Cacti are one of the most significant and diversified groups of angiosperms, distributed and cultivated globally, mostly in semi-arid, arid, and the Mediterranean climate regions. Conventionally, they are propagated by seeds or through vegetative propagation via rooted offshoots or grafting. However, these multiplication procedures remain insufficient for mass propagation. In vitro culture techniques are utilized to mass propagate endangered and commercial cacti species. These include somatic embryogenesis and plant regeneration through indirect or direct organogenesis. The latter is a promising tool for commercial clonal propagation of high-value species and has been successfully implemented for several species, such as Mammillaria, Hylocereus, Cereus, Echinocereus, and Ariocarpus. However, its success depends on explant type, basal nutrient formulation of culture medium, and types and concentrations of plant growth regulators. This study aimed to assess the potential of in vitro propagation methods applied to cacti species and discuss the different factors affecting the success of these methods. This study has also highlighted the insufficient work on Opuntia species for mass propagation through axillary buds' proliferation. The development of an efficient micropropagation protocol is thus needed to meet the supply of increasing demand of Opuntia species for human consumption as fruit, animal feed, and ecological restoration in semi-arid and arid zones.


This talk was presented on 2020 April 18 at the 2019-20 NASA Arizona Space Grant Symposium. The event was virtually available via Zoom.Submitted abstract:Specialized cleanrooms are used to protect and ensure the safety of flight hardware such as telescope optics,
cryostats, and lasers. Inside the cleanroom, the GUSTO team will integrate flight electronics, optics and mechanical
support elements into a 150-liter liquid helium cryostat. My area of responsibility focused on setting up and
monitoring components of the cleanroom such as air particle counts, humidity, temperature, and safety of
electrostatic discharge (ESD) while handling hardware. To ensure that personal contaminates are not introduced to
the instruments, precautions are taken. All personnel working in the cleanroom must adhere to requirements of
gowning procedures that include the wearing of smocks, hairnets, face masks, ESD shoes, and ESD wrist straps.
With the required procedures, proper set-up of the cleanroom, and continuous monitoring of the lab environment,
there is greater assurance of mission success due to the reduction of risks associated with payload integration.For inquiries regarding the contents of this dataset, please contact the Corresponding Author listed in the README.txt file. Administrative inquiries (e.g., removal requests, trouble downloading, etc.) can be directed to firstname.lastname@example.com item is part of 2020 NASA Arizona Space Grant Symposium presentations


The standard Lévy walk is performed by a particle that moves ballistically between randomly occurring collisions when the intercollision time is a random variable governed by a power-law distribution. During instantaneous collision events, the particle randomly changes the direction of motion but maintains the same constant speed. We generalize the standard model to incorporate velocity fluctuations into the process. Two types of models are considered, namely (i) with a walker changing the direction and absolute value of its velocity during collisions only, and (ii) with a walker whose velocity continuously fluctuates. We present a full analytic evaluation of both models and emphasize the importance of initial conditions. We show that, in the limit of weak velocity fluctuations, the integral diffusion characteristics and the bulk of diffusion profiles are identical to those for the standard Lévy walk. However, the type of underlying velocity fluctuations can be identified by looking at the ballistic regions of the diffusion profiles. Our analytical results are corroborated by numerical simulations.


The upgrade of the LHC collimation system is essential to handle the challenging parameters foreseen for the HL-LHC that aims at colliding beams of up to 700 MJ. Depending of the performance limitations of the LHC Run II at higher energy, we are preparing for a possible staged implementation of collimation upgrades starting already i n the LHC long shutdown 2. In this paper, the main collimation upgrade studies are presented, recalling motivatio ns and improved performance goals. The time line for collimation upgrades, synchronized with the LHC long shutdown planning, is discussed. Relevant machine protection aspects, including injection protection device upgrades i n the LHC ring, are also discussed.


In this work we have computed the rate for impact ionization ab initio and have employed this rate in full-band Monte Carlo simulations in order to determine the high-energy carrier-phonon deformation potentials. We have considered transport and impact ionization of electrons and holes in Ge, Si, and GaAs, the valence bands being treated with nonlocal empirical pseudopotentials and spin-orbit interaction. The impact ionization rates have been computed using three different approximations: (1) the ab initio rate, which accounts for energy and momentum conservation and for the dependence of the Coulomb matrix element on both initial and final states, (2) the constant-matrix-element (CME) approximation, which employee a constant Coulomb matrix element, and (3) the random-k approximation, which relaxes momentum-conservation.


We present Blocks, a formalism that enables the building of visualizations by specifying layout, data relationships, and level of detail (LOD) for specific portions of the visualization. Users can create and manipulate Blocks on a canvas interface through drag-and-drop interaction, controlling the LOD of the data attributes for tabular style visualizations. We conducted a user study to compare how 24 participants employ Blocks and Tableau to complete a target visualization task. Findings from the study suggest that Blocks is a useful mechanism for creating visualizations with embedded microcharts, conditional formatting, and custom layouts. We describe future directions for extending Blocks in visual analysis interfaces.


Abstract. In this paper we establish several formulas for multiple inte-gral transform of functionals de ned on abstract Wiener space. We thenuse the these results to establish several basic formulas involving multipleconvolution products. 1. IntroductionLet Hbe a real separable in nite dimensional Hilbert space with inner prod-uct h;iand norm jj H =ph;i. Let kk 0 be a measurable norm on Hwithrespect to the Gauss measure [9]. Let Bdenote the completion of Hwithrespect to kk 0 . Let idenote the natural injection form Hinto B. The adjointoperator i of iis one-to-one and maps B continuously onto a dense subset ofH , where H and B are topological duals of Hand B, respectively. We thenhave a triple (B ;H;B) such that B ˆH HˆBand hh;xi= (h;x) for allxin B and hin H, where (;) denotes the natural dual pairing between Band B. By the results of Gross in [6], i 1 has a unique countably additiveextension mto the Borel ˙-algebra B(B) on B. The triple (B;H;m) is calledan abstract Wiener space. For more details see [3, 5, 7, 9, 13]. The classicalWiener space is an example of abstract Wiener space.In 1981, Lee introduced an integral transform which is called the Fourier-Gauss transform, on abstract Wiener space in his unifying paper [13]. Hethen applied the integral transform to investigate the existence of solutionsof the system of the di erential equations (1.1) and (1.2) (Cauchy problems)associated with an appropriate operator N


Abstract Although researchers generally agree that native speakers (NSs) process formulaic sequences (FSs) holistically to some extent, findings about nonnative speakers (NNSs) are conflicting, potentially because not all FSs are psychologically equal or because in some studies NNSs may not have fully understood the FSs. We address these issues by investigating Chinese NSs and NNSs processing of idioms and matched nonidiom FSs in phrase acceptability judgment tasks with and without think-alouds (TAs). Reaction times show that NSs processed idioms faster than nonidioms regardless of length, but NNSs processed 3-character FSs faster than 4-character FSs regardless of type. TAs show NSs' understanding of FSs has reached ceiling, but NNSs' understanding was incomplete, with idioms being understood more poorly than nonidioms. Although we conclude that idioms and nonidioms have different mental statuses in NSs' lexicons, it is inconclusive how they are represented by NNSs. TAs also show that NNSs employed various strategies to compensate for limited idiom knowledge, causing comparable processing speed for idioms and nonidioms. The findings highlight the importance of distinguishing subtypes of FSs and considering NNSs' quality of understanding in discussions of the psychological reality of FSs.


Sweeping changes have taken place in many parts of the world in the provision and organisation of health care, welfare and other 'public' services. The UK's National Health Service (NHS) has been a prime example of this. This multi-disciplinary collection of essays reviews recent evidence from a major research programme, commissioned by the Economic and Social Research Council (ERSC), into the evolution and impact of contracting in the NHS. Each chapter examines a particular aspect of health and social care, including competition between hospitals and the effects of GP fundholding, and discusses the important theoretical implication of experience in the NHS quasi-market. It will be essential reading for anyone interested in the contemporary debate surrounding the issues.


Jorn Utzon, as an exponent of the "third generation" of modern architecture, has had a significant influence upon contemporary architecture across the world, and his legacy has inspired many outstanding contemporary architects, particularly in Denmark, Australia, and Spain. The spirit of his work has influenced many Spanish contemporary architects, shifting the theoretical paradigm of modern architecture towards a more humane and contextual direction, such as Rafael Moneo's approach culturally grounded in place, Alberto Campo Baeza's opposition of earthwork versus roofwork, the development of geometric systems as project-generating elements by Nieto & Sobejano, Mansilla + Tunon and Carlos Ferrater, RCR Arquitectes' connection with the landscape and sensitivity regarding the territory.
Utzon's work has had a direct impact on Spanish architecture, and above all on Rafael Moneo, who worked for him. Jorn Utzon chose Majorca as a place to retire from his professional life, spending long periods of time in Can Lis since 1973 and in a new house at S'Horta called Can Feliz. His poetic work in Majorca is also a testimony of his legacy that has influenced contemporary Spanish architecture. We argue that Spanish architecture honors Utzon's legacy not by repeating it but by extending it. His work seems closer and more relevant than ever.


The purpose of the study was to explore how to create a Per-Poor innovation (PPI) approach in a way that contributes knowledge. A lot of indigenous system research exists, but the percentage transformed into approaches, products and services is low. The study will create a low-income level innovation artifact by integrating indigenous knowledge (IK) and global knowledge (GK) for Per-Poor innovators. Analogy design science research method was used to create a system of innovation proverbs. Analogy between indigenous Harambee and global systems: Open source software, Software patterns and Kaizen was used to discover innovation rules and principles applicable to PPI. The research findings are synthesising African philosophies and provide a paradigm for integrating IK and GK. Synthesising proverbs and Theory of inventive problem solving (TRIZ) principles aided in the discovery of possible ways beeping innovation was created. The originality of this research is being first to create an indigenous PPI.


The reclamation of land and recovery of water from tailing ponds created during bitumen extraction from oil sands is a major technical and environmental challenge. In the current study, thermoresponsive hydroxybutylated (HB) corn starch (HB-CS) and potato starch (HB-PS), with lower critical solution temperatures (LCSTs) ranging from 36 to 45 °C, were examined as flocculants for oil sands mature fine tailings (MFT). The ability of different doses of the HB-CS and HB-PS to flocculate 2 and 10 wt % MFT, prepared by diluting 35 wt % MFT in tap water, in terms of the initial settling rate (ISR), supernatant turbidity (ST), sediment solids content (SSC), and water recovery (WR), was examined at temperatures below and above their LCSTs. The thermoresponsive HB-CS and HB-PS were good flocculants of MFT, and their thermoresponsive behavior was essential for optimal results in that they were considerably more effective in several aspects at temperatures above their LCSTs than below. In terms of ISRs, the HB-PS was a considerably better flocculant than the HB-CS, and this was especially so with the 10 wt % MFT. With the HB-PS, the ISR was lower when using diluted MFT prepared with tap water as opposed to simulated oil sands process water.


BACKGROUND
Breastfeeding is a dynamic process in which the infant recruits several muscle groups in his face, head and throat.

OBJECTIVE
The objective of this study was to explore the relative role of the submental muscle group, the orbicularis oris and the sternocleidomastoid muscles to breastfeeding process and to the relatively high intra-oral vacuum measured during this process.

METHODS
Electromyography (EMG) measurements were conducted on 11 infants (mean age 1.91 ± 1.0 days, mean weight 3364 ± 328 g) using surface electrodes. The EMG data were filtered with a low pass filter to yield the linear envelopes (IEMG). The maximal and mean value and the area under each linear envelope curve were examined.

RESULTS
During active suckling significantly higher activity (P< 0.05) of the submental muscle group were measured compared with the orbicularis oris and sternocleidomastoid muscles (mean ± SE values of the maximal linear envelope were 24.4 ± 1 μV, 9.6 ± 0.6 μV and 14 ± 0.7 μV, respectively).

CONCLUSION
These results confirmed that jaw movements have the primary role during breastfeeding, but also revealed that the inspiratory muscles have a substantial contribution to this process and probably have an important role in the generation of intra oral vacuum measured during breastfeeding.


Phosphoribosyl pyrophosphate (PRPP) is an important intermediate for the biosynthesis of purine and pyrimidine nucleotides, histidine, tryptophan, and cofactors NAD and NADP. Abnormal regulation of PRPP synthase (PRPS) has been associated with human disorders including Arts syndrome, retinal dystrophy and gouty arthritis. Recent studies have revealed that PRPS can form filamentous cytoophidia in prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Here we resolve two distinct filament structures of E. coli PRPS at near-atomic resolution under Cryo-EM. Formation of two types of filaments is controlled by the binding of different ligands. While the type A filament attenuates the allosteric inhibition of PRPS by ADP, the type B filament enhances the inhibition. In addition, a novel conformation of the regulatory flexible loop of PRPS was found occupying the ATP binding site. AMP/ADP bound at a noncanonical allosteric site interacts with the regulatory flexible loop and facilitates the binding of ATP. Our findings not only reveal molecular mechanisms of the regulation of PRPS with structural basis, but also suggest a distinctive bidirectional regulatory system for PRPP production via PRPS polymerization.


Partial matching is a fundamental problem in shape analysis, a field that is recently gaining an increasing importance in computer graphics. This paper proposes a novel approach to performing partial matching of surfaces. Given two surfaces MA and MB, our goal is to find the best match to MA within MB. The key idea of our approach is to integrate feature-point similarity and segment similarity. Specifically, we introduce a probabilistic framework in which the segmentation and the correspondences of neighboring feature points allow us to enhance or moderate our certainty of a feature-point similarity. The utility of our algorithm is demonstrated in the domain of archaeology, where digital archiving is becoming ever more widespread. In this domain, automatic matching can serve as a worthy alternative to the expensive and time-consuming manual procedure that is used today.


Introduction Several COVID-19 vaccines against SAR-CoV-2 have demonstrated high efficacy in clinical trials. This is the first report describing their use in a healthcare setting.Methods We conduct a single centre observational study assessing vaccine uptake and apparent efficacy of the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine among healthcare workers (HCW). Results Overall uptake was 60.8%, however we saw statistically significant differences in uptake between age groups, ethnic origins, and job roles. In the 42 days after vaccination, 45 new cases of COVID were identified, of which 4 (8.9%) occurred in HCWs who were beyond 10 days of vaccination. Kaplan Meier curves for vaccinated and unvaccinated groups were congruent until day 14 and continued to diverge up to 42 days. Cox regression analysis showed a 79.0% (95%CI 21 – 95; p=0.02) risk reduction for COVID infection in vaccinated HCWs. Conclusions Initial vaccination rates among HCW were generally good, although uptake was lower in certain groups and efforts should focus on increasing uptake in these groups. The Pfizer BioNTech vaccine is effective from 14 days post-vaccination in a frontline clinical setting and protection continues beyond 21 days post 1st dose without a 2nd dose, being given.


9 Shape is an important biomedical signal component which is often overlooked in feature extraction, signal classification, and matching schemes. Presently, simple statistical and syntactic metrics are often used to capture signal morphology, such as mean and variance calculation and peak-counting. However, the essence of signal shape is not well elucidated by these methods. It would therefore be useful to improve the calculation paradigm. A biomedical signal can be defined by its extrinsic shape (x-axis and y-axis shift and scale) and intrinsic shape (shape after normalization of extrinsic features). To increase efficacy for morphologic characterization, a least mean squares (LMS) algorithm can be implemented to adaptively seek optimal performance criteria using the method of differential steepest descent. Equations for normalization of x-axis and y-axis shift and scale should be formulated to normalize and measure extrinsic signal shape, enabling the remaining, intrinsic signal shape to be identified. As an example, fractionated atrial electrograms, which are signals with multiple random deflections obtained from the endocardial heart surface with a standard ablation catheter during electrophysiologic study, can be utilized to demonstrate the new algorithm efficacy. These signals were acquired with a standard ablation catheter at a 977 Hz sampling rate in 10 paroxysmal and 10 persistent atrial fibrillation patients. Each original signal was matched with a version of itself that had been altered in x-axis and y-axis shift and scale. Over 24 trials, adaptation of the altered to the original signals, using the new algorithm with four weights, was compared to adaptation using the Widrow-Hoff LMS algorithm with four tapped delays. Time for convergence and error after convergence were compared. The new LMS algorithm was also applied to electrocardiograms acquired from atrial fibrillation patients, for atrial wave enhancement and for monitoring of extrinsic changes in signal shape. Based on the mathematical formulation of the new LMS algorithm, y-shift and y-scale adjustments were shown to be equivalent to the scalar form of the Widrow-Hoff LMS algorithm. However, for x-shift and x-scale adjustment, rather than implementing a long tapped delay line as is utilized by the Widrow-Hoff LMS algorithm, the new method is comprised of a two-weight system. After convergence, the matching error for paroxysmal electrograms averaged 0.46 ± 0.49μV/sample for the new LMS algorithm versus 0.72 ± 0.35μV/ sample for the Widrow-Hoff LMS. The matching error for persistent electrograms averaged 0.55 ± 0.95μV/sample for the new LMS algorithm versus 0.62 ± 0.55μV/sample for the Widrow-Hoff LMS. The mean convergence time was approximately 1 second (977 discrete sample points) for both algorithms. The new LMS algorithm was useful for electrocardiogram F wave enhancement by subtraction of an adaptively weighted prototypical reference. The extrinsic weighting over 25s demonstrated that patient respiration and other time-varying functions can be identified and monitored. Based on the comparative analysis, the new LMS algorithm is able to normalize extrinsic electrogram signal shape and to enhance the electrocardiogram F wave in atrial fibrillation patients. The new LMS weighting at convergence provides an estimate of the degree of similarity between any two signals in terms of x-axis and y-axis shift and scale. The algorithm is computationally efficient with low estimation error. Applications for this implementation include monitoring of extrinsic and intrinsic signal shape, as well as enhancement of low-level signal components when a reference can be used for adaptive cancellation of larger masking features.


ObjectiveThe use of online social networks like Facebook continues to increase rapidly among all age groups and segments of our society, presenting new opportunities for the exchange of sexual information as well as for potentially unsafe encounters between predators and the vulnerable or young. This study surveyed middle school, high school, and college-age students, as well as sexual offenders, regarding their use of social networking sites in order to provide information to better focus education and prevention efforts from nurses and other health care providers. MethodsWritten questionnaires asking about various characteristics of participants' use of social networking sites were distributed to each group and filled out by 404 middle school students, 2,077 high school students, 1,284 students drawn from five traditional four-year colleges, and 466 adults who had committed either an Internet sexual offense or a hands-on sexual offense (in some cases both). ResultsNotable findings emerging from our analysis of the questionnaire responses included the following: offenders and students both frequent social networking sites, although at the time of the study offenders reported that they preferred Myspace and students that they preferred Facebook; nearly two-thirds of the Internet offenders said they'd initiated the topic of sex in their first chat session; more than half of the Internet offenders disguised their identity when online; most Internet offenders we surveyed said they preferred communicating with teenage girls rather than teenage boys; high school students' experience with "sexting" (sharing nude photos of themselves or others on cell phones or online) differed significantly according to their sex; a small number of students are being threatened and assaulted by people they meet online; avatar sites such as Second Life were used both by students and offenders, with both child molesters and Internet offenders expressing interest in Second Life. ConclusionsThe use of the Internet presents relatively new and complex issues related to the safety and privacy of adolescents and young adults, and it's crucial that our understanding keep pace with these changes. Possible nurse-initiated policy recommendations include designing technologies and educational programs to help in the identification of suspicious online behaviors; strengthening Internet filters and privacy options for protecting students online; and school outreach for students who are harassed, threatened, or assaulted as a consequence of meeting someone online. Keywordsassault, avatars, communication, Internet risk behaviors, sexting, sexuality, sexual offenders, social media, social networking sites, youth


The paper presents the 4 stages of compression elastography standardized technique which is clearly structured on gray-scale images phasing evaluation of qualitative and semi-quantitative elastography. Comparative data on the diagnostic efficiency and reproducibility standard and the proposed methods of elastography in 1034 people with focal formations breast, thyroid, and soft tissues are presented. The advantage of standardized technique is proved.


Objective: The families, when faced with difficult life events, use a specific key processes of resilience. The main objective of this study was to determine the predictor role of family resources and stressful events through which the family passes in relation to the advancement of drug users through the process of change (termination of abuse) and in relation to the quality of life of the addict. Methods: To obtain data subjects were surveyed through four questionnaires. The questionnaire with general information, FILE scale gives the index of family stress, and family vulnerability as a result of the aggregation of life events experienced by families. FIRM is the scale used for social support, WHODAS generic instrument for assessing health and disability, including mental, neurological and addiction. URICA was used for testing stages of change. The sample consisted of 200 patients who were hospitalized at the department of addiction. Results: Our study confirmed that there is a significant correlation between family resources and life events. Correlation between quality of life and life events is not statistically significant at the total score of quality of life, nor individual domains. Only in the area of quality of life relating to cognition, there is a weak negative correlation. Conclusion: Family resources and stressful life events do not affect the quality of life in the process of change but there is a significant correlation between family resources and stressful life events and families that have passed through periods of life events can strengthen their individual capacities.


The total projected number of units (including tables and potters) has been estimated at 16 325 in 1982, at the exclusion of radiological dental systems and unit exclusively devoted to mass X-Ray examinations. Almost half of this total equipment is located in public hospitals (including University hospitals), where the departments have a mean size which is markedly greater than the private sector (clinics and physicians' offices). One of the main feature of the French equipment is the high rate of remote controlled machines (almost 40%). The total labor forces involved directly in this activity has been estimated to 46 000; of which 14 580 are physicians (radiologists or not) and 18 680 are radiographers. The mean productivity, computed in annual mean number of examinations per person (medical and para-medical) is estimated at 1 000. These results are examined and compared throughout the different sectors (public and private; hospital, clinic and ambulatory care).


The management of industrial fruit by-products is important not only to decrease the volume of food waste accumulated in the landfills but also to develop strategies through reuse with the purpose to valorise and add economic value. The disposal of food waste leads to different global issues in different sectors, such as social, environmental and economical. These by-products represent a rich source of valuable compounds (polyphenols) with high antioxidant activity, which can be extracted through biotechnological methodologies for future industrial applications. In this context, the management of fruit by-products is challenged to move from a linear economy to a circular economy. Therefore, the purpose of this review is to provide a critical view of an integrated valorisation of fruit by-products to overcome a global issue, via the production of antioxidant extracts with high economic value. A case study of pineapple processing industrialization in a circular economy is explored and discussed.


Microblogs currently play an important role in social communication. Hot topics currently being tweeted can quickly become popular within a very short time as a result of retweeting. Gaining an understanding of the retweeting behavior is desirable for a number of tasks such as topic detection, personalized message recommendation, and fake information monitoring and prevention. Interestingly, the propagation of tweets bears some similarity to the spread of infectious diseases. We present a method to model the tweets' spread behavior in microblogs based on the classic Susceptible-Infectious-Susceptible (SIS) epidemic model that was developed in the medical field for the spread of infectious diseases. On the basis of this model, future retweeting trends can be predicted. Our experiments on data obtained from the Chinese micro-blogging website Sina Weibo show that the proposed model has lower predictive error compared to the four commonly used prediction methods.


Efficient nitrogen removal at wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) is necessary to avoid eutrophication of recipient waters. The most commonly used approach consists of aerobic nitrification and subsequent anaerobic denitrification resulting in the release of dinitrogen gas into the atmosphere. Nitrification is a two-step process performed by ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB) often grown in biofilms at WWTPs. Alternatively, anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) where anammox bacteria convert ammonium and nitrite directly into dinitrogen gas may be utilized. These groups of recalcitrant bacteria grow very slowly and are sensitive to perturbations, which may result in decreased efficiency or even breakdown of the respective process. Thus, their ecology, activity and the structure of the biofilms in which they grow require detailed investigation to improve our understanding of the nitrification and anammox processes. This in turn will facilitate the design of more efficient nitrogen-removal strategies. To assess the population dynamics and spatial distribution of nitrifying and anammox bacteria, culture-independent methods are essential. Therefore, the application of methods such as quantitative PCR (qPCR), terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) and Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization (FISH) in combination with advanced microscopy techniques and digital image analysis for the study of nitrifying and anammox biofilms will be reviewed in this chapter.


Few of existing works on power reduction in 3D ICs discuss the ability of supply voltage scaling techniques for power optimization. In this work, a supply voltage assignment based method for minimizing the power consumption of 3D ICs is presented. The proposed approach includes three major headings: (1) 3D IC Voltage Assignment for power reduction with including three factors–sensitivity, proximity effect and level shifter (LS) budget; (2) 3D Electro-Thermal Analysis for the temperature distribution of 3D IC; (3) Thermal Aware Static Timing Analysis for thermal-related delay values of functional gates. The experimental results have shown a great power reduction by the proposed method.


We have studied tissue expression of the cytokine receptors using a high sensitivity biotin-streptavidin system on cryostat sections. We used a panel of monoclonal antibodies from the 6th International Workshop on Human Leukocyte Differentiation Antigens, namely CD25 (IL-2R alpha), CD95 (FAS antigen), CD116 (GM CSFR), CD117 (SCFR), CD120 alpha (TNFR I), CD120b (TNFR II), CD121a (IL-1R I), CDw123 (IL-3R), CD124 (IL-4R), CD126 (IL-6R), CD127 (IL-7R), CDw128 (IL-8R), CD130 (gpl130), CD131 (IL-3R), CD132 (IL-2R gamma), CD134 (OC-40), CD135 (FLT3/FLK2). Examined tissues (lymph nodes and spleens) were obtained from 12 patients with folicular non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, periferal T non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, B lymphoma, myeloma, Hodgkin's disease, two cases of T cell rich B-lymphoma, autoimmune haemolytic anemia and two cases of rudimentary trombocytopenic purpura. Our results indicate that immunohistological technology using native tissues on cryostat sections, monoclonal antibodies and the visualisation with biotin-streptavidin is a particularly suitable supplementary staining procedure for detection of the cytokine receptors in tissues.


Injury to the posterolateral corner structures of the knee can cause posterolateral rotatory instability, a condition that has attracted increased attention over recent years1. This injury is often associated with cruciate ligament injury, and its diagnosis can be difficult unless one has a high degree of clinical suspicion for an injury to the posterolateral corner structures2,3. Although a number of treatment methods have been proposed over the past twenty years2,4-12, there has been considerable controversy regarding the optimal method of surgical treatment for this injury. The consequences of missed or unsuccessfully treated posterolateral rotatory instability can be profound: reconstructed anterior or posterior cruciate ligaments can fail, and persistent posterolateral rotatory instability may eventually cause pain, instability, and even degenerative changes13-17.

In this report, we describe the use of an external rotation-valgus stress radiograph for the evaluation and diagnosis of posterolateral rotatory instability, and we describe a new anatomical reconstruction procedure involving use of a split Achilles tendon allograft for its treatment.

### Background

Although several physical examination techniques for the detection of posterolateral rotatory instability of the knee have been described18,19, no widely accepted method of objective documentation, such as the use of posterior stress radiographs to identify a posterior cruciate ligament injury, has been established for posterolateral rotatory instability. Consequently, assessment of posterolateral rotatory instability is very subjective and dependent on the examiner's experience.

Several biomechanical studies have documented that sectioning of the posterolateral corner structures markedly increases external rotation of the tibia at 30° of knee flexion, whereas sectioning of the posterior cruciate ligament alone does not have the same effect20-22. Consequently, increased external rotation of the tibia relative to the femur at 30° of knee …


This paper presents an integrated control and switching scheme for a grid-connected modular multilevel con- verter (MMC). The control consists of the conventional vector control (outer PQ control, inner line current control) used in two-level voltage source converters (VSCs) and additional circulating current mitigation control. Circulating currents in a modular multilevel converter (MMC) will be eliminated using a proportional resonant controller. The generated upper and lower arm reference voltages will be sent to the switching sequence generating blocks to generate gate signals to submodules. Phase- shifted PWM scheme will be used to determine how many submodules to be turned on in an arm while the voltage balancing block will determine which submodules to be turned on. Matlab/SimPowerSystems simulation environment is used to model a grid-connected MMC with the integrated PQ control. Simulation case studies demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed control strategy. The contribution of this paper lies in the modeling and presentation of the entire control and switching procedure for a grid-connected MMC, with reference to the control of two-level VSCs. This paper will provide readers with a clear understanding of the difference between MMC control and two-level VSC control


No-tillage cotton production system, using association of leguminous and grasses plants as cover crop, has benefits such as soil protection and increased nitrogen fertilization by biological nitrogen fixation. The present study aimed at evaluating if straw formed by seed proportion of Crotalaria spectabilis and Urochloa ruziziensis increases the total nitrogen contend in mulching and minimize nitrogen fertilization on cotton. The experiments followed a randomized block in split-plot design. In plots Urochloa ruziziensis associated with proportions of Crotalaria spectabilis seeds (0:8, 8:8, 12:8, 16:8 and 20:8 kg ha -1 of seeds) were sown, and in subplots were used four doses of nitrogen (0, 40, 70, and 110 kg ha -1 of N, source urea) applied as side dressing. The straw of different quantities of Crotalaria spectabilis associated with Urochloa ruziziensis do not interfere with phytomass yield and N contend. The nitrogen rates do not impact leaf nitrogen, number of bolls per plant and seed cotton and fiber yield.


To measure the antibody response to Babesia bigemina with an ELISA test, three groups of cattle were experimentally infected with two isolates of the parasite. It was possible to demonstrate specific antibody binding directed against the parasite as early as the 7 days postinfection (PI). The highest level of antibody was obtained around day 1 to 23 and remained detectable for 260 days. Challenge of the animals 260 days PI with a tick-induced B. bigemina infection depicted that homologous strain-challenged calves did not show an increase of IgG antibody levels, where as those challenged with the heterologous isolate did. In the latter groups the resulting level of antibodies was even higher than after the primary infection. The immunoblotting technique showed that the antibody response is probably directed against groups of B. bigemina components with a relative mobilities of 68-64 kDa, 62-54 kDa and 52-42 kDa, which appear to be major components of the protozoa. By observing the cross-reacting antigenicity among seven B. bigemina isolates, it was demonstrated that these components are not isolate-restricted.


The current study examines attachment styles as determinants of internalizing and externalizing behavioral problems among children, and their academic achievement. The convenient sampling technique was used to collect the sample data comprising of (N=201) school children studying in the 9th and 10th grades; further divided on the basis of gender i.e. boys (n=100) and girls (n=101) with age ranges between 15 to 17 years. Their attachment styles and behavioral problems were measured through the Child Problem Checklist and Attachment Style Scale respectively. Academic achievement was taken from their respective schools. Pearson correlation, multiple regression and independent t-test analyses were computed to verify the hypotheses. Co relational analysis showed that avoidant and anxious attachment styles were negatively correlated and the secure attachment style was positively Co related with academic achievement. Multiple regression analysis demonstrated the secure and anxious attachment styles as significant negative predictors of internalizing behavioral problems whereas the avoidant style was found to be significant positive predictor of internalizing behavior problems. A significant inverse relationship exists between internalizing behavior problems, with externalizing behavior problems and with secure attachment style. Avoidant attachment style predicted externalizing behavioral problems significantly and negatively and non-significantly to internalizing behavior problems. Significant gender differences were demonstrated on the aforementioned constructs except secure attachment style and academic achievement. Further significant school differences were found on all variables except internalizing behavioral problems and the avoidant attachment style.


Forest fires disturb communities of forest-dwelling insects by killing or dispersal. Species diversity, species composition, and functional guilds of ant communities will be changed following forest fires. A survey of ants was conducted to find changes in ant communities after a large fire occurred in Goseong within Gwangwon province in South Korea in 1996. In total, 1,308 ants representing 16 species were collected; 696 ants representing 15 species were collected at the burned site, and 612 ants representing 13 species were collected at the unburned site. Contrary to the general expectation which predicts a decrease of diversity and abundance after fire, abundance, species diversity, species composition, and functional guilds of ant communities did not differ between the burned site and the unburned site. Furthermore, estimated species richness was significantly higher at the burned site than at the unburned site. However, monthly occurrences of ants (abundant species and pooled) were different between the burned site and the unburned site. Ants were more abundant at the burned sites than the unburned site just after the fire (May 1996). However, they were more abundant at the unburned site than the burned site in autumn (September and October 1996). This phenomenon might be caused by environmental change (e.g., decrease of soil moisture). In conclusion, the fire did not significantly change ant fauna, as fire in spring cannot destroy ant colonies that are wintering in deep soils.


This symposium includes seven articles about Moving to Work (MTW), a demonstration with 39 public housing agencies (PHAs) that gives participating agencies enormous flexibility to determine how to provide low-income housing assistance in pursuit of the demonstration's three statutory objectives: (1) to improve cost effectiveness, (2) to promote self-sufficiency of assisted households, and (3) to increase housing choice for low-income families. Six articles report research conducted by Urban Institute and MDRC for a HUD-sponsored retrospective evaluation of MTW. Congress requested an assessment of the MTW demonstration as a whole, rather than studies of initiatives at individual agencies. This was difficult to achieve because MTW encourages participating agencies to exercise local decisionmaking—this means that averages across agencies of outcomes embody agencies' divergent goals and circumstances, and thus likely hide more information than they reveal. Nevertheless, the six retrospective studies reported on in this symposium offer the first longitudinal analysis and the most comprehensive view to date of MTW agencies, MTW housing assistance, MTW activities, and the performance of MTW agencies in relation to statutory objectives. The essay on HUD's Rent Reform Demonstration also included here explains MTW's contribution to a major, groundbreaking study on rent setting in HUD programs.


Objective The aim of the study was to investigate the impact of Schistosoma mansoni infection and soluble egg antigen (SEA) immunization on allergic airway diseases and to study the involved immune-modulation mechanisms. Background Schistosomiasis and allergic airway diseases are common health problems that affect a wide range of population. Many studies showed that there is an inverse relationship between prevalence of Schistosoma and allergic airway diseases. Materials and methods The mice groups were either infected with S. mansoni or SEA immunized or noninfected. Airway allergy was induced in laboratory mice by ovalbumin. Thereafter, the degree of lung inflammation was determined by histopathology. Immune response was studied by immune-histochemical examination of regulatory T (T-reg), CD4+ and CD8+ cells, and serum antiovalbumin IgE level was determined by ELISA. Results The infected and immunized groups showed significant reduction in lung pathology, CD4+ cell infiltration of lungs and serum antiovalbumin IgE level than the control group. This was associated with a significant increase in the immune-suppressor T-reg cells and CD8+ cells infiltration of lungs. Conclusion S. mansoni infection or SEA immunization have downregulating effects on ovalbumin-induced experimental allergic airway diseases. These effects could be attributed to increased activation of T-reg cells and CD8+ cells, which downregulate the immune response.


The present paper describes some aspects of inducing genetic variation of polygenically controlled characters following the irradiation of two rice varieties and their hybrids. The data for the characters studied in X2 generations were analyzed by appropriate analysis of variance. In all the cases, the mean value of the irradiated population with respect to grain size character was almost the same as that of the non-irradiated control, while the variance of the irradiated population increased. On the other hand, for endosperm quality the irradiated populations showed increase in the mean value and the variance. The results obtained in the present experiment suggest that background genotypes played an important role in the manifestation of mutated characters


Field axperiment was conducted to study the response of frech bean to different planting dates, nitrogen and phosphorus levels. The results indicated that 15th October sowing yielded significantly higher then fanner practice. The maximum increase in growth and yield was obtained when nitrogen and phosphorus were applied at 120 kg N/ha and 120 kg P2O5/ha.


The aim of this study was to analyze Georgian health care practitioners' knowledge on management of acute diarrhea and its adherence to WHO treatment guidelines. A questionnaire-based, cross-sectional survey was carried out in hospitals and out-patient clinics of Georgia. 350 anonymously filled questionnaires were analyzed (27% - hospitals, 73% - out-patient clinics). Majority (65%) of interviewees defined diarrhea correctly, 74% correctly named main signs of dehydrations and classified severity of dehydration, 26% mixed up signs of moderate and severe dehydration. About 90% uses ORS during diarrhea, but only 51% follow WHO recommendations about fast rehydration. The most of responding staff (78%) don't know the benefits of low osmolarity ORS. 42% pediatricians who work at the hospital use IV rehydration in case of moderate dehydration. 78% of medical staff named recommended IV fluids either Ringer lactate solution or Normal saline, but 22% still choose 5-10% Dextrose solution. Almost all doctors (94%) use probiotics, either as monotherapy (22%) or in combination (78%). 35% of physicians prescribe antiemetics, 27% antidiarrheals, 45% antimicrobial drugs, from those 65% uses antibiotics only in case of presence of blood in stool. The majority of medical staff don't use Zinc. Study revealed that most respondents advise continuation of breastfeeding, in case of bottle feeding 32% prescribe lactose free formula, while others continue normal diet. In elder children some restrictions in diet is still in practice. The study revealed that primary level health care representatives adhered to the WHO recommendations better, than hospital doctors, that was statistically significant. The findings show a moderate adherence to standard treatment guidelines of diarrhea. The recommendations on using ORS and continuation of breast-feeding are most followed. The most problematic issues are excessive use of antibiotics and IV fluids, no use of zinc, unnecessary use of antidiarheals and antiemetics. To improve case management of acute diarrhea, continuing professional development program targeting the practitioners is necessary.


Are state FFA officers' awareness levels of agricultural topics reported in mass media superior to those who do not serve in leadership roles? The purpose of this study was to determine elected state FFA officers' awareness of biotechnology, and their confidence and trust of biotechnology information sources. Descriptive survey methods were used to obtain data from all elected state FFA officers for the 2004-2005 academic year. More than 52% (N = 177) of the accessible population responded, representing 44 states and Puerto Rico. Respondents were most aware of how agricultural biotechnology practices will affect their food, followed by its effects on environment and health. State FFA officers' awareness levels of agricultural biotechnology were superior to previously studied college of agriculture students. Respondents had somewhat high confidence in biotechnology statements made by seven of nine sources, with university scientists/researchers receiving the greatest amount of confidence. Significant, moderate positive relationships existed between respondents' confidence and trustworthiness of biotechnology statements made by cooperative extension specialists, food companies, government agencies, and farm/ranch groups. Additional studies are needed to determine the "definitive differences" in communication skill sets between state FFA officers and all other agricultural education students in high school and college.


We extend the quantum dimer model (QDM) introduced by Rokhsar and Kivelson so as to construct a concrete example of the model which exhibits the first-order phase transition between different valence-bond solids suggested recently by Batista and Trugman and look for the possibility of other exotic dimer states. We show that our model contains three exotic valence-bond phases (herringbone, checkerboard and dimer smectic) in the ground-state phase diagram and that it realizes the phase transition from the staggered valence-bond solid to the herringbone. The checkerboard phase has four-fold rotational symmetry, while the dimer smectic, in the absence of quantum fluctuations, has massive degeneracy originating from partial ordering only in one of the two spatial directions. A resonance process involving three dimers resolves this massive degeneracy and the dimer smectic becomes ordered (order from disorder).


Many European countries have policies to renew cities and neighbourhoods. This paper examines the policies of France, the Netherlands and Germany. In these, as in most Western European countries, the social housing sector forms an important part of regeneration schemes. Social housing is both actor and subject to urban renewal. Housing associations are key actors because they own much of the housing stock, and social rented housing neighbourhoods are the target of the renewal process. Since World War II, urban regeneration processes in Europe can be divided into three major periods. Each period contained policy turning points, which differed according to country and political context. At these turning points policy swung from more physically oriented strategies towards more socially oriented ones or vice versa. This chapter sets out to describe these periods and to demonstrate the strong relationship between urban regeneration and social housing. It describes the challenges posed by the various policy swings for the future supply of affordable housing for the less well-off, differentiation and segregation, quality of life and social cohesion in the social housing stock, and sustainable neighbourhoods.


Materials Computers with Internet access projector overhead library paper Materials for making ecosystems in a jar: large glass jar with lid pond water or dechlorinated tap water gravel or rocks soil pinch of grass seeds and/or pinch of clover seeds mung bean seeds earthworms isopods mealworms crickets strands of Anacharis, Fontinallis, and/or foxtail duckweed black ram's horn snails guppies Daphnia


The application of the Theory of Control Supervisory in a cell controlled by a programmable logic controller (PLC) is presented. The process of connection between theory and practice arise several new challenges and solutions, from the modeling of the system until the final structure of the program. Using the methodology of monolithic supervisor. The functioning of the cell manufacturing, after the implementation of the control system, and the clarity and flexibility of the program CLP are positive indicators of the quality of the methodology used. It is thus spread the use of the theory of control along the industries supervisory.


IgA nephropathy, one of the most frequent forms of glomerulonephritis, characterized by mesangial hypercellularity and glomerular extracellular matrix (ECM) expansion, often leads to end-stage renal disease over a prolonged period. We investigated whether antiproliferative treatment in a single low dose specifically targeted to the glomerular mesangium by immunoliposomes (ILs) results in an amelioration of mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis in rats (anti-Thy1.1 nephritis). Mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) containing ILs was generated that targets the Thy1.1 antigen (OX-7) in rat mesangial cells. Treatment benefit of a single intravenous dose of these ILs given 2 days after disease induction was investigated by stereology, immunohistochemistry, and functional analyses (creatinine, albuminuria) until day +9 and was compared among untreated and free MMF-treated rats using six male Wistar rats per group. MMF-loaded OX7-IL prevented creatinine increase and albuminuria. Stereological analyses of MMF OX7-IL-treated animals yielded 30% reduction of mesangial cells on day +9 and a 40% reduction of glomerular ECM volume on day +5, compared with all of the other nephritic animals. Furthermore, at days +5 and +9 we observed decreased ECM content and decreased glomerular volume (day +5) in the MMF-OX7-IL-treated group compared with the nephritic group treated with free MMF. In conclusion, MMF-OX7-IL-based directed drug delivery represents a novel approach for treating mesangial cell-mediated forms of glomerulonephritis.


This article is an elaboration of a key‐note speech presented at the annual conference of the Nordic Network on Disability Research in Copenhagen 2001 discussing the role of theory in disability research. The discussion is based on reviews of disability research, mostly from Scandinavia and Britain. Two types of non‐theoretical perspectives and three types of theoretical perspectives were found in the reviews. Strengths and weaknesses of the different perspectives are discussed and a typical Scandinavian perspective is identified.


During March and April 2004 5,000 local authority employed nursery nurses in Scotland were involved in a national all-out strike. A two and a half year dispute over pay was transformed into a struggle to maintain national bargaining in the face of employer attempts to impose local pay deals. Drawing on interviews with striking nursery nurses, this paper seeks to explore the factors that led to the largest all-out strike in Scotland since the Miners' Strike in the mid 1980s. It is argued that the experiences of these nursery nurses highlight particular ways in which New Labour's welfare reforms, and its approach to pay and conditions in the public sector, are impacting on some of the most poorly paid groups of public sector workers, and in doing so suggest that this dispute has a much wider resonance beyond Scotland and beyond the nursery nurses' fight.


The ways we resonate with patients is shaped and informed by our experience, history, and subjectivity. This article reviews theory, infant research, and neuroscience to consider the developmental origins of the analyst's resonant responses to the analysand—one aspect of countertransference. In the context of a contemporary psychoanalytic sensibility, this article refers to this experience as relational attunement or "analytic knowings"—an emergent, co-created component of the analytic dyad. The article illustrates how the analyst's pre-reflective relational "knowings" emerge within the analytic encounter influencing our experience of the patient. The focus is on presenting one integrative paradigm for understanding the origins of the analyst's resonant responses (feelings, images, sensations, and associations) as informing the analyst's sense of the patient, as well as contextualizing and shaping the analytic interaction and process.


MICA (major histocompatibility complex class I chain-related genes A) is known to be associated with susceptibility to various autoimmune diseases. Recent studies have also demonstrated that MICA*A5.1, one allele of MICA, contributed to the resistance of microorganism infection. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between MICA*A5.1 allele and ankylosing spondylitis (AS). A total of 144 AS patients selected from south China and 110 ethnically matched unrelated healthy controls were typed for MICA*A5.1 polymorphism in addition to HLA-B27 typing by polymerase chain reaction using sequence-specific primers. Statistical analysis revealed: (1) a significantly higher frequency of HLA-B27 in the patient group (96.5%) than in the control group (8.2%) (P < 0.0001); (2) the distribution of MICA*A5.1 genotype was significantly different between the patients and controls (P = 0.029), the frequency of MICA*A5.1 homozygote was significantly decreased in the patient group (2.1%) as compared with the controls (8.9%) (P = 0.023); (3) the association between MICA*A5.1 genotype and AS is not independent of HLA-B27 status (P = 0.94). These results suggest that MICA*A5.1 allele may play a potential role in the protection against AS.


The effect of protracted GH-releasing factor (GRF) stimulation on adenohypophysial morphology was investigated in six mice transgenic for human GRF (hGRF). All animals had significantly higher plasma levels of GH and GRF and greater body weights than controls. Eight-month-old mice were killed, and the markedly enlarged pituitaries were studied by histology, immunocytochemistry, electron microscopy, and immunogold method, using double labeling at ultrastructural level. In all pituitaries, a massive hyperplasia, chiefly of mammosomatotrophs, was found. These bihormonal cells, containing GH and PRL, were demonstrated by light microscopy and ultrastructural immunocytochemistry. Electron microscopy revealed the presence of cells with characteristics of GH cells in three pituitaries and cells resembling human adenomatous mammosomatotrophs in the other three glands. All of these cells, regardless of their ultrastructural features, contained secretory granules heavily labeled for GH by immunogold technique; PRL labeling varied from cell to cell, with the predominance of a weak immunostaining and was colocalized with GH in secretory granules. These results indicate that chronic exposure to GRF excess leads to mammosomatotroph hyperplasia. It is suggested that GH cells proliferate and transform to mammosomatotrophs in response to GRF stimulation. Focal PRL cell hyperplasia noted in three pituitaries could also be due to a GRF effect. Longer exposure to GRF is needed to clarify whether GRF can cause adenoma.


Team Coverage Games (TCGs) are a representation of cooperative games, where the value a coalition generates depends on both individual contributions of its members and synergies between them. The synergies are expressed in terms of the importance of the agents in various teams. TCGs model the synergy as a reduction in utility that occurs when team members are missing, causing the team not to achieve its full potential. We focus on the case where the utility reduction incured is a concave function of the importance of the missing team members and analyze the domain from a computational game theoretic perspective.


The CP transformation combines charge conjugation C with parity P . Under C, particles and antiparticles are interchanged, by conjugating all internal quantum numbers, e.g., Q → −Q for electromagnetic charge. Under P , the handedness of space is reversed, ~x → −~x. Thus, for example, a left-handed electron eL is transformed under CP into a right-handed positron, eR. If CP were an exact symmetry, the laws of Nature would be the same for matter and for antimatter. We observe that most phenomena are Cand P -symmetric, and therefore, also CP -symmetric. In particular, these symmetries are respected by the gravitational, electromagnetic, and strong interactions. The weak interactions, on the other hand, violate C and P in the strongest possible way. For example, the charged W bosons couple to left-handed electrons, eL , and to their CP -conjugate right-handed positrons, e + R, but to neither their C-conjugate left-handed positrons, eL , nor their P -conjugate right-handed electrons, eR. While weak interactions violate C and P separately, CP is still preserved in most weak interaction processes. The CP symmetry is, however, violated in certain rare processes, as discovered in neutral K decays in 1964 [1], and recently observed in neutral B decays [2,3]. A KL meson decays more often to π−e+νe than to π+e−νe, thus allowing electrons and positrons to be unambiguously distinguished, but the decay-rate asymmetry is only at the 0.003 level. The CP -violating effects observed in B decays are larger: the CP asymmetry in B0/B meson decays to CP eigenstates like J/ψKS is about 0.70. These effects are related to K0 − K and B0 − B mixing, but CP violation arising solely from decay amplitudes has also been observed, first in K → ππ decays [4,5,6] and more recently in B → Kπ decays [7,8]. CP violation has not yet been observed in neutral D or Bs mesons, or in the lepton sector. In addition to parity and to continuous Lorentz transformations, there is one other spacetime operation that could be a symmetry of the interactions: time reversal T , t → −t. Violations of T symmetry have been observed in neutral K decays [9], and are expected as a corollary of CP violation if the combined CPT transformation is a fundamental symmetry of Nature [10]. All observations indicate that CPT is indeed a symmetry of Nature. Furthermore, one cannot build a Lorentz-invariant quantum field theory with a Hermitian Hamiltonian that violates CPT . (At several points in our discussion, we avoid assumptions about CPT , in order to identify cases where evidence for CP violation relies on assumptions about CPT .) Within the Standard Model, CP symmetry is broken by complex phases in the Yukawa couplings (that is, the couplings of the Higgs scalar to quarks). When all manipulations to remove unphysical phases in this model are exhausted, one finds that there is a single CP -violating parameter [11]. In the basis of mass eigenstates, this single phase appears in the 3× 3 unitary matrix that gives the W -boson couplings to an up-type antiquark and a down-type quark. (If the Standard Model is supplemented with Majorana mass terms for the neutrinos, the analogous mixing matrix for leptons has three CP -violating phases.) The beautifully consistent and economical Standard-Model description of CP violation in terms of Yukawa couplings, known as the Kobayashi-Maskawa (KM) mechanism [11], agrees with all measurements to date. In particular, one can account within this


The Simien Mountains National Park (SMNP) was inscribed by UNESCO as world heritage site in 1978due to its unique landscapes and rich biodiversity resources. However, many parts of the park havebeen farmed for more than 2,000 years and is seriously degraded due to unsustainable land utilization.The main purpose of this study is to quantify the magnitude and rate of change of major landuse/land cover (LULC) types by identifying the major drivers of change in SMNP using GIS and remotesensing techniques. Three Landsat images of the periods between 1985 and 2015 were classified andanalyzed using Erdas Emagine 13 and ArcGIS 10.1. The results of LULC analysis indicated that aremarkable expansion was observed in shrubs cover by 110.8% (79 ha/y) followed by farmland andsettlements by 53.7% (81 ha/y) between 1985 and 2015 although some portions of their original extentwere converted into other LULC classes. The results also indicated that the reduction of areas underforests and grassland covers by about 56.4% (98 ha/y) and 49% (142 ha/y) were evident. The majorinstitutional and policy factors identified in the study area were civil war between 1976 and 1991,changes in political structure and land reform of 1997. However, population pressure in the park wasthe most important human factor of land use and land cover change. Therefore, sustainable managementin the park is vital to curb the biodiversity depletion and loss of tourist attractions in the area.


Growth hormone receptor (GHR) can activate several signaling pathways after binding to growth hormone (GH) to regulate cell growth and development. Sex-linked dwarf (SLD) chickens, normal protein functions are prevented because of exon mutations in the GHR gene, have more severe fat deposition. However, the specific molecular mechanisms responsible for this phenotype remains unclear. We therefore investigated the effect of the GHR gene on adipogenic differentiation of chicken bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs). We found that bone marrow fat deposition was more severe in SLD chickens compared to normal chickens, and the expression of genes related to adipogenic differentiation was enhanced in SLD chicken BMSCs. We also detected enhanced mitochondrial function of BMSCs in SLD chickens. In vitro, overexpression of GHR in chicken BMSCs increased mitochondrial membrane potential but decreased reactive oxygen and ATP contents, oxidative phosphorylation complex enzyme activity, and mitochondrial number. Expression of genes associated with mitochondrial biogenesis and function was repressed during adipogenic differentiation in chicken BMSCs, the adipogenic differentiation capacity of chicken BMSCs was also repressed. With knockdown of GHR, opposite results were observed. We concluded that GHR inhibited adipogenic differentiation of chicken BMSCs by suppressing mitochondrial biogenesis and mitochondrial function.


Author(s): Francis, John M. | Abstract: Concern for the design and use of city streets and sidewalks has long been a preoccupation of city planners and urban designers. Middle class reformers of the late 19th and early 20th century, from whom the roots of our profession spring, sought to cleanse industrial cities of their physical and social "maladies." Later, the modernists attempted to design human interaction out of the street altogether, turning the city in on itself and the street over to the automobile. By the 1960s, Jane Jacobs and others were calling for reclamation of city streets and sidewalks and helped planners recognize the value of an active public realm. In Sidewalks, Anastasia Loukaitou-Sideris and Renia Ehrenfeucht sensitively continue this long- running discussion of the proper role of sidewalks for creating a diverse and just urban environment.


This review paper studies the differences in the energy use behaviour in households in developing and developed countries, by focus on a geographically diverse selection of publications. The study has been divided into sections in which energy use, socio-economic factors, policies and the methods used in the surveys have been investigated. The main motivation of the study was to understand user behavioural patterns influencing energy consumption (or reduction in use), and the effect of varying socio-demographic factors on the same. The methodologies adopted in the papers reviewed have been compared. Surveys were prioritized in the examined papers to see if there was an pattern in household energy use and which behaviours affected this. For the developing countries door knocking were the most used strategy to get hold of information. For the developed countries surveys online were the most effective strategy. In Japan and Norway clear differences could be seen due to the culture of the countries, which affected the households energy use. For the developing countries energy here is not predominantly electricity. Biofuels and kerosene were the most common fuels used for the daily life of the residents in the developing countries. A transition from these fuels to more modern energy is happening right now in the 21 century. The government have a big impact on the households energy use and the governments for the different countries prioritize differently as seen in Kuwait where they subsidy 90 % of the final electricity for the households thus increases the energy use significantly which have a negative sustainable development effect. While on the other hand the government in Zambia decided to shut down the whole electricity grid for eight hours per day during a two year period of time to save energy. Effective strategies for reducing energy use, according to most of the publications, are tailor-made information and feedback to users, and clear outlining of goals by the decision-makers, for both the developed countries and the developing countries. Future research should focus on effective formulation of the feedback provided to users.


Abstract Hydration of vocal fold tissues is essential for self-sustained oscillation. Normal regulatory processes of liquid transport to and from the vocal folds would be expected through the autonomic systems, but the possibility exists that liquid movement may occur locally due to vibrational pressures. Such movement may cause regions of lower or higher concentrations of liquid viscosity and therewith changes in phonation threshold pressure. Hyaluronic acid, a glycosaminoglycan that attracts large quantities of free water, may be a key molecule for transporting or localizing liquids. Some preliminary experiments are reported in which attempts were made to move low-concentration HA liquids with vibration. None of the experiments was conclusive, but collectively they lay some groundwork for future explorations.


The decline in employee performance at UP PTSP Makasar District is characterized by a decreased level of service time efficiency in the area of KRK and IMB licensing. In addition, the cause of the decline in employee performance is due to the behavior of employees who like to postpone work and come late to work intentionally, and also employees lack the determination of high morale at work. The achievement of the duties of UP PTSP employees in Makasar Sub-District was not in accordance with the determined time standard. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of the work environment and workload on the performance of UP PTSP Makasar District employees and to know the factors that had to be prioritized to become better. The data used for research is questionnaire data which is processed by the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) method. This study analyzes the factors of work environment and workload using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) with AMOS applications. Based on SEM output regression weights value states that there is no significant effect between work environment on employee performance. While there is a significant effect between workload on employee performance. The main priority in improving employee performance through the work environment is cleanliness in the workplace. The main priority in improving employee performance through better workloads is with work conditions at the workplace.


The effect of reinforcing particle size on microstructure, relative density and indentation of Mg reinforced by 0, 1.5, 3, 5 and 10% volume fractions of nano- and micro-sized B4C was investigated. The composites were fabricated through powder compaction technique at strain rates of 1.6 × 103 s−1, 8 × 102 s−1 and 8×103 s−1 using split Hopkinson bar, drop hammer and Instron, respectively. The results indicated that the size of B4C and loading rate had significant effect on relative density. For example, the relative density of Mg-10 vol.% B4C nanocomposite was around 2.5% higher than that of its corresponding microcomposites. The relative density of the samples produced at high rate of loading was in average 1.2% higher than that of the samples fabricated quasi-statically. The results of indentation tests on the produced nanocomposite and microcomposite samples also revealed that loading rate and B4C particle size had significant effect on strength of specimens. For example, for Mg-5 vol.% B4C, the maximum load in load–depth curve of the specimens produced by split Hopkinson bar increased from 530 N for micron-sized B4C to 780 N for nano-sized B4C, around 45% improvement. Moreover, nanocomposites had better indentation resistance compared to similar micro composites fabricated using the three methods.


A compact wave-front sensor is implemented by an array of two-beam common path inversion interferometers. Each element of the array consists of two Fresnel lenses in a confocal configuration. The wave-front data can be extracted from a superposition of the zero-order undiffracted wave and the twice-diffracted first-order wave. The result is a high-sensitivity, compact, and stable interferometric wave-front sensor.


The role of the subunits of phosphoinositide (PI) 3-kinase in NF-kappaB activation in silica-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells was investigated. Results indicate that PI3-kinase activity was increased in response to silica. The p85alpha subunit of PI3-kinase interacted with tyrosine-phosphorylated I(kappa)B-alpha in silica-stimulated cells. PI3-kinase specific inhibitors, such as wortmannin and LY294003, substantially blocked both silica-induced PI3-kinase and NF-kappaB activation. The inhibition of NF-KB activation by PI3-kinase inhibitors was also observed in pervanadate-stimulated but not in LPS-stimulated cells. Furthermore, tyrosine phosphorylation of NF-kappaB p65 was enhanced in cells stimulated with silica, pervanadate or LPS, and wortmannin substantially inhibited the phosphorylation event induced by the first two stimulants but not LPS. Antioxidants, such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), N-acetylcysteine (NAC) and pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (PDTC), blocked silica-induced PI3-kinase activation, suggesting that reactive oxygen species may be important regulatory molecules in NF-kappaB activation by mediating PI3-kinase activation. Our data suggest that p85 and p110 subunits of PI3-kinase play a role in NF-kappaB activation through interaction with tyrosine-phosphorylated I(kappa)B-alpha and contributing to tyrosine phosphorylation of p65 NF-kappaB.


Amikacin's pharmacokinetics and dosage requirements were studied in 98 patients receiving treatment for gram-negative infections. A wide interpatient variation in the kinetic parameters of the drug occurred in all patients and in patients who had normal serum creatinine levels or normal creatinine clearance. The half-life ranged from 0.7 to 14.4 h in 74 patients who had normal serum creatinine levels and from 0.7 to 7.2 h in 37 patients who had normal creatinine clearance. The necessary daily dose to obtain therapeutic serum concentrations ranged from 1.25 to 57 mg/kg in patients with normal serum creatinine levels and from 10 to 57 mg/kg in patients with normal creatinine clearance. In four patients (4%), a significant change in baseline serum creatinine level (greater than 0.5 mg/dl) occurred during or after treatment, which may have been amikacin-associated toxicity. Overt ototoxicity occurred in one patient. The method of individualizing dosage regimens provided a clinically useful means of rapidly attaining therapeutic peak and trough serum concentrations.


In this article we explore some of the ways in which our Odyssey engages with other epic homecoming (nostoi) traditions and how they help prepare for and glorify Odysseus's return home. The process of telling nostoi tales in Ithaca, Pylos and Sparta dramatizes for the audience the selection and presentation of homecoming narratives, whose metapoetic potential is clear – nostos signifies both a homecoming and a song about homecoming. Since this process is in part a contemplation of which Odysseus is needed in this narrative, emphasis lies on how his story compares to possible versions both of nostoi narratives and of different Odysseys. In turn, part of this process reveals how both storytellers and audience members participate in a selection of different aspects to create the Odysseus they want. We focus in particular on how Telemachus negotiates these other nostoi, not always successfully, but always with a view to learning about the role he is to play in this epic. These other nostoi narratives are not only put at the service of the Odyssey to anticipate the content and structure of the monumental tale to come, as we will argue; they also help demonstrate what is at stake in narrating and experiencing nostos.


This study aims at measuring tourists' perception towards the social characteristics of mobile devices and how they may lead to the perceived social role of mobile phones while traveling. Informed by social role theory and computing technology continuum of perspective (CP) model, the hypothesized relationships between mobile computing CP, respondents' psychological traits, frequency of mobile phone use for travel, and perceived social role of mobile phones during traveling were tested. The results demonstrate that perceived intelligence and socialness of mobile phones prompt tourists to respond socially to mobile computing technology, thus emphasizing the importance of anthropomorphism in the designing of mobile technology for travel. As a managerial implication, smart mobile applications suggesting the roles of mobile devices as personal travel companions and/or assistants should be developed to increase the persuasive power of mobile phones for tourists.


The life history and reproductive ecology of White's skink, Egernia whitii, was examined in a population in the Australian Capital Territory using both field and genetic studies. Colour pattern polymorphism was evident within the population, with both patterned and plain-back morphs present. Lizards typically took 3 years to reach sexual maturity, with the size at maturity being ~75 mm snout–vent length (SVL) in both sexes. There was an even overall adult sex ratio, although a slight female-bias was evident in plain-back individuals. Sexual dimorphism was evident, with males having longer and wider heads, and females having larger body size. Females generally bred annually, with mating occurring in September–October and parturition in late January–February, although the litter was produced over several days (2–10 days, mean 4 days). Litter size ranged from one to four (mean of 2.5). There was a significant relationship between maternal SVL and both litter size and relative clutch mass, but these trends were not consistent between colour morphs. An inverse relationship between litter size and offspring size (SVL and mass) was found. Comparison of the results with previous investigations of E. whitii indicates substantial geographic variation in life-history traits that is presumably associated with latitudinal variation in climatic conditions.


Fe-doped SnO2 nanoparticles doped with 5 and 8 mol% were successfully synthesized by a controlled precipitation method. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns are consistent with the rutile-type structure. The XRD patterns of thermal-treated samples were analyzed using the Rietveld refinement method. The results are consistent with both the increase of the crystallite size and the disappearance of the residual strain as the temperature of thermal treatment is increased. Meanwhile transmission electron microscopy images corroborate the crystallite size. The analysis of the magnetic measurements suggests the occurrence of superparamagnetism which coexists with a paramagnetic signal.


Reading fluency has been defined as the process of automatically associating graphemic and phonetic information in a text with minimal conscious attention if any at all. Research has found that the effect of fluency on reading proficiency is of importance to student learning and that increasing oral reading fluency (ORF) rates has been correlated in several studies to improved comprehension. However, no reading fluency rates (FR) or standards in Arabic have been established to date. This exploratory study begins to examine Arabic language ORF and proposes an initial Arabic reading fluency scale. Thirty-five teachers from six private bilingual schools across three Arabian Gulf countries (KSA, the UAE, and Kuwait), administered ORF tests that comprised of authentic, vowelized, and leveled Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) connected texts on 1003 students in Grades 1–6 in Fall and Spring of the same academic year. Results of independent samples t-test revealed changes in reading fluency between Fall and Spring. Furthermore, the range of FR for these initial data within each grade level was significant. Results obtained, however, appeared to be lower than several of the international ORF charts used for English and Arabic languages. Girls outperformed boys in Grades 1–3, while boys outperformed girls in Grades 4–6. The study has several limitations and several likely implications that extend to languages other than Arabic possibly including the potential importance of extended reading practice and early exposure to text.


We present an effective location recognition approach by integrating multiple visual cues. We aims at developing a localization system with high accuracy and efficiency. Although one kind of features such as interest points might be useful in certain environment, multiple cues are important for robust location recognition. We use three kinds of features in this work: edges, interest points, and color features. Vision-based localization consists of two online steps: feature detection and feature matching. The efficiency of a localization system depends on the computational complexity of the two steps. To accelerate feature detection, the three kinds of features are detected in an integrated process: edges are detected directly based on the Harris function; Harris interest points are detected at several scales and Harris-Laplace interest points are found using the Laplace function. Corner regions are characterized by the SIFT descriptor. Color histograms are used to describe edge and smooth regions. The color histograms are refined by using the color coherence method to include spatial information. The integration of multi-cue brings efficient feature detection and high recognition ratio to the localization system. Our algorithm can be extended to recognize images containing specific objects, scenes or buildings. Experimental results show the proposed approach has good performance.


We study the magnetic properties of the double perovskite ruthenate compound Sr2YRuO6 using Monte Carlo simulations (MCS). We elaborate the ground state phase diagrams for all possible and stable configurations. The magnetizations and the susceptibilities as a function of temperature for the studied system are also reported. The effects of the exchange coupling interactions and the crystal field are examined and discussed. On the other hand, since the compound Sr2YRuO6 exhibits an antiferromagnetic behavior, we find its Néel temperature, T N ≈ 31 K , which is in good agreement with the experimental results in the literature. To complete this study, the hysteresis loops and the coercive field as a function of the external magnetic field are also obtained for fixed values of the physical parameters.


Objectives Anhedonia, defined as an inability to experience pleasure, has been considered to be a core feature of schizophrenia and depression. The purpose of the present study was to compare the specific characteristics of anhedonia in patients with the two illnesses by examining hedonic capacity during phased hedonic experience. Methods Hedonic rating tasks, using the film clips of physical and social hedonic stimuli and neutral stimuli, were performed by 29 patients with schizophrenia, 20 patients with depression, and 29 normal controls. Each task consisted of 'preview phase' with insufficient emotional information, and a subsequent 'theme phase' with sufficient emotional information. Results In normal controls, the mean hedonic score was increased in the theme phase compared with the preview phase, suggesting an appropriate augmentation of the hedonic response. In patients with schizophrenia, hedonic scores in the preview phase were comparable with those in normal controls, but showed deficient augmentation in the theme phase. In patients with depressive disorder, the range of increments in scores between the preview and theme phases was normal, but the scores themselves were lower in both phases than in the other two groups. Conclusion The results indicate that patients with schizophrenia show a deficient augmentation of the hedonic response, whereas patients with depressive disorder have a pervasive lack of hedonic capacity.


Orange-fleshed sweet potato is an important source of macro-and micronutrients for humans, particularly in resource-poor rural communities. However, sweet potato cultivation removes large amounts of nutrients from the soil. Hence, soil fertility replenishment is vital to secure long-term food production. The lack of access to fertilizers hinders the ability of farmers to supply and replenish soil nutrients, intensifying food insecurity. This study aimed at identifying locally available organic residues and agricultural practices with potential application in soil fertility management to prevent soil degradation in southern Mozambique. We conducted a survey to gather information on the farmers' demographics and farming systems of 107 orange-fleshed sweet potato farmers. Results show that more than 70% of farmers use agroecological practices such as intercropping and crop rotation, and more than 90% indicated having residual crop biomass after harvest. Most cultivated crops, such as lettuce, beans, etc., are harvested in July-August, before the start of orange-fleshed sweet potato cultivation. Thus, there is potential for the application of crop residues as an organic amendment for orange-fleshed sweet potato cultivation. Nevertheless, farmers need support to adopt soil fertility management based on locally accessible resources, therefore ensuring extension services focused on the long-term benefits of sustainable practices are vital.


To the Editor:— The recent technical achievement of five short-term successful human cardiac homotransplants by Barnard1in Cape Town, Republic of South Africa, by Kantrowitz in New York, and by Shumway in Palo Alto, Calif, culminated over seven years of experimental work by several laboratories. Lower and Shumway2in 1960 reported survival of dogs 6 to 21 days after orthotopic cardiac homotransplantation. With the addition of immuno-suppressive therapy (methotrexate), Blumenstock3was able to extend survival under the same circumstances to 42 days. Kondo et al4in 1965 reported survival of one of 40 puppies for 112 days after orthotopic cardiac homotransplantation without immuno-suppressive therapy. This animal is still alive. Thus, at best, cardiac transplantation represents clinical application of a method of treatment tested in the experimental laboratory to the one group of patients for whom contemporary cardiac surgery has little to offer—those with bad myocardium. At


The antimicrobial susceptibilities of 421 Pasteurella haemolytica and 158 P. multocida isolates recovered from cattle with respiratory disease were determined with a microdilution minimal inhibitory concentration test system. Isolates were analyzed for patterns of resistance to ampicillin, ceftiofur, erythromycin, gentamicin, penicillin, spectinomycin, sulfachlorpyridazine, sulfadimethoxine, tetracycline, and tylosin. All isolates tested were found susceptible to ceftiofur and sulfachlorpyridazine. Pasteurella haemolytica isolates were resistant to ampicillin, penicillin, sulfadimethoxine, tetracycline, and tylosin. Pasteurella multocida isolates were resistant to sulfadimethoxine, tetracycline, and tylosin.


Blighia sapida, a Lesser-Used Species is being processed into sawn timber to meet the demand for wood. The knowledge of its wood quality would enhance its effective utilization. However, there is little information known on the physical properties of this species that could enhance its acceptability and optimum utilization. This, therefore, necessitate the need to investigate the physical properties of this wood species. Three standing trees of B. sapida were purposively felled for this study. Billets of 500 mm were obtained from the wood disc at the base, middle, and top of the tree. Each wood disc was partitioned into three; innerwood, middlewood, and outerwood following specified international standards for the physical properties test (wood colour, proportion of sapwood and heartwood, bark thickness, density, moisture content, and volumetric shrinkage). B. sapida wood density with a mean value of 709.78±8.88 kg/m, ranged from (571.59±13.45 to 854.81±7.08 kg/m. Moisture content percentage of average value 70.62±1.23%, ranged from 53.84±1.40 to 89.00±2.75%. Volumetric shrinkage of average value 15.24±0.25%, range from 13.38±0.66 to 16.89±0.83%. The range of B. sapida wood density value of the study falls within the range that could be categorized as medium density wood of medium construction strength properties. The 1:1.5% tangential–radial shrinkage observed in this study was low, an indicator of a low risk of deformation while seasoning the wood, as the ratios of tangential-radial shrinkage that is high are those over 2.2%.


AIM
Clinical and histopathological factors that affect lymph node involvement in cervical cancer and the prognostic importance of these factors were evaluated in this study.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
A total of 179 patients were diagnosed with cervical cancer between January 2001 and June 2010 and were included in this study. The patients' charts were evaluated retrospectively and information was collected by reaching 89 patients and asking questions.

RESULTS
When the prognostic factors that affect pelvic lymph node involvement were evaluated, increased tumor size and increased invasion depth, presence of lymphovascular area involvement, and an advanced stage were observed to statistically significantly increase pelvic lymph node involvement. No relationship was found between tumor histology and grade; parametrial, endometrial, vaginal involvement, and pelvic lymph node involvement.

CONCLUSION
Knowledge of prognostic factors in cervical cancer plays an important role in determining the morbidity and mortality and the treatment strategies.


The relationship between agricultural growth and food imports in developingcountries has recently attracted renewed
interest among agricultural and
trade economists. This is largely in reaction to the strong opposition by farmlobbies in the United States to development assistance programs abroad that
promote foodgrain production allegedly to the detriment of U.S. agriculturalinterests,' which in turn was stimulated by the substantial fall in U.S. farm exports since 1981. The major food crops, including cereals, roots and tubers, pulses, groundnuts, plaintains and bananas, account for the bulk of total calorie intake indeveloping countries. Although they
are net exporters of noncereal food
staples, developing countries as a group i.port cereals much more heavily.For example, developing countries' exports of noncereal food crops averaged
7.8 million tons annually during the period 1979-83 whirh was only about


The selective hydrogenation of nitro compounds into their corresponding azo compounds is challenging in organic synthesis. In this study, we have developed a facile and efficient catalytic system for the transformation of nitro compounds into azo compounds under mild conditions over a heterogeneous cobalt catalyst (Co–Nx/C-800-AT). The Co–Nx/C-800-AT catalyst was found to be highly active for the reductive-coupling of nitro compounds into azo compounds in ethanol at 110 °C and 2.5 bar H2 pressure with the addition of NaOH as an additive, affording structurally-diverse azo compounds with satisfactory yields (70.4–98.3%). The developed method demonstrated several advantages such as high catalytic activity and high selectivity with tolerance to other functional groups and high stability.


MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small, endogenous, non-coding RNAs that regulate the expression of target genes in eukaryotic cells and have been extensively studied in the past decade. However, recent evidence suggests that miRNAs have additional, important roles and functions other than post-transcriptional regulation through binding at the 3′ untranslated regions of their target genes. This review describes newly discovered information about the biogenesis and functions of miRNAs as well as presents different points of view about the miRNA system. Our increasing knowledge of the exceptional stories of miRNAs will offer new insights into these powerful gene regulators from virus and bacteria to animals.


The superiority of rice production in Heilongjiang is 1. rice yield is high ; 2.ecological enviroment is fine; 3. the benefit of planting rice is high. Analysizing the rice market, it was found that the taste of Heilongjiang ' rice was as same as that of Japanese and Korea 'rice. The increasing of market competation, the building of brand, the making of green ecological agriculture and the building of more chanal should be done completely in order to widen the selling market .


We propose a method for learned compression artifact removal by post-processing of BPG compressed images. We trained three networks of different sizes. We encoded input images using BPG with different QP values. We submitted the best combination of test images, encoded with different QP and post-processed by one of three networks, which satisfy the file size and decode time constraints imposed by the Challenge. The selection of the best combination is posed as an integer programming problem. Although the visual improvements in image quality is impressive, the average PSNR improvement for the results is about 0.5 dB.


The ability to measure full six degrees-of-freedom knee joint kinematics is critical in the diagnosis of knee pathology. Soft tissue artifact (STA) remains the greatest source of error in measurement knee kinematics. The purpose of this study is to present a new femoral clamp to reduce STA at the thigh while preserving the natural gait pattern. Knee joint kinematics during gait was measured for six healthy subjects by using the femoral clamp and a rigid cluster-based technique. Performance was assessed in terms of accuracy, repeatability and reproducibility. The result showed that the femoral clamp did not change the walking speed and the natural knee kinematics pattern of the subjects. The clamp-measured kinematics had smaller knee translation in the transverse plane and were closer to data from the literature obtained by dual fluoroscopic imaging. The clamp had improved repeatability and reproducibility compared to the rigid cluster technique, suggesting that this technology is suitable for accurate measurement of gait.


Intelligence is thought to be related to interaction rather than a deep but passive thinking. Interactive tangible media "iTMedia" is proposed to explore these issues. Personal robotics is a major area to investigate these ideas. A new design methodology for personal and emotional robotics is proposed. Sciences of the artificial and intelligence have been investigated. A short history of artificial intelligence is presented in terms of logic, heuristics, and mobility; a science of intelligence is presented in terms of imitation and understanding; intelligence issues for robotics and intelligence measures are described. A design methodology for personal robots based on science of emotion is investigated. We investigate three different aspects of design: visceral, behavioral, and reflective. We also discuss affect and emotion in robots, robots that sense emotion, robots that induce emotion in people, and implications and ethical issues of emotional robots. Personal robotics for the elderly is investigated to explore these ideas.