By adding a small amount of clay into poly(p-phenylene sulfide) (PPS)/polyamide 66 blends, the morphology was found to change gradually from sea–island into cocontinuity and lamellar supramolecular structure, as increasing of clay content. Clay was selectively located in the PA66 phase, and the exfoliated clay layers formed an edge-contacted network. The change of morphology is not caused by the change of volume ratio and viscosity ratio but can be well explained by the dynamic interplay of phase separation between PPS and PA66 through preferential adsorption of PA66 onto the clay layers and through layer–layer repulsion. This provides a means of manipulating the phase morphology for the immiscible polymer blends. The mechanical and tribological properties of PPS/PA66 blends with different phase morphologies (different clay contents) were studied. Both tensile and impact strength of the blends were found obviously increased by the addition of clay. The antiwear property was greatly improved for the blends with cocontinuous phase form. Our work indicates that the phase-separating behavior of polymer blends contained interacting clay can be exploited to create a rich diversity of new structures and useful nanocomposites. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 2007


The purpose of this study is to look at the factors affecting online payment decision of customers in Vietnam. The study result is a science evident for enterprise managers to enhance online payment policy. The researcher's surveyed 450 customers used the online payment system. Customers answered 24 items and 415 questionnaires processed. The primary sources of data collected from December 2017 to November 2018 in Ha Noi Capital, Hai Phong City and Ho Chi Minh City. Simple random sampling technique. The Data analyzed Cronbach's Alpha and the Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) used for Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) technique and using partial least squares method. Customers' responses measured through an adapted questionnaire on a 5-point Likert scale. Finally, the findings of the study have four factors affecting online payment decision of customers with significance level 0.01.


The state-of-the-art digital photography has made great progress over the past decades;however, imaging still suffers from distortions such as noise and blur. The result is an increased demand for more efficient and effective computational photography algorithms. In this dissertation a new data-dependent image filtering scheme is proposed. More specifically, various image enhancement applications from denoising to image editing are thoroughly explained. The proposed filters exploit the existing self-similarity of images to introduce a new set of basis functions capable of efficiently describing image components.First, by focusing on the local similarities of images, measured by pixel affinities, a spatially adapted filtering strategy capable of improving performance of the existing local filters is introduced. The filter's strength is tuned by estimating the local signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), such that high SNR image patches are filtered more aggressively and low SNR patches are treated conservatively.Second, we explore the global similarity of images and introduce a new image filtering scheme based on the spectrum of global affinities. The global filter is derived from a fully connected graph representing the image, and can be approximated using the Nystrom extension. Using this, we drive an approximation to the spectral (principal) components of the global filter, which can be implemented efficiently by sampling a fairly small percentage of the pixels in the image. These orthonormal eigenfunctions are highly expressive of the coarse and fine details in the underlying image, where each eigenvector can be interpreted as one scale of a data-dependent multiscale imagedecomposition. In this filtering scheme, each eigenvalue can boost or suppress thecorresponding signal component in each scale. Experiments illustrate that the mappingof the eigenvalues by an appropriate polynomial function endows the filter with a numberof important capabilities, such as edge-aware sharpening, denoising, tone manipulationand abstraction.Lastly, asymptotic performance of the global denoising filter is analyzed to show that its performance always improves as a function of image size, regardless of image content. The rate of this improvement is estimated as an upper bound on the mean-squared-error (MSE).


In order to determine the effect of a range of fungicide products, dose rate and time of application on the development of Fusarium head blight (FHB) and mycotoxin contamination of winter wheat, a series of field experiments (1998-2001) were carried out. A mixture of the fungicides metconazole+azoxystrobin provided the most significant reduction of (FHB) severity (63%) in comparison with control treatments followed by mectonazole (39%) and tebuconazole (45%) applied at both full and half the manufacturers recommended dose rate. Quantification of Tri5 DNA and deoxynivalenol (DON) concentration in harvested grain indicated that metconazole and tebuconazole were the most efficacious fungicides at reducing colonisation of grain by trichothecene-producing Fusarium species and DON content. Azoxystrobin had no effect on Tri5 DNA and DON concentration in grain, but significantly reduced the incidence of Microdochium nivale infected wheat grain. Fungicides applied early in the growing season (GS 31 and 39) were less effective at controlling disease than those applied later in the season (GS 39 and 59). Indeed, it was evident that the timing of fungicides was critical for the effective control of FHB and DON with the best control achieved when fungicides were applied either two days before or two days after the artificial inoculation of wheat ears with FHB causing pathogens.

 Regression analysis on field trial data revealed that fungicides were able to influence DON content in harvested wheat grain by affecting the extent of grain colonisation by mycotoxin producing species. Since published literature has suggested that fungicides can directly influence DON contamination by imparting a stress influence on FHB pathogens, glasshouse studies were undertaken to determine the effect of a range of dose rates of the fungicides azoxystrobin and metconazole against FHB and DON in wheat plants inoculated with either Fusarium culmorum or F. graminearum. Results revealed that metconazole was effective at reducing FHB, Tri5 DNA and DON and that a rate response was observed as dose rate was increased from one quarter to double the manufacturer's recommended dose rate. Although azoxystrobin reduced FHB, Tri5 DNA and DON content compared to untreated controls, no dose rate response was observed. Regression analysis of glasshouse data supported those obtained from field studies, suggesting that fungicides are able to influence DON content indirectly by affecting the extent of grain colonisation by F. culmorum and F. graminearum.

 Further glasshouse studies were conducted to determine the interactions between Alternaria tenuissima, Cladosporium herbarum, M. nivale and F. culmorum and the effect of fungicides on these interactions. Introducing C. herbarum or M. nivale to wheat ears at GS 57, before inoculation with F. culmorum at GS 65, resulted in a significant increase in FHB severity, Tri5 DNA and DON concentration in grain. Applying azoxystrobin to wheat ears after the introduction of M. nivale at GS 57, increased DON concentration in grain by 56%. The significance of interactions between saprophytic fungi, M. nivale and Fusarium species on fungicides efficacy against FHB and DON is discussed.


A responsive, iterating program is described (available on diskette from first author), which enables the physician to formulate a balanced, total parenteral nutrition (TPN) for low-birth-weight and sick newborns. The program allows for the possibility of TPN or simultaneous intravenous, intraarterial, and oral feeding. It calculates the overall balance of fluids, nutrients, calories, electrolytes, minerals, trace elements, and vitamins. It features the integration of algorithms and limit tests of nutritional balance, to produce a feeding program that can be modified by clinical considerations of the physician, specific for each patient. The entire procedure can be accomplished, and a record of the entries and orders to the pharmacy and to the ward staff printed, within about 4-5 min. The program, which is written in BASIC, can be accommodated within and operated with a 16K byte microcomputer, equipped with a monitor, a printer, and a diskette or other program storage device.


I. This paper examines the hypothesis that the behavior a young chick shows toward a mealworm can be understood in terms of the simultaneous arousal of a tendency to approach the mealworm to peck it and a tendency to withdraw from the mealworm because of fear. 11. Three groups of 6 chicks each were observed individually between 3 and 11 days of age in three environments (home cage, and a similar cage in two unfamiliar locations) and under three states of food deprivation (0, 5, and 10 hrs) ; some of the chicks were also observed under the influence of an alcohol injection. Each experiment consisted of 4 minutes of observation with a mealworm present, preceded and followed by 2 minutes of observation with the mealworm absent. Behavior patterns of the chicks were registered on a 20-pen event recorder; frequencies and/or durations of the various behavior patterns were scored. III. Occurrence of the various activities showed no significant changes as a function of age during the course of the experiment (Fig. 2). Further, except for the first three presentations, behavior before and after the mealworm presentation showed no significant differences. The general behavior of the chicks (in the absence of the mealworm) showed marked changes as a function of environment (Figs. 3 and 4) : moving, pecking, and preening occurred less frequently with increasingly unfamiliar environments; sleeping and sitting occurred less frequently with moderate unfamiliarity, but showed a sharp increase in very unfamiliar suroundings; shrill calling occurred most frequently in moderately unfamiliar surroundings. The only activity significantly affected by food deprivation was moving (Fig. 3) : increased food deprivation resulted in increased moving. The general behavior of alcohol-injected chicks was very similar to the behavior of chicks in very un familiar surroundings. It is suggested that changes in environment are fear inducing. IV. Presentation of the mealworm allows a new behavior pattern to appear: fixating the mealworm. Fixating declined as a simple function of experience with the worm (Fig. 5) ; further, this decline was due almost entirely to shorter bouts of fixating. Fixating was a complicated function of deprivation and environment in that increasing deprivation resulted in a sharp decline of time fixating in the very unfamiliar environment, but resulted in slight increases of time fixating in the other two environments. (Fig. 6); deprivation and environmental change also interacted in their influence on bout length of fixating (Fig. 7), but only environmental change affected the number of bouts of fixating (Fig. 8). Approach to and withdrawal from the mealworm per 100 sec fixating (Fig. 9) were very highly correlated with moving in the absence of the mealworm. It is concluded that approach and withdrawal movements reflect moving that would have occurred even in the absence of the mealworm, but which is now oriented with respect to the mealworm. Further, the absolute amount of moving during fixating under each experimental condition was less than the amount of moving under that same condition when the mealworm was not present; this strongly supports the notion that the mealworm is fear inducing, and that fear of the mealworm is additive to fear of an unfamiliar environment. Approach and withdrawal per 100 sec moving (Fig. 10) were significantly correlated with bout length of fixating. Distance from the worm while fixating was slightly, but significantly, reduced with increasing deprivation (Fig. 11) ; environmental change appeared to have only an indirect effect on distance. A number of activities that occurred during, or within one second after, fixating were considered functionally irrelevant. Head shaking and sleep constituted more than 70% of all irrelevant activities. It was demonstrated that the frequency of both these behavior patterns was significantly higher in the presence of the mealworm than in its absence. The analysis of the occurrence of irrelevant sleep in the various experimental conditions gave further strong support to the notion that fear of the mealworm is additive to fear of an unfamiliar environment. The occurrence of irrelevant movements (Fig. 12) was highly correlated with bout length fixating which implicates available time as an important factor in determining their occurrence. Another important factor determining the occurrence of irrelevant activities was equilibrium fixating and other activities; equilibrium between approach and withdrawal appeared to be of no importance in the present situation. Shrill calling in the presence of the mealworm increased in some cases and decreased in other cases. Analysis of these data provided more support for the conclusions that the mealworm induces fear and that shrill calling occurs most frequently with moderate fear. V. It is suggested that the concept of ''escape'' as used by ethologists and the concept of ''fear'' as used by some American psychologists are not unitary drive systems - at least in young chicks. Rather, the term fear has been used in a restricted sense in this paper to refer to a drive system that expresses itself by progressive inhibition of general activity, by facilitation of shrill calling at moderate levels, and by facilitation of sleep at high levels. This use of the term fear is supported by the fact that fear of unfamiliar environments and fear of the mealworm are additive. Withdrawal, when it occurs, seems to be caused primarily by intense stimulation. It is suggested that fear and withdrawal are independent systems that have mutually inhibitory relations. On the other hand, fixating and fear appear to reflect a single mechanism which has much in common with the orientation reflex of Russian investigators. Since approach and withdrawal movements can be considered primarily as normally activated locomotion directed with respect to the worm, since distance from the mealworm can be adequately accounted for by the single factor of stimulus intensity, since equilibrium between approach and withdrawal movements does not lead to an increase of irrelevant movements, it is concluded that any approach-withdrawal conflict in these chicks was of secondary importance. The conflict between fixating-fear and maintenance activities is considered of primary importance. This follows first from the results for irrelevant movements, and second from the demonstration that fixating and maintenance activities have mutually inhibitory relations with each other. These results have implications for studies of drive interaction, development of behavior systems, and imprinting.


We present a method for computing dense visual correspondence based on general assumptions about scene geometry. Our algorithm does not rely on correlation, and uses a variable region of support. We assume that images consist of a number of connected sets of pixels with the same disparity, which we call disparity components. Using maximum likelihood arguments, at each pixel we compute a small set of plausible disparities. A pixel is assigned a disparity d based on connected components of pixels, where each pixel in a component considers d to be plausible. Our implementation chooses the largest plausible disparity component; however, global contextual constraints can also be applied. While the algorithm was originally designed for visual correspondence, it can also be used for other early vision problems such as image restoration. It runs in a few seconds on traditional benchmark images with standard parameter settings, and gives quite promising results.


Background: Despite of excellent long-term results, there is a need for the selection of patients with differentiated thyroid cancer who experience an unfavorable outcome. Patients and Methods: Between 1980 and 1997, 406 patients underwent thyroidectomy, elective neck dissection if necessary, and radioiodine treatment and/or external beam radiotherapy according to different histologies and TNM stages. Long-term results were analyzed under the comparison of 5 classification systems (TNM, EORTC, AMES, MACIS, and NTCTCSR) to make a selection of patients with high risk and therefore to plead for aggressive treatment. Results: For 309 TNM stage I–II patients, selected in the low-risk group (LRG), a 20-year cancer-specific survival (CSS) of 96–99% was recorded. A lower CSS of 60–79% was observed for 97 cases (TNM stage III–IV) selected as the high-risk group (HRG) (p = 0.05). The persistence rate for the LRG was 0.9%, compared to 26% for the HRG. The salvage rate after recurrence in the LRG was also significantly higher (84%) than in the HRG (26%) (p = 0.003). The lowest ratio of death rates was scored for AMES (HRG:LRG = 1.2:1), and it is becoming even inverted for papillary cancer (1:2). A higher ratio of death rates (2.6:1) was scored for MACIS and an even higher ratio for EORTC and NTCTCSR (HRG and LRG both 6:1). An analysis of the correlation based on the parameter of cancer-specific mortality reveals that all systems except AMES correlate well with R2 = 0.97–1.0. Conclusion: The best validation for our patient cohort was found for classification criteria announced by EORTC, NTCTCSR and TNM, and they might be useful for optimization of the treatment.


Relations are developed estimating risks of in-transit uncoupling of cars caused by technical malfunction depending on the number of cars in a train and haulage distance. The obtained results allow assessing safety level in international transit corridors where each local railway administration shares liability for damage to cargo and railway equipment in the course of transportation through their area of responsibility.


This paper proposes two types of electromagnetic bandgap (EBG) structures aimed for SAR reduction on a mobile phone antenna. The EBG structures, one which uses vias while the other does not can reduce the surface wave and prevent the undesired radiation from the antenna. Thus, these structures can reduce the electromagnetic fields toward the human head direction and reduction the SAR value. Tests demonstrate the reduction of SAR values and therefore, the human body can be protected from hazard electromagnetic fields by using the proposed EBG structures, regardless of whether vias are used or not.


Interleukin (IL)-32 is a recently described proinflammatory cytokine, characterized by induction of nuclear factor (NF)-kappaB activation. We studied IL-32alpha expression in the inflamed mucosa of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). We also investigated mechanisms regulating IL-32alpha expression. Tissue samples were obtained endoscopically or surgically from patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) (n = 10), Crohn's disease (CD) (n = 10), ischaemic colitis (n = 4) and normal colorectal tissues (n = 10). IL-32alpha expression was evaluated by standard immunohistochemical procedure. IL-32 mRNA expression was analysed by Northern blot. IL-32alpha was expressed weakly by colonic epithelial cells from normal individuals and subjects with ischaemic colitis. In the inflamed mucosa of IBD patients, epithelial IL-32alpha expression was increased markedly. In UC and CD patients, IL-32alpha expression was enhanced in affected mucosa compared to non-affected mucosa. In intestinal epithelial cell lines, expression of IL-32alpha mRNA and protein was enhanced by IL-1beta, interferon (IFN)-gamma and tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha. A combination of TNF-alpha plus IFN-gamma exerted synergistic effects. IL-32alpha induction by IL-1beta and/or TNF-alpha was mediated by NF-kappaB activation. Epithelial IL-32alpha expression was increased in IBD patients, and in CD patients in particular. IL-32alpha might be involved in the pathophysiology of IBD as a proinflammatory cytokine and a mediator of innate immune response.


A virtual world engine at the massively multiplayer scale is a massively multiplayer online world (MMOW); one thing virtual world engines realized when going into the scale of MMOs, is the cost of maintaining a potentially quadratic number of interactions between a massive number of objects, laid out in a spatial dimension. With the rise of the Internet of Things (IoT), this means recognizing the need for architectures to handle billions of devices and their interactions. Research into IoT was fueled by research in wireless sensor networks, but rather than start from a device perspective, this article looks at how architectures deal with interacting entities at large scale. The domain of MMOWs is examined for properties that are affected by scale. Thereafter the domain of IoT is evaluated to see if each of those properties are found and how each is handled. By comparing the current state of the art of MMOWs and IoT, with respect to scalability, it is discussed how research from one domain can possibly be exapted to the other domain and vice versa. A case study of a MMOW interfacing with IoT is presented in closing.


INTRODUCTION
Nutritional problems are common in children with neurological diseases, especially if they have significant motor impairment. Oropharyngeal dysphagia is very prevalent in these patients, and can contribute to worsening nutritional status and produce pulmonary aspirations.

AIM
Longitudinal assessment of the nutritional status of a sample of pediatric patients with moderate-severe neurological disease and establish the prevalence of oropharyngeal dysphagia in that sample.

PATIENTS AND METHODS
An observational multicenter prospective study was conducted. We included children under 16 years of age with moderate-to-severe neurological impairment from four hospitals, with clinical and anthropometric monitoring for one year. Questions were asked to conduct oropharyngeal dysphagia screening.

RESULTS
Sixty-eight children were included, the main diagnosis obtained was cerebral palsy. In the anthropometric assessment, 42 patients (62%) showed weight z scores below -2, and 29 (43%) height z scores below -2, while body mass index, mid upper arm circumference and triceps and subscapular skinfolds remained less affected. We found an oropharyngeal dysphagia prevalence of 73.5% in our sample, increasing with greater motor impairment.

CONCLUSIONS
These patients showed lower weight and height than children without neurological impairment. However, with a correct follow-up they remain stable with an adequate body composition. It is important to proactively investigate the presence of oropharyngeal dysphagia, especially in those with greater motor impairment, as it occurs very frequently and an adequate diagnosis can improve clinical evolution and prevent complications.


Abstract When a volatile drop impacts on a superheated solid, air drainage and vapour generation conspire to create an intermediate gas layer that delays or even prevents contact between the liquid and the solid. In this article, we use high-speed synchronized reflection interference and total internal reflection imaging to measure the short-time dynamics of the intermediate gas film and to probe the transition between levitation and contact. We observe that the substrate temperature strongly affects the vertical position of the liquid–gas interface and that the dynamic Leidenfrost transition is influenced by both air and vapour drainage (i.e. gas drainage), and evaporation, the latter giving rise to hitherto unreported vertical oscillations of the gas film that can trigger liquid–solid contact. We first derive scaling relations for the height of the gas film trapped under the drop's centreline, called the dimple height, and the minimum film thickness at short times. The former is set by a competition between gas drainage and liquid inertia, similarly as for isothermal impacts, while the latter strongly depends on the vapour production. The gas pressure, at the location where the minimum thickness is reached, is determined by liquid inertia and vapour production and ultimately balanced by the increasing interfacial curvature, determining the minimum thickness. We show that, in the low impact velocity limit, the transient stability of the draining gas film remarkably makes dynamic levitation less demanding than static levitation. We characterize the vertical gas film oscillations by measuring their frequency and monitoring their occurrence in the parameter space spanned by surface temperature and impact velocity. Finally, we model the occurrence of these oscillations and account for their frequency through a hydrodynamic mechanism.


The migration of an analog circuit to a new technology usually requires a complete redesign. With the procedure presented, designers can calculate parameters for a given circuit in a new technology, starting from the same design in an earlier technology. The procedure's simple resizing rules have been verified with standard MOSFET simulation models.


The living cell, no matter if it is a simple prokaryotic bacterial cell or a highly specialised eukaryotic cell, synthesises a vast number of different proteins. In most organisms, 20-30 % of all proteins are thought to be transmembrane integral membrane proteins. Membrane proteins can be classified into several subgroups, depending on their mode of interaction with the membrane. There are two major types of membrane proteins, integral and peripheral. Peripheral membrane proteins are bound to the surface of the membrane, interacting with other membrane proteins or with one leaflet of the bilayer. The other group, integral membrane proteins, can be subdivided into two major types, transmembrane and membrane-anchored. Transmembrane proteins are integrated into the membrane via internal hydrophobic amino acid sequences, while membrane-anchored proteins are attached to the membrane via covalently bound lipids or so-called GPI anchors. This thesis is based on studies of the rules governing the biogenesis of transmembrane integral membrane proteins. The influence of positively charged amino acids on protein translocation has been compared in Escherichia coli and in a mammalian system. The influence of positively and negatively charged amino acids on the conformation of a transmembrane helix in the ER membrane has been studied. Topology mapping of two Escherichia coli proteins has provided the first known example of divergent evolution of membrane protein topology. Finally, the topology of the Escherichia coli potassium channel Kch has been determined.


The objective was to verify if the estimate of the individual volume of wood per tree conducted by kriging is influenced by the type of sampling. A settlement with 1875 eucalyptus trees was marked on a Cartesian plane (X, Y) and strictly cubed using the Smalian method. Six samples were taken, each containing 106 trees. Two samples per railing, two random samples and two by crowded grid. The semivariograms were constructed for each of the sampling and maps of the individual volume of trees were constructed by kriging. Eleven types of errors were compared and ranked. Random sampling showed the best results and clustered sampling grid showed the worst results.


Yellowtail kingfish (Seriola lalandi) are angled throughout their global distribution and released in large numbers under the unsubstantiated assumption of few impacts. The validity of this supposition was tested for southeastern Australian stocks. In all, 54 fish were angled and released into cages with 36 controls and monitored for 5 d. Of the angled fish, 15% died, mostly as a consequence of gill-hooking and the associated physiological and mechanical damage. A biotelemetry experiment was then performed to determine if cutting the line on gill-hooked fish could improve their post-release fate. The attachment of transmitters was validated in an aquarium experiment before 12 jaw- and 10 gill-hooked fish were tagged, released, and tracked. One gill-hooked fish was detected motionless within 10 min, and another was last detected 7 min after release; both presumed dead. No jaw-hooked fish died within the first 24 h. The remaining fish were last detected between 3 and 49 d after release and, apart from subtle differences in their short-term responses, maintained similar wide-ranging movements and accelerations. The results justify cutting the line on deephooked fish to minimize post-release mortality and illustrate the utility of combining confinement and biotelemetry studies to assess the fate of released fish.


INTRODUCTION
In the developed countries, the prevalence of infection by H. Pylori among patients with active chronic gastritis (ACG) and peptic ulcer is diminishing. In developing countries, as far as it is known, neither a time variation of this infection nor a related epidemiological phenomena have been reported.

OBJECTIVE
Determine the changes in the prevalence of H. pylori in patients from medium and high socio-economic strata in Lima, with ACG and peptic ulcer from 1985 to 2002.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
An evaluation by means of an esophago-gastroduodenoscopy was carried out in a private hospital in 1,815 patients from the medium and upper socio-economic strata, all of them residents in Lima, Peru and showing upper gastrointestinal tract symptoms. Coloring with hematoxilin-eosin was used.

RESULTS
1,260 patients with ACG were identified: 178 with duodenal ulcer, 55 with gastric ulcer and 292 with histologically normal gastric mucose (HNGM). Prevalence of H. pylori among patients with ACG dropped from 83.3% to 58.7% (p<0.001) in males and females under 30 years old and from 31 to 50 years old (p=0.001). In patients with duodenal ulcer it decreased from 89.5% to 71.9% (p=0.004) and in those patients with gastric ulcer, from 84.8% to 77.3% (p=0.36). In patients with HNGM, prevalence remained the same (from 2.7% to 0.0%) (p=0.15).

CONCLUSIONS
Between 1985 and 2002, in Lima, Peru, H. pylori prevalence in patients from the medium and upper socio-economic strata, with ACG and peptic ulcer, diminished.


TTV is the acronym for a virus isolated two years ago from a patient whose initials were T.T. It is a naked virus probably belonging to the Circoviridae family. TTV has a particle size of 30-50 nm and possesses a single-strand circular DNA. Epidemiologic data are derived from studies looking for the viral DNA by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Important differences between early and recent studies appear to be due to the use of PCR assays based on primers located in different regions of the genome. Based on the most recent studies, the prevalence of TTV infections seems very high in the general population. TTV is present in the feces and would be transmitted through the fecal-oral route. It appears to be a ubiquitous virus, also present in various animal species, from chickens to chimpanzees. No association to any pathology has been identified so far, and TTV infection does not have a significant effect on liver disease.


This paper reexamines the status of international capital mobility under the Feldstein-Horioka (1980) hypothesis by comparing the results from the OECD and non-OECD high income categories. Data on savings and investment ratios of 21 OECD and 17 non-OECD countries were analyzed using the dynamic heterogeneous panel estimators of Pooled Mean Group (PMG), Mean Group (MG) and Dynamic Fixed Effects (DFE). Based on the series of Hausman post-estimation test, result from the PMG is upheld. The saving-retention coefficient, showing the level of international capital mobility, reads 0.89, 0.93 and 0.16 for the high-income group, OECD category and non-OECD category respectively. This suggests lower capital mobility in high-income as a whole and OECD countries, and higher capital mobility in the non-OECD countries. The contradictory findings confirmed that the Feldstein-Horioka saving-retention coefficient is unlikely, a viable option of measuring cross-border capital mobility. Further researches therefore need to re-observe the qualification of saving-retention coefficient in explaining international capital mobility. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.ee.25.5.3539


The purpose of this work is to provide undergraduate seniors in engineering 1) the opportunity to work on an industry/externally sponsored project and 2) provide an outside the classroom learning experience.  Here we discuss each of these aspects as it relates to a single project, specifically working to save African elephants from unnecessary slaughter.  We will address each of these separately in "Industry and Education" (where the focus will be on the developing the industry relationship and then fostering it during the lifetime of the project) and "Experiences outside the classroom" (where the focus will be on the learning experience of the students in the field).  The main results are that 1) industry sponsor commitment to the project is the number driver for overall success of the project and 2) an in-the-field educational experience is invaluable for the students to learn the real world pressures of time constraints and developing real-time contingency plans to successfully complete project goals.  In conclusion, we discuss how an external sponsor, committed to interacting with the team and an "outside the classroom" learning experience coupled with good mentoring from the faculty provide an experience that closely parallels  a real-life work experience for the students. http://dx.doi.org/10.4995/HEAd15.2015.350


A planar dual-L antenna with a novel tuning technique is presented for an integrated GPS/PCS dual-band application. The tuning structure is made of a metal stub attached to one of the shorting plates of the dual-L, antenna, and thus facilitates the independent tuning for lower frequency bands. Simulation and measurements were performed and dual bands of 1565.19 MHz-1585.65 MHz and 1850 MHz-1990 MHz with a return loss better than -10 dB were achieved.


A joint meeting of scientists from the U.S. and the USSR to discuss cooperative physical oceanographic research in the North Pacific was held May 23–26, 1978, in Novosibirsk, USSR. Since the Russians were primarily interested in climate, they were particularly attracted by the North Pacific Experiment (Norpax) program, which has the overall goal of investigating the interaction between the ocean and the atmosphere on long time and space scales. Although they expressed great interest in ocean forecasting on time scales (several days or less) of use to the oceanographer, they proposed two areas for joint research, both related to climate considerations and only incidental ly useful for short-term ocean prediction: (1) a study of the effect of sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies on precipitation and on the temperature of the atmosphere and (2) a study of the correlation between SST anomalies and summer cloud systems over the oceans. These areas overlap (1) with the Equatorial Dynamics Study (EDS) in Norpax, which is a component of the First Garp (Global Atmospheric Research Program) Global Experiment (FGGE) and which will observe the large-scale and long-term Pacific equatorial circulation fluctuations from January 1979 to July 1980, (2) with the Anomaly Dynamics Study (ADS), which is designed to investigate the mechanisms responsible for SST and upper ocean heat content anomalies in the mid-latitude North Pacific, and (3) with the Eastern Pacific Ocean Circulation Study (EPOCS) planned for 1979 by the Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.


Abstract In this study, the complete mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) of Stibochiona nicea (Gray, 1846) (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) was first reported with 15,298 bp in size, containing 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 tRNA genes, two rRNA genes (rrnL and rrnS), and one control region. The nucleotide composition of the entire mitogenome is highly A + T biased (81.5%). The gene content and arrangement of the newly sequenced mitogenome are identical to those of the other available mitogenomes of Nymphalidae. All PCGs start with the conventional ATN codons, except for cox1 initiating with atypical CGA(R). Nine PCGs (atp8, atp6, cox3, nad1, nad2, nad3, nad4l, nad6, and cob) utilize a typical stop codon TAA, whereas the remaining PCGs (cox1, cox2, nad4, and nad5) end with an incomplete stop codon T–. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that S. nicea is closely related to Dichorragia nesimachus within Pseudergolinae, which further forms the sister group to the grouping of (Nymphalinae + (Cyrestinae + (Biblidinae + Apaturinae))). The complete mitogenome of S. nicea will provide useful genetic information for improving the taxonomic system and phylogenetics of Nymphalidae.


Capillary hemangioma of the cauda equina is extremely rare. We present the MR imaging and histologic findings of a case of this disease. The tumor was well demarcated, 0.91.3 cm in diameter and 1.2 cm in length. On the MR images, the tumor showed isointensity relative to the spinal cord on the T1-weighted images, hyperintensity on the T2-weighted images, and strong homogeneous enhancement on the contrast-enhanced T1-weighted images. Capillary hemangioma should be included in the differential diagnosis of a spinal tumor of the cauda equina.


Tin is an ubiquitous element and thus enters mammals through the food chain. It has never been found to be dysfunctional in either plants or animal tissue and has been regarded as an innocuous background material. Of the many organs and glands that have been analyzed for tin, only the thymus gland exhibits an above average value for tin. A complete study on the tin content in the thymus gland has never been published and this work is an attempt to investigate this subject. Three types of rodents were used in this study; inbred Lewis rats, inbred A/KI mice (a breast cancer prone mouse) and outbred COBS mice (a cancer resistant mouse). The tin analysis of the muscle, spleen, and thymus indicated constant values for the muscle and spleen tissue, but an increase in the thymic tin concentration (ppm) with age. Besides normal aging studies, the animals were administered the disodium salt of dexamethasone-21-phosphate (dexa), which causes rapid loss of lymphocytes from the spleen and thymus but has no effect upon the muscle. Tin concentration in the muscles remained constant, showed a loss from the spleen and an increase in the thymus gland. The increase indicates that the tin was probably located in the medulla of the thymus, which may be the active biochemical site for tin in rodents. When compared to the COBS mice, the A/KI mice showed a non-statistical difference in tin content in the muscle and spleen and statistically significant lower tin content in the thymus gland.


Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to empirically analyze the role of differentiated margin system in leading investors' investing behavior and then optimize investor structure in futures markets. Design/methodology/approach - Using economic experimental research method, this paper designs and conducts a futures market experiment according to experimental research's basic norms, thus acquiring needed and credible empirical data. Findings - By analyzing the experimental data, it is found that compared with situations in futures markets that implement uniform margin system, investors' (especially speculators') futures open position and the ratio of their open position and futures turnover are both significantly higher, in futures markets that implement differentiated margin system. On the other hand, differentiated margin system has no effects on hedgers' futures turnover, but significantly reduces speculators' futures turnover. Research limitations/implications - The findings suggest that compared with uniform margin system, differentiated margin system is beneficial to effectively restrict both speculators' and hedgers' speculating behavior and lead hedgers' market participation. Practical implications - In order to resolve the problem of unreasonable investor structure in China's futures market, i.e. lack of hedgers and over-speculating, China's futures market's regulators should reform the margin system and adopt differentiated margin system to lead investors' rational behavior and optimize investor structure. Originality/value - This paper empirically analyzes and verifies, for the first time, the roles of differentiated margin system in affecting investors' investing behavior. The futures market experiment designed and used in this study is a pioneering and exploratory experiment.


In this paper, we study a company that combines singularity at the service level with mass production. To some extent, the model in place constitutes an evolution of Toyotism, however, this new organization raises difficult coordination problems due to the creation activities being decentralized within and outside of the company. By using the classifications popularized by Da Silveira, Borenstein, Fogliatto, and Lampel and Mintzberg, we show that the exchange between the workers within and outside the company is key to the improvement of the customization capacity of the company. JEL Code : M10


Membranes made of 65, 70, 80, 94, and 100% deacetylated chitin (chitosan) were implanted subperiosteally over the calvaria of 100 rats. Reactions were studied at 1, 2, 4, and 8 weeks after implantation. Membranes prepared with 65, 70, and 80% deacetylated chitin initially elicited marked inflammatory reactions that subsided in time with granulation tissue formation and osteogenesis. Osteocalcin-positive cells were detected immunohistochemically in the granulation tissue. On the other hand, membranes made of 94% deacetylated chitin and chitosan showed mild inflammation and minimal osteogenesis. The results indicate that membranes made of 65, 70, and 80% deacetylated chitin enhance osteogenesis at the site of their implantation. However, the initially severe inflammatory reaction associated with these materials needs to be controlled before the materials would be suitable for clinical application.


Summary: In this macro-anatomical research, the data was based on direct observations of 14 adult donkey brains 10 male and 4 female. The brains were fixed in 10% formalin solution and the investigation was focused on macroscopic descriptions of the brain surface and of dissected brainstem features. Sulci and gyri on the brain hemispheres had quite curly structures. These were not completely symmetrical both among brains of different donkeys and on two hemispheres of same brains. It was determined that an adult donkey brain weight was 370 ± 7 g, brain/body weight ratio was 0.27%; cerebellum/brain weight ratio was 10.54%; and pituitary gland/brain weight ratio was 0.38%.


Since the beginning of the VISIR project, the calibration aspects have been taken into account as an integral part of the design. In order to provide the user and the archive with high quality and well-controlled data, it is mandatory to have, during the routine observation phase, all calibration observations as part of the instrument set-up activities and as part of the actual Astronomical Observing Template. We propose here to review the calibration of VISIR observations. After a description of the various hardware tools which have been introduced for calibration purposes (warm calibration unit, distortion grid, pupil imaging optics, wavelength calibration modules), we will present the calibrations in four astronomical categories (spatial resolution, photometry, astrometry and wavelength calibration). Cross-calibrations between the Imager and Spectrometer subsystems will also be addressed.


The first methodology to address the rewetting of drained peatlands "Methodology for rewetting Drained Tropical Peatlands" has been approved by the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) Program. As the methodology is the first of its kind, it will provide unique guidance for other projects that aim at rewetting tropical peatlands. The methodology has been developed by WWF Germany and WWF Indonesia with contributions from Remote Sensing Solutions, Alterra Wageningen, and Winrock International. "Tropical peatlands represent a key carbon sink, yet far too often they are cleared and drained to make way for palm oil plantations, destroying valuable ecosystems while releasing enormous volumes of GHG emissions in the process," said Jerry Seager, Chief Program Officer for the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS). "This new methodology represents an exciting new opportunity to shift that paradigm, and we at the VCS look forward to seeing it in action." The methodology applies to project activities in which drained tropical peatlands are rewetted through the construction of permanent and/or temporary structures (such as dams) which hold back water in drainage waterways. The methodology quantifies the reduction in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions due to decreased oxidation of soil organic material that occurs as a result of project activities. The quantification of emission reductions is based primarily on outputs from the Simulation of Groundwater (SIMGRO) model which estimates the water table depth based on a range of input parameters such as terrain characteristics, peat thickness and climate variables. The methodology is applicable to projects in Southeast Asia; specifically, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei and Papua New Guinea. The methodology has been developed in order to validate the REDD+ demonstration activity taking place in the Sebangau National Park, located in Indonesia - Central Kalimantan. The Sebangau National Park is a large peat dome that rises between two rivers. Historically the peat dome was covered by dense lowland rainforest. Before the Sebangau forest became a National Park, it was production forest, and where illegal loggers created a network of canals dug into the peat surface that were used for floating the logs out of the peatland area. The objective of the project intervention is to restore the hydrological and ecological functions of the peat swamp forest through the construction of dams. As a result of hydrological restoration, significant emissions of CO2 from peatlands in the project area will be prevented. The project was initiated and is managed by the Ministry of Forestry Indonesia and WWF Indonesia. The methodology passed successfully the VCS methodology approval process conducted by SCS and TUV SUD. For further information please refer to: http://www.v-c-s.org/rewetting_drained_tropical_peatlands_southeast_Asia


The determination of the mixing induced CP-violating asymmetry in decays such as $B^0_s \to J/\psi \phi$ is one of the key goals of the LHCb experiment. Its value is predicted to be very small in the Standard Model but can be significantly enhanced in many models of New Physics. The steps towards a precise determination of this phase with a flavour-tagged, time-dependent, angular analysis of the decay $B^0_s \to J/\psi \phi$ will be presented, and first results shown from this measurement programme, using data collected in 2010 and the early months of the 2011 run. Results will also be shown, and prospects discussed, from related measurements.


Because breast cancer cells such as MCF-7, exhibit vital and developmental signs by exosome secretion, diagnosing them in the blood can provide a good index of the presence of breast cancer. However, accurate and inexpensive detection of exosomes in clinical practice faces challenges. Therefore, in the presents study, an aptasensor based on CD63 aptameriron oxide-copper ion nanozymes (Fe₃O₄-Cu2+-NZs) was designed with the ability of the CD63 aptamer to interact with the exosome and the release of the Fe₃O₄-Cu2+-NZs for peroxidase-like activity on the tetramethylbenzidine (TMB). After fabrication of CD63 aptamer-Fe₃O₄-Cu2+-NZs based on hydrothermal method, their physicochemical properties were investigated with the SEM, TEM, DLS, Zeta, XRD and magnetization. To investigate the interaction of CD63 aptamer-Fe₃O₄-Cu2+-NZs with exosomes, the required exosomes were extracted from cultured MCF-7 cells. The performance of CD63 aptamer-Fe₃O₄-Cu2+-NZs on TMB degradation in the presence and absence of exosomes was investigated through UV-vis adsorption and ocular observations based on colour changes on laboratory and real samples. The results show that the absence of exosomes significantly inhibited the peroxidase-like activity of CD63 aptamer-Fe₃O₄-Cu2+-NZs due to the aptamer coating. Under optimal conditions, the designed CD63 aptamer-Fe₃O₄-Cu2+-NZs is capable of detecting exosomes in the range of 1.4 × 10⁴-5.6 × 105 particles/μL with a detection limit of 5.91 × 10³ particles/μL. Also, this method showed a satisfactory outcome in detection of cancer cells in real samples. Overall, this colorimetric aptasensor can be used to diagnose breast cancer cells based on a simple and inexpensive approach.


Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is becoming a frequently utilized imaging tool in the emergency department (ED) as it can aid in early diagnosis of many pathologies. This is a case report of a 55-year-old male who presented to the emergency department by ambulance for sudden onset chest pain followed by a syncopal episode. Point-of-care echocardiogram revealed a large pericardial effusion with a significantly dilated aortic root, concerning for aortic dissection. Patient was emergently taken for a computed tomography (CT) scan, which was only remarkable for an ascending thoracic aortic aneurysm but failed to show an aortic dissection flap. On repeat POCUS, a dissection intimal flap, large pericardial effusion with tamponade physiology, and aortic regurgitation were identified and later confirmed on transesophageal echocardiogram. This case report details a rare pathology that was correctly identified on initial POCUS before it was seen on CT scan.


Our previous experimental studies have confirmed that viscoelastic-fluid-based nanofluid (VFBN) prepared by suspending nanoparticles in a viscoelastic base fluid (VBF, behaves drag reduction at turbulent flow state) can reduce turbulent flow resistance as compared with water and enhance heat transfer as compared with VBF. Direct numerical simulation (DNS) is performed in this study to explore the mechanisms of heat transfer enhancement (HTE) and flow drag reduction (DR) for the VFBN turbulent flow. The Giesekus model is used as the constitutive equation for VFBN. Our previously proposed thermal dispersion model is adopted to take into account the thermal dispersion effects of nanoparticles in the VFBN turbulent flow. The DNS results show similar behaviors for flow resistance and heat transfer to those obtained in our previous experiments. Detailed analyses are conducted for the turbulent velocity, temperature, and conformation fields obtained by DNSs for different fluid cases, and for the friction factor with viscous, turbulent, and elastic contributions and heat transfer rate with conductive, turbulent and thermal dispersion contributions of nanoparticles, respectively. The mechanisms of HTE and DR of VFBN turbulent flows are then discussed. Based on analogy theory, the ratios of Chilton–Colburn factor to friction factor for different fluid flow cases are investigated, which from another aspect show the significant enhancement in heat transfer performance for some cases of water-based nanofluid and VFBN turbulent flows.


As the French, European and worldwide populations are aging, there is a strong interest for new systems that guarantee a reliable and privacy preserving home monitoring for frailty prevention. This work is a part of a global environmental audio analysis system which aims to help identification of Activities of Daily Life (ADL) through human and everyday life sounds recognition, speech presence and number of speakers detection. The focus is made on the number of speakers detection. In this article, we present how recent advances in sound processing and speaker diarization can improve the existing embedded systems. We study the performances of two new methods and discuss the benefits of DNN based approaches which improve performances by about 100%.


It is hoped, and widely expected, that early in the next century the wild-type polio virus will be declared extinct as a result of an eradication programme started in 1988 by the World Health Assembly using live attenuated trivalent oral (Sabin) polio vaccine (OPV).1 This potential achievement is reminiscent of the successful eradication of smallpox in 1977, but there are important differences. Most polio infections are subclinical and those that cause myelitis are not reliably distinguished from other causes of acute flaccid paralysis on clinical grounds alone. Highly effective clinical and laboratory surveillance will be needed to ensure that polio has really gone.2 Most importantly in practical terms, worldwide immunisation will be necessary until global eradication is certified to prevent re-importation and outbreaks in children who have not been immunised. This is confirmed by recent outbreaks in areas where immunisation rates with OPV have fallen, or where pockets of unimmunised subjects have developed—for example, in Albania3 and Chechnya.4 In contrast, during the final years before smallpox eradication, a number of developed countries stopped routine immunisation as it was causing significant morbidity and mortality in the absence of any cases of smallpox, so that the risk:benefit ratio was against continuing. Unlike polio, the importation and spread of the disease was judged to be unlikely to occur and easy to control.

A similar risk:benefit problem now faces countries that have achieved effective control of polio using OPV. Almost all of the small residual number of cases of paralytic polio in these countries are caused by the vaccine virus,5 6 either in recipients of the vaccine (usually children) or in non-immune subjects in contact with recipients to whom the virus is spread (usually adults). Vaccine associated paralytic polio (VAPP) occurs as a consequence of the reversal of attenuating …


Stem cells are defined as cells that can practice self-renewal and differentiation. For these reasons, more and more people are conducting experiments with stem cell therapies in order to treat and find a cure for today's diseases. These cells are the ideal ones to use because they adapt to any cell type and are able to reproduce in high numbers. They also can be derived from patients' own cells which allow the fears of immune system rejection to be avoided. The four articles mentioned below are all different examples of experiments where stem cells were used to test the effiency and outcomes of stem cell therapies and compare them to the outcomes of other, more practical treatments. These experiments prove that stem cell therapy is a far superior way to treat diseases, and the need for organ, tissue, and cell donation will definitely decrease with a sure way to reproduce cells without a donor. One article discusses beta cell replication from stem cells, one discusses making heart tissue grafts from stem cells, one discusses using stem cells to repair injured nerves in mice and restore function, and one discusses reprogramming adult somatic cells into pluripotent stem cells for myocardial stem cell therapies.


Birth asphyxia is one of the multiple causes of neonatal encephalopathy. The objective of this study was to evaluate neurodevelopmental outcomes of newborn term infants with definitive asphyxia. Thirty infants met study criteria for asphyxia. The 5-year incidence of asphyxia was estimated to be 5.5 in 1000. According to the Age and Stage Questionnaire, 10.5% of 6-month-old infants, 14.3% of 12- and 18-month-old infants, and 5.3% of 24-month-old infants had neurodevelopmental delay in gross motor function in the absence of cerebral palsy. In 7.3% of 18-month-old infants, neurodevelopmental delay in problem-solving ability was observed. Higher values of Apgar score and bicarbonate levels were associated with higher Age and Stage Questionnaire total score. Delivery type, maternal age, gravidity of mother, and existence of mother disease during pregnancy were also associated with lower Age and Stage Questionnaire total score in different stages of life.


46-year-old woman without a history of cardiovascular disease and no coronary risk factor was urgently admitted to our hospital with rest crushing chest pain, which had started 3 hours before. The ECG demonstrated minimal anterior STsegment elevation in leads V1 to V4 (Figure 1). In the first sample cardiac troponin T was 0.08 ng/mL. Coronary angiography was urgently performed and demonstrated a 50% smooth stenosis in the proximal left anterior descending (LAD) coronary (Figure 2) with a faint dye staining just proximal to the first diagonal branch. Because initial differential diagnosis included variant angina, intracoronary ergonovine (32 g) was given. Diffuse LAD coronary vasoconstriction, more severe on the LAD coronary ostium, was seen. Because there was still no clear indication of a culprit lesion, intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) examination was performed, which surprisingly showed an intramural hematoma starting from the mid-LAD up to its ostium, with mild lumen compromise, and the presence of nonobstructive atheroma (Figure 2). Echo-free material, consistent with contrast medium or saline, was seen mixing with echogenic blood within the hematoma (Figure 3), indirectly indicating that the hematoma was the result of a spontaneous coronary dissection (SCAD), with an occult entry flap. Stenting


This descriptive study determined the predictors of research performance of the graduate students in Occidental Mindoro State College, San Jose, Occidental Mindoro, Philippines. This research specifically looked into the graduate students' level of research performance, attitude towards research, challenges encountered, and the strategies employed to cope with the research challenges. A total of 41 completely enumerated students enrolled in Methods of Research and Thesis Writing during the second semester of Academic Year 2018-2019 served as respondents of the study.

The study found that the graduate students' level of research performance is high, specifically in writing the statement of the problem, hypothesis, significance of the study, and definition of terms. They have a positive attitude towards research in terms of usefulness and predispositions. They have negative research anxiety. Challenges encountered include insufficient funds, developing interest, inability to select researchable topics, and limited related literature. Coping strategies employed were frequent consultations with the adviser, seeking help from other competent faculty and students, using technology, and giving material appreciation. Attitude and challenges encountered were found to be predictors of the graduate student's research performance. A positive attitude towards research and the moderate challenges encountered could affect the graduate student's research performance.


In this paper we investigate the usage of random ortho-projections in the compression of sparse feature vectors. The study is carried out by evaluating the compressed features in classification tasks instead of concentrating on reconstruction accuracy. In the random ortho-projection method, the mapping for the compression can be obtained without any further knowledge of the original features. This makes the approach favorable if training data is costly or impossible to obtain. The independence from the data also enables one to embed the compression scheme directly into the computation of the original features. Our study is inspired by the results in compressive sensing, which state that up to a certain compression ratio and with high probability, such projections result in no loss of information. In comparison to learning based compression, namely principal component analysis (PCA), the random projections resulted in comparable performance already at high compression ratios depending on the sparsity of the original features.


The concept of adaptation has gained central importance in research on chronic disease. The article reviews recent developments in the major theoretical concepts, coping, defense and social support. A schema for classification is introduced distinguishing coping and defense processes at the individual (cognitive-emotional and behavioral), interpersonal and institutional levels. Some often neglected aspects of the evaluation (concerning temporal orientation, level, areas and perspective of rater) are pointed out. Underlying methodological aspects are briefly reviewed. Applying conceptual demands of theories of adaptation to research on chronic disease shows major research deficits, especially a lack of accepted definitions of adjustment, a preference for static, one-dimensional and cross-sectional research and a lack of adequate assessment procedures. Desiderata for future research are suggested.


This paper presents an optimized and enhanced DC-DC converter design for 20V output for portable instrument application. The proposed design is based on isolated push pull topology switched mode power supply. Selfdriven synchronous rectification (SDSR) is introduced in the rectification stage in order to create an improved way of rectifying process. N-Channel and P-Channel MOSFETs are used to simplify the synchronous rectification control circuit. Both MOSFETs offer ultra low On-resistance which can be used to achieve higher efficiency than the conventional converter. This converter operates at high speed switching frequency to gain high power-to-volume ratio. In addition, minimum deadtime is set in the design to ensure high efficiency in input-output power transfer. Passive low pass filter is implemented to produce ripple free output voltage in the design. The finalize topology which is push pull with self-driven synchronous rectification is constructed using simple control circuit but maintains good efficiency in its operation. Experimental results show that the proposed converter reacts very well with the self-driven synchronous rectification method. Input voltage is set at 12V and switching frequency is set at 30 kHz in order to minimize the switching stress and conduction losses. Practical implementation of the converter shows that the converter operates at a maximum efficiency of 84.1% and only produces 50mVp-p ripple output voltage which is considered good for a regulated DC output.


Background: Omi/HtrA2 is a proapoptotic mitochondrial serine protease involved in caspase-dependent cell apoptosis, translocating from mitochondria to the cytosol after an apoptotic insult. Our previous study indicated pre-treatment with UCF-101, a specific inhibitor of Omi/HtrA2, could significantly reduce neuronal apoptosis and attenuate sepsis-induced cognitive dysfunction. Various hypotheses involving blood-brain-barrier (BBB) disruption have been proposed to account for sepsis-associated encephalopathy (SAE). Here, we attempted to explore whether interference of Omi/HtrA2 by RNA interference or UCF-101 pre-treatment can improve sepsis-induced disruption of BBB using human cerebral microvascular endothelial cell line (hCMEC/D3) in vitro and if so, to explore mechanisms involved Omi/HtrA2 protease mediates BBB disruption in SAE. Methods: hCMEC/D3 cell monolayers were intervened by different concentrations of LPS (0–50 μg/mL) over experimental period. Pharmacological or gene interventions (by silencing RNA of Omi/HtrA2) were used to study molecular mechanisms involved in sepsis-associated Omi/HtrA2 translocation, cell apoptosis and BBB dysfunction. BBB function was assessed by trans-endothelial electrical resistance (TEER) and permeability to labeled dextrans (FITC-4kDa). Tight junction (TJ) integrity was assessed by immunofluorescence, western blotting and transmission electron microscopic (TEM) analyses. Apoptosis was determined using flow cytometry and TUNEL assay. Mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) and oxidative stress were also investigated. Results: LPS affects hCMEC/D3 TJ permeability in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. LPS intervention resulted in a significant disruption of BBB, as manifested by decreased TEER (by ~26%) and a parallel increased paracellular permeability to FITC- (4kDa) dextrans through hCMEC/D3 monolayers. The inhibition of Omi/HtrA2 by UCF-101 or Omi/HtrA2 shRNA reduced LPS-induced brain endothelial cell apoptosis, and resulted in significant improvement on LPS-induced BBB disruption as well as decreased occludin, claudin-5 and ZO-1 expressions. Omi/HtrA2 manipulated endothelial cell apoptosis by shifting into cytosol and inducing X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein (XIAP) degradation. UCF-101 administration or Omi/HtrA2 shRNA intervention did attenuate the degradation of XIAP, Poly ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP) cleavage, and caspase-3 cleavage. However, only UCF-101 partly prevented the mobilization of Omi/HtrA2 from the mitochondria to the cytosol after LPS intervention. That abrogation of Omi/HtrA2 by UCF-101 or Omi/HtrA2 shRNA resulted in a significant improvement on LPS-induced decrease of MMP. Oxidative stress was significantly increased in the LPS treated group compared to the control or NC-shRNA group. However, abrogation of Omi/HtrA2 by UCF-101 or Omi/HtrA2 shRNA did not significantly improve oxidative injury. Conclusions: Our study indicated an important role of Omi/HtrA2 in manipulating LPS-induced cell apoptosis and BBB integrity by translocating from mitochondria into cytosol in brain endothelial cells. Omi/HtrA2 induced mitochondrial pathway apoptosis, which involves inhibition of an important antiapoptotic protein XIAP and influence on MMP. Therapeutic methods that inhibit Omi/HtrA2 function may provide a novel therapeutic measure to septic encephalopathy.


RNA blots of total cellular RNA isolated from quiescent and endothelin (ET-1)-stimulated normal rat kidney (NRK) cells demonstrated that ET-1 induced the expression of c-jun, jun B, and c-fos mRNA in a time-dependent manner with maximal expression of mRNA by 1 hr after the addition of ET-1. Five hundred picomolar ET-1 was sufficient to induce maximal mRNA expression. These data agreed with saturation experiments which demonstrated that maximal binding of [125I]ET-1 was achieved at concentrations greater than 100 pM. The Kd and Bmax values for [125I]ET-1 binding to NRK membranes were 20.5 pM and 22.2 fmol/mg protein, respectively. Competition experiments for the binding of [125I]ET-1 to NRK membranes demonstrated that ET-1 was a more potent inhibitor (Ki = 0.047 nM) than ET-3 (Ki = 10.8 nM). No specific binding of [125I]ET-3 (40 or 500 pM) to NRK membranes could be observed. The expression of c-jun, jun B, and c-fos mRNA was inhibited by the endothelin type A receptor (ET)-selective antagonist, BQ-123. Thus, these data demonstrate that ET-1 mediates the expression of immediate response gene mRNA in NRK cells via the ETA receptor. ET-1 stimulation of NRK cells also upregulated EGF receptors, providing a possible mechanism for ET-1 complementation of epidermal growth factor (EGF) mitogenicity in NRK cells.


Relevance and problem of the study. The article analyses different approaches to organizational transformations and aims to systemize and summarize the existing theories of organizational transformations. Networks of organizations provide access to resources, knowledge and skills from other members of the network, network achievements can be distributed to all network participants. However, the network does not provide equal opportunities for all, mainly supporting those who invest more. Much is determined by different capabilities and abilities of network participants. For small business often find it difficult to become members of the network of organizations. This article therefore raises the scientific problem of how to increase the chances of small business becoming members of the network of organizations and gaining more rights in the activities of such a network.The objective of the paper is to systemize and summarize the scientific theories of organizations' transformations and networks.Research methods: analysis, structuring, synthesis and comparison of research sources, logical categorization and classification, deduction, interpretation and justification of statements.The transformation of an organization is defined as the implementation of processes aimed at fundamental changes in the organization. Researchers in the organization's transformations partially compare with the introduction of quality management systems in the organization and their functionality or the theory of the learning organization. The focus is on the dynamic ability of the organization can react flexibly and quickly to the changing internal and external environment. One of the main elements that determines the success of the transformation of the organization is the organization's manager and his ability to develop his firm as learning organization.Organizations seeking to transform need good theoretical and practical knowledge of organizational transformations. Existing theories and methods are often divided into several types, but none of them is entirely appropriate. By combining several theories, they could provide a more comprehensive theory of the transformations of organizations and, at the same time, enable a better understanding of transformation processes.Science distinguishes four types of organizational transformations: from transformations, when they are managed easily due to the predicted environment, to the most complex scenario, where the environment is chaotic, difficult to predict and changes in the organization must respond more to a changing environment than planning. However, the transformation of an organization is a more planned process than chaotic, so transformation theories can be combined with quality management systems and learning organization theories.The transformation of the organization is highly dependent on the external environment: if the environment is calm and unchaotic, the entire transformation process of the organization takes place by combining short-term plans with the creation of a long-term vision and all this information transferring to the employees. When the transformation of an organization reaches a revolutionary, high level of destabilization, then external processes force organizations to become very flexible. The organization's vision is then continually updated, and the organization's ability to learn quickly is crucial.Scientists interpret the concept of networks of organizations differently. Each of the networks divides into internal and external ones, others focus on the assessment of network dynamics. There is consensus that the importance of networks of organizations is very high for all organizations working on market conditions. Networks of organizations make it possible to develop new products, to enter new markets, services and manufactured goods become better promoted compared to those organizations that do not participate in the networks of organizations.A small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) cooperation with a large enterprise creates opportunities for strengthening existing and developing new strategic resources. Both enterprises can strengthen each other by creating a long-term competitive advantage through strategic resources, i.e. to carry out the dissemination of co-produced products through joint logistics chains, to improve organizational cultures, to initiate changes in internal structures, strategies and management changes, integrating and developing organizational resources and traditional skills.SME see different objectives when participating in networks of organizations. SME's networks help to ensure operational stability, improve efficiency, seek recognition. SME executives appreciate the benefits of participating in the network and need to have a lot of knowledge about the possible configurations of organizations' networks in order to choose the most suitable for their business.Each SME aims to gain and maintain a long-term competitive advantage on the market. An organizational network enables SEM to troubleshoot major issues and use organizational network resources for own needs. It is suitable for those SMES that face great competition and are looking for ways to survive in the market and strengthen their competitiveness positions. However, to establish itself within an organizational network and acquire missing resources and new organizational competencies, SME face a number of challenges which are only overtaken by smart, flexible and collaborative SME.


ABSTRACT The increasing emergence of penicillin-resistant and multidrug-resistant strains of Streptococcus pneumoniaewill create a serious therapeutic problem in coming years. Trovafloxacin is a novel naphthyridone quinolone with promising activity against S. pneumoniae, including penicillin-resistant strains (MIC for 90% of the isolates tested, 0.25 μg/ml). We compared its in vivo efficacy with that of other fluoroquinolones (ciprofloxacin, temafloxacin, and sparfloxacin) and a reference beta-lactam (amoxicillin) in a model of acute experimental pneumonia. Immunocompetent Swiss mice were infected by peroral tracheal delivery of a virulent, penicillin-susceptible strain (MIC, 0.03 μg/ml); leukopenic Swiss mice were infected with three poorly virulent, penicillin-resistant strains (MICs, 4 to 8 μg/ml) and a ciprofloxacin-resistant strain (MIC, 32 μg/ml). Treatments were started 6 h (immunocompetent mice) or 3 h (leukopenic mice) after infection. Doses ranging from 12.5 to 300 mg/kg were given at 12- or 8-h intervals for 3 days. Trovafloxacin (25 mg/kg) was the most effective agent in vivo against penicillin-susceptible and -resistant strains. Corresponding survival rates were 2- to 4-fold higher than with 50-mg/kg sparfloxacin or temafloxacin and 8- to 16-fold higher than with 100-mg/kg ciprofloxacin. The ratios of the area under the concentration-time curve to the MIC in serum and lung tissue were more favorable with trovafloxacin than with the other quinolones. Efficacy in vivo correlated with pharmacokinetic parameters. Trovafloxacin shows potential for the treatment of infections due to penicillin-susceptible and -resistant S. pneumoniae but appears to be ineffective against a ciprofloxacin-resistant strain.


Iatrogenic tracheobronchial ruptures are rare but severe complications after intubation. Therefore, we evaluated the reasons, the therapy and the outcome of patients with postintubation tracheal rupture, who were admitted to our intensive care unit. We reviewed the literature of tracheal rupture after endotracheal intubation in respects of the risk factors, diagnosis, the possible mechanisms of the injury, and suggest strategies of management.


The phenomenon of concomitant resistance, discovered since 1906, traduces the inhibitory effect from a first tumor on the growth of a distant tumor. The importance of the investigation on the concomitant resistance was found following the removal of the primary tumor which could lead to dramatic clinical consequences due to the suppression of this inhibition : the post-surgery metastatic acceleration. We report here on a study of a mathematical model representing the concomitant resistance between two tumors in the same organism.
First, the study involves a statistical analysis of the tumor growth in 10 mice with a population approach:the non-linear mixed effect model which is the most common tool to describe the global behavior of all individuals. The goal was to compare different softwares which implement the method, where the function NLME on R has the fastest execution time.
Second, the study allows the validation of the concomitant resistance mathematical model on independent data thanks to the obtaining of a highest goodness-of-fit and a good prediction.
This study not only informs on the validity of the model but also provides a non-monotony of the metastatic acceleration depending on the volume of the tumor at the day of excision.


A modified Rayleigh-Plesset equation is derived to model the oscillation of a contrast agent microbubble attached to an elastic wall. The obtained equation shows that contact with the wall affects the bubble oscillation as if the bubble oscillated in a liquid with a changed (effective) density. Depending on the wall properties, the effective density can be either higher or lower than the real liquid density and hence the natural frequency of the attached bubble can be either lower or higher than the natural frequency of the same bubble in an unbounded liquid. Numerical simulations are made for a contrast bubble with shell properties similar to those used in the Marmottant shell model. The cases of a rigid wall and a plastic wall are compared. The properties of the plastic wall are set to correspond to walls of OptiCell chambers commonly used in experiments. It is shown that contact with the rigid wall decreases the natural frequency of the bubble as compared to its natural frequency in an unbounded liquid, whereas contact with the OptiCell wall increases the natural frequency of the bubble. Bubble resonance curves for three cases are compared: the bubble in an unbounded liquid; the bubble at a distance from an OptiCell wall; the bubble in contact with an OptiCell wall. Results obtained for a 2-μm-radius bubble insonified with a 10-cycle, 40 kPa, 2.1 MHz Gaussian pulse show that contact with the OptiCell wall leads to the following effects. The amplitude of the radial oscillation of the attached bubble is decreased by about 70% as compared to that of the same bubble in an unbounded liquid. The fundamental component in the spectrum of the scattered pressure of the attached bubble is decreased by 12 dB. A strong second harmonic appears in the spectrum of the scattered pressure of the attached bubble; its magnitude is about 11.5 dB higher than the level corresponding to the case of an unbounded liquid.


INTRODUCTION
Bile leak after liver injury has been reported to be a complication associated with significant mortality. Tc99m-IDA (Tc: Technetium) nuclear scan allows rapid and noninvasive diagnosis of bile leak.

OBJECTIVE
An accidental case was referred for the detection of suspicious bile leak.

METHODS
The ultrasound could not detect any abnormality. Dynamic Hepatobiliary Scintigraphy (DHBS) using radiolabeled tracer was performed.

RESULTS
DHBS promptly detected the site of leak.

CONCLUSION
This technique should be opted because it has been found to be quite sensitive, specific and accurate for detecting the bile leak, whereas, Ultrasound and CT imaging are less sensitive and nonspecific. Though, they are initially helpful in determining the presence of abdominal fluid collections, they are unable to differentiate between a seroma, lymphocele, hematoma or bile leak. Hepatobiliary scintigraphy is more accurate because it can demonstrate continuity of these fluid collections with the biliary tree. Further, hepatobiliary scintigraphy can provide real-time assessment of hepatocytes function and bile progression from the liver to the intestine.


A N D R E Y Y. S H C H E R B I N A , PA V E L Y. T I S H C H E N K O , A N D I G O R Z H A B I N Th is aticle as been pulished in O ceagraphy, Vlum e 9, N um er 3, a qurterly jornal of Th e O ceagraphy Soiety. Coyright 2006 by Th e O ceagraphy Soiety. A ll rhts rerved. Perm ision is gnted to cpy his aticle or se in teching nd rearch. Replication, sstem m tic repruction, or coective redirbution of ny prtion of his aticle by phocopy m acine, repsting, or oher m eans is perm ited only w ith he aproval of Th e O ceagraphy Soiety. Send ll corrondence o: ifo@ tos.org or Th


Mental well-being is important for mental and physical health as well as for professional efficiency of employees, it also converts into measurable benefits for the workplace. The results of bad state of mental health are loss of efficiency, costs associated with the absence or non-efficient performance of duties. A special case of mental health worsening, that is a succession of sustained, unresolved stress connected with work, is burnout. This syndrome occurs especially often in people who are exposed to strong stressors at work and are responsible for the safety of themselves and others. An occupational group especially exposed to burnout are officers of the Prison Service. The purpose of the research was to determine the relations between the level of occupational burnout and the feeling of happiness and meaning in life of the officers of the Prison Service. The study examined 60 people employed in 3 penitentiaries. It turned out that occupational burnout, measured by the Maslach Burnout Inventory, was negatively correlated with sense of meaning in life measured by The Meaning in Life Questionnaire. Positive relations occurred between the feeling of happiness measured by the Steen Happiness Index and the reduced personal accomplishment measured by the MBI.


This study investigates the effects of EEG traces in B1 transmit field distortion in a 3T MRI. EEG is a non-invasive method to monitor brain activities. Although EEG monitors brain activities with a high temporal resolution, it has trouble localizing the signal source. The EEG-fMRI is the multimodal imaging method, but care is needed to use EEG while in MRI as EEG traces create the signal distortion to the MRI. To tackle this problem, resistive traces are developed using thin-film technology to reduce the signal distortion during MRI. Numerical simulation was used to estimate the amount of B1 transmit field distortion of NeoNet and copper-based EEG nets (CuNet - with and without current limiting resistors) compared with the case without EEG net (NoNet). The reduced B1 transmit field distortion is estimated in the case of NeoNet compared to the CuNets. NeoNet is an MR-compatible high-density EEG net designed for pediatric subjects. The proposed NeoNet traces will facilitate/enable such EEG/fMRI pediatric studies with mitigated artifacts, which in turn will help to move the pediatric EEG/fMRI field forward.Clinical Relevance—This study estimates the benefit of the thin-film based EEG net with reduced B1 transmit artifact for the multimodal study of EEG-fMRI. The results are compared with commercial EEG trace made with copper metal with current limiting resistors. It is reported that about 470,000 children are suffering from Epilepsy. The MR-compatible resistive EEG traces se EEG-fMRI has potential to be a valuable tool to help understand pediatric Epilepsy and move the pediatric EEG-fMRI field forward


The analysis of the normative and technical documentation establishing the requirements for the regulation of non-constant vibration is given. The existing contradictions are noted and recommendations for their elimination are offered. It is shown that in accordance with the current sanitary regulations, the equivalent value of the frequency corrected vibration velocity or vibration acceleration or their levels should be taken as the standardized parameter of the rail transport vibration. For workplaces acceleration is used as this parameter The arguments are presented in favor of the adoption of the corresponding values of vibration velocity as a standard parameter in the premises of residential and public buildings. It is shown that it is necessary to include in the composition of the parameters to be regulated the maximum value of these quantities and the expediency of simultaneous evaluation of both values. The corresponding normative values are given. The limiting values of the normalized parameters in octave bands of the frequency range typical for the rail transport are given, which can be used to select the means of vibration protection.


Abstract By investigating the experience of night-cycling, this paper redresses the overwhelming focus in mobility studies on the apprehension of landscape by daylight. Drawing on Matt's cycling diary of his regular night rides through rural Bedfordshire, we explore the distinctive ways in which dark landscape is experienced. We discuss various effects: the shaping of perception by the beam of the head torch; an ongoing attunement to differing levels of light and dark; the affordances of the cycle and other equipment; enhanced awareness of the vital rhythms of landscape; and imaginaries stimulated by passage through darkness. We, thereby, aim to contribute to revaluing darkness.


The growth of Scotland's creative industries within the last decade has resulted in a significant rise in media tourism, a sub-sector of cultural tourism which focuses on tourism inspired by media such as novels, films, and television series. In March 2020 when Scotland's tourism and hospitality industry would typically be preparing to welcome visitors, the nation went into a national lockdown due to mounting concerns over the rapidly spreading coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). This 'black swan event' brought Scotland's tourism industry to a complete halt with government-mandated cessation of international travel, stay-at-home orders, and the closure of non-essential businesses going into effect. By drawing on qualitative interviews with Scotland-based tour operators and international travel bloggers, as well as examining the strategies of heritage and conservation charities and national tourism bodies this paper explores how media tourism, as a main form of tourism in Scotland, was restructured during the pandemic. From this data, the authors consider three phases of the 2020 season beginning with an initial lockdown which evolved into a stalled seasonal start and concluded with a truncated summer season. This paper highlights the challenges presented to those in the industry and how these challenges were mitigated through the use of digital platforms from the creation of 'virtual tours' and using social media for a 'top of mind' marketing approach to the use of online booking platforms for track and trace and measuring visitor numbers. It then turns to explore the different strategies adopted to create a sustainable tourism model for re-opening. In looking to the future of Scotland's tourism industry, the paper concludes with what the expectations are for the industry and recommendations for sustaining the industry in a post-coronavirus climate.


The mechanical stability of proteins has been extensively studied using AFM as a single-molecule force spectroscopy method. While this has led to many important results, these studies have been mainly limited to fast unfolding at a high-force regime due to the rapid mechanical drift in most AFM stretching experiments. Therefore, there is a gap between the knowledge obtained at a high-force regime and the mechanical properties of proteins at a lower force regime which is often more physiologically relevant. Recent studies have demonstrated that this gap can be addressed by stretching single protein molecules using magnetic tweezers, due to the excellent mechanical stability this technology offers. Here we review magnetic tweezers technology and its current application in studies of the force-dependent stability and interactions of proteins.


Abstract A series of methyl aryloxyacetates (3a–3f) have been synthesized by the reaction of substituted phenol with methyl chloroacetate under the conditions of microwave irradiation and phase‐transfer catalysis. By the optimization of the reaction conditions, we developed a good method for the preparation of methyl aryloxyacetates, which have the advantages of high yields, short reaction times, ease of workup, and simple operation.


This paper presents a technique for shape-based recognition that fuses pixellevel and object-level approaches into a unified framework. A pixel-level algorithm classifies individual pixels as belonging to a target object or clutter based on automatically-selected shape features computed in a spatial arrangement around them; an object-level algorithm classifies object-sized rectangular image regions as objects or clutter by aggregating pixel classifier scores in the regions. We train a cascade of interleaved pixel-level and objectlevel modules to quickly localize complex-shaped objects in highly cluttered scenes under arbitrary out-of-image-plane rotation. Experimental results on a large set of real, highly-cluttered images of a common object under arbitrary out of image plane rotation demonstrate improvements over cascades of strictly pixel-level modules.


A service provider's conspicuous consumption can undermine customer attitudes and behavioral intentions toward the provider—a so-called penalty effect of conspicuous consumption. Four studies investigate customer and contextual factors that moderate this penalty effect. The results show that customers low in materialism penalize service providers who consume conspicuously (e.g., decreased patronage intentions). In addition, as another facet of the penalty effect, a service provider's conspicuous consumption undermines customer cost-benefit assessments (decreased perceived value and price fairness), which function as mediating variables. However, service providers can use "service warmth" as a protective strategy to attenuate the penalty effect. Notably, materialistic customers do not react more favorably to service providers who engage in conspicuous consumption (in contrast with their established tendency to favor conspicuous goods). Taken together, the results provide a deeper and theoretically nuanced understanding of when and how customers respond negatively to conspicuous service providers, with meaningful implications for the management of services. For example, when service firms design their aesthetic labor strategy, they should consider their customers' levels of materialism accordingly. In addition, service firms need to educate their frontline employees about the potential downsides of displaying conspicuous consumption cues.


This article presents a framework for multi-agent cooperation based on formal dialogue game in CSCD. It is a new dynamic cooperation model that allows a group of agents to exchange their opinions, possibility and willingness through information seek dialogue at the beginning of cooperation, and then a potential cooperative team will be formed. In the potential agent group, the joint intention for the fulJilling of the task was created by the persuasive dialogue. This model avoids the aimlessness in the task decomposition and assignment in existing CSCD systems and improves the cooperation performance. The basic idea and practical process of the new model are presented and the dialogue logic based on dynamic and modal logic are discussed and used to formalize the new model. Further research issues are given in the last part of the paper.


The objectives of our study were to analyze factors associated to the presence of crowding and to find predictive features of its relapse. A longitudinal retrospective study was carried out with plasters of patients in three moments: before starting the treatment, at the end of it and some years after removing appliances. Molar class, overjet, overbite, upper and lower intercanine and intermolar widths, upper and lower incisives and canines mesiodistal diameter, upper and lower crowding and irregularity, and upper and lower incisives rotations were measured. 26.5% of the sample were males and 73.5% females. Statistical analyses comprised mean, standard deviation, minimum, maximum, standard error, frequency, percentage, Wilcoxon signe-rank test, Pearson and Spearman correlation coefficients, and simple and multiple linear regression. Initial variables that wholly explain initial upper crowding are overjet, 1.2 tooth mesiodistal diameter, upper intercanine width and 2.2 tooth rotation. In the lower arch, 3.1 and 4.2 teeth mesiodistal diameter, lower intermolar width and 4.2 tooth rotation are initial variables that wholly explain initial lower crowding. Upper crowding relapse is related to upper intercanine width relapse, and lower crowding relapse is related to overbite and lower intercanine width relapse. Crowding and irregularity are not the same, although they are closely related.


Background: Neonatal onset hypopituitarism is a life-threatening, potentially treatable endocrine disease. A possible cause is congenital absence of the anterior pituitary gland, a condition very rarely reported in the literature. Methods: A series of 5 cases of children with pituitary aplasia referred to the Centre of Paediatric Endocrinology 'Rina Balducci', Tor Vergata University, Rome, is presented. Results: Major clinical features in our patients were respiratory distress on the first day of life, in spite of uneventful pregnancy, labour and delivery, metabolic acidosis, non-cholestatic jaundice, hypotonia, severe hypoglycaemia, hypogenitalism, and midline defects. Diagnosis was established by endocrine tests during hypoglycaemia and hypothalamic-pituitary MRI scan. Symptoms disappeared soon after replacement therapy was started. Conclusion: We stress the importance of performing baseline endocrine tests as soon as possible during hypoglycaemia and MRI of the brain aimed at visualizing the hypothalamic-pituitary area in neonates with hypogenitalism and severe unexplained hypoglycaemia, so that the irreversible neurological and developmental consequences of panhypopituitarism can be prevented by adequate replacement therapy.


Prior research has recognized the need to associate affective polarities with events and has produced several techniques and lexical resources for identifying affective events. Our research introduces new classification models to assign affective polarity to event phrases. First, we present a BERT-based model for affective event classification and show that the classifier achieves substantially better performance than a large affective event knowledge base. Second, we present a discourse-enhanced self-training method that iteratively improves the classifier with unlabeled data. The key idea is to exploit event phrases that occur with a coreferent sentiment expression. The discourse-enhanced self-training algorithm iteratively labels new event phrases based on both the classifier's predictions and the polarities of the event's coreferent sentiment expressions. Our results show that discourse-enhanced self-training further improves both recall and precision for affective event classification.


Low cost eye tracking has received an increased attention due to the rapid developments in tracking hardware (video boards, digital camera and CPU's) [Hansen and Pece 2005; OpenEyes 2005]. We present a gaze typing system based on components that can be bought in most consumer hardware stores around the world. These components are for example cameras and graphics cards that are made in large quantities. This kind of hardware differs from what is often claimed to be "off-the-shelf components", but which in fact is hardware only available from particular vendors.Institutions that supply citizens with communication aids may be reluctant to invest large amounts of money in new equipment that they are unfamiliar with. Recent investiagtions estimate that less than 2000 systems have actually been used by Europeans, even though more than half a million disabled people in Europe could potentially benefit from it. The main group of present users consists of people with motor neuron disease (MND) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). If the price of gaze communication systems can be lowered, it could become a preferred means of control for a large group of people [Jordansen et al. 2005]. Present commercial gaze trackers e.g. [Tobii 2005; LC-Technologies 2004] are easy to use, robust and sufficiently accurate for many screen-based applications but their costs exceed the budget of most people.We use a standard uncalibrated 400$ Sony consumer camera (Sony handycam DCR-HC14E) to obtain the image data. The camera is stationary and placed on a tripod close (variable) to the monitor, but the geometry of the user, monitor and camera varies among sequences. However, the users are sitting about 50 - 60 cm away from a 17" screen. A typical example of the setup is shown in figure 1. We use Sony standard video option for 'night vision' to create an glint with the build-in IR light emitter.Eye tracking based on common components is subject to several unknown factors as various system parameters (i.e. camera parameters and geometry) are unknown. Algorithms that employ robust statistical principles to accommodate uncertainties in image data as well as in gaze estimates in the typing process are therefore needed. We propose to use the RANSAC algorithm [Fischler and Bolles 1981] for both robust maximum likelihood estimation of iris observations [Hansen and Pece 2005] as well as for handling outliers in the calibration procedure [Morimoto et al. 2000].Our low-resolution gaze tracker can be calibrated in less than 3 minutes by looking at 9 predefined positions on the screen. The users sit on a standard office chair without headrests or other physical constraints. Under these conditions we have succeeded in tracking the gaze of people, obtaining accuracies about 160 pixels on screen. This is still less than accuracies claimed by the best current off-the-shelf eye trackers systems (i.e. 30-60 pixels). However comparing these eye trackers wouldn't be correct as they are based on different hardware and image data.Low-cost gaze trackers do not need to be as accurate and robust as the commercial systems, if they are used together with applications designed to tolerate noisy inputs.We use the GazeTalk [COGAIN 2005] typing communication system components and have through proper design of the typing interface, reduced the need for high accuracy. We have observed typing speeds in the range of 3 - 5 words per minute for untrained subjects using large on-screen buttons and a new noise tolerant dwell-time principle. We modify the traditional dwell-time activation to one that maintains a full distribution of all hypothetical button selections and then activate one button when the evidence become high enough.