After the terrorist attacks of 9/11, President George W. Bush, in his capacity as Commander-in-Chief, authorized the use of drones against leaders of Al Qaeda forces, pursuant to Congress' Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF). Pursuant to AUMF, drones could be utilized against Al Qaeda forces to target or to kill enemies. It has been reported that the United States possesses two types of drones: smaller ones which predominantly carry out surveillance missions, and larger ones which can carry hellfire missiles and which have been used to conduct strikes and targeted killings. Drone strikes have been carried out by both the military as well as the C.I.A. As Jane Mayer famously noted in her article: "The U.S. government runs two drone programs. The military's version, which is publicly acknowledged, operates in the recognized war zones of Afghanistan and Iraq, and targets enemies of U.S. troops stationed there. As such, it is an extension of conventional warfare. The C.I.A.'s program is aimed at terror suspects around the world, including in countries where U.S. troops ware not based."Moreover, although the President had designated Afghanistan and its airspace as a combat zone, the United States has used drones in other areas of the world, such as Yemen, where Al Qaeda forces have been targeted and killed. In fact, the United States' approach for the use of drones is that members of Al Qaeda forces may be targeted anywhere in the world: that the battlefield follows those individuals who have been designated as enemies due to their affiliation with Al Qaeda. While many in the international community have criticized the United States' expansive geographical use of drones against Al Qaeda forces, officials in the Bush administration have defended the drone program as consistent and conforming to international law. President Obama has continued this approach and has expanded the use of drones in the war on terror. Moreover, high-level officials in the Obama administration have offered detailed legal justifications for the legality of the American drone program.The Obama Administration has continued to use drones in Pakistan, as well as in Yemen. Increasingly, however, the American drone program has been run by the CIA. Leon Panetta, the C.I.A. Director, has praised the drone program by stating that drones were "the only game in town." On September 30, 2011, a C.I.A. operated drone targeted and killed an American citizen in Yemen, Anwar al-Awlaki. Al-Awlaki had been accused of holding prominent roles within the ranks of Al Qaeda and had been placed on a "hit list," authorized by President Obama. His assassination marked the first time in history that an American citizen had been targeted abroad without any judicial involvement or proceedings in determining the guilt of such a citizen.In a subsequent speech, Attorney General Eric Holder confirmed the Obama Administration's view on the legality of targeted killings, including killings of American citizens. On March 5, 2012, in a speech given at Northwestern University, Holder claimed that targeted killings of American citizens are legal under the following circumstances: if the targeted citizen is located abroad, if he is a senior operational leader of al Qaeda or associated forces, if he is actively engaged in the planning to kill Americans, if the US government has determined that the individual poses an imminent threat of violent attack against the US, if capture is not feasible, and if the operation would be conducted in a manner consistent with applicable law of war principles. Despite the Obama Administration's justifications, many have questioned the legality of the American use of drones in order to perform targeted killings of Al Qaeda members, and of United States citizens. Philip Alston, United Nations Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary, or Arbitrary Executions has famously stated his concerns that "drones...are being operated in a framework which may well violate international humanitarian law and international human rights law." This article will highlight some of the most relevant issues surrounding the (il)legality of targeted killings under the current approach of the Obama administration. This article will conclude that most targeted killings are illegal under international law, and that only a very small number of such killings, performed under carefully crafted circumstances, could potentially comply with the relevant rules of ius ad bellum and ius in bello, only if one were to accept the premise that the United States is engaged in an armed conflict against Al Qaeda. This article will thus discuss the following issues related to the use of drones to perform targeted killings: the definition of the battlefield and the applicability of the law of armed conflict (II); the identity of targetable individuals and their status as combatants or civilians under international law (III); the legality of targeted killings under international humanitarian law (IV); and the location and status of drone operators (V).


Two new sulfur- and selenium-rich pentacyclic aromatic compounds were prepared by short chemical syntheses. The two donors readily formed charge transfer (CT) complexes upon reaction with antimony pentachloride or tris(4-bromophenyl)ammoniumyl hexachloroantimonate. The X-ray structures of the heterocyclic donors and their CT complexes were determined. The donors flattened considerably upon CT complex formation.


Transparency is often prescribed as a cure for almost all the diseases of modern society, but it is not quite clear why and how it might solve certain problems. In the paper we explore how transparency of the public procurement system in Russian regions is correlated with competition, corruption, and control, key factors that influence outcomes of procurement procedures. Using publicly available information, we construct several indicators that measure availability and usability of different types of information presented on regional public procurement websites. Indices based on these indicators show significant differences in transparency levels between Russian regions. In the empirical part of the paper we show that the transparency of information is significantly and negatively correlated with the level of corruption in the region and increases the utilization of control mechanisms in Russian public procurement. We also show that more transparent systems are associated with higher levels of competition.


Scientists at Johns Hopkins recently discovered that a chemical chain reaction that controls organ size in animals ranging from insects to humans could mean the difference between normal growth and cancer. The study, published in the Sept. 21, 2007 issue of Cell, describes how organs can grow uncontrollably huge and become cancerous when this chain reaction is perturbed. "This chain reaction, a domino-like chain of events we call the Hippo pathway, adds a single chemical group on a protein nicknamed Yap," says lead author Duojia Pan, Ph.D., associate professor of molecular biology and genetics. "The good news is that maybe all organ growth can be reduced to this one chemical event on the Yap protein - but the better news is that we potentially have a new target for cancer therapy." Pan and colleagues previously had discovered in fruit flies that too much Yap supercharges growth-inducing genes and causes organs to overgrow. In the new study designed to see if the same effect occurred in mammals, the research team genetically altered mice to make high levels of Yap protein, but only in liver cells. These animals' livers grew to be five times the size of a normal mouse liver and often were dotted with large tumors. "We were totally amazed," says Pan. "Five times is just a huge effect." When the researchers next looked at a variety of human cancer cells, they found that 20 percent to 30 percent contained increased levels of Yap. "We think it might be the extra Yap in these cells contributing to their cancerous growth," says Pan. Yap, like most proteins, exists in more than one form, in this case two, one with and one without a chemical phosphate tag attached. Such tags can dramatically alter what proteins do in the body. When the Hopkins team engineered the cells to stop or slow growth, Yap in those cells has its phosphate attached and moves from the nucleus-the brain center of the cell-into the main body of cells, or cytoplasm. "A drug that somehow turns off Yap might also stop cancer cells from growing," says Pan, "and manipulating the Hippo pathway could provide a way to grow organs to a pre-determined size for transplantation." The research was funded by the National Institutes of Health. Authors on the paper are Jianbin Huang and Sarah Comerford of UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas; and Jixin Dong, Georg Feldmann, Shian Wu, Nailing Zhang, Mariana Gayyed, Robert Anders, Anirban Maitra, and Pan, all of Hopkins.


Previous evidence has demonstrated that the momentum effect is present in the Spanish stock market, and that it can not bee explained neither by the CAPM nor the Fama & French (1993) three factor model. The aim of this paper is to deepen in the possible explanations of such phenomenon by analyzing two new items. In the first part, the possibility that the momentum profits were the recompense for bearing some kind of risk not incorporated in this two models has been studied. Given the failure of this first approach, in the second part, the behavioural models of Daniel et al. (1998) and Hong and Stein (1999) have been tested, by facing the momentum profits to the size, book-to-market and analyst coverage characteristics. While the results show that the momentum profits focus on small stocks, restrictions in the data hinder to obtain conclusive results regarding the validity of these two models in explaining the Spanish momentum.


Guided by action-oriented pedagogies the working skills of computer maintaining and repairing are divided into four basic actions in this paper, namely hardware composing (matching), and trouble inspecting, and software setting up and software testing. Based on these actions, four models of actionoriented instruction are individually built in the course of Computer Maintaining and Repairing. In addition, a scheme of test-reform is raised in the course.


We identify stellar structures in the PHANGS sample of 74 nearby galaxies and construct morphological masks of sub-galactic environments based on Spitzer 3 . 6 µ m images. At the simplest level, we distinguish five environments: centres, bars, spiral arms, interarm regions, and discs without strong spirals. Slightly more sophisticated masks include rings and lenses, which are publicly released but not explicitly used in this paper. We examine trends with environment in the molecular gas content, star formation rate, and depletion time using PHANGS–ALMA CO(2–1) intensity maps and tracers of star formation. The interarm regions and discs without strong spirals clearly dominate in area, whereas molecular gas and star formation are quite evenly distributed among the five basic environments. We reproduce the molecular Kennicutt–Schmidt relation with a slope compatible with unity within the uncertainties and without significant slope di ff erences among environments. In contrast to what has been suggested by early studies, we find that bars are not always deserts devoid of gas and star formation, but instead they show large diversity. Similarly, spiral arms do not account for most of the gas and star formation in disc galaxies, and they do not have shorter depletion times than the interarm regions. Spiral arms accumulate gas and star formation, without systematically boosting the star formation e ffi ciency. Centres harbour remarkably high surface densities and on average shorter depletion times than other environments. Centres of barred galaxies show higher surface densities and wider distributions compared to the outer disc; yet, depletion times are similar to unbarred galaxies, suggesting highly intermittent periods of star formation when bars episodically drive gas inflow, without enhancing the central star formation e ffi ciency permanently. In conclusion, we provide quantitative evidence that stellar structures in galaxies strongly a ff ect the organisation of molecular gas and star formation, but their impact on star formation e ffi ciency is more subtle.


In the present paper, we introduce a variant of the numerical scheme called the deep solver of PDE. Our scheme is based on a non-linear version of the discrete-time Clark–Ocone formula, which describes the convergent expansion of the error terms. Our new scheme incorporates the higher-order error terms, which we conjecture to stabilize the stochastic gradient descent procedure, and also the irregularities in the driver and the terminal function of the associated forward-backward stochastic differential equation.


A numerical study of high-speed hydrodynamic gas bearing performance is presented using both finite element and finite difference methods. Efficient numerical procedures are developed to analyze diffusive-convective thin film gas flows in some simple geometries. A novel direct finite element formulation employing a new class of shape functions is specially devised to solve the Reynolds equation for compressible fluids, The formulation is as computationally efficient as the classical upwind finite element schemes without introducing artificial diffusion into the solution. Bearing load-capacity, static stiffness coefficients and frequency-dependent force coefficients are calculated for gas-lubricated plane and Rayleigh step slider bearings.


One of the main problems associated with early-period assessment of new product success is the lack of sufficient sales data to enable reliable predictions. We show that managers can use spatial dimension of sales data to obtain a predictive assessment of the success of a new product shortly after launch time.

Based on diffusion theory, we expect that for many innovative products, word of mouth and imitation play a significant role in the success of an innovation. Because word-of-mouth spread is often associated with some level of geographical proximity between the parties involved, one can expect "clusters" of adopters to begin to form. Alternatively, if the market reaction is widespread reluctance to adopt the new product, then the word-of-mouth effect is expected to be significantly smaller, leading to a more uniform pattern of sales assuming that there are no external reasons for clustering. Hence, the less uniform a product's distribution, the higher its likelihood of generating a "contagion process" and therefore of being a success. This is also true if the underlying baseline distribution is nonuniform, as long as it is an empirical distribution known to the firm.

We use a spatial divergence approach based on cross-entropy divergence measures to determine the "distance" between two distribution functions. Using both simulated and real-life data, we find that this approach has been capable of predicting success in the beginning of the adoption process, correctly predicting 14 of 16 actual product introductions in two product categories. We also discuss the limitations of our approach, among them the possible confusion between natural formation of geodemographic clusters and word-of-mouth-based clusters.


In this paper, we are interested in finding the optimal shape of a magnet. The criterion to maximize is the jump of the electromagnetic field between two different configurations. We prove existence of an optimal shape into a natural class of domains. We introduce a quasi-Newton type algorithm which moves the boundary. This method is very efficient to improve an initial shape. We give some numerical results.


The first stage in any machine design process requires the exercise of much heuristic to select a machine more suitable to a set of specifications. A second stage, in which the actual design process is actually focused, tunes the dimensions of a selected machine. To date, the development of a complete environment with both stages being automated remains to be done. In this paper, the implementation of a fully automated environment for transformer design is presented. The rationale for such a system, its architectural design procedure and the approach taken in constructing such a system for practical application are described


Burns are a significant public health issue that result in more than 180 000 fatalities annually. For specialized burn care, the geriatric burn population is a sensitive and usually challenging group. Despite the fact that all age groups have shown advances in burn care, geriatrics still have worse survival rates. Burn severity, treatment, and outcomes are impacted in geriatrics because of the physiological differences between them and younger adult burn patients. The atrophic skin of the elderly results in deeper burns, or a higher ratio of full-thickness total body surface area compared to younger patients, but it also hinders the healing of both donor sites and burns. The purpose of this research is to review the available information about geriatric burn injuries: prevalence, management and clinical outcome. Elderly people are more susceptible to complications such pneumonia, congestive heart failure, and pulmonary edema. The morbidity and mortality seen in geriatric burn patients are also attributed to altered immunological and inflammatory response driven by age leading to increased hospital stays and more severe complications. Management of geriatric burn patients involves two concepts. the revolutionary theory of eschar excision and wound closure within the first week of hospitalization, and the conventional strategy of reducing physiologic stress by delaying surgery in the early post-burn stage while the development of effective fluid resuscitation protocols, which has most significantly boosted patient survival, is one of the pillars of modern burn care. The epidemiology of burn injuries in geriatrics is quite variable and demands further research.


To overcome the problems of Air Quality Index in describing regional short-term air quality status and changing trend, based on the daily average concentrations of six air pollutants affecting regional air quality in Zhengzhou from 2015 to 2018, this paper analyzes their correlation characteristics and defines an air quality composite index instead of the original index by using factor analysis method, which not only extracts all the information of each Individual Air Quality Index, but also eliminates the correlation among them. At last, it analyzes the difference between the two indices in describing regional short-term air quality status and changing trend.

 Key words: Air quality index (AQI), individual air quality index (IAQI), correlation coefficient, partial correlation coefficient, information extraction, factor analysis.


A coupled discrete-continuum simulation incorporating a 3D aspect and non-circular particles was performed to analyze soil-pile interactions during pile penetration in sand. A self-developed non-circular particle numerical simulation program was used which considered sand near the pile as interacted particles using a discrete element method; the sand away from the pile was simulated as a continuous medium exhibiting linear elastic behaviors. The domain analyzed was divided into two zones. Contact forces at the interface between the two zones were obtained from a discrete zone and applied to the continuum boundaries as nodal forces, while the interface velocities were obtained from the continuum zone and applied to the discrete boundaries. We show that the coupled discrete-continuum simulation can give a microscopic description of the pile penetration process without losing the discrete nature of the zone concerned, and may significantly improve computational efficiency.


Background & Objective: Prior studies have shown that meal composition may affect the metabolic responses and arterial stiffness indices. Due to the lack of a comprehensive study that concurrently compares metabolic responses and vascular stiffness indices after receiving three different meals in lean and obese men, this pilot study has been conducted with a three-phase parallel design, aiming to investigate the effects of meal composition on the metabolic parameters and arterial stiffness indices of lean and obese adults. Materials and Methods: This pilot, parallel clinical trial has been performed on 20 male adults aged 18-35 years who are disease-free and selected based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria at Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Iran. The subjects have completed three interventions at a one-week interval, including high carbohydrate (70% carbohydrates, 10% protein, 20% fat), high protein (30% protein, 50% carbohydrates, 20% fat), and high fat meal (50% fat, 40% carbohydrates, 10% protein). Postprandial effects have been assessed within 360 minutes after each meal, including the energy expenditure component (resting energy expenditure, thermic effects of feeding, respiratory quotient, and substrate oxidation) and arterial stiffness indices (augmentation index and pulse wave velocity). In addition, blood sampling has been performed to measure glucose, insulin, free fatty acids, and lipid profile. Results: The study has started since September 2020 and will continue until January 2021. The assessment of the intervention outcomes will be carried out six hours after the end of the intervention. Conclusion: The differences in the postprandial responses c affect the metabolic and vascular parameters due to different meal compositions, thereby providing beneficial data for the establishment of new strategies in terms of nutritional education and metabolic/vascular improvement.


Plants sense and respond to nutrients using a peptide signaling system Nitrogen is a major limiting nutrient for plants. Root systems acquire nitrogen through uptake of nutrients such as nitrate from the soil. Some plants can also obtain nitrogen by establishing a root nodule symbiosis with N-fixing bacteria. Whatever the means to acquire nutrients, an investment of the plant is required in which root architecture is suitably adapted. Therefore, plants integrate local and global nutrient cues to spend resources efficiently. On page 343 in this issue, Tabata et al. (1) identify a peptide signaling mechanism by which the root locally senses N limitation in the soil, and communicates with the shoot, which then signals back to the root to stimulate lateral root growth in regions with a high nitrate content to facilitate nitrate uptake.


It is clear that climate change represents a significant risk to the performance of engineered systems and to public safety in Canada. As such, engineers, asset managers and decision-makers must address climate change adaptation as part of their primary mandate – the protection of the public interest, which includes life, health, property, economic interests and the environment. Vulnerability and risk assessment form the bridge to ensure climate change is considered in engineering design, operations and maintenance of civil infrastructure. Identifying the components of the infrastructure that are highly vulnerable to climate change impacts allows cost-effective engineering, operations and policy solutions to be developed. This paper puts future climate risks in the context of the current condition of Canada's infrastructure and the impacts of climate change. It presents a high level overview of some of the tools available to decision-makers and infrastructure practitioners to consider climate change impacts, from planning to operations and maintenance. The article focuses on processes and methodologies that have been used by public agencies and municipalities in Canada to identify and quantify risks, as well as develop climate change adaptation solutions. Engineers Canada's PIEVC Protocol, a methodology used in more than 40 projects across Canada to evaluate the vulnerability of infrastructure is described in more detail. The Protocol has been applied to a wide spectrum of infrastructure: roads, highways, bridges and associated structures; potable water, wastewater and storm water systems; electrical transmission infrastructure and dams; buildings; airports; and coastal infrastructure. The applications cover all regions of Canada. An example of the risk assessment for a section of highway in British Columbia is presented to illustrate the application of the Protocol to a highway transportation system.


There are great concerns regarding the use of synthetic progesterone during breastfeeding due to probable negative effects on future fecundity of male infants. Therefore the present study was conducted to evaluate the effects of exposing male rat pups to depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) during lactational period on pubertal testicular histology, morphometry and cells quantitation. Twenty male Wistar rat pups reared to dams treated with DMPA (10 mg/ kg BW) every other day during their early lactation period; were employed to achieve the objectives of this study. Other 20 male rat pups reared to untreated dams served as control. The pups were allowed to reach 90 days old, sacrificed, their testes were dissected and weighed and histological sections were prepared.
The results showed that exposing male rat pups to DMPA during the lactational period significantly (P<0.001) affected their testicular histology, morphometry and the quantities of testicular cells. The thickness of the germinal epithelium (GE) and the diameter of the seminiferous tubules (ST) were reduced; while the interstitial space (IS) thicknesses were increased. The testicular cells of the rats reared on dams treated with DMPA experienced varying degrees of apoptosis and count reduction. The ST appeared with unusual configuration with detached and/or folded basal lamina, it has few germinal layers, decreased Sertoli cells (SC) and their lumen contained cells debris and very few sperms; while the wide IS contained few Leydig cells (LC). Exposure to DMPA during the lactational period adversely affects the testicular structure. Thus foretells a negative impact on future fertility.


The performance of a three dimensional integrated circuit primarily depends on the filler material used in through silicon via (TSV). The mostly used filler material Cu is primarily facing severe reliability issues due to the skin effect and electromugration related problems at high frequencies. Therefore, in recent, single- and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT and MWCNT) have been emerged as suitable filler materials in TSV. Additionally, at high frequencies, an electrmagetic force primarly induces to an eddy current that adversely affects the overall performance of a TSV. This paper for the first time demonstrates the impact of eddy current on Cu, bundled SWCNT and MWCNT based TSVs. An accurate RLGC circuit model is proposed by considering the eddy effect at the depletion layer and the silicon substrate region. The equivalent circuit parameters are modelled at 7 nm technology using a three line driver-via-load setup. Using the proposed setup, crosstalk and power disspation are analyzed with and without considering the eddy effect. Irrespective of TSV heights, the MWCNT bundle demonstrates substantially lower crosstalk delay, peak noise and power dissipation in comparison to the Cu and SWCNT bundle based TSVs.


Twenty-eight Brangus cattle were used to determine the effect of copper and selenium supplementation on the carcass characteristics, fatty acid composition of the longissimus dorsi muscle and on the copper and selenium concentrations in the liver. The treatments were: no supplementation of copper or selenium; 2 mg Se/kg DM as sodium selenite; 40 mg Cu/kg DM as copper sulfate; and 2 mg Se/kg DM as sodium selenite and 40 mg Cu/kg DM as copper sulfate. The fat thickness, rib eye area and fatty acid composition of the longissimus dorsi muscle were not affected by treatments. There was no effect on carcass yield and cooling loss with the supplementation of copper, selenium or selenium × copper in the levels studied. For the ether extract concentration in the longissimus dorsi muscle, no differences were found according to the treatments with selenium, copper or selenium × copper. The treatments with selenium and selenium × copper showed higher selenium concentrations in the liver than the control and copper treatments. For the copper concentration in the liver, the copper and selenium × copper treatments showed higher values than the control and selenium treatments. Despite the little effect on the meat composition, the results of this experiment demonstrate no interaction between selenium and copper in the levels studied.


Water pollution has been a steadily growing challenge to many rapidly industrializing regions of the Pacific Rim. Governments have typically responded in the same way as those of the world9s older developed countries, by piecemeal development of sewerage, leading ultimately to huge sewage disposal infrastructures in the public sector where resources have not been too scarce. The bureaucratic management of these services is not always perceived as effective by those whom it exists to serve. The paper examines the phenomenon of public bureaucracy, and critically reviews the benefits of the leading alternative, private sector involvement in the management of water pollution control. Using the history of institution building in Hong Kong as an example, it traces the development of an organizational style in response to water pollution issues. It suggests awareness of organizational characteristics and behaviour can help to improve service, but concludes that research into organizational effectiveness in pollution control is needed.


The government of Mozambique has signed the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability (CRPD), but it has not yet been ratified. However, some of its neighbours have already ratified it. Namibia, for example, has the highest Gini coefficient of income inequality, and its legal framework is much less developed than Mozambique's, nevertheless it has ratified the convention. This will help Namibia to raise people with disability (PWD) out of poverty. This is something that Mozambique needs to do. Therefore, the aim of this essay is to discuss why Mozambique should ratify the CRPD, and why and how the Ministry of Health should lobby the government to ratify it. The Ministry of Health has a specific role to spur the ratification of the Convention, which will also assist in achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDG). We will identify possible key partners to be involved in the process. Consequently, we will speak about some practical ways the Ministry of Health should follow to implement the CRPD in the maternal and child health sector, and how to develop capacity building. The final scope is to understand the importance of ratifying such convention, and how Mozambique can improve the health care for PWD


We calculate the elements of the Stokes matrix for the scattering of light from a one‐dimensional, perfectly conducting, randomly rough surface in the general case when the plane of incidence is not perpendicular to the generators of the surface. By using Green's second integral identity we obtain a pair of inhomogeneous integral equations for the surface values of the components of the total electric and magnetic fields in the system parallel to the generators of the surface. All components of the scattered field can be obtained from these two components, and from them the elements of the Stokes matrix can be calculated. These equations are solved numerically for each of 2000 realizations of the surface profile function, and the elements of the Stokes matrix are averaged over this ensemble of realizations of the surface profile function. We find that only four unique elements of the Stokes matrix are nonzero, as in the case in which the plane of incidence is normal to the generators of the surface (in‐plane scattering). Moreover, these nonzero elements in the conical scattering of light of wavelength λ can be obtained from the corresponding elements in the in‐plane scattering of light of an effective wavelength λeff = λ/ cos ф0, where ф0 is the conical angle. The results of the study enable complete information about the diffuse scattering properties of one‐dimensional perfectly conducting random surfaces to be obtained.


Congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH), which usually induces pulmonary symptoms, is more diagnosed in infant than in adult. Right-side hernia is rarer because the right pleuroperitoneal canal closes earlier and the liver buttresses the right diaphragm. We report an unusual case of a right-sided congenital diaphragmatic hernia complicating with secondary common bile duct stones in a 43-year-old man.


The territories of Cyrene and Carthage met at the arae Philaenorum and Sallust, BJ 79, recounts the legend of the two Carthaginian brothers who let themselves be buried alive there to secure the frontier. That legend is the subject of this book, based on a Bari doctoral thesis. As it stands, the legend contains two main elements, both of which find parallels in areas widely separated in space and time. These are: (a) an agonistic contest substituted for actual conflict and here taking the form of a race to the meeting-place, which will thereafter constitute the boundary, and (b) the notion of a sacrifice (not always, as here, voluntary) to fix the spot irrevocably. These two strands O. illustrates with parallels drawn from classical Greece and from mediaeval Europe, where they figure in beast fables and in accounts of boundary-contests in Switzerland and north Italy. These stories confirm the origins of Sallust's account in folk-lore, and in addition suggest that as they commonly contained an element of trickery, that was probably true originally of the Philaeni. This seems likely since the Sallustian version offers no adequate reason why the Carthaginians, having won by fair means, should then have agreed to the atrocious proposal of the Cyrenaeans. The purpose of the digression within the BJ has often been debated. O. argues convincingly, that it is not simply a rhetorical device demarcating sections of the work, but fulfils a direct function as an example of old-time virtus, exhibited even by the traditional enemy Carthage. He further argues that virtus here serves as an isotopia a word borrowed from the jargon of linguistic theory (specifically from A. J. Greimas and J. Courtes) and meaning something like a 'key-word'. I found this an unnecessary complication. O.'s book in fact contains a good deal that is only loosely related to the main theme. Concerning the site of the Altars he makes the good point that the Greeks, being less familiar than ourselves with maps, tended to conceptualise distances as journeys from A to B. But I am not sure that this enables him to get over the difficulty with Strabo 3.5.5, who locates the arae Kara fidcrqv TTOV TIJV /j,€ra£v rwv Evprziov yijv. O. takes this to mean 'somewhere or other between the Syrtes'. But though that might well be conveyed by ixera^v alone, the words /cara fie'ortv TTOV must surely mean (rightly or wrongly) 'roughly midway'. For the historical site0. accepts Graret Gser et-Trab, identified by the Goodchild expedition of 1950-1951, rather than the site at Ras Lanuf, celebrated grandiosely but impermanently by Mussolini. There is also a stylistic analysis of the digression; an account of the manuscript tradition of maps in Sallust which, as O. argues, were taken over for didactic use in other works as early as the reign of Theodosius II; and, finally, a discussion of the form <Pi\aivov or <Pi\aivuiv. 0. concludes that the plural, largely restricted to Latin authors, was a Roman innovation. &i\atvm, meaning 'the brothers Philaenus', is odd in Greek, but easier for anyone familiar with the Latin gentilicium. There is a bibliography, an index and some very interesting illustrations. This is a useful study, whose merits reside as much in its parts as in the whole.


Introduction: Stroke is a major burden on the health system due to high fatality and major disability in survivors. Whilst Stroke incidence has declined in the developed world, it continues to increase in developing nations, including the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region. This may reflect different risk factors and strategies to treat and manage patients prior to and after Stroke.

Methods: We have conducted a systematic review of the prevalence, incidence and mortality of Stroke in the 23 countries of MENA region following the PRISMA guidelines.

Results: 8,874 published papers were retrieved through both PubMed and Embase. Of those, 38 studies were found to be eligible for inclusion in this review. Only thirteen countries in the MENA region had data points for the critical stroke parameters. Of these qualified studies, 14 were prospective, population-based studies. In the age-adjusted studies, incidence ranged widely between 16/100,000 in a prospective population-based in Iran to 162/100,000 in Libya. Age-adjusted prevalence was available only from Tunisia at 184/100,000. Mortality for all strokes from the eight countries reporting this measure found the 30 day-case fatality ranged from 9.3% in Qatar to 30% in Pakistan. Most stroke studies in the MENA region were small sized, hospital-based, lacked confidence intervals and did not provide prevalence and mortality figures.

Conclusion: National policymakers, public health and medical care stakeholders need more reliable epidemiologic studies on Stroke from the MENA region to plan more effective preventive and therapeutic strategies.


This paper reviews some key structural and design dimensions of organizations and how they apply to electronic business and the virtual organization. The paper reviews the relevant literature on design of electronic commerce organizations. Although few studies have dealt with these issues, the paper highlights some research questions that emerge from the literature, and examines selected dimensions, such as formalization, departmentation, and inter-organizational relations. The paper concludes that electronic commerce organizations are faced primarily with design issues, so that conventional knowledge of structural dimensions is highly applicable to this new business phenomenon.


Abstract SCF-MO calculations of the vibration frequencies and IR absorption intensities of 3radialene are re ported. Complete normal coordinate analysis for the molecule was done. The C=C str. frequencies of 3radialene are found to be intermediate between the values for ethylene and acetylene. The results are explained in terms of a modified Förster-Walsh model for the 3ring in which the central carbon atoms show sp hybridization.


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Canadian and Japanese secondary teachers' conceptions of critical thinking were compared and contrasted. Significant cross‐cultural differences were found. While Canadian teachers tended to relate critical thinking to the cognitive domain, Japanese teachers emphasized the affective domain. The quantitative data, effectively reduced through factor analysis, showed a clear distinction and significant difference between Canadian and Japanese teachers on four of the five factors—Canadian teachers viewed critical thinking through Cognitive Strategizing and Relevance, while Japanese teachers favoured Conscientious Judgements and Intellectual Engagement. However, through further qualitative analysis, critical thinking was found to be a tacit and implicit teaching practice supported by most teachers surveyed, irrespective of gender, age, teaching experience, subject area and, most importantly, the cultures from which they came.


The memory of the 1994 genocide overshadows the present in Rwanda. The landscape is marked with burial and memorial sites, and April has become a month of mourning with national genocide commemorations held annually. The genocide memorials have been sanctioned and promoted by the state, but they are also the product of initiatives by genocide survivors. This article argues that survivors have made substantial and distinctive contributions to memorialization in Rwanda. It explores a survivor politics of memory and its relationship to trauma and grief.


In this paper, the weather systems associated with the active and break spells of summer monsoon over Bangladesh have been studied using the WRF model as a regional climate model for two selected years 2011 (excess rainfall year) and 2013 (deficit rainfall year). The active and break spells for two selected years were identified using daily observed rainfall data from Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD). The model simulations for each year were made for the period of 1st May to 30th September with a single domain of 30 km resolution and 19 vertical levels. FNL 1°×1° resolution data was used for model simulation. The model-simulated daily rainfall, Sea Level Pressure (SLP), and the wind at 850 hPa, and 200 hPa were compared with TRMM, and ERA-Interim data, respectively. This study reveals that the increase in rainfall is concurrent with a south-westerly wind and the decrease of rainfall simultaneously occurs with a south-easterly wind over the country. A cyclonic circulation (850 hPa) was found over the southwestern part of Bangladesh during active days and the south-easterly wind was found (850 hPa) during break days. The easterly wind was found (200 hPa) during active days and break days. The lowest SLP was found over the southern part during active days (992-995 hPa) compared to break days (998-100 8hPa). Outgoing Longwave Radiation was found high (250-275 W/m²) during break days compared to Active days (220-270 W/m²). The WRF model can reasonably capture well the active and break phases of summer monsoon for the years 2011 and 2013.
The Dhaka University Journal of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Vol. 11(2), 2022: P 43-52


This study aims to address challenges posed to Microfinance institution (MFIs) as they work to improve access to credits by poor entrepreneurs among farmers and other low resource-based individuals. This prompted this research work. A field survey, using multiphase sampling technique, was conducted to select samples for detailed analysis. Two sets of questionnaires were administered on the eleven (11) MFI decision units in Kano State, to collect information on their characteristics, financial resources and mode of operations; sources and uses of funds, resource use efficiency as well as outreach. Levels of savings of members, microloans packaged and delivered, women participation, levels of profits generated as well as returns to investments and to assets were measured. The results showed that three categories of MFIs operate in the area namely: formal finance institutions (FFIs), semi-formal finance institutions (SMFIs), and informal finance institutions (IMFI) each with its unique features and mode of operations.  They share many common problems from low level of member savings, low equity levels lower than the African average in all cases and high level of borrowed funds. Though the returns indicated that average returns on assets for IMFI and SMFI ranged from 4 to 6% over the period, higher than the African average of 2% and confirms efficient use of resources, high dependence on costly borrowed funds as against savings by members may delay achievement of sustainability going by their level of dependence on subsidy. As to the main activities engaged by MFIs, petty trading ranks first followed by farming, equipment financing, livestock rearing, food and restaurant services, artisans and household wares trading respectively. With regards to problems and constraints to their growth they ranked lack of qualified staff, inadequate working capital, board decision problems, fund recovery, government policy changes, and sourcing additional funds in the fore front. Suggested solutions were made. Overall, it is evident that MFIs in Kano are profitable, efficient and could be sustainable if the identified problems and constraints are addressed by stakeholders and suggested solutions are adhered to.

 Key words: Microfinance, constraints to growth, sustainability.


Introduction/Background Isolated metastasis of cervical carcinoma to iliopsoas region might be infrequent and its occurrence is a diagnostic challenge. The aim of this study was to report a case of iliopsoas muscle metastasis from cervical carcinoma. Methodology Case Presentation: A 52-year-old multiparous females complaining about post menopause bleeding was referred to the oncology department. Gynecological examination revealed cervical mass with involved parameters and biopsy confirming squamous cell carcinoma. In addition, the patient had a large cystic mass on the lateral side of pelvic area and abdomen. Investigations detected solid ovarian mass associated with a rise of tumor marker CA-125 and CEA levels. Results Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and CT scan reports suggested possible hematoma in iliopsoas muscle. Imaging-guided biopsy detected metastatic squamous cell carcinoma in iliopsoas muscle mass. Based on diagnosis of advance stage cervical cancer, the patient received chemotherapy following adjuvant radiation therapy. Conclusion Metastasis of squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix to iliopsoas muscle is considered as a rare event. It is recommended to keep this unusual manifestation in mind. Disclosure Nothing to disclose.


Vitamin C synthesis in rat liver is enhanced by several xenobiotics, including aminopyrine and chloretone. The effect of these agents has been linked to induction of enzymes potentially involved in the formation of glucuronate, a precursor of vitamin C. Using isolated rat hepatocytes as a model, we show that a series of agents (aminopyrine, antipyrine, chloretone, clotrimazole, metyrapone, proadifen, and barbital) induced in a few minutes an up to 15-fold increase in the formation of glucuronate, which was best observed in the presence of sorbinil, an inhibitor of glucuronate reductase. They also caused an ∼2-fold decrease in the concentration of UDP-glucuronate but little if any change in the concentration of UDP-glucose. Depletion of UDP-glucuronate with resorcinol or d-galactosamine markedly decreased the formation of glucuronate both in the presence and in the absence of aminopyrine, confirming the precursor-product relationship between UDP-glucuronate and free glucuronate. Most of the agents did not induce the formation of detectable amounts of glucuronides, indicating that the formation of glucuronate is not due to a glucuronidation-deglucuronidation cycle. With the exception of barbital (which inhibits glucuronate reductase), all of the above mentioned agents also caused an increase in the concentration of ascorbic acid. They had little effect on glutathione concentration, and their effect on glucuronate and vitamin C formation was not mimicked by glutathione-depleting agents such as diamide and buthionine sulfoximine. It is concluded that the stimulation of vitamin C synthesis exerted by some xenobiotics is mediated through a rapid increase in the conversion of UDP-glucuronate to glucuronate, which does not apparently involve a glucuronidation-deglucuronidation cycle.


Metazoan chromosomes are organized into discrete domains (TADs), believed to contribute to the regulation of transcriptional programs. Despite extensive correlation between TAD organization and gene activity, a direct mechanistic link is unclear, with perturbation studies often showing little effect. To follow TAD dynamics during development, we used Capture Hi-C to interrogate the TADs around key differentially expressed genes during mouse thymocyte maturation, uncovering specific remodeling events. Notably, one TAD boundary was broadened to accommodate RNA polymerase elongation past the border, and sub-domains were formed around some activated genes without changes in CTCF binding. The ectopic induction of one gene was sufficient to recapitulate microdomain formation in embryonic stem cells, providing strong evidence that transcription can directly remodel chromatin structure. These results suggest that transcriptional processes drive complex, but non-universal, chromosome folding patterns that can be important in certain genomic contexts.


Accurate secondary ion mass spectroscopy measurement of nitrogen in niobium relies on the use of closely equivalent standards, made by ion implantation, to convert nitrogen signal intensity to nitrogen content by determination of relative sensitivity factors (RSFs). Accurate RSF values for ppm-range nitrogen contents are increasingly critical, as more precision is sought in processes for next-generation superconducting radiofrequency (SRF) accelerator cavities. Factors influencing RSF value measurements were investigated with the aim of reliably attaining better than 10% accuracy in nitrogen concentrations at various depths into the bulk. This has been accomplished for materials typical of SRF cavities at the cost of increased attention to all aspects.


Purpose
The academic research into underpricing of initial public offerings (IPOs) offers many explanations, i.e. signalling, financial and market hypothesis. However, another set of information, namely, "Qualitative Factors" (along with financial and others), are largely reported by the issuing firms in the prospectus. However, to the best of the authors' knowledge no such systematic study has been carried out on how firms' qualitative factors impact the IPO valuation. This paper aims to addresses this gap.

Design/methodology/approach
Using a sample of 82 IPOs issued from 2014 to 2020, we investigate the issuing firm's pattern of reporting qualitative factors. These qualitative factors are subjected to factor analysis. The authors classify all reported factors across firms into a few categories using principal component analysis. The authors also investigate the impact of these factors on IPO underpricing using OLS regression.

Findings
The authors find that the qualitative information relating to market leadership, established brand image and modern scalable information technology infrastructure significantly influences underpricing. The authors also document that market leadership and brand image are the influential reported quality factors that reduce underpricing. Moreover, location advantage, good customer relationship, established relationship with a client, track record of growth and profitability, experienced promoter and management team failed to influence underpricing.

Originality/value
The outcome of this piece of research offers additional signalling as an attestation of quality for the issue. The authors further argue that the amount of qualitative information disclosed by the managers in the prospectus to support the pricing should not be ignored.


Among the large number of economic indicators able to measure the performance of firms and territories, this paper proposes to investigate and apply the technical devices resulting from the "shift-share" model. This approach allows us to assess the "regional effect," which is defined as the economic position of the territory relative to the overall economic dynamic. When estimated at the sectoral level, this regional effect measures the specific position and performance of any firm according to its location. This approach is tested to determine the causes of the employment changes in the French regions between 2000 and 2008. It confirms that the contingent nature of the mechanisms of agglomeration on the one hand, and the role of local demand on the other influence the localized behavior of firms. JEL codes: D24, R11, R12


Counts of pinnipeds provide a minimal estimate of population size because some unknown proportion of individuals is in the water during surveys. We determined a correction factor (CF) for Pacific harbor seals (Phoca vitulina richardii) by estimating the proportion ashore of 180 seals tagged with flipper-mounted radio tags throughout California. The mean proportions of tagged individuals ashore during four complete surveys in 2004 were not different between central and northern California (F= 1.85, P= 0.18) or between sexes (F= 0.57, P= 0.45), but a lesser proportion of weaners was ashore than subadults or adults (F= 7.97, P= 0.001), especially in northern California. The CF calculated for the statewide census of harbor seals was 1.65, using transmitters operating during the survey (n= 114). Using a mark-recapture estimator for tag survival (phi) and the four telemetry surveys the mean CF for central and northern California was 1.54 ± 0.38 (95% CI). A CF for southern California of 2.86 was based on a single survey. Using the mean CF of 1.54 and a statewide count in 2009 we estimated 30,196 (95% CI = 22,745–37,647) harbor seals in California.


Background Serum uric acid (SUA) levels was associated with cardiovascular diseases and cardiovascular events. However, the relationship between SUA levels and traditional cardiovascular risk factors has not been well-established among Xiamen residents. Our study aimed to estimate the relationship between SUA levels and cardiovascular risk factors among Xiamen residents using real-world data. Methods Participants were enrolled from eight community health service centers in Xiamen, China. Participants were divided into four groups according to quartiles of the SUA levels. The history of diseases, the use of medications and the levels of laboratory parameters were collected. The China-PAR equation was used to evaluate the 10-year atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk. Results A total of 1,322 participants were enrolled. About 568 (43.0%) were men and 754 (57.0%) were women. The prevalences of hypertension, elderly, current smokers, and obesity were higher in the quartile 4 (Q4) group than the quartile 1 (Q1) group (all p < 0.001). Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed the OR for hypertension was 2.671 (95% CI 1.777–4.015, p < 0.001) in the Q4 group compared with that in the Q1 group. Further logistic regression showed the OR for hypertension was 3.254 (95% CI 1.756–6.031, p < 0.001) in men and 2.314 (95% CI 1.354–3.955, p = 0.002) in women in the Q4 group compared with that in the Q1 group, respectively. In addition, the percentage of participants with low 10-year ASCVD risk calculated by China-PAR was higher in the Q1 group than that in the Q4 group (55.86 vs. 31.82%, p < 0.001). The percentage of participants with high 10-year ASCVD risk was lower in the Q1 group compared with the Q4 group (15.32 vs. 25.45%, p < 0.001). Multiple linear logistic regression showed the 10-year China-PAR ASCVD risk scores was positively correlated with SUA after adjusting for various factors (β = 0.135, p = 0.001). Conclusion Serum uric acid was associated with several cardiovascular risk factors in Xiamen residents. The percentage of high 10-year ASDVD risk was higher in participants with hyperuricemia. Participants with hyperuricemia may experience cardiovascular benefit from uric acid-lowering therapy.


Photoacoustic microscopy (PAM) is an emerging hybrid imaging modality which maps superior optical contrast acoustically through the photoacoustic effect. Compared with pure optical microscopic imaging modalities, PAM employs absorption contrast rather than scattering contrast, which showed capability for exploring anatomical, functional, and molecular information in biological tissues without exogenous agents. Here, we present fast label-free photoacoustic microscopy, successfully reconstructing the microvasculature in a mouse ear and histopathological features in a mouse uterus.


Nalco Company is partnering with Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) in this project to jointly develop advanced scale control technologies that will provide cost-effective solutions for coal-based power plants to operate recirculating cooling water systems at high cycles using impaired waters. The overall approach is to use combinations of novel membrane separations and scale inhibitor technologies that will work synergistically, with membrane separations reducing the scaling potential of the cooling water and scale inhibitors extending the safe operating range of the cooling water system. The project started on March 31, 2006 and ended in August 30, 2010. The project was a multiyear, multi-phase project with laboratory research and development as well as a small pilot-scale field demonstration. In Phase 1 (Technical Targets and Proof of Concept), the objectives were to establish quantitative technical targets and develop calcite and silica scale inhibitor chemistries for high stress conditions. Additional Phase I work included bench-scale testing to determine the feasibility of two membrane separation technologies (electrodialysis ED and electrode-ionization EDI) for scale minimization. In Phase 2 (Technology Development and Integration), the objectives were to develop additional novel scale inhibitor chemistries, develop selected separation processes, and optimize the integration of the technology components at the laboratory scale. Phase 3 (Technology Validation) validated the integrated system's performance with a pilot-scale demonstration. During Phase 1, Initial evaluations of impaired water characteristics focused on produced waters and reclaimed municipal wastewater effluents. Literature and new data were collected and evaluated. Characteristics of produced waters vary significantly from one site to another, whereas reclaimed municipal wastewater effluents have relatively more uniform characteristics. Assessment to date confirmed that calcite and silica/silicate are two common potential cycle-limiting minerals for using impaired waters. For produced waters, barium sulfate and calcium sulfate are two additional potential cycle-limiting minerals. For reclaimed municipal wastewater effluents, calcium phosphate scaling can be an issue, especially in the co-presence of high silica. Computational assessment, using a vast amount of Nalco's field data from coal fired power plants, showed that the limited use and reuse of impaired waters is due to the formation of deposit caused by the presence of iron, high hardness, high silica and high alkalinity in the water. Appropriate and cost-effective inhibitors were identified and developed - LL99B0 for calcite and gypsum inhibition and TX-15060 for silica inhibition. Nalco's existing dispersants HSP-1 and HSP-2 has excellent efficacy for dispersing Fe and Mn. ED and EDI were bench-scale tested by the CRADA partner Argonne National Laboratory for hardness, alkalinity and silica removal from synthetic make-up water and then cycled cooling water. Both systems showed low power consumption and 98-99% salt removal, however, the EDI system required 25-30% less power for silica removal. For Phase 2, the EDI system's performance was optimized and the length of time between clean-in-place (CIP) increased by varying the wafer composition and membrane configuration. The enhanced EDI system could remove 88% of the hardness and 99% of the alkalinity with a processing flux of 19.2 gal/hr/m{sup 2} and a power consumption of 0.54 kWh/100 gal water. Bench tests to screen alternative silica/silicate scale inhibitor chemistries have begun. The silica/silicate control approaches using chemical inhibitors include inhibition of silicic acid polymerization and dispersion of silica/silicate crystals. Tests were conducted with an initial silica concentration of 290-300 mg/L as SiO{sub 2} at pH 7 and room temperature. A proprietary new chemistry was found to be promising, compared with a current commercial product commonly used for silica/silicate control. Additional pilot cooling tower testing confirmed the bench study. We also developed a molecule to inhibit calcium carbonate precipitation and calcium sulfate precipitation at high supersaturations. During Phase 3, a long-term test of the EDI system and scale inhibitors was done at Nalco's cooling tower water testing facility, producing 850 gallons of high purity water (90+% salt removal) at a rate of 220 L/day. The EDI system's performance was stable when the salt concentration in the concentrate compartment (i.e. the EDI waste stream) was controlled and a CIP was done after every 48 hours of operation time. A combination of EDI and scale inhibitors completely eliminated blowdown discharge from the Pilot cooling Tower. The only water-consumption came from evaporation, CIP and EDI concentrate. Silica Inhibitor was evaluated in the field at a western coal fired power plant.


Michael T. McCurdy, MD Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine and Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD Tsuyoshi Mitarai, MD Attending Physician, Emergency Department, Medical ICU, Surgical ICU, Stanford Hospital; Clinical Instructor, Division of Emergency Medicine, Department of Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA Jack Perkins, MD Associate Program Director, Franklin Square Hospital Internal Medicine Residency; Attending Physician, Department of Emergency Medicine, Baltimore, MD


This paper discusses the connection between public equity fund characteristics and performance reactions to COVID-19 using data over 1300 equity funds across 105 Chinese fund companies. Empirical evidences from over 20 fund characteristics show that the liquidity, diversification and pre-2020 Sharpe ratio, fund management abilities, agency costs can determine the fund immunity to COVID-19. Based on these characteristics mentioned, our empirical results can explain why COVID-19-induced drop in fund performance is milder among open-end funds, active funds, ETFs, and growth funds, and also can explain why funds controlled by private companies or by sino-foreign joint ventures or by companies with more independent directors of financial experiences perform better in the pandemic. Our work also provides some valuable suggestions for investors and regulators confronting an exogenous shock.


Like its symmetrical opposite «legitimization», the term/concept «delegitimization» does not indicate a state or quality of a power relationship (for which we would talk of illegitimacy or legitimacy), but a process aiming to deny or withdraw recognition of the political opponent's legitimacy by representing him/her as extraneous to the shared constitutional perimeter. The article proposes to shift the issue of legitimiza- tion/delegitimization from a vertical power set-up (meaning command/obedience between the wielder of power and the subjects) to a horizontal frame of relationship and recognition among political leaders competing to govern a State. In this «horizontal» perspective delegitimization does not refer to groups that feel prejudicially opposite, or posit any absolute negation of values; it indicates an attempt to transform a legitimate adversary into an enemy.


Static simulation of the thermodynamic model of the liquefaction / refrigeration process was reported by a number of researchers using commercially available software as rigorous controls are required for high pressure (HP) and low pressure (LP) stream, turbo expander flow, Joule-Thomson valve opening and Dewar pressure. However these softwares are very expensive. On the other hand dynamic modelling of the components or sub-systems is necessary to control the actual system under realistic conditions. Mathematical modelling is nothing but the representation of any system through a set of mathematical equations which reflects the behaviour of the system under consideration. Performances of the control system can be evaluated by proper dynamic modelling of the liquefaction process and subsequent simulation of the control system in synchronisation with the models is necessary. It is planned to implement the entire control system by four split models as mentioned earlier, which can be later integrated for the entire process. The design methodology includes mathematical modelling of different sub-systems and incorporation of control system in each of them which stabilizes load disturbances and process parameter fluctuations by controlling or modifying some manipulated variables using actuators. A dynamic model of the process is developed using some commonly available mathematical software so that it can be easily interfaced with the SCADA developed in open platform and the Programmable Logic Controller (PLC). It will enable the real time check of the control system in line with the dynamic model. In the current work screw compressors with associated components (compressor and valves), Dewar and turbine is mathematically modelled and in each case, one controller is also designed in parallel with them which will control the process. The behaviour of the control systems are examined and recorded during the load disturbances in cold box (affects the HP and LP of the system), heat load fluctuation in Dewar (affects the boil-off rate and the pressure inside Dewar) and during speed control of the turbine (at the starting). Different control philosophies are designed to get the optimum control technique and suitability of these control systems are checked. The final work is to attach them together in association with already developed models of heat exchanger and J-T valve and link them to SCADA and PLC to establish a control interface between actual system and the operator.


We present a manhole profiling tool, developed as part of the Columbia/Con Edison machine learning project on manhole event prediction, and discuss its role in evaluating our machine learning model in three important ways: elimination of outliers, elimination of falsely predictive features, and assessment of the quality of the model. The model produces a ranked list of tens of thousands of manholes in Manhattan, where the ranking criterion is vulnerability to serious events such as fires, explosions and smoking manholes. Con Edison set two goals for the model, namely accuracy and intuitiveness, and this tool made it possible for us to address both of these goals. The tool automatically assembles a "report card or "profile" highlighting data associated with a given manhole. Prior to the processing work that underlies the profiling tool, case studies of a single manhole took several days and resulted in an incomplete study; locating manholes such as those we present in this work would have been extremely difficult. The model is currently assisting Con Edison in determining repair priorities for the secondary electrical grid.


A clear channel assessment CCA method implemented in a multi-band orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) system, the method including: estimating an energy of a received signal in each window at predetermined intervals of two moving-average windows; detecting a peak value according to a difference of energies estimated in relation to the two moving-average windows, and accumulating a number of detected peak values; and reporting a channel status to a medium access control (MAC) according to the number of the accumulated peak values.


The antiemetic effect of granisetron, a selective 5-HT3 receptor antagonist, on ouabain-induced emesis was studied using ferrets. In order to clarify the relationship between ouabain-induced emesis and serotonin (5-HT), we examined its effects on 5-HT release from the isolated ileum. Afferent vagal nerve activity was also determined. An intravenous bolus injection of ouabain (0.1-1.0 mg/kg) produced emesis in a dose-dependent manner. Ouabain-induced emesis was inhibited by pretreatment with granisetron. In the isolated ileum, ouabain induced a concentration-dependent increase of 5-HT. This release of 5-HT was suppressed by granisetron. Increases in vagal nerve discharges were observed immediately after the intravenous administration of ouabain (0.1-1.0 mg/kg). These increases were suppressed by granisetron. Taken together, ouabain activates 5-HT release from the mucosa in the gastrointestinal tract. Released 5-HT may activate the vagal afferent nerves, resulting in vomiting. Granisetron inhibited the ouabain-induced elevation of 5-HT and vagal nerve activity. Ouabain may induce emesis as well as negative chronotropic effects by activating the vagus. Our results suggest that ouabain-induced emesis is in part mediated by the 5-HT3 receptors of the peripheral gastrointestinal tract.


The PHENIX detector at RHIC has been designed to study central Au + Au collisions at 200 GeV per nucleon pair. PHENIX measures muons in two muon spectrometers located forward and backward of midrapidity, and measures hadrons, electrons and photons in two central spectrometer arms, each of which covers 90 degrees in azimuth and ±0.35 units of rapidity. The final component of each central arm spectrometer is an electromagnetic calorimeter, which precisely measures the energy and time of arrival of particles created in relativistic heavy ion collisions. The calorimeter also provides electron and hadron identification capabilities by energy-momentum matching with the tracking measurement. It is also used for triggering on high energy photons and electrons. The operation, monitoring, calibration and the analysis methods used to deal with the high multiplicity environment are described. Results on neutral pion and direct photon production will be presented.


The modernisation of Swedish households during the twentieth century prompted a considerable productivity growth in household production, which reduced the time input for a fixed volume of routine household work by about 35 per cent 1920-1990. Much of that time was gradually transferred to the labour market, but no evidence can be found for an increase in leisure time. What has been termed a "Cowan paradox" appears in the Swedish data: the output of household services increased significantly with productivity-enhancing technical change. This was, however, the case only in households where small children constituted an impediment to labour market entry. Increased returns to market work induced women who did not face this restriction to allocate more time to the labour market from the mid-1940s. A set of new formal and informal institutions associated with the family eventually redefined the concept of "small children" and so shifted the position of homemaker from being a more or less permanent status of some women to a clearly temporary position of most women.


Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia. Currently, a clinical diagnosis of AD is based on evidence of both cognitive and functional decline. Progression is monitored by detailed clinical evaluations over many months to years. It is increasingly clear that to advance disease-modifying therapies for AD, patients must be identified and treated early, before obvious cognitive and functional changes. In addition, better methods are needed to sensitively monitor progression of disease and therapeutic efficacy. Therefore, considerable research has focused on characterizing biomarkers that can identify the disease early as well as accurately monitor disease progression. miRNA offer a unique opportunity for biomarker development. Here, we review research focused on characterizing miRNA as potential biomarkers and as a treatment for disease.


AIMS
Alcohol is hypothesized to have effects on the kynurenine pathway of tryptophan catabolism, a potential mechanism for alcohol-induced depression and aggression. A biomarker of this pathway, the plasma kynurenine to tryptophan ratio (K/T ratio), has been associated with HIV progression, mortality and depression. Our aim was to assess whether hazardous alcohol consumption is associated higher K/T ratio among people with HIV.

METHODS
Participants were a subset of the Uganda Alcohol Research Collaboration on HIV/AIDS Cohort. Alcohol consumption was categorized (abstinent, moderate and hazardous alcohol use) using the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-Consumption and phosphatidylethanol (PEth). K/T ratio was the primary outcome. We used linear regression adjusted for age, sex, FIB-4, hepatitis B surface antigen, log (HIV viral load) to estimate the association between alcohol consumption and K/T ratio.

RESULTS
Compared to abstinent participants, hazardous drinkers and moderate drinkers had higher K/T ratio but these differences did not reach statistical significance.

CONCLUSIONS
Our results suggest that hazardous alcohol consumption, in the context of untreated HIV infection, may not significantly alter kynurenine to tryptophan ratio as a measure of activity of the kynurenine pathway of tryptophan metabolism.


The impact of geopolitics on business activities is an undeniable reality, as reflected in the fact that a growing number of companies consider geopolitical risks as a substantial risk to their cross-border operations. Against this background, this article advocates developing the critical geopolitical awareness of management learners to allow them to better understand the risks and challenges posed by the rapidly changing and highly uncertain external environment. After explaining the specificities of the critical geopolitical approach, we discuss three selected case studies that show how it can be applied to complex crisis situations in which companies can become involved. We then highlight how developing critical geopolitical awareness could be beneficial to management learners as part of an incremental critical learning process. The latter is presented as a three-step process, aiming to: (a) increase knowledge of the international and local context by using the triangular framework of analysis (space-power-representations), which provides a deeper understanding of the external environment and how the strategies of both state- and non-state actors may affect business activities; (b) enrich traditional political risk models with a relational and multiscale approach to geopolitical risk; and (c) reconsider the role of corporate leaders and companies as (geo)political actors.


A method for the determination of bisphenol A in the plastic parts of small household appliances by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was developed. The sample was extracted with accelerated solvent extraction (ASE) and purified by Sep-Pak C18 solid phase extraction. Bisphenol A was separated and detected using LC-MS/MS in negative ion mode with the mobile phases of methanol and water (containing 0.05% ammonia water). The linearity of the method was good in the range of 5 μg/L to 100 μg/L. The recoveries for the spiked sample were from 95.2% to 109.7% at the three levels, 10, 25 and 75 μg/kg. The relative standard deviations were less than 3.8%. The limit of detection was 10 μg/kg. The method is easy-handling, time-saving, sensitive and suitable for the determination of the residual bisphenol A in the plastic parts of household appliances.


This study aims to test for differences in the receptiveness of science and non-science undergraduates to positive, non-aggressive humour being used in a science article, as an exploration into the utilization of such humour as a tool for more engaging science communication. The majority of the 76 respondents to an online survey were generally receptive to such use, with some differences between the two groups. It was also noted that a receptiveness to such humour may not necessarily be associated with a receptiveness to its actual use in science articles.


Wide angle x-ray diffraction has revealed that during corpus luteum regression there is a liquid-crystalline to gel phase transition in the phospholipid molecules of the cellular membranes. In the present study we have examined the lipid composition of these membranes and looked for evidence of membrane protein involvement in this change. Lipid analysis of smooth microsomal membranes prepared from rat corpora lutea revealed no significant change in the cholesterol to phospholipid ratio or in the ratio of unsaturated to saturated fatty acids with advancing luteolysis. In addition, there was no clear trend for these changes in the relative proportions of the major fatty acids. Liposomes were prepared from smooth microsomal fractions of regressing rat corpora lutea, and examination of these lipid vesicles by x-ray diffraction revealed that the temperature of the liquid-crystalline to gel phase transition was much lower (approximately 25-30 C) than that for the corresponding microsomes. These observations are consistent with the view that membrane proteins contribute to the ordering of lipid that results in a mixture of liquid-crystalline and gel phases in membranes from regressed corpora lutea.


The morphological, elemental composition and Photoluminescence (PL) properties of laser ablated SrAl2O4:Eu , Dy thin films prepared at different Argon (Ar) pressures are reported. The Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) techniques were employed for the morphological data collection. The data for elemental composition were collected using the Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectrometer (EDS) and Fourier Transform Infra-Red (FTIR). The room temperature photoluminescence (PL) data collection was done by using Cary Eclipse fluorescence spectrophotometry. The films were excited by the UV light from the xenon lamp. The PL intensities of the films seem to vary proportionally with the Ar pressure, when other parameters are kept constant. The highest green emission PL peak for the films is at 526 nm wavelength, attributed to 4f5d → 4f Eu transitions. AFM images with well defined grains are observed on the films deposited at higher Ar pressures. The EDS and FTIR elemental composition analysis reveals that that the films consist of elements and groups of SrAl2O4.


Spin-wave resonance measurements were performed in the mixed magnetic phase regime of a Pd-doped FeRh epilayer that appears as the first-order ferromagnetic-antiferromagnetic phase transition takes place. It is seen that the measured value of the exchange stiffness is suppressed throughout the measurement range when compared to the expected value of the fully ferromagnetic regime, extracted via the independent means of a measurement of the Curie point, for only slight changes in the ferromagnetic volume fraction. This behavior is attributed to the influence of the antiferromagnetic phase: inspired by previous experiments that show ferromagnetism to be most persistent at the surfaces and interfaces of FeRh thin films, we modelled the antiferromagnetic phase as forming a thin layer in the middle of the epilayer through which the two ferromagnetic layers are coupled up to a certain critical thickness. The development of this exchange stiffness is then consistent with that expected from the development of an exchange coupling across the magnetic phase boundary, as a consequence of a thickness dependent phase transition taking place in the antiferromagnetic regions and is supported by complimentary computer simulations of atomistic spin-dynamics. The development of the Gilbert damping parameter extracted from the ferromagnetic resonance investigations is consistent with this picture.


Purpose We evaluated the delivery efficiency of intravenously injected large molecular agents, before and after disruption of the blood–brain barrier (BBB-D), induced by focused ultrasound (FUS) using various acoustic parameters. Materials and methods Male Sprague-Dawley rats were injected intravenously with Evans blue (EB) before or after BBB-D induction by pulsed FUS. We used a 1.0 MHz pulsed FUS with four acoustic power settings and an ultrasound contrast agent (UCA) at four different doses to induce BBB-D resulting from cavitation. The permeability of the BBB was assessed quantitatively based on the extravasation of EB. Contrast enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used to monitor the gadolinium deposition associated with FUS. Histological analysis was performed to examine tissue damage. Results The accumulation of EB in rat brain was found to be dependent on acoustic power and UCA dosage, regardless of whether EB administration occurred before or after FUS-induced BBB-D. Administration of EB followed by sonication resulted in greater EB extravasation than that for rats subjected to sonication prior to EB injection. To reduce tissue damage, EB extravasation was enhanced by first administering EB by intravenous injection, followed by sonication at reduced acoustic power or UCA dosage. The normalized signal intensity change in rat brains that received the same dose of UCA and sonicated after gadolinium injection was significantly greater than in rats undergoing sonication followed by gadolinium administration. Moreover, contrast enhanced MRI showed a more precise distribution of gadolinium in the brain when gadolinium was administered before sonication. Conclusion We demonstrated that a compound administered prior to sonication treatment promotes extravasation of the sonicated region. Thus, it is possible to optimize ultrasound parameters for lower sonication and reduced UCA doses, to induce BBB-D while minimizing damage to normal brain tissue.


This was an experimental study carried out to evaluate the hematological and histopathological effects of cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) collected from Lake Victoria shores in Swiss mice. A crude aqueous cyanobacterial extract was prepared by oven drying the cyanobacteria previously preserved in 4% formalin at 45 o C. First, the acute toxicity of the extract was evaluated using mice in three groups (n=5) that were orally administered with single doses of 5,000, 7,000 and 10,000 mg/kg b.wt. Next, another batch of mice in three groups (n=5) were orally dosed daily for 21 days with doses of 312.5, 625 and 1,250 mg/kg b.wt. Hematological and histopathological changes in the liver, kidney, lungs and duodenum were determined. The oral LD50 of the extract was higher than 10,000 mg/kg b.wt. The total white blood cell count in all treatment groups was significantly decreased (p<0.05) in comparison to the control group. The red blood cell count, hematocrit, and hemoglobin concentrations of the treatment groups were also significantly reduced (p<0.05) compared to those of the normal control group at 625 and 1250 mg/kg doses of the cyanobacterial extract. Histopathological investigations revealed tissue injury in higher doses. These results show that the cyanobacterial extract has detrimental effects on total WBC count and in lung, liver and duodenal tissue on continuous exposure.


Polymer-modified bitumens are usually employed for enhancing the mixture performance against typical pavement distresses. This paper presents an experimental investigation of bitumens added with two plastomeric compounds, containing recycled plastics and graphene, typically used for asphalt concrete dry modification. The goal was to study the effects of the compounds on the rheological response of the binder phase, as well the adhesion properties, in comparison with a reference plain bitumen. The blends (combination of bitumen and compounds) were evaluated through dynamic viscosity tests, frequency sweep tests, and multiple stress creep recovery (MSCR) tests. Moreover, the bitumen bond strength (BBS) test was performed to investigate the behavior of the systems consisting of blends and aggregate substrates (virgin and pre-coated). The rheological tests indicated that both blends performed better than the plain bitumen, especially at high temperature, showing an enhanced rutting resistance. In terms of bond strength, comparable results were found between the blends and reference bitumen. Moreover, no performance differences were detected between the two types of blends.


Genetic deletion of cannabinoid CB1 receptors or diacylglycerol lipase alpha (DAGLa), the main enzyme involved in the synthesis of the endocannabinoid (eCB) 2‐arachidonoylglycerol (2‐AG), produced profound phenotypes in animal models of depression‐related behaviors. Furthermore, clinical studies have shown that antagonists of CB1 can increase the incidence and severity of major depressive episodes. However, the underlying pathomechanisms are largely unknown. In this study, we have focused on the possible involvement of astrocytes. Using the highly sensitive RNAscope technology, we show for the first time that a subpopulation of astrocytes in the adult mouse brain expresses Dagla, albeit at low levels. Targeted lipidomics revealed that astrocytic DAGLa only accounts for a minor percentage of the steady‐state brain 2‐AG levels and other arachidonic acid derived lipids like prostaglandins. Nevertheless, the deletion of Dagla in adult mouse astrocytes had profound behavioral consequences with significantly increased depressive‐like behavioral responses and striking effects on maternal behavior, corresponding with increased levels of serum progesterone and estradiol. Our findings therefore indicate that lipids from the DAGLa metabolic axis in astrocytes play a key regulatory role in affective behaviors.


1 Structural biology is in the midst of a revolution. Instrumentation and software improvements have allowed for the full realization of cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) as a tool capable of determining atomic structures of protein and macromolecular samples. These advances open the door to solving new structures that were previously unattainable, which will soon make cryo-EM a ubiquitous tool for structural biology worldwide, serving both academic and commercial purposes. However, despite its power, new users to cryo-EM face significant obstacles. One major barrier consists of the handling of large datasets (10+ terabytes), where new cryo-EM users must learn how to interface with the Linux command line while also dealing with managing and submitting jobs to high performance computing resources. To address this barrier, we are developing the COSMIC2 Science Gateway as an easy, web-based, science gateway to simplify cryo-EM data analysis using a standardized workflow. Specifically, we have adapted the successful and mature Cyberinfrastructure for Phylogenetic Research (CIPRES) Workbench [8] and integrated Globus Auth [6] and Globus Transfer [7] to enable federated user identity management and large dataset transfers to Extreme Science and Engineering Discovery Environment's (XSEDE) [1] high performance computing (HPC) systems. With the support of XSEDE's Extended Collaborative Support Services (ECSS) [16] and the Science Gateway Community Institute's (SGCI) Extended Developer Support (EDS), this gateway will lower the barrier to high performance computing tools and facilitate the growth of cryo-EM to become a routine tool for structural biology.


There is considerable variation in the individualized response to psychotropic drug therapies, which include antidepressants, antipsychotics and mood stabilizers. It has been proposed that the wide interindividual variability in psychotropic drug-response may be attributable to genetic variants. Thus pharmacogenetics may help to accurately predict response to psychotropic treatment, and may be used as guidelines in selecting an appropriate psychotropic treatment in order to maximize drug efficacy and minimize drug toxicity. Although the clinical utility of psychiatric pharmacogenetics is very promising, its adoption in clinical practice has been slow. This resistance may stem from sometimes conflicting findings among pharmacogenetic studies. The failure to replicate these findings may result from a lack of high-quality studies and unresolved methodological issues. In this review we will address methodological and statistical challenges in pharmacogenetic studies and summarize the current pharmacogenetic literature on psychotropic drug-response.


By using various sports recreation programs, we try to reduce the negative effects of living in today's age. This study defines a sports-recreational program based on athletic throwing exercises. The reduced amount of muscle mass that comes with age and thus the deficit of strength, coordination and balance cause difficulty in movement and the inability to perform harmonious movements. The decline in motor skills that comes at the time of involution can be quite slowed down through recreational programs that target these abilities. Considering that sports recreation is in question, the intensity and scope of action is logically significantly less than competitive training. In addition to the basic disciplines of shot put, discus throw, javelin throw, and hammer throw, the recreational program also used a large number of exercises that throwers use in their training as ancillary exercises as well as exercises with free weights. The aim of this paper is to emphasize the importance of recreational exercise and health and the wider sports and recreational content of athletic throwing.


Abstract Gastrochilus prionophyllus, which was previously not validly published, is here validated. The species is described along with illustration and photos. Morphologically, the long and pendulous stem and distichous leaves of this new species indicate that it belongs to the sect. Microphyllae. It is unique in having thick fleshy leaves and margin significantly serrate, small flowers, reniform epichile and margin with dentations, thickened cushion on the central epichile and subconic hypochile. Meanwhile, a preliminary conservation status assessment according to IUCN Red List categories and criteria is given to the new species.


Stochastic Gradient Descent (SGD) has played a central role in machine learning. However, it requires a carefully hand-picked stepsize for fast convergence, which is notoriously tedious and time-consuming to tune. Over the last several years, a plethora of adaptive gradient-based algorithms have emerged to ameliorate this problem. They have proved efficient in reducing the labor of tuning in practice, but many of them lack theoretic guarantees even in the convex setting. In this paper, we propose new surrogate losses to cast the problem of learning the optimal stepsizes for the stochastic optimization of a non-convex smooth objective function onto an online convex optimization problem. This allows the use of no-regret online algorithms to compute optimal stepsizes on the fly. In turn, this results in a SGD algorithm with self-tuned stepsizes that guarantees convergence rates that are automatically adaptive to the level of noise.


A dc-dc boost converter operating under zero-voltage-transition conditions is presented. Its excellent performance deserves a detailed analysis. An equivalent circuit is derived in order to characterize the switching sequence. It contains an equivalent current source and an equivalent voltage source whose nonlinear functions take different forms for each switching topology. The small-signal open-loop and closed-loop transfer functions, including the audio susceptibility are derived. Design-oriented stability criteria are formulated. The theoretical time-domain response and Bode characteristics are checked by experiments or PSPICE simulation.


This study was conducted to determine the importance of ornemental plants growing in agricultural sector. Also, the importance of geothermal energy on growing of ornemental plants was investigated under greenhouse conditions and geothermal energy was found economical, renewable and clean. When it is compared with the other energy sources.


We have monitored the position of the cool Y dwarf WISEPA J182831.08+265037.8 using a combination of ground- and space-based telescopes and have determined its distance to be 11.2+1.3−1.0 pc. Its absolute H magnitude, MH = 22.21+0.25−0.22 mag, suggests a mass in the range 0.5–20 MJup for ages of 0.1–10 Gyr with an effective temperature in the range 250–400 K. The broad range in mass is due primarily to the unknown age of the object. Since the high tangential velocity of the object, 51 ± 5 km s−1, is characteristic of an old disk population, a plausible age range of 2–4 Gyr leads to a mass range of 3–6 MJup based on fits to the (highly uncertain) COND evolutionary models. The range in temperature is due to the fact that no single model adequately represents the 1–5 μm spectral energy distribution (SED) of the source, failing by factors of up to five at either the short or long wavelength portions of the SED. The appearance of this very cold object may be affected by non-equilibrium chemistry or low temperature condensates forming clouds, two atmospheric processes that are known to be important in brown dwarf atmospheres but have proven difficult to model. Finally, we argue that there would have to be a very steep upturn in the number density of late-type Y-dwarfs to account for the putative population of objects suggested by recent microlensing observations. Whether WISE 1828+2650 sits at the low-mass end of the brown dwarf population or is the first example of a large number of "free-floating" planets is not yet known.


ABSTRACT Data from 191 size analyses of Recent sediments from several depositional environments were studied to obtain relationships among sediment size measures and sand-silt-clay composition. A simple analytical procedure exists whereby sediment size parameters of median, mean, deviation measure, and skewness of Recent sediments may be estimated from a three-component plot of sand, silt, and clay percentages. The three-component analysis is made easily by abbreviated size analysis methods, and the size parameters are obtained graphically from the three-component plot. Conversely, if the median and deviation measure of a sediment sample are known, the composition of the sediment may be obtained in terms of percent sand, silt, and clay. Thus, a one to one correspondence exists between points o the triangular diagram and pairs of median and deviation measure values (excluding the periphery of triangle). The estimation method for obtaining sediment size parameters will facilitate size analysis of large numbers of Recent sediment samples were semiquantitative data are desired.


This study examined the combustion and thermal characteristics of domestic wood species in Korea. Wood was tested using a cone calorimeter according to the KS F ISO 5660-1 (2003) standard. The combustion properties of the wood were measured in terms of the heat release rate (HRR), total heat released (THR), mass lose rate (MLR), and ignition time (time to ignition; TTI). An optical microscope was used to determine the anatomical characteristics of wood. Also, the thermal properties were measured using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) to determine the thermal stability of wood. The results of this experiment could be useful for fundamentals of guiding the combustion properties and thermal stability when using wood for various applications.


Although Delay-/Disruption- Tolerant Networking, which originated from research on an Interplanetary Internet, has enlarged its scope to encompass all challenged networks, space applications are still one of its most important application fields. This paper deals with DTN communication from Moon to Earth, based on the use of a lunar satellite acting as a "data-mule" to collect data from a Lander located on the far side of the Moon. To make the scenario more interesting and complex from the point of view of possible security threats, we assume that data must be transferred to a non-institutional user connected to the Space Agency Control Centre via Internet. In particular, the paper investigates the state-of-the-art ability of ION, the NASA implementation of the DTN Bundle Protocol (BP), to cope with the many challenges of the space scenario under investigation, such as intermittent links, low bandwidth, relatively high delays, network partitioning, DTN routing, interoperability between LTP and TCP BP Convergence layers and security threats. To this end, the first part of the paper contains three brief overviews of the DTN architecture, the Bundle Security Protocol and the ION implementation. These facilitate comprehension of the following sections, dedicated to a detailed description of the experiment scenario and, most essentially, to the in depth discussion of the numerical results obtained with the latest ION version (3.0).


Deep packet inspection, in which packet payloads are matched against a large set of patterns, is an important algorithm in many networking applications. Nondeterministic Finite Automaton (NFA) and Deterministic Finite Automaton (DFA) are the basis of existing algorithms. However, both NFA and DFA are not ideal for real-world rule sets: NFA has the minimum storage, but the maximum memory bandwidth; while DFA has the minimum memory bandwidth, but the maximum storage. Specifically, NFA and DFA cannot handle the presence of character sets, wildcards, and repetitions of character sets or wildcards in real-world rule sets. In this paper, we propose and evaluate a dual Finite Automaton (dual FA) to address these shortcomings. The dual FA consists of a linear finite automaton (LFA) and an extended deterministic finite automaton (EDFA). The LFA is simple to implement, and it provides an alternative approach to handle the repetition of character sets and wildcards (which could otherwise cause the state explosion problem in a DFA) without increasing memory bandwidth. We evaluate the automaton in real-world rule sets using different synthetic payload streams. The results show that dual FA can reduce the number of states up to five orders of magnitude while their memory bandwidth is close to minimum.