Backgrounds: Investigate whether intraoperative transfusion is a negative prognostic factor for oncologic outcomes of resected pancreatic cancer. Methods: From June 2004 to January 2014, the medical records of 305 patients were retrospectively reviewed, who underwent pancreatoduodenectomy, pylorus preserving pancreatoduodenectomy, total pancreatectomy, distal pancreatectomy for pancreatic cancer. Patients diagnosed with metastatic disease (n = 3) and locally advanced diseases (n = 15) were excluded during the analysis, and total of 287 patients were analyzed. Results: The recurrence and disease-specific survival rates of the patients who received intraoperative transfusion showed poorer survival outcomes compared to those who did not (P = 0.031, P = 0.010). Through multivariate analysis, T status (HR (hazard ratio) = 2.04, [95% CI (confidence interval): 1.13–3.68], P = 0.018), N status (HR = 1.46 [95% CI: 1.00–2.12], P = 0.045), adjuvant chemotherapy (HR = 0.51, [95% CI: 0.35–0.75], P = 0.001), intraoperative transfusion (HR = 1.94 [95% CI: 1.23–3.07], P = 0.004) were independent prognostic factors of disease-specific survival after surgery. As well, adjuvant chemotherapy (HR = 0.67, [95% CI: 0.46–0.97], P = 0.035) was independently associated with tumor recurrence. Estimated blood loss was one of the most powerful factors associated with intraoperative transfusion (P < 0.001). Conclusions: Intraoperative transfusion can be considered as an independent prognostic factor of resected pancreatic cancer. As well, it can be avoided by following strict transfusion policy and using advanced surgical techniques to minimize bleeding during surgery.


Focusses on the diagnosis function of a real-time control and monitoring system fitting the specificities of flexible manufacturing systems (FMS). The most important problem in such a diagnosis system, is the need of real-time informations about the process state. Moreover, as in FMS the manufactured products often change, the monitoring system cannot easily adapt the role of a task. In the proposed approach, the knowledge embedded in Petri net models used for control purposes allow one to bypass these difficulties: the Petri net marking is a reflect of the actual state of the process, and the sequences of activities are dynamically used to build a failure propagation tree.<<ETX>>


To study the microscopic production mechanism of corner residual oil after polymer flooding, microscopic visualization oil displacement technology and COMSOL finite element numerical simulation methods were used. The influence of the viscosity and interfacial tension of the oil displacement system after polymer flooding on the movement mechanism of the corner residual oil was studied. The results show that by increasing the viscosity of the polymer, a portion of the microscopic remaining oil in the corner of the oil-wet property can be moved whereas that in the corner of the water-wet property cannot be moved at all. To move the microscopic remaining oil in the corners with water-wet properties after polymer flooding, the viscosity of the displacement fluid or the displacement speed must be increased by 100–1000 times. Decreasing the interfacial tension of the oil displacement system changed the wettability of the corner residual oil, thus increasing the wetting angle. When the interfacial tension level reached 10−2 mN/m, the degree of movement of the remaining oil in the corner reached a maximum. If the interfacial tension is reduced, the degree of production of the residual oil in the corner does not change significantly. The microscopic production mechanism of the corner residual oil after polymer flooding expands the scope of the displacement streamlines in the corner.


Structural correlations between colloids in a binary mixture of charged and neutral spheres are calculated using computer simulations of the primitive model with explicit microions. For aqueous suspensions in a solvent of large dielectric constant, the traditional Derjaguin-Landau-Vervey-Overbeek (DLVO) theory of linear screening, supplemented with hard core interactions, reproduces the structural correlations obtained in the full primitive model quantitatively. However, for lower dielectric contrast, the increasing Coulomb coupling between the counterions and charged colloids results in strong deviations. We find a fluid-fluid phase separation into two regions either rich in charged or rich in neutral colloids, which is not reproduced by DLVO theory. Our results are verifiable in scattering or real-space experiments on charged-neutral mixtures of colloids or nanoparticles.


Italy is both the main trading partner and the State that has the most sizeable foreign direct investment interests in Libya. However, the outbreak of armed conflict in Libya in 2011 resulted in extensive damage to Italian investors. In order to obtain proper redress Italian investors may seek to rely upon investment protection provisions contained in treaties previously concluded between these two States, notably the BIT of 2000 and the Treaty of Benghazi of 2008. Crucially, however, the outbreak of the armed conflict and the subsequent regime change that took place following the Gaddafi's removal from power raise doubts about the effectiveness of such treaties. This article firstly reviews both the relevant rules of international law and the investment treaties in force between Italy and Libya. Then, it examines the relationship between Italy and Libya during and after the events of 2011 and comes to the conclusion that such treaties are still effective and as such Italian investors may invoke the provisions contained therein, including those envisaging resort to international investment arbitration.


Individuals from 5 countries participated in an experiment to examine the effect of an operational net assessment (ONA) multinational information sharing (MNIS) procedure on coalition conflict resolution within a hypothetical precrisis situation. This article reports the findings for the effect of an ONA MNIS on situation awareness (SA) and the calibration of SA and confidence. In general, the findings revealed that the ONA MNIS procedure used in this experiment facilitated shared SA among the coalition teams. Although the participants were generally well calibrated, there was a trend toward overconfidence in their SA responses. These findings are discussed within the context of current and future multinational coalition environments.


Supplementations of formulae with synbiotic compounds of human milk have shown to be able to decrease several gut-related diseases in formula fed infants. This study was carried out to develop a synergistic cryoprotective drying medium for infant formulae probiotic application. Response surface methodology (RSM) was employed to optimize the concentrations of skim milk and prebiotics for improvement of the cell survival ofBifidobacterium infantis 20088, during freeze-drying. The optimal composition was found to be 2.8% prebiotics blended with 16.1% skim milk which could protect 47.63% of cells' viability. No significant difference (p > 0.05) between the predicted and experimental values validated the model adequacy. Then, the protective effects of optimal composition on the survival of freeze-dried cells were evaluated through different conditions of rehydration, storage and simulated gastrointestinal tract (GIT) as compared to cells dried in phosphate buffer (control). After 120 days storage of freeze-dried stationary phase cells at 4°C, there was 2.33 log (CFU/ml) improvement in the viability of cells as compared to control. With increasing temperature to 25°C, the protective effect of optimized medium was more apparent. Direct rehydration with water led to 0.65 log (CFU/ml) increment in the mortality rate of freeze-dried cells as compared to rehydration with skim milk solution. Also, the mortality rate of cells after sequential incubation in simulated GIT conditions including gastric conditions (pH 3.0 and 4.0, 90 min) and intestinal conditions (pH 7.5, 5 h) were reduced by 1.81 and 0.35 log (CFU/ml), respectively, as compared to the control.

 Key words: Bifidobacterium longum subsp. infantis 20088, freeze-drying medium, response surface methodology, storage, infantile gastrointestinal conditions.v


Requirements elicitation and management are fundamental phases in every project, but difficulties in the interactions between the stakeholders can make them hard. Techniques which can reduce information and communication overloading could help to avoid misunderstandings. Recent works underline that Recommender Systems represent a useful technology that can ease the Requirements Engineering activity. This study presents an original recommender system (built on graph-theoretical concepts using combinatorial optimization methods) that can be employed for the problem of the requirements management. This work validates its proposal against a real case study.


Background: Pulmonary vascular supply in tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) with major aortopulmonary collaterals (MAPCAs) is highly variable. Our approach to surgical management of this condition emphasizes early repair including unifocalization and reconstruction of the pulmonary circulation, incorporating all lung segments and addressing stenoses both proximal to and within the lung, in addition to ventricular septal defect closure. At our institution, we have over 15 years of experience using lung perfusion scintigraphy (LPS) to assess the distribution of pulmonary blood flow after complete unifocalization and repair. Methods: We reviewed clinical and quantitative LPS data in 310 patients who underwent complete unifocalization and repair of TOF/MAPCAs from 2003 to 2018 at our institution. Postrepair relative lung perfusion distributions were determined from LPS initially obtained at our institution within 60 days after repair and thereafter. Results: Total lung perfusion to the right and left lungs was 58.0% ± 14.2% and 42.0% ± 14.2%, respectively. Perfusion was balanced in 75% of patients and unbalanced in 25%, including 11% in whom it was extremely unbalanced. On multivariable analysis, older age at repair, surgery other than a single-stage complete unifocalization, and native anatomy consisting of unilateral pulmonary blood supply through a ductus arteriosus were associated with unbalanced perfusion. Conclusion: We present our experience using LPS as an outcome measure after surgical repair of TOF/MAPCAs. Balanced lung perfusion was present in the majority of patients who had complete repair of TOF/MAPCAs performed at our center.


Critical examinations of AI systems often apply principles such as fairness, justice, accountability, and safety, which is reflected in AI regulations such as the EU AI Act. Are such principles sufficient to promote the design of systems that support human flourishing? Even if a system is in some sense fair, just, or 'safe', it can nonetheless be exploitative, coercive, inconvenient, or otherwise conflict with cultural, individual, or social values. This paper proposes a dimension of interactional ethics thus far overlooked: the ways AI systems should treat human beings. For this purpose, we explore the philosophical concept of respect: if respect is something everyone needs and deserves, shouldn't technology aim to be respectful? Despite its intuitive simplicity, respect in philosophy is a complex concept with many disparate senses. Like fairness or justice, respect can characterise how people deserve to be treated; but rather than relating primarily to the distribution of benefits or punishments, respect relates to how people regard one another, and how this translates to perception, treatment, and behaviour. We explore respect broadly across several literatures, synthesising perspectives on respect from Kantian, post-Kantian, dramaturgical, and agential realist design perspectives with a goal of drawing together a view of what respect could mean for AI. In so doing, we identify ways that respect may guide us towards more sociable artefacts that ethically and inclusively honour and recognise humans using the rich social language that we have evolved to interact with one another every day.


We report on a measurement of the temperature of the cosmic microwave background radiation field, TCMB, at z = 0.88582 by imaging HC3N(3 ← 2) and (5 ← 4) absorption in the foreground galaxy of the gravitationally lens magnified radio source PKS 1830−211 using the Very Long Baseline Array and the phased Very Large Array. Low-resolution imaging of the data yields a value of Trot = 5.6 +2.5 −0.9 K, for the rotational temperature, Trot, which is consistent with the temperature of the cosmic microwave background at the absorber's redshift of 2.73(1 + z) K. However, our high-resolution imaging reveals that the absorption peak position of the foreground gas is offset from the continuum peak position of the synchrotron radiation from PKS 1830−211 SW, which indicates that the absorbing cloud is covering only part of the emission from PKS 1830−211, rather than the entire core-jet region. This changes the line-tocontinuum ratios, and we find Trot between 1.1 and 2.5 K, which is lower than the expected value. This shows that previous, Trot, measurements could be biased due to unresolved structure.


Objective— Platelet hyperfunction frequently occurs in IDDM. As in many other cellular systems, cytosolic free Ca plays a key role in platelet activation. Research Design and Methods— We measured cytosolic free Ca concentration ([Ca2+]i) by means of the fluorescent probe fura-2 in 60 IDDM patients (mean age 30.8 yr, range 18–50 yr) and in 31 age-matched healthy control subjects. Platelets were studied in both resting conditions and after stimulation with thrombin at 0.05, 0.1, and 0.5 U/ml. Results— No differences were noted between control subjects and diabetic patients, as a whole. Patients with a poor metabolic control (HbA1c >8%) had significantly (P <0.01 and P <0.03) higher [Ca2+]i in resting platelets. The presence or absence of retinopathy did not modify resting platelet [Ca2+]i. After stimulation with thrombin, a significantly (P < 0.009) higher rise of platelet [Ca2+]i was observed only in those patients who were both free from complications and had good metabolic control. A highly significant (P < 0.001) correlation was found between resting [Ca2+]i and both blood cholesterol and HbA1c in the diabetic patients. Platelets from 10 young healthy subjects also were studied after in vitro incubation with various glucose concentrations (from 1.68 to 56 mM): resting and thrombin-stimulated platelet [Ca2+]i and thrombin-induced aggregation were not modified. Conclusions— These data confirm that platelet hyperfunction is present in IDDM patients who have unsatisfactory metabolic control, and give evidence that such an activation involves Ca homeostasis. Acute variations of blood glucose concentration are probably not influent, in this respect.


The establishment and maintenance of heterochromatic regions within the genome is an important factor for chromosome stability and con- trolled gene expression. It is dependent on many protein factors that are highly conserved from yeast to human. Among them are HP1 pro- teins that recognize heterochromatin-specific methylation marks and are involved in the recruitment of effector proteins. In my thesis, I will focus on the fission yeast HP1 protein Chp2 and its interaction with the Snf2/HDAC- containing remodeling complex SHREC, a homolog of NuRD complexes in higher organisms. Previously, Chp2 was found to be functionally and biochemically associated with the chromatin remodeler Mit1, a subunit of the SHREC complex. However, details of this interaction were unknown. I was able to solve the structure of the Chp2-Mit1 complex with high resolution and could show that an extensive interface between the two proteins provides high-affinity binding. The data reveals an unusual mode of HP1-client interaction and provides an example how specificity between different HP1 proteins canbe achieved. My work adds to the current knowledge about the highly conserved class of HP1 proteins and deepens our understanding of the molecular basis of their function.


Qualitative research has been increasingly used in the field of psychology. Consequently, concerns about the development of students' skills in qualitative research have arisen. The main goal of this paper is to characterize the current state of art of the qualitative research teaching in Portuguese bachelor's degrees in psychology. A documentary analysis was performed, and the data collection was conducted through an online search: first on the website of the General Directorate of Higher Education, and afterwards on the online sites of each of the Portuguese universities where the first cycle of psychology is taught. A content analysis was made by two coders and a discussion about categories was made until a consensus was reached. The data revealed the existence of 31 undergraduate courses in psychology at 31 Portuguese teaching institutions. There were 12 undergraduate courses at 12 public universities, and 19 undergraduate courses at 19 private universities. Despite the diversity in the study plans in the degree of psychology, most of them included qualitative research methodology teaching. However, the data analysis revealed different designations of the curricular units (CUs) related to qualitative research, as well as a different number of credits (European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System—ECTS). In addition, there were variations in the academic year in which the qualitative research CUs were taught and registered in their syllabi. This study indicates that undergraduate Portuguese psychology students generally have some training in qualitative research but the way it is carried out and the training contents are not uniform for all the existing degrees. It is important to reflect on the importance of qualitative research in psychology and further studies on qualitative methods teaching practices are still needed.


Diverse pathogenetic mechanisms and clinical manifestation of renal diseases may produce the same renal morphologic pattern or variety of renal morphologic pattern can lead to the same clinical syndrome. The primary role of the renal biopsy is to provide a diagnosis and information about disease activity and chronicity. The systematic approach to native medical renal biopsy includes evaluation of the four compartments of the kidney sequentially (glomeruli, tubules, interstitium, and blood vessels). The diagnosis in renal pathology is an integrated process in which we must analyze all clinical data, light microscopy, immunohistology, and electron microscopy studies for diagnosis. The aim of the article is to describe the handling of the renal tissue in the anatomical pathology laboratory. It also provides the guideline to renal biopsy evaluation and approach to arrive at the diagnosis of glomerular diseases with similar clinical presentations.


During the fierce competition among the companies, improvement of logistics center managing efficiency is importantly recognized. Among them, studies on improvement of picking work process on about 55% of logistics center managing costs are continuously conducted. And, most of studies focus on analysis on strengths and weaknesses of picking method performable on the stage of logistics center design, etc, so the purposes of this research are to define load location rule by product releasing frequency in logistics managing environment based on conveyer and suggest expected effects by simulation analyzing method to improve picking managing efficiency.


The aim of this paper is to find a fixed structure transfer matrix, whose dynamics (i.e. whose poles) are not a priori fixed, and whose frequency response is the closest as possible to a target one. This non‐convex optimization problem is recast into a generalized μ problem. A generalized μ lower bound is proposed, which provides an a priori suboptimal solution (i.e. a local minimum), namely a transfer matrix whose frequency response fits to a large extent the target response. A generalized μ upper bound is used to quantify the degree of optimality of the result (i.e. a reliable estimate of the gap between the local minimum and the global one). An example illustrates the effectiveness of the approach. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


In this paper, we describe a new recursive Non-Local means (RNLM) algorithm for video denoising that has been developed by the current authors. Furthermore, we extend this work by incorporating a Poisson-Gaussian noise model. Our new RNLM method provides a computationally efficient means for video denoising, and yields improved performance compared with the single frame NLM and BM3D benchmarks methods. Non-Local means (NLM) based methods of denoising have been applied successfully in various image and video sequence denoising applications. However, direct extension of this method from 2D to 3D for video processing can be computationally demanding. The RNLM approach takes advantage of recursion for computational savings, and spatio-temporal correlations for improved performance. In our approach, the first frame is processed with single frame NLM. Subsequent frames are estimated using a weighted combination of the current frame NLM, and the previous frame estimate. Block matching registration with the prior estimate is done for each current pixel estimate to maximize the temporal correlation. To address the Poisson-Gaussian noise model, we make use of the Anscombe transformation prior to filtering to stabilize the noise variance. Experimental results are presented that demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed method. We show that the new method outperforms single frame NLM and BM3D.


In this contribution to the proceedings of the 11th Mathematical Society of Japan (MSJ) Seasonal Institute (July 2018) we give an overview of some recent work on a mathematical model for small deformations of a spherical membrane. The idea is to consider perturbations to minimisers of a surface geometric energy. The model is obtained from consideration of second order approximations to a perturbed energy. In particular, the considered problems involve particle constraints and surface phase field energies.


This Thesis, developed in the Software Technologies Working Group of the Departmentof Electricity and Electronics of the University of the Basque Country, focuseson the research eld of spoken language and speaker recognition technologies.More specically, the research carried out studies the design of a set of featuresconveying spectral acoustic and phonotactic information, searches for the optimalfeature extraction parameters, and analyses the integration and usage of the featuresin language recognition systems, and the complementarity of these approacheswith regard to state-of-the-art systems. The study reveals that systems trained onthe proposed set of features, denoted as Phone Log-Likelihood Ratios (PLLRs), arehighly competitive, outperforming in several benchmarks other state-of-the-art systems.Moreover, PLLR-based systems also provide complementary information withregard to other phonotactic and acoustic approaches, which makes them suitable infusions to improve the overall performance of spoken language recognition systems.The usage of this features is also studied in speaker recognition tasks. In this context,the results attained by the approaches based on PLLR features are not as remarkableas the ones of systems based on standard acoustic features, but they still providecomplementary information that can be used to enhance the overall performance ofthe speaker recognition systems.


Abstract Prestigious journals are widely admired for publishing quality scholarship, yet the primary indicators of journal prestige (i.e., impact factors) do not directly assess audience admiration. Moreover, the publication landscape has changed substantially in the last 20 years, with electronic publishing changing the way we consume scientific research. Given that it has been 18 years since the publication of the last journal prestige survey of SIOP members, the authors conducted a new survey and used these results to reflect on changing practices within industrial and organizational (I-O) psychology. SIOP members (n = 557) rated the prestige and relevance of I-O and management journals. Responses were analyzed according to job setting, and were compared to a survey conducted by Zickar and Highhouse (2001) in 2000. There was considerable consistency in prestige ratings across settings (i.e., management department vs. psychology department; academic vs. applied), especially among the top journals. There was considerable variance, however, in the perceived usefulness of different journals. Results also suggested considerable consistency across the two time periods, but with some increases in prestige among OB-oriented journals. Changes in the journal landscape are discussed, including the rise of OHP as a topic of concentration in I-O. We suggest that I-O programs will continue to attract the top researchers in talent management and OHP, which should result in the use of a broader set of journals for judging I-O program impact.


This paper divided and depicted in detail two second-order sequences and seven third-order sequences which are regionally well correlatable according to the Ediacaran system, by employing the research method of sequence stratigraphy "from lithofacies to meter-scale cycle,from depositional facies to sequence classification ". With the reservoir as the center, the authors mainly studied the temporal and spatial distribution of source rocks and reservoirs based on sequence framework, and comprehensively considered the matching relationship of source rocks and cover rock affecting reservoir formation. The source-reservoir-cap rock combinations in carbonate rock of the Ediacaran system were divided into 3 types, i.e., boundary type, transgression type and high water type. The findings indicate that the source-reservoir-cap rock combinations associated with sequence boundary in the study area have the most superior initial geological condition, the high water type is usually combined with the karst or boundary type, thus serving as another source-reservoir-cap rock combination with obvious effectiveness.


Redundancy can increase spacecraft safety by providing the crew or ground with multiple means of achieving a given function. However, redundancy can also decrease spacecraft safety by 1) adding additional failure modes to the system, 2) increasing design "opaqueness", 3) encouraging operational risk, and 4) masking or "normalizing" design flaws. Two Loss of Crew (LOC) events—Soyuz 11 and Challenger STS 51-L—are presented as examples of these limitations. Together, these case studies suggest that redundancy is not necessarily a fail-safe means of improving spacecraft safety.


In this paper we propose a robust method for recognition and pose determination of 3-D objects using range images in the eigenspace approach. Instead of computing the coefficients by a projection of the data onto the eigenimages, we determine the coefficients by solving a set of linear equations in a robust manner. The method efficiently overcomes the problem of missing pixels, noise and occlusions in range images. The results show that the proposed method outperforms the standard one in recognition and pose determination.


Recently, small-animal imaging technology has been rapidly developed for longitudinal screening of laboratory animals such as mice and rats. One of newly developed imaging modalities for small animals is an x-ray micro-CT (computed tomography). We have developed two types of x-ray micro-CT systems for small animal imaging. Both systems use flat-panel x-ray detectors and micro-focus x-ray sources to obtain high spatial resolution of . In spite of the relatively large field-of-view (FOV) of flat-panel detectors, the spatial resolution in the whole-body imaging of rats should be sacrificed down to the order of due to the limited number of x-ray detector pixels. Though the spatial resolution of cone-beam CTs can be improved by moving an object toward an x-ray source, the FOV should be reduced and the object size is also limited. To overcome the limitation of the object size and resolution, we introduce zoom-in micro-tomography for high-resolution imaging of a local region-of-interest (ROI) inside a large object. For zoom-in imaging, we use two kinds of projection data in combination, one from a full FOV scan of the whole object and the other from a limited FOV scan of the ROI. Both of our micro-CT systems have zoom-in micro-tomography capability. One of both is a micro-CT system with a fixed gantry mounted with an x-ray source and a detector. An imaged object is laid on a rotating table between a source and a detector. The other micro-CT system has a rotating gantry with a fixed object table, which makes whole scans without rotating an object. In this paper, we report the results of in vivo small animal study using the developed micro-CTs.


Objective: This study was to investigate the relationship between hemoglobin A1c level and self-reported oral health status. Methods: The subjects of this study were 150 diabetic patients (60 male patients and 90 female patients) who went to the internal and family medicine departments of clinic. This study used the questionnaire and NYCOCARD READERII to quantify hemoglobin A1c. Results: The proportion of well controlled diabetes subjects was 31.3%. When hemoglobin A1c levels became higher, subjects perceived that there were more decay teeth, bleeding, swollen gums, mobility teeth, and oral disease symptoms. In comparison with the well glycemic control group, poor glycemic control group perceived that the overall oral health status was worse, and had more bleeding teeth, swollen gums and mobility teeth. Conclusion: These results show that hemoglobin A1c level is related to the self-reported oral health status. Therefore, dental professionals should emphasize more the necessity of maintaining the hemoglobin A1c of normal range and monitoring it periodically, and the practice of thorough oral hygiene care in order to promote diabetic patients' oral health.


OBJECTIVE
Assessment of infection with helminth parasites in murine models of disease could identify antiinflammatory mechanisms that translate into treatments for arthritic disease. The aim of this study was to test the ability of infection with the tapeworm Hymenolepis diminuta to ameliorate Freund's complete adjuvant (CFA)-induced monoarthritis in mice.

METHODS
Mice received CFA with or without H diminuta, and knee swelling, pain, and measures of inflammation were assessed.

RESULTS
Injection of CFA resulted in rapid (within 24 hours) and sustained (lasting 20 days) knee swelling, a decreased pain threshold, increased blood flow to the knee, and increased production of tumor necrosis factor α and interleukin-12p40 (IL-12p40). In mice that were infected with H diminuta 8 days prior to receiving CFA, the severity of arthritis was reduced as assessed by these indices of inflammation and infection 2 days after CFA injection and resulted in more rapid resolution of knee swelling. This antiarthritic effect required a viable infection and was dependent on adaptive immunity, because infection with H diminuta did not protect mice lacking T cells and B cells or the IL-4 receptor α chain from CFA-induced inflammation. Interleukin-10 was of prime importance in the antiarthritic effect, because IL-10-knockout mice were not protected by infection, the antiarthritic effect was ablated by use of neutralizing IL-10 antibodies, and transfer of CD4+ cells from infected wild-type mice but not IL-10-knockout mice significantly reduced CFA-induced knee swelling.

CONCLUSION
In mice, the adaptive immune response to infection with H diminuta involves mobilization of IL-10, which has the concomitant advantage of dampening the innate immune responses that drive CFA-induced joint inflammation.


Basal plane bending of 4H-SiC single crystals grown using the sublimation method on an open or closed backside seed was measured using high-resolution X-ray diffractometry. In order to allow full information to be obtained about the complexity of basal plane bending, line scans of the 0004 reflection rocking curves were carried out on the (0001) Si face along the , , , , and directions. The measurement results revealed the seed attachment had a pronounced effect on the basal plane bending behaviors. The single crystals grown on a closed backside seed exhibit strong basal plane bending which is rotationally symmetric and concave towards the growth direction. However, the single crystals grown on an open backside seed show much weaker basal plane bending. The basal plane bending inheritance of 4H-SiC single crystals grown by sublimation with two different seed attachment methods was studied. Moreover, the basal plane bending characteristics of 4H-SiC crystals grown on an open backside seed with apparent axisymmetric basal plane bending were investigated. Molten KOH etching was carried out to correlate the basal plane bending with the distribution of structural defects to understand the basal plane bending mechanism. Finally, the effect of macroscopic shear stress resulting from the difference in the thermal expansion coefficient between the silicon carbide (SiC) seed and graphite holder and the induced structural defects on the basal plane bending of 4H-SiC single crystals was explored.


This paper applies the poliheuristic theory of foreign policy decision making to non-democratic states. Poliheuristic theory asserts that state leaders assign primary importance to their political survival; however, the meaning of "the political" varies dramatically from country to country. Furthermore, the types of actors who hold leaders politically accountable also vary between countries. Consequently, leaders often pursue vastly different means of ensuring their political survival. The author uses the common distinction between single-party, military, and personalist autocracies to show that apparently arbitrary differences in autocratic leaders' political concerns actually vary in systematic and potentially predictable ways. Because this argument is generalized to non-democratic states as a whole, it has important implications for the ways in which democratic states craft their policies toward autocracies.


The mechanisms underlying alcoholic liver disease are not completely understood, but lipid accumulation seems to be central to the cause of this disease. The peroxisome proliferatoractivated receptor α (PPARα) plays an important role in the control of lipid homeostasis, metabolism of bioactive molecules, and modulation of inflammatory responses. To investigate the roles of PPARα in alcoholic liver injury, wild‐type and PPARα‐null mice were continuously fed a diet containing 4% ethanol, and liver injury was analyzed. PPARα‐null mice fed ethanol exhibited marked hepatomegaly, hepatic inflammation, cell toxicity, fibrosis, apoptosis, and mitochondrial swelling. Some of these hepatic abnormalities were consistent with those of patients with alcoholic liver injury and were not found in wild‐type mice. Next, the molecular mechanisms of ethanol‐induced liver injury in PPARα‐null mice were investigated, and changes related to ethanol and acetaldehyde metabolism, oxidative stress, inflammation, hepatocyte proliferation, fibrosis, and mitochondrial permeability transition activation occurred specifically in PPARα‐null mice as compared with wild‐type mice. In conclusion, these studies suggest a protective role for PPARα in alcoholic liver disease. Humans may be more susceptible to liver toxicity induced by ethanol as PPARα expression in human liver is considerably lower compared to that of rodents. (Hepatology 2004;40:972–980).


Experimental reduction of the amount of CpG methylation in a highly repetitive DNA component was achieved by growth of Ac2F cells in the presence of 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine or procainamide, as judged by the results of methyl-sensitive restriction endonuclease digestion and colony hybridization. Modification of genomic DNA with these DNA methylation inhibitors increased the release of 370-bp highly repetitive DNA from rat chromosomal DNA by HindIII digestion. This result indicated that highly repetitive DNA components in the nuclear scaffold fraction are hypermethylated. On the other hand, methylated DNA was used for southwestern analysis to investigate the protein(s) which bind specifically to the DNA in the nuclear scaffold fraction. The introduction of additional methylated cytosines within a highly repetitive DNA component affected the binding of DNA to the nuclear scaffold proteins. Thus, cytosine methylation may be involved in the regulation of gene expression and construction of the higher-order structure of chromatin.


This collection of articles represents a variety of viewpoints. Most of the authors, and both the editors, either work in academia, and / or, are academic librarians. There are a couple of articles by librarians employed in public libraries, and one written by library consultants. Articles by a music librarian and two librarians who work in a medical library, are also included.


Honey is a nutritional food with health-promoting properties. Antiseptics are topical agents that act to prevent growth of microorganisms.  A range of Apis florea bee honey from Karnataka was used to investigate the prevention of infection and promote healing of wounds in rat models as honey is a tissue-regenerative agent. It contributes to all stages of wound healing, and thus has been used in direct topical application and also in dressings. Most honey samples with various dilutions have proved to possess, significant antibacterial potency against selected bacterial isolates by disc diffusion assay. The Coorg honey of Apis florea species showed highest antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 6538) with 19.26±0.23 mm and the least susceptibility was recorded for bacterial strain Erwinia nigrifluens (ATCC 21922) with 8.97±0.48 mm. The Kolar honey of Apis florea species showed highest antibacterial activity against Bacillus cereus (ATCC 31443) with 8.79±0.16 mm and least susceptibility was recorded for Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 6538) with 7.01±0.55 mm. The Bengaluru honey of Apis florea species showed highest antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 6538) with 9.95±0.23 mm and least susceptibility was recorded for E.coli (ATCC 25891) with 6.27±0.22 mm. The present study also checked the wound healing ability of honey when applied topically in several rat models. The control rats were healed by 20 ± 1.07 days. The Kanamycin treated rats were healed on 10±1.45 days. 13 ±1.07days were   recorded to heal the wounds by Apis florea honey samples of Abbe Falls, Coorg regions. 18 ±1.54 days and 17 ±1.03 days were   recorded against Champion Reef regions of Kolar district and Varthur regions of Bengaluru district.


Nepalmatoiulus is currently represented in continental China and Taiwan by twenty-five species. Seven new species of the genus are described from the China: Nepalmatoiulus lanpingensis sp. nov., Nepalmatoiulus uncinatus sp. nov., Nepalmatoiulus emarginatus sp. nov., Nepalmatoiulus deqenensis sp. nov., Nepalmatoiulus parvulus sp. nov., Nepalmatoiulus acutidentatus sp. nov., Nepalmatoiulus hexiensis sp. nov. Additional material for Nepalmatoiulus tianbaoshanensis Mikhaljova, 2020 is given. A key is given to all Nepalmatoiulus presently known from continental China and Taiwan Island. The distributions of Chinese and Taiwanese Nepalmatoiulus species are discussed. Taxonomic remarks are provided for nearly all new species.


Male rats were placed in a cage either 8 in. x 8 in. x 10 in. (free) or 2 in. x 2 in. x 8 in. (restrained) and exposed to ambient temperatures between 40 ° and 60 ° C. 'Restrained' rats died sooner than 'free' animals at all temperatures. There was no significant difference between final rectal temperatures of free and restrained rats at ambient temperatures greater than 40 ° C; mean for these groups was 44.6 ° C. At 40 ° C the final rectal temperature was slightly lower in the restrained group (43.4 ° vs. 44.6 ° C). Restraint had no significant effect on the constituents of the blood examined. Serum potassium and specific gravity and blood hematocrits were increased and serum sodium was unchanged in heat-exposed rats compared with controls at 26 ° C. Serum calcium varied irregularly with exposure temperature. Submitted on December 23, 1958


A scientific benchmark test is carried out for a multi-phase-field model with double-obstacle potential by performing three-dimensional simulations of dendritic growth under directional solidification. The effects of key numerical parameters of the multi-phase-field model such as numerical resolution and interface width on the dendrite tip operating state are studied, optimal parameter values are set, and where the operating state becomes independent of varying these parameters is elaborated. Some uncertainties in the proper choice of effective interface mobility in the thin-interface limit are discussed and a pragmatic solution is adopted. The binary alloy Al-Cu with 4 at.% Cu is chosen as the material system because it has been used in many previous experimental and numerical studies to investigate dendrite morphology under directional solidification. The recently developed sharp phase-field model by Finel and colleagues is adapted to the double-obstacle potential function and included in the benchmark test. It is shown how the sharp phase-field model helps in achieving agreeable convergence with larger discretization, thereby reducing the computational cost significantly. The benchmarks are performed using the OpenPhase software.


Background:Microscopic evaluation of sentinel lymph nodes for metastatic melanoma relies, in part, on the use of immunohistochemical analysis to identify minute metastatic deposits that may be overlooked on routine microscopy. At present S100 protein is widely used in this role, in large part for its superior sensitivity; however, interpretation is hampered by the presence of benign S100 protein-positive cellular elements present in every lymph node, leading to reduced specificity and consequent difficulties in interpretation. In recent years, multiple melanocytic markers have emerged that promise superior sensitivity and specificity, including KBA.62 and SOX-10. SOX-10 shows a nuclear pattern of staining. In normal tissue it is expressed in Schwann cells, melanocytes, and myoepithelial cells of salivary, bronchial, and mammary glands. KBA.62 is also specific except for staining of endothelial cells and shows a membranous staining pattern. This study was undertaken to determine whether KBA.62 or SOX-10 could equal (or surpass) the sensitivity of S100 protein while offering superior specificity in the immunohistochemical evaluation of sentinel lymph nodes for metastatic melanoma. Design:In this study we performed immunohistochemical stains for S100 protein, Sox-10, and KBA.62 on 50 lymph nodes with proven metastatic melanoma. Results:SOX-10 detected all cases of metastatic melanoma (50 of 50 cases; 100%) compared with S100 protein (48 of 50 cases; 96%) and KBA.62 (37 of 50 cases; 74%). There was no "background" staining of normal cellular elements with SOX-10 or KBA.62. In contrast, S100 protein was expressed in scattered dendritic interdigitating reticulum cells in the paracortex of lymph nodes, showing cytoplasmic and nuclear positivity, sometimes posing significant difficulty in differentiating benign reticulum cells from single cell metastatic melanoma. Conclusions:Our findings suggest that SOX-10 may be superior to S100 protein for identifying metastatic melanoma in a lymph node. KBA.62 was less sensitive than either marker, although more specific than S100 protein.


The current status of certain aspects of positron scattering in gases is reviewed. A brief resume of the experimental techniques used in this field is also given. Results for total scattering cross sections in a number of gases are presented along with a detailed discussion of potential systematic errors which can affect such measurements. Important features of the cross sections are pointed out and comparisons are made with electron scattering data. Results from experiments which go beyond total cross section determinations are discussed. Emphasis is placed upon recent measurements of positronium formation cross sections. Recent positron lifetime studies in dense gases are reviewed. The subjects covered include positron annihilation in clusters, ortho-positronium annihilation in bubbles and positronium formation in spurs.


Silicon photonics is a rapidly advancing technology [1]. Silicon based slot-waveguides for high optical mode confinement of quasi-TE (vertical slot) and quasi-TM (horizontal slot) mode have been demonstrated independently [2,3]. These structures are highly birefringent, which limits their usability in photonic devices. We propose a non-birefringent structure based on slot waveguides. To present the idea, a symmetric cross-slot waveguide with horizontal and vertical slots with widths, wsh=wsv=60 nm, in a silicon dioxide environment (nSiO2=1.46) is shown in Fig. 1a. The material of the rail is amorphous silicon (na-Si=3.58) with height, wh=300 nm, and width, wr=120 nm. Also shown is the intensity distribution of the quasi-TE mode in the structure, simulated with the Film Mode Matching (FMM) method [4]. As expected, the quasi-TM mode has the same effective index as the TE mode and its mode field is confined into the horizontal slot.


This paper discusses mathematical calculations of the greenhouse gas emissions from small industries which cause the global warming in the atmosphere. Due to global warming the ocean levels are increasing, it is estimated that most of the coastal areas of the world will be submerged by 2050, and some insects and animals will be extinct. Very simple calculations are presented here to estimate three greenhouse gases, carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide emissions from small industry. The emissions from fossil fuels in a small mill are given with mathematical calculations. Emissions from combined heat and power plants are allocated in this paper by using 'The World Resources Institute and World Business Council for Sustainable Development Efficiency' method.


Mineralogical examination, using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffractometry (XRD), and optical microscopy, was conducted on the Fe0-bearing reactive materials derived from long-term column experiments undertaken to assess the treatment capacity of Fe0 under different geochemical conditions. The columns received either deionized water or solutions of differing dissolved calcium carbonate concentrations, together either with trichloroethene (TCE) or hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)). The major reaction product in the columns receiving deionized water was magnetite-maghemite, and for the columns receiving dissolved calcium carbonate, the main products were iron hydroxy carbonate and aragonite. Replacement of Fe0 by reaction products occurred mainly at the edges of the Fe0 particles, and penetrative replacement was focused along cracks and along and around graphitic inclusions. Fibrous or flake-shaped iron hydroxy carbonate mostly replaced the edges of the Fe0 particles. Aragonite had needle-shaped morphology, and some occurred as clusters of crystals. Aragonite was deposited on iron hydroxy carbonate, thus providing at least a partial armoring effect. The mineral was also observed to cement groups of Fe0 particles into compact aggregates. The Cr was present mostly as Cr(III) in Cr(III)-Fe(III) (oxy)hydroxides and in trace amounts in iron hydroxy carbonate.


The work focuses the concrete and symbolic forms of appropriation of space in a company of the telecommunications sector: Telemig/Telemar-Minas. The dispute for spaces is closely connected to the sense of territoriality. As the individuals defend certain spaces that could interest them, these disputes involve a wide scope of dimensions, such as status, and identity. They possibly reflect symbolic significances in which relationships of power and dominance could be felt. Elements of the discourse analysis (DA) were employed as methodological instruments for the analyses of twelve years of activities of the company; the data was collected by interviews and study of countless documents - written texts. The movements of unterritorialization and reterritorilization of the social actors' involved were reviewed. Those movements, added to the changes in the cultural significances, aim to promote two strategies - first, to provoke a real and symbolic uprooting of the spaces; second, to build a new workspace in the organization.


Previously, we showed that HDAC1 prevents vascular calcification (VC), whereas its E3 ligase, MDM2 exaggerates it by inducing the polyubiquitination of HDAC1. We further investigated the roles of MDM2 in VC. We observed that VSMC-specific conditional knockout of Mdm2 blunted VC. TgMDM2 WT mice elicited VC, while TgMDM2 Y489A or TgMDM2 ΔR failed to do so. By promoter mapping analysis, we found that Msx-binding element at -1331~1327 upstream of transcription start site of MDM2 promoter is Pi-responsive element for the induction of MDM2 transactivation. Chromatin immunoprecipitation as well as mutant promoter analysis further confirmed that both Msx1 and Msx2 bound to and activated MDM2 promoter. Pi potentiated the binding of Msx to its binding element of MDM2 promoter. Both Msx1 and Msx2 potentiated Pi-induced VC. Msx-induced potentiation of Pi-mediated VC was attenuated by MDM2 siRNA. As an alternative key epigenetic regulator, non-coding RNAs are under extensive investigation in association with VC. By RNA sequencing, we found some candidate circular and long non-coding RNAs that are expected to affect the VC. Taken together, the epigenetic regulation of both Msx/MDM2/HDAC1 axis and non-coding RNA participate in the development of VC, which will be novel therapeutic targets of the diseases.


Osteodysplasty (Melnick and Needles syndrome) without facial dysmorphy in a 26 1/2 years old woman, mother of a normal 5 months female infant. First male newborn was stillborn at 37 weeks of amenorrhea with Potter syndrome and severe malformations (microcephaly, cleft lip and palate, posterior scalp lesions, bilateral palmar transverse crease) just like 13 trisomy. Spine and limb X-ray anomalies pointed out a week before foetus expulsion are not proved subsequently because examinations deficiency.


To a newcomer, Samburu, northern Kenya, may first appear as a vast, uninhabited landscape—a reddish, arid flatland punctuated by umbrella acacia trees. The vistas are expansive, occasionally terminating abruptly in a distant peak or serrated range. Assumptions of remoteness are misleading. This terrain, although far from Kenya's metropolitan centers, is not empty. The Samburu people inhabit this landscape, relying on material and rhythms that blend texturally and tonally into this rich flatland. As external visions recalibrate to this reality, the signs of Samburu settlements—manyatta—and their associated dwellings are seen everywhere. This reorientation to Samburu architecture reveals other relationships and tracings between the unbuilt spaces adjacent to houses, manyattas, routeways and seasonal tracts that lace through the landscape. These all have their own dimensionality and order but are seldom included in conventional plans and cartographic maps. This narrative considers other ways of knowing a landscape through its relationships with people, animals, and the use of built and unbuilt spaces. It presents a case study into a pedagogical project that began as an investigation into teaching climate change but resulted in a reappraisal of how we perceive the invisibilities and contradictions of a desert community.


In cognitive neuroscience, there is an increasing interest in identifying and understanding the synchronization of distinct neural oscillations with different frequencies that might support dynamic communication within the brain. This study explored the cross-frequency phase-amplitude coupling brain network characteristics of resting-state electroencephalograms between 30 children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and 30 age-matched typically developing children. Compared with control group, children with ADHD show increased coupling intensity and altered distribution patterns of dominant paired channels, especially in the δ-γH, θ-γH, α-γH, βL-γH, and βH-γH coupling networks. Regarding graph theory properties, the characteristic path length, the mean clustering coefficient, the global efficiency, and the mean local efficiency significant difference in many cross-frequency coupling networks, especially in the δ-γH, θ-γH, α-γH, βL-γH, and βH-γH coupling networks. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) in low-frequency coupling with a high-gamma frequency was larger than that in coupling with low-gamma frequency (AUC values of δ-γL, θ-γL, α-γL, βL-γL, βH-γL, δ-γH, θ-γH, α-γH, βL-γH, and βH-γH were 0.794, 0.722, 0.666, 0.570, 0.881, 0.992, 0.998, 0.998, 0.989, and 0.974, respectively). These findings demonstrate altered coupling intensity and disrupted topological organization of coupling networks, support the altered brain network theory in children with ADHD. The coupling intensity and graph theory properties of low-frequency coupling with high-gamma frequency were promising resting-state electroencephalogram biomarkers of ADHD in children.


To investigate the mechanisms through which the basic traits (big-five personality and approach/avoidance traits) predict career adaptability, and develop a more systematic view of the components of career adaptivity, we conducted a two-wave survey study among 206 Chinese university students. Drawing on career construction theory and the distal-proximal framework of motivation, we incorporated core self-evaluation (CSE), proactive personality and learning goal orientation (LGO) as the key mediators and tested their relations with basic traits and career adaptability. It was found that these dispositional predictors (measured at Time 1) account for 43% (adjusted R2) of the variance in career adaptability (measured at Time 2). In addition, CSE mediates the effects of conscientiousness, neuroticism, approach and avoidance traits on career adaptability; LGO and proactive personality mediate the effects of openness to experience, conscientiousness as well as approach trait on career adaptability. When the three mediators (CSE, LGO and proactive personality) are put into the model, only extraversion has a remaining direct effect on career adaptability. Implications of the findings are discussed.


The parathyroid glands are critical to maintaining calcium homeostasis through actions of parathyroid hormone (PTH). Recent clinical and molecular research has shown that direct and indirect actions of PTH also affect the heart and vasculature through downstream actions of G protein-coupled receptors in the myocardium and endothelial cells. Patients with disorders of the parathyroid gland have higher incidences of hypertension, arrhythmias, left ventricular hypertrophy, heart failure, and calcific disease which translate into increased cardiac morbidity and mortality. Importantly, clinical research also suggests that early treatment of parathyroid disorders through medical or surgical management may reverse cardiovascular remodeling and mitigate cardiac risk factors.


Results of the constructive partnership between Intel and Arizona's Community Colleges are presented. The Recent Technician Graduate Program is Intel's vision for addressing the shortage of skilled technicians. One aspect, the Faculty Internship Program is described in detail. The highlights of this program include three key learning's: Intel Environment, Classroom Impact, and Networking.


The Pterygotidae comprise two genera, Pterygotus Agassiz and Erettopterus Salter, and four subgenera. Possible species and subspecies are: 37 for P. (Pterygotus), 7 for P. (Acutiramus), 17 for E. (Erettopterus), 6 for E. (Truncatiramus). The stratigraphic range is Middle Ordovician to Middle Devonian; distribution is worldwide. The morphology of the chelicera is reviewed, showing four joints rather than three. Specimens are described from Estonia, Scotland, Libya, Bolivia, and Northwest Territories; five new species include P. (P.) marylandicus from the Keefer Sandstone, Silurian, Maryland, and E. (E.) saetiger from the Bloomsburg Shale, Silurian, Pennsylvania. A complete checklist, a catalog of synonymy, and a bibliography are included.


In order to analyse the chosen data from various points of view, data mining is used as the effective process. This process is also used to sum up all those views into useful information. There are several types of algorithms in data mining such as Classification algorithms, Regression, Segmentation algorithms, association algorithms, sequence analysis algorithms, etc.,. The classification algorithm can be used to bifurcate the data set from the given data set and foretell one or more discrete variables, based on the other attributes in the dataset. The ID3 (Iterative Dichotomiser 3) algorithm is an original data set S as the root node. An unutilised attribute of the data set S calculates the entropy H(S) (or Information gain IG (A)) of the attribute. Upon its selection, the attribute should have the smallest entropy (or largest information gain) value. The prime objective of this paper is to analyze the data from a Kidney disorder due to diabetics by using classification technique to predict class accurately.


Three experiments were performed on natural slopes to investigate variations of soil pore-water pressure during induced slope failure. Two sites in the Wasatch Range, Utah, and one site in the San Dimas Experimental Forest of southern California were forced to fail by artificial subsurface irrigation. The sites were instrumented with electronic piezometers and displacement meters to record induced pore pressures and movements of the slopes during failure. Piezometer records show a consistent trend of increasing pressure during the early stages of infiltration and abrupt decreases in pressure from 5 to 50 minutes before failure. Displacement meters failed to register the amount of movement, due to location and ineffectual coupling of meter pins to soil. Observations during the experiments indicate that fractures and macropores controlled the flow of water through the slope and that both water-flow paths and permeability within the slopes were not constant in space or time but changed continually during the course of the experiments.


The initial tack and viscoelastic properties of blends of melamine–formaldehyde (MF) resin and poly(vinyl acetate) (PVAc) emulsion on decorative veneer and plywood surfaces were investigated using a texture analyzer and dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA) at room temperature with respect to the 'open time', the time delay between applying an adhesive to a surface and contacting that surface with the other material. We determined and compared the effects of PVAc content, at 0, 30, 50, 70 and 100 wt%, in blends with MF resin. As PVAc is curable at room temperature, PVAc markedly affected the initial tack, as well as DMTA results. The degree of 'tack' was determined quantitatively based on the probe tack data. As the adhesion in an engineered flooring should be achieved in 2–3 min, the acceptable tack range is between 100 and 200 g. From the DMTA results, i.e., the tan δ max values, the maximum loss modulus (E&Prime) and the rigidity (ΔE) of MF/PVAc blends at room temperature, it was found that tan δ and loss modulus (E&Prime) increased with increasing MF resin content. Moreover, the rigidities of the 70:30 and 50:50 MF/PVAc blends were higher than those of the other blends, especially in comparison with the pure 100% PVAc and 100% MF. We conclude that the initial tack correlates with the MF/PVAc blend ratio during the adhesion process at room temperature.


Abstract Multi-team systems (MTS) are used to tackle unpredictable events and to respond effectively to fast-changing environmental contingencies. Their effectiveness is influenced by within as well as between team processes (i.e. communication, coordination) and emergent phenomena (i.e. situational awareness). The present case study explores the way in which the emergent structures and the involvement of bystanders intertwine with the dynamics of processes and emergent states both within and between the component teams. Our findings show that inefficient transition process and the ambiguous leadership generated poor coordination and hindered the development of emergent phenomena within the whole system. Emergent structures and bystanders substituted leadership functions and provided a pool of critical resources for the MTS. Their involvement fostered the emergence of situational awareness and facilitated contingency planning processes. However, bystander involvement impaired the emergence of cross-understandings and interfered with coordination processes between the component teams. Practitioner Summary: Based on a real emergency situation, the present research provides important theoretical and practical insights about the role of bystander involvement in the dynamics of multi-team systems composed to tackle complex tasks and respond to fast changing and unpredictable environmental contingencies.


The aim of this paper is to introduce a method for computing the allocated Solvency II Capital Requirement (SCR) of each Risk which the company is exposed to, taking in account for the diversification effect among different risks. The method suggested is based on the Euler principle. We show that it has very suitable properties like coherence in the sense of Denault (2001) and RORAC compatibility, and practical implications for the companies that use the standard formula. Further, we show how this approach can be used to evaluate the underwriting and reinsurance policies and to define a measure of the Company's risk appetite, based on the capital at risk return.


Monitoring agricultural crops constitutes a vital task for the general understanding of land use spatio-temporal dynamics. This paper presents an approach for the enhancement of current crop monitoring capabilities on a regional scale, in order to allow for the analysis of environmental and socio-economic drivers and impacts of agricultural land use. This work discusses the advantages and current limitations of using 250m VI data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) for this purpose, with emphasis in the difficulty of correctly analyzing pixels whose temporal responses are disturbed due to certain sources of interference such as mixed or heterogeneous land cover. It is shown that the influence of noisy or disturbed pixels can be minimized, and a much more consistent and useful result can be attained, if individual agricultural fields are identified and each field's pixels are analyzed in a collective manner. As such, a method is proposed that makes use of image segmentation techniques based on MODIS temporal information in order to identify portions of the study area that agree with actual agricultural field borders. The pixels of each portion or segment are then analyzed individually in order to estimate the reliability of the temporal signal observed and the consequent relevance of any estimation of land use from that data. The proposed method was applied in the state of Mato Grosso, in mid-western Brazil, where extensive ground truth data was available. Experiments were carried out using several supervised classification algorithms as well as different subsets of land cover classes, in order to test the methodology in a comprehensive way. Results show that the proposed method is capable of consistently improving classification results not only in terms of overall accuracy but also qualitatively by allowing a better understanding of the land use patterns detected. It thus provides a practical and straightforward procedure for enhancing crop-mapping capabilities using temporal series of moderate resolution remote sensing data.


Objective of the present work was to evaluate the presence of phytochemical constituents and pharmacological activities (antimicrobial and anti-nociceptive) of crude extract isolated from Iris albicans and its corresponding fractions. Extraction was made with methanol and extract was evaluated for the presence of different bioactive constituents, as per standard protocols. Extract and its corresponding fractions were evaluated for their antimicrobial and anti-nociceptive potential. Well diffusion method was used to evaluate the antibacterial effects while anti-nociceptive effect was studied using in-vivo models (acetic acid induced writhing, hotplate and tail immersion tests) at different dose level (100, 200 and 300 mg/kg of body weight) and compared with diclofenac sodium (dose = 10 mg/kg body weight). Results showed that the I. albicans extracts contained secondary metabolites including alkaloids, phytosterols, flavonoids, saponins, terpenoids, tannins, phenols, steroids, fixed oil, glycosides and carbohydrates. Furthermore, it was observed that different fractions in decreasing polarity order such as chloroform >n-Hexane > Ethyl acetate > Crude Methanol > Aqueous extract exhibited effective antimicrobial response against all test organisms. Results of the study showed that the extracts have significant antimicrobial and analgesic activity, providing evidence for its folklore use.


Floods are one of the major natural disasters that often threaten human lives and cause significant economic losses around the world. The history of mankind is filled with the stories of our struggles with floods to protect human races and to sustain the progression of our civilizations. Flood defense systems are designed and constructed to protect low-lying areas against flooding. Engineering design often is at the final stage for finding technical means to best accomplish the project goals. Over the years, risk-based design and optimization methods have proven to be useful tools to obtain economic design of protection systems. Levee systems have been built for flood protection in numerous rivers, lakes and coasts in the world over the long human history. Early flood levees usually were designed with scant quantitative analysis, relying primarily on occasional observations of flood stages and empirical judgments on required project scales. Economic design of a levee system for flood protection involves balancing costs of levee building (height), the losses of land value sacrificed for floodway expansion (setback) and flood damages from inadequate channel capacity. The application of GAs to water resources problems have been increased in recent years. The study of genetic algorithms (GAs) originated, and has developed into a powerful optimization approach. GAs have so far had very little applications in flood defense systems optimization. The primary objective of this paper is to introduce a new GA formulation in application to flood defense systems. The problem addressed here is about optimization of levee setback. It has been demonstrated that GAs provide robust and acceptable solutions to the levees setback optimization problem along presented formulation.


In order to clarify the molecular basis of the heterogeneity of rat hemoglobins, two DNA clones containing the genes for adult type beta-globins were isolated from a rat genomic DNA library. The results obtained in the present experiments are summarized as follows. 1) Clone lambda Rg beta 59 contained the gene for an adult rat beta-major globin, II beta, while clone lambda Rg beta 45 contained the genes for two adult rat beta-minor globins, III beta, and O beta, respectively. 2) The entire nucleotide sequences of these genes were determined, indicating that the genes are all composed of 3 exons and 2 introns, and code for 146 amino acid residues. The genes exhibited structural features typical to known expressed beta-like globin genes, implying that they are all functional. 3) The predicted amino acid sequences completely agreed with the amino acid sequences of II beta, III beta and O beta globins, respectively, which we isolated in a separate experiment. 4) Sequence comparisons of three rat globin genes with one another and with the known mouse beta-major and beta-minor globin genes showed the occurrence of interesting homologies between two species from evolutional aspects. 5) Southern hybridization analysis of the genomic DNA implies that a number of beta-like globin genes other than the present ones exist in the rat genome.


Computer-generated models of the human body generally do not adequately model the complex human morphology. These models, therefore, do not reflect the anthropometric realities and are not specific enough for commercial use. This paper presents an approach to adjust virtual models through the use of body measurements, as obtained from an anthropometric data set. In this approach, the measurements are used in grouping 3D body scans, which are obtained using precise optoelectronic measurement devices, into clusters. The virtual mannequins are then adjusted by using the measurements of the nearest cluster member. In this way, realistic accurate virtual mannequins are created.


The primary purpose of this article is to further discussions of validity in mixed methods research by introducing a validation framework to guide thinking about validity in this area. To justify the use of this framework, the authors discuss traditional terminology and validity criteria for quantitative and qualitative research, as well as present recently published validity terminology for mixed methods research. The authors discuss the rationale for their framework and how it unifies thinking about validity in mixed methods research. Finally, they discuss how the framework can be used.


We present Monte Carlo results on a model of polymers in a condensed phase, over a range of monomer densities. We imagine cutting a cube out of the system. This cube will typically have several polymer molecules running through its interior, and starting and ending on the boundary. These subchains will be mutually entangled and we present a way to assess the extent of entanglement complexity as a function of the monomer density and the number of subchains in the cube. The model is a set of k self-avoiding and mutually avoiding walks, properly embedded in the cube.


he main objective of this study was to identify the effects of competition on the profitability of cement manufacturers in Kenya. This study adopted a survey research design while, stratified random sampling was used. Secondary and primary data collection methods specifically questionnaires and interviews were utilized in this study while both qualitative and quantitative research methods were also used. The study drew the sample of the study from the five cement companies operating in Nairobi Kenya. A response rate of 90% was achieved. The researcher found out that competition does impact on a company's profitability either to some extent or to a great extent. Therefore, the researcher concluded that that for in terms of improving capacity of cement firms in Kenya in terms of countering competition, cement manufacturers should integrate innovation, quality service delivery, value chain adoption, integration of state of the art equipment, good financial management practices and constant re-evaluation in regard to profitability. This should also be realigned with the local realities in regard to Vision 2030, through establishing a regulatory authority, modernization of equipment, strong regional integration, proper infrastructure and regulation of the cement industry such that monopoly does not interfere with the


Currently, the majority of the available test feeder models are based on the North American type of distribution systems, leaving an absence of representative feeder models for the European (and Dutch) types of distribution systems. Therefore, a standardized set of power flow models for typical Dutch LV distribution networks is developed using real networks and operational data provided by a Dutch DSO. These network models are used to assess if typical Dutch LV distribution networks are ready to operate with large penetration of low-carbon energy technologies (e.g. PV systems, electric heat pumps, EVs). According to the obtained results, simulations of all the modelled networks showed the same behaviour for the power flow at the head of the distribution system and the voltage magnitude level. The changes in voltage magnitude however is dependent on the size of the network, resulting in larger changes in the larger networks. While the voltage magnitude level of the smaller networks stays within the ± 10% range, the larger networks encounter voltage magnitude violations. Thus, it can be concluded that the larger networks are not ready (under the current conditions) for large penetrations of low-carbon energy technologies, while the smaller networks appear to be ready.


PURPOSE
To investigate the efficacy of parent-child interaction therapy (PCIT) with young children who stutter.

METHOD
This is a longitudinal, multiple single-subject study. The participants were 6 children aged 3;3-4;10 [years;months] who had been stuttering for longer than 12 months. Therapy consisted of 6 sessions of clinic-based therapy and 6 weeks of home consolidation. Speech samples were videorecorded during free play with parents at home and analyzed to obtain stuttering data for each child before therapy, during therapy, and up to 12 months posttherapy.

RESULTS
Stuttering frequency data obtained during therapy and posttherapy were compared with the frequency and variability of stuttering in the baseline phase. Four of the 6 children significantly reduced stuttering with both parents by the end of the therapy phase.

CONCLUSIONS
PCIT can reduce stuttering in preschool children with 6 sessions of clinic-based therapy and 6 weeks of parent-led, home-based therapy. The study highlights the individual response to therapy. Suggestions for future research directions are made.


To address the mobile data growth challenges, mobile operators need to access more spectrum resources. LTE in unlicensed spectrum (LTE-U) has been proposed to extend the usual operation of LTE in licensed spectrum to cover also unlicensed spectrum, mainly at 5 GHz band due to its wide spectrum availability. However, this extension poses significant challenges especially regarding the coexistence between LTE-U and legacy systems like Wi-Fi. In case of LTE-U adopts Time-Division Multiplexing (TDM) schemes to share the spectrum with Wi-Fi, we expect performance degradations of Wi-Fi networks. In this paper, we quantify the impact of TDM schemes on Wi-Fi performance in a coexistence scenario. We provide an analytical model to compute the probability of collision faced by Wi-Fi and its downlink throughput performance. This model provides an upper bound of the probability of collision that could be faced by a finite number of Wi-Fi stations. NS3 simulations show that the model estimates accurately the collision probability and the throughput experienced by Wi-Fi. The model is then used to study and compare different coexistence schemes showing for instance that the Wi-Fi frame size impacts globally the performance of Wi-Fi users.


This thesis is a study of Acts 1-2 using perspectives from the social sciences. The study is focused on the twelve apostles of Jesus and attempts to understand the process and purpose of their change of status from being followers to becoming the leaders of the Christian community. Specifically, this thesis employs the model of Rituals of Status Transformation as its primary theoretical framework in order to clarify and define the stages and phases of the apostles' status transformation. The primary purpose of the status transformation is to promote the leadership integrity of the apostles. This leadership integrity was put into question because Judas -a member of the Twelve - betrayed Jesus. Judas' betrayal brought social embarrassment on the apostolate and thus necessitated the author's campaign to show his readers the apostles' status transformation. A major part of this study is the suggestion of a plausible solution to the questions surrounding the function of the pericopes of Acts 1: 12-14 and 1: 15-26 in relation to the Ascension and Penetecost events. Contrary to the common view that the prayer of unanimity between the Eleven apostles, the women, and Jesus' family in the upper room is simply an empty interval in preparation for the coming of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost, this thesis proposes that the pericope is propagandistic intended to win support from the clienteles of the women disciples and Jesus' family. Thus, while the Ritual of Status Transformation serves as our main theoretical framework, this thesis uses other social- scientific models to fully explore the social conditions within the said pericopes. In the case of Acts 1: 12-14, the model of patronage/brokerage together with the mechanics of social networking has been employed. The same perspective applies to Acts 1: 15-26. Again, contrary to the more popular view that the election narrative is the fulfillment of the promise of Jesus to his apostles in Lk. 22: 30, we suggest that the setting is the stage of the apostles' ritual confrontation before the presence of the 120 believers. This ritual confrontation is understood within the concept of honour and shame which works interactively with our theoretical framework. This concept is able to bring out our suggestion that Peter's speech is an apologetic speech in behalf of the apostles - attempting to defend their honour and leadership integrity which was marred by Judas' betrayal of Jesus.


This paper presents the outcome of the investigative study carried out on threshold effect in FM systems. The study gave a proper insight on how the threshold effect affects the performance of FM systems by giving detailed report on the occurrence. Performance evaluation shows that the threshold is the existence of large noise in the output of the system, which makes signal detection impossible. The effect, as was discovered through analysis, is more serious at very high frequencies as can be seen from the deviational effect noticed on the graph which depicts the presence of noise in the system and it is in-fact a confirmation that noise at that level is frequency dependent. Pre- emphasis and de – emphasis networks were discussed to show how the effect could be controlled in FM systems.


PURPOSE Identification of predictors for overall survival (OS) allows timely detection of clinical efficacy signals and therefore facilitates treatment decisions. We assessed the association between circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) metrics and the primary end point of OS in a subset of previously treated patients with locally advanced or metastatic non–small-cell lung cancer, who underwent atezolizumab or docetaxel treatment in the open-label randomized phase III OAK trial. MATERIALS AND METHODS Plasma from 94 patients at baseline and at subsequent cycles of therapy every 3 weeks was analyzed retrospectively for ctDNA. ctDNA was measured by allele frequency and mutant molecules per milliliter (MMPM). Concordance between various per-sample metrics and clinical outcome were assessed using C index. RESULTS Of all the ctDNA metrics tested, the association of median MMPM at 6 weeks with OS in patients treated with atezolizumab or docetaxel had a C index > 0.7. The OS hazard ratios relative to high ctDNA above median MMPM within each arm were 0.28 (95% CI, 0.11 to 0.75) for atezolizumab and 0.19 (95% CI, 0.08 to 0.48) for docetaxel. For patients who had ctDNA median MMPM levels of < 4.79, the median survival time was more than 17 months in docetaxel-treated patients and the median survival time was not reached in the atezolizumab-treated patients. CONCLUSION ctDNA MMPM levels measured at 6 weeks post-treatment are associated with OS in advanced non–small-cell lung cancer. Our results suggest that ctDNA has the potential for a noninvasive early liquid biopsy predictor for OS that warrants further studies to demonstrate its utility in clinical development.


PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are organofluorine substances that are used commercially in products like non-stick cookware, food packaging, personal care products, fire-fighting foam, etc. These chemicals have several different subtypes made of varying numbers of carbon and fluorine atoms. PFAS substances that have longer carbon chains, such as PFOS (perfluorooctane sulfonic acid), can potentially pose a significant public health risk due to their ability to bioaccumulate and persist for long periods of time in the body and the environment. The National Academies Report suggests there is some evidence of PFOS exposure and gastrointestinal (GI) inflammation contributing to ulcerative colitis. Inflammatory bowel diseases such as ulcerative colitis are precursors to colorectal cancer. However, evidence about the association between PFOS and colorectal cancer is limited and has shown contradictory findings. This review provides an overview of population and preclinical studies on PFOS exposure and GI inflammation, metabolism, immune responses, and carcinogenesis. It also highlights some mitigation approaches to reduce the harmful effects of PFOS on GI tract and discusses the dietary strategies, such as an increase in soluble fiber intake, to reduce PFOS-induced alterations in cellular lipid metabolism. More importantly, this review demonstrates the urgent need to better understand the relationship between PFOS and GI pathology and carcinogenesis, which will enable development of better approaches for interventions in populations exposed to high levels of PFAS, and in particular to PFOS.


Trilobolide (Tb) is a potent natural counterpart of thapsigargin, which has shown promising results in cancer clinical trials. Here, we report a rational approach to study intracellular localization and biological activity of this sesquiterpene lactone. We conjugated Tb with a green-emitting Bodipy dye attached by alternative linkers of different lengths. The live-cell imaging of the prepared bioconjugates brought clear evidence that Tb-Bodipy localized in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) of various cancer cell lines. The localization signal was compared with ER-specific dyes. Cytotoxicity of Tb conjugates and impact on the mitochondrial physiology and nitric oxide release were also studied. The nitric oxide production and cytokine secretion in rat peritoneal cells indicate immunobiological potential of these lactone bioconjugates. In summary, our Tb-Bodipy conjugates could help us to reveal the molecular mechanism of trilobolide for its further potential use in biomedical applications.


The medium and long-term demand prediction for water resources is critical to the country's macro-allocation of water resources and the formulation of a long-term regional economic development strategy. However, the official prediction report of China's water resources was created ten years ago, and its results are far from accurate in practice making it difficult to direct China's water resource planning in the coming ten years. By introducing the demand forecasting method for the first time, this study built a mathematical prediction model that integrates "data constraint + mathematical prediction + actuarial prediction". The conclusions are as follows: (1) The new method developed in this research is more accurate than previous prediction methods and has a higher degree of matching with actual data. Despite the problem of trend extrapolation, this model can accurately understand the long-term trend. However, the amount of data must be calculated. (2) China's consumption of total water, agricultural water, industrial water, domestic water, and ecological water will predict to be 552.9 billion m3, 319.1 billion m3, 95.7 billion m3, 95.5 billion m3 and 42.6 billion m3 in 2030, respectively, as well as 504.7 billion m3, 281.1 billion m3, 61.4 billion m3, 101.4 billion m3, and 60.8 billion m3 in 2050, respectively, indicating obvious structural changes. (3) China's industrial structure evolves frequently; therefore, water resource forecasting must account for changes in industrial structure as well as geographical variances. In North China, agricultural water demand will fall, but ecological water investment will rise. The planning and distribution of the nation's water resources will significantly be influenced theoretically and practically by the development of this methodology study. This method is universal and can be used for long-term prediction of future water demand in other countries.


This article attempted to discuss about Mandailing phonological variation in Mandailing Natal Regency. As observation points, this study was determined 21 villages from all districts in Mandailing Natal and the data were analyzed by using dialectometri application. The objectives of the study were to describe the phonological variation of Mandailing language, the distribution maps and line isogloss on phonological elements of Mandailing language and the grouping of dialect on phonology based dialectometri method. To calculate the dialectometri vocabulary has been done by calculating all of the vocabulary per field of meaning which amounts to 800 glosses. However, the phonological dialectometri not be counted per field of meaning because of the differences can be found in several fields of meaning. Thus, the calculation should be done phonological dialectometri overall meaning of the phonological changes, the difference in phonological distance at Mandailing language totaled 105 glosses.


Alcohol oxidase (AO) expressed in transformed oleic acid-grown Saccharomyces cerevisiae, accumulated into microbodies to up to 8% of the total protein content of the organelles. This led to a small increase in volume fraction of the organelles, but not in their number. Most of the AO protein was present in large aggregates in the cytosol. The AO synthesized was inactive, irrespective of its subcellular localization and did not contain FAD. When the same AO gene was expressed in fused protoplasts of transformed S. cerevisiae and Hansenula polymorpha, the enzyme was properly assembled and activated in H. polymorpha microbodies.


Study Design. Effects of spinal implant stiffness and removal/retention on bypassed bone mineral density and column/fusion stiffness were studied in dogs. Methods. After facet fusion and bicortical peripedicle screw placement, one group of eight dogs received 6.35 mm and another 4.76 mm rod instrumentation at L3–L5. At 12 weeks, four in each group had implants removed. Bone mineral density was analyzed by dual energy x-ray absorptiometry at 1 to 24 weeks. Axial compressive stiffness of the L3–L5 construct, spinal column, fused facets, and instrumentation were measured. Percent load through the vertebral column was predicted. Results. Five observations were made for this canine model. First, stiffer implants resulted in more bypassed bone mineral loss at 6 and 12 weeks, plateauing and not different at 24 weeks. Second, after implant removal, a significant and similar rebound in bone mineral density occurred. Third, 4.76 mm rod instrumentation (initially 71% load through column) resulted in stiffer posterior fusions and vertebral columns than 6.35 mm rod instrumentation (initially 57% load through column). Fourth, marked stiffening of the anterior-middle columns (apparently disks) occurred. Fifth, percent load borne by the vertebral column increased with time. Conclusions. There appears to be a range of percent load through the vertebral column that creates optimum fusion/column stiffening while limiting bone stress shielding effects. The 6.35 mm rod constructs were predicted to allow greater than 70% axial load through the adult human thoracic/lumbar spine, implying biologic responses similar to 4.76 mm rods in dogs.


Sulfotransferase 4A1 (SULT4A1) is a cytosolic sulfotransferase, that is highly conserved across species and extensively expressed in the brain. However, the biological function of SULT4A1 is unclear. SULT4A1 has been implicated in several neuropsychiatric disorders, such as Phelan-McDermid Syndrome and schizophrenia. Here, we investigate the role of SULT4A1 within neuron development and function. Our data demonstrate that SULT4A1 modulates neuronal branching complexity and dendritic spines formation. Moreover, we show that SULT4A1, by negatively regulating the catalytic activity of Pin1 towards PSD-95, facilitates NMDAR synaptic expression and function. Finally, we demonstrate that the pharmacological inhibition of Pin1 reverses the pathological phenotypes of SULT4A1 knockdown neurons by specifically restoring dendritic spine density and rescuing NMDAR-mediated synaptic transmission. Together, these findings identify SULT4A1 as a novel player in neuron development and function by modulating dendritic morphology and synaptic activity.


This paper analyzes predicative constructions expressing location, existence and possession in Hamar, a South Omotic language spoken in South-West Ethiopia. The semantic domain location-existence-possession is conveyed in Hamar by one and the same lexeme, but in different constructions. The distinction between location and existence in particular is expressed by variation in the syntax and information structure, reflecting the different conceptualization and perspectivization of the abstract relation between a figure and a ground. The semantic and syntactic properties of these constructions are analyzed and compared to the findings of Creissels' typology of "inverse locational predication" (2013) and Koch's constructional typology (2012). The analysis of existential predication in Hamar confirms that there is a contrast between the languages of the Sudanic belt and those of North Eastern Sub-Saharan Africa (Creissels 2018a; 2019), and it suggests that Hamar, like other Afro-Asiatic languages (Koch 2012:585), belongs to languages which do not express informational salience, nor propositional salience. A closer look however reveals that Hamar existential constructions display special morpho-syntactic features: the different conceptualization of the figure-ground relationship is encoded not only by means of word order alternations, but also by means of gender marking on the figure and the ground, and different aspectual marking on the predicator.


Modern secularism, as theorized by such prominent liberal philosophers as John Rawls and Jurgen Habermas, prescribes that the state should treat all religions equally on the condition that they and their adherents relinquish their theocratic aspirations and recognize the political sovereignty and superiority of man-made law. Convinced that the secular bargain undermines the moral virtue of society and its members, a small, fragmented, but nevertheless conspicuous number of Islamists in Europe prefer to observe Islamic law in all walks of life, private and public. Alarmed by Islamists and informed by Orientalist readings of Islam, an increasingly vehement and vociferous contingent of Islamophobes avers that Islam is inherently incompatible with democracy and urges European governments to treat neither Islam nor Muslims equally, but rather suspiciously as real or potential threats to the wellbeing of European societies. In contrast, advocates of Euro-Islam insist that Islam can be reformed, like Christianity, to meet the requirements of modern secularism. This article contends that elements of all three of these vying ideological positions have found their way into policymaking targeting Muslims in several European lands. The resulting inconsistency and contradiction – what I call policy "messiness" – corroborate the process of "mutual fragilization" theorized by Charles Taylor, in which actors facing radical value pluralism develop solicitude regarding their own principles as well as greater tolerance for ambivalence. The latter, in particular, creates what Homi Bhabha terms a "third space" from which actors confronting cultural pluralism can freely and constructively explore cross-fertilizations and hybrid combinations with the potential to yield yet unimagined approaches and solutions to the problems of "super-diversity." I identify just such a creative hybridity among a younger generation of European Muslims whom many observers dub "post-Islamists."


Disclinated microcrystals (DMCs) can be obtained in the form of decahedrons, icosahedrons, and pentagonal prisms. We present results of metallic DMC fabrication by employing the process of electrodeposition. We further provide experimental evidence of structural transformations in DMCs during electrodeposition and heat treatment. We propose a model of DMC in the framework of continuum mechanics and discuss some typical results for calculations of the stresses and internal energy for elongated and sphere-like crystalline objects containing either one or six disclinations, or a distributed spherical disclination. Relaxation of mechanical stresses caused by disclinations leads to structural transformations in DMCs. We review the existing models of stress relaxation in DMCs and discuss new models of stress relaxation through dislocation loops or additional disclination ensembles in the DMC interior or lattice mismatched shells formed on the DMC surface.


The present study provides information on weight- length relationship (WLR) and Fulton's condition factor (K) of the alligator pipefish, Syngnathoides biaculeatus (Bloch, 1785) sampled from Palk Bay (PB) and Gulf of Mannar (GoM) regions, southeast coast of India. The pooled estimate for the parameter b of the WLR for S. biaculeatus (n = 217) was determined to be 1.75, indicating the negative allometric growth pattern (b < 3). The K values ranged from 0.65 to 1.35 (pooled, 0.84) and from 0.68 to 1.27 (pooled, 0.85) for populations of S. biaculeatus collected from PB (n = 120) and GoM (n = 97) respectively. The results may help address the concerns of conservation of S. biaculeatus in the wake of habitat loss and/or incidental by-catch.


India's sustained and rapid economic growth offers an opportunity to lift millions out of poverty. But this may come at a steep cost to the nation's environment and natural resources. This insightful book analyzes India's growth from an economic perspective and assesses whether India can grow in a "green" and sustainable manner. Three key issues are addressed. The first is the physical and monetary costs and losses of environmental health and natural resources driven by economic growth. The authors undertake a monetary valuation and quantification of environmental damage, using techniques that have been developed to better understand and quantify preferences and values of individuals and communities in the context of environmental quality, conservation of natural resources, and environmental health risks. The second part estimates the value of ecosystem services from the major biomes in India using state-of-the art methods with a view to preserving them for the future. The third section provides a menu of policy instruments to explore trade-offs between economic growth and environmental sustainability using a computable general equilibrium approach with particular attention to air pollution. The conclusions focus on the way forward in terms of policies, measures, and instruments as India seeks to balance the twin challenges of maintaining economic prosperity and simultaneously managing its environmental resources.


Wireless systems have become an increasingly pivotal part of our lives. Various critical applications and use cases such as healthcare, financial transactions, e-commerce, transportation, industrial automation, etc. rely on secure and reliable communication for their proper operation. Despite their widespread adoption, conventional cryptographic security mechanisms are unable to scale with the increasingly decentralized and heterogeneous networks. Physical layer security (PLS), on the other hand, provides a promising complementary solution to ensure authenticity, confidentiality, integrity, and availability of legitimate transmissions by exploiting the dynamic characteristics of the wireless environment. Despite the plethora of literary works regarding different facets of PLS being present, a unified framework is still absent. In this paper, we provide a PLS framework that not only encompasses the existing works but also enables the development of next-generation PLS methods. In line with this, the importance of PLS for emerging technologies such as joint sensing and communication, vehicular communication, non-terrestrial networks, millimeter-wave, terahertz communication, etc. is highlighted. Furthermore, the key challenges and directions for future PLS mechanisms are identified.


Harmonic Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) systems have attracted significant interest over the last decade as it provides many benefits over the conventional RFID systems. Harmonic RFID is desired over conventional RFID systems due to reduced self-jamming, location accuracy from dual frequency, and higher phase noise immunity. In a harmonic RFID system, the tag receives instructions from the reader at an RF carrier frequency and replies back at the harmonic of the RF frequency. A nonlinear element consuming very low power at the tag is required to generate the harmonic carrier for the battery-less system. In this review article, a detailed contrast between conventional and harmonic RFID systems is presented. This is followed by different circuit design techniques to generate harmonics and integration techniques to form a fully operable passive harmonic RFID tag. Also, a wide range of applications, especially sensor integration with harmonic RFID's, along with the future trends are presented.