Global Positioning System (GPS) measurements along the subduction zone of northern Sumatra (2°S to 3°N) reveal that the strain associated with the oblique convergence of the Australian plate with Eurasia is almost fully partitioned between trench-normal contraction within the forearc and trench-parallel shear strain within a few tens of kilometers of the Sumatran fault Kinematic analyses of interplate earthquake slip vectors provide slip rates on the Sumatran fault within a few millimeters per year of GPS and geologic rates, giving us more confidence in the use of slip vectors for inferring slip partitioning elsewhere. The inferred slip rate on the Sumatran fault is ∼1/3 less than the full margin parallel component of plate motion. An across-forearc rotation in the slip vectors suggests that the missing arc-parallel shear occurs seaward of the geodetic network, between the forearc islands and the trench. Simple finite element models are used to explore the conditions under which the change in the principal strain rate directions between the forearc and the arc region can occur. Modeling suggests that neither a preexisting strike-slip fault nor a zone of thermally induced lithospheric weakness in the overriding plate is needed for strain partitioning to occur. In general, forearc slivers form over the region of interplate coupling and are driven along strike by the basal shear. A volcanic arc can help the partitioning process by localizing the margin-parallel shear strain in the upper plate if its crust and mantle are weaker than its surroundings. Interplate slip vectors and geodetic results from Sumatra together suggest that the highest coupling on the plate boundary occurs beneath and seaward of the forearc islands, consistent with inferences about the rupture zones of great nineteenth century earthquakes there. The Sumatra example suggests that geodetic measurements of interseismic, margin-parallel shear strain at oblique convergent margins can be used to map the landward extent of the relatively high basal stress beneath the overriding plate if one can correct for strain localization caused by weak upper plate strike-slip faults.


We report an analysis of the results obtained in our first 100 studies with indium‐111‐oxine labelled leukocyte scintigraphy, a diagnostic technique which has recently become available for clinical evaluation within Australia. We used this technique to assess patients with suspected sepsis or inflammation after other commonly used investigations had failed to confirm a diagnosis. Four patient subgroups were evaluated: fever of unknown origin; suspected abdominal or postoperative sepsis; suspected active inflammatory bowel disease; and suspected sepsis or inflammation of bones or joints. The course of all patients was followed for at least three months to establish the accuracy of the technique. The leukocyte labelling procedure took 90 min and imaging was carried out typically 3‐6, 24 and occasionally 48 h after reinjection of the labelled autologous leukocytes. In one patient labelling of leukocytes was unsuccessful. In the remaining 99 studies the overall sensitivity of leukocyte scintigraphy was 88% (36 of 41 patients with a proved inflammatory or infective disease focus had positive scan findings); and the specificity was 95% (55 of 58 cases with no proved disease focus had normal scan findings). This series supports the use of this method as the imaging procedure of choice in nuclear medicine for the evaluation of suspected acute sepsis (symptoms less than four weeks' duration), of inflammatory bowel disease and of suspected infections involving appendicular bones which contain no active bone marrow. It is also a useful secondary scintigraphic procedure, after gallium‐67‐citrate scintigraphy, in patients with suspected infective disorders of more than four weeks' duration.


Sipahutar pineapple was derived from Sipahutar, North Tapanuli, North Sumatra, Indonesia, currently endangered. The aims of the research were 1) to obtain optimum sterilization techniques for pineapple explants (Ananas comosus L.) from Sipahutar, 2) growth induction of in vitro shoots with Benzyl Amino Purine (BAP) and Indole Acetate Acid (IAA) plant growth regulators (PGR). This research consists of experiment series, sterilization, growth induction, and in vitro propagation. Sterilization
techniques used were of 9 kinds, cleaning the explants, used 5% detergent, then cleaned with water, continued using different sterilants for different durations. Between sterilan I and II, the explants were washed with sterile distilled water. Explants were cultured on MS medium+ 5 mg L·1 Kinetin + 0.5 mgL·1 IAA for induction of early growth. Growth induction continued with four concentration of Benzyl Amino Purine (BAP) (0, 2, 4, 6) mg L-1 and three concentration of IAA (0, 0.5, 1) mg L·1 were used as a treatment in Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium. The results showed: 1) Treatment by soaking the explants with a 0.008% mankozeb, 0.002% streptomycin sulphate for 1 hour followed by 1.05% NaClO, then peel the outside of explants and put on filter paper to dry, and then planted, produced high aseptic culture (55.6%) and showed the highest growth (22.2%), 2). Giving of BAP and IAA significantly affect to appearance of shoots, number of shoots, number of leaves except shoots hight. The best treatment was a combination of MS + 2 mg L-1 BAP + 0 mg L-1 IAA.


The International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture is the only legally binding international instrument that governs the conservation, sustainable use, access and benefit-sharing of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture (PGRFA). The Treaty plays a particularly vital role in ensuring sustainable agricultural development and food security. Since its entry into force, much progress has been made in implementing the Treaty. China has not yet acceded to the Treaty even though it holds a large number of accessions. Against this background, this article introduces China's legal framework that regulates access to PGRFA and benefit-sharing as well as current practices for access to PGRFA and benefit-sharing in China. It recommends China's accession to the Treaty following necessary amendments to the existing legal system.


This guide provides search strategies and recommended resources for research in the Umoja section of English 110 with Prof. Bonny Bryan.


Histological features of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) can rarely mimic lymphoma. A 25-year-old presented with a spontaneous splenic rupture following a short illness. Histopathology assessment of the splenic and marrow tissue was highly suggestive of peripheral T-cell lymphoma not-otherwise-specified (PTCL-NOS). T-cell receptor (TCR) PCR clonality studies revealed a monoclonal T-cell population expressing for both TCRβ and γ, strongly suggestive of a T-cell clonal disease. EBV IgM was positive and IgG negative. EBV PCR was positive (7.02 ×104/mL). Despite the strong suggestion of PTCL-NOS from histopathology and clonality studies, the decision was made to observe the patient and not start multiagent chemotherapy. The patient remained well, with no signs of PTCL and subsequently seroconverted to IgG+ EBV. We highlight the potential pitfall of acute EBV masquerading as PTCL and show the critical role of the multidisciplinary integration of histopathological, serology, molecular and clinical features to avoid misdiagnosis.


The price of a real estate is based on its value. The real estate market, where the real estate price is established, is dynamic and undergoes continuous change. Considering the fact that nothing is fully deterministic or fully stochastic in nature, the author has put forward a compromise based on the conducted analyses in order to better diagnose the "live spatial structures". The considerations presented in this paper provide grounds for the claim that integration of geo-deterministic inference (represented by the geostatistical model) and geo-stochastic inference (represented by maps of residuals), linked to space valuation, makes it possible to dynamically diagnose and characterise spatial phenomena and to make rational forecasts (and, consequently, planning) of changing in space and, therein, on the real estate market.


As a type of valuable intellectual property (IP), deep neural network (DNN) models have been protected by techniques like watermarking. However, such passive model protection cannot fully prevent model abuse. In this work, we propose an active model IP protection scheme, namely NNSplitter, which actively protects the model by splitting it into two parts: the obfuscated model that performs poorly due to weight obfuscation, and the model secrets consisting of the indexes and original values of the obfuscated weights, which can only be accessed by authorized users with the support of the trusted execution environment. Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of NNSplitter, e.g., by only modifying 275 out of over 11 million (i.e., 0.002%) weights, the accuracy of the obfuscated ResNet-18 model on CIFAR-10 can drop to 10%. Moreover, NNSplitter is stealthy and resilient against norm clipping and fine-tuning attacks, making it an appealing solution for DNN model protection. The code is available at: https://github.com/Tongzhou0101/NNSplitter.


Understanding the origin and diversity of emission processes responsible for gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) remains a pressing challenge. While prompt and contemporaneous panchromatic observations have the potential to test predictions of the internal–external shock model, extensive multiband imaging has been conducted for only a few GRBs. We present rich, early-time, multiband data sets for two Swift events, GRB 110205A and GRB 110213A. The former shows optical emission since the early stages of the prompt phase, followed by the steep rising in flux up to ∼1000 s after the burst (t−α with α = −6.13 ± 0.75). We discuss this feature in the context of the reverse-shock scenario and interpret the following single power-law decay as being forward-shock dominated. Polarization measurements, obtained with the RINGO2 instrument mounted on the Liverpool Telescope, also provide hints on the nature of the emitting ejecta. The latter event, instead, displays a very peculiar optical to near-infrared light curve, with two achromatic peaks. In this case, while the first peak is probably due to the onset of the afterglow, we interpret the second peak to be produced by newly injected material, signifying a late-time activity of the central engine.


Last years brought about, again, the topic of migration to the mainstream Romanian media. The media rearticulated some themes that were already discussed and brought to the public attention in the past ten to fifteen years. When in 2002 Romanian citizens obtained visa-free agreement to the EU, the main theme was the large number of Romanians who have left the country. In 2007, when the country joined the EU as a member state, the discourse on migration was about anti-immigration debates in the Western Europe and the expulsion of Romanian citizens back to Romania. Today, the discourse revolves around the refugee crisis and the fact that Romania started to receive migrants and refugees, and that in the future it may host large amounts of Muslims. Most probably, this last topic will continue to stir up heated debates in the Romanian public space. According to various data, the number of international immigrants arriving in Romania is of about 370,000 people. This means that migrants make up about 2 % of the country's population. Even though this number is not that high and it draws not much attention, it is still of utmost importance that Romania has started to develop migration policies and methods to measure migrants' integration before facing large-scale migration. The current report and the index of migrants' integration therein is such a measurement and it provides a general image of how migrants' fare in Romania. It was constructed using other similar tools (MIPEX, Zaragoza indicators, and so on) and aims at adapting them to the Romanian context. It focuses on migration policy, labor market adaptation, and the relationship between migrants and the institutions dealing with immigrants' integration. This synthetic data allows us to obtain a longitudinal image of immigrants' integration, compare data from different regions and cities, as well as compare the Romanian data to the data from other older and newer countries of immigration. Such data on immigrants' integration is not just needed for policy purposes, but for public debates also. Given that the Romanian public debates started to be shaped by populist stances and fears of refugees and "Muslim invasion", or of "disappearing European culture", analytic data is useful in countering such speculative claims. The analysis carried out in this report provides a different perspective in which immigrants, even though they arrived in the past years only, tend to integrate well in the Romanian society. On the other hand, one shall state the limits of this type of approach. The report does not focus on specific groups, or specific places; it only aims at providing a general image of immigrants' integration in Romania, and more fine-grained analysis is needed for specific topics. And, in order to obtain such information, especially on immigrants' integration difficulties, addtional qualitative and quantitative research is needed. The report offers, though some surprising data on immigration to Romania. We thus first noticed a high rate of employment among asylum seekers and third country nationals; and not only they are employed, but tend to fare better than the average Romanians. Given that the country has a huge number of unemployed and underemployed persons, this result came actually as a surprise. Looking at the data, though, we realized this is so due to the fact that migrants went to Romania's major cities, such as Bucharest, Timisoara, Cluj, Constanţa, or Iași, were salaries are higher. In a country with stark inequalities, such as Romania, there is no wonder then, that a person in a large city has a better job than someone living in a small city in a disadvantaged region. And that migrants tend to integrate rapidly on the labor market is actually not a novelty in migration studies. A second surprising data is also related to Romania's social and ethnic inequalities. The survey data revealed that immigrants are favorable to the Roma people and that the social distance between immigrants and the Roma is by far much smaller than between majority Romanians and the Roma. In itself this data does not allow us to speculate on the future interethnic relationships in the country, or if the racist attitudes will be countered by more tolerant ones, however we may hope to be so. Thus, the index we managed to build, the survey data and the interviews we carried out gatheres the first set of data in the field of immigrants' integration in Romania; it may help policy makers to build informed policies about migration in Romania and it presents novel data that the Romanian public is not aware of. As a matter of fact, international migration, to which Romania has to adapt as a country of origin, will generate new challenges, this time as a country of transit and destination. In this vein, the present research is a first step in this process.


The evolution of laser pulses during their interaction with underdense and overdense plasmas is investigated. The spectra of both the reflected and the transmitted radiation are examined. The structure of these spectra is due to the stimulated Raman scattering, nonlinear phase self modulation and to the Doppler effect.


Coastal and estuarine ecosystems are facing spatiotemporal changes and suffer from the effects of accelerated natural destructive processes due to climate change. Monitoring these areas is crucial to protect them and maintain the ecological balance of shorelines. In this context, full-waveform airborne topo-bathymetric lidar is a reliable tool to collect data seamlessly over land-water continuum zones, thanks to its dual wavelength configuration. It is therefore optimal for coastal habitats monitoring and mapping. However, lidar waveform processing often relies on peak detection and feature extraction that are difficult to conFigure and often sensitive to noise. In this article, we rather suggest not to rely on hand-crafted features by relying on U-time, a neural network inspired by the well-known UNet convolutional neural network, to identify peaks in waveforms and classify them to discriminate coastal ecosystems efficiently. The network is tested on green waveforms and we evaluate in addition the contribution of infrared intensities. Results show equivalent performances, and obtain over 92% of accuracy when accepting a 2 samples margin of error for peaks location, which does not impact heavily waveform analysis, considering usual peaks widths. Our study shows green waveforms alone allow habitats detection with a F-score of 94%, outperforming previous methods.


Abstract: We argue that though stakeholder theory has much to recommend it, particularly as a heuristic for thinking about business firms properly as involving the economic interests of other groups beyond those of the shareholders or other equity owners, the theory is limited by its focus on the interests of human participants in business enterprise. Stakeholder theory runs into intractable philosophical difficulty in providing credible ethical principles for business managers in dealing with some topics, such as the natural environment, that do not directly involve human beings within a business firm or who engage in transactions with a firm. Corporate decision-making must include an appreciation of these ethical values even though they cannot be captured in stakeholder theory.


Synthetic bradykinin in postpartal women produced a decrease in systolic and diastolic blood pressure, reduction of pulse pressure, and increased heart rate and respiration. The threshold dose for single intravenous injections was approximately 0.1 µg/kg, and that for intravenous infusions approximately 0.125 µg/kg/min. For the change in diastolic blood pressure, a linear dose-response curve was found in the semilogarithmic system in the range of 0.125– 1.25 µg/kg/min. In intravenous infusions, the maximal effect appeared, regardless of the dose, after 2–3 min. The time interval between starting the infusion and the onset of effect was distinctly dependent on the dose. These observations indicate exponential elimination or inactivation. Using a formula applicable to exponentially eliminated substances, a threshold level of 0.1 µg/kg and a half-life shorter than 0.5 min were estimated.


OBJECTIVES
To analyze the results of employing en masse retraction of the maxillary anterior dentition using palatal temporary skeletal anchorage devices (TSADs) as the exclusive source of anchorage.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
A retrospective clinical investigation supported by preliminary case reports was performed comparing pretreatment cephalometric radiographs with those taken after en masse retraction of the six anterior teeth. The sample consisted of 35 nongrowing patients with an average age of 22.9 years. The average retraction period was 10 months (range, 6-15 months). No brackets or bands were placed on the posterior dentition during retraction. A total of 35 C-palatal plates (C-plates) were used as the only source of anchorage for maxillary anterior retraction with the C-lingual retractor (C-retractor), thereby eliminating the need for bonded or banded anchor teeth. The cephalometric radiographs were analyzed for differences between pretreatment and postretraction variables that included skeletal, dental, and soft tissue relationships.

RESULTS
Significant incisor and canine retraction was achieved in all patients, and the upper posterior teeth did not show significant mesial drifting during the retraction period. According to the length of the lever arm of the C-retractor, tooth movement showed different directions.

CONCLUSIONS
En masse retraction of the six anterior teeth with good torque control and effective intrusion is possible using palatal TSADs as the only source of anchorage.


Iron is involved in many processes in the brain including, myelin generation, mitochondrial function, synthesis of ATP and DNA and the cycling of neurotransmitters. Disruption of normal iron homeostasis can result in iron accumulation in the brain, which in turn can partake in interactions which amplify oxidative damage. The development of MRI techniques for quantifying brain iron has allowed for the characterisation of the impact that brain iron has on cognition and neurodegeneration. This review uses a systematic approach to collate and evaluate the current literature which explores the relationship between brain iron and cognition. The following databases were searched in keeping with a predetermined inclusion criterion: Embase Ovid, PubMed and PsychInfo (from inception to 31st March 2020). The included studies were assessed for study characteristics and quality and their results were extracted and summarised. This review identified 41 human studies of varying design, which statistically assessed the relationship between brain iron and cognition. The most consistently reported interactions were in the Caudate nuclei, where increasing iron correlated poorer memory and general cognitive performance in adulthood. There were also consistent reports of a correlation between increased Hippocampal and Thalamic iron and poorer memory performance, as well as, between iron in the Putamen and Globus Pallidus and general cognition. We conclude that there is consistent evidence that brain iron is detrimental to cognitive health, however, more longitudinal studies will be required to fully understand this relationship and to determine whether iron occurs as a primary cause or secondary effect of cognitive decline.


This study outlines the challenges faced by authors who might undertake in the future the task of writing a full scholarly biography of Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński. The author of this paper analyzes the state of research to date and evaluates the existing literature on the subject. The following two sections deal with challenges regarding source material and interpretive challenges in describing diverse areas of the life and scope of the Primate of the Millennium's activities. The paper focuses on the period of Wyszyński's service as a primate, as it seems that in-depth research on the earlier stages of Stefan Wyszyński's life could be an arduous task to conduct. The of these authors contribute a lot to our knowledge of different aspects of the life and activities of Cardinal Wyszyński.


Abstract : Prevention of combat-related PTSD is more important to the combat readiness of the military than the treatment of PTSD. Biological, psychological, and social pretrauma risk indicators and risk mechanisms can be identified to form policy decisions and to inform a PTSD prevention effort within the military to reduce future incidence of PTSD, reduce social and fiscal costs of PTSD, and preserve combat readiness. The small pool of soldiers in the current all-volunteer force virtually guarantee that any war fought in the next 20 years will rely heavily on soldiers who have experienced over 10 years of war and all the traumatic events that war entails. The risk of developing PTSD increases with each exposure to a traumatic event. Without more focus on PTSD prevention, the next war could see a large increase in PTSD, which could dramatically affect combat performance. Determining factors that may contribute to or protect from the development of PTSD could help develop measures/programs aimed at prevention. These factors are extremely complex because they involve interactions between pre-trauma characteristics/factors, peri-trauma characteristics/factors, and post-trauma characteristics/factors. Each of these sets of characteristics/factors has biological, psychological, and social components that could affect development of PTSD.


The problem St. Augustine confronts in the Confessions is fundamentally one of rhetoric: God should be singularly desirable, yet rhetoric seems necessary to motivate our pursuit of him. Religion participates in the relative marketplace of rhetoric, where ideals need to be authorized because they lack a self-sufficient rationale. In his early encounters with Cicero and the Platonists, Augustine struggles to renounce all such partial ideals in order to pursue philosophical truth unequivocally. Yet the refusal of rhetoric is, paradoxically, another willed ideal authorized by its own rhetoric. Augustine ultimately escapes rhetoric in the conversion scene by demonstrating his inescapable subjection to it; in doing so, he surrenders his will in such a way as to permit God's grace to operate through him. His conversion ultimately results from this inverted humiliation, which forces Augustine to abdicate his ascetic efforts and pretensions.


Mapping of vegetation patterns over large extents using remote sensing methods requires field sample collections for two different purposes: (1) the establishment of plant association classification systems from samples of relative abundance estimates; and (2) training for supervised image classification and accuracy assessment of satellite data derived maps. One challenge for both procedures is the establishment of confidence in results and the analysis across multiple spatial scales. Continuous data sets that enable cross-scale studies are very time consuming and expensive to acquire and such extensive field sampling can be invasive. The use of high resolution aerial photography (hrAP) offers an alternative to extensive, invasive, field sampling and can provide large volume, spatially continuous, reference information that can meet the challenges of confidence building and multi-scale analysis. In order for large-extent mapping projects utilizing hrAP to be successful, reliable detection of plant species is essential. Therefore, the first objective of this study was to evaluate the suitability of hrAP acquired from an UAS to support vegetation identification and detection for a specific target resolution of 2 m. We addressed the spatial accuracy of geographically referenced photography products and evaluated the adequacy of two different resolutions to detect presence and to estimate relative abundance of Everglades wetland species. The second objective was to demonstrate how spatially continuous abundance data derived from hrAP can be used to establish consistent and stable plant association classification systems in a re-sampling framework.


A validation study was conducted on the Child Sex Abuse Attitude Scale (CSAAS) using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to examine the factor structure of three comparative CFA models. Multitrait multimethod analysis was also used to examine the convergent and discriminant validity of the CSAAS. The instrument was developed based on the theory of attitude development of L. Festinger (1957). This resulted in a four-factor first-order structure of cognition, value, affect, and behavior, and a single-factor second-order structure representing attitude. A national sample of 215 school psychologists responded to a survey consisting of 3 measurewnt instruments. The instruments included the CSAAS; the California Personality Inventory (CPI) subscales for intellectual efficiency, tolerance, and well-being; and a demographic survey. CFA results supported the higher-order factor structure of the CSAAS with minor modifications. On examination of the CSAAS subscales and the CPI subscales, convergent validity was found to be statistically significant for two of the CSAAS subscales, although the practical significance of the association was low. (Contains 9 figures, 11 tables, and 77 references.) (Author/SLD) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. *********************************************************************** CONSTRUCT VALIDATION CSAAS 1 Running Head: CONSTRUCT VALIDATION CSAAS CONSTRUCT VALIDATION OF THE CHILD SEX ABUSE ATTITUDE SCALE (CSAAS) THROUGH CONFIRMATORY FACTOR ANALYSIS Filomena Felicia Ferrara University of South Florida U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and Improvement EDUC IONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) This document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating it. Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality. Points of view or opinions stated in this document do not necessarily represent official OERI position or policy. PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY V" /L e"/t/9 FrEto4 TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)


Current finite element (FE) models predicting failure behavior comprise single vertebrae, thereby neglecting the role of the posterior elements and intervertebral discs. Therefore, this study aimed to develop a more clinically relevant, case‐specific non‐linear FE model of two functional spinal units able to predict failure behavior in terms of (i) the vertebra predicted to fail; (ii) deformation of the specimens; (iii) stiffness; and (iv) load to failure. For this purpose, we also studied the effect of different bone density–mechanical properties relationships (material models) on the prediction of failure behavior. Twelve two functional spinal units (T6‐T8, T9‐T11, T12‐L2, and L3‐L5) with and without artificial metastases were destructively tested in axial compression. These experiments were simulated using CT‐based case‐specific non‐linear FE models. Bone mechanical properties were assigned using four commonly used material models. In 10 of the 11 specimens our FE model was able to correctly indicate which vertebrae failed during the experiments. However, predictions of the three‐dimensional deformations of the specimens were less promising. Whereas stiffness of the whole construct could be strongly predicted (R2 = 0.637–0.688, p < 0.01), we obtained weak correlations between FE predicted and experimentally determined load to failure, as defined by the total reaction force exhibiting a drop in force (R2 = 0.219–0.247, p > 0.05). Additionally, we found that the correlation between predicted and experimental fracture loads did not strongly depend on the material model implemented, but the stiffness predictions did. In conclusion, this work showed that, in its current state, our FE models may be used to identify the weakest vertebra, but that substantial improvements are required in order to quantify in vivo failure loads. © 2018 The Authors. Journal of Orthopaedic Research® Published by Wiley Periodical, Inc. on behalf of Orthopaedic Research Society. J Orthop Res 36:3208–3218, 2018.


In this paper we investigate the existence of embedded trapped modes for symmetric obstacles which are placed on the centreline of a two-dimensional acoustic waveguide. Modes are sought which are antisymmetric about the centreline of the channel but which have frequencies that are above the first cut-off for antisymmetric wave propagation down the guide. In the terminology of spectral theory this means that the eigenvalue associated with the trapped mode is embedded in the continuous spectrum of the relevant operator. A numerical procedure based on a boundary integral technique is developed to search for embedded trapped modes for bodies of general shape. In addition two approximate solutions for trapped modes are found; the first is for long plates on the centreline of the channel and the second is for slender bodies which are perturbations of plates perpendicular to the guide walls. It is found that embedded trapped modes do not exist for arbitrary symmetric bodies but if an obstacle is defined by two geometrical parameters then branches of trapped modes may be obtained by varying both of these parameters simultaneously. One such branch is found for a family of ellipses of varying aspect ratio and size. The thin plates which are parallel and perpendicular to the guide walls are found to correspond to the end points of this branch.


A consensus on the folding of the Escherichia coli 16-S ribosomal RNA is emerging and several complete nucleotide sequences of small ribosomal subunit RNAs, covering diverse types of organisms and organelles, are now available. We therefore investigated the extent of both nucleotide sequence and secondary structure conservation that may exist between the E. coli 16-S RNA and other ribosomal RNAs. All the RNA molecules examined could be folded into secondary structure schemes that illustrated remarkable preservation of many structural motifs as well as striking nucleotide sequence conservation compared with the E. coli molecule. This study presents a unitary scheme for the structural organization of the small ribosomal subunit RNAs. The evolutionary constraints on both primary and secondary structures most likely reveal the basic role of some restricted RNA regions in the function of the ribosome.


The goal of this bachelor assignment is to create guidelines for the brainstorms of external companies in the Virtual Reality Laboratorium at the University of Twente. This will reduce the uncertainties during brainstorms by providing support during the preparation and the guidance of the brainstorms
This bachelor assignment is divided into three parts. First, a 'general guidelines for brainstorms' plan was drafted.This is shown in chapter 1. Chapter 2 describes how a 'improvements for brainstorms in the Virtual Reality Laboratorium' plan was drafted. The thirt and last chapter describes how a mock-up is designed, which will provide the basics for brainstorms.
The first paragraph of the first chapter describes what knowledge is gained during projects of Industrial Design, about the process of getting from a problem to a solution. This knowledge is complemented with knowledge about groupdynamics and brainstorms. With this knowledge, a 'general guidelines for brainstorms' plan is drafted in the second paragraph. The shortcomings of these guidelines and the possible prevention of said shortcomings are examined. The outcomes of this examination are added to the guidelines plan.
The first paragraph of the second chapter describes the improvements for the brainstorms in the VR-lab. First, the user, their goals, and the influence the goals have on each other are examined. A customer analysis and a facilitator analysis are made to examine if the VR-lab supports the communication between these parties. The present hardware and software are tested if they meet the guidlines that were drafted in the previous chapter. The improvements are brought together in the 'improvements for brainstorms in the VR-lab' plan. The second paragraph contains more insight about the possible solution. Firstly, per improvement, the essence of the problem was examined. After that, the essence of the solution was examined along with the way that it could be applied.
The first paragraph of chapter three describes the designprocess of the mock-up. First the fulfillable improvements and design focus are determined. I have designed four consecutive mock-ups, in which suggested improvements are processed, which were gathered from the usability tests:
- First I have made an interactive PowerPoint, to provide a first impression of possible improvement applications
- The interactive PowerPoint is proccessed in an Axure mock-up. This mock-up is tested for its usability.
- After this, an analysis is made of situations in which the programm will be used. The suggested imporvements collected from the usability test and the analysis are processed in a Sketchflow mock-up. This mock-up is also tested for its usability.
- The suggested improvments collected from this last test are processed in the final Sketchflow mock-up.
The second paragraph tests wether the improvements are realised and describes the implementation.


The small number of reactant molecules involved in gene regulation can lead to significant fluctuations in intracellular mRNA and protein concentrations, and there have been numerous recent studies devoted to the consequences of such noise at the regulatory level. Theoretical and computational work on stochastic gene expression has tended to focus on instantaneous transcriptional and translational events, whereas the role of realistic delay times in these stochastic processes has received little attention. Here, we explore the combined effects of time delay and intrinsic noise on gene regulation. Beginning with a set of biochemical reactions, some of which are delayed, we deduce a truncated master equation for the reactive system and derive an analytical expression for the correlation function and power spectrum. We develop a generalized Gillespie algorithm that accounts for the non-Markovian properties of random biochemical events with delay and compare our analytical findings with simulations. We show how time delay in gene expression can cause a system to be oscillatory even when its deterministic counterpart exhibits no oscillations. We demonstrate how such delay-induced instabilities can compromise the ability of a negative feedback loop to reduce the deleterious effects of noise. Given the prevalence of negative feedback in gene regulation, our findings may lead to new insights related to expression variability at the whole-genome scale.


Five cities in the southwest United States were selected for an analysis of the impact of outdoor lighting practices on nighttime sky glow as observed from distances of 8–67km. Data from the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (NPP) satellite visible infrared imaging radiometer suite day/night band were used to identify light sources for input to an atmospheric sky glow model. Total lumens of outdoor lighting were estimated by matching modelled to observed anthropogenic sky luminance at ground locations. The results of two conservative treatments were then modelled for each city: all outdoor luminaires fully shielded with the current lumen amount, and fully shielded luminaires with a lumen amount scaled to 2075lm capita � 1 , matching Flagstaff, Arizona. The results indicate 42–88% reductions in average all-sky glow utilizing these 'best practices' for environmental conservation.


AIMS
To identify adolescent relapse trajectory groups following discharge from out-patient substance abuse treatment.

DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS
Adolescents aged 12-18, who were assigned randomly to one of five out-patient interventions (n = 563) in four United States communities and followed-up 3, 6, 9, 12 and 30 months post-intake.

OUTCOME MEASURES
Self-report measures of days using any alcohol or other drugs (AOD), days of alcohol use, days of cannabis use, days of heavy use, days of crack/cocaine use, days of heroin/opiate use, days AOD use interfered with responsibilities and days in a controlled environment.

FINDINGS
Adolescents can be grouped empirically into five relapse trajectories over 30 months following out-patient treatment: (a) low AOD use with limited days in a controlled environment; (b) low AOD use with high days in a controlled environment; (c) moderate/decreasing AOD use; (d) increasing AOD use; and (e) consistently high AOD use.

CONCLUSIONS
There was considerable heterogeneity in the relapse trajectories, varying by the initial response to treatment, the stability (versus increase/decrease) of the response and an interaction with time in a controlled environment. Cannabis and alcohol were the two main substances involved, although the two groups with the poorest trajectories had increasing levels of cocaine, opiate and other substance use at the 30-month follow-up. This study demonstrates the chronicity of substance use even among a subgroup of adolescents and the importance of studying more complex longitudinal patterns of recovery.


Stress and coping are prevalent and ubiquitous in our everyday lives. The degree and manner in which we experience stress, and ways in which we cope with stress, strongly influence our daily choices and their outcomes, including those related to leisure. Research on leisure, stress, and coping is important within a broad spectrum of leisure research since it can be potentially integrated with leisure research on constraints and negotiations, lifespan development, diversity, and lifestyle. Such integration works to bridge the gap in the leisure research community that is often characterized as isolated entities. One important tangible benefit of such integration is that stress and coping have the potential to be a common language for many researchers with diverse interests, and it thus leads to opportunities for enhanced communication and understanding, as well as for possible collaborations. We hope that this special issue, presenting a diverse collection of papers focused on leisure, stress, and coping, may instill such ambitious, but important, desire. The role of this issue is threefold: (1) to better identify relationships among leisure, stress, and coping, (2) to introduce new theoretical and methodological approaches for such research, and (3) to encourage increased attention to and collaborations related to leisure, stress, and coping research.


Our previous work focused on the unified community detection in networks of people: social networks, communities of actors, etc. shown as generally bipartite graph. In this article. We define therefore the notion of complementarity between the vertices of a bipartite graph. We use for it the concepts of entropy and mutual information. We show the usefulness of such an approach and the value of the approach by an experiment on a well known example. Complementarity in social networks is an interesting approach to identify cohesion in groups of persons. Our previous works studied a first approach of complementarity in networks represented as bipartite graphs: social networks, communities of actors, etc. In this paper we try to respond to semantic complementarity problems that arise as soon as one wishes to associate people in order to best fulfil a goal. We compare several approaches of complementarity to find the most appropriate technique. In some definitions of complementarity, the problem is viewed as close to a classical research: find transversals in hypergraphs, with however differences in final goals. To validate our approach, we apply and compare our methods on well known graphs and real data whose sizes are very different: from small graphs to very large graphs.


The supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) technique was used to obtain extracts from a sample simulating an olive pomace, obtained from preserved olives. The objective was to achieve the extraction of polyphenolic components from this matrix which is considered a hazardous waste from the production of olive oil. The supercritical fluid used was carbon dioxide and the SFE studies were conducted in two stages, the first at a pressure of 200 bar and 40 oC and the second stage at 300 bar, 45 oC and using ethanol as co-solvent. In both cases the SFE was performed for 3 hours. The first stage was carried out to obtain a cleaner matrix and the second step was aimed at the components of interest. The overall mass yield obtained was 5.5 %. Preliminary HPLC screening of the samples obtained and also of the water in which the olives were preserved showed that the polyphenol compounds were mostly in the latter.


BACKGROUND
Up to 90% of individuals with Alagille syndrome have congenital heart diseases. Peripheral pulmonary artery stenosis (PPS), resulting in right ventricular hypertension and pulmonary flow disparity, is one of the most common abnormalities, yet the hemodynamic effects are ill-defined, and optimal patient management and treatment strategies are not well established. The purpose of this pilot study is to use recently refined computational simulation in the setting of multiple surgical strategies, to examine the influence of pulmonary artery reconstruction on hemodynamics in this population.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Based on computed tomography angiography and cardiac catheterization data, preoperative pulmonary artery models were constructed for 4 patients with Alagille syndrome with PPS (all male, age range: 0.6-2.9 years), and flow simulations with deformable walls were performed. Surgeon directed virtual surgery, mimicking the surgical procedure, was then performed to derive postoperative models. Postoperative simulation-derived hemodynamics and blood flow distribution were then compared with the clinical results.

RESULTS
Simulations confirmed substantial resistance, resulting from preoperative severe ostial stenoses, and the use of newly developed adaptive outflow boundary conditions led to excellent agreement with in vivo measurements. Relief of PPS decreased pulmonary artery pressures and improved pulmonary flow distribution both in vivo and in silico with good correlation.

CONCLUSIONS
Using adaptive outflow boundary conditions, computational simulations can estimate postoperative overall pulmonary flow distribution in patients with Alagille syndrome after pulmonary artery reconstruction. Obstruction relief along with pulmonary artery vasodilation determines postoperative pulmonary flow distribution and newer methods can incorporate these physiologic changes. Evolving blood flow simulations may be useful in surgical or transcatheter planning and in understanding the complex interplay among various obstructions in patients with peripheral pulmonary stenosis.


The problem of detecting transient signals in colored noise is addressed. The generalized likelihood ratio test fails to provide good performance, and as an alternative, a Bayesian approach is proposed. Its implementation is simplified by adopting an invariant transformation, and a sequential Monte Carlo sampling procedure is provided to compute multidimensional integrations. The simulation results demonstrate the ability of this approach to detect weak and fast decaying signals in colored noise.


Background There is limited measurement and reporting of quality of life (QoL) outcomes for patients with contact dermatitis (CD). Objective The purpose of this study is to develop a standardized Contact Dermatitis Quality of Life index (CDQL) for adult patients. Methods A list of 81 topics was compiled from a review of QoL measures used previously in CD research. A total of 2 rounds of web-based Delphi surveys were sent to physicians who registered to attend the 2018 American Contact Dermatitis Society meeting, asking that they rank the relevance of topics for measuring QoL in CD using a 4-point scale. Items met consensus for inclusion if at least 78% of respondents ranked them as relevant or very relevant, and their median score was ≥3.25. Results Of the 210 physicians contacted, 34 physicians completed the initial survey and 17 completed the follow-up survey. A total of 22 topics met consensus for inclusion in the CDQL, addressing symptoms, emotions, functions of daily living, social and physical functions, work/school functions, and treatment. Conclusions This study was limited by the following factors: few open-ended questions in the initial survey, a lack of direct patient feedback, and long survey length, which likely contributed to lower survey participation. The CDQL is a comprehensive, CD-specific QoL measure developed on the basis of expert consensus via a modified Delphi process to be used by physicians and other health care professionals who care for adult patients with contact dermatitis.


PURPOSE
The study was conducted for the purpose of determining the relationship between internalized stigma and loneliness in patients with schizophrenia.

DESIGN AND METHODS
The population of this correlational-descriptive study consisted of a total of 200 in patients with schizophrenia. The data were collected using "Form of Descriptive Characteristics", "Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness Inventory (ISMI)", and "UCLA Loneliness Scale".

FINDINGS
It was determined that the loneliness level of the patients who participated in the study was 57.20 ± 10.38 and level of of internalized stigma was 79.65 ± 13.48. There was a statistically positive and strong correlation between loneliness and internalized stigma total mean scores of the patients (P = 0.001, r = 0.854).

PRACTISE IMPLICATIONS
It was found that the schizophrenic patients had high levels of internalized stigma and loneliness.


When a plane wave that has passed through a turbulent liquid is brought to a focus by a lens, the image moves erratically. The distortion produced by the liquid is here defined as the root-mean-square distance of the centroid of the diffraction pattern from its mean position. Expressions have been obtained that enable one to calculate this quantity as a function of liquid conditions and the results have been used to judge the effectiveness of using annular apertures in the photography of propane bubble chamber events.


In this paper, we propose a new method called Ambiguous Multi-Symmetric Cryptography (AMSC) that conceals multiple plain-texts in a cipher-text using the same number of keys. The goal of this method is to overcome the problem of symmetric cryptography failure when the shared key is exposed. The proposed method AMSC is a cryptographic primitive that preserves plausible deniability after a cryptographic key is discovered. We evaluate AMSC in terms of security and complexity. The security analysis shows that our scheme withstands all security attack models with different knowledge of the adversary. In terms of time complexity, AMSC produces the cipher-text in polynomial time with respect to the number and size of the plaintexts and keys. AMSC has two main applications: a) It sends multiple messages for multiple receivers through one cipher-text. b) It sends one real message and multiple decoys to defeat attacks by providing security beyond conventional brute-force bounds. For both applications, AMSC can be used to deny encryption.


A helical homopolymer of the outer-membrane cytochrome type S (OmcS) was proposed to electrically connect a common soil bacterium, Geobacter sulfurreducens, with minerals and other microbes for biogeochemically important processes. OmcS exhibits a surprising rise in conductivity upon cooling from 300 to 270 K that has recently been attributed to a restructuring of H-bonds, which in turn modulates heme redox potentials. This proposal is more thoroughly examine herein by (1) analyzing H-bonding at 13 temperatures encompassing the entire experimental range; (2) computing redox potentials with quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics for 10-times more (3000) configurations sampled from 3-times longer (2 μs) molecular dynamics, as well as 3 μs of constant redox and pH molecular dynamics; and (3) modeling redox conduction with both single-particle diffusion and multi-particle flux kinetic schemes. Upon cooling by 30 K, the connectivity of the intra-protein H-bonding network was highly (86%) similar. An increase in the density and static dielectric constant of the filament's hydration shell caused a −0.002 V/K shift in heme redox potentials, and a factor of 2 decrease in charge mobility. Revision of a too-far negative redox potential in prior work (−0.521 V; expected = −0.350 – +0.150 V; new Calc. = −0.214 V vs. SHE) caused the mobility to be greater at high versus low temperature, opposite to the original prediction. These solution-phase redox conduction models failed to reproduce the experimental conductivity of electrode-absorbed, partially dehydrated, and possibly aggregated OmcS filaments. Some improvement was seen by neglecting reorganization energy from the solvent to model dehydration. Correct modeling of the physical state is suggested to be a prerequisite for reaching a verdict on the operative charge transport mechanism and the molecular basis of its temperature response.


In situations where establishing a network infrastructure is impossible, Ad-hoc networks are considered particularly important. Most of the previous research in Ad-hoc networks concentrated on the development and enhancement of dynamic routing protocols, which could efficiently discover routes between two communicating nodes. Although routing strategies is an important topic in MANETs, other topics such as data access are also crucial since the final goal of using Ad-hoc networks is to provide data access to mobile nodes. One of the most attractive techniques used to improve the data access performance in MANET environment is cooperative caching; which means multiple caching nodes share and cooperatively manage the cached contents. It is lead the research to important questions, what data should be cached, where, when, and how? A cooperative caching addressed into two basic issues: cache discovery and cache management, in other words, how to find requested data efficiently and how to manage an individual cache to improve the overall capacity of a cooperated cache. In this paper we have made a review of the existing cache discovery algorithms to address four stages after application request and before server response, using an historical file to record the previous data requests, and proposed cluster architecture with data cluster head election to store efficient information for future use and reducing the cost of flooding. In addition, this paper suggests some alternative techniques for cache discovery. Finally, the paper concludes with a discussion on future research directions.


In the off-line world, capable sales representatives align their advisory approach with their customer ́s individual profile to improve the quality of the process and the likelihood of a positive outcome for both parties. However, we see a movement away from the classical advisory settings towards "omni-channel" strategies, where companies serve their customers through a combination of on-line and off-line channels. In this short paper, we undertake a first investigation of how specific characteristics in the customer profile could affect the advisory success and introduce the "OPTI-model". We illustrate the application of our model using the example of Digital Investment Services, knowing that the financial services industry is one area where "omni-channel" strategies have become highly relevant.


Driver distraction is recognized as a major factor in the cause of automobile accidents. Therefore, it is extremely important for an intelligent driver support system to be able to monitor the driver's attentive state. This paper proposes a system to monitor driver attention based on a variety of information sources. The LISA-Q test vehicle is used to synchronously capture video, audio, vehicle information, LASER RADAR information, and GPS information as input to the driver state evaluation. Information about the driver's facial affects, lane keeping, steering movements, and time headway are all extracted from the multimodal data streams and evaluated.


Vegetative propagation has an important role in production of high quality planting stocks. Through vegetative propagation, the genetic potential of a mother tree will totally be inherited to the off-springs.This study aimed to determine the effects of population sources and clones on growth variation of Shorea leprosula Miq shoot cuttings. Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) was used as an experimental design; which consists of two factors, i.e population sources (Muara Wahau, Berau, Kenangan, Ketapang and Carita) and clones (40 clones). In this study clone was nested in the population. The results showed that the clones and population sources influenced the rooting percentage, height growth, number of root, length of root and number of leaves of S. leprosula shoot cuttings. Rooting percentage of clones ranged between 66.7 – 100.0% (2 groups difference), height growth ranged between 2.60 – 6.80 cm (6 groups difference), number of root ranged between 2.1 – 5.7 (9 groups difference), length of root ranged between 4.3 – 15.8 cm (8 groups difference) and number of leaves ranged between 1.17 – 3.57 (5 groups difference).


Blocks III and IV Bachaquero, Field, located on the east side of Lake Maracaibo, comprise an area of 40 square kilometers. In 1956 the discovery well penetrated oil saturated sands in a south dipping homoclinal structure. In 1958 production reached a maximum of 245,000 barrels per day of moderate gravity oil from three Miocene age Lagunillas Formation sands, designated as L, M, and N. The Bachaquero Field has experienced production problems including high gas-oil ratios from M and N sands to the north, high water cuts in all three sands to the south, and low production rates in the southeast. In addition, the vertical and lateral continuity of the oil pools are unknown. High resolution gas chromatography and analysis of biological markers was employed in order to resolve the continuity of the oil pools, determine genetic origin of the oils, and shed light on erratic production. Oil in the L sands are vertically discontinuous from oil in the M+N sands. The two oil pools appear laterally continuous within the study area, indicating absence of fault barriers. Well VLD 311, open to both L and M sands, produces a mix of oils, but with a strong contribution from the M sand.more » Bachaquero Field reservoirs were charged with oil from two different facies of the Upper Cretaceous La Luna or perhaps from La Luna and Colon source rocks as the stratigraphically younger L sands contain less mature oil with a stronger terrigenous imprint than oil the M and N sands.« less


The aim of the study was to identify the relationship with the network associated farms, indicative of the presence of bringing social capital. It was assumed that bridging social capital determine the external relations of members of agricultural producers. The basis for the analysis was a questionnaire with the leaders of the groups in the Malopolska province carried out in 2014. Taken into account in assessing the relationships among period of collaboration, legal forms of groups, industry, purpose and relationship of power. It was found that the period of cooperation in groups, the power relationship and the specialization network farms determine the type of relationship and are considered as bringing social capital.


Multi-state processes provide a convenient framework for analysis of event history data, which arise in many fields including public health, biomedical and health services research, reliability, business, and social sciences. This thesis develops methods for statistical analyses with various Markov processes in particular, and presents applications of the methodology. Starting with the homogeneous semi-Markov (HSM) process, a generalization of the classical homogeneous Markov processes, we propose an alternative estimation procedure with right-censored data to the existing approaches to avoid their possible inconsistency in estimating the transition probabilities. Two simulation based algorithms are implemented to construct confidence bands for the HSM kernel and the sojourn time distributions. The modulated semi-Markov (MSM) process extends the HSM process to a Cox regression setting, allowing for general time-dependent covariates but invalidating the usual martingale methods to derive asymptotics. We consider estimation of the regression parameters in the MSM model and establish the consistency, asymptotic normality and efficiency of the estimators, applying the modern empirical process theory. As a further generalization, the nonhomogeneous semi-Markov (NHSM) process assumes its transition intensity involving two time scales, the individual study time since the onset of the process and the duration time in the current state. We provide estimation procedures for the parameters in four model specifications with the NHSM process. The last topic of the thesis is to deal with dependent censoring in event history data analysis. We focus on a particular informative censoring scheme with the observation of a NHSM process, and adapt a copula-based approach for dependent competing risks. Finite sample properties of all the proposed methods are examined via simulation. In addition, with the proposed methods, we conduct analyses of two real data sets, the human sleep data presented in Kneib and Hennerfeind (2008) and the hospitalization data collected by the CAYACS program (PI: M. McBride) with BC Cancer Centre.


Management of plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) can be implemented to deal with sustainable intensification of agriculture. Ethylene is an essential component for plant growth and development and in response to drought. However, little is known about the effects of bacterial inoculation on ethylene transduction pathway. Thus, the present study sought to establish whether ethylene perception is critical for growth induction by two different PGPB strains under drought conditions and the analysis of bacterial effects on ethylene production and gene expression in tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum). The ethylene-insensitive never ripe (nr) and its isogenic wild-type (wt) cv. Pearson line were inoculated with either Bacillus megaterium or Enterobacter sp. strain C7 and grown until the attainment of maturity under both well-watered and drought conditions. Ethylene perception is crucial for B. megaterium. However, it is not of prime importance for Enterobacter sp. strain C7 PGPB activity under drought conditions. Both PGPB decreased the expression of ethylene-related genes in wt plants, resulting in stress alleviation, while only B. megaterium induced their expression in nr plants. Furthermore, PGPB inoculation affected transcriptomic profile dependency on strain, genotype, and drought. Ethylene sensitivity determines plant interaction with PGPB strains. Enterobacter sp. strain C7 could modulate amino-acid metabolism, while nr mutation causes a partially functional interaction with B. megaterium, resulting in higher oxidative stress and loss of PGPB activity.


Performance studies of the Herschel/SPIRE FTS show a significant contribution to the measured interferogram from beamsplitter emission when both input ports are well balanced. We describe results from further exploration of this effect.


Imprisoned in a series of Nazi camps where filth, silence, and torture were ever present, Arne Brun Lie watched his friends weaken and die. For decades, he was haunted by his past. Finally, he set sail from Boston to Norway, where he was able to make peace with that past, perhaps even with the German people.


In recent year, in many applications like radio frequency identification (RFID) networks and location-based services (LBS), it is highly demanded to address the uncertainty of the objects. For effective indexing of such uncertain one dimensional objects MV-Tree, US+ Tree [2] structure can be used which helps in effectively searching of them. These structures are used for Range Query, Nearest Neighbor Query. But these structures are not used if uncertain objects are in multidimensional structure. More focus is on indexing multidimensional uncertain objects for effective and efficient searching. So for this using a novel indexing structure, named U-Quadtree [1], for efficient processing of uncertain object in multidimensional space novel indexing through UQuadtree is prepared. In this a cost model which carefully considers various factors that may impact the performance. An effective and efficient index construction algorithm is proposed to build the optimal U-Quadtree regarding the cost model. U-Quadtree can also efficiently support other types of queries such as uncertain range query and nearest neighbor query.


Despite the known health benefits and the potential for substituting less environmentally sustainable consumed foods such as meat, the current intake of pulses in developed countries remains less than recommended. Barriers are related to sensory characteristics and lack of knowledge about preparation, while drivers of environmental benefits are intangible. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of additional information about health or environmental benefits of pulses on the acceptance of novel pulse-based products from chickpeas, black beans, and faba beans. Perceptions of these pulse-based spreads in a blind and informed stage were assessed with 202 consumers in urban and suburban areas of Denmark. In general, the familiar chickpea spread followed by the relatively most unfamiliar black bean spread was liked the most. Only for these two products, additional information increased hedonic perception, regardless of the context (health or environmental benefits). If consumers did not like the spread, as found for the faba bean spread, providing additional information did not significantly alter this perception. Participants' preferences and willingness to pay (WTP) in a discrete choice experiment corresponded to hedonic scores, whereas providing additional information increased the WTP. These findings suggest that extrinsic cues such as health or environmental benefits may only be useful in products with an acceptable baseline taste profile. Moreover, black beans might be investigated as a promising source for further product development due to their acceptance by consumers besides being the comparably most unfamiliar pulse type.


Argument Hijōji (emergency) was an important keyword in the militarist Japan of the 1930s. Previous scholarship has assumed that such language sprung from the global financial crisis of 1929, and subsequent diplomatic events. Our article demonstrates, however, that a full-bodied language of emergency was crafted well before the collapse of the global economy, and against the backdrop of the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, which destroyed the Japanese capital. While previous "great earthquakes" had been opportunities to strengthen Japanese participation in the global project of science, this one led more dramatically to a crisis of reason, and indirectly contributed to the spiritual, anti-western, and anti-rational rhetoric of what became the "Showa Restoration." This and other post-disaster landscapes, we argue, should be examined as compelling sites for the crafting of political language – sites of opportunity and meaning as well as trial. While the phrase "state of emergency" was coined under very different circumstances in post-war Britain, it gained power and charisma in Japan, and likely other places around the world, by its association with natural catastrophe. Thus did modern politics establish a new connection with the traditional realm of the sublime, and in the case of Japan, the supernatural. Emergency's ability to associate politics with nature would never disappear, and has perhaps even strengthened in the early twenty-first century.


The precision of double-beta () decay experimental half-lives and their uncertainties is reevaluated. A complementary analysis of the decay uncertainties indicates deficiencies due to the small size of statistical samples, and incomplete collection of experimental information. Further experimental and theoretical efforts would lead towards to more precise values of -decay half-lives and nuclear matrix elements.


Deals with experimental and theoretical investigations on the characteristics of low-pressure Ar+Hg discharges with very high electric current densities. The positive column of these discharge systems is studied under the following conditions: noble gas pressure 7.7 Torr; tube radius 1.6 mm; cold-spot temperature 313-53 K (corresponding to a saturation mercury vapour pressure of 6-88 m Torr) and electric current 30-600 mA. It is found that the V-I characteristic of the positive column will be positive if the value of the current density is above a certain critical one. A six-level model which can fairly describe the depleted low-pressure Ar+Hg discharges is developed. The output of the theoretical model gives the whole macroscopic plasma properties such as the electric field strength, the electron temperature, the energy transfers of the various collision processes and the radiation output, etc. The E-I and Te-I characteristics calculated according to the model agree qualitatively with the measured results.


This thesis focuses on a family of membrane proteins, called tetraspanins. As molecular facilitators, tetraspanins maintain the plasma membrane integrity by interacting with each other or with other macromolecules. If these master organizers are missing, if they are too abundant or defective, the membrane organization can be compromised and the cell functions affected, leading to diseases such as cancer and many others. Because of their crucial role on the cell surface, tetraspanins can also be regarded in some circumstances as targets of medicines. By targeting a tetraspanin we modulate their organization activities, aiming at restoring the normal cell function. The topic of this thesis is the biochemical, structural and functional characterization of human tetraspanin CD9. In Chapter 1 we introduce the main subjects of this thesis: the membrane microdomains, the tetraspanin family and post-translational modifications on tetraspanins. Finally, we present an overview of antibodies targeting CD9 and their properties. Membrane protein production for structural studies requires multiple steps, which are often hampered by many technical issues. In Chapter 2 we describe the efforts to produce a stable and homogeneous tetraspanin sample, its characterization and the isolation of CD9-specific nanobodies. Chapter 3 presents the structure and mode of action of a CD9-antibody fragment, derived from a melanoma patient, that binds CD9 extracellular loop (called EC2). This antibody binds tumor cells, but do not induce platelets aggregation, which is the major side-effect triggered by other reported CD9 antibodies. The structure of the Fab-CD9EC2 complex revealed that the antibody recognizes an extended and unfolded region of the extracellular loop. We observed that this unfolded region is also present in the CD9EC2 unbound structure and that, surprisingly, it corresponds to a CD9 homo-dimer interface. The antibody-binding mode sets the basis for the development of a CD9-specific drug for cancer therapy. Tetraspanins can be modified by the attachment of a fatty acid chain to cysteine residues, that are situated on protein regions close to the plasma membrane. Chapter 4 describes how this post-translational modification (called lipidation) affects tetraspanins function. We found that specific cysteines on CD9 are modified at different levels: three cysteines are lipidated at high extent, while the other three cysteines show variable lipidation. We observed that lipidation, occurring at specific sites, affects CD9 interaction with its major protein partners, while membrane localization and clustering of CD9 did not change. We analyzed the effect of lipidation on CD9 using a novel and simple tool. We mutated cysteine residues into tryptophans, to mimic the effect that lipidation might induce on the protein conformation. This strategy allowed us to make significant advances in understanding how tetraspanins associates by forming lateral interactions in the membrane microdomains. We finally discuss the main implications of this thesis in Chapter 5. In conclusion, we investigated the molecular mechanism of tetraspanin CD9 using different approaches. The dynamic association of tetraspanins in cell-surface clusters and their regulation is a crucial aspect in cell-cell signaling, adhesion, migration, fusion and many other cellular processes.


Hungarian Gypsy populations invest more heavily in daughters than in sons compared to co–resident Hungarians, in conformity with the predictions of the Trivers–Willard hypothesis. These effects are shown for four different measures of parental investment (sex ratio at birth, frequency of abortion, duration of breast–feeding and length of education). Opportunities for hypergamy into the wealthier Hungarian population appears to be one factor causing Gypsies to prefer daughters over sons. We show that differential investment by sex of offspring is directly related to the fitness pay–offs that accrue for each population through both sexes of offspring.


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

The rapidly growing field of Antibody-Drug Conjugates (ADCs) has recently spurred the study of novel drug payloads. In particular, much interest has been paid to the identification of novel cytotoxic agents, which differ in mechanism from anti-tubulin agents, currently the most commonly employed class of drug for ADC coupling. Novel drug payloads for ADC-based therapy should thus ideally possess highly potent cytotoxic activity with a diverse mechanism from tubulin agents, as well as physicochemical properties, which facilitate coupling to antibodies. Duocarmycins are a widely-described class of DNA minor groove binding alkylating agents, examples of which can exhibit picomolar activity against human tumor cell lines, as well as high activity in preclinical tumor models. The clinical development of duocarmycins as drugs in their own right has however been hampered by an extremely limited therapeutic window. Duocarmycins also typically exhibit poor physicochemical profiles, most importantly generally possessing limited aqueous solubility and a propensity to induce protein aggregation, which renders these molecules poorly tractable as optimal ADC payloads. Based on the premise that opportune modification of the duocarmycin scaffold could lead to the discovery of compounds better suited to antibody conjugation, we describe the identification and related proof of concept studies for a novel chemical series based on a proprietary thienoindole scaffold, characterized both by potent antitumor activity and by physicochemical properties that are highly compatible with deployment as antibody payloads.

Extensive in vitro profiling within the thienoindole series led to selection of potent cytotoxic compounds suitable for test conjugation to humanized monoclonal antibodies, which were then submitted to in vitro/in vivo profiling. Typically, average drug/antibody ratios (DARs) of 4 could readily be achieved without induction of antibody aggregation/precipitation and without affecting natural antibody-ligand affinity. Efficacy and mechanism of action studies were carried out for thienoindole-ADCs prepared with trastuzumab and with rituximab showing target driven effects in Her2 positive vs. negative breast cancer cell lines and against CD20 positive vs. negative hematological cell lines. PK data indicated long, essentially unaffected plasma half life of our novel ADCs in the mouse. In vivo efficacy studies in the Her2-positive HCC1954 human breast cancer model showed complete tumor regression in mice treated with trastuzumab-ADC with no effects on body weight gain, while unarmed trastuzumab and armed control antibody had little and no effect, respectively.

Citation Format: Barbara Valsasina, Fabio Gasparri, Italo Beria, Nicoletta Colombo, Paolo Orsini, Rita Perego, Simona Rizzi, Ulisse Cucchi, Clara Albanese, Aurelio Marsiglio, Ivan Fraietta, Marina Ciomei, Sabrina Cribioli, Carlo Visco, Eduard R. Felder, Antonella Isacchi, Enrico A. Pesenti, Arturo Galvani, Daniele Donati, Michele Caruso. Thienoindoles, a novel class of DNA minor groove alkylating agents highly suited for the generation of novel antibody drug conjugates (ADCs). [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 822. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-822


This study aims to investigate the perception and views of auditors and financial managers in Jordan regarding creative accounting practices, motives, preventive measures, and impact on the quality of accounting information. The study utilized a survey methodology using questionnaires for data collection. One hundred and seventy (170) questionnaires were distributed to the sample of the study of which one hundred and forty-five (145) questionnaires were returned and analyzed. The results of study revealed that creative accounting in its various forms, whether it complied with accounting standards or not, affects the quality of the accounting information. In addition, the most used practice of creative accounting is controlling the construction or reduction of the provisions and reserves such as the provision of bad debts to increase or decrease expenses and revenues. Meanwhile, gaining tax benefits is the most important motive for creative accounting practices. Also, the study revealed that the most important mean for limiting creative accounting practices was activating the role of auditing profession and related regulatory legislation governing their work in order to enhance their independence and professional competence. Finally, and based on these findings, the study provided a number of recommendations that would hopefully assist legislators, auditors and accountants in curbing creative accounting practices and improving the quality of accounting information in the Jordanian business environment.


Nucleic acids include substantial information in their base sequence and their hybridization-complexation motifs. Recent research efforts attempt to utilize this biomolecular information to develop DNA nanostructures exhibiting machine-like functions. DNA nano-assemblies revealing tweezers, motor, and walker activities exemplify a few such machines. The DNA-based machines provide new components that act as sensitive sensors, transporters, or drug delivery systems.


We propose a generalized joint power and rate adaptation scheme in direct-sequence (DS) code-division multiple-access (CDMA) communications over Nakagami fading channels. The transmission power allocated to user is proportional to Gi p, where Gi is the channel gain of user i and p is a real number, and the data rate (i.e., spreading gain) is jointly adapted so that a desired QoS is maintained. We analyze the average data rate of the proposed adaptation scheme subject to fixed average and peak transmission power constraints. Our results show that the proposed joint adaptation scheme provides a significant performance improvement over power-only and rate-only adaptation.


Polio. An American Story. By David M. Oshinsky. Oxford University Press, New York, 2005. 340 pp. $30, £18.99. ISBN 0-19-515294-8. Splendid Solution. Jonas Salk and the Conquest of Polio. By Jeffrey Kluger. Putnam, New York, 2004. 381 pp. $25.95, C$38. ISBN 0-399-15216-4. Living with Polio. The Epidemic and Its Survivors. By Daniel J. Wilson. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 2005. 300 pp. $29, £20.50. ISBN 0-226-90103-3. The authors offer three perspectives on polio in the United States: Oshinsky gives a broad view of the efforts to eradicate the disease, Kluger focuses on the work of Salk, and Wilson highlights the stories of people who were struck by the virus or lived with its consequences.


The Pb region is characterised by the existence of collective octupole states. Here we populated such states in Pb + Pb deep-inelastic reactions. γ-ray angular distribution measurements were used to infer the octupole character of several E3 transitions. The octupole character of the 2318 keV 17− → 14 in Pb, 2485 keV 19/2− → 13/2 in Pb, 2419 keV 15/2− → 9/2 in Pb and 2465 keV 17/2 → 11/2− in Tl transitions was demonstrated for the first time. In addition, shell model calculations were performed using two different sets of two-body matrix elements. Their predictions were compared with emphasis on collective octupole states.


There is a considerable variation in growth factors content of the Amniotic Membrane, between and within donors. This is further affected by handling of the AM. Such variations could affect the clinical efficacy of tissue constructs. Current use of AM for ex vivo expansion or surgery is not standardized and remains an area of concern. In this course we will apprehend the various aspects influencing these intra and inter-donor variations.


Children born in the last decade of the 20th century have been healthier, and will be longer lived, than ever before.1 Recent advances in paediatrics have seen national infant mortality rates fall below 5.0 per 1000 live births. The countries in which this has been achieved–Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Japan–have thus set benchmarks for the century ahead. In the context of world medicine, all who care for children rejoice in the momentum of advanced technology, which is saving hitherto unsavable individual children2 3; yet we are seeing the failings of delivery of health systems whose principles have been proved for decades. The major killers of the 13 million children who die annually before their fifth birthday4 remain pneumonia,5 gastroenteritis,4 malaria,6 measles,7 and trauma.8 The potentiating effects of malnutrition contribute to more than 80% of child deaths from infectious disease.9

One of the signal advances in paediatrics is the recognition that children's safety8 and health, indeed the very existence of whole races of children10 is a responsibility for all who practise in a contracting world.

### Mortality

Current best paediatric practice uses neonatal mortality rates specific to birth weight as a combined index of antenatal care and obstetric and paediatric care. In affluent countries these rates continue to fall and show no evidence of plateauing.1 The current United Kingdom neonatal death rate (deaths per 1000 live births in the first 28 days of life) for infants above the median birth weight of 3500 g is 0.9. The international benchmark for all infants who are not premature (those born weighing more than 2500 g) is a rate below 2.0 per 1000 live births.

The new treatments that have made this possible include the use of exogenous surfactant, high frequency ventilation, extracorporeal …


AIM
To evaluate the rotational stability and visual outcomes of a single-piece hydrophilic acrylic toric intraocular lenses (IOL) over a 1.5-year follow-up period. Data from the 6-month follow-up study have been previously reported.

METHODS
Forty eyes of 26 cataract patients (mean age: 72.8±7.9y) with pre-existing corneal astigmatism of 1.0 to 2.6 D were enrolled in the study. Mean axial length was 23.17±0.88 mm. Main outcome measures after implantation of the Torica-aA IOL (HumanOptics) were IOL rotational stability, subjective refraction, astigmatism correction, uncorrected and corrected distance visual acuity (UDVA, CDVA).

RESULTS
There was no significant change in the parameters evaluated between the 6-month and 1.5-year follow-ups. At last visit, mean absolute IOL rotation (objective method) was 1.81°±1.87° (range 0.00° to 7.20°) with 78.6% of eyes having IOL rotation <3°, 92.9% of eyes <5° and 100% of eyes <8°. No patient required secondary IOL repositioning during the course of the study. Mean residual refractive cylinder was -0.60±0.40 D. There was a significant reduction in the magnitude of the J0 vector postoperatively (P<0.0001) with a mean absolute change of 0.76±0.40 D. The mean J45 vector was close to zero preoperatively and postoperatively and didn't change significantly (P=0.28). Mean monocular UDVA and CDVA was 0.09±0.12 logMAR and -0.01±0.12 logMAR, respectively. No treatment with Nd:YAG laser was required.

CONCLUSION
The Torica-aA IOL shows good and stable visual performance and rotational stability over a 1.5-year follow-up period.


Outcome for patients with metastatic or recurrent/refractory osteosarcoma remains poor. Responses to sorafenib, a multikinase inhibitor, have been seen in recurrent/refractory osteosarcoma, although specific biomarkers of response have not been described. We report a partial response in a 7‐year‐old with refractory osteosarcoma treated with sorafenib 200 mg twice daily. Toxicities included Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events Grade 2 skin toxicities and growth suppression. After 51 months of therapy, he suffered a recurrence. Tumor sequencing later revealed a PDGFRA D846V mutation that was not identified in the relapse specimen. This case demonstrates prolonged partial response to sorafenib and provides a potential biomarker for response.


This study was done to determine the effect of pasteurization on the stability of lactic acid bacteria and its enzyme, and also its relation with physico-chemical properties in raw and pasteurized cow's and goat's milk. Most of the physico-chemical properties (pH, protein, ash and fat) were highest in pasteurized goat's milk. The total viable count for plate count of the bacterial concentration was higher in both pasteurized cow's and goat's milk which were 2.48 log CFU/ml. This was followed by raw cow's milk (1.59 log CFU/ml) and raw goat's milk (0.65 log CFU/ml). There was no yeast and mould detected in both raw and pasteurized cow's and goat's milk, respectively. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) was found significantly higher in raw milk compared to pasteurized milk and higher macronutrients (proximate composition) could be considered as one of the factors for the survival of LAB. Interestingly, based on API ZYM assay kit result, there were nine different enzymes were detected in all samples which were leucine arylamidase, valine arylamidase, cystine arylamidase, trypsin, α-chymotrypsin, naphthol-AS-BI-phosphohydrolase, α-glucosidase, β-glucosidase and acid phosphatise. This result revealed that different types of lactic acid bacteria were detected in treated and non-treated milk samples produced by different animals.


Relative contributions of common ingredients to heavy orographic rainfall associated with the passage of Hurricanes Hugo (1989) and Isabel (2003) over the Appalachian Mountains are examined using a numerical weather prediction model. It is found that the key ingredients for producing local heavy orographic rainfall were: high precipitation efficiency, strong low-level flow, strong orographically forced upward motion associated with strong low-level flow over relatively gentle upslope, concave geometry providing local areas of convergence, high moist flow upstream, a relatively large convective system associated with both tropical cyclones (TCs), and relatively slower movement. In addition, neither conditional instability nor potential (convective) instability is found to play essential roles in producing strong upward motion leading to heavy orographic TC rain. A modified Orographic Rain Index (ORI) is proposed as a predictor for heavy orographic TC precipitation, which includes the upstream incoming horizontal wind speed normal to the local orography, the steepness of the mountain, the relative humidity, the TC moving speed, and the horizontal scale of the TC. It is found that the ORI estimated in regions of local maximum rainfall by using fine-resolution numerically simulated results correlate well with rainfall rates for both hurricanes, indicating that it may serve as a predictor for heavy orographic TC rainfall.


We study a principal-agent model in which there is an option to defer a capital project approval decision. A control (incentive) problem makes the option to wait valuable when it would not have been valuable otherwise. Deferring the project approval decision has both a cost and a benefit. The cost of waiting is that the agent's uncertainty regarding future project cost realizations cannot be exploited. However, by delaying the first project's approval decision, the principal can condition its approval on the agent's cost report of the second project. Such conditioning can be valuable in the provision of incentives because of a diversification effect.


The authors show the main stages of field surgery formation in our country emphasizing the merits of V. Villie, N. Pirogov, V. Oppel, the history of field surgery department beginning from the day of its creation (August 8, 1931) till our days. The main scientific directions of the department's work are shown. It is noted that the modern period of its work is connected with revision of some states of military-and-medical doctrine. The data of the collective's practical work are presented.


Book synopsis: Political Thought since 1945 provides for a new generation of readers clear and accurate accounts of the views of seven major thinkers (Arendt, Dahl, Habermas, Hayek, Macpherson, Oakeshott and Rawls). Each one is placed in a context of comment and criticism. In addition, an introductory chapter sets out the ideas of other thinkers, so that the ambient controversy and conversation is made plain. Politics as philosophy, as social science, and as ideology are all considered. The search for a valid form of enquiry is shown to be a continuing preoccupation through the period. There was frequent evidence of delayed recognition and influence of political writers, and so this reliable guide will provide illumination for years to come.


The relative roles of the radicals produced by water radiolysis in the inactivation of biotin in aqueous solution were investigated. The effects of nitrous oxide and isopropanol used as selective free radical scavengers allowed the inactivation efficiencies per unit G-value of OH, H, and to be estimated; these efficiencies were 0.73, 0.10, and 0.02 in neutral solution, respectively. Hydrogen gas and hydrogen peroxide unaffected the activity of biotin. G0-value for biotin inactivation in oxygen-free neutral solution was 2.08. Under these conditions the hydroxyl radical attack was found to be responsible for the large part of inactivation. On the other hand, in oxygenated neutral solution, G0-value was 4.16. This large increase of inactivation in oxygenated solution suggested that, although hydrated electrons were considerably ineffective as an inactivating species in oxygen-free solution, superoxide ions would be much more effective in causing inactivation of biotin in oxygenated solution.A rate constant f...


Multiple-beam Fizeau fringes in transmission and at reflection were used to investigate the optical properties of layers of fibres with irregular transverse sections having a skin-core structure. Mathematical expressions have been derived for the values of refractive indices and birefringence of these fibres. These expressions were applied to determine the optical properties of two samples of nylon-6 fibres.


Objectives: This study aimed to determine the effect of the presence or absence of avoidable hospitalization before acquiring coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on COVID-19-related deaths. Methods: This study used the total NHIS-COVID-19 dataset comprising domestic COVID-19 patients, provided by the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) in South Korea. We conducted logistic regression and double robust estimation (DRE) to confirm the effect of avoidable hospitalization on COVID-19-related deaths. Results: Logistic regression analysis confirmed that the odds ratio (OR) of death due to COVID-19 was high in the group that experienced avoidable hospitalization. DRE analysis showed a higher OR of death due to COVID-19 in the group that experienced avoidable hospitalization compared to the group that did not experience avoidable hospitalization, except in the subgroup aged ≤69 years. Conclusion: The effect of avoidable hospitalization on COVID-19-related deaths was confirmed. Therefore, continued health care, preventive medicine, and public health management are essential for reducing avoidable hospitalizations despite the COVID-19 pandemic. Clinicians need to be informed about the importance of continuous disease management.


Recent studies have clearly shown that vitamin D3 is a crucial regulator of the female reproductive process in humans and animals. Knowledge of the expression of vitamin D3 receptors and related molecules in the female reproductive organs such as ovaries, uterus, oviduct, or placenta under physiological and pathological conditions highlights its contribution to the proper function of the reproductive system in females. Furthermore, vitamin D3 deficiency leads to serious reproductive disturbances and pathologies including ovarian cysts. Although the influence of vitamin D3 on the reproductive processes of humans and rodents has been extensively described, the association between vitamin D3 and female reproductive function in farm animals, birds, and fish has rarely been summarized. In this review, we provide an overview of the role of vitamin D3 in the reproductive system of those animals, with special attention paid to the expression of vitamin D3 receptors and its metabolic molecules. This updated information could be essential for better understanding animal physiology and overcoming the incidence of infertility, which is crucial for optimizing reproductive outcomes in female livestock.


It has become customary to talk about the differences as if they were essential attribute of certain subjects or certain peculiar identities. Educational scenarios that proclaim notions such as equality, inclusion and diversity assume a position of proximity/distance with respect to the unique experience of being in relationship between differences. His readings are crossed by strong components standardization and legal regulation. So: What reading can be present at the time of thinking the multiplicity of differences within Education? A literary reading that allows, perhaps, go beyond faded images that confuse the differences with subjects thought of as different and, perhaps, reveal the complexity and randomness of actions and educational experiences.


This thesis describes work undertaken by the author at the University of Oxford. It begins by providing an introduction to malaria infection and pathophysiology, and a review of the latest attempts to produce an effective malaria vaccine. It goes on to describe the rationale behind the vaccines developed by the University of Oxford and others. A brief introduction to the process of planning and carrying out clinical trials of vaccines is then provided, and is followed by chapters describing two clinical trials, designed to test the safety, immunogenicity and then efficacy of candidate malaria vaccines. These trials were performed in Oxford, to examine two different vaccination approaches. The first intended to broaden the specificity of the vaccine induced immune response, by providing multiple antigens in one vaccine, aiming thereby to improve protection from malaria infection. The second regimen used a combination vaccine intending to induce both humoral and cellular immunity simultaneously, thereby providing enhanced efficacy against malaria infection. Neither approach was sufficient to provide protection from infection in the challenge studies described; however, some impact on the disease was detected in the second study. This is examined in detail. The laboratory work described studies background immune responses (both cellular and humoral) to vaccine antigens in a malaria exposed population, intended to support the inclusion of these antigens in the multi-antigen vaccine. The remaining chapters describe work in parasite life cycle modelling, undertaken to aid interpretation of results of these clinical trials, and finally an examination of the clinical course of malaria in the control volunteers who have taken part in the many challenge studies conducted in Oxford.


RbTiOAsO4 (RTA) has been found to be phase matchable for type-2 second-harmonic generation (SHG) from 0.5725 to 1.80μm at 20.0°C. By comparing these experimental results and the published 90°phase-matched parametric oscillator (OPO) tuning points given by Reid et al. and Scheidt et al. with two differentSellmeier's equations of Cheng et al. and Fenimore et al., the latter was found to reproduce well the experimental points of Scheidt et al. as well as our data points. In addition, the absolute values of the nonlinear optical constants of this crystal are discussed.


A hot gas bulging process for an aluminum alloy tube with resistance heating in a forming machine was developed. The tube was rapidly heated by electrifying to increase its formability and to decrease its flow stress. Since the tube was bulged by thermally expanding air sealed in the tube without controlling internal pressure during forming, the control became easy. The hot gas bulging of an aluminum alloy tube without and with axial compression was performed. The effects of the initial internal pressure and current on the expansion ratio of the tube were examined. The decrease in temperature around the contact with the electrode was prevented by inserting a stainless steel ring with low thermal conductivity and high heat generation between the copper electrode and the tube, and thus, the bulging length increased. The formability of the aluminum alloy tube was markedly improved, i.e., the expansion ratio at the onset of bursting for hot gas bulging was 130%, whereas that for cold hydroforming was 20%. It was found that hot gas bulging is effective in increasing the formability of aluminum alloy tubes.


This article investigates gender differences in the job search process in the field and lab. Our analysis is based on rich information on initial job offers and acceptances from undergraduates of Boston University's Questrom School of Business. We find (i) a clear gender difference in the timing of job offer acceptance, with women accepting jobs substantially earlier than men, and (ii) a sizable gender earnings gap in accepted offers, which narrows in favor of women over the course of the job search period. To understand these patterns, we develop a job search model that incorporates gender differences in risk aversion and overoptimism about prospective offers. We validate the model's assumptions and predictions using the survey data and present empirical evidence that the job search patterns in the field can be partly explained by the greater risk aversion displayed by women and the higher levels of overoptimism displayed by men. We replicate these findings in a laboratory experiment that features sequential job search and provide direct evidence on the purported mechanisms. Our findings highlight the importance of risk preferences and beliefs for gender differences in job-finding behavior and, consequently, early-career wage gaps among the highly educated.


This paper succeeded in utilizing cellular automata (CA) model to simulate the process of the train operation under the four-aspect color light system and getting the nonperiodic diagram of the mixed passenger and freight tracks. Generally speaking, the concerned models could simulate well the situation of wagon in preventing trains from colliding when parking and restarting and of the real-time changes the situation of train speeds and displacement and get hold of the current train states in their departures and arrivals. Finally the model gets the train diagram that simulates the train operation in different ratios of the van and analyzes some parameter characters in the process of train running, such as time, speed, through capacity, interval departing time, and departing numbers.