Histones are considered potential risk factors that contribute to the development of septic acute kidney injury (SAKI) by inducing apoptosis and inflammation. This study aimed to explore the protective effects of heparin on septic acute kidney injury through the neutralization of extracellular histones (EH) and to uncover the underlying mechanism. C57BL mice (16 each) were randomly divided into the sham group, the sepsis group (established by cecal ligation and puncture operation, CLP), and the heparin intervention group. Mice in the heparin intervention group received a subcutaneous injection of unfractionated heparin (0.03 IU/g) 4 h after CLP. At 6 h after the operation, nine mice from each group were sacrificed by the removal of the eyeballs to harvest blood samples; the upper half of the right kidney was used as the study sample. Mice renal tubular epithelial cells cultivated in six-well plates were equally divided into five groups. We cultured cells treated with either histone (40 U), histone (40 U) + heparin (25 IU/ml), histone(40U) + lipopolysaccharides (LPS; 10 μg/ml), or histone (40 U) + LPS (10 μg/ml) + heparin (25 IU/ml) for 6 h. For the histone + heparin group and the histone + LPS + heparin group, histone (and LPS) were treated with heparin simultaneously. Mice in the heparin intervention group showed decreased levels of EH4, neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NAGL), kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and interleukin (IL)-6 in the blood serum, longer average 72-h survival rate, significantly decreased kidney tissue edema, and a clearer glomerular structure coupled with decreased protein and mRNA expression levels of kidney apoptosis-related proteins (cleaved Caspase-3/Caspase-3 and Bax/Bcl-2) compared with those in the sepsis group at 6 h after CLP (P < 0.05). Meanwhile, cells in the heparin intervention group exhibited lower expression levels of serum EH4 and inflammatory cytokines, a lower apoptosis rate, and decreased expression of apoptosis-related proteins, both at protein and mRNA levels, than those in the histone-stimulated group at 6 h after stimulation (P < 0.05). Heparin may alleviate apoptosis and inflammation through the neutralization of histones, thus playing a protective role against septic acute kidney injury.


The use of entropy as the common measure to evaluate the different levels of intelligent machines is reported. At the execution level, the design of the desirable control can be expressed by the uncertainty of selecting the optimal control that minimizes a given performance index. By choosing a density function over the set of admissible controls to minimize the differential control entropy, it can be shown that the optimal control problem is equivalent to the problem of minimization of the assigned entropy function with respect to the association control. The adaptive control problem can be analyzed by considering the same entropy over extended space that includes the uncertain parameters. It is shown that the optimal entropy is decomposed into three terms: the optimal control term with given parameters, the parameter identification term, and the equivocation term which accounts for the active transition of dual control. The equivocation when calculated can serve as a measure of optimality of the adaptive control algorithms that involve only distinct identification and optimal control algorithms. An upper bound can be used instead, when the equivocation is hard to calculate. An example illustrates the method. >


Herbivores are a main driver of ecosystem patterns and processes in semi-arid savannas, with their effects clearly observed when they are excluded from landscapes. Starting in the 1960s, various herbivore exclosures have been erected in the Kruger National Park (KNP), for research and management purposes. These exclosures vary from very small (1 m2) to relatively large (almost 900 ha), from short-term (single growing season) to long-term (e.g. some of the exclosures were erected more than 60 years ago), and are located on different geologies and across a rainfall gradient. We provide a summary of the history and specifications of various exclosures. This is followed by a systematic overview of mostly peer-reviewed literature resulting from using KNP exclosures as research sites. These 75 articles cover research on soils, vegetation dynamics, herbivore exclusion on other faunal groups and disease. We provide general patterns and mechanisms in a synthesis section, and end with recommendations to increase research outputs and productivity for future exclosure experiments. Conservation Implications: Herbivore exclosures in the KNP have become global research platforms, that have helped in the training of ecologists, veterinarians and field biologists, and have provided valuable insights into savanna dynamics that would otherwise have been hard to gain. In an age of dwindling conservation funding, we make the case for the value added by exclosures and make recommendations for their continued use as learning tools in complex African savannas.


Using the expansion on monomial functions of the Vandermonde determinant to the power Γ = Q/(kBT ), a way to find the excess energy Uexc of the two dimensional one component plasma 2dOCP on the hard and soft disk (or Dyson Gas) for odd values of Γ/2 is provided. At Γ = 2, the current study not only corroborates the result for the particle-particle energy contribution of the Dyson gas found by Shakirov by using an alternative approach but also provides the exact N -finite expansion of the excess energy of the 2dOCP on the hard disk. The excess energy is fitted to an ansatz of the form Uexc = K N + K √ N + K + K/N + O(1/N) to study the finite-size corrections with K coefficients and N the number of particles. In particular, the bulk term of the excess energy is in agreement with the well known result of Jancovici for the hard disk in the thermodynamic limit. Finally, an expression is found for the pair correlation function which still keeps a link with the random matrix theory via the kernel in the Ginibre Ensemble for odd values of Γ/2. A comparison between analytical 2-body density function and histograms obtained with Monte Carlo simulations for small systems and Γ = 2, 6, 10, . . . shows that the approach described in this work may be used to study analytically the crossover behaviour from a disordered system to small crystals.


As power grids have evolved, IT has become integral to maintaining reliable power. While providing operators improved situational awareness and the ability to rapidly respond to dynamic situations, IT concurrently increases the cyberattack threat surface – as recent grid attacks such as Blackenergy and Crashoverride illustrate. To defend against such attacks, modern power grids require a system that can maintain reliable power during attacks and detect when these attacks occur to allow for a timely response. To help address limitations of prior work, we propose DRAGON– deep reinforcement learning for autonomous grid operation and attack detection, which (i) autonomously learns how to maintain reliable power operations while (ii) simultaneously detecting cyberattacks. We implement DRAGON and evaluate its effectiveness by simulating different attack scenarios on the IEEE 14 bus power transmission system model. Our experimental results show that DRAGON can maintain safe grid operations 225.5% longer than a state-of-the-art autonomous grid operator. Furthermore, on average, our detection method reports a true positive rate of 92.9% and a false positive rate of 11.4%, while also reducing the false negative rate by 63.1% compared to a recent attack detection method.


The EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) requires Member States to assess the costs and benefits of Programmes of Measures (PoMs) put in place to ensure that European marine waters achieve Good Environmental Status by 2020. An interdisciplinary approach is needed to carry out such an assessment whereby economic analysis is used to evaluate the outputs from ecological analysis that determines the expected effects of such management measures. This paper applies and tests an existing six-step approach to assess costs and benefits of management measures with potential to support the overall goal of the MSFD and discusses a range of ecological and economic analytical tools applicable to this task. Environmental cost-benefit analyses are considered for selected PoMs in three European case studies: Baltic Sea (Finland), East Coast Marine Plan area (UK) and the Bay of Biscay (Spain). These contrasting case studies are used to investigate the application of environmental cost-benefit analysis including the challenges, opportunities and lessons learnt from using this approach. This paper demonstrates that there are opportunities in applying the six-step environmental cost-benefit analysis framework presented to assess the impact of PoMs. However, given demonstrated limitations of knowledge and data availability, application of other economic techniques should also be considered (although not applied here) to complement the more formal environmental cost-benefit analysis approach.


The author outlines the types of foods that toddlers should be eating to meet their energy and nutrient requirements. This article includes practical tips that can be given to parents, for example how to encourage toddlers to eat more fruit and vegetables, and what drinks should be given. It covers foods to avoid and issues that parents may be concerned about, such as fat, sugar and salt in foods. Dietary case studies of individual children are included, based on seven-day food diaries. The case studies include commentaries on the nutritional quality of the diets and practical suggestions for improvements.


We report on the possibility of improving the phase measurements for the non-resonant perturbation techniques for estimating of the characteristic or interaction impedance in waveguides and slow wave structures. The measurement of the characteristic or interaction impedance is usually based on the nonresonant perturbation theory, which relates a normalized electromagnetic field strength with a small variations of the propagation constant between the perturbed and unperturbed circuit.


【The antioxidative effect and antimutagenic capacity in ethanol extracts of Lentinus edodes were studied for suggestion of prevention and dietetic treatment of chronic diseases and development of antioxidative and antimutagenic functional food by employing biological and biochemical assay. The $IC_{50}$ of MDA with BSA conjugation reaction, lipid peroxidation and scavenging effect on DPPH radical in ethanol extracts of Lentinus edodes showed 74.58 mg/assay, 5.747 mg/assay and 0.939 mg/assay respectively. So, the most effective antioxidative capacity in ethanol extracts of Lentinus edodes was the scavenging effect on DPPH radical, among the method used this study. The indirect and direct antimutagenic effects of ethanol extracts of Lentinus edodes were examined by Ames test using Salmonella typimurium TA98 and TA100. The inhibition rates on indirect mutagenicity mediated by 2-anthramine showed 91.67% in the Salmonella typimurium TA98 and 96.60% in the Salmonella typimurium TA100. The inhibitory effect on direct mutagenicity mediated by sodium azide in Salmonella typimurium TA100 was 22.83%. and mediated by 2-nitrofluorene in Salmonella typimurium TA98 was 5.34%. This data indicates that ethanol extracts of Lentinus edodes have more effective effects on indirect mutagenicity than direct mutagenicity. From this result, it believed to have a possible antioxidative and antimutagenic capacities, and taken for the candidate of prevention and dietetic treatment of chronic diseases and development of antioxidative and antimutagenic functional food.】


The magnetic and structural properties of ion‐beam‐sputtered Fe/FeCrB and Fe/CoNbZr multilayers were studied as a function of the FeCrB and CoNbZr layer thicknesses. Good soft‐magnetic properties (coercivity 1000) are obtained only when Fe grains are small, which requires, on the one hand, multilayers with Fe layer thicknesses below 10 nm and, on the other hand, FeCrB interlayers with thicknesses above 1 nm or CoNbZr interlayers with thicknesses above 3 nm. In this case interlayers are amorphous, which induces repeated nucleation of Fe grains. Only at FeCrB thicknesses of 1 nm are the interlayers crystalline due to interface mixing. This in contrast to CoNbZr interlayers which in addition grow epitaxially in a crystalline structure up to thicknesses of 3 nm. When interlayers are crystalline columnar growth of Fe results. As a consequence coercivity increases and permeability decreases.


Breastfeeding is important for the development of the child. Many antibiotics are considered safe during breastfeeding. The aim of the study was to assess the quality of lactation studies with antibiotics using the FDA and International Lactation Consultant Association quality guidelines for lactation studies. The secondary goal was to determine the exposure of the breastfed infant to antibiotics in relation to bacterial resistance and the developing microbiome. A literature search was performed and the included studies were scored on methodology, parameters concerning maternal exposure to antibiotics, maternal plasma and milk sampling. The infant exposure has been calculated and expressed as a percentage of a normal infant therapeutic dose. Sixty-six studies were included in five antibiotic groups (broad-spectrum penicillin, cephalosporins, macrolides and lincosamides, quinolones and sulphonamides). Cephalosporins were the most studied group of antibiotics (n = 21). Fifteen studies met all the criteria of "mother exposure to antibiotic". Six studies met every criterion related to "plasma sampling". Only one case report met all listed criteria for lactation studies. The correct calculation of infant exposure to antibiotics via the milk:plasma ratio (AUC) varies between 13% for macrolides and 38% for broad-spectrum penicillin. The highest assessed exposure as a percentage of infant therapeutic dose was for metronidazole (11%). The studies meet to a limited extent with the quality standards for lactation research. The breastfed infants are exposed to a subtherapeutic concentration of antibiotics.


The concept of 'effective judicial protection' is broad; it encompasses various elements, including one's access to justice, one's right to an effective remedy, and one's right to a fair trial and to due process of law. One fundamental aspect of effective judicial protection, be it explicit or implicit, is its timeliness. Effective judicial protection means, inter alia, timely judicial protection. Commonplace expressions showcase the fundamental nature of the element of time. Popular maxims, such as 'justice delayed is justice denied', and 'slow administration is bad administration', to name just two, underscore time's importance in providing real justice and offering truly good administration.

This chapter examines whether the EU's existing legal framework actually protects the taxpayers' right to effective judicial protection with regard to time. To anchor that examination, it first sets out the relevant legal context of timely justice and addresses a more philosophical question regarding time's reasonableness. Thereafter, it examines legislative and administrative limitation periods in the context of taxpayers' rights to a fair trial and to effective legal remedies.


ABSTRACT. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Thailand implemented a quarantine program at approved quarantine facilities for every international traveler. Here, we report an epidemiological and genomic investigation of a COVID-19 cluster consisting of seven healthcare workers (HCWs) at a quarantine facility and its partnered hospital in Thailand. Outbreak investigations were implemented to obtain contact tracing data and to establish chains of transmission. Genomic sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 with samples within the cohort was performed. Investigations of 951 HCWs and staff with quarantined travelers were implemented to determine the chain of transmission. Genomic and outbreak investigations identified the international travelers infected with the B.1.1.31 SARS-CoV-2 lineage as the source of this outbreak. The genomic data and the investigated timeline revealed a putative transmission chain among HCWs, pointing toward the transmission via the use of common living quarters at the investigated quarantine site. The evaluation of this cohort has led to a policy recommendation on quarantine facility management. International travel quarantine is an important strategy to contain importation of COVID-19 cases. However, a quarantine facility is likely to become a potential hotspot, requiring thorough preventive measures. Reducing the exposure risk by providing private living quarters and scheduling clinical duties at a quarantine site separated from the conventional healthcare workforce have been implemented.


Implicit attitude research has expanded rapidly over the last decade and is seen as very promising as it counters biases present in much attitude research such as social desirability. However, most research in the area of intellectual disabilities has focused on explicit attitudes alone. This study examined implicit attitudes to this population and also examined their association with emotional reactions and contact, which have previously been found to have a significant influence on attitudes and stigma. A web based survey consisting of a single target Implicit Association Test, measures of explicit attitudes, social distance, and emotional reactions towards and contact with individuals with intellectual disabilities was completed by 326 adult UK residents. Implicit attitudes were not significantly associated with explicit attitudes, social distance or emotional reactions. Instead there were small to moderate associations between emotional reactions and explicit attitudes and social distance. Implicit attitudes did not vary according to participants' level of contact with individuals with intellectual disabilities, type of the contact relationship (voluntary versus involuntary), gender or educational attainment. In contrast, these participant characteristics did affect explicit attitudes and social distance. Implicit attitudes towards individuals with intellectual disabilities were somewhat negative and, unlike explicit attitudes and stigma, did not vary according to participant demographics or contact. As they may have a negative impact on the lives of people with intellectual disabilities, implicit attitudes merit increased attention in research and interventions in the intellectual disabilities field.


It has long been recognized that computer systems containing large data bases expend an inordinate amount of time managing the resources (viz. central processing time, memory,...etc.) rather than performing useful computation in response to user's query. This is due to the adaptation of the classical machine architecture, the so-called von Neumann architecture, to a problem domain that needs radically different machine architecture for an efficient solution. The characteristics that distinguish the computation for data base management systems are: massive amount of data, simple repetitive non-numeric operations and the association of a name space with the information space at a high level. The current systems meet these requirements by memory management techniques, specially designed application programs and a sophisticated address mapping methods. This accounts for a large software overhead and the resulting semantic gap between the high level language and the underlying machine architecture.
To overcome the difficulties of the von Neumann machines, Slotnick suggested the idea of the hardware backend processing by distributing the processing capabilities outside of CPU and among the read/write cells. These cells act as filters which improve the system performance by reducing the processing load on the CPU as well as the amount of data transported back and forth between secondary and main storage. The major contribution of this dissertation is the definition of a backend machine architecture ASLM (Associative Search Language Machine) and the development of a query language ASL (Associative Search Language) which is directly executed by the backend machine using built-in hardware algorithms for query processing and associative hardware for name-space resolution.
The language ASL is a high level data base language using associative principles for basic operations. The language has been defined based on the relational data model. ASL is relationally complete, and provides complete data independence. ASL provides facilities for query, insertion, deletion and update operations on tuples of variable sizes. Moreover, the structure of the statements in ASL are represented in arithmetic expressions like entities called set expressions.
ASLM is designed based on cellular organization, a design similar to Slotnick's idea with an important exception. In the design of ASLM, the processing units (cells) are moved into the backend machine. The general strategy in ASLM is based on the pre-search through the data file and then the execution of the operations on the explicit subfiles which are stored in the associative memory. The generation of the subrelations explicitly eliminates the existence of so-called mark bits in some of the previously designed data base machines. Moreover, it provides fast algorithms for interrelational operations such as "join." ASLM is also microprogrammable which gives more flexibility to the system.
The design of the ASLM differs from the majority of the data base machines based on Slotnick's idea: first, the separation of the cells from the secondary storage will result in a cost effective system in comparison to the other machines. This also eliminates any restriction on the secondary devices. Second, since cells are independent of each other there is no need for interconnection network between the cells. Third, ASLM is implemented by associative memory, the closeness between associative operations and data base operations reduces the existing semantic gap found in the conventional system, and fourth, ASLM is expandable to the MIMD class of machines.


Confidence Accounting is a proposal to use distributions, rather than discrete values, where appropriate in auditing and accounting. In a world of Confidence Accounting, the end results of audits would be presentations of distributions for major entries in the profit & loss, balance sheet and cashflow statements. The proposed benefits of Confidence Accounting include a fairer representation of financial results, reduced footnotes, more measurable audit quality and a mitigation of mark-to-market perturbations. The landmark, free-to-download report was published on 5 July 2012.

Andy Haldane, Executive Director for Financial Stability at the Bank of England welcomes the proposal and writes in the foreword, "My hope is that this proposal moves our thinking a step closer towards a set of accounting standards for major entities that put systemic stability centre stage. In the light of the crisis, anything less than a radical re-think would be negligent."

Responses to the July 2012 report are available online. The publication included a invitation to readers to comment on the content of the proposal. A questionnaire was circulated during events and was also available online. Read the Confidence Accounting Consultation Responses for more information.


Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is considered as a relatively common type of malignancy showing a wide morphologic spectrum. Different variants of this tumor have been reported. Among PTC variants, PTC with nodular fasciitis-like stroma (PTCFLS) is rare. This variant consists of stromal components rich in spindle cells and accounts for 60-80% of tumors. In addition, there are small foci of epithelial components in PTCFLS though its features are similar to conventional PTC. In this case study, we present a new case with PTCFLS. The case is a 28-year-old female who was referred to the ENT clinic due to a painless mass on the anterior part of her neck. The mass showed a gradual increase in size over the 6 months prior to her referral. Thyroid test results were normal. Ultrasound imaging demonstrated an 84 × 36 mm heterogeneous nodule in the right thyroid lobe without calcifications but increased vascularity. There were also some reactive lymph nodes in both sub-mandibular areas. An ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy of the right thyroid lobe nodule revealed a benign thyroid adenomatoid nodule. Following right thyroid lobectomy, final pathologic studies confirmed a diagnosis of PTC with exuberant fibromatosis-like stroma. In the 20-day post-surgery visit, the patient was found asymptomatic. Re-evaluation of the left thyroid lobe and follow-up were recommended. In this study, a diagnosis of a rare variant of PTC, i.e., PTC-FLS, was made through a combination of ultrasonography, fine needle aspiration cytology, and histological examination.


A novel, to our knowledge, type of packet scheduler that could significantly outperform current state-of-the-art schedulers is presented. The operation and the design of such a scheduler are discussed, and a fully operational experimental implementation is described. The scheduler uses a neural network in a winner-take-all strategy to optimize decisions on the throughput of both a crossbar and a banyan switching fabric. The problems of high interconnection density are solved by use of a free-space optical interconnect that exploits diffractive optical techniques to generate the required interconnection patterns and weights.


Increasing iron (Fe) concentrations are found in lakes on a wide geographical scale but exact causes are still debated. The observed trends might result from increased Fe loading from the terrestrial catchment, but also from changes in how Fe distributes between the water column and the sediments. To get a better understanding of the causes we investigated whether there has been any change in the sediment formation of Fe sulfides (FeS) as an Fe sink in response to declining atmospheric sulfur (S) deposition during recent decades. For our study, we chose Lake Bolmen in southern Sweden, a lake for which we confirmed that Fe concentrations in the water column have strongly increased along with water color during 1966–2018. Our investigations showed that Fe accumulation and speciation varied independently of S accumulation patterns in the Lake Bolmen sediment record. Thus, we were not able to relate the positive trend in Fe concentrations to reduced FeS binding in the sediments. Furthermore, we found that Fe accumulation rates increased along with lake water Fe concentrations, indicating that increased catchment loading rather than a change in the distribution between the sediments and the water column has driven the increase in Fe concentrations. The increased loading may be due to land‐use change in the form of an extensive expansion of coniferous forest during the past century. Altered forest management practices and increased precipitation may have led to enhanced weathering and erosion of organic soil layers under aging coniferous forest.


Fluorescence is widely used in biological imaging and biosensing. Rich information can be revealed from the fluorescence spectrum of fluorescent molecules, such as pH, viscosity and polarity of the molecule's environment, and distance between two FRET molecules. However, constructing the fluorescence spectrum of a single fluorescent molecule typically requires a significant number of photons, which can suffer from photobleaching and therefore limit its potential applications. Here we propose a deep learning-enhanced single-molecule spectrum imaging method (SpecGAN) for improving the single-molecule spectrum imaging efficiency. In SpecGAN, the photon flux required to extract a single-molecule fluorescence spectrum can be reduced by 100 times, which enables it two orders of magnitude higher temporal resolution compared to the conventional single-molecule spectrometer. The concept of SpecGAN was validated through numerical simulation and single Nile Red molecule spectrum imaging on support lipid bilayers (SLBs). With SpecGAN, the super-resolution spectrum image of the COS-7 membrane can be reconstructed with merely 12,000 frames of single-molecule localization images, which is almost half of the previously reported frame count for spectrally resolved super-resolution imaging. The low photon flux requirement and high temporal resolution of SpecGAN make it a promising tool for investigating the molecular spectrum dynamics related to biological functions or biomolecule interactions.


The paper presents the SADCOM computer program for profile measurement accuracy evaluation. The program analyses by comparison the measurements performed by means of various measuring devices. The software allows, among others, statistical and harmonic analyses of profiles, calculation of correlation coefficients of the compared profiles, calculation of error of method, graphical representation of roundness profiles in a traditional form and as an amplitude and phase spectrum. The program can be used for the roundness profiles comparison performed on CMM and traditional reference and non – reference devices.


The number of US students participating in study abroad programs for credits have more than doubled in the past decade. This increase of student interest together with the internationalization mission of universities has created a need for additional faculty members to develop diverse and high quality programs. This article addresses study abroad narrative that is an infrequently discussed area in literature. From an insider's qualitative perspective, it entailed the dimensions, preparation, execution, and pitfalls to develop and lead a study abroad program.


A growing body of evidence indicates that events early in childhood can predispose individuals to chronic lung diseases. We hypothesized that exposure to environmental allergens or pathogens during immunologically distinct developmental windows might underlie this phenomenon. To first gain insight into the pulmonary immune maturation process, we characterized the nature of immune cells in the murine lung from birth until adulthood. In contrast to B and T cells, dendritic cell (DC) populations exhibited a lung-specific maturation profile, reflected by differences in frequency and phenotype. Of particular note was the expression kinetics of Programmed cell death 1 ligand 1 (PD-L1) on the surface of CD11b + conventional DCs, which exhibited a peak in expression one week after birth, before returning to levels found in adults. The elevated frequency of PD-L1-expressing DCs in the lungs of neonatal mice was linked with the induction of inducible T regulatory cells (iTregs), highlighting a key developmental step for tolerance to exogenous antigens. In order to determine whether this was due to an intrinsic maturation programme or driven by environmental factors, we analysed cell maturation in axenic mice. We found that microbial exposure was the key instigating stimuli for this DC-PD-L1-iTreg tolerance pathway. Subsequent in vivo depletion studies showed that this pathway was a non-redundant mechanism for protecting the lung against exaggerated inflammation towards environmental allergens. Overall our data shows that there is a dynamic lung-specific immunoregulatory process during the perinatal period, which is driven by the airway microbiome.


We report a very rare case of ovarian gastrinoma in the context of multiple endocrine neoplasia type I, including primary hyperparathyroidism and Zollinger-Ellison syndrome. Somatostatin receptor scintigraphy revealed the ovarian involvement at an early stage. Oophorectomy led to the final diagnosis and complete healing.


A general review on vasculitis nodosa of report in literature since the work of Strammler 1958 is given. The neurological and psychiatric manifestations of the disease are completely dealt with, whereas dermatological, ophthalmological and otological aspects are brieftly mentioned. Varieties of diffuse and localized cerebral, as well as peripheral syndromes are described. The neuropathological findings are also discussed extensively.


Fossil fuels are, nowadays, the most used worldwide but that are some problems involving their utilization. First of all, the price, which is growing often and makes petroleum no longer economically sustainable. Second, during the burning of petrochemical sources there is emission of very dangerous pollutants for human health, like carbon dioxide that is the main reason of the global warming. In addition, fossil fuels are non-renewable resources, so they will last for a limited period of time. For all these reasons, vegetable oils are emerging as a great alternative fuel, because of their renewable nature and environmental benefits (Ferella et al., 2010). Despite all the advantages, the use of vegetable oils as fuel has some disadvantages. The direct use in internal combustion engines is problematic because vegetables oils have high viscosity than diesel fuel and low volatility, so they do not burn completely and form deposits in the fuel injectors of diesel engine. According to specialized literature there are five ways to reduce the problems mentioned above: blending of vegetable oil and diesel, thermal cracking (pyrolysis), microemulsions, esterification and transesterification (Ma & Hanna, 1999). Esterification and transesterification reactions are currently the most favored reaction pathways to produce biodiesel (Janaun & Ellis, 2010). Biodiesel, defined as the simple alkyl monoesters of long chain fatty acids derived from renewable feedstocks, is the most suitable substitute to diesel. For this reason the research on this biofuel are steadily growing all over the planet. In Brazil, the focus of research is the production of biodiesel using ethanol, since this alcohol is produced on a large scale in the country. Ethanolysis produces a biodiesel less damage to the environment than that produced by methyl alcohol, since ethanol is derived from sugar cane or corn. In the rest of the world, the production takes place mostly in the methyl route and with use of heterogeneous catalysts (Pighinelli, 2010). Biodiesel is highly biodegradable in fresh water as well as in soil and great part of it is mineralized in until 28 days under aerobic or anaerobic conditions (Makareviciene & Janulis, 2003; Pasqualino et al., 2006; Zhang et al., 1998). It is also a carbon-free fuel, as the plants that serve as raw material for its production absorb more carbon than that which is released during the burning of this biofuel (Antolin et al., 2002; Lang et al., 2001; Sharma et al., 2008; Vicente & Martìnez, 2004). Moreover, when biodiesel is burned in diesel engines the emissions of hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, particulate matter and sulphur dioxide are reduced with the exception of


PURPOSE
The study's purpose was to identify children's physical activity type using artificial neural network (ANN) models based on uniaxial or triaxial accelerometer data from the hip or the ankle.

METHODS
Fifty-eight children (31 boys and 27 girls, age range = 9-12 yr) performed the following activities in a field setting: sitting, standing, walking, running, rope skipping, playing soccer, and cycling. All children wore uniaxial and triaxial ActiGraph accelerometers on both the hip and the ankle. Four ANN models were developed using the following accelerometer signal characteristics: 10th, 25th, 75th, and 90th percentiles; absolute deviation; coefficient of variability; and lag-one autocorrelation. The accuracy of the models was evaluated by leave-one-subject-out cross-validation.

RESULTS
The models based on hip accelerometer data correctly classified the activities 72% and 77% of the time using uniaxial and triaxial accelerometer data, respectively, whereas the models based on ankle accelerometer data achieved a percentage of 57% and 68%. The hip models were better able to correctly classify the activities walking, rope skipping, and running, whereas the ankle models performed better when classifying sitting. The models based on triaxial accelerometer data produced a better classification of the activities standing, running, rope skipping, playing soccer, and cycling than its uniaxial counterparts.

CONCLUSIONS
Applying ANN models to processing accelerometer data from children is promising for classifying common physical activities. The highest percentage of correctly classified activities was achieved when using triaxial accelerometer data from the hip.


"This paper mainly deals with the socio-demographic characteristics and sex differentials of persons [committing] suicide [in Turkey] on the basis of the 1990 Suicide Statistics.... Causes of suicide and suicide methods are also [discussed].... There is a strong relationship between socio-demographic factors, such as urbanization, aging and household patterns and suicide rates." The impact of sex roles and socialization is considered. (SUMMARY IN ENG)


Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) defined as digital representation of the ground surface are widely used by many disciplines for various purposes. In parallel with technological developments, DEMs are generated from different sources such as direct surveys, digitization of digital contour maps, aerial photographs, remote sensing images, laser scanning systems, interferometric SAR data etc. Many researches have been conducted on the factors affecting the accuracy of the DEMs and they are still ongoing. In this study, effect of land slope on the accuracy of DEM has been researched. Therefore, land cross-sections have been determined in the diverse land slope groups on the area of study. Land surveys have been made on these cross-sections by electronic tachometer. Three dimensional coordinates (x, y, z) of the points surveyed on the cross-sections have been calculated. Later, maps with 1/5000 scale 5 m contour intervals and 1/25000 scale from 10 m contour intervals were digitized. DEM was derived from digital orthophoto map with 1/1000 scale. Also, DEMs of the area of the investigation were generated using IKONOS satellite image with 1 m resolution and SRTM (Shutle Radar Topography Mission) data. Differences were acquired by determining elevations on the DEMs generated using five different maps and images pertaining to the same point, based on the points of which surveys and elevations were determined. Elevation accuracy of the DEMs derived from different sources was assessed for each cross-section by means of the differences acquired and comparisons were carried out.

 Key words: Digital elevation model, counter maps, digital orthophoto, SRTM data.


Antiproton annihilation cross sections on nuclei from 20Ne to 208Pb are calculated in the framework of a microscopic optical model in the kinetic energy range EL = 50 – 2000 MeV both directly in the initial channel and after single quasi-free collision. The part of annihilation yield after one quasi-free nucleon knock-out from the nucleus is 20-25% of the contribution to the annihilation cross section in the initial channel. The sensitivity of this cross section to the parameters of antinucleon-nucleon scattering amplitude is investigated. Calculated ratios of volume to surface annihilation cross sections are compared with experimental ones.


The liver maintains a tolerogenic site as a result of constant exposure to bacterial constituents and food-derived antigens and facilitates the establishment of persistent infections by viruses such as hepatitis C virus (HCV). In these studies, we employ a murine model of intravenous (IV) adenovirus infection specifically targeting the virus to the liver. During IV infection, intrahepatic CD8+ T cells display an inability to produce proinflammatory cytokines and lyse targets compared to other sites of virus delivery (subcutaneous and intranasal). Notably, IV adenovirus infection results in local intrahepatic antigen presentation responsible for limiting the CD8+ T cell immune response. CD8+ T cells mounted by the IV infection demonstrate up-regulation of PD-1, Lag-3, and Tim-3 on their surface, correlating to IL-10 production. Tim-3 and Lag-3 blockade in vitro boosts IFN-γ and attenuates IL-10 production of αCD3-activated CD8+ T cells. Importantly, the liver-generated CD8+ T cells also appear to have a Treg function on the priming of antigen-specific T cells in vitro and in vivo. These results suggest that specific inhibitory pathways and IL-10 signaling are co-dependent. The presence of IL-10-producing CD8+ T cells in the livers of chronic HCV patients implicates that liver-primed CD8+ T cells play a pivotal role in dampening hepatic T cell responses in the local microenvironment.


Cells of the ascomycete Ophiostoma multiannulatum became sensitive to inorganic salts after a heat shock or a treatment with 2,4-dinitrophenol. The induced sensitivity to chloride and bromide ions could be largely reversed by histidine and certain other imidazole derivatives. No other organic compounds tested except imidazoles possessed this ability. The sensitization is interpreted as a consequence of an injury to cellular membranes, in particular those of the mitochondria, and to an impaired oxidative phosphorylation.


The performance of free-space optical (FSO) communication system is investigated from the information theory perspective, under the influence of atmospheric loss and channel fading due to the turbulence and pointing error. The outage probability and average channel capacity of the FSO link are evaluated using a combined slow-fading channel model and a Gaussian beam wave model, unlike the limiting Rytov-based scintillation model considered in earlier work. Taking into account various link design criteria, our study reveals that lower outage probability can be achieved with larger receiver aperture due to the aperture averaging effect. Optimization of the capacity metrics is best performed through proper selection of the aperture size and beam width for known laser wavelength, particularly for long-distance links and strong turbulence scenarios. Hence, findings and results from our analysis can be treated as the design benchmark for optimal planning and deployment of optical links.


Abstract Lithostratigraphic and biostratigraphic revision of the Hawasina Nappes in the eastern and central Oman Mountains, including the redefinition of the Hamrat Duru Group and the definition of the three new groups, the Al Aridh, Kawr and Umar Groups, has led to a new interpretation of the palaeogeographic and structural evolution of the south-Tethyan continental margin. Margin history began in the Late Permian with a phase of extension and rifting, accompanied by considerable magmatic activity, and led to the development of the Hamrat Duru Basin separating the Arabian Platform to the south from the Baid Platform to the north. In the Middle to Late Triassic renewed extension led to rifting, again accompanied by important magmatic activity, with the break-up of the Baid Platform, and the development of the Al Aridh Trough, the Misfah Horst and the Umar Basin. These Permian and Triassic tectonic units together constituted the Hawasina Basin. A third phase of extension during the Late Tithonian—Berriasian caused a general foundering of the continental margin. The development of the Hawasina Basin terminated in the Santonian, when compression initiated the first stage of obduction that closed the basin. Ongoing obduction, during the Campanian, led to thrusting of the Hawasina and the Samail ophiolite nappes onto the Arabian Platform by gravitational mechanisms.


ABSTRACT As scholars engaged in processes of knowledge production and knowledge sharing, occupational scientists are afforded a degree of social privilege, authority, and legitimacy and are therefore accountable for the ways in which constructs of occupation are produced. As the concept of 'occupation' broadens to encompass a wider range of lived experiences, an opportunity to critically reflect on how discursive choices shape epistemic knowledges is presented. This paper begins with an overview of contemporary, evolving conceptualisations of occupation, followed by discussions about the constructive potential of discourses and considerations for writing and talking about occupation and people who engage in occupation. It is not intended as a summative review; rather, it is a continuation of conversations within occupational science.


The laparoscopic approach to liver surgery has been increasingly utilized since it was first described in 1992 (1). As of 2016, nearly 10,000 cases were reported in the literature establishing laparoscopy as a safe and effective approach to resection of benign and malignant liver tumors (2). Initially reserved for smaller wedge resections in the anterior segments, advances in technology, development of new approaches and improvement in surgeon skill enabled complex laparoscopic approaches for major hepatectomies including challenging posterior segments.


Although many volumes concerning the life and works of Johannes Brahms have been written, it has been found that the majority of these writings treat the material of the subject in a rather poetic and romanticized fashion. This is especially unfortunate in those volumes where the works of Brahms are analyzed with pragmatic implications, since Brahms himself eschewed the use of extramusical elements in his composition. This investigation, therefore, is an attempt to present a careful analysis of one of these compositions, the Quintet in B Minor, Op. 115, for clarinet and string quartet.


Globalization of science and technology is an integral aspect of globalization per se. The main engine of globalization is assumed to be the global economy propelled by global trade and technology transfers, the latter as aspects of globalization of science and technology. International trade and technology transfers are the engines that drive global economy. Much has been written on these drivers but relatively little on what drives globalization of science and technology which constitutes the backbone of international technology transfers. I attempt to fill this knowledge gap by suggesting that the drivers behind globalization of science and technology are the emerging global centers of collaborative research and development (R&D) as constituents of the global invisible college(s). "Science" throughout this article means both science and technology as the two closely related aspects of the same knowledge system.


ABSTRACT In this paper, which takes the form of a dialogue, we discuss the possible directions that vocational education might take in the contemporary social, economic and technological context of the early 21st century. Taking account of the unresolved debates around vocational education internationally and future global economic demands for expertise we discuss tensions and dichotomies that continue to shape the character of vocational education by questioning definitions of the 'vocational' historically and in current policy. These include: the relation between 'vocational' and 'academic' pathways and the possibility of their integration, the meaning of technical education, the purpose of vocational qualifications, the role of trade unions and employers, and whether there should be a 'skills route' for 'low attainers'. The principal focus is on the English context, although the discussion draws on comparative examples where relevant, as well as broader factors likely to be significant in any country.


This article explores how Gilles Deleuze's concept of the "opsign", from Cinema 2 (1985), functions in Andres Wood's film, Machuca (Chile/Spain/UK/France, 2004) and the role it plays in the film's reconstruction of national history. Machuca attempts to reconsider a key moment in recent Chilean national history, the military coup of 1973, thirty years after the fact. By focusing on the key moment in the film, during which the young protagonist gazes at an empty football pitch which is bursting with social and political significance, I show how Deleuze's concept of the "pure optical situation" or "opsign" can help us understand the complex way in which the film enables the spectator to consider recent national history through the eyes of a child. In this way Deleuze's potentially Eurocentric conclusions in his Cinema books can also be slightly reconsidered through the use of a South American example. Finally, viewing the entire film as a reconstructed layer of the past that can similarly be considered a pure optical situation, I explore the reasons for its popularity in Chile and internationally, in relation to the historical engagement enabled by the opsign.


What relative weighting should be given to court case, to psycholinguistic and sociolinguistic explanations of an alleged offence? We review the case of an African-American plaintiff, who claimed that her receipt of work of a framed document with the title "Temporary Coon Ass Certificate" from a white mailer supervisory-level employee in the same agency constituted racial discrimination in the workplace. Dialect research conducted by JJS, as expert witness for the prosecution, demonstrated that the dialectical use of coon ass to refer to Cajuns (white settlers of French descent) was restricted to the states of Louisiana and south-eastern Texas. It was argued by the prosecution to be unreasonable to expect someone from another part of the USA to know the meaning of the word. The jury found in favour of the plaintiff. The prosecution case rested upon the premise that when a word is unknown, it will be interpreted by breaking it down into smaller units, in this case coon and ass, both derogatory terms, the former strongly racist. We explore the psycholinguistic rationale for this assumption and its converse, that when a word is well known to an individual (s)he may fail to see how it is constructed.


The 'superbug' infection caused by metallo-β-lactamases (MβLs) has grown into an emergent health threat. Given the clinical importance of MβLs, a novel scaffold, dithiocarbamate, was constructed. The obtained molecules, DC1, DC8 and DC10, inhibited MβLs NDM-1, VIM-2, IMP-1, ImiS and L1 from all three subclasses, exhibiting an IC50 < 26 μM. DC1 was found to be the best inhibitor of ImiS (IC50 < 0.22 μM). DC1-2, DC4, DC8 and DC10 restored antimicrobial effects of cefazolin and imipenem against E. coli-BL21, producing NDM-1, ImiS or L1, and DC1 showed the best inhibition of E. coli cells, expressing the three MβLs, resulting in a 2-16-fold reduction in the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of both antibiotics. Kinetics and isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) assays showed that DC1 exhibited a reversible, and partially mixed inhibition, of NDM-1, ImiS and L1, with Ki values of 0.29, 0.14 and 5.06 µM, respectively. Docking studies suggest that the hydroxyl and carbonyl groups of DC1 form coordinate bonds with the Zn (II) ions, in the active center of NDM-1, ImiS and L1, thereby inhibiting the activity of the enzymes. Cytotoxicity assays showed that DC1, DC3, DC7 and DC9 have low toxicity in L929 mouse fibroblastic cells, at a dose of up to 250 μM. These studies revealed that the dithiocarbamate is a valuable scaffold for the development of MβLs inhibitors.


AIM OF THE STUDY
To determine the associations between the source of infection and antibiotic resistance in patients with Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteremia.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
A retrospective analysis of 50 patients with Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteremia was carried out. If sepsis was suspected, blood culture was incubated in an automatic system BACTEC 9240. Then bacteria were identified, and their antibiotic resistance was estimated by disc diffusion method. If Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains were resistant to three or more antibiotics, they were considered as multidrug-resistant.

RESULTS
The origin of bacteremia was confirmed in 33 (66%) patients. Lower respiratory tract was the predominant source of Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteremia (81.8%, n=27) as compared with infection of wound (39.4%, n=13), urinary tract (15.2%, n=5), and drain or cerebrospinal fluid (9.1%, n=3) (P<0.05). Eighteen percent (n=9) of strains, which caused bacteremia, were resistant to ceftazidime; 38% (n=19), to piperacillin; 22% (n=11), to imipenem; 26% (n=13), to meropenem; 24% (n=12), to ciprofloxacin; 40% (n=20), to gentamicin; and only 8% (n=4), to amikacin. Multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains were more frequently isolated if a source of infection was wound comparing to a source of other localization (61.5%, n=8 and 20.0%, n=4, respectively; P<0.05). Resistance of Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains to imipenem was associated with resistance to ciprofloxacin (13.2%, n=5 and 50.0%, n=6, retrospectively; P<0.05), but resistance to meropenem--both to ciprofloxacin and amikacin.

CONCLUSIONS
The predominant source of Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteremia was lower respiratory tract, and multidrug-resistant strains caused bacteremia more frequently if a source infection was wound. Pseudomonas aeruginosa resistance to carbapenems was associated with resistance to ciprofloxacin and resistance to meropenem--also to amikacin. Resistance of strains to ceftazidime and piperacillin was associated with resistance to gentamicin.


Improving accessibility to Cultural Heritage (CH) is an increasingly urgent challenge today. It is not only a matter of physical inaccessibility but also temporal, considering that part of CH now lost. Fortunately, the most modern technological tools are helping to break down both space and time barriers. In facts, recent advances in representation, 3D modelling and survey methodologies opened new scenarios for valorization and conservation of CH. In particular, the improvement of quality in resolution and sensor sensitivity of cameras allowed to achieve the right level of 3D reconstruction through digital photogrammetry procedures. In the same field, terrestrial laser scanners (TLS) allowed acquiring dense point clouds of complex environments with a millimetric level of accuracy. At the same time, the application of Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) technologies is an excellent solution for improving the accessibility to monuments, museums and archaeological sites. It is possible to share new levels of information about CH, in space and time, for touristic, managerial and scientific aims. This work is focused on the virtualization of CH, considering the study case of the fountain of Wignacourt, today present in St. Philip Garden in Floriana and initially located in Valletta (Malta). The application presented allows the virtual fruition of the monument placed in its original location, St. George Square. A simplified plant of the square will enable tourists to make a temporal journey in the past with their mobile device. The work is part of the Interreg Italia-Malta European project named I-Access, dedicated to the improvement of CH accessibility. It focuses the attention to the experimentation of new specific procedures in Geomatics necessary to solve big data issues of complex environment visualization.


It is well-established that population health is influenced by a multitude of factors, many of which lie outside the scope of the health sector. In the public health literature it is often assumed that intersectoral engagement with nonhealth sectors will be instrumental in addressing these social determinants of health. Due to the expected desirable outcomes in population health, several countries have introduced Health in All Policies (HiAP). However, whether this systematic, top-down approach to whole-of-government action (which HiAP entails) is efficient in changing government policies remains unclear. A systematic evaluation of HiAP is therefore much needed. Lawless and colleagues present an evaluation framework for HiAP in their article: "Developing a Framework for a Program Theory-Based Approach to Evaluating Policy Processes and Outcomes: Health in All Policies in South Australia." This work is an important endeavor in addressing this problem (of uncertainty as to whether HiAP is effective) and represents an essential contribution to the HiAP literature. Nonetheless, in the spirit of encouraging ongoing reflection on this topic, we wish to highlight some challenges in the presented framework, which may pose difficulties in operationalization. We find that the evaluation framework faces two main limitations: its unclear causal logic and its level of complexity. We argue that in order to function as a tool for evaluation, the framework should be explicit about the mechanisms of change and enable us to trace whether the assumed causal relations resulted in changes in practice. Developing manageable evaluation frameworks, albeit simplified, may then be an important part of cumulating the theoretical insights aspired in theory-based evaluation. On this basis, we highlight how HiAP processes and healthy public policies respectively involve different mechanisms, and thus argue that different program theories are needed.


Taking advantage of nearly 4 million transition records for three years in London from a popular location-based social network service, Foursquare, we study how to track the impact and measure the effectiveness of cultural investment in small urban areas. We reveal the underlying relationships between socio-economic status, local cultural expenditure, and network features extracted from user mobility trajectories. This research presents how geo-social and mobile services more generally can be used as a proxy to track local changes as government financial effort is put in developing urban areas, and thus gives evidence and suggestions for further policy-making and investment optimization.


EEG preprocessing approaches have not been standardized, and even those studies that follow best practices contain variations in the ways that the recommended methods are applied. An open question for researchers is how sensitive the results of EEG analyses are to preprocessing methods and parameters. To address this issue, we analyze the effect of preprocessing methods on downstream EEG analysis using several simple signal and event-related measures. Signal measures include recording-level channel amplitudes, study-level channel amplitude dispersion, and recording spectral characteristics. Event-related methods include ERPs and ERSPs and their correlations across methods for a diverse set of stimulus events. Our analysis also assesses differences in residual signals both in the time and spectral domains after blink artifacts have been removed. Using fully automated pipelines, we evaluate these measures across 17 EEG studies for two ICA-based preprocessing approaches (LARG, MARA) plus two variations of Artifact Subspace Reconstruction (ASR). Although the general structure of the results is similar across these preprocessing methods, there are significant differences, particularly in the low-frequency spectral features and in the residuals left by blinks. These results argue for detailed reporting of processing details and for using a federation of processing pipelines to quantify effects of processing choices.


We detect interaction patterns in legacy code combining static and dynamic analyses. The analyses do not depend on coding or naming conventions. We classified potential pattern instances according to the evidence our analyses provide. We discuss our approach with the Observer Pattern as an example. Our Java implementation analyzes Java programs. We evaluated our approach by self applying the tool looking for Observers in its code. In general, our tool detects all Observer Pattern instances actually contained in the code as candidates, i. e., we do not miss a single pattern instance. In the example, the candidates our tool considers Observers with high evidence include 80% of the actual Observer Pattern instances and no false positives.


The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of enamel defects in the development of dental caries and their association with feeding practices and oral health behaviors in a cohort study of low-socioeconomic children from birth to 36 months of age in northeastern Brazil. Subjects were registered at birth and examined from 12 to 36 months of age. At baseline, 246 children were examined and at follow-up 228. The teeth were clinically examined and dried with gauze under natural light. Enamel defects were determined using the Developmental Defects of Enamel (DDE) index. Dental caries was determined using WHO criteria. Data were analyzed using descriptive and analytical techniques. At 36 months 78.9% infants presented at least one tooth with enamel defects and 25% of the children had at least one decayed tooth. A total of 16.9% teeth with enamel defects had become decayed (p = 0.0001). Opacity with enamel hypoplasia was the defect most frequently associated with dental caries (p = 0.001). Only 0.9% of the teeth without enamel defects developed caries. Multivariate analyses revealed that enamel defects, night breast-feeding and poor oral hygiene habits were predictors of dental caries at 18 and 24 months (p < 0.05). Considering the risk factors evaluated at 30 months of age, the presence of enamel defects was the single predictor of caries development at 36 months (p = 0.0001). Enamel defects are strongly associated with early childhood caries and, therefore, this correlation must be considered when focussing on low-socioeconomic communities.


The School of Natural Resources offers a comprehensive natural resources graduate program emphasizing an integrated approach to natural resource management. SNR offers M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Natural Resources in the following emphasis areas: agroforestry (M.S. only); fisheries and wildlife sciences; forestry; human dimensions of natural resources; parks, recreation and tourism (M.S. only); soil, environmental and atmospheric sciences, and water resources. SNR is noted for its small classes, hands-on student research opportunities, active student organizations, high-tech classrooms, personalized advising and strong professional orientation. Students enrolled in the SNR graduate program will have opportunities to work with the leading scientists in the field and choose a variety of research subjects ranging from theoretical to applied studies in Missouri and around the world.


We motivate and present two designs for the composition of the authentication protocol, Kerberos, and the key transport protocol, Multimedia Internet KEYing (MIKEY) for authenticated transport of cryptographic keys for secure group-communication in enterprise and public-safety settings. A technical challenge, and our main contribution, is the analysis of the security of the composition. Towards this, we design our compositions to have intuitive appeal and thereby less prone to security vulnerabilities. We then employ protocol composition logic (PCL), a state-of-the-art approach for analyzing our composition. For this, we first articulate two properties that are of interest. Both properties are on the group key that is transported; we call them Group Key Confidentiality and Acquisition. Group Key Confidentiality is the property that if a principal possesses the key, then it is an authorized member of the group. Group Key Acquisition is the property that if a principal is a member of the group, then it is able to acquire the group key. In the course of our rigorous analysis, we discovered a flaw in our first design, which we point out, and which lead us to our second design. We have implemented both designs starting with the publicly available reference implementation of Kerberos, and an open-source implementation of MIKEY. Our implementations are available as open-source. We discuss our experience from the implementation, and present empirical results.


We have identified Ca2+ release as an output of Wnt signaling network and are investigating the mechanisms and context by which this Wnt signal mediates its biological effect on the developing embryo. We have determined that the early Ca2+transients are, in part, modulated by Wnt‐5 and require G‐protein signaling. To identify potential intracellular regulators of calcium release dynamics, we are characterizing Rgs3, a member of the Regulators of G‐protein Signaling (RGS) protein family.


Although a use of hearing aids improves speech audibility, it is known that elderly hearing-impaired listeners often exhibit difficulty
understanding speech in background noise. The purpose of this study was to examine a short-term (8-week) auditory training in
word-recognition performance of 24 old hearing aid users. Twelve aged listeners (M=76.2 yrs) participated as auditory training
group (ATG), and other twelve old listeners (M=74.0 yrs) served as non-training group (NTG). The ATG received forty-minute
auditory training twice a week across the entire 8 weeks of training. During the training, the target monosyllabic words (Korean
monosyllabic words) were presented in both open-set and closed-set aided conditions. All the words were presented at the most comfortable
level of each participant with four different signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs of -5, 0, +5, +10 dB). To check the training benefit,
word-recognition performance of ATG was tested after 1-, 4-, 8-week trainings. Results showed that word recognition performance
of NTG did not improve as expected. Word recognition score of ATG was, however, significantly increased after 8-week training. Even
though 4-week training results revealed a tendency of increment in word-recognition performance, a positive change after 4-week
training was not significant. The amount of improvement after 8-week auditory training was the greatest at +10 dB SNR and the least
at -5 dB SNR. The results indicate that the short-term (8-week) auditory training would be beneficial for old listeners to recognize
speech in the background noise yet the training effect would depend on the SNRs. Therefore, at least 8 weeks of training in various listening
conditions should be considered for elderly hearing aid users who want training benefit in daily listening and communication.
KEY WORDS:Auditory training·Elderly hearing impaired·Hearing aid·Signal-to-noise (SNR)·Word recognition score.


Radioiodine has been known as an important and safe armamentarium in the diagnosis and treatment of differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) for more than 70 years. The 2015 guidelines from the American Thyroid Association (ATA) for adults with thyroid nodules and DTC seem to be the most comprehensive guidelines in the thyroid cancer field. The 2015 ATA guidelines provided an advance in evidence-based management of DTC, and resulted in a significant change in the patterns of practice regarding the application of the radioiodine. However, the 2015 ATA guidelines also provoked much controversy because a substantial portion of the recommendations announced were not based on sufficiently strong evidence. While the number of radioiodine administrations in Korea in the year of 2018 has decreased to a level less than 50% of that in 2013, in this review, we address some of the current issues and controversies regarding the application of radioiodine for the diagnosis, ablation and treatment of DTC, especially related to the 2015 ATA guidelines. Possible strategies for the achievement of better quality in radioiodine imaging and improvement in treatment efficiency that can be used in the near future are also discussed here.


This article will explore the economics of legal tender laws, arguing that they are not only a necessary prerequisite of paper money, but also benefit fractional-reserve banking. Such laws make paper money and fractional-reserve banking more widespread than they would otherwise be. Thus, legal tender laws must be understood as a major factor in the development of Western economies which today operate on paper-money standards and feature very large fractionalreserve banking sectors that grow at over-proportional rates.


A distinctive property of Lagrangian accelerations in geostrophic turbulence is that they are governed by the large and intermediate scales of the flow, both in time and space, so that the inertial part of the dynamics plays a much larger role than in three-dimensional turbulence where viscous effects are stronger. For the case of geostrophic turbulence on a β-plane, three terms contribute to the Lagrangian accelerations: the ageostrophic pressure gradient which often is the largest term, a meridional acceleration due to the β-effect, and an acceleration due to horizontally divergent ageostrophic motions. Both their spectral characteristics and patterns in physical space are studied in this paper. In particular the total accelerations field has an inertial spectrum slope which is identical to the geostrophic velocity field inertial slope. The accelerations gradient tensor is shown to govern the topology of quasi-geostrophic stirring and transport properties. Its positive eigenvalues locate accurately the position of extrema of potential vorticity gradients. The three-dimensional distribution of tracer gradients is such that the vertical distribution is entirely constrained by the horizontal one, while the reverse is not true. We make explicit analytically their dependence on the three-dimensional accelerations gradient.


The development of the GeantV Electromagnetic (EM) physics package has evolved following two necessary paths towards code modernization. A first phase required the revision of the main electromagnetic physics models and their implementation. The main objectives were to improve their accuracy, extend them to the new high-energy frontier posed by the Future Circular Collider (FCC) programme and allow a better adaptation to a multi-particle flow. Most of the EM physics models in GeantV have been reviewed from theoretical perspective and rewritten with vector-friendly implementations, being now available in scalar mode in the alpha release. The second phase consists of a thorough investigation on the possibility to vectorise the most CPU-intensive physics code parts, such as final state sampling. We have shown the feasibility of implementing electromagnetic physics models that take advantage of SIMD/SIMT architectures, thus obtaining gains in performance. After this phase, the time has come for the GeantV project to take a step forward towards the final proof of concept. This takes shape through the testing of the full simulation chain (transport + physics + geometry) running in vectorized mode. In this paper we will present the first benchmark results obtained after vectorizing a full set of electromagnetic physics models.


Peer-to-peer information sharing has fundamentally changed customer behavior. More importantly, recent developments in information technologies have enabled digital sharing platforms to influence various granular aspects of this information sharing process. Despite the growing importance of digital information sharing, little research has examined the optimal design choices for a platform seeking to maximize returns from information sharing. My dissertation seeks to fill this gap. Specifically, I study novel interventions that can be implemented by the platform at different stages of the information sharing process. In collaboration with a leading for-profit platform and a non-profit platform, I conduct three large-scale randomized field experiments to causally identify the impact of these interventions on customers' sharing behaviors as well as the sharing outcomes.
The first essay examines whether and how a firm can enhance social contagion by simply varying the message shared by customers with their friends. Using a large randomized field experiment involving more than 20,000 senders and 50,000 recipients, I find that small variations in message content can have a significant impact on both recipient's purchase and referral behaviors. Specifically, I find that i) adding only information about the sender's purchase status increases the likelihood of recipients' purchase, but has no impact on follow-up referrals; ii) adding only information about referral reward increases recipients' follow-up referrals, but has no impact on purchase likelihood; and iii) adding information about both the sender's purchase as well as information about the referral rewards increases neither the likelihood of purchase or follow-up referrals. I then discuss the underlying mechanisms that drive these outcomes.
The second essay studies whether and how a firm can uncover the (self-, other-, or group-regarding) motives underlying an individual's share and design customized incentive accordingly. I conduct a large field experiment to examine the impact of incentive design on sender's purchase as well as further referral behaviors. I randomly assign more than 20,000 promotional emails to the sender who shared but did not purchase. I find evidence that incentive structure has a significant, but interestingly opposing, impact on both outcomes. The empirical results also provide valuable insights on senders' motives in sharing.
The third essay examines whether and how a non-profit platform can design conditional group incentives to motivate donors to donate as a group. In collaboration with a blood bank in China, I combine a large field experiment involving 80,000 donors with a structural model to identify the effect of different interventions on donor's self-donation and group donation decision. I find nonprofits can stimulate group effects and increase donations, but only with appropriate incentives. In summary, the findings from the three large-scale randomized field experiments offer valuable insights for firms on how to engineer digital platforms to create social contagion. The rich data from experiment also allow me to test the underlying mechanisms at work. In this way, the proposal will also contribute to our theoretical understanding of peer-to-peer information sharing.


The results of experimental research of coefficient of friction of rest are considered in the contact of standards from optically-active material, made of EP-40 epoxy raisin with a steel plane. Attached was the design of a unit of «inclined plane» of type is for research of coefficients of friction of standards from different materials. Offered experimental to dependence for determination of coefficients of friction of on EP-40 a metal at different contact tensions


Abstract Older non-Hispanic black (NHB) individuals experience greater pain and more frequent experiences of perceived discrimination compared to non-Hispanic white individuals with knee osteoarthritis. The current study explored whether being resilient buffers against movement-evoked pain (MEP) in NHB women who report everyday experiences of discrimination. In a secondary analysis of the Understanding Pain and Limitations in Osteoarthritic Disease (UPLOAD-2) study, data were collected at the University of Florida and the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Participants were 58 community-dwelling older women who self-identified as NHB and reported knee osteoarthritis. Participants completed the Brief Resilience Scale, a self-report measure of trait resilience. MEP was assessed following the Short Physical Performance Battery. Moderation analyses were conducted to investigate whether resilience moderates the association between experiences of discrimination and MEP. Study site, age, body mass index, and income were included as covariates. Overall, neither everyday experiences of discrimination (b=.292, 95% confidence interval [CI]=-.415 to 1.000) nor trait resilience was associated with MEP (b=-11.540, 95% CI=-23.583 to .503). However, there was a significant interaction (b=1.037, 95% CI=.150 to 1.925) between experiences of discrimination and trait resilience in predicting MEP. Simple slopes analysis revealed that lower discrimination was associated with lower MEP, but only in women who reported high levels of resilience (b=1.100, p=.014), but this protective effect of resilience was absent in women reporting high discrimination. Our findings suggest that as discrimination increases, the protective effects of resilience on movement evoked-pain decreases. Therefore, high trait resilience may be protective when experiences of discrimination are low.


UNLABELLED
Formoterol solution aerosol has proved to be a fast and long-acting beta 2-sympathicomimetic drug in many clinical trials. The physical stability, however, was such that storage needed to be at 4 degrees C to 8 degrees C before first use; afterwards, the aerosol could be used for another three months at room temperature. To improve the stability, new ways have been investigated to formulate ann aerosol with improved shelf life and thus more convenient storage conditions, which was reached with a formoterol suspension aerosol. Equivalent single doses between the two formulations revealed no differences in onset or duration of action. In a double-blind, randomized parallel group multicenter study, organized in the Netherlands, 186 patients with stable asthma and reversible airway obstruction were treated either with one puff of 12 micrograms twice daily of formoterol metered dose inhaler (MDI) supension (SP) or a same dose of solution (SL) aerosol for 12 weeks to study the efficacy and tolerability of both presentations after a longer period of use. The following criteria of effectiveness were used: the FEV1 values on the mornings of the control days at 0, +4, +8, and + 12 weeks, the peak flow values (PEF) in the mornings and in the evenings before, and 1/2 to 1 h after treatment, the number of asthma attacks at night and during the day, the number of extra puffs at night and during day, and the subjective impression of patients and investigator.

RESULT
No statistically significant differences between the two formoterol preparations were found. There was no indication of tachyphylaxis.

CONCLUSION
The results are consistent with the hypothesis that the biologic effects of formoterol when delivered from MDI containing the two different formulations of the drug are equivalent.


The increasing global demand for food, due to the continuous growth of human population, requires improvements in the efficiency and sustainability of animal production systems. In addition, several challenges facing farming of aquatic and terrestrial organisms need to be overcome to ensure food security in the upcoming decades, e.g. adaptation to climate change, reduced availability of conventional animal feed ingredients, emerging infectious and parasitic diseases, among others. Genomic technologies such as massive parallel sequencing, high‐throughput genotyping, genome selection and gene editing, combined with highly efficient computational methods can accelerate the rate of genetic progress in animal breeding. Thus, such technologies can help us meet the needs for protein sources for human consumption in the upcoming years. This Special Issue aims at presenting current advancements in the field of genomic tools applied to aquatic and terrestrial farmed animal populations.


We design differentially private learning algorithms that are agnostic to the learning model. Our algorithms are interactive in nature, i.e., instead of outputting a model based on the training data, they provide predictions for a set of $m$ feature vectors that arrive online. We show that, for the feature vectors on which an ensemble of models (trained on random disjoint subsets of a dataset) makes consistent predictions, there is almost no-cost of privacy in generating accurate predictions for those feature vectors. To that end, we provide a novel coupling of the distance to instability framework with the sparse vector technique. We provide algorithms with formal privacy and utility guarantees for both binary/multi-class classification, and soft-label classification. For binary classification in the standard (agnostic) PAC model, we show how to bootstrap from our privately generated predictions to construct a computationally efficient private learner that outputs a final accurate hypothesis. Our construction - to the best of our knowledge - is the first computationally efficient construction for a label-private learner. We prove sample complexity upper bounds for this setting. As in non-private sample complexity bounds, the only relevant property of the given concept class is its VC dimension. For soft-label classification, our techniques are based on exploiting the stability properties of traditional learning algorithms, like stochastic gradient descent (SGD). We provide a new technique to boost the average-case stability properties of learning algorithms to strong (worst-case) stability properties, and then exploit them to obtain private classification algorithms. In the process, we also show that a large class of SGD methods satisfy average-case stability properties, in contrast to a smaller class of SGD methods that are uniformly stable as shown in prior work.


AbstractBACKGROUND: Boundary violations have been discussed in the literature, but most studies report on physician transgressions of boundaries or sexual transgressions by patients. We studied the incidence of all types of boundary transgressions by patients and physicians' responses to these transgressions.
 METHODS: We surveyed 1,000 members of the Society of General Internal Medicine (SGIM) for the number of patient transgressions of boundaries which had occurred in the previous year. Categories were created by the investigators based on the literature. Physicians picked the most important transgression, and then were asked about their response to the transgression and its effect on the patient-physician relationship. Attitudinal questions addressed the likelihood of discharging patients who transgressed boundaries. The impact of demographic variables on the incidence of transgressions was analyzed using analysis of variance.
 RESULTS: Three hundred thirty (37.5%) randomly selected SGIM members responded to the survey. Almost three quarters of the respondents had patients who used their first name, while 43% encountered verbal abuse, 39% had patients who asked personal questions, 31% had patients who were overly affectionate, and 27% encountered patients who attempted to socialize. All other transgressions, including physical abuse and attempts at sexual contact, were uncommon. Only gender affected the incidence of transgressions; female physicians encountered more personal questions (P=.001), inappropriate affection (P < .005), and sexually explicit language (P < .05) than male physicians and responded more negatively to boundary transgressions. Respondents dealt with transgressions by discussion with the patient or colleagues or by ignoring the incident, but such transgressions generally had a negative impact on the relationship. Most physicians would discharge patients who engaged in physical abuse or attempts at sexual contact, but were more tolerant of verbal abuse and overly affectionate patients.
 CONCLUSIONS: Boundary transgressions by patients is common, but usually involves more minor infractions. Female physicians are more likely to encounter certain types of transgressions. The incidence and outcomes of such transgressions are important in assisting physicians to deal effectively with this issue.


Isolated congenital malformations of semicircular canals are rare abnormalities. Most inner ear abnormalities occur in syndromes and are associated with hearing loss. Unilateral or bilateral single aplasia of one semicircular canal does not usually result in vertigo, but these become clinically important if there are clinical complaints of vertigo. Computed tomography imaging and high resolution magnetic resonance imaging may reveal inner ear abnormalities. The case is presented here of a 46-year-old male with a 10-year history of recurrent positional vertigo with strong onset when changing position to the left side. Magnetic resonance imaging of the inner ear showed a bilateral posterior semicircular canal aplasia as well as an enlarged vestibule on both sides. Dix-Hallpike positional manoeuvre revealed a positional nystagmus in the left head-hanging position of short duration and latency of a few seconds. When rising, vertigo occurred, but no nystagmus was visible. The fast phase of the nystagmus was mainly vertical down-beating with a slight torsional component to the uppermost ear. Although benign paroxysmal vertigo of the anterior canal was suspected, physical therapy was not effective using a modified liberatory manoeuvre. Brandt-Daroff therapy was effective permanently.


To reveal growth characteristics of the cyanobacterium Microcystis, a dominant organism of the water bloom occurring in eutrophicated lakes, a survey was conducted on nutritional factors to promote or inhibit the growth of an axenic strain of M. aeruginosa K-3A isolated from Lake Kasumigaura. A number of compounds such as metals. B-group vitamins, amino acids, purine and pyrimidine bases, organic nutrients, monosaccharides and organic acids were tested for the effects on the growth of the cyanobacterium. Among compounds tested, iron and vitamin B12 were found to be effective factors to promote growth. Iron was essentially required, and FeSO4 was the most available form of iron compounds tested. Vitamin B12 increased 3- to 5-fold the maximum growth added at the concentration of 100μg·1-1 The promotive effect of vitamin B12 was able to be replaced by cobaltous sulfate. EDTA, a chelating agent which is usually supplied to the culture medium to accelerate the uptake of metals, was unnecessary and rather inhibitory for the growth. Most organic compounds such as casamino acid, peptone, amino acids and monosaccharides were inhibitory. Several amino acids suppressed remakably the growth at the low concentration of less than 10 mg·1-1.


A new set of expressions is derived to evaluate thermal activation energy E to TSC peaks with non-constant recombination lifetime. The validity of these expressions is discussed by calculating thermal activation energy E of a number of numerically computed TSC peaks using the present set of expressions and comparing them with those calculated using the formula of Chen. It has also been shown that the value of the parameter mu g characterising the geometrical shape of these TSC peaks is a function of Um=E/kTm demonstrating that mu g is not a unique parameter.


Arabidopsis plants possess a family of nine AtAtg8 gene homologues of the yeast autophagy-associated Apg8/Aut7 gene. To gain insight into how these genes function in plants, first, the expression patterns of five AtAtg8 homologues were analysed in young Arabidopsis plants grown under favourable growth conditions or following exposure to prolonged darkness or sugar starvation. Promoters, plus the entire coding regions (exons and introns) of the AtAtg8 genes, were fused to the beta-glucuronidase reporter gene and transformed into Arabidopsis plants. In all plants, grown under favourable growth conditions, beta-glucuronidase staining was much more significant in roots than in shoots. Different genes showed distinct spatial and temporal expression patterns in roots. In some transgenic plants, beta-glucuronidase staining in leaves was induced by prolonged darkness or sugar starvation. Next, Arabidopsis plants were transformed with chimeric gene-encoding Atg8f protein fused to N-terminal green fluorescent protein and C-terminal haemagglutinin epitope tags. Analysis of these plants showed that, under favourable growth conditions, the Atg8f protein is efficiently processed and is localized to autophagosome-resembling structures, both in the cytosol and in the central vacuole, in a similar manner to its processing and localization under starvation stresses. Moreover, treatment with a cocktail of proteasome inhibitors did not prevent the turnover of this protein, implying that its turnover takes place in the vacuoles, as occurs in yeasts. The results suggest that, in plants, the cellular processes involving the Atg8 genes function efficiently in young, non-senescing tissues, both under favourable growth conditions and under starvation stresses.


We are presenting the latest development in multi-sensor observations of short-term phenomena preceding major earthquakes. The purpose of this study is to verify if satellite thermal infrared radiation (STIR) anomalous can be found retrospectively in association with three major earthquakes in XinJiang province China (M6.9 of 02.12.14; M6.2 of 08.12.2012; M7.2 of 03.20.08) by systematically analyzing multi-sensor satellite and ground temperature/ humidity observations for the period of 2008-2014. Meteorological satellite data include NOAA polar orbit POES and Chinese geostationary satellite FY2D. In the case of M6.9 of 02.12.14, NOAA STIR data for January ?February shows building an atmospheric anomaly 10-20 days before the main shock. FY2D STIR data show similar trend by revealing anomalous value with persistency of more then 9 hours on Jan 31, 2014. The 2012 (M 6.2) and 2008 (M7.2) event shows similar STIR anomalies over the major Altyn Tagh fault lines within 10-15 days before the seismic event. This probably is connected with the geochemistry gas increase, which can provide additional source for flux emission near major faults in the area. The hourly in-situ atmospheric observation show similarly in the air temperature increases and drop in the relative humidity, probably as result of additional atmospheric ionization observed before the three earthquake events. Our initial results suggest that systematic use of multi-parameter observations can be used for additional physical validation of pre-seismic processes associated with the major earthquake events.


One part of trustfulness on web services application over the network is confidence of services that providers can guarantee to their customers. Therefore, after the development process, web services developers must be sure that the delivered services are qualified for availability and reliability during their execution. However, there is a critical problem when errors occur during the execution time of the service agent, such as the infinite loop problem in the service process. This unexpected problem of the web services software can cause critical damages in various aspects, especially lives and dead of people. Although there are various methods have been proposed to protect the unexpected errors, most of them are procedures in the verification and validation during the development processes. Nevertheless, these methods cannot completely solve the inifnite loop problem since this problem is usually occurred by an unexpected values obtained from the execution of request and response processes . Therefore, this paper proposed a system architecture includes with a protection mechanism that completely detect and protect the unbound loop problem of web services when request services of each requester are under the dynamic situation. This proposed solution can guarantee that users will definitly be protected from a critical lost occurred from the unexpected infinite loop of the web services system. Consequently, all service agents with dynamic loop control condition can be trustable.


The magnetocaloric effect and the order of magnetic transition in La(Fe0.88Al0.12)13Cx interstitial compounds have been investigated by means of magnetic measurements and Mossbauer spectroscopy. With increasing carbon content from x = 0.2 to 0.6, the maximum magnetic entropy change decreases from 9.6 to 8.3 J kg−1 K−1 under an external field of 5 T, which is comparable with that of pure Gd metal. Analyses of magnetic measurements and Mossbauer results indicate there is a weakly first order magnetic transition between ferromagnetic and paramagnetic (F–P) states at TC for x = 0.2. Increasing the carbon content drives the F–P transition towards second order, which is the main reason why the magnetic entropy change decreases with increasing carbon content.


This paper presents the results of a numerical study on the thermal performance of large horizontal thermal energy storage tanks. The numerical model was validated using measurements obtained from Drake Landing Solar Community (DLSC), which is located in Alberta, Canada. A total of seven different baffle configurations were assessed for a range of operating conditions. Characterization of the tank performance was done by monitoring the tank outlet temperature and computing the Huhn efficiency, which is a characterization index based on the second law of thermodynamics. Results show that the current tanks at DLSC experience excessive mixing due to fluid entrainment from the inlet jet. A newly introduced design that confines the inlet jet mixing shows the potential to enhance the level of stratification during charging or discharging at a constant temperature. In addition, most designs tested have a relatively high level of stratification during charging, discharging, and simultaneous charging and discharging, but fail to sustain the level of stratification when a positive buoyant jet is introduced.


In this paper we present two novel multivariate time series representations to classify physiological data of different lengths. The representations may be applied to any group of multivariate time series data that examine the state or health of an entity. Multivariate Bag-of-Patterns and Stacked Bags of-Patterns improve on their univariate counterpart, inspired by the bag-of-words model, by using multiple time series and analyzing the data in a multivariate fashion. We also borrow techniques from the natural language processing domain such as term frequency and inverse document frequency to improve classification accuracy. We introduce a technique named inverse frequency and present experimental results on classifying patients who have experienced acute episodes of hypotension.


Since independence in 1966 the economy of Botswana has been expanding at a rate of over 9% per year, whilst the population growth has averaged 3.5%. This has resulted in a noticeable improvement in the living standards of the people. The Government of Botswana has embarked on a program of developing the nation's infrastructure as can be seen by such things as the extensive system of roads, schools hospitals etc. Reliable water supply has also been provided to all the population centres as a result of the dams and pipelines recently built. In order to avoid polluting the environment it is now turning its attention to the wastewater aspects, whilst still implementing extensive on-site programs. This paper looks at developing the national master plan for wastewater and sanitation so that the sector can be properly planned and managed for the next 30 years. Until recently the development and management of wastewater and sanitation treatment facilities were fragmented and executed by various government institutions with minimal coordination in planning, project funding, design and / or implementation. This approach has resulted in the use of inefficient wastewater treatment systems, improper allocation of funds, poor operation and maintenance and sometimes resulted in environmental hazards and a threat to public health arising from the poor quality effluent flowing into the environment. Never-the-less a noticeable improvement of hygiene practices have been experienced at household level and public places particularly in major centres, but it has not been as effective as initially perceived by planners. It has now become imperative to establish a proactive and appropriate wastewater and sanitation sector to deal with the rapid development taking place. The government has consequently initiated the National Master Plan for the sector through the central Department of Sanitation and Waste Management to develop a sustainable sector program to address both sanitation and wastewater handling, treatment, disposal, appropriate institutional arrangement and planning. The new sector management plan, the first of its kind in the country, has been developed by SMEC International in joint venture with, Ninham Shand Consulting Services of South Africa. The new approach embraces an integrated planning and management program that is demand driven. This is established through needs assessment surveys so that the people get the desired facilities within the policy of cost recovery. A key aspect of this strategy is the building of facilities in phases through staged and modular development and tying this into the six-year national development planning periods for the next 30 years. In looking forward it has been necessary to examine the demographics and urban drift and predict how this will cater for the development of sewerage networks, wastewater treatment plants and provision of on-site sanitation systems. Modalities for capacity building, present and future budgets for manning this new planning strategy have also been developed as had the development of draft legislation to control and enforce the policy.


Aiming at the problem of low accuracy in intrusion detection system, this paper established a genetic support vector machine (SVM) model according to the features of genetic algorithm and support vector machine algorithm. The model firstly optimizes the support vector parameters according to genetic algorithm, then we build the intrusion detection model with support vector machine optimized and use the model to detect. The experiments choose the proper parameters (c, s) through discussing the influence of support vector machines parameters to the detection accuracy. The results show that putting genetic support vector machine model into intrusion detection improved detection accuracy.


There is a growing interest in making stimuli-responsive polymer systems, particularly ones that are bio-inspired/biomimetic and could perform mechanical work. Here, a biological device made from gelatin is described that can mechanically cycle back and forth in response to solution pH and ionic strength (IS) changes. The gelatin bilayer has one layer of Type A gelatin and the other of Type B gelatin, which have two different isoelectric points and therefore ionization states at a given solution pH. The bilayer mechanically cycles back and forth when one layer swells more than the other layer, which occurs because of solution pH or IS change. Maximum bilayer bending occurs at pH 10, when the Type B gelatin layer swells significantly more than the Type A layer. The results show the ability to use the unique properties of different sources of gelatin to design a simple purely biological machine.