Throughout the developing world, private-sector research is likely to increase substantially, giving rise to fundamental changes in agricultural research in the public sector. Public- and private-sector research organizations will need to institutionalize arrangements to allow complementary relationships and a rational division of labour to develop. In fact, the relationship between the public and private sectors has varied over time, depending on a combination of policy and technological factors. An understanding of both public and private agricultural research roles is a prerequisite for informed public policy choice on this matter. This paper reports on a study at ISNAR which documents and analyses the roles of public- and private-sector organizations conducting or funding agricultural research in three Latin America and Caribbean countries. The relationship between the two sectors was examined, and the types of research conducted by each sector and their contribution to the research process were reviewed. The study reports on data obtained during surveys on Colombian, Ecuadorian and Jamaican research institutes that were undertaken in 1992 and 1993. Interviews were held with representatives from 37 selected private organizations as well as 11 public institutions engaged in research.


The Headteacher in the English Catholic School faces forces vis a tergo resulting from the specific historic interplay of State and Church which, themselves play into dominant ontotheologies (such as managerialism, assessment, productivity, 'success' criteria and curriculum design). This thesis, adopting an autoethnographic approach, which places particular emphases upon the identities of Headteacher-Researcher1, (as well as other identities including that of Catholic-father-husband-employee and convert to Catholicism) seeks to express these challenges. Second, it seeks to examine and so move some way towards their possible exploration with the aporia providing a particular focus upon a number of cul-de-sacs in practice. This serves as a basis for re-thinking and taking responsibility for pathways required for aspects of practice. Identifying an on-going tension existing between authenticity – understood as 'mattering' - and inauthenticity, the latter is marked by the potential 'non-mattering' of the human being in favour of some other 'process' or 'goal' consonant with the logics and economy of metaphysical technologies. Such 'non mattering' - associated with what is described as in this thesis as alienation - represents a lack of such integration; the lack of authority ('mattering') to oneself or to the other. Alienation as it affects the young, the context of this Headteacher-Researcher, is frequently expressed as their being caught within the 'tectonic plates' of late modernity: a 'violence' within which the individual 'wins' or 'loses' as seemingly unyielding cultural narratives drive against each other akin to the geological violence at the root of this metaphorical expression. While a thesis that seeks to open horizons beyond the delimiting effects of empiricism, such grounds for alienation are outlined early on as, together with the reflective practice and philosophical approach of this author, they constitute the basis for this thesis. The second play of authenticity for the purpose of this thesis refers to the authenticity (or inauthenticity) of the education in which the Catholic Headteacher (including this Researcher-Author) is engaged. To what extent is the educational programme centred on the individual, as against the assessment criteria? To what extent is education parcelled into silos such that it is deprived not only of its intellectual interrelatedness, but also its moral, or at least, affective content? This is particularly acute in an educational culture dominated by assessment, and with a Church-State compact increasingly feeling the strain arising from, inter alia, an increase in secularism and a decrease in the common memory of the rationale for the 1944 settlement. This thesis finds the current proclamations of Catholic education necessary but insufficient to equip the young to navigate the tectonic plates of late modernity and, by way of contribution, suggests an approach informed by the mid twentieth century Jesuit theologian, Bernard Lonergan and the contemporary Belgium Catholic philosopher-theologian, Lieven Boeve. In Lonergan, informed by his reading of Heidegger, we see an attempt to focus not merely on education-as-(utilitarian)-knowledge-acquisition, but rather education as formation – as combining the confluence of traits consonant with what he terms 'conversion' – including the easily forgotten realisation that to study is to be involved in an ethical practice. In applying Boeve to the Catholic school, one sees a recognition that, rather than teaching subjects well (where 'well' means 'hitting the performance measure') and (separately) teaching religion well, the Catholic School should be equipping the young with a Catholic hermeneutic by which they can critically assess a pluralistic – often hostile- world into which they are, to use Heidegger's evocative language, thrown; its 'truths', 'traditions' and 'axioms'. This is increasingly the case as potential vacuums of 'meaning' produce fertile ground for those who would wish to impart a (potentially pernicious) new narrative on the young. In arguing instead for a pro-recontextualizing School – informed by the new and more radical vision of Catholic education evolved heretofore- this thesis takes the Lonergan-Boeve insight further in the use of aporia revealing (opening up) those unalterable fault lines to which both the Headteacher and her student must engage.


Variational Bayes (VB) is a recent approximate method for Bayesian inference. It has the merit of being a fast and scalable alternative to Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) but its approximation error is often unknown. In this paper, we derive the approximation error of VB in terms of mean, mode, variance, predictive density and KL divergence for the linear Gaussian multi-equation regression. Our results indicate that VB approximates the posterior mean perfectly. Factors affecting the magnitude of underestimation in posterior variance and mode are revealed. Importantly, We demonstrate that VB estimates predictive densities accurately.


In some applications, moment actuators provide a competitive altemate approach to the conventional piston type of actuators. A piezo-electrlc or a simIlar device placed between two posts on the back surface of a deformable mirror constitutes one type of moment actuators. A dosed form solution of the blharmonlc equation of Kirchoffs thin plate theory Is obtained by the classical method of boundary value problems of linear elastomechanics and presented in this paper for the influence function of an arbitrarily located and oriented moment actuator of the above type on the back of a flat circular deformable mirror. The solution covers both radial and tangential moments. The results clearly show their global character in contrast to those for the piston type actuators with high stiffness. An application of this function to the design of a 30-actuator circular deformable mirror with moment actuators, related hardware, and test results has been reported elsewhere1.


This article investigates the relationship between three types of measures obtained from consumer surveys: satisfaction, health status, and report of systems performance. Analyses demonstrate that patient reports of the quality of processes of care or system performance (such as receiving results of tests or receiving conflicting information from staff members) are significantly related to satisfaction independently of perception of health status. Since dissatisfaction is known to be associated with disenrollment, patient reports of system performance are of great interest to health plans.


This paper investigates ionized gas ∞ow in the boundary layer when its electroconductivity is varied. The ∞ow is planar and the contour is porous. At flrst, it is assumed that the ionized gas electroconductivity ae depends only on the longitudinal variable. Then we adopt that it is a function of the ratio of the longitudinal velocity and the velocity at the outer edge of the boundary layer. For both electroconductivity variation laws, by application of the general similarity method, the governing boundary layer equations are brought to a generalized form and numerically solved in a four-parametric three times localized approximation. Based on many tabular solutions, we have shown diagrams of the most important nondimensional values and characteristic boundary layer functions for both of the assumed laws. Finally, some conclusions about in∞uence of certain physical values on ionized gas ∞ow in the boundary layer have been drawn.


Many people for different reasons end up wearing glasses to correct their vision. From time immemorial, there has been an unquestionable ability to associate people with glasses. Designing the glasses according to the physiognomy of each person opens a new path for a completely new optical experience. The frames are designed to fit perfectly on the face, are comfortable on the nose, and are positioned at an optimal distance from the cheeks and eyelashes. Three-dimensional printing technology offers the possibility to customize any form of glasses at a low cost with average quality. In this type of technology, the printer receives a digitized model of the spectacle frame (usually in STL file format) that must meet the parameters related to the wearer's anatomy. Therefore, this paper presents an innovative process, an optical method used to scan the wearer's face to design a parameterized design of the spectacle frames. The procedure has a measurement phase for quantifying the anatomical features of the wearer's face, a para-metric design phase of the glasses for adjusting the design parameters according to the anatomical characteristics, and a manufacturing phase in which the custom eyeglass frame will be manufactured using 3D printing technology. The aim of this study was to create an innovative process that could be tested as an educational 3D printing system that could be used by undergraduate students (studying under an optometry program), a process that would begin at optometric prescription stage and can be used in the educational laboratory of the Department of Mechatronics and Precision Mechanics from the Politehnica University of Bucharest. Using this method we obtained a custom spectacle frame that can be prototyped using 3D printing. The 3D-printed polylactic acid (PLA) frames are lightweight, flexible, durable, and the innovative photogrammetry process gives designers the ability to create custom designs that cannot be created with traditional manufacturing techniques.


The learning and comprehension of algorithmic machines usually present a high degree of difficulty for computer engineering students. In order to make it more accessible, a teaching methodology of eminently practical base has been designed, centered on the development of a simple processor, which we called LittleProc. In the paper the characteristics of LittleProc are presented along with their pedagogical motivations. Also the teaching methodology devised and the form it was applied are exposed in a detailed way. The academic results obtained and the evaluation given by the students confirm the viability and suitability of the followed methodology.


Increasing demand exists to disseminate and integrate proteomic data as proteome analysis assumes a commanding role in the postgenome era. Databases on the World Wide Web are an effective means to share information obtained from two‐dimensional gels and allied proteomic approaches. Here we report the establishment of ToothPrint, a proteomic database for dental tissues accessed at http://toothprint.otago.ac.nz. Using developing rat enamel as a prototype, ToothPrint provides a variety of functionally relevant data (ligand binding, subcellular localisation, developmental regulation) in addition to protein identification maps. Features designed to enhance usability of the website and simplify its computing requirements are also outlined. Customised for mineralising tissues, ToothPrint should prove to be an effective bioinformatic resource for investigations of dental biology.


Laparoscopy is the gold standard in gynecological surgery. Single-port laparoscopic surgery, has been developed in order to improve minimally invasive surgery. We analyzed single-port approach in benign gynecologic pathology and made a bibliographic research on Pubmed and Medline from January 2000 to January 2015. From what emerges from the papers taken into consideration, single-port laparoscopy can be used for salpingostomy or salpingectomy to treat tubal ectopic pregnancy, benign adnexal disease (ovarian cystectomy, salpingo-oophorectomy), and for hysterectomy. We do not have enough data for complex procedures like myomectomy or hysteropexy. Robotic single-port laparoscopy seems to be a very attractive perspective and its use in benign gynecology surgery is expanding. More and more ergonomic limitations of single-port laparoscopy are corrected by development of articulated or flexible instruments and camera. Beyond these preliminary results, more ample prospective studies with an adapted and standardized instrumentation are thus essential to highlight real profits.


H.264/AVC is a new video compression standard designed for future broadband network. Compared with former video coding standards such as MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 part 2, it saves up to 40% in bit rate and provides important characteristics such as error resilience, stream switching etc. However, the improvement in performance also introduces increase in computational complexity, which requires more powerful hardware. At the same time, there are several image and video coding standards currently used such as JPEG and MPEG-4. Although ASIC design meets the performance requirement, it lacks flexibility for heterogeneous standards. Hence reconfigurable DSP processor is more suitable for media processing since it provides both real-time performance and flexibility. Currently there are several single scalar DSP processors in the market. Compare to media processor, which is generally SIMD or VLIW, single scalar DSP is cheaper and has smaller area while its performance for video processing is limited. In this paper, a method to promote the performance of single scalar DSP by attaching hardware accelerators is proposed. And the bottleneck for performance promotion is investigated and the upper limit of acceleration of a certain single scalar DSP for H.264/AVC decoding is presented. Behavioral model of H.264/AVC decoder is realized in pure software during the first step. Although real-time performance cannot be achieved with pure software implementation, computational complexity of different parts is investigated and the critical path in decoding was exposed by analyzing the first design of this software solution. Then both functional acceleration and addressing acceleration were investigated and designed to achieve the performance for real-time decoding using available clock frequency within 200MHz.


In humans, most HBV infection in the adult resolves after the acute disease, however, around ninety percent of the infection in neonates and childhood leads to chronic HBV persistence. Until today, causes for the age-dependent infection outcome of HBV are still unclear. By using hydrodynamic injection of replication-competent HBV DNA plasmid, we established a mouse model of in vivo HBV transfection in which HBV persistence was generated in young C57BL/6 mice of 4-6 w/o, but not in mice older than 10 w/o. In this system, we found that there was higher hepatic IFN-alpha/beta expression in the young mice after HBV transfection compared to adult mice. We speculate that differential IFN-alpha/beta immune regulation during early HBV infection leads to the age-dependent HBV persistence outcome. To address this, the adult mice were overexpressed with IFN-beta in the liver. HBV persistence rate of these mice was increased compared to controls. In addition, blockage of IFN-alpha/beta signaling in the young mice accelerated HBV clearance. The young mice expressed more IFN-alpha/beta-associated immune suppressor genes, Axl/Twist, after HBV transfection than the adult mice, suggesting that type-I IFN executed active immune suppression towards HBV immunity in the young mice. Our findings suggest a role for IFN-alpha/beta in suppressing effective anti-HBV immunity in the young mice and shed light on our understanding of the age-dependent immune function during early HBV infection.


The addition of solvent to cyclic steam stimulation is done to reduce the SOR (vapor oil ratio). Generally, in the middle or late stages once a certain pressure drop occurs in the process, this ratio can increase significantly. Naphtha, which is generally used to transport heavy oil, is the solvent used in this investigation. The study of the use of naphtha in addition to the cyclic steam stimulation has been mainly oriented to the effect it achieves on the incremental recovery compared to the application of steam only. However, the effect of naphtha on the reactivity of crude oil components under conditions of cyclic steam stimulation or if its effect is the only dilution has not yet been considered. The present study aims to evaluate and analyze the effect of naphtha in conditions of cyclic steam stimulation, on the permanent composition of the improved oil, as well as the rheological behavior of crude oil, after varying the steam naphtha ratio. Tests were carried out with the system solvent (naphtha) – oil (12.5 ° API, 4216 cP @ 40° C) steam, in a batch micro-reactor, under conditions of cyclic steam stimulation (240 300 °C, 700-1400 psi). The characterization of the samples obtained was carried out by MALDI-TOF MS (matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry) and NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance) techniques. The results indicate that there is a rearrangement of the microstructure of asphaltenes, resulting in a decrease in these and an increase in lighter components such as resins. Biography: Nora Andrea Guerrero Gómez is a Chemical Engineer graduated from the Industrial University of Santander. Specialist in instrumental chemical analysis of the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana. Master's student in Hydrocarbons Engineering of the Industrial University of Santander, belonging to the improved recovery research group of the same university. Speaker Publications "Simultaneous intercalated assembly of mesostructured hybrid carbon nanofiber/reduced graphene oxide and its use in electrochemical sensing Journal of Nanotechnology 2 November 2018"; 7 World Congress on Chemical Engineering and Catalysis Webinar– July 22-23, 2020.


OBJECTIVE The nitric oxide/cGMP/cGMP-dependent protein kinase type I (cGKI) signaling pathway regulates cell functions that play a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes. However, the impact of a dysfunction of this pathway for glucose metabolism in vivo is unknown. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS The expression of cGKI in tissues relevant to insulin action was analyzed by immunohistochemistry. The metabolic consequences of a genetic deletion of cGKI were studied in mice that express cGKI selectively in smooth muscle but not in other cell types (cGKI-SM mice). RESULTS In wild-type mice, cGKI protein was detected in hepatic stellate cells, but not in hepatocytes, skeletal muscle, fat cells, or pancreatic β-cells. Compared with control animals, cGKI-SM mice had higher energy expenditure in the light phase associated with lower body weight and fat mass and increased insulin sensitivity. Mutant mice also showed higher fasting glucose levels, whereas insulin levels and intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test results were similar to those in control animals. Interleukin (IL)-6 signaling was strongly activated in the liver of cGKI-SM mice as demonstrated by increased levels of IL-6, phospho-signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (Tyr 705), suppressor of cytokine signaling-3, and serum amyloid A2. Insulin-stimulated tyrosine phosphorylation of the insulin receptor in the liver was impaired in cGKI-SM mice. The fraction of Mac-2–positive macrophages in the liver was significantly higher in cGKI-SM mice than in control mice. In contrast with cGKI-SM mice, conditional knockout mice lacking cGKI only in the nervous system were normal with respect to body weight, energy expenditure, fasting glucose, IL-6, and insulin action in the liver. CONCLUSIONS Genetic deletion of cGKI in non-neuronal cells results in a complex metabolic phenotype, including liver inflammation and fasting hyperglycemia. Loss of cGKI in hepatic stellate cells may affect liver metabolism via a paracrine mechanism that involves enhanced macrophage infiltration and IL-6 signaling.


Histone deacetylase 2 (HDAC2) is overexpressed or mutated in several disorders such as hematological cancers, and plays a critical role in transcriptional regulation, cell cycle progression and developmental processes. Here, we performed comparative transcriptome analyses in acute myeloid leukemia to investigate the biological implications of HDAC2 silencing versus its enzymatic inhibition using epigenetic-based drug(s). By gene expression analysis of HDAC2-silenced vs wild-type cells, we found that HDAC2 has a specific role in leukemogenesis. Gene expression profiling of U937 cell line with or without treatment of the well-known HDAC inhibitor vorinostat (SAHA) identifies and characterizes several gene clusters where inhibition of HDAC2 'mimics' its silencing, as well as those where HDAC2 is selectively and exclusively regulated by HDAC2 protein expression levels. These findings may represent an important tool for better understanding the mechanisms underpinning immune regulation, particularly in the study of major histocompatibility complex class II genes.


Aim: C-X-C motif chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4) is expressed in many tumor entities, including gastrointestinal neuroendocrine neoplasms (GI-NENs). However, the role of CXCR4 expression in GI-NENs has been less studied. Our objective was to investigate the expression of CXCR4 in a series of GI-NENs with various clinical and pathological features. Methods: The immunohistochemical (IHC) expression of CXCR4 (clone UMB2) was examined in 71 GI-NENs and a semiquantitative immunoreactivity score (IRS) was calculated taking into consideration the intensity of the IHC reaction and the percentage of the tumor cells which showed positive expression. Results were compared with several clinical and pathological prognostic factors. Results: High CXCR4 expression was noted in 31 (43.7%) cases. Low IRS values were more frequent in NENs from the small intestine (66.7%) and stomach (60%). Also, all appendix tumors had IRS value of zero. High CXCR4 expression was noticed in 52.5% of liver metastases, compared to 40.4% primary tumors. A significant relationship was observed between the CXCR4 expression and the tumor grade (p=0.0216), and high IRS value was correlated with clinical stages III and IV (p=0.0142) and lympho-vascular invasion (p=0.0129). 74.1% of G1 neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) had a low IRS, G3 NETs showed minor differences between low (42.9%) and high (57.1%) expression and 66.7% of neuroendocrine carcinomas (NECs) presented high expression of CXCR4. Conclusions: The present study highlighted that high CXCR4 expression is associated with high grade and advanced stage GI-NENs, as well as with metastatic cases. In these cases, high CXCR4 expression could serve as an important target for CXCR4 antagonists.


Background/Aim: An alarming increase in vitamin D deficiency even in sunny regions highlights the need for a better understanding of the genetic background of the vitamin D endocrine system and the molecular mechanisms of gene polymorphisms of the vitamin D receptor (VDR). In this study, the serum levels of 25(OH)D3 were correlated with common VDR polymorphisms (ApaI, BsmI, FokI, and TaqI) in 98 subjects of a Greek homogeneous rural population. Methods: 25(OH)D3 concentration was measured by ultra-HPLC, and the VDR gene polymorphisms were identified by quantitative real-time PCR followed by amplicon high-resolution melting analysis. Results: Subjects carrying either the B BsmI (OR: 0.52, 95% CI: 0.27–0.99) or t TaqI (OR: 2.06, 95%: 1.06–3.99) allele presented twice the risk for developing vitamin D deficiency compared to the reference allele. Moreover, subjects carrying 1, 2, or all 3 of these genotypes (BB/Bb, Tt/tt, and FF) demonstrated 2-fold (OR: 2.04, 95% CI: 0.42–9.92), 3.6-fold (OR: 3.62, 95% CI: 1.07–12.2), and 7-fold (OR: 6.92, 95% CI: 1.68–28.5) increased risk for low 25(OH)D3 levels, respectively. Conclusions: Our findings reveal a cumulative effect of specific VDR gene polymorphisms that may regulate vitamin D concentrations explaining, in part, the paradox of vitamin D deficiency in sunny regions, with important implications for precision medicine.


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Background: Inappropriate use of antibiotics is known as an important risk factor in the development of antibiotic resistance, which increases the morbidity and mortality. We aimed to determine the prevalence and characteristics of antibiotic use in a Tertiary Care Hospital in Tabuk city, Northern Saudi Arabia. Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted in a Tertiary Care Hospital in Tabuk city, during October 2017. Results: A total of 120 participants, 107 of them had antibiotics in their prescriptions with antibiotic use prevalence 89.2%. Most of patients were males (62.6%) and children and adolescents (0-19 years) constituted 4.8%. The most attended department was internal medicine (32.7%). 21 diseases were identified, upper respiratory tract infection (URTI), followed by urinary tract infection (UTI) 8.4%. Among the antibiotics, ampicillin, cephalosporin and metronidazole were the most prescribed antibiotics as each of them was found in 16.8% of cases, followed by quinolones in 12.1% and macrolides in 11.2%. In addition Augmentin (9.3%), aminoglycosides (7.5%) and chloramphenicol (1.9%). Regarding the combined therapy, 31.8% of patients received combination of two antibiotics, 4.7% received three antibiotics and only one antibiotic was prescribed in 68% of patients. The most common route of administration was the oral tablets in 48.6% and syrup in 14% of patients. Conclusion and recommendations: The prevalence of antibiotic use in Tabuk Tertiary Care hospitals was very high (89.2%) which could be a risk factor for the development of antibiotic resistance. We advocate public health measures targeting healthcare providers on the use and misuse of antibiotics.


In-vitro study of Chromolaena odorata extracts was determined against isolated Phytophthora megakarya for the purpose of investigating the antifungal activity of ethanolic, cold-water and warm-water extracts of the medicinal plant against Phytophthora megakarya. Their antifungal effects were assessed with agar-well diffusion methods. Phytochemical screening and minimum inhibitory concentrations of the extracts were also determined. A qualitative phytochemical analysis of the extracts showed the presence of biologically active constituents such as flavonoids, phenols, tannins, sterols, amino acid and glycosinulate. Results showed that antifungal effects of Chromolaena odorata against Phytophthora megakarya were most efficient by ethanolic extracts, followed by extract of cold-water while hot water extract had no visible antifungal effect. Zones of clearance range from 15.00 mm to 32.00 mm using ethanolic extractions with concentrations from 1% to 5% while zones of clearance using cold water extract was from 5.00 mm to 30.00 mm with varying concentrations of 1% to 5%. The negative control using sterile distilled water showed no inhibitory effect on Phytophthora megakarya while 41.00 mm zone of clearance was observed in the positive control test using Metalaxyl and cuprous oxide-containing synthetic fungicide. This study provides a scientific confirmation of the use of Chromolaena odorata against cocoa pod infections by some local farmers.Asian J. Med. Biol. Res. March 2018, 4(1): 7-13


Through the survey of plant landscapes on eight representative squares in Tianjin City,the paper had pointed out that plant landscapes on Tianjin squares were improper in terms of plants richness,cultivation layer and color change.It had suggested selecting regional characteristic tree species,applying salt-tolerant plants,emphasizing the diversity of plants species,highlighting the application of towering arbors,stressing the use of color-leaved plants,and creating abundant plant communities,so as to provide citizens with a more practical and ornamental square landscape environment through improving plant landscapes on squares in Tianjin City.


Premna serratifolia known as bebuas has long been used by Malay comunity for both food and traditional medicine. The most notable advantage of this plant is to heal woman after childbirth and to raise the notion that contains anti-inflammatory bioactive compounds. In this study, the hexane extract of bebuas was only contained steroids. Meanwhile the ethanol extract contained various secondary metabolites such as phenolics, alkaloids, flavonoids, steroids and saponins. The ethanol extract was further separated since the targeted compound isolate was an alkaloid. The isolate obtained was a yellow crystal which transformed to yellow oil after being exposed to air. The anti-inflammatory evaluation of the compound gave a result with a strong activity with ED50 = 4.06 mg/KgBW. Characterization by UV-Vis and FT-IR showed that the isolate's spectra pattern had similarities with bufotenine. It revealed that the isolate shared the same basic skeleton with the bufotenine, especially the indole skeleton. Furthermore, it also shared the same physical form with bufotenine. These evidences strengthened the assumption that the isolate was an indole alkaloid.


Background: Silicone oil (SO) is used as an intravitreal tamponade agent in vitreoretinal surgery for rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) complicated by proliferative vitreoretinopathy or with large, multiple retinal tears. Usually, SO is left in the eye for at least 3 months. Although its use can lead to well-known complications, intraocular SO is generally well tolerated. Some studies have reported unexpected central vision loss after SO use or removal. Objective: To investigate and analyze the reason for visual loss after the use or removal of intraocular SO in patients who underwent vitrectomy surgeries for RRD. Patients and Methods: A retrospective observational case series of 12 patients with macula-on RRD who reported visual loss after the use or removal of SO was reviewed. Investigations carried out included fundus fluorescein angiography, optical coherence tomography (OCT) of the macula and optic disc, perimetry, and electrophysiological study. Electrolyte levels were measured in retro-oil fluid and compared with their levels in the vitreous humor of patients who underwent vitrectomy for macular holes, floaters, dropped intraocular lenses, or dropped crystalline lens fragments. Results: Visual acuity levels dropped by at least 2 Snellen chart lines. None of the 12 cases had macular detachment at any stage. Fundus fluorescein angiography and OCT results were unremarkable in most of the cases. Mean levels of electrolytes in retro-oil fluids and vitreous humor were similar. Conclusion: Visual loss is a possible complication after SO use or removal. This still remains a mysterious issue which needs further research and investigation.


In this paper, we consider multi-party coordination in a supply chain (SC) that consists of a set of independent producers and a set of resource managers. A decentralised decision-making approach is proposed for a coal SC, with three independent parties – multiple mines, a rail operator and a terminal. The rail operator and the terminal act as common resource managers and connects the independent mines via a rail network. The objective of this SC is to efficiently use an independent rail operator to transport coal from different mines to meet the shipping demand at the terminal. The underlying coordination problem can be seen as a multi-resource constrained scheduling problem. A major part of this paper addresses the key challenges in a decentralised approach based on column generation (CG), which are to compute the value of a column, better upper bounds and to update the multipliers using decentralised methods. We have also discussed the mathematical models for different decision units, the CG algorithm and different strengthening methods. A comprehensive computational experiment based on randomly generated instances highlights the effect of decentralisation and the value of information-sharing. The proposed solution approaches can be extended to a multi-party case with any number of common resources.


We consider distributed estimation on a directed graph with switching topologies. Motivated by a recent PI consensus filter, we modify the protocol and remove the requirement of bi-directional exchange of neighboring gains for fixed topologies. We then extend the protocol to switching topologies and propose a new hybrid consensus filter design. Convergence results under both balanced directed and general directed graphs are given for switching graphs. We finally show satisfactory simulation results.


Although a number of cases of dermoid tumors of the cornea have been reported from time to time it has seemed to me that a brief report of the only two cases that have come under my observation might be of sufficient interest to claim your attention. Case 1. —July 1880, Mr. M. G., aged 24, a peculiar growth from the cornea of left eye, protruding between the lids, preent since birth, pedunculated, occupying the entire palpebral opening, measuring about one inch in length by one-half inch in breath, and rather thickly studded with stiff black hair. Being pressed together by the eyelids, the tumor presented upon superficial inspection the appearance of a small hair brush instead of an eye. The eyeball was entirely concealed by the growth, but by opening the lids widely and pushing it downward some clear cornea could be seen, and fingers counted. Patient declined operation


Research has often focused on Croatian memorialisation processes in specific places like Bleiburg and Jasenovac, controversial places during and after World War II. This article employs another view and elaborates on the destruction and removal, as well as the recent restoration of monuments and reconstruction of sacred architecture. It examines current memory processes in places once in the Republic of Serbian Krajina (1991-1995), from Vukovar to Knin. It stresses the different roles between state-organised and private commemorations in these historically multi-ethnic and -religious areas. The paper addresses problems like the demolition of monuments not fitting into the state narrative and analyses various historical processes that instigated the (re-)use of revisionist and mostly politically tolerated symbols and inscriptions on monuments and sacred architecture. With attention to the latter, it specifically deals with the reconstruction of a Catholic and Christian-Orthodox church in the Lika region. The research connects historical and anthropological approaches and contributes to the interdisciplinary field of memory studies.


As we study the past to better understand the present, we may also come to understand our own national experience better when we study the history of another country. This is especially true in the case of the Philippines and the United States since the destinies of both countries were interlinked for nearly fifty years, but it is also true for countries that did not have colonial ties. The stories of one nation's successes or failures in handling internal and international disputes may serve as useful case studies for people of another country facing similar challenges. The study of history depicts the broad gamut of human experience and lets us evaluate the forces that were at work in making events unfold as they did. The perspective of time allows us to make objective judgments and to consider whether alternative actions might have beep possible to alter the course of events. The inclusion of historical content within the English curriculum is one means for students of English to become intrinsically involved in the study of that language. A course that integrates history with language learning will allow students to engage in real communication and to grow in intellectual as well as linguistic skills. As the Department of Education of the Republic of the Philippines considers Content-Based Instruction (CBI) as an approach to strengthen English teaching within the country, the author would like to suggest that historical content be included within the English curriculum. Historical content drawn from local and international resources can provide a foundation for meaningful communication and the development of critical thinking skills. This paper discusses some of the approaches the author and his team used to make history the focus of an English language class. The model, however, could be applied to other languages, such as Filipino. With the Department of Education's 2002 Basic Education Curriculum limiting the number of hours that Philippine history is taught in the schools, it might be wise to incorporate Philippine history as content within the curricula of both the Filipino and English.


Continual evaluation of the governing structure is required if the hospital is to respond quickly, reasonably, and confidently to the changing health care environment. Aspects that should be reviewed periodically include the size and composition of the board; the performance of its members; the committee structure; established liaisons with the medical staff; and external relationships with the community.


The bacterial KcsA channel conducts K(+) cations at high rates while excluding Na(+) cations. Herein, we report an artificial ion-channel formed by H-bonded stacks of crown-ethers, where K(+) cation conduction is highly preferred to Na(+) cations. The macrocycles aligned along the central pore surround the K(+) cations in a similar manner to the water around the hydrated cation, compensating for the energetic cost of their dehydration. In contrast, the Na(+) cation does not fit the macrocyclic binding sites, so its dehydration is not completely compensated. The present highly K(+)-selective macrocyclic channel may be regarded as a biomimetic of the KcsA channel.


This paper explores how local mobility interventions can bring about changes in daily mobilities and presents a qualitative study of an intervention introducing electric bikes (e-bikes) to suburban commuters in Norway. Our research shows promising evidence that e-bikes could play a crucial role in achieving a sustainable transport transition and that interventions are essential to stimulate the upscaling and mainstreaming of this emerging low-energy transport mode. In order to understand the scheme's capacity to change mobility outcomes, this paper considers (i) how this low-energy mobility intervention was conceived and undertaken by its initiators, as well as how it was experienced by its participants; and (ii) how new e-bike practices are intertwined with existing daily activities and mobility systems. Theoretically, this paper draws on the staging mobilities framework and conceptualizes situational mobilities as involving the dimensions of embodiment, social interaction, and materiality. With this twofold objective, this paper generates crucial knowledge that is required to understand the capacity of mobility interventions to trigger a sustainable transport transition. This study explores the potential of combining mobile methods (GPS-tracking), qualitative GIS, and visual methods (photo- and map-elicitation) in interviews, and participant observations.


The feasibility and efficiency of ventilation by high-frequency oscillation (HFO) were examined in animals with diffuse hemorrhagic lung disease. Twenty-four hours after injection with 0.12 ml/kg oleic acid, 11 spontaneously breathing rabbits had a mean (+/- SD) arterial O2 partial pressure (PaO2) of 65 +/- 16 Torr and arterial CO2 partial pressure (PaCO2) of 38 +/- 7 Torr [inspired fractional O2 concentration (FIO2) of 0.21]. Following paralysis animals were ventilated using a high-frequency oscillator for periods of 20 min followed by three successive hyperinflations to prevent atelectasis. Maintaining a constant mean airway pressure (MAP) of 6 cmH2O and fresh gas flow (FGF) of 2 1/min (FIO2 = 0.21), all combinations of frequency (5, 10, 20, and 30 Hz) and stroke volume (Vs) 2.6, 5.0, and 8.9 ml) were tested. At each frequency, an increase in Vs tended to lower mean PaCO2. At each Vs, CO2 elimination appeared maximal at 20 Hz, an effect attributable to decreasing effective Vs with increasing frequency. With constant Vs, MAP, and frequency, increasing FGF from 1 to 2 or 61/min decreased mean PaCO2 (P less than 0.05). With constant Vs, frequency, and FGF, increases in MAP from 2 to 10 cmH2O increased mean PaO2 (P less than 0.05). HFO, coupled with periodic hyperinflation, supports satisfactory gas exchange in rabbits with oleic acid lung injury. The efficiency of gas exchange is improved by independent increases in Vs, FGF, MAP, or frequency.


Despite their capacity to convey knowledge, most existing knowledge graphs (KGs) are created for specific domains using low-resource data sources, especially those in non-global languages, and thus unavoidably suffer from the incompleteness problem. The automatic discovery of missing triples for KG completion is thus hindered by the challenging long-tail relations problem in low-resource KGs. Few-shot learning models trained on rich-resource KGs are unable to tackle this challenge due to a lack of generalization. To alleviate the impact of the intractable long-tail problem on low-resource KG completion, in this paper, we propose a novel few-shot learning framework empowered by multi-view task representation generation. The framework consists of four components, i.e., few-shot learner, perturbed few-shot learner, relation knowledge distiller, and pairwise contrastive distiller. The key idea is to utilize the different views of each few-shot task to improve and regulate the training of the few-shot learner. For each few-shot task, instead of augmenting it by complicated task designs, we generate its representation of different views using the relation knowledge distiller and perturbed few-shot learner, which are obtained by distilling knowledge from a KG encoder and perturbing the few-shot learner. Then, the generated representation of different views is utilized by the pairwise contrastive distiller based on a teacher-student framework to distill the knowledge of how to represent relations from different views into the few-shot learner and facilitate few-shot learning. Extensive experiments conducted on several real-world low-resource KGs validate the effectiveness of our proposed method.


This paper provides a fully analytical method to describe a satellite constellation reconfiguration manoeuvre. By making use of low-thrust propulsion and exploiting the Earth's natural perturbing forces it is possible to analytically describe the reconfiguration of a constellation, achieving a desired separation of both Right Ascension of Ascending Node (RAAN) and Argument of Latitude between satellites. An inherent trade-off exists between the time taken for a manoeuvre and the required ΔV, however the analytical solution presented here allows for a rapid visualisation of the trade-space and determination of the ideal transfer trajectory for a given mission. The general method presented can be applied across a range of scenarios, including constellation deployment and repurposing. The results show that for a scenario with an initial orbit semi-major axis of 6878.14km, and a desired final semi-major axis of 6778.14km it is possible to achieve a separation of 180° argument of latitude between a manoeuvring and a non-manoeuvring reference satellite in approximately 68 hours with a ΔV of 200m/s. To achieve the maximum possible RAAN separation of 90° with a ΔV of 200m/s requires a much longer time of over 218 days. Using two manoeuvring satellites with the same total manoeuvre ΔV was found to be more efficient only for short manoeuvre times. This is quantified and for the case considered it is found that using a 2-satellite manoeuvre is advantageous when changing the argument of latitude and when changing the RAAN <10° approximately. The ability to identify this turning point clearly is a distinct advantage of the analytical solution presented.


Molecular imaging agents are extending the potential of non-invasive medical diagnosis from basic gross anatomical descriptions to complicated phenotypic characterizations, based upon the recognition of unique cell-surface biochemical signatures. Originally the purview of nuclear medicine, molecular imaging is now a prominent feature of most clinically relevant imaging modalities, in particular magnetic resonance imaging and ultrasound. Nanoparticulate molecular imaging agents afford the opportunity not only for targeted diagnostic studies but also for image-monitored site-specific therapeutic delivery. Combining imaging with drug delivery permits verification and quantification of treatment and offers new clinical strategies to many diseases, e.g., cardiovascular, oncologic, and rheumatologic pathology. Ligand-targeted perfluorocarbon nanoparticles represent a novel platform technology in this emerging field, providing molecular imaging for all relevant imaging modalities and vascular-targeted drug delivery across a broad disease spectrum.


Problem statement: Static Var Compensators (SVC) devices are used to improve voltage and reactive power conditions in AC systems. An additional task of SVC is to increase transmission capacity as result of power oscillation damping. The effectiveness of this controller depends on its optimal location and proper signal selection in the power system network. A residue factor had been proposed to find the optimal location of the SVC controllers to damp out the inter-area mode of oscillations. Approach: The proposed residue factor was based on the relative participation of the parameters of SVC controller to the critical mode. A simple approach of computing the residue factor had been proposed, which combined the linearized differential algebraic equation model of the power system and the SVC output equations. Input-output controllability analyses were used to assess the most appropriate input signals (stabilizing signal) for SVC device. Results: The placements of SVC controller had been obtained for the base case as well as for the critical contingency cases. Conclusion: The effectiveness of the proposed method was demonstrated on 25 bus of south Malaysian power system.


In recent years, the the Large-eddy simulation (LES) model PALM has been rapidly developed its capability to simulate physical processes within urban environments. For example, this includes energy-balance solvers for building and land surfaces, a radiative transfer model to account for multiple reflections and shading, a plant-canopy model to consider the effects of plants on flow (thermo-)dynamics, and a chemistry transport model, as well as nesting capabilities that enable “hot-spot” analysis, to name a few.

This contribution provides an evaluation of modeled meteorological as well as ground and wall-surface quantities against dedicated in-situ measurements taken in an urban environment in Dejvice, Prague. Measurements included monitoring of surface temperature and wall heat fluxes. Simulations were performed for multiple days during several summer and winter episodes, characterized by different atmospheric conditions. To consider time-evolving synoptic conditions, boundary conditions were obtained from mesoscale WRF simulations.

For the simulated episodes, the resulting temperature and wind speed within street canyons show a realistic representation of the observed state, except that the LES did not adequately capture night-time cooling near the surface in some scenarios. At most of the evaluation points, the simulated surface temperature reproduces the observed surface temperature reasonably well, for both, absolute and daily amplitude values. However, especially for the winter episodes and for modern buildings with multi-layer wall structure, the heat transfer through the walls is not well captured in some cases, leading to discrepancies between the modeled and observed wall-surface temperature. Moreover, we also show that the model performance with respect to the observations strongly depends on the accuracy of the input data. To name a few, this includes e.g. the prescribed initial soil moisture, the given leaf-area densities to account for correct shading, or if a facade is insulated or not. Additionally, we will point out current model limitations, particularly implications accompanied by the step-like topography on the Cartesian grid, or wide glass facades that are not fully represented in terms of radiative processes.

With our findings we are able to evaluate the representation of physical processes in PALM, while also pointing out specific shortcomings.


Marked lower anterior crowding (late crowding or post-adolescent crowding) often develops at about the time of third molar eruption. Many studies have implicated the presence of third molars as a cause of this crowding. Despite the fact that there is no clear evidence that this is the case, many orthodontists and their patients' referring dentists routinely remove third molars at the retention stage of treatment to prevent crowding later; Ricketts et al. even advocate enucleation of the third molar while the patient is very young to prevent future crowding. In the following report on two orthodontically-treated patients (the first three cases in this report were published in The Australian Orthodontic Journal, Volume 15, Number 1), the author emphasises the importance of careful consideration of the third molar in the treatment plan.


R&D expenditures are important in increasing the level of information and technological development. Efficiency in production, cost reduction and competitive advantage are achieved with the added value created by successful R&D activities. However, in the process of accounting and reporting the R&D expenditures, some manipulative applications can be implemented by the business management for achieving personal or corporate targets. The purpose of this research is to reveal the effect of R&D expenditures on earnings management. In this context, from 2007 to 2018, 65 companies that made R&D expenditures included in BIST-All Shares Index were examined. The earnings management effect calculated on the Modified Jones Model, taking into account the current period, one-year and two-year time lag of R&D expenditures was tested with panel data analysis. As a result of the research, it was determined that R&D expenditures negatively affect earnings management in the current period and positively in lagged periods. In addition, while size and leverage have negative effects on earnings management in the current period, one-year and two-year time lag, no statistically significant relationship was found in terms of return on assets.


The functioning of the nitrous oxide (N2O) reductase enzyme involved in the last step of denitrification is pH sensitive, with an optimum of 6.8. A solution to mitigate N2O emissions would be to bring soil pH close to neutrality by adding agricultural liming products (aglime). Nevertheless, the influence of aglime on the soil greenhouse gas (GHG) balance (CO2–N2O) is a subject of debate, particularly when considering the fate of the carbon (C) derived from carbonates. Our objective was to investigate the results of the effect of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) aglime on the CO2–N2O balance. Sixteen cylinders of undisturbed acidic soil were taken from a sandy loam profile and incubated at 20°C for 107 days in anaerobic conditions (water‐filled pore space >60%). Eight limed treatment cylinders received 1.45 g of aglime on the soil surface (2 t NV ha−1) and 0.08 g of N (100 kg of N ha−1). Eight control treatment cylinders received only 0.08 g of N. N2O and CO2 fluxes were measured and converted into CO2 equivalents to perform a GHG balance calculation. Furthermore, soil and leachate properties were measured. Aglime application triggered a reduction of N2O emissions, probably due to an increase in soil pH at the beginning of the experiment, which would have led to the N2O reductase activation. High NO3−$$ {{\mathrm{NO}}_3}^{-} $$ ‐N content in the soil may inhibit the high N2O reduction potential in the limed treatment. CO2 emissions were unexpectedly lower in the limed treatment. Aglime addition did not enhance C mineralisation, which may be explained by the possible stabilisation of soil organic carbon. A significant 11.3% reduction of GHG emissions was observed in the limed treatment. Overall, our results show that a strategy of liming acidic agricultural soil could be implemented for its potential in GHG mitigation. Nevertheless, future in‐depth research is necessary to better understand the fate of the C brought about by aglime.


Discusses production models for final assembly in the automotive industry and also reports on the performance of one final assembly plant representing an innovative production model, namely the Volvo Uddevalla plant. Briefly considers some issues and pitfalls in current production model discourse, and in this connection introduces a distinction between two manufacturing models and broader industrial models. Describes two manufacturing models for final assembly work as namely the "serial flow model" and the "parallel flow model". Discusses the Japanese "lean production", sometimes synonymous with "Toyotism", as an industrial model and the impact of socio‐economic and socio‐cultural contexts on manufacturing models and industrial models. Concludes that the Uddevalla plant highlights the paradox that long cycle time work in parallel flow assembly systems is in fact more efficient than short cycle time work in serial flow systems, provided that suitable technical and administrative preconditions exist. Therefore, the engineering point of view and the Swedish experiences of innovative manufacturing systems should be carefully considered in the current production model discourse.


Teacher-learner interaction in the classroom is dictated by how well the teacher manages classroom talk-time which has a direct influence on learner achievement in an ESL Classroom. Teachers often perceive that they allocate enough time for student talk time; however, the past literature suggests that teacher talk-time takes around 70-75% of overall time in the class. The purpose of this study is to analyze the TTT (Teacher Talk-Time) in the context of ESL classroom in Pakistan. Convenience based sampling was used to assess the Teacher Talk-Time through observational method. Findings of 12 sessions (30-hours) showed that average Teacher Talk-Time was 65% of the total classroom time. The study highlights that ESL teachers need to improve the Learner Talk-Time (LTT) as the analysis showed that on average each student only gets 22 seconds of talk-time in an ESL class. A blended learning model can help ESL teachers to eliminate some of the talk-time and engage learners with meaningful activities that encourage classroom interaction in the target language.


For several years anterior-posterior lip sclerectomy with peripheral iridectomy has been our operation of choice for patients with uncontrolled chronic open angle glaucoma. The basic features of this procedure as we perform it are; (1) a long, widely dissected conjunctival flap, (2) opposing anterior and posterior lip sclerectomies done with a Holth punch, (3) a small peripheral iridectomy, (4) the injection of air beneath the conjunctival flap as it is closed, and (5) massage of air from the filtering bleb into the anterior chamber at the conclusion of operation. Akinesia and anesthesia are established with a modified Van Lint lid block and a retrobulbar injection of 2 cc of 2% lidocaine with adrenalin containing 7.5 turbidity reducing (TR) units of hyaluronidase per cubic centimeter. The surgical technique is shown in the following series of drawings made from a motion picture of this procedure. Attention to technical detail contributes to the


This study evaluated the wetting patterns around drip and subsurface irrigation systems (DI and SI), respectively with three irrigation scheduling techniques. The drip and subsurface irrigation systems were used to irrigate a tomato crop. The wetting patterns for each irrigation system and each irrigation scheduling technique was evaluated below the soil surface at different distances and depths from the emitter 24 and 48 h after irrigation. The soil moisture distribution patterns showed that the vertical movement of soil moisture was higher than the horizontal movement under both DI and SI systems. The overall wetted area, delimited by the wetting front was largest for the manually controlled irrigation scheduling with both DI and SI, and smallest for the Smart controller irrigation scheduling under both DI and SI systems. The effect of irrigation scheduling techniques on the water distribution pattern varied at different soil depths. Average coefficients of uniformity values for the DI and SI systems were 84.32 and 88.72%, respectively. The coefficients of uniformity for SI were higher by approximately 4.40% than for DI for all irrigation scheduling techniques, although there was variation in Cus values between the DI and SI systems with all three techniques. It can be concluded that a parameter related to the soil water content is an important consideration in estimation of soil wetting patterns with both DI and SI systems. The results of this research can be used in the design, operation, and management of DI and SI systems.

 Key words: Drip irrigation; subsurface irrigation; Soil water; Wetting pattern; coefficient of uniformity, Irrigation scheduling techniques.


We develop a bioeconomic model to identify the cost-effective control of an invasive species (rainbow trout) to achieve a population viability goal for an endangered species (humpback chub) in the Grand Canyon of the U.S. Southwest. Solving the population viability problem is difficult since avoiding a threshold with a given confidence imposes a probabilistic restriction on joint outcomes (survival) over many periods. We develop a novel dynamic programming solution approach that is fast and forgoes the simulation method requirement of imposing structure on the policy function. We also investigate an adaptive management model that incorporates learning about uncertain biological dynamics. (JEL Q22, Q57)


The number of colony forming units (CFU) inside xylem vessels of leaf petioles were evaluated in tobacco by scanning electron microscopy followed by an image analysis. Symptom expression of Nicotiana tabacum, cultivars TNN, Havana and RP1, were correlated with the presence of bacteria inside leaf petiole vessels. The symptom expression were evaluated in terms of colony forming units per gram of colonized tissue and percentage of colonized vessels. No statistical differences were found among the varieties tested. Havana expressed the most intense symptoms, best indicating a better experimental host. We also observed that leaf symptoms could be reversed with the application of ammonium sulphate along with pruning. This routine was effective in delaying symptom development. In summary, colonization efficiency was similar in tobacco varieties. Fertilization may affect Xylella fastidiosa symptom expression and pruning may be used as an aid to diminish X. fastidiosa advance within the plant.


In reply to Jones and Baldwin's paper, the current practice of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is described with a retrospective case study. Particular reference is made to: indications, consent, immediate and longer term outcome. It is argued that the treatment is beneficial, but systematic audit is necessary.


In this study, a team of Engineering Research Psychologists and Subject Matter Experts reviewed weather information available at the en route controller workstation and the area of specialization. Using an analysis framework outlined by Ahlstrom (2004), the authors assessed how controllers use weather information during operations to highlight instances where information is missing or inadequately disseminated. To obtain feedback from the field, the authors conducted a survey where en route Front Line Managers (a) rated the impact on controller operations from different weather phenomena, (b) rated the frequency of use of weather information, and (c) provided suggestions for the development of future weather displays. The review shows that en route controllers have access to a variety of weather information sources during operations. However, the review also suggests that en route controllers do not have an accurate or timely weather display for precipitation areas at their workstation. The authors discuss possible enhancements for future weather displays, recommend enhancements to controller precipitation displays, and suggest further research to evaluate enhancements for the dissemination of weather advisories to pilots.


Twenty-four undergraduate students, both male and female, between 16 and 18 years of age, took part in an experiment in order to examine the effects of the sequence of training under five functional criteria of differing complexity upon a conditional discrimination task. Participants were assigned to five experimental and one control group (n=4) and were exposed to a second-order matching-to-sample task. Sessions comprised a pre-test, corrective training, transference probes (intramodal, extramodal, extra-relational, and extra-domain), and a post-test. A multiple baseline design was used, in which only one experimental group was trained in all functional criteria and the other four groups were trained in four, three, two or one of the functional criteria, respectively. The control group was not exposed to any of the five training criteria. Even when no training under a specific criterion was provided, all groups were exposed to their respective preand post-test, as well as the control group for all the training conditions. Results showed that the number of correct responses was generally high for all groups in the test sessions and in the training of the first three functional criteria. Conversely, when training supposedly required substitutive linguistic interactions, performance was highly irregular. These results suggest that an accurate performance under non-substitutive functions is not necessary to master a more complex non-substitutive task nor sufficient to master a task that requires substitutive criteria.


Recent advances in technology on multiple fronts will enable new and improved approaches to precision navigation of submarines. Improvements in interferometric fiber optic gyro (IFOG) technology have made it possible to use IFOGs in a high accuracy navigator. The use of spherical gimbals for improved temperature control and inertial instrument error autocompensation has been made practical by computer-controlled machining. The use of sonar in certain covert situations will become more prevalent, facilitated by lower power sonar systems and advances in signal processing technology. Satellite based altimetry will make it possible to compensate for gravity deflections using lookup tables. Satellite altimetry will also allow us to make tables of gravity anomaly and ocean depth available to the overall navigation process. Using these advances, it is possible to use measured gravity anomaly from the ship's IMU and sonar soundings from its sonar array to estimate and correct navigation position errors. A navigator is currently being developed at Boeing that will incorporate these new developments as well as the traditional velocity log, pressure depth meter, and Global Positioning System aiding. The new inertial navigator outputs, as well as the set of currently available navigational aid outputs, are combined in a series of filters that allow for the detection and removal of transient errors to furnish the best available position, velocity and attitude to the ship's systems.


Аn analysis of the structure formation of concrete composites, compressive strength of which exceeds 120 MPa and a quantitative analysis of their qualitative composition and hydration products by X-ray diffraction, x-ray spectral analysis. The main factors affecting the physicomechanical parameters of the complex of various nanofillers and the formation of a denser cement stone structure, which mainly includes calcium hydrosilicates, calcium silicate hydroaluminates and hydroaluminates of various basicity, are studied.


We present the first lattice QCD calculation of coupled $\pi\omega$ and $\pi\phi$ scattering, incorporating coupled $S$ and $D$-wave $\pi\omega$ in $J^P=1^+$. Finite-volume spectra in three volumes are determined via a variational analysis of matrices of two-point correlation functions, computed using large bases of operators resembling single-meson, two-meson and three-meson structures, with the light-quark mass corresponding to a pion mass of $m_\pi \approx 391$ MeV. Utilizing the relationship between the discrete spectrum of finite-volume energies and infinite-volume scattering amplitudes, we find a narrow axial-vector resonance ($J^{PC}=1^{+-}$), the analogue of the $b_1$ meson, with mass $m_{R}\approx1380$ MeV and width $\Gamma_{R}\approx 91$ MeV. The resonance is found to couple dominantly to $S$-wave $\pi\omega$, with a much-suppressed coupling to $D$-wave $\pi\omega$, and a negligible coupling to $\pi\phi$ consistent with the `OZI rule'. No resonant behavior is observed in $\pi\phi$, indicating the absence of a putative low-mass $Z_s$ analogue of the $Z_c$ claimed in $\pi J/\psi$. In order to minimally present the contents of a unitary three-channel scattering matrix, we introduce an $n$-channel generalization of the traditional two-channel Stapp parameterization.


High fetal/early postnatal levels of estrogen increase breast cancer risk, but the mechanisms remain unknown. Growth factors, such as transforming growth factor α (TGFα), may participate as secondary modifiers in this process. We characterized a modulatory role of early postnatal exposure to 17β‐estradiol (E2) on the developing mammary gland morphology by treating intact female CD‐1 mice with physiological doses of E2 (2–4 μg), human recombinant TGFα (4 μg), or an estrogen receptor (ER) antagonist ICI 182,780 (20 μg) during postnatal days 1–3. Early postnatal exposure of E2 stimulated mammary ductal growth by days 25 and 35, but by day 50 this was inhibited. The level of differentiation from terminal end buds (TEBs) to the lobulo‐alveolar units (LAUs) also was reduced by day 50. The number of TEBs was increased throughout most of the development in the female mice exposed to E2 during early life. An exposure to TGFα or ICI 182,780 between postnatal days 1 and 3 stimulated ductal growth, formation of TEBs, and the differentiation of mammary epithelial structures. ICI 182,80 treatment also caused hyperplastic lobular‐like structures in 54‐day‐old females. Thus, neonatal exposure to TGFα and ICI 182,780 induced both similar (increase in TEBs) and different (increase/decrease in lobulo‐alveolar differentiation) developmental changes in the mouse mammary gland, when compared with an exposure to E2. A unique feature of the postnatal E2 treatment was that it inhibited ductal migration by days 50–54. Our data suggest than an exposure to E2 on postnatal days 1–3, possibly combined with secondary epigenetic alterations, leads to various changes within the developing mammary tree. These changes may be potential prerequisites for mammary tumorigenesis. J. Cell. Physiol. 170:279–289, 1997. © 1997 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


This study explores the use of artificial neural networks (ANNs) models and brightness temperature from the Southern Great Plains in the United States to classify soil into different textures. Previous studies using ANN models and brightness temperature in a single drying cycle suggested that they might contain sufficient features to classify soil into three categories. To classify soil into more than three groups and to explore the limits of classification accuracy, this paper suggests the use of multiple-drying-cycle brightness temperature data. We have performed several experiments with feedforward neural network (FFNN) models, and the results suggest that the maximum achievable classification accuracy through the use of multiple-drying-cycle brightness temperature is about 80%. It appears that the rapidly changing space-time evolution of brightness temperature will restrict the FFNN model performance. Motivated by these observations, we have used a simple prototype-based classifier, known as the 1-NN model, and achieved 86% classification accuracy for six textural groups. A comparison of error regions predicted by both models suggests that for the given input representation maximum achievable accuracy for classification into six soil texture types is about 93%.


The past 20 years of mobile technology has shifted the ways in which young people communicate and network with one another. Mobile phone use is prevalent among adolescents and therefore is an ideal form of communication for tailored health care. This is especially so given the dramatic uptake in use of mobile technologies in this age group. Technology developments have also altered how physicians and public health interventionists communicate with adolescents for prevention messages. Rapidly changing technology has made the study of how best to communicate with youth a challenge because research can scarcely keep up with advances in the technology. However, best practices from behavior change and communication theories remain a foundation for future intervention directions and how we might best meet the health promotion needs of adolescents.


In this paper we:
* expand upon some of the issues with current approaches used in the development and assessment of professional practice,
* outline the current emphasis upon a life of learning and why we need a new approach to assessment that enhances the development of professional practice,
* introduce and provide a brief overview of Point of Learning (PoL) – a new approach that builds upon our growing understanding of learning and takes advantage of the power of digital technology,
* explain how PoL overcomes problems with existing approaches,
* develop the theoretical underpinning for this new approach and
* present the overarching structure in which this new model can be developed. This is illustrated with an example from the schools sector – though it is important to remember that PoL is applicable to any professional development context.


The purpose of this research were 1) to study satisfaction of TNI students towards general services at College of General Education and Languages in four aspects: Personnel, Quality of Service, Location and Facility, and Process of Service 2) to compare students' satisfaction on the four aspects according to students' gender, academic year and faculty, and 3) to gather supplemental suggestions. Research samples were 351 TNI students in the second semester of 2015 academic year, derived through simple random sampling technique. The instruments used for gathering the data were the rating-scale and open-ended questionnaire. The statistics used for analyzing the data were frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, t-test, Ftest, and content analysis. The research findings were as follows: 1. Satisfaction of TNI students towards general services as a whole was at high level (!= 3.81). When considered in each aspect, it was found that their satisfaction was at high level on Personnel (!= 3.88), Quality of Service (!= 3.78), Location and Facility (!= 3.80), and Process of Service (! = 3.78) respectively. 2. The students with different genders showed no significant differences in overall and in each aspect. 3. The students with different faculty showed no significant differences in overall. When considered in each aspect, it was found that there were statistically significant differences at .05 level on Location and Facility. 4. The students with different academic year showed no significant differences in overall and in each aspect. 5. TNI students had supplemental suggestions: TNI should provide more spaces for services at College of General Education and Languages, and the steps of services should be informed obviously to students in order to be easy to give a service.


Macrophages polarization is mainly controlled by metabolic reprogramming in microenvironment, thus leading to distinct outcomes of various diseases. However, the role of lipid metabolism in the regulation of macrophage alternative activation is incompletely understood. Using human THP-1 and mouse bone marrow derived macrophages polarization models, we revealed a pivotal role for arachidonic acid metabolism in controlling the polarization of M1 and M2 macrophages. We demonstrated that M2 macrophage polarization was inhibited by arachidonic acid, but inversely facilitated by its derived metabolite prostaglandin E2 (PGE2). Furthermore, PPARG bridges these two unconnected processes via modulating oxidative phosphorylation. These results highlight the critical role of arachidonic acid metabolism as an immune regulator in modulating metabolic homeostasis and pathological process.


A recognition system consisting of attributed grammars and a two-layer perceptron for classifying brain-stem auditory evoked potentials is described. An evoked potential waveform is filtered and converted to a string of terminal symbols. This string is then processed by a regular attributed grammar. Its semantic functions return a list of numeric features that are further processed by a two-layer perceptron. The paper discusses the results of a large number of experiments that have been conducted to obtain the performance characteristics of a multilayer perceptron on a specified pattern recognition problem.


Background: Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death. Currently, lung cancer screening trials have demonstrated that low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) screening can reduce lung cancer specific and overall mortality. The effectiveness of LDCT has been proven, but its economical efficiency should also be assessed. The purpose of the study is to analyze the cost-effectiveness of annual LDCT screening of high-risk populations in Chinese urban areas.Method: We use Markov model to evaluate LDCT screening from sociological perspective. The sample size is 100,000 smokers who will undergo annual LDCT screening until 76. The study contains 5 screening strategies, the initial screening ages for the five screening strategies and their corresponding unscreened strategies are 40, 45, 50, 55, and 60 years, respectively. Parameters come from the China Lung Cancer Screening Project, cancer registry data, etc. The Incremental Cost-effectiveness Ratio (ICER) between screening and non-screening strategies at the same initial age is evaluated.Result: In base-case scenario, compared with those who are not screened, specific mortality of lung cancer decreased by 18.52%-23.13% of 5 screening strategies. The ICER of LDCT screening is from 13056.82USD to 15736.06USD per quality-adjusted life year (QALY), which is greater than one time and less than three times GDP per capita in China. Initial screening age of 55 is the most cost-effective strategy.Conclusion: Baseline analysis shows that annual LDCT screening in heavy smokers in Chinese urban areas is likely to be cost-effectiveness. Sensitivity analysis shows that sensitivity, specificity and over-diagnosis rate have an impact on cost-effectiveness of LDCT screening, but the results are relatively robust,unless the sensitivity, specificity of LDCT screening and over-diagnosis rate take the worst value at the same time. Therefore, the cost-effectiveness of screening strategy depends on the performance of LDCT screening.


Carbon and peat accumulation rates over the past 1200 yr were measured in relation to permafrost aggradation, maturity, ground fires, and degradation in a peatland with discontinuous permafrost near Fort Simpson, N.W.T., Canada. The White River volcanic ash layer, deposited 1200 yr ago, was used as a chronostratigraphic marker to compare peat and carbon accumulation among peat cores collected along transects over a consistent period of time. The aggradation of permafrost results in a change from unfrozen bog to forested peat plateau, and approximate decreases of 50 and 65% in carbon and vertical peat accumulation rates, respectively. Carbon and peat accumulation continue to decrease significantly with both increasing permafrost maturity and the number of ground fires. The transition from peat plateau to collapse bog through internal permafrost degradation results in up to a 72 and 200% increase in carbon and vertical peat accumulation rates, respectively. Permafrost degradation at the margins of a peat plateau can result in the formation of collapse fens, in which vertical peat accumulation increases significantly yet the carbon accumulation rates remain similar to the peat plateau. A warming climate may result in a shift towards higher carbon accumulation rates in peatlands associated with bog vegetation following peat plateau collapse, yet warmer peat temperatures, greater soil aeration, greater rates of peat decomposition, and an increase in burning may provide limits to the increase.


The effect of suppressed aggression on the reactivity of the sympathetic nervous and cardiovascular systems has been investigated in two groups of 24 subjects each with either borderline hypertension or normal blood pressure and no family history of hypertension. Groups were matched for sex and age (18-24 years). Suppressed aggression was defined by the newly standardized Rosenzweig Picture-Frustration test, a projective method assessing the reaction to everyday stress. Responses of blood pressure, heart rate, and venous plasma catecholamines were measured before and during application of mental stressors, using the Stroop color-word conflict test and mental arithmetic. In an analysis of covariance for repeated measures, which eliminates the influence of anxiety, borderline hypertensive subjects with suppressed aggression had significantly higher heart rates and diastolic blood pressures and a greater noradrenaline reactivity than borderline hypertensive subjects without suppressed aggression or normotensive subjects. Suppressed aggression may lead to a hyperadrenergic form of early borderline hypertension and thereby contribute to higher blood pressure.


We assess the potential of different forms of variation partitioning to distinguish between environmental control and dispersal limitation in communities structured by combinations of niche and neutral processes. Simulation data reveal interactions between dispersal limitation, environmental control, and the spatial structure of environmental factors in the detected levels of variance fractions. The degree of dispersal limitation contributes to both the pure environmental and pure spatial variance partitions. This undermines the common practice of interpreting these partitions as direct expressions of niche and neutral processes, respectively. Furthermore, the proportion of variation attributed to environmental variation depends not only on the strength of environmental control, but also on the specific spatial configuration of the environmental variable. This has important implications for the interpretation of empirical studies. In particular, use of these analytical techniques to compare processes governing community structure among different study systems is unwarranted, as the results will reflect not only differences in the strength of the processes of interest, but also the influence of the unique spatial arrangement of the environmental variables in each system.


A 3-D CFD model of a hybrid solar receiver combustor (HSRC) was developed to carry out a systematic assessment of multiple performance criteria (thermal efficiency and heat flux distribution) with the aim of identifying how the introduction of concentrated solar radiation inside the HSRC influences the relative performance of MILD and conventional combustion. The effect of changing the dominant receiver geometric features (i.e. the lengthto-diameter cavity ratio) on the thermal performance of the device is also assessed. The model employs a Monte-Carlo ray tracing approach to calculate the radiation flux distribution on heat transfer fluid (HTF) pipes and thermal efficiency of the solar receiver under solar-only mode of operation. For the combustiononly mode of operation, two different burner designs were considered as representative cases for non-premixed swirlstabilised flames and MILD combustion, respectively. It was found that through optimisation of the HSRC design it is possible to achieve similar thermal efficiency in both solar-only and combustion-only modes. Also, the thermal efficiency of the device increases with an increase in the length-to-diameter cavity ratio and solar concentration ratio. MILD and conventional combustion showed a similar thermal efficiency, although the total heat transfer rate was larger (up to 5%) under MILD conditions, implying a better utilisation of the energy source and/or fuel savings. On the other hand, the heat flux distribution on the HTF pipes for solar-only mode was closer to the combustion-only mode operating with conventional flames than MILD conditions, suggesting that the materials selection will be influenced by the combustion regime.


This paper presents the results from the thermal comfort studies at three airport terminal buildings in the UK where seasonal on-site surveys were conducted. The investigation involved extensive monitoring of the indoor environmental conditions along with 3,087 questionnaire-guided interviews with terminal users. The paper quantifies the thermal requirements of the terminal population and focuses on the thermal perception of passengers and staff in different terminal spaces. The findings demonstrate the preference for a different thermal environment than the one experienced and that thermal neutrality is found to lie at lower temperatures than those experienced, suggesting an overheating issue, predominantly in winter. Passengers and staff present different satisfaction levels with the indoor environment while their thermal sensation is greatly affected from the characteristics and function of the terminal spaces.


This paper addresses the issue of power flow control for partially faulty microgrids. In microgrid control systems, faults may occur in both electrical and communication layers. This may have severe effects on the operation of microgrids. In addition, disturbances always coexist with faults in microgrids, which may further deteriorate system performance. To address the faults and disturbances simultaneously, a model predictive control (MPC) method based on set-membership estimation (SME) that transmits information via a communication network is proposed. When electrical devices are nonfunctional or communication failures occur, the corresponding system states will become unavailable. To this end, the SME method is employed to estimate the states with the existence of unknown-but-bounded process and measurement disturbances. The networked MPC method is designed to schedule the power dispatch by using the forecasts of photovoltaic (PV) generation and load demand. With these two methods, the fault-tolerant control can be achieved. Further, a deviation compensation method is proposed to compensate for the forecast errors. The effectiveness of the proposed control strategy is demonstrated through wireless communication tests using Raspberry Pis.


In recent years, experimental tests exploring the gigacycle fatigue properties of materials suggest the introduction of modifications in well known statistical fatigue life models. Usual fatigue life models, characterized by a single failure mechanism and by the presence of the fatigue limit, have been integrated by models that can take into account the occurrence of two failure mechanisms and do not consider the presence of the fatigue limit. The general case, in which more than two failure mechanisms coexist with the fatigue limit, has not been proposed yet. The paper presents a unified statistical model which can take into account any number of failure mechanisms and the possible presence of the fatigue limit. The case of S-N curves with different fatigue life distributions coexisting for the entire stress range covered by fatigue tests is also considered. The adaptability of the statistical model to the S-N curves proposed in the open literature is demonstrated by qualitative numerical examples


This research aimed to examine the incremental effect of COVID-19 on sustainability reports disclosures towards tax aggressiveness by moderating Good Corporate Governance (GCG) in a balanced period before and during COVID-19. Disclosure of sustainability reports and tax aggressiveness are measured using the GRI Standards index and the Effective Tax Rate (ETR), respectively. Meanwhile, GCG is measured based on 15 indices (ICGI) developed by Tanjung (2020). An analytical method in the form of multiple linear regression was used on 100 companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) from 2019 to 2020 as the research object. The results did not show significance in proving the incremental effect of COVID-19 on the variables tested. Additional testing was carried out with a split per year, which showed that before COVID-19, sustainability reports disclosures did not affect tax aggressiveness, as opposed to during its occurrence. Before COVID-19, GCG weakened the negative relationship between disclosure of sustainability reports and tax aggressiveness. Meanwhile, during COVID-19, it had a lower level of weakening the negative relationship between the two.


While studies on fish cognition are increasing, consideration of how methodological details influence the ability to detect and measure performance is lagging. Here, in two separate experiments we compared latency to leave the start position, latency to make a decision, levels of participation and success rates (whether fish entered the rewarded chamber as first choice) across different physical designs. Experiments compared fish performance across 1) two sizes of T-mazes, large and standard, and a plus-maze, and 2) open choice arenas with either two or four doors. Fish in T-mazes with longer arms took longer to leave the start chamber and were less likely to participate in a trial than fish in T-mazes with shorter arms. The number of options, or complexity, in a maze significantly impacted success, but did not necessarily impact behavioural measures, and did not impact the number of fish that reached a chamber. Fish in the plus-maze had similar latencies to leave the start box and time to reach any chamber as fish in the same sized T-maze but exhibited lower overall success. Similarly, in an open choice arena, increasing the number of options - doors to potential reward chambers- resulted in lower probability of success. There was an influence of reward position in the choice arena, with rewarded chambers closest to the sides of the arena resulting in lower latencies to enter and higher probability of decision success. Together our results allow us to offer practical suggestions towards optimal maze design for studies of fish cognition. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.


We consider the spread of a harmful state through a population divided into two groups. Interaction patterns capture the full spectrum of assortativity possibilities. We show that a central planner who aims for eradication optimally either divides equally the resources across groups, or concentrates entirely on one group, depending on whether there is positive or negative assortativity, respectively. We study a game in which agents can, at a cost, immunize. Negative assortative interactions generate highly asymmetric equilibrium outcomes between ex-ante identical groups. When groups have an underlying difference, even a small amount of inter-group contacts generates large asymmetries. We study the diffusion of a harmful state through a population. Immunity is available, but is costly. The state is meant to capture various kinds of choices or risky behaviors such as, for example, tobacco use, in which case immunity is interpreted as a commitment to avoid the temptation of smoking. The state can also capture the presence of an electronic virus on a computer network; in this case immunity represents the purchase of anti-virus software, or other costly measures taken to avoid the virus. But perhaps the most conventional interpretation is that the state represents human infection of various communicable diseases that spread through social contacts; in this case immunity captures a decision to vaccinate oneself.