The Efficient Nearest Neighbour group query (ENNGQ) uses group points to provide the optimal solution for the nearest group point in the dataset. The novel type of spatial keyword query called Group Nearest Group (GNG) query will be used to optimize the query. Given a data point set D, a query point set Q and an integer k, the Group Nearest Group query finds a subset of points from D, ω (|ω| ≤ k), such that the total distance from all points in Q to the nearest point in ω is no greater than any other subset of points in D. Each nearest point obtained matches at least one of the query keywords. For processing this query several algorithms are proposed. The processing of ENNGQ query consists of a Data Classifier with De-Duplicator Block (DCDB), Most Frequent Search Cache Engine (MFSCE) and Exhaustive Subset Refinement algorithm (ESRA). A ENNGQ query returns the location of a meeting place that minimizes the aggregate distance from a spread out group of users. For example, a group of users can look for a restaurant that serves Chinese dishes that minimizes the total travel distance from them. The duplicates in the dataset can be identified to improve the search query from the given data using the DCDB. The data can also be grouped in such a manner that it can be used for efficient retrieval. The MFSCE is a Deterministic Cache engine which helps to store the most frequently accessed keyword and the location with respect to a reference point. Finally, the ESRA is a local search heuristic with the current best value is refined by visiting the child nodes of the block using bounded Priority queues. In order to prune large portion of query objects reducing the number of node accesses, this extensive experiments on spatial databases is effective in reducing group query response time which exhibits good scalability with the query objects and the number of query.


Boron doped silicon n+p solar cells were counterdoped with lithium by ion implanation and the resultant n+p cells irradiated by 1 MeV electrons. The function of fluence and a Deep Level Transient Spectroscopy (DLTS) was studied to correlate defect behavior with cell performance. It was found that the lithium counterdoped cells exhibited significantly increased radiation resistance when compared to boron doped control cells. It is concluded that the annealing behavior is controlled by dissociation and recombination of defects. The DLTS studies show that counterdoping with lithium eliminates at least three deep level defects and results in three new defects. It is speculated that the increased radiation resistance of the counterdoped cells is due primarily to the interaction of lithium with oxygen, single vacancies and divacancies and that the lithium-oxygen interaction is the most effective in contributing to the increased radiation resistance.


Wood specimens of fir (Abies alba Mill) and beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) are chemically modified by polycarboxylic acids (PCA) and analysed by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy that is used to evaluate the differences between convection and microwave curing. A new non-formaldehyde crosslinking system is composed of two most prominent PCAs, e.g. 1,2,3,4-butanetetracarboxylic acid (BTCA) and citric acid (CA). These reagents require a phosphono-based catalyst, thus a sodium hypophosphite (SHP) catalyst is used in the study. The effects of the PCAs treatment are compared with the previously introduced 1,3-dimethylol 4,5-dihydroxy-ethylene urea (DMDHEU) treatment. Further intensification of the processes of wood modification and an increase in the quality of wood-based materials is achieved by microwave treatment. Dimensional stability of the modified wood is determined by anti-swelling efficiency (ASE), using the water soak/oven dry method. The results revealed the improvement of ASE of the wood modified by PCAs, as compared by the DMDHEU treatment.


Object based image analysis has gained on the traditional perpixel multi-spectral based approaches. The main pitfall of using anisotropic diffusion for creating a multi scale representation of a remotely sensed image remains the computational burden. Producing the coarser scales in a multi scale representation or, diffusing spatially large images involves significant time and resources. This paper proposes a fast approach for anisotropic diffusion that overcomes spatial size limitations by distributing the diffusion as individual sub-processes over several overlapping sub-images. The overlap areas are synchronized at specific diffusion time ensuring that the fast approximation does not deviate too much from its single process equivalent. This demonstrated for an image, which can be diffused using a traditional sequential approach. In addition, experimental data for very large images that can not efficiently be processed using a sequential approach is illustrated.


The mango weevil is now established in the U.S. Virgin Islands. In 2012, I started sampling for a mango grower in St. Croix who had been struggling with mango weevil infestations for more than 10 years, but had not implemented any controls. Throughout the 2012 harvest season, we gathered 348/505 fruits (68.9%) with weevil infestation in the seed, and 13/305 fruits (4.3%) with weevil infestation in the pulp. In 2013, we initiated an IPM program with trunk sprays (malathion + oil), canopy sprays (carbaryl), and sanitation (rapid removal and destruction of dropped fruits). We gathered 110/606 fruits (18.2%) with weevil infestation in the seed, and 3/606 fruits (0.5%) with weevil infestation in the pulp. However, the majority of infested fruits (105/410, 25.6%) was collected during June and September, and was likely a result of late initiation and early elimination of controls. We found only 5/196 fruits (2.6%) with weevil infestation in the seed, and no infestations in pulp, during sampling of fruits harvested in July and August. In 2014, we plan to continue with trunk sprays and sanitation, but replace canopy sprays with a soil application of a systemic neonicotinoid. We hope our efforts will eventually yield effective conventional and organic integrated pest management (IPM) programs that will work for large and small mango orchards and residential plots.


This study focuses on the sense of brightness in the foraging Japanese yellow swallowtail butterfly, Papilio xuthus. We presented two red discs of different intensity on a grey background to butterflies, and trained them to select one of the discs. They were successfully trained to select either a high intensity or a low intensity disc. The trained butterflies were tested on their ability to perceive brightness in two different protocols: (i) two orange discs of different intensity presented on the same intensity grey background and (ii) two orange discs of the same intensity separately presented on a grey background that was either higher or lower in intensity than the training background. The butterflies trained to high intensity red selected the orange disc of high intensity in protocol 1, and the disc on the background of low intensity grey in protocol 2. We obtained similar results in another set of experiments with purple discs instead of orange discs. The choices of the butterflies trained to low intensity red were opposite to those just described. Taken together, we conclude that Papilio has the ability to learn brightness and darkness of targets independent of colour, and that they have the so-called simultaneous brightness contrast.


The paper provides an analysis of the impact of the economic crisis on the Russian employment and is based on the results of the studies carried out by the Institute of Sociology of the Russian Academy of Sciences in 2009—2016 and the Federal State Statistics Service's data. The authors explain that, according to the employment situation, the 2014—2016 crisis was a budget cri- sis and consumption crisis rather than an economic crisis. Basic labor rights have become less respected through- out the country, the average length of the workweek has increased, and even nominal hourly labor cost has decreased. The situation of the most vulnerable social and economic groups — those employed in the private sector, especially in commerce and public services as well as people living in small cities and rural area — has particularly deteriorated. Significant changes were observed in the Moscow labor market where the increasing workload was accompanied by the reduction of gap between the Moscow labor cost and the labor cost in other regions. By the 2016 autumn, the number of workers whose rights were not fully observed made up half of the employed population; the risk of job loss is high in this particular group. All the trends mentioned above are reflected in the Russian mass consciousness where a controversy between the employers and the employees plays an increasingly important role.


Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) is a powerful tool for the direct visualization of biological specimens at nanometre-scale resolution. However, images of unstained specimens in water using an atmospheric holder exhibit very poor contrast and heavy radiation damage. Here, we present a new form of microscopy, the frequency transmission electric-field (FTE) method using SEM, that offers low radiation damage and high-contrast observation of unstained biological samples in water. The wet biological specimens are enclosed in two silicon nitride (SiN) films. The metal-coated SiN film is irradiated using a focused modulation electron beam (EB) at a low-accelerating voltage. A measurement terminal under the sample holder detects the electric-field frequency signal, which contains structural information relating to the biological specimens. Our results in very little radiation damage to the sample, and the observation image is similar to the transmission image, depending on the sample volume. Our developed method can easily be utilized for the observation of various biological specimens in water.


Thin mesoporous titania films prepared by surfactant templating feature some of the highest light conversion efficiencies per thickness ratios as anodes in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs). However, the fabrication of thicker films required for sufficient light absorption is very challenging using this approach, often resulting in cracking and delamination of the films. Here we present a simple and scalable method to prepare thick mesoporous titania photoanodes via a surfactant-directed assembly of crystalline ultra-small TiO2 nanoparticles in combination with phase separation due to ethyl cellulose added to the coating solutions. Along with increasing film thickness, the ethyl cellulose introduces an interpenetrating macropore network into the films, leading to the formation of hierarchical porous films with bimodal porosity, with the smaller mesopores resulting from the structure-directing agent, Pluronic F127. In this way, films of up to 2 μm per layer without delamination can be produced, exhibiting a high surface area of 130 m2 g−1, about twice the value of films based on standard TiO2 nanoparticle paste. The preparation of multilayer films by a sequential spin-coating and calcination procedure enables the production of films with an overall thickness of up to 10 μm in only 5 steps, which showed high efficiencies of 7.7% in dye-sensitized solar cells.


The objective of this work is human pose estimation in videos, where multiple frames are available. We investigate a ConvNet architecture that is able to benefit from temporal context by combining information across the multiple frames using optical flow. To this end we propose a network architecture with the following novelties: (i) a deeper network than previously investigated for regressing heatmaps, (ii) spatial fusion layers that learn an implicit spatial model, (iii) optical flow is used to align heatmap predictions from neighbouring frames, and (iv) a final parametric pooling layer which learns to combine the aligned heatmaps into a pooled confidence map. We show that this architecture outperforms a number of others, including one that uses optical flow solely at the input layers, one that regresses joint coordinates directly, and one that predicts heatmaps without spatial fusion. The new architecture outperforms the state of the art by a large margin on three video pose estimation datasets, including the very challenging Poses in the Wild dataset, and outperforms other deep methods that don't use a graphical model on the single-image FLIC benchmark (and also [5, 35] in the high precision region).


ABSTRACT
 Animals must find and select mates in environments that naturally vary in both space and time. Of particular importance for many species are the availability and phenology of host plants for feeding and oviposition sites. Here, we used Murgantia histrionica (Hahn) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), a herbivorous insect, to determine mating preferences and success using mating assays and preferences based on odor cues.Wemanipulated the natal and encounter contexts using two different host plants, mustard and broccoli. We found that both the natal host plant and the host plant where insects encountered potential mates significantly affected mating success in this insect. Broccolireared individuals were more likely to mate in general; however, all individuals were more likely to mate when placed in an encounter context of mustard. Using a separate assay, we also found that the natal host plant affected female preference based on odor cues; females preferred the odors of males from the same natal environment that the females experienced as nymphs. In addition, we examined color and body size for host plant effects as both size and color are important factors for many species during mate choice. We found that individuals reared on mustard were larger than those reared on broccoli. However, the proportion of orange color on the dorsum of insects was not significantly affected by the natal host plant. In summary, these results suggest that changes in host plants, as commonly occurs seasonally, may have implications for sexual selection via mate choice.


Morphological and biochemical interactions between a vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal (VAM) fungus (Glomus fasciculatum [Thaxt. sensu Gerdemann] Gerdemann and Trappe) and potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) plants during the development of P deficiency were characterized. Nonmycorrhizal (NM) plants grown for 63 d with low abiotic P supply (0.5 mM) produced 34, 52, and 73% less root, shoot, and tuber dry matter, respectively, than plants grown with high P (2.5 mM). The total leaf area and the leaf area:plant dry weight ratio of low-P plants were substantially lower than those of high-P plants. Moreover, a lower shoot:root dry weight ratio and tuber:plant dry weight ratio in low-P plants than in high-P plants characterized a major effect of P deficiency stress on dry matter partitioning. In addition to a slower rate of growth, low-P plants accumulated nonreducing sugars and nitrate. Furthermore, root respiration and leaf nitrate reductase activity were lower in low-P plants than in high-P plants. Low abiotic P supply also induced physiological changes that contributed to the greater efficiency of P acquisition by low-P plants than by high-P plants. For example, allocation of dry matter and P to root growth was less restricted by P deficiency stress than to shoot and tuber growth. Also, the specific activities of root acid phosphatases and vanadate-sensitive microsomal ATPases were enhanced in P-deficient plants. The establishment of a VAM symbiosis by low-P plants was essential for efficient P acquisition, and a greater root infection level for P-stressed plants indicated increased compatibility to the VAM fungus. By 63 d after planting, low-P VAM plants had recovered 42% more of the available soil P than low-P NM plants. However, the VAM fungus only partially alleviated P deficiency stress and did not completely compensate for inadequate abiotic P supply. Although the specific activities of acid phosphatases and microsomal ATPases were only marginally influenced by VAM infection, VAM roots characteristically had a higher protein concentration and, consequently, enhanced microsomal ATPase and acid phosphatase activities on a fresh weight basis compared with NM roots. Morphological and ultrastructural details of VAM plants are discussed in relation to the influence of the VAM symbiosis on P nutrition of potato.


Under a very general framework, both in terms of finite-time performance measures and system structure, the authors derive smoothed perturbation analysis (SPA) estimators and prove their unbiasedness. The commuting condition, which has been key in previous work, is not required a priori, and thus the framework includes such systems as the GI/G/1/K queue and multiclass queueing networks, which do not satisfy the commuting condition. The generality achieved is traded off against the fact that the estimator is not always easily implementable on a single sample path. The use of the commuting condition in a local sense is proposed to help simplify the estimators derived: queueing and multiclass queueing networks are used as illustrative examples. For a simple multiclass closed queueing network, some simulation results are provided. When the commuting condition is satisfied globally, the framework allows the recovery of previous results on IPA and SPA estimators as corollaries of the main theorems. >


This paper addresses the problem of output feedback control for underactuated unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) moving on the horizontal plane when only the information of position and orientation are available. We show that it is possible to solve the trajectory tracking control by an interesting approach such that the combination of backstepping technique with adaptive dynamical sliding mode control enhances the robustness of UUVs against to systematic uncertainty and environmental disturbances. Although the velocity measurements of the vehicle are unavailable for identification and control, the option of high-gain observer for output feedback control is developed to estimate the velocities without the need for explicit knowledge of the vehicle model. The rigorous stability analysis of overall closed-loop system are achieved here to be globally uniformly ultimately bounded, and simulations are given to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed observer-controller scheme.


Digital media has challenged copyright law in the past decades. The ease with which digital files can be copied and disseminated has amplified copyright infringement and jeopardized the profitability of copyright-based industries around the globe.In this article I propose a solution: to complement the copyright system with a Fair Trade Copyright system. The Fair Trade Copyright system, which would apply optimally in the realm of the music industry, would encourage users to donate to recording artists on digital platforms and distribute the donations to artists.The implementation of my proposal will yield several improvements over the current system. First, it would enlarge the pie of revenues that flow into the music industry. Second, it would compensate recording artists, who are under-protected in the current regime, and augment their incentives to create. Third, this model would monetize illegal music consumption, and would achieve this at a relatively low cost and without harming law-enforcement efforts. Fourth, and finally, the model would potentially change the power balance within the music industry in favor of artists instead of intermediaries.


The AI community is increasingly focused on merging logic with deep learning to create Neuro-Symbolic (NeSy) paradigms and assist neural approaches with symbolic knowledge. A significant trend in the literature involves integrating axioms and facts in loss functions by grounding logical symbols with neural networks and operators with fuzzy semantics. Logic Tensor Networks (LTN) is one of the main representatives in this category, known for its simplicity, efficiency, and versatility. However, it has been previously shown that not all fuzzy operators perform equally when applied in a differentiable setting. Researchers have proposed several configurations of operators, trading off between effectiveness, numerical stability, and generalization to different formulas. This paper presents a configuration of fuzzy operators for grounding formulas end-to-end in the logarithm space. Our goal is to develop a configuration that is more effective than previous proposals, able to handle any formula, and numerically stable. To achieve this, we propose semantics that are best suited for the logarithm space and introduce novel simplifications and improvements that are crucial for optimization via gradient-descent. We use LTN as the framework for our experiments, but the conclusions of our work apply to any similar NeSy framework. Our findings, both formal and empirical, show that the proposed configuration outperforms the state-of-the-art and that each of our modifications is essential in achieving these results.


This letter introduces a new class of miniaturized reflectarray unit cells with increased phase swing employing Minkowski fractal-shaped patch-slot elements. Square, 1st Minkowski, and 2nd Minkowski fractal patches are designed as a reflectarray unit cell. A slot with variable lengths of 0 <; Ls <; 6 mm is used in the ground plane to perform the phase variation function. The resonant frequency corresponding to the maximum phase swing is reduced from 10.6 GHz for the square patch down to 8.8 and 8.3 GHz for the first- and second-order Minkowski fractal patches, respectively, which is equivalent to 17% and 22% size reduction. Unit cells with different patch type and slot length are fabricated, and close agreement is observed between the measured and simulated results. As it has been proven for conventional phased array antennas, this size reduction can lead to a decrease in mutual coupling in reflectarray antennas. Alternatively, it allows for smaller distance between reflectarray antenna elements, which renders a wider beam-scanning range.


To tackle climate change, pollution and dwindling resources, we need to rethink our urban environment by identifying the most suitable morphological structures, with an optimized local (cradle-to-cradle) approach to energy and resources; towards economic feasibility and improved environmental quality. In this paper we propose integrating the Transect concept with the energy issues, to provide a flexible system for allocating building types, landscaping, energy systems, etc. so that they contribute to a symbiotic ecosystem. This Transect framework can include a juxtaposed toolbox that can be used collectively at the region, city, sector, neighborhood, and block/building scale.


Background We investigated the molecular etiology of a young male proband with confirmed immunodeficiency of unknown cause, presenting with recurrent bacterial and Varicella zoster viral infections in childhood and persistent lymphopenia into early adulthood. Aim To identify causative functional genetic variants related to an undiagnosed primary immunodeficiency. Method Whole genome microarray copy number variant (CNV) analysis was performed on the proband followed by whole exome sequencing (WES) and trio analysis of the proband and family members. A >4 kbp deletion identified by repeated CNV analysis of exome sequencing data along with three damaging missense single nucleotide variants were validated by Sanger sequencing in all family members. Confirmation of the causative role of the candidate gene was performed by qPCR and Western Blot analyses on the proband, family members and a healthy control. Results CNV identified our previously reported interleukin 25 amplification in the proband; however, the variant was not validated to be a candidate gene for immunodeficiency. WES trio analysis, data filtering and in silico prediction identified a novel, damaging (SIFT: 0; Polyphen 1; Grantham score: 101) and disease-causing (MutationTaster) single base mutation in the X chromosome (c.511C > T p.Arg171Trp) MSN gene not identified in the UCSC Genome Browser database. The mutation was validated by Sanger sequencing, confirming the proband was hemizygous X-linked recessive (–/T) at this locus and inherited the affected T allele from his non-symptomatic carrier mother (C/T), with other family members (father, sister) confirmed to be wild type (C/C). Western Blot analysis demonstrated an absence of moesin protein in lymphocytes derived from the proband, compared with normal expression in lymphocytes derived from the healthy control, father and mother. qPCR identified significantly lower MSN mRNA transcript expression in the proband compared to an age- and sex-matched healthy control subject in whole blood (p = 0.02), and lymphocytes (p = 0.01). These results confirmed moesin deficiency in the proband, directly causative of his immunodeficient phenotype. Conclusion These findings confirm X-linked moesin-associated immunodeficiency in a proband previously undiagnosed up to 24 years of age. This study also highlights the utility of WES for the diagnosis of rare or novel forms of primary immunodeficiency disease.


Abstract Song overlapping, a behaviour in which an individual begins singing before its counterpart has completed its song, has been the subject of recent debate. Although many studies have suggested that song overlapping functions as a signal, the majority of these studies fail to address the possibility that overlapping is a chance occurrence. Part of the difficulty in determining whether overlap is intentional or accidental lies in the lack of compelling null models for estimating chance levels of song overlap. We have developed the Song Overlap Null model Generator (SONG), a software package for R. SONG uses resampling randomization to predict the expected amount of overlap due to chance, and is applicable to any system in which individuals engage in signalling interactions. To evaluate the effectiveness of SONG, we examined the overlapping behaviour of three avian species: black-capped chickadees (Poecile atricapillus), rufous-and-white wrens (Thryophilus rufalbus) and long-tailed manakins (Chiroxiphia linearis). Our analyses revealed that black-capped chickadees avoided overlapping the songs of playback-simulated intruders, duetting wrens overlapped the songs of their mates and manakins avoided overlapping the duets of their neighbours. We believe that SONG will prove to be a valuable tool for understanding signal timing in songbirds as well as other taxa.


The venotonic effects of escin on the human saphenous vein have been evaluated in vitro on histologically normal venous segments obtained during surgical saphenectomy procedures. It is necessary to use the human preparations because of the great variability in the responses of the veins of different species. By using a standard stimulus and fitting the experimental data to the logistic function, we were able to compare the activity of escin with those of the commonly used venotonic agents. Stimulation with escin always induced an increase in venous tone which was constant for a given dose and stable for some time, and maintained for as long as an hour after removal of the substance from the bath. The maximum contraction obtained with escin was similar to those obtained with serotonin and dihydroergotamine, significantly greater than that obtained with acetylcholine or vasopressin. However, the affinity of escin was found to be lower than those of the other substances studied. An increase in venous tone, and therefore a decrease in the volume of the venous district, would be considered a very favorable result to be obtained with a drug which, like escin, is indicated for treatment of venous diseases leading to irreversible dilation.


In the field of geoformation and transportation science, the shortest path is calculated on graph mostly found in road and transportation networks, especially the network of airports of some capitals around the globe. Against this backdrop, the present paper follows Geographic Information Systems to investigate the real distance for the airline in order to achieve an optimal aircraft routing within a dynamically stochastic transportation network. Routing is a procedure of forwarding the data from a known seed to the goal in which the data may travel through several intermediate routes. Consequently, the selection of the best possible shortest path nodes to forward the data using all pair shortest path is necessitated. Moreover, as a result of this approach, this shortest path selection of nodes will help facilitate the attainment of an efficient performance in the network. Copious amounts of work have been carried out to discover the shortest path in the network routing for the purpose of improving its efficiency and overcoming possible problems.


The objective of this research is to clarify how nursing care staff perceive the user's "individuality" based on their shared view in nursing care practices. The survey with paper questionnaire was conducted among 114 nursing care staff who worked at a care giving facility. As a result, 95 (83.3%) commented they had an experience of using the word, "individuality," 22 (19.3%) commented they provided nursing care with "individuality" all the time, and 68 (59.6%) commented sometimes. In addition, we conducted the self-assessment and others-assessment personality test (BigFive short version) among 12 users who were engaged with all 9 nursing care staff in the same team, and then analyzed with Friedman test. As a result, it was clear that nursing care staff had different user perception on four factors, extroversion, openness, sincerity, and harmonicity, whereas they had a common perception on one factor, emotional unstableness. This indicates that it has high potential of providing consistent emotional care; however, it is also considered that they tend to provide care focusing on emotion.


P turtles (Chrysemys picta) are common residents of shallow lakes and marshes across much of North America east of the Rocky Mountains—so common, in fact, that the species has become a "model organism" for studies on the ecology and evolution of chelonians (Wilbur and Morin 1988). The natural history of painted turtles differs from that of most other species in an important respect, however. Whereas neonates of other freshwater turtles usually emerge from their subterranean nest in late summer or autumn and move to a nearby marsh, lake, or stream to spend their first winter, hatchling painted turtles typically remain inside their shallow (8–14 cm) nest throughout their first winter and do not emerge above the ground until the following spring (Ernst et al. 1994). This behavior commonly causes neonatal painted turtles in northern regions—from Nebraska (Packard 1997, Packard et al. 1997a), northern Illinois (Weisrock and Janzen 1999), and New Jersey (DePari 1996) northward to the limit of distribution in southern Canada (Storey et al. 1988)—to be exposed during winter to ice and cold, with temperatures in some nests dipping below –10°C (Figure 1). Many of these hatchlings withstand such extremes and emerge from the nest when the soil finally thaws in the spring (Table 1).


The objective of this documentary work was to provide a theoretical discussion around concepts related to the term sustainability (that is, sustainable development, environmental education, environmental training, ecopedagogy, biopedagogy, and education for sustainable development) to detect coincidences and disagreements that serve as support for managers and decision-makers of university policies at the time of incorporating these words into the curriculum of higher education institutions. After presenting this theoretical discussion, it can be concluded that the country's public universities, as complex organizations, have the challenge of understanding and implementing the principles of sustainability within the university curriculum as part of their commitment to the 2030 Agenda and the objectives for it. sustainable development. Likewise, it must be taken into account that the current structuring that characterizes the country's public universities -based on the departmentalization of knowledgefavors the fragmentation of science, a reality questioned by ESD, which invites the reconciliation of the different disciplines to contribute to the design and development of new theoretical-methodological models that allow giving answers to the challenges faced by sustainable development.


Citation only. Abstract from the International Conference on Aging & Cognition, Dortmund, Germany, April 25–27, 2013 published in Journal of Psychophysiology, 27 (suppl. 1), 65. Members of the USF System may access the full-text of the article through the authenticated link provided below.


This thesis aims to analyze global business cycle and fiscal risk in ASEAN-5 which is expected to be explained by several explanatory variables including primary balance/GDP, oil price, economic growth, output gap, and LIBOR interest rate. More spesifically, this thesis focus on the effect of oil price with Debt/GDP is a benchmark of  fiscal risk. This research used panel data of ASEAN-5 period 2000-2014. Prior to conducting the analysis, this study looked at the correlation coefficients between the cycle components (output gap) and the primary balance per GDP to identify the fiscal policy character in each country. The cycle component is calculated by using the difference between original series and trend components using Hodrick Prescott Filter. The fiscal policy characteristics of Indonesia, Malaysia, Phillipines, and Thailand apply procyclical policies while singapore implements countercyclical fiscal policy.  The results of the analysis conducted using the fixed effect method show the global business cycle and world oil price fluctuations affect the fiscal risks. The results of this study indicate when the business cycle in a state of booming domestic governments tend to increase government spending and create fiscal risks. Meanwhile, the LIBOR and Primary Balance rate per GDP which is a variable derivative of the fiscal suistanability concept has an effect on fiscal risk. However, economic growth has no effect because the current debt is the tax burden in the future.


Biogeographic relationships of three species of pocket gophers (Pappogeomys castanops, Geomys bursarius, and Thomomys bottae), were studied at the margins of their ranges in southeastern Colorado. Two species (P. castanops and T. bottae) were found on top of Mesa de Maya, and the extent of isolation of those gophers was assessed by morphometric analysis. Those analyses revealed that the mesa represents at least a partial barrier to gene flow for T. bottae but not for P. castanops. The ranges of T. bottae and P. castanops overlapped on the mesa by 4.8 cm but did not contact one another below the mesa. These species were found to occupy similar soils and vegetation on the mesa, but the average depths of their feeding burrows were significantly different. Pappogeomys castanops might be competitively excluding T. bottae on the mesa, or the location of their zone of contact might be influenced by precipitation. The relationship between T. castanops and G. bursarius also was studied. These species overlapped by nearly 65 km but occupied different soils and vegetation. Their average burrow depths did not differ significantly. Geographic relationships of these species might be the result of ecological specialization and the Dust Bowl of the 1930s rather than competitive exclusion.


In modern SoCs, embedded memories occupy the largest part of the chip area and include an even larger amount of active devices. As memories are designed very tightly to the limits of the technology, they are more prone to failures than logic. Thus, memories concentrate the large majority of defects and affect circuit yield dramatically. Hence, built-in self-repair is gaining importance. This work presents optimal reconfiguration functions for memory built-in self-repair on the data-bit level. We also present a dynamic repair scheme that allows a reduction of the size of the repairable units. The combination of these schemes allows repairing multiple faults affecting both regular and spare units, by means of low hardware cost. The scheme uses a single test pass, resulting on low test and repair time.


Anthropologists, in regular intervals, tend to ask a cardinal question: How do we know what we know? Storms about ethnography and theory, epistemology and representation rage, and in their wake the debris of epistemic inequities, philosophical villainy, and more, scatter. What do these issues imply for those practicing the discipline outside the power centers where these issues circulate? In this essay, arguments built from the ground up will map the political economy of issues such as: what lies beneath the epistemological positions we occupy (funding, institutional structures, publishing); what are the pragmatics of the knowledge we produce or are obliged to produce (local, "area/region" knowledge); and, what slots do we occupy now ("native," postcolonial anthropologists)? From that map, I articulate what ethnographic and epistemological potential or constraint is created by those ontologies. This leads me to transpose the cardinal anthropological question to: What can we know from where we are?


The fabric of fine-grained sediments, cored during Ocean Drilling Program Leg 149 to the Iberia Abyssal Plain, was analyzed using the method of anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility. The purposes of this study were to investigate downcore changes in magnetic fabric, and to determine paleocurrent direction. The general magnetic fabric analysis reveals an oblate shape, with Kmin axes perpendicular to the bedding plane, which is a typical sedimentary fabric. The magnetic lineation (L = Kmax/Kint) remains fairly constant throughout the section. However, the magnetic foliation structure (F = Kint/Kmin) shows distinctive variation. Several cases show sharp changes at lithostratigraphic boundaries. Poorly foliated intervals at Sites 897 and 898, where inclination of Kmin is not parallel to the bedding plane, probably resulted from postdepositional disturbance. For selected data from lithostratigraphic Unit I at Sites 897, 898, and 900, the magnetic lineation represented by the Kmax axes shows clustering indicative of paleocurrent direction. These data suggest that turbidity currents originated from the eastern continental margin of Iberia during the middle Miocene to late Pleistocene.


Little is known about the long‐term outcomes of mild hepatitis C recurrence after liver transplantation (LT). In an era where most patients request treatment with direct acting antivirals (DAAs), data on the natural history in these patients are relevant. We have prospectively assessed the clinical outcomes of 173 patients with mild hepatitis C recurrence 1 year after LT. The endpoints were cirrhosis development (F = 4, HVPG ≥10 mmHg, liver stiffness measurement ≥14 kPa) and HCV‐related graft loss. After a median follow‐up of 80 months, the cumulative probability (CP) of HCV‐related graft loss 5 and 10 years after LT were only 3% and 10%, respectively. Graft cirrhosis developed in 26 (15%) patients over time, with a CP of 13% and 30% at 5 and 10 years after LT, respectively. The CP of cirrhosis 5 years after LT was only 8% in patients with a donor <50 years and AST <60 IU/l 1 year after LT (n = 67), compared with 46% in those 24 individuals with both risk factors. Our data support an excellent long‐term outcome of patients with mild hepatitis C recurrence 1 year after LT. There are, however, some patients progressing to cirrhosis who can be easily identified and who should receive prompt antiviral therapy.


Modern sensibilities have clouded historical views of slavery, perhaps more so than any other medieval social institution. Anachronistic economic rationales and notions about the progression of European civilisation have immeasurably distorted our view of slavery in the medieval context. As a result historians have focussed their efforts upon explaining the disappearance of this medieval institution rather than seeking to understand it. This book highlights the extreme cultural/social significance of slavery for the societies of medieval Britain and Ireland c. 800-1200. Concentrating upon the … read morelifestyle, attitudes and motivations of the slave-holders and slave-raiders, it explores the violent activities and behavioural codes of Britain and Ireland's warrior-centred societies, illustrating the extreme significance of the institution of slavery for constructions of power, ethnic identity and gender.


Surfactant enhanced oil recovery (EOR) is used to increase production from oil reservoirs where, after conventional water-flooding processes, typically 60-70% of oil remains trapped by capillary forces. Enhanced recovery processes are important because of the reduction of easily accessible new reservoirs and increasing global demand for energy. This thesis describes studies on the visualisation of the oil-water interface during surfactant flooding enabling investigation of the underpinning mechanisms of surfactant EOR. The results will aid design systems for more efficient oil recovery and improve oil recovery models.
The thesis describes a multi-scale approach to the study of dynamic processes at the oil-water interface. The conventional approach to surfactant EOR depends upon equilibrium/continuum approach. However, behaviour at the interface depends on transport processes, local geometries, local concentrations, local oil-water ratio, and local wettability. These factors affect the local phase behaviour at the moving oil front, which in turn impacts oil mobilisation. Such factors cannot be described based on bulk analysis and equilibrium phase behaviour.
A pore-scale study demonstrated that the efficiency of a flood could be maintained at much reduced surfactant concentration, giving potential for substantial cost reduction. Furthermore, solubilisation of oil in a middle phase was shown not to be essential for complete oil desaturation from a pore network. Non-uniform adsorption at the oil-water interface in a hydrophilic pore network was suspected to be responsible for the mobilisation of oil blobs in the direction opposite to the flood direction. At the fracture scale, long-lasting self-induced convective flows were triggered by an interfacial tension gradient of less than 1% of the equilibrated interfacial tension. These two novel and captivating phenomena have not been reported previously. Finally, this thesis proposed a method development to monitor the formation of microemulsion at the oil-water interface by ellipsometry under convective and diffusive transport processes.


The application of a protamine-ferritin conjugate for labelling of isolated protoplast membranes of Bacillus subtilis S 13/1 is described. Contrary to Mycoplasma membranes which could only be labelled on the outer side of the membrane, ferritin was deposited on both membrane sides as a single layer without cluster formation.


The present paper is mainly aimed at optimization of cultivation conditions of fermented mushrooms of Coprinus comatus rich in vanadium (CCRV). Initial screening of effects of carbon source, temperature, pH, and inoculum size were done by using a one-factor-at-a-time method. The results obtained in that study showed that the optimal medium composition was 30 g glucose/Lin YEPG medium, initial pH 6.0, inoculum volume 10%, and incubation time 120 h. Then the medium was subjected to screening of the most significant parameters using the L9 orthogonal array to solve multivariable equations simultaneously. The results obtained in this study showed that the optimal medium composition was 0.4% V and 30 g glucose/Lin YEPG medium, initial pH 5.0, inoculum volume 15%, and incubation time 120 h. At this medium composition, the mycelial biomass and V content were 7.18 ± 0.24 g/L and 3786.0 ± 17 μg/g, respectively. The anti-diabetic potential of CCRV produced with the optimal level was tested in alloxan-induced diabetes. After the mice were administered (i.g.) with CCRV, the level of blood sugar in the CCRV group was very close to that of the control group. These findings suggested that CCRV produced with the optimal level is useful in the control of diabetes mellitus.


Both advocates and opponents of vouchers set forth arguments that, while tremendously passionate, are based largely on ideology, with minimal or only selective reliance on factual evidence. Mr. Metcalf and Ms. Tait examine what is currently known about voucher programs and proposals, in order to promote a better understanding of the issue. WHILE SCHOOL choice programs can take many forms, each of which raises issues regarding the role and scope of public education, voucher programs proposals to provide families with public funds to be used at the public or private school of their choice are undoubtedly the most hotly debated alternative. Both advocates and opponents of vouchers set forth arguments that, while tremendously passionate, are based largely on ideology, with minimal or only selective reliance on factual evidence. The result has been an antagonistic, vocal, highly visible confrontation between "believers" and "nonbelievers." Because the voucher issue has the potential to result in substantial changes in public education and will affect the lives of millions of children, it is important to examine what is known about voucher programs and proposals as the debate continues. Toward this end, we will discuss questions related to the impetus for including voucher programs among the options provided by the current choice movement, the nature or structure of existing school voucher programs, and the findings of research on the effects of those voucher programs. It must be acknowledged at the outset that definitive answers about the fundamental goodness of publicly funded voucher programs are not now available and may never be. Our present purpose is merely to promote a better understanding of the issue. Voucher Programs And School Choice The school choice movement the notion of providing children and families with options for the school and educational program in which they participate without regard for the neighborhood in which they live includes a broad range of approaches. Among the many examples are magnet schools, alternative schools, charter schools, tax credits for private school tuition, intradistrict choice plans, interdistrict choice plans, and even alternative programs within a single school. Each of these, to varying degrees, offers parents the ability to select for their children educational options in curriculum, instruction, and philosophical contexts. Such programs are available, if not required by legislation, in each of the 50 states and in most moderate to large school districts. Greater choice is made possible by providing families with money (in the form of a voucher) that can be used for tuition in any participating school, usually including both public and private schools. As a result, voucher programs differ from most other choice programs in at least three important ways. First, and usually most contentiously, the programs allow parents to use the voucher to select from among both public and private schools. Virtually all other choice proposals allow choice only among public schools or programs, though charter schools are, arguably, neither fully public nor fully private. Second, all currently operating voucher programs include schools with religious affiliations. The state-funded voucher program in Milwaukee was an exception until recent court rulings allowed the program to expand to include both secular and religious private schools. Third, unlike other choice approaches, 14 of the 16 existing voucher programs in the U.S. operate on private rather than public funding.1 It may be in this regard that they present their greatest threat to public education. What Are the Arguments For Voucher Programs? The case for parents to have greater choice and voice in their children's education is made by those of all political stripes and persuasions, from far right to far left; by members of majority and minority ethnic groups; by the wealthy and the poor, by the religious and the secular. …


A number of factors are creating an increased market potential for small trough power technology. These include the need for distributed power systems for rural communities worldwide, the need to generate more electricity by non -combustion renewable processes, the need for sustainable power for economic growth in developing countries, and the deregulation and privatization of the electrical generation sector worldwide. Parabolic trough collector technology has been used in large central station power plants. Organic Rankine cycle (ORC) air-cooled modular power units have been successfully applied for large and small-scale geothermal power plants, with over 600 MW of capacity, during the same period. The merging of these two technologies to produce distributed modular power plants in the 200 kW to 10 MW range offers a new application for both technologies. It is our objective in this paper to introduce a modular trough power plant (MTPP) and discuss its performance and the cost of electricity generation from such system.


Purpose/objective: To describe steps in offering a patient a choice of post–acute care providers during the discharge planning process that reflects the case management principles and compliance to regulations related to patient's rights to choice. Primary practice setting(s): Nurses and social workers, particularly those who work in case management or care coordination settings; staff nurses who do discharge planning in acute care settings; and liaison or intake coordinators from post—acute care providers such as skilled nursing facilities and home health agencies who are involved in offering choice to patients during the discharge process; payer-based case managers, particularly those in Medicare Advantage plans. Findings/conclusion: Patient choice is a right, including during the discharge planning process. Offering choice of available and appropriate options is a case management responsibility not only because of the federal regulations mandating choice but also because it is a reflection of advocacy for patients and families. The work leading up to preparing options from which a patient can choose closely follows the Case Management Standards of Practice (Case Management Society of America, 2002). Follow the process and providing choice becomes a safe and effective part of the transition of care. Note that this is not intended to be legal advice. Consult your own compliance officer for application of the information to your own setting. Every effort has been made to use the most current information. Implications for care management practice:Patient's right to choice is based on the concept of choosing between appropriate and available options and is dependent on the professional skills and judgment of nurses and social workers, whose responsibilities include the process of discharge planning.Offering patient choice is a function of advocating for patients by ensuring that they receive care needed in the appropriate setting at the appropriate time.More study is needed on the influence of executive cognitive function assessment on patient choice.Investing in software programs that assist in determining availability of appropriate post–acute care providers for individual patients is essential for efficient and safe discharge of patients.


We define a quotient of the category of finitely generated modules over the cyclotomic Khovanov-Lauda-Rouquier algebra for type An and show it has a module category structure over a direct sum of certain cyclotomic Khovanov-Lauda-Rouquier algebras of type An-1, this way categorifying the branching rules for the inclusion of sl(n) in sl(n+1). Using this we give a new, elementary proof of Khovanov-Lauda cyclotomic conjecture. We show that continuing recursively gives the Gelfand-Tsetlin basis for type An. As an application we prove a conjecture of Mackaay, Stosic and Vaz concerning categorical Weyl modules.


Aims While COVID-19 affects the cardiovascular system, the potential clinical impact of cardiovascular biomarkers on predicting outcomes in COVID-19 patients is still unknown. Therefore, to investigate this issue we analyzed the prognostic potential of cardiac biomarkers on in-hospital and long-term post-discharge mortality of patients with COVID-19 pneumonia. Methods Serum soluble ST2, VCAM-1, and hs-TnI were evaluated upon admission in 280 consecutive patients hospitalized with COVID-19-associated pneumonia in a single, tertiary care center. Patient clinical and laboratory characteristics and the concentration of biomarkers were correlated with in-hospital [Hospital stay: 11 days (10; 14)] and post-discharge all-cause mortality at 1 year follow-up [FU: 354 days (342; 361)]. Results 11 patients died while hospitalized for COVID-19 (3.9%), and 11 patients died during the 1-year post-discharge follow-up period (n = 11, 4.1%). Using multivariate analysis, VCAM-1 was shown to predict mortality during the hospital period (HR 1.081, CI 95% 1.035;1.129, p = 0.017), but not ST2 or hs-TnI. In contrast, during one-year FU post hospital discharge, ST2 (HR 1.006, 95% CI 1.002;1.009, p < 0.001) and hs-TnI (HR 1.362, 95% CI 1.050;1.766, p = 0.024) predicted mortality, although not VCAM-1. Conclusion In patients hospitalized with Covid-19 pneumonia, elevated levels of VCAM-1 at admission were associated with in-hospital mortality, while ST2 and hs-TnI might predict post-discharge mortality in long term follow-up.


This article considers the ways in which visual landscape imagery is a result of nonvisual social, cultural and technological processes. In particular, it focuses on the way in which landscape aesthetic has traditionally hidden its non-visual foundations by examining a series of images taken near the town of Longyearbyen, Svalbard, during the polar night in January 2017 and January 2019. During the winter months, between November and February, the sun remains below the horizon in this far-Arctic location, which means that in early January there isn't enough light for the naked human eye to discern the exact contours of the wider surrounding terrain, even at midday. The images through which the invisible foundations of visual landscape aesthetics are explored are approached with the help of applications and devices that render visible, or highlight, the technologies and conventions of machine-enhanced visual perception: Snapchat fi lters, Theodolite app images, and digital night mode photography. The resulting pictures are examined to raise questions on the role of human agency in situations where we are entirely reliant on machinic forms of perception to make sense of our material environment. While scientifi c imaging is also addressed, the emphasis here is on media that inform, and are informed by, the everyday or tourist experience, and the aesthetic imaginary of landscape as a cultural category. Furthermore, the article will consider a series of artistic and literary renditions engaging with the same location. I propose that in the contemporary context of networked digital media, these images, drawing on our need to render the unknown environment visible literally as well as fi guratively, draw our attention to the processes and structures of what Christian Ulrik Andersen and Søren Bro Pold have termed the "metainterface", "characterized by hidden exchanges of information between objects" in the persistent pictorial representations of landscape in our media environment.


Decision making strategies guided by observable stimuli and those that also require inferences about unobserved states have been linked to distinct computational requirements and neural substrates. Here, we formulate a model based on temporal integration and reset that incorporates both strategies into a unified family of decision algorithms. We show, using recordings from the frontal cortex of mice performing a foraging task, that the entire family of algorithms can be simultaneously decoded from the same neural ensemble, regardless of the one concurrently executed by the mice. Thus, using multiplexed integration, the cortex may avoid premature commitment to a single algorithm and maintain multiple decision strategies in parallel.


Objective: Coinfections with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections and hepatitis B virus (HBV) and/or hepatitis C virus (HCV) are frequent because of common transmission route. It was aimed to investigate the seroprevalence of HBV and HCV infections in HIV-infected cases. Methods: In this study, 68 HIV-infected patients who were admitted to Kanuni Sultan Süleyman Training and Research Hospital between January 2015 and May 2017 were evaluated, retrospectively. Results: In this study, 4 (5.9%) cases with HBV infection and 3 (4.4%) cases with HCV infection were detected. Conclusions: Coinfection with HBV and HCV is an important problem in HIV-infected patients. All patients with HIV infection should be screened for HBV and HCV. Klimik Dergisi 2018; 31(1): 34-6.


Since battery life directly impacts the extent and duration of mobility, one of the key considerations in the design of a mobile embedded system should be to maximize the energy delivered by the battery, and hence the battery lifetime. To facilitate exploration of alternative implementations for a mobile embedded system, in this paper we address the issue of developing a fast and accurate battery model, and providing a framework for battery life estimation of Hardware/Software (HW/SW) embedded systems. We introduce a stochastic model of a battery, which can simultaneously model two key phenomena affecting the battery life and the amount of energy that can be delivered by the battery: the rate capacity effect and the recovery effect. We model the battery behavior mathematically in terms of parameters that can be related to physical characteristics of the electro-chemical cell. We show how this model can be used for battery life estimation of a HW/SW embedded system, by calculating battery discharge demand waveforms using a power co-estimation technique. Based on the discharge demand, the battery model estimates the battery lifetime as well as the delivered energy. Application of the battery life estimation methodology to three system implementations of an example TCP/IP network interface subsystem demonstrates that different system architectures can have significantly different delivered energy and battery lifetimes.


Price-quality relationships for alfalfa hay were analyzed by hedonic pricing models using 1996-2001 Wisconsin auction data. Individual nutrients included in the analysis all affected alfalfa price, with acid detergent fiber accounting for the largest impact. Alternative pricing models, based on an aggregate quality index or detailed quality information, were similar in their ability to predict price. However, disaggregating price predictions to account for differences in relative feed value (RFV) and crude protein (CP) indicate that both RFV and CP are important determinants of price and that aggregating the two into a quality index is not warranted.


On May 13, 2005, the Department of Defense (DOD) announced that Fort McPherson will close by September 15, 2011. Community perceptions can often lead to problematic issues to overcome in the redevelopment of a Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) installation. The Fort McPherson area is composed of high minority and poverty populations where issues such as public health, economic development, and community impact become key barriers to workforce development. A major portion of the plan for the redevelopment of the base includes the development of a Bio-Science Park that will serve as an anchor for the economic development of the 487-acre facility. The intent of the Bio-Science Park is to serve as the hub of research and development with direct ties to public and private research universities and scientific talent. A survey instrument was constructed by the Atlanta Zoning Department to ascertain the views of selected affected communities which would be impacted by the closure of Fort McPherson. This study analyzes this survey with respect to the expected inconsistent demand for the jobs that this base closure will create.


Bimetric gravity is a ghost-free and observationally viable extension of general relativity, exhibiting both a massless and a massive graviton. The observed abundances of light elements can be used to constrain the expansion history of the Universe at the period of Big Bang nucleosynthesis. Applied to bimetric gravity, we readily obtain constraints on the theory parameters which are complementary to other observational probes. For example, the mixing angle between the two gravitons must satisfy θ . 18◦ in the graviton mass range mFP & 10−16 eV/c, representing a factor of two improvement compared with other cosmological probes.


In this paper, two track and hold circuits are designed and implemented using 65 nm CMOS technology. The first circuit is based on a dummy switch topology to decrease the charge injection error. The second circuit uses a clock linearization technique to reduce the sampling instant inaccuracy. Simulation results show that the track and hold circuit based on dummy transistor technique presents the best performances in terms of rapidity and accuracy.


This work studies how an AI-controlled dog-fighting agent with tunable decision-making parameters can learn to optimize performance against an intelligent adversary, as measured by a stochastic objective function evaluated on simulated combat engagements. Gaussian process Bayesian optimization (GPBO) techniques are developed to automatically learn global Gaussian Process (GP) surrogate models, which provide statistical performance predictions in both explored and unexplored areas of the parameter space. This allows a learning engine to sample full-combat simulations at parameter values that are most likely to optimize performance and also provide highly informative data points for improving future predictions. However, standard GPBO methods do not provide a reliable surrogate model for the highly volatile objective functions found in aerial combat, and thus do not reliably identify global maxima. These issues are addressed by novel Repeat Sampling (RS) and Hybrid Repeat/Multi-point Sampling (HRMS) techniques. Simulation studies show that HRMS improves the accuracy of GP surrogate models, allowing AI decision-makers to more accurately predict performance and efficiently tune parameters.


Paraganglioma is a rare neuroendocrine tumor in children that rarely manifests as shock. We describe the case of a 12-year-old girl with paraganglioma who developed impaired cardiac function, pulmonary edema, and shock at the time of admission. Her blood pressure stabilized after intravenous normal saline rescue and dopamine treatment. However, hypertension was noted thereafter. After a series of examinations, paraganglioma was diagnosed and excision of the tumor was performed. After surgery, blood pressure stabilized and her cardiac function had fully recovered at 4 months' follow-up.


The hormone profiles of nulliparous and parous women on day 11 of their menstrual cycle have been studied in an attempt to seek evidence for the hormonal basis of the protective effect of first birth on breast cancer risk. A previous publication reported that there were significantly lower (26%) early morning prolactin levels in parous women as compared to those levels in nulliparous women but that there were no differences in plasma and urinary estrogen levels. The present study shows, however, that parous women had significantly shorter cycle lengths than nulliparous women of the same age, and the data were reevaluated with this difference being taken into account. After adjustment for cycle length (within the range of 24-32 days) and age, estrogen levels were significantly lower (22%) in parous women compared to those in nulliparous women. Two further aspects of estrogen metabolism were measured in the plasma samples of these women: the binding capacity of sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) and the percentage of free estradiol (E2). SHBG levels were 12% higher in parous women, but there was no difference in percentage of free E2. In the previous publication it was suggested that the protective effect of first birth on breast cancer risk was mediated in part by permanently lowering prolactin levels. The current findings suggest that changes in estrogen metabolism also are a factor.


A 1-day-old boy who presented with an anorectal malformation (ARM) was found to have a segmental dilatation of the colon (SDC) associated with a typical congenital pouch colon (CPC) malformation. The distal colonic pouch terminated in a high colovesical fistula. The posterior portion of the perineal raphé was duplicated and ended in 2 anal dimples. Both dilated segments of the colon were excised. The similarity between CPC and SDC is highlighted, and the possible embryogenesis of both conditions is discussed.


Using panel data from 14 Indian states between 1990 and 2002, this paper empirically examines how the share of government spending on public goods such as health, education and basic infrastructure affects per capita gross domestic product growth and poverty reduction at the state level. Consistent with similar studies based on national-level data sets, the findings from this study show that the share of public goods expenditures in total government spending has a large, positive and significant impact on per capita gdp growth, and that the share of spending on social public goods such as education and health contributes significantly to poverty reduction. Especially, reallocation of expenditures to raise the share of public goods spending could on average increase per capita gdp growth rate by up to 2.7 percentage points, and reallocation of funds to increase the share of social public goods expenditures could on average reduce poverty headcount index by up to 6.6 percentage points.


This study aimed to evaluate oxyfluorfen and sulfentrazone selectivity and weed control in young coffee plantations (Coffea arabica cv. Red Catuai). Three trials were conducted in a randomized complete block design, with 10 treatments and four replicates. In the first and second trials, at 30 and 90 days after transplanting (DAT), respectively, two doses of oxyfluorfen (0.36 and 0.72 kg a.i. ha-1) and sulfentrazone (0.4 and 0.6 kg a.i. ha-1) were tested by spraying the herbicides directly into soil (with seedling protection) or onto the total area. The same herbicides and doses were used in the third trial, but at 300 DAT and only directed to the soil, using two sprayer nozzles with different drift potentials being tested. Two additional control plots were added: hand-weeding control and weedy treatments. Weeds present in the inter-row spaces were eliminated by mowing operations. Weeds and their densities were identified. The toxicity of the herbicides to the coffee plants and its effectiveness in controlling the weeds were assessed. The main weed occurring in the experimental area was Brachiaria decumbens. Visual symptoms of herbicide toxicity were observed only when the herbicides were applied in the entire area (trials 1 and 2), regardless of their doses and application times. At the third herbicide application trial, no visual symptoms of herbicide toxicity and no reductions in plant growth were observed, regardless of the herbicide, the dose and the sprayer nozzles tested. At all times, a very good weed control percentage was obtained, but selectivity occurred only when the herbicides were not applied onto the total area.


Exciting new technologies, which allow users to change the shape of displays with their hands, promise to revolutionise the way we interact with smartphones, laptops and computers. The GHOST Project, which DIKU's HCC Section is leading, is featured in CORDIS: A Digital Agenda for Europe.


It is suggested that there is no gain in resolving power on increasing the aperture over the limiting one, when looking through a turbulent atmosphere.


In Reply.— Cholera is defined as "an acute infectious disease caused by Vibrio cholerae and characterized by severe diarrhea and extreme fluid and electrolyte depletion, and by vomiting, muscle cramps and prostration."1 We used the term cholera in our article according to this established definition, which is based on clinical rather than epidemiologic characteristics. We are aware of the differences between disease caused by 01 v non-01 V cholerae , and we addressed this point in the introductory paragraph and in the "Comment" section of our article. A major point of our paper was that non-01 V cholerae infections may be clinically indistinguishable from 01 V cholerae infections. This observation underscores the importance of accurate microbiological evaluation in patients with clinical manifestations that suggest cholera to establish a specific etiologic diagnosis that can form the basis for follow-up epidemiologic investigations.


Detecting Land cover (LC) change at local scale is needed for a wide range of applications, including deforestation, land degradation and desertification. LC changes based on human activities, negatively impact the patterns of climate and socio-economic dynamics at both local and global scales. In this study, LC changes investigated using satellite remote sensing imagery and Geographic Information System (GIS) in West Kordofan Region of Sudan. For this purpose, firstly supervised classification is performed to Landsat images acquired in 1994 and 2015. Image classification of six reflective bands of two Landsat images is carried out by using maximum likelihood techniques with the aid of ground truth data obtained from detailed field survey across the study area in 2015. The second step focused on LC changes by applying change detection comparison (pixel by pixel). The results showed that massive LC changes have occurred in bareland (50%), Sand dunes (28.7%), Acacia trees and Shrubs (-13.9%) and dense forest (-7.5%), areas between 1994 and 2015. It was seen that the LC changes mostly occurred in bareland.


Most historians would probably concur with Richard Polenberg's assertion that "World War II radically altered the character of American society and challenged its most durable values" (p. 4). Yet only a modest number of studies have attempted to deal systematically with the domestic impact of this crucial period in American history. Therefore War and Society is doubly welcome, both as a solid piece of historical scholarship and as a useful contribution to a somewhat neglected area. The historian who ventures into the many and complex facets of the home front encounters a monumental amount of documentation produced by wartime Washington alone; when added to the existing evidence regarding nongovernmental problems of the period, the effect is staggering. Despite these obstacles, Professor Polenberg's work suggests that the diligent scholar can cope with the seemingly insurmountable mountain of surviving material.


Low Salinity Waterflooding (LSF) is an emerging improved oil recovery (IOR) technology that has been shown to work in a number of cases, while sometimes – unexpectedly – no incremental oil production is observed. Industry has not yet reached consensus on the mechanism behind LSF, which precludes effective screening and prioritization of LSF candidate fields. In this paper a workflow is introduced that improves the way fields are screened for their LSF potential. It employs closely interlinked experiments and modeling work from the molecular scale to the macroscopic Darcy scale, thereby closing gaps that previously impeded the predictability of the low salinity effect. The new workflow is based on the notion that wettability is a surface phenomenon. Elucidation of the low salinity mechanism should thus not be based on bulk measurements, but rather on the characterization of surface compositions and forces.
The main insights that follow from this work are:
 Application of successful LSF leads to a wettability modification towards more water-wet, which is consistently observed at the atomic scale and at the core scale;
 The surface alterations that occur during LSF correlate with macroscopic observations such as oil recovery from core plugs;
 The time scales involved in wettability modification towards a more water-wet state can easily be long enough to lead to false negatives in common SCAL experiments;
It is demonstrated that double layer expansion (DLE) is likely behind the low salinity mechanism, as processes involving cation exchange are expected to only occur long after breakthrough of the low salinity bank.
Even though the workflow has been developed for LSF in sandstones, it is also being employed for LSF in carbonates. The fundamental insight that surface properties dominate the response does not only impact how LSF research and related SCAL experiments are being conducted, but impacts all other EOR processes relying on interfacial phenomena, as well as oil field science in general.


An adaptive integral method based on far-field expansion is introduced to analyze planar microstrip structure. The auxiliary basis functions are constructed as superposition of point-like current elements located on rectangular grids which reproduce the same far field as generated from the original basis functions. Then it is able to employ the fast Fourier transform technique to speed up the matrix vector multiplication required by the iterative solver. The resultant linear systems are then preconditioned by the symmetric successive over relaxation technique to further accelerate iteration. Compared to the previous scheme, the proposed algorithm makes a reduction in both the computational complexity and the storage requirement to attain the same precision.


Domestic tourism would help to facilitate maximum capacity of the international tourism. Thus, main objective of this paper is to understand Malaysian community's attitude and behavior towards the domestic tourism. It is important to comprehend what they consider important in making choice decisions one alternative over another, consequently the conception might be very useful especially in designing and implementing effective marketing programs. In addition, this study also described the components of domestic tourism in Malaysia, its volume, value and profile, and mapping its characteristics as a functional basis for domestic tourism's planning and management. Collectively, the residents of Kuching, Sarawak have positive attitude towards traveling and having holiday domestically. 87.2% were found engaged in domestic tourism with at least one holiday trip in 2004. Average number of trips made by domestic tourists from Kuching within the boundary of Malaysia in year of 2004 was 2.94 trips. The FEB Working Papers describe research in progress by the author(s) and are published to elicit comments and further debate. The views expressed in this Working Paper are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent those of Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB) or Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS).


In a recent paper [Wang, Huang, and Feng, Phys. Rev. E 99, 063206 (2019)2470-004510.1103/PhysRevE.99.063206], Langevin dynamical simulation results related to the shear modulus G of a two-dimensional liquid dusty plasma were reported. The purpose of this Comment is to provide a comparison with available theoretical models to calculate G and to indicate the correct way of interpreting the numerical results.


Part 1 Issues in the design and integration of expert systems: expert systems integration with computer-based information systems, E. Turban conceptual issues in the integration of AI/ES with conventional information systems, T.J. Martin building computerized financial advisors - the user model and human interface, D. King experiences with object centered modelling of financial marketing, C. Apte et al integration of intelligent technologies into conventional information systems - key issues, opportunities and potential pitfalls, P.R. Watkins and D.E. O'Leary. Part 2 Issues in the modelling of human judgement for expert systems: the meta logic of cognitively based heuristics, A. Rowe performance modelling - a cognitive approach to building knowledge-based systems, L.B. Methlie the architecture of expertise - the auditor's going-concern judgement, M. Selfridge and S.F. Brigga. Part 3 Issues in validation, auditability and security of expert systems: verifying and validating expert systems - a survey, D.E. O'Leary expert systems in auditing, D.E. O'Leary and P.R. Watkins expert systems - auditability issues, R.R. Moeller perspectives on auditing operational knowledge bases, R. Jamieson expert systems and computer security, W.T. Tener issues in expert systems for security, D.E. O'Leary and P.R. Watkins. Part 4 Legal issues, training effects and financial planning applications of expert systems: legal issues in applied artificial intelligence, G.S. Cole training and performance effects of a knowledge-base system for analytical review, E. Blocher et al survey of expert systems for resource planning, C.E. Brown and S. Athey a survey of expert systems used in the practice of public accounting, M.E. Phillips and C.E. Brown.


Here, we report the clinical case of a 44-year-old lady, affected by synovial sarcoma (SS) of the mediastinum which was treated in 2014, and relapsed in the upper abdomen in 2020. SS is a relatively radioresistant disease, radiotherapy (RT) is routinely reserved for the neoadjuvant/adjuvant or palliative context. In our scenario, stereotactic RT consisting in 45Gy in 6 fractions was proposed to manage the upper abdominal relapse. Exploiting simultaneous integrated protection, a deliberated reduction in the dose prescription in area of planning target volume overlapped with stomach was achieved, obtaining reasonable dosimetric goals. Acute toxicity in the patient was acceptable, and she did not experience late toxicity and was still free from disease, as noted in last follow-up, 15 months after treatment.


Introduction: Pulmonary haemorrhage (PH) is a potentially fatal respiratory complication of neonates, particularly those with very low-birth-weight infants (ELBWI), who are predisposed to diseases that need invasive ventilation and critical care after birth. Clinical PH is predicted to affect 1–12 out of every 1000 live babies [1]. Pulmonary haemorrhage is a potentially fatal disease that affects 1-12/1000 live births, with rates reaching 50/1000 births [2]. Objective: To determine the frequency of factors leading to pulmonary hemorrhage in neonates. Materials And Methods: This study was conducted at Ziauddin University Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan, and the duration of this study was from June 8, 2021 to December 7, 2021. All patients who fulfilled the inclusion criteria and visited to Pediatrics Department of Ziauddin Medical University, Karachi were included in the study. Informed consent was taken from parents / guardians after explaining the procedure, risks and benefits of the study. All of the patient data obtained included demographic information, clinical aspects, and information on mothers and infants. All data obtained were put into the accompanying proforma and utilized electronically for research purposes. Results: The age of mother was 29.6±7.8 years. In distribution of gender of baby, 63 (45%) were male, 77 (55%) were female. In distribution of factors leading to pulmonary hemorrhage, hypothermia was noted in 25 (17.8%) patients, heart failure in 42 (30.0%), disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) 12 (8.5%), oxygen saturation index 124 (88.6%), reduced mean platelet volume 111 (79.3%), polycythemia 20 (14.3%), patent ductus arterioses 22 (15.7%), low birth weight 97 (69.3%), respiratory distress syndrome in 44 (31.4%) while surfactant therapy was noted in 15 (10.7%) patients. Conclusion: It is to be concluded that oxygen saturation index and diabetes was noted as most common neonatal and mother factors respectively which leads to pulmonary hemorrhage in neonates. More prospective and well-controlled trials are needed to validate the current findings. Keywords: Factors, IUGR, Neonates, Pulmonary Hemorrhage


TiCl 4 is found to be an efficient catalyst for the electrophilic substitution reaction of indoles with aromatic aldehydes in dichloromethane to afford the corresponding bis(indolyl)methanes in excellent yields at ambienttemperature.


The present study simulates numerically the flow across two-dimensional tilting disk models of mechanical heart valves. The time-dependent Navier-Stokes equations are solved to assess the importance of unsteady effects in the fully open position of the valve. Flow cases with steady or physiological inflow conditions and with fixed or moving valves are solved. The simulations lead into mixed conclusions. It is obvious that steady inflow cases that account for vortex shedding only cannot model realistic physiological cases. In cases with imposed physiological inflow, the details of the flow field for fixed and moving valves might differ in the fully open position as well, although the gross features are quite similar. The fixed valve case consistently results in safe estimations of several critical quantities such as the axial force, the maximal shear stress on the valve, or the transvalvular pressure drop. Thus, fixed valve simulations can provide useful information for the design of prosthetic heart valves, as long as the properties in the fully open position only are sought.


Experience sharing among multiple users in virtual reality (VR) is one of the key applications in next generation wireless systems. In this VR application, one object can be reproduced as a virtual object based on recorded/captured multiple real-time images from multiple observation points. At this time, VR applications require a lot of bandwidth to provide seamless services to users in wireless links, and thus, a certain level of data rates should be maintained. As the number of users increases, the server allocates more data rates to users on top of the limited bandwidth in wireless networks. At this time, users who utilize the VR streaming services will suffer from a lower quality, due to the limited bandwidth. This paper reports the measurement study and also analyzes the fluctuations in terms of the data rates as the number of users increases while sharing point cloud information in real-time authorized reality environments over IEEE 802.11ac wireless networks. Moreover, it measures and analyzes fluctuations in terms of frames-per-second and Jitters, which are practical quality reduction indicators.


As the Kepler mission has done for hot exoplanets, the ESA Euclid and NASA Roman missions have the potential to create a breakthrough in our understanding of the demographics of cool exoplanets, including unbound, or"free-floating", planets (FFPs). In this study, we demonstrate the complementarity of the two missions and propose two joint-surveys to better constrain the mass and distance of microlensing events. We first demonstrate that an early brief Euclid survey (7 h) of the Roman microlensing fields will allow the measurement of a large fraction of events relative proper motions and lens magnitudes. Then, we study the potential of simultaneous observations by Roman and Euclid to enable the measurement of the microlensing parallax for the shortest microlensing events. Using detailed simulations of the joint detection yield we show that within one year Roman-Euclid observations will be at least an order of magnitude more sensitive than current ground-based measurements. Depending on the exact distribution of FFP, a joint Roman-Euclid campaign should detect around 130 FFP events within a year, including 110 with measured parallax that strongly constrain the FFP mass, and around 30 FFP events with direct mass and distance measurements. The ability of the joint survey to completely break the microlens mass-distance-velocity degeneracy for a significant subset of events provides a unique opportunity to verify unambiguously the FFP hypothesis or else place abundance limits for FFPs between Earth and Jupiter masses that are up to two orders of magnitude stronger than provided by ground-based surveys. Finally, we study the capabilities of the joint survey to enhance the detection and charcterization of exomoons, and found that it could lead to the detection of the first exomoon.


Skull base cephaloceles (SBCs) are defined as herniation of intracranial content through the skull base and are classified based on composition, etiology, and topographic location. Anterior SBCs frequently protrude in the sinonasal cavity, and consequently are at potential risk of infection. Therefore, the current recommendation is to treat SBCs with the primary intent of preventing meningitis, and surgery represents the mainstay of treatment. Anterior SBCs may display a wide spectrum of severity and complexity, and in each case the risks and benefits of surgical approaches are to be carefully weighted based on thorough assessment of symptoms, age, general conditions, location and size of the lesion, as well as expertise of the surgeon. In the last 30 years, the evolution and diffusion of transnasal endoscopic surgery have substantially changed the surgical management of the majority of SBC. In the past, they were treated exclusively with open transcranial approaches that may be burdened by relevant morbidity and risk for severe complications. The transnasal endoscopic corridor now provides easy access to the lesion and different reconstructive strategies using endonasal pedicled flaps, without any external incision, cranioplasty or brain manipulation. However, there are still scenarios in which an exclusive transnasal endoscopic route is contraindicated. The aim of the present review is to provide an overview on the comprehensive management of anterior SBC, with a particular focus on lesions suitable for endoscopic surgery. Furthermore, special aspects of SBC management in children and adults will be highlighted.


Background: Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) plays an important role in inducing angiogenesis. Mesenchymal stem cells may have the potential for differentiation into several types of cells, including vascular endothelial cells. In this study, the authors explored the feasibility of applying mesenchymal stem cells transduced by the VEGF gene to the treatment of ischemic random skin flaps. Methods: Mesenchymal stem cells were isolated from Sprague-Dawley rat bone marrow and cultured in vitro. Plasmid pcDNA3.1(-)/VEGF165 containing the VEGF gene was transduced into the mesenchymal stem cells by liposome. The mesenchymal stem cells were stained with chloromethyl-1-1′-dioctadecyl-3,3,3′,3′-tetramethylindocarbocyanineperchlorate before the transplantation. Thirty rats were randomized into three groups. Groups A, B, and C were injected with mesenchymal stem cells transduced with pcDNA3.1(-)/VEGF165 plasmid, mesenchymal stem cells, and medium only, respectively. On the fourth day after injection, random dorsal skin flaps measuring 9 × 2 cm were elevated. The survival, neovascularization, and blood flow recovery of the flaps were detected. Results: VEGF-transduced mesenchymal stem cells expressed VEGF highly in vitro and in vivo. Transplanted mesenchymal stem cells survived and incorporated into the capillary networks in the ischemic rat flaps. The viability measurements showed an increased percentage flap survival in group A (83.1 ± 2.6 percent) as compared with either group B (66.4 ± 6.1 percent) or group C (51.5 ± 7.5 percent)(p < 0.01). The capillary density and the blood perfusion of the flaps in the experimental group were significantly higher than those in the other two groups (p < 0.01). Conclusion: VEGF-transduced mesenchymal stem cells can increase ischemic flap neovascularization and augment the surviving areas.


The paper describes special problems of sampling toxic gases, very soluble in water, on workplaces with passive samplers. It is possible to construct such passive dosimeters which are suitable for the measurement of substances mentioned above if some peculiarities are taken in consideration. The stain-length passive dosimeters are specially analysed. Problems of the accuracy of this dosimeters, caused by inconstancy of the response time, are explained.


Energy efficiency is an important issue during the design and the overall performance evaluation of an UWSN system. Clustering sensor nodes have proven to be an effective method to improve the load balancing and scalability of the network while minimizing the system's overall energy consumption. In this paper, a new clustering algorithm is proposed to provide an improved cluster system against cluster-head failures. This study suggests that system CH failures could be further minimized when simultaneously a CH (primary CH) and a vice/backup CH are selected. Thus, when a primary CH fails due to an irreparable fault, a backup CH will take its place and it will operates as a head node. This study proposes two major procedures in order this to be accomplished, the detection failure and the recovery procedures. The first one initially detects any failures that occurred in the network and then reports this information to the relevant nodes to initiate recovery. The recovery procedure actually decides who and when will trigger the recovery function according to the origin of the CH node failure which can be either the energy depletion of the CH's battery or a software/hardware malfunction. The simulation results clearly indicate that there is an improvement in terms of network lifetime expectancy and energy consumption.


This paper suggests how, over time, a state like Iran could deliberately develop a number of different reputations in connection with international law and international relations. The theoretical and empirical findings confirm the hypothesis that states with a weak reputation in both international law and international relations should probably put more emphasis on reputation building for ‗resolve' rather than for ‗compliance' if intended to get the results in the short term. Using reputation as a causal variable to explain Iran's status in the international arena, one could find out that reputational sanctions imposed on Iran, is actually due to its reputation for resolve and toughness in international relations. The paper not only justifies why states, as rational actors, change their dispositional behavior in security area but also provides an empirical study into the analysis of the interdisciplinary function of reputations in this area.


AIM: To study the change law of serum IL-6, TNF-α and peripheral blood T lymphocyte subsets in the pregnant women during perinatal period. METHODS: 100 pregnant women in our hospital from November 2009 to October 2010 were selected as research object, and the serum IL-6, TNF-α and peripheral blood T lymphocyte subsets be-fore and at labor onset occurring, after delivery at the first and third day were analyzed and compared. RESULTS: According the study, the serum IL-6 and TNF-aat labor onset occurring were higher than those before labor onset and af-ter delivery at the first and third day , the CD3(+), CD4 (+), CD8(+) and CD4/CD8 decreased first and then increased, all P < 0. 05, there were significant differences. CONCLUSION: The changes of serum IL-6, TNF-α and peripheral blood T lymphocyte subsets in the pregnant women during perinatal period has a regular pattern, and it is worthy of.


In this paper, the global exponential synchronization of delayed complex dynamical networks with nonidentical nodes and stochastic perturbations is studied. By combining adaptive control and impulsive control schemes, the considered network can be synchronized onto any given goal dynamics. The adaptive control is discontinuous and can overcome the unknown difference between dynamical nodes and goal system. As for the impulsive control, the concept named "average impulsive interval" with "elasticity number" of impulsive sequence is utilized to get less conservative synchronization criterion. Numerical simulations are given to show the effectiveness and less conservativeness of the theoretical results.


Inherited from ancient Greece, the notion of doxa as common knowledge and shared opinions haunts all contemporary disciplines that put communication and social interaction at the center of their concerns. To be sure, the specific term is not always used: doxa appears under various guises, such as public opinion, verisimilitude, commonsense knowledge, commonplace, idée reçue, stereotype, cliché. Broadly speaking, however, all that is considered true, or at least probable, by amajority of people endowedwith reason, or by a specific social group, can be called doxic.Whether the Greek term is explicitly mentioned or not, the functions of doxa in social life and in verbal exchanges have been the subject of continuous inquiries, if not of sharp polemics, for the two last centuries. In this domain, francophone literary and linguistic theories, from Gustave Flaubert's studies to Oswald Ducrot's pragmatics and to Chaïm Perelman's ''new rhetoric,'' offer important insights.They seem to have explored the question in two main directions. The first, rooted in the modern consciousness of banality, carries to a paradoxical extreme the obsession with accepted ideas, trite expressions, and (bourgeois) stupidity. In this perspective, doxa is a major obstacle to individual thinking and creativity as well as to genuine communication; as such, it constitutes a source of alienation. This approach ismasterfully exemplified byRolandBarthes's essays, widely drawing on Flaubert's heritage. The second direction, going back to ancient rhetorical sources, unveils the constructive functions of doxa and its multifold uses at all levels of human communication. This is the position


Cucumbers have great economic and social importance. Annual worldwide production is approximately 80 million tons (FAOSTAT, 2019), 184 thousand tons of which are produced in Brazil (IBGE, 2020). Leaves with symptoms of anthracnose (necrotic brown or angular spots) were observed on cucumber plants grown in organic systems in September 2021, Pernambuco, Brazil (8°7'45''S, 35°16'167''W). About 40% of the plants fields were infected. Samples were collected and fragments were cut from the margins of the symptomatic tissue. The fragments were superficially disinfected with 70% ethanol (30 s) and 2% sodium hypochlorite (2 min), then washed three times with sterile distilled H2O and dried on sterile filter paper. The fragments were placed on potato dextrose agar (PDA) containing chloramphenicol (50 mg/L) and incubated at 28 ± 2 °C for 3 days. From the fungal isolates obtained, a representative specimen of Colletotrichum spp. was isolated, purified by subculturing from emergent hyphae tips and used for morphological characterization, phylogenetic analysis, and pathogenicity testing. The fungus isolated on PDA formed gray to grayish-black colonies with white aerial mycelia after 7 days. Ascomata were globose to subglobose, 120-200 × 100-150 μm in size (n = 10). Setae formed directly on the hyphae. Asci were 50-70 × 10-12 μm in size, 8-spored, unitunicate, thin-walled, and clavate. Ascospores were 14-22 × 4-5 μm in size (n = 30), hyaline, slightly curved to curved with obtuse to slightly rounded ends. Conidia were hyaline, smooth-walled, aseptate, straight, cylindrical, the apex and base rounded, and 12-15 × 5 μm in size, (n = 30). For molecular identification, the nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacers (nrITS), actin (ACT), beta-tubulin (TUB), and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) genes were sequenced (Damm et al. 2019). The sequences obtained were deposited in GenBank (nrITS: OP720945, ACT: OP723523, TUB: OP723525, and GAPDH: OP723524). The sequences from the nrITS region, ACT, TUB2, and GAPDH were highly similar to those from C. plurivorum: nrITS - CBS 125474 (539/539 - 100%; NR_160828); ACT - CBS 125474 (270/271 - 99%; MG600925), TUB2 - CBS 125474 (517/518 - 99%; MG600985); and GAPDH - CBS 125474 (197/197 - 100%; MG600781), respectively. Multilocus phylogenetic analysis was performed using Bayesian inference, which showed that the isolate C. plurivorum FPO04 clustered in the same clade as the ex-type of C. plurivorum (CBS 125474). In the pathogenicity test, leaves of five healthy cucumber plants, previously injured in the middle region with sterile needles, were inoculated with 50 µl of a conidial suspension (1 × 106 spores mL -1) prepared from 7-day-old of colonies of C. plurivorum. Sterile distilled water was used as negative controls. The inoculated plants were maintained in a humid greenhouse chamber for 24 hours. After 7 days, the same anthracnose symptoms seen in the field were observed on the inoculated plants. Control plants remained healthy. Colletotrichum plurivorum was reisolated from symptomatic leaves, fulfilling Koch's postulates. This species has been reported from several crops, including Abelmoschus esculentus (okra) (Damm et al. 2019) and Glycine max (soybeans) (Zaw et al. 2019). To our knowledge, this is the first report of C. plurivorum causing anthracnose on cucumber leaves in Brazil. This report lays the groundwork for future studies to determine management practices for control of this disease in C. sativus.