-responsive hydrogels with the structural alignment of colloidal liquid crystals to achieve directional motion. The solubility of the stimuli-responsive polymer in the neutral state, its degree of polymerization, the salt concentration, and the grafting density of the polymer chains on the surface of the colloidal particles are investigated and identified as important for actuator performance and tunability. The computational results suggest that the proposed mechanically active material matches or exceeds the performances of natural muscles and provide the guidelines for the realization of artificial muscles with predetermined actuation properties.


Private cloud computing enables you to consolidate diverse enterprise systems into one that is cloud-based and can be accessed by end-users seamlessly, regardless of their location or changes in overall demand. Expert authors Steve Smoot and Nam K. Tan distill their years of networking experience to describe how to build enterprise networks to create a private cloud. With their techniques you'll create cost-saving designs and increase the flexibility of your enterprise, while maintaining the security and control of an internal network. Private Cloud Computing offers a complete cloud architecture for enterprise networking by synthesizing WAN optimization, next-generation data centers, and virtualization in a network-friendly way, tying them together into a complete solution that can be progressively migrated to as time and resources permit.Describes next-generation data center architectures such as the virtual access-layer, the unified data center fabric and the "rack-and-roll" deployment modelProvides an overview of cloud security and cloud management from the server virtualization perspectivePresents real-world case studies, configuration and examples that allow you to easily apply practical know-how to your existing enterprise environmentOffers effective private cloud computing solutions to simplify the costly and problematic challenge of enterprise networking and branch server consolidation


Prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) is a type II transmembrane glycoprotein that is highly overexpressed on prostate cancer epithelial cells and for which there is a growing body of literature examining the role of small-molecule and antibody radiotracers targeted against this protein for prostate cancer detection and therapy. Despite its name, PSMA is also expressed, to varying degrees, in the neovasculature of a wide variety of nonprostate cancers; indeed, the pathology literature is replete with promising immunohistochemistry findings. Several groups have begun to correlate those pathology-level results with in vivo imaging and therapy in nonprostate cancers using the same PSMA-targeted agents that have been so successful in prostate cancer. The potential to leverage radiotracers targeted to PSMA beyond prostate cancer is a promising approach for many cancers, and PSMA-targeted agents may be able to supplement or fill gaps left by other agents. However, to date, most of the reported findings with PSMA-targeted radiotracers in nonprostate malignancies have been in case reports and small case series, and the field must adopt a more thorough approach to the design and execution of larger prospective trials to realize the potential of these promising agents outside prostate cancer.


The use of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) is expanding in several malignancies, including urothelial carcinoma where two of these medications have been approved for use and several others remain under study. ADCs act by binding to specific cell surface proteins, delivering anticancer agents directly to the target cells. Preclinical studies suggest that loss of these surface proteins alters sensitivity to therapy and expression of target proteins vary significantly based on the tumor subtype, prior therapies and other characteristics. However, use of biomarkers to predict treatment response have not been regularly included in clinical trials and clinician practice. In this review we summarize what is known about potential predictive biomarkers for ADCs in UC and discuss potential areas where use of biomarkers may improve patient care.


The transgene in Agrobacterium-mediated Cry1A(b)-transgenic rice plants has been detected and its chromosomal location determined by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). Eight of the nine transgenic lines tested showed hybridization signals. Signals were located on regions of the chromosome in which fraction length (FL) values varied from 26.2 (near the centromere) to 95.2 (distal regions). No signal was found on regions where the fraction length was less than 26.2, while six of the nine signals detected were located on regions with FL values of 75.3 or over. This demonstrates that Agrobacterium-mediated genes can integrate into multiple sites distributed in different parts of the chromosome, but that distal regions are the preferred sites and regions near the centromeres are colder for T-DNA integration. The donor DNA of the transformation was divided into two parts, labelled separately as probes for two-colour FISH. Results show that the transformed DNA sequences remained linked in the recipient genome. The relationship between integration position and transgene silencing, known as the 'position effect', is discussed.


Abstract This paper examines foreign exchange (FX) hedging by Norwegian exporting firms to provide empirical evidence on the determinants of the hedging decision. The paper contributes to prior studies by, first, focusing on exporters to ensure that the companies in the sample have FX exposure, thereby allowing a more rigorous test of the theoretical determinants of hedging, and, secondly, in contrast to most previous studies that have focused on FX external hedging instruments, the use of both internal and external instruments is examined. Univariate, multivariate and multinominal analyses all provide evidence consistent with the firm value maximization hypotheses of underinvestment and risk aversion. Also, the following characteristics of firms—size, extent of internationalization and liquidity—are found to be related to the decision to hedge FX risk. However, the evidence on the links between the firm characteristics and the decision to hedge is not consistent across internal and external FX hedgers, and also varies for individual hedging instruments. Therefore it is argued that the empirical evidence on the theoretical determinants cannot be generalized to cover the full range of FX hedging strategies (which includes internal hedging instruments). Unlike empirical studies for other countries the evidence for Norwegian firms does not support the hypothesis that the avoidance of financial distress and the need to resort to external capital markets is a significant determinant of the hedging decision. Whilst the evidence suggests that country-specific factors may play a role in determining the use of FX hedging, it does not imply that the different policies adopted are necessarily inconsistent with the firm value maximization hypothesis.


One of the challenges in Cognitive Radio (CR) is efficiently monitoring a wideband radio frequency (RF) spectrum in order to identify unoccupied bands. Compressive Sensing (CS) has recently been proposed to address this problem. Typical CS techniques, however, involve random projections followed by a computationally intensive signal reconstruction process. Since spectral monitoring does require full signal reconstruction - only identification of occupied regions to avoid - we propose a novel spectrum monitoring approach based on the Nyquist Folding Receiver (NYFR) in conjunction with the Analytic Wavelet Transform. The NYFR performs analog compression via a non-uniform sampling process that induces a chirp-like modulation on each received signal. This induced modulation can be measured using time-frequency analysis techniques to determine the original RF band of origin without full signal reconstruction. This paper investigates the feasibility of using the Analytic Wavelet Transform to perform NYFR information recovery in support of CR wideband spectrum sensing.


An increasing number of conferences encourage or require electronic submission of papers. As program chair of the 1996 Sigmetrics conference, the author ran the conference paper submission process electronically. The author approached the task with a number of goals. He encountered a few surprises along the way, and can now comment on the benefits and drawbacks to the Internet based approach. The system developed to manage Sigmetrics 96 (WIMPE-Web Interface for Managing Programs Electronically) can be used to manage other conferences.


: Cloud computing is new technology that provides cheaper, easier, and more powerful processes to customers over internet. The cloud service provider (CSP) provides virtualized resources on Internet instead of using software or storage on a local computer. The economic benefits are the main reason for using cloud computing. Cloud computing dynamically delivers everything as a service (XaaS) over the internet based on user demand, such as network, operating system, storage, hardware, software, and resources. Thus, many security and privacy issues must be taken into consideration. The services of cloud computing are usually classified into three types: Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS) and Software as a Service (SaaS). This paper aims to achieve two main goals. The first is to review the field of cloud computing with an emphasis on the identity and access management (IAM) in the cloud. Secondly, we will report on our ongoing work for developing a novel system for IAM based on the techniques of Identity-Based Cryptography (IBC) security mediated cryptography. The proposed system architecture will be outlined along with some of the major operational steps.


Rice "the queen of cereals" occupies 11% of world's crop area and is a staple food for above 60% world's population. Chhattisgarh state is known as rice bowl in the India. Bastar plateau sub-humid agroclimatic zone, agriculture is still largely traditional with low crop productivity. Critical inputs viz. improved seed, fertilizer, organic manure, chemicals, etc. are also not easily available and use by the farmers. Farmers do not use proper crop rotation techniques and plant protection measures due to that diseases and pest problem are higher every year. A crop failure, for any reason, poses a real threat of starvation. Blast of Rice caused by Magnaporthe grisea (Hebert) Barr is an important disease of rice, which accounts for serious yield losses in all rice growing areas of the country. The fungus Pyricularia grisea attacks at all stages of the crop and symptoms appear on leaves and nodes (Seebold et al., 2004). Bhatt (1988) reported more than 65 % loss in yield in the susceptible rice cultivars. For every 10% of neck blast about 6% yield reduction and 5% increase in chalky kernels are recorded (Katsube and Koshimizu, 1970). Rice blast and blight caused by fungus, causes lesions to form on leaves, stems, peduncles, panicles, seeds, and even roots. So great is the potential threat for crop failure from this disease that it has been ranked among the most important plant diseases of them all. With the aim of controlling the rice blast by using integrated control methods the present investigation was undertaken in the field trail experiments against the disease in order to find out suitable management methods of blast. Integrated Disease Management (IDM) is important for reducing threat to environment and for sustaining higher yields. There is need to test and demonstrate IDM technique at farmers fields for their wide adoptability. On-farm trials and front line demonstrations were conducted through Krishi Vigyan Kendra Bastar in Kharif 2012 and 2013, to popularize IDM module to boost rice production in diseases prone area of Bastar platue. Mainly focus in IDM on resistant variety, weed free field, seed treatment with Trycyclazole @ 0.1% followed by foliar spray of Tricyclazole @ 0.06% at appearance of disease. Yield improved to the tune of 33.5 per cent by the IDM module over farmers practice plots. Net returns (Rs. 32200) and benefit cost ratio (1.78) were also higher in same practice. An additional income of Rs. 8080/ha was obtained over the farmers practice.


The texture evolution of cold rolled tough pitch copper foils could be changed by altering the initial texture and microstructure before cold rolling. The development of β-fiber texture was substantially suppressed even after 92% reduction for the case of abnormally coarse initial grain structure and extremely strong initial cube texture. Instead, the intensity of cube and RD (rolling direction)-rotated cube texture components was increased continuously by increasing the intensity of the initial cube texture.


&NA; Paragangliomas (or 'extra‐adrenal phaeochromocytomas') are rare tumours arising from neural crest cells. They occur most commonly in the abdomen along the paraspinal sympathetic ganglion. The malignancy rate can be up to 35% and surgical resection is the recommended treatment. While laparoscopic excision of phaeochromocytomas is now well established, the overall number of cases of paragangliomas reported is much smaller owing to their rarity (even more so for giant paragangliomas of ≥8cm) and controversy remains over the completeness of excision. Furthermore, the risk of malignancy and recurrence rate are higher in paragangliomas, with incomplete excision giving rise to recurrent endocrinopathy and carcinomatosis. We report the case of a 26‐year‐old woman who underwent laparoscopic excision of an 8.2cm functioning paraganglioma. Complete resection of the tumour was achieved and the patient's symptoms resolved. Twelve months later, she remains well with no evidence of recurrence.


Two rare cases of laryngeal paraganglioma are reported. The first patient was a 14-year-old girl, that had a new laterocervical paraganglioma, 4 years after the excision of a laryngeal tumor. The other patient was a 33-year-old man. In both the cases, the diagnosis was made on histopathological ground and the tumors displayed the typical histological pattern of paragangliomas: epithelioid tumor cell arranged in nests (Zell-ballen) in a vascular stroma. Neoplastic cells were found to contain argyrophil granules and chromogranin. Laryngeal paragangliomas reported in the literature are 73, they generally are supraglottic, show no sex predilection and prefer the V-VII decades of age.


Objectives To investigate the role of EphA2 in malignant cellular behavior in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) cells and whether FAK/RhoA signaling can act as downstream effectors of EphA2 on RCC cells. Methods Expression of EphA2 protein in non-metastatic RCC (Caki-2 and A498), metastatic RCC cells (Caki-1 and ACHN), HEK-293 cells and prostate cancer cells (PC-3 and DU-145; positive controls of EphA2 expression) was evaluated by Western blot. Changes in mRNA or protein expression of EphA2, FAK or membrane-bound RhoA following EphA2, FAK or RhoA small interfering RNA (siRNA) transfection were determined by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction or Western blot. The effect of siRNA treatment on cellular viability, apoptosis and invasion was analyzed by cell counting kit-8, Annexin-V and modified Matrigel-Boyden assays, respectively. Results In all RCC cell lines, the expression of EphA2 protein was detectable at variable levels; however, in HEK-293 cells, EphA2 expression was very low. Treatment with EphA2 siRNA significantly reduced the expression of EphA2 mRNA and protein in all RCC cell lines. For non-metastatic RCC cells (Caki-2 and A498) but not metastatic RCC cells (Caki-1 and ACHN), cellular viability, invasiveness, resistance to apoptosis, expression of membrane-bound RhoA protein and FAK phosphorylation were significantly decreased in EphA2 siRNA-treated cells compared to the control. In non-metastatic RCC cells, FAK siRNA significantly attenuated the invasiveness, resistance to apoptosis, as well as expression of membrane-bound RhoA protein without changing protein expression of EphA2. RhoA siRNA significantly decreased the malignant cellular behavior and expression of membrane-bound RhoA protein without changing EphA2 protein expression or FAK phosphorylation. Conclusions Our data provide the first functional evidence that the EphA2/FAK/RhoA signaling pathway plays a critical role in the malignant cellular behavior of RCC and appears to be functional particularly in the early stage of malignant progression of non-metastatic RCC.


Stomal recurrence after surgery for laryngeal tumours is an extremely serious complication, with a dismal prognosis despite aggressive surgical therapy or high-dose irradiation. Data from 209 patients who underwent total laryngectomy for cancers of the larynx and hypopharynx were retrieved from the registry of the Department of Otorhinolaryngology at the Hospital 'Virgen de las Nieves' of Granada. Stomal recurrence developed in 8.1 per cent of them (17 cases). We analysed several parameters from each case: first, those parameters significantly associated with stomal recurrence were detected, and secondly, a logistic regression analysis was done. Three factors were found independently related to stomal recurrence: T-staging, site of the primary tumour and prior tracheostomy. Together with a review of the literature, we discuss our findings and a proposal for management of the high risk patient.


DURING the course of the neurologic examination, deviations from classic normality occur even in the absence of organic disease of the nervous system. Much experience and intuition are required to distinguish normal variations from pathologic signs, and too frequently the presence of asymmetry is allowed to constitute the determining factor. It would seem only reasonable to assume that some of the determinants of these deviant, but nonpathologic, signs might have significance for the clinician. For example, variations in reflex responses might be found to occur in definite patterns, so that a single observation could be interpreted in terms of its conformity to the pattern set by the other reflexes rather than in terms of an absolute standard. Another possibility is that psychic attitude might be expressed by, or might determine, patterns of reflex variability. Accordingly, complete neurologic examinations were performed and the results recorded in conjunction with diagnostic psychiatric interviews


The possibility of the experiment for constraining the symmetry energy Esym(ρ) at supra-densities via π−/π+ probe on the external target experiment of phase I (ETE(I)) with part coverage at forward angle at HIRFL-CSR is studied for the first time by using the isospin and momentum dependent hadronic transport model IBUU04. Based on the transport simulation with Au+Au collisions at 400 MeV/u, it is found that the differential π−/π+ ratios are more sensitive to Esym(ρ) at forward angles in laboratory reference, compared with the total yield ratio widely proposed. The insufficient coverage at lower transverse momentum maintains the sensitivity of the dependence of π−/π+ ratio on the Esym(ρ) at high density, indicating that the ETF (I) under construction in Lanzhou provides the possibility of performing the experiment for probing the asymmetric nuclear equation of state.


Abstract The results of two-dimensional simulations of the deep circulation of Venus are presented. They prove that the high surface temperature can only be explained by the greenhouse effect, and that Goody and Robinson's dynamical model is not valid. Very long time integrations, up to a time comparable with the radiative relaxation time, confirm these results. Analytical radiative equilibrium solutions for a semi-grey atmosphere, both with and without an internal heat source, are presented. It is shown that the green-house effect is sufficient to produce the high surface temperature if τT* ≫ 100 and S = τS*/τT* ≲ 0.005. This result is still valid in the presence of an internal heat source of intensity compatible with observations. A two-dimensional version of a three-dimensional model is used to test the validity of the new mechanism proposed by Gierasch to explain the 4-day circulation. Numerical experiments with horizontal viscosities vH = 1011 – 1012 cm2 s−1 failed to show strong zonal velocities eve...


Abstract This article summarizes the work that has been carried out as part of the FLAVIIR project, a 5-year research programme looking at technologies for future unmanned air vehicles (UAVs). This is a UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council funded project sponsored by BAE systems. A framework to estimate the life cycle cost of UAVs is presented. The acquisition costs are estimated using a hierarchical structure and a discrete simulation model is used to estimate the maintenance and operation costs. The architecture to estimate the life cycle cost and the associated models are described. A framework is presented in which the cost models developed can be integrated into the design process to facilitate the comparison between different configurations. It is then demonstrated how this framework can be used to perform trade-off analysis and cost-based optimization.


A variant of flipped learning based on intensive usage of geomedia in geography and geo informatics has been developed and presented in the article. Students assessed quality of mapping according to ISO standard. The results show that individuals are considerably better than groups, especially in tasks which required the use of critical judgement, deep er understanding and creative thinking. However, groups are more successful in finding unique differences, where synergy effect of the collaborative learning is an important factor.


Some problems of the establishment and management of a clinical gait assessment laboratory are explored. It is suggested that the term 'gait analysis' should be restricted to data gathering and that the term 'gait assessment' be used for the integration of this information with that from other sources for the purpose of clinical decision-making. Particular problems derive from the fact that gait analysis measures the effects of combined causes and compensatory activities of the body. The identification of causes requires, therefore, an initial theory which has to be tested by some interference with the system and this repeated as this proves necessary. This may be facilitated by a computer-aided decision program. The overall implications are that the whole body needs to be studied by a wide range of devices in a situation where the contribution of the clinician in regard to time more nearly matches that of the bioengineer than is customary.


The construction industry is one of India's most important and fastest-growing sectors. However, the construction industry is plagued with problems of cost and time overruns. Rework is one of the major causes of cost overrun and time overrun in the construction industry. This study investigates the factors causing the rework of building construction in Kerala. To compile a list of the factors that lead to rework, a thorough analysis of the literature was done. A questionnaire survey was conducted to collect the opinions from contractors, engineers, and design consultants and the factors were ranked using the relative importance index (RII). Lack of project funding, poor monitoring and control, and poor communication or coordination among stakeholders were identified as the significant causes of rework in building construction in Kerala. In order to establish an interrelationship between the top fourteen critical factors influencing rework, Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM) method was used. Based on the ISM, a hierarchical structure was created, and it was found that the client's ignorance of the planning and construction processes was the primary cause of the rework in building construction. Matrice d' Impacts Croise's Multiplication Appliquee a Classement (MICMAC) analysis was done to classify the factors based on driving and dependence power and those factors with high driving power have to be given attention to control the rework of building construction in Kerala. The significance of each critical cause and its interrelationships can create a better awareness among the stakeholders involved and thereby reduce the extent of rework in building construction.


Background A high salt diet is associated with the development of hypertension, one of the most important cardiovascular risk factors. A reduction in sodium intake seems to have an effect on increasing serum triglycerides (TGs). Elevated TGs are independently linked to cardiovascular risk. However, there is limited evidence of a possible interactive effect of sodium intake and serum TGs on high blood pressure (BP). Methods We conducted a nationwide, population-based interaction analysis using the Kawasaki method for estimating 24-h urinary sodium excretion (e24hUNaEKawasaki) as a candidate indicator of dietary sodium intake. All native Koreans aged 20 years or older without significant medical illness were eligible for inclusion. Results A total of 16936 participants were divided into quintiles according to their e24hUNaEKawasaki results. Participants in the highest quintile were more obese and hypertensive and had higher white blood cell count, lower hemoglobin, greater glycemic exposure, and poor lipid profiles compared to the same parameters of individuals in other quintiles. Linear regression revealed that e24UNaEKawasaki was related to systolic BP, diastolic BP, and TGs. Multiple logistic regression, adjusted for dietary sodium intake and various conventional risk factors for chronic vascular diseases, showed that both e24UNaEKawasaki and TGs were significant predictors of hypertension. Our interaction analysis demonstrated that increased sodium intake was associated with higher risk of hypertension in participants with elevated TGs than in those without (adjusted RERI = 0.022, 95% CI = 0.017–0.027; adjusted AP = 0.017, 95% CI = 0.006–0.028; adjusted SI = 1.010, 95% CI = 1.007–1.014). Conclusion Our findings suggest that the interaction between a high salt diet and elevated TGs may exert synergistic biological effects on the risk of hypertension.


Interference and collisions greatly limit the throughput of mesh networks that used contention-based MAC protocols such as 802.11. Significantly higher throughput is achievable if transmissions are scheduled. However, traditional methods to compute optimal schedules are computationally intractable (unless co-channel interference is neglected). This paper presents a tractable technique to compute optimal schedules and routing in multihop wireless networks. The resulting algorithm consists of three layers of optimization. The inner-most optimization computes an estimate of the capacity. This optimization is a linear or nonlinear optimization with linear constraints. The middle iteration uses the Lagrange multipliers from the inner iteration to modify the space over which the inner optimization is performed. This is a graph theoretic optimization known as the maximum weighted independent set problem. The outermost optimization uses the Lagrange multipliers from the innermost optimization to find optimal routes. This optimization requires solving several least cost paths problems and several maximum weighted independent set problems. The impact of optimal scheduling and routing is examined on realistic models of mesh networks where it is found that the capacity provided by optimal scheduling and routing is between a factor of 5 and 15 greater than that provided by 802.11's CSMA/CD with least hop routing.


Physical fitness is an important marker of health that can be measured by means of field-based tests, though research about its psychometric properties when performed by people with Down syndrome is scarce. A systematic review was designed to identify the validity and reliability of the existing physical fitness field-based tests that have been administered to individuals with Down syndrome. An evidence-based search for peer-reviewed studies was conducted informing about the reliability and/or validity of physical fitness field-based tests that have been administered to individuals with Down syndrome utilizing the PubMed, PEDro, SPORTDiscus, and Scopus databases throughout the period November 2014 to May 2015. Of the 15 studies selected, all provided information about reliability, but only seven included validity measurement for the field tests chosen to assess physical fitness in Down syndrome cohorts. Aerobic resistance field test assessments were the most frequent, totalling 7 studies, while 5 investigations used strength tests instead and 3 of them used balance tests. Only one study used agility as a parameter. There was a noticeable lack of studies that analyzed the reliability or validity of physical fitness field-based tests in people with Down syndrome, especially in adult and elderly populations. The half-mile run-walk, hand-held dynamometer, and the four square balance tests seem to be the most valid field-based tests when assessing aerobic endurance, muscular strength, and balance respectively in groups of persons with Down syndrome.


In a tension star, the tension is so great that gravity becomes repulsive and is balanced by the cohesive effect of tension. Such repulsive gravity is the basis of the inflation of the Universe. The simplest model of a tension star is Schwarzschild's internal solution but with a negative pressure. Such objects are static but inhabit the space on the far side of the Einstein-Rosen bridge. Static shells of matter in tension, including spherical domain walls, can be built in this region only.


Robust dynamic interactions are required to move robots in daily environments alongside humans. Optimisation and learning methods have been used to mimic and reproduce human movements. However, they are often not robust and their generalisation is limited. This work proposed a hierarchical control architecture for robot manipulators and provided capabilities of reproducing human-like motions during unknown interaction dynamics. Our results show that the reproduced end-effector trajectories can preserve the main characteristics of the initial human motion recorded via a motion capture system, and are robust against external perturbations. The data indicate that some detailed movements are hard to reproduce due to the physical limits of the hardware that cannot reach the same velocity recorded in human movements. Nevertheless, these technical problems can be addressed by using better hardware and our proposed algorithms can still be applied to produce imitated motions.


Elderberry rust (Puccinia sambuci Schwein.) Arthur (=P. bolleyana) (Arthur, 1921) disease is frequently found in commercial American elderberry (Sambucus nigra L. subsp. canadensis L.) plantings when an alternate host, Carex sp., is present. To evaluate potential infection periods of P. sambuci on elderberry plants, micrometeorological conditions were monitored. Rust symptoms were observed on elderberry on 5 Apr. 2016, and conditions favorable for possible infection were 9 to 18 °C, ≥3 hours of continuous leaf wetness, and ≥85% relative humidity. Studies were also conducted to ascertain whether P. sambuci with varying pustule numbers affects fruiting, berry puree quality, or vegetative growth. Fruit yield was reduced by 31% when potted 'Bob Gordon' elderberry averaged six rust pustules per plant compared with noninfected plants. In another experiment, field-grown 'Wyldewood' plants averaging 137 rust pustules/cane at harvest had 47% less fruit weight on canes than uninfected canes. Titratable acidity of fruit puree from plants was lower when plants had either 690 rust pustules/plant or 137/pustules/cane, but soluble solids and pH of puree were unaffected by P. sambuci infection. The effect of rust infection on vegetative growth of elderberry plants also varied with pustule numbers. With a low infection level (six pustules per plant), P. sambuci did not induce premature leaf loss on 'Bob Gordon' plants or adversely affect shoot dry weight at the end of the growing season. When P. sambuci infection on 'Wyldewood' plants was more severe (137 pustules/cane), greater leaf loss occurred on infected canes than on uninfected canes. At very high infection levels (690 pustules/plant), 'Bob Gordon' plant dry weight was reduced. Because of the potential for fruit yield loss on elderberry plants, control of P. sambuci at relatively low infection levels on this plant may be warranted. Strategies that eliminate or suppress the alternate host would likely reduce the P. sambuci inoculum and limit the potential for elderberry plant infection.


This paper addresses the problem of analysing both robust stability and non fragility induced by a static output feedback control law. The considered models are discrete-time linear state-space representations that are subject to polytopic uncertainties. The only restriction is that the uncertainty affecting the observation matrix is independent on the uncertainty affecting evolution and control matrices. Stability is attested by the existence of a Lyapunov function that is quadratic with respect to the state vector and depends on the uncertain parameters in a "bi-polytopic way". Fragility is also handled in this paper. This works is part of LMI framework.


Uninhibited urethral relaxation appears to be a clinically distinct cause of urinary incontinence. It was found in 11 of 534 incontinent women who had multichannel urodynamic evaluation, and in 2 of these it was the sole cause of incontinence. This diagnosis should only be made after careful scrutiny has ruled out a low pressure detrusor contraction, cough, valsalva, or heel bounce as the cause of the urethral relaxation. Because the majority of patients had a voiding mechanism that included a detrusor contraction, it is unlikely that uninhibited urethral relaxation represents a variant of detrusor instability in patients unable to generate a detrusor contraction. It most likely reflects an exaggeration of urethral instability due to relaxation of the smooth and/or striated urethral musculature.


Sedentary lifestyle has associated with poor health outcomes. Any waking behavior with low energy expenditure is sedentary lifestyle. Because of sedentary life style there are various physiological changes occurs in the human body. Multiple changes in the biochemical variables are seen in sedentary behavior. Yoga is one of our traditional methods which promotes active life style and also aids in health life style. Aerobic dance is a form of aerobic exercises which improves the individual's health through dance movements. Since there are not much studies comparing the aerobic dance and yoga this study aims to identify the effect of aerobic dance and yoga therapy on various biochemical variables in sedentary individuals. 50 subjects were selected using random sampling method based on International physical activity questionnaire (IPAQ) and they all randomly divided into two groups. Both underwent a protocol of exercises for 12 weeks. Biochemical variables includes HDL, LDL, Total Cholesterol, Triglycerides and Hemoglobin levels were calculated and taken for analysis using SPSS 21.0. The result of the study between yoga and aerobics shows that total cholesterol is 2.69 with p< 0.05, HDL is 2.45 with p< 0.05, LDL is 4.66 with p< 0.05, Triglycerides is 2.57 with p< 0.05, and Hemoglobin is 2.45 with p< 0.05. The study concludes that yoga has shows improvement in the LDL, HDL and total cholesterol whereas, aerobic dance shows improvement in the Triglycerides and hemoglobin values in sedentary individuals.


The objective of this study is to analyse the impact of introducing a practical work in the learning process of the Fluid Transport Systems course in Chemical Engineering degree. The students, in groups of two or three elements, were free to choose the application case in order to develop the practical work proposed by the responsible teachers. The students selected a centrifugal pump to supply water to houses or buildings and designed the piping system. The practical work was evaluated through the written report. The students' perceptions were analysed through a questionnaire. The learning outcomes were also considered in order to understand how the fluid mechanics concepts were acquired. In the teachers' point of view the teamwork should enable the development of students' soft skills and competencies, promoting the ability to integrate and work in teams. The students changed their learning processing and perception becoming more reflective and less accommodative, forcing them to think critically and share opinions. Regarding the Fluid Mechanics assessment, the practical work increased, in average, the final grade at least one value.


Background The accuracy of open-field autorefractors is important for vision screening, clinical care, and vision research, especially in patients with childhood myopia. TOPCON KR3000 autorefractor was conventional autorefractor and subjective refraction after cycloplegia was gold criteria for assessing the refraction. Results of refractive error in Chinese school-aged children obtained by three methods were evaluated and compared. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted. A total of 89 patients (with a total of 177 eyes) diagnosed as refractive error in the Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine from July 2020 to September 2020 were sequentially enrolled in this study. All subjects underwent routine ophthalmic examination to exclude other ocular diseases and had a best corrected visual acuity no less than 0.1 The spherical diopter (SD), spherical equivalence (SE), and astigmatism (J0 and J45) were determined in patients before cycloplegia using two autorefractors, and again after cycloplegia. Subjective refraction results were obtained simultaneously after cycloplegia as gold criteria for comparison. A comparison of data between three methods was performed using paired t-tests and presented graphically using Bland-Altman plots. Results Before cycloplegia, the SD and SE results from WAM were 0.14 D and 0.12 D more positive than the reading from TOPCON (P=0.011 and P=0.021, respectively). The SD measured by WAM and TOPCON was 0.31 D and 0.45 D more negative than the values obtained by subjective refraction after cycloplegia, respectively (P<0.001 and P<0.001, respectively). The SE readings also showed a similar trend (P<0.001, P<0.001). After cycloplegia, the SD and SE measurement obtained with WAM were 0.13 D and 0.12 D more positive than those measured by TOPCON (P<0.001 and P<0.001, respectively), and this was not significantly different to the results obtained using subjective refraction. However, the results of SD, SE, and J0 measured by the TOPCON were significantly different from the results obtained using subjective refraction (P<0.001, P<0.001, and P=0.002, respectively). Conclusions In clinical application, the measurements obtained with the WAM-5500 autorefractor were more reliable than those of the TOPCON KR3000 autorefractor in patients with or without cycloplegia. The WAM-5500 Autorefractor represents a reliable and valid objective refraction tool for optometric practice.


The subject of this article is the semiotic interpretation of James Joyce's Ulysses and its Armenian translation. The latter is a significant achievement in literary translation not only because the original text is one of the unique masterpieces of world literature, but also because the Armenian translation is so masterfully done that it is worthy of being placed next to the original. The present article aims to study colour as a socio-cultural multi-layered sign in the 'Nausicaa' episode in James Joyce's Ulysses and the ways it is translated into Armenian. The study is conducted by lingua-stylistic, lingua-poetic, and literary methods.


A comparative study of parallel metaheuristics executed in grid environments is proposed, having as case study a genetic algorithm, a simulated annealing algorithm and a random search method. The random search method was constructed in order to offer a lower bound for the comparison. Furthermore, a conjugated gradient local search method is employed for each of the algorithms, at different points on the execution path. The algorithms are evaluated using the protein structure prediction problem, the benchmark instances consisting of the tryptophan-cage protein (Brookhaven protein data bank ID 1L2Y) and alpha-cyclodextrin. The algorithms are designed to benefit from the grid environment although having no particular optimization for the specified benchmarks. The presented results are obtained by running the algorithms independently and, in a second time, in conjunction with the conjugated gradient search method. Experimentations were performed on a nation-wide grid reuniting five distinct administrative domains and cumulating 400 CPUs. The complexity of the protein structure prediction problem remains prohibitive as far as large proteins are concerned, making the use of parallel computing on the computational grid essential for its efficient resolution.


The unit cost of secondary education has continued to increase steadily and especially the direct and indirect cost while outcomes are repeatedly unsatisfactory. The consequence of this would be that students in Siaya district lose hope and parents who have clearest interest in a high level of their children's performance become disoriented with secondary schooling. The study focused on relationship between unit cost and academic performance at secondary level. The descriptive  and causal comparative designs were used in this study. The study sample comprised 85 head teachers', 765 teachers', 3349 students and one DEO. Questionnaires' and interview guides were used. Pearson's correlation between unit cost in day secondary schools and performance index using raw scores reveal a coefficient of relationship of 0.372 while the constant variation shows a correlation of 0.372. In boarding secondary schools, Pearson's correlation between unit cost and performance index using raw score and constant variation shows a correlation of 0.412.  The correlation in most cases is low with an implication of very low relationship between unit cost and performance index. The implication of such a relationship is that a rise in unit cost does not necessary mean an increase in performance index and putting more resources as a mean of improving performance should be treated with caution. Key Terms : Unit Cost, Academic Performance Index, Impact


Rejection of H-2 class I bm 1 mutant skin allografts by B6 recipient mice is mediated by a population of CD8+ anti-bm1 cytotoxic T-lymphocytes that produces and consumes its own T helper factor in response to bm1 skin allografts (dual function CTL). Previously we have demonstrated that transfusion of allogeneic lymphocytes across an H-2 class I disparity induces specific long-lasting skin allograft survival. We now show that intravenous injection of allogeneic spleen cells across the bm1 mutant disparity results in a temporary decrease of donor-reactive CTLp in the spleen of recipient mice, lasting for approximately five weeks. The sponge matrix allograft model was used to show that allograft tolerance is caused by a specific functional clonal deletion of CTLp within the allograft. We propose that dual function CTL are vetoed by donor T cells, resulting in skin allograft tolerance.


According to the Census Bureau report in 2010, franchising accounts for 10.5% of businesses in the U.S. Despite the economic impact of franchising, little research examines financing decisions by franchisees in the startup phase of their businesses. We examine the use of debt financing, primarily bootstrapping, by franchisees to fund their businesses in the earliest stages of operation. The research analyzes data from the Kauffman Firm Survey (KFS), and we develop an exploratory model of franchisee activity. Consequences of the lack of loan availability will have detrimental effects on the success of franchise startups. Implications for practice, policy and future research are discussed.


In this provocative volume, Zillah Eisenstein uncovers the hidden sexual and racial politics of the past decade. Beginning where she left off in her award-winning book "The Female Body and the Law", Eisenstein takes the reader on a feminist-inspired road trip, traveling from the thicket of recent abortion decisions to the revolutions of 1989 to the murky chambers of the Anita Hill/Clarence Thomas hearings. Along the way, she enunciates a wholly original conception of individual privacy and sexual rights. Eisenstein brings a range of topics to her discussion: the L.A. riots, crack babies, Murphy Brown, political correctness, the 1992 presidential election, the Gulf War. She seeks to redirect our thinking about democracy away from universal conceptions that mask racial and gender oppression to the specific realities of women and people of color. A respect for multiple differences - as represented in the needs of women of color and their bodies - is, she says, essential to inclusive universal rights. Reproductive freedoms and sexual equality, not abstract notions of civil liberties, provide the wellsprings of a meaningful democratic life. Using this perspective to evaluate the Eastern European revolutions of 1989, Eisenstein finds that the separation between their ideals and the reality of the market system illustrates the failings of democratic theory, especially for women. Eisenstein's controversial arguments will provoke a rethinking of what race and gender mean today.


This paper describes the implementation of a 3-dimensional concrete constitutive model for fiber-based analysis of reinforced concrete members subjected to combined loadings including torsion. The proposed model is formulated to address the interaction between the axial force, bidirectional shear, biaxial bending, and torsion. The shear mechanism along the beam is modeled using a Timoshenko beam approach with three dimensional (3-D) frame elements with arbitrary cross-section geometry. The model considers the 3D equilibrium, compatibility, and constitutive laws of materials at the section and structural level. The concrete constitutive law follows the Softened Membrane Model (SMM) with a tangent-stiffness formulation. The emphasis of the paper is on evaluation of the effect of the different stress states on the global and local behavior of the member. The ability of the model to assess the ultimate strength, stiffness, energy dissipation, failure modes under 3-dimensional loading is evaluated by correlation of analytical results with experimental tests of RC specimens.


A field trial of dynamic taxi-sharing services based on Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) technologies has been conducted in Taipei Nei-Hu Science and Technology Park. This paper gives an overview of the dynamic taxi-sharing system, presents a research framework to explore the internal and external factors affecting the customer's acceptance with taxi-sharing services by using multivariate analysis methods, describes the empirical results of the field trial and provides valuable implications to better taxi-sharing services in the future.


The management of total quality is a management philosophy that is aimed to apply all organizational resources such as employees as the most effective factor to reach the organizational objectives. Therefore, TQM involves all activities of an organization from sale and marketing to designing, production and after sale services. This study is aimed to gain a better understanding of vital factors of success (CSF) of TQM in the sector of Iranian industry of sport lodging. With regard to supreme objectives of TQM, the conditions of vital factors to success of Iranians athlete's house is studied in this paper to settle the discipline of TQM. The studied society in this study is formed of all sport lodgers throughout Iran. Through a questionnaire the related factors were asked of 138 employees of athlete lodging and their views were indicated. The questionnaire is based on the standards of the international quality prize, Malcom and Baldrig (1991). It involves 47 questions based on 7 vital factors of success (leadership, strategy and policy, focus on customer, information's analysis, focus on human resources, management process and business results) and the subsystems available in organization are considered including educational systems, employee corporation, efficiency assessing, reward and punish, quality, customer relation, inspecting and.... The dynamic coefficient of questionnaire was calculated by the method of "kronbach alpha" which =0.89 was obtained. After evaluating hostels, their strengths and weaknesses were analyzed. To analyze data, the descriptive statistical techniques were performed by using SPSS20 software. Calmogeraf esmeirnof test was used to analyze the natural condition of data and freedman test was used to classify the factors and T test was used to compare vital factors of success in TQM 1 in the terms of graduations and participation history. The obtained data in the term of success vital factors in TQM at athlete hostels indicated that among seven studied main factors, the factor of focus on customer has the most pleasant conditions and leadership factor has the worst conditions and factors of strategy and policy, leadership, focus on customer, information's analysis, focus on human resources, management process and business results had meaningful difference at the level of p0.05. The mentioned studied shows the poor conditions of TQM strategy in the sector of Iran industry of sport lodging that requires more efforts in this field.


This paper investigates hardware support for fine-grain distributed shared memory (DSM) in networks of workstations. To reduce design time and implementation cost relative to dedicated DSM systems, we decouple the functional hardware components of DSM support, allowing greater use of off-the-shelf devices.We present two decoupled systems, Typhoon-0 and Typhoon-1. Typhoon-0 uses an off-the-shelf protocol processor and network interface; a custom access control device is the only DSM-specific hardware. To demonstrate the feasibility and simplicity of this access control device, we designed and built an FPGA-based version in under one year. Typhoon-1 also uses an off-the-shelf protocol processor, but integrates the network interface and access control devices for higher performance.We compare the performance of the two decoupled systems with two integrated systems via simulation. For six benchmarks on 32 nodes, Typhoon-0 ranges from 30% to 309% slower than the best integrated system, while Typhoon-1 ranges from 13% to 132% slower. Four of the six benchmarks achieve speedups of 12 to 18 on Typhoon-0 and 15 to 26 on Typhoon-1, compared with 19 to 35 on the best integrated system. Two benchmarks are hampered by high communication overheads, but selectively replacing shared-memory operations with message passing provides speedups of at least 16 on both decoupled systems. These speedups indicate that decoupled designs can potentially provide a cost-effective alternative to complex high-end DSM systems.


Methods for parameter estimation of gravitational-wave data assume that detector noise is stationary and Gaussian. Real data deviates from these assumptions, which causes bias in the inferred parameters and incorrect estimates of the errors. We develop a sensitive test of non-Gaussianity for real gravitational-wave data which measures meaningful parameters that can be used to characterize these effects. As a test case, we investigate the quality of data cleaning performed by the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA collaboration around GW200129, a binary black hole signal which overlapped with the noise produced by the radio frequency modulation. We demonstrate that a significant portion of the non-Gaussian noise is removed below 50 Hz, yet some of the noise still remains after the cleaning; at frequencies above 85 Hz, there is no excess noise removed. We also show that this method can quantify the amount of non-Gaussian noise in continuous data, which is useful for general detector noise investigations. To do that, we estimate the difference in non-Gaussian noise in the presence and absence of light scattering noise.


In the UK, the Research Excellence Framework is a mechanism used for ranking the quality of research in higher education institutions. While there has been analysis of the entire Research Excellence Framework, and of the Education unit of assessment more generally, analysis of how research on initial teacher education featured in the Research Excellence Framework has been minimal. In this article, we report on Phase I of an 18-month project that mapped the extent to which initial teacher education-focused research was included in the 2014 Research Excellence Framework. Employing a novel methodology and a theoretical framework based on policy as text and discourse, we identify a sample of 12 higher education institutions that provided initial teacher education programmes and returned outputs to the 2014 Research Excellence Framework. Analysis of over 1,600 outputs suggest that in the 2014 Research Excellence Framework only 5.5 per cent of these were focused on initial teacher education. We discuss the methodological approach, some headline findings and areas for future research, arguing that these add evidence to the literature of initial teacher education-focused research and, in doing so, can inform policy at the levels of schools, higher education institutions, Research Excellence Framework and the government. We conclude that although the Research Excellence Framework only concerns the UK, similar exercises are becoming increasingly prevalent globally, and therefore the extent to which research on initial teacher education was marginalised in the 2014 Research Excellence Framework is of interest to all concerned with teacher education.


The complexes of peripherally tetra-substituted metal-free (8), lead(II) 9), and zinc(II) (10) phthalocyanine derivatives were synthesized for the first time in this work. The structures of these new complex compounds have been elucidated using many spectral methods such as electronic absorption, FT-IR, $^{1}$H NMR, $^{13}$C NMR, elemental analysis, and mass spectra. The thermogravimetric behavior of compounds 8-10 was determined by thermogravimetric analysis method in addition to these spectral methods.


Switching between two cross-coupled lateral modes in gain-guided twin-stripe lasers has been experimentally observed with current injection of nominally identical pulses, which strongly indicates bistability. Near- and far-field patterns at both facets are presented, which clearly shows a skewed light field which couples from under one stripe to under the other. Cross-coupled mode operation was obtained only for relatively long cavity lasers, which is consistent with the theory for twin-stripe lasers with high interstripe gain. >


This work presents an analysis environment for power and performance estimation of Reconfigurable SoCs, modelled at mixed abstraction level. A monitoring strategy is integrated, that uses back-annotation of power characteristics to allow system power analysis in a SystemC simulator. A post simulation analysis tool, which contains technology dependent libraries, has been implemented to evaluate SystemC simulation results. As a case study, Ogg Vorbis was implemented on SystemC and VHDL and configured in a VirtexII Pro XC2VP30 FPGA. Results demonstrate that SystemC simulations run 28 times faster than its VHDL counterpart though providing cycle accurate modules and a high data dependent power estimation accuracy.