Spaces, designed or non-designed, has both morphological and cognitive characteristics. Sometimes they are overlapped onto each other, whereas sometimes the cognitive characteristics lead totally the opposite side than morphological characteristics. In this paper, this situation will be examined. The urban scale is chosen for the examination, as it is the display scale of the daily life of a city. The urban niches are the main focus point of the paper. 'Urban niche' defined as the spaces in the urban area that provides personal space to people, in the areas that are causing environmental stress due to crowding. 'Urban passage' is proposed as the physical equivalent of 'urban niche' in city scene. Further questions will be examined through the paper: Does the location/orientation of the passage affects their usage? Do configurational aspects affect the everyday usage? Being a metropole, having more than 5-6 central points and having 'crowding' problem as the main problem of the daily life of the city, make Istanbul, the most suitable city for the examination of the 'urban niche' that defined before. For the case study, 2 passages in Istiklal Street are selected: Avrupa Passage and Hazzopulo Passage. Istiklal Street is a backstage for an intense pedestrian flow most of the time and these two passages have certain characteristics in all the passages on the Istiklal Street for their functions, cognitive aspects, architectural configurations and the usage frequencies. The configurational characteristics of these passages and their interrelation with Istiklal Street will be examined. After the observation and on-site analysis, the morphological results and this observation data will be overlapped and interpreted in the frame of configuration – movement – attractors perspective. In this research, the analysis of the movement of pedestrians both to and through the passages, and space usage will be investigated by the data collected on-site observations. The passages will also be analysed with 'University of Michigan' licensed 'Syntax 2D' software in order to get the syntactic values. The syntactic and observation data will be used comparatively. In conclusion, the features that affects the frequency of pedestrians in the passages will be examined in this study. Two passages will be compared through the morphological configurational characteristics and cognitive characteristics by using syntactical analysis and on-site data collection.


Nowadays, advanced surface improvement techniques are required, due to continuously rising demands in aerospace and automotive productions. Laser shock peening (LSP) is a widely known modern surface enhancement method. LSP usually deals with nanosecond laser pulses with high intensities exceeding 1 GW/cm2. Due to very short time scales, all the occurring physical phenomena and processing parameters are extremely difficult to measure and study just based on experimental investigations. Therefore, multidimensional computer simulations of the processes within LSP are required for further optimization. In this work, a 2-D hydrodynamic simulation of water-confined nanosecond laser shock peening of an aluminum target is performed applying the open-source code MULTI2D. Circular laser beam with a pulse energy of 1 J, 20-ns duration, a diameter of 1 mm, and a uniform spatial distribution is used. Spatial profiles of the laser-induced plasma pressure and temperature are determined together with the shock wave parameters. It is shown that the plasma is highly confined and a temperature-affected region is very thin. Radial expansion of the surface pressure profile and the shock wave propagation can be observed, indicating that radial effects have to be considered during the industrial application of LSP. The obtained results are in good agreement with available simulations and measurements, validating the proposed simulation approach. In addition, temporal and spatial distributions of the pressure at the surface of the target material can be applied in finite-element simulations to predict residual stresses distributions.


Automatic summarization techniques aim to shorten and generalize information given in the text while preserving its core message and the most relevant ideas. This task can be approached and treated with a variety of methods, however, not many attempts have been to produce solutions specifically for the Russian language despite existing localizations of the state-of-the-art models. In this paper, we aim to showcase ruGPT3 ability to summarize texts, fine-tuning it on the corpora of Russian news with their corresponding human-generated summaries. Additionally, we employ hyperparameter tuning so that the model's output becomes less random and more tied to the original text. We evaluate the resulting texts with a set of metrics, showing that our solution can surpass the state-of-the-art model's performance without additional changes in architecture or loss function. Despite being able to produce sensible summaries, our model still suffers from a number of flaws, namely, it is prone to altering Named Entities present in the original text (such as surnames, places, dates, etc.), deviating from facts stated in the given document, and repeating the information in the summary.


Ewing sarcoma is the second most common solid bone malignancy diagnosed in pediatric and young adolescent populations. Despite global co-operative efforts, outcomes for patients with relapsed and refractory disease remains obstinately poor. It has become increasingly clear that disruption of the epigenome as a result of alterations in epigenetic regulators, plays a pivotal role in tumorigenesis. As such, this study investigated Ewing sarcoma mechanisms of acquired resistance to the small molecule reversible lysine specific demethylase (LSD1/KDM1A) inhibitor SP-2509. Surprisingly, whole exome sequencing analysis of our generated A673 SP-2509 drug resistant cell line revealed an absence of mutations in KDM1A. Compared to parental counterparts, SP-2509 drug resistant cells demonstrated decreased anchorage independent growth capacity, enhanced sensitivity to the HDAC inhibitors vorinostat/entinostat and a distinct transcriptional profile that was enriched for extracellular matrix proteins. SP-2509 drug resistant cells also exhibited elevated expression levels of the multi-drug resistance genes ABCB1, ABCC3, and ABBC5 and decreased expression of the transcriptional repressor RCOR1/CoREST. Following several months of SP-2509 withdrawal, low level SP-2509 resistance was still apparent (6.3 fold increase in IC50), with drug resistant cell populations maintaining their distinct transcriptional profile. Furthermore, compared to parental cells, washout drug resistant lines displayed equal sensitivity to the standard Ewing sarcoma chemotherapeutic agent's vincristine and doxorubicin. Together these findings indicate that resistance to SP-2509 is not fully reversible or driven by direct mutation in KDM1A.


PURPOSE
To explore additional application of the new Aquarius external laser alignment verification Phantom by LAP (Aq-LAP Phantom) examining geometric accuracy of magnetic resonance images (MRI) commonly used for planning intracranial stereotactic radiation surgery (ICSRS) cases.

METHODS
Newly designed external patient alignment lasers were first aligned by the Aq-LAP Phantom at a Siemens Magneton Vario 3T MR unit. The scans were then performed with the T1 Axial 3D MPRAGE protocols with 0.9 mm temporal resolution, which may be used for ICSRS. They also include FLAIR, T2 BLADE and Diffusion Axial TRACE imaging acquisitions with 1 mm temporal resolution. The MRI will be fused to 1 mm cut computerized tomography (CT) images acquired by a Siemens Somatom Sensation Open©. The geometric distortions (GD) were measured against the CT in all axial, sagital, and coronal directions at different levels.

RESULTS
MR images of the Aquarius Phantom indicate a distinct similarity between the nonlinear GD along the z-axis crosshair and typical magnetic field gradient nonlinearity. There is linear correlation between MR divergence datasets of distorted crosshairs (p-values from 0.57 to 0.00), and nonlinear correlation between MR divergence datasets of the distorted crosshair with the CT divergence datasets of the cross plane (p-values from 8.45×10̂-4 to 1.38×10̂-46). The margin of error exceeded no more than 0.29 mm. GDs up to about 2 mm are observed at the distal regions of the longitudinal axis in the SRS treatment planning MR images.

CONCLUSIONS
Using the Aquarius Phantom, one is able to detect GD in ICSRS planning MRI acquisitions, and align the external LAP patient alignment lasers by following the LAP QA. Based on the results, one may recommend using the Aquarius Phantom to determine if margins should be included for SRS treatment planning. The Aquarius Phantom, used for laser alignment and geometric distortion detection, was provided by LAP of America.


SUMMARY The natural history of fig-pollinating wasps and their associated species-specific nematodes allows the measurement of many parameters which are relevant to testing hypotheses concerning host-parasite ecology and evolution. Within fig wasps species, it is possible to estimate lifetime reproductive success of foundress wasps as a function of presence or absence of nematode parasitism (virulence). Across species, there is a wide range of host population structures which, in turn, results in a range of opportunities for either horizontal or vertical nematode transmission. Therefore, estimates of virulence can be related to opportunities for transmission across a group of closely related hosts and their parasites. Further, the dynamics of the nematode infections over ecological and short-term evolutionary timescales can be monitored, giving added insight into the interpretation of the virulence estimates. Moreover, several scales of longer term evolutionary relationships are either known directly from fossil evidence or can be inferred from molecular data, providing deeper temporal context for the observed patterns. This combination of attributes permits detailed testing of hypotheses concerning the factors that potentially influence the evolution of virulence in host-parasite systems, and further, population and simulation models of the system that incorporate the parameter estimates can clarify the interpretation of how those factors act. There is little evidence suggesting that intermediate and long-term evolutionary relationships explain current levels of virulence. That is, it appears that virulence can change rapidly relative to speciation events, and that the nematodes do not tend to become 'benign over time'. Instead, it appears that host population structure can influence the evolution of parasite virulence by affecting the relative opportunities for horizontal to vertical transmission, which, in turn, influences the relative costs and benefits of virulence to the nematodes. At one level, increased opportunities for horizontal transmission decouple the reproductive interests of the individual nematodes from those of the individual hosts that they are directly parasitizing, thereby reducing the cost of virulence to individual nematodes. At another level, increased opportunities of horizontal transmission also increases the relative frequency of hosts infected by multiple strains of nematodes. This promotes the evolution of more virulent forms by increasing the relative importance of within-host competition among nematode strains, thereby favouring strains that 'eat more host sooner'. An interesting property of the fig-nematode systems is that the proportion of infected hosts does not change dramatically through time. This finding implies that there can be considerable negative effects on survival of infected hosts in addition to the previously documented reductions in fecundity of infected foundresses, because the latter are insufficient to account for the observed stability of wasp infection rates.


This study on the effect of brand extension strategy on customers' preference of Coca – Cola products in University of Calabar focused on determining the effect of the elements of brand extension strategy such as perceived quality, perceived fit and customer familiarity on customers' preference of Coca – Cola products.The study adopted a survey research design which enabled the administration of structured questionnaire on the 246 respondents within the University of Calabar community who constituted the sample size of this study and were using a purposive non probability sampling technique. The responses obtained through the questionnaire were subjected to statistical analysis using regression analysis, which in turn revealed that extended perceived quality, extended perceived fit as well as customer familiarity all have an effect on customer preference for Coca- Cola products in University of Calabar. Based on the above result, it was concluded that when an organization effectively adopts and implements a branding strategy with special focus on perceived quality, perceived fit and customer familiarity, such a firm is bound to enjoy the preference of its products by consumers because once the view of the customer towards the above considered elements of the branding strategy are favourable, it therefore implies that the customer would, to a large extent, extend such favourable response to the extended products of such an organization. Hence, it was further recommended that Coca- Cola should always ensure that the quality of their drinks remain a paramount consideration within the organization by ensuring that quality test and measures are put in place to help spot deficiencies in the production process. Because once the customer perceives a drink to be of quality, it has been proven that such a customer would always attribute such perceived quality to other variants of the brand.


The sentiment analysis is the approach which is design to analysis positive, negative and neural aspects towards any approach. In the past years, many techniques are designed for the sentiment analysis of twitter data. Based on the previous study about sentiment analysis, novel approach is presented in this research paper for the sentiment analysis of twitter data. The proposed approach is the combination of feature extraction and classification techniques. The N-gram algorithm is applied for the feature extraction and KNN classifier is applied to classify input data into positive, negative and neural classes. To validate the proposed system, performance is analyzed in terms of precision, recall and accuracy. The experiments results of proposed system show that it performs well as compared to existing system which is based on SVM classifier.


OBJECTIVES/SPECIFIC AIMS: MicroRNAs are small, non-coding RNAs that control gene expression by inhibiting protein translation. Preclinical studies in rodent stroke models suggest that changes in microRNA expression contribute to neural repair mechanisms. To our knowledge, no one has previously assessed microRNA changes during the recovery phase of human stroke. Our goal was to determine whether patients with significant upper limb recovery following stroke have alteration of neural repair-related microRNA expression when compared to those with poor recovery. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: Plasma was collected at 19 days post-stroke from 27 participants with mild-moderate upper extremity impairment enrolled in the Critical Periods After Stroke Study. MicroRNA expression was assessed using TaqMan microRNA assays (Thermo Fisher Scientific). Good recovery was defined as ≥6 point change in the Action Research Arm Test (ARAT) score from baseline to 6 months. Bioinformatics analysis compared the plasma microRNA expression profiles of participants with good Versus poor recovery. Candidate biomarkers were identified after correcting for multiple comparisons using a false discovery rate <0.05. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: Eleven microRNAs had significantly altered expression in the good (n=22) Versus poor (n=5) recovery groups, with 2 showing increased expression—miR-371-3p and miR-520g, and 9 showing decreased expression—miR-449b, miR-519b, miR-581, miR-616, miR-892b, miR-941, miR-1179, miR-1292, and miR1296. Three of these could be implicated in neural repair mechanisms. Elevated miR-371-3p levels increase the likelihood that pluripotent stem cells will differentiate into neural progenitors. MiR-892b decreases levels of amyloid precursor protein, which has been implicated as a regulator of synapse formation. Finally miR-941, the only known human-specific microRNA, downregulates the CSPα protein which is involved in neurotransmitter release. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF IMPACT: This preliminary study suggests that circulating microRNAs in the plasma may help serve as biomarkers of neural repair and aid in understanding human neural repair mechanisms. If validated in larger studies with appropriate controls, these markers could aid in timing rehabilitation therapy or designing recovery-based therapeutics.


ABSTRACT In the post-9/11 climate, the focus of multicultural debates in 'the West' has turned to Muslim minorities. Within these debates, religious freedom is weighed against gender equality. This is amplified where Muslim communities request greater accommodation. Such requests are often met with fierce opposition (which outlines the 'danger' that greater religious accommodation poses to the rights of women), and the state and its institutions are positioned as 'secular' and 'neutral', as opposed to religious orders. However, this ignores gender legacies, which influence outcomes that emerge within these institutions. A dimension of particular interest is the Sharia councils that have arisen in the British context but not in Australia. To better understand the current trajectory of accommodation in each state and the growth of these informal religious bodies, it is necessary to go beyond normative debates about multiculturalism versus feminism. Drawing on feminist institutional theory, this article explores the way in which state multicultural policies have created space for religious bodies in Britain but not in Australia. It also examines the gendered nature of formal state institutions, to highlight that the apparent 'neutrality' of state institutions is a fallacy that disadvantages Muslim women while claiming to be in their best interests.


Abstract Exploratory design workshops were conducted using five participatory methods with 10 automobile drivers in order to understand what characterizes natural-feeling interaction with automobiles' secondary, comfort, and infotainment controls. Hands-on, artefact-focused methods were selected for their potential to understand these familiar but characteristically silent and private interactions. 'Think Aloud' analyses, flexible modelling, breaching, focus groups, and 'future fictions' were conducted in an immersive automotive workshop using real automotive controls. Some sessions took place in a parked automobile. Grounded theory thematic analysis suggested a framework with 11 themes: Familiarity and predictability, Driver in full and ultimate control, Communication with reality, Weighty physical sensations, Cabin comfort and sanctuary, Uncluttered cabin architecture, Low visual demand, Low cognitive demand, Humanlike partnership, Humanlike sentience and learning, and Humanlike verbal–auditory communication. Natural-feeling interaction may be more likely perceived in an automobile, system, or individual control that exhibits as many of the 11 themes as appropriate.


The role of environmental-stress gradients in driving trophic processes like grazing, has potential to shape ecosystem responses to environmental change. In subtidal seagrass systems, however, the variation in top-down processes along stress gradients are poorly understood. We deployed herbivory assays using the five most common seagrass species of Shark Bay, to determine whether herbivory pressure changed across a salinity-stress gradient from oceanic (38 PSU) to hyper-saline (51 PSU) conditions. Seagrass tissue removed from herbivory assays by fishes decreased as environmental stress increased, and herbivores consumed greater amounts of tropical seagrass species compared to the temperate species that dominate seagrass cover in Shark Bay. This heightened consumption was correlated with enriched seagrass nutrient concentrations. Our work suggests there's a fundamental relationship between trophic interactions and environmental conditions within complex marine settings. Abiotic stressors like salinity directly impact seagrass communities physiologically; however we show that salinity stressors also shift biotic interactions, indirectly influencing grazing rates and thus having a greater effect on seagrasses than physiological impacts alone. In Shark Bay where restoration efforts are being employed to address large scale loss of seagrasses, the relationship between herbivory pressure and salinity-stress could therefore prove crucial to restoration success.


An all-digital outphasing modulator to be used in a software-defined radio (SDR) transmitter is presented. A digitally-controlled oscillator (DCO) followed by two digital phase rotators (DPR) are the main building blocks. The DCO and DPRs are enclosed, respectively, by a phase-locked loop and two delay-locked loop. All functions, including filtering and calibration are performed in a digital signal processor (DSP). The chip was fabricated in a 90 nm CMOS process and tested for GSM and WCDMA. The total active area of the chip is 3 mm2 . Semi-analog blocks (DCO core, DPR core and their buffers) and digital processor consume 30 mA and 25 mA, respectively. Current consumption of the phase-to-digital converter is 70 mA, which can be reduced to 30% by gating off the circuit during idle times.


Quinolone antibacterials are veterinary drugs authorized for use in food animal production. The analysis of residual amounts of drugs in food from animal origin is important for quality control of products for consumers. For this purpose, Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) have been set up by a European Union Council Regulation on Veterinary Drug Residues (No. 90/2377/EEC and subsequent), and 8 quinolones received MRLs at concentration levels depending on both the matrix and the animal species of interest. A method was developed for screening and confirming 10 quinolone residues (ciprofloxacin, danofloxacin, difloxacin, enrofloxacin, flumequine, marbofloxacin, nalidixic acid, norfloxacin, oxolinic acid, sarafloxacin) in a wide variety of matrixes of different animal species. It involves extraction of the residues from the biological tissues/fluids by acidic aqueous solution, centrifugation and filtration prior to injection on a C18 narrow-bore column, and detection through a 3-step-mode fluorescence detector. The method was validated during a 2-week study for a set of 8 species-matrixes (i.e., bovine raw milk, bovine muscle, porcine muscle, porcine kidney, porcine liver, fish flesh and skin, poultry muscle, whole egg). Residues were quantified down to 15 microg/kg with limits of detection and quantitation ranging from 4 to 11 and 13 to 36 microg/kg, respectively, which are sufficient compared to the wide range of MRLs set for these substances (from 30 microg/kg for danofloxacin in milk to 1900 microg/kg for difloxacin in poultry liver). The limit of performance of the method in terms of CCalpha and CCbeta, the critical concentrations stated in the Decision No. 2002/657/EC and the ISO Standard No. 11843, has been calculated for the authorized (MRL) substances but only estimated in the case of the nonauthorized (non-MRL) substances.


Commonsense knowledge about object properties, human behavior and general concepts is crucial for robust AI applications. However, automatic acquisition of this knowledge is challenging because of sparseness and bias in online sources. This paper presents Quasimodo, a methodology and tool suite for distilling commonsense properties from non-standard web sources. We devise novel ways of tapping into search-engine query logs and QA forums, and combining the resulting candidate assertions with statistical cues from encyclopedias, books and image tags in a corroboration step. Unlike prior work on commonsense knowledge bases, Quasimodo focuses on salient properties that are typically associated with certain objects or concepts. Extensive evaluations, including extrinsic use-case studies, show that Quasimodo provides better coverage than state-of-the-art baselines with comparable quality.


Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a critically important public health problem. Physicians and other health care providers have a unique opportunity to help IPV victims, not only in treatment but in prevention of this devastating problem. Health-care providers should receive thorough and on-going training and administrative support for identifying, appropriately treating, and referring IPV victims to IPV advocates and other community-based resources with whom the provider has developed a close working relationship. In the clinical setting, health-care providers may intervene early as the victim's first and only point of contact concerning the violence in their lives. In the larger community, health-care providers can become spokespersons and educators to help change social norms and can get involved in coordinated community responses to ensure cohesive actions by all societal sectors to prevent IPV in their communities.


This is designed to analyze and summarize medication rules for treating senile dementia with Chinese medicine in CNKI according to the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) inheritance auxiliary system. Collect documents in CNKI that account treating senile dementia with Chinese formula; filter and establish a formula database, and then to search for medication rules on the TCM inheritance auxiliary system. It is filtered that 104 formulas are used for treating senile dementia screening treat senile dementia, involving 147 kinds of Chinese medicine. Tonic medicine are most frequently used, followed by the medicine of activating blood circulation and resuscitating; medicine pair most used is Ligusticum chuanxiong Hort-Acorus tatarinowii, accounting for 27.9% of all formula. And then 8 core pairs and 4 new formulas are evolved. Analysis on formulas for treating senile dementia filtered form CNKI by TCM inheritance auxiliary system shows prescription is mainly tonifying, activating blood circulation and resuscitating, that reveals prescription rules, to provide a reference for clinical treatment.


Radiometer has a peculiar place among spectrum sensing techniques available in the literature, because it has a simplistic design and is known to be the optimal detector in the absence of a priori knowledge about the signal to be detected. In this study, it is shown that simplicity in the traditional radiometer design could further be improved while its performance is maintained. The proposed method exploits the inherent orthogonality between the I/Q branches and reduces the total number of addition and multiplication operations at baseband. Results are validated by the experimental data collected under different digital modulation scenarios. Relevant discussions and future directions are outlined as well.


The life expectancy of populations in the USA and Western European countries is increasing, but the prevalence of features of ageing, such as physical frailty and disability, increases in parallel, creating the challenge of maintaining good health during this longer life. Many physical features of ageing resemble those seen in men with growth hormone (GH) deficiency and/or organic androgen deficiency. In this article, we briefly review the effects of ageing on GH and testosterone release in males, along with data regarding the single or combined administration of GH and testosterone on outcome variables in ageing men. Although some studies suggest that GH, testosterone, or combination therapy may have utility when administered in elderly males, adequately powered, long-term trials with appropriate endpoints are needed. Until this information becomes available, we believe that GH and/or testosterone supplementation in healthy older adults should be limited to individuals in well-controlled research studies.


Complex engineering systems consist of many subsystems. Each of the subsystems is composed of a large number of components. While faults arise at component level, sensing capabilities are limited to subsystem level, and system operations and maintenance practices are scheduled based on system level paremeters. This paper presents a hierarchical architecture to analyze the effects of system level parameters on component level faults of dominant failure modes of a complex system. An aeropropulsion system of turbofan type has been used as the application domain. In most of the cases, engine life is limited due to cracks in high-pressure turbine blades. In this paper, it is assumed that creep is the only active failure mechanism. Based on a finite-element model of the turbine blades available in the open literature, design of experiments (DoE) methodology is used to build a subsystem-level model. A simulation package of a commercial aircraft engine is then used to obtain system-level results.


The availability of massive trajectory data collected from GPS devices has received significant attentions in recent years. A hot topic is trip recommendation, which focuses on searching trajectories that connect (or are close to) a set of query locations, e.g., several sightseeing places specified by a traveller, from a collection of historic trajectories made by other travellers. However, if we know little about the sample coverage of trajectory data when developing an application of trip recommendation, it is difficult for us to answer many practical questions, such as 1) how many (future) queries can be supported with a given set of raw trajectories? 2) how many trajectories are required to achieve a good-enough result? 3) how frequent the update operations need to be performed on trajectory data to keep it long-term effective? In this paper, we focus on studying the overall quality of trajectory data from both spatial and temporal domains and evaluate proposed methods with a real big trajectory dataset. Our results should be useful for both the development of trip recommendation systems and the improvement of trajectory-searching algorithms.


We study learning algorithms for the classical Markovian bandit problem with discount. We explain how to adapt PSRL [24] and UCRL2 [2] to exploit the problem structure. These variants are called MB-PSRL and MB-UCRL2. While the regret bound and runtime of vanilla implementations of PSRL and UCRL2 are exponential in the number of bandits, we show that the episodic regret of MB-PSRL and MB-UCRL2 is $\tilde{O}(S\sqrt{nK})$ where $K$ is the number of episodes, $n$ is the number of bandits and $S$ is the number of states of each bandit (the exact bound in S, n and K is given in the paper). Up to a factor $\sqrt S$, this matches the lower bound of $\Omega(\sqrt{SnK})$ that we also derive in the paper. MB-PSRL is also computationally efficient: its runtime is linear in the number of bandits. We further show that this linear runtime cannot be achieved by adapting classical non-Bayesian algorithms such as UCRL2 or UCBVI to Markovian bandit problems. Finally, we perform numerical experiments that confirm that MB-PSRL outperforms other existing algorithms in practice, both in terms of regret and of computation time.


A heuristic model is proposed which allows calculation of the individual spectral components of the intermodulation distortion present in a non-linear system with a multicarrier input. Noting that any given intermodulation product (IMP) can only be created by a subset of the input carriers, we partition them into "signal" carriers (which create the IMP) and "noise" carriers, modeled as a Gaussian process. The relationship between an input signal and the statistical average of its output (averaged over the Gaussian noise) is considered to be an effective transfer function. By summing all possible combinations of signal carriers which create power at the IMP frequencies, the distortion power can be calculated exactly as a function of frequency. An analysis of clipping in lightwave CATV links for AM-VSB signals is used to introduce the model, and is compared to a series of experiments. Excellent agreement is obtained over the full 50 dB experimental range of distortion levels measured for CSO, CTB, and CNLD (carrier to total non-linear distortion ratio). The model is easily generalized to other types of non-linearities: limiters and the suppression of diode imperfections are briefly discussed. >


Vibriocidal and agglutinating antibodies in sera from acute cholera cases, normal residents of endemic and non-endemic cholera areas and maternal and cord blood were characterized by 2-mercaptoethanol (2-ME) sensitivity and density gradient fractionation. In acute cholera there was a rapid and parallel rise in whole serum and 2-ME-resistant vibriocidal and agglutinating antibodies, peaking in 7 to 10 days, and then a parallel fall in titers in whole serum and 2-ME-resistant antibodies. Density gradient studies confirmed this pattern, demonstrating the rise and fall of vibriocidal and agglutinating titers in both the IgM and IgG-IgA fractions. The apparent independence of the vibriocidal and agglutinating activity in the IgG-IgA fractions suggested that IgA as well as IgG might be contributing to the agglutinating titers. The presence of vibriocidal and agglutinating titers on admission in many adult cholera cases, coupled with a rapid rise in IgG antibody, indicates that this is a secondary response in individuals already primed by natural infection or cholera vaccine. Most residents of the endemic cholera area (East Pakistan) had high vibriocidal and agglutinating titers with activity in both IgM and IgG, in contrast to sera from residents of non-endemic areas (U. S. A. and Czechoslovakia) who had non-detectable or low titers with vibriocidal activity in most cases exclusively in IgM. Transplacental transfer of IgG vibriocidal antibody was demonstrated.


Abstract The research reported here is motivated by the now ubiquitous nature of web mapping services that provide remotely sensed imagery as a basemap option. Despite the popularity of imagery basemaps, few strategies have been suggested to enhance their readability. Here, we describe a controlled experiment leveraging the eye tracking method to explore the potential of enhancing remotely sensed imagery when used for cartographic presentation. Specifically, 20 participants had their eye movements recorded as they visually searched for areas of interest in either an unmodified image (such as typical in web mapping services) or enhanced image (using image processing routines common to Remote Sensing). By interpreting the eye movement fixations and saccades of participants using a combination of qualitative and quantitative analysis, we found that the image enhancements improved both the effectiveness of and efficiency in identifying areas of interest, particularly those previously concealed in more visually complex areas in the image. The results from this study can be used to improve the readability of web maps that employ remotely sensed imagery as the basemap.


Taking in consideration the intertextual and biographical influence of the works of Jorge Luis Borges on the works of Julian Barnes, this article seeks to focus on certain borgian traces that speak of the status of literature in the present time. Starting with the image of the "museum and the encyclopedia" we can read Borges from a barnesian point of view and viceversa, while insisting in the relativity of any kind of order and classification. We shall start with the essential distrust that both authors show towards language. No one can deny that in the literary and critic landscape of our time Borges is a difficult character to overcome or ignore which we will use as a reading and writing mechanism.


Cost overruns, schedule delays and performance failures are common occurrences in civil space programs. This stu dy examines the root causes of these problems and offers recommendations to help future civil space efforts improve their adherence to cost, schedule, and performance goals. The study was conducted at the MIT Sloan School of Management between January and June 2004 as part of the institute's A dvanced System Dynamics course. Using managerial system dynamics to develop a framework for the analysis, the Space Shuttle, RLV, and International Space Station programs were examined to assess the organizational and managerial factors which contributed to cost overruns, schedule delays, and sub -par performance. This research yielded a comprehensive list of dozens of possible factors which could drive program delays and overruns. Further examination of the issues le d to the basic conclusion that causes could be grouped into three main categories: planning, execution, and externalities. Although program offices have very little control over externalities, changes to structure and processes for planning and execution could significantly reduce the likelihood and extent of delays and o verruns in major programs. Short -term recommendations include development of significantly improved independent cost es timation capabilities, shift of contract structures toward award -fee rather than cost - plus compensation , and full implementation of the integrated financial management system already in deployment , in order to allow for real -time program analysis & oversight. Long - term recommendations include institutionalized focus on co mprehensive life -cycle objectives and costs, more pragmatic management of international partnerships, and full recognition of the high degree of political risk associated with long -range programs.


: Background: Suicide, a complex phenomenon that constitutes a major public health issue, has been increasingly prevalent in the Moroccan context. Against this backdrop, this study examines the prevalence and profile characteristics of suicide cases in the northern region of Morocco. Methods: Employing a retrospective research design, we analyzed data from the forensic unit service in three provinces over six years, yielding a sample of 480 suicide cases. Data were subjected to statistical analysis using the SPSS software version 23, involving the bilateral Pearson Chi-square and independent t-tests. Results: Our findings reveal that suicide predominantly affects men (75%), who are typically unmarried (56%), residing in rural areas (75%), and having low levels of formal education (84%), with a majority being unemployed (57%). Hanging was the predominant method used to commit suicide (93%). Additionally, while psychiatric disorders had been diagnosed in 42% of cases, only 29% were receiving psychiatric care. Notably, suicide rates displayed an unexpected seasonal variation, peaking during the spring season and reaching their maximum in June. Conclusion: In conclusion, our study underscores the relevance of young and adult males from rural areas who are single, lacking education, unemployed, and not receiving medical care as the most vulnerable population segment regarding suicide. Further multidimensional research encompassing psychological, social, cultural, and economic factors could advance the formulation and implementation of effective suicide prevention policies


Stimuli-responsive and imaging-guided drug delivery systems hold vast promise for enhancement of therapeutic efficacy. Here we report an adenosine-5'-triphosphate (ATP)-responsive and near-infrared (NIR)-emissive conjugated polymer-based nanocarrier for the controlled release of anticancer drugs and real-time imaging. We demonstrate that the conjugated polymeric nanocarriers functionalized with phenylboronic acid tags on surface as binding sites for ATP could be converted to the water-soluble conjugated polyelectrolytes in an ATP-rich environment, which promotes the disassembly of the drug carrier and subsequent release of the cargo. In vivo studies validate that this formulation exhibits promising capability for inhibition of tumor growth. We also evaluate the metabolism process by monitoring the fluorescence signal of the conjugated polymer through the in vivo NIR imaging.


This paper puts focus on the experimental study about the FMVSS 201U. Based on the corrected mathematical model of free motion head form (FMH), a research proposal of simulation is made. At last, it comes to the relative curve between HIC(d) value and approach angle. This plays an significant role in FMH test and research. Mathematical model improves the efficiency and can be used by automobile design and improvement on component structure.


The introduction of pneumococcal vaccines into national immunization programmes around the world has reduced the incidence of pneumococcal vaccine serotypes, but had no influence on the incidence of Streptococcus pneumoniae serotype 3 included in their composition. The results of evaluation of epidemiological efficacy and immunogenicity of capsular polysaccharide of S. pneumoniae serotype 3 capsular polysaccharide (CP) in conjugated and polysaccharide pneumococcal vaccines are contradictory. Some studies have shown the effectiveness of vaccination, other studies indicate insufficient immunogenicity and prophylactic efficacy of S. pneumoniae serotype 3 CP. The authors' analysis of the results of clinical studies showed that the prophylactic efficacy of S. pneumoniae serotype 3 CP depends on the type of vaccine, nosological form of the disease, age, immunization schedule. According to the literature data, the most informative parameter of the protective activity of S. pneumoniae CP in pneumococcal vaccines, including serotype 3, is opsonophagocytosis. The experimental data of the low immunogenicity of serotype 3 CP, presumably associated with an unusual way of synthesis of its CP, are considered. To increase the im muno genicity of S. pneumoniae serotype 3 CP, the use of synthetic oligosaccharides of a strictly defined chemical structure corresponding to the protective fragments of serotype 3 CP and conjugated with a carrier protein for induction of T-dependent immune response and immunological memory is promising.


Scientists need to sharpen their political literacy to promote public and congressional awareness of science policy issues. This was the message of a panel of politically savvy scientists at a recent workshop at the American Association for the Advancement of Science's annual meeting in Washington, D.C. Researchers can maximize their lobbying efforts by targeting critical points of the legislative and federal funding cycles, the panel said, and by understanding the differences between the science and policy processes.

Drastic modifications to the federal budget process this year will influence how much funding flows to research and development. A new feature for FY 1991–1993 is caps on federal expenditure in three areas: defense, foreign aid, and domestic "discretionary" spending. (Most of the agencies that fund geophysics fall into the domestic category.) Money cannot now be transferred from one of these areas to another, said Michael L. Telson, analyst for the House Budget Committee, and loopholes will be "very tough to find." What is more, non-defense discretionary spending has dropped over a decade from 24% of the budget to the present 15%. Another new requirement is the "pay-as-you-go" system. Under this, a bill that calls for an increase in "entitlement" or other mandatory spending must offset this by higher taxes or by a cut in other spending.


We present a fairly complete grammar of interrogative and relative clauses in French, written in the formalism of Interaction Grammars. Interaction Grammars combine two key ideas: a grammar is viewed as a constraint system which is expressed through the notion of tree description, and the resource sensitivity of natural languages is used as a syntactic composition principle by means of a system of polarities.


This chapter reflects on how public law, and more specifically constitutional and administrative law, can be understood as expressions of what evolutionary anthropologists and other specialists call human 'ultra-sociality'. The ultimate focus is on the emergence of a cultural-evolutionary phenomenon—a pervasive conception of 'right' (what we now call public law)—that was bound up with, and in turn fed into, the phase transitions that marked the emergence of increasingly complex societies and polities ('states') over the course of human history. The chapter focuses on three interrelated phase transitions in particular: the emergence of a collective capacity to mobilize surplus human and fiscal resources ('blood' and 'treasure'); the emergence of a social-psychological sense of legitimate political obligation; and, finally, the emergence of scalable forms of political and legal management as between a governing principal—the person/institution to which political obligation and legitimacy is ultimately owed—and agents who are understood to carry out tasks on behalf of the principal. By stressing the importance of the first two developments as a predicate to the third, this chapter argues that we cannot understand how a polity is administered without first understanding how it is constituted.


(Minus) [3-H] alprenolol, a potent beta-adrenergic antagonist, was used to identify binding sites in a fraction of canine cyocardium. Beta adrenergic agonists and antagonists compete for these binding sites in a manner which directly parallels their known affinity for the cardiac beta-adrenergic receptor. Thus, binding was highly stereo-specific, with the (minus) isomers of beta-adrenergic agonists or antagonists being at least two orders of magnitude more potent than were the (plus) isomers in competing for these sites. The order of potency for inhibition of binding by beta-adrenergic agonists was (minus) isoproterenol greater than (minus) epinephrine greater than (minus) norepinephrine. The dissociation constant (KD) of (minus) alprenolol for the beta-adrenergic receptors was 7-11 nM as determined independently by direct binding studies or by inhibition of isoproterenol-stimulated adenylate cyclase [ATP pyrophosphate-lyase (cyclizing), EC 22.214.171.124]. The beta-adrenergic antagonist (minus) propranolol also had high affinity for the binding sites (KD equals 12 nM). The physiologically inactive catechol-containing compounds pyrocatechol and (plus or minus) dihydroxymandelic acid, as well as the metabolite (plus or minus) normetanephrine, and the alpha-adrenergic antagonist phentolamine did not compete for the binding sites at a concentration of 160 muM. Binding was rapid (t1/2 less than 30 sec) and was rapidly reversible (t1/2 less than 15 sec). The binding sites were saturable and bound 0.35 pmol of (minus) [3-H] alprenolol per mg of membrane protein. These characteristics suggest that these binding sites represent the cardiac beta-adrenergic receptors.


Quartz grains occurring in naturally deformed rocks, irrespective of mode of origin, exhibit a wide variety of deformation features, including undulatory extinction, deformation lamellae, fracturing, and marginal granulation. X-ray studies of individual grains show that most of the quartz has deformed plastically by bend gliding. One of the three crystallographic a axes is always the major axis of bending, but no unique glide direction or glide plane has been established. The optical features and the details of the X-ray patterns may be explained and correlated by a theory involving dislocations and polygonizalion, whereby the bent crystal is transformed into a number of elongate, relatively perfect crystallites inclined to one another at small angles and separated by regions of atomic misfit. Undulatory extinction is explained as the optical expression of the results of bend gliding and polygonization. Deformed crystals show a significant decrease in the frequency of Dauphine twinning; this is also attributed to the bending process.


Abstract Radiocarbon dating of marine samples requires a local marine reservoir correction, or ΔR value, for accurate age calibrations. For the Samoan Archipelago in the central Pacific, ΔR values have been proposed previously, but, unlike some Polynesian archipelagoes, ΔR values seem not to vary spatially and temporally. Here, we demonstrate such variability by reporting a ΔR of –101±72 ΔR for the Manu'a Group—the eastern-most islands in the archipelago—for the colonization period. This value is based on accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) 14C and uranium-thorium (U-Th) series dating of individual coral branches from pre-2300 cal BP archaeological contexts. This figure differs from the previously proposed modern ΔR of 28±26 yr derived from dated historic, pre-1950, shell samples from the western islands of Samoa. Consequently, we recommend using the ΔR of –101±72 yr for the 1st millennium BC in Manu'a, and 28±26 yr for calibrating dates within the 2nd millennium AD in the western islands (Savai'i to Tutuila). Until more data from across the archipelago and from throughout the entire culture-historical sequence document ΔR variability, we recommend that researchers use both of these ΔR values to evaluate how the dates of marine-derived samples compare with AMS dates on identified, short-lived wood charcoal.


It is well known that the process of tuning a fuzzy logic controller is almost always a very complex task, which is time consuming, very laborious and often requires expert knowledge of the controlled system. Mapping of fuzzy logic controller's parameters (rule base and membership functions of input(s) and output(s)) into a performance measure in a closed analytical form is near impossible to get, and thus the use of any classical optimization method is automatically ruled out. Knowing this, genetic algorithms with a fitness function in a form of cumulative response error represent a good choice of the optimization method. This approach enables the use of offline optimization of membership functions' parameters (which are being coded into chromosomes). Sugeno-Takagi fuzzy logic controllers with a proportional and a derivative component, and also with a fixed rule base are used in this approach. Experimental results of both simulations and validations on real systems are given in this paper and they show the good performance of this approach.


Augmented reality technology can provide computer-generated information to user effectively, therefore many industries have been trying to adopt AR technology to own domain field. Shipbuilding and offshore industry are also trying to introduce the technology, especially in education field. We have already studied about transporter education system based on augmented reality to help understanding for non-expert engineers. Once our previous study was focused on improving of rendering quality, this paper focuses on effective interaction between engineers and system to more increase educational results.


Adoptive transfer of activated central nervous system (CNS) antigen specific T-cells into susceptible strains of mice results in the invasion of transferred cells into the CNS. CNS invasion by these initiating T-cells and recruited monocytes culminates in the induction of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). Following this initial invasion a secondary infiltrate of host T-cells of unknown function and antigenic specificity enters the CNS. The role of these secondary-infiltrating cells in the initiation, development, and resolution of EAE remains uncharacterized. In this study we utilized an adoptive transfer model of EAE induction in mice to characterize the mechanisms involved in entry of host T-cells found within the CNS following disease initiation. These cells were further examined for both phenotypic and functional characteristics at various times after disease initiation. Finally, we examined the necessity for antigenic recognition of peptides in entry and retention of cells within the CNS. Findings from this study allow us to characterize the mechanisms involved in accumulation of host cells within the CNS during EAE pathogenesis.


Abstract: This article uses the story of a multi-year project conducted in four countries in east central and southeastern Europe to illustrate the challenges faced by an evaluator working in a social, political, and cultural context different from her own. Situations involving divergent expectations and unexpected events created circumstances where the evaluator had to shift roles and approaches to ensure the evaluation could remain on course. The evaluation was deemed problematic at various stages of implementation and more successful at other times. In 2010, 6 years after its completion, questions linger as to the degree the evaluation was indeed "successful."


Background Intralymphatic immunotherapy (ILIT) is short-course administration of allergen-specific immunotherapy (AIT). This study is aimed at assessing the clinical efficacy and safety of ILIT in patients with allergic rhinitis (AR). Methods MEDLINE, PUBMED, and Cochrane Library were used to conduct electronic searches for clinical trials comparing ILIT and placebo in patients with AR. The final search took place on August 24, 2022. Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions was used to assess the risk of bias in the included studies. The outcomes included combined symptom and medication scores (CSMS), visual analog scale (VAS), allergic rhinoconjunctivitis quality of life (RQLQ), Skin-prick test (SPT), and adverse events (AEs). Data were synthesized as mean difference (MD)/standard mean difference (SMD) or risk difference (RD) and 95% confidence interval (CI). Results Thirteen studies (454 participants) were included in this study. The ILIT group had better clinical improvement on the CSMS (random effects model, SMD-0.85, 95% CI [-1.58, -0.11], P = 0.02) and RQLQ (fixed-effects model, MD-0.42, 95% CI [0.69, 0.15], P = 0.003) than the placebo group. The booster injection was beneficial for CSMS (P < 0.0001), and the 4-week injection interval was superior to the 2-week injection period for improving VAS (P < 0.0001). Local swelling or erythema was the main AE following injection (random effects model, RD 0.16, 95% CI [0.05, 0.27], P = 0.005). Discussion. For individuals with AR, ILIT is safe and effective. ILIT alleviates clinical symptoms and reduces pharmaceutical consumption without causing severe AEs. However, the validity of this study is compromised by the substantial heterogeneity and risk of bias in the included researches. RegistrationCRD42022355329.


This work presents an overview of a combined experimental and theoretical analysis on passive mode-locking in semiconductor quantum-well lasers based on reverse biased saturable absorbers. The experimental results describe the dynamics of laser diodes based on Aluminum quaternary materials at 1550 nm and we will also mention recent results related to GaAs Lasers at 830 nm. The experimental facts evidenced the important impact of the dispersion in frequency domain of the saturable absorption as well as the relevance of the dynamical detuning between the gain peak of the amplifying sections and the edge of absorption of the saturable absorber. Reproducing the dispersion of the saturable absorption demanded an important effort on our modeling approach, specially regarding the development of an efficient but reasonably accurate method to describe in time domain the response of the semiconductor material. The successful realization of this endeavor resulted in the development of the free software simulation package FreeTWM that allows to simulate a large class of multi-section devices. I will discuss how our modeling approach reproduces and explains the experimental results. I will conclude on a discussion of the possible improvements to FreeTWM as for instance the consideration of the ultrafast non linearities e.g. the so-called spectral hole burning and carrier heating effects.


Although the heterogeneity of high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-c) composition is associated with atherosclerotic cardiovascular risk, the link between electronegative subfractions of HDL-c and atherosclerosis in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) remains unknown. We examined the association of the percentage of the most electronegative subfraction of HDL-c (H5%) and RA-related atherosclerosis. Using anion-exchange purification/fast-protein liquid chromatography, we demonstrated significantly higher H5% in patients (median, 7.2%) than HC (2.8%, p < 0.005). Multivariable regression analysis revealed H5% as a significant predictor for subclinical atherosclerosis. We subsequently explored atherogenic role of H5 using cell-based assay. The results showed significantly higher levels of IL-1β and IL-8 mRNA in H5-treated (mean ± SD, 4.45 ± 1.22 folds, 6.02 ± 1.43-folds, respectively) than H1-treated monocytes (0.89 ± 0.18-folds, 1.03 ± 0.26-folds, respectively, both p < 0.001). In macrophages, H5 upregulated the mRNA and protein expression of IL-1β and IL-8 in a dose-dependent manner, and their expression levels were significantly higher than H1-treated macrophages (all p < 0.001). H5 induced more foam cell formation compared with H1-treated macrophages (p < 0.005). In addition, H5 has significantly lower cholesterol efflux capacity than H1 (p < 0.005). The results of nanoLC-MS/MS approach reveal that the best discriminator between high-H5% and normal-H5% is Apo(a), the main constituent of Lp(a). Moreover, Lp(a) level is a significant predictor for high-H5%. These observations suggest that H5 is involved in RA-related atherosclerosis.


The United Kingdom Continental Shelf (UKCS) has been a very successful exploration province in the last 38 years, with an average technical success rate of 31% from its 2150 exploration wells. Although the peak of exploration activity on the UKCS occurred during the 1980s and 1990s, there have been 41 technical successes from 82 wells in the last four years, representing an improved recent success rate of 50%. Estimates of undiscovered (yet-to-find) hydrocarbon volumes have been made from a database of prospects compiled over 20 years by the UK Government. This 'bottom-up' method provided an estimate of the yet-to-find resources at the end of 2002 of between 3.6 and 22.9 × 10 9 BOE recoverable. Methodology utilizing an inverse timescale to plot cumulative discovered volumes per year provides minimum estimates of between 4.5 and 9.5 × 10 9 BOE in place ( c . 2.5 to 4.4 × 10 9 BOE recoverable). Pool size distribution methodology predicts that 11.5 × 10 9 BOE of in-place ( c . 5.8 × 10 9 BOE recoverable) resources remain to be found on the entire UKCS. Geographically, the UK Central North Sea and Moray Firth area is predicted to contain the largest proportion of undiscovered resources (42%). Thirty-three per cent of the yet-to-find resources are judged to lie within the Atlantic Margin region. Eighty-three per cent of existing UKCS fields and discoveries are located within structural traps. The majority of stratigraphic and combination traps occur in association with syn-rift (Upper Jurassic) and post-rift plays. Many of the major discoveries in these traps were found serendipitously, and there has been relatively little direct exploration for stratigraphic plays. In the UK North Sea, there are few substantial remaining structural traps, except at considerable depth with attendant reservoir quality, high-pressure and high-temperature risks. The future of exploration is believed to lie with the search for subtle stratigraphic traps. Deep-water sandstone stratigraphic plays within the syn- and post-rift sequences offer the greatest potential for substantial new resources.


One of the environmental problems is the waste from the coal combustion process from coal power plants or other industries that use coal as an energy source. The combustion process produces coal fly ash, which will accumulate in the environment. Subsequently, much research about the utilization of coal fly ash has been developed. Silica extraction from coal fly ash is one of the methods that can be used to utilize coal fly ash. This study carried out silica extraction using the Direct Alkaline Leaching (DAL) method. The coal ash was contacted with alkaline solvents (KOH and NaOH) with the variations of concentrations and the leaching time. The leaching solution filtrate will be precipitated with the addition of HCl. The characteristics of this silica from CFA and CFA B were analyzed by using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). Based on the results, it could be known that each of the coal fly ashes has different results for both alkaline solvents. CFA A has relatively less silica extraction results in both types of solvents. Meanwhile, CFA B gave higher silica extraction results with coal fly ash and solvent contact time for one hour.


Purpose This presentation summarizes completion of a descriptive (baseline) study of students' perceptions of mentoring and the effectiveness of an innovative faculty-resident-student mentoring program. In 2003, LSUHSCmentors, a student-initiated mentoring program, was implemented to facilitate volunteer faculty mentors and interested students engaging in self-initiated and informal mentoring relationships. Methods A Web-based questionnaire consisting of six sections was developed, field tested, and refined prior to use for this study. Items included Likert or Likert-type response scales (e.g., 1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree). In June 2004, IRB approval was obtained and the questionnaire was administered on-line to all medical students (n = 699) at LSUHSC using WebQ (LIONIS, Inc., ). Descriptive statistical summaries were calculated. Content analysis methods were applied to responses for open-ended items. Results Questionnaire administration was scheduled originally for April 2004. Delays related to IRB processes resulted in substantial delay in distributing the questionnaire thus resulting in a lower-than-expected response rate (31.47% overall). However, the respondent group was highly similar to the total student population, based on gender and ethnicity. The total set of responses was generally distributed evenly across the four classes/levels of students. Overall, students reported no or few experiences with mentoring prior to medical school and none since for personal concerns. The most common response revealed that student experiences reflect academic advising/guidance encounters more than fully developed mentoring. Common purposes for seeking faculty support were academic and career advising, assistance with academic difficulties, and discussing professional and ethical dilemmas. Response further revealed that students at all levels are very open to mentoring. They report that LSU faculty are approachable and supportive. However, few have actively pursued mentoring and many reported not being aware of the LSUHSCmentors program or the Web site. Most responses suggest a perception that mentoring and academic advising are the same. Conclusion Most students perceive mentoring as a positive and important component of ongoing academic and professional development. However, they may not fully appreciate the difference between academic advising/guidance functions and a fully developed mentoring relationship. Additional efforts are needed to raise awareness about the LSUHSCmentors and to increase knowledge/skills for using mentoring effectively.


In this paper I analyse the use and compensation of fixed-term and on-call employment contracts in the Netherlands. I use an analytical framework in which wage differentials result from two types of uncertainty. Quantity uncertainty originates from imperfect foresight in future product demand. I argue that workers who take over part of the quantity uncertainty from the employer get higher payments. Quality uncertainty on the other hand originates from the fact that employers are ex-ante unable to fully observe a workers ability and results in lower wages. Using a combination of propensity score and Mahalanobis matching I analyse wage differentials and find that on-call workers receive compensation for providing quantity flexibility. Compensation of fixed-term contracts on the other hand is dominated by the negative wage effect of quality uncertainty. I investigate whether this relation still holds after the 1999 policy change that had a substantial impact on the attractiveness of on-call and fixed-term workers from the employers perspective. I find that the policy change has not only influenced the use of on-call and fixed-term contracts, but unintentionally also their compensation.


Population density estimates are important for wildlife conservation and management. Several camera trapping‐based methods for estimating densities have been developed, one of which, the random encounter model (REM), has been widely applied due to its practical advantages such as no need for species‐specific study design. Nevertheless, most of the studies in which REM has been assessed against referenced methods have sampled one population, precluding evaluation of the circumstances under which REM does or does not perform well. At this point, a review of all REM assessments could be useful to provide an overview of method reliability and highlight the main factors determining REM performance. Here we used a combination of literature review and empirical study to compare the performance of REM with independent methods. We reviewed 34 studies where REM was applied to 45 species, reporting 77 REM‐reference density comparisons; and we also sampled 13 populations (ungulates and lagomorphs) in which we assessed REM performance against independent densities. The results suggested that appropriate procedures to estimate REM parameters (namely day range, detection zone and encounter rate) are mandatory to obtain unbiased densities. Deficient estimates of day range and encounter rate lead to an overestimation of density, while deficient estimates of detection zone conducted to underestimations. Finally, the precision achieved by REM was lower than reference methods, mainly because of the high levels of spatial aggregation observed in natural populations. In this situation, simulation‐based results suggest that c. 60 camera placements should be sampled to achieve acceptable precision (i.e. coefficient of variation below 0.20). The wide range of situations and scenarios included in this study allow us to conclude that REM is a reliable method for estimating wildlife population density when using appropriate estimates of REM parameters and sampling designs. Overall, these results pave the way to wider application of REM for monitoring terrestrial mammals.


Finite fields are widely used in numerous areas like cryptography, error-correcting codes or computer algebra. Dot products are ubiquitous in all computations especially when dealing with linear algebra. Developing fast libraries for computing dot products in finite fields is a key tool to tackle various problems in scientific computing. In this paper, our aim is to present several possibilities to use fast floating-point units for computing dot products in finite fields. The main concern is then to properly manage rounding errors that may appear during the computation. To solve this problem, we use error-free transformations (EFT). Using these EFT on recent processors (with an FMA), we show that it is possible to deal with large finite fields. We also compare our approach with Residue Number Systems (RNS), which is a modular approach. The RNS approach is presented using either integer arithmetic or floating-point arithmetic. Numerical experiments make it possible to compare the performances of these different approaches.


Abstract Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery was collected over a brown locust Locustana pardalina outbreak area to estimate soil moisture relevant to egg development. ERS-2/RadarSat overpasses and field studies enabled parameterization of surface roughness, volumetric soil moisture, soil texture, and vegetation cover. Data were analyzed both when the target area was assessed as nonvegetated and when treated as vegetated. For the former, using the integral equation model (IEM) and soil surface data combined with the sensitivity of the IEM to changes in surface roughness introduced an error of ∼ ± 0.06     cm 3   cm − 3 in volumetric soil moisture. Comparison of the IEM modeling results with backscatter responses from the ERS-2/RadarSat imagery revealed errors as high as ± 0.14     cm 3   cm − 3 , mostly due to IEM calibration problems and the impact of vegetation. Two modified versions of the water cloud model (WCM) were parameterized, one based on measurements of vegetation moisture and the other on vegetation biomass. A sensitivity analysis of the resulting model revealed a positive relationship between increases in both vegetation biomass and vegetation moisture and the backscatter responses from the ERS-2 and RadarSat sensors. The WCM was able to explain up to 80% of the variability found when the IEM was used alone.


The theoretical development of a hybrid finite element method is presented. It combines conventional Finite Element Analysis (FEA) with Energy Finite Element Analysis (EFEA) in order to achieve a numerical solution to mid-frequency vibrations. In the mid-frequency range a system is comprised by some members that contain several wavelengths and some members that contain a small number of wavelengths. The former are considered long members and they are modeled by the EFEA. The latter are considered short and they are modeled by the FEA. The new formulation is based on deriving appropriate interface conditions at the joints between sections modeled by the EFEA and the FEA methods. Since the work presented in this paper constitutes a fundamental step in the development of a hybrid method for mid-frequency analysis, the formulation for one flexural degree of freedom in co-linear beams is presented. The excitation is considered to be applied on a long member and the response of the entire system is computed. Uncertainty effects are imposed only on the long members of the system. Validation cases for several configurations are presented.


Product development performance is of great importance in the current competitive market. Engineers and managers have a wide array of design tools at their disposal to assess alternative designs and determine their fitness. The selection of assessment methods can have a significant impact on project risk (the failure to meet lead time or budgetary constraints). A framework for evaluating such decisions and tradeoffs for development projects using Monte Carlo simulations and optimization is presented. Case study results show that alternative assessment methods can be used to achieve certain cost, lead time, or certainty goals.


The popular protests that stopped Brazil in June 2013 showed diffuse insatisfaction, which gradually emerged as a historical-political event, integrated by anonymous people and crossed by the use of new media. In concern to media culture, the performance of celebrities during events strikes us as a curious point of reflection as we are able to observe the inclusion of artists in the crowd, while their actions  were widely highlighted by media. In order to better understand the possible boundaries that surround and differ the notions of anonymity and celebrification in the territory of mediatization, this article aims at identifying some types of relationship created by some Brazilian celebrities during the mass manifestations of the year 2013.


An outline of linear elastic fracture mechanics (l.e.f.m.) is given with an emphasis on those aspects most relevant to non-metallic materials. Provided that the nonlinear zone of energy absorption surrounding the crack tip is small compared with other dimensions, then a Ke or Ge value may be used. A simple extension of this concept can include elastically nonlinear materials such as rubber. Examples of the use of this method are then given for polymers, rubber and wood, and include some discussion of the difficulties involving plane strain-plane stress transitions. The role of Ke as a characterizing parameter in time-dependent, fatigue and environmental behaviour is then described with several examples, and it is concluded that plane strain fractures may be achieved with a wide range of values for any material. The consequences of this in choosing a design criterion are then discussed.


To reach upwelling and downwelling zones deep within the Southern Ocean seasonal sea ice cover, water masses must move across the Antarctic Circumpolar Current and through current systems including the Ross Gyre, Weddell Gyre, and Antarctic Slope Current. In this study we focus our attention on the Lagrangian exchange between the Ross Gyre and surrounding current systems. We conducted numerical experiments using five-day 3-D velocity fields from the Southern Ocean State Estimate with a particle tracking package to identify pathways by which waters move from near the Antarctic coastal margins or Antarctic Circumpolar Current into the interior of the Ross Gyre, and to identify the time scales of variability associated with these pathways. Waters from near the Antarctic margins enter the Ross Gyre along the western and northern boundaries of gyre until the gyre separates from the Pacific-Antarctic Ridge near fracture zones. At this juncture, Antarctic Circumpolar Current-derived inflow dominates the across-gyre transport up to the Antarctic margin. Transport and exchange associated with different time-average components of flow are calculated to determine the relative contributions of high- and low-frequency and time-mean components.


Fault detection techniques in metal additive manufacturing (AM) have explored a variety of monitoring methods to flag anomalies as they occur during the sintering process. Although many in-situ techniques are able to adeptly detect these abnormalities, several utilize machine learning black box methods that do not easily transfer to varying print geometries. An approach that is adaptable to a multitude of geometries holds an advantage in determining anomalies for more complex cross-sections and raster patterns. To address this lack of a geometry agnosticism, we propose a method that detects faults using the frequency content of the melt pool image response through an unsupervised approach. Scan line length and scan speed extracted from known geometry can be translated to associated frequencies via a spectrogram. We examine three specific geometries to determine detection performance on each by comparing the frequency content to the nominal response. A deviation from the expected performance will signify that an anomaly has occurred. We verify this approach is feasible for fault detection and is accurate in detecting anomalies that are hard to observe in the image time series. A feasible geometry agnostic method and the current interpretability will be discussed in this paper. The results reached in this paper strongly indicate that the approach is promising, has potential for improvement, and that a geometrically independent method is sensible. With further work, a generic algorithm applicable on any geometry will be achievable.


This paper presents numerical results in the form of graphs of the power reflection coefficients for electromagnetic signals normally incident upon a conductive plane covered with two layers of inhomogeneous plasma slabs. The plasma electron density varies only in the direction perpendicular to the plane. Parameters considered in the computation cover a relatively wide range and the functional dependence of the power reflection coefficients on these parameters is studied. The results indicate that in a rather broad frequency range, the electromagnetic attenuations by the double slabs obviously excel the sum of attenuations resulted from two plasma layers when each layer exits respectively. The structure presented is easy to set up, which is instructive for plasma stealth.


abstract:This article explores the idea that monstrosity can be negated through association with a military force. Using the ideas of authorized violence and justum bellum along with an exploration of the foundations for American confidence in their military forces and the historical use of heroic, chivalric shape-shifters, the article discusses how shape-shifters with these ideals allow a heroic figure to emerge despite the violent actions he or she might perpetrate. The article uses ancient texts, military laws and oaths, military philosophies, animal behaviour texts, urban fantasy, science fiction, and paranormal romance to show how shape-shifters' association with noble causes and military affiliations allows authorized violence and has resulted in a militarized heroic shape-shifter ideal.


One of the main challenges in labour relations in Europe is the ongoing decentralisation of collective bargaining from national and sectoral levels to company levels. Decentralisation might be an answer to business needs in competitiveness and organisational flexibility. However, it risks erosion of collective bargaining structures, more inequality in employment conditions and fragmentation in trade unions' powers.

 Based on recent qualitative research, this book shows high varieties across European countries and economic sectors in degrees, forms and impacts of decentralisation. The authors explore, in interdisciplinary and multi-level perspectives, continuity and change in regulating and practicing collective bargaining in France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain and Sweden. In cross-country comparisons, company case studies in manufacturing and retail show the divergent effects of national regimes and social partners' power resources on trade unions' strategies and influence in company bargaining.


UNLABELLED
The gel of the Aloe vera plant has been used safely for oral and external applications. Previously, we found phytosterols derived from an extract of Aloe vera gel obtained with an organic solvent to have hypoglycemic and antiobesity effects. While developing of functional foods using Aloe vera gel, we produced an active Aloe vera gel extract (AVGE) using a supercritical carbon dioxide (CO₂) extraction procedure. In this study, we tested the safety of AVGE in vitro and in vivo. In an acute oral toxicological test in which AVGE was administered to rats at a dose of 150 mg/kg body weight, there were no deaths or apparent abnormalities at necropsy. In a 90-d toxicity test in which rats were continuously administrered AVGE at 30 or 150 mg/kg, euthanized, and subjected to pathological examinations, no abnormalities attributable to the AVGE were found. AVGE was nonmutagenic in the Ames test and a chromosomal aberration test at concentrations of up to 5000 μg/plate and 1600 μg/plate, respectively, and in an in vivo bone marrow micronucleus test at up to 150 mg/kg/d.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION
AVGE can be safely used as a functional food material.


It is demonstrated that an internal symmetry group G may be implied by a dynamical space-time symmetry group K of a given nonlinear relativistic field theory. The admissible simple noncompact dynamical symmetry groups K are classified and it is shown that the resulting internal symmetry groups are "quantized" and may have form U(2), U(4),..., U(2N-2), depending on the rank N of K. The boson and fermion content of considered models is determined and a new mechanism of dynamical symmetry breaking different from the spontaneous one is presented.


Covid-19 has had a tremendous impact, especially in the field of education, both higher education and basic education. One of the impacts of the covid-19 pandemic is the implementation of a learning system that is carried out online (on a network) from their respective homes which tends to use technology as a learning medium, sometimes there are obstacles in its application. In addition, several obstacles that arise in the implementation of online learning include the first, the difficulties of teachers in managing online learning and are still focused on completing the curriculum. Second, not all parents are able to optimally accompany their children to study at home because they have to work or have the ability to be a child's learning companion. Third, the students also have difficulty concentrating on studying from home as well as increasing saturation which has the potential to cause health problems. Distance learning during the Covid-19 pandemic is a challenge in education in Indonesia. Some of these challenges or obstacles are in the form of unequal mastery of science and technology among teachers or educators, problems with internet access which causes not all students to participate, and the high cost of learning quotas. Therefore, synergy, serious, systematic, and sustainable efforts are needed from all relevant parties including families, communities, and the government to resolve existing educational problems. All of these improvement efforts can of course only take place properly if there are government policies that are a shared view of life and policies that can provide solutions to existing problems related to the COVID-19 pandemic, in this case the government is of course the front line in making and determining policies. solution education.


Introduction: A simulation laboratory has been set up in the
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Yalgado Ouedraogo Teaching
Hospital. The objective of this study was to evaluate the role of the
simulation in training of 7th grade students on interval IUD
insertion. Material and Method: This was an evaluation study of skills before and
after training that included 38 students of 7th grade medicine.
Pre-training knowledges and skills were compared to those based on training using
the paired Student test with a 5% significance level. Perceptions and
suggestions for improvement of training made by students were collected. Results: The sex ratio of the study participants was 1.1.
Their average age was 26.8 ± 0.9 years. The training increased the average knowledges
score from 48.2% to 93.0% (p th grade medicine students
had a good perception of this training. Conclusion: The training of 7th grade medicine
students in IUD insertion using simulation had a positive impact on their
knowledges and skills and was well appreciated.


Twelve normal subjects, 50 patients with valvular heart disease, and 14 with hypertension were studied. Those with valvular disease were divided into two groups: 28 with angiographically measured ejection fractions greater than or equal to 0.6 and 22 with ejection fractions less than 0.6. The echocardiographically measured ventricular thickness divided by radius ratio (t/r) was approximately proportional to peak systolic pressure (P) in all groups having ejection fractions greater than or equal to 0.6, so that the t/r divided by P ratios were nearly the same. Patients with ejection fractions less than 0.6 had significantly lower t/r divided by P values. No single component of the t/r divided by P ratio would identify the patients with lower ejection fractions. The t/r divided by P ratios in 14 hypertensive patients were nearly identical to the ratios in six patients with aortic stenosis and ejection fractions greater than or equal to 0.6, indicating that an aortic valve gradient does not cause a grossly abnormal form of pressure hypertrophy. The t/r ratio is thus a double sensitive, noninvasive index of dilation when correlated with systolic pressure.


Kidney transplantation is limited not by technical or immunological challenges but by lack of donor organs. Whereas the number of patients on waiting list increased, the transplantation rate decreased. We analyzed the development of decline rates and reasons as well as the fate of declined organs. In total, 1403 organs offered to 1950 patients between 2001 and 2010 were included. Of 440 organs offered between 2009 and 2011 that were declined, we investigated whether these organs were transplanted elsewhere and requested delayed graft function, creatinine, graft and patient survival. Data were compared to results of transplantations at the same time at our center. Decline rate increased from 47% to 87%. Main reasons were poor organ quality and donor–recipient age or size mismatch. Of the rejected organs, 55% were transplanted at other centers with function, graft and patient survival equivalent to patients transplanted at our center during that period. The number of decline has increased over time mainly due to a growing number of marginal donors accounting for poor organ quality or a mismatch of donor and recipient. If proper donor–recipient selection is performed, many organs that would otherwise be discarded can be transplanted successfully.


Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to discover and develop the conceptual understanding of teaching and learning in entrepreneurship lecturers and how this is influencing the change in teaching experience.

Design/methodology/approach
The study was carried out among Estonian entrepreneurship lecturers who participated in a lecturer-training programme. A qualitative research method was adopted, focussing on thematic analysis. The framework for research and the analysis of results relied on the teaching and learning model, enabling the model to be tested in the context of entrepreneurship education.

Findings
The results show that the lecturers with learning-centred mind-sets tended to make changes in their teaching approaches and introduced changes in other teaching and learning components, such as the content (learning process) and outcomes of the learning subject. These inconsistent applications of changes justify the need for a systematic approach to entrepreneurship teaching and learning.

Practical implications
The results of the study contribute to a more systematic understanding of conceptions of teaching entrepreneurship among entrepreneurship lecturers, thereby allowing school management to understand the need for developing staff in addition to curricula. The study results are useful for informing training for entrepreneurship lecturers, designing entrepreneurship courses and choosing the appropriate methodology in such design.

Originality/value
This paper provides input for creating a conceptual teaching and learning model of entrepreneurship education that contributes to a more systematic understanding of the relationships between the components of teaching and learning when designing entrepreneurship education programmes. In the context of entrepreneurship education, the use of the teaching and learning model is required when considering the timeline between different components of the model. This means that it is important to first make decisions about the presage factors (including conceptual understanding of teachers), which provide the frame (context) for the teaching and learning process, as well as learning outcomes.


In this paper, optical properties of Y2O3:Eu3+ micro- and nanophosphors synthesized by sol-gel process are reported. Citric acid and tartaric acid were employed as chelating agents. Different factors effecting structures and properties of the phosphors, such as concentration of Eu3+, sintered temperature and the ratio of metal ions to tartaric acid, were examined. Crystal structure of the particles was investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) technique. The results showed that the phosphor powders completely crystallized at 600°C. Morphology and particle size of the phosphors were studied by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM). The particle size of the obtained phosphors varied from 1 to 6 μm (using citric acid as chelating agent) and from 20 to 30 nm (using tartaric acid as chelating agent). Photoluminescence measurements of the Y2O3:Eu3+ particles showed red emission peaks at 610 -612 nm (5D0→7F2). The optimal molar concentration to obtain the highest photoluminescent intensity for the phosphors was 7% of Eu3+.


We present the results of a detailed experimental study of the electric current and voltage induced in the 2DEG of a GaAs-AlGaAs heterostructure by a surface acoustic wave (SAW). New results are obtained for these acoustoelectric effects at zero and low (<0.1 T) magnetic fields. At zero magnetic field the acoustoelectric current (voltage) was found to show a non-monotonic temperature dependence with a maximum at 40-50 K. Measurements on high-mobility 2DEGs where the electron mean free path is comparable with the SAW wavelength reveal geometric resonances of the cyclotron orbit with the SAW wavelength. With increasing magnetic field the acoustoelectric effects increase significantly and display rich oscillatory structure. We compare our data for the high-magnetic-field regime with that published in the literature.


Abstract Background Whether the safety and efficacy of hepatic resection differ between patients whose hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is related to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) or has other aetiologies is unknown. A systematic review was performed to explore potential differences between such conditions. Methods PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library were systematically searched for relevant studies that reported hazard ratios (HRs) for overall and recurrence-free survival between patients with NAFLD-related HCC or HCC of other aetiologies. Results The meta-analysis involved 17 retrospective studies involving 2470 patients (21.5 per cent) with NAFLD-related HCC and 9007 (78.5 per cent) with HCC of other aetiologies. Patients with NAFLD-related HCC were older and had higher body mass index (BMI), but were less likely to have cirrhosis (50.4 per cent versus 64.0 per cent, P < 0.001). The two groups suffered similar rates of perioperative complications and mortality. Patients with NAFLD-related HCC had slightly higher overall survival (HR 0.87, 95 per cent c.i. 0.75 to 1.02) and recurrence-free survival (HR 0.93, 95 per cent c.i. 0.84 to 1.02) than those with HCC of other aetiologies. In the various subgroup analyses, the only significant finding was that Asian patients with NAFLD-related HCC had significantly better overall survival (HR 0.82, 95 per cent c.i. 0.71 to 0.95) and recurrence-free survival (HR 0.88, 95 per cent c.i. 0.79 to 0.98) than Asian patients with HCC of other aetiologies. Conclusion The available evidence suggests that patients with NAFLD-related HCC have similar perioperative complications and mortality, but potentially longer overall and recurrence-free survival, compared with those with HCC of other aetiologies. Tailored surveillance strategies should be developed for patients with NAFLD without cirrhosis.


Grandparents (GP) play influential roles in grandchildren's health, behavior, and life. However, this relationship has not been examined in the Arab region. This study assesses whether the presence of GP in the household is associated with grandchildren's health and wellbeing. Health status was determined by a child experiencing chronic health conditions or an acute illness, and wellbeing was determined based on school attendance and child labor. Data were collected through surveys conducted in 2010 and 2015 of representative samples of Palestinian refugees living in Lebanon. Multivariate logistic regression showed that, even after controlling for potential confounders, including the presence of parents in the household and household food insecurity (FI), the presence of live-in GP was associated with lower odds of children experiencing acute illnesses (OR 0.74 95% CI 0.62–0.92) and higher odds of attending school (OR 2.22 95% CI 1.28–5.33), but not child labor. The presence of GP in the household may be protective to grandchildren's health status and school attendance in this population.


We present a new 3D object tracking algorithm that supports multiple planar and nonplanar objects with real-time processing speed and high accuracy. The main problem of object tracking algorithm is the limitation of the supporting type of target object, slow processing speed, and low tracking accuracy. Our algorithm provides high accuracy and real-time performance while detecting not only planar objects but also nonplanar objects. The real-time performance is accomplished by using Features from Accelerated Segment Test corner detection, region of interest, and parallel processing on a multicore processor. High accuracy is realized by using a scale-invariant feature transform descriptor, random sample consensus, region of interest, and double robust filtering. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


OBJECTIVES/SPECIFIC AIMS: The aims of this study are (1) to develop and characterize a novel nonhuman primate model of pneumococcal pneumonia that mimics human disease; and (2) determine whether Streptococcus pneumoniae can: (a) translocate to the heart, (b) cause adverse cardiac events, (c) induce cardiomyocyte death, and (d) lead to scar formation during severe pneumonia in baboons. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: Six adult baboons (Papio cynocephalus) were surgically tethered to a monitoring system to continuously assess their heart rate, temperature, and electrocardiogram (ECG). A baseline transthoracic echocardiogram, 12-lead ECG, serum troponin-I levels, brain natriuretic peptide, and heart-type fatty acid binding protein (HFABP) levels were obtained before infection and at the end of the experiment to determine cardiovascular damage during pneumococcal pneumonia. Animals were challenged with 108 colony-forming units of S. pneumoniae in the right middle lobe using flexible bronchoscopy. Three baboons were rescued with ampicillin therapy (80 mg/kg/d) after the development of pneumonia. Cardiac damage was confirmed by examination of tissue sections using immunohistochemistry as well as electron and fluorescence microscopy. Western-blots and tissue staining were used to determine the presence of necroptosis (RIP3 and pMLKL) and apoptosis (Caspase-3) in the cardiac tissue. Cytokine and chemokine levels in the heart tissue were determined using Luminex technology. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: Four males (57%) and three (43%) females were challenged. The median age of all baboons was 11 (IQR, 10-19) years old, which corresponds to a middle-aged human. Infected baboons consistently developed severe pneumonia. All animals developed systemic inflammatory response syndrome with tachycardia, tachypnea, fever, and leukocytosis. Infection was characterized by initial leukocytosis followed by severe leukopenia on day 3 postinoculation. Non-specific ischemic alterations by ECG (ST segment and T-wave flattering) and in the premortem echocardiogram were observed. The median (IQR) levels of troponin I and HFABP at the end of the experiment were 3550 ng/mL (1717–5383) and 916.9 ng/mL (520.8–1323), respectively. Severe cardiomyopathy was observed using TEM and H&E stains in animals with severe pneumonia. Necroptosis was detected in cardiomyocytes of infected animals by the presence of pMLKL and RIP3 in cardiac tissues. Signs of cardiac remodeling indicated by disorganized collagen deposition was present in rescued animals but not in the other animals. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF IMPACT: We confirmed that baboons experience cardiac injury during severe pneumococcal pneumonia that is characterized by myocardial invasion, activation of necroptosis, and tissue remodeling in animals rescued by antimicrobial therapy. Cardiac damage by invading pneumococci may explain why adverse cardiac events that occur during and after pneumococcal pneumonia in adult human patients.


Objective To determine the frequency of various cutaneous manifestations in patients with obesity and correlate these skin changes with the grades of obesity. Patients and methods The study was conducted at Departments of Medicine and Dermatology, Sir Syed College of Medical Sciences and Hospital Karachi from 1 st January 2014 till 30 th June 2014. Patients belonging to both sexes and different age groups having body mass index (BMI) > 25kg/m 2 with cutaneous manifestations of obesity were enrolled. Patients with skin changes secondary to other systemic illnesses, pregnancy and drugs were excluded. After an informed consent, demographic details, height and weight were documented. A clinical dermatological diagnosis was established after a detailed history and examination. Appropriate investigations were performed where required. Results 196 patients, 76 males (39%) and 120 females (61%) completed the study. Mean age was 43.6 + 10.8 years, age range being 19-70 years. Mean BMI 34 + 4.73 kg/m 2 (range 25-50), grade I obesity in 75 (38%) and grade II obesity in 121 (62%) cases. The most common finding observed was acanthosis nigricans (49%), followed by striae (17%), fungal infections (15%), acrochordons (12%), viral infections (11%), hirsutism (11%) and bacterial infections (7.5%). Other less common associations included: xanthomas, corns, plantar hyperkeratosis and acne. Acanthosis nigricans and viral infections were significantly more among females; corn and callus among males. Obesity grade II was significantly associated with acanthosis nigricans, viral infections, hirsutism, striae and stasis dermatitis. Conclusion Obesity is commonly associated with a wide range of dermatological manifestations like acanthosis nigricans, striae, hirsutism, skin infections. Other less common associations include: xanthomas, corns, plantar hyperkeratosis and acne.


Densification, reaction conditions and properties of densified MgO and spinel composites were examined using both pressureless sintering and hot-pressing. Initially fine (32 nm) MgO powder, either alone or blended with μm dimension spinel particles or alumina powder, could not be sintered without extensive and large scale cracking. Bulk densities of calcined MgO discs after uniaxial and isostatic pressing, and after pressureless sintering, were thus determined as a function of powder calcination temperature. The peak temperature of 1300 °C for 2 h was found to be optimum for pure MgO powders, giving the highest bulk density for the MgO discs. Increasing calcination temperature and decreasing the heating rate reduced the extent of cracking, but did not eliminate it completely. However, the use of precalcined MgO powder and a slow heating rate gave dense materials with no large-scale cracks. This work helped to understand better how macrocracking caused by the fabrication stage could be reduced and/or removed. The conditions of temperature and time to produce in-situ formed spinel were conformed by XRD. The sintering parameters and conditions, based on the density, calcination temperatures, pressure, time and particle size, were determined, and the optimum sintering schedule was proposed for MgO-spinel composites.