Inaugurated on October 20, 1984, the Fondation Cartier pour lart contemporain celebrates its thirtieth anniversary in 2014. To mark this event, it is publishing two richly illustrated books exploring the museums history. The first volume attests to the uniqueness of this exhibition space. Featuring interviews with the major figures of the history of the Fondation Cartier, it illustrates thirty years of exhibitions and exceptional events. It invites the reader to discover the glass and steel building designed by Jean Nouvel and its evolution over time, changes of season and through the exhibitions it hosts, revealing its extraordinary adaptability, which has always been a source of inspiration for artists. Volume II brings together the work of the numerous artists, thinkers and authors who have contributed to the institution since its creation. This lavishly illustrated publication favours a playful, nonlinear reading of its near two hundred entries and invites the reader to delve into a history full of surprise, diversity and eclecticism.


Industrial biomaterials 2009—2012 summarises the key findings and inventions developed during the VTT's Industrial biomaterials spearhead programme. In the field of bio-economy, the Industrial biomaterial spearhead programme focused on renewing industry by means of emerging technologies of materials and chemicals based on non-food biomass, including food side streams, agricultural leftovers and natural material waste fractions. This publication focuses on the development of novel biopolymers and production technologies based on lignocellulosics, such as hydrolysed sugars, cellulose, hemicelluloses, and lignin. The spearhead programme's main achievements include the development of nanocellulose products, new packaging films and barriers from nanocellulose, hemicellulose and lignin, new production methods for hydroxyacids and their polymers like high performance biobarrier PGA, the development of novel biocomposites for kitchen furniture, and textile fibres from recycled pulp. IsBn, Issn ISBN 978-951-38-7966-2 (soft back ed.) ISBN 978-951-38-7967-9 (URL: http://www.vtt.fi/publications/index.jsp) ISSN-L 2242-1173 ISSN 2242-1173 (Print) ISSN 2242-1181 (Online)


There are different kinds of uncertainty. I outline some of the various ways that uncertainty enters science, focusing on uncertainty in climate science and weather prediction. I then show how we cope with some of these sources of error through sophisticated modelling techniques. I show how we maintain confidence in the face of error.


Mechanical stimulation has benefits for muscle mass and function. Passive stretching is widely performed in clinical rehabilitation medicine. However, the hypertrophic effects of passive repetitive stretching on senescent skeletal muscles against muscle atrophy remain unknown. We used senescence-accelerated model SAM-P8 mice. The gastrocnemius muscle was passively repetitive stretched by manual ankle dorsiflexion for 15 min, 5 days a week for 2 weeks under deep anesthesia. We examined the effects of passive stretching on muscle mass, myofiber cross-sectional area, muscle fiber type and composition, satellite cell content, mRNA expression of the signaling pathways involved in muscle protein synthesis, muscle-specific ubiquitin ligases, and myogenic regulatory factors. The gastrocnemius muscle weight of the stretched side increased compared with that of the unstretched side. In addition to the increase in muscle mass, muscle fiber cross-sectional area of the stretched side was greater than that of the unstretched side. Passive repetitive stretching significantly increased the mRNA expression level of Akt, p70S6K, 4E-BP1, Myf5, myogenin, MuRF1. Passive repetitive stretching promoted skeletal muscle mass and myofiber cross-sectional area in SAM-P8 mice. These hypertrophic observations are attributable to the stretch-activated signaling pathways involved in protein turnover. These findings are applicable to clinical muscle strengthening and sarcopenia prevention.


An appara tus for producing atmospheres of known relative humidi ty , based on the "two-pressure principle", is described. I t has a working space (test chamber) of 1 cubic foot, in which the relative humidi ty may be varied and controlled from 10 to 98 percent, the t empera ture from —40° to + 4 0 ° C, the air flow up to 150 liters per minute , and the testchamber pressure from }i to 2 atmospheres. The humidi ty in the test chamber may be set and mainta ined to an accuracy of a t least }i of 1-percent relative humidi ty .


Malignant infantile osteopetrosis (MIOP) is a rare cause in the list of etiological factors of neonatal hypocalcemia in several textbooks. The most severe complication of MIOP is bone marrow suppression. The abnormal expansion of bone interferes with medullary haematopoiesis. Most children with this disease die within the first decade of life of secondary consequence of bone marrow failure. Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is the only curative therapy for MIOP, an otherwise fatal disease. We present a neonate with MIOP that was further complicated with vitamin D deficiency.


Damage to peripheral nerves results in substantial changes in the function of spinal synapses that mediate the monosynaptic reflex. These alterations consist independently of those caused by axotomy of the postsynaptic neuron and those produced by axotomy of the presynaptic neuron. Synaptic transmission is depressed following interruption of either limb of the segmental reflex loop. These reductions in EPSP amplitude are largely reversed following reinnervation of the peripheral tissue by the cut fibers, whether or not the regenerating fiber finds the correct muscle. Alterations in synaptic transmission following damage to the spinal cord itself are more variable than those noted after peripheral nerve damage. Although segmental EPSPs are generally enhanced following spinal injury (if in fact changes do occur), these increases are superimposed on motoneuron hyperpolarization, making the net changes in reflex transmission unpredictable. Furthermore, the extent of motoneuron depolarization is also influenced by the amount of temporal summation of EPSPs during the high-frequency activation of group Ia fibers known to occur, for example, during normal walking. Because EPSP amplitude is not constant during such activation and is modulated differently at connections on different motoneurons, changes in effective levels of synaptic transmission after such lesions are very difficult to predict. Thus it is not surprising that it is not possible to make close correlations between changes in amplitude of EPSPs and reflex behavior following injury (but see chapter by M.E. Goldberger and M. Murray, this volume). These alterations in synaptic transmission can occur at a considerable physical distance from the site of injury, peripheral or central. They illustrate the interdependence in elements of the nervous system, which can also be seen as changes in properties of motoneurons themselves (e.g., input resistance, after-hyperpolarization, rheobase) following many of these injuries. Altered cell properties complicate the functional interpretation of synaptic changes obtained after injury but must be considered in evaluating the sequelae of lesions in the peripheral and central nervous system.


We evaluated the qualities of pressure-transmitting media by the ruby fluorescence method at room temperature, 77 and 4.2 K in the diamond anvil cell (DAC) up to 10 GPa in order to find appropriate media for the low temperature experiment. Investigations were done on fourteen kinds of media: a 1:1 mixture by volume of Fluorinert FC-70 and FC-77, Daphne 7373 and 7474, NaCl, silicon oil (polydimethylsiloxane), vaselin, 2-propanol, glycerin, a 1:1 mixture by volume of n-pentane and isopentane, a 4:1 mixture by volume of methanol and ethanol, petroleum ether, nitrogen, argon and helium. We discuss the non-hydrostatic effects of the pressure in the media from the broadening effect of the ruby R1 fluorescence line. At the low temperature region, the non-hydrostatic effects develop continuously with increasing pressure from the low-pressure region in the all media. We reveal the relative strengths of the non-hydrostatic effects appeared in the media at 77K.


Cholinergic signaling, i.e., neurotransmission mediated by acetylcholine, is involved in a host of physiological processes, including learning and memory. Cholinergic dysfunction is commonly associated with neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease. In the gut, acetylcholine acts as an excitatory neuromuscular signaler to mediate smooth muscle contraction, which facilitates peristaltic propulsion. Gastrointestinal dysfunction has also been associated with Alzheimer's disease. This research focuses on the preparation of an electrochemical enzyme-based biosensor to monitor cholinergic signaling in the gut and its application for measuring electrically stimulated acetylcholine release in the mouse colon ex vivo. The biosensors were prepared by platinizing Pt microelectrodes through potential cycling in a potassium hexachloroplatinate (IV) solution to roughen the electrode surface and improve adhesion of the multienzyme film. These electrodes were then modified with a permselective poly(m-phenylenediamine) polymer film, which blocks electroactive interferents from reaching the underlying substrate while remaining permeable to small molecules like H2O2. A multienzyme film containing choline oxidase and acetylcholinesterase was then drop-cast on these modified electrodes. The sensor responds to acetylcholine and choline through the enzymatic production of H2O2, which is electrochemically oxidized to produce an increase in current with increasing acetylcholine or choline concentration. Important figures of merit include a sensitivity of 190 ± 10 mA mol-1 L cm-2, a limit of detection of 0.8 μmol L-1, and a batch reproducibility of 6.1% relative standard deviation at room temperature. These sensors were used to detect electrically stimulated acetylcholine release from mouse myenteric ganglia in the presence and absence of tetrodotoxin and neostigmine, an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor.


Ancient silk road had two main branches, one is north line across Xinjiang and the other is south line proposed as Highland Silk Road, jointing Tibetan Empire, Tang Dynasty and states in South Asia. Due to the harsh natural environment on the Tibetan Plateau (TP), a little archaeological work had carried out, and a few archaeological sites were excavated on the TP. How the highland silk road was developed is unclear.

In 2018, researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) launched the second scientific expedition to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (STEP) that will last 5 to 10 years, following an expedition in the 1970s. Sponsored by the STEP, we had two systematic surveys along the Yarlung Tsangpo River regions, esp. the middle and lower regions to understand the prehistoric human activities on the central Tibetan Plateau where the mean altitude is above 4000 meters. We investigated the terraces along the River and its tributoraries, and terraces circled the lake banks. 99 archaeological sites were surveyed, including 58 new findings. The anthropic deposits were found at 31 sites and a profile was cleared at each site to collect dating materials. Charcoals and charred seeds were floated from the anthropic deposits and dated 60 samples by the AMS 14C.

In combination with previous published dates, we set up a brief history of human activities on the central TP that is, Neolithic people had occupied the Yarlung Tsangpo Valley in the third millennium BC, and moved along the River and its tributaries. The route of dispersal is similar with the historic highland silk road, indicating that this road had developed in prehistory.


Dayasari residential college building was designed with the internal courtyard that allows for numerous implementations of bioclimatic design strategies, especially on daylighting. The field measurement was conducted at eight unoccupied student rooms, selected as samples to represent ten scenarios and orientations that concerned with the level of radiation and penetration of sunlight. This study reveals the contribution of the internal courtyard in the residential college which allows the daylight penetration at the corridor areas and interior of the rooms through the transom over the entrance door, up to ten hours daily. Different amounts of daylight were measured in specific room scenarios to suggest on the most comfortable indoor living space. The recorded mean value for indoor varied from 37 to 286 lux, while in the corridor area 192 to 3,848 lux. However, the use of the large overhangs over the windows, wall openings in the room and trees with large canopy in the landscape setting should critically justify when the adequacy of daylight was drastically reduced in certain rooms.


For applications as Operational Modal Analysis (OMA) of vibrating structures, an output-only LTI system with state and measurement noise can be identified using subspace methods. While these identification techniques have been very suitable for the identification of such mechanical, aeronautical or civil structures, covariance expressions of the estimates of the system matrices are difficult to obtain and theoretical results from literature are hard to implement for output-only systems with unknown noise properties in practice. Moreover, the model order of the underlying system is generally unknown and due to noise and model errors, usual statistical criteria cannot be used. Instead, the system is estimated at multiple model orders and some GUI driven stabilization diagram containing the resulting modal parameters is used by the structural engineer. Then, the covariance of the estimates at these different model orders is an important information for the engineer, which, however, would be computationally expensive to obtain with the existing tools. Recently a fast multi-order version of the stochastic subspace identification approach has been proposed, which is based on the use of the QR decomposition of the observability matrix at the largest model order. In this paper, the corresponding covariance expressions for the system matrix estimates at multiple model orders are derived and successfully applied on real vibration data.


ABSTRACT This paper examines the role of the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty in relation to marine spatial protection, with a focus on the designation of marine or partially marine areas as Antarctic Specially Protected or Managed Areas (ASPAs and ASMAs). For an improved understanding of this ASPA and ASMA practice, the competence arrangements between the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ATCM) and the Commission on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) are also examined. Five categories of ASPAs and ASMAs are identified according to their location and values relative to marine environments and ecosystems. A series of maps illustrate the outcomes of this inventory. The analysis and maps show that the use of ASPAs and ASMAs in marine or partially marine areas has been limited, although such protection is clearly within the mandate and competence of the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Parties. In part to explain these outcomes, the paper examines some recent ATCM discussions on marine protection issues. It is concluded that stronger spatial marine protection through ASPAs and ASMAs, as well as a strengthened integrated protection of the marine environment, requires stronger collaboration between the ATCM and CCAMLR, as well as mutual respect between these bodies.


Family business succession is considered inherent to family businesses and represents a critical process that is generally characterised by resistance to change. This study aims to investigate the role of management accounting systems (MASs) in family business succession, in order to understand how changes in MASs during the succession across different family generations can help the succession process itself, facilitating the rise of the new leader, supporting changes, and reducing resistance to them. The research adopts a case study approach, focusing on organizational routines and their changes, at the same time taking into account the socioemotional wealth of the family firm. Evidence from the study shows the strategic role of MAS in managing the succession process, through the implementation of new routines and rules in helping the decision-making process and in achieving the firm's leadership.

 Key words: Family business succession, management accounting changes, routines, socioemotional wealth.


OBJECTIVE. Erythropoietin therapy is effective in decreasing transfusions to varying degrees in preterm infants. Recent animal studies using erythropoietin doses to achieve serum concentrations >1000 mU/mL report neuroprotective effects. We evaluated the relationship between erythropoietin concentrations and neurodevelopmental outcome in extremely low birth weight infants. METHODS. Preterm infants who weighed ≤1000 g at birth were randomly assigned to erythropoietin (400 U/kg 3 times per week) or placebo/control. Therapy was initiated by 4 days after birth and continued through the 35th postmenstrual week. All infants received supplemental parenteral and enteral iron. Peak serum erythropoietin concentrations were obtained every 2 weeks. Follow-up evaluation included anthropometric measurements, Bayley scales of mental and psychomotor development, neurologic examination, and determination of overall neurodevelopmental impairment. Data were collected at 18 to 22 months' corrected age by certified examiners who were masked to the treatment group. Analyses were performed to identify correlations between erythropoietin concentrations and outcomes. RESULTS. Sixteen extremely low birth weight infants were enrolled; 1 infant died at 2 weeks (placebo/control), and 15 had erythropoietin concentrations measured (7 erythropoietin, 8 placebo/control). Peak erythropoietin concentrations were significantly different between groups during the study (erythropoietin: 2027 ± 1464 mU/mL; placebo/control: 26 ± 11 mU/mL). Before follow-up, 3 infants died (1 erythropoietin, 2 placebo/control), and 12 were available for follow-up (6 erythropoietin, 6 placebo/control). At 18 to 22 months' follow-up, none of the erythropoietin recipients and 2 of the placebo/control infants had Mental Development Index scores <70. Erythropoietin recipients had Mental Development Index scores of 96 ± 11, and placebo/control infants had Mental Development Index scores of 78 ± 7. Psychomotor Development Index scores were similar between groups (87 ± 13 vs 80 ± 7). There were no differences between groups with respect to anthropometric measurements. Two of 6 infants in the erythropoietin group and 4 of 6 infants in the placebo/control group had some form of neurodevelopmental impairment. Posthoc analysis showed that infants with erythropoietin concentrations ≥500 mU/mL had higher Mental Development Index scores than infants with erythropoietin concentrations <500 mU/mL. CONCLUSIONS. Erythropoietin concentrations did not correlate with Psychomotor Development Index or overall incidence of neurodevelopmental impairment; however, infants with elevated erythropoietin concentrations had higher Mental Development Index scores than those with lower erythropoietin concentrations. Close follow-up of infants who are enrolled in large, multicenter, high-dose erythropoietin studies is required to determine whether a correlation exists between elevated erythropoietin concentrations and improved neurodevelopmental outcome.


Despite the growing scholarly interest in the effects of principal leadership on student achievement, empirical evidence concerning how principal qualifications might be related to student learning outcomes has been limited. This study investigates the relationship between different principal qualifications (prior experience in teaching, principalship and other school management roles, formal education, principal training, and professional development) and student achievement by analyzing cross-national teaching and learning international survey and program on international student assessment data from seven countries. The results showed that experience in principalship and other school management positions, principal training, and participation in networking activities and teaching/pedagogy-focused seminars had small but statistically significant associations with student achievement, though the results were not consistent across different subjects. Level of education and years of teaching experience did not, however, predict student achievement. Implications of the findings are offered for policy and further research.


The pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2 in the context of a specific immunological niche is not fully understood. Here, we used a golden Syrian hamster model to systematically evaluate the kinetics of host response to SARS-CoV-2 infection, following disease pathology, viral loads, antibody responses, and inflammatory cytokine expression in multiple organs. The kinetics of SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis and genomewide lung transcriptome was also compared between immunocompetent and immunocompromised hamsters. We observed that the body weight loss was proportional to the SARS-CoV-2 infectious dose and lasted for a short time only in immunocompetent hamsters. Body weight loss was more prominent and prolonged in infected immunocompromised hamsters. While the kinetics of viral replication and peak live viral loads were not significantly different at low and high infectious doses (LD and HD), the HD-infected immunocompetent animals developed severe lung disease pathology. The immunocompetent animals cleared the live virus in all tested tissues by 12 days post-infection and generated a robust serum antibody response. In contrast, immunocompromised hamsters mounted an inadequate SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibody response, and the virus was detected in the pulmonary and multiple extrapulmonary organs until 16 days post-infection. These hamsters also had prolonged moderate inflammation with severe bronchiolar-alveolar hyperplasia/metaplasia. Consistent with the difference in disease presentation, distinct changes in the expression of inflammation and immune cell response pathways and network genes were seen in the lungs of infected immunocompetent and immunocompromised animals. This study highlights the interplay between the kinetics of viral replication and the dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis at organ-level niches and maps how COVID-19 symptoms vary in different immune contexts. Together, our data suggest that the histopathological manifestations caused by progressive SARS-CoV-2 infection may be a better predictor of COVID-19 severity than individual measures of viral load, antibody response, and cytokine storm at the systemic or local (lungs) levels in the immunocompetent and immunocompromised hosts.


Simple Summary Melanoma, an aggressive form of skin cancer, is frequently associated with drug resistance in the advanced stages. For instance, frequently resistance is observed in sequential treatment of melanoma with targeted therapy and immunotherapy. In this research, the authors investigated whether potential transcriptional mechanisms and pathways associated with PD-L1 protein expression could underlie targeted therapy drug resistance in melanoma. The authors found a PD-L1 expression transcriptional pattern underlies resistance to targeted therapy in a subgroup of melanomas. These melanomas were markedly dedifferentiated, as compared to melanomas that were not drug resistant. Understanding changes in transcription and molecular pathways that lead to drug resistance could allow researchers to develop interventions to prevent drug resistance from occurring in melanoma, which could also be relevant to other cancer types. Abstract Melanoma is the most aggressive type of skin cancer, with increasing incidence worldwide. Advances in targeted therapy and immunotherapy have improved the survival of melanoma patients experiencing recurrent disease, but unfortunately treatment resistance frequently reduces patient survival. Resistance to targeted therapy is associated with transcriptomic changes and has also been shown to be accompanied by increased expression of programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1), a potent inhibitor of immune response. Intrinsic upregulation of PD-L1 is associated with genome-wide DNA hypomethylation and widespread alterations in gene expression in melanoma cell lines. However, an in-depth analysis of the transcriptomic landscape of melanoma cells with intrinsically upregulated PD-L1 expression is lacking. To determine the transcriptomic landscape of intrinsically upregulated PD-L1 expression in melanoma, we investigated transcriptomes in melanomas with constitutive versus inducible PD-L1 expression (referred to as PD-L1CON and PD-L1IND). RNA-Seq analysis was performed on seven PD-L1CON melanoma cell lines and ten melanoma cell lines with low inducible PD-L1IND expression. We observed that PD-L1CON melanoma cells had a reprogrammed transcriptome with a characteristic pattern of dedifferentiated gene expression, together with active interferon (IFN) and tumour necrosis factor (TNF) signalling pathways. Furthermore, we identified key transcription factors that were also differentially expressed in PD-L1CON versus PD-L1IND melanoma cell lines. Overall, our studies describe transcriptomic reprogramming of melanomas with PD-L1CON expression.


A straightforward silver-mediated oxidative decarboxylative radical trifluoromethylthiolation reaction of aliphatic carboxylic acid is described. This reaction operates under mild conditions and allows the synthesis of various valuable alkyltrifluoromethylthioethers from abundant alkyl carboxylic acids and convenient nucleophilic AgSCF3 reagent. It provides a practical and efficient approach for the preparation of alkyltrifluoromethylthioethers.


The tide gage at Prudhoe Bay provides the only continuous long term direct measurement of sea level on the Alaska North Slope. In addition to trends in mean sea level, it provides a record of storm surges and setdowns. Analysis of the sea level time series from 1993 to 2010 reveals no statistically significant trends in relative sea level, storm frequency, intensity and duration. The return period of sea level extremes are estimated.


The World Health Organization (WHO), recognizing the impact of 'work-related' musculoskeletal diseases, has characterized WMSD s as multifactorial, indicating that a number of risk factors contribute to and exacerbate these maladies (Sauter et al., 1993). The presence of these risk factors produced increases in the occurrence of these injuries, thus making WMSD s an international health concern. These types of injuries of the soft tissues are referred to by many names, including WMSD s, repetitive strain injuries (RSI), repetitive motion injuries (RMI), and cumulative trauma disorders (CTDs) (McCauley Bush, 2011).


The principle of unjust enrichment is susceptible to varying interpretations, which reflect importantly different conceptions of how courts should decide cases and develop law. The consequences of different possible interpretations of the unjust enrichment principle are nicely illustrated by a group of cases involving restitution claims between former cohabitants. Claims of this kind are endorsed by the new Restatement (Third) of Restitution and Unjust Enrichment (now in preparation). In recognizing these claims, the Restatement adopts an "equitable" interpretation of unjust enrichment for this category of cases, one that licenses courts to disregard rules and engage in particularistic decision-making. This is surprising in light of the generally rule-oriented approach to restitution endorsed in the initial sections of the Restatement. It also carries with it a number of dangers, which are evident in the context of cohabitant claims.


finite fields, elliptic curves, cryptography A method is described to represent points on elliptic curves over F2n' in the context of elliptic curve cryptosystems' using n bits. The method allows for full recovery of the x and y components of the point. This improves on the naive representation using 2n bits and on a previously known compressed representation using n + 1 bits. Since n bits are necessary to represent a point in the general case of a cryptosystem over F2n, the representation described in this note is minimal.


For classical simulations of condensed-phase systems, such as organic liquids and biomolecules, to achieve high accuracy, they will probably need to incorporate an accurate, efficient model of conformation-dependent electronic polarization. Thus, it is of interest to understand what determines the accuracy of a polarizable electrostatics model. This study approaches this problem by breaking polarization models down into two main components: the representation of electronic polarization and the response model used for mapping from an inducing field to the polarization within the chosen representation. Among the most common polarization representations are redistribution of atom-centered charges, such as those used in the fluctuating charge model, and atom-centered point dipoles, such as those used in a number of different polarization models. Each of these representations has been combined with one or more response models. The response model of fluctuating charge, for example, is based on the idea of electronegativity equalization in the context of changing electrostatic potentials (ESPs), whereas point-dipole representations typically use a response model based on point polarizabilities whose induced dipoles are computed based on interaction with other charges and dipoles. Here, we decouple polarization representations from their typical response models to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of various polarization approximations. First, we compare the maximal possible accuracies achievable by the charge redistribution and point-dipole model representations, by testing their ability to replicate quantum mechanical (QM) ESPs around small molecules polarized by external inducing charges. Perhaps not surprisingly, the atom-centered dipole model can yield higher accuracy. Next, we test two of the most commonly used response functions used for the point-dipole representations, self-consistent and direct (or first-order) inducible point polarizabilities, where the polarizabilities are optimized to best fit the full set of polarized QM potentials for each molecule studied. Strikingly, the induced-dipole response model markedly degrades accuracy relative to that obtainable with optimal point dipoles. In fact, the maximal accuracy achievable with this response model is even lower than that afforded by an optimal charge-redistribution representation. This means that, if coupled with a sufficiently accurate response function, the point-charge representation could outperform the standard induced-dipole model. Furthermore, although a key advantage of the point-dipole representation, relative to charge redistribution, is its ability to capture out-of-plane polarization, the inducible dipole response model causes it to be less accurate than optimal charge redistribution for out-of-plane induction of the planar nitrobenzene molecule. Thus, the widely used inducible dipole response function falls short of the full potential accuracy achievable with the point-dipole representation it employs. Additional results reported here bear on the relative accuracy of self-consistent inducible dipoles versus that of the first-order, or direct, approximation and on methods for assigning partial atomic charges for use in conjunction with inducible dipole models. In sum, these results point to the improvement of polarization response models as an important direction for future research aimed at improving the accuracy of molecular simulations.


This paper aims to provide country inputs to the joint study on ASEAN-US Relations whose main objective is to identify policy reforms and actions producing mutual benefits for ASEAN and the US in the area of trade in goods, services and investment. It discusses the trends and policies of trade in these areas and outlines the medium term prospects for the Philippine economy. It also investigates salient issues such as the Generalized System of Preferences, intellectual property rights and agriculture issues. Finally, it analyzes the implications of its findings on ASEAN-US economic relations from the Philippine perspective.


In this study, the effect of crude extract of cocoa infected with Phytophthora palmivora were tested for and their ability to confer protection on cocoa pods in the field against black pod disease/pod rot. Dichloromethane was used to extract the phytochemicals from infected cocoa pods. The extract was concentrated using rotatory evaporator at 40°C. Three categories of matured unriped and uninfected cocoa pods were used in the field trial in a cocoa farm in Iworoko – Ekiti, near the University of Ado – Ekiti campus. The first category were made up of 3 sets of cocoa pods sprayed with 100 mg/ml, 200mg/ml and 300 mg/ml of the crude extract respectively. The second category were also made up of 3 sets sprayed with 3 different conventional fungicides (Ridomil, Funguran and Copper Sulphate) used for the control of black pod disease. The third category of cocoa pods were not sprayed with either the induced crude extract or conventional fungicides. These served as the control. The categories were later sprayed with a 10 day old standardized mycelial suspension of P. palmivora  (0.600 absorbance at 450 nm). Daily observations of the three categories of cocoa pods were made for 14 days. It was observed that the first and second categories of cocoa pods showed no symptoms of black pod disease while the third category (control) showed symptoms of black pod disease after the fifth day of the experiment. From this field trial, it could be concluded that the induced crude extract from infected cocoa pods compare favourably with conventional fungicides in prevention of black pod disease of cocoa in the field.

 Key words: Cocoa induced crude extract, black pod, field trial, Phytophthora palmivora.


We base our work on an historical study and on interviews of Chinese managers living in the area of Shanghai. We use the institutional theoretical stream in combination with the impact of national culture, considering that organizations and managers are influenced by cultural and institutional determinants. In a first part, we describe the theoretical background to the research and our method. Then, in a second part, we present the significant cultural and institutional features of China that enable us to justify several hypotheses about our topic. In a third part, we analyze twelve in-depth interviews, trying to answer our research question. Our basic research question focuses on what "Performance" means for Chinese managers. Behind the word and its different meanings (economic, global, social), we analyze the cultural and institutional backgrounds of the managers interviewed. We end by drawing several conclusions, some of them quite non-intuitive. We show the disappearance of Confucian values behind a combination of pragmatism, and interpersonal relations. In this context, the perception of Performance would be subjective and the expression of institutional and cultural components of Chinese society. We believe that it is relevant for managers coming from Western cultures to have an understanding of this context when doing business in China.


SEN analysis [Solar Energy, 2007, Vol. 81, pp. 1043–1054] is a robust characterization method for stratified thermal energy stores (TES). It integrates the concerns of the First and Second Law of Thermodynamics into single efficiency index. The First Law concern is incorporated into the definition of SEN efficiency index through energy response factor (ER ) and the Second Law concern through entropy generation ratio (REG ). SEN analysis thus estimates the ability of a TES to store energy and exergy. In the current paper SEN analysis is utilized to characterize hot water heat stores (HWHS) with respect to the axial position and number of charging/discharging equipments they possess. Diffusers or flow-guides are used as charging-discharging equipments in view of reducing turbulent mixing within the HWHS, especially in the entrance and exit ports. For HWHS charging-discharging equipments are commonly positioned in the top-most and bottom-most regions of the HWHS in order to avoid development of dead volume, i.e., volume that does not take part in the charging-discharging process. Axially placed conical diffusers are observed to circumvent the issue of dead volumes. However, the effect of their axial position on the entropy generation is not yet studied. Further, one may use intermediate charging-discharging equipment in association with the original pair in order to feed or withdraw the working fluid into/from the HWHS at different heights. This paper provides a detailed analysis of the position and number of axially placed conical diffusers with zero diffuser angles inside a cylindrical HWHS. The thermal field information obtained from a computational fluid dynamic (CFD) analysis is subjected to the SEN analysis to achieve required design insights.Copyright © 2008 by ASME


Intrahepatic cholestasis is a main cause of hepatic accumulation of bile acids leading to liver injury, fibrosis, and liver failure. Our previous studies proved that Calculus Bovis Sativus (CBS) can restore biliary transport function through upregulating the multidrug resistance-associated protein 2 (MRP2) and breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP) in 17α-ethynylestradiol- (EE-) induced intrahepatic cholestasis rats. The regulation mechanism of CBS on these transporters, however, remains unclear. This study was designed to evaluate the possible relationship between the effect of CBS on transport activities and the regulation of CBS on the expression of PDZK1, a mainly scaffold protein which can regulate MRP2 and BCRP. Intrahepatic cholestasis model was induced in rats with injection of EE for five consecutive days and then the biliary excretion rates and cumulative biliary excretions were measured. The mRNA and protein expression levels of PDZK1 were detected by reverse transcription-quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, western blot, and immunohistochemical analysis. When treated with CBS, cumulative biliary excretions and mRNA and protein expressions of PDZK1 were significantly increased in intrahepatic cholestasis rats. This study demonstrated that CBS exerted a beneficial effect on EE-induced intrahepatic cholestasis rats by restoring biliary transport function, which may result from the upregulation of PDZK1 expression.


Ice cores removed from shallow ice-covered tundra lakes near Barrow, Alaska, and taiga lakes near Anchorage, Alaska, exhibit increasing concentrations of methane with depth. Methane concentrations in the ice cores increased from 0 μM in the top 15 cm sections to a maximum of 23 μM in the lowest 15 cm sections of tundra lake ice and to a maximum of 147 μM in taiga lake ice. Methane concentrations in the water beneath the ice reflect a similar pattern, with values near 5 μM early in the ice-covered season, increasing up to 42 μM in the tundra lakes, and up to 730 μM in the taiga lakes. Methane levels increase in the water beneath the ice during the course of the winter due to decreasing water volume, exclusion from growing ice, and continued methane production in thawed sediments. Since the ice layer prohibits gas exchange with the atmosphere, the methane is not oxidized, as it would be during the summer months, allowing the winter accumulation and storage of methane in the ice and lake waters. Efflux measurements, taken with floating chambers on the taiga lakes, indicated a large pulse of methane released during the period of ice melt and spring turnover. The efflux from one lake ranged from 2.07 g CH4 m−2 in 1995 to 1.49 g CH4 m−2 in 1996 for the 10 day period immediately after ice melt. Estimation of methane efflux using a boundary layer diffusion model and surface water concentrations during the entire ice-free period in 1996 predicted an efflux of 1.79 g CH4 m−2 during the same 10 day period, compared with 2.28 g CH4 m−2 for the remainder of the summer season. This observation suggests that almost as much methane efflux can occur during a brief period immediately after ice melt as occurs during the remainder of the ice-free season. Since measurements of methane efflux from high-latitude-lakes are generally made after this breakup period, the overall contribution to atmospheric methane from high-latitude lakes may be twice that of current estimates.


Estuaries provide an excellent depositional environment to study the interaction between minerals (clays, quartz sands…) and biofilms. The estuary bottom is largely covered by biofilms that impact sediment stability, the mud and clay-coat content in sands, and sedimentary-structure stability, thus influencing sandstone properties during burial. Although numerous oil, gas, and geothermal reservoirs are exploited in estuarine heterolithic point bars, many questions remain about the origin of reservoir properties and heterogeneities in these sedimentary bodies. In order to better understand the sedimentary and microbiologic processes in estuarine systems and to better predict the reservoir quality of estuarine sandstones, this study characterizes a modern heterolithic point bar located in the Garonne estuarine channel at various scales, ranging from the microscopic (thin section) to the macroscopic (core) scale. Three piston cores 4.5 to 6.8 m long were drilled in the Bordeaux North Point Bar. Three main facies were identified in these cores: 1) sandy gravel, 2) heterolithic, medium-grained sand dunes, and 3) thin heterolithic, fine-grained sand beds with mud drapes. The sands are classified as lithic arkoses to feldspathic litharenites. Detrital clay grain coats, which at deep burial depths are transformed to permeability preserving authigenic chlorite coatings, are observed from the base to the top of the point bar. These detrital clay grain coats are mainly composed of smectite, illite, kaolinite, and chlorite, intermixed with other components, such as diatoms or pyrite. Biofilms of exopolymeric substances (EPSs), mostly produced by diatoms, are believed to control the adhesion of the clay coats to the surface of sand grains. Quantification by thin section shows that on average about 30% of the sands are coated in the point bar. The proportion of clay-coated grains appears to be independent of facies. Radiocarbon age dating measured on organic matter points to significant vertical mixing, highlighting the significance of erosion and redeposition. The activities of 137Cs and 210Pb indicate a vertical sedimentation rate of ca. 0.02 m.yr–1 in the muddy chute channel. These ages, coupled to historical maps, suggest that the present-day point bar has developed over the last 300 years with a vertical sedimentation rate ranging from 0.015 to 0.036 m.y–1 and a lateral migration rate of about 1 m.y–1. The combination of sedimentary geology, thin-section petrography, and mineralogy at high spatial and temporal resolutions highlights the potential of this study area as a modern analogue for ancient tidally influenced point-bar deposits associated with clay coatings.


The Si lightweight‐process based system for simulating process interactions is an enhancement to the C programming languge in the form of library primitives with sets of predefined data structures. The Si system encapsulates an existing lightweight‐process library to provide a discrete‐event simulation environment supporting the process view. It was developed as a research testbed for investigating methods which support simulations efficiently. Easy extensions and modifications to the Si system are a major design objective, accomplished through modularity and layering. This paper describes the system, our experiences with its implementation, and its applicability to simulation modeling. We report on performance measurements of different implementations of the simulation scheduler, and of different algorithms for simulating service disciplines.


We examine the co-movements of the Central and Eastern European emerging stock markets, namely those of Visegrad Group – the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Baltic States – Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania with developed markets (represented by the STOXX Global 1800 Index) over the period from January 2000 to December 2013. Mutual relationships are estimated in both standard and asymmetric DCC MV-GARCH models. Further on, timevarying correlations are used as a proxy of stock market integration and are explained by the smooth transition logistic trend model to examine, whether this process can be considered as gradual over time. We found that Visegrad stock markets exhibit in average higher correlations and the transition process is smoother in comparison to Baltic markets. Also positive relationship between deviations from the long-term logistic trend and market volatility has been confirmed. Thus, in more volatile periods correlations tend to be higher; providing decreasing diversification benefits for the international investors.


Abstract. Title of the paper: Mother-infant-relationships in a beef suckler cow herd A beef suckler cattle herd (25 cows, 23 calves) was observed on pasture for mother-infant behaviour. This behaviour varied substantially in that 20 different suckling positions (with one, two or three calves suckling per cow) were observed during 299 sucklings. The frequent occuring cross suckling, the diversity of suckling positions as well as the behaviour of cows during suckling are discussed in the context of the current literature. In contrast to the literature, our results showed a higher incidence of cross suckling and a variety of suckling positions, indicating a disturbed bonding between the cow and its calf during birth. The preferred lying order of the herd showed parallel lying positions along the periphery of the pasture. In conclusion, the results should encourage farmers to design their pastures according to the animal needs as well as including regular herd observations into herd management schemes.


Objective Extracorporeal life support (ECLS) is a life-saving procedure used in the treatment of severe cardiogenic shock. Within this retrospective single centre study, we examined our experience in this critically ill patient cohort to assess outcomes and clinical parameters by comparison of ECLS with or without selective left ventricular decompression. Methods Between 2004 and 2014 we evaluated 48 adult patients with INTERMACS level 1 heart failure (age 49.7 ± 19.5 years), who received either central ECLS with (n = 20, 41.7%) or ECLS without (n = 28, 58.3%, including 10 peripheral ECLS) integrated left ventricular vent in our retrospective single centre trial. Results Follow up was 100% with a mean of 0.83 ± 1.85 years. Bridge to ventricular assist device was feasible in 29.2% (n = 14), bridge to transplant in 10.4% (n = 5) and bridge to recovery in 8.3% (n = 4). Overall 30-day survival was 37.5%, 6-month survival 27.1% and 1-year survival 25.0%. ECLS support with left ventricular decompression showed favourable 30-day survival compared to ECLS without left ventricular decompression (p = 0.034). Thirty-day as well as long-term survival did not differ between the subgroups (central ECLS with vent, ECLS without vent and peripheral ECLS without vent). Multivariate logistic regression adjusted for age and gender revealed ECLS without vent as independent factor influencing 30-day survival. Conclusion ECLS is an established therapy for patients in severe cardiogenic shock. Independent of the ECLS approach, 30-day mortality is still high but with superior 30-day survival for patients with ECLS and left ventricular venting. Moreover, by unloading the ventricle, left ventricular decompression may provide an important time window for recovery or further treatment, such as bridge to bridge or bridge to transplant.


The explanation of the phenomenon of Brownian motion, given by Einstein in 1905 and based on the kinetic–molecular conception of matter, is considered one of the fundamental pillars (or even the main one) supporting atomism in its victorious struggle against phenomenological physics in the early years of this century. Despite the importance of the subject, there exists no specific study on it of sufficient depth. Generally speaking, most histories of physics repeat the following scheme: the discovery made by Robert Brown in 1827 (but only announced the following year), of the continuous movement of small particles suspended in a fluid did not arouse interest for a long time. Finally, at the close of the century, Gouy's research brought it to the attention of the physicists. Gouy was convinced that Brownian motion constituted a clear demonstration of the existence of molecules in continuous movement. Nevertheless, he did not work out any mathematized theory that could be subjected to quantitative confirmation. All nineteenth-century research remained at the qualitative level and yet it was able to clarify some general characteristics of the phenomenon: the completely irregular, unceasing, motion of the particles is not produced by external causes. It does not depend on the nature of the particles but only on their size. The first significant measurements, carried out by Felix Exner in 1900, appeared to deny the possibility of reconciling the kinetic theory with Brownian motion. The discovery of the ultra-microscope then allowed Zsigmondy to perceive the presence of movements, which were completely analogous to Brown's, in the particles of the colloids; these movements were rather smaller in size than those invesigated up to then. Thus Zsigmondy aroused interest in the phenomenon. Finally, in 1905, Einstein succeeded in stating the mathematical laws governing the movements of particles on the basis of the principles of the kinetic–molecular theory. The following year Smoluchowski arrived at conclusions which corresponded to Einstein's. These laws received a first, rough confirmation in the years immediately following by the work of The Svedberg, Seddig and, for some historians, Henri. Then in 1908 Jean Perrin gave it a definitive confirmation.


Cutting a strip-road leads to disruption of the canopy and results in an increased inflow of light to crowns of trees growing in the direct vicinity of the strip-road, which changes growing conditions of trees. The objective of the research was to assess the differentiation of DBH values, tree heights, crown base heights, crown lengths, knot diameters, taper and ovality values on trees growing in the neighbourhood of strip roads. The investigations were carried out in a 34-year-old pine stand in the Notecka Forest, where the strip roads had been cut parallel to the tree rows 7 years before. The measurements covered all trees growing in 3 rows closest to the strip road, and – as control –trees in the row half way between the strip roads. The DBH values, heights and ovalities (at BDH) were measured on all trees growing on both sides of the strip road, and the taper values as well as knots were measured on a 4meter long stem bottom part, in course of measurements carried out on model trees. The results showed differentiation of biometric features of trees, however no differences in shape defect values and knots were observed. The largest DBH values were found for the trees growing adjacent to the strip roads, however they were statistically significantly larger than DBH diameters of trees growing half way between the strip roads only. The trees adjacent to the strip roads were lower in height than those rowing further away from the strip roads, but their crowns were longer and lower set in. Statistically significant differences for tree heights were found for the middle zone only, in the case of the crown base, relative to all three zones, and in the case of crown lengths – relative to zones 2 and 3. The results showed that knots facing the strip road had larger diameters than those facing the stand (for distances of up to 1.5 m from the strip roads the differences were statistically significant), and this phenomenon was true for all distance zones.


Decision-making regarding energy determines carbon emissions and the severity of climate change. Energy literacy plays a crucial role because well-informed citizens can support the design and implementation of smart and forward-looking policies. Research has shown that people hold misconceptions about energy, and for young students these may persist into adulthood. Thus, this study is to understand the energy literacy of junior high school students in Taiwan and what their misconceptions are as well as why and how they hold these. Energy literacy scales (ELS) were developed and served as the basis for a survey of 1652 students in five regions of Taiwan, in which most indicators for knowledge were designed corresponding to common misconceptions in the scientific and social context of energy issues. Through analyzing the survey questions and survey results, interview questions were designed and 10 students were interviewed to identify their misconceptions. A "conceptual logic map" model was developed for demonstrating the sources and patterns of misconceptions and their linkages. Potential educational strategies were then proposed, showing the applicability of the model. The combination of concept-oriented energy literacy surveys, interviews, and the conceptual logic map was proven to be an effective design for misconception identification and treatment.


Historic Boston will be the site of the annual meeting of the Optical Society of America, to be held at the Sheraton Boston Hotel on 21–24 October. Eleven symposia held throughout the four‐day meeting will cover topics as diverse as molecular spectroscopy, laser speckle and visual perception.


Nowadays, optimal operational planning of micro-grid (MG) with regard to energy costs minimisation of MG and better utilisation of renewable energy sources (RES) such as solar and wind energy systems, has become the head of concern of modern power grids and energy management systems. Due to large integration of RES into the MG, the necessity of battery energy storage (BES) has increased rapidly. Size of BES plays an important role in the operation cost minimisation of MG. A cost-based formulation has been performed in this study to determine the optimal size of BES in the operation cost minimisation problem of MG under various constraints, such as power capacity of distributed generators (DGs), power and energy capacity of BES, charge/discharge efficiency of BES, operating reserve and load demand satisfaction. A recently developed optimisation technique known as grey wolf optimisation (GWO) has been applied here to solve the problem. The proposed algorithm is tested on a typical MG. Simulation results establish that the proposed approach outperforms several existing optimisation techniques such as genetic algorithm, particle swarm optimisation, tabu search, differential evolution, biogeography-based optimisation, teaching–learning-based optimisation, bat algorithm (BA) and improved BA in terms of quality of solution obtained and computational efficiency.


Using a standard technique, 122 single-copy probes were screened for their ability to detect restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs) in the human genome. The use of a standardized RFLP screening enables the introduction of statistical methods in the analysis of differences in RFLP content between chromosomes and enzymes. RFLPs were detected from panels containing at least 17 unrelated chromosomes, digested with TaqI, MspI, BglII, HindIII, EcoRI, and PstI. Forty autosomal probes, representing a sample of 2,710 base pairs (bp) per haploid genome, were tested, and 24 RFLPs were found. With 82 X-chromosomal probes, 17 RFLPs were found in 6,228 bp per haploid genome. The frequency of X-chromosomal RFLPs is three times less than that of the autosomes; this difference is highly significant (P = less than .001). The frequency of RFLPs revealed by various restriction enzymes and the possibility that the X chromosome is a "low mutation" niche in the human genome are discussed.


We present new spectroscopic observations in the Ca~{\sc ii} H \& K line region for a sample of 28 chromospherically active binary systems (RS$~$CVn and BY$~$Dra classes), with different activity levels. By using the spectral subtraction technique (subtraction of a synthesized stellar spectrum constructed from reference stars of similar spectral type and luminosity class) we obtain the active-chromosphere contribution to the Ca~{\sc ii} H \& K lines and to the H$\epsilon$ line when it is present. We have compared the emission equivalent widths obtained with this technique with those obtained by reconstruction of the absorption line profile below the emission peak(s). The emissions arising from each individual star were obtained when it was possible to deblend the contribution of both components. The Ca~{\sc ii} line profiles corresponding to different seasons and orbital phases are analysed in order to determine the contribution of each component and to study the chromospheric activity variations.


Understanding cortical function can provide accurately targeted interventions after stroke. Initially, stroke survivors had prolonged cognitive planning time and elevated cognitive effort, highly correlated with motor control impairments. Exploratory results suggest that neurorehabilitation, accurately targeted to dyscoordination, weakness, and dysfunctional task component execution, can improve cognitive processes controlling motor function.


Cervical cancer is one of the major public health problems worldwide. Lack of awareness and unavailability of screening services are the major factors that contribute to the problem of cervical cancer in Ethiopia. The community‐based study conducted regarding the knowledge and attitude toward cervical cancer among women of reproductive age group is not enough to indicate the problem.


Objective: This study aimed to identify the novel microRNAs (miRNAs) for early diagnosis of bladder cancer. Materials and Methods: Differentially expressed miRNAs between early and advanced bladder cancer were identified by differential expression analysis, using miRNA-seq data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). The optimal subset of feature miRNAs for pathologic stage prediction was acquired by Random Forest algorithm and was used to construct a support vector machine (SVM) classifier. The performance of the SVM classifier in predicting the progression of bladder cancer samples was validated using an independent validating dataset. An miRNA-regulated target gene network was finally constructed and functional annotation were performed for the target genes. Results: A total of 52 significantly differentially expressed miRNAs were identified between early and advanced bladder cancer samples and 17 of these miRNAs were identified to be feature miRNAs. The 17 feature miRNAs were used to construct an SVM classifier, which showed a high performance in pathologic stage prediction for both training and validating dataset. Besides, our functional annotation analysis showed that the feature miRNAs were significantly involved in biological processes and pathways related to extracellular matrix process and PI3K/Akt signaling. Conclusions: The optimal subset of miRNAs may act as potential therapeutic targets and diagnostic markers of bladder cancer.


Difluoromethyltri(n-butyl)ammonium chloride 1 was found to be an effective difluorocarbene reagent for O-, S-, N-, C-difluoromethylation under basic conditions. It is particularly remarkable that, when only 1.2 equivalent of reagent 1 was used, the difluoromethylated products were obtained in moderate to excellent yields.


A new approach to extract the coefficients and weights of Lewis structures from the Hückel wave function is designed: Hückel-Lewis projection (HL-P). The weights are obtained by projection on overlapping Lewis structures. This straightforward alternative to ab initio approaches is detailed and used on typical cases, including acrolein, allyl radical, pyrrole-like systems, and imidazolylidene. A trust parameter is defined and shown as a guide to retrieve the most important Lewis structures. The emblematic examples of butadiene and benzene are chosen to illustrate the use of this parameter.


The machine learning models developed on a dataset comprising particular class of materials show poor transferability across different classes. The problem can be partially solved by increasing the variability in the dataset at the cost of prediction accuracy. To develop a model on a highly variable database, we propose a localized regression based patchwork kriging approach for capturing most of the complex details in the data. In this approach, the data is partitioned into smaller regions with shared patches of few datapoints across the neighboring boundaries. Local regression functions are developed in each partition with a constrain to give similar performance at the boundary. Out of 17 different properties tried for partitioning the data, the decomposition with respect to target output κl gave local models with unprecedented accuracies. The partitioning with respect to κl, however, requires its estimate for any unknown compound beforehand. To address this, we developed a global model for the entire database. The global model accurately predicts the order of magnitude of κl for the compounds in the dataset and hence, directs them towards a particular partition for more accurate prediction. We define this stepwise approach as guided patchwork kriging, which can be applied to develop highly accurate transferable prediction models.


This article outlines the gender dynamics that determine men and women's involvement in Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Mechanisms in Kapsokwony, Bungoma County. It highlights that while ADR mechanisms are normally considered participatory and inclusive in Kenya, the reality however is that they remain male dominated. The study was based on a mixed research method whose methodology involved research survey, interview, and Focus Group Discussions. Findings from studies carried out across the global confirm that men continue to have upper hand over women with regards to participation in conflict resolution using ADR (Alternative Dispute Resolution) mechanisms for number of reasons. The situation was found not different in the context of Kapsokwony, a sub-county of Bungoma County in Kenya. This study discussed the multidimensional factors that continue to contribute to men upper hand over women in resolving conflict through ADR mechanisms.


A time-derivative preconditioning algorithm that is effective over a wide range of flow conditions from inviscid to very diffusive flows and from low speed to supersonic flows has been developed. The algorithm uses a preconditioning matrix that introduces well-conditioned eigenvalues while simultaneously avoiding nonphysical time reversals for viscous flows. The resulting algorithm also provides a mechanism for controlling the inviscid and viscous time step parameters at very diffusive flows, thereby ensuring rapid convergence for very viscous flows as well as for inviscid flows. Computational capabilities are demonstrated through computation of a wide variety of problems. Convergence rates are shown to be accelerated by as much as two orders of magnitudes, while providing solutions that are indentical to those obtained without preconditioning method.


This talk will focus on simulation of flow in strongly heterogeneous oil reservoirs.
The main purpose of reservoir simulation studies is to visualize flow scenarios and
estimate production characteristics associated with a particular well configuration.
This information is then used to determine well locations that maximize oil recovery.

Oil reservoirs may stretch across a few kilometers horizontally,
but are usually no more than one hundred meters in the vertical direction.
To produce oil from the reservoir, one drills wells into the rock formations.
At specified locations, water or gas is pumped into the reservoir creating
a pressure build up that drives the reservoir liquids towards production wells.
To conduct reservoir flow simulations, one starts with a geological model that
specifies the distribution of permeability and porosity in the reservoir. A
geological model may consist of 10--100 million grid blocks that can be
10--50 m in the horizontal direction, but only 0.1--1 m in the vertical direction.
The distribution of permeability in geological models is often characterized by a
very large span of scales. In fact, it is not uncommon that permeability values span
across multiple orders of magnitude across short distances. This poses a
continuing challenge to flow simulation since both small-scale and large-scale
heterogeneous structures can have a strong impact on global flow patterns.

Reservoir simulation studies are mostly conducted on
coarsened models with less parameters. These models are obtained
by using so-called upscaling procedures that are designed specifically for coarse
scale simulations of flow in porous media. Along with the current enthusiasm for
multiscale methodologies, attempts have been made to avoid upscaling by using
multiscale numerical methods. Several promising multiscale methods have been proposed
for the pressure equation that produce accurate velocity fields on a fine scale.
Combined with the use of an efficient numerical technique for solving the saturation
equation at the fine scale, this
approach provides an appealing alternative to upscaling based simulation.
However, the computational cost of solving the saturation equation at the fine scale
may be prohibitively expensive.

Here we propose a multiscale method for the saturation equation. The basic idea is
to model the transport on a coarse grid, but unlike upscaling methods, we use
velocities and saturation values at the fine scale in a rigorous manner to account
for fine scale features in the flow scenario. Hence, once a new saturation
solution is obtained on the coarse grid, it is mapped onto a plausible fine scale
saturation profile. Another key difference between this approach and upscaling
techniques for the transport problem, is that here both gravity and capillary forces
are modeled. Numerical results are presented for a difficult
Benchmark test-case to demonstrate the capabilities of the method.


The aim of the present investigation was to establish the sperm antibody incidence among patients included in a program for assisted reproduction by the means of the classical and new methods for sperm antibody detection; to analyze the correlation between the results demonstrated by the different techniques; to evaluate the obtained data in the context of the application of new assisted reproduction technologies (ART). In the Laboratory of Reproductive Immunology, Department of Biology, Medical University of Sofia, 73 sera from patients (35 couples and 3 men) with primary and secondary infertility, aged 23-46 years, grouped according to the diagnosis and included in the program for assisted reproduction "Technobioassistance" were tested. Our results demonstrated the highest incidence of sperm antibodies amongst patients with primary unexplained infertility. The percentage of positive reacting couples for at least one of the applied tests was 31%. The highest relative share of those reacting positively, was observed with ELISA and the tray agglutination test (TAT) of Friberg. For ELISA 31.48% of the sera reacted positively, while clinically relevant liters of sperm antibodies were found with TAT in 21.92% of the tested sera. We also found that 17.46% and 13.7% of the tested sera were positive, respectively in the sperm immobilization test (SIT) of Isojima and the gelatin agglutination test (GAT) of Kibrick. The high degree of correlation (P < 0.0001) between the tests of Kibrick and Friberg showed the appropriateness of their application for patients in an ART program. At the other hand, the lack of correlation between the other applied tests (the Isojima test and ELISA) confirmed the assumption that immunity against spermatozoa should be sought with at least two diagnostic tools. Five of the tested families with clinically relevant TAT titers were included in our ART program for "in vitro" fertilization and embryo transfer, after preliminary absorption of the seminal fluid with autologous semen, or underwent the ICSI technique. For these patients, one ICSI pregnancy finished with the successful birth of a healthy child and one "in vitro" pregnancy is developing at the moment.


At the termination of World War II, the advent of atomic destruction alerted the medical profession to the great need for emergency stockpiling of plasma and plasma substitutes. At present, three plasma substitutes are widely used, dextran, polyvinylpyrrolidone, and oxypolygelatin. "Plasma volume expander" is the accepted name for these materials, since there is no true substitute for plasma or whole blood. Plasma expanders may be divided into four groups: (1) Blood derivatives: albumin, plasma, and modified globin; (2) modified proteins: gelatin and oxypolygelatin; (3) polymerized cabohydrates: dextran; (4) plastics: polyvinylpyrrolidone. 1a My clinical experience with plasma volume expanders has been limited almost entirely to the evaluation of dextran. I have had very little experience with polyvinylpyrrolidone, and I have not used oxypolygelatin in any of my studies. METHOD AND MATERIALS I have administered more than 500 infusions of dextran (Plavolex), in 6% isotonic sodium chloride solution during an 18 month


Metal particles in a Rh/γ-Al2O3 catalyst of differing particle size are oxidised by NO/He within 5 seconds at 313 K; rapid, highly exothermic dissociative chemisorption of NO is the initial step.


Background: Uveal melanoma (UM) is the most frequent ocular neoplasm with a strong metastatic ability. The prognostic value of metastasis-associated genes (MAGs) of UM remains unclear. It is urgent to develop a prognostic score system according to the MAGs of UM. Methods: Unsupervised clustering was used to identify MAGs-based molecular subtypes. Cox methods were utilized to generate a prognostic score system. The prognostic ability of the score system was detected by plotting ROC and survival curves. The immune activity and underlying function were depicted by CIBERSORT GSEA algorithms. Results: Gene cluster analysis determined two MAGs-based subclusters in UM, which were remarkably different in clinical outcomes. A risk score system containing six MAGs (COL11A1, AREG, TIMP3, ADAM12, PRRX1 and GAS1) was set up. We employed ssGSEA to compare immune activity and immunocyte infiltration between the two risk groups. Notch, JAK/STAT and mTOR pathways were greatly enriched in the high-risk group. Furthermore, we observed that knockdown of AREG could inhibit UM proliferation and metastasis by in vitro assays. Conclusion: The MAGs-based subtype and score system in UM can enhance prognosis assessment, and the core system provides valuable reference for clinical decision-making.


The linguistic situation in Molise Croatian dialect is characterised by absolute language contact in which the borrowings from the adstrate and superstrate Romance varieties are so numerous that the Molise Croatian linguistic community is threatened with extinction. From this perspective of language decay we will try to examine the changes of the morphological features of cases and verb phrases modifi ed by indirect objects in an oblique case (genitive, dative and instrumental case). The direct and indirect objects are noun phrases which are a part of a verb phrase, i.e. they are complements required by the thematic structure of the verb. In our discussion we will describe the main changes in the system of infl ection of the oblique cases in Molise Croatian (including the role of case markers), and examine their diff erent syntactic and semantic characteristics. Special att ention will be paid to the causes of the weakening of the infl ection system as well as on those factors which, on the other hand, help maintain the strength of the infl ection system which, although with forms and structures which greatly diff er from the original ones, continues to function in Molise Croatian dialect.


Summary A study of large populations of Acanthodiacrodium ubui Martin from the Habberley Shales (Tremadoc) of Shropshire reveals the presence of cyst-openings which vary in position and shape in different specimens. These openings exercise a disruptive effect on individuals and the resultant breakage patterns suggest that they are related to a complex set of sutures, one or more of which may be operative in a given cyst. Reconstruction of the suture pattern reveals a tabulate organism capable of orientation.


Protein films are an important class of materials for applications in biomedicine and biotechnology. The rational design of protein polymer sequence and selection of customized cross-linking offers unique opportunities to engineer desirable functionalities into these materials. Here we report the fabrication of a series of films with tunable physiochemical properties from genetically engineered silk-elastin-like proteins (SELPs). The SELPs were recombinantly biosynthesized with different ratios of silk-to-elastin blocks and periodic cysteine residues incorporated in the elastin blocks. A disulfide cross-linking method was developed for the preparation of the SELP films under mild oxidative conditions with a low concentration of hydrogen peroxide, in comparison with the physical cross-linking method used with the organic solvent methanol. Film properties were characterized for solubility, water absorption, hydrophilicity, surface roughness, and cyto-compatibility. The results indicated that customized cross-linking supported the fabrication of films from the SELP proteins with tunable features, including smooth, water stable film materials with cyto-compatibility. Interestingly, hydrogen peroxide oxidation was a preferred cross-linking method for the cysteine-containing SELPs with a low ratio of the silk-to-elastin blocks, whereas methanol treatment was suitable for fabricating films from the SELPs with a high ratio of silk-to-elastin blocks into stable films with rougher surfaces. We anticipate that an appropriate combination of polymer design and cross-linking might be a useful strategy for the preparation of protein films for diverse applications.


In cells, the interactions of distinct signaling transduction pathways originating from cross-talkings between signaling molecules give rise to the formation of signaling transduction networks, which contributes to the changes (emergency) of kinetic behaviors of signaling system compared with single molecule or pathway. Depending on the known experimental data, we have constructed a model for complex cellular signaling transduction system, which is derived from signaling transduction of epidermal growth factor receptor in neuron. By the computational simulating methods, the self-adaptive controls of this system have been investigated. We find that this model exhibits a relatively stable selfadaptive system, especially to over-stimulation of agonist, and the amplitude and duration of signaling intermediates in it could be controlled by multiple self-adaptive effects, such as "signal scattering", "positive feedback.", "negative feedback" and "B-Raf shunt". Our results provide an approach to understanding the dynamic behaviors of complex biological systems.


The effect of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) on hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection remains uncertain. This report describes the case of a man with hemophilia with HIV–HCV coinfection with persistent disappearance of HCV RNA after changing the HAART regimen. He had been treated with zidovudine, lamivudine, and indinavir for initial HAART and the HIV RNA level had been undetectable for more than 8 years. He had suffered from chronic active hepatitis. The HAART regimen was changed to emtricitabine/tenofovir, atazanavir, and ritonavir because the patient preferred a once daily regimen. The HCV RNA level fell immediately and thereafter became undetectable by quantitative and qualitative assay at 5 and 7 months after the change of the HAART regimen, respectively. In contrast to other reported cases, he experienced neither increase of CD4+ T cells count nor ALT flare‐ups before HCV RNA clearance. The HCV RNA disappearance in this case may be due to the direct effect of HAART against HCV rather than restoration of cellular immunity to HCV. J. Med. Virol. 81:979–982, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


SUMMARY Eggs released by broadcast-spawning marine invertebrates are often negatively buoyant. Blastulae and gastrulae of these species are commonly motile, with passive stability that leads to upward swimming in still water. The earliest occurrence of swimming in developing embryos of diverse invertebrates may therefore permit vertical migration in nature. I used turbulent and laminar shear flows to investigate: (1) the speed and direction of transport of non-motile and newly swimming stages of the echinoids Dendraster excentricus and Strongylocentrotus purpuratus in turbulence, and (2) the limit of stable vertical orientation in swimming blastulae of D. excentricus. Swimming contributed significantly to the rate of upward transport of D. excentricus in turbulence experiments where the kinetic energy dissipation rate (ε) was ∼10–2cm2s–3. However, swimming significantly reduced the rate of upward transport of S. purpuratus blastulae in turbulence, suggesting that passively stable swimmers of this species were turned from the vertical, crossed flow-lines, and migrated into downwelling. Observations of swimming in laminar shear indicate that D. excentricus swimming blastulae maintain a vertical orientation until shear approaches 0.26s–1, equivalent to sub-microscale shear in turbulence where ε is ∼10–3cm2s–3. Swimming speeds of D. excentricus showed an unexpected dependence on shear, indicating that greater shear (within limits) can enhance speed of ciliary swimming. In D. excentricus, swimming by newly hatched blastulae should support upward migration in turbulence characteristic of coastal surface waters, whereas species differences in passive stability and swimming responses to shear may lead to differences in vertical transport and subsequent dispersal.


In this research, the algorithm for simulating specific grain size distribution(GSD) with large diameter granular material was developed using the distinct element analysis program (Particle Flow Code). This modeling approach can generate the initial distinct elements without clump logic or cluster logic and prevent distinct element from escaping through the confining walls during the process. Finally the proposed distinct element model is used to simulate large triaxial compression test of the rockfill material and we compared the simulation output with lab test results. Simulation results of Assembly showed very well agreement with the GSD of the test sample and numerical modeling of granular material would be possible for various stress conditions using this application through the calibration.


Ezrin is a key protein in membrane‐cytoskeleton interaction and is expressed primarily in actin‐rich surface projections. Activation in protein tyrosine phosphorylation apparently regulates the structure and function of ezrin. In this study, we found that pervanadate (PV, the complexes of vanadate with hydrogen peroxide) caused an increase in tyrosine phosphorylation of ezrin and affected its cellular redistribution. Treatment of Madin‐Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells with pervanadate resulted in a dramatically increased tyrosine phosphorylation of ezrin within two to five min and the level reached the maximum after 60 min. This was accompanied by an alteration in the subcellular distribution of ezrin. Immunofluorescence and scanning laser confocal microscopy analysis revealed that, after PV stimulation, ezrin was redistributed from cytosol to the apical and lateral membrane domains. This occurred within five min, and more obvious redistribution to the lateral membrane domain was observed after 30 min. Furthermore, immunoblotting of ezrin in cell fractionation experiments showed that, in PV‐treated MDCK cells, cytosolic ezrin was translocated to the membrane fraction, while there was no change in the level of ezrin associated with the actin‐cytoskeleton. Therefore, cytoplasmic signaling may result in activation of ezrin in tyrosine phosphorylation, which is induced by PV stimulation. These results suggest that ezrin has qualities that might play a role in modulation of cell shape and adhesion. J. Cell. Biochem. 79:311–321, 2000. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


This paper examines China's recent movement in negotiating and signing regional trade agreements (R.T.As) in the context of the regionalism versus multilateralism debate in international trade law, focusing on the China-Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA) and the proposed China-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). The broader background consists of the potentially negative effects of regional trade arrangements like CAFTA, which may conflict with the economic goals of the multilateral trading system of the GATT/WTO regime. Countries, however, have a variety of non-economic considerations in approaching R.T.As, such as regional stability and national security. Furthermore, the literature suggests that although the economic benefits to members of R.T.As vary depending on the circumstances, at least they are apparent in some cases. This paper, after introducing the content and progress in the CEPA and CAFTA negotiations, discusses the geopolitical considerations behind China's R.T.A. approach. It also analyses the legal status and WTO-consistency of China's R.T.As. It concludes that while multilateralism still serves the long-term interest of trading nations for peace and prosperity, the multilateral trading system should accommodate regionalism in a fashion that strikes a balance between the economic and non-economic concerns of the various countries and the goal of broader liberalisation in global trade and investment. China, as a rising trade power with global influence, has the responsibility of promoting regional integration and global trade liberalisation in the interest of the aforesaid balance.


Lp(a) is a fascinating variant of low-density lipoprotein (LDL). It is basically an LDL molecule that has been modified by the covalent addition of apoprotein(a). Elevated levels of Lp(a) correlate with increased risk of acute coronary syndromes, cerebrovascular accident, peripheral arterial disease, and coronary mortality. This Q&A session answers some curiosities about Lipoprotein(a).


High-throughput protein expression and purification are major bottlenecks in the postgenomic and proteomic era. We show here an automated method to express and purify nm23-H2, a nucleoside diphosphate kinase (NDPK), in a 96-well format, by the use of a robotic workstation, from insect Spodoptera frugiperda (Sf9) baculovirus-infected cells using nickel-nitrilotriacetic acid (Ni-NTA) agarose beads. The automated method is coupled to mass spectrometry for a validation and quality-control analysis. To verify the bona fide of the recombinant protein, several tests have been produced, including NDPK assay, Western blotting, and in vitro phosphorylation experiments, thus confirming the value of the protocol developed. The method has been validated for the expression of several proteins, thus confirming the value of this automated protocol. The research presented here is a useful method both for industrial and academic environments to produce in a high-throughput mode recombinant eukaryotic proteins to be assayed for a specific function in a systematic manner.


Wound healing problems after TKA can be minimized by identifying at-risk patients, using postoperative oxygen liberally, careful surgical technique, and allowing wound healing to take priority over early motion. If a wound problem develops, prompt treatment will decrease the risk of catastrophic deep infection.


One of the important attributes to be satisfied for the probabilistic forecast system is reliability. However, some probabilistic forecast systems lack reliability. Why do some probabilistic forecasts lack reliability? We investigate a condition for a probabilistic binary forecast to be reliable in this work. We mathematically prove that a necessary, but not sufficient, condition for achieving a reliable probabilistic forecast is maximizing the Peirce skill score (PSS) at the threshold probability of the climatological base rate. The condition is confirmed by using artificially synthesized forecast-outcome pair data and previously published probabilistic solar flare forecast models. The condition gives a partial answer as to why some probabilistic forecast systems lack reliability, because the system, which does not satisfy the proved condition, can never be reliable. The result implies that those who want to develop a reliable probabilistic forecast system must adjust or train the system so as to maximize PSS near the threshold probability of the climatological base rate.


A decrement of upper extremity motor performance is a concern with vascular access creation. We analyzed differences in handgrip strength, tapping test and anthropometric indices of arms with and without vascular access (N = 87) and compared them to bilateral differences in control subjects (N = 140). Fistula harboring arms had weaker grip strength than contralateral arms of 2.7 kg and this difference was statistically marginally larger than the difference between non‐dominant and dominant arms in controls of 1.6 kg (mean difference 1.1 kg, P = 0.06). No difference in the magnitude of inferiority of fistula arms compared to control non‐dominant arms was present in the tapping test. Absolute results of both motor tests on any side were significantly worse in dialysis patients. Although weaker and slower, fistula arms showed larger mean upper‐arm and forearm circumferences of 0.4–0.6 cm. Our results show no significant negative effect of arteriovenous access on motor performance of upper extremities.


Journal of Cardiac Critical Care TSS Vol. 1 No. 2/2017 direction, we may have to give time for the healing process and wait. Optimizing basal metabolic rate, minimizing the energy expenditure of the tissues, providing nutrition in right proportion resulting in normoglycemia, euthermia, and early initiation of hemofiltration if the kidneys are in a state of refractory shock, and preventing nosocomial infections are few of the measures in careful analysis and support of the body systems. The beauty of ECLS is caregivers need to have the strength to assess each and every organ system, compare the pathophysiology with the physiology, and take actions not resulting in harm.


The way we design our cities today will affect the living conditions for future generations. Planning as a discipline can become crucial to attain a sustainable urban development with an increased quality of life among the urban population and an improved environment.

Urban Agriculture in the Sustainable City -a case study in Managua is a Diploma Work that deal with poverty issues, aspects of sustainability and development work. We have had a theoretical starting-point, but our focus has been on the case study i.e. the practical part, that we carried out in Managua, the capital of Nicaragua.

Today about half of the worlds 6,3 billion people live in cities. The demographic growth of the countryside has declined, while the population in the cities is considerably increasing. To create the requirements for a good quality of life among the urban population is a challenge, particularly in the developing countries. It is in these parts of the world that the most rapid urbanization is taking place and where the urban population will grow the most. The rapid urbanization has not only resulted in major environmental problems, but also in urban poverty and marginalization, unemployment, food insecurity and disease caused by an unbalanced diet. These factors are diminishing the chances of long-term development of the society.

We have been studying how Urban Agriculture i.e. cultivation and keeping livestock in an urban area, can improve the life situation among the urban population. There is evidence that Urban Agriculture can become a key strategy for the urban poor. It has secured the access of food, the public health and the environment has been improved, the income possibilities has increased and the social belonging to the society has been strengthen. Urban Agriculture has therefore been an important contributor in the work on planning for and building the sustainable city.

In spite of the fact that Nicaragua has plenty of natural resources such as agricultural land, energy reserves, forests and minerals etc., it is the second poorest country in Latin America. Today Managua is facing similar urban development challenges to other cities in the developing countries around the world, i.e. poverty alleviation, food security, enhancing the public health, income generation and preventing environmental pollution.

Our task has been to study how one could introduce Urban Agriculture in Managua. We carried out informal interviews with architects, city- planners, teachers and students at the technical universities in the city and inhabitants of Managua. From this material we choosed to work with a school in barrio Grenada, one of the poorest districts in Managua. We did a site analysis of the barrio and the school yard, and put up a number of design criterions of how we wanted the site to be shaped and what function it should have. The work was carried out as a demonstration project and it was accomplished in co-operation with the municipality of Managua, the organization HABITAR, the technical universities UNI and RUPAP, and the inhabitants of Grenada. The purpose of the project was to integrate cultivation and knowledge about the environment and nutritions, in education. The yield will go to the school, which then decides whether they will keep the crops or sell them.
From our own experiences and studies of similar projects in Havana, Cuba and Kampala, Uganda, we have then made a strategy of how one can continue to work with a further implementation of Urban Agriculture throughout the city. We have choosen to work on a small scale basis with school yards and lotes. Our intention is to show that you can achieve big results with small means. We have been focusing on the financing parts, supplying of knowledge, organization and responsability.

We want to show that landscape architects can play an important role in city- planning in development countries. The project is add- ressing city- planners in Managua, but we hope that it will inspire students and landscape architects in Sweden to become engaged in planning issues in developing countries.


The years immediately before and after 1964, when the administrative headquarters of the Bechuanaland Protectorate moved from Mafeking in South Africa to Gaborone in Botswana, left an indelible mark on Botswana in many ways. The political, administrative and constitutional developments associated with this period have been fully descriptionbed by Sir Peter Fawcus and Alan Tilbury (in The Road to Independence), both of whom played leading roles in the transformation. This article seeks to record the contributions of a small group of public servants, all working in the Imperial Reserve in Mafeking at that time, whose informal initiatives contributed in several important respects to Botswana's subsequent success as a non-racial, democratic, egalitarian society.


BACKGROUND AND AIM
Paternal use of analgesics during the time of conception and adverse birth outcomes are poorly studied. We investigated the association between paternal exposure to non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs and opioids within 3 months before the date of conception and the risk of adverse birth outcomes (preterm birth, small for gestational age, low Apgar score, and major congenital malformations).

METHODS
We used nationwide data from the Danish health registers. We included information on all singleton live births, and their fathers and mothers from 1997 to 2018. We created two exposed cohorts, children with preconception paternal exposure to (1) non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs and (2) opioids. The unexposed cohort was children without preconception paternal exposure to non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs or opioids, and we performed a sub-analysis against paternal use of acetaminophen (paracetamol). We used logistic regression models to estimate the odds ratios of adverse birth outcomes including 95% confidence intervals.

RESULTS
We identified 1,260,934 children, 45,667 children with paternal exposure to non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs, 10,086 children with paternal exposure to opioids, and 1,205,181 unexposed children. The adjusted odds ratio for preterm birth was 1.08 (95% confidence interval, 1.03-1.13) after paternal exposure to non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs and 1.21 (95% confidence interval, 1.08-1.35) after paternal exposure to opioids. The adjusted odds ratio for small for gestational age was 1.09 (95% confidence interval, 1.03-1.17) after paternal exposure to non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs, and 1.03 (95% confidence interval, 0.88-1.21) after paternal exposure to opioids. We found null-associations for a low Apgar score and major congenital malformations. Estimates were attenuated when compared against paternal paracetamol exposure.

CONCLUSIONS
Overall, we found null-associations across the comparisons made. Weak associations were found for paternal exposure to non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs or opioids and preterm birth and small for gestational age, but not with low Apgar score or major congenital malformation. All associations were attenuated when compared against an active comparator of paternal paracetamol exposure. The effect sizes were small and less likely to be of clinical relevance.


Many supervised machine learning tasks can be cast as multi-class classification problems. Support vector machines (SVMs) excel at binary classification problems , but the elegant theory behind large-margin hyperplane cannot be easily extended to their multi-class counterparts. On the other hand, it was shown that the decision hyperplanes for binary classification obtained by SVMs are equivalent to the solutions obtained by Fisher's linear discriminant on the set of support vectors. Discriminant analysis approaches are well known to learn discriminative feature transformations in the statistical pattern recognition literature and can be easily extend to multi-class cases. The use of discriminant analysis, however, has not been fully experimented in the data mining literature. In this paper, we explore the use of discriminant analysis for multi-class classification problems. We evaluate the performance of discriminant analysis on a large collection of benchmark datasets and investigate its usage in text categorization. Our experiments suggest that discriminant analysis provides a fast, efficient yet accurate alternative for general multi-class classification problems.


Industrial insect rearing is expected to increase as a feedstock to meet growing global food demand. This will lead to greater production of insect excreta known as frass, a nutrient-dense organic material that has shown promise as a natural fertilizer source with potential environmental benefits. In this study, black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) frass (BSFF) was compared with a synthetic fertilizer (SF) during production of containerized ornamentals grown under greenhouse conditions. Fertilizers were incorporated into a bark-based substrate at 0, 0.1, 0.2, or 0.3 kg⋅m–3 nitrogen (N) planted with coleus (Plectranthus scutellarioides) plugs. Growth index, shoot dry weight, and leaf quality were assessed for a period of 6 weeks. In addition, coleus fertilized at 0.3 kg⋅m–3 N and a control had leachate collected and analyzed weekly for volume, pH, electrical conductivity, and nutrient losses. Black soldier fly frass was found to produce marketable coleus plants at 0.3 kg⋅m–3 N and reduce cumulative N leaching by 87% compared with coleus fertilized with SF at the same rate. Therefore, BSFF can be a suitable fertilizer source for coleus production without compromising growth and leaf quality while potentially decreasing nutrient leaching losses.


This paper presents an integrated algorithm of fuzzy modeling and controller design. An LMI condition to identify the parameters of a Takagi-Sugeno fuzzy model (T-S fuzzy model) is derived. More importantly, we achieve stable fuzzy control for the identified T-S fuzzy model. The fuzzy modeling and controller design are applied to vision tracking control using a two-link manipulator with a CCD camera. The experimental results show the utility of the proposed integrated algorithm of fuzzy modeling and controller design.